Josuke trudged behind Kyle, his mind whirling with unanswered questions. Every time he thought back to the mysterious figure Hans a strange sensation crawled over him. Something about Hans was familiar, almost unsettlingly so, but Josuke couldn't place it.
"Kyle," Josuke began cautiously, trying to find the right words. "About that guy, Hans… I don't know if it's because I'm in this transformation, but I could feel his mana flow."
Kyle glanced over his shoulder, his face unreadable but attentive.
"It's weird," Josuke continued, his voice low, as if trying to decipher a riddle aloud. "His mana—it's not like other people's. It's familiar, but not in a good way. It wasn't different, but… I've felt it somewhere before."
Kyle frowned slightly but didn't interrupt, letting Josuke work through his thoughts. "And you're sure he wasn't with the devil you fought?"
Josuke shook his head, his grip tightening around his Fullbringer. "No. I didn't notice him at all until after the fight when he was collecting the piece of Gene's second core."
Kyle's brow furrowed ever so slightly, but he kept his tone even. "Second core?"
"Yeah," Josuke confirmed. "Gene had two. The first one shattered when I broke it, but this guy Hans grabbed the second after Gene was defeated."
Kyle remained silent for a moment, as if weighing the implications. Then, with a dismissive shrug, he said, "It's nothing."
But Josuke could tell from Kyle's tone that it wasn't "nothing." His commander was hiding something.
"Do you remember where the first core landed?" Kyle asked suddenly, changing the subject.
Josuke nodded, pointing toward a far-off corner of the battlefield. "Yeah. A huge piece of it is over there."
Kyle nodded firmly. "Go grab it. Quickly. We're leaving."
Josuke didn't argue. Sprinting across the battlefield, he weaved past the debris and remnants of the fight until he spotted the glowing fragment of Gene's first core. It pulsed faintly, the light casting eerie shadows across the scorched ground. He picked it up, the faint energy within it thrumming against his fingers, then ran back to Kyle.
"Got it."
Kyle glanced at the core, then turned to Maya and the others. "Let's move."
Scene Shift: The Shadow's Lair
The scene shifted to a dark, dimly lit chamber. The room was eerily quiet, save for the faint hum of unseen machinery. Shadows danced across the walls, cast by the flickering light of a glowing orb resting on a sleek, black desk.
Hans entered the room, his tall frame cloaked in a long coat, his gloved hands carrying the second core he had taken from the battlefield. With measured steps, he approached the desk, setting the fragmented core down gently.
The core's broken lines glowed faintly, a ghostly light emanating from its shattered surface. Hans extended his hand, brushing his fingers lightly across it. "Repair," he murmured, his voice low and commanding.
The core responded instantly, the fragmented shards pulling together as if obeying his will. The faint light intensified, and the core began to realign itself, fusing seamlessly into a flawless orb that pulsed with restrained power.
Hans stared at it, his eyes narrowing, his lips curling into a sardonic grin.
"So… that's Ragnar hybrid's offspring," he said, his voice filled with venom. "That's where you hid Chaos. Clever, Ragnar. Embedding it in the boy's bloodline, tethering it to his very being. You thought you could keep it out of my grasp. But I see it now—he hasn't manifested the Eyes of Chaos. That boy…"
His grin faded, replaced by a grimace of frustration. "I can't collect it. Not yet. The Rule of Alpha protects him."
Hans began pacing, his boots echoing softly against the floor. "The Rule of Alpha," he muttered, his tone bitter. "The ultimate safeguard for Chaos. If Chaos and its host are separated before achieving full synchronization, the power cannot be claimed outright. Instead, the law decrees that Chaos will transfer to the victor of a death duel. To kill a host of Chaos is to gamble with its power, for the winner becomes the next vessel. A twisted game, ensuring only the strongest can wield it."
His pacing grew slower, his words more deliberate. "Ragnar, you cunning fool. You thought you'd locked me out by embedding Chaos in your son. Without full synchronization or mastery over my body and mana, I can't risk becoming the next host. The Rule of Alpha ensures that any unworthy vessel would be consumed by Chaos itself."
He turned back to the orb, his eyes burning with a mix of frustration and determination. "But no matter. I don't need to play by your rules, Ragnar. I will rewrite them."
Hans's expression darkened, his gloved hands clenching into fists. "I will gather the artifacts. With their power, I will forge a vessel worthy of Chaos. And then, the Rule of Alpha will no longer bind me."
He stared at the repaired orb on his desk, its glow reflecting in his cold, calculating eyes. He tapped it once, the light within pulsing ominously as if acknowledging his words.
But then, his grin returned, a malicious gleam in his eyes.
"As for the Pendragon boy," he muttered, a sinister tone in his voice. "He'll be useful for my plans. Once I've finished with him, I'll make sure he has no choice but to serve me. Chaos will follow. That boy may not know it yet, but I'll make him the perfect vessel for what comes next."
Hans chuckled darkly to himself, the sound sending an eerie chill through the chamber.
"Soon," he whispered, his voice low and filled with ominous intent. "Very soon. The Pendragon boy will be mine."
With that, he vanished into the shadows, leaving the orb behind as it pulsed faintly—a silent harbinger of the chaos yet to come.
End of Chapter