ARCANE DRIFTERS – Volume 1
Chapter 5: Defeated
The training grounds fell silent long before the sun did.
Eight days of relentless drills had reduced four of the most stubborn teenagers alive into something resembling wreckage.
Kenya sat against a wall, his arms hanging loosely at his sides. His chest rose and fell heavily after the final sprint.
Eliz leaned back with her eyes closed. She was too exhausted even to cross her arms the way she usually did.
Ruke was sprawled on the ground, somewhere between sitting and lying down, staring blankly at the sky as if he had forgotten his own name.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody had the energy to.
The only sounds were the wind passing through the training yard and the distant clanking of equipment being packed away by soldiers.
Commander Cairo stood at the edge of the field with his arms crossed.
Watching.
Waiting.
Judging.
He didn't look impressed.
He didn't look disappointed.
He simply looked like a man who had seen far worse.
Several minutes passed.
Then Ruke frowned.
Something felt wrong.
His eyes slowly moved across the training ground.
Left.
Right.
Center.
Then he froze.
"...Where is Shen?"
Kenya turned his head.
Eliz opened her eyes.
The spot where Shen had been sitting was empty.
Completely empty.
Before anyone could react, a soldier came sprinting toward them.
"Commander!"
The soldier nearly tripped before stopping in front of Cairo.
"Report."
The young soldier swallowed nervously.
"That kid, sir."
"The one with no power."
Commander Cairo's expression didn't change.
"What about him?"
The soldier hesitated.
Then spoke.
"He's walking around the eastern side of the base."
"But..."
The soldier looked uneasy.
"He doesn't look normal."
Commander Cairo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Explain."
The soldier shook his head.
"I can't."
"He just..."
"He doesn't look like himself."
Silence.
Then Commander Cairo moved.
The others immediately followed.
---
Shen was walking.
Slowly.
Aimlessly.
Between the eastern buildings of the base.
His footsteps made no sound.
His head tilted slightly to one side.
His arms hung loosely.
Like a puppet whose strings were being controlled by someone else.
His eyes were open.
But Shen wasn't there.
Not anymore.
Kenya was the first to find him.
"Shen!"
Relief appeared on his face.
"There you are."
"What are you doing?"
The figure stopped.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
The head turned.
And Kenya froze.
Those eyes.
They weren't Shen's eyes.
Something ancient stared back at him.
Something cold.
Something amused.
"Ah."
The voice that came from Shen's mouth was wrong.
It sounded layered.
Like multiple voices speaking together.
"Who is Shen?"
A chill ran down Kenya's spine.
The thing smiled.
"When he took me..."
"He was already dying."
Kenya blinked.
"...What?"
The others arrived.
Ruke immediately stepped forward.
"What did you say?"
The creature wearing Shen's face looked toward him.
"Shen died."
The words came calmly.
Casually.
As if discussing the weather.
"I am here now."
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Commander Cairo became completely still.
Even Eliz looked disturbed.
Kenya clenched his fists.
"No."
The thing tilted its head.
"No?"
Kenya's patience finally snapped.
Without warning—
WHOOSH!
His sword ignited.
Dark crimson flames exploded around him.
Kenya lunged forward.
His blade aimed directly at Shen.
The creature smiled.
"Oh."
"Very vast."
The air changed.
Instantly.
BOOOOOOOOM!!
Power erupted from Shen's body.
Not a wave.
Not an explosion.
A disaster.
The ground shattered.
Walls cracked.
Windows exploded.
Kenya was thrown backward before he could even reach his target.
"Kenya!"
Eliz reacted immediately.
Light and darkness exploded from both hands.
Twin streams of magic shot forward.
At the same moment—
CRACKLE!!
Ruke appeared from the side.
Lightning exploded around his scythe.
Both attacks struck.
Both attacks vanished.
The power surrounding Shen swallowed them completely.
As if they had never existed.
Commander Cairo slammed one hand onto the ground.
His Code-Breaking Power activated.
Trying to analyze.
Trying to understand.
Trying to find weakness.
Nothing.
The power couldn't be read.
It couldn't be measured.
It couldn't be understood.
"This power..."
The voice echoed.
Darkness gathered above Shen's palms.
A void formed.
A sphere of pure darkness.
It seemed to consume light itself.
The surrounding air warped.
The ground cracked.
Even space looked unstable.
"This..."
The creature smiled.
"Is real power."
The void expanded.
Larger.
Larger.
Larger.
Until it towered above the battlefield.
Kenya slowly stood.
His body hurt.
His arms shook.
His fire weakened.
Yet he stood.
Eliz stood beside him.
Ruke stood beside her.
All three stared at their friend.
Or what used to be their friend.
The creature looked down at them.
"This void..."
"It will become your last day alive."
The pressure intensified.
For a moment—
Nobody knew what to do.
Then Kenya took a step forward.
One step.
Then another.
His sword rose.
"Okay."
His voice was calm.
Much calmer than before.
"Then I'll destroy you."
The flames responded.
Not from his sword.
From him.
His entire body ignited.
Dark crimson fire exploded upward.
His eyes became white.
His skin disappeared beneath demonic flames.
The Fire Demon Power awakened completely.
A demon made of fire stood where Kenya once stood.
The temperature skyrocketed.
The ground melted.
Even the void trembled.
Kenya pointed his blade.
"This..."
The flames surged.
"Is my Fire Blast!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The explosion swallowed everything.
Light covered the battlefield.
Heat consumed the air.
The entire eastern corridor vanished beneath the attack.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
Eventually—
The light faded.
Silence returned.
The void was gone.
The darkness had vanished.
Shen stood alone at the center of the ruined battlefield.
Barely standing.
His body swayed.
His eyes lost focus.
Then—
His knees gave out.
THUD.
He fell.
Kenya moved instantly.
Catching him before his head struck the ground.
The flames disappeared.
Only Kenya remained.
Breathing heavily.
Holding his friend.
"Shen."
No response.
Kenya tightened his grip.
"Shen."
Still nothing.
Fear appeared in his eyes.
A fear greater than any Arcane.
"Shen!"
His voice cracked.
The cursed blades were gone.
The overwhelming power was gone.
Only Shen remained.
A sixteen-year-old boy.
Broken.
Unconscious.
Barely breathing.
Kenya held him tightly.
"Wake up."
No answer came.
Only silence.
And for the first time since meeting Shen...
Kenya was afraid he might never open his eyes again.
End of Chapter 5