As Vale and the others were preparing to fight against the Chaos Arts Practitioners, Kent Draven, a man who had never given up on returning to his world, was still filled with ambition.
Kent’s origins are traced back to Vale’s realm, where he had once been a prodigy of the Arcane Arts. But his insatiable hunger for power had led him down a forbidden path—the Chaos Arts.
No, it shouldn’t even be a forbidden Arcane Path. It was simply too strong which made them an enemy of so older factions.
When they had begun practicing the Chaos Arts, it was already too late.
They were unlike the structured and disciplined Arcane Paths like Holy Arts, Dark Arts, and others.
Furthermore, Chaos was wild, unpredictable, and inherently destructive.
It was an art of destruction or breaking down the laws of reality to reshape them into sothing entirely new—or entirely broken.
It was dangerous... However, all the other Arcane Arts are similarly dangerous, especially the Psychic Arts and Dark Arts.
Nonetheless, when Ken and many others had mastered it it was already too late.
When they were still learning, their pursuit of Chaos had branded his clan as an outlaw, and when the Council of the Twelve Paths had moved to purge the Chaos Practitioners, Kentand his kin had been exiled to this other realm.
They used the power of Paragons to banish all of them... Everyone who had the bloodline of their clan had suffered the sa fate!
Thankfully, they weren’t killed.
They were sent into this realm, known as the Shattered Expanse. It was not a prison.
It was more like a lawless dinsion where outcasts, exiles, and rogue magicians from countless worlds had gathered.
Here, the strong ruled, and the weak were devoured. It was such a basic law...
Factions of rogues, arcanists, and other wielders of power clashed endlessly, vying for control of the Expanse’s scarce resources.
The Chaos Arts Practitioners or the Draven Clan had obviously banded together to form their own faction, the Unbound.
They were not the most powerful group in the Expanse, but their mastery of Chaos Arts made them formidable.
Unfortunately, there were only about a thousand of them. They were lacking people so they couldn’t occupy a larger place. Furthermore, it was unfortunate that due to the nature of their Arcane Arts, they couldn’t work together with other Arcanists or Magicians as their Spellcasting or even their Spell Models themselves wouldn’t work.
On the other hand, other factions that relied on Elental Arts, Alchemy, or Dark Magic in this place were thriving because of their huge numbers.
Nonetheless, the Unbound still wielded a force that could unravel spells, shatter enchantnts, and reduce entire battlefields to ash. As long as they don’t go overboard, the larger factions wouldn’t work together to eliminate them.
Well, they still have to coexist since they do not have an unlimited amount of Arcane Energy in this place. They were already lucky that the Chaos Energy was enough to allow them to cast Fusion Spells.
Anyway, Kent was currently the leader of the Unbound Faction.
***
On this particular day, Kent woke up in his modest quarters, a room carved in cold crystal to ensure that his strong Chaos Arts wouldn’t destroy his place.
He was currently at the center of the Unbound’s stronghold.
As he prepared to join his faction for the day’s tasks—scouting for resources, fortifying their defenses, or fending off rival factions—a strange presence appeared in the room.
The temperature dropped, and an unknown energy ca in.
Of course, Kent was unafraid as he turned to the direction where he felt the strongest energy.
In just a mont, a figure ford in front of him. It was a spirit-like being, translucent and seed otherworldly...
’A woman?’ He thought.
Her form was humanoid, but her features were ethereal so he couldn’t properly see her face.
"Ghost?" Kent asked, his voice low and wary.
The spirit let out a soft laugh after hearing this...
"Kekeke... Call nnena," she said...
"Are you tired of fighting for ager resources in this place? Don’t you want to return to your realm? I can hasten your plan."
Kent’s eyes narrowed. The Unbound had been working tirelessly to find a way back to their original realm, but the barriers between worlds were nearly impossible to breach.
The Council of the Twelve Paths had seen to that. Yet this spirit—nnena—spoke as if she held the key.
Of course, there was no way for him to trust anyone aside from his family.
"Who are you?" Kent demanded. "And how do you know of our plans?"
nnena floated closer as she knew that the man would not just accept her words.
"I am a wanderer of realms... Your faction’s desire to return ho is no secret. Your faction’s experints with Chaos have sent ripples across the Expanse. I felt them. And I can help you... Of course, it will not be for free and you have to pay a huge price..."
Kent’s eyes narrowed as he couldn’t tell if she was lying or not.
He didn’t trust her—trust was a luxury one couldn’t afford in the Expanse—this place was filled with betrayal after all.
However, her offer was tantalizing. "What do you want in return?" he asked, his tone cautious.
nnena’s smile widened after hearing this reply.
"A simple trade. I will provide you with the ans to breach the barriers between realms. In return, you will owe a favor—to be called upon when the ti is right."
Kent hesitated. Favors in the Expanse were dangerous currency, often leading to betrayal or worse. But the chance to return ho, to reclaim what had been taken from him and his kin... it was a temptation that was too great to ignore.
"nnena... How do I know you’re not lying?" he asked.
nnena’s form twisted for a brief mont. No, it was as if the room warped around her.
Then, with a smile, she replied.
"You don’t..."
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