Voidborne:The Soul sea chronicles

After what was couple of hours of walking through the forest, Eliot and Harlen came to a small cave.Harlen leaned his back against the cold wall,pale-faced;his bandages around the wound were soaked with dried blood. Eliot sat him down carefully.

Though dark,the cave let in just enough moonlight to allow them to see well.Harlen took a deep breath in and let his face fall with a grateful look of despair.

"Thanks,"Harlen said in low voice,his voice weak."You saved me again."

Eliot didn't say anything for a moment.His mind was confused by feelings of regret. Letting Corvella go earlier had been a risk that he was not very certain would pay off.He had hoped that sparing her would lessen the pursuit,but deep down,he very much doubted if it will even happen.

Harlen finally broke the silence with aquiver of concern in his voice: "What now? How do we escape this? My family.they cannot survive without me." His words shook as each one felt heavier than the last. "The Empire might reduce their status to slaves which is the last thing I want to see.Even if I surrendered,they wouldn't forgive me.And Alric's noble family,they'll hunt me down before the empire even acts.

Harlen lifted his head slowly,his tired, pain-filled eyes meeting Eliot's. There was something raw in his gaze, a mix of gratitude and sorrow that made his voice tremble when he finally spoke.

"I don't know why you did it,"he said softly,his words heavy."Why you saved me back there, on that battlefield.I thought it was over for me. I was ready to die.But then… you showed up. You didn't have to, but you did. And in that moment, you were like a ray of hope. You pulled me back from the edge."

Harlen's voice cracked, and he let out a shaky breath. He looked down for a moment, gathering himself, before his gaze locked on Eliot again."But Eliot… you can't keep doing this.You can't keep being this good.I see it in your eyes the way you hold onto kindness,even when this world keeps throwing hell at you. You've been alone for so long,haven't you? It's like you're reaching for something, hoping to find someone who won't let go."

He paused,his voice thick with emotion."But this world… it's not made for that.It's not made for people like you. There's nothing but war and death everywhere you turn.People will take that kindness of yours and use it against you.They'll break it,break you,without even thinking twice."

Harlen's shoulders slumped,his hands trembling as he looked away.His voice dropped,softer now,but full of a quiet,desperate pain. "I don't want to see that happen to you.I can't.You need to bury that part of yourself, Eliot.Hide it,protect it.Keep it locked away deep inside,where no one can reach it. Because out here… kindness will get you killed."

He exhaled shakily,his voice barely more than a whisper."Don't let this world ruin you.You're better than it.You're better than all of us."

The emotions in that cave were heavy,almost overwhelming.Harlen had been broken by what had transpired,and he seemed to think he wouldn't make it through what was to come.He leaned back; his voice lowered to a quiet murmur."If anything happens to me, please… find my family.Help them.

Eliot had opened his mouth to respond,but the soft sound outside the cave drewhis attention. Tension made his body tight as he stood,facing the entrance.Stepping outside in the moonlight,he found three standing figures:Commander Falk Richter,Lady Corvella,and a man with some kind of tracker equipment he was grel.

The power of authority and strengthemanated from Falk as he stood there,his sharp gaze fixed intently on Eliot.Slowly,the pressure emitted by Falk's aura increased,his energy pressing outward like someinvisible weight. But nothing stirred Eliot.

Falk's eyes narrowed in surprise, and he turned to Corvella,a question in his expression. Is this the mortal What aren't you telling me corvella?because a mortal would have already been dead by the mere pressure of his.

Corvella didn't flinch,but she knew fullwell that Falk didn't believe her.She steeled herself, knowing his attention was now split between Eliot and her.

Pride would not let falk take opposition from a mere mortal. He leaned harder, pushing more energy into his aura.Grel fell to his knees, gasping,while Corvella clenched her teeth in a silent curse at Falk.Why are you targeting us too,you fool?Just fight him already!

But Eliot stood firm,his void field silently sacking in the energy around him.To Falk,it seemed impossible.His authority,his control, was being challenged.

"So, you resist even this?" Falk said, his voice cold. "Then let's see if you can stand against the power of the enkindled soul."

The air thickened,the pressure almost unbearable.Corvella and the tracker threw themselves to the ground,gasping for breath. Falk's energy churned, making the air around him unstable.Even inside the cave,Harlen felt weight crush downupon him.He struggled to his feet and made his way outside.

"Eliot!"Harlen yelled,but the second he came into Falk's radius,it hurled him to the floor.The wounds were ripped open,soaking all over again into his bandagin

Eliot's eyes blazed with anger as he saw Harlen fall.In an instant,he was charging at Falk-quick and professional. An enkindled powerhouse, with a mere flickof his wrist, a glowing shield of energymaterialized before him.Eliot's first strike landed on it, sending a sharp pain through his hand from the rebound.

The smirk never left Falk's face as he spoke with confidence. "Futile," he said, 

observing as Eliot continued to strike and strike again.The shield held,each blow deflected effortlessly.

Corvella sat on the ground, regardingEliot with a mixture of pity and curiosity. He seemed so desperate in his relentless strikes, so pointless. Yet she knew better. She had seen his strange ability before.What is he planning?

Eliot's assaults did not stop. He eyed the shield in octagon shape for any weak point. The growing irritation in Falk's voice burst out as he shouted, "Who are you? Where are you from?"

Eliot stopped, his fists in mid-air."Will it change the outcome? Will it save Harlen? Will you let us go?

The smirk vanished from Falk's face. "No. What you have done is rebellion. Youdisgraced the Empire. Do you know what an attack on a safe zone means? It's a stain on the pride of the Empire. You really think that we will let that go?

Eliot's voice went cold."What safe zone? That wasn't a sanctuary-it was a prison for your nobles to play with lives.Freedom doesn't exist there.

Falk's face darkened."Mortals like you exist only to breed and replenish the Empire. Your suffering means nothing."

Eliot's fists clenched.He had tried reasoning, but in Falk's words, he heard no morality, no shred of humanity. Withone more word, Eliot went into a fighting stance.

"So, you choose death," Falk said, hardening his tone. "Then I'll show no mercy.

A beam of energy burst from Falk's hand, slicing through the air to Eliot.Most ofthe attack was absorbed by the void field around him,dissipating into nothing.The remaining force hit him like a dull strike, barely causing him to flinch.

Falk's eyes widened in shock."What…?"he muttered, with incomprehension at how his energy had vanished.

Eliot didn't hesitate.Calling upon the lesson he had learned during the fight,he coated his fists in void energy.As Falk called another shield into being,Eliot's punch shattered it down to the molecular level,the energy breaking down and disappearing.

As Eliot struck yet again,Falk gritted his teeth, conjuring yet another shield-atranslucent, octagonal barrier spranginto life just in front of him with a well-placed block.The shock resonated deepwithin his arm, energy running back at him in sharp,electric shocks as his mind coursed with action, his body steadfast, perspiration beading on his forehead.

This wasn't normal, he thought, his cautious gaze locked on Eliot.it was so abnormal that falks mind was in shambles.

Eliot stepped backward, his dark energy pulsating around him like a living thing.Falk's eyes narrowed as he braced for the next assault.It wasn't brute strength Eliot was using; it was something far more dangerous, something that defied reason.

He briefly remembered his first attack-the energy beam that he had fired with all the precision and power an enkindled warrior should wield. The beam wassupposed to tear through Eliot, rendering him in such a state that he was out of commission in an instant. Instead, it vanished. No impact, no deflection-just… gone. The memory still gnawed at him as he summoned another shield.

What kind of power is this?My energy dissipates when it gets anywhere close to him. It's just…erased.

Eliot surged forward again, this time the movement sharper. Falk raised his shield to block, but as Eliot's void-coated fist connected, the shield cracked instantly and dissolved into nothing. Barely did Falk have time to retreat before Eliot pressed forward again, each strike more precise than the last.

As Falk's jaw set, he called yet another shield, using the moment to think. Attacking doesn't work. Defending doesn't work. Options dwindling.

Eliot's attacks were clumsy at first, but now they carried a dangerous focus. Falk could see the difference.Each strike was aimed with purpose,finding weaknesses in his shields and exploiting them. He's adapting,Falk realized with growing unease.Learning how to fight me while we're still in the middle of this battle.

Eliot's fist hit another shield, this time Falk not even trying to reinforce. He let it shatter, retreating farther into the clearing.Where in the world did this monster come from? What was the Empire doing,letting someone like this slip through?

Pride seethed in Falk.He was an enkindled soul, a powerhouse by the standards of the Empire,a man who had fought on numberless battlefields.Yet here he was,on the back foot, against a mortal-turned-mystery who didn't haveformal training.He could feel the weight of his own reputation weighing down upon him. If anyone finds out I was pushed back like this…

His fists were clenched, his energy flared for a second.Eliot's calm,determined gaze met his, and for the first time in years, Falk felt a flicker of doubt. I need to end this somehow,but how?was the question.

Every scenario he thought of ended the same: attack,and his energy would vanish; defend, and his shields would shatter.Time was against him; Eliot was only getting stronger, while options for Falk were fast running out.

"Where did you come from?" Falk muttered under his breath,growing more frustrated with each new shield he created."What are you?"

Eliot said nothing.Then,suddenly,he plunged forward-quick and dead-on,thestrikes much stronger.Falk snarled,flashing another shield into existence,but deep inside, his head,one voice was wondering the same thing: how long?hiw long can I last.

Corvella crouched low,her chest heaving as she watched the fight unfold between Eliot and Falk. The air was heavy withFalk's energy, verging on suffocating, but what really grabbed Corvella was this: Eliot.He shouldn't have been in a position to stand against Falk, let alone push him back. Yet here he was, dismantling the once-impenetrable shields of a seasoned enkindled warrior.

Her hands shook slightly,and she quickly flexed them into fists to camouflage her unease.Her sharp eyes tracked every gesture Eliot made, all the while her mind furiously racing.He's not awakened, not actually. But that energy … it erases everything with which it comes in contact.

A flicker of doubt crossed her mind.If Falk,with his enkindled strength,couldn't overwhelm Eliot, then what hope did she have? Her plan to capture Eliot,to extract the secrets of his power,now seemed reckless.If Falk fell here, the Empire would demand answers.And she didn't intend to be caught in the fallout.

If this gets any worse… if Falk really loses… Corvella glanced sideways at the tracker, who was too consumed with his warped plan to note her turmoil.Do I stay and risk being implicated in his failure? Or do I leave and ensure I survive?

She chewed on her lip as her mind worked furiously.The Empire would have no tolerance for weakness,neither with Falk nor her.When Falk fells,she needed a backup.

Corvella's gaze fell back upon Eliot,who moved with increasing confidence, his strikes more sure, 

more crushing.She saw Falk stumble,his defenses that once seemed impenetrable beginning to break under the strange energy of Eliot. A chill ran through her as she realized something critical: This mortal is growingin strength the longer this fight goes on. That power… it's adapting in real-time.

Her heart was pounding,and her palms were slick with nervous sweat. She wiped them rapidly on her cloak,thinking fast.If I leave now, I can say I was sent for reinforcements.No one would doubt me. Falk might die,but that's his problem.

But she hesitated. If she abandoned the fight too soon,she might lose the chance to claim Eliot's power for herself in case falk wins but the probability for that was somehow low.She glanced at Falk again, his face now strained, his movements growing less certain. If he wins… if Falk somehow pulls this off… he'll report me for cowardice if I'm not here.

She was furious. "Damn you, Falk," she whispered,her teeth clenched to keep from cursing aloud at him.Why not just get this over with? Why make this a matter of your pride?

She shifted slightly,readying herself for a quick escape.Her eyes darted to the edge of the clearing, 

noting potential routes she could take if the fight tipped too far against Falk.I'll wait just a little longer, she decided. But if it looks like Eliot is gaining the upper hand… I'm gone.

She readjusted her cloak,the sharpness of her mind already running riot with excuses to feed the Empire should she need to flee. I can survive this, long as I play my cards right. Let Falk and Eliot destroy each other. My only priority is me.

Her gaze narrowed as Eliot's next attack landed,shattering another of Falk's shields. For the first time, Corvella saw fear flash in Falk's eyes. Her decision was nearly made. Just a little more. If he shows weakness again, I'll leave.

The helpless tracker clenched his fists in frustration from the sidelines. He had idolized Falk thinking he will have a backer if he does well in this operation but his life now seemed to be in danger.grel glances around wildly, seeking a way to shift the tide. His eyes land on the wounded Harlen lying at his feet.

Perfect, the tracker thought,a thought now congealing.Silently, he readied a poison dart and launched it at Harlen.The dart flew across the air, striking Harlen in the neck.

The tracker looked over at Eliot to see what his reaction would be.