In the middle of a soot-filled land, a man with a ridiculous looking red moustache was straining to hold the one thing that’s keeping him and his comrades alive. A protective dome stood in between five men and a beast that looked like the child of a minotaur and a western dragon. Although the dome appeared as if it was on the verge of collapse, it had been standing steadfast and unmoving for the longest time, a reflection of the man’s determination.

“Crimson, hurry up! This guy is getting too heavy...”

“I need more time, Toby.”

A young man in red robes was sweating profusely while he danced slowly around a large floating sphere. Glowing swirls orbited the sphere in accordance with Crimson’s movements. He was slowing time inside the sphere.

“Neon! Kraus! Reiz, distract it!”

Blurry figures rushed out of the dome towards the fearsome creature before them. Its massive stature was giving off an aura of power.

“Got it.” Neon kicked forward speedily. “⟨⟨Hyperkick⟩⟩.”

“⟨⟨Trailblazer⟩⟩.” Kraus followed some ways behind. “Easier said than done, Crimson.”

“I’ll debuff it, ⟨⟨Missing Wind⟩⟩.” Reiz ran in front of them and drained the air around the beast, creating a void. The three moved so fast that it was difficult to keep track of their whereabouts.

Pressured by the sudden attacks, the evil that sought to break the dome decreased its intensity by a notch. However, its focus never left the center of the dome. There were strong energy waves coming from it.

A few exhausting minutes passed before a loud scream sounded from inside the sphere. A red dot appeared at the top of the sphere and drew all the way to the bottom, creating a fine red line. The line thickened and expanded horizontally, imitating the image of a portal opening.

A fair and slender hand reached out from within the gap.

As if sensing the birth of a threat, the Obscurity viciously attacked the dome and the existing cracks spread abruptly.

“Toby! Maintain the barricade.” Crimson’s robes fluttered wildly as he rushed towards two girls that exited the sphere.

“Something’s wrong with Cally.” A girl with smooth black hair looked up at Crimson. There were tears in her blue-shine eyes as she supported the other girl.

“Did it work?” Toby looked over his shoulder and was not prepared for what he saw. His beloved was deathly pale and her eyes were rolled back as she laid motionless in his sister’s arms.

“Her pulse is weak…” Dina matched her brother’s anxious gaze with her own.

“Isn’t recreating the Seeker’s Stone supposed to be safe???” Toby was distracted and the dome protecting them shattered. “⟨⟨God’s Barricade⟩⟩!” Toby set up another form of defense quickly. However, the beast slipped in a lethal attack in the split moment the defense was down.

“⟨⟨Delay⟩⟩!” Crimson was in the midst of releasing a time-slowing ability but, for somebody who could manipulate the flow of time, he was a beat too slow. There was a familiar breeze and two comrades arrived beside him.

A third comrade showed up in front of Dina, huge claw marks suddenly appearing on his back. It was as if he was slashed from above by an invisible claw. Kraus gave Dina his best smile before coughing out a scary amount of blood and falling to the side.

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“⟨⟨Recovery⟩⟩!” Dina tried to heal Kraus but he laid cold still. “No…”

“Crimson,” Neon placed a hand on the team leader’s shoulder. “Our astral energy reserves are running low.”

“I know.” Crimson was aware of the inevitable drawing near. “We’re also running out of time.”

There was simply no time to grief during battle. Too many friends and family members were lost to the damn creatures that plagued their world. These creatures are called Obscurities.

The six of them were the last survivors still fighting. But with each of them already approaching their limits, escaping from the final boss seemed nigh impossible; let alone, killing it.

“Dina,” Cally called out weakly as she seemed to have recovered some strength. She was wearing her usual radiant smile even though it took great effort for her to stand. “We’ve got to go with Plan B. It’s the only way we can save Earth.”

“What’s Plan B?” Toby groaned.

Dina gave Cally a knowing look before sharing with the rest what they discovered...

“We thought the purpose of a Seeker’s Stone was to find the lifeforce of a living being and augment it. But during the creation process, we found out that the stone can also locate any and all lifeforce.”

“What are you saying?” Reiz felt uneasy.

“We can find someone who was strong?” Neon was familiar with Dina’s train of thought.

“Was?” Reiz looked tensed. “You mean a dead person?”

“Yes.” Cally acknowledged.

“Then what? It’s not like we can bring the dead back to life.” Toby’s knees dug into the soil as he struggled to maintain the barricade. It had already shrunk down to the size of a single bedroom. “We don’t have enough resources.”

“Toby’s right.” Dina nodded. “Even if we managed to find someone strong, I don’t have enough soul gems to cast revive.”

A gloomy mood descended on the party.

“What if we send the stone back into the past?” Neon made a brilliant comment. “To create the greatest Astral.”

“We are the greatest Astrals!” Reiz snapped. “No one but us fought this hard and survived this far. Wake the fuck up!”

“Watch it, Reiz!” Toby scolded.

“You watch the barricade!”

“Guys!” Dina pointed at the monster whose efforts in savagely attacking the barricade was gradually paying off. “Either we use the Seeker’s Stone to find the Obscurity’s lifeforce and destroy it or we go with Plan B.”

For the briefest moment, the only sound that could be heard was the insistent booming above them.

“Crimson,” Cally pleaded. “With your help...”

“I’ll do it.” It didn’t take long for Crimson to decide. He had previously slowed time around himself while his teammates were in discussion. In doing so, he created an isolated space where he could consider the numerous possibilities and favorable outcomes from their next course of action. Crimson took the Seeker’s Stone from Cally once he arrived at the possibility with the highest success rate of saving Earth. “But I’ll need time to-”

“Go for it, we got you.” Reiz and Neon took initiative and shot out of the barricade together. Both of them proceeded to attack the Obscurity with everything they had. Having gone through thick and thin together, everyone present was committed to and did not question Crimson’s decisions. After all, it was his shot-calling that brought them thus far.

All of a sudden, the Seeker’s Stone felt incredibly heavy in Crimson’s hands. Perhaps knowing that he has the power to end this apocalypse weighed more than he expected it to. A calm and soothing voice brought him back to his senses.

“Let me help you,” Dina tore off the back of Crimson’s magic mantle, placed her tender hands on his back and transferred her remaining astral energy. “⟨⟨Astral Transfer⟩⟩.”

“But Kraus-”

“Kraus is dead.” There was a hint of sadness in her voice although her reply was curt.

“This better work.” Toby was barely keeping himself together.

“It will.” Cally encouraged, and then softly. “It must...”

“⟨⟨Pace Control⟩⟩ ⟨⟨Rip Reality⟩⟩ ⟨⟨Opportunity Moment⟩⟩.” Crimson closed his eyes and cast three high ranking abilities in succession. First, he created a space where time would flow uninterrupted. Then, he broke the rules of the universe by ripping a seam in reality. Lastly, he cast an ability on the Seeker’s Stone to increase its odds of finding someone strong enough to save their future by changing their past.

The stone left Crimson’s hand and arced across the air towards the seam. Time slowed to a standstill at this critical moment. Terrifying dark clouds gathered above them. Seas evaporated and the surrounding lands started crumbling in on themselves. The stone flew into the seam and disappeared.

A searing light pierced through the dark clouds above from the depths of the Earth and soared into space. A small yellow stone began its journey.