The Chains of Dominion
1. The Storm Over Nova Scotia
Nathan's breath fogged in the frigid coastal air as he knelt beside the captured Guardian. The runic chains around the man's wrists pulsed faintly, radiating an energy that felt wrong—not natural qi, but something manufactured.
The sky above them was a deep, brooding gray, the clouds thick with tension. The air itself felt heavier, like the ley lines beneath the earth were suffocating.
"They're closing in," the Guardian muttered, flexing his fingers against the chains. "You feel it?"
Nathan did.
A storm was coming—one that wasn't made of wind or rain, but steel, bullets, and power.
In the distance, down the sloping streets of the abandoned fishing village, military transports moved like shadows against the dawn mist. The government forces that had taken this place weren't just securing it.
They were hunting.
Nathan turned his gaze back to the Guardian. "You said they took the villagers. Where?"
The man exhaled sharply. "They set up a facility inland. Close to one of the ley line convergence points." He rolled his shoulders. "They're not just holding people. They're… experimenting."
Nathan's fists clenched. "On what?"
The Guardian met his eyes. "On us."
2. The Tyrant's Gambit
Far away, in a steel-walled chamber beneath the Pentagon, General Marcus Caldwell stood before a containment pod.
Inside, suspended in a fluid that shimmered with spiritual energy, was a man—or rather, what was left of one. His skin had the color of burned parchment, his veins dark with unnatural power. His eyes, even through the liquid, were open, watching.
Caldwell turned to the scientist beside him. "Status?"
The woman adjusted her glasses. "Subject is in a suspended state, but the energy levels within his cells continue to rise. The longer he is exposed to ambient ley line activity, the stronger he becomes."
Caldwell studied the pod. "And the suppression seals?"
She hesitated. "Holding… for now."
The general exhaled. "We can't afford 'for now.' I need certainty."
"With all due respect, General, certainty doesn't exist anymore." She gestured toward a second monitor, where live footage showed soldiers training against targets enhanced by spiritual qi. Some of them moved with unnatural speed, some could take bullets without bleeding. "This power is spreading faster than we can contain it. If we don't move aggressively, the world will pass us by."
Caldwell nodded. "Then we move."
He turned back to the pod, watching the thing inside as its fingers twitched against the glass.
"Let's see what you can really do."
3. The Guardian's Escape
Back in Nova Scotia, the first gunshot rang out.
Nathan barely had time to react before the village exploded into motion.
Helicopters roared overhead, their spotlights sweeping through the abandoned streets. Soldiers in armored exosuits moved in tight formations, weapons drawn, their barrels glowing with qi-infused rounds.
"We need to move!" Nathan shouted.
The Guardian gave a wry smile. "You think?"
Nathan didn't have time to argue. He thrust his hands forward, summoning the power of the mountain, and the earth responded.
The ground ruptured, sending a shockwave through the street. Soldiers staggered as cracks snaked toward them, the pavement splitting apart beneath their feet.
The Guardian ripped his arms forward, straining against the chains. His body trembled as he channeled what little energy he could still access, weakening the runes just enough—
Nathan slammed his palm against the metal. Stone met steel. The runes flickered—then shattered.
The Guardian grinned.
"Now we fight."
4. The Price of Power
Nathan had seen battles before. But this?
This was something else.
The Guardian moved like a storm unleashed, his presence like an open floodgate of raw, unrestrained qi. The soldiers tried to contain him, but how do you contain a hurricane?
A fist to the air sent shockwaves through their ranks, sending armored bodies tumbling. Nathan saw a squad of riflemen freeze in place, their movements locked in some unseen force—before they were hurled backwards like dolls in a tornado.
Nathan himself called upon the mountain, summoning walls of stone to block sniper fire, deflecting bullets as if the earth itself had turned against its invaders.
For a moment, it seemed like they might win.
Then the reinforcements arrived.
Qi-powered exosuits.
Nathan barely had time to react before the first shock round hit him, sending pain lancing through his chest. The Guardian stumbled as well, his movements suddenly slower, as if something was draining him.
Nathan pushed himself to his feet. "They've got dampeners!"
The Guardian cursed. "These bastards really came prepared."
The lead soldier—a towering figure in an experimental enhanced combat suit—stepped forward. His voice crackled through his helmet's speakers.
"Nathan. Surrender."
Nathan froze.
He knew that voice.
His stomach twisted.
"Captain Decker?"
The man in the suit hesitated. "You should've stayed out of this, kid."
Nathan's fingers tightened into fists.
"Not a chance."
5. Gorampa's Warning
Back in Tibet, Gorampa felt the chains break.
He had been meditating, his mind focused on the shifting ley lines, when the disruption tore through him like a lightning bolt.
His eyes snapped open.
"Damn it, Nathan."
He turned to the other monks gathered around him. "They're making their move."
One of the younger disciples swallowed. "Who?"
Gorampa rose. "The world governments. The ones who think they can own power itself."
The monks exchanged uneasy glances. "Then what do we do?"
Gorampa took a deep breath.
"We find the remaining Guardians before they do."
6. The Eclipse Queen Watches
In the void, far beyond the sight of mortals, the Eclipse Queen observed.
Her throne sat in the heart of her shadowed dominion, her presence a hole in reality that even the light dared not touch.
She had watched the world struggle. Watched humans cling to power they did not understand. Watched their arrogance grow.
And now?
They had ensnared themselves in their own ambitions.
The Guardians, once a force of unity, were divided, hunted, afraid.
The governments, desperate to keep control, would accelerate their own destruction.
And the Nexus, the fragile balance between past and present, would not hold.
She smiled.
"It is almost time."
She rose, her form shifting like liquid void.
"Prepare the next phase."
A figure cloaked in shadow bowed before her.
"Shall we attack?"
The Queen tilted her head. "No."
Her smile widened.
"Let them destroy themselves first."
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