Voidborne:The Soul sea chronicles

The camp buzzed with subdued activity, soldiers moving about with tired determination. Eliot and Harlen sat quietly near the edge of the camp, both lost in their own thoughts. After the conversation with Captain Alric, the weight of their situation was suffocating.

"We need to figure out what the captains are about," Eliot said, breaking the silence. His tone was calm but firm. "We can't make any decisions until we know who we're dealing with."

Harlen nodded reluctantly. "Fine, but I doubt any of them are much different from Alric."

With that, they split up to gather information. Eliot moved toward a group of soldiers around a fire while Harlen made his way to the cluster of awakened near the camp's center.

Eliot crouched by the fire, nodding a greeting to the soldiers seated around it. Their armor was battered, their faces hardened by countless battles.

"What do you know about the captains here?" Eliot asked, his tone casual but probing.

The men exchanged wary glances. One, an older soldier with a scar running across his cheek, finally spoke. "Why do you care?"

"Curiosity," Eliot replied simply. "Just trying to understand what's going on here."

The scarred man snorted. "They're all the same. Hungry for power and recognition. Doesn't matter if it's Alric, Corvella, or Ren,they're all just trying to outdo each other."

Another soldier chimed in, his voice tinged with bitterness. "They're competing for scraps. The Empire doesn't care which one comes out on top, as long as they stay loyal."

Eliot frowned. "So the Empire doesn't get involved?"

The scarred man laughed harshly. "Why would they? To the Empire, all of this is beneath them. As long as the awakened serve when needed, they don't care who controls what. The captains fight their little games, but the Empire? They just watch."

Eliot absorbed their words, his unease deepening. "So the captains are just using us to climb the ladder."

"Of course they are," the older soldier said, spitting into the dirt. "That's how it works here. The strong use the weak, and the Empire looks the other way."

Eliot nodded, his thoughts racing as he walked away. The dynamics in the camp were worse than he had imagined.

Harlen approached the group of awakened near the camp's center. Their confident postures set them apart from the rest of the soldiers. One of them, a tall man with sharp features, turned to him with a curious expression.

"You're the new awakened," the man said. His tone was neutral, but his eyes were cold.

Harlen nodded. "I wanted to learn more about the captains here."

The awakened exchanged knowing glances. A woman with piercing eyes spoke first. "You should join Captain Ren. He's the strongest, and his connections in the Empire are unmatched. You'd be safe with him."

The tall man scoffed. "Ren? He's a brute. Lady Corvella is the better choice. She's smart, connected, and knows how to navigate the Empire's politics."

Harlen listened as they debated, each trying to sway him. Their words blurred together, a mix of flattery and veiled threats. He nodded politely, giving vague answers. "I'll consider it," he said finally, though he had no intention of committing to any of them.

As he walked away, frustration gnawed at him. None of the captains seemed trustworthy—all driven by ambition, willing to use anyone to further their goals.

Eliot and Harlen returned to their spot near the camp's edge, their faces heavy with disappointment. Eliot sat with his back to the wall, staring out at the gray horizon, while Harlen sank to the ground, burying his face in his hands.

"What do we do now?" Harlen asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Every path seems like a dead end."

Eliot didn't respond immediately, watching the distant movements of soldiers in the camp. The weight of what he had learned pressed on him, but Harlen's despair cut deeper. He turned to the man, studying his slumped posture and the tremble in his hands.

"The Empire doesn't care about us," Eliot said finally. "They let the captains fight over you because, to them, it doesn't matter who wins. But for us, it means choosing the lesser of evils."

Harlen let out a bitter laugh. "The Empire's taken everything from me already. My home. My family. And now they're trying to take my freedom, too."

Eliot nodded silently, remembering how Harlen had spoken about them before,his wife and little girl. Eliot could see how deeply it affected him, the way Harlen's body tensed whenever the subject came up.

"They're the reason I kept going," Harlen continued, his voice trembling. "I thought, maybe, if I awakened, I could give them a better life. Take them away from that village and give them the future they deserve. But now…" He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "Now I don't even know if they're alive. And even if they are, I'll have to act like they're dead."

Eliot frowned, looking down at his hands. "This world doesn't leave much room for hope, does it?"

Harlen glanced at him, his brow furrowing. "Where are you from, Eliot? You've never said."

Eliot hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Not from here. Somewhere different." He avoided mentioning the void or the world he had left behind. Explaining it would only raise more questions than answers. "Let's just say things were simpler where I came from."

Harlen sighed. "Simpler sounds good right about now."

Eliot didn't reply. The memory of his old life gnawed at him, but the time he had spent in the void left everything hazy and uncertain. The concept of time itself felt like a cruel joke. He missed his previous life, but he couldn't even be sure it existed anymore.

"This place," Eliot said after a long pause. "It's brutal. Every corner is a fight for survival, and even the so-called 'safe zones' are anything but safe. Back home, I wanted something extraordinary. I thought that would make life worth living. But now…" He trailed off, shaking his head.

"But now?" Harlen pressed.

"Now I just want to survive," Eliot finished. "This isn't the life I imagined. It's a place where, if you want respect, freedom, or control over your fate, you need strength. Real strength. Without it, you're just a pawn."

Later that night, as Harlen slept, Eliot sat in a lotus position near the camp wall. He closed his eyes, trying to calm his thoughts. He needed clarity, a moment of peace amidst the chaos.

But as he concentrated, the world around him shifted. The camp's sounds faded, replaced by an eerie, oppressive silence. When Eliot opened his eyes, he panicked,he was back in the void.

No. Not again, he thought, his chest tightening.

But as he looked closer, he realized something was different. This wasn't the same endless darkness. It was a projection ,a simulation created by his soul. Relief washed over him as knowledge about this place flooded his mind.

This void-like space, Eliot realized, was one of the abilities he had gained when his soul mutated. It was a domain,a weak one for now,that could only cover his body. Within it, energy and harmful substances would dissipate before reaching him.

The second ability was void energy manipulation. Void energy was rare in this universe, and most beings couldn't harness it. Even the lesser void energy present in this world required immense power to manipulate. Eliot's connection to the void made this possible, though his control was limited for now.

The third ability was void body. This was the strongest of the three, and also the most peculiar. No matter what body Eliot's soul inhabited, it would retain the properties of the void. It was a double-edged sword, tied intrinsically to his soul.

Eliot opened his eyes, still seated in meditation. He stared into the darkness beyond the camp, a newfound determination flickering in his gaze.

Strength was the only way forward, and he now had the means to begin.