## Chapter 41: Breaking PointThe world exploded into agony as Thorne's dark vortex engulfed Kael. This wasn't mere physical pain—it was something far more insidious, a corruption that sought to unravel him from the inside out, molecule by molecule. The sensation triggered a horrifying memory of his father's final moments, the 'processing' that had torn apart everything David Reeves had been. Vespera's scream cut through the roaring in his ears, raw with desperation and fury.For one terrifying heartbeat, Kael was drowning in that same suffocating darkness that had claimed his father. The walls of reality seemed to collapse inward, and oblivion reached for him with hungry fingers.*"FIGHT, BOY!"* Vex'thul's voice erupted in his mind—not the usual whisper, but a primal roar that shook him to his bones. *"EMBRACE WHAT YOU ARE! WE DO NOT BREAK!"*Something ancient and fierce awakened within him. Kael bit back his scream and reached deep, past fear, past pain, into the molten core of his

## Chapter 42: Fallout and FlightThe thunder of collapsing stone swallowed the Academy whole. Kael, pushed forward by Marcus's last desperate shove, scrambled through the newly opened ventilation shaft, dust filling his lungs. Behind him, the cacophony of the battle raged – the screams of Academy security, the unnatural roars of the Chimera, and Vespera's primal, furious battle cries. His heart, already heavy with the weight of Thorne's revelation, was now a leaden weight, dragging him down with agonizing certainty. He had seen the desperate trust in Vespera's eyes, the quiet resolve in Marcus's stance. They had chosen to hold the line, to buy them time. The cost of that time was unbearable.He landed hard on the rusted metal floor of the shaft, the God-killing dagger still clutched tightly in his hand. The metal groaned and buckled beneath him as the Academy continued its internal implosion. Nyra and Grimm, disoriented and covered in dust, quickly followed, propelled by the urgent n