The First Ones didn't invade like the Council had. They didn't send scouts or test defenses or make demands. They simply appeared and began erasing everything in their path.
Josh stood on the roof of DDI headquarters, watching Washington DC burn. Three of the massive entities had manifested over the city—each one easily the size of a skyscraper, their forms shifting and impossible to focus on directly. One moment they looked like twisted collections of limbs and eyes, the next like geometric patterns that hurt to perceive, the next like nothing at all except the absence of reality.
"They're not even trying to conquer," Dr. Walsh said beside him, her scanner forgotten in her hands as she stared at the destruction. "They're just... unmaking things. Like we're not worth keeping."
She was right. Josh watched as one of the First Ones extended something—a limb? A weapon? Pure concept?—and an entire city block simply stopped existing. Not destroyed. Not demolished. Just gone, leaving a perfect rectangular void in the cityscape.
"How do you fight something like that?" Kyla asked, her voice tight with barely controlled fear. "Our weapons, our powers—what good are they against beings that can erase reality?"
Josh didn't have an answer. His Shard was screaming inside him, ice and fire both recoiling in pure terror from the presence of the First Ones. Even the dimensional energy that had made him so powerful felt like a candle trying to illuminate the sun. These weren't just stronger enemies. They were on a completely different scale of existence.
"All Vanguard members, report to briefing room alpha immediately," Admiral Russo's voice came through the facility intercom. "This is not a drill. I repeat, all hands to briefing room alpha."
They ran through the corridors, passing panicked personnel trying to evacuate non-essential staff. The building shook as something—probably a First One—passed nearby. Emergency lighting flickered. Alarms wailed constantly.
The briefing room was packed when they arrived. The twelve members of the Vanguard were there, along with Captain Rodriguez, Stevens, Dr. El-Sayed via video link, and several military commanders Josh didn't recognize. Every screen showed different angles of the devastation—New York, London, Tokyo, Mumbai. Everywhere the First Ones had appeared, civilization was being systematically erased.
Admiral Russo stood at the front, looking like she'd aged ten years in the last hour. "I'll make this brief because we don't have time for speeches. The entities attacking us—the First Ones—they're not from any dimension we understand. According to Dr. Walsh's analysis, they exist partially outside our reality. That's why conventional weapons are useless. We're trying to shoot ghosts."
"What about Shard powers?" Sarah Li asked. "We hurt the Council members. Can we hurt these things?"
"Unknown. We haven't been able to get close enough to try." Russo pulled up tactical displays. "But we have received communication from an unexpected source. Azazel has reached out to every major government simultaneously. He's offering an alliance. A real one this time."
The room erupted in protests and arguments. Josh just closed his eyes, feeling the weight of impossible choices pressing down on him.
"I know what you're all thinking," Russo said, voice cutting through the noise. "We don't trust him. We shouldn't work with a tyrant. But look at the screens. Look at what's happening to our world. In six hours, the First Ones have done more damage than Azazel managed in months. And they're not stopping."
"What's Azazel proposing?" Josh asked quietly.
"A coalition. Every Shard-user, regardless of faction. The Vanguard, the Council, Azazel's forces, even rogue users we haven't met yet. Everyone working together to drive the First Ones back." Russo looked directly at Josh. "And he wants you to lead it, Reeves."
"Me? Why me?"
"Because you're the only one both sides trust. The Council fears you but respects your power. Azazel sees you as... something. And our people follow you." Russo's expression was grim. "I'm not ordering you to do this. I can't order you to ally with our enemies. But I'm asking. As someone who's sworn to protect this country, this world—I'm asking you to consider it."
Josh looked around the room. At Kyla, who gave him a small nod despite the worry in her eyes. At the Vanguard members, all of them scared but ready to follow his lead. At Stevens, who shrugged as if to say "your call, boss."
"If I do this," Josh said slowly, "I need guarantees. Azazel doesn't get to use this as an excuse to conquer us later. The Council has to agree to leave Earth alone after. And every Shard-user who joins this coalition gets immunity for past actions—we're not arresting Council members or Azazel's servants the moment the First Ones are dealt with."
"Done," Russo said immediately. "I'll have our diplomats draft the terms. But Reeves, you understand what you're agreeing to, right? You'll be working with people who've killed hundreds. Who've tried to enslave our planet. People who, by all rights, should be in prison or worse."
"I know. And I'll hate every second of it." Josh stood up. "But I'd hate watching the world end even more. So let's do this. Let's make a deal with our devils to fight our demons."
The meeting point was Antarctica—neutral ground that no faction had claimed. The DDI transported Josh and a small delegation via military transport, landing on an ice field that looked like something from another world. Which, Josh supposed, it basically was now that reality was coming apart at the seams.
Azazel arrived first, materializing from a portal with an entourage of his most powerful ice creatures. He looked different than the last time Josh had seen him—older somehow, tired. Even the King of the Frozen Realm was feeling the weight of what they faced.
"Joshua," Azazel greeted him with something almost like respect. "I'm glad you came. I wasn't certain you would."
"Neither was I until about five minutes ago." Josh's powers were ready, ice and fire at his fingertips, but he kept them suppressed. Starting a fight now would doom everyone. "Where's the Council?"
"Coming. Yuki is... persuading the more stubborn members that this is necessary." Azazel looked at the DDI forces behind Josh—Kyla, Stevens, Rodriguez, and six Vanguard members. "You brought your best people. Good. We'll need them."
A rift opened in the air, and Yuki stepped through with Ezra and at least two dozen Council members. The tension was immediate—Council and Azazel's forces eyeing each other with barely concealed hostility, centuries of conflict not easily forgotten.
"This is a mistake," Yuki said immediately, not bothering with pleasantries. "The Rogue King cannot be trusted. The moment we defeat the First Ones, he'll turn on us."
"As will you," Azazel countered calmly. "But Joshua has extracted promises from all of us. We focus on the immediate threat. Everything else waits."
"Easy to promise. Harder to keep." Ezra's void powers flickered. "But the First Ones have destroyed three Council strongholds in the last six hours. So we'll work together. For now."
More rifts opened as other groups arrived. Shard-users Josh had never met—some looking relieved to be part of a larger force, others clearly only here out of desperation. By the time everyone had gathered, there were over sixty Shard-users standing on the Antarctic ice. The largest concentration of dimensional power ever assembled on Earth.
"Alright," Josh said, stepping forward to address the group. "I know we all have history. We've fought each other, tried to kill each other, have every reason to hate each other. But right now, in this moment, we need to put that aside. Because the First Ones don't care about our feuds or our politics. They're erasing our reality, and if we don't stop them, there won't be a world left to fight over."
"Pretty speech," a Council member called out—a woman wielding electricity. "But how do we fight beings that can unmake reality? Our powers are toys compared to theirs."
"Then we stop fighting them as individuals and start fighting as an army." Josh created a small flame in his palm, then ice in the other. "You've all felt it by now—the way Shard powers can resonate together. Amplify each other. The Vanguard proved it during the gateway battle. Sixty of us, working in perfect synchronization, could create effects none of us could manage alone."
"Synchronization requires trust," Azazel observed. "Trust we don't have."
"Then we build it. Fast." Josh looked around at the assembled Shard-users. "We've got maybe twelve hours before the First Ones finish with the major cities and start on everything else. Twelve hours to learn to work together or watch our world die. Who's willing to try?"
Silence stretched across the ice field. Then, surprisingly, Kenji stepped forward. He was still weak from his encounter with the Prime Shard, leaning heavily on Emma for support, but his eyes were determined.
"I'll vouch for Josh," Kenji said, his voice carrying despite its weakness. "I've trained with him. Fought beside him. He saved my life multiple times, and when I was being consumed by the Prime Shard, he found a way to free me. If anyone can make this coalition work, it's him."
"The fire-user speaks truth," one of Azazel's lieutenants said—a being of ice similar to the King but smaller. "The dual-natured one has proven himself in combat. He wounded the King himself in Tokyo. That earns respect."
More voices joined in—Vanguard members vouching for Josh, some Council members admitting his power was formidable, even a few rogues agreeing that desperate times called for desperate measures.
Finally, Yuki sighed. "Fine. The Council will follow your lead, aberration. But fail us, and the truce ends immediately."
"Fair enough." Josh looked at Azazel. "And you?"
"I agreed to this alliance because you are the only one who might make it work. I've watched you, Joshua. Studied you. You have something rare—the ability to inspire hope even in the darkest circumstances. It's... admirable." Azazel's form rippled. "So yes. I'll follow your lead. For now."
Josh took a deep breath. This was it. He was about to command an army of dimensional warriors, including the tyrant he'd sworn to stop and the Council that wanted to enslave humanity. If this went wrong, he wouldn't just doom Earth—he'd give the worst elements of multiple dimensions unprecedented power.
But if he didn't try, the First Ones would erase everything anyway.
"Alright," Josh said. "Here's how this works. We divide into strike teams—mixed groups with members from different factions. No one fights with only their own people. We need to learn each other's abilities, our strengths and weaknesses. Dr. Walsh has been analyzing the First Ones' movement patterns. They're not random. They're systematically targeting locations with high concentrations of Shard energy."
"They're hunting us," Sarah Li realized. "Trying to eliminate Shard-users specifically."
"Exactly. Which means they're worried about us. Which means we can hurt them." Josh pulled up holographic displays showing First One locations. "We've got entities manifested in twelve major cities. I want five-person teams hitting each location simultaneously. Coordinated attacks using the resonance effect to amplify our powers."
"And if that doesn't work?" Ezra asked.
"Then we try something else. And if that doesn't work, we try again. We keep adapting, keep fighting, until we find something that works." Josh's eyes blazed with determination. "Because giving up is not an option."
The next four hours were chaos. Trying to organize sixty Shard-users from different factions, with different combat styles and deep-seated animosities, was like herding cats. Deadly, dimensional cats with god-like powers and attitude problems.
But slowly, impossibly, it started to come together.
Josh created training scenarios using his ice and fire, simulating enemy attacks and having teams practice their responses. Dr. Walsh monitored the resonance patterns, calling out when groups achieved synchronization. Even Azazel contributed, demonstrating advanced tactical formations he'd perfected over centuries.
Min-Ji ended up paired with a Council earth-user named Marco, and despite initial hostility, they discovered their powers complemented each other perfectly. Sarah Li's lightning combined devastatingly with a water-user from Azazel's forces. Emma's light powers could enhance nearly anyone's abilities when timed correctly.
The Vanguard members became the glue holding the coalition together—they'd already learned to trust each other, and their example showed the others it was possible.
Stevens watched it all from the command post, shaking his head in amazement. "I've seen some crazy stuff since you became my partner, Josh. But this? This is next level. You're actually making it work."
"Don't jinx it," Josh said, monitoring the team formations. "We haven't fought a First One yet. That's when this coalition will really be tested."
"Always the optimist." Stevens grinned. "But hey, at least if we all die, we'll die doing something epically stupid together. That's friendship, right?"
Despite everything, Josh laughed. "Yeah. That's friendship."
As the training continued, Josh found himself standing next to Azazel during a break, both of them watching their respective forces interact.
"Strange, isn't it?" Azazel said quietly. "A week ago, we were enemies. Now we're allies. The universe has an odd sense of humor."
"We're not allies," Josh corrected. "We're people with a common enemy. There's a difference."
"Is there? We're fighting together. Training together. Learning to trust each other's abilities." Azazel's eyes glowed with that familiar cold light. "Joshua, when this is over—if we survive—things will have changed. You'll have proven that Shard-users from different factions can coexist. Can cooperate. That's more than anyone has managed in thousands of years."
"That doesn't mean I trust you. Or that I've forgotten what you've done."
"I wouldn't expect you to. But perhaps..." Azazel paused, seeming to struggle with his words. "Perhaps there are other paths forward. Other possibilities besides endless conflict."
Before Josh could respond, alarms blared from the command center. Dr. Walsh's voice came through urgent and frightened: "We've got movement! One of the First Ones is heading directly for Antarctica. ETA fifteen minutes. It's coming for us."
The training ground erupted into activity. Sixty Shard-users preparing for battle, checking equipment, forming into their assigned teams. The atmosphere shifted from cautious cooperation to grim determination.
"This is it," Josh said to Kyla as they geared up. "Our first real test."
"We'll pass it," Kyla said with more confidence than she probably felt. "We've got the best fighters from three different factions. We've got you coordinating. We've got a chance."
"A chance is all we need." Josh activated his powers, ice and fire dancing across his hands. "Everyone, final positions! Remember your training! We hit it with everything we have, all at once! Make them regret coming to our world!"
A cheer went up from the assembled Shard-users—human, Council, and Azazel's forces all shouting their defiance at the approaching doom. It was a sound of unity that had never existed before and might never exist again.
But for now, in this moment, they were one army facing an impossible enemy.
And Josh Reeves—twenty-three-year-old cop from Tides who'd just wanted to give out parking tickets—stood at their head, ready to lead them into battle against beings that had created the very powers they all wielded.
The First One appeared on the horizon, massive and terrible and inevitable.
The coalition charged forward to meet it.
And the real war for Earth's survival began.