In Taeo City, the barrier strains under the onslaught, cracking ominously as darkness begins to seep through like ink into water. Panic spreads through the streets as citizens scatter, eyes wide with fear. Suddenly, a hole tears open in the top of the barrier, and a torrent of darkness pours in like liquid shadow, cascading toward the city below.
Gilga swoops in with his mecha, unleashing a storm of shimmering data pixels that collide with the encroaching darkness, pushing it back. Still, a few droplets of the corrupting blackness hit the streets, transforming into grotesque creatures shaped from people's deepest fears.
Stars rush to defend the city, but each time their weapons strike, their bodies singe and corrupt, a burning infection from the darkness. The monstrous forms consume civilians and Stars alike, dissolving them into the shadows with a horrifying hiss.
Just when it seems the city may fall, a portal opens, and Taeo steps through, his aura blazing. He summons Huego, who erupts like a miniature sun, scattering brilliant streams of light and data. Huego's energy floods the city, vaporizing the dark monsters, strengthening the barrier, and bathing the streets in radiant, sunlike power. Darkness is forced back, retreating nearly a thousand feet, its advance halted.
As Huego's core collapses, its brilliance condenses into Taeo's palm, fading into a faint glow. He whispers, "Well done, little one."
Gilga lands beside him, scanning the streets. "City secured," he says. Another portal opens as Cyan Spark workers, Star workers, and diggers rushing into the city streets.
Yuri is the last to emerge. He spins around, heart sinking as he sees the portal closing behind him.
"What?! They didn't make it?!" His voice cracks, panic giving way to horror.
"Lady Gaia! Ortis! Hopper! Rose! NO!!!!"
Gilga frowns, his mecha shifting slightly. "What is Gaia's current status?"
Taeo shakes his head, jaw tight, eyes shadowed. "We've lost connection to her."
Yuri falls to his knees, tears streaking his face with the feeling of regret.
In the ruined dungeon, Gaia remains trapped inside her mecha suit. The only light comes from her dim interior display, while outside, waves of darkness swirl endlessly, choking the chamber. She tries to move, but the darkness is too thick, pressing in like liquid stone.
A thin crack hisses inside her suit. A small leak of darkness slips through, touching her cheek. Her right eye turns pitch-black, and instantly, her worst fears take shape.
Before her, she sees Dustin falling into the abyss, swallowed by shadows.
"Dustin!" Gaia reaches for him, but he vanishes into the black void. A faint light shines above her, and she stretches toward it—but the darkness surges, swallowing her whole.
The deeper she sinks, the more visions haunt her. Her mother. Ortis. Rose. Yuri. Hopper. Dustin again. All of them drown in the endless dark, their bodies collapsing into nothingness.
Gaia screams, her voice breaking: "No! I can't… I don't want to die without living my best life with all of you!"
Her eyes snap open. Reality floods back as the robotic dragon core embedded in her chest ignites, shining with fierce light. The brilliance surges outward, pushing the suffocating darkness back at least six feet.
Gaia staggers to her feet, panting. The darkness vents out of her cracked armor, spilling into the void. From that spreading shadow, a humanoid shape begins to form.
It takes on the outline of someone familiar. Dustin.
Gaia's breath catches. "Dustin…?"
The figure raises its head. Its eyes snap open—pure white voids—and its jaw stretches unnaturally wide, lined with fangs made of shadow. With a monstrous roar, Dark Dustin lunges, forcing against the blue light pouring from Gaia's chest.
Gaia braces herself, heart aching. "I'm sorry, Dustin… I couldn't save you that day. I wish you were still here… but I'll win the Star Games. I'll bring you back, I swear!"
Dark Dustin snarls, pushing closer, but then—behind him—shafts of radiant light pierce the fog. The beams widen, searing through his body until he burns away, dissolving into ash.
Gaia shields her eyes from the glare.
"Lady Gaia!"
Her head snaps up. Hopper is rushing toward her, Ortis slung across his shoulder.
"Hopper! Ortis!" She throws her arms around them, pulling them close. Relief crashes through her chest like a wave.
Then she sees it—the true source of the light. Behind them, standing tall, Rose emerges, her entire body bathed in a blazing golden aura. Golden flames radiate continuously from her form, illuminating the chamber.
Rose smiles and waves casually. "I bet you're glad to have me on your side."
Gaia's lips tremble. Tears blur her vision as she rushes over and hugs Rose tightly, holding her as if she'll never let go.
Gaia leans against Rose's shoulder, her voice trembling.
"I really thought I lost you all…"
Rose pats her back gently, her tone calm but firm.
"Have no fear. The bonds you've built are paying off. I now carry the hope of these people—the hope gathered by the ones who lived here… the hope that their King would save them."
Gaia steps back slightly, her eyes widening as she sees it—the bright, golden flame burning out of Rose's chest, radiant and alive, flickering like an unyielding sun, the beacon of hope, the power of light.
Meanwhile, in the energy realm, darkness churns endlessly, swallowing nearly everything. Only faint sparks of light remain scattered through the void. One of them drifts closer—Nox. The Storm Dragon's core hovers around him, its glow weak, pushing the darkness back no more than four feet.
He trudges forward, scanning the abyss, until another light flickers ahead. Kneeling within it is Lars, the Power Dragon's core glowing faintly around him, barely fending off the encroaching shadows.
Lars coughs, his voice hoarse.
"Come back here… we're not done yet…"
Nox narrows his eyes but doesn't stop.
"I have to get out of here. The orbs won't hold this darkness for long."
A thought sparks. He thrusts his hands outward, pulling every resource his fallen golems had collected. Dirt, minerals, shattered stone, and the rich ores—he fuses them with the Storm Dragon's orb, forming a larger, denser core. It flares brighter, shoving the shadows back nearly ten feet.
"This is all I can gather here," Nox mutters. "The rest is at base. My golems should be reinforcing the village with this light too. I need to find the others…"
A low growl rumbles through the void. Nox freezes as a figure emerges from the black tide—the King. His body is nearly swallowed in darkness, only faint streaks of green light leaking through cracks in his form. His eyes glow with corruption.
Nox notices it: a dim yellow light pulsing faintly from the King's chest. Before he can focus, the King lunges, swinging a blade forged from pure darkness. Nox barely dodges as the attack cuts through his orb's glow, the pressure suffocating.
"I can't fight here," Nox hisses. His eyes dart around desperately. "Where are you, Kayle…?"
Elsewhere…
Ignis lies sprawled across the ground, Boa limp at his side. Above them, the Blaze Dragon's core hovers, its radiant glow forming a fragile barrier, just barely holding the darkness back.
Ignis's eyelids flutter open. His vision is blurred, his body weak, but his eyes lock onto the orb above. A desperate fire stirs in his chest.
His hand trembles upward.
"I need it… I need the power… the power to save them!"
The core responds, descending as if hearing his plea. It melts into his chest, fusing with his soul.
A surge of heat erupts from within him—orange flames bursting to life, brighter than ever before. The fire sweeps outward in a violent wave, burning through the suffocating shadows and pushing the darkness back even farther.
Ignis rises slowly, his body wreathed in orange fire, his eyes blazing like molten embers.
He presses through the dark, his flames burning bright as he carries Boa on his back. His fire keeps the shadows at bay. Ahead, he spots Vel—her body half-consumed by darkness, writhing in silent agony.
"Hold on!" Ignis growls.
He pours his power into his flames, shifting them to a blazing orange. The fire seeps into Vel, flushing the darkness from her veins. She gasps violently, coughing as black wisps spew from her mouth and scatter into the void.
The expelled corruption gathers, twisting into grotesque dark zombies that lunge at them. Vel screams as Ignis bellows, releasing a wave of fire that incinerates the horde.
Vel staggers upright, trembling.
"I thought I was done for… thanks a lot…"
Ignis smirks, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Anything for a beautiful woman like you. But we still need to find the others."
A voice of struggle then interrupts them. Jen writhes nearby, the darkness crawling into her mouth, eyes, and ears like living worms. Ignis charges, flames roaring to life. He engulfs her in searing orange fire—not to burn her, but to purge. The darkness screams as black vines erupt from her body, slithering out like snakes.
Jen gasps for air, but her relief is short-lived. The darkness condenses, forming a twisted copy of Boa. Dark Boa emerges, wielding a jagged blade, countless shadow-arms stretching grotesquely from his torso.
"Boa!" Jen cries, terrified, reaching out instinctively.
Ignis plants his feet, his flames flaring hotter.
"It's not real!" he roars, blasting Dark Boa apart in a storm of fire. "I'm carrying the real Boa right here!"
Jen's gaze shifts to the unconscious Boa slumped over Ignis's shoulder. Her panic eases, replaced by determination. She steps forward, arms out.
"I'll carry him. Let's go find Crank."
They continue through the oppressive void until they find Crank. His body is almost entirely wrapped in shadows, his face pale beneath the dark corruption.
Ignis wastes no time. His orange flames roar to life, washing over Crank and forcing the darkness to peel away in smoking wisps. But some of it clings stubbornly, refusing to leave.
Ignis frowns, sweat running down his face.
"Why isn't it going away?"
Jen kneels beside Crank, her eyes sharp with worry.
"He must've been trapped in here too long since he was the first to make contact with this darkness. The darkness… it's already sunk deep inside him."
Ignis takes a deep breath.
"Then it'll take time to purge it all. For now—we need to move!"
Before they can, the air shifts. A terrible weight presses against them. From the endless black, a colossal figure emerges—the corrupted Lady of the planet. Her form is warped, regal beauty twisted into jagged shadow.
She lets out a piercing roar, and a tidal wave of darkness erupts toward them.
"Brace yourselves!" Ignis shouts.
His fire bursts outward, forming a blazing barrier. The darkness slams against it with a deafening crash, pushing harder and harder, inch by inch. Ignis roars, straining, his flames flaring bright but beginning to falter.
The darkness keeps closing in, crawling closer with every pulse.
Tomi jolts awake to the sound of Ignis screaming nearby. He blinks, dazed, and notices Kayle lying unconscious beside him. The Bio Dragon's core hovers in the air, its glow pitifully weak—barely pushing the darkness back three feet.
Tomi's heart races.
"This light won't hold for long… I need a solution—fast!"
His eyes dart across the swirling chaos, and then he sees it: Nox locked in combat with the corrupted King. One wild slash of dark energy streaks across the realm, slicing straight toward him. Tomi yanks Kayle aside just in time.
The blast misses them—but it clips the floating dragon orb.
The orb flickers, stuttering, its light faltering. Instantly, tendrils of shadow latch onto Tomi's back, another onto Kayle's arm. Tomi gasps, choking as his vision blurs. Kayle twitches, her veins blackening.
"No… not like this…"
With every ounce of will, Tomi grabs hold of the orb. Its glow steadies, pulsing brighter. The darkness recoils, snapping off their bodies. Tomi collapses to the floor, wheezing—though traces of shadow still writhe inside them.
Shaking, he summons his magic. A pink box materializes in front of him, glowing faintly. Its lid creaks open, sucking both him and Kayle inside.
They tumble through a fog of pink gas, landing on a strange red platform. The air is thick with laughter—literal laughing gas. Tomi breaks into uncontrollable laughter, rolling on the ground until the hysterics twist into violent coughs. Black sludge bursts from his mouth, twisting into a dark figure.
Theo.
Dark Theo crouches low, his form ready to sprint. Then he dashes, fast as lightning.
Tomi snaps his fingers. Stage lights flicker on, blinding beams crashing down on Dark Theo. The shadow hisses and burns. Suddenly, a massive hook drops from above, snagging Dark Theo and yanking him offstage into the void.
Tomi staggers to his feet, brushing away the gas. He looks back at Kayle—still unconscious, her body trembling. The darkness inside her writhes.
Then, faintly, tiny green birds emerge from her chest. They flutter gracefully, each one carrying strands of wriggling darkness like worms in their beaks. One by one, they tear the corruption free and devour it midair.
Kayle jerks awake, coughing as the last of the shadows leave her. She gasps for air, her eyes wide.
Tomi smiles weakly.
"Kayle… you're finally awake."
She sits up, still shaking.
"Where are the others?"
Tomi straightens, determination flashing in his eyes.
"I've got a plan. If they're still alive, they'll jump onto it."
He lifts his hands. Dozens of glowing balloons appear, bobbing gently in the pink fog.
Back in the energy realm
Ignis strains, fire flaring against the encroaching tide of shadow. His barrier shrinks—only a foot of space remains between them and oblivion.
Vel grips her chest, shouting desperately.
"Remember who you are!!"
The corrupted Lady of the Planet falters. A flicker of green light shines from her eyes, stunning her long enough to halt the darkness.
Suddenly hundreds of glowing balloons drift upward, illuminating the void. Suspended beneath it is a massive pink box, glowing ropes dangling below like lifelines.
Jen points, eyes wide.
"There!"
The ropes swing past. One by one, they leap and cling desperately. Nox seizes a rope, his grip iron. Ignis hooks his arm around another, cradling Crank in the other hand. His strength falters, his fingers slipping, but he refuses to let go.
Together, the group is lifted upward, through a tear in the sky.
They burst back into the real world, crashing through the darkness before descending toward the shores of the eastern village. Ahead, through the haze, a faint light glimmers in the distance.
The balloon bursts with a sharp pops! The magic box springs open, spilling Tomi and Kayle into the glow of Ignis's flames. Nox also enters this circle of light.
Jen waves frantically.
"Hurry—we need to go!"
The group races toward a faint shimmer ahead. As they near the village, they see it: a fragile barrier glowing like a dying lantern, shielding hundreds of villagers huddled inside. Prekayda kneels at the center, hands clasped in desperate prayer, her voice trembling. Around her, the other witches chant, sweat dripping down their faces as they strain to hold the light.
The barrier flickers under the crushing weight of darkness.
Jen cups her hands around her mouth and shouts.
"Prekayda!"
Every villager turns at once, their eyes widening, a spark of hope ignites in their gaze.