Flora, Jane , Luna, Diana, Ava, Xavier, and Jason alongside the chief of police and some SWAT officials rushed to the scene after hearing Jimmy's shriek from miles away and got there a few minutes later only to be horrified at the scene that awaited them.
The trees were black and dead, some stripped bare while some were dripping with sizzling black ichor which caused the leaves to fall off the tree and disintegrate before making contact with the ground, releasing a putrid smell that made everyone to almost instantly nauseate. Luna had it worse as her eyes were hot and dripping with tears as she coughed repeatedly due to the fact that she was already sensitive to strong smells, let alone an entire area stinking with liquefied death.
" W-what the hell happened h-here....", Flora thought to herself as Ava patted Luna on her back while giving her a handkerchief which seemed to only reduce the thick smell from flooding her nostrils as soon as she inhaled air, and she calmed down a bit while the SWAT team swept the area with gas masks, scanning the entire area, while some detectives tried to take samples of the ichor, but it simply bubbled and melted the test tubes before dropping to the ground and sizzling as the grasses it dropped on withered instantly.
" I'll have to call the scientists and have them take a look at these strange liquids ", the chief of police said to himself while he took out his phone and made a few phone calls and Jason, Jane and Diana assisted the police with investigation while Xavier, Ava, Luna and Flora left with the chief of police alongside some other officials and detectives to the place where Jimmy was last seen.
——somewhere in the void realm———
Unlike the previous spatial realm where a few gods like Zardon, Brine, Visi, and the others....
There are other spatial realms like the ones that Arkhinhar, Chrono stayed in...
And the ones that the succubus and the mysterious bounty hunter came from...
And also the bigger realms within the spatial dimension where the real factions like Olympus, Norse, Egypt, Chinese and their various gods and goddesses stayed in…
But the spatial realm had a darker side to it, as some rebellious founders and gods that abhor others of their kind, ambush and kill gods and goddesses in hidden realms, igniting wars every now and then between various factions, dwell in the outer realms known as the 'distorted void'.
The distorted void had millions of gods on their side and hundreds of millions of demigods alongside an additional billion minions which increased by tens of thousands per second, making them a force to be reckoned with. They also had some founders with them, not counting one that got captured by Zardon a few billion years ago alongside a few other omnigods that were captured too.
They also had some neutral connections between the beast and ghost type gods and goddesses within the spatial realm order that could potentially work as an eye for them to see what was going on in the inner realms.
–—––somewhere in the distorted void—–––
A masculine figure with crystal daggers rotating around him like planets while having a greenish red tint on his eyes sat on a pile of bones in a tavern where gods of all races came to wine and dine while watching Xavier and the others moving through the forest with the chief and his detective team with clear scrutiny.
The figure twirled a dagger around his fingers while watching them with amusement, which surprised some nearby goddesses which already knew him to be a sadistic killer.
" Xerath, what are you up to now ", a goddess with white hair, purple eyes, floating mid air with mysterious runes glowing behind her asked with a bored look on her face.
" I want....him!!! ", he replied with a venomous tone in his voice at the last word which sent chills across every god's spine in the tavern's dimensional space followed by gasps and shocked expressions.
"WHAT!!!", the goddess screamed in shock upon hearing the statement made by Xerath, coincidentally a portal materialized into existence as three figures, two female and one male stepped out of it as it closed instantly.
" Xira, what happened?, why's everyone shocked like as if a founder entered here ", the goddess asked, a hint of worry showing in her face as xira broke the news to them." Xerath chose a host!! ", she said in alarm, expecting them to freak out but got an unexpected response as the two goddesses rushed over to Xerath with excitement written all over their faces while the male beast god that followed them folded his hands in an emotionless manner while smirking lightly.
" Really?, tell us more x' er(nickname), what race is he, is he a dragon, an undead, a beastkin, or ....(Gasp) Is he a wraith???? ", the two goddesses asked, the excitement on their faces increasing by the second while Xerath sighed and muttered. "...human…
The excitement ceased between both goddesses, even the smirk ceased into a frown…
"WHAT!!!", the trio chorused as they were visibly irritated by the response that they received from Xerath.
" Of all the races in the vast omniverse, you chose…HUMANS!?! ", the first girl said as she was still unable to close her mouth from the previous remark made by Xerath.
" Stop making a fuss about it aionos, 'he' already beat me to it by picking a human host, and also....". Xerath continued as he stood up from the pile of bones while walking over to the barman to get a drink.
" But why did it have to be humans...",aionos interrupted, still clearly shocked by the response as the least expected reply she wanted from xerath was for him to mention humans.
" We've gone over this aionos, I'm picking a human, and that's final ", xerath replied as he took a sip from the strangely glowing drink and continued.
" It was also confirmed by the omnigods that the race that has the most sync with us gods are humans at a rate of 84.6%, while elves follow at 67.1%, the reason why humans outclass elves in the compatibility aspect is due to the willpower they possess which is insanely high for a mortal…", xerath concluded, an otherworldly mist glowing steadily around him as he created a portal and was about to step into the human realm, then he flinched a bit and smirked at the still shocked gods and goddesses before stretching his hand and gesturing at the other humans like an auctioneer advertising his goods. " These mortals also have potential similar to my future host, so, take your pick ", he said with a mocking bow.
The others looked at him with a stare that showed hints of shock, anger, and disgust all together and with a hint of curiosity as the male werewolf god that accompanied aionos and her sister didn't shift his gaze from Luna.
Aionos and her sister noticed this and gave him a bored look as they saw through his feigned seriousness and the purple haired girl following aionos asked him with a hint of shock in her voice. " Seriously, of all the gods..... You just had to succumb to it too lycanis, didn't you? ",she asked, a hint of sadness noticeable in her voice as lycanis sighed and responded to her.
" She has the most compatibility with my element, she's usually emotionless unless around friends, she also has a strong will too, she's a perfect sync with me, I'm going with you xerath, it's about time i got a host too ", xerath said and smiled, something he hadn't done in several millennia.
Xerath summoned some shadow entities and whispered into what was supposedly their ears. " Kill the middle aged one leading my host and his companions, make it swift and quick, no blood, no gore, just eliminate him without these conditions i listed, or better still, do it your way, just accomplish the mission ", he said as the figures bowed low and disappeared.
" What are you gonna do with them?", aionos asked once more, clearly submissive to his decision. " Nothing much, just setting the stage for a grand performance ", he said with a mischievous smirk.
––––– a few hours later on Earth––––––
The chief was leading the team slowly and cautiously through the forest when his communication link rang, after answering the call, he left abruptly, leaving the group stranded in the middle of nowhere.
" Oh great, the asshole ditched us ", Xavier said, exasperated by the outcome of things as he pulled out something from his pocket which turned out to be a flare gun as Xavier aimed at the sky and pulled the trigger, sending a bright red bullet into the sky which exploded into a bright crimson smoke that hung in the air.
Jane understood what the flare meant and notified Diana as the two girls ran into the forest, leaving the officers investigating the scene behind.
——————— meanwhile——————
The chief of police ran with all his might, a smug look appearing on his face as he ducked into a hidden trail to head back and deal with Jane and Diana. " Those bitches think I'm a tool huh, I show them what it feels like to be used, it's a good thing I led them into grizzly bear territory, they'll die before they get a chance to escape–".
A chill ran down his spine as he heard footsteps from behind him. He quickly pulled out a dagger from his jacket, " I know someone's probably there, come on out now and save me the stress of killing you–.
A sharp glowing dagger laced with venom hissed through the air, taking the chief's left ear with it as the dagger impaled the bony structure to the wall with a soft thud.
The chief let out a scream as he clutched the empty space where his ear should have been in pure pain as blood spilled out as if unrestrained, then, despite the life threatening wound, he turned around and pulled out a gun and aimed it at the area the dagger hit him only to freeze as there was no forest this time, only an endless ocean that flowed with blood and human corpses were littered everywhere and he saw his wife and daughter eaten alive by worms.
" No-no-no this can't be happening, NOOOOOO ", he screamed as he succumbed into despair, falling to his knees as a figure materialized into existence, walking toward him with bloodlust so sharp it pierced the chief's skin, leaving deep cuts as blood flowed like water.
" I despise your race the most, you humans think you know it all, I ignored your foolishness for a while, but you decided to stretch my patience thin by leaving master's host to die ", the shadow servant said, disdain visible on his pale white skin as his eyes glowed a bright red, replacing the previous black eyes entirely.
" Please, spare meeeee, I have a daughter, what would she do if her father–"
"–died like the worthless insect he was, she'll do nothing, after all , she'll be joining you ", the shadow servant concluded, drawing out another dagger from thin air and slashing his neck, spraying blood instantly as the chief's eyes dimmed and he lay there, motionless.
Another portal materialized into existence, this time xerath walking out as the shadow servant bowed so low its head touched the ground, then the illusion dissipated, leaving the chief in a pool of blood.
" Everything is done master, you can now make your grand appearance to the mortal group ", the shadow said, smirking as it felt satisfied.
" Let us go, I can't keep my host waiting any longer, set up portals around the entire area, we leave for the Minecraft realm at once ", xerath ordered, the shadow nodding once more before dissipating into darkness.
———— meanwhile ——————
The group stood in anticipation as shortly Jane and Diana joined them and they started to started to strategize how to leave only for a rustle to shake the nearby bushes violently.
While most were alarmed, Xavier pulled out the flare gun and shot he bush.
A startled yelp escaped the mouth of the grizzly bear, which roared in anger, then squealed in fear after sensing something much more powerful than it, and then it disappeared into the bushes.
The team, previously unaware of the approaching danger, sighed in relief. " That was a close one, thanks Xavier ", Flora said, genuine gratitude showing in her eyes despite the tears that streaked her face.
Then all of a sudden, the sky reddened and a comet plummeted to the ground with great force, releasing shockwaves that travelled for miles. But the worst hit were the team that just happened to be there.
Diana was sent flying into a tree, the impact causing the tree to splinter while she collapsed limply, while Jane and Flora got knocked into each other, the impact throwing both of them into a tree, causing Flora to lose consciousness and giving jane deep cuts all over, while Luna got hit by flying debris on her head, knocking her back as she tumbled down a hill, bleeding profusely, and Ava's arm got pierced by a sharp rock as she screamed in pain, her blood splattering on her face as the shockwave threw her into a nearby tree.
But Xavier had it worse, he got thrown into a boulder with so much force that spiderwebbed cracks appeared, and his side got pierced by a protruding rock, impaling him to the boulder as his blood trickled down.
After a few minutes the turbulence ended, and the least injured was Jane who piggybacked Flora and went to Xavier's location only to gasp in shock as tears flowed freely from her eyes when she saw Xavier motionlesss on the boulder, blood still flowing from his side.
" Oh my God, x-xavier, I'm s-sorry ", Jane sobbed beside Xavier who lay there motionless.
" Then go get a medic already ", Xavier snapped back, coughing up some blood as he smiled faintly.
Jane's sober mood lit up instantly as she wanted to hug him, but saw the protruding stone from his side and jerked back a bit.
" That reminds me, aside from flora, where's everyone else–
" They're not here human, they're in a better place ", xerath replied.
The both of them froze. Jane slowly tilted her head in the voice's direction only to meet a man in his late thirties, with pure black hair, the greenish red tint in his eyes returned, and a dark cloak concealing the remaining features.
Xavier felt a sense of dread wash over him, he had never felt his existence threatened to this extent as the radiated bloodlust around the figure was so intense he felt a cut on his face, a thin line of blood following shortly afterward.
" Mortal, i chose to keep your friends alive, but you... Are a different story altogether, i would like you to become my host ", xerath said, not giving any hesitation to his proposal.
A wave of questions washed over Xavier's mind, he wanted to know what a host meant to this figure, what him being a different story meant, where the figure meant by his friends were safe…
There was so much on his mind, but before he could oppose, a shock jarred through his veins, causing a shout to escape his mouth as his broken bones started to snap back into place while the figure watched him with satisfaction.
He then spared a glance at Jane, who had already collapsed from blood loss and a portal materialized into existence beneath her, sucking her in alongside flora.
" Where did you take them? ", Xavier asked, consciousness fading as stamina and health were two different things, his health may have been mysteriously recovered, but stamina was something that only recovered after appropriate rest.
" Like i said, they're in a better place, once they get used to it, that is ", xerath said.
" Alright question time's over, let's go, my future host ", xerath said happily, a portal materializing into existence as it sucked xavier in almost instantly, and xerath walked in moments later with a satisfied grin.