Something In The Way-SYLUS X MC X ZAYNE

Chapter 32 "Turning Point"

                       I staggered to my feet, my hands trembling as they pressed against the cold glass between us. My breath hitched, my chest tightening as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. Caleb, who I thought had died, stood there in the flesh, just beyond my reach. His presence was a storm—unrelenting, consuming, and charged with an emotion I couldn't name.

"H-how?" I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper.

He stepped closer, his sharp, calculating eyes scanning me with an intensity that made my skin crawl. His movements were slow, deliberate, as if savoring the moment. "I've waited a long time for this," he said, his voice calm yet edged with something darker. "And at the same time... I've dreaded it."

His words sent a shiver down my spine. My thoughts spiraled, twisting with questions I didn't know how to ask. "How is this possible?" I whispered to myself, my fingers curling against the glass.

But then, a new thought pierced through the haze, one that made my heart lurch in my chest. "If you're alive..." My voice faltered. "What about Grand—"

"Do not mention her here!" Caleb's voice thundered, echoing through the room.

I flinched, the force of his outburst startling me so much I stumbled back a step. His hands clenched into fists, his jaw tight with a fury I didn't recognize.

"She's dead," he said, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.

The finality in his tone hit me like a physical blow. I stared at him, my heart sinking as his words settled over me. "Dead?" I whispered, more to myself than to him. The woman who had raised us, who had tried to protect us, gone?

Caleb's expression hardened, his fists loosening as he exhaled shakily, visibly trying to regain control.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice trembling.

He looked at me for a long moment, his eyes searching mine before he finally spoke. "I'm not the Caleb you remember," he said, his voice low and measured. "I guess you could say I did die that day." A bitter smirk flickered across his face. "And then, I was reborn."

"Reborn?" My legs felt weak, my head spinning as I tried to grasp his words.

He nodded, pacing now, his hand brushing against his chin as his tone became more erratic. "I discovered the truth," he muttered.

"I don't understand," I said, my voice breaking as I tried to keep up with his fragmented thoughts.

"You couldn't possibly understand," he said, stopping to face me again. "You are the first version of yourself in this timeline. The others—the versions of chaos—they've ceased to exist. For now."

My eyes widened, a cold dread creeping into my chest. "What are you saying?"

Caleb resumed pacing, his steps sharp and agitated. "You weren't the only one affected by losing your parents," he said, his voice bitter. "I searched for answers too. And when I discovered what Grandma was up to—how she experimented on us—I figured it out."

"I always wondered why they implanted the Aether core in your heart. Why you. Why everything seemed to revolve around you." He continued.

I pressed a trembling hand to my chest, the faint hum of the core under my palm suddenly feeling heavier, colder.

"I did some digging," Caleb continued, his tone hardening. "During my time at the aerospace academy, I met her." His voice shifted, colder now. "Lina. She told me what you were."

I groaned, the pressure in my head growing unbearable.

Caleb stepped closer, his gaze piercing as he looked down at me. "They never implanted the Aether core into you," he said, his voice cutting like a blade. "Because it was always there. They were trying to remove it."