Sign In To The Body Of Chaos At The Start

The Skyreach Fault was now silent once all the battles were completely over. The silence wasn't due to the stillness of tension, nor the quiet of a battlefield littered with dead bodies, blood and guts everywhere.

No, this silence was different. It was more like liberation, Damon had finally conquered and defeated Antares and Varus who had caused him so much trouble throughout his life. Now he could move past all of that.

The Rift's scars had begun to heal, slowly, as if the world itself was sighing in relief. The obsidian cliffs still stood fractured, but the oppressive weight of the Abyss had been lifted.

The fractured moon above gleamed with a gentler luminance, no longer mocking, but observing, their light shining down across the entire area, illuminating everyone who was standing around, who had survived such a brutal battle.

Damon stood at the edge of the Fault, BloodReaper resting against his shoulder, the blade's hum having mellowed into a low, satisfied purr. Beside him, Artemis and Astralene remained alert, their eyes sweeping across the fading remnants of the battlefield. Neither of them spoke. There was no need to.

It was done.

"Let's go," Damon finally said, his voice breaking through the calm. "We have a report to deliver."

The Eastern Watchtower of the Dragon Clan fortress was as Damon had left it—perched upon the high cliffs, gazing over lands tainted with legacy and ambition.

But now, those lands seemed... smaller.

The battle had not merely changed the Skyreach Fault; it had shifted the balance of power in ways none of the Elders could ignore.

Damon's parents were already waiting inside the war chamber.

Malik, the ever-stoic General, stood near the central strategy table, his arms crossed, expression unreadable yet undeniably sharp with Sapphire alongside him.

"On time, for once," Sapphire remarked, though her smirk held a rare warmth.

"You knew I'd win," Damon said as he stepped in, Artemis and Astralene following closely behind. "There was never a version of this where I didn't."

Malik's lips quirked upward, just barely. "Confidence is good. But arrogance? Dangerous. You were walking into the jaws of the Abyss, Damon. Even you can't predict every variable."

"True," Damon conceded, dropping BloodReaper against the table with a metallic clatter. "But I didn't need to predict them all did I? Just the ones that mattered."

Malik motioned for them to gather around the central table, where a detailed projection of the Dragon Clan's territories hovered in midair.

Leyline grids pulsed faintly, and the Skyreach Fault remained highlighted in a dim crimson, though its core was slowly shifting back to neutral hues.

"Report," Malik ordered, though his tone was less a command and more a father's demand for the truth.

Damon nodded. "Everything went to plan. Varus and Antares laid the trap exactly as we anticipated. Dominion Beast, Rift Anchors, Worshippers. Their arrogance was their blind spot. They never accounted for us turning their own Nexus against them."

Astralene stepped forward, her Book of Destiny flipping open with a flick of her wrist. "The Rift's stabilization threads were severed at multiple conceptual levels. Their Dominion Beast couldn't sustain its form. The Abyss tried to force the summoning, but Damon's Void Lockout and spatial control made it a paradox. In short, they tried to give birth to something that the world rejected."

"And the Beacon?" Sapphire asked, her gaze narrowing.

Damon's smile didn't reach his eyes, "Destroyed. Along with every reinforcement it tried to spit out."

Malik's fingers drummed against the edge of the table, his expression thoughtful. "And Varus?"

"Unmade." Damon's voice was a flat blade, "He will not be a problem anymore."

Silence hung for a moment as Malik and Sapphire exchanged glances, an entire conversation passing between them without words.

Sapphire broke the silence first. "You've ignited a fire, Damon. Varus wasn't just a schemer. He was deeply rooted in the Clan's elder factions. His disappearance will create a power vacuum. The Abyssal influence may recoil temporarily, but it will not vanish."

Malik's gaze sharpened, "Which is why you need to leave. Now."

Damon's brow arched. "Leave?"

"Yes," Malik said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You've delivered the blow. But the aftermath? That's for me and Sapphire to handle. The Council will be in disarray. If you remain here, every movement you make will be scrutinized, twisted, weaponized. You've outgrown their game, Damon. Staying here would only tether you to old battles."

Sapphire's smirk deepened. "Your father's right. You've made your move. Let them stew in their own fear and politics. Go back to the Empire and Tend to your businesses while we handle things here."

Damon exhaled and nodded, thinking about back home at the Divine Demon Empire. It had been a while since he had returned there, being constantly caught up in scheme after scheme.

He wondered how FURIA & The Syndicate were doing, he knew their expansion was still going extremely well, but how well? He wanted to know, and this would be the perfect chance.

So much had been set in motion while he was forced to play in this sandbox of Abyssal treachery.

"I was planning to return anyway," Damon admitted, his thoughts already shifting toward the sprawling networks of his businesses. "FURIA's expansion into the northern sectors should be in its final phase. And the Syndicate's black-market network… I'm sure some adjustments are overdue."

"And after that?" Malik asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Austonia Academy's reopening," Damon replied, his gaze distant yet sharp. "The world's going to watch every move that academy makes. I need to be there when the curtain rises."

Astralene stepped beside him, her presence a constant hum of astral elegance. "There are still fragments of the Abyss coiled around that place. You'll need to be careful. The Academy might be the next battlefield."

"I'm counting on it," Damon said with a smile that was more fangs than lips.

Artemis, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, finally spoke. "We'll be ready. No matter what."

Malik approached Damon, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "You've done well, son. But remember, power draws eyes. The ones who fear you will come with knives in hand. The ones who admire you? With shackles. Keep moving. Make them all chase shadows."

Sapphire's voice softened slightly, though her presence remained imposing "The Divine Demon Empire is your forge. Shape yourself there. Let the world think you've stepped back, when in truth, you're preparing the next strike."

Damon turned, his grin a dangerous promise, "Understood. You handle the clean-up. I'll handle the future."

Malik nodded, stepping back into his role as the Clan's enforcer, "Go. Before the Elders start scheming up another 'summons.'"

Damon offered a final glance, his eyes lingering on both of his parents. There was unspoken gratitude, pride, and a shared understanding of the path they'd all chosen.

Then, without ceremony, Damon exited the spire, with Artemis and Astralene falling into step beside him.

The journey back to the Divine Demon Empire wasn't one of haste. Damon had ensured the teleportation Nexus was secured under his private network, one of the many things The Syndicate handled discreetly.

This was one of the times he truly thanked his past self for thinking so far ahead, or else he might've already been caught up in another scheme.

As the Nexus activated, the swirling tunnel of compressed mana reflected across Damon's Eyes of Oblivion. His mind was already racing, cataloging objectives.

FURIA's latest prototype of Aether-infused weaponry. The Syndicate's expansion into the eastern underground channels. The Academy's upcoming political stage.

And yet, there was a calmness in him that hadn't existed before.

Skyreach Fault had been a pivot.

He hadn't merely survived a trap; he had rewritten its outcome. Varus, Antares, the Dominion Beast, they were chapters closed.

But the Abyss wasn't finished.

And neither was he.

Hours later, as the Nexus Gate opened atop the Divine Demon Empire's central tower, Damon stepped into a world that pulsed with the lifeblood of ambition.

The Empire had changed while he was gone.

FURIA banners adorned the skyline, their insignias gleaming with refined elegance. The Syndicate's subtle yet unmistakable emblems traced the alleys and hidden thoroughfares, an undercurrent of control that others mistook for coincidence.

Artemis inhaled deeply, her tails swaying, "Bet it must feel good to be back." she said and turned to face Damon.

Astralene's eyes scanned the cityscape, her starlit aura blending seamlessly into the urban sprawl. "This city… its fate threads are coiled tighter than I anticipated. There will be storms here."

"Let them come," Damon said, his smile returned, sharp and ready. "We've got an empire to run, and an academy to shake."

He paused, gazing over the expanse of his domain.

"I hope they're ready. Because I'm done playing defense."

As the sun dipped beyond the horizon, casting the Divine Demon Empire in a golden blaze, Damon's silhouette stood unyielding against the skyline.

The Abyss had made its move.

Now, it was his turn.