Enki's revelation had left a scar on the collective soul of Umbria. The idea that their very essence could have been manipulated by an alien race to serve them was a bitter and difficult truth to assimilate. The fragile trust in the Anunnaki had evaporated, replaced by a deep suspicion, even as they struggled to understand the implications of past and present cosmic wars. They were gathered in the Great Hall, heatedly discussing the moral and strategic implications of Enki's confession, when the interruption came.
It wasn't a magical alarm or a scream. It was a device that appeared, floating silently in front of Enki. It was a complex polyhedron, perhaps a dodecahedron, made of a dark material that seemed to absorb light. It pulsed gently and projected directly into Enki's mind—and, to the dismay of the nearby magi who felt the psionic surge—a series of complex data, shifting stellar coordinates, and, finally, an unambiguous time marker.
Enki's reaction was immediate and chilling. His ancient composure shattered. His golden eyes widened with genuine alarm, his posture tensed, and a low hiss escaped his lips. He brought a hand to his temple, processing the information at superhuman speed.
"Enki? What is it?" Merlin asked, sensing the Anunnaki's sudden surge of controlled panic.
Enki lowered his hand slowly, his gaze scanning the expectant and now fearful faces in the hall. His voice, when he spoke, lacked all its former calculated calm; it was tense, urgent.
"My long-range sensor arrays... have detected the final breach," Enki said. "The primary energy signature... is unmistakable. The space-time distortion patterns match the records of the Lyran Wars."
He paused, and the silence in the hall was absolute. "The Elder Ancient One... the entity your myths call Cthulhu, or something of comparable power... has entered the final trajectory toward this system."
No one breathed.
"When?" Aria asked, her voice barely audible.
Enki looked at her, and for the first time, Aria saw something resembling fear in those golden, ancient eyes. "The calculation is accurate, based on the detected subspace propagation velocity." She mentally consulted the data again. "It will reach Earth orbit... in two days and six Earth hours."
She looked up at a magical clock on the wall of the Great Hall. "According to your current reckoning... that would be approximately 4:29 AM, Eastern Standard Time, on Thursday, April 3."
Two days. The number hit everyone like a physical blow. Panic began to whisper at the edges of the room. Younger students clutched at each other. Even the Elder Wizards looked pale. Two days to prepare for the arrival of a cosmic god of madness.
"Impossible!" Kaelen exclaimed. "We need weeks, months!"
"We don't have weeks," Merlin retorted, his face a mask of grave concentration. The news was terrifying, but also catalyzing. "All personnel to defensive stations! Immediate activation of all containment protocols! Aria, Kaelen, Lyra, Finn, with me to the chamber of the Tablet and the Clavicles, NOW!"
The urgency was electric. There was no longer time for moral debates or mistrust. Only desperate action remained.
Meanwhile, in the Underrealm...
A similar device, perhaps more ornate and obscure, materialized before Enlil as he oversaw the mobilization of the corrupted elves, now armed with strange Anunnaki weapons. Enlil received the same message.
His reaction was different from Enki's. There was no panic, but a cold, predatory intensity in his eyes. A crooked smile played on his reptilian lips.
He immediately headed to the throne room, where Nyx and Morgana were immersed in their own dark preparations.
"Good news, Queens," Enlil announced, his voice booming with authority. "The main enemy hastens its arrival. Two days."
Nyx looked up, her red eyes glowing with chaotic anticipation. "So soon? Excellent. Primordial chaos will confront cosmic horror. It will be... glorious."
Morgana, the Dark Faerie Goddess, felt a surge of power and dread. "Two days," she repeated. "Will we be ready?"
"We will be ready to take advantage of the situation," Enlil corrected. "As the surface worms and the pathetic Fallen Watchers crash against the Great Old One, we will consolidate our power. We will use destruction as cover. I will teach them how to turn annihilation into a tactical advantage."
Poimandres, coiled around the throne, emitted a low, guttural roar, a vibration that promised destruction on an unimaginable scale. The arrival of Cthulhu was not just a threat, it was an invitation to unleash the true potential of Chaos.
The cosmic clock had The final countdown had begun. On the surface and in the depths, unlikely alliances and deadly feuds were preparing for the arrival of a horror that threatened to devour them all. The tension was unbearable. Two days. Just two days.