Chaosbound: Elarith Chronicles

The town of Nolak, a small settlement near the eastern border of Elarith, was under attack. Corrupted chaos beings, taking the shape of mangy wolves with glowing red eyes, descended upon it like a stampede. The terrified cries of the townsfolk echoed through the streets, a sound that had become tragically familiar across the continent. This was a new normal—a constant, widespread blight.

Children huddled together, their small hands clasped in prayer. "Don't worry," a young girl whispered to a boy beside her. "The angels will come. They're on the side of the Luminaries. They always appear when the blight strikes."

"But their forms are so strange," the boy replied, a hint of fear in his voice.

"Shhh," an older woman admonished him gently, her own fear masked by a fierce faith. "Don't speak ill of them. Their forms may be different, but they are holy beings."

Just as one of the corrupted beasts lunged at a frightened farmer, a spear of divine light descended from the heavens. It struck with the force of a thunderbolt, splitting the creature apart as a brilliant flash of light consumed the corruption. The source of the light was an angelic being—a magnificent centaur-like creature with feathered wings and a face of profound, serene beauty that was almost unsettling.

"We are here," the angel proclaimed, its voice ringing with divine authority, "Your salvation has come. The light brings salvation, and we will purge the corruption that plagues this land." The words were a poetic promise, and the townspeople watched in awe, their shoulders slumping with a sudden release of tension. Some fell to their knees in worship, tears of gratitude streaming down their faces.

"We were sent by the Luminaries," the angel continued, "but do not worship us. Go to your churches and offer your prayers there. We are but soldiers of the divine light."

Suddenly, a massive ball of chaotic energy slammed into the angel's face, throwing it off balance. Aurel appeared, his presence a stark contrast to the divine glow. "Divine light my ass," he snarled, closing the distance between himself and the group of angels.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. They had heard the rumors—the tales of Thyranthe, the Dark Lord who would lead the chaos beings to bring about the world's destruction. They watched in horror as Aurel effortlessly destroyed one of the angels. Their fear was palpable, but something else stirred within the crowd. As one woman shrieked in terror and clutched her child, a man across the street pointed at Aurel, a strange look of hope in his eyes. "Did you see that?" he whispered to his neighbor. "He's destroying them!" The land was already divided, with many believing the Luminaries were corrupt tyrants, not saviors. Rumors, carefully cultivated by Aurel's allies, claimed he would one day destroy the Luminaries themselves.

Aurel paid no mind to the townspeople. He was focused on the beings before him. "Acting holy and spreading corruption at the same time," he seethed, grabbing one of the angels—a Menis—by the neck. "What kind of game are you playing here?"

The Menis struggled. "You dare touch a holy being?" it choked out.

Aurel laughed, a harsh, cold sound. "Holy? You have the gall to call yourselves holy?"

Three more Menis surrounded him, but a telepathic voice interrupted his rage. It was Eryn. Master, should I help?

No, Aurel replied, his thought a sharp command. Focus on your task. Just as we planned.

I've also found the chaos seed that's spreading this corruption, Eryn confirmed.

Good, Aurel said. I'll finish this, then we're leaving.

He then unleashed his Chaos Field, a domain of pure, swirling chaos that trapped the Menis within. "Sorry," he told them, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "I'm actually here to harvest, so I don't have time to play."

As the energy was drained from the angels, their forms withered. "What's wrong? Can't talk now?" Aurel taunted, watching their lives fade. "You're no fun at all." With a final surge of chaos energy, he disintegrated their bodies into dust.

We're done here, Aurel told Eryn telepathically. In an instant, they were gone, leaving behind a sky that had cleared of both chaos and divine light.

The townspeople were left trembling. The legend of the Dark Lord was real. He had killed their saviors, the warriors of light. Fear spread like a plague, fueled by new rumors: where the angels appear to fight corruption, Thyranthe will soon follow to slay them. This terrified those who revered the Luminaries and the angels as divine beings. Yet, in the southern territories, many believed Thyranthe was a liberator who would end the tyranny of the Luminaries and restore their lands.

From the shadows, Lysara watched the rumors spread like wildfire. A faint, knowing smile played on her lips. Forgive me, Master Aurel, she thought, her voice a silk thread in the tapestry of information she wove. But your image is far too useful to remain untarnished. We'll give them a name to rally under. A symbol of hope, for now...

The Gathering

Meanwhile, back at the hidden camp, Luci stood at the heart of a bustling construction site. "I can't wait for Master Aurel to come back and see all this," she said, her eyes shining with pride.

Hans, her second-in-command, looked skeptical. "Are you sure he'll approve? Didn't he say he didn't want anything to do with the Abyssals?"

"We need all the help we can get, Hans," Luci countered. "The resources they provide are too good to refuse. They've given us a huge donation and manpower that works day and night without rest. The designs and technology we've received from Vyran will be incredibly useful. What we expected to finish in a year, we can do in a week. Trust me, we will make this a powerful territory for Aurel."

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"But my lady, how does this help with our true goals?" Hans pressed.

Luci's gaze hardened. "Aurel is my goal. To bring him to power, to make him the most powerful being and ruler of this continent."

Hans didn't seem surprised, but he was concerned. "Aren't we supposed to be using him, not serving him?"

"I understand your feelings, but if I don't fully support him now, what hope do we have left?" Luci replied. "The remaining Abyssals have agreed to help our cause. They're also putting their faith in him."

"But Aurel doesn't know about this," Hans pointed out. "Do you think he'll be happy when he finds out?"

"I've considered that," Luci admitted. "But Nephra said he has a plan, and I need to trust him. Now, what do you have for me, Hans?"

Hans nodded and presented a vast crowd of people behind him, clustered by group. There were disillusioned warriors who disliked their faction's leadership, Southerners who believed in Thyranthe, and engineers and scientists sent by Vyran, bringing strange mechanical machines to aid in construction. There were even groups of Eclipseborne and Malus sent by Nephra.

"Good. This is good," Luci said. "It's been two weeks since Master Aurel left to gather more chaos beings. It's so convenient that he can send them through this pocket dimension via Rindel."

Rindel, another of Aurel's loyal subordinates, appeared, guiding a stream of chaos beings from a shimmering portal.

"We have secured our territory with soldiers, and the cloaking device is working perfectly," Luci declared. "Everything is running smoothly."

Vyran himself appeared, guiding workers to install advanced cloaking and defense technology. The project was incredibly fast-paced and organized. Vyran had been planning to expand the Arkhanis kingdom for millennia, but now he was using those same plans to develop Aurel's domain instead.

Nephra appeared beside Luci. "Hello, Luci. I have news. Aurel has been successfully harvesting and converting more chaos energy. As we speak, he's growing more powerful, and the beings he's sending look much stronger, too."

Luci looked at him, concerned. "Are you sure you guys should be here?"

"Don't worry," Nephra said with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "Arkhanis can function perfectly well without us. Vyran made sure it would be self-improving and self-sustaining."

"I thank you for all of this," Luci said, "but what if Aurel doesn't like it?"

Nephra smirked. "You mean us? Don't worry. My sister Lysarra and brother Vyran have already agreed to this. Just like you, we are gambling everything on Aurel, whether he likes it or not. Lumiel will come for him, and we want to protect him. We also want to use him for our common goal."

Luci's eyes narrowed. "I swore an oath to him, Nephra. My loyalty is to Master Aurel, and I won't have you speak ill of him."

Nephra's smirk widened. "Just a contract? Watch us, and you will see just how weak your devotion is. You will see."

Back with Aurel

Aurel and Eryn sat around a small campfire, the flames crackling in the quiet night. Eryn was juggling small, shimmering orbs of chaotic energy, a nervous habit that betrayed his apprehension. "Master," he said, "I've sent all the converted chaos beings to Rindel's location. I think they're putting them to good use." He tossed the orbs into the air. "So, what are we going to do with all this converted chaos energy?"

Aurel, in a deep meditative pose, opened one eye. "You'll absorb it."

"What? Seriously?" Eryn's hands froze, the orbs dropping to hover in front of him. "How am I supposed to do that? You've been ordering me to do a lot of weird stuff lately, Master."

"I've realized you're like a mirror image of me," Aurel replied calmly. "You can do most of what I can do, minus the fighting part, which I think you suck at."

"Well, fighting is Rindel's specialty," Eryn countered defensively. "I'm more of a mage, you know. And I don't think I could ever be as powerful as you, Master."

"Don't belittle yourself," Aurel said. "If you can do what I can do, I need to make sure my new experiments and theories about chaos control are safe. I'll have you try them out first."

Eryn's face fell. "That's not fair! You're treating me like a guinea pig."

"Relax," Aurel said, a hint of a smile on his lips. "If anything bad happens, I can always fix you."

"That's not very reassuring," Eryn mumbled, though he knew he couldn't refuse. "But honestly, I think something else is happening. Every time you get stronger, I feel like I do, too. I think Rindel feels the same way. When I first met him, he was just a fighting maniac who couldn't grasp anything about chaos control. Now he seems to be at the level of the Abyssals."

"I've felt it, too," Aurel admitted. "And I think it works the other way. The stronger you two get, the more it seems to aid me and improve the chaos power within me. That's why I'm having you consume that converted chaos energy. Now, stop chatting and get on with it."

Eryn gulped, but he didn't object further. He sat down and mirrored Aurel's meditative pose.

"Relax, Eryn," Aurel's voice echoed in his mind. "Just follow my voice."

Eryn sank into a meditative state, exploring his inner world with Aurel's guidance. There's your core. Now, try to guide all the chaos energy towards it. Impose your will on it, like you own it. Yes, own it, Eryn.

Like this, Master? Eryn felt his chaos core react, pulling the converted energy inward and making it a part of him. The energy refueled him and expanded his own chaos pool. As Eryn absorbed the energy, Aurel confirmed his own theory: his understanding of chaos was also deepening with Eryn's growth.

Eryn remained in his meditative state, still exploring the newfound power. "That felt good," Aurel said to himself, noticing Eryn's silence. "I didn't feel any drawback." He decided to let Eryn be, keeping watch over him. You're doing great, Eryn. I'll be on guard for now.

Aurel realized that out of all the beings he had converted, only Eryn and Rindel—his Anima—possessed the intelligence and direct connection to him. The rest were mere pawns, but these two were like his own two arms, a part of him. He felt a swell of pride at how strong they had become.

I wonder if I can create more Anima, he mused. He imagined his territory, a place that was still mostly a blank canvas in his mind. Perhaps by now, they had managed to put up some basic perimeter gates, a small fence, and maybe a few crude shelters. It would be a starting point. He pictured the land, still wild, awaiting the slow, methodical work of his new followers. It was a pleasant thought, a small corner of the world he was building for himself.

The Unseen Citadel

Far from the campfire, perched on a high ridge overlooking Aurel's territory, Luci, Nephra, and Vyran stood together. Below them, a magnificent citadel carved from the very earth had risen from nothing. A massive wall of obsidian-like material surrounded a central keep whose spires pierced the sky. The air hummed with a low, constant energy.

"Well, Luci," Nephra said, his tone dry, "we've got the most important parts done. There's still much to do, but I think this is livable."

Luci shook her head in awe, her eyes wide. "Livable? This is a kingdom, Nephra! I don't think there's a fortress on this continent that can compare to this."

Vyran interrupted, his voice calm and precise. "The final security systems are not yet fully installed. I've ensured the first layer of defense is properly in place and assigned the guards their outposts strategically."

Little did Aurel know, his dream of a simple perimeter gate had become a fortified bastion, a fortress built in his name.