Varkos

Varkos Draven is an Alterian War Magus recruited into Alen's alliance against the Grand Magi. Suspicious of the Dark Guild from the outset, he secretly supplies the Cerebus Guild with coalition intelligence in the belief that the Dark Guild threatens Alterian, and is exposed and killed by Harvey.

Biography

Alliance under suspicion

Varkos joins Raze Cromwell with a hundred soldiers loyal to his command and firsthand knowledge of what Raze's group accomplished at the Magical Exchange. His first concern is whether Raze actually controls the Dark Guild, since its practice of Dark Magic and reports of cruelty make cooperation dangerous. Raze's candid answer earns provisional acceptance, but Varkos continues to question missions that demand extermination and condemns the killing of surrendered enemies after the Glory Guild battle. (Chapters 1524–1533)

The coalition initially treats Varkos's caution as principled military scrutiny. He works beside Alen and Mordain, contributes his command to the joint campaign, and later gathers testimony and recordings exposing Cerebus experiments intended to produce undying Light-magic soldiers. At the same time, attacks are repeatedly anticipated, causing Raze and Harvey to suspect an internal leak. The corpus later reveals that Varkos's cooperation with Cerebus extended beyond investigation into a deliberate handover of allied movements. (Chapters 1533–1578)

Exposure, duel, and death

Harvey shadows Varkos and finds him privately warning a Cerebus operative that the coalition plans to follow fleeing members to Gizin. Varkos asks them to withdraw so he can report an empty target, arguing that the Dark Guild and Dark Magus threaten Alterian. When Harvey's force attacks his soldiers, Varkos sides openly with Cerebus, condemns Mordain's murder, and tries to kill Harvey so he can escape both the guild and the wider war. (Chapters 1578–1582)

Varkos fights with multiple affinities and tactical ingenuity but cannot overcome Harvey's Dark Puppet. He uses wind for mobility, combines earth and fire into concealed channels under the floor, and presses the attack despite recognizing that he is outmatched. Harvey's dark spears pierce his heart before Alen can intervene. Liam later confirms Harvey's account of the betrayal, and Raze concludes that Varkos likely disclosed the Dark Guild base, numbers, and defensive weaknesses as well as immediate mission plans. (Chapters 1581–1588)

Appearance and personality

Varkos is a stern man in his thirties with dirty-blond hair parted neatly down the middle. He wears a dark-grey military uniform and speaks in a measured manner during his introduction, presenting the controlled authority expected of a commander whose soldiers follow him personally. (Chapter 1524)

He is observant, methodical, and unwilling to grant trust merely because a larger enemy exists. Those traits support legitimate questions about atrocities, but fear ultimately turns caution into secret betrayal. Once exposed, Varkos places his survival above either side's success and rationalizes Cerebus cooperation as protection for Alterian, even though the intelligence he supplies could enable a devastating assault on former allies. (Chapters 1525, 1533, and 1579–1588)

Magic, cultivation, and abilities

As a War Magus, Varkos combines battlefield command with broad elemental skill. Wind magic propels him through the air, accelerates evasive movement, forms cutting vortexes, and creates a defensive cocoon. He also casts ice projectiles. Harvey counters the vortexes with his puppet's enlarged hands, melts the ice with fire, and turns Varkos's wind defense against him by feeding flames into the rotating air. (Chapters 1581–1582)

Varkos's most inventive attack combines earth and fire. With both hands on the floor, he carves small subterranean channels and drives focused flame through them so the jets emerge around Harvey from unexpected angles. Harvey blocks the openings with earth pillars and survives behind enchanted clothing and the Dark Puppet. The exchange shows Varkos's tactical experience, but also the stated limit of a commander accustomed to formation combat: alone against a dark prodigy, his defenses and endurance are insufficient. (Chapter 1582)

His noncombat capabilities include leading a hundred loyal military mages, collecting multi-guild testimony and video evidence, and coordinating covert contact. Those skills make his leak especially damaging because he knows deployment details and defensive organization. No power or recovery is shown after dark spears pierce his heart; his latest state is definitively deceased. (Chapters 1524, 1573, and 1582–1588)

Relationships

• Alen: Alen recruits and trusts Varkos, then attempts to save him and initially refuses to believe Harvey's accusation. Confirmed evidence of betrayal ends that certainty, though Varkos's death remains personally devastating.
• Mordain: The War Magi share command responsibilities and distrust of Dark Guild methods. Mordain's secret murder reinforces Varkos's claim that joining Cerebus was justified.
• Harvey: Harvey suspects Varkos, witnesses his Cerebus meeting, destroys his soldiers, and kills him in the ensuing duel. His accusation is later verified as true.
• Raze Cromwell: Varkos accepts Raze's power but doubts his control over the Dark Guild. By betraying the coalition, he turns that conditional alliance into a threat to Raze's entire Underside base.

Items

• Military blazer: Varkos's uniform includes protective clothing capable of absorbing part of a magical attack, but Harvey's Dark Pulse penetrates it and wounds his torso. Its formal grade and ultimate custody are not established. (Chapter 1581)
• Mission disguise mask: Varkos accepts an enchanted face-changing mask for the coalition's initial descent into the Underside. It is operation-issued equipment, with no evidence that he retains it as a personal artifact. (Chapter 1525)