Chapter 32: The lord of host

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Lord of Hosts

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Cars sped down the EL roads, their tires glowing blue as they cut through the neon-drenched night. Holographic avatars floated above the streets, and neon signboards hung from every building, bathing Kley's District in a constant pulse of pink, blue, and purple light. The district was alive—traffic humming, crowds moving, the city breathing.

But on Calvin's street, the wind had gone still.

Footsteps approached his door. Slow. Deliberate.

The bell rang.

Calvin rose from his crouch, his body tense. The AI home assistant's voice cut through the silence, flat and neutral.

"Miss Tracy is at the door."

Calvin's forehead beaded with sweat. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, took a breath, and moved to the door. He opened it slowly.

Tracy stood on the doorstep, her hands folded, her yellow slicked-back hair moving with the wind. Her face was blank, but her eyes were calculating—sharp and cold.

"T-Tracy?" Calvin stammered. "Why did you come here today?"

Tracy stared at him for a long moment. "Where is he?"

"Wh-Who?"

Calvin's face reddened. Tracy pushed past him, stepping inside. The door clicked shut behind her.

"Hey, you can't just barge in here like that!"

Tracy ignored him, walking toward the hallway. Her steps were measured, her senses reaching out. She could feel it—heavy, flowing energy radiating from the room ahead.

"Wait! Tracy! Tracy!"

Calvin ran after her, desperate. He threw a blow—wild, uncoordinated.

Tracy dodged with effortless efficiency. Her hand shot out, grabbed his arm, and flung him against the wall.

BOOM!

A blinding yellow light wrapped around Calvin, pinning him in place. He struggled, but the restraint held.

"Tracy, please," he begged, his voice cracking. "Please don't do anything to him."

Tracy opened the door.

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The room beyond was drained of color—black and white, like an old photograph. Only Keith and his headset remained normal, untouched by the monochrome. He sat on his bed, head bent low, unmoving. The headset pumped thrumming music into his ears.

"Keith," Tracy called.

No answer.

She stepped closer. "Keith."

Silence.

"It's useless," Calvin said, his voice hollow. "Ever since Keith came back, he's been like this. I can't wake him up."

Tracy studied Keith's still form. Her expression didn't change, but something flickered behind her eyes.

"His soul is battling the Cosmic Class beast," she said. "He's still alive because he's an Archivist. But our limit is Elemental Class beasts. Keith won't hold on much longer."

She paused.

"The Blood Moon entity will destroy his soul soon. And once it does, we'll have a new Keith. Same body. Same memories. But a new soul."

Calvin's eyes widened. "No. No, no, no. I can't let Keith die. I won't."

He screamed, his voice raw with desperation. "Keith! Wake up!"

No response.

"It's no use." Tracy's voice was flat. "He'll die eventually."

Calvin fell silent. The words hung in the air like smoke, hitting him like a slap.

"It's better we kill him now," Tracy said. "This needs to be handled by Percy and the elite hunters."

She turned to look at Keith. For a moment, her cold facade cracked. Her conscience shifted. Something inside her broke, and she let out a low sigh.

"Tracy," Calvin whispered, his voice broken. "You won't kill Keith, right?"

"I don't want to," Tracy said, her hands in her pockets. "But I would if I had to. He's a potential threat."

Her breath misted in the cold air.

"If Keith's soul dies, your brother won't be alive anymore. His body will remain. But he won't be him." She paused. "The entity did well choosing someone like Keith. His body can handle its power—even if his soul is gone."

Calvin's face went pale.

"But there is a slim chance."

His eyes widened.

"That requires Kael. Not really him, though. The thing inside him. The Lord of Hosts."

Calvin staggered, his legs giving out. He fell to the ground. Tracy's restraint had vanished.

"What?"

"Archivists can sense when a being is different," Tracy said. "Especially those who are Elemental or Cosmic Class."

She turned to look at him, her expression hard.

"You haven't unlocked your bloodline yet. So you wouldn't know."

She faced the window, staring at the neon-drenched city.

"That day I looked into Kael's eyes, I knew he was hosting something. Not Cosmic Class. Not a god. Something older than the colonies."

Calvin's eyes trembled.

"I have to go get Kael," Tracy said. "He's our only hope. But like I said—it's a slim chance. And it depends on whether that thing is willing to help."

Calvin's mouth fell open. His eyes were wide with horror.

What is going on?

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The wind moved wrong on Silt Mountain.

Birds chirped everywhere, their calls scattered and strange. Tiny insects crawled across the ground—deadly enough to inflate poison in a normal human. Faint voices echoed, blurry and unclear.

Kael groaned. He blinked, his vision swimming.

He was still in the same spot, his armor covering his body. But now, two people stood over him, staring down.

"You." His voice was croaked, raw. "How did you find me? Are you trailing me?"

"Hey, so you're that guy, huh?"

Gina bent down, studying his armored form. Kael immediately dismissed the armor, the black scales receding into his skin.

"Geez, it's you." She straightened. "I didn't follow you. We just stumbled over an armored knight. Did our best to lift you, but the armor had an invisible weight. Kept you pinned to the ground."

Kael's mind raced.

The armor. Nothing can lift me if I'm covered in it while asleep.

He looked up at Gina, then at the man beside her. Connie hissed, his displeasure evident as he turned away, avoiding the conversation entirely.

Kael forced himself upright, his body still heavy with exhaustion.

And somewhere deep inside him, he felt it.

Crucify was watching.

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End of Chapter Thirty-Two.