Commander Raxis

Corbin stepped out into the early morning air, his breath visible in the cold. He had a mission, a purpose, and he was ready to begin.

He walked to the courtyard, where the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. There, in the quiet stillness of dawn, he began to train his Void Power.

For months, he had let his training slip, his mind and body focused on the tasks of gathering food and supplies for the survivors. But now, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, he knew that he needed to be at his peak. Corbin closed his eyes, his mind turning inward. He could feel the power within him, a deep well of darkness that threatened to consume him if he let it.

But Corbin was no novice. He had mastered his power long ago, learning to harness its destructive force for his own ends. Now, as he focused his mind, he could feel the power swirling within him, responding to his will.

Slowly, he began to shape the power, molding it into a weapon of destruction. The air around him began to shimmer, a wave of cold radiating outward from his body. The power within him grew stronger, darker, until it felt like a raging storm, threatening to consume him. But Corbin stood firm, his will unyielding.

He raised his hands, the air around him crackling with energy. Slowly, the power coalesced into a sphere of blackness, hovering above his palm.

He stared at the sphere, his gaze intense, his focus absolute. He was no longer a man, but a force of nature, a being of pure power. And as he stared at the sphere, he knew that he was ready. With a roar, Corbin thrust his hand forward, sending the sphere of power hurtling into the distance.

The sphere streaked across the sky, a comet of destruction, before slamming into the ground with a deafening explosion. The earth shook, the air ignited, and a crater erupted in the courtyard.

As the smoke cleared, Corbin stood amid the destruction, his eyes blazing with power.

"I am the Voidwalker," he whispered, the words a promise of things to come. "And I will not rest until the world is mine." Over the next few days, Corbin pushed himself harder than ever before, honing his skills and mastering his Void Power.

He spent hours in the courtyard, shaping his power into different forms and testing their destructive potential. There were the Void Bolts, bolts of dark energy that could tear through stone and steel; the Void Wave, a tsunami of darkness that could obliterate entire buildings; and the Void Armor, a shield of pure power that could repel even the most devastating of attacks.

But Corbin knew that these techniques were only the beginning. He needed to become more than a master of destruction. Corbin meditated in the darkness of his chambers, his mind focused on the secrets of the Void. And as he meditated, he felt a strange, tingling sensation, a flicker of power in the back of his mind.

It was subtle at first, like a whisper in the night, but as he focused on it, it grew stronger, more insistent.

And then, like a curtain being pulled aside, the secret revealed itself to him. He saw the threads of darkness, the strands of power that bound the universe together.

He understood, now, what he needed to do. With a shudder of excitement, Corbin focused his mind, manipulating the threads of darkness with precision.

Slowly, a dark orb began to form in front of him, a sphere of swirling darkness that seemed to devour the light around it.

"The Void Sphere," he whispered, his voice low and filled with awe. "A vortex of pure destruction, able to absorb and destroy even the most powerful of enemies."

Corbin reached out and grasped the sphere, his fingers digging into its cold, dark surface. As Corbin held the Void Sphere, he could feel its power coursing through his veins, a cold, dark energy that threatened to consume him.

But he was not afraid. He had mastered his power, tamed the darkness within him. He was the master of the Void, and he would use it to shape the world as he saw fit.

Slowly, he began to manipulate the sphere, shaping it into a weapon of destruction. He formed a handle, a grip that would allow him to wield the sphere with precision and power. Corbin gripped the Void Sphere tightly, the cold energy burning in his hand. And with a roar of defiance, he unleashed its power.

The sphere spun wildly, a swirling maelstrom of dark energy that ripped through the air. It tore through the courtyard, the walls, the very fabric of reality itself, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake.

"I am Corbin, the Voidwalker," he declared, his voice echoing through the ruins of the courtyard. "And I will be the ruler of this new world." As Corbin stood amidst the ruins of the courtyard, he felt a sudden chill in the air, a presence that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

He turned, his eyes narrowed, and saw a figure standing in the shadows, its features hidden in the darkness.

"Who are you?" Corbin demanded, his voice filled with authority and suspicion.

Slowly, the figure stepped forward, revealing itself to be an Etherkin, one of the enemies of his people.

Corbin's eyes widened in shock and rage. The Etherkin was a creature from nightmares, a twisted reflection of humanity. Its skin was pale and sickly, its eyes glowing with a malevolent light. It stood hunched, its body thin and wiry, its limbs seemingly too long for its frame.

But what struck Corbin most was the creature's face. It was a grotesque caricature of a human face, with a twisted, lipless mouth that seemed to grin hungrily.

And around its neck, like a macabre trophy, hung a necklace of human teeth.

Corbin stared at the Etherkin, his mind reeling with confusion and anger. How had it gotten here? And why had it come alone?

"What do you want?" Corbin demanded, his voice trembling with rage.

The Etherkin cocked its head to the side, its grin widening. "I come with an offer," it hissed, its voice like the rasping of dry bones. "A chance for you to join the Etherkin, and rule the world as one of us."

"My name is Raxis," the Etherkin said, its voice dripping with menace. "I am a commander of the Etherkin, and a loyal servant of the Ether God."

Raxis stepped forward, his movements slow and deliberate. "I have been watching you, Corbin," he continued, his voice low and grave. "I have seen your power, your potential. You are more than human as you have a domain. You are one of us."

Corbin's heart pounded in his chest, a mix of rage and fear coursing through him.

Corbin stared at the Etherkin, his mind reeling with confusion and anger. How had it gotten here? And why had it come alone?

"What do you want?" Corbin demanded, his voice trembling with rage.

The Etherkin cocked its head to the side, its grin widening. "I come with an offer," it hissed, its voice like the rasping of dry bones. "A chance for you to join the Etherkin, and rule the world as one of us."

"My name is Raxis," the Etherkin said, its voice dripping with menace. "I am a commander of the Etherkin, and a loyal servant of the Ether God."

Raxis stepped forward, his movements slow and deliberate. "I have been watching you, Corbin," he continued, his voice low and grave. "I have seen your power, your potential. You are more than human as you have a domain. You are one of us."

Corbin's heart pounded in his chest, a mix of rage and fear coursing through him. Corbin's gaze remained fixed on Raxis, his eyes flashing with defiance. "I will never join you," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "You are an abomination, a mockery of all that is good and right in this world."

Raxis cocked his head to the side, his grin widening. "Your anger is a weakness, Corbin," he hissed, his voice cold and calculating. "It will only blind you to the truth." Raxis's grin turned to a sneer as he looked down at Corbin. "You waste your time, Voidwalker," he spat, his voice dripping with contempt. "You think you can stand against us, against the power of the Ether God? You are only prolonging the inevitable."

He paused, his eyes narrowed in calculation. "But you are not without potential. If you would join us, if you would turn your power against your fellow humans, then perhaps you could be spared. Perhaps you could even rule alongside us." Raxis's grin turned to a sneer as he looked down at Corbin. "You waste your time, Voidwalker," he spat, his voice dripping with contempt. "You think you can stand against us, against the power of the Ether God? You are only prolonging the inevitable."

He paused, his eyes narrowed in calculation. "But you are not without potential. If you would join us, if you would turn your power against your fellow humans, then perhaps you could be spared. Perhaps you could even rule alongside us." Corbin glared at the Etherkin commander, his anger and disgust boiling over. "I would never join you," he snarled, his hands clenched into fists. "I will fight to the last breath to protect humanity."

Raxis laughed, a dry, hollow sound that seemed to echo throughout the ruins of the courtyard. "Then you will die, Voidwalker," he said, his voice cold and hard. "And your precious humans will die with you." Corbin's mind raced as he considered his options. He could attack Raxis now, and end the Etherkin's threat before it had a chance to spread. But even with his Void Power, he knew he would be no match for the Ether God.

Or he could retreat, regroup with the survivors, and come up with a plan to fight back against the Etherkin invasion. But how long would that take? How many lives would be lost in the meantime?

As he weighed his options, the Etherkin commander stepped forward, his eyes glittering with malice. Raxis reached out a slender hand, his fingers closing around Corbin's throat. "Choose quickly, Voidwalker," he hissed, his voice like ice. "Your time is running out."

Corbin choked, his hands reaching up to claw at Raxis's grip. But the Etherkin's strength was uncanny, his grip unbreakable.

"I—will—never—join—you!" Corbin gasped, his face turning red as he struggled to breathe. A portal opened behind Raxis, a swirling vortex of energy that seemed to tear the fabric of reality apart. From the portal emerged another Etherkin, its form sleek and ethereal.

"Wait, Raxis!" the Etherkin called out, its voice like a choir of voices in unison. "The human must be spared."

Raxis turned, his grip on Corbin's throat tightening.

"He is of interest to the Etherlords," the Etherkin continued, its voice insistent. "If he is killed now, it will cause great dissatisfaction."

Raxis growled, his grip on Corbin's throat relaxing slightly. "What would you have me do with him?" he demanded, his eyes blazing with hatred.

"Take him captive," the Etherkin replied, its voice soft and persuasive. "Bring him before the Etherlords. They will decide his fate."