Beneath the night's celestial tapestry, where stars compose intricate constellations like the strokes of an unseen painter, a meteor blazes across the sky—midway on its journey between Earth and the Moon. Its growing mass now makes it visible to gazers all along the coastline of the Atlantic, casting a curious, foreboding glow. Though the threat is not aimed at them, a palpable sense of hysteria takes hold of Western Europe. From the elegant balcony outside Amsterdam's famed Rijksmuseum, John Calsion sips an unnaturally reddish coffee and revels in the unfolding drama below him.

John "Look at them, Zeta. Those monkeys who couldn't handle the slightest bit of fear. Panicking from the threat that isn't even theirs to run from."

Zeta "Basic human instincts. Something we have forsaken long ago. My lord."

John "That is true. Zeta... I lack entertainment. Isn't there a way to view what's going on in there?"

Zeta "I advised we restrain from doing that since it will be a waste of resources. There is a likely chance that it will destroyed during the conflict between the wielders and our executioners."

John "... Very well. Let us enjoy this moment of bliss. The hour of our enemy's demise is at hand."

________________________________________________________________________________________

Amidst an alien landscape within a small, otherworldly planet, seven humans square off against a sinister, goblin-like foe. Amelia stares it down, seemingly impervious to its strange powers. Realizing this, Dreamborn retreats a few leaps, its face moist with sweat and the invisibility fades as a result. The tension is clear, like static before a storm.

Amelia "Golly. That was a surprise. It didn't work. Thank bloody god! Otherwise, we'll be fighting dragons again."

Kanji "It makes sense that that's your nightmare. I couldn't blame you for what happened to your eyes. But on to the bigger mystery, how did that not affect you?"

Claire "Oh! I know! It's that skill Mentalto-whatever! It actually came in handy!"

Sarah "This means we can beat the goblin which also means we can see the core."

Gwen "As exciting as this all sounds, we need to hurry and end this conversation. It won't be long until the wall of kittens reach us."

They swing around in unison, glimpsing a creeping, shadowy mass inching ominously closer from the distance.

Mina "Okay. That is way too scary from a distance. Let's start cracking that green bastard now while we can."

Kanji "Great idea but our time is dwindling as we speak. How long until that wall gets to us?"

Gwen "Upon arriving at Wata, it was 30 minutes. However, after our small conflict, and this conversation, it would be 20 minutes until it reaches us."

Kanji "That's plenty of time. Everyone ignores Dreamborn for now. Let's find the core instead and head to the center!"

The group forms around Amelia, their guard is on full display as they retreat. Dreamborn detects their intention. With a burst of speed that defies its seemingly decrepit body, the creature sprints toward them, its fingernails lengthening into talons and its teeth turning into serrated daggers. Leaping with terrifying agility, Dreamborn slashes the air with its arms in an arc, forcing the group to halt their retreat and face the creature. Diana strides forward, her tentacled arm writhing with tension.

Her arm unfurls and whips forward with a snapping strike.

Sarah "Watch out!"

Though Diana's tentacle cleanly severed Dreamborn's right hand, the creature still possesses a left swipe. But before it can land its attack, Sarah hurls her ring, which slices through the creature's deadly talons. Diana seizes the moment to strike back, but her right hook misses as the agile goblin ducks and rolls away.

Diana "Fuck! This guy is slippery as shit!"

Snickering maliciously, Dreamborn steadies itself, preparing to unleash another wave of fury. Just then, a sharp whistle pierces the air. Kanji motions for Diana and Sarah to fall back, leaving Dreamborn momentarily stunned by their unexpected withdrawal. Capitalizing on its bewilderment, the party makes a strategic retreat to the southern reaches of the mystical Wata forest. Amelia narrows her eyes, scanning the environment for the hidden core.

Amelia "Darn it! Not here!"

Kanji "Since we have already checked the center. Let's go to the west next-

Dreamborn reappears, lunging ferociously, its jaw unhinging for a lethal bite to his neck.

However, Kanji's body dissolves into a torrent of electricity, reassembling a mere step away. Mina, Gwen, and Sarah encircle the persistent creature. Gwen readies herself and executes a precision axe kick, only for Dreamborn to deftly evade, the tip of her boot grazing its snout. Feeling cornered, Dreamborn unfurls the hideous tapeworms coiled around its thigh and sends them snaking toward the group.

One latches onto Mina's arm, transmuting the flesh into solid stone.

Mina "AH! My arm!"

Frowning with resolve, Mina seizes the worm with her remaining arm. Utilizing her superhuman strength, she yanks the creature off balance. The word "Aging" slips from her lips, and the tapeworm's body shifts from a sickly white to a desiccated black before crumbling to dust. Gwen rushes over to hoist Mina back to her feet, her eyes locking onto Dreamborn as if daring it to try again.

Gwen "Sarah can handle the rest. You can relax and maybe focus on reviving that arm."

Mina "I can't! That stupid worm just turned my left arm into stone. It won't allow my Time Exchange to go through."

Gwen "Relax. Take a deep breath and have some optimism. Remember. Azan has yet to utilize his change charge today."

Mina "Oh... yeah. That sort of flew over me."

Gwen "Well, on the upside, it doesn't look like the infection has caused any internal bleeding. It's as though your arm has been quarantined from the rest of your body."

Mina "Way to make it super scary. Wait! Why are we going back?! What about Sarah?!"

Gwen "Sarah told me she'd deal with Dreamborn quickly and then catch up. As much as I hate to admit it, I want to see if she can actually follow through. Call it a test of trust."

Mina "Haha, you have a strange way with words sometimes."

Gwen "I do?... Sorry. I don't have much experience."

Rejoining their companions, Claire gasps upon seeing Mina's petrified arm, though Mina assures her that all will be well. As the party puts increasing distance between themselves and their relentless pursuer, Dreamborn starts to exhibit signs of stress, violently plucking tufts of hair from its armpits. Just as it's about to restart its chase, a resounding whoosh distracts it. The creature looks skyward, spotting Sarah's ring. It refocuses its gaze and sees Sarah standing defiantly. Pausing its advance, it regroups and charges.

The tapeworm lunges, but Sarah's arm swings powerfully, batting the creature away.

As Dreamborn snaps its jaws in a follow-up, Sarah ducks. Grinning with pride, she commands her ring to descend, severing the worm from Dreamborn's body and bisecting the creature at its stomach. Its severed halves tumble and writhe in an attempt to reconnect. Just as Sarah raises her weapon for the finishing blow, she notices the dangerous wall drawing nearer to the biome's boundary.

Sarah "Fuck! Screw this!"

She turns on her heels and sprints back to her companions.

Kanji "We were worried for a second thinking you were going to keep fighting. Anyway, the core isn't here. Let's check north and hurry. We have only 10 minutes left on the clock."

Sarah "FYI, the bastard is busy regenerating and shit so we should have enough time!"

Mina "Good job, Sarah."

Sarah "Woah. That looks really bad. Are you alright?"

Gwen "She'll be fine the faster we get out of this hellscape.:"

Claire/Sarah "True that."

Moving northward, the adventurers find no traces of the core. Time not being on their side, they make a hasty decision to check the western quadrant. Yet, as they journey forth, they’re ambushed— Dreamborn pounces on Claire, furiously hammering down with its fists. She blocks most of the blows, but one finds its mark, bruising her forehead in a vivid display of the creature's anger.

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Kanji and Gwen rush toward it, ready to unleash their powers with anger.

Kanji's chain snaps through the air at astonishing speeds, each strikes a violent clash of thunder that rends the goblinoid creature's back, sending fragments of skin and cloth scattering in all directions. Though Dreamborn's onslaught on Claire slows, its frenzy is far from over. Gwen sprints forward, pressing her palms into the glistening blood on its back. As if triggered by a silent alarm, every cell in Dreamborn's body senses impending doom, but... It's already too late.

Gwen digs her palms deeper draining every last drop of blood from the creature. Dreamborn's body withers, becoming a desiccated husk.

Claire "That's what you get you asshole!"

With a final, contemptuous kick, Claire sends Dreamborn's head soaring into the sky, where it collides with an invisible force near the western border of Wata. A tide of adrenaline surges through the party as they near their target— only to retreat as swiftly as it came. Their goal, the core, is suddenly engulfed by the wall of bizarre, muscular kittens.

Sarah "NO! How the fuck did it get here?!"

Kanji "Everyone step back! I going use it!"

Claire "Kaney! You can't! You'll-

Gwen "Believe in him, Claire. Besides... I don't see any other option."

Gripping his elastic chain, Kanji channels energy into its tip, manifesting three glowing orbs.

Kanji "TAKE THIS! ALTAS'S BEAM!"

His chain arcs through the air, generating a sound so deafening that the group has no choice but to shield their ears. The orbs converge, emitting a titanic beam of electricity that incinerates much of the wall. Though powerful, the attack falls short, leaving the core encased in a grotesque shell of charred flesh and fur. The wall of kittens halts, seemingly peeling the destroyed flesh, and attempts to regenerate.

Kanji "Fuck. One more time!"

Claire "Kaney! No! You'll pass out!"

Gwen "Relax Claire. You need to trust him. Hey... Kanji. I'll take the lead if you so earnestly want to proceed with this reckless plan."

Kanji "Heh. That's reassuring. I'll leave it up to you then. Shit. My legs are already starting to numb."

He hands over his tablet to Gwen and musters the last of his strength for another cataclysmic burst of energy, this time shattering the golden cylinder of a core.

.... A tangible pause fills the air, and then Kanji collapses, hitting the coral ground with a thud. An eerie ringing reverberates throughout the planet, which starts to quiver and shake. Slowly, they notice the ground beneath them is sliced clean through as if the planet itself were cleaved in half. More lines appear in parallel, dividing the land into triangular segments. Gwen watches in awe and horror as segments of the planet dissolve into pixelated clouds, only to be replaced by the empty void of space.

Gwen "Not good. We must retreat into the RV and seal it shut!"

Claire "Should I make some space suits?"

Sarah "That would be great. Also, I have an idea."

Gwen "I'll take your suggestion after our safety is guaranteed!"

Within milliseconds, Gwen's fingers dance over the tablet, relegating Kanji to the subspace. Then, summoning an RV as if ripping it from a picture, she and her friends leap inside, slamming shut the doors. With immense speed, Gwen races through the vehicle, seeking out any gaps. Only one flaw is found— a single gap between the entrances.

Gwen "Claire. Would you mind conjuring a blowtorch?"

Claire "Wait! What? Are you trying to seal us in so we can have some oxygen? Couldn't I just make space suits like before?"

Gwen "I forgot to mention this before but when we first got here, I asked Izzy to seal up any gap present in the vehicle. The vacuum of space can be a scary thing you know."

Mina "Oh yeah. That would be kinda bad. The outside is almost gone. Should we put on some suits?"

Sarah "Hold on a minute! Before that! Couldn't we just let one person stay here and the rest stay inside the portal? It will save some of Claire's stuff."

Gwen "An optimistic and simple approach but let me remind you that we still have a final executioner to deal with. I highly doubt a single person can handle such a task."

Sarah "Fuck. I was really hoping to sound smart there."

Claire "Hey guys! I'm going to exchange our soap for the suits! Oh, and I'll help you put it on, Mina."

The girls entrust Claire with their mechanical soap, which pulsates with an orange glow, metamorphosing into sleek space suits. Each girl suits up, their protective outfits embracing them like a second skin— well, almost everyone. Claire struggles, trying to wedge Mina's petrified arm into a sleeve. In a moment of frustration, she extracts her gas mask, which magically transmutes into butter. With a slick layer of the greasy substance, Mina's arm finally acquiesces, sliding into the space suit.

Claire pivots towards the door, wielding a blowtorch with fierce resolve. She melts the seams shut, the hissing flame leaving a molten trail. She hopes her previous act will go unquestioned.

Gwen "Was that truly necessary? Also, what did you exchange for that blowtorch?"

Claire "Like you have a better idea. Hey, at least it works in the end. As for this torch, I finally got rid of that stupid cloak."

Gwen "Your trauma still haunts you it seems. We should talk about that sometimes. Anyway, we're just in time. We're now in space but for how long? Mina... status report."

Mina "Err... what?"

Gwen "I meant how is the deck function of the RV."

Mina "Oh! Hold on let me check... Wait a minute! It's not working!"

Gwen "What?!"

The tension surges as Gwen and her cohorts dash towards the RV's control hub. The interior is a chaotic mess— wires cluttered, controls shattered. Without hesitation, Gwen's hands fly to the wires, attempting a makeshift repair.

Sarah "Great. That didn't work. I thought you were super smart with this stuff."

Gwen "My knowledge doesn't reach this kind of field. I say that we should wager on reviving Mina's arm. Maybe with a bit of tinkering, I can-

Diana "Sorry to interrupt, Boss number two. But there is something weird about this whole shenanigans."

Gwen "How so?"

Diana "Well, when we killed that goblin. Shouldn't the wall also disappear?"

An eerie silence descends, thickening the tension in the air. Suddenly, a monstrous purple hand engulfs Gwen's face.

It belongs to Dreamborn! Now the Executioner looks like a nebulous being, part-cloud, part-specter. His clawlike fingers rake across her visage, revealing temporal rifts. Through these narrow slits in reality, her friends see a haunting vision of a five-year-old Gwen, sobbing beside a mutilated teddy bear.

"I'm so sorry Mr.Teddy! Please hurt me when you are fixed!"

As the rifts snap shut, Gwen's eyes glisten with tears, mirroring her past self.

Claire "Oh, Gwen... I didn't you had that side of you. You must've felt embarrassed and didn't want anyone to know. Why didn't you tell me?"

Gwen remains silent, overcome with emotion, and collapses. Her body slams into the RV's front window, shattering the glass. The ensuing vacuum begins to devour the interior. Dreamborn, still having an arrogant smile, clamps onto Gwen’s leg. It causes her body to press against the crack, widening the void. Diana lunges, gripping Gwen's arm, but feels herself inching perilously closer to space.

Claire "Everyone! Form a chain!"

Uniting arm-to-arm, the girls form a human lifeline anchored by Mina, who clenches a metal pole near the entryway with her teeth, fighting against the pull of the space. As objects swirl around them, Claire spots the tablet Gwen has dropped. It starts to drift towards the cosmic vacuum.

Claire "Shit! The tablet! Someone get it before it becomes space junk!"

With their arms interlinked in a human chain, the girls kick futilely at the drifting tablet, inadvertently accelerating its journey toward oblivion. Diana, gritting her teeth, stomps hard against the floor of the RV, gingerly avoiding breaking through entirely. The RV wobbles, then tips, flipping the crew upside-down. The tablet sails upward, and Diana manages to snatch it in her teeth. She then glares at the perspiring goblin.

Diana "Say hello to space for me! You green bastard!"

Her tongue flicks the tablet's input button, and she aims it at Gwen, stowing her into the subspace.

Dreamborn's useless flailing ends as he realizes he's grasped nothing but the emptiness of space. Accepting his fate, he dissipates into the cosmic ether. Simultaneously, the void around them starts to splinter, revealing the familiar sight of Earth's ocean rapidly approaching as the group descends.

Sarah "Holy shit! Earth! We are fucking back!"

Mina "Oh crap! Guys! The timer!"

10 minutes remaining...

Claire "Ten minutes! That's barely any time at all. Where's the me-te-or? Oh. No."

A gargantuan molten meteorite punctures the Earth's stratosphere, aimed right at them.

Diana "I can feel that heat from over here! First things first, we've got to land this thing! Leave it to me!"

Releasing her hold, she plunges into the ocean below. Her arms shoot up, cushioning the RV's descent. With strong kicks, she begins to propel the vehicle away from the impending disaster.

Diana "Guys! I have no idea how long I can keep this up!"

Claire "Don't worry! I'll come up with something!" "Shit! I don't know what to do here! I'm not good at planning like Kanji or Gwen- Wait, She didn't say something about Mina's arm. What if-

Mina "You staring awfully hard at my arm. I know that I can fix the controls if my arm is normal. Sorry for being such a nuisance."

Sarah "Yo, don't say that. You did your best."

Claire "... Hold on. The tablet is blinking. No way!"

She hits the 'Output' button, and Azan leaps out of the portal.

Azan "Phew, here I thought I would miss the meeting?! What's the situation?"

Mina "Azzy! You're up! How?!"

Azan "It was the strangest feeling having no emotion but it disappeared when I believe you guys exited that planet. Noah, on the other hand, is sleeping."

Sarah "Classic move."

Mina "Maybe it is because you drink more coffee than him lol."

Azan "Ha. Anyway, can I have a transcript and what happened?"

Claire "Okay, we have a huge like superhuge meteor coming for us right now. Diana is trying her best to push the RV. The deck controls are broken so we need Mina "Time Exchange" to fix it and maybe just maybe become fast enough to escape the meteor."

Azan "Two slots, two changes, one big idea. First up, Mina's arm."

Mina "Are you sure it will work? Your powers are a bit finicky."

Azan "I thought about it for some time but I believe I understand how it works now. First is imagination. I can make things change if I can picture it in my mind frame to frame. Secondly, what defines "change" is based on logic. For example, I can't just make things appear as that would be the field of Creation rather than Change."

Mina "That's great and all but how does that-

Azan "I used to watch a lot of mythology movies and saw a couple scenes of people reverting from stone to flesh."

Mina "Oh! Wow! You watched those too. They were awesome!"

Sarah "You guys should hurry! The timer is at 4 minutes now!"

Azan "On it!"

Concentrating fiercely, Azan manages to revert Mina's petrified arm to its original state.

2 minutes 30 seconds remaining...

Mina races to the front seat and swaps the floorboard with the broken controls, reviving the deck function.

2 minutes remaining...

The deck folds open and the sounds of engines roar to life, propelling the RV faster.

1 minutes remaining...

Diana "Shit! I think the heat is cooking my back!"

Sarah "Ummm... guys. Is it just me or IS THE RV BURNING RIGHT NOW?!"

Azan "Don't panic and calm down. I have one last plan!"

He turns to face the oncoming meteor with both hands on the sides of his head. Azan imagines...

30 secs remaining...

He focuses his imagination...

20 secs remaining...

He pushes his thoughts to the limit.

10 secs remaining...

And with a final, exhausting mental thrust...

5 secs remaining...

The meteor changes its trajectory which narrowly misses the RV, obliterating the First Executioner in an explosive display.

Azan "I... I'm gonna lay down. Right. Now."

Sarah "Guys! The RV is still burning!"

Diana "Don't worry! I got this!"

With a mighty kick, she summons a colossal wave that douses the RV, extinguishing the flames.

Exhausted but victorious, the group gathers on the deck, lying down as they watch the dawn herald a new day, temporally free from threats.