The moment Aarav saw the creature's face, something inside him froze.
Without thinking, he grabbed Saanvi and used what little was left of his teleportation ability to escape.
The creature's cold eyes tracked them as they vanished — and for a brief moment, it smiled.
And then, it vanished as well.
Aarav reappeared before Zabuza, gently lowering the unconscious Saanvi into his arms. His expression was grim.
"Take care of her," he said quietly. "Protect her with everything you have."
And without another word, Aarav disappeared again — this time, heading toward the Upper World.
At first, everything seemed normal. The sky shimmered with divine light, and the celestial winds moved as always. But then... he heard them.
"Aarav! Stay away from the castle! It's dangerous!"
It was the voice of Shadow of Darkness, followed by Fragment of Light. Both sounded desperate — warning him.
But Aarav didn't stop.
He ran straight into the heart of his home — the divine castle.
And there… he saw it.
That same monstrous entity stood before him again. But this time, it had no physical body — only a vast, churning form of energy, pulsing with dark light.
The being turned, its voice thunderous yet calm.
"I am Drothul — a fragment of the God of Everything."
"I can turn anything into a vessel of my power — a hollow."
"You, Aarav, will be next."
Aarav's eyes widened.
"And with the last 1% of your power… we will awaken our true king — Nyxarion."
Drothul laughed, the sound vibrating through the walls like a tremor.
Before Aarav could react, Drothul lunged — but Aarav used the last surge of his teleportation to leap past him, directly into the royal chamber.
What he saw broke him.
Eleven ancient statues stood at the center — glowing faintly.
Both of his parents — Shadow and Fragment — were kneeling in front of them, their divine energy being drained, absorbed into the statues like smoke pulled into stone.
He screamed, rushing toward them.
But it was too late.
The energy vanished — and in their place, two blank crystals fell to the floor. Lifeless. Silent.
Aarav collapsed to his knees, but grief gave way to fury. He launched an attack on Drothul, his rage surpassing his logic.
But Drothul did not flinch.
Instead, he raised a hand — and began draining the remaining fraction of Aarav's power.
In mere seconds, Aarav's energy dropped from 1% to 0.85%. His teleportation was gone. He couldn't move across dimensions anymore.
But the danger wasn't over.
The statues behind him… began to crack.
Two of them shattered entirely.
From within, two beams of light erupted — one green, one yellow. The ground trembled. Wind howled.
And from that light emerged two god-tier creatures.
From the green light came Zephyrix, the Sky Phantom — embodiment of wind and storm.
From the yellow, Scindarel, the Mirror of Fear — a being made of shattered reflection and illusion.
Both stepped forward.
And they were smiling.
Aarav collapsed, weakened, surrounded by power far beyond his reach. He could only watch as the two creatures stood beside Drothul.
"You will become one of us," Zephyrix whispered.
"You were never meant to be free," Scindarel added, their mirrored eyes reflecting Aarav's broken image.
And then they attacked.
Aarav tried to reach the blank crystal forms of his parents, hoping to protect what remained.
But the three monsters laughed as they prevented him, circling him like wolves.
"Who will be the first to turn him into a hollow?" Drothul asked.
They laughed louder.
And just then…
Someone stepped into the room.
A presence powerful enough to stop all three in their tracks.
Their laughter faded.
Their eyes turned.
And Aarav, still on his knees, looked up in shock as the one figure he never expected to see appeared through the divine mist…
To be continued.