MEANWHILE - IN THE VOID a day before Axel's appearance
The Void was not empty.
It only pretended to be.
An endless expanse of black stretched in all directions, swallowing distance, devouring light, erasing the very idea of up or down. No stars. No time. No sound. Nothing mortal could ever reach it-no telescope, no god, no desperate prayer from Earth could ever glimpse its depths.
Yet something existed there.
Someone.
Floating effortlessly within the abyss was a colossal silhouette, barely outlined by six dim, crimson lights embedded where a face should be. Beneath those lights, nothing reflected-no skin, no form-only darkness folded into the vague shape of a being too large, too wrong to belong anywhere else.
Zalgo.
"Ugh," he muttered, his voice carrying despite the absence of air. "I hate humans."
"Lord Zalgo! Lord Zalgo!"
A portal ripped open behind him, bleeding hellfire into the void like an open wound. A twisted figure stumbled through, armor scorched, breath ragged, wings half-burned as he fell to one knee.
Zalgo turned slowly.
"What is it," he asked, his tone flat and cold.
The minion-Zeltron-scrambled upright, panic shaking his voice. "The humans! The humans found the crystals!"
Zalgo's crimson eyes opened just a fraction wider, their glow cutting through the darkness like blades.
"Which ones, Zeltron?"
"The yellow ones!" Zeltron gasped. "They found the-"
"The ones in the apartment," Zalgo interrupted. "I am aware."
Zeltron froze. "Y‑Yes, sir! They grant power! Specifically-"
"SILENCE."
The word detonated.
The Void itself shuddered as the command echoed infinitely in every direction. Zeltron's body locked mid‑motion, his head snapping downward as he dropped into a trembling bow.
"I didn't plant the power crystal, you incompetent nimrod," Zalgo snarled. "If you used your ears, maybe you'd hear them celebrating."
Zalgo drifted closer, the red glow of his eyes intensifying.
"First it was that stupid mortal, Taren," he continued, voice dripping with contempt. "And now you. Worthless."
"Sir, I-"
Zeltron never finished the sentence.
He erupted into a red flame.
The portal to Hell slammed shut as his screams tore through the void-long, raw, and unending. Fire consumed him inch by inch, crackling violently as his agony echoed louder and louder, each second stretching into an eternity.
Zalgo watched without expression.
The fire illuminated his form-pure blackness shaped into horror, six crimson crystals gleaming where eyes should never exist. Zeltron's screams peaked… then faded… until nothing remained but silence.
"Disgrace," Zalgo muttered, turning away.
"I can't deal with these Zalgoids," he sighed. "Always so incompetent."
His gaze shifted.
Toward Earth.
"That planet…" he murmured. "Just a matter of time."
He extended a massive hand, pressing it against something unseen. The surface rippled faintly-an invisible barrier separating him from the world he desired.
He frowned.
Then smiled.
"I know exactly how to get to Earth."
The grin that spread across his face was not joyful.
It was predatory.
"I'll just use that idiot, Taren, to free me from this realm."
Reality tore open once more as Zalgo stepped into another dimension-vast, ancient, and suffocating with authority.
He dropped to one knee.
"Father Am."
Am Dhaegar stood unmoving, a god-shaped presence carved from inevitability itself. He stared down at Zalgo in silence.
"As expected," Zalgo said after a moment. "Regardless… I need the box."
Am's brow furrowed. "You mean the puzzle box?"
"What else would I-"
"Watch your tone, Zalgo."
"…Sorry, sir."
Am exhaled slowly. "What do you need it for?"
"I need it to break free from that stupid wall I'm trapped behind," Zalgo snapped. "I have a world to conquer."
"And why should I let you have it?" Am asked calmly. "You lost the war between Heaven and Hell. You were sentenced to purgatory."
"I was a teen!" Zalgo barked. "That was eons ago! I've changed!"
Am did not look convinced.
"Across the multiverse," Zalgo continued, forcing composure, "I claimed fifty billion stars and made them my own."
Am hesitated.
"If I give you the box," he said slowly, "what will you do with it?"
"First, I'll throw it down to Earth-"
"TO HELL YOU WON'T!" Am thundered.
"LISTEN, GODDAMNIT!" Zalgo roared back.
Silence.
"…Fine," Am said at last.
"That mortal-Taren-will find it," Zalgo explained. "He'll solve it. Build it. Then I'll bring him to Hell… and he'll free me."
Am shook his head. "This is the worst plan I've ever heard."
"You're the worst," Zalgo shot back.
Another pause.
Then Am sighed and produced a box-gold and black, etched with crowns, skulls, and interlocking diamond patterns. Ancient Hebrew burned faintly along its sides.
"Hebrew?" Zalgo scoffed. "Really?"
"Yes," Am replied. "And?"
"It's biblical-"
"NOL'VASH ETHRAN MYR'KHARÛN!"
"Yes sir," Zalgo said quickly, bowing as he took the box.
Moments later, he was back in the Void.
"Welp," he muttered, squaring his stance. "Here goes nothing."
He hurled the box.
It struck the invisible barrier and rebounded-smashing directly into his face with a deafening clank.
Zalgo blinked.
"…This cannot be real."
He tried again.
And again.
Failure after failure.
Finally, growling, he summoned a meteor-black stone burning with hellfire-and embedded the box inside it.
"This has to work."
He hurled it with everything he had.
The meteor struck the barrier-
And phased through.
"Yes!" Zalgo roared triumphantly.
Far below, the meteor began its descent, igniting as it tore through space-becoming a blazing fireball, carrying an otherworldly capsule toward Earth.
Toward Taren.
BACK TO THE CREW
It was Starday.
A week after last Tuesday.
That's what they kept saying.
I landed on the edge of a glowing rooftop, claws scraping stone as electricity crawled beneath my feet. The underground city stretched endlessly around me—houses floating sideways, upside down, drifting gently in artificial gravity fields. Warm yellow lights pulsed from windows like heartbeats.
I scanned the streets. No movement. No Axel. No green‑veined monsters tearing worlds apart. Just the quiet hum of the city, alive but… waiting.
With a low growl, I let the Lightning Tiger form dissolve, my body slamming lightly onto a nearby platform. My chest heaved as I stared at the city. So much had happened in a single fight. Axel was gone. Just like that. Mini-boss eliminated. But why did victory feel hollow?
I exhaled slowly and stepped toward the infirmary, the largest structure near the city's core, its lights unwavering. Inside, I knew Zy lay on her bed, tubes and wires tracing along her arms and chest. Her face looked peaceful… almost too peaceful.
"Hey, Zy," I said, sitting beside her and taking her hand.
It was warm.
Still alive.
Still here.
"This is… my hundredth visit," I whispered, forcing a weak smile. "Guess I'm kinda bad at staying away, huh?"
No response.
My throat tightened.
"I really hope you wake up soon."
My voice cracked on the last word.
Footsteps echoed softly behind me.
"Taren."
Rayu stood in the doorway, wings folded, expression gentle but tired.
"She'll wake up," he said. "Don't worry. It's only been a week."
"A week…" I repeated quietly.
Something snapped.
"IT'S BEEN TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN DAYS REALISTICALLY!"
My voice tore through the infirmary like thunder.
"IT'S ALMOST BEEN AN ENTIRE YEAR SINCE SHE WAS AWAKE!"
Lightning erupted beneath my feet as I vanished in a flash and reappeared inches from Rayu, electricity crawling up my arms, eyes burning.
"Hey-hey-HEY," Rayu raised his hands quickly. "Taren, calm down! No teleporting, okay?"
He stepped closer, placing a firm hand on my shoulder.
"I know," he said carefully. "It's been almost a year. But listen-she took a massive hit. That kind of damage doesn't heal fast."
His grip tightened, grounding.
"It's going to take time."
My hands curled into fists.
"If she doesn't wake up," I said quietly, my voice hollow and wrong, "I'll let this world know pain."
Rayu's mouth opened.
"Taren, don't go too far. We are bou-"
His voice faded.
The room warped.
A sharp ringing tore through my ears as the walls split like glass, reality peeling apart in thin, crooked lines. The lights flickered. Shadows stretched too long.
Then-
A whisper.
Close.
Intimate.
"Good…"
My breath hitched.
"You'll need that anger."
I saw it in the corner of my vision.
A shape.
Tall. Crooked. Watching.
Crimson eyes burned within it, too many mouths layered over each other, twitching, smiling, whispering words I couldn't hear.
I spun and hurled a lightning rope instinctively.
The bolt cracked through the room-
And hit nothing.
The figure vanished.
The walls snapped back into place.
Silence.
"W‑what…?" I whispered, staring at the empty space.
"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING, TAREN?!"
Rayu's shout snapped me back fully.
"YOU COULD HAVE KILLED SOMEONE!"
His voice echoed, angry now-but I didn't respond.
I just stood there.
Staring.
At the spot where the thing had been.
Watching.
Waiting.
I turned back to Zy.
The machines beside her hummed softly, steady and calm, like nothing in the world was wrong. Her chest rose and fell in slow, even breaths. Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
I stepped closer.
"Zy…?" I whispered.
Her fingers twitched.
Just barely.
I froze.
My breath caught as I stared at her hand in mine. At first, I thought I imagined it-my mind playing tricks on me again-but then it happened again. A faint curl of her fingers, weak and uncoordinated, like her body was trying to remember how to move.
"Zy," I said again, louder now.
The monitors spiked for half a second.
A sharp beep pierced the quiet room before settling back into rhythm.
My heart started pounding.
Her brows pulled together slightly, like she was in pain. Her breathing hitched-just once-before returning to normal. I felt her grip tighten around my hand, not strong, not deliberate… but real.
She was fighting.
I leaned in closer, forehead almost touching hers.
"I'm here," I said quickly, voice shaking. "I'm right here. You don't have to move-just… don't go anywhere, okay?"
Her lips parted.
No sound came out.
But I felt it.
A pressure behind my eyes.
A static hum in my chest.
Like something deep inside me reacted to her.
The lights above us flickered.
Just once.
I pulled back slightly, panic creeping in. The air around the bed felt heavier, charged. Tiny sparks crawled along my fingertips before fading. I clenched my fists, forcing the electricity down.
"Don't," I muttered to myself. "Not here."
Her head shifted a fraction to the side.
I swear she said my name.
Not out loud.
Not with sound.
It was more like a memory pressing against my skull.
Taren.
My ears rang again, sharp and sudden. The same splitting sensation from before tugged at the edges of my vision, but I fought it back, digging my nails into my palm until the pain grounded me.
Rayu stepped closer. "Taren… what's wrong?"
"She moved," I said quietly. "She's still in there."
Rayu looked between Zy and the monitors, uncertain. "The readings didn't change much."
"I don't care," I snapped, softer this time. "I felt it."
I brushed a strand of hair out of Zy's face, my thumb trembling.
"You hear me, right?" I whispered. "You always do."
Her grip loosened again.
The moment passed.
The room returned to normal.
But something had changed.
I didn't feel alone anymore.
And whatever had been whispering to me earlier…
It knew it too. Then I heard
"Mweahhhhh" Bronte meowed, Mira stepped into the room with Bronte in her hands like a baby
"Taren" She called out to me
"What?" I looked at her annoyed
"Someone came here to see yo-" She was cut off from someone pushing her to the side
"Long time no see old friend" Sytren stood at the door frame, arm crossed
"I saw that battle you had with my old acquaintance" He chuckled
"SYTREN!!" I yelled and ran up to him when I recognized him jumping into his arms
"How are you alive" I cried
"You ate a mushroom as well I assume" He ruffled my hair
"Yeah how did you know?" I asked
"Well I found that there were mushrooms that existed for centuries and it made people sleep for hundreds and thousands of years by shutting down our body and making it take in oxygen and water molecules as our food source and it even absorbed any plants that grew on us. And apparently my prison happened to serve us those same mushrooms" he explained
"And it seems like we both slept for two thousand years" He put me down
"I did think it was weird that the last thing I remember doing before waking up in this world was eating a mushroom" I responded, then I looked at Rayu who stood back up from the side of Zy's bed and looked at Sytren
"So Rayu, how's it been?" Sytren asked Rayu
"Just the usual adventuring statics" He responded
"Wait, you two know each other?" I looked at them confused
"Yeah he was trained by me" Sytren said
"Oh yeah that makes sense" I laughed
"So you said that in your prison everyone was served those same mushrooms, so does that mean that Laren is also alive?" I asked with a bright face. But Sytren looked away, and Rayu let out a big breathe
"Laren.. Was alive.. But then he encountered an ant.. His last words were.. If you were alive, he wanted you to know that you were the best twin brother that he has ever had" He told me while holding my shoulder.. I started breaking down
"And for you to keep fighting" He finished.. I breathed hardly, I felt electricity sparking from my body.. I was destroying the room
"Zy is his stablelizer right?" Sytren asked Rayu.. he nodded
"NIA NOW!" Sytren yelled and a women fell from the roof in front of Zy, their arms turned into blood streams and covered Zy completely
"STAY AWAY FROM HER!!!!!!!!!!!" I got up and lightning dashed towards her but in a blur Sytren appeared in front of me and grabbed my skull and slammed me down on the floor
"Calm down Taren She's not going to hurt her" Sytren tried to calm me down but I didn't listen.. I exploded into my Lightning Tiger form and tried to slash him but he held both of my arms down and kneed my stomach. His pupils had a faint red glow that stopped me and took me out of my form immediately.
"TAREN!" the voice calmed me down immediately
"I'm okay Taren!" Zy ran up to me, Sytren moved to let Zy help me get up
"Zy? B-but how were you still in a bad condition?!" I questioned her
"That woman has a Fighting and Healing type stone… and the most cursed stone. The Blood stone but it still has great power and she healed me!" She explained and squeezed my hand. I calmed down, my body relaxed and reality hit me at the same time
"He's back into his senses" Rayu sighed
"He's been aggressive ever since him and Zy fell out of the sky" Mira swayed Bronte side to side
"Well I just came to visit an old friend, I have to get back onto my own journey" Sytren patted my shoulder
"But I'm also curious on what made you snap like that when you fought the lower Sovereign" He asked, sitting on the window sill.
"Axel" I barked with madness in my eyes
"His eyes.. Nia hold him down" Sytren demanded her
"Got ittt~" Nia went into a liquid form to get behind me quickly and hold my arms behind me like I was being arrested
"Whats up with his eyes?" Mira asked
"Why are they being filled up with black?" Zy tilted her head
"It's him" Sytren said calmly
"Who?" The rest said in harmony
"It's a force none of you are ready for" Sytren crossed his arms, the lights shook and flickered a little but I didn't think much of it. Probably just my rage again
"I saw him two weeks before Taren woke up, I saw a strong force.. One that we have to be wary of-" Before Sytren could finish we heard whistle then a sonic boom and right after everything shook like a massive earthquake
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON" Rayu yelled while gabbing onto the doorframe
"I have to go." Sytren said and in a blink of an eye he was gone
"Where did he go?" Zy asked
"Doesn't matter now. We have to check what that is" I said
"Yeah lets go" Mira responded, we walked towards the door and I saw Zy trying to come with us
"Nonono you're staying behind" I stopped her
"What? Why, I'm perfectly healed?" Zy asked putting her hands up
"I'm not risking it.. Not again" I lightning dashed out of the place locking the door from the outside as well
"TAREN!!!" Zy screamed while banging the door. But I just walked away
"Where's Zy?" Mira asked
"She said she's staying" I responded while walking quickly
"Maybe she needs more time to recover, Anyway where do you think that sound came from?" Rayu asked me
"Aren't you supposed to be the leader?" I snapped at him, his face dropped.
"S-sorry I dint mean it like that" I relaxed my face and I put a hand on his shoulder. I looked ahead while we were walking and I saw a huge stone no boulder or whatever it is and I saw someone on top of it and it looked like Sytren and I saw a red crystal next to him glowing as if it was talking but when they both noticed me they disappeared
"Who was that?" The words slipped out of my mouth
"Who was what?" Mira looked at me holding Bronte who's shooting lightning out of her whiskers
"There was someone standing on that boulder" I scratched my head
"WHAT IN THE MOTHER OF NATURE IS THAT" Mira pointed towards the boulder
"Its most likely the thing that caused the sudden earthquake" I started walking towards it
"That thing's bigger than five houses stacked into a giant square" Rayu said calmly following me. When we walked closer to it the craters of it started to glow, that's when I saw a cube on the top
"Hey whats that" I ask pointing at the cube
"I don't know it's not in my anomalies book" Mira said pulling a small book out of her pocket
"You think you're going to have this thing in that small book? I bet you only have seven items on that little tinnie tiny book" Rayu laughed
"I have seven hundred thousand anomaly in here" Mira patted her book
"WHAT?!" Rayu shouted. I crawled up the huge boulder feeling the heat
"Dang, it feels more like a meteor than a random boulder," I said, waving my hand to cool it down. Then that's when I saw a weird cube at the top, I don't know why but the minute I touched it I shook it and took out pieces inside it.
I started putting the pieces together one by one, each time I touched one of the pieces, I automatically knew where it needed to be, it was like I already did this before even though I haven't. I looked at the last piece carefully before putting it on the weirdly shaped puzzle.
Zalgo
Zalgo
ZALGO
ZALGO
Mira and Rayu turned towards me their bodies warped into a spiral
"W-What the" My eyes widened, I looked around anxiously as I saw the world crumble and shake, lights were flickering, and darkness was pulsing like a heart.
A dark loud eerie chuckle rips through the air as if it were to be mocking me, soon after, blood curdling screams fill the air, like an Aztec whistle
"HELP US
SOMEBODY HELP
HELP ME
SET ME FREE
FREE US
WERE BEING TORMENTED"
Each and every voice overlaps each other, each second it gets louder and louder, to the point where it drives me insane. I clutched my ears and I squatted down
"Make it stop.." I cried, voice cracking and shaking
"MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP!" I thrashed my head around yelling violently until my throat went sore. Then with a loud pulse the darkness swallowed the world. And I opened my eyes to see that I was back in the horrifying dimension that my time watch took me before. I was back in land of souls
"We meet again..lets chat" Zalgo smiled widely sitting on a throne with his head tilted and on his fist like a thinker pose. I looked up at him, eyes shaking rapidly
"I've been waiting for you for quite some time. Taren Elarvek" Zalgo chuckled. That's when I saw Sytren.. My Twin's best friend standing next to his throne. And I also saw
"Jynx?" The name slipped out of my mouth.
"I-I saw you die" I looked around, trying to see if I am being tricked
"SILENCE!" Zalgo shouted
"We are here to thank you… for breaking me out of my prison. Welcome to the lands of souls" Zalgo stood up, arms spread