With his testing finally complete, Kael shifted his attention toward the far end of the throne room.
Varek was still there.
The former Quasi-Transcendent sat quietly in one corner, completely absorbed in his work. Before him floated an intricate formation woven entirely from pulsing shadows. Countless dark lines intertwined with one another, constantly shifting and rearranging themselves as though they possessed a life of their own. Strange runes flickered on and off within the formation before disappearing back into the darkness, creating an unsettling sight that seemed capable of swallowing even the surrounding light.
It looked less like a spell formation and more like a living creature breathing in silence.
As if sensing Kael’s gaze, Varek slowly lifted his head.
"Are you finished, Master?"
Kael gave a small nod.
"I’ve learned everything I needed."
Without another word, Varek raised a hand.
The surrounding energy immediately converged before splitting apart as a familiar portal slowly opened between them.
Kael stepped through without hesitation.
The scenery around him distorted briefly before he returned to the desolate area outside the city.
He didn’t leave immediately.
Instead, he spread his senses across the surroundings one final time, carefully sweeping every direction. After confirming there wasn’t a single person nearby, he relaxed slightly before his figure blurred into motion.
The night had already given way to dawn.
A faint golden glow stretched across the horizon as the rising sun gradually illuminated the sleeping city. Long shadows covered the empty streets while the cool morning breeze carried the fresh scent that only existed during the earliest hours of the day.
Most people were still asleep.
Only the occasional vehicle could be seen in the distance.
Using the empty streets to his advantage, Kael moved swiftly across the city before arriving back at the apartment building without attracting anyone’s attention.
He climbed the stairs in a few quick strides before stopping outside his apartment.
Click.
The door unlocked.
The apartment remained completely silent.
Lyra was probably still asleep.
Satisfied, Kael quietly closed the door behind him before walking straight toward his bedroom. The moment he reached the bed, every bit of exhaustion that had accumulated throughout the night crashed down on him at once.
He didn’t even bother changing clothes.
He simply fell backward onto the mattress.
Within seconds...
He was asleep.
...
Time quietly slipped away.
Before Kael realized it, several hours had already passed.
Warm sunlight streamed through the curtains, bathing the entire bedroom in a soft golden glow. The gentle warmth landed across his face, eventually pulling him out of his deep sleep.
His eyelids slowly opened.
For a brief moment, he simply lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling before reaching toward the bedside table and picking up his phone.
The screen lit up.
10:02 A.M.
"So I overslept..."
Kael muttered quietly.
He had planned to wake up much earlier, but considering everything he had gone through during the night, sleeping in wasn’t exactly surprising.
As he was about to lock the screen again, a notification caught his attention.
It was from Zoey.
Kael tapped the message.
> Zoey: Hey, just wanted to check in. When will you be ready? Send me your location and the driver can come pick you up.
Kael stared at the message for a few seconds before letting out a small laugh.
"So she really is a rich kid."
It wasn’t exactly unexpected.
From the moment he met Zoey, her mannerisms and confidence had already hinted that her background wasn’t ordinary. This message only confirmed his suspicions.
Thinking it over, he decided not to refuse.
There was no point making the trip more troublesome than necessary.
His fingers quickly moved across the screen.
> Kael: Sure. No problem. I’ll be ready around eleven.
After attaching his location, he pressed send before setting the phone aside.
With that done, he climbed out of bed and stretched lazily before leaving his room.
As expected...
Lyra was already awake.
She was sprawled comfortably across the sofa, lazily tapping away on her phone with complete focus. The television wasn’t even on today, yet she looked just as relaxed as ever.
The moment she noticed him, she looked up with a teasing smile.
"Sleeping Beauty finally decided to wake up."
She pointed toward the kitchen without even sitting up.
"Your breakfast’s in there."
Kael simply rolled his eyes.
He had long grown immune to his sister’s nonsense.
Without saying a word, he walked into the kitchen, heated the food she had prepared and returned to the living room before taking a seat on the opposite sofa.
The moment he started eating, Lyra lowered her phone.
Her attention shifted completely toward him.
"So..." she began casually. "Got any plans today?"
Kael nodded while taking another bite.
"Yeah."
"I’m going to visit a friend."
"Her grandfather wants to meet me for some reason."
Lyra blinked.
Then...
A suspicious grin slowly spread across her face.
"Her?"
Kael looked up immediately.
Seeing that grin was enough to tell him exactly where her thoughts had wandered.
"Stop imagining weird things."
"I didn’t say anything."
"You didn’t have to."
"Your face already said it."
Lyra couldn’t help laughing.
"So... is it true?"
"No."
Kael answered without hesitation.
"We’re just friends."
"Just friends..."
Lyra repeated with obvious disbelief.
Kael quietly stared at her for several seconds.
She blinked.
"What?"
"I don’t know."
He shrugged casually.
"I’m just checking whether you’ve secretly been replaced by a skinwalker."
Lyra frowned.
"What?"
"I refuse to believe my cute little sister has grown into such a shameless gossip."
Lyra immediately grabbed the nearest cushion and threw it at him.
"Idiot."
Kael caught it with one hand before casually tossing it back onto the sofa.
A chuckle escaped Lyra’s lips as she shook her head and returned to scrolling through her phone.
"Whatever."
Kael simply smiled to himself before finishing the rest of his breakfast.
Once he was done, he carried the dishes back into the kitchen, washed everything clean and placed them neatly on the drying rack.
With that finished, he returned to his room.
It was time to get ready for his appointment.