The scene freezes. The dust from the shattered ceiling hangs suspended like frozen stars. The Hero's arms remain locked around a very confused Asm in a hug that feels more like a prison. Suddenly, the edges of the world curl inward, shrinking the high-stakes drama into a small window. The background transforms into a loud, neon-pink void.
Two figures pop into the frame with a festive "Poof!" and a shower of digital confetti.
On the left is Pixie-Bell, a tiny, glowing fairy with wings that shimmer like broken glass. She looks like she's had five shots of espresso. On the right is Little Johnny. He is a floating, perfectly round head with no body. His palms float freely beside him, encased in oversized, white, three-fingered cartoon gloves. His eyes are wide and cute, but a dark, swirling shadow leaks from the sockets.
Pixie-Bell: (Waving a tiny wand enthusiastically) "Hiii everyone! The plot just got super intense and kind of emotional, so we're pausing the show to explain why our main man Asm is getting squished instead of fighting back!"
Little Johnny: (Staring blankly at his own gloved hand, wiggling the fingers) "Wait... why are there only three fingers? Pixie, did I lose two? Are they in the lab? We should go back and look."
Pixie-Bell: (Sighing) "Focus, Johnny! We're talking about Asm! Everyone thinks he's just a regenerating punching bag, but he actually has one of the most broken Gifts in existence: CREATION."
Little Johnny: (Tapping his floating head with a gloved fist) "Creation? Like... making a sandwich? I'm hungry. Can he make me a sandwich with the crusts cut off? I don't like the crusts. They're too sharp."
Pixie-Bell: "He could make a mountain of sandwiches if he wanted to! If Asm imagines it, thinks about it, or even subconsciously craves it—it becomes real! He doesn't even need to know how the object works. He doesn't need to understand the physics of a bullet or the complex wiring of a bomb. If he thinks 'I need something that goes boom,' the universe just hands him a grenade!"
Little Johnny: (Watching a butterfly that isn't there) "I like grenades. They're round. Like me. We're cousins."
Pixie-Bell: (Ignoring him) "The craziest part? He can even create other Gifts! He could give himself the power to fly, shoot lasers, or turn into a dragon just by wanting it badly enough! But... there's a catch."
Little Johnny: (Suddenly alert) "A catch? Is it a ball? Did someone throw a ball? I'll catch it! Use the gloves!"
Pixie-Bell: "No, Johnny! The catch is that Asm is a total low-level scrub right now. He spent five years just trying not to die under a rock, so his 'Creation' muscle is super weak. His brain is stuck on 'Simple Mode.' That's why he only makes boring stuff like guns, blades, and explosives. He's trying to use a god-tier Gift to do basic physical damage because he hasn't leveled up his mental focus yet!"
Little Johnny: (Floating upside down) "So he's a noob? That's sad. He should just ask the Hero for a snack. She seems nice. She gives good hugs. Hugs are like blankets you wear."
Pixie-Bell: "Exactly! To create a new Gift for himself, he needs massive training and focus. Until then, he's stuck being a brawler. Anyway, we're the ones who really run things behind the scenes! We might show up in the actual story later... or we might just stay here in the pink void where it's safe."
Little Johnny: (Clapping his gloved hands together) "I like the void. It doesn't have crusts. Bye-bye, sandwich people!"
Pixie-Bell: (Blows a glittery kiss) "Back to the hugging! See ya!"
[The neon-pink void shatters. The sound of crumbling stone and the weight of the Hero's embrace snap back into reality.]