Vortex Origins

Kael's eyes widened.

"Wait. What? Your birthday isn't for another two months."

Ash didn't answer. He just stared at the number on the screen, unmoving.

Max stepped closer, quiet.

"Yeah, I expected this. I was actually calculating your age with your hair growth, but this is better."

He tapped through the interface again. The display adjusted.

[17 years. 21 days.]

He let out a slow breath.

"You've already lost nearly three months."

Ash turned toward him, voice low.

"But I didn't use the skill that much. And it said five times slower. Five. How did I lose three months just like that?"

Max didn't flinch. He didn't even blink.

"Yeah. That's the problem. You didn't think much about the skill."

He walked around the couch, stopped by the wall panel, and pointed to the chart beginning to form on the hologram.

"Five times slower during the time you feel it. But that's not where it ends. You're forgetting the tier system."

He looked over his shoulder at Ash.

"You're Tier Five. That means your movement and perception are thirty-two times higher than those of a normal human. Thirty-two. And for some reason, the vessel system buffers aging under normal use. Solaris researchers don't fully get it yet—maybe they never will."

He tapped the screen again, then turned fully to face Ash.

"But when you activate Phantom Stride… that buffer dies. You start burning through real time."

Ash lowered his head. His hands clenched slowly at his sides.

Max didn't stop.

"You didn't just use Phantom Stride. You stacked it with Static Surge… and Storm Vein."

He walked forward, slow and deliberate, like each step was part of a calculation.

"That might've felt brilliant in the moment, I get it. But you just turned your body into a conduit for raw time."

Ash's voice cracked slightly.

"Static Surge boosts my nerves. Storm Vein lets me see slower. Isn't that the point? To react faster?"

Max stood in front of him now, eyes sharp.

"Static Surge is fine. It just pushes your body to keep up. But Storm Vein doesn't just slow what you see. It bends how long you live inside a moment."

He lifted a hand and held up three fingers.

"Tier Five. Thirty-two times the base speed. Then add Phantom Stride. That's five times more. One-sixty total."

He raised a fourth finger.

"Then Storm Vein—twice the perceived slowdown. That brings it to three hundred and twenty."

His hand dropped.

"You moved and perceived three hundred and twenty times faster than a normal person. Your body aged to match it."

Kael turned, eyes darting between them.

"You're even faster than me when I activate Scorch Body. And I thought that was already insane."

Ash didn't speak. He looked at the band again, the number etched into the light.

Seventeen. Twenty-one days.

He tried to open his mouth.

Max cut him off.

"You think that's it?"

Ash's breath caught in his throat.

Kael's voice dropped lower.

"There's more?"

Max didn't answer. Not right away.

He just stared at Ash.

And smiled. Cold. Knowing.

"You haven't even seen the side effect yet."

Ash tilted his head.

"side effect?"

Max nodded.

"Yes. And it's the most important part of the skill. Something you should've taken seriously the moment you listened to the effect. You really think just going fast burns through months like that?"

Ash didn't answer. He kept staring, head tilted slightly, trying to find the hole he missed. He'd listen to that skill orb again and again. Every sentence. Every word. Every hidden pulse in its glow. There was nothing else. Nothing about extra aging. No hidden cost.

Max's eyes were already half-closed. His body swayed like it would drop at any moment.

"Remember what it said," he murmured.

"You age five times the perceived time."

Ash's eyes widened.

The breath caught in his throat.

That was it.

It wasn't just speed. It never was. Phantom's Stride had two effects. Two completely separate mechanics woven into one cursed shell.

One pushed his body forward through time.

The other… dragged time with it.

Max nodded again, more to himself than anyone else.

"That look on your face… You finally understand."

Kael narrowed his eyes, glancing between them, tension rising in his shoulders.

"Wait. No. I don't get it. What are you talking about?"

Max sighed and stepped forward, voice flat.

"There's the speed boost. And then there's the real killer—the aging."

He pointed toward the band still glowing faintly around Ash's wrist.

"Think of it like this. A Tier Zero human—no boosts, no fancy vessel—activates Phantom's Stride. The world slows. Their mind speeds up. Say they use it for one minute. Their perceived time is one minute. So by the skill's burden, they lose five times their perceived time. They lose five minutes of life."

He held up a finger.

"Now take Ash. His perceived time isn't one-to-one. He's Tier Five. That's thirty-two times faster than a normal human. Then add Phantom's Stride—five times faster again. Then Storm Vein, doubling perception."

Kael blinked.

"…Three hundred and twenty times faster."

Max nodded slowly.

"Exactly. So one second in real time feels like five and a half minutes to him. And Phantom Stride doesn't just age your body five times faster than real time… it ages it five times faster than your perceived time. So multiply everything by five again."

He held up his hand.

"One second of real time costs Ash over sixteen hundred seconds of life."

Kael's jaw lowered slightly.

"…That's insane."

Max looked at him.

"It is. And the only reason he lost three months… is because he didn't use Storm Vein much during that time. He was lucky."

Kael turned sharply.

"You're calling that lucky?"

Max nodded.

"Yes. If Storm Vein had been active during all his movements… he'd be six months older. Easy."

The room dropped into silence.

Even Nexer didn't move.

Max's gaze drifted back to Ash. His voice dropped.

"I'm sorry."

Ash didn't respond.

"If I hadn't asked you to push during the poisoning… if I hadn't sent you to Ironhold while I stayed behind with the settlers… You wouldn't have used that skill so much. You wouldn't have lost this time."

Ash looked down. His eyes flicked once to the number on his holographic screen.

Seventeen.

He could still feel sixteen under his skin. The same hands. The same bones.

Ash looked up at him.

"I told you before. I'd do it again. Even if you asked me to. Even if it costs me my life. I'll protect you all."

His voice didn't waver.

"So stop blaming yourself. You did try to warn me."

Max ran a hand through his hair, fingers dragging slowly across his scalp.

"Yeah… I know."

Max paused. Then spoke.

"I know I shouldn't be saying this right after all that."

He straightened his back, shoulders heavy.

"But we still need to test your speed."

Kael's brow tightened.

"You're not serious. He's not using that skill again."

Max gave a tired smile.

"Knowing Ash? He'll ignore every warning anyway."

Kael turned to Ash, arms folded tight across his chest.

"You damn fool. There's no way I'm letting you surpass me in age. Not like that."

Nexer let out a wheezing laugh. Metallic, but just human enough to make it worse.

"That'll be fun to see. Ash getting older than all of you and becoming the big brother."

Max didn't react. His eyes stayed fixed on Ash, who was still staring at the floor, deep in thought.

"I could throw physics at you," Max said.

"I could break it down, give you the formula. But you wouldn't get it—not the way you need to. You'd just keep using Phantom's Stride like it's nothing."

His voice dropped.

"This run will be your last one. Until we fix this."

He reached toward the band on Ash's wrist.

"That band… It's not just tracking speed anymore. It's learning. Watching your soul energy. Logging how your body responds. We need that data."

He paused.

"So… are you up for it?"

Ash stayed quiet. His head dipped lower.

Max's voice softened.

"You can say no."

Ash finally looked up.

"No—I mean… yes. I'll do it."

His voice was steady now.

"I was just thinking."

Max nodded slowly.

"Yeah. I can guess what."

He stepped back, eyes dark and hollow from exhaustion.

"You finally get a powerful skill. Something that could make a difference. And then you find out it's killing you."

Ash gave a crooked smile.

"There's no hiding anything from you, huh."

Max mirrored the smile.

"You don't need to worry too much. I know your path won't be easy. Your life's already tied to something dangerous. But still…"

Kael stepped in, voice louder than both of them.

"Your Soulroot might've said some cursed nonsense. But don't forget—I haven't fulfilled my fate yet. And there's no way I'm dying until I do."

Ash looked between them.

The corner of his mouth lifted.

"That's why I'm still standing. Why I still have you both by my side."

Max groaned and rubbed his face.

"Alright. Enough with the cheesy moment."

He tapped the screen hovering from Ash's band.

A holographic map burst open. Crimson lines marked shattered landscapes. Burning symbols. Scars from past battles. In the middle, an orange field pulsed with a single skull drawn in jagged ink.

Max tapped the skull.

"This is the map of Cinderholt and that skull is where we are. Right now, I need you to get to—"

He scrolled through the map. One red marker after another passed by, until he landed on a single green patch swallowed by orange wasteland.

"Here."

Kael leaned forward, squinting at the glow.

"That's the Sanctuary of Black Thorn."

Max nodded.

"Yeah, this is Thornrest," Max said, motioning to the map.

"Or what people call The Sanctuary of Black Thorn. Got the name 'cause it's one of the few places left untouched. Safe. No danger zone classification. Not even a low-tier creature would roam that place."

Max pressed Ash's band. The holographic projection blinked out.

"That's where you're headed. Already marked the route. Just run. A normal human would take six days. But you? With Phantom Stride... you'll make it in half an hour."

He leaned back, half-turning toward Ash.

"I'm glad you didn't use any skill since you got back from Ironhold. Your energy should be enough for this trip. Don't worry about getting back. I'll send a ship."

Ash nodded.

"So... I leave now?"

Max glanced at Nexer.

Nexer snapped into motion—no words. Just a sharp salute and a sprint toward the corridor.

Kael blinked, confused.

"You didn't even say anything. How'd it get all that from a look?"

Max didn't answer. He'd already sunk back onto the couch, eyes half-closed like the weight of the world had finally let go.

Kael's jaw tightened. He looked like he wanted to say something—but then Nexer burst back in.

"Got it!"

Max opened one eye.

"Oh, good."

Nexer handed a dark-gray bag to Ash, who slung it over his shoulder without a word.

"In there,"

Max muttered, voice heavy with sleep.

"Are some ration gels. Not exactly gourmet, but they'll keep you moving. Packed ten. You might not need them though... Tier 5 body like yours can starve for days."

Ash looked down at the bag and smiled faintly.

"Thanks."

He turned back to say something—but Max was already out cold, one arm dangling off the couch.

Kael stepped up, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah... just go. I'll haul him to bed."

Ash chuckled quietly, then turned to the steel-gray door beside him.

He didn't look back.