Bab 7: 5. Stepping Into Chaos
The air buzzed with static, a low hum that crawled along Caelus's skin like the touch of a thousand invisible fingers. Each step he took felt heavier than the last, as if the ground beneath him was shifting, alive and unstable. The landscape around him writhed and twisted, jagged formations of rock and earth rising and falling without reason or pattern. It was as if the world itself was breaking apart, tearing at the seams.
This was chaos. Pure, unrelenting chaos.
Caelus moved cautiously, his senses on high alert. The ground beneath him felt strange, untrustworthy. Every step was a gamble, the earth trembling and shifting as if it could give way at any moment. The swirling mist that had clung to the edges of the previous reality had now thickened, wrapping around him like a suffocating fog. Shapes flickered at the edges of his vision, but when he turned to look, they vanished, leaving only a creeping sense of unease in their wake.
He knew he wasn't alone.
The presence he had felt earlier—the chaotic version of himself—was close. He could feel it in the air, a pulsing, erratic energy that made his skin prickle. The power emanating from this other Caelus was different from the earth-based version he had fought before. It was wild, unstable, like a storm barely contained, threatening to tear everything apart at the slightest provocation.
Caelus's pulse quickened, his muscles tensing as he pressed forward. He didn't know what to expect from this version of himself, but he knew one thing for certain—this wouldn't be a simple fight. Chaos was unpredictable, and so was this other Caelus.
The ground beneath him rumbled, and suddenly, without warning, it fractured. Caelus barely had time to react before a massive crack split the earth in front of him, the jagged edges of the chasm glowing with an eerie, otherworldly light. The ground trembled violently, and Caelus staggered, struggling to keep his balance as the landscape shifted beneath him.
From the swirling mist, the figure emerged.
Caelus's breath caught in his throat as he saw his own face staring back at him. But this version of himself was different—wild, untamed, with a madness in his eyes that sent a chill down Caelus's spine. His hair was disheveled, his clothes torn and covered in dust, and his expression was one of barely restrained rage.
"You finally made it," the chaotic Caelus said, his voice low and guttural. It was the same voice, but twisted—distorted by something deeper, something darker.
Caelus swallowed hard, his fists clenching at his sides. "Who are you?"
The chaotic version of himself grinned, a wild, unsettling smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm you, of course. But not the version of you that plays by the rules." He spread his arms wide, gesturing to the fractured, shifting world around them. "This is my domain. Chaos. And here, nothing makes sense. There are no rules. No order. Just power."
Caelus felt a knot tighten in his stomach. This was what he had feared. This version of himself—this chaotic, unpredictable force—was everything Caelus had tried to avoid. It was the manifestation of the part of him that thrived on instability, that fed off the destruction of everything around him.
And now, he had to face it.
"What do you want?" Caelus asked, his voice steady despite the rising tension in his chest.
The chaotic Caelus's smile widened. "I want the same thing you want. Power. Control. But unlike you, I don't care about the consequences. I don't care about what I lose along the way. Because in the end, it's all about survival."
Caelus took a step forward, his jaw clenched. "Survival? This isn't survival. This is madness."
"Madness?" The chaotic Caelus laughed, a sharp, jagged sound that echoed through the fractured landscape. "Maybe. But madness is the only way to survive here. Order is an illusion. Control is a lie. In chaos, there is freedom."
Caelus shook his head, his heart pounding in his chest. He could feel the pull of the chaotic energy around him, the seductive promise of freedom from rules, from restraint. But he couldn't give in to it. He wouldn't let himself be consumed by the madness that had overtaken this version of himself.
"I'm not like you," Caelus said, his voice firm. "I won't let chaos control me."
The chaotic Caelus's grin faded, replaced by a cold, calculating expression. "We'll see about that."
Without warning, the ground beneath Caelus erupted.
Jagged spikes of stone and earth shot up from the ground, twisting and warping as they hurtled toward him. Caelus dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack as the spikes slammed into the ground where he had stood moments before. He rolled to his feet, his heart racing as the chaotic Caelus advanced, the ground shifting and cracking with every step he took.
"Come on!" the chaotic version of himself shouted, his eyes gleaming with wild energy. "Let's see what you've got!"
Caelus's mind raced as he tried to anticipate the next attack, but the nature of chaos made it impossible. There was no pattern, no logic to the way his alternate self moved or attacked. It was pure, unbridled destruction, and Caelus was struggling to keep up.
The ground rumbled again, and this time, it split open beneath him. Caelus jumped back just in time, narrowly avoiding being swallowed by the chasm that yawned beneath his feet. His breathing was ragged, his body tense with the effort of staying one step ahead of the chaos, but he couldn't afford to let his guard down. Not for a second.
"I can feel it," the chaotic Caelus said, his voice low and taunting. "You're holding back. You're afraid to let go, afraid to lose control. But that's the only way to survive here. You have to give in to the chaos."
Caelus's fists clenched at his sides. "I won't," he growled. "I won't become like you."
The chaotic Caelus's smile twisted into a sneer. "You already are."
With a roar, the chaotic Caelus slammed his fist into the ground, and the earth responded with a violent tremor. Massive shards of stone and debris shot up from the ground, spinning wildly through the air as they hurtled toward Caelus. He ducked and weaved, narrowly avoiding the barrage, but he knew he couldn't keep this up forever. The chaotic energy was overwhelming, and every attack seemed to grow stronger, more unpredictable.
Caelus's mind raced. He couldn't beat this version of himself with brute force alone. Chaos didn't follow the same rules. He needed to think differently, to find a way to turn the chaos against itself.
And then, in a flash of clarity, it hit him.
The chaos thrived on unpredictability, on destruction without consequence. But what if Caelus could use that to his advantage? What if, instead of fighting against the chaos, he embraced it—on his own terms?
His heart pounded in his chest as he steadied his breathing, focusing on the connection to the earth beneath his feet. The power was there, just as it had been before, but this time, he didn't try to control it. Instead, he let it flow through him, allowing the energy to course through his body like a river.
The ground trembled beneath him, but this time, it didn't feel like a threat. It felt like an extension of himself, like the earth was waiting for his command.
The chaotic Caelus saw the change and faltered, his sneer fading into uncertainty. "What are you doing?"
Caelus didn't answer. Instead, he raised his hand, and the ground beneath both of them began to shift, the chaos feeding into the very earth they stood on. But this time, it wasn't wild and uncontrolled. It was directed.
With a single, focused thought, Caelus willed the earth to rise, and it did—spires of stone shooting up from the ground, surrounding his chaotic counterpart in a cage of twisting rock and debris. The chaotic Caelus's eyes widened in shock as the earth closed in around him, trapping him in his own domain.
"No!" the chaotic version of himself shouted, his voice filled with desperation. "You can't control chaos! It will consume you!"
Caelus's gaze hardened, his voice steady as he spoke. "I'm not controlling it. I'm letting it be."
With that, the chaotic Caelus's cries were drowned out by the rumble of the earth, the cage closing in until only silence remained.
Caelus stood there, his breath coming in slow, ragged gasps. The battle was over, but the weight of the victory settled over him like a heavy cloak. The power of chaos still lingered in the air, but it no longer felt like an enemy. It was part of the world, part of the Tesseract—and now, part of him.
He had survived.
But at what cost?
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone