Anyone who entered a portal never returned. Nova finally understood why no one ever came back.
This kind of fate befell all those unlucky enough to fall into the hell of a Dimensional Portal. The only good thing about all of this was that Serenity prevented him from feeling horrified by what was about to happen.
The Aberration opened its mouth, chewing over and over again.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
The tentacle's grip tightened, crushing Nova's torso and forcing blood out of his mouth. His bones creaked, his organs were compressed against one another, and his vision blurred.
On the verge of passing out from his injuries and the pain, Nova saw the monster's mouth. Thin strands of viscous saliva stretched from tooth to tooth, clinging to a small, pink, triangular tongue.
In that tiny fraction of a second, the light returned to his eyes. His survival instinct kicked in, forcing him to think fast—and reach a conclusion.
'Looks like you made a mistake, bastard…'
He smiled with blood in his mouth. With great difficulty, he pulled three seeds from his pocket and dropped them into the Aberration's mouth a second before being crushed by its hundreds of teeth.
The seeds absorbed the moisture inside the beast's mouth and—
Fwoom!
Energy flowed like water, causing branches and roots to erupt from the seeds, bursting outward from inside the Aberration's body with wet, grotesque cracking sounds.
Completely weakened, Nova heard the Aberration's carapace creak, shatter, and split apart as branches and leaves burst through it.
The monster growled, screamed, and writhed. Its tentacles contracted and stretched in a disgusting frenzy, dragging the sand beneath its body. Some of its tentacles exploded—but the most satisfying part of all was seeing that ridiculous, terrifying, self-satisfied grin vanish as death erupted from within.
Black blood sprayed from the Aberration's ruined body, dark, viscous entrails hanging from the cracks. The beast lost its strength, causing the tentacle to release Nova.
He hit the ground with a dull thud. Lying on the sand, he stared up at the clear sky. His blood pooled beneath him, drying in the heat, and his eyes began to show the signs of an inevitable death.
'It hurts too much…'
He took a couple of shallow breaths.
'I…'
His eyes closed.
'I'm sorry, Mom.'
And silence took the stage.
Long minutes passed in that place. During that time, the branches, the leaves, and everything that had once been seeds continued to spread among death.
Now, in the middle of the desert, there stood a massive tree with round, whitish fruits hanging from the tips of its branches. The tree's leaves were blue—bright and beautiful.
The tree itself released tiny snowflakes from its leaves, painting that small area white.
Thus, in this lifeless desert, that tree was the only thing untouched by the color of fire. Its branches burst from the corpse of an Aberration, and its snowflakes filled the wounds of Nova Asmodai.
The wind that pushed the sand's dust came to a halt, along with all living and non-living activity in that lonely desert.
***
On Terra, night drapes itself over the forest like a dark, oppressive mantle. Silver clouds drift across the night sky alongside the moonlight, and a cold wind accompanies those who have lost a friend.
There are voices speaking about it around a campfire. Others remain silent, staring into nothingness, reflecting on what is known about Dimensional Portals.
However, far away from everyone else and hidden behind a tree, there was a girl crying inconsolably. She wiped away the tears running down her face, but they kept spilling from the corners of her eyes.
With her cat ears sadly drooping against her head, she kept repeating Nova's name over and over while recalling every moment they had shared—from elementary school to just a few hours ago.
Miyu lamented not having done anything. She kept telling herself she was weak, that she couldn't do anything without him.
"Nova… Nova… Why?"
She had wiped her tears so many times that her face was sore. She had been crying for so long that her voice was hoarse and her breathing trembled painfully.
All this time, she kept blaming the ethereal window lying before her eyes.
[
❖ Name: Miyu Hoshino
❖ Age: 20 chronological years
❖ Rank: Seventh-Level Empath
❖ Spectrum: Anticipation
❖ Spectrum Skills:
—Enhanced Senses: The user's physical and spectral perception increases exponentially based on experience.
—Future Vision: The ability to see a brief moment of a possible near future. Excessive use causes fatigue and eye pain.
—Danger Omen: The ability to detect an imminent future danger within a few seconds. Activates automatically when the user or someone close is in potential mortal danger.
❖ Energy Control:
—Low control of Calem Energy
—Low control of Aerokinesis
—Low resistance to Status Effects
❖ Personal Skills:
—Street Combat
—Feline Style
]
"Why didn't you warn me sooner?"
She wished her ability, Danger Omen, had alerted her in advance—but that wasn't how it worked, unfortunately.
All she could do was continue lamenting through her tears.
Nearby, Elara and Rober stared silently at the campfire at the center of the camp, their gazes dark and their expressions somber.
Neither of them had said a word since then—neither cried, but tears weren't necessary to know they were desperate and heartbroken.
Viktor, on the other hand, watched them from afar with the same grim expression.
"Maia…" he whispered in a broken voice. "What do you think I should say to Ada?"
He smiled, trying to turn it into a joke as well, but—
"Maia… my nephew… I wasn't there…"
Laughing painfully, he gave in, dropping to his knees and leaning against Maia. He squeezed his eyes shut, burying everything he felt deep within his heart.
"Again… it's happening again."
One single mistake ruined everything. Was there a reason for Viktor to react this way? Of course—obviously—but there was something more beyond that.
A trauma that had haunted him for a long time.
A woman smiling beautifully, surrounded by raging flames.
***
Adelaide couldn't sleep for some reason. She lay there for hours, staring at the ceiling in silence, shifting in bed in a futile attempt to fall asleep.
She let out a stressed sigh and got up from her bed in her small, cozy room. She went to the kitchen, but when she looked at the refrigerator in the darkness, she inevitably saw her reflection—and her son's image within it.
"Nova…"
It was strange. Something hurt. She touched her chest, trying to understand that pain. Then she opened the window and looked up at the stars.
The sky displayed beautiful stars scattered across the dark firmament. One of them shone brighter than the rest. That large star made Adelaide sigh, weary.
After drinking a bit of water, she returned to her room, still uncertain about the sensation that had touched her heart.
The next day, she would learn that her only son had been swallowed by a Dimensional Portal.