OP Absorption
Chapter 99: A Hello

Chapter 99: A Hello

Fin looked at the downed Commander, then down at his own hands. The multi-hued energy had faded, but the feeling remained. A connection. Power.

’What was that?’ he thought. ’King stuff? Like the Queen?’

He walked over to Dan’s unconscious form, still held by the shadowy tendrils. Keeping him alive served no purpose. Waste of space. ’Food,’ the thought was simple, cold.

He stood over the Commander. "So," he asked, his voice quiet in the suddenly still forest. "Do I look more like a king now?"

Dan’s eyes fluttered open. He saw Fin standing there, saw the calm certainty that hadn’t been there before. A weak chuckle escaped him, rattling in his chest, stained with blood.

"Got to say," he rasped, managing a faint, humorless smile. "You’re something else, kid. Would have loved... to fight you serious. From the start."

Fin considered that for a moment. "Yeah, well," he said flatly. "There are no do-overs."

He reached down, grabbing Dan’s golden gauntlet. The metal felt strangely inert now, the crimson energy gone. He focused, pulling. Energy, life force, flowed into him. Warm. Strong. Almost intoxicating.

’Man,’ he thought, feeling the power surge through him, ’this might become addictive. Feels so good.’

Dan’s breathing grew shallow. His eyes stared up past Fin, towards the dense canopy, seeing something else entirely.

’I am sorry... my King,’ his thoughts drifted, faint echoes against Fin’s drain. ’We underestimated... this place. This... boy.’

The light in Dan’s eyes faded completely. The golden armor dimmed, losing its luster. He went still.

Fin pulled his hand back. The shadowy tendrils holding the body dissolved back into the earth. The empty suit of armor clattered heavily onto the moss.

Another problem solved.

He brushed dust from his hands, though there was none there. He turned his attention to the shimmering fissure in the air. "Arachne, can I close this?"

She pushed herself up slightly against the tree trunk, wincing. "Yes, my Lord. It is your domain. You just have to will it shut."

"I see." He walked towards the tear, hands behind his head, whistling faintly. The energy around the fissure felt thick, unstable. He peered inside, seeing only shifting green light and warped shapes. He glanced back at the empty suit of golden armor on the mossy ground.

’Hmmmm.’

He walked back to the body. Bent down. There was a short, sharp crack of metal and bone. He straightened up, holding Commander Dan’s helmeted head by the ragged edge of the neck armor.

He walked back to the tear, swinging the head casually at his side. He looked over at Arachne, then flicked his gaze towards Scarlet, who was watching him with wide, wary eyes.

"I am going to say hello real quick," he said.

Before either of them could react, he stepped through the fissure, Dan’s head still in his hand. The tear shimmered behind him, but remained open.

---

King Kain shifted on his bone throne. The link with Dan had simply... vanished. Strange. He dismissed the thought of defeat. Impossible, especially in a fledgling domain like that one.

Then came the noise. Distant at first, growing louder. Shouts. Beastmen roaring in pain, then silence. Heavy footfalls echoed down the corridor outside, approaching fast. An unknown presence, powerful, drawing near.

BOOM!

The massive throne room doors didn’t just open; they exploded inwards, ripped from their hinges, slamming against the stone walls. Dust billowed.

A figure stepped through the ruined doorway. Young. Wearing simple, torn clothes. In his right hand, hanging casually at his side, he held a helmeted head by its ragged neck armor. Golden armor. Dan’s helmet.

Kain froze, his wine cup halfway to his lips. He stared at the head. Dan’s. His First Blade. Dead.

His gaze shifted to the boy standing in the doorway. Calm. Eyes steady. No visible aura, no grand display of power. Nothing.

’Who is this?’ Kain thought. ’He defeated Dan? Impossible. He looks... weak.’

Fin stepped over the splintered wood of the doors. The throne room was vast, torchlight glinting off polished stone and Kain’s bone throne. The air smelled heavy, sweet. Kain watched him, unmoving, wine cup forgotten in his hand. Fin kept walking, Dan’s helmeted head swinging slightly at his side.

Two guards in heavy steel armor stepped forward, hands on sword hilts. Their faces were grim. Kain lifted one finger, a small gesture. The guards hesitated, then stepped back, blending into the shadows near the walls.

Fin’s boots clicked on the floor. The sound echoed in the sudden quiet. He didn’t look at the guards or the women draped near the throne. His eyes stayed on Kain. He stopped at the base of the low steps leading up to the dais.

He lifted the head, holding it up by the ragged neck armor. Blood dripped slowly onto the floor.

"One of yours?" he asked. His voice was level.

Kain set his wine cup down carefully on the armrest. The silence stretched. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on Dan’s lifeless face within the helmet.

"You are brave," Kain said finally, his voice a low drawl, barely audible across the distance. "Or very foolish. To bring my Commander’s head to my hall."

Fin looked down at the head, then back at Kain. He seemed unfazed. "To be fair," he said, shifting his grip slightly, "he attacked my domain. Nearly killed my people." He paused. "So, you know. Couldn’t just let him go."

He kept holding the head, waiting. Kain watched him, the earlier boredom gone, replaced by a cold, sharp attention. The women near the throne were completely still now.

"Your domain," he repeated slowly, tasting the words. "This weak place Commander Dan went to claim." He tapped a finger on the bone armrest.

"If it’s so weak as you say, then that would mean you sword is weaker than weak," he looked at him mockingly. "isn’t that so crazy though?"

Kain’s eyes narrowed slightly. The boy’s calm was unnerving. No fear. No bravado. Just... standing there. Like he belonged. Kain wanted to kill him, tear him apart for the insult, for Dan’s death. But something held him back.

This felt wrong.

"You have power," Kain stated. "Unexpected power. Where does it come from?"

Fin ignored the question. He looked past Kain, towards the women draped near the throne. His gaze lingered for a second. He turned back to Kain.

"This place stinks."

He swung his arm back and threw the head. It tumbled through the air, landing with a wet thud in the lap of a dark-haired woman near Kain’s left armrest. She shrieked, scrambling away, falling to the floor as Dan’s head rolled onto the dais, stopping near Kain’s foot. Blood smeared her fine silks.

"Disgusting," He said, then turned his back on the throne, walking towards the ruined doorway.

"Stop," Kain’s voice cut through the sudden silence. It held an edge now, sharp and cold. "You think I will simply let you leave?"

Fin kept walking, not slowing his pace. He reached the doorway.

"You can try," he said, looking back over his shoulder. His eyes glowed, a faint silver-green light in the torchlit hall. "But I promise you," his gaze met Kain’s across the vast room, "that will only end in your death."

He stepped out, disappearing into the corridor beyond. The echo of his footsteps faded.

Kain sat frozen on his throne, staring at the empty doorway. Dan’s head lay near his feet. The woman sobbed quietly on the floor. The throne room was silent, except for the crackle of torches and her muffled cries.

One of the guards near the wall shifted his weight. He cleared his throat nervously, the sound unnaturally loud.

Kain’s head snapped towards him. Rage twisted his features. He didn’t speak. He pointed a finger.

The guard exploded. Steel armor, flesh, and bone vanished in a contained implosion of dark energy, leaving only a faint scorch mark on the stone floor. The other guards froze, faces pale. The sobbing woman went silent.

He lowered his hand, breathing heavily. He looked back at the empty doorway where Fin had stood.

"This is not over," he hissed, his voice shaking with fury. "You will pay for this humiliation."