Chapter 7: The Watchful Eye
Kael followed Leo through the winding paths of the Dream Continent, the silence of the place pressing in on him like the weight of a thousand unspoken words. The ground beneath their feet was smooth, crystalline, with veins of energy pulsing beneath the surface—alive, aware, and as unpredictable as the storm brewing inside Kael.
Leo's steps were steady, each one placed with practiced precision. The boy was a machine wrapped in flesh—a soldier, not by choice, but by necessity. His eyes were sharp, scanning the horizon as if looking for threats that only he could see.
Kael, on the other hand, had never been one to plan too much ahead. He was used to acting on instinct, driven by the raw pulse of his emotions, the explosion of power that surged through his veins when he lost control. It was a gift and a curse, something Leo had quickly noticed when they'd first met.
"You're not like the others," Leo said without looking at him, his voice low and clipped, as though each word was carefully weighed. "You're too unpredictable. Too raw."
Kael grunted, his hands subconsciously twitching at his sides, flames flickering at the tips of his fingers before dying down. "I'm not a soldier, Leo. I just… react."
"Reactions can get people killed," Leo replied, his tone colder than the wind that swept through the Dream Continent. "Especially here. You're walking into a warzone, Kael. There's no room for mistakes."
Kael's jaw tightened. He wasn't used to being lectured, especially not by someone like Leo, who was all cold calculation and hardened resolve. Leo, with his perfect posture and laser focus, was everything Kael wasn't. He was everything Kael was trying not to become.
"I'm not like you," Kael muttered, his voice a little rougher than he intended. "I don't do well with rules."
Leo finally glanced at him, his expression unreadable. "Good. I don't follow the rules either. But when we're out here, you need to understand one thing: we're not just fighting the Corruption. We're fighting to stay human."
They continued walking in silence, the weight of Leo's words settling heavily between them. Kael wasn't sure if it was a warning or a challenge, but either way, the idea of keeping his humanity in this strange new world felt impossible.
They approached a clearing, where the ground rose sharply, a jagged cliff that overlooked a dark chasm. The air was thick with the scent of burnt ozone and something else—something familiar but far more unsettling. A low hum vibrated through the ground, reverberating in Kael's chest.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "What is this place?"
Leo's gaze was fixed on the chasm below them, his posture unshakable. "A rupture. A tear in the fabric of this world, caused by the Corruption. It's unstable, dangerous. We're here to monitor it."
"You think it'll spread?" Kael asked, his voice tinged with worry.
Leo nodded. "Eventually. The Corruption isn't something you can just cut away. It's a force. And like any force, it can't be controlled. It consumes, it erases."
They were silent for a moment, the only sound the distant roar of wind whipping through the chasm below. Kael's mind raced as he tried to process everything Leo had just said. The Corruption was more than just a threat. It was something deeper, something that could unravel reality itself.
"Do you think we can stop it?" Kael asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Leo didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took a step closer to the edge of the chasm, his eyes scanning the dark void below. "I don't know. But we have to try."
There was something about the way Leo said it, something grim and resigned. Kael understood that Leo wasn't just talking about the Corruption. He was talking about them. About everything they were fighting for. The weight of the world was heavy on his shoulders, just as it was on Kael's. But unlike Kael, Leo had learned to bear it without breaking.
"You fight like you're already dead," Kael said, finally speaking the thought that had been lingering in his mind.
Leo's gaze snapped to him, his eyes sharp. "I fight because I'm not dead yet. And neither are you."
Kael didn't have a response for that. He wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't sure if he even understood what Leo meant. But something in the way Leo looked at him—no pity, no judgment—struck a chord deep inside him.
Without another word, Leo turned away, his boots clicking against the crystal ground as he walked toward a cluster of rocks jutting out from the cliff. "Get your head in the game, Kael. The real battle is coming."
Kael followed him, his gaze lingering on the chasm one last time. For a moment, he wondered if Leo was right—if there was a part of him that was already dead. A part of him that had died along with his parents. He pushed the thought away, focusing instead on the task ahead.
He didn't have time to dwell on it. Not now. Not here.
As they continued their patrol, the silence between them was more comfortable than Kael had expected. There was a strange understanding between them, one that didn't need words to exist. Leo was cold and distant, but Kael could sense that there was something else beneath the surface—something that didn't quite fit into the soldier-like exterior Leo projected.
He didn't know what it was yet. But he intended to find out.
The patrol would take them deeper into the heart of the Dream Continent, into places more dangerous than either of them had ever imagined. The Corruption was still out there, waiting. But Kael was beginning to feel something else—something that had nothing to do with the enemy, something that came from within himself.
A sense of purpose.
For the first time since he'd been thrust into this new world, Kael felt like he had a reason to fight. A reason beyond survival.
And it wasn't just because of the Corruption.
It was because of the people he was fighting with.