Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls

Kael appeared amidst the golden light and oscillating shadows of his own will distorting space-time. The aura surrounding him still hissed with echoes of channeled fury, but around him, the world was still.

The room was silent. A magical dome had been created to protect Sylphie from the remnants of the chaos. In the center, lying on a bed made of floating petals and enchanted fabrics, was her - the girl who had started it all. The one who shouldn't have suffered. The one who still lived... barely.

Ahri was kneeling beside her, her countenance tense. The nine tails were gathered together, enveloping Sylphie like a cocoon. Each of them pulsed with vital energy, channeled directly into keeping her alive, stabilized, intact.

When Kael appeared, Ahri didn't raise her eyes immediately. She felt him - the air changed, became denser, more charged. The smell of death followed him like a cloak.

But there was something in her eyes now. Something more dangerous than fury.

Silence.

Ahri stood up slowly, looking at him.

"She's getting better, I've involved divine power in her," said the kitsune in a low, exhausted voice. "But she's very weak... she needs rest."

Kael walked over to them, holding Irelia in his arms. His eyes passed over Sylphie for a moment - and his right hand shook. Not from anger. But of helplessness.

Something he wouldn't allow himself to feel. Ever.

He knelt down in front of Ahri and held out Irelia, placing her gently next to Sylphie.

The two were now side by side. Both injured. Both victims. Both precious.

"I partially healed her, and cut the magic ties. I don't know why they wanted those three right away. But I don't have time to think about it," said Kael, his voice hoarse but firm. "Take care of them for now. Umbra, stay here too."

Ahri frowned. "What about you?"

"I found out some shit and I got it from the albos," he replied, his eyes fixed on Sylphie. "His name is Augur. The Prophet." His gaze fell on Sylphie again.

Ahri placed his hand on Irelia's chest, trying to feel the remnants of the ritual. "The Link has been broken, I'm going to purify your body." she murmured and continued "What are you going to do now?" she asked, almost in a whisper.

Kael stood up. "Hunt down this Augur." He looked at Ahri steadily, as if he were surrendering his last thread of humanity into her hands.

"Take care of them both. Take better care than the world has done so far." Ahri nodded slowly. "I will. But, Kael..." her eyes flashed for a moment, almost pleading, "come back in one piece."

Kael disappeared without replying.

The air imploded with a dry sigh, as if the very fabric of reality had shrunk in fear.

And then, in an instant, he was there - floating above Azalith.

The vastness of the realm stretched out below, magnificent and fragile like an empire carved from glass. The magical mist that normally enveloped the towers of the academy now dispersed under the force of Kael's aura, as if the defences of the city itself recognized him - or feared him.

The clouds above opened up for him. And there, suspended in the sky, with his eyes closed, Kael searched.

But not with his physical senses.

He listened with his spirit.

Like a net thrown into the ocean of reality, his consciousness spread out, penetrating every fold of the city's arcane barrier, examining the protective runes, the seals, the echoes of every spell cast in the last few hours.

Nothing ordinary mattered.

He ignored explosions, duels, the remnants of fear. He was looking for something unique.

A mana signature...

Different.

Ancient.

Marked by purpose.

"Augur..."

The name resounded like a focus - and Kael's energy tapered off.

That's when he felt it.

A distortion.

Not an attack.

Not a physical presence.

But a subtle fracture in the fabric of reality, hidden high up in the Tower of Astrionomy, the oldest in Azalith, where the sky and the veil between planes are most fragile.

A signature of golden mana, but artificial, charged with prophetic symbolism.

Kael opened his eyes.

And smiled - a cold smile.

"I found you." Kael descended like a silent bolt of lightning, cutting through layers of clouds and spells with the precision of a blade. The sky roared in his wake, but there was no thunder - only the sound of air being torn apart by sheer will.

He emerged at the pinnacle of Azalith's oldest tower, where the wind whispered in forgotten tongues, and time seemed to slow down.

Runes of concealment pulsed in the ancient stones - exquisite camouflage, made to fool even the most attentive arcanists. But Kael didn't see with his eyes.

He felt with something deeper.

Something born of the chasm between fury and purpose.

With a sudden gesture, he tore away the veils.

Like a torn cloak, the enchantments collapsed before him, revealing what was hidden.

"So this is where you hide, you bastard."

The voice came out low, hoarse, charged not only with hatred... but with clarity.

The hidden structure was revealed: a ritualistic door of pure ether, floating centimeters off the ground, studded with three symbols - the closed eye, the eclipsed sun, the broken star. Each one flickered with ancient and corrupt power.

Kael stepped forward.

When he touched the central seal, the door opened soundlessly, as if the world itself was hesitant to warn what was on the other side.

The air beyond was cold. Impossibly cold.

And dark - not for lack of light, but for excess presence.

Steps spiraled down, made of black stone soaked in dried blood and the echoes of distorted prayers. The corridor seemed to descend not just in space, but in time - each step took Kael further away from the present, into a forgotten truth.

Down he went.

Each step, a memory.

Every beat of his heart, a warning to the world: He was coming.

At the bottom of the stairs, a circular hall.

Vast.

Silent.

And full of eyes carved into the walls, all closed.

In the center, a pedestal.

And above it, an obsidian mirror, pulsing with living energy.

Kael approached.

The mirror's surface trembled - and then revealed itself.

Not a reflection.

But a figure.

Sitting on a throne of ivory-white bones.

Golden robes covered by veils.

Indistinct faces moving beneath the translucent skin of its face.

Augur.

The voice that emerged was not spoken. It was inserted inside Kael.

As if his mind were an invaded room.

"You've arrived sooner than I expected. The pain guides you better than I imagined."

Kael didn't reply immediately.

He just raised his right hand - and on it, the Ruin rune glowed with an unbearable light.

"Tell me everything. Who you are. Why Sylphie. Why Irelia. Why now."

Augur tilted his head, like someone watching a valuable piece about to break.

"Because the future belongs to those who bleed first, Kael. And they... are the keys. Each one opens a door. And behind each door is... you."

Kael stepped forward, his eyes half-closed, his hand trembling with a restrained heat.

"You're going to talk in riddles with me, are you?" his voice was dry, threatening.

"I didn't come here for riddles."

Augur tilted his head slightly, his smile growing like a crack in a mirror.

"That depends..." he murmured, his tone almost gentle, like someone about to tell a secret.

"You've been useful. More than you know."

His slender fingers began to dance over the arms of the throne, as if they were playing an invisible instrument. "The interferences, the energy collapses, the mana surges... everything was catalyzed by your actions. And that... allowed me to test."

"Test?" Kael took another step, his aura vibrating like metal about to crack.

Augur continued, ignoring the tone.

"Azalith is a furnace. I needed fuel. So I tested it."

His eyes now shone beneath the translucent veil. "Bodies, emotions, bloodlines. I mixed spells with toxins. Herbs with nexuses. And with your help, I was able to stabilize... the final formula."

Kael frowned. "Are you talking about the drugs that have been leaving berserkes? So it was the prototype drug?"

"You're quite clever, Kael." Augur smiled wider, revealing a row of too-perfect teeth. "They are vessels. Raw materials. That's all."

Kael clenched his fists. "And what did you do with Sylphie?"

Silence fell for a moment. Heavy. Intentional.

Augur raised one of his hands.

In her palm, something floated.

A small sphere. Clear.

Pulsating.

Glowing with violet-blue hues, spinning slowly like a little heart made of ether.

"Ah... haven't you noticed?" said Augur, with feigned tenderness. "She'll never use magic again."

Kael froze. "What?"

The Prophet laughed softly, and the sound echoed through the hall like the tinkling of cracking glass.

"I took the magic core from her. By hand. It was delicate, like ripping the soul out of a star. And you know what's fascinating?" He tilted the object slightly, and it glowed with an almost painful intensity.

"Her mana is not ordinary. It's ancient. Untouched. Divine. She was born connected to something... that even I don't fully understand. But now..." He slowly closed his hand around the core. "Now, she's just... an elf with no mana."

Kael took two sudden steps forward, the floor of the hall cracking under his feet with the force of his aura. The whole room shook, and the eyes carved into the walls began to open, slowly, crying black tears.

"You're going to give this back to me. Now."

Augur raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, Kael... don't you understand yet?"

"There's no more 'giving it back'. What has been torn away... only comes back through blood. A lot of blood. Maybe yours. Maybe hers."

"..."

The silence that followed was enough...

[System reactivating]

[A huge rage is damaging the user's mind]

[the user went into a berserker mode]