Southern Dimension, After the Destruction
The wind whispered, carrying the scent of burnt metal and shattered crystals. Rael stood in the middle of the battle crater, his hand clenched around the crumbling remains of Kael's medallion. His body—now fully human—trembled not from the cold, but from emptiness. Each breath felt like it was slicing his lungs.
"We have to go," Lyra whispered, draping a cloak over his shoulders. "The wild energy here could kill you."
But Rael didn't move. His eyes stared at the purple sky, still pulsing like a living wound. This is my fault. All of this is my fault.
Niro, who was inspecting the ruins of the tower, suddenly shouted, "Someone's alive here!"
Beneath the debris, a ten-year-old girl was trapped under a metal beam. Her skin was marked with dimensional energy burns, but her eyes—electric blue like Rael's once were—looked at them with a mix of fear and hope.
"My name... Aira," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "They... changed me..."
Their dimensional submersible was cramped. Aira slept on Lyra's lap while Dax scanned her body with a portable device.
"Her DNA is unstable. There are traces of technomagic experiments—similar to what the Lumen Faction did to Lyra back then."
Niro growled. "So someone's still continuing Kael's insane project?"
Rael stared at Aira. "Or maybe this is a remnant of the Proto-Supremacy. Eldrin said the Creator seeks to rise again."
Suddenly, the radar blared. The dimension around their vessel trembled, and a fleet of unknown warships appeared—shaped like metallic lizards with an emblem of a sun pierced by a sword.
"Not the Lumen Faction," Lyra hissed. "They... are older."
A holographic message appeared. A woman in golden robes with a silver mask spoke, "Surrender the child. She is not yours."
"Who are you?" Niro demanded.
"We are the Radiant Sun, true heirs of the Creator. That child is the final vessel for His resurrection."
The submersible was surrounded. Energy weapons rained down on them. Rael, even without his powers, took the helm.
"Dax, activate emergency shields! Niro, target their wing weak points!"
"You still think you're the savior?" Niro snapped but complied.
Aira woke up, crying in fear. "I don't want to go back! They tortured me!"
Lyra hugged her tightly. "We won't let them take you."
During the escape, their submersible was hit. The engine exploded, and they were thrown into the in-between dimension—an empty space filled with gray mist and unfamiliar whispers.
While lost, a tall figure in a hooded cloak appeared. In his hand was a staff topped with an hourglass filled with stardust.
"You are lost between time," his voice echoed. "I am Chronos, keeper of the dimensional currents. And you—" he pointed at Aira, "carry a disease that could annihilate reality."
"Disease?" Dax approached.
Chronos raised his staff. The gray mist formed a hologram: Aira, grown, destroying dimensions with a single gaze.
"She is a genetic flaw—a fusion of the Creator's blood and corrupt Lycanthea energy. Left unchecked, she will become like them."
"I'm not a monster!" Aira screamed, running into the mist.
Rael chased after her. "Wait!"
In the mist, Aira collapsed, her body starting to mutate—hands turning into metallic claws, eyes glowing purple.
"Please... kill me before I become like them!" she begged.
Rael embraced her, even as his skin began to blister from the corrupt energy. "You are not a monster. You are human, like me."
Suddenly, the medallion fragment in his pocket glowed. A faint blue light enveloped Aira, halting her mutation.
"How..." Rael gasped.
Chronos appeared behind him. "Kael's medallion holds a fragment of pure Breath. But it can only heal once."
"Then take my life instead!" Aira pleaded.
"No," Rael stood firm. "We will find another way."
Chronos opened a portal to Aether. "Be careful. The Radiant Sun is just a small part of the threat. He has already awakened."
In Aether, the night sky was filled with a new aurora—shaped like a massive crown. Behind it, the shadow of a man with fiery wings walked among the stars.
Lyra bit her lip. "The Creator... he's really back."
Meanwhile, in Aira's grasp, Kael's medallion fragment glimmered softly—as if a woman's voice whispered, "Don't be afraid, my child. I am here."