Chapter 19 ZAPHAROS #2
"We seeded the universe in search of it. We wove bloodlines, forged species, created the Pandraxians themselves as one of our experiments to find balance again.”
His jaw flexed. “You claim my people are your creation.”
I shrugged, unbothered. “Claim? No. That's a fact. You are what we made you to be. Strong, disciplined, hungry. But even you cannot fight forever without the bond you were meant to carry. The Mmuhr’Rhong are the symptom of that imbalance. They consume because the scales are tipped.”
At the mention of the Mmuhr’Rhong, Daryus’ mouth curved, sharp and cruel. “The Mmuhr’Rhong? That weak little species that dies if someone blows too hard on them?”
His words stopped me cold. My aura tightened, sharp as a blade. “You’ve heard of them?”
“Of course,” he said smoothly, as if it were obvious. “Our fleets have encountered them on the other side of your so-called Dark Abyss. Pathetic creatures. They skitter in the shadows, die at the smallest strike. Barely worth the trouble of extermination.”
I felt a chill, colder than any battlefield wind.
I needed to talk to my brothers. If the Mmuhr’Rhong were already spreading throughout the universe, the situation was more dire than we had thought.
“We always believed them indigenous to the Dark Abyss. Bound to it. If they exist beyond Nox Eternum—”
“Then perhaps they aren’t what you think they are,” Daryus cut in. His tone was mocking, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of calculation.
I stepped closer. “The ones you saw have to be larvae. Fragments. The Mmuhr’Rhong you dismiss as pathetic are only the shadows of the true swarm. You have no idea what they will be capable of when they come through whole.”
For once, Daryus didn’t reply immediately. His jaw tightened, his expression carved into stone. He knew I wasn’t exaggerating. He’d seen enough in his time to recognize truth when it hit him in the face.
“Then it seems,” he said at last, in a clipped voice, “we both have an interest in ensuring they remain where they belong.”
I nodded in acknowledgement. “It seems we do.”
For a moment, the air between us shifted, predator recognizing predator. Not allies. Not yet at least. But for this single point, our interests aligned.
“Why come to us now? What is it you need?” Daryus asked astutely.
“Earth.” The word left my mouth like a blade.
He stiffened. His eyes narrowed. I could see the calculation there; the Pandraxians had already begun to claim what they called mekarries among humans. He wasn’t about to relinquish that.
“What you call a mekarry bond is what we know as Aelyth,” I told him. “Our lost balance. Our soulbond. So you see, we have a common interest in Earth.”
“Earth is under Pandraxian protection,” he stated with a hard edge to his tone, a warning that he would allow no rival claim.
I ground my teeth, forcing patience I did not feel. “Be that as it may, a human bound to an Arkhevari will never bond to your kind. This isn’t about sharing. It’s about restoring balance to the universe itself.”
He glared, testing me, his gaze sharpened with challenge. I didn’t move.
“Ironically,” he said at last, “we are not the only ones finding soulbonds among them. The Space Guardians seem to be quite… affected as well.”
I kept my expression blank, though the information cut deep.
I had only a faint idea of what the Space Guardians truly were: mercenaries, enforcers, tools Daryus had hired to hunt humans across the stars.
If even they were entangled in bonds, then Earth’s role in the weave was greater than I had feared.
I folded my arms, “Then you understand, Emperor. Earth is not a resource to strip-mine. It is a fulcrum. A lever. With it, the balance can be restored. Without it…” My aura bled darker, enough for him to feel it press against his skin. “…the Dark Abyss will swallow us all.”
His gaze hardened, the commander flashing beneath the politician’s mask. Then he straightened, lifted his chin, and snapped that mask back into place. “Be that as it may, Earth is under Pandraxian protection. And protection means exclusivity. I will not share its spoils.”
Spoils. The word burned. If I erupted now, this chamber would drown in blood. I forced the snarl back down my throat. “This is not about spoils. A human bound to an Arkhevari is not yours to claim—just as one bound to a Pandraxian will never be mine. The bond chooses. Not us. Not you.”
Finally, he exhaled, slow and measured. “Perhaps. But my empire cannot stand idle while shadows creep in the dark. I will not have these Mmuhr’Rhong crawling through my borders.”
"You don't need to," I assured him, "we, the Arkhevari, will take care of the Mmuhr’Rhong, but we cannot fight battles on two lines. All I need is for you to commit to stopping the Cryons from taking the humans."
He waved a dismissive hand. “Do not waste breath on them. I already have plans in motion. They will not be a problem in the future.”
I studied him, measuring the conviction in his voice. He believed it. Perhaps he even had the armies to make it so. But the Cryons were only one head of a larger beast.
“The Abyss is older than your empire,” I warned. “When the Cryons are gone, something worse will follow. It always does.”
Daryus’ eyes glinted. “Then tell me why you came, Arkhevari. Surely not just to frighten me with bedtime tales of shadow monsters.”
I straightened, feeling the old weight settle into my bones, the weight of what we had been, and what I intended we would be again.
“No,” I said, low and hard. “I did not come to beg favors or haggle over spoils. I came to lay the groundwork for the Arkhevari to walk openly again. We are tired of the shadows. It is no place for Aelyth.” My voice narrowed, each word a blade.
“We lost them once to the Dark Abyss; we will not allow that to happen again.”
His lips tightened. He and I both knew what the return of the Arkhevari would mean.
Not just a shift in power, but a threat to the balance of the entire universe.
The Galactic Treaty Union, the Pandraxian Empire, and every faction that thought itself secure would suddenly be forced to reckon with us.
Our emergence could ignite a new war for dominance, a struggle Daryus had no interest in provoking.
"We don't want a war, we don't want to upset the balance, that's why I came to you," I assured him.
He nodded, only half convinced. Not that I blamed him. He had an empire to look after; he could not afford to trust a random stranger. I appreciated that he seemed willing to make an effort. It was a start.
If only my mission would be finished now, and I could return to Ella.
Her essence called to me. I missed her more than I was willing to admit, even to myself.
I could feel energy draining from me. The same energy she had filled whenever I was in her presence.
The darker side in me was getting stronger again.
“But there is one more thing,” I said. “Before I return to Nox Eternum, who are the Space Guardians you employ? You mentioned they, too, are soulbinding to the humans.”
Daryus’ face didn’t change much, but there was a faint tightening at the eyes, a man amused by a puzzle.
“Mercenaries. Enforcers. Paid hands,” he said, the words like a shrug.
“I hire them through their masters, the Ohrur.” He spat the name as if it left a bad taste.
“They do what an empire prefers not to dirty its own claws with. They hunt. They secure. They remove problems. Why do you ask?”
“What species are they?” I pressed.
He considered, brows knitting as if rummaging through memory. Then he shook his head. “I have no idea.” The admission came flat, almost surprised. “They’ve worked for the Ohrur for centuries. No one ever questioned their origins.” He cocked his head. “Odd, isn’t it?”
It should not have surprised me, but it did.
His ignorance nagged at the back of my mind in a way I couldn’t dismiss.
For a split second, I felt a tug, an impulse to chase this question down before I chased the thing that pulled at my blood.
I wanted to return to Ella. Every part of me screamed to go back to her.
Instead, something in my soul told me this was important.
Deeper. More consequential than seeing Ella right away.
She is safe at your palace, I reassured myself.
I even did a quick mental check in with Ilythas, who told me that Ella was alright, exploring the library.
It eased my mind some. Not like it would have had I been able to contact her, but for some reason, her mind has been blocked to me ever since I left Nox Eternum.
“Odd indeed,” I acknowledged, though the word barely scratched the itch gnawing at the back of my skull.
Daryus’ gaze sharpened, weighing me. “If you need more information about the Space Guardians, my Lord Protector Garth has taken on the task of building a new home for the humans. He is the one who liaises between the Guardians and the Empire.”
I sighed, low and reluctant. Another errand.
Another detour. Another burden laid on my shoulders without my consent.
Yet the sense that this mattered—more than I could yet see—refused to loosen its grip on me.
It was a pull I hadn’t felt in eons, a whisper at the edge of instinct I had learned never to ignore.
“Where do I find him?”
“Rottvalen, most likely,” Daryus replied smoothly. “That is where he and his mate are building their outpost. I will comm him and tell him to expect you.”
My jaw tightened. The threads tangled tighter than even I had expected. Daryus rose to his full height, his imperial presence radiating like a storm barely leashed. “I would like to say it was a pleasure meeting you, Arkhevari, but I am not sure your news qualifies as such.”
My lips curled, a shadow of a smile tugging at my mouth. “Then perhaps the next time we speak, Emperor, the news will be better.”
He snorted, sharp and dismissive, but I saw the flicker in his eyes, the smallest measure of respect, predator to predator.
We might be able to work together after all.
First, I needed to get to Rottvalen and find out about the Space Guardians.
Then I would need to talk to Daryus again about our claim to the same species he was hunting.
My brothers deserved to seek their Aelyth out among them.
But even then, there would be no peace. Not even close.
Like it or not—I looked at Daryus one more time, assessing him, even probing his mind as far as I dared without him knowing—we needed to work together to close the Black Abyss forever.
As long as it existed, it was a danger to the entire universe.
Ilythas had assured me that Ella was safe in the library. I had to trust that—for now.
Rottvalen first. Ella after.
I left the Wings and Tits knowing one thing with absolute certainty: the shadows were shifting, the swarm was stirring, and the Arkhevari would no longer remain in hiding.
We were stepping back into the light. And the universe would tremble for it.