Good luck
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When I woke up, the first thing I did was scan the area. My eyes darted around the room, searching for any signs that someone or something had been here while I slept. But the room was undisturbed, silent except for my own breathing. I let out a sigh of relief. At least I hadn't been ambushed in my sleep.
Stepping outside, I turned my neck toward the bleak sky, searching for the swirling form of Alioth. It was distant, far enough that I could afford to stay here a little longer. Still, I kept my guard up as I turned back to the rusted Helicarrier.
Inside, I resumed my training. Surprisingly, something felt different this time. The searing pain from the Mark of Chthon wasn't as intense as before, more of a dull ache than the unbearable burning I'd come to expect. My control over chaos magic felt sharper, more refined. With concentration, I managed to form a solid energy spear in my hand. It wasn't perfect, but it was stable.
Encouraged, I pushed further, testing the boundaries of my growing power. Telekinesis came next a simple exercise of lifting and manipulating objects around me. The precision felt better than it had before, though still far from what I'd need to survive here.
Then I decided to try something more ambitious: transmutation. I focused on a piece of scrap metal nearby, willing it to transform into gold. My knowledge of chemistry wasn't exactly stellar, and the complexity of altering molecular structures proved far beyond my current capabilities.
"Alright," I muttered to myself, frustrated but undeterred. "Let's start smaller."
I turned my attention to the air around me, concentrating on pulling energy from it and altering its structure to create water. It seemed simpler in theory a basic shift in molecules. I focused, drawing chaos energy into my hands and shaping it, guiding it to enact the change.
The Mark flared violently.
A wave of searing pain erupted from my chest, far worse than anything I'd felt before. It was as if molten lava had been poured over my torso, burning me alive from the inside out. Gritting my teeth, I held on for three agonizing seconds before I had to stop.
When the pain subsided, I glanced down. Tiny droplets of water splattered onto the cold steel floor. I stared at them in disbelief.
"I did it," I whispered, a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips. But the moment of triumph was short-lived.
A murmur echoed through the room, faint and unintelligible.
I froze, my head snapping toward the sound. My heart raced as I scanned the space, but there was nothing there. No movement. No shadows. Still, the feeling of being watched crawled over my skin like insects.
Extending my chaos magic outward, I let it flow through the room like a crimson mist, searching for any invisible intruders. Nothing. But then I heard it again closer this time, louder.
I turned sharply, only to find emptiness. A chill ran down my spine.
"Am I… losing my mind?" I whispered to myself.
The voices subsided, but the unease lingered. Shaking off the paranoia, I sat down to collect myself. That's when my stomach growled, a loud reminder of another pressing issue. I was starving.
Desperation drove my thoughts. Food was scarce in the Void, and I didn't have the luxury of scavenging. A wild idea crept into my mind one I'd seen in countless stories. Could I use chaos energy to sustain myself?
It was a reckless gamble. Channeling that kind of energy internally could easily destroy me, but I was running out of options. Focusing every ounce of willpower, I began directing chaos energy through my body, attempting to nourish my cells.
At first, it seemed to work. I felt a faint warmth spread through me, like an ember catching flame. But then, something went wrong.
A sharp, unfamiliar sensation shot across my chest. Alarmed, I opened my eyes and lifted my shirt to check the Mark.
My heart sank.
The Mark had grown, expanding far beyond its original size. Once confined to one side of my chest, it now sprawled across my entire torso in intricate runes, glowing faintly with ominous energy.
"No…" I breathed, horror dawning on me.
The realization hit me like a thunderclap. This wasn't just a source of power it was a timer. And judging by the size of the Mark, half of it was already gone.
Time was running out.
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Sorry for the delay but I did warn you or I think i did that I don't have a stable program to release chapters so don't expect much as my work is first on the list and this is last as it's more of a hobby I think
And for everyone's knowledge Chthon is the equivalent to an eldritch God so to speak that's why the madness the voices the dream