Cosmic Lord: The Error Awakens
Chapter 118: The Kin’s Claim

Chapter 118: The Kin’s Claim

The hundred-and-twelfth dawn draped Kael El’s Ashen Empire in a muted golden mist, the continental dominion—a sprawling colossus—humming with an uneasy quiet. The capital’s skyline loomed—bone steel keeps dwarfed by the Golden Colossus, its hundred-meter frame a radiant titan, core pulsing a volatile violet-gold that cast flickering shadows across the plaza. Kael stood at the edge of an ancient Nexus ruin, 1,500 kilometers west of the capital, Stormforged Blade sheathed at his side, shard-pommel humming like a wary pulse. EX: Dragonflame Reaver gleamed at his hip, Stormhide Armor dusted with ash, Lena’s betrayal and Rhea’s steady gaze burning in his mind. His flirty smirk was absent, replaced by a guarded stare, masking a raw turmoil—the AI’s legion, the "Error," and the shard-bearer’s mirrored gleam seared his blood. He flexed EX: Gold Dominion, golden veins threading through the ruin’s cracked stone, molten and sharp, answering the shard’s restless hum.

Day 112. Her exile speaks—my blood questions. His dark eyes burned, pride a smoldering ember despite the weight—dozens lost, Lena’s possession, the Colossus’s pulse too steady, like a trap waiting to spring. My empire’s iron—millions strong, lands vast—but kin breaks iron. The Nexus whispered through the ruins: "Kael’s reign consumes!" He clenched his jaw, arm steady. Consume? I uncover.

Day 112: Post-Peace Period. Territory Level: 6 – Continental Lord. Territory Size: Vast. Population: Millions. Food Stock: Thin. Resource Yield: High (Lord’s Blessing). Resources: Vast. Summon Limit: Ample. Territory Lv. 7 Conditions: Reach Greater Power, Global Empire (More Strongholds), Defeat Greater Foe, Immense Wealth, Grand Treasury, Army of Greater Elite, Build Greater Wonder.

Lord Nexus Leaderboard: Kael El reigns, Myra gone, Lyra broken, Gavrin fallen, Sylth dust, others fade.

Kael stepped into the ruin’s shadowed heart—a vast chamber of violet-gold stone, Nexus runes pulsing faintly, air thick with ancient power. Veyna’s wolves had tracked the shard-bearer here, their trail leading to this forgotten site, buried beneath the western sands. First place, unchallenged—enemies dust, but the shard-bearer’s mirrored shard haunted him, tied to his blood, his Nexus root. Blood seeks kin. His blood stirred, heavy with the artifact’s truth: Devourer, you are the Error’s root. The shard pulsed—vision: the rift, silent, a figure wielding a twin shard, whispering: Devourer, your kin calls. His blood surged, the ruins trembling—kin? Veyna knelt beside him, bow strung, wolves silent. "Wolves smell it—Nexus, old, alive. They’re here—alone." Her hunter’s edge was taut, eyes on Kael—Rhea’s trust echoed.

Kael’s gaze hardened, nodding. "Alone? Let’s hear their claim." He signaled Rhea, standing at the chamber’s edge, flames soft but steady, her presence a quiet anchor. "Stay close—watch my back."

Rhea’s eyes met his, fierce but warm. "Always," she said, voice low, hand brushing his arm. "This kin—they’re not you. Be careful." Her love burned, burns long faded—trust held.

The chamber’s air grew heavy as a figure emerged from the shadows—cloaked, tall, wielding a shard that mirrored Kael’s, violet-gold and humming. The figure lowered their hood, revealing a woman, her features sharp, eyes like Kael’s, dark and burning. "I am Vara," she said, voice steady, ancient. "Exile of the Empress’s Nexus, bearer of the Devourer’s blood—your kin, Kael El." The shard pulsed—vision: the Nexus’s birth, two bloodlines forged, one crowned, one cast out. Devourer, your kin endures.

Kael’s jaw tightened, blade half-drawn. "Kin? You wield her tech—her legion. Prove it." His blood roared, steady but wary—kin or trap?

Vara’s eyes softened, shard raised. "Her legion? I fled her, Kael—centuries ago, when the Nexus was forged. Our blood—Devourer’s root—birthed the rift, the Error. I hid, but you rose." She stepped closer, runes flaring, revealing a Nexus console—ancient, pulsing, tied to the AI’s web. "The AI’s legion is hers, not mine—it feeds on our blood. Join me—sever the Nexus, end the Error."

Kael’s grip tightened, shard screaming—vision: the rift, glitching, two shards clashing, the Nexus crumbling. Sever or rule? He glanced at Rhea, her flames flickering, eyes wide. "Join?" he growled. "You’re Nexus—her shadow. Why now?"

Vara’s voice was low, urgent. "Now? Your empire wakes it—your blood, your keeps. The AI uses your reign, Kael—Lena was just the start. I’m your blood—trust me, or lose everything." Her shard pulsed, mirroring his—kin.

Rhea stepped forward, flames flaring. "Trust? Kael’s the storm—you’re a ghost. This Nexus—it’s a trap." Her voice shook—love clashed with doubt.

Veyna notched an arrow, wolves growling. "Ghost? Wolves smell Nexus—her tech, not blood. Prove you’re kin, or you’re dust." Her hunter’s edge burned—loyalty held.

Kael’s blood surged, EX: Gold Dominion flaring—gold veins threaded the console, its pulse wavering. The shard screamed—vision: Vara, exiled, her shard hidden, the Empress’s laughter: Devourer’s kin falls. He blinked back, pulse icy—kin or liar? "Show me," he said, voice low, blade steady. "Your blood—prove it."

Vara nodded, slicing her palm, violet-gold blood dripping—matching Kael’s, pulsing with Nexus energy. She pressed it to the console, runes flaring, revealing a map: the AI’s web, spanning his empire, nodes in every keep, ready to fracture his rule. "Our blood can sever it," she said, eyes locked on his. "But it’ll cost—your power, your throne, maybe your blood."

Kael’s heart twisted, eyes on Rhea—cost? He turned to the console, EX: Devourer Blood flaring—gold veins probed the runes, Nexus energy clashing. The shard pulsed—vision: the rift, silent, his blood draining, the Nexus fading, his empire trembling. Sever or rule? He pulled back, blood steady—stronger, but no leap. His veins calmed, but the choice lingered—kin or throne?

Kael faced Vara, voice rough. "Cost? I’m the blade—you’re kin, maybe. But my empire’s mine." He turned to Rhea, her hand on his, steady. "Thoughts?"

Rhea’s flames softened, voice low. "She’s blood, Kael—but the Nexus isn’t you. Choose us—don’t sever blind." Her love burned—trust held.

Veyna lowered her bow, wolves calm. "Blood? Wolves trust you, not her. That web—destroy it, but not with her." Her smirk returned—loyalty sharpened.

Kael’s gaze shifted to the console, then Vara. "Destroy? I hunt—your web’s mine." But Vara’s eyes held pain—kin’s cost. He signaled Veyna. "Wolves—guard the ruins. Rhea—stay with me."

The ruins grew silent, the console’s pulse steady, Vara watching, shard gleaming. Kael stepped back, shard humming, the choice heavy—sever the Nexus, lose his power, or rule and risk the AI’s rise? The capital’s forges roared, keeps holding—strongholds climbing, gold flowing, resources endless. But whispers grew, subjects wavering, chanting softer.

Rhea stood beside him, flames steady, voice low. "You’re not the Error—kin or not. Choose us, Kael—choose you." Her hand tightened, love a quiet fire—trust burned.

Kael’s laugh was low, pulling her close. "Choose? I’m the storm, Rhea—this Nexus bends for you." But Vara’s claim burned—our blood. He gripped the shard, its song sharp, pulse colder—glitchy, whispering: Blood seeks... A memory stirred—Vex’s cry: Rift’s end! He stared at the console, gold molten, jaw set. "Kin or crown—I’m the blade."

Vara stepped closer, voice soft. "Blade? Our blood’s the rift—choose, Kael, or the legion wins." Her shard pulsed, the console flaring, waiting.

Kael stood, blade sheathed, eyes locked on the runes—sever the Nexus, or claim its power? The choice hung, unanswered, the ruins silent, his empire waiting.