Unmade Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Kealix von Eskarion

Read chapter 19 of Unmade by churro on NovelPedia.

Vale walked behind the chained man, the three small creatures padding silently beneath his feet like loyal shadows. The faint clinking of the chains that still bound the prisoner’s wrists rang with every step, metal singing against metal, a hollow, mournful sound that echoed across the endless crimson sea. Their rusted surface caught what little light there was, contrasting beautifully with the blood-red expanse below them. Above, the five black suns hung in the sky like unblinking eyes, their radiance casting long, dark reflections upon the waves. They watched the two travelers diligently, ensuring the prisoner of their realm never strayed from their sight. Vale glanced back toward where the mist had once loomed. Now there was only emptiness. When it departed, it had left no trace, no corpses, no remains, not even a ripple of its passing. The monsters it had consumed were gone as though erased from existence itself. Only a single colossal arm jutted from the distant horizon, pale and motionless, like a monument carved to honor extinction. Even from miles away, its sheer scale was staggering, a testament to the incomprehensible power of the beings that once roamed this place. “That was quite the experience, huh?” Vale murmured under his breath, his voice sounding small beneath the vast, hollow heavens. He lifted his right arm and turned it slightly, the metal catching the strange light. The prosthetic gleamed with quiet perfection, its design simple but deliberate, each piece fitting together with unnerving precision. It wasn’t merely a tool or weapon. It was alive. At least, that was what the being within the mist had told him. He flexed his fingers. The motion was smooth, fluid, too natural for cold steel. For every answer that creature had given him, Vale had found a dozen new questions waiting. The more he learned, the less he understood. His thoughts scattered like leaves on the wind until his gaze settled on the faintly glowing egg embedded within his arm. Its pale surface shimmered softly, exuding warmth that pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat. “So it was really telling the truth,” he whispered, almost reverently. The egg had belonged to the creature in the mist, its child, it claimed. Calling that being a monster no longer felt right. It had spoken, taken a human form, even shown him something that resembled kindness. Yet its nature had been chaos, ever-shifting, unfathomable and dangerous. The child it left behind, however, was meant to be its opposite: a being of order born from disorder. And as he held it now, Vale could feel the truth in those words. He brushed his thumb across the smooth shell. The faint warmth comforted him, something gentle and strangely human in this desolate place. 'I’ll make sure to take proper care of this one,' he thought. 'I owe that much to its parent… and to myself.' They walked on in silence. The crimson sea rippled faintly beneath their feet, whispering as if alive. Eventually, they reached the heart of the realm, a vast, circular expanse beneath the five black suns, where the horizon itself seemed to fold inward. The air shimmered faintly with the residue of power, old and heavy. Vale came to a stop beside the chained man and tilted his head. He hesitated, unsure how to even begin. He had fought this man countless times, died by his hand again and again, yet not once had they truly spoken. Whatever language the prisoner spoke was alien, his words indecipherable, his meaning a mystery. Vale sighed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “So, uh… that being in the mist told me to ask you for books on Atum theory.” He paused, realizing how ridiculous the request sounded even as he said it. “Do you… have any of those lying around?” The chained man tilted his head in silence. The obsidian mask that concealed his face betrayed nothing, yet something in his posture shifted, surprise, perhaps, or confusion. After a long moment, he extended his hand. The air before him began to fracture,