Three days passed.
Kael spent every waking hour training. The soul well sessions continued — morning and evening, cycling soul force through the Breath of the Deep Green until the misty chamber felt like a second home. His soul sense crept toward the Late Stage threshold with each passing day.
Over the past few days, Seraya had sent for him twice. Kael ignored both messages. He had no intention of going — not yet. Letting her stew, letting the need build, letting her pride crack piece by piece until she came to him herself was far more effective than showing up on demand.
Since achieving Soul Awakening, Kael had begun experimenting with Rank 5 Runemaster techniques. The gap between Rank 4 and Rank 5 was fundamental — Master runes affected single items, but Runemaster runes affected reality itself. Dorin had provided him with a collection of advanced rune patterns before he left Starfall City, and Kael had been working through them methodically.
