The night was too quiet.
Caleb had been pacing for hours, the map of known Aether anomalies sprawled across the table in front of him. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing—something important. Every lead felt like a dead end, every clue buried beneath layers of deception.
He rubbed his eyes, trying to focus. The relic, the Aether Heart, was gone. The Spiral had taken it, left a riddle in its wake, and then disappeared as mysteriously as they had arrived.
Then there was Kael—always one step ahead, always watching.
But tonight… something gnawed at the back of his mind.
A sudden pain flared on his wrist. Caleb flinched, pulling back the sleeve of his shirt. The sensation was sharp—almost like a burn—but the skin there appeared normal.
Except for one thing.
A faint, intricate glyph had appeared—glowing softly like embers under his skin.
It was a symbol he recognized from earlier—the same markings Serah had worn on her robes. The same shapes that flickered in the air when the Spiral spoke.
The glyph pulsed again.
"Shit," Caleb muttered.
He hadn't noticed it before. It must have been the last few days, since the Spiral's visit. He ran his fingers across it—smooth and raised, but not like a scar. More like an echo of the Aether itself, embedded beneath his skin.
Caleb staggered back from the table. His heart beat faster now, a surge of adrenaline washing over him.
He grabbed his jacket, hurriedly pulling it over his shoulders. The pain in his wrist had started to subside, but the glyph—it wouldn't stop glowing. Not fully.
The light was faint at first, but as Caleb's heartbeat quickened, the glyph pulsed brighter.
"Why the hell is this happening?" he muttered, feeling a mix of anger and confusion.
His fingers brushed the glyph again, and suddenly, the Aether around him reacted.
Energy spiked.
The room blurred. Time slowed.
The world around him stretched, like he was caught between two planes of existence. The air hummed with raw Aether, vibrating like a thousand different voices speaking all at once.
In that moment, Caleb saw it.
A vision.
The Aether Heart. Glowing like a sun. The Spiral surrounding it, chanting in unison. Serah stood at the center, her voice distant but powerful.
"The Echo will wake. And when he does, the flame will guide him."
Then the vision shifted.
Kael's face. A flash of silver eyes. His expression twisted with frustration.
"Not him. Not yet."
And then, Caleb felt it. A sensation deep within his core—the same chill he felt whenever Kael was nearby, but sharper this time. More invasive. Like Kael wasn't just hunting him, but trying to tear something from him.
The vision shattered. The Aether ripped apart in a burst of sound, like a thousand voices screaming in pain.
Caleb collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.
Minutes passed. The glow of the glyph faded, leaving only the faintest trace behind—like a scar on his soul.
He pulled himself to his feet, gripping the edge of the table for balance. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but his mind was racing.
What had just happened? What was the glyph trying to show him?
And why the hell was he marked by the Spiral?
"Caleb?" Jarek's voice came from the doorway, and Caleb spun around, his thoughts still disoriented.
"You're up late," Jarek said, his gaze flicking to Caleb's wrist. "What's going on?"
Caleb didn't answer right away. Instead, he rolled his sleeve back down, covering the glowing glyph. The Aether still hummed inside him, restless.
"Something's wrong," Caleb muttered. "I don't know what yet… but I think the Spiral just linked me to their path."
Jarek raised an eyebrow. "Linked you? How?"
"The glyph," Caleb said, his voice tight. "It's from them. From Serah. They branded me somehow. Marked me."
Jarek's expression darkened. "Damn it. If they've chosen you, then they won't let you go. This is bigger than the Black Sigil, Caleb. The Spiral doesn't let go of their people—they use them."
"Then I'll find out what they want," Caleb said, determination in his eyes. "But I won't be anyone's pawn."
Jarek's gaze softened, but there was still a shadow of concern in his eyes. "Be careful. You've just awakened something you can't unsee."
Caleb clenched his fist, his Aether flaring again, as if responding to the threat of the Spiral. "I'm ready for whatever comes next."
As the night deepened, Caleb couldn't shake the feeling that the Spiral's influence had only just begun.
The glyph on his wrist pulsed again, burning with quiet fire.
And in the distance, Caleb swore he could hear faint whispers calling his name.