Sometime ago... In the fallen Sphinx’s Region.
Dominic, Feng Ling, and the rest of the staff were chilling in the camp near the pyramid... they had received news about the Hound targeting the site ten minutes ago or more. Yet, instead of going to meet him, they remained near the site. With Dominic nearby, there wasn’t much the Hound could do besides getting his ass beaten.
Though the news of his release did sour the mood since it meant the death of Seraphis.
"Were you close to him?" Dominic asked Feng Ling while barbecuing a fish stick on a bonfire.
"Not really... but I did respect him." Feng Ling sighed, "He was responsible for the mentorship of many decent Daywalkers in our region besides the latest generation. With him gone, the standard might fall to shit again."
"I know what you mean." Dominic smiled wryly, "It’s easy to become a Daywalker... one only needs to have a decent light affinity to attract a nightcrawler. But becoming a useful Daywalker is a different story."
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, knowing that most Daywalkers’ fate was sealed to remain as Seed Farmers for the rest of their lives.
"What’s worse... the kids are risking their lives to save their instructor." Feng Ling let out a long puff of smoke, "What do we tell them if they were to succe..."
RUMBLE!
Before Feng Ling could finish his sentence, the ground suddenly shook, taking them by surprise... they stared at each other for a moment, and then their expressions turned grim after they noticed the Pyramid of Khufu shaking nonstop!
Dominic was the first to arrive next to the pyramid in a single electrifying blink... Feng Ling was a close second. They ignored the pyramid and focused on the immense, disruptive, chaotic energy being released from the closed gate.
But it was no longer closed... in fact, it had blown up and was taking down the pyramid with it!
"Shit, the dimensional membrane must have shattered... how?" Dominic’s expression turned solemn, "We warned them extensively to use their powers tamely."
"Their hands must have been forced, or something has played a role in this." Feng Ling knitted his brows, "The site might be fractured, but still... they shouldn’t be able to shatter the dimensional membrane unless they went all out."
Hearing this, Dominic didn’t have the time to join in speculations... he swiftly reached out to his people in the SAS Headquarters and told them to be prepared to receive the teams. The dimensional contracts were linked to the dimensional mirror of the World Tree, which meant there wasn’t really any reason to remain near the site besides collecting information.
Rumble!
The ground began to rumble harder as sand and small stones rolled down the sides while cracks started to spread across the pyramid’s base.
When Feng Ling and Dominic sensed the immense chaotic energy within the pyramid, they couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh... they wanted to save it, but they could tell nothing was going to save it in such a state.
As expected... a loud shattering sound came from deep inside, followed by a sudden flash of chaotic blinding light.
Seeing this, Dominic and Feng Ling swiftly retreated to a safe distance... then they watched as one of the greatest symbols of human civilization and history twisted like it was crafted out of paper.
They knew the chaotic spatial energy was pouring out from the other side, letting them know that the planet was being devoured.
Fortunately, this reaction was just a distant aftermath of that horror... the moment the chaotic spatial energy reached its peak, a blast of energy was released as a pillar into the sky, piercing through the clouds in a straight line.
Everyone watched this sight in solemn silence... besides worrying about the condition of the teams, everyone felt their hearts grow cold each time they witnessed or heard about these phenomena.
"The final death gasp..." Dominic murmured. "That’s the last sound a world makes before it dies for good."
When the dust started to settle, the pyramid was almost gone... just piles of broken stone and a massive crater in the middle where the gate still stood.
After gazing at it for a few moments, Dominic wiped his face with his hands and then rechecked the teams’ situation.
-Negative, Sir... no one has emerged yet.-
"It can’t be..." Dominic frowned, not liking the sound of it.
He knew that the dimensional membrane shattering meant nothing was going to remain on the planet... in simpler terms, the longer they remained inside, the harder it would get for them to leave together.
-Keep me updated.-
"They are still inside?" Feng Ling asked.
Dominic nodded.
"That’s a problem."
"There isn’t much we can do about it... We can only place our faith in them to return safely." Dominic suddenly looked into the distance and uttered coldly, "Wanna go blow off some steam?"
"When is that even a question?" Feng Ling replied indifferently.
No hesitation, both of them took off in a flash, heading west.
As they were flying, Dominic received news of the teams’ return... However, before he could feel delight, the bad news came... eight Daywalkers were missing, and the ones returning safely had no fresh memories.
Hearing this, Dominic relayed the news to Feng Ling with a deep frown.
"Eight missing? How?" Feng Ling asked solemnly, "And who went missing?"
Dominic narrated the mentioned names, starting with Nick... as he reached the final two Daywalkers, he uttered sternly, "Jasmine and Levi are also still inside."
"..." Feng Ling and Mao were left stunned.
They could understand the death of Tyrese’s and Evangeline’s teams... however, it was different for Levi and Jasmine. In their eyes, their strength and unique powers should make it harder for anything to kill them on the same level... unless.
"Something terrible must have happened inside." Feng Ling knitted his brows, "The site might be A grade, but it should never have something stronger than Solarbound rank... we know the Corrupted will have no energy, which will weaken them immensely."
"I know... something is indeed fishy, but my staff are telling me that they seem in shock." Dominic replied, "They all told the same story... the last thing they remembered was stepping inside the pyramid after Levi’s team saved the other two teams from a sea of Corrupted."
"..."
"..."
Feng Ling and Mao remained silent for a moment, realizing that the situation had developed beyond anyone’s understanding or preparation.
"This is pissing me off... we can’t be losing such talented Daywalkers... we just can’t afford it."
Dominic’s expression turned frigid, his mind replaying images of all the missing Daywalkers. With him this pissed, he didn’t have plans to spare the Hound from a beating to vent a little.
"Let’s deal with him quickly, so we can check on them."
In a flash of lightning, Dominic pierced through the clouds as a lightning bolt, disappearing from Feng Ling’s radar instantly.
Feng Ling lit up another cigarette and smoked it off slowly... not in a rush. He knew that Dominic wasn’t going to need his help.
’I hope they are safe,’ he wished under his breath. ’The future is in their hands...’