The days that followed were a blur.
Caleb had hoped the fire would be a temporary burst, something he could control, like a spark that would eventually die down. But the Aether wasn't something that could be controlled so easily. It twisted inside him, alive and restless, like a caged beast. Every time he thought he had a grasp on it, it slipped through his fingers, drawing him deeper into its grip.
His nights were restless, plagued by dreams of the Spiral—masked figures standing in flames, chanting in ancient tongues. And then, the glyph. His glyph. It pulsed on his wrist like a second heartbeat, its glow a constant reminder of what he had become a part of.
The connection to the Spiral was undeniable now. They were watching him, guiding him… testing him. But for what purpose? What was their endgame?
And how far would Caleb go to find out?
The whispers were getting louder. It was as if the Aether itself was speaking to him, urging him to embrace the flame fully. To let it consume him and become what he was always meant to be.
Caleb shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside. He couldn't let them win. He couldn't let them shape him. Not like this.
But every step he took seemed to lead him deeper into their web.
By the time he reached the ancient city of Val'kora, the last remnants of his doubt had all but faded. The city was a ghost town, its once-proud spires now reduced to rubble, overtaken by nature. But there was a feeling here—something in the air. A presence.
He could feel it before he even entered the city's gates: a pulse of Aether, faint but unmistakable. Someone had been here before him.
Caleb moved carefully, his hand instinctively resting on the hilt of his sword. The world around him seemed to hold its breath, the silence broken only by the rustle of the wind through the trees.
As he walked through the ruined streets, the silence seemed to grow heavier, like the city itself was watching him. Waiting.
It wasn't until he reached the central courtyard that he found it: a pedestal, cracked and worn by centuries of neglect, but still standing proud. Upon it lay a stone tablet, covered in the same spiraling glyphs he had seen in his visions—glyphs that seemed to pulse with life.
The moment Caleb touched the stone, the air around him shifted. The ground trembled beneath his feet, and the glyphs on the tablet glowed brighter, more intense.
And then, as if summoned by the act itself, a voice echoed through Caleb's mind.
"The flame has found its bearer. The path is clear. But the price… is yet to be paid."
Caleb's breath caught in his throat. The voice—the same one that had whispered to him before—was louder now, clearer. It knew him. It knew what he was becoming.
The glyph on his wrist flared to life, burning with a fiery intensity that threatened to overwhelm him. His skin tingled with power, and for a moment, Caleb could feel the presence of something vast, something ancient, watching him.
"You are the key," the voice continued, its tone now commanding. "The first flame must be ignited. You must choose."
Caleb gritted his teeth. "Choose what?" he spat, the anger rising in his chest.
"To light the fire of the Aether," the voice replied. "To awaken what sleeps beneath the world. To bring forth the final truth."
The ground trembled again, and suddenly, the stone pedestal cracked open, revealing a hidden chamber below. A staircase spiraled down into darkness, the air thick with Aether.
Caleb didn't hesitate. He couldn't afford to. He had come this far, and now the path was set before him. The Spiral had chosen him, whether he liked it or not.
The glyph burned brighter as he descended into the depths, the air growing colder with each step.
The Aether surged around him, wrapping itself around his mind, pulling at his thoughts. It was as if the very walls of the city were alive, watching, waiting.
And then, in the heart of the chamber, he saw it.
A massive Aether Crystal, its surface covered in the same spiraling glyphs, pulsing with a steady, rhythmic glow. It hummed in the air, filling the room with a resonance that vibrated through Caleb's bones.
This was it. The heart of the Spiral.
Caleb took a deep breath, feeling the energy course through him. This was the moment. The flame would burn.
He reached out, his fingers brushing the surface of the crystal.
And then, everything changed.
The Aether exploded outward, a surge of power that slammed into Caleb with the force of a storm. He screamed, his body wracked with pain as the energy flooded through him, filling every fiber of his being.
The glyph on his wrist pulsed wildly, its glow blinding. The world around him spun, fractured into a thousand pieces.
And then, a vision.
A city, burning. Shadows rising from the depths, their eyes glowing with the same flame that burned within Caleb. The Spiral.
And then, a voice. The same voice, but now a roar.
"The flame will burn. The truth will be revealed. And you, Caleb, will be the spark that ignites the end."
Caleb gasped, the vision fading as the world snapped back into focus. He stood in the chamber, the Aether crystal now dark and lifeless before him.
But the power inside him had changed. It was no longer a mere flicker of flame. It was a roaring inferno.
He staggered back, his breath ragged. The Aether surged through him, wild and uncontrollable, but now… now it was his. He could feel it, thrumming in his veins.
He had done it. He had claimed the fire.
But at what cost?