Chaosbound: Elarith Chronicles

The night settled over Harkenston, the cool air carrying a sense of unease. Three hours into their observation, the team had only found one Malifuge, still unmoving, still isolated—no signs of gathering, no signs of imminent attack.

Kirin, slumped against the transport truck, sighed loudly, stretching his arms as if he had been the one scanning for hours instead of Aurel.

"I swear, if I have to keep watching this thing do absolutely nothing, I'm going to start thinking I'm the one doing the tracking," he muttered, rubbing his neck.

Aurel didn't respond, still focused. Clyde simply smirked, shaking his head.

Then, Kirin dug into his pack, pulling out compact snack bars wrapped neatly in thick foil.

"Good thing I prepared," he muttered, tossing one to Aurel, another to Clyde. "Made these myself—whole day's worth of energy packed into one bar. No need for meals."

Clyde inspected his, raising an eyebrow. "You sure this is safe?"

"Well, I'm still alive, aren't I?" Kirin grinned, biting into his own.

Aurel glanced at his without much interest but took a bite anyway. If they were going to wait, they might as well make use of the time.

The Malifuge still had not moved. Something about that felt even more unsettling than outright aggression.

The Hunt Begins

Aurel's Ripple Scan pulsed outward, waves stretching through the terrain—then finally, movement. Four distinct figures, traveling in the same direction, their presence like quiet disturbances in the stillness of the night.

"We have movement," Aurel reported, his voice controlled but tense.

Clyde straightened, eyes sharp. "Four of them, moving together. Let's go—but we don't engage yet. We observe."

Kirin nodded, already moving toward the transport truck, its reinforced steam-powered engine thrumming as he started it up.

"Let's not get too close," Clyde reminded, unfolding the map. "We stay in their trajectory but choose an observation point—somewhere with clear vantage, but out of their direct path."

Aurel kept his focus, tracking their rhythm, their patterns. They weren't mindless—there was coordination in their movements.

As the truck pulled forward, Aurel shifted, voice steady. "If things go south, Kirin—you get Clyde out of here."

Kirin smirked despite the tension. "Of course, Master. I shall protect our mighty strategist."

Clyde gave him a dry look. "Just drive."

The vehicle rolled forward, cutting through the terrain quietly, following the unfolding mystery without revealing their presence. Something was happening—and this time, they were at the heart of it.

Shadows in the Distance

The modified transport truck remained parked at their observation post, hidden behind a rocky ridge with minimal visibility from the Malifuge gathering.

Kirin adjusted the telescope, his eyes flicking across the terrain where the four creatures roamed. Slow, deliberate movements, their path unbroken.

"One heading north, then circling back—no sudden aggression," Kirin reported, adjusting the focus. "Second one sticking close to the group, like it's waiting for something."

Clyde sat beside him, equally focused. "They're not scattering. Whatever's driving them, it's coordinated."

Aurel stood slightly behind them, listening. His senses stretched, keeping track of any disruptions beyond the telescope's reach. Something about this didn't feel random.

A Hidden Presence

Meanwhile, the Eclipseborne Divinant stood at the edge of the gathering, observing the slow, deliberate movements of the Malifuge. His hood concealed most of his expression, but his presence carried an air of silent vigilance. Nephra, however, remained utterly unbothered.

"Boss, we have company," the lackey muttered.

Nephra barely reacted, his focus fixed on the Malifuge experiment unfolding before him. He let out an exasperated sigh. "Company? Seriously? Do they not understand the concept of 'peak experimentation hours'? Let them watch. Or better yet, maybe I should invite them for dinner. 'Oh, hello, new friends, care to join me for a delightful meal of... well, whatever I can scrounge up here in the middle of nowhere.' Ah, then... without warning, his posture straightened—as if responding to something unheard.

A psychic link.

Aurel might have recognized it had he been closer. A ripple, barely visible, pressing against Nephra's consciousness like a whispered command from nowhere.

Nephra exhaled sharply, pressing his thumb against his temple, eyes narrowing. "Tsk... always at the worst time."

His tone shifted—not irritation, not fear—but understanding. The call was clear. Unavoidable.

"I have important matters," he muttered, barely acknowledging the Eclipseborne Divinant. "I'm leaving this to you. Don't engage—just observe."

The hooded lackey nodded.

"Get close to Subject 5, report everything after. Don't be stupid like Arman."

Then, just as abruptly as the connection had come—Nephra turned and left.

"My brother is calling me," he muttered, disappearing into the night.

Unseen Forces at Play

The hooded Eclipseborne Divinant stood still, waiting. His posture was one of calculated patience—not nervous, not hesitant, just waiting.

Then, the Sovereign Malifuge arrived.

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A hulking presence, it emerged from the darkness, its malformed shape radiating dominance, its gaze sweeping across the five Malifuge before it. The Eclipseborne exhaled softly, barely audible, as if he had been anticipating this moment.

"Finally..." he murmured, watching as the Sovereign's instincts overtook hesitation. Its body coiled, asserting dominance, preparing to consume the others.

The Vanguard's Observation

From their vantage point, Kirin adjusted the telescope, his voice sharp with urgency.

"Something came—it's a Sovereign Malifuge!"

Clyde straightened, his focus shifting. "Aurel, confirm it."

Aurel activated Ripple Scan, stretching his awareness outward. He scanned carefully—not just for the creatures, but for anything unusual within their presence.

And then—he found it.

"A human?" Aurel's tone carried intrigue. "No... not quite. This one is different."

Clyde frowned. "Where?"

"Near the Sovereign. A Divinant—he's involved with this."

Clyde's voice turned grim. "Then this isn't just a random phenomenon."

Aurel narrowed his eyes. "Should I engage?"

Clyde hesitated. They weren't here for open conflict—but information mattered.

"Maybe. He knows more than we do. If we get him talking, we might learn something."

Kirin's gaze flicked back toward the creatures. "The Sovereign's starting to consume the first Malifuge..."

Aurel shifted slightly. "So what's the plan? We just stand here?"

Clyde exhaled, thinking fast. "We don't interfere yet—but that Divinant is involved in all of this. If you think you can get information out of him, do it."

Aurel nodded without hesitation. "Understood. I've measured his strength—I'm confident. If things go south, I'm also confident in my ability to escape."

Clyde's expression remained firm. "Then do it. Kirin and I will continue observing the Malifuge movements."

Aurel jumped from his perch, landing quietly, his form vanishing into the darkness as he hurried toward the Divinant.

The Eclipseborne Duel

Aurel descended like a phantom, blade drawn, the gleam of steel slicing toward the hooded figure.

The figure did not flinch—his sword rose instantly, intercepting the strike with calculated precision. The impact sent sparks scattering, the force reverberating between them.

"I was going to let you watch," the figure murmured, his tone carrying more amusement than annoyance, "yet you attack me outright? That's just rude. A true fighter knows introductions come before the blade."

Aurel's eyes sharpened as he pushed forward. "I don't need an introduction. I need information."

The figure smirked, stepping back with deceptive ease, adjusting his stance. "Fine, then. My name is Digo—an Eclipseborne."

Aurel didn't hesitate—his blade lashed forward again, aiming straight for Digo's torso. "I'm not interested. I'm your death."

Digo barely had time to react—he twisted, blade narrowly redirecting the deadly arc, but Aurel was fast. Too fast.

Digo on the Defensive

Aurel pressed the assault, each movement fluid, controlled, merciless. His attacks came at unpredictable angles, forcing Digo to retreat, barely managing to deflect the worst of them.

The force behind each strike sent shockwaves through his arms, the pressure mounting.

"You're strong," Digo admitted between blows, his breath slightly uneven. "Ah... one of those men who fought with the Shadowblades, huh?"

Aurel's mind flickered back to the past battles. "So you were there, huh?"

Their blades clashed again—steel grinding against steel, the night swallowing their movements in shadows and sparks.

Aurel kept his stance firm, eyes locked onto his opponent. "What game are you playing here?"

Digo exhaled, stopping just short of another attack—both fighters now in a ready stance, tension thick between them.

"I'm just following orders," Digo replied casually.

Aurel's gaze narrowed. "Whose orders?"

Digo's grin did not fade. "Sorry—classified."

"He was here a minute ago, but he had important matters to attend to. If you had arrived earlier, you would've met him."

Aurel's grip tightened. It must be that guy who captured that lance girl from the prison, he recalled.

"That guy is not someone you should piss off," Digo continued, adjusting his posture slightly. "He's far beyond us Divinants."

Aurel exhaled slowly, considering his next move. "So we talk, and you share everything?"

Digo chuckled. "I talk. But I won't tell you everything."

Aurel nodded subtly, his stance shifting as he prepared to strike again. "Then we keep fighting."

Digo grinned, raising his sword. The battle resumed.

The Sovereign's Evolution

The Sovereign Malifuge devoured its last prey, its form pulsing with unstable energy. Something was happening—something unnatural.

Digo shifted his stance, watching as the creature began to change. His sword was lowered—but his tone remained smug.

"I'd love to continue our fight," he admitted, despite knowing that Aurel was stronger, that he was already losing. "But my job here isn't to fight you. It's to observe. And the subject is about to turn. You sure you wanna waste time with me?"

Aurel felt it—a dangerous shift, the Sovereign's aura thickening, its essence warping with incomprehensible instability. If it finished evolving, there was no telling what it would become.

"Tell me," Aurel demanded, his stance steady. "What happens when it's done?"

Digo grinned, unfazed. "Well, for starters—he's gonna evolve into something..." He hesitated for dramatic effect. "We don't actually know what it is yet. But trust me, it's dangerous."

Aurel's grip tightened slightly. He could kill Digo right now—finish this fight and remove one more threat. But information mattered. He needed to understand what was happening before making reckless choices.

"Mind having a truce for a while?" Digo mused. "I admit you're stronger than me. How about I give you some information, and you let me go?"

Aurel's gaze sharpened. This guy... no honor as a fighter. Was he truly so willing to abandon combat and escape just to preserve himself?

But the Sovereign's energy spiked—emotions fluctuating wildly, no longer resembling anything logical or controlled. Something beyond understanding.

Digo sighed dramatically. "Ohhh, I guess that's a yes? You'll be preoccupied with that guy there, so— ah and as for the info I promised.. my boss is an abyssal."

The instant Aurel stepped forward, Digo clenched his free hand into a fist, a spark of dark energy igniting around it. A tendril of shadow snaked up his arm, then another, and another, until writhing darkness enveloped him entirely, as if some unseen shadow creature had risen from the ground to swallow him whole. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the mass of shadow vanished, leaving behind only a faint whisper in the air.

"Abyssal, huh... you! I'll get you one day," Aurel muttered.

Digo's voice echoed faintly in return, amused. "Yeah, I know... but please don't."

And then—he was gone.

Aurel barely had time to process before the Sovereign Malifuge trembled violently, its form shifting, warping into something unnatural and unknown. A blinding flash of chaotic energy erupted from its core, blasting outward in a devastating shockwave that tore through the environment. Trees splintered, rocks shattered, and the very ground convulsed under the sheer, violent force.

The Birth of Chaos

The battlefield was quiet now, smoke and dust settling like echoes of violence, yet Aurel stood unharmed, his Chaos Guard having absorbed the worst of the blast.

"It held," he thought, exhaling slowly. "Glad I refined it to this level."

But as his eyes adjusted to the aftermath, his relief faded.

The Sovereign Malifuge—or what was left of it—was still there.

Torn apart, fragmented beyond recognition, barely clinging to existence, yet it hadn't vanished like expected. Instead, it suffered. Aurel felt it. A raw, desperate surge of emotion pulsed from its core, not words, but a profound feeling of terror and a desperate plea for help. Through his connection to chaos, he understood it with startling clarity, as if its very essence was crying out: I don't want to die... Save me.

For the first time, Aurel hesitated—not out of fear, but uncertainty.

His instincts told him to end it, to put it out of its misery. Yet... something was pulling at him—something familiar.

The environment darkened, reality shifting around him. It wasn't an illusion—it was his own perception folding inward, as if the energy itself had recognized him.

Aurel inhaled sharply. It wasn't hostile. It was destructive—but not threatening.

"Is this the same as my chaos essence?"

The thought lingered, his gaze locked onto the pulsing core. It felt compatible. The sensation was not like his usual constructs—it had life, emotion.

Aurel's mind worked fast—an experiment formed in his thoughts. He was sure, but his instinct insisted: the core seemed to need some kind of vessel. Yes, the Darkcutie constructs... this could work. The constructs he created were lifeless; this chaos core from the Sovereign Malifuge... hmmm. No time to waste.

He summoned a construct, a Darkcutie, its form appearing in the void of energy he controlled.

Then, he let it absorb the Sovereign's core essence.

The reaction was immediate.

The construct shifted, consuming the fractured energy, yet it did not resist. It understood.

It clung to the core willingly—as if recognizing that it was being saved.

And then—it evolved.

The construct changed, its form twisting, refining, no longer lifeless but alive, chaotic yet whole, shifting into something new.

Aurel watched, his heart steady but his mind racing. "I'm not sure what is happening, but I can sense it... it is merging, and it's like it's powering the construct and giving it life. It's like a heart longing for a body... I may have created something truly alive."