The golden light grew stronger, spreading through the void like a new sunrise breaking the darkness.
The shards trembled violently, their edges blurring as streams of radiant energy linked them together. One by one, they began to merge, lines of ancient runes igniting along their surfaces.
The hum grew louder. It wasn’t just sound. It was a vibration that reached into my Essence, resonating with something primal within me. I could feel it in my bones, in my Psynapse.
"Everyone, fall back!" I shouted.
But before anyone could move, the merged shards exploded outward, sending a blinding pulse of energy through the void. I threw up my arm to shield my eyes as the shockwave hit. The Essence around us rippled, and for a moment, gravity itself seemed to falter. But there was no power behind the shockwave, it passed like a ripple.
When the glare dimmed, the mirror floated whole.
No longer cracked and empty, the mirror now shimmered with faint outlines of constellations that flickered and rearranged themselves.
The entire place had fallen silent. No one moved, every gaze was locked onto the enormous mirror.
The lightning that had once crackled around it was gone, and the blinding golden light had softened into a gentle glow.
I stared at the shifting stars within the mirror, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.
Then the stars began to move again, first forming galaxies, then clusters, and finally vast sectors of galaxies.
At that point, I wasn’t even sure it was a mirror anymore. There was no reflection, only a projection, as if the universe itself was being replayed within its surface.
The images kept changing, drifting from one galaxy to another, until the lights inside began to fade. The flickering stars dwindled one by one, and soon the mirror’s surface turned dark, utterly dark.
A wave of tension rippled through the void. Everyone seemed ready to rush forward, to claim the artifact, when a faint red shimmer pulsed across the mirror. A shadowed silhouette began to form.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to make out its shape, and then the red glow flared. I realized what I was seeing.
Chains.
Crimson chains.
As the mirror zoomed in, the number of chains multiplied endlessly. Entire galaxies appeared again, but this time they were bound, wrapped in those same red chains, glowing with a dreadful light. My heart pounded in my ears.
A heavy premonition settled in my chest, and when the darkness finally parted, it proved true.
There, in the void, stood a man, massive, big enough to dwarf galaxies, bound in countless chains, suspended in the endless dark. Only the crimson radiance tracing those chains revealed his form.
The vision stilled. Then, slowly, the man opened his eyes. They burned like twin red suns, staring straight at us.
The gentle glow of the mirror began to fade the moment the man’s eyes opened. Within seconds, the light dimmed completely, replaced by a spreading crimson radiance that bled outward from its surface.
My eyes widened further when I felt a sharp sting. Warm liquid trickled down my cheeks.
Blood.
I turned, and everyone else was in the same state, even Vaelix.
The pain behind my eyes grew unbearable, as if something was clawing at my mind from within. Then the silhouette inside the mirror moved. Slowly, deliberately, it raised its massive hand and pointed straight at us.
The mirror’s surface rippled like disturbed water, and a dark beam erupted outward. It shot across the void, humming with a deep, distorted resonance, before bursting open a short distance away.
From the explosion, a vortex formed, a swirling portal of red light.
The chained figure lowered its hand, and its glowing eyes dimmed until they vanished into darkness. The mirror’s surface followed suit, its crimson hue fading until it turned dull and reflective once again.
Then, without warning, the mirror began to shrink. Its enormous frame compressed rapidly into a sliver of light then shot forward and vanished into the heart of the crimson portal.
The void fell silent.
I immediately waved my hand, recalling my summons back to the core. "Dante, bring Steve and North!" I shouted, already moving.
My body flashed forward in a violet streak toward the portal.
Vaelix did the same, his figure blurring into motion. The surviving Feran grandmasters followed close behind him, their Essence flaring as they raced through the void. The Feran princess trailed behind, her cloak of energy rippling as she pushed herself to keep up.
Like a swarm of predators chasing prey, everyone surged toward the crimson rift.
Vaelix turned mid-flight, his golden eyes locking onto me. He raised his palm, and space itself split apart as a massive crimson claw erupted from the tear and descended toward me.
I exhaled sharply, scoffing. My fist tightened, and I threw a punch.
A colossal violet fist burst forth from my strike, colliding head-on with the descending claw. The impact shattered the construct instantly, scattering glowing fragments of Essence into the void.
Vaelix’s gaze narrowed, but he turned back and accelerated, streaking toward the portal like a comet.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Primus and Anjee being attacked by a group of Feran grandmasters. My jaw clenched as anger surged through me.
"Ragnar, get them."
The ape erupted from my side with a thunderous roar that shook the void. The Ferans faltered mid-flight at the sight of him, some flinching in raw terror as Ragnar dove into their formation, scattering them with explosive bursts of crimson mist.
I took a deep breath, gathering my focus.
"Node 1, activate."
My body shuddered as Essence surged through my channels like a raging flood. My speed spiked instantly.
I raised my hand and invoked the command.
"[Sanctum of Judgment]."
A thousand spears of radiant light formed around me once more, trailing as I flew toward the portal.
"Go."
The spears streaked forward, raining down on the charging Ferans and Vaelix himself.
"How dare you, human?!" Vaelix’s voice thundered through the void, fury laced in every word.
"Why can’t I?" I shouted back, a grin tugging at my lips as I surged forward, Essence crackling around me.
Vaelix halted abruptly, roaring in rage as he threw a barrage of punches. Each strike conjured a massive glowing fist that smashed into the falling spears, detonating them one after another in blinding bursts of gold and violet light.