AetherFall

A heavy silence filled the vault, alarms still echoing through the chamber. Celeste's breath was steady, her fingers curled tightly around the black crystal.

The Enclave commander took a slow step forward. His presence was suffocating, the air around him warped with unstable Aether.

His sigil—a twisted, jagged rune etched into his forehead—pulsed once, and Celeste felt an unnatural feeling her chest.

What The Hell…?

"You shouldn't be here," the commander said, "Did you think you could just walk in here?"

Celeste didn't respond. Instead, she let her Aether pulse through her body. She had fought Enclave agents before, but this one was different. Stronger.

The commander tilted his head, "You can feel it, can't you? The difference between us."

Celeste's eyes narrowed. She had no interest in whatever speech he was about to give. If he wasn't going to move—

She would.

With a burst of speed, she closed the distance, twisting Aether around her fist as she launched a strike toward his chest.

The moment her attack connected—

She felt nothing.

Her hand phased through his bodyA split second later, something cold gripped her wrist.

Her vision blurred.

Aether crackled violently as a surge of black energy coiled around her arm, digging into her skin like thousands of needles. Her own Aether trying to resist—but the commander's power was unlike anything she had faced before.

This wasn't divine magic. It was not normal

"You don't even understand what you've stolen," "That doesn't belong to you."

Celeste gritted . "Then it shouldn't be here"

She twisted, shifting her Aether outward. Her energy exploded in all directions, shattering the vault's floor beneath them. It sent both of them plummeting into the depths below.

Celeste landed hard, rolling into a crouch as dust and rubble rained down around her. The vault had collapsed into an underground chamber.

Faint runes lined the stone walls, flickering weakly

A chuckle echoed.

The commander rose from the debris, completely unscathed.

"I see why they fear you," he mused.

Celeste steadied herself, forcing her breath to slow. The pain in her arm was fading but the black Aether still burned in her skin.

The commander stepped forward. "You're Unbound. A mistake. like no one else." His golden eyes gleamed. "Tell me, Celeste—"

He raised his hand, and the air itself began to bend.

"—how will you fight against something that should not exist?"

Everything began to break.