The Seam at the Base of His Neck

Kael first noticed it as a coin-sized patch of warm skin at the base of his neck, pulsing faintly beneath the surface. It was subtle, barely perceptible, and easily dismissed as a trick of the body or a passing irritation. But over the next few hours, the sensation grew. It wasn’t painful, just… unsettling. It felt like something was shifting beneath his skin, something alien. By day three, pale, firm bumps had clustered there, small and symmetrical—too symmetrical to be natural. They stood out against his skin like minuscule mountains, each one slightly raised and tightly packed together. He inspected… CONTINUE READING…