The skies of the second layer blazed with clashing light and dark as Ryan and Kaelen cut through the swarm of shadowy constructs, their merged blades slicing through the First One's creations like a hot knife through mist. The forgotten beings' peaceful light wrapped around them, a shield that absorbed the constructs' entropy blasts and fueled their own attacks, while the Unmaker unleashed waves of void energy that tore through the swarm, turning dozens of constructs to dust with each pulse. On the distant Balance's Dawn, Marcus and Jake fired the ship's merged energy cannons, their blasts arcing through the sky and decimating the rear of the construct army, buying Ryan and his allies precious breathing room.
Elias hovered above the fray, his wings of golden creation energy spread wide, his blade glowing with the cold light of the Thread of Redemption. He watched as his constructs fell, his face a mask of unyielding determination, and let out a roar that shook the second layer's misty skies. "You think this changes anything, Ryan?" he shouted, his voice echoing over the clash of steel and energy. "You think freeing yourself from the Thread makes you strong? You are still a pawn— a pawn of the Beyond, a pawn of Kaelen, a pawn of the nothingness that waits in the Heart of the Beyond. I will end you. I will end Kaelen. I will become the Cosmic Tyrant. And the multiverse will be mine."
He dove toward Ryan, his golden blade slamming into Ryan's merged sword with a cataclysmic crash that sent a shockwave through the fray. Constructs within a hundred yards were thrown backward, their forms dissolving into mist, while the forgotten beings' light shield wavered and nearly shattered. Ryan's arms trembled under the force of Elias's strike, his merged energy surging to hold back the golden blade, and he stared into his father's eyes—once warm and kind, now cold and empty, filled with nothing but the First One's orders.
"Father," Ryan whispered, his voice cracking with sorrow and rage. "You don't have to do this. The First One lied to you. He used you. You are not his servant—you are a being of free will. You can choose to walk away. You can choose to help us stop the Vessel of Annihilation. You can choose to be the man I thought you were."
Elias laughed, a cold, hollow sound that sent a chill down Ryan's spine. "The man you thought I was never existed, Ryan. I was forged to guide you, to control you, to eliminate you if you strayed from the path. The father you loved, the man who sacrificed himself for you— it was a lie. A performance. A tool to keep you blind to the truth. And now, that tool is no longer needed."
He pushed harder, his golden blade sinking deeper into Ryan's merged sword, and golden energy surged through Ryan's body, burning his merged essence and threatening to overwhelm his harmony and entropy. Kaelen lunged beside him, his dark blade slicing at Elias's flank, but Elias spun away, his wings beating and sending a wave of golden energy that knocked Kaelen backward, crashing into a floating crystal pillar that shattered into a shower of mist.
"The Unmaker," Ryan shouted, his voice urgent. "Help Kaelen. Hold off the remaining constructs. I will face Elias alone."
The Unmaker nodded, its void energy surging as it turned to the remaining constructs, tearing through them with brutal efficiency. The forgotten beings' light wrapped around Kaelen, healing his wounds and fueling his energy, while Marcus and Jake continued to fire the Balance's Dawn's cannons, decimating the last of the swarm. Ryan and Elias were left alone in the center of the fray, their blades locked, their energies clashing, the fate of the multiverse hanging in the balance.
"Let's end this," Elias said, his golden blade flaring with even more power. He unleashed a wave of golden energy that sent Ryan flying backward, crashing into the misty ground and skidding across the floating crystal island. Ryan pushed himself to his feet, his merged blade glowing faintly, his chest throbbing where the golden energy had burned him, and he channeled his merged essence—light and dark, harmony and entropy, Ryan and Kaelen—into his blade, which blazed with a brilliant light that outshone Elias's golden blade.
He dove toward Elias, his merged blade slicing through the air, and the two clashed again, their blades meeting in a shower of sparks and energy. Ryan's blade cut through Elias's golden defense, slicing through his wing of creation energy and sending a wave of merged energy surging through his body. Elias screamed, a sound of pain and rage, and stumbled backward, his wing dissolving into golden mist, his golden blade wavering in his grasp.
"You are stronger than I anticipated," Elias said, his voice low and strained. "But you are still not strong enough. The First One's energy flows through my veins. I am immortal. I am unbeatable."
He unleashed a final wave of golden energy, a blast so powerful it threatened to tear the second layer apart. Ryan raised his merged blade, channeling all of his energy—all of the forgotten beings' light, all of Kaelen's dark entropy, all of the Unmaker's void power—into a single shield that absorbed the golden blast. The shield glowed with brilliant light, and Ryan pushed the blast back, sending it surging toward Elias, who was unable to dodge in time.
The golden blast slammed into Elias's chest, and he screamed, his body dissolving into golden mist. His golden blade clattered to the misty ground, and his voice echoed through the second layer, a faint whisper of regret and sorrow. "Forgive me, Ryan. I am sorry I could not be the father you deserved. I am sorry I was nothing but a tool. Protect the multiverse. Stop the Vessel of Annihilation. Do not let the First One's lie destroy everything."
With those final words, Elias dissolved into golden mist, his essence merging with the second layer's energy, his presence gone forever. Ryan collapsed to his knees, his merged blade clattering to the ground, his energy drained. Kaelen rushed to his side, his starry eyes filled with relief and sorrow, and placed a hand on his shoulder, his dark energy surging into Ryan's body and healing his wounds.
"You did it," Kaelen said, his voice soft. "You defeated Elias. You ended the First One's most loyal servant. Now, we can move on to the third layer. We can find the First One. We can stop the Vessel of Annihilation."
Ryan nodded, pushing himself to his feet, and stared at the golden mist that had once been his father. Sorrow filled his heart, but also resolve—resolve to honor Elias's final words, resolve to stop the Vessel of Annihilation, resolve to free the multiverse and the Beyond from the First One's lie. The forgotten beings' light wrapped around him, a warm embrace that filled him with energy, and the Unmaker stepped beside him, its form solid and resolute.
"The remaining constructs are destroyed," the Unmaker said, its voice low. "The second layer is secure. The Balance's Dawn is ready to transport us to the third layer—the Heart of the Beyond. But we must hurry. The Vessel of Annihilation's pulse is growing stronger by the second. It is waking. And when it fully awakens, nothing will be able to stop it."
Jake's voice crackled over the comms, urgent and fearful. "Ryan, Kaelen—scans of the third layer show the Vessel of Annihilation's energy signature is off the charts. It's no longer just a pulse—it's a roar. It's breaking free from the First One's seals. If we don't reach the Heart of the Beyond in the next hour, it will break free completely. And it will consume everything."
Ryan nodded, his gaze fixed on the horizon, where the second layer's blue and crimson skies faded into a swirling abyss of pure blackness—the third layer, the Heart of the Beyond, where the First One's trapped essence and the Vessel of Annihilation waited. "We're coming. Prepare the Balance's Dawn for launch. We leave immediately."
Within minutes, Ryan, Kaelen, and the Unmaker were aboard the Balance's Dawn, their wounds healed, their energy restored, their resolve hardened. Marcus piloted the ship, his hands steady on the controls, as the Balance's Dawn lifted off from the floating crystal island and sailed toward the third layer's black abyss. Jake's new crystal orb glowed with iridescent energy, projecting a hologram of the third layer—a realm of pure darkness, where the only light came from the First One's seals, which were cracking and fading, and from the Vessel of Annihilation, which glowed with a cold, hungry light at the center of the abyss.
"As we enter the third layer, the ship's shields will be tested to their limits," Jake said, his voice tight with tension. "The Vessel of Annihilation's energy is toxic to all forms of existence. It will try to dissolve the ship's hull, to consume our energy, to erase us from existence. We need to reach the First One's seals before the Vessel breaks free completely."
The Balance's Dawn sailed into the third layer's black abyss, and the ship's shields immediately flared to life, glowing with merged energy as they absorbed the Vessel's toxic energy. The hull creaked and groaned, and the ship's engines sputtered, but Marcus kept the ship on course, his eyes fixed on the First One's seals, which loomed in the distance—four massive pillars of golden light, each cracking and fading, each holding back a fraction of the Vessel's power.
At the center of the seals, the Vessel of Annihilation glowed with a cold, hungry light—a massive sphere of pure blackness, its surface swirling with the remains of the dead multiverse, its core pulsing with a force that threatened to tear the Beyond apart. Ryan could feel its hunger, its rage, its desire to consume everything— the multiverse, the Beyond, the forgotten beings, the Unmaker, Kaelen, himself. It was not a being with a plan, not a tyrant with ambitions. It was nothing but hunger. Nothing but annihilation. Nothing but the end.
"The First One's seals are failing," Kaelen said, his voice low and urgent. "We need to reinforce them. We need to merge our energy with the seals, to hold back the Vessel long enough to find the First One's trapped essence. He is the only one who knows how to stop it. He is the only one who can undo his creation."
Ryan nodded, and he, Kaelen, and the Unmaker leaped off the Balance's Dawn, their merged energy flaring to life as they flew toward the First One's seals. The Vessel's toxic energy washed over them, burning their skin and threatening to erase their essence, but the forgotten beings' light wrapped around them, a shield that absorbed the toxic energy and fueled their own power. They landed on the first seal, a massive pillar of golden light, and pressed their hands to it, channeling their merged energy into the seal, which blazed with brilliant light and stopped cracking—if only for a moment.
"We need to reinforce the other three seals," Ryan said, his voice strained as he channeled more energy into the first seal. "Kaelen, you take the second seal. Unmaker, you take the third. I will take the fourth. We need to hold the Vessel back long enough for Marcus and Jake to find the First One's trapped essence. It must be hidden somewhere near the Vessel's core."
Kaelen and the Unmaker nodded, and they flew toward the second and third seals, their merged energy flaring as they channeled their power into the pillars. Ryan flew toward the fourth seal, his merged energy surging, and pressed his hand to it, channeling all of his power into the pillar, which blazed with light and stopped cracking. For a moment, the Vessel of Annihilation's hunger faded, its core pulsing more slowly, its toxic energy weakening. The seals held. But Ryan knew it would not last. The Vessel was too strong. The seals were too damaged. Soon, they would break. And the Vessel would be free.
Marcus and Jake's voice crackled over the comms, urgent and excited. "Ryan, Kaelen, Unmaker—we found the First One's trapped essence. It's hidden in a chamber beneath the Vessel's core, sealed with the same runes as the Eternal Plane's chamber. We're heading there now. We'll have him free in minutes."
Ryan's heart raced with hope. The First One's trapped essence— the key to stopping the Vessel of Annihilation. The key to undoing the First One's lie. The key to freeing the multiverse and the Beyond. But as he channeled more energy into the fourth seal, he felt the Vessel's core pulse with more power, its hunger growing stronger, its toxic energy burning through the forgotten beings' light shield and threatening to erase his essence. The seal cracked again, a small line spreading across its surface, and Ryan knew he could not hold it much longer.
"The Vessel is growing stronger," Ryan shouted, his voice strained. "Hurry, Marcus. Hurry, Jake. The seals won't hold much longer."
A moment later, Marcus and Jake's voice crackled over the comms, fearful and urgent. "Ryan—we have the First One's trapped essence. But he's not what we expected. He's not a being of regret or sorrow. He's a being of rage and greed. He's laughing. He's saying the Vessel was never meant to be stopped. He's saying the Vessel is his final gift to the multiverse. He's saying the end is here."
Ryan's blood ran cold. The First One's rage. The First One's greed. The First One's final gift. The end. He felt the fourth seal crack completely, its golden light fading, its power dissolving into the Vessel's toxic energy. The other three seals cracked moments later, their golden light fading, their power dissolving into the Vessel. The Vessel of Annihilation roared, a sound that was not a sound— a force that shook the Beyond and the multiverse, a force that erased the forgotten beings' light shield, a force that burned Ryan's essence and threatened to erase him from existence.
The Vessel broke free from the seals, its massive sphere of pure blackness expanding, its toxic energy surging through the third layer, through the second layer, through the first layer, through the Beyond, through the rift, and into the multiverse. Stars winked out. Planets dissolved into dust. Universes were erased from existence. The multiverse's tapestry frayed and shattered, its threads dissolving into the Vessel's blackness. The Balance's Dawn was erased, its hull dissolving into nothingness, Marcus and Jake's voices fading into silence. The Unmaker's form dissolved, its void energy consumed by the Vessel, its final words a whisper of regret. Kaelen's form dissolved, his dark entropy consumed by the Vessel, his starry eyes filled with sorrow as he stared at Ryan for the final time.
Ryan stood alone, his merged energy fading, his essence burning, his body dissolving into the Vessel's blackness. He stared at the Vessel's core, at the First One's trapped essence, which was now consumed by the Vessel, its laughter fading into silence. He stared at the multiverse, which was now nothing but a void of blackness, erased from existence. He stared at the Beyond, which was now nothing but a void of blackness, erased from existence. He stared at himself, which was now nothing but a faint thread of essence, fading into the Vessel's blackness.
The end.
But as Ryan's essence faded, he felt a faint, familiar pulse— a pulse of harmony and entropy, a pulse of light and dark, a pulse of Ryan and Kaelen. A pulse that was not consumed by the Vessel. A pulse that was not erased from existence. A pulse that was growing stronger, growing brighter, growing more powerful.
He opened his eyes (or at least, the essence of him that remained), and he saw it—a small, glowing sphere of iridescent light, hidden deep within the Vessel's core, a sphere of pure possibility, a sphere of pure creation, a sphere of pure unmaking. A sphere that was not the Vessel. A sphere that was not the First One. A sphere that was not the multiverse or the Beyond. A sphere that was something new. Something unforeseen. Something that could undo the annihilation. Something that could rebuild the multiverse. Something that could bring back everyone. Something that could bring back Marcus. Something that could bring back Jake. Something that could bring back the Unmaker. Something that could bring back Kaelen. Something that could bring back Elias.
The sphere glowed brighter, and Ryan's faint thread of essence merged with it, his merged energy surging, his resolve hardening. He could feel it— the power to undo the annihilation. The power to rebuild the multiverse. The power to free everything from the Vessel's blackness. The power to start anew.
But as he merged with the sphere, he felt the Vessel's hunger, still lingering, still growing, still threatening to consume everything. He felt the First One's lie, still lingering, still poisoning the new possibility. He felt the unknown, still lingering, still waiting in the shadows. He felt a choice—a choice to rebuild the multiverse as it was, a choice to build a new multiverse free from lies and cycles, a choice to let the annihilation stand and fade into nothingness.
The sphere glowed with brilliant light, and Ryan's essence surged, his merged energy flaring. He made his choice. He would rebuild. He would free. He would start anew. He would end the lies. He would break the cycles. He would protect the multiverse. He would protect the Beyond. He would protect everyone.
But as the sphere's light spread, as the Vessel's blackness faded, as the multiverse began to rebuild, as the stars began to reignite, as the planets began to reform, Ryan felt a faint, cold pulse— a pulse of the Vessel of Annihilation, still lingering, still hidden, still waiting. A pulse of the First One's essence, still lingering, still hidden, still waiting. A pulse of a new threat, still lingering, still hidden, still waiting. A threat that was older than the Vessel. A threat that was older than the First One. A threat that was older than the multiverse and the Beyond. A threat that was nothing but hunger. Nothing but annihilation. Nothing but the end.
The multiverse rebuilt itself. The stars reignited. The planets reformed. Marcus and Jake stood on the bridge of the Balance's Dawn, alive and well, their eyes filled with awe. The Unmaker's form solidified, alive and well, its void energy surging. Kaelen stood beside Ryan, alive and well, his starry eyes filled with hope. Elias stood in the distance, alive and well, his golden wings restored, his eyes filled with regret and hope.
Ryan stood at the center of the rebuilt multiverse, his merged energy flaring, his mark of light and dark glowing brighter than ever before. He stared at the horizon, at the faint, cold pulse that lingered in the shadows, at the new threat that waited. He knew the battle was not over. He knew the end was not far. He knew the new threat would wake. He knew the new threat would consume everything.
But he was ready. He was Ryan Harris—slum kid, True Balance, weaver of harmony, twin of Kaelen, son of Elias, guardian of the multiverse and the Beyond. He was ready to face the new threat. He was ready to face the hunger. He was ready to face the annihilation. He was ready to face the end.
And he would win.
The end… for now.