Training in Chaos
After Baldur vanished, the wasteland was once again engulfed in silence. But for Leon, that silence was a perfect training ground. He sat atop a rocky hill, feeling the Chaos Aether writhing within him. His power had been continuously evolving since his fusion with the 'Essence.'
"This isn't enough yet."
Leon raised his hand, and black flames erupted into the air. But this time, it wasn't merely destructive fire. He focused his mind and began to manipulate the flames precisely. The flames writhed like snakes, forming complex shapes, and then solidified into the form of a sharp sword.
He swung the black sword in the air, and the rocky hill was cleanly sliced through. Leon smiled with satisfaction and moved on to the next stage.
"Shadow."
As he whispered, his shadow began to writhe as if alive. The shadow gradually deepened, taking on a three-dimensional form, and finally surged from beneath Leon's feet, forming giant tentacles. Dozens of shadowy tentacles moved like a dance in the air, picking up the surrounding rocks and grinding them into dust.
"More."
Leon's desires were endless. He began experimenting with transforming his own body into a shadow. At first, only one arm scattered like black smoke before re-forming. As he grew more accustomed, he could turn his entire body into a shadow state. In this shadow state, physical attacks were ineffective, and he could pass through any crevice freely.
But the true discovery lay elsewhere. While experimenting with the surrounding mutated creatures, he accidentally realized he could absorb their Aether.
"Come."
He beckoned, and a wolf-shaped mutated creature approached. Leon placed his hand on the creature's head, and instantly, black, thread-like tendrils extended from his fingers, burrowing into the mutated creature's body.
The mutated creature howled in pain but couldn't move. Leon was drawing the creature's Chaos Aether into himself. The mutated creature's body gradually withered, turning grayish, and finally disintegrated into ash that scattered in the wind.
"Ah..."
A new vitality coursed through Leon's body. The absorbed Aether not only further enhanced his power but also transferred some of the mutated creature's instincts and memories to him. The wild intuition for hunting, the ruthlessness for survival, the pure predator's instinct with no hesitation in crushing the weak.
"This is it... This is true power."
Over the next few days, Leon absorbed the surrounding mutated creatures one by one. He started with smaller ones, but gradually, even larger and more powerful beings became his prey. With each absorption of Aether, his human emotions slowly faded.
Compassion vanished. Hesitation vanished. Guilt vanished.
In their place remained only the primal urges for survival and dominance. Leon was no longer a human seeking revenge. He was becoming the embodiment of chaos.
Baldur's Reappearance
As the week drew to a close, Baldur reappeared. This time, instead of tearing through space, he approached on foot. When he found Leon, a satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Excellent," Baldur said. "The concentration of Chaos Aether around you is three times denser than a week ago. And..."
He carefully observed Leon's transformed appearance. Leon's blood-red eyes had deepened, and the black fissures on his skin formed even more intricate patterns. Above all, the oppressive aura emanating from him had reached a completely different level.
"The human scent within you has almost vanished," Baldur remarked with an intrigued expression. "Good. Now I can give you your real mission."
"What is it?" Leon's voice was colder and more mechanical than before.
"There's something you must do before the attack on the Tower of Radiance." Baldur conjured a map in the air. "Do you know of the 'Crystal Mine' on the border between the wasteland and the Land of Light?"
Leon nodded. It was a place for excavating pure Aether crystals, one of the Land of Light's important energy sources.
"There's a special crystal there called the 'Aether Purification Stone.' It has the ability to convert Chaos Aether into Light Aether, which would be a significant hindrance to us during the attack on the Tower of Radiance," Baldur explained. "You must infiltrate that place and destroy that crystal."
"A simple destruction mission, then."
"No," Baldur shook his head. "That place is guarded by an elite unit of the 'Watchers' organization. And more importantly..." He paused for a moment. "It's also a test to confirm if the 'Essence' within you is truly connected to the 'First Breaker of Balance'."
"What do you mean?"
"The 'Aether Purification Stone' reacts specifically to the power of the 'First Breaker of Balance.' If you are truly his successor, you won't just destroy the crystal, but you'll be able to 'corrupt' it." Baldur's eyes sharpened. "If that happens, the Purification Stone will instead become a tool to convert Light Aether into Chaos."
Leon felt intrigued. Not just simple destruction, but turning the enemy's weapon into his own. That was true domination.
"When do I leave?"
"Right now," Baldur tossed a black cloak to Leon. "This cloak will block the Watchers' detection magic. But don't rely on it too much. Your true skill must come from yourself."
Enhanced Border Security of the Land of Light
Meanwhile, in the Land of Light, a state of emergency had been declared. For a week, the chaotic resonance detected from the direction of the wasteland had been continuously intensifying, considered a prelude to a large-scale threat.
In the highest floor of the Tower of Radiance, Light gazed into a massive crystal orb. The Aether flow of the entire Land of Light was displayed in real-time within it, and the border area towards the wasteland flickered with an ominous red light.
"The chaotic resonance continues to grow stronger," the Watcher Captain standing beside him reported. "Especially over the past week, there's been a sharp increase, suggesting a significant change has occurred."
"What about the reconnaissance teams?" Light asked.
"Three teams were dispatched, but contact was lost with two of them. Only the last team managed to return..." The Captain hesitated. "According to their testimony, the mutated creatures in the wasteland are strangely organized, and it seems some colossal entity is controlling them."
Light's expression hardened. The powerful chaotic entity he had sensed a week ago was becoming clearer.
"Double the border forces and install purification stone barriers at all outposts," Light ordered. "And reinforce the security of the Crystal Mine."
As the Watcher Captain nodded and exited, Light remained alone before the crystal orb. Complex emotions crossed his mind.
'What exactly is this powerful chaotic entity? And why is it growing so rapidly?'
He thought of the infirmary on a lower floor of the tower. Elena still lay there unconscious. She had suffered severe injuries from the aftermath of the battle in the wasteland a week ago and hadn't yet awakened.
'Elena... You would know how to resolve this crisis.'
Light suppressed his emotions and refocused on the crystal orb. As the head of the Watchers organization, he had to prioritize the safety of all over personal feelings. But even within his cold rationality, concern for Elena and unease about the approaching threat lingered.
Infiltration of the Crystal Mine
As night deepened, Leon donned the cloak Baldur had given him and set out for the Crystal Mine. His new shadow transformation ability was perfect for stealthy infiltration. He turned his body into a shadow, moving freely through rock crevices and darkness.
Upon arriving at the Crystal Mine, he immediately noticed the heightened security. Three times as many Watchers as usual guarded the outposts, and light barriers installed everywhere constantly rotated to detect intruders.
'But it's useless.'
Leon smirked, transforming into his shadow state. The light detection magic failed to sense his altered presence. Like a ghost, he slipped past the guards and infiltrated deep into the mine.
When he reached the center of the mine, Leon held his breath. The moment he saw the 'Aether Purification Stone' suspended in the middle of a massive cave, the 'Essence' within him reacted violently.
The Purification Stone glowed with pure white light, but as Leon approached, its light began to flicker uneasily. As if two opposing forces were clashing.
"Indeed... This is it."
As Leon reached out to the Purification Stone, the entire stone began to vibrate. Pure white light and black chaos fiercely contended on the stone's surface. Baldur's words were true. He could not merely destroy it, but make this Purification Stone his own.
"Chaos, devour this false purity."
With Leon's command, black Aether began to penetrate the Purification Stone. The pure white crystal gradually turned black, and finally transformed into a completely black crystal.
Now this crystal became a tool to convert Light Aether into Chaos. Leon smiled with satisfaction, looking at the transformed crystal.
But just then, an intense light burst from the cave entrance.
"Intruder detected! The Aether Purification Stone has been corrupted!"
The Watchers had finally detected his presence. But Leon no longer had any reason to flee. He was strong enough now, and above all, he was hungry.
New prey had come to him.
The madness of a predator gleamed in Leon's eyes. Tonight, the Land of Light would know what true terror was.