The figure that stepped through the portal wasn't what I expected.
He looked young, maybe mid-twenties, with dark hair and eyes that seemed too old for his face. He wore simple clothes—jeans and a plain shirt—but there was something about him that felt different. More solid than Gia, yet still not quite real. Like he existed in that space between living and dead.
I kept my power ready, flowing just beneath the surface. Gia had moved beside me, her posture tense.
"Who are you?" I demanded.
The man looked at me with those ancient eyes and smiled. Not threatening. Just... knowing.
"My name is Xander," he said. His voice was calm, steady. "And you already know me, Kaiden. Though you didn't know my name at the time."
I stared at him, trying to place the face. Nothing clicked.
"I don't—"
