The Thing Without Formation
The next attack did not use structure.
No formations.
No commanders.
No arrays.
Just one creature.
It emerged from a tear in space above a remote fortress.
Shapeless.
Constantly shifting.
No clear anatomy.
No coordinated movements.
Darius tightened his grip.
"It doesn't feel networked."
Theo swallowed.
"It removed hierarchy."
Lyra whispered, "It removed predictability."
The creature descended silently.
Where it touched, matter distorted, stone softened, air twisted.
Sam stepped forward.
"…Ah."
Mira looked at him sharply.
"You recognize it?"
"Yes."
The creature pulsed.
It did not attack strategically.
It simply existed aggressively.
Theo whispered, "It stripped away coordination to remove your leverage."
Sam nodded faintly, "Very clever."
The creature lunged.
There was no pattern.
No trajectory.
No intent to intercept.
For the first time—Sam moved deliberately.
He stepped into its path. The air around him stilled completely. The creature collided with him—
—and unraveled instantly.
Not erased.
Not shattered.
Unraveled like tangled thread meeting calm hands.
The distortion ceased.
Reality settled.
Silence returned.
Darius stared.
"You didn't reveal something."
"No."
"You… corrected it."
"Yes."
Theo's voice trembled slightly.
"It tried chaos."
Sam nodded.
"It misunderstood."
Lyra sheathed her blades slowly.
"It thought you counter structure."
Sam looked at the fading tear in the sky.
"I counter imbalance."
***
Far beyond mortal sight, the true Sovereign shifted again. For the first time—
It hesitated longer than a moment.
***
Back at the fortress, soldiers slowly began cheering. Sam closed his eyes briefly. Five companions stood behind him now.
Unplanned.
Unavoidable.
Unwavering.
He exhaled, "This is escalating."
Borin grinned, "Good."
Sam looked deeply unconvinced.
He still did not want fame.
He still did not want cultivation.
Unfortunately— the world was beginning to orbit him.