The Dust Khan
The name alone was enough to make any soldier hesitate before stepping inside. A place forgotten by time, crowded with whispers and blood. The air there was thick with dust and moisture, as if the city itself was groaning from within.
Rain walked silently ahead of Arl, his eyes scanning the corners, while the sound of hurried footsteps closed doors behind them. No one welcomed strangers in the Dust Khan.
"The place is emptier than it should be…" Arl muttered.
Rain replied without turning back,"Emptiness doesn't mean safety. It only means death is one step ahead of us."
When they crossed into the main square, the truth revealed itself.
The ground opened beneath their feet as if breathing, and shadowy human-like forms emerged, stained black. They weren't entirely human… faces hidden behind masks of ash, bodies shifting between flesh, metal, and shadow. They did not speak.
They attacked.
The Ignition
The first attacker lunged, his arm transforming into a bony spear covered in a black bleeding mist. Rain did not move. Did not raise a hand.
Just one look…
And the man's veins exploded from within, collapsing on the ground screaming as if a fire ignited inside his brain.
"Pain magic… deep, but primitive," Rain said.
The second and third came, then a whole dozen. They used various branches of dark magic:
Illusion magic — making the target see their loved ones dying before their eyes.
Neuro-corrosion magic — slowly dissolving nerves and planting confusion in the brain.
Shadow magic — users moving through walls like smoke.
Rain resisted using only his mind. The enemies fell, but his body began to unravel inside. His arteries twitched, a thin line of blood trickled from his nose.
Arl staggered, unable to keep up with the barrage. She kneeled beside him. Raised her trembling hands, a faint warm light emerged from her fingertips, restoring the steady pulse of his heart. But an attacker leapt on her from behind… and she fell.
The Infiltration
Rain grabbed her hand. It was cold. Eyes closed, but he felt her pulse… wavering. Faint.
Then, he infiltrated.
Rain did not touch the wound, but the memory.
He rushed through fragile gates inside her consciousness, avoiding subconscious defenses until he reached a place of childhood.
He saw her as a child, under rubble. Saw her crying, screaming her brother's name. Saw him trying to protect her… then exploding. The forbidden power tearing him apart before her eyes.
Without hesitation… Rain reshaped the scene.
He entered there, in that same place. Embraced her, lifted her in his arms, whispered her name with confidence, and said: "I am here."
He slowly withdrew from her memory, leaving the child inside him to settle as a new truth.
When she opened her eyes… the look was no longer the same.
She looked at him as if he was all that remained of the world.
The Transformation
The fight ended. Bodies scattered, the square calmed.
Arl lay beside him, resting her head on his shoulder, with strange features, closer to deep gratitude… and tenderness.
She whispered softly:
"I feel… like I have known you for a very long time."
He didn't answer. Just placed his hand gently on her hair, with a cold calm.
Degrees of Mastery
On the way back, Rain's mind reviewed the fight.
"Most of those who fought us today were Field grade. They managed to form an aura that affected their surroundings… but they were simple before the Idea. Before the Mind."
In his mind echoed the degrees of mastery, as taught by his first teacher, in a voice sounding as if spoken inside a closed skull:
🜂 Degrees of Power Mastery:
Wave levelEnergy is chaos. No consciousness. No control. Internal bleeding waiting for the wrong moment.
Pulse levelEnergy summoned by gestures, screams, or tools. Beginner fighters, valued in numbers not quality.
Field levelA clear aura surrounding the body, distorting nearby reality. These are taken seriously on battlefields.
Mind levelNo movement needed. The Idea alone suffices. From this point, the fighter becomes more terrifying than his weapon.
Law levelOnly legends. Ability to reshape local natural laws.Gravity control. Molecular disassembly. Local time suspension.The Emperor is one of them… Rain wants to surpass them.
Declaration of War
In the capital, horns blared. In the kingdoms, heralds proclaimed:"In the name of the High Throne… war with the continent of Aron has begun.Every citizen over fourteen must report immediately to the nearest recruitment point.Support for the feudal kingdoms is mandatory under penalty of extermination."
Cities shook. Streets emptied. Temples closed. Factories began melting iron.
In a gray stone room, Arl lay asleep on a worn sofa. Her head on Rain's shoulder, breathing steady, her gaze calm… and her mind saturated with an implanted image she didn't realize.
Rain reached out, touched her forehead, and murmured:"Your memories are clearer now… and you've become useful."
Then he stood, resolute, walking toward the next missions…
Among shadows of cities destined to die, and a voice inside him that never stops devouring itself.