"I'll take you guys to the housing place, it's also where I live," Mira explained without looking back at us while leading us.
I could hear the soft tap of her boots against the smooth stone floor, echoing faintly in the cavernous space around us. Her voice was calm, almost casual, like this underground planet was a normal place to stroll through for her.
"Woah," I whispered, my words barely escaping my lips. My eyes went wide as I tried to take everything in. The city… no, the underground planet before me was massive bigger than anything I'd ever imagined. It shouldn't even be called a city. This was an entire world beneath the surface, filled with gigantic houses, all glowing with warm yellow light that spilled from countless windows. The light reflected off the walls and floors of the cavern, making it feel like the place was alive. Street lights weren't needed; the houses themselves were luminous, lighting up every corner, every path, every distant building I could see.
I kept my gaze moving as we followed Mira, trying to process everything. Houses stretched in neat rows, perfectly spaced, disappearing into the distance. I couldn't see where they ended or where the cavern walls were almost as if they didn't exist. Then I looked up. My head snapped back.
"HUH WHY ARE THERE HOUSES ON THE CEILING?!" I yelled, the cat on my shoulder jumping and hissing in surprise.
"There was a men that used a gravity-type stones here, so some live upside down or sideways, either by choice or by the side-effects of the stone when the men give everyone the ability to change their gravitanol pull by.. Their stone was called the gravo change stone. She was able to change the direction of gravity of objects and people," Mira said casually, still walking like this was completely normal. Dad told me about people having powers but Ive never heard
I could feel my brain struggling to keep up. The houses above us were completely upside down, windows glowing, roofs pointing downward. How could people live like that? My eyes darted from ceiling to floor, trying to process this surreal sight.
Rayu looked at me, his expression like I'd just turned into a completely new species. "The house is what first surprises you?" he asked, his voice carrying a mixture of disbelief and amusement.
"And seeing flying people didn't bother you? Not even a single bit?" Zy murmured, her eyes narrowing slightly at me.
"And the houses on the walls, well you probably didn't see them when we walked in through the gates and I'm pretty sure you can't see more than fifty million miles," Mira said, calmly, almost as if she expected this to be easy for me to understand.
"Hey you guys fly too!" I blurted out, defensive, gesturing toward them.
"He has actual wings on his back, Dove wings. I have a backpack that shoots out wings. There's a difference," Zy mumbled, rolling her eyes.
Mira stopped walking. Her head turned sharply toward Rayu, her eyes wide. "That man has bird wings?"
"Yeah, I'm a bird man. Got a problem with that?" Rayu snapped, his feathers ruffling slightly.
"No, no, it's not a problem," Mira said quickly, her voice gentle but still startled.
"It's just that the last bird man went extinct centuries ago," Mira added.
"I was fro Taren solid, so was Zy," Rayu said calmly, as if that explained everything.
My head shot up. "Wait, so Zy is centuries old?" I asked, blinking rapidly.
"Yeah, I was born in 1576," Zy said, casually, like she had just mentioned the weather.
"I was born in 1565," Rayu added in the same calm tone.
"HUH BOTH OF YOU ARE OLD!!!!" I blurted, my voice rising in disbelief making Bronte jump.
Mira squinted at me. "When were you born, eh?"
"Uh, 2005," I said quietly, feeling suddenly insignificant.
"You're old too," Zy said, laughing lightly.
"All three of you are centuries old, how's that possible?" Mira questioned, a mix of curiosity and confusion in her tone.
"Well, me and this old man who's physically twenty-nine years old" Zy started, glancing at Rayu.
"HEY I'M NOT OLD," Rayu yelled immediately.
"Keep it down," Mira said sharply, trying to reign him in.
"Ahem, as I was saying, we drank an elixir and it said that it would heal our wounds after…" Zy's face dropped, and she slowed her pace.
"After we fought a man who had ruined the world back then. He's the reason why I have these wings," Rayu continued, taking over.
"And it had put you to sleep for that long, I assume," Mira said, still calm. Rayu nodded,
"And you Taren" Rayu aksed
"I don't know.. The last thing I remember was eating a mushroom" I replied. Mira squinted at me and I could see Zy hugging herself, the memory of that man's actions weighing heavily on her.
I stepped closer to Zy, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey Zy, are you okay?" I asked softly.
Her voice shook. "It's just… That… That man… he dispatched my parents. I wasn't able to do anything, all I was able to do was watch as he… he "
Her words faltered. I could feel the depth of her pain. Losing both parents at once, at the hands of someone so cruel, was something I couldn't even imagine. My chest tightened, and without thinking, I hugged her, feeling her body relax into mine.
"It's okay Zy, I'm here for you," I whispered, hugging her tighter like my mom used to hug me.
"Thanks, I needed that," Zy murmured, closing her eyes and leaning her full weight against me, as light as a feather.
"What are you two love birds doing?" Rayu's voice cut through the moment sharply. Zy and I jumped apart immediately, both pretending nothing happened.
"Stop dragging behind, we are almost at the housing," Mira stated, pointing at a huge mansion-like building ahead. My jaw dropped.
"That's supposed to be a housing building?" I blinked several times, making sure I wasn't hallucinating.
"Yeah, why?" Mira asked.
"He's not used to any of this," Zy and Rayu said at the same time.
"We will be staying there for a while," Mira said.
"SO WE ARE STAYING IN A MANSION!" I screamed, catching the attention of several people nearby.
"Quiet down Taren, you are making everyone stare at us," Zy smacked the back of my head.
"It's the cheapest housing here," Mira explained casually.
I just stared, trying to process that the "cheapest housing" looked like a palace.
"Theres no way that's the cheapest house here" I stammered, We to the entrance of the housing and I saw a bunch of people there and heard many conversations at the same time
"YOU SPENT ALL THE GEMS ON WHAT?"! Someone screamed
"OH COME ON SOMEONE ERASED THE GAME POINTS ON THE BOARD AGAIN, SHEESH EVERY YEAR" a boy sighed
"HEY EMILY I WENT UP A RANK IN THE ADVENTURES GUILD!" A teenager screamed
" Taren STOP WONDERING!" Zy screamed at me
"HEY GIVE IT BACK ITS MINE" A kid screamed at a girl chasing her-OH SHOOT ZY IS SCREAMING AT ME! I ran back to the group
"You really are fascinated by everything aren't you" Mira said but there still wasn't any expression on her face
"You'll get used to it soon" Rayu said letting out a big breath
"It'll be annoying and amusing at the same time" Zy also let out a big breath
"Sorry I was just taking in the details" I scratched the back of my head. Mira just looked away and walked up to the service desk, Zy face palmed sighing, and Rayu just well stared into my soul ugh creepy
"Okay I got us all a separate room" Mira looked back at us without a smile holding three keys and leading us yet again but towards the hallways this time
"Wait separate rooms?" I responded and glanced a little at Zy
"Yeah, why is that a problem?" Mira asked throwing Zy and Rayu their keys with their room numbers on a tag
"No not at all" I grab my key and I looked at the number
"We are all neighbors" Rayu said
"Looks like it" Zy replied
"And I'm in the middle" I added
"I live right in front of your rooms, room 148" Mira said
"Im gonna hit the bay" Rayu said and unlocked his door
"Night everyone" He went inside and closed the door
"Sleepyhead" Mira rolled her eyes
"But I'm also going to sleep" Mira went into her room as well. I looked at Zy still standing there staring at me
"Are you not going to sleep?" I asked Zy
"I just… wanted to say thank you. For helping me back there" Zy looked at her door holding the handle
"Hey what are friends for right" I smiled
"Yeah… friends.." Zy whispered
"What?" I asked
"NOTHING GOOD NIGHT!" Zy shook her head quickly went inside her room and shut her door instantly
"Um okay?" I unlock my door and I walk into my room and Bronte jumped off my shoulder and walked into my room and jumping on my bed. It looked nice and cozy, there was a desk on the right with a lamp on one side, a bag with a gem sign on it beside my bed, and there was an empty closet
"Not really what I expected but I'm happy with it" I said to myself. I jumped onto my bed
"How sooooooooft" I sinked myself into the bed
"Where has this been my entire liffffffe" I snuggled up against the pillow, then at the corner of my eye the bag caught my attention
"Oh right, whats this" I sat up on my bed looking at the bag with a gem symbol on it
"Does this come with the room or did the previous owner leave this here?" I tilted my head. I got off my bed and walked to the bag and untied the rope, I looked inside and saw a bunch of yellow crystals, Bronte meowed loudly as if it sensed and saw something dangerous.
"Queit down Bronte theres nothing here" I tried calming Bronte down
"Huh, I gotta tell the others about this in the morning.. Or well midnight since there are now 744 hours in a day… I still can't believe that I trained with Rayu for that long" I sighed and flopped back onto my bed, getting knocked out in an instant. I woke back up but I wasn't in my room.. I was in a river in the forest and I felt smaller. That's when I remembered it like it was yesterday. July 14 2011, I was six years old in the forest with my dad when I found a special rock at the bottom of the river.
"DAD!!" I yell running on the shallow river water
"Did you find something soon?" Draeven says back to me sitting on his travel chair
"I found a cool shiny rock," I yelled, visibly excited. Draeven widened his eyes at the sight of the rock
"Where did you find this Taren?" Draeven says while holding the rock in his hand
"I found it in the bottom of the river" I moved like an axolotl
"Isnt it beautiful!" I jump up and down all around unable to stay still
"It certainly is Taren" Draeven got up from his travel chair
"Come on we are going back home, this will be your birthday present" Draeven grabbed my hand walking me back home out of the forest river. We walked a few miles til we reached home, Taralia ran at me and picked me up
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY Taren" Taralia squeezed me as hard as she could and started to swing me around
"MOOOOOOOM" I yell embarrassed
"Mom you're embarrassing him" My twin brother Laren sighed
"Oh no im not, right Taren" Taralia starts squeezing me harder
"You're… squeezing… life… out of me… moommm!!!!" I try to squeeze out a few breathes
"OH SORRY I DIDNT MEAN TO DO THAT" Taralia let me go screaming so I could catch a breath.
"The kid found a-" Draeven whispered in my mothers ear
"OH" Taralia gasped
"ILL MAKE THE CAKE IMMEDIATELY!" Taralia grabbed the stone from Draeven and hurried to the kitchen, and Draeven grabbed two chairs
"Take a seat son, I need tell you about the prophecy of the new world" Draeven said
"But you already told me this a gazillion times dadddd" I moaned
"But this is prior to your knowledge Taren, you will need it in the future" Draeven sighed
"I know I know the stones grant you demonic powers yada yada yada the earth will mutate and humanity will fall" I groan
"Well that's one way to put it, but do you remember where the stones came from?" Draeven asked
"Well… not really" I looked down, Draeven sighed
"The stones were ma-"
Draeven's sentence didn't just fade.
It ripped apart mid-air.
The sound stretched, distorted, twisting into a warped echo like someone had grabbed his voice and pulled it from both ends until it snapped.
My stomach dropped.
Something was behind him
Not a person.
Not a shadow.
Not even a presence.
It was…
wrong.
Like a tear in the world shaped itself into a thought that hated being alive.
And it noticed me.
A pressure crushed down on the room.
Heavy. Violent.
My lungs squeezed so tight I couldn't breathe. My heartbeat sounded like a hammer slamming inside my ribs, too fast, too loud, too painful.
Draeven kept talking, unaware his mouth moving, but his voice muffled, like he was trapped behind inches of glass.
My throat tightened.
My body started shaking.
The air behind him convulsed.
Then the voice slid out jagged, broken, layered with whispers speaking out of sync:
"Kar'thol ven dra'resh akh tai…
vor'na sel'khur droth ven'thal da'ruun.."
The sound hit me like claws dragging down the inside of my skull, and somehow I knew what it meant. It meant
"Keep your eyes peeled for the skies…
for none knows what comes crashing down…"
The Three red crystals snapped into existence.
floating.
Spasming.
Their movements are twitchy and unnatural, jerking like marionettes on broken strings.
They glowed so violently it hurt to look each pulse slamming against my chest like my heart was being forced to match their rhythm.
My vision cracked.
Literally.
Like a pane of glass shattering across my eyesight, thin lines splintering everything I looked at.
The room flickered between colors red, black, white, blue too fast to process.
Then reality screamed.
A high-pitched, metallic whine filled my ears. The walls buckled inward, then stretched outward like rubber. The lights didn't flicker; they exploded upward, fro Taren in midair like sparks trapped in amber.
The floor rippled.
The furniture bent.
Draeven blurred into a dozen overlapping versions of himself all out of sync.
My knees buckled.
"D-Dad Dad?"
I reached out, but my hand shook so violently my fingers wouldn't straighten.
The voids opened jagged tears ripping into existence with a noise like metal grinding against bone.
They weren't black.
They were hungry.
A force pulled at the air, at my breath, at the warmth in my chest dragging my emotions out of me like threads.
"W-what's… happening…?"
My voice broke, my throat tightening until it hurt.
My blood felt cold.
My skin buzzed.
My eyes stung with tears I didn't remember forming.
The crystals pulsed again harder.
A shockwave tore through the room.
The ceiling bent downward like it was melting.
The walls folded in on themselves.
The voids writhed and widened like living wounds.
I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't think.
I couldn't move.
I felt six years old, terrified, clinging to the last thread of reality as everything I knew glitch-stuttered like a broken recording.
My heartbeat synced to the crystals
1 pulse
2 pulses
3 pulses
Then-
" Taren!"
Draeven's shout didn't just snap me back, it slammed me back into my body so hard I gasped, stumbling as the chaos folded inward and vanished so suddenly it felt like being dropped from a height.
The room returned.
But the terror didn't.
It clung to my ribs, shaking, refusing to fade.
" Taren!" Draeven yells
"Y-yes dad?" I focus back on Draeven
"I'll start over"
"Wake up."
At first it wasn't even a voice -just a sharp snap in the darkness, like the world itself trying to pull me out of the collapsing void. My lungs seized, dragging in a breath that tasted like dust and fear. I jerked upright and hands grabbed me.
" Taren -hey, hey, wake up!"
My eyes flew open so fast the room smeared like wet paint. I wasn't in the cracking hallway. I wasn't staring at those red crystals. But my heart didn't know that. It slammed against my ribs like it was still trying to outrun the void.
Zy was on my bed, leaning over me, her pink eyes wide with worry -almost glowing in the dim light.
I flinched back so hard I nearly hit the wall waking Bronte up.
"NO-DON'T-"
Zy clapped a hand over my mouth before I could scream.
" Taren," she hissed quietly, her voice shaking but firm, "you're safe. Breathe. People are sleeping."
I could feel my whole body trembling beneath her touch, breath stuttering as if reality was still unstable. My fingers dug into the sheets, desperate to anchor myself. Zy's other hand rested lightly on my shoulder -grounding me, steadying me.
"Hey… look at me."
Her voice softened. "You're okay. You're here. You're not… wherever your mind just dragged you."
Slowly, painfully, the dream peeled away, leaving only the echo of cracking walls and that horrible distorted whisper. My pulse throbbed in my ears. My throat felt like I'd been screaming for hours and Bronte went back to sleep on my pillow.
Zy didn't move her hand from my mouth until my breathing stopped sounding like I was drowning.
"…there you go," she whispered. "Welcome back."
"But what are you doing on my bed?" I whispered back, my voice still rough from the nightmare fading out of my lungs.
Zy's face softened a little, though her eyes flicked nervously toward the floor.
"I was just wondering if you would like to take a walk around the city with me."
I blinked at her, still half tangled in my sheets, trying to process the sudden shift from collapsing reality to this.
"So you woke me up… to go for a walk?" I questioned her quietly.
Zy's shoulders slumped the moment she heard the tone in my voice. Her expression dropped, eyes lowering.
"Was I not supposed to?" she asked, her voice small.
"No it's fine," I responded quietly, letting out a breath as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. The cool air brushed my skin, chasing off the last traces of that nightmare. Zy stayed sitting there on the edge, hands folded in her lap, staring at the floor like she wasn't sure if she should move.
"Well then let's go, what are you waiting for?" I said as I stood and began gathering my things.
I reached for my gear piece by piece, taking my time. I picked up my pouch first. The leather was old but familiar beneath my fingers. I tightened the strap slowly, adjusting it until it rested comfortably at my hip. My boots were next to my bed. I pushed my foot into one, feeling the worn interior shape around my heel, then pulled the laces tight one loop at a time. The second boot slid on with a soft scrape against the floor.
My daggers took the longest. I lifted each one carefully from the small table, checking the edges, sliding them into their sheaths. The quiet click they made as they settled into place was grounding, steady. I tightened the straps across my chest and waist until everything felt balanced.
Zy watched all of this with a tilt of her head, her pink eyes following every movement.
"What's that bag?" she asked suddenly, pointing at the crystal full bag sitting beside my desk.
"Just yellow crystals," I answered with a shrug.
Her eyes widened immediately. She didn't even breathe for a moment.
"You're joking right?" she let out a nervous laugh, her voice cracking.
"No, why?" I asked while strapping my scabbard onto my waist, pulling the belt snug around me.
Zy inhaled sharply, hands flying to her head.
"That's one hundred thousand in old time currency" she screamed.
"Shhh" I hissed quickly, my eyes snapping toward the walls.
"People are still sleeping, Zy."
"Oh right sorry I forgot," Zy whispered, lowering her head apologetically.
"But seriously where did you get this bag from?" she asked, picking it up as if it might explode.
"I don't know. I thought it just came with the room or something like that." I shrugged again, adjusting my gear one last time.
"Let's check in with the Service Desk to see if anyone lost a bag of crystals," Zy suggested as she stood up, holding the bag against her chest.
We finally stepped toward the door. The metal handle was cold when I pushed it down. The hallway outside my room was dim, quiet, the warm lantern light barely brushing the stone walls. My footsteps echoed softly as I stepped out, waiting for Zy to follow. She walked out slowly, rubbing her arm in embarrassment.
I gave her a long look.
"What?" she asked, blinking.
"You aren't geared up," I responded.
Zy looked down at herself and only then realized she was still wearing her pajamas. She froze for a moment, then her face turned bright red.
"Oh my- right. Right. Let me get my stuff."
We stopped by Zy's room, and I waited outside while she rushed around inside. I could hear her moving, digging through drawers, muttering under her breath. The hallway was calm, quiet, with nothing but the faint hum of the building's energy running through the walls.
As I leaned against the wall, I heard a soft whir from beside Zy's door. I turned my head toward the sound.
It was the bag.
It was glowing.
Not a soft glow. A deep yellow radiance pulsing as if the crystals inside were breathing.
"What on earth…" I whispered.
I pushed off the wall and took a quiet step closer to the bag. The hallway felt colder than before, the stone walls giving back the soft glow from Zy's door lantern. I crouched down, reaching for the bag, and the moment my fingertips brushed the fabric I felt a warm pulse run through it, almost like the bag had a heartbeat.
"Huh… okay," I muttered softly.
I lifted the flap slowly. The ropes rasped a bit as they loosened. Then light flooded out of the opening, warm and bright and almost gentle. The glow washed over my hands and my face like sunlight that had been trapped inside the crystals for years. I leaned in a little more, letting my eyes adjust, watching how the light flickered across the hallway floor.
I moved a few crystals around carefully until I found the one that was glowing instead of shining.
"Huh, now doesn't this look familiar?" I picked it up, turning it in my palm.
"It looks just like the stone I found back the-"
The crystal softened suddenly. My eyes widened when it started to drip between my fingers like warm liquid light. It slipped into my skin before I could pull away. The warmth shot up my arm, spreading through my veins like a slow wave, and for a second I just froze.
"Hey Taren, I'm ready, let's go" Zy said as she stepped out, but she stopped instantly.
" Taren WHAT'S THAT" she rushed toward me, grabbing my arm with both hands.
"DID YOU GET HURT?!" Zy's voice cracked.
"No Zy, I'm fine." I tried to smile to calm her down, but I felt something warm behind my eyes.
" Taren." Zy stared at my face, her eyes huge. "Your eyes. They're glowing blue."
"What?" I blinked a few times and the warmth faded. My vision felt normal again. I rubbed my eyes, confused.
"What even happened I was just gearing up and then you… you started absorbing that." Zy kept looking at my arm up and down, like she expected something else to start glowing.
"W-well it was acting weird so naturally I took a closer look." I said, feeling guilty when Zy looked back up at me with that shocked expression.
She didn't say anything right away. She just held my arm a little tighter, her breathing uneven, her eyes still darting between my face and the bag on the ground.
"I'm fine, Zy," I reassured her.
"Honestly-"
I lifted my arms, fists clenched tight.
"I FEEL BETTER THAN EVER!!!!"
A deep, rhythmic thumping surged through my body, starting at my toes. An electric sensation raced upward-legs, spine, arms=until it burst out of my hands. A sharp flash of lightning struck the hanging light above us, snapping it loose and sending it crashing to the floor.
"Taren- WHAT WAS THAT?!"
Zy screamed, stumbling back, her voice sharp with fear.
"I-I don't know," I stuttered, lowering my hands. My fingers still buzzed faintly.
"That was completely new and…"
I lowered my head, narrowing my eyes as I stared at my hands.
"And?" Zy repeated.
She stepped closer and then stopped.
My veins glowed blue beneath my skin, pulsing once before fading away.
"Taren…" she said softly.
The anger in her voice was gone now. What replaced it scared me more.
"What was that thing you absorbed?"
"I think it was the same lightning stone I got when I was six," I explained quietly.
Her eyes widened.
"But that's impossible. There can only be one version of a stone. How could there be another?"
I looked at her. "This one might've been made by a demon…"
"Some stones are made by gods," I murmured.
"And others… by demons."
Zy froze, staring at me like the ground had vanished beneath her feet. She walked up to me slowly, her hands shaking.
"You ate a stone from a god," she said, raising her hand
"AND ABSORBED A STONE FROM A DEMON!"
Smack.
The slap echoed sharply.
"IDIOT!" she yelled.
"YOU COULD HAVE DIED!"
"I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS THE SAME STONE I HAD WHEN I WAS A KID, OKAY?!" I shouted back.
Zy turned away, biting her thumb hard. Her shoulders trembled once.
"…You scared me," she whispered.
It was so quiet I almost didn't hear it.
She pressed her forehead against the wall, breathing unevenly, fingers digging into her sleeve like she was holding herself together by force alone. For a moment, she didn't say anything. Didn't look at me.
Then she straightened.
"Doesn't matter now…" she said, her voice steady again-but thinner.
"You're alive. You're well."
She paused, then added softly,
"Stronger too."
Without another word, she walked toward the hallway exit. I followed her in silence to the service desk.
She dropped the bag in front of the lady.
"Hey, was anyone looking around for a bag like this?" Zy asked.
"No, not at all. Where'd you find it?" the service lady replied.
"Room 147."
"That room was newly made and newly registered," the lady said with a giggle.
"Your boyfriend here is the only one who's ever stayed there."
"WE ARE NOT LIKE THAT!"
We both said at the same time.
She laughed.
"Anyways, you two can keep the bag. Like people used to say centuries ago, Finders keepers, losers weepers."
She slid a screen in front of her and turned away.
"Well… should we keep it?" I asked.
"We can't just leave it around," Zy said, lifting the bag.
"So yes. We're keeping it."
"Then let's head out like you said," I replied, stretching my arms.
"Looks like that problem's solved."
"Yeah," she nodded.
We stepped out of the housing building together, walking side by side. At first, I didn't fully register what was around us-but then the city opened up, and I slowed to a stop without realizing it.
Floating lights drifted lazily through the air like glowing fireflies. Entire bridges moved on their own, sliding smoothly between buildings as if the city itself were alive. Houses hovered at different heights, bathed in warm yellow light.
And then-
People rode past us on massive, fur-covered beasts.
"ARE THOSE-" I pointed. "-EARTH WOLVES?!"
"So um… do people really just tame Earth wolves?" I asked, still staring.
"Yeah," Zy said casually. "It's pretty common. They're actually great pets."
I blinked. "That's insane."
"Oh-hey, look," she said, pointing upward. "A gear shop."
I followed her finger to a floating building above us, slowly rotating in place. No stairs. No ropes. Nothing connecting it to the ground.
"So… how are we supposed to get up there?" I scratched my cheek.
"I don't know," Zy admitted, raising an eyebrow. "First time here too."
A person walked past us wearing strange boots. They tapped their heels together twice.
The boots hummed.
They lifted clean off the ground and floated up into the shop.
"…That's how," we both said at the same time.
I stared for a second-then my eyes lit up.
"Wait. I've got an idea."
"And what would that be?" Zy asked.
I hesitated… then pulled her into a sudden hug.
"H-Hey-?!"
I took a deep breath, closing my eyes, focusing inward-searching for that electric feeling again. The hum. The pulse. The source.
"T-T-T-Taren-what are you doing?!" Zy's voice cracked.
Then I felt it.
A wave of electricity surged through my body, flowing from my head down to my legs.
"WE'RE GOING UP!" I yelled.
Lightning exploded from beneath my feet.
The ground cracked, leaving a small scorched ditch behind us as we shot straight into the air.
"TAREEEEEEEEEEEEEN!"
Zy screamed, clinging to me with all her strength.
We smashed through the shop's closed doors and hit the floor hard, skidding to a stop in a tangle of limbs.
"…Okay," I said casually, still holding her.
"So I was like… ten percent sure I wouldn't accidentally create a nuke-level explosion."
Zy was very still.
"So," she said in a dangerously calm voice,
"you're telling me… we could have died."
"Yeah," I murmured.
Her eye twitched.
"WE COULD HAVE DIED AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN THINK TWICE ABOUT IT! ALSO-GET OFF ME!"
She shook me like a soda bottle before shoving me away.
"We're alive," I said, standing up and grabbing the bag. "That's what matters, right?"
I looked around the shop.
Swords lined the walls. Shields hovered in glass cases. Backpacks, staffs, ancient books, spatial cubes, artifacts, adventure gear-and a strange, ticking clock.
"Seriously," Zy sighed, getting up. "What am I going to do with you?"
"So… we split the money and shop?" I offered.
"Guess so."
We went opposite directions.
I grabbed a sturdier pouch, a blue jacket threaded with lightning designs-and then noticed a watch resting on a velvet stand. A single number two glowed on its face.
"…Weird," I muttered.
Suddenly-
"AAAAAH!"
I snapped my head toward Zy.
She was kneeling on the floor, glass shattered everywhere-a large shard resting against her chest.
"I'm fine, Taren," she chuckled. "It's not deep-"
Panic took over.
I ran toward her, gripping the watch too tightly.
Click.
Reality twisted.
The world folded in on itself-loops, spirals, echoes-
And suddenly I was back where I'd been standing.
The watch now read 1.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
I looked up-
Zy was reaching for a shelf.
A glass vase teetered.
"Zy!" I screamed.
She turned too late.
The vase slipped.
I lunged, shoving her aside and catching it mid-fall.
We both froze.
"…Woah," Zy breathed, wide-eyed on the floor.
"Those are some reflexes, Mr. Elarvek."
"Yeah," I said quietly, staring at the watch.
"Reflexes."
It read: 3 days until full recharge.
I helped her up.
"What'd you get?" I asked.
"New swords. Elbow pads. You?"
"Clothes, gear… and this weird watch."
"Looks old."
"It definitely is," I said. "Let's pay."
We walked to the front desk.
"…No one's here," I blinked.
Zy spammed the bell.
"OH MY ZAL-WHO IS IT?!"
A man burst through the staff door.
"WHO IN THE HEL-ZY?!"
He rushed forward and hugged her, spinning her around.
"J-Jynx-let go!"
She punched his back.
"Sorry! It's just been-what?"
"Twenty-five centuries," Zy finished.
"…That long, huh?"
"Uh," I narrowed my eyes. "Who's that?"
"Oh right," Zy said. "Taren, this is Jynx. Old friend.
Jynx, this is Taren. My… uh… normal friend."
"Is that your new boyfriend?" Jynx grinned.
"NO-NOT AT ALL!"
We both shouted, shaking our heads.
"Aww," Jynx laughed, pulling our cheeks.
"You'd look great together!"
"Do you like each other?" he asked.
"I-I mean-" I looked away.
"W-Why would you ask that?" Zy turned the other way.
Jynx smiled wider.
"Funny," he said. "Neither of you said no."
I turned toward Zy.
She turned toward me.
"Your face is red, dummy," Zy laughed, pointing at me.
"HEY-YOURS TOO!" I snapped back.
"So it's official then," Jynx said, laughing as he reached down and patted both of our heads. He looked down at us like we were children-
and honestly, standing next to him, we might as well have been. The man was enormous.
"So when's the weddi-"
Zy's fist came up fast.
The impact was brutal.
Jynx's body lifted off the ground and slammed backward, crashing into a shelf with a metallic shriek.
"You are not invited. Ever," Zy said coldly.
"Not after that party you threw at my parents' wedding."
Jynx groaned, rubbing his chin. "Come on… I'm sure they liked it."
"Wait," I said slowly, my brain finally catching up.
"Official? Wedding?!"
"…Wait, what?" Jynx blinked.
"Yeah," Zy said, tapping my forehead with her knuckle.
"He's kinda slow. Surprisingly, for once, he wasn't thinking at all."
Before I could respond, distant shouting echoed through the shop.
"TAREN!"
"ZY!"
Rayu and Mira were calling for us from outside. Mira already had her wingpack half-secured.
"Oh-right," Zy muttered. "I forgot to tell the others we were heading out."
She turned toward the door.
"Well then," Jynx grinned suddenly, grabbing both of us by the shoulders.
"Let's not keep them waiting."
"Wait-who's running the shop?" Zy asked.
"My coworkers got it," he chuckled.
Zy glanced at me, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Hold on, Taren. This is gonna be bumpy."
"Wait-what-"
A low mechanical whir filled the air.
Jynx's veins lit up, glowing an unnatural neon green beneath his skin.
"NEWTON THRUST-FORWARD!"
The world exploded into motion.
We were launched through the doors like cannon fire, the force crushing the air from my lungs as the city blurred into streaks of light.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!"
Rayu barely had time to react.
"Jynx-?"
Impact.
We crashed into the ground in a tangled heap of limbs.
"Ow," everyone groaned at once.
Then-
My pocket started shaking.
Not vibrating.
Thrashing.
The watch tore itself free, ripping upward into the air as if yanked by invisible hands. It hovered above us, rattling violently.
"Uh… what the-"
The light detonated.
Pure white swallowed everything.
When my vision returned, the world was wrong.
Faces were melting-skin sliding off skulls like wax dripping from a candle. Eyes sagged from sockets. Mouths stretched impossibly wide, tearing at the corners as screams poured out without lungs to fuel them.
Bones cracked.
Arms bent backward until they snapped loose and dangled, twisting independently.
Everyone was screaming.
Everyone except Jynx.
He sat beside me, frozen, gasping for breath. His pupils were so small they looked carved into his eyes.
I looked down.
My hands were bone.
No skin. No muscle. Just slick, liquefied flesh dripping away, pooling beneath my fingers.
Then the whisper began.
"Zalgo…
Zalgo…
Zalgo…"
The name drilled into my skull, vibrating through my teeth, my spine, my thoughts.
"ZALGO IS HERE-MOM, RUN!!!"
The world screamed.
Reality folded in on itself and tore open.
We stood in a land made of death.
Blood pooled across the ground in thick, dark puddles. Heads lay scattered like discarded stones, jaws still slack in silent agony. Guts spilled openly, steaming. Bones formed the earth itself, crunching beneath invisible weight.
My friends stood nearby.
Or what was left of them.
Rotting flesh sagged from exposed skeletons. Faces were half-gone. Bodies incomplete.
Only Jynx remained untouched.
Alive.
He stood rigid, staring ahead.
I followed his gaze.
A throne rose from the carnage-crafted entirely of skulls and fused bone.
Seated upon it was a giant.
Nineteen feet tall.
Pitch black.
A cape draped over his shoulders, woven from dead stars and screaming souls. A crown of six glowing red crystals burned atop his head.
His eyes were crimson.
They didn't look at you.
They judged you.
Seven mouths were scattered across his body, each lined with teeth sharp enough to tear reality apart. Thick, blood-slick tongues slithered within them.
He swallowed a strange creature whole.
Didn't chew.
"You aren't supposed to be here yet,"
Zalgo said, tilting his head.
He pulled the remains from one mouth, tossed the bones aside, and used the spine as a toothpick.
Then his gaze snapped to Jynx.
"And you… toy."
Disgust twisted into anticipation.
"We're gonna have some fun."
He snapped his fingers.
The soundwave erased everything.
In an instant-
We were back.
The underground city.
Our timeline.
Silence.
Jynx was gone.
"Uh… Taren?" Rayu asked carefully. "You okay, bud?"
I didn't answer.
I stood up slowly.
"I'm good," I said.
"Taren…" Zy stepped closer, resting her hand on my shoulder.
"You don't look so good."
I shoved her away.
"I'M FINE, OKAY?!"
Everyone froze.
Mira yawned.
"If you were," she said lazily,
"you wouldn't be screaming."
"Anyway," Mira said, looking around, confused. "You yelled 'Jynx,' Rayu. Who is that?"
"I don't know," Rayu replied, scratching the back of his head. "I thought I saw someone, but… I guess not. Maybe I was hallucinating?"
Before anyone could say more, a thunderous explosion echoed from far ahead.
The cavern shook.
We all turned at once.
Thick black smoke spiraled upward, spreading across the cave ceiling like a living thing.
"Something's going on over the-" Zy started.
I interrupted her, clamping a hand over her mouth.
"Let's check it out."
I was already moving.
"Woah, woah, woah," Rayu said, half-laughing, half-surprised. "Our little boy's got guts now, huh?"
"Shut up and keep up," I snapped.
I broke into a sprint, weaving through crowds, vaulting over debris, grabbing floating poles and swinging forward without slowing. The city blurred around me.
"YOU'RE GOING TOO FAST-LET US CATCH UP!" Mira yelled.
I didn't listen.
I launched off a lamppost, caught another midair, and hurled myself onto a rooftop. Wind roared past my ears. Rayu and Zy flew up to either side of me while Mira grappled behind, barely keeping pace.
"When did you learn to do all that?!" Rayu shouted, eyes wide.
I didn't answer.
Ahead of us, the smoke parted.
A man floated above the city.
Buildings tore free from the ground around him, ripped upward without a single touch. Entire structures twisted, crumpled, and were flung aside like toys.
I glanced at Mira.
She was shaking.
"Mira," I said. "You know him?"
"I-" her voice trembled. "That's the man who made this city. Why… why is he destroying what he created?"
"Doesn't matter," I said, fists tightening. Blue light began pulsing faintly through my veins. "He's hurting people. That's enough."
I dropped to one knee on the rooftop.
"Rayu, Zy-search above ground for survivors. Mira-make sure no one's trapped inside those buildings."
"What about you?" Zy asked.
"I've got business to handle."
I launched forward.
Electricity detonated beneath my feet as I blasted into the air, tearing straight toward the floating man.
"HEY YOU!!"
Lightning surged into my arm as I drove the strike forward, slamming him downward with a concussive crack. I barely glanced back-just long enough to see the others moving.
Rayu lifting civilians and flying them to safety.
Zy ripping debris aside with raw strength.
Mira crashing through walls with her grappling hook.
Then-
Impact.
A house slammed into me midair.
"UGH-!"
I punched through it, exploding out the other side as splintered stone rained below.
Something inside me snapped.
Anger surged-hot, violent.
Lightning flooded my body, my vision burning white and blue. My hands twisted, fingers sharpening into glowing claws formed entirely of electricity.
But this time-
I didn't let the anger take over.
"TAREN!!" Zy screamed, staring at me.
"I'll be fine," I said calmly, forcing the rage down. "Just focus on saving those people."
Then-
A wet, brutal sound.
A long, jagged dripstone pierced straight through Zy's chest.
Time stopped.
"ZY!!"
My scream tore my throat raw.
The floating man's veins glowed a sickly green.
Gravity.
I ripped the watch from my pocket and slammed the button.
"You will pay for that."
The world warped.
Reality twisted seconds backward.
"TAREN!!" Zy screamed again-
But this time, I was already moving.
I dashed in front of her, claws slashing.
The dripstone shattered.
I looked down at my arms.
The claws were spreading, crawling upward. Black stripes burned across my skin as blue lightning wrapped around me like living armor.
A tail lashed behind me.
My face pushed forward into a snout-whiskers crackling with electricity.
I lifted my gaze.
The man hovered there.
I met him with pure, controlled fury.
"Hey," I said quietly.
"Meet my lightning tiger form."
I vanished in a thunderclap, lightning tearing through the air straight toward him.
"Nice trick," he smirked, dodging effortlessly. "But that's not going to do anything."
He lowered his arms.
Then raised them.
Chunks of the ground ripped free beneath us, lifting into the air as gravity itself bent to his will.
"I'm Axel," the man said, floating effortlessly above the fractured city. A crooked smile spread across his face. "Not a great time to meet you."
He flicked his wrist.
The chunk of stone he'd been holding launched toward me, gravity screaming as it accelerated. I crossed my arms just in time.
The impact crushed me straight down.
The rooftop shattered beneath my feet as I slammed into the ground, cracks webbing outward. Pain surged through my arms, electricity flaring as I barely kept myself from being crushed completely.
"Why are you doing this?!" I shouted, forcing myself upright. "Aren't you the one who built this place?!"
Lightning surged from my claws, stretching outward like a living vine. It snapped through the air toward him-
Axel drifted aside lazily.
The lightning tore through an empty space and detonated against a distant building, blowing part of it apart.
"Why?" Axel laughed, his voice echoing across the cavern.
"Because he promised me something better."
His eyes gleamed.
"Pure power. Power no one else would ever touch."
The green glow in his veins intensified.
"And he said," Axel continued, spreading his arms, "that if I proved myself… I might even get two more of the same gravity stone I already ate."
My breath hitched.
"Three stones…?" I muttered. "That's impossible."
Axel didn't answer.
He moved.
Gravity folded around him as he shot forward, the air warping as entire buildings ripped free from the ground behind him. They hovered at his sides like weapons waiting to be thrown.
One flick of his hand-
A building screamed toward me.
I tried to brace.
Too slow.
The structure slammed into me and sent me flying across the city. I smashed through a glowing wall, skidded across stone, and rolled to a stop, coughing violently as blood spilled from my mouth.
The lightning around my body flickered.
Then died.
My tiger form collapsed, electricity draining from my limbs as I dropped to one knee.
"What a shame," Axel said calmly, floating closer.
"It was fun playing with you."
His hands glowed brighter-an unnatural, sickly green.
"But I'm afraid," he continued, smiling,
"I'll have to kill you now."
He raised his arms.
The cavern groaned.
Above us, the ceiling cracked.
Massive chunks of stone tore loose, plummeting downward like falling moons. Houses shattered. Streets vanished. Entire sections of the underground world were erased in seconds.
People screamed.
The yellow glow of the city flickered as destruction tore through it.
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stand despite the pain ripping through my body.
No.
Not like this.
I slammed my palms into the ground.
Lightning burst outward in a wide arc, vaporizing debris mid-fall and blasting a path forward. I sprinted through the chaos, dodging falling structures as gravity warped unpredictably around me.
Axel noticed.
"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow. "Still standing?"
He clenched his fist.
Gravity inverted.
My body was yanked sideways, smashing me into a wall as the world tilted violently. Houses on the ceiling fell upward, colliding with those below in an explosion of debris.
I pushed off the wall, sparks exploding from my feet as I rocketed toward him again.
Lightning surged back into my limbs.
Claws reformed.
I slashed.
Axel crossed his arms.
The air itself thickened.
My attack slowed-stopped-as if I'd swung through invisible cement. Axel twisted his wrist and flung me downward, driving me headfirst into the ground.
Stone swallowed me.
Pain screamed through my spine.
But I snarled, electricity detonating outward as I burst free from the rubble, eyes locked onto him.
"I won't let you destroy this place," I growled.
Axel smirked wider.
"Then try."
He spread his arms.
The underground world answered.
Buildings from the floor, walls, and ceiling tore free at once, rotating around him in a massive orbit of destruction. Gravity twisted in every direction, turning the battlefield into a collapsing nightmare.
I launched myself upward, weaving between spinning structures, lightning trailing behind me like a comet. I leapt from falling debris to floating stone, closing the distance inch by inch.
Axel thrust both hands forward.
The gravity slammed into me like a tidal wave.
My vision blurred.
My bones screamed.
But I kept moving.
Electricity roared through me as I pushed harder, faster, refusing to slow.
I drew back my claws, lightning screaming-
And lunged.This time, my claws connected.
Lightning ripped across his chest as I tore through flesh and energy alike, sparks exploding outward as Axel staggered back mid‑air.
"UGH-!"
He snarled, veins flaring violently green. "ANNOYING RAT!"
Before I could react, gravity crushed inward.
His hand clamped around my throat.
The pressure was instant-merciless. My feet lifted from nothing as the air itself bent around his grip. I clawed at his wrist, lightning screaming uselessly against the pull.
"I am done toying with you," Axel hissed, eyes burning as he dragged me higher into the cavern. "You've caused nothing but problems-for me and my master."
The city fell away beneath us.
Houses-upright, sideways, upside down-shrunk into glowing dots as we rose. The yellow lights of the underground world flickered through dust and falling debris far below.
I struggled, fingers digging into his arm, my lungs screaming.
"Master is always talking about you," Axel continued, his voice cracking as rage spilled through the words. "Always watching. Always planning."
His grip tightened.
"It's NOT FAIR!"
Lightning surged from my body in wild bursts, but gravity smothered it, bending the sparks away like dying stars.
"I'm one of his Top Thirty Sovereigns!" Axel roared, lifting me even higher, his voice echoing across the cavern walls. "Chosen by his hand! Feared across the world!"
The air grew thinner.
My vision blurred at the edges.
"THE WORLD TREMBLES WHEN THEY HEAR MY NAME," he screamed. "I'm one of the strongest Ravagers to ever exist!"
His voice faltered.
The green glow in his veins pulsed unevenly now.
"I'm even the captain…" he muttered more quietly, almost to himself.
For a split second-just one-I saw it.
Not pride.
Not rage.
Fear.
His grip wavered.
My claws twitched, lightning gathering again beneath my skin. Then-out of nowhere-
Steel tore through flesh.
Axel's body jerked as a blade burst from his back, lightning and gravity spasming wildly as green light cracked and sputtered.
We dropped.
The sky rushed upward.
My vision dimmed instantly, my body too heavy to move, consciousness slipping through my fingers like water. I felt arms wrap around me before the ground could claim us.
Zy.
She caught me.
Below us, Axel slammed into the stone streets with a thunderous crash, the impact sending cracks racing through the ground like spiderwebs.
Zy's wings flared wide, stabilizers screaming as she struggled to keep us aloft. Sparks flew from her wingpack as she descended, slow-controlled-every second costing her strength.
She landed hard but standing.
The wingpack whined once… then died.
Silence fell.
The cavern stopped shaking.
The floating debris froze-then crashed lifelessly to the ground.
Axel's gravity was gone.
"You fought well, Taren," Zy said softly, kneeling beside me.
She smiled.
A real one.
Not confident.
Not teasing.
Just… proud.
Then-
A sound like stone tearing through meat.
A jagged rock burst straight through her stomach.
Blood splattered the ground beneath us.
Zy gasped sharply, eyes wide, breath hitching as her hands trembled over the wound.
Axel stood behind her.
Barely.
His body was broken-veins dim, legs shaking, blood pouring freely-but his eyes still burned with hatred.
"I can… at least…" he rasped, lifting his arm weakly, voice cracking apart, "…make you suffer… before I-"
His head dropped.
The light in his veins vanished.
Axel collapsed mid‑sentence, hitting the ground like an empty shell.
Gone.
Completely.
The city exhaled.
The lights steadied.
The ground stilled.
The underground world survived.
But Zy didn't.
Her knees buckled.
She fell forward-and I fell with her.
My vision darkened at the edges, sound warping, the world narrowing to muffled echoes and distant pounding.
I couldn't scream.
Couldn't move.
I felt her forehead rest against mine, her breath shallow, shaky.
Then-footsteps.
Running.
"TAREN!"
"ZY!"
Rayu's voice cracked.
Mira's grapple hit the ground with a clang as they skidded to a stop.
The last thing I saw before everything went black was Zy's hand still clutching mine.
Warm.
Shaking.
Refusing to let go.