The first fracture appeared during meditation.

  Kaelis sat cross-legged in his room, eyes closed, breathing slow and measured. He reached inward, tracing the familiar pathways of energy he’d mapped over years of discipline.

  Everything felt… crowded.

  His abilities didn’t sit separately anymore. Twilight Spark brushed against Lumin Thread. Shadow Step tugged faintly at Grav Pulse, like threads pulling toward the same knot.

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  Kaelis opened his eyes sharply.

  Fusion was dangerous. Everyone knew that.

  You didn’t blend abilities unless they were perfected. Even then, failure could tear pathways apart permanently.

  And yet—

  He felt it.

  Not a command. Not temptation.

  Alignment.

  Kaelis exhaled slowly and pulled back before the sensation could deepen. His heart hammered against his ribs.

  Not yet.

  But the fact that it existed unsettled him more than any enemy could have.

  Outside, thunder rolled across the horizon—no storm clouds in sight.