Kale drifted in and out of consciousness, his body still tingling with residual energy. The last thing he remembered was the masked man, the overwhelming surge of lightning, and the haunting whispers that clawed at his mind. Then—darkness.

  His eyes flickered open, his vision blurred. He was lying on cold stone, the oppressive void of the Dimensional Gate still surrounding him. Slowly, he pushed himself up, his body aching as if it had been torn apart and stitched back together.

  Something caught his eye—a small, folded note resting beside him. With shaky hands, he picked it up and unfolded the parchment. The handwriting was neat, yet firm, as if every letter carried weight.

  "Kale Draven, my son."

  His breath hitched. His mind went blank. Robert Draven. That was the name signed at the bottom. His father—the man who had vanished years ago, presumed dead.

  The words on the note blurred as his heart pounded in his chest. He forced himself to read further.

  "I cannot explain everything now, but know this—you have inherited the power of lightning and the ability to command the souls of the dead. This power is yours alone to wield. Learn to control it, or it will consume you. There is only one way out of this Gate. Focus your power, will it to return you home."

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  Kale swallowed hard. Power of lightning? Souls? He clenched his fists, and to his shock, electricity crackled along his fingertips, pulsing like a living force. A whisper curled through his mind, not from the note, but from the lingering voices in the air.

  "Wield us."

  He shuddered but steeled himself. His father had given him this power for a reason. And now, he had to use it.

  Closing his eyes, he focused on the words in the note. Will it to return you home. The energy inside him stirred. He felt it responding, surging through his veins. A sharp gust of wind erupted around him as sparks of lightning enveloped his body. The whispers grew louder—some pleading, some laughing, some simply watching.

  The world around him began to warp, the darkness peeling away as an unseen force pulled him forward. The sensation was like falling, yet there was no ground beneath him. The next moment, his feet hit something solid.

  A cold breeze brushed against his skin.

  His eyes snapped open.

  He was home.

  The familiar walls of his small apartment surrounded him. The city skyline stretched beyond the window, as if nothing had changed. But everything had changed.

  Kale exhaled shakily, staring down at his hands. Lightning still flickered faintly across his fingers. The whispers had faded, but he knew they weren’t truly gone.

  His father had left him a power he didn’t understand. A power that could change everything.

  And now, there was no turning back.