Soul Chamber
On a living ringed planet, the elders are clones from the future. Kipling, a young dragon-like Bengali with amber eyes and dark robes, is denied his place and builds a weapon from the alchemist's notes — a greenish vial that dissolves skin on contact. When he throws it in the Council Hall, it doesn't kill the elders — it transforms an ancient, innocent, tragic wind spirit into a gaseous creature that can possess bodies after being trapped in the incinerator. The creature, defensive only — stone walls block bullets, vines grab attackers unconscious — allows itself to be captured to bargain for peace. It lets Kipling speak freely, a moment of trust. Kipling signals his army. The creature protects the elders. Then Kipling unleashes his second plan: a dark cloud of dissolved souls. The elders won't flee. He inhales them. His eyes turn black void. The mist pours from his pores. He laughs. He has become the Shadow Master — absorbing echoes of the real elders who still live in the future