Vortex Origins

The room was silent. Dim light from a single bulb swung overhead, casting shadows that danced across the cracked walls.

Max sat still in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, his armored fingers tapping against the table. Across from him, the elder sat hunched—round, bearded, and sweating through his patched robes. His eyes flicked between Max and the door, never holding contact for long.

Max leaned forward, voice cold.

"Elder. I won't ask again. Where's the meteorite?"

The man licked his lips, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"I… I told you already. I haven't seen any strange rock. I don't know what you're talking about."

Max didn't blink. He stared at the elder like he was looking through him.

"Funny. Because half the settlement swears they saw you dragging one into your storehouse."

He pointed a gloved finger toward the back of the room. Huddled near the wall stood a woman and two young girls. Their faces were pale. The older girl clutched her mother's hand, trembling.

"You've got a family, Do they know what you're risking?"

The elder's mouth opened, then closed. No words came out.

Max dragged a hand down his face, sighing.

"This is a waste of time."

He stood and looked to the corner of the room.

"Kael. Your turn."

Kael stepped forward from the shadows. He didn't say a word—just grinned. It wasn't a kind grin. It curled too high, too sharp, and when the light caught his eyes, something mean flickered behind them.

The elder's breath hitched.

Kael cracked his knuckles.

The room got even quieter.

Max stepped away from the table and joined Ash by the wall. Smoke and dried blood still clung faintly to Max's armor.

Ash didn't look at him.

"You sure you want to let Kael handle this?"

Max nodded.

"If the old man's hiding it… he'll learn why that was a mistake."

Kael took the seat. His expression had settled, not calm—controlled, like a fire right before it explodes. He leaned back, arms on the rests, letting the silence stretch.

The elder tried not to look at him.

Kael grinned, slow and wide.

"Tell me something, old man. Why are you still holding onto the stone?"

The elder swallowed.

"I… I don't have it."

Kael lowered his head, laughter curling from his throat—dry, low, wrong. Then, fast, he snapped upright, leaning close. His voice hit like a blade across the skin.

"I've seen what these stones do. I've walked into settlement torn open because some idiot thought he could hide one. I've seen mothers torn apart while clutching their children. Creatures crawled out of the desert for miles—drawn by that pulse."

The elder froze. Kael's eyes had gone cold. His smile was gone.

"You ever hear bones scream, old man?"

Kael asked, voice low now.

"You ever hear them snap while the body's still breathing? Because I have. And if you lie again, I'll make sure you don't just hear it—you'll feel it. In every part of your body. One crack at a time."

The elder couldn't move. His hands trembled, knuckles pale, breath stuck in his throat.

Kael tilted his head.

"So… where is it?"

The scream broke from the man's mouth as if he'd been stabbed. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a stone the size of an apple—black, pulsing faintly like something alive.

It clattered onto the table.

Kael stared at it. The room felt colder.

Behind him, even Max said nothing.

Kael smiled.

"Good."

He grabbed the stone. tossing it in the air like fruit and caught it with ease, his grin sharp and full of heat. As he turned to leave.

Ash's voice cut through the room.

"That all of it?"

Kael paused mid-step.

The elder flinched. His lips pressed tight, but the twitch in his eyes gave him away.

Kael turned back slowly.

"Sooo…"

His tone stretched with venom.

The old man's voice cracked.

"That's it, seriously! You gotta trust me—"

Kael's laugh was quiet and cold.

"Do I look like a priest? I have a way of knowing when someone lies. And right now, you just did."

He grabbed the man by the collar, lifting him like he weighed nothing. The elder's feet kicked against the wooden floor, breath hitching as Kael's eyes shimmered.

"You think this is a game?"

Kael's hand flared with fire—small sparks at first, then tendrils crawling up his arm. The stone still glowed in his grip, now feeding the flames.

"Do you know what happens when meteors like this gather in one place? You draw death. You feed it. Whole towns gone because people like you thought they could hide fire in their backyard."

The fire spread across Kael's chest, swirling around his shoulders like living flame. His voice dropped to a growl.

"Give me a reason not to turn this house into ash. Right here. With your family screaming inside it."

The elder's body trembled. His mouth opened, and the words poured out.

"Fine! I'm sorry, okay?! Over there—under the floor!"

He pointed with a shaking hand.

Max moved first. He strode to the spot, kicked the plank loose, and lifted it open. A hidden stash lay beneath.

His eyes narrowed.

Skillbooks. Shards of meteor, all faintly pulsing. Weapons enough to arm a small army.

Max's voice cut the silence.

"What is all this?"

Ash stepped closer, his gaze heavy.

The elder said nothing. He couldn't. His mouth just hung open, sweat running down his face.

Kael dropped him, letting his body crumple like wet cloth.

The room stank of smoke and fear.

Kael's eyes flicked to the pit. The scattered meteor fragments pulsed like dying hearts, soft veins of red running through black stone. He turned back, grabbed the elder by the shirt, and hurled him across the room.

The man hit the wall with a sickening thud.

Kael stepped closer, his voice low and sharp.

"Why were you keeping this? Wait… did Apex contact you too?"

The elder coughed, rubbing the side of his neck. His eyes flared.

"How did you—wait, don't tell me you're working with them. That's my stash! You can't—"

Kael's boot cracked across the man's face before he could finish. Blood spattered against the floor as his body crumpled. Silent. Unmoving.

"You don't deserve to lead anything,"

Kael muttered, shaking the blood from his knuckles.

The door slammed open.

A man rushed in, panting. His eyes widened at the body on the floor.

"Team Vortex—!"

he shouted, then faltered.

"The elder—what happened?"

Kael didn't flinch.

"What is it?"

The man swallowed.

"More creatures… They're coming. A lot of them."

Max's jaw clenched. His voice came out like gravel.

"I knew it. We waited too long."

He turned to Kael.

"Take care of it. Now."

Kael cracked his neck, his grin sharp and wild.

"With pleasure."

Then he vanished through the doorway, fire already curling at his heels.

Max turned to Ash, his tone quieter now.

"We need to move fast. Gather the meteors. All of them. We find a way to destroy this trash before it draws even worse things."

Ash nodded. He didn't speak. He just moved.

They began pulling the cursed stones from the hidden floor, one by one. Even the elder's wife and children stepped forward, silent and pale, their hands trembling as they helped.

Outside, the sky had begun to darken.

And somewhere out in that gathering gloom, the monsters were coming.

————

Outside, the chaos had quieted—but only on the surface.

The battlefield was thick with smoke, rising from charred remains. Tier 3 creatures lay sprawled across the ruined ground, their bodies twisted, split open, or burned to ash. The fighting was over. At least for now.

In the middle of the chaos, Kael moved like a storm.

His arm shot forward, fist colliding with a towering creature—its body a grotesque blend of muscle and scale, its head a writhing nest of snake heads. The impact cracked bone. The creature roared, its serpentine mouths spitting venom and rage.

Kael didn't flinch.

He darted beneath a lunge, slammed his elbow into the thing's ribs, then wrapped his arm around its thick neck. Fire surged from his body—bright and raw.

The creature screamed.

Kael lifted it from the ground, the heat around him rising until its flesh began to melt. Then, with a sharp motion, he drove it into the earth. Flames exploded outward like a ring of death.

When the fire faded, the tier 4 beast was nothing but ash.

Kael stood still for a breath, his body steaming.

Then he turned, flames crackling at his heels as he shot back toward the settlement.

Max was already outside, meteors piled in the clearing like a graveyard of broken stars. The townspeople stood back, watching with wide eyes. No one dared move.

Kael landed hard, sending a wave of heat rolling over the crowd.

"You're done already?" Max asked, eyes still on the smoke in the distance.

"They weren't much," Kael said, rolling his shoulders.

Max exhaled.

"Good. Let's finish this. We don't know when the next wave hits, but these things won't be here when it does."

Kael didn't answer. He stepped forward.

He raised his arm, palm open, fingers clawed. A narrow beam of fire shot from his hand, cutting through the air. The beam touched the first meteor—and then the next. One by one, the stones cracked, their glow fading into blackness before turning to dust.

The ground hissed. Smoke rose in lazy spirals as the last one crumbled.

Kael let the fire die in his hand. He looked at the ashes, then back at Max.

"I guess we're done here."

Max nodded.

He stepped forward, the fires behind him still smoldering. ash clung to his coat. The people stared—some with hope, others with shame.

He met their eyes.

"You're safe. I know I'm not from here. I don't speak for your lives, or your future. But someone has to say it."

He paused, glancing toward the building where the elder was.

"This happened because of him. He knew what those meteors could do. He knew what Apex wanted. But he said yes anyway. Not for you—for himself."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Eyes fell to the ground. A few turned toward the elder's home, lips curling with quiet anger.

Max continued.

"If you want to survive what's coming, you'll need someone who puts this place first. Choose your next elder wisely. Pick someone who won't trade your lives for power."

He didn't wait for a response. He turned and walked toward the others.

"We're done here," he said.

Kael gave a nod. Ash followed without a word.

The three of them boarded the sleek black ship waiting just outside the gate. Dust kicked up as the engine roared.

With a flash of light and a sharp boom, the ship shot into the sky, vanishing into the dark clouds.

Sergeant Conan stood at the edge of the settlement, arms folded, wind tugging at his coat. He watched the sky for a long moment, until the trail of flame faded.

A shadow shifted in the distance.

His gaze narrowed.

Across the broken fields, beyond the ash-choked trees, figures stood.

Knights—armored from head to toe, their metal blackened and scorched. Each one sat atop a mount too tall for any horse, with bones jutting from its hide and smoke curling from its breath. Their eyes glowed—red, silent, waiting.

They stared.

Then, without a word, they turned and disappeared into the mist.

Conan let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He smiled faintly, the corner of his lip twitching.

"I guess I live another day."

And for now, that was enough.