The two scavengers stood frozen, their boots rooted to the blighted earth.
The Deadzone wind howled a low, mournful breeze, and with it was the stench of blood and the ozone-sharp tang of burnt corruption.
In the center of the clearing, Kaisen stood motionless atop a mound of corpses. He was drenched in gore, yet he seemed utterly at ease, as if the slaughter was just... ordinary.
A king sitting upon a throne of ruin.
He looked human, but only barely. His shape was the same, but the aura around him told a different story — heavier, darker, suffocating in its weight. It pressed against their sanity. And then there was the detail that made their blood run cold: he was breathing.
No filter, no breather, no protective suit. The toxic air should have burned through his lungs, but his chest rose and fell in calm rhythm, as if he were walking through a quiet park.
That alone told them they weren't looking at a man anymore.
"Ron..." one scavenger whispered, voice trembling. "Back away slowly... let's get the hell out of here."
Ron, the driver, swallowed hard and gave a stiff nod. Together they took a careful step back, then another, moving like men afraid the world might notice.
"Hey."
The word cut through the air — calm, quiet, but final.
They froze mid-step.
It wasn't a shout yet it made them shudder, and it carried authority. The first scavenger fumbled with his rusted rifle; Ron lifted a dented, notched axe. Their hands shook violently. Deep down, they both knew these weapons were useless — paper shields against a storm.
Kaisen stepped down from the mound of corpses. His movements were silent and smooth. "Wait," he said softly, almost politely. "I just want a ride out of here — if that's possible."
The two men exchanged a terrified glance. Saying no didn't feel like an option.
Ron nodded wordlessly and gestured toward their grimy, armored transport.
The three moved toward it — the scavengers stiff and mechanical, Kaisen calm and detached.
When the engine rumbled to life, its normality felt wrong in the quiet. Dust rose behind them as the vehicle rumbled away from the massacre.
---
Inside the armored transport, the silence was unbearable. The scavengers sat rigidly in the front, eyes fixed on the road. The hum of the engine filled the space between heartbeats.
In the back, surrounded by crates of scavenged metal and weapon parts, Kaisen leaned against a cold support beam. He watched the bleak wasteland roll by through a crack in the armor, expression blank.
Minutes passed.
Then Kaisen spoke. "Hey."
Both men flinched hard, jerking in their seats as if struck.
Kaisen blinked, realizing, then gave a small, sheepish smile. "Oh. Sorry. Not you."
Ron muttered under his breath, "Great. He's crazy too."
Then, a soft laugh echoed in Kaisen's mind — warm, familiar.
[You don't have to speak out loud.]
Kaisen's eyes flicked up slightly. He focused inward. 'Hmm... so you can read my thoughts?'
[No,] Iris replied, her tone amused and light. [Just the ones you want me to hear.]
'Who are you, Iris? And why are you in my head?'
[Who am I?] she repeated with a hint of mischief. [That's... complicated. But I guess you mean — who am I in a way that matters to you.]
'Yeah.'
[Simplest answer? I'm a summon. Kind of.]
'Kind of?' Kaisen's thought carried skepticism.
[I and Eros come from a heritage of warriors who once fought beside the Godslayer himself. Our ancestors forged a soul contract with him — a bond that transcends death. That bond ties us to his will... which now lives in you.]
Kaisen sat still, absorbing that. The chaos of his awakening, the strange instincts, the unnatural calm — all of it started to click into something almost coherent.
'So... I'm your boss then.'
He could almost feel her eye-roll.
[That's... one way to put it i guess.]
'And this is why you can talk in my head?'
[Yeah.] Her voice was smooth, soft. [I can see through your eyes from the Expanse — while you're all the way in...] She paused, tone curious. [Where even are you?]
'Earth.'
[Really?] Her shock was clear. [That's a low-ranked planet. To think the Godslayer's heir would come from such a shithole... no offense.]
A quiet smirk tugged at Kaisen's mouth. 'None taken. You're right. This place is a dump.'
Iris chuckled softly, a sound that oddly grounded him.
The comfort didn't last. Her voice sharpened.
[Perfect. Because you're leaving it... in about thirty seconds.]
'Wait—what?' Kaisen straightened, eyes narrowing.
[Yep. You're being transported to the Expanse. Brace for transit.]
'That's impossible. Only Level 70 and above can enter!'
Then a glowing blue system panel blinked into existence before him.
[Entering Expanse in: 20 seconds]
[That's only true if you use a gateway,] Iris said, her voice steady. [You'll be entering through a transport rune. Try not to die... I'll keep in touch.]
Kaisen exhaled, watching the numbers flicker in front of him. The world outside slowed. The trees, the clouds, the grey horizon — all stretched thin, unreal.
[Entering Expanse in: 10 seconds]
[You'll be fine,] Iris murmured, her voice already fading. [Good luck... boss.]
Then she was gone.
5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
The world exploded.
A surge of blue light tore through the armored transport, the metal shrieking as reality folded inward. The air filled with static, hot and electric, and the hull of the vehicle warped like soft clay around Kaisen.
The driver screamed, wrenching the wheel. The transport skidded sideways, grinding to a violent halt.
Smoke filled the cabin. The two scavengers coughed, waving frantically, eyes streaming.
And then they saw it.
Kaisen was gone.
A perfect, smoldering hole had been ripped through the reinforced wall, its edges glowing faintly blue. Fine grey ash drifted lazily through the air, carried by the whispering wind.
They stared into the void, neither speaking, neither breathing.
The silence stretched on — broken only by the soft tick of cooling metal and the thin, endless howl of the Deadzone wind.
Finally, one of them whispered, voice shaking, words barely audible.
"What... the hell..."