The first thing Ben felt was… nothing.
No ground. No sky. No sound. Just an endless, silent expanse of black velvet stretched across infinity.
Then the voices came.
Bellicus: "This is… quite interesting."
Serena: "Hmm, you're right, Bellicus. I didn't think we would be able to transcend."
Ben blinked, realizing he was back inside Alien X's mindscape. A floating courtroom of stars, white and black stretching like oil and milk across infinity. His two "roommates" sat there in their eternal seats, glowing, as smug as ever.
"Okay," Ben groaned, looking around. "What's going on this time? Last thing I remember, I was closing that crack. Then… bam. Vacuum-sucked into the universe's butt-hole. Not fun."
Bellicus leaned forward, booming like some space judge. "Our powers… they've taken a new leap. Greater than all Celestial Sapiens before us."
Serena tilted her head gracefully. "We should thank the reason we're here, don't you think?"
Ben squinted. "Uh… me? What did I do? I just wanted to close a crack and go home. You two are acting like I signed up for a yoga retreat."
He waved his hands. "So, let's just… I don't know, pew and crack another hole and drop me back to my human body. Problem solved. Done deal."
Serena chuckled softly. "Oh, Benjamin. Where's the fun in that?"
Bellicus's deep voice rumbled. "Yes. Why rush back? Why not… explore? You wanted a road trip, didn't you? Here it is. The greatest road trip of all time."
Ben frowned. "Wait… you're saying the Void is like… a cosmic travel agency?"
Serena smiled. "Think of it like that. Every nebula you see here? Not gas, not dust. Those are multiverses. Realities. Entire parallel concepts just floating, waiting to be visited."
Ben froze, staring into the endless void again. And yeah — they were right. Out there, floating in the blackness, were massive colorful clusters. Swirling purple spirals, golden suns, red nebulae shaped like seashells. They weren't stars. They were… universes. Millions of them.
"Okay, wow," Ben muttered. "So you're telling me each of those blobs is a whole universe. Parallel timelines, alternate Earths, different versions of everything. And I can just… fly into one?"
Serena's eyes glowed. "Precisely. And when you wish to return, you will. Time does not pass for you here. You could spend an eternity exploring, then come back at the exact second you left."
Ben rubbed his neck. "Okay, that's… tempting. But let's get this straight: I can get back home, right? Not stuck here forever?"
Bellicus waved a massive hand dismissively. "Difficult, yes. Impossible, no. But with our new transcendence… there is little we cannot do. In our old state, we were nine omnipotent, nine omniscient — godlike, but not gods. Here, in the Void, we are… more. The gods of gods. The highest of Celestial Sapiens."
Ben blinked. "…So basically, I'm road-tripping with god-mode unlocked. Damn. About time the Omnitrix gave me an upgrade."
Serena leaned forward with a sly smile. "Exactly. Now, Benjamin… where do you wish to go first?"
The Leap
Ben looked out into the void, at the endless glowing nebulas. His eyes stopped on one — a golden-yellow sphere, brighter than the rest. It pulsed like a heartbeat, inviting him.
"Alright," Ben muttered, cracking his knuckles. "Yellow bubble looks chill. Let's see what's up."
And then he just… launched himself. One second, he was standing there. The next, he was flying faster than light, streaking across the void like a comet.
The yellow bubble loomed huge before him, glowing like liquid sunlight. He raised a hand, touched its surface — and it rippled like water. Then, like soap film popping, the barrier shattered and swallowed him whole.
Jungle Landing
Ben's eyes snapped open. And suddenly… Earth. A blue-green sphere below him. He was falling, streaking through the clouds like a meteor.
"Ah, crap—"
He hit atmosphere, flames wrapping around his Alien X body, until—
Beep-beep-beep.
The Omnitrix timed out.
In a flash, he was human again. Falling. Screaming.
"NOT AGAIN!"
Branches whipped his arms, smacking him on the way down. Crack, snap, WHAM. Finally, he hit the ground in a jungle clearing. Dirt in his mouth, back aching, he groaned like a man who'd just been run over by a truck.
"Yep. Ten out of ten. Perfect landing. Stuck it." He spat out a leaf. "Ow. My everything."
Dusting himself off, he glanced around. Huge trees. Humid air. Alien birds screeching above. Not exactly the "Crystal Heaven" Kevin promised back in his universe.
Ben was still muttering complaints when a shadow fell over him. Then another. Then another.
He froze. Slowly turned his head.
Towering above him was… a face. A big, dumb, almost cartoonishly goofy-looking giant face. The guy looked like someone stretched out a farmer, gave him two extra chins, and made him twenty feet tall.
"Uh… hey there, big guy…" Ben said nervously.
Then more shadows loomed. One, two, five, ten. Giants. All of them weirdly shaped, all of them staring down at him like they'd found a bug worth squishing.
Ben glanced at his Omnitrix. The dial glowed green. Fully charged.
A grin spread across his face.
"Alright, you tall bastards. You had your chance."
He slapped the dial down.
"It's hero time."