Back in Arcadia a program that has been in development for decades is now being fast track by orders of the King. A program that could shift the entire war in favor of the Arcadians, this was known as the Arcane Program.
The chamber trembled as a low, rhythmic hum pulsed through the reinforced walls, vibrating through the metal like a heartbeat that did not belong to any living thing. Thick conduits ran along the ceiling and floor, glowing faintly as streams of emerald energy surged through them, converging toward a single point at the center of the room.
Suspended within a containment field floated a jagged crystal that did not remain still. It's fractured surface shifted in subtle, unnatural ways, as though something beneath it was constantly pressing outward. Light leaked through its cracks in uneven pulses, casting warped reflections across the chamber and distorting the air around it. Arcane energy, raw, unstable and very much alive.
Dozens of scientists moved around the containment structure in controlled urgency. Their hands moved rapidly across holographic panels, adjusting values and redirecting flows as fluctuating data scrolled endlessly before them. Despite their training, despite the protocols, there was a tension in the room that none of them could ignore.
"Energy output is rising... rapidly!" one of them yelled.
"Stabilizers are dropping... seventy percent… sixty-five… sixty—!" another answered back with panic.
"Containment field integrity is degrading!" another yelled in fear.
The crystal pulsed again, this time more violently and a surge of energy burst outward, slamming into the containment barrier. The transparent field warped under the pressure, rippling like liquid glass as cracks of light spread across its surface. Several scientists instinctively stepped back, their composure beginning to fracture.
"Divert the excess energy!" one of them shouted.
"We can't... it's exceeding safe thresholds!" answered one of them.
"Then reduce intake!" instructed one.
"It's not responding... control systems are lagging!" replied another.
At the far end of the chamber, mounted on a reinforced platform, stood the prototype weapon. Its design was sleek and angular, built for function rather than form, with veins of emerald energy running along its structure and converging at a central core. Thick conduits fed directly into it, channeling raw energy from the crystal. The weapon began to vibrate under the strain.
"Charging sequence is at maximum capacity!" stated one of the scientist.
"Containment won't hold much longer... we need to discharge it now!" pleaded one of the scientist.
There was a brief moment of hesitation, the kind that comes when logic and instinct begin to conflict. Then, with no better alternative, the order was given.
"Fire." ordered the head scientist.
The weapon discharged with a violent surge of energy, releasing a concentrated beam of emerald light that tore through the chamber. The air distorted around it as it traveled, bending unnaturally as if reality itself struggled to contain what had just been unleashed. For a moment, everything aligned. The beam stabilized, its structure holding as it carved through space with overwhelming force. The ground beneath it fractured, and the walls trembled as the weapon channeled power far beyond anything Arcadia had previously achieved.
Some of the scientists stared in awe while others in fear, because even in that brief success, something felt wrong. The crystal pulsed again and the beam began to collapse. Not outward, not fading, but folding inward, as if being pulled back into itself. The weapon emitted a high-pitched metallic shriek as cracks spread rapidly across its frame, the energy feeding into it becoming wildly unstable.
"Shut it down!" yelled the head scientist.
"I'm trying... it's not responding!" answered the scientist on the control panel.
"The core is overloading... we're losing control!" one of them said with panic.
The air twisted violently as gravitational pressure fluctuated. Loose debris lifted from the ground, pulled toward the collapsing energy as if caught in an invisible current.
"Everyone get back!" the head scientist pleaded.
The warning came too late, the core was too unstable which lead to it rupturing. The explosion tore through the chamber with catastrophic force, sending bodies and debris flying as fire and arcane energy consumed everything in its path. The containment field shattered instantly, fragments of light scattering outward as the crystal flared with blinding intensity. For a moment, it seemed as though the energy might spiral out of control. Then just as suddenly, it dimmed. The violent surge faded into a faint, flickering glow, as if the crystal itself had chosen to settle.
Silence followed, heavy and suffocating. Smoke drifted through the ruined lab as sparks flickered from damaged systems. The remains of the prototype weapon lay scattered across the floor, its once-structured form now twisted and broken.
"…Report." The voice cut cleanly through the aftermath.
King Azarel stood at the entrance, his presence commanding immediate attention. His yellow eyes moved slowly across the chamber, taking in the destruction with cold precision. He did not react outwardly, but there was a weight behind his gaze that made the entire room feel smaller. The Head scientists known as Rehgal stepped forward, his movements unsteady as he tried to regain composure.
"The test failed, my King." Rehgal said with regret.
Azarel's expression did not change. "That much is obvious."
He stepped further into the chamber, his boots crunching softly against debris as he approached the remains of the weapon. He looked deeply into the shattered weapon as if he was watching his own life flash before his eyes before snapping back to reality.
"I assume there is a reason I was not informed of this instability beforehand." the King said.
Rehgal hesitated before answering. "We believed we were close to stabilizing the output. The energy levels we achieved were… beyond anything previously recorded."
Azarel crouched slightly, examining the fractured surface of the weapon. The material had not simply broken, it had been overwhelmed. The energy appeared to be too pure and raw for the materials to contain for long periods of times.
"And yet," he said, "you still cannot control it."
"The limitation is not the energy itself," the scientist replied quickly. "It is the material we are using to contain it."
He gestured toward the crystal.
"We are attempting to harness something that does not conform to conventional physics. What you witnessed was not a failure of power... it was a failure of containment. Even at the level we just tested, we were only accessing a fraction of the crystal's potential." Rehgal continued.
Azarel's gaze sharpened slightly. "A fraction?"
"Yes," the scientist confirmed. "Comparable to the energy observed during the encounter with Zarella on Garrix. We could only use one percent of the power for a very short amount of time. If we push beyond that threshold with our current materials…"
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
"The weapon will not simply fail. It will destroy itself... and everything around it." he stated.
Azarel straightened, his expression unreadable. "Then you are telling me this program cannot progress."
"Not without a material capable of withstanding that level of output," the scientist admitted.
A silence settled over the chamber as Azarel turned away from the weapon and looked toward the containment field. This program was his only answer to combat the godly powers of the Orions. Seeing it fail over and over again tore deep within him.
"These weapons," he said slowly, "are not being developed solely for use against the Angelics. They are meant for something far greater,"
His gaze lifted slightly as he spoke the words, "The Orions."
The implication settled heavily over the remaining scientists as the true purpose for this program was revealed to them.
"We cannot win this war through conventional means," Azarel continued. "As long as beings of that level exist, no army we build will ever be enough."
One of the scientists spoke, unable to hold back. "My King… power of that magnitude may not be something we are meant to wield."
Azarel turned his head toward him. "Then we will redefine what is possible." His voice remained calm, but there was no room for doubt in it.
"I do not care what it takes. Find a way to stabilize it." he said as he turned toward the exit. "And do it quickly."
The doors closed behind him, leaving the chamber in silence once more as the scientist all looked at each other. Rhegal walked over to the busted control panel, he hunched over with his palms placed on the panel. He looked defeated, the failure that just happened before him felt like a major setback. He let out a heavy sigh before composing himself and lifting himself back up.
"You heard the King. Lets clean up and find the solution." He commanded.
The war chamber was silent when Azarel entered, unlike the laboratory there was no chaos here, only order. The circular chamber was dimly lit by a suspended holographic projection at its center, casting a cold blue glow across the room. The image rotated slowly, a planetary display of Havoc or what remained of it. The usual streams of movement, trade routes, military patrols, civilian signals were gone.
Around the chamber stood the Arcadian war council. Generals, strategists, intelligence analysts, each one of them among the most trusted minds in the empire. Azarel stepped forward, his cloak trailing behind him as his gaze locked onto the projection.
"Report." the King asked.
One of the senior analysts hesitated before speaking. "We have lost all contact with the Havoc strike force, my King."
Azarel did not look at him. "That much is obvious."
The projection shifted, zooming in on the city grids looking for heat signatures. A city once filled with life was now a ghost town.
"There are no signs of ongoing combat," the analyst continued carefully. "No active resistance, no energy spikes consistent with prolonged engagement."
A general stepped forward, his tone sharper. "You're telling me an entire operation vanished without a fight?"
The analyst swallowed. "Not without a fight… just not one we understand."
"Explain." Azarel's eyes narrowed slightly.
The projection shifted again this time, it displayed fragments of recovered data, brief visual captures pulled from damaged drone feeds. The footage flickered and glitches before it stabilized. A city street which everyone thought was empty was filled with bodies. Every corner of the street lifeless bodies pilled up however, there was no signs of the attackers.
"This was recovered from one of our reconnaissance units before signal loss," the analyst said.
Suddenly a shadow moved across the screen too fast to track. Everyone in the chamber gasped as the shadow figure darted before the feed cut out. The king however did not move or react at all to the footage as silence returned to the chamber. One of the generals clenched his fist.
"Angelics." a general said with certainty, "They've escalated. This is retaliation for Garrix."
Another voice followed. "It would explain the precision... this was targeted."
"No," the analyst said quickly.
All eyes turned toward him as he hesitated before continuing, "The energy signatures don't match Angelic output."
"What do you mean?" Azarel asked.
The analyst brought up another projection, this time a breakdown of residual energy patterns. The patterns seemed to be chaotic in nature but after carefully breaking it down the patterns were indeed purposeful.
"It's… chaotic," he admitted. "Unstable, inconsistent… but concentrated."
Another council member leaned forward. "Arcane?"
The analyst shook his head. "No. This is something else."
There was a pause before another feed activated, this one clearer. For only a moment a single figure stood at the center of the street. A crimson aura surrounded the figure who appeared to be watching, the image froze.
Azarel stepped closer. "…Enhance."
The system responded, isolating the figure. The armor, the silhouette, the presence. Recognition came instantly as the room shifted.
"…That's impossible," one of the generals muttered.
"…Valak," Another spoke more quietly.
The name settled heavily into the chamber, the history between the Arcadains and Valak was rich. He had taken many Arcadian lives during this war, he was one Orion that all Arcadians hated the most. Azarel did not react outwardly but his gaze sharpened.
"Confirm it," he said.
The system processed rapidly, comparing all known combat data, energy signatures and visual records they had on Valak. Everyone watched the screen closely as each image went green confirming the match.
"Match confirmed," the analyst said.
A silence followed that felt heavier than anything before it. Fear took over the chamber, knowledge of a potential rogue Orion who no longer follows orders could cause a massive shift within the universe.
"If Valak is involved… then this is no longer a standard conflict," One of the council members spoke carefully.
"No," Azarel said. "It isn't."
"Where are the Angelics?" he questioned as he turned his attention back to the projection.
"Engaged elsewhere," another strategist replied. "Garrix, internal deployments, and defensive positioning across their territories."
"So while they were occupied… this happened." Azarel's expression darkened slightly.
The implication was clear, this wasn't coincidence, this was deliberate and calculated. The King's thoughts began to take over his mind. What is Valak's plan? Why is he acting on his own... No... he isn't alone...
Another general stepped forward. "If Valak is acting independently, we may be able to..."
"He isn't alone," Azarel interrupted as the room stilled.
"What?" the general asked.
"Run the data again. Focus on movement patterns," Azarel gestured toward the projection.
The system complied. This time, the playback highlighted multiple distortions across the battlefield. Brief, flickering signatures that moved independently of the main figure. They were not random, they moved in sync together, they were coordinated.
"…Multiple entities," the analyst said quietly.
A second scan confirmed dozens of beings moving. Then a new overlay appeared showing thermal traces that were non-human. The room went silent again with this new information, but it was the thought of what these beings were that struck the fear deep inside everyone.
"…Demons," someone whispered.
"So they've been released." Azarel's gaze did not waver.
Another council member shook his head. "That's not possible. The seal..."
"Was broken," Azarel said with certainty.
The realization spread quickly. Valak, Demons and Havoc were all connected to each other. An Orion teaming up with a threat that they stopped many decades ago was not something they had anticipated.
One of the generals spoke, his voice tense. "If they've formed an alliance…"
"Then this is no longer a war with the Angelics," another finished. "It's a war for survival."
"And we are already behind," Azarel finally turned to face them fully.
"We underestimated him," one of the strategists admitted. "We assumed his conflict was with the Angelics."
"That was our first mistake," Azarel's eyes hardened as he stepped toward the center of the chamber before continuing. "Our second… was believing he would follow any structure we understand."
The projection shifted again, showing Havoc in its current state. A lifeless planet that had been purged by the depths of hell. An evil that this universe had never seen before, an evil with motive that drove it to the darkest realms.
"This was not an attack," Azarel said. "It was a demonstration."
The words lingered in the thick air of the chamber. Everyone in the room understood what that this was a message that was sent directly to them. A demonstration of power and conviction.
"My King… if Valak and the demons continue at this scale… we will not be able to contain them," One of the council members spoke hesitantly.
Azarel didn't respond immediately. Instead, he looked back toward the projection, toward the image of the crimson figure frozen at its center. Analyzing Valak, trying to find anything that could help him understand what his goal was.
"Then we do not contain them," the King said calmly. "We surpass them."
"We accelerate the Arcane Program," he continued.
A few members exchanged uneasy glances at the thought of fast tracking a program that had already failed many times before.
"The instability..." one of the members said.
"I am aware," Azarel said, cutting him off. "But we no longer have the luxury of caution."
He turned toward the exit before speaking, "Whatever limits you believe exist…"
"Break them," his gaze swept across the council.
No one argued, no one could, because for the first time they understood the scale of what they were facing and it terrified them.
Far away, on Havoc, the contrast was immediate and unsettling. Where the laboratory had been filled with controlled chaos, Havoc was defined by absence. The city stretched outward in all directions, its towering structures standing intact but lifeless, as though something had removed its soul without disturbing its form.
Bodies lay scattered across the streets, Arcadian soldiers mixed with the remains of the Havocains. There had been no orderly retreat, no prolonged battle. Whatever had happened here had been swift and absolute. At the center of the devastation stood Valak. He remained motionless, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. The crimson energy that once radiated from him now flickered faintly, restrained, but no less dangerous. Around him, demon soldiers moved through the ruins, securing what remained and eliminating any signs of resistance. Zavala approached, stepping over debris and bodies alike with casual indifference.
"It is done," he said.
Valak did not immediately respond. His attention remained elsewhere, as though the destruction around him was already behind him.
"Prepare the ships," he said at last.
Zavala allowed himself a faint smile. "Already underway."
High above, Arcadian warships hovered in formation, now under new control. Demon forces moved across their surfaces, repurposing them with surprising efficiency. The demon soldiers quickly moved into action, getting the warships ready for departure.
Zavala studied the scene for a moment before speaking again. "It is interesting. The Arcadians were beginning to evolve beyond their reliance on brute force."
Valak's eyes shifted slightly. "You noticed."
"Their weapons," Zavala continued. "There was something different about them."
"Arcane energy," Valak replied.
Zavala's expression sharpened with interest. "So they have reached that stage."
"They have only begun to understand it," Valak said. "Their weapons seem to only use a very small percentage of what the energy is capable of. Before they use to inject themselves with the energy. This would create a berserker, pure destruction with no reason. Now they have finally learned their bodies can't handle that power. "
Zavala let out a quiet laugh. "In the past, we came close to achieving something similar. Weapons forged from pure arcane power."
His expression darkened slightly. "But we lacked the means to stabilize it. The energy itself was never the issue. It was the cost of containing it."
"And if that limitation no longer applied?" Valak turned toward him as he spoke.
"What are you suggesting?" Zavala's eyes narrowed.
Valak stepped forward slightly, the air around him distorting as his presence intensified. A devilish smirk appeared on Valak's face as if he had been scheming a plan all along.
"What if the materials required to stabilize that energy… do not exist in this world?" he questioned.
Zavala's gaze sharpened. "Are you talking about divine materials?"
Valak did not answer with words, instead he answered with only a grin. A slow smile spread across Zavala's face at the thought of finally completing the work that had once seemed impossible.
"If such materials were obtained… the instability would be eliminated entirely," his tone shifted, becoming more deliberate. "With weapons of that nature, no force within the mortal realm would be capable of opposing us."
He paused before speaking again, "Not even the Orions."
Valak remained silent, but the certainty in his posture was answer enough. Zavala let out a low breath, something between amusement and admiration. Teaming up with Valak proved to be the right move, all his goals were now within touching distance.
"You are not simply seeking victory," he said. "You are attempting to redefine the structure of the universe itself."
"That structure is already flawed," Valak's gaze hardened slightly as he turned toward the fleet above. "Prepare your army."
Zavala straightened. "For war?"
Valak took a step forward, his form beginning to distort as energy gathered around him. "For something far beyond that."
Zavala studied him carefully. "And you?"
Valak paused briefly, "I have something I need to do first."
Zavala tilted his head slightly. "Something?"
"I am going to visit someone," there was a subtle shift in the air as he said it.
"Someone?" Zavala pressed.
Valak met his gaze. "A friend."
The word lingered, quiet but heavy with implication. Before Zavala could respond, the space around Valak began to warp. A ripple spread outward as green light bled into reality, forming the edges of a gateway. Without hesitation, Valak stepped forward.
"Do not disappoint me, Zavala." Valak said before the portal closed behind him, collapsing into nothing.
Zavala remained where he stood, watching the space where Valak had disappeared. After a moment, a faint smile returned to his face.
"Interesting," he murmured.
Above him, the stolen fleet ignited its engines and across the dead world of Havoc, the next phase of war had already begun.
End of Chapter 10