Time moved in gentle waves across Earth—slow and healing, just as everyone had hoped. With the deities gone, with the universe restored, and with countless worlds finally freed from fear of extinction, peace became the new rhythm of existence. Though scars of the calamity remained, carved into history and etched into memory, they no longer bled. Instead, they served as reminders of a dark age conquered through sacrifice. And at the center of every story… Every documentary… Every piece of art… Every intergalactic historical record… One name shone brighter than all others: Gustav Crimson. The Outworldly. The Eternal Protector. The God Who Saved The Universe. Yet no statue, no tale, no monument could ever fully capture him. People spoke of Gustav with reverence and awe, from humans to alien civilizations to species once believed extinct. His feats transcended mortal heroism; they were mythic, divine. But even as his name echoed through generations, even as new mixedblood children grew up reciting poems about him, one truth never went away: The hero who saved the universe could not save his own. Years passed. Earth flourished more than ever. New mixedblood generations emerged stronger, smarter, and more diverse. Many inherited latent abilities influenced by the cosmic energies that had once ravaged the world. MBO academies expanded. Intergalactic alliances grew. Earth became a beacon of strength and innovation. In the advanced cities, children practiced their abilities in training arenas without fear. In rural towns, peace became so ordinary that some could hardly imagine what the previous era had been like. Earth was evolving even better than before. Reaching a new golden age. And all of it was made possible because of one man who wasn't here to see it. It was whispered in every corner of society: "Gustav is alive." "He's watching." "He'll protect us again if anything happens." "He is out there… somewhere." Some believed he had chosen to sit at the very edge of the universe, staring into the starless void where his own universe once existed... basking in sorrow, lingering in memory, guarding the emptiness as though waiting for something impossible to return. Others believed he wandered countless galaxies, watching civilizations from afar, stepping silently through planets like a ghost, never interfering, only observing. Some said he created a pocket dimension of his own... an eternal realm of stillness and silence where time could no longer wound him. But no one truly knew. Not even Endric, his little brother... Not even E.E, who shared bonds of friendship most people never dreamed of. Not even Falco, who could sense fluctuations across universes. Yet despite their uncertainty, they all believed one thing without hesitation: Gustav was watching over them. He would never let the universe fall again. He was still the protector of all things. ... ... The city never slept. Neon arteries ran through the skyline and skyscrapers stretched into the clouds with layered traffic lanes weaving between them like luminous veins. Hovercars zipped past each other at impossible speeds, guided by invisible lanes and anti-collision fields. Except for one. This one wasn't obeying anything. A matte-black hovercar tore through the air like a wounded animal with its engines screaming as it darted between buildings, narrowly avoiding automated freight drones and civilian traffic. Behind it, six MBO pursuit vehicles gave chase with blue sigils blazing beneath their chassis. What made the fleeing vehicle stand out wasn't just its reckless speed. It was the cube. A massive, blueish cube nearly three meters wide was being dragged behind the hovercar by glowing chains of condensed energy. The cube throbbed faintly with glowing symbols flickering across its surface as if reacting to the chaos around it. Inside the fleeing vehicle, three figures laughed. "Faster, faster!" one of them barked before slamming a clawed hand onto the console. Another with veins glowing faintly due to bloodline energy, grinned wildly. "They're panicking. You see that? That cube's worth more than this whole city." Behind them, an MBO officer shouted through open comms. "Unidentified vehicle, disengage immediately! You are transporting classified property of the Rion Corporation!" The response came in the form of fire. A burst of crimson plasma shot backward from the fleeing hovercar, twisting midair as bloodline manipulation bent its trajectory. One of the MBO vehicles swerved hard as shields were generated. "Hostile confirmed!" an officer yelled. "Engaging bloodline suppression protocols!" From the MBO vehicles, retaliatory attacks shot forth... telekinetic nets, lightning constructs, gravitic pulses. The sky lit up like a warzone. One of the criminals slammed his palm forward as his eyes emitted a silver glow. A portal tore open ahead of them. The hovercar plunged through. The city warped. They burst out thirteen kilometers away, ripping through an industrial district before the MBO vehicles could reorient. "HAHA!" the driver howled. "Did you see their faces?!" Another portal snapped open. Then another. Each jump was more reckless and unstable, tearing holes through regulated space lanes. Finally, there was silence. No pursuit. The city fell away behind them. The criminals leaned back, breathless and laughing. "Told you," one said smugly. "MBO's overhyped." They aligned the vehicle toward the final portal. This one was tuned to take them beyond city limits, beyond jurisdiction. The hovercar entered but stopped halfway. The portal distorted violently with sparks erupting as if space itself had hit a wall. "What the—?" They realized that an invisible force was holding them back and before they could react, the vehicle was yanked. The hovercar was ripped backward out of the portal like a fish caught on a line, spinning uncontrollably before freezing in midair. The cube behind it rattled violently as the chains clanked. Then the criminals suddenly felt a strange pressure. Their limbs locked and their bloodline energy stalled. The sky above them darkened slightly with a powerful presence. A figure descended slowly as if gravity itself had decided to cooperate. He wore a long, dark and flowing coat with its edges rippling. He had black, curly hair with a calm and composed handsome face. He seemed utterly unbothered by the chaos around him. His right hand was outstretched. The criminals screamed and attacked sending bolts of energy, blades of hardened bloodline constructs and shockwaves forward... However, all the attacks froze in mid air, hanging inches from the man's face as if stopped by a divine force.