The moment Samuel and Femi collided, the battlefield warped — void against corruption, creation against annihilation. Where their power met, stars died and were reborn in the same heartbeat.
But Samuel couldn't stay focused.
Tristan.
Every breath from the warlock was thinner than the last. The curse eating through him — dark tendrils spreading beneath his skin like cracks in ancient stone.
Ignara skidded beside him, fire guttering from her palms.
"He's fading. Samuel— we can't,it's just too late now dont you think?—"
Samuel's power surged violently, reacting to his fear.
Reality rippled.
He shoved his rage down with sheer force.
Not now. Not him.
⸻
The Cure Lies Beyond
- - —————————————————————————
Zephira landed beside them, electricity still dancing across her armor.
"The curse comes from the Rift. Only the Earthheart Nexus in Tristan's realm can purge it."
Samuel's head snapped toward her.
"And you're saying this now?!"
Nysara shook her head.
"We couldn't risk giving Femi a target."
Too late.
Femi already knew.
The sky split again — this time right over Tristan — the corrupted spear of Mor'Kai descending straight toward his heart.
Samuel teleported—
Void shockwave.
Spear deflected.
Mor'Kai slid back, smirking beneath his skull-marked helm.
"You can't protect him and the realms at the same time, Void Prince."
Samuel stepped forward — voice deadly low.
"Watch me."
⸻
Daniel's Stand
——————————————————————————
Daniel sprinted towards Tristan, Celestial Pulse flickering along his veins.
"Hey — Terra-boy! Don't die yet! You still owe me ramen!"
Tristan weakly rolled his eyes.
"That was… one time."
Daniel placed his hands over the spreading curse.
"I can stall this — maybe. But it's gonna take everything I have."
Samuel caught his wrist, eyes wide.
"If it overwhelms you—"
Daniel grinned — shaky but bright.
"I'm not the sidekick anymore."
His power flared — absorbing fragments of the curse.
He screamed — but didn't let go.
Samuel looked away — because he couldn't watch someone else hurt for him.
Again.
________________________
Samuel's Collapse
Femi appeared in front of Samuel — casual, elegant — like this wasn't a warzone collapsing around them.
"You're tired already?"
His grin widened.
"How disappointing."
Samuel swung — void like a guillotine ,shaped like a spear and a sword — but it sliced through only smoke.
Femi's voice slid behind him:
"You keep loving broken things, Samuel.
Soon there will be nothing left of you…"
Samuel snapped.
Void erupted — planetary rings shattering overhead.
And for a moment — the universe feared him.
But the power was wild.
Corrupt.
Unstable.
Daniel's voice cracked through the chaos:
"Samuel — STOP! You're feeding the curse!!"
Samuel's vision blurred — Tristan, Daniel, the Five — their faces distant.
The void whispered louder.
Give in.
End this.
Everything dies anyway.
He staggered, choking on power.
⸻
A Hand That Grounds Him
Warm, calloused fingers grabbed his face — forcing his eyes to focus.
Tristan.
Barely conscious — yet still the strongest force in Samuel's universe.
"You are Samuel Herindor," he breathed, voice ragged but sure.
"You don't destroy. You balance."
Samuel's breath shuddered. The void dimmed — just a little.
Tristan smiled — small but real.
"I'm not letting you fall."
He leaned forward — their foreheads touching.
A vow through cracked lips:
"I love you. Even if the stars break."
Samuel felt something inside him click back into place.
The void receded.
Samuel kissed him on the cheek — fierce, desperate, promising everything.
"Hold on for me."
Tristan managed a faint chuckle.
"Bossy prince."
⸻
Retreat or Ruin
Retreat or ruin everyone retreat or ruin
General Dracos roared above the battlefield:
"THE BREACH WIDENS! WE CAN'T HOLD ELDORIA!"
Kaelen landed near Samuel — wings of starlight torn and flickering.
"If we stay — the star-network collapses. We must escape."
Samuel looked at the realm — burning. Falling. Screaming.
His fault, they'd believe.
Femi's lie was already solidifying into truth.
His jaw clenched.
"We fall back to the Earthheart Nexus.
Save Tristan first — then the realms."
Zephira raised a portal with a surge of stormlight.
Daniel with sheer force lifted Tristan onto his shoulder — legs trembling but determined.
Ignara and Nysara guarded the rear flank as monsters swarmed.
Kaelen bowed his head.
"I pray this retreat is not written as cowardice…"
Samuel's voice was iron.
"It will be written as survival."
⸻
The Villain's Claim
Femi watched them withdraw, leaning against a floating shard of the sundered barrier — amused and intruiged by what he was seeing.
"Run, Samuel. Gather your scraps. Heal your toy."
His eyes glowed with unholy excitement.
"When you return — the stars will already be bleeding for me."
He turned — addressing the terrified citizens crawling from ruins.
"Your 'balance' failed you."
His smile darkened.
"Bow to the true destiny of the universe."
A thousand screams answered him — and a thousand worlds felt the echo.
⸻
Samuel's Promise
As the portal sealed behind them, Samuel didn't look back.
Instead — he held Tristan's hand as though it were the single thread connecting him to sanity.
"I swear," he whispered — voice trembling with controlled fury.
"No more running."
The void inside him stirred.
Waiting.
Craving
Longing
Hunting.
Hungry.
Yearning for no other person than the mastermind of all the pandemonium going on in the universe right now
For Femi.
⸻