I shrugged, unbothered. “Claim? No. That's a fact. You are what we made you to be. Strong, disciplined, hungry. But even you cannotfight 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’veheardof 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 jawtightened, 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 aboutspoils. 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 throughmy 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.
