The aftermath of the Blood War hung in the air like the ashes of a dying star. Though three cities remained safely encased in the Astral Legion's divine barrier, the victory was hollow. One city had been lost. Too many lives extinguished. The heroes returned to Prismic Gathering not with cheers, but with silence and heavy eyes.
Yet far from their mourning, a shadow moved with purpose.
Within the cold, sterile halls of the Astral Legion's inner sanctum, Ingress stood before a sealed door flanked by armored sentries. Without a word, they let him pass.
The halls whispered of authority. Every echo of his boots was a pulse of power.
A door slid open, revealing a large underground lab lit with sterile blue light. Screens flickered. Machines hummed. Inside, the Astral Legion's top scientists and overseers gathered. Among them stood the Chief Operator and the General Head of Intelligence. Ingress entered like a man bearing divine truth.
Ingress: "I believe it's time the Astral Legion knows who it truly serves."
The head scientist raised an eyebrow. "That's quite the claim, Ingress."
He wordlessly handed over a black crystal chip.
Ingress: "This footage was recovered from the ruins of Bruswa, near the Nether Sea. Observe it with care."
The scientist slid the chip into the holographic reader.
Images burst to life.
A battlefield cloaked in void-black mist.
Jessie and Neve lay unconscious, bruised and bloodied on the stone ground.
And in the center…
Kazimir stood transformed, his Maw of the End form fully unleashed—hair wild with energy, eyes lit like burning galaxies, and his body radiating Imaginary Essence so dense it warped the light around him.
Pinned to a broken monolith was Ingress himself—barely breathing, a sword still lodged through his chest.
The entire room froze.
A silence more terrifying than screams.
The Head of Intelligence stepped forward, eyes wide. "That… That's a disciple of Nebula."
Ingress (quietly): "Yes. The Eye of Nullity… pretending to be a savior."
Gasps broke out.
Head Scientist: "His energy readings are identical to what we found when analyzing Nebula's fractured essence. That means… he's not just a danger—he's an anomaly. A singularity."
Ingress: "And you let that thing live among us. Train in your academy. Lead your warriors. He destroyed a Dynasty in months, when they took centuries to contain. That kind of power doesn't belong in a world of mortals. He's a godkiller."
The General rubbed his temple, his mind racing. "Then what of Riah? She's no less divine—wasn't she revealed to be a Satura of Solaris?"
Head Scientist: "She is. But worse—she's in a relationship with Kazimir. A union between two divine entities of opposing gods. A disciple of light... and a disciple of destruction."
Ingress: "A paradox that will fracture this world."
The room fell into a long, heavy silence.
Until the Head of Intelligence finally spoke.
Head of Intelligence: "Humanity has always adapted. Always survived. If we've captured dynasties before and harvested their power… there's no reason we can't contain these two and use what they are. They could be the key to making Capriha the most powerful civilization in existence."
Ingress (grinning): "So we have an accord."
Head Scientist: "Not yet. The Vandors won't all support an execution. And Jessie… is Kazimir's older brother. He will oppose this."
Ingress: "Then we don't need to kill them—yet. We test them."
He turned to a monitor showing blueprints of a sealed spatial realm.
Ingress: "This... is the Infinite Dimension Project. You built it to simulate unending variables and contain catastrophic energies. What better way to test it... than to throw the two strongest anomalies inside?"
Head Scientist: "And feed off the data. If it can contain them, we gain their patterns. If it devours them—we erase a threat."
The General crossed his arms. "You're proposing we bait Kazimir and Riah into this realm and let it consume their essence?"
Ingress: "Exactly. And once we understand their powers, we forge weapons from their remains."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
Ingress: "I will bring out the monster in Kazimir. Show the world who he truly is."
On the monitors, the image of Kazimir in his Maw form still shimmered.
Not a hero.
Not a king.
An extinction event in the shape of a man.
And in the eyes of those who watched…
A weapon waiting to be broken.