The figure did not flinch. It did not shift. It simply existed with an unassailable stillness that made Theo feel like a flickering candle flame standing before a hurricane.
"Look at me."
The name Kaeleth seemed to vibrate through the amber void, but the command was what truly mattered. The emphasis carried the terrifying weight of an absolute imperative.
This was not a request, nor was it a suggestion. It was the voice of an architect issuing an order to a brick, the voice of something that had given instructions to stars and civilizations for eons and knew exactly how to command obedience without needing to raise its volume.
Theo felt his gaze dragged toward the entity. His eyes burned as they locked onto the swirling vortex of the figure's form.
Up close, the amber gold symbols were no longer mere light. When he stopped trying to look at them and started looking through them, his mind began to fracture and reform.
