The world was quiet. Too quiet.
After the Arbiter vanished into Aelric's body, even the fractured sky seemed to hold its breath. No Enforcers rose from the ground. No beams of light burned across the horizon. The System itself had gone silent.
Elara clung to Aelric's chest as he hovered above the ruined landscape, his corrupted wings beating slowly, each stroke heavy as thunder.
But the silence didn't last.
Inside him, something stirred.
---
The Voice of the Arbiter
You cannot contain me.
The words weren't spoken aloud—they were inside Aelric's skull, ripping through his mind like blades. His grin twitched, blood dripping from his lips as he held his head.
"Shut up," he hissed.
You are nothing but corruption. Chaos. A disease. I am law. I am order. You cannot devour eternity.
Elara saw him shaking, veins bulging black across his neck. "Aelric—what's happening?"
He looked down at her, half of his face twisted in shadow, the other pale and human. His crimson eye glowed too bright.
"…I ate something too big."
---
The Cracks in Control
His wings spasmed, nearly dropping them. He landed hard on a ruined tower, the stone crumbling under his weight.
Elara scrambled to his side. His claws dug into the wall, carving deep scars. The grin was still there—but it was forced, strained.
"Aelric, listen to me. Spit it out—whatever you took in, give it back before it destroys you!"
He barked out a laugh, manic and broken. "You think I can just vomit up a god? Sorry, Elara. This one's mine now."
But even as he said it, his body convulsed. His shadow arm split into dozens of tendrils, writhing like serpents, striking against the ground. The ruined tower trembled under the assault.
Elara's heart pounded. She could feel it—his humanity slipping, piece by piece.
---
The System Speaks Again
At last, the silence broke. The sky bled red with words.
> [Caution: Containment failure detected.]
Aelric Veynar = Hybrid Entity.
Status: Neither mortal nor god.
Designation Updated → Anomaly.
The people below screamed as the words burned across the heavens. Every survivor now knew his name. Every survivor knew what he was becoming.
Elara gripped his face, forcing him to look at her. "Aelric! They're calling you an anomaly—don't let them be right! You're still you!"
His grin softened for a heartbeat. "…Still me, huh?"
---
The Mirror Within
The Arbiter's voice clawed through him again.
No. You are not yourself. You are mine.
In his mind's eye, Aelric saw a mirror. In it stood not the Arbiter—but himself, clad in golden armor, eyes white with judgment.
The reflection raised its sword. "I will cleanse you."
Aelric laughed bitterly. "Oh great. Another me."
The Arbiter's reflection lunged.
And Aelric, inside his own mind, raised his corrupted claw to meet it.
---
Elara's Choice
Outside, his body convulsed violently. His wings lashed out, shattering the tower. Elara screamed as stone rained down, nearly crushing her.
But she didn't run. She crawled across the debris, grabbing his hand—the one that was still human.
Her timer still read [0:00:00]. She was alive only because of him.
If he fell, she would vanish too.
"Elara…" His voice cracked, half his words not even human anymore. "…If I lose myself… kill me."
Her hands shook. Tears streamed down her face. "Don't you dare make me promise that."
But he only laughed, wild and broken.
---
The Breaking Point
Inside his mind, the battle raged.
The Arbiter's reflection slashed across his chest, searing his corrupted flesh. For a moment, Aelric staggered, the mirror shattering into dozens of timelines where he lost—where he died, where he became nothing but corruption.
See? the voice thundered. You cannot win. You cannot exist.
And yet—he grinned.
"Yeah… that's what makes it fun."
He drove his claw straight through the mirror, shattering his reflection into fragments of light.
---
The Return
Outside, the corruption flared like a storm. His wings burst apart into raw shadow, then folded back, stabilizing.
He fell to his knees, panting, his grin bloody but triumphant. "Not today."
Elara rushed to him, hugging him tight despite the corruption burning against her skin. "You scared me… I thought I lost you."
He leaned against her shoulder, chuckling weakly. "You almost did."
The System's voice returned, colder than ever:
> [Warning.]
Anomaly stabilized—temporarily.
Threat Level: Catastrophic.
All gods awakened.
Hunt protocols expanded.
Elara's breath caught. "All gods…?"
The sky fractured wider. Dozens of massive silhouettes stirred beyond the clouds—wings, claws, eyes, horns—beings that had slept for millennia.
Aelric tilted his head back, watching them rise. His grin sharpened again, crimson eye gleaming.
"Good. I was starting to get bored."
---
To Be Continued…