That evening.
"Maggie, safe travels!"
Taliyah waved as Maggie and her family set off in their brand-new vehicle. From the driver's seat, Maggie leaned out the window with a bright grin.
"See you, sister!"
"See you!"
Taliyah watched the family drive away across the desert road until their figures disappeared beyond the dunes.
Because Maggie's family had provided Duke with crucial information, Duke had taken the time to craft them a simple cargo vehicle — a token of gratitude for their intelligence.
The vehicle ran on solar power. After all, if there was one thing Shurima never lacked, it was sunlight.
After a quick lesson from Duke, Maggie's family finally dared to depart into the vast desert night.
To Duke, favors worked in clear terms — if you help me, I'll repay you double. But if you betray me…
Well, then I'll turn you from a three-dimensional creature into a two-dimensional smear — and paste you right onto the wall.
Money? To Duke, it meant little.
As long as it served his purpose, no amount of wealth was beyond reach.
When the little sparrow — Taliyah — returned to the workshop, the moment she stepped through the door, she saw Duke coming out, dragging a broken, half-human form in one hand.
Seeing the resemblance between the figure and Varus, Taliyah instinctively stepped aside.
Without a word, Duke turned into the incineration room and threw the defective artificial body into the furnace.
Flames devoured it whole. When he emerged again, Duke's face was a mask of cold detachment as he reentered the laboratory.
His presence radiated a chilling, suffocating aura.
At that moment, Duke was the very embodiment of keep out — or die trying.
Neither Taliyah, nor Sivir, nor Kai'Sa dared to approach. After all, Duke had spent the entire afternoon tossing over thirty failed test subjects into the furnace.
Some of them, in Taliyah's eyes, had seemed perfect — flawless, even. Yet Duke destroyed them without hesitation.
To him, anything short of perfection was defective — and all defective things had only one destination: disposal.
Back in the lab, Duke glanced at the sample of Varus's blood and began a new cloning sequence.
He extracted the DNA, created an embryo, and placed it into a culture vessel. While the process catalyzed and developed, Duke meticulously recorded every step, refining his experimental notes.
In the corner, Varus stood silently, ready to provide more samples at a moment's notice. His expression, however, changed with every passing minute — from disdain, to curiosity, to outright horror.
He had watched Duke play with the creation of life as though it were nothing more than molding clay — effortless, precise, almost… divine.
"Still not right."
Duke frowned at the nearly formed body in the culture pod, then pressed the purge button.
Poison filled the chamber. The artificial being convulsed once, then went still. Duke retrieved the corpse and tossed it aside, his mind already running through the next sequence.
"To perfectly house a Darkin soul, I need a body with ideal compatibility. The Darkin can corrupt flesh with ease — seizing any host they desire."
"But the success of that possession depends entirely on their own strength. Varus, for instance — his power is weaker than Rhaast's, so he's constantly suppressed by those two human souls."
"Rhaast, on the other hand, is stronger — but even he's locked in an endless tug-of-war with Kayn for control."
"As for the one who's mastered Darkin corruption the best… that would be Aatrox."
"Madness makes him fearless — and fearlessness strips away limits. His magic has long since twisted into blood magic."
"He can reshape and fuse flesh at will."
"Reshape… and fuse?" Duke's eyes lit up, realization striking him like lightning.
He had been chasing the wrong path all along. His initial goal was to craft a body capable of perfectly hosting both Valmar and Kai — the two mortal souls inside Varus — in order to suppress the Darkin's madness.
But now he saw the flaw.
If their three souls already maintained a delicate equilibrium, then why break it?
What he needed wasn't a new balance — only a vessel strong enough to preserve the existing one.
A body that could naturally accommodate Varus and the two humans — maintaining harmony, while adding processing power in the form of dual consciousness.
And Duke already had an idea how to make it work.
"It's time to begin synthesis."
His eyes gleamed with fanatic excitement. "But I'll need more genetic samples. More species, more diversity — pure blood samples aren't enough anymore."
At that, Varus suddenly felt a chill crawl down his spine. He turned — and saw Duke staring at him with eyes that burned like cold fire.
There was passion there… but also something far more terrifying.
"Varus."
"…Yes?"
"Tell me…" Duke's voice dropped low, his grin spreading as he reached for a nearby bone saw.
"Have you ever heard of sectioning?"
The saw gleamed under the lab lights. Duke's smile turned mad.
——
Outside Vikora City, atop a sand dune.
A lone figure stood proud beneath the burning sky. His blue eyes shone like twin stars, though confusion and doubt filled their depths.
"Father told me to act independently," Pride muttered, gripping the Darkin halberd Tayanari tightly. "That's never happened before."
"Since my creation, I have lived to obey his every command. That is my purpose — my only law."
"But now… that law has changed."
Tayanari's voice echoed in his mind, weary yet wise, carrying the fatigue of one who had witnessed ages pass.
"Is that truly such a bad thing?"
"Yes!" Pride slammed the halberd into the sand. "It's terrible!"
"I was born to carry out my father's will!"
"And yet, now he grants you freedom," Tayanari replied softly. "The first step of self-reliance is always difficult. This is yours."
"Then what should I do?"
Frustration laced Pride's voice. There was no one beside him — no brothers, no friends.
The only one who could answer him… was the weapon in his hand.
"Do nothing," said Tayanari calmly. "When the time comes, you'll know which path to take."
"Useless riddles!"
Pride slammed his weapon down again, and the desert floor exploded in a cloud of golden dust.
"Time will reveal all, my friend," Tayanari murmured, his tone fading to a whisper. "For now, all I can do is share my knowledge — my experience — and guide you when I can."
A soft crunch sounded behind him.
Pride turned sharply — and saw a shadowed figure trudging through the sand toward him.
It walked upright like a man… but that was where the resemblance ended.
It was massive, hunched, its jaundiced eyes dull with madness. A crocodilian snout hung low as it sniffed the air for the scent of flesh.
Mottled green scales covered its body, its heavy tail dragging a long scar across the sand.
Its tarnished armor was caked with mud and grime, hiding what had once been gleaming gold and bronze.
"Who are you?"
Pride growled, lowering his halberd into a ready stance.
The creature answered not with words but by drawing a massive crescent blade-axe from its back — a weapon capable of cleaving through stone.
"Where… is… he?"
The crocodile-headed demigod's voice was guttural, raw with hatred.
"I can smell him on you!"
Renekton's nostrils flared. "You fought him — I can taste it in the air."
"The stench of Ascended magic clings to you like the dawn's first light."
"You fought him!" Renekton roared, his tail thrashing violently. "You fought my brother — the one who abandoned me!"
"I'll find him… tear out his heart… and rip his corpse to pieces!"
He bellowed into the desert sky, his voice shaking the dunes. "The sands called to me — the winds whispered his trail! Tell me where he is, or I'll tear you apart limb by limb!"
The crazed demigod's eyes blazed with confusion and fury. Pride's gaze narrowed, his patience fading fast.
"Reptile," he said coldly. "You should kneel… and look up to me."
"Kneel?" Renekton sneered. "I bow to nothing but the Sun — and even the Sun has forsaken me!"
"I have embraced the dark. I am the dark!"
"I am the Butcher of the Sands!"
"I am Renekton!"
With a deafening roar, he charged, crescent axe raised high.
"Tell me where he is!"
"Or die!"
Clang!
Pride met his strike head-on, halberd locked against axe. The impact sent shockwaves through the sand.
Renekton staggered backward under the counterforce, sliding several steps before regaining balance. Pride did not press the attack — instead, a smirk curved his lips.
"I told you, reptile. Kneel before me — and perhaps, I'll grant you mercy."
"Mercy?" Renekton's laugh was hollow and broken. "There's no such thing as mercy. Only lies, deceit, and betrayal."
"I… I heard them!" he howled, clutching his head. "But no one listened!"
"No one ever listens to Renekton!"
"NO ONE!"
Sand exploded beneath his feet, scattering like a storm of shrapnel.
With terrifying speed, Renekton vanished and reappeared before Pride, his crescent blade slashing wildly — the air itself shimmering under the force of his blows.
But Pride didn't retreat.
His eyes flashed crimson as he read the rhythm of Renekton's madness — the gaps between his attacks — and with a blur of motion, Pride's halberd shot forward like lightning.
The blade pierced Renekton's ribs, black blood spilling down in thick, tar-like streams.
"Reptile," Pride snarled, his breath steaming with heat, "you've chosen your own death."
"Then allow me to grant it to you."
End of chapter....
IRONBOUND PATRON
🔸 Arc Reactor Elite – 35 chapters + HIDDEN SURPRISES
👉 patreon.com/MrBehringer