Author's Note: Unedited Chapter ------------------------- "Angy, fight this! Don't let this ugly bastard pull your strings like a damn puppet," he called out to her, hoping to reach the part of her that still remembered who she was, who they were to each other. Angy's gaze met his for a fleeting moment, a spark of recognition flickering in her eyes before being extinguished as if snuffed out by the overwhelming darkness that surrounded them. Gustav's heart ached at the sight, a tumult of emotions raging within him as he struggled against the enveloping darkness that sought to claim him and the others. Not long after, Endric, Aildris, and Gustav started showing signs of a terrifying transformation. They then realized that the longer they stayed trapped in the sinister embrace of the dark matter, the more they were going to transform. As time went by, their figures started to darken, an ominous indication that their existence was slowly merging with the dimension. Despair clawed at Gustav as he witnessed the gradual fading of Endric and Aildris, their identities being swallowed by the relentless darkness. However, unlike them, Gustav's body resisted the darkening effect. And although his physical form remained unaltered, he found himself ensnared, unable to break free from the dark clutches that held him captive. Desperation set in as he reached deep within himself, attempting to awaken the slumbering force of Cosmic Superiority. The power, a rare and formidable force, lay dormant, stubbornly eluding his grasp when he needed it most. Endric also tried calling upon Husarius but their link seemed to have been disconnected upon his arrival in that plane. Time was a luxury they did not have, as Endric and Aildris teetered on the brink of complete integration with the dimension. Frustration mounted within Gustav as he realized the grim fate awaiting them if he failed to act. In a final, desperate plea, he yelled at the dark being, "Free them or I swear I'll erase you from existence!" His voice, laden with a mix of threats and despair, echoed through the dimension, a feeble challenge to the overwhelming power before them. The being, shrouded in darkness, responded with a laugh that chilled the air around them, his robes rippling as if amused by Gustav's futile defiance. "Like I told you earlier, you have no power here," he taunted, his voice a sinister whisper that seemed to emanate from the darkness. Fwwwhoopp~ Just as all hope seemed lost, a new figure emerged within the realm, cutting through the oppressive atmosphere with an aura of unbridled power. "What are you doing here?!" Gustav yelled after spotting the newly arrived figure. Falco's arrival was marked by a surge of energy that rippled across the dimension. After making contact with Aildris and Endric, a miraculous transformation occurred. Their bodies, which had started to succumb to the darkness, reverted to their original colour, the ominous integration halted by Falco's intervention. The dark being moved to intercept him, his robes billowing menacingly as he prepared to exert his control. However, Falco's voice, commanding and resolute, stopped him in his tracks. "Amir, as your next Exur, I command you to stop!" The authority in his words was undeniable, imbued with a power that even Amir, could not ignore. The realm fell silent for a moment, the tension palpable as the balance of power shifted. Falco seized the opportunity, his actions swift and decisive. He grabbed Gustav, Aildris, and Endric, pulling them out of the dark matter's grasp with an ease that belied the gravity of their situation. Without a moment's hesitation, he vanished with them, leaving the surroundings behind. Angy and the being named Amir remained. "Why did I...?" Amir was astonished at how Falco had managed to leave him momentarily short of words. He realized that Falco was much more powerful than they had anticipated. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢 "My Lord would have my head..." .... Falco, Gustav, Endric, and Aildris emerged from the rift, reappearing on the desolate terrain beside the ancient monolith. Their arrival was not marked by the triumphant air of victors but rather enveloped in a palpable cloud of regret and sorrow. The atmosphere was thick, heavy with the weight of what had transpired in the other plane and the haunting absence of one of their own. Ria, who had been waiting anxiously, rushed towards them, his eyes scanning their faces for any sign of Angy. The question hung in the air, unspoken yet deafening in its silence. "Where's Angy?" He finally asked with a fragile whisper. Gustav simply shook his head, a silent gesture that conveyed the depth of their failure. He walked away from the group, finding solace in the solitude of his thoughts as he sat on the barren ground, his posture one of utter dejection. Aildris, his expression sombre, took it upon himself to recount their harrowing experience. He spoke of how they had come tantalizingly close to rescuing Angy, only to be thwarted by an overwhelming darkness and a being named Amir. He explained how their existence had almost been integrated into the dimension, their fate sealed if not for Falco's timely intervention. Caught in a maelstrom of emotions, Gustav's frustration and sorrow manifested in a burst of anger directed at Falco. "Why didn't you get Angy too?" he demanded, his voice laced with a mix of accusation and desperation. Falco, unfazed by the outburst, responded with a calmness that seemed out of place amidst the turmoil. "I wanted to, more than anything..." he said, his voice carrying the weight of unspoken pain. "...But we had to leave immediately. If my father had intervened, none of us would have made it back. Amir could only be incapacitated by my command for a moment, and I... I haven't fully embraced my transition. It was all I could do." His words hung in the air, a sobering reminder of the delicate balance of power and the sacrifices made in the face of insurmountable odds. As the group grappled with their emotions, the reality of their situation settling heavy on their shoulders, the monolith began to pulse, a prelude to the closing of the rifts. It was their cue, the final moments before the pathways between dimensions sealed permanently, a bitter reminder of their loss and the price of their journey. Suddenly, the air shifted, a tangible change that drew their attention back to the monolith. The rifts, supposed to be closing, began to ripple, pulsating with an energy that was both unfamiliar and intense. The fabric of space seemed to warp around the monolith, the boundaries between planes blurring as an unforeseen force exerted its will upon the natural order. "What's happening?" Ria asked, his voice a mix of trepidation and awe he stepped backwards. "I don't know, but it's not supposed to be like this," Endric replied, his gaze fixed on the monolith, trying to decipher the cause of the anomaly. As they watched, the rifts expanded, the pulsating energy growing in intensity, threatening to engulf the monolith and everything around it. It was a spectacle that defied explanation, a phenomenon that hinted at forces beyond their understanding at play. The group stood in silence, their minds racing as they tried to comprehend the unfolding events. "Someone... something is trying to get through!" Gustav voiced in realization. "But they can't, right? You said it yourself that they can't get out here..." Aildris voiced in bafflement. "Yes... they shouldn't be able to, but..." Gustav's tone grew troubled. "The person on the other end is exerting a lot of power and preventing the rift from closing because they are trying to push their way through... It should be impossible to even stall it for a second but this person must be very powerful. I'm talking power that could pretty much end galaxies with as little as a snort..." Endric voiced while gulping saliva. "It has to be father..." Falco voiced in horror. As the rifts around the ancient monolith vibrated with an unnatural frequency, the air around them began to tremble, heralding the onset of a catastrophic event. From the depths of the shimmering rifts, a dark mist emerged, creeping across the barren landscape like a living entity with a malevolent will of its own. It was no ordinary fog but a harbinger of decay, an ethereal force that seemed to leech the essence of life and time from everything it touched. The desolate planet, already a stark canvas of desiccation, began to tremble under the influence of the otherworldly phenomenon. Cracks spread across the planet like spider webs, each fissure pulsing with the same eerie energy emanating from the rifts. The ground beneath their feet heaved as if the planet itself was in its death throes, reacting to the invasive mist with violent convulsions. As the mist advanced, the surrounding rocks and remnants of once-mighty structures began to change. They turned darker, their surfaces cracking and crumbling as if subjected to the relentless passage of millennia within moments. It was as though the mist carried the weight of untold ages within it, a force capable of condensing aeons of decay and decline into mere seconds. Gustav, Falco, Endric, Aildris, and Ria watched in horror as the landscape around them was consumed by the relentless advance of darkness and time. "We can't stay here," Gustav stated, his voice barely audible over the groaning of the planet. ###############