Year 0: Hand of Creation
A man walks through a barren wasteland of a planet, his face hidden beneath a hood that trails into a cape, whipping against the dust-filled wind. This planet is home to raging sandstorms, with the air itself choking—yet he strides forward as if unaffected, as the sand crunches beneath his torn shoes.
The storm howls, pulling back the hood just long enough to reveal a glimpse of golden fur. Then, the sound of a blade tearing through rough flesh cuts through the storm. The man stands over a monstrous creature, his weapon dripping with thick, black blood. It runs down the edge as the familiar blade is revealed. Golden eyes glint through the storm as he lifts his gaze—then a voice shatters the memory.
"COMET!" Ether slams into him before he can dodge.
"AHG! Watch where you throw her, Aether!" Comet snaps, chaos erupts all around. He's quickly reminded why he hates group training sessions.
Ether scrambles back to her feet and charges into the fray. Comet exhales, pressing his back against a blindingly white wall in the enormous training chamber. He silently wishes the squad had chosen a better environment for this session. The room's advanced holographic systems could replicate any world in perfect detail, but no—they had picked a blank white void for their free-for-all.
"Tough session?" Lunar says.
Lunar drops beside him, sipping her favorite blueberry smoothie. A fellow member of Team Eclipse, Lunar, is calm where the others are chaotic. Like Comet, she was handpicked and trained by the Great Red, the founder of Heaven United. To all of them, Red was more than a leader—he was a father. But lately, he has grown distant. It had been days since they had seen him, and while Comet clung to the thought that Red was simply buried in work, his squad mates were less convinced. Deep down, he wasn't so sure, either. Red always made time for them.
Lunar snaps him back to reality. "Malice and Aether seem to be having a grand old time out there."
Comet smirks. "He's always been eager, even with his emo attitude."
Across the room, Malice shouts back, "I heard that!"
"Good!" Comet fires back, earning a chuckle from Lunar. It had been far too long since moments like this—since laughter.
Three months ago, everything had changed. Missions became endless. The adults never gave them the full truth, but concern showed in their eyes every time Team Eclipse was sent out. Something was breaking space and time itself. Shockwaves tore across the omni verse, rifts opened daily, and enemies both old and new poured through. Worst of all were the creatures.
No official name had been given to them. They stood tall, their monstrous torsos hunched over with armored fur so black it seemed to erase light. They walked on two legs, claws dripping blood, and drooled a corrosive substance that melted anything it touched. Rumor called them monsters from a realm worse than hell—creatures even demons feared.
"Training simulation ended. Please exit."
The sterile voice drags Comet back. Ether stops early, Aether dries sweat with a towel, and the session is done.
Comet studies them. Aether and Ether—the draconic knights of Fate. They were allies of Heaven United thanks to a pact between Queen Etherine and Red. Aether was sixteen, Ether fifteen, Malice and Lunar fourteen and Comet thirteen, it was clear who was the youngest of all, yet Red had chosen him as leader. He never understood why.
"You're drifting again," Lunar says, tapping his head with the barrel of her blaster.
Her weapons gleam in violet and silver, modeled after an old childhood game—Mega Man, if he remembered right—but decorated with stars and cosmic designs.
"Sorry. Let's go."
Malice drifts over.
"Need a ride?" Comet asks. Malice nods once before dissolving into his shadow.
"I'll meet you there." Lunar vanishes, warping through space itself.
Golden light engulfs Comet as his legs surge with power. He takes off running, exhilarated by speed. Ahead, Aether rockets forward by firing blasts from his tail cannon, while Ether rides calmly atop a void pillar. Together, they storm the halls.
They slide into the palace's main chamber—yes, a palace—and find Litzo, Lunar, and Violet waiting.
Litzo, their caretaker whenever Red was absent, Litzo would care for us. She is an advanced AI modeled after System, the omniscient AI within Red himself. She wasn't as smart, but her intellect far surpassed most beings.
And Violet—Red's daughter. Fragile memories haunted her past. Every step she took seemed cautious, not natural, as though learned through pain. She was the head of the Time Council, commander of time itself.
"Took y'all's sweet time, huh?" Violet teases.
Malice rises from Comet's shadow. "If I wanted, I could've been here before you could even warp!"
"Sure you could," Lunar quips. She knows he could—but needles him anyway.
"Why are we here again?" Ether asks.
"You're being relocated to the Time Council," Litzo replies.
"Why?" Malice frowns.
Litzo hesitates. "It's for the best."
"Did Red sign off on it?" Comet demands.
Litzo breaks eye contact. Violet answers softly, "Yes."
The lie hangs heavy, but they let it pass. Violet unsheathes her katana, cutting open a portal in space-time. The blade sparks against reality—and unknowingly widens another crack.
Comet remembers little of what came next. Screams. Litzo's hand reaching for him, panic in her eyes. Violet slashing at the rift, desperate to cut it closed. Comet falling—grabbing hold of something, someone—before everything turned black.
He woke to dripping liquid. Too thick for water.
Blood.
He looked down to see himself impaled on a jagged metal rod inside the ruins of a collapsed building. To his side lay Lunar, unconscious.
How? He'd been separated from everyone. Then the memory struck—he must've grabbed her while falling.
There was no time to dwell. Gritting his teeth, Comet pulled himself free and fumbled for Lunar's blaster, opening its compartment. Inside was a first-aid kit Litzo had taught him to use.
He pressed hard against the wound to stop the bleeding. Cleaned it with the liquid. Packed it with absorbent patches. Wrapped it tight. The pain was blinding, but he held on.
Other than that, just cuts and bruises. Getting rag dolled through space and time would do that.
He staggered to his feet and peered outside.
A ruined city stretched before him. Infested with creatures.
One turned, locking eyes with him. Its scream shook the street.
He ran, but injured, he was nowhere near full speed. He only knew he had to lead it away from Lunar.
The creature thundered after him, smashing through obstacles like paper. He leapt onto a car to climb—but his leg gave out. He fell hard.
The beast's hand wrapped around his torso. It slammed him into the pavement, then kicked him aside.
Blood rushed to his head. Both strikes targeted his torso. Coincidence—or did it know? Was it actively going for his weakest point?
It raised its claws to tear him open.
A being leapt over Comet with a ferocious war cry before blasting the creature in the face. The monster toppled, head blown apart.
Comet tried to crawl away, but its foot pinned him as the creature fell. A hand grabbed his, pulling him free. Lunar.
Her blasters smoked. They only did that when she poured her full energy into them. She must've woken up and seen his state.
Her arm was bandaged, poorly but effectively. Broken, maybe fractured. She winced, but still heaved him onto her shoulder.
"You… ok?" Comet managed weakly.
She only nodded. Her voice was gone from the earlier war cry.
Step by step, she warped them upward, climbing the tallest building. From there, they could see the city's ruined structure.
Then came the gust. A massive wind, followed by an explosion of destructive energy.
Where there was destruction—there was Malice.
Lunar didn't hesitate. She turned and sprinted toward it.
Year 0: The Void Walker
Ether awakens on a hill of dead grass and wilted flowers. Her mind is foggy, her body screaming in pain as she struggles to rise. Every movement sends a sharp ache through her back. When she presses her hand against it, she feels the wet warmth of blood. A lot of blood.
Her breathing quickens as her fingers trace multiple openings—large gashes, splinters lodged deep into her flesh. Looking up, she spots half of a shattered tree, and the realization hits: she must've landed in it and crashed all the way down.
With gritted teeth, she forces focus into her wounds. Void constructs bloom from her will, patching every tear where blood might escape. She winces as the constructs push out splinters, the shards tumbling onto the lifeless grass.
Then she spots footprints.
She follows them, each step slow, cautious, until her eyes land on a familiar figure. Malice. He leans on his saber, blood trailing from a slashed arm and a broken foot. Splinters stuck out of him, evidence of the same fall. Yet he stands tall over the corpse of one of those creatures.
"Mal!" Ether calls, her voice breaking.
Malice glances back, his tone sharp, serious. "Can you move properly?"
"Yeah?" she answers, confused by the question.
His eyes narrow. "It's faint, hard to trace… but I felt Lunar's energy for a moment. In the city ahead." He starts walking, speaking without pause. "Search the city for her and the others."
"What about you?" Ether protests. "You're still injured, and those creatures are everywhere—"
"I'm fine." His voice cuts like steel. "As for those things, I'll create a diversion. Grab their attention. Don't worry about them. Just keep your head down and find the others."
Before she can argue again, he surges forward, destruction energy erupting from his body as he launches into the city. The ground blackens, the dead grass and flowers erased in his wake.
Ether reaches out, but her throat burns too much to shout. How long has it been since she last drank water? How long have they even been here?
Knowing she can't stop him, she relents. A void pillar rises beneath her, carrying her toward the city. She lies back against it, exhausted. Her thoughts drift. I don't know where Aether is… but I hope he's okay.
Year 0: The Knight
I rise out of the rubble, armor shielding me from the worst of the fall. My body aches, but I remain standing. The ruins stretch around me, a place stripped of life.
Then—impact. Something slams into my spine, hurling me against a wall. Pain blooms across my bruises, but I grit through it. Three creatures loom over me.
I can't show weakness. Not here. Not now.
One swings for my head. I vault over its arm, landing clean. My tail cannon charges and fires, blasting the face off one creature. Blind and howling, it lashes out wildly, slashing its ally.
The third spits a stream of corrosive acid, barely missing me. I counter with a mouth beam, the force propelling me onto a rooftop. My body screams for rest, I know I can't handle three at once in this state. Not head-on.
They give chase. Boosting each step with my tail cannon, I keep just out of reach until I spot a rope dangling nearby. An idea sparks. Grinning, I snatch it, channeling my energy into the fibers until it hardens like steel. Two tugs—perfect.
I drop, setting the trap mid-fall. The first creature lunges after me, straight into the snare. The rope snaps tight, binding its arms, choking its throat. It thrashes uselessly until silence claims it.
Down to two.
But the others heal fast, faces stitching back together as if nothing happened. My gaze catches a bloodstained beam nearby. I rip it free and hurl it into one creature's eye, its shriek shaking the street.
The second charge. I leap, planting a kick into the beam and driving it deeper into the first creature's skull. My tail cannon fires point-blank, incinerating it before I spin to blast the third.
The explosion blinds it. I ride the recoil, blasting myself halfway across the city. I land on a rooftop, drained.
Too drained.
I stagger into the building below, blocking every window with debris. Darkness surrounds me as I collapse, hovering on the edge of sleep.
Dreams swallow me. I see Malice, locked in battle against countless creatures. I try to run to him, but the farther I push, the more distant he becomes.
I take a breath to stop the I notice something just barely out the corner of my eye. I turn to see it clear as day. "Lunar? Why is she falling?" before i can make out much of anything I'm dragged out by a large and sudden—
BOOM.
An explosion snaps me awake. My heart races. Through the blinds, destruction energy crackles in the distance. A sign. A call.
No more rest. No more hesitation.
I rush to the roof and launch myself forward at full speed.
Year 0: Chaos
I soar through the air, thoughts replaying the moment I woke.
I remember opening my eyes atop a branch, Ether dangling below in a creature's grip. My body moved on instinct, adrenaline drowning the pain. My saber pierced its chest. The axe came next, burying deep into its skull, and I chopped until it stopped moving.
Then I saw it—a faint light in the distance. Lunar's energy.
Ether awoke soon after, groggy and bleeding, while I debated leaving her or staying. She never realized how close I was to abandoning her.
Now the adrenaline's gone. Pain floods in. My arm drips blood, every beat of my heart reminding me of the damage. "I cannot afford to dwell on the past now. I have my mission."
I slam into the ground, releasing destruction energy in a massive explosion. A second wave follows, erasing everything nearby. If Comet were here, his energy would've cancelled it, but I sense nothing. I'm clear to go all out.
Creatures swarm. I grip my axe and saber, spinning them in a deadly rhythm. Limbs and heads scatter. Their claws find my side, their kick slams my chest, but I anchor my axe into the ground, releasing another wave to drive them back.
I prepare the finisher, but a burning agony sears across my flesh. Acid spit. My skin melts as my heart pumps blood into the wound. My body crumbles, dragging me to my knees.
Not yet. Not until I know they're safe.
I lift my saber for one last strike—
—only for the creature to shatter under an invisible force.
More creatures erupt in explosions, crushed and obliterated by unseen power. Relief spreads across my battered mind as I see them.
Year 0: The Fallen Star
Lunar carries me on her back, staggering with each warp. Her own body trembles with pain, yet she refuses my offer to walk.
The blast site is close. Malice's energy grows stronger, but so does the horde of creatures swarming toward him. We duck into alleys, hide from patrols, move in silence. Lunar wants to help him, but she knows it's suicide like this. Better to regroup. Better to all arrive together.
We press forward. A creature spots us. Lunar tries to blast it, but pain stops her. It lunges—
—and is crushed midair by a void hammer.
Ether stands before us, her voice hoarse. "I finally found you two."
Her voice may be weak, but her hug is not. Pain jolts through Lunar and me as she squeezes tight. She notices and let's go, apologizing.
We explain everything. "We must regroup." Ether insists we find Aether first.
My hearing falters, words blurring, until a flash of light streaks the sky. I point weakly. Aether, soaring toward the blast site.
Ether calls out, but then—we all freeze. Malice's energy falters. Aether senses it too, his tail cannon flaring as he rockets faster.
Lunar warps forward, Ether grabbing her mid-jump and hurling us with void constructs. Lunar's broken arm protests, but panic drowns her pain. Ether swings her hammer, clearing a creature as we land beside Malice.
Even through the chaos, I see the relief in his eyes.
Lunar incinerates two. Aether blows holes through the enemy lines. Energy courses through me again as I leap beside Malice, smiling through exhaustion.
Together, destruction and creation carve through the horde. Opposites, yet perfect partners. For a second, we thought we had the upper hand. For a single second, we felt joy. How quickly seconds die.
The air changes.
A wave of energy chills my blood, freezing my breath. Lunar nearly vomits from the sheer pressure. The creatures stop, bowing as one.
I turn.
A structure rises, hideous and unnatural. From it, a man steps out—red and black, his aura suffocating. Not my father, though he bears the same colors.
His voice is calm, amused. "So. A handful of children caused my creations this much trouble?"
Year 0: Crucible
"You all are due for an upgrade by the end of this." All of us wanted to act, but none of us had the will—or the strength—to move.
The man began to float, the air around us thickening as his energy grew more suffocating by the second. Over the entire dimension, a mysterious symbol burned into existence.
"I claim this realm as my own through the Power of Z. Symbol of the Crucible."
Crucible…? Was that his name? The thought barely formed before the world itself answered. The realm shuddered as everything around us began to decay. Death. Erasure. All existence collapsing at once.
"Make sure they die here," Crucible commanded. Then he vanished into the portal, leaving only ruin in his wake.
The oppressive energy lifted, but with it came fresh horror. The creatures stirred again, their movements sharp and focused. This time, they had a mission. Us.
Lunar acted first, summoning stars for us to ride. Ether raised void constructs, shielding and boosting us forward, but her energy was almost gone. Aether leapt from the formation, his tail cannon igniting with every drop of power he had left, propelling us faster.
We were close—just shy of breaking through the dimensional barrier. I added my own energy, but my body was drained, my soul stretched thin. Without adrenaline, it felt like life itself was slipping away.
Then I saw her.
Lunar's eyes darted around the chaos, and I caught the expression on her face. I didn't want to believe it, but her decision was already made.
She stood tall on her star, placing a fist against her chest in the HU salute. The fist represented evil, the body stopping it represented good, and the soul allowed such actions to be made—showing how freedom is not a source of good nor evil. The heart guided your choices. The mind carried them out.
"I'm sorry, everyone," she said, voice steady, almost serene. "But I'm afraid this is where I embrace my halo. Live on."
We screamed, begged, pleaded. My voice cracked, lost in the noise, but somehow she still looked at me and gave the faintest nod—acknowledgment. Acceptance.
Then she leapt.
Her blasters set to self-destruct, she plunged into the horde. Aether reached a hand toward her, but he couldn't stop—not without dooming us all. Malice tried to follow, but it was too late. The creatures impaled her through the heart and stomach.
The blasters detonated.
The explosion catapulted us forward, giving just enough momentum to shatter the barrier. We escaped. She didn't.
I spun, trying to dive back, but the dimension collapsed into nothingness before my eyes.
Tears came as naturally as breathing. My screams echoed through the void, raw and broken. Depression. Beside me, Malice finally cracked, dropping to his knees, tears streaming into his hands as he used his saber to hold himself upright. His fists trembled with rage, but his body was too weak to give that fury any form. Anger.
Ether covered her mouth, tears spilling as she looked away. She couldn't accept it. Pretending not to see it was the only shield her mind could conjure. Denial.
Aether stood silent, tears glistening on his cheeks. He made no sound, but his eyes betrayed him. He was replaying every moment, every move, searching endlessly for the choice that might have saved her. Bargaining.
Year 0: Broken
I woke in the Time Council's medical bay, my face stiff with dried tears. The room was silent, empty save for me. The other beds were abandoned; I was the last to wake.
My legs gave way as I stumbled into the hall. The tears returned before I could stop them, my body collapsing under the weight of grief.
A nurse rushed to me, lifting me gently before calling for Violet. In an instant, she warped in, her presence filling the space.
"Kid, I—" she began.
I cut her off, choking on my words, my eyes swollen, my chest heavy. "Please… just tell me it's not true. Say it's a nightmare. Say I got these injuries any other way. Just… don't tell me she's dead."
Violet's gaze dropped. Silence stretched, and in that silence I heard every answer I never wanted.
"No… no, no, no, no, NO!" My scream shattered against the walls.
Violet's voice was gentle, pained. "I'll give you time." She turned and walked away.
But my mind was already set. The tears blurred my vision, my fists trembling as a new fire burned through the grief.
Revenge.
I needed… revenge.