Just on the dot of the 30th minute, the greenish-black cocoon began to tremble. First gently—like something inside had stirred from a deep slumber—then violently, as if the very walls of the cocoon could no longer contain what was within.
With a sickening crack and a resonant POP, the surface ruptured, splitting open like the burst of an overripe watermelon, viscous emerald-black liquid spilling onto the stone floor in thick strands.
From the steaming remains, Josh rose slowly—unhurried, upright, regal. He didn't leap out like a reborn warrior—no, he ascended like a god reclaiming his place. His feet hovered just inches off the ground, not touching it, as if the ground of the dimensional cell itself had grown too unworthy to support him directly. His entire body shimmered with a radiant, otherworldly glow—gold interlaced with veins of deep violet and streaks of pulsing green. His eyes, once mortal, now blazed like twin orbs of starlight, burning with an ancient power far beyond anything Avalon had ever seen.
There was a loud hum—a deep, bone-rattling frequency that pulsed outward from him in rhythmic waves, like the heartbeat of a sleeping colossus suddenly awakened. The air shimmered.
The cage bars sang with the sound. The walls of the chamber groaned as cracks etched themselves into the fabric of reality itself. Across the 5th dimensional prison and beyond, sentient beings paused, turned, and looked up—every creature of power, from the whispering giants of the void seas to the invisible heralds of chaos. They felt it. A presence had emerged that disrupted the balance of all known hierarchies.
Avalon gasped despite herself. Her breath hitched, her mouth parting slightly. "What in all the realms…?" she whispered, barely audible. "This isn't possible."
And then came the voice. Smooth. Confident. Timeless.
"Welcome to the fourth level of the I AM KING Protocol…"
Josh stood completely still, eyes glowing as he listened to the words of David Stormborn, the Kingly system interphase avatar echo directly into his mind.
Josh stood motionless, his breath shallow, his eyes aglow with a divine intensity that seemed to pulse with every beat of the fifth dimension itself.
The space around him subtly warped, the fabric of the dimension rippling like water disturbed by a stone. And within him, the voice of David Stormborn—calm, commanding, omnipresent—continued to resonate like the toll of an ancient bell.
"You are now the most powerful being in the 5th dimension. And even on the Earth, very few are stronger than you," David's voice echoed within Josh's psyche. "Not even the Trickster God could match you now."
Josh exhaled slowly, and the air quivered with unseen energy. For the first time, he felt what it meant to bend the reality of a dimension just by existing within it. His aura crackled faintly, like thunder muffled beneath silk, the very air paying homage to his ascension.
"But I must caution you…" David's voice grew somber, heavier with each word. "There are always mountains above mountains, heavens above heavens. Don't get cocky… or overconfident. Your journey is not yet complete."
Josh's expression didn't flinch, but his fingers curled slightly at his sides, the warning cutting deeper than he expected. David wasn't just congratulating him—he was reminding him that true sovereignty required humility.
"Until you reach the 19th level of the 'I AM KING Protocol', you have not transcended mortality. You are a god among men, yes, but still within the reach of death. Even gods fall beneath that threshold."
Josh's heart skipped. A quiet resolve filled his gaze as he raised his chin.
"You're the first in history to reach this level," the voice continued, gentler now, like a mentor proud of his student. "But remember: the ones who fall hardest are the ones who forget there's always more."
Josh nodded slowly. No words passed his lips—but the determination that rose from within him sent a pulse through the fifth dimension so loud and so raw that even Avalon, in her distant cage, looked up sharply.
She could feel it. A shift in the tide. A new storm had risen—and this time, it wasn't David Stormborn. It was Josh Aratat
Josh looked down at his hands—sparks of cosmic fire danced across his fingers. He clenched his fist once, and the entire room groaned under the weight of his aura. Time itself fluttered slightly around him, uncertain whether to move forward or freeze in reverence. Even Avalon, prideful and fierce, had taken an unconscious step back.
Josh didn't smile. He didn't gloat. He simply turned his head, eyes still alight, and scanned the dimension—not just with sight, but with presence. The ambiance itself bent to him, acknowledged him, served him.
The floor beneath him remained untouched, as if afraid to mar itself by contact.
He had transcended mortality.
And the world would never be the same.
Afterward, Josh slowly stepped down, his bare feet brushing against the crystalline floor of the 5th dimensional plane. The moment his sole made contact with the surface, the air shimmered once, like a ripple in still water—and then, everything calmed.
The overwhelming pressure that had choked the space just moments ago—resplendent, divine, and almost suffocating—began to dissolve. One by one, the glowing sigils that had hung in the air like suspended constellations faded. The hum of celestial currents went silent. The distortion in the dimension straightened out, and the gravity of his awakening withdrew like a wave retreating from the shore.
Behind him, the cocoon—once a pulsating shell of greenish-black energy—crumbled. But not violently. Instead, it melted away gently, its particles drifting upward like dandelion seeds caught in a soft breeze. They twinkled for a moment in the ambient light before vanishing entirely, as though the moment had never happened.
But it had.
Josh turned slowly, and his eyes locked on Avalon.
She hadn't moved.
She couldn't.
Her body was frozen, but not by force. It was fear. Or awe. Or both.
There he stood—no longer just the Josh she knew, the reckless warrior with a devil-may-care smirk. No… now he radiated the kind of power that shouldn't be housed in human form. It was wrong and beautiful at once. Like a nuclear core crammed into a glass sculpture. A sun wearing a silk robe. A predator smiling gently at its prey.
Avalon's breath hitched. Her knees wanted to bow. Her instincts screamed both to run and to worship. Her serpentine goddess heart fluttered rapidly in her chest, thudding against her ribs as if it too could sense that one wrong word could now end entire timelines.
Josh looked at her. Calm. Controlled. Inhumanly serene.
"Are you ready?" he asked, his voice quiet, yet it struck the air like a bell rung in a cathedral.
Avalon opened her mouth. Nothing came. Her lips trembled. For a split second, she didn't know how to speak. She felt like a child standing before a parent she didn't want to disappoint—yet one she feared might no longer recognize her. Her tongue, once silver and sharp, now felt like dead weight.
She nodded slowly.
Like a child seeking approval.
Josh's eyes didn't waver, but his nod was approving. "Good. Let's get started."
His tone had changed—not cold, but commanding. There was no need for theatrics. No posturing. The power he now wielded had made arrogance unnecessary.
"As we agreed," he said, stepping forward, his presence making the space tighten slightly again. "You'll place your soul avatar here. While I go to Earth."
He paused, letting the gravity of his words settle.
"If I take too long, you can retrieve your avatar and leave. Let me deal with whatever comes after."
Avalon nodded again, but slower this time—her gaze distant. Words refused to form. Not because she lacked the will, but because language had momentarily lost its usefulness.
In that moment, she realized something she hadn't before.
Josh Aratat was no longer someone she could bully or control.
He was a force of nature.