The sky collapsed inward.
The world bent.
A soundless void ripped through reality itself, swallowing the frozen air, devouring the broken battlefield. The pressure was unbearable—like existence itself was being pulled into something wrong. Something hungry. Madona twitched violently. The distortion around her was no longer subtle—her entire body was breaking apart. But she still moved.
She still spoke. “You need to go deeper.”
"What?" Yurei turned sharply. “What are you talking about?”
Madona smiled. It was forced, fractured. Her body flickered between forms, twisting, pulling apart at the edges.
"There's no time." Her voice was warped. "You can't fight that. Not here. But if you go deeper—"
Her body jerked violently.
Chronos’ circuits flashed in alarm. “Madona, your structure is—”
"I KNOW." She hissed through clenched teeth, barely holding herself together. “I won’t last. You will. So GO.”
Shukan’s eye flickered. His body was barely functioning. His energy was the only thing keeping him alive. He took a slow step forward. "We can pull you out."
Madona just laughed—short, bitter. "No, you can't."
Her glitching worsened. Her hand was gone now. Then her forearm. Then her shoulder. She didn’t even react. She just looked at them.
And she grinned. "Get moving, idiots."
"Madona—"
The VOID TWISTED. The entire battlefield lurched, pulled violently inward.
Aetheron cursed. “MOVE. NOW.”
Chronos didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Shukan and Yurei, forcing them back.
Madona turned away from them. Toward the Void.
For the first time, she wasn’t shaking anymore.
She was just smiling.
And then— She was gone.
Aetheron exhaled sharply. “Shit, man.” His wings flared as he looked at the others. “Where the hell are we even supposed to go?”
Chronos was silent, his circuits pulsing with heavy calculation.
Yurei’s ice-arm flared violently, reacting to the shifting battlefield. Her new power had stabilized—but she still didn’t know what it WAS.
Shukan—despite his body running purely on energy—tilted his head, thinking. His golden eye flickered as he glanced at the King.
Then he spoke.
"What if… we go inside?"
"Inside what?” Yurei shot him a glare. “Be specific before I hit you.”
Shukan pointed. At the King."Inside him."
The words settled like a weight. No one responded at first.
Then, Aetheron let out a short, bitter laugh. “Okay. That’s a joke, right?”
Shukan just stared at him.
Chronos adjusted his stance. “...No. It makes sense.”
Yurei’s ice-arm pulsed violently. “You’re telling me you want us to JUMP INTO THAT THING?”
Shukan shrugged. “Think about it. The Nexus isn’t just a city.” He motioned to the King’s massive, ever-shifting form. “This IS the city. The Trivia Knights, the missing people, the ruins—it’s all connected to HIM.”
Chronos nodded. “And if there’s a ‘real’ part of Fallen Nexus… it wouldn’t be outside. It would be buried INSIDE.”
"At the very core."
"You guys are actually considering this?"
Aetheron gestured to the battlefield. “Look around! He’s barely taking damage! He adapts to everything we throw at him!”
Shukan grinned slightly. “Then we stop attacking from the outside.”
Chronos’ circuits pulsed in agreement. “We go deeper.”
Yurei exhaled sharply, clenching her ice-arm. “...You guys are INSANE.”
Shukan smirked. “And you’re coming with us.”
She rolled her eyes. “Duh.”
Aetheron groaned, running a hand down his face. “Alright. Fine. But if I die, I’m haunting all of you.”
Shukan stretched his arms, energy crackling around his body. "Let’s hope we don’t die then."
Chronos’ circuits flared dangerously. “We don’t have time.”
Shukan cracked his neck, his energy pulsing. “Yeah, no shit.”
Yurei’s ice-arm pulsed aggressively, as if it could feel the Void getting closer. "It’s going for the King first."
Aetheron groaned. "Great. So we’re jumping INTO the thing that’s about to get EATEN? Love that for us."
Chronos ignored him. "If we don’t, we’re next."
Shukan grinned slightly. "Then we don’t get eaten."
Yurei shot him a glare. "You say that like it’s an option."
Aetheron sighed. “It BETTER be.” He looked at the kings head. "How the hell do we even GET inside?"
Shukan wiped sweat from his brow. His body was still burning with unstable energy, but there was no time to rest. “We cut our way in.”
Chronos analyzed the King’s shifting body, golden circuits flaring. “No. That won’t work. He restructures too fast.”
Yurei scowled. “Then what? Knock on his front door and ask?”
Aetheron’s wings pulsed with radiant energy. “…Maybe.”
They all turned to him. He pointed upward. To the King’s massive, cathedral-like head.
"We go through the top."
Shukan exhaled sharply, grinning. “Now you’re speaking my language.”
Chronos adjusted his stance. “We’re out of time. Move.”
The sky folded inward.
The Void was almost here.
This was it.
They launched themselves toward the King’s head, knowing full well—
Once they entered, there was no turning back.
Shukan exhaled sharply as he launched himself toward the King’s head, his golden eye burning with power. The others followed—Chronos adjusting his Energy Anchor, Yurei’s ice-arm glowing violently, Aetheron weaving between the falling debris.
They were almost there.
They just had to get inside.
Then— Something went wrong. Shukan’s body locked up. The burning energy inside him VANISHED. Zeyth was GONE. His breath caught in his throat.
For the first time since activating the FEP— His body felt HEAVY. Too heavy.
He wasn’t fighting anymore. So Zeyth stopped working.
And now? His heart needed to beat. NOW.
Chronos’ circuits flared dangerously as he turned, immediately sensing the shift.
Aetheron reacted next, wings burning with radiant energy. “NO NO NO— YOU’RE NOT DROPPING NOW—”
Yurei saw it too. His body was FALLING. She didn’t hesitate. She GRABBED HIM.
But he was COLD. His chest wasn’t rising. His body wasn’t moving. No pulse. No heartbeat.
Nothing.
Chronos locked onto him, golden circuits calculating at rapid speed. “The FEP collapsed. His body isn’t generating energy anymore.”
Aetheron’s face was tight. “Okay—fix it. You’re the smart one, right?”
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Chronos didn’t respond.
Yurei clenched her fists. “…He needs his heart.”
No one spoke.
Because they all knew— His heart wasn’t starting on its own. It had been STOPPED for TOO LONG.
They were moving too fast. The Void was right behind them — And Shukan was DYING.
One minute to reach the cathedral. Two minutes before Shukan was truly dead. They didn’t have time to argue. They didn’t have time to THINK. They just moved.
"We’re throwing him in."Chronos’ circuits burned with golden light as he adjusted his stance. “I’ll stabilize his descent. Aetheron, be ready.”
Aetheron clenched his fists, wings flaring violently. "No pressure, huh?"
Yurei was already moving.
She grabbed Shukan’s body, ice surging around her arms.
And she THREW HIM.
STRAIGHT INTO THE CATHEDRAL.
Shukan’s body crashed through the cathedral’s entrance, ice still clinging to his clothes from Yurei’s desperate throw. He hit the ground hard, rolling limply across the fractured marble floor. He didn’t react.
His golden eye was still glowing, but there was nothing behind it.
He wasn’t breathing. His chest didn’t rise.
Jikan wasn’t responding.
Aetheron didn’t hesitate.
He ripped through the air, wings burning brighter than they ever had before, pushing past the pain in his body. This wasn’t a battle. This was survival.
He landed beside Shukan in an instant, dropping to one knee, hand hovering over his chest. His fingers shook.
No pulse. No warmth. Too long. TOO LONG.
“Come on, man, you’re not gonna go out like this—” Aetheron muttered, pressing his palm against Shukan’s chest, forcing energy into him.
His light crackled.
Chronos landed next, golden circuits burning dangerously.
“Aetheron,” Chronos’ voice was sharp. “How long do we have?”
Aetheron didn’t look up. “One minute. Maybe less.”
His wings twitched violently. He couldn’t do this alone.
Chronos exhaled sharply, kneeling beside him. His circuits shifted, calculations burning across his armor.
“Then we do this manually.”
Aetheron blinked. “Wait—”
Chronos didn’t let him finish. His hand snapped forward, slamming into Shukan’s chest.
Lightning-like energy erupted from Chronos’ fingertips, a golden shock of raw power surging into Shukan’s body. His muscles jerked violently.
Still. No response.
Aetheron reacted instantly, pressing both hands down, his light flaring out.
Two sources of energy. One stabilizing. One reigniting.
Shukan’s body twitched.
Chronos pressed harder. “Come on, you stubborn bastard—”
Aetheron’s voice was raw. “BREATHE, DAMN IT.”
Another pulse.
Jikan flickered. Then stopped.
Chronos and Aetheron both went still.
Nothing.
The energy wasn’t working.
Yurei finally crashed through the cathedral doors, eyes wide. She was out of breath, her ice-arm pulsing from exertion.
But the second she saw them— saw Shukan’s unmoving body—
She froze.
The silence stretched.
Yurei’s fists clenched. Tightly.
“…No.”
Chronos didn’t look at her. Didn’t say a word.
Aetheron’s hands slowly curled into fists against Shukan’s chest. His light dimmed.
They had seconds left.
Nothing was working.
Shukan was— Thump. A pause.
Then— THUMP.
Aetheron’s head snapped down. Chronos’ circuits flickered.
Jikan burned. Then— Shukan GASPED.
He arched violently off the ground, his entire body reacting at once. His chest contracted sharply, his lungs finally pulling in air.
Then he COUGHED.
Hard. Violently.
His hands scrambled for something, fingers twitching like they didn’t know how to function. His breath came in ragged, broken gasps.
Aetheron immediately grabbed him, keeping him steady.
“Shukan—!”
Shukan squeezed his eyes shut, choking. His throat was raw, his vision blurred. His entire body was screaming.
Chronos exhaled slowly, pressing two fingers to Shukan’s neck.
“…Heartbeat’s back.”
The tension shattered.
Yurei let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, pressing a hand against her face. “You are NOT allowed to do that again.”
Shukan barely processed the words. His ears were ringing. His chest hurt.
But he was alive.
Aetheron exhaled sharply, dropping his head for a second. “Man, don’t ever make me do that again.”
Shukan finally opened his mouth, voice wrecked.
“…Not my fault.”
Chronos rolled his eyes.
Then, without warning—the cathedral SHOOK.
Shukan immediately winced.
Yurei’s eyes snapped up. “What now?”
Chronos’ circuits flickered dangerously. “The King knows we’re here.”
The cathedral’s walls rippled.
Aetheron stood fast, wings flaring. “So we’re still not safe.”
Shukan exhaled. Slowly.
Then—he forced himself up.
Everyone stared.
Aetheron immediately pushed him back down. “BRO, CAN YOU SIT DOWN FOR FIVE SECONDS—”
Shukan shoved him off. “We don’t have five seconds.”
Chronos watched him closely. His circuits were still analyzing, still calculating.
“…You shouldn’t be moving yet.”
Shukan rolled his shoulders. His body still ached. His breath was still uneven.
But something was different.
His golden eye burned.
“…I don’t think I have a choice.”
Jikan pulsed.
The cathedral rumbled again.
Something was waking up.
The ground lurched again.
Dust rained from the cathedral’s shattered ceiling, cracks crawling across the walls like something alive.
Shukan forced himself to breathe evenly. His body was still wrecked, but he refused to stay down.
Chronos didn’t agree.
Without a word, he grabbed Shukan and threw him over his shoulder.
“—The hell?!” Shukan coughed violently, his body still weak.
Chronos didn’t respond. He just kept moving.
Aetheron and Yurei were already ahead, scanning the room for any way out.
Then—Yurei stopped.
“…There.”
She pointed at the floor—more specifically, at a heavy iron hatch near the cathedral’s altar.
It was rusted, bolted shut, and covered in strange, ancient markings.
It didn’t belong here.
Aetheron exhaled sharply. “That’s… new.”
Shukan gritted his teeth. “How the hell do we open it?”
Chronos scanned it, circuits flaring. “…It’s not locked. It’s just old.”
Yurei cracked her knuckles. “Then we break it.”
Without hesitation, she slammed her ice-arm against the hatch.
It didn’t move.
Aetheron whistled. “Damn. Usually, you break everything you touch.”
Yurei shot him a glare. “I’ll break your face next.”
Shukan exhaled. “Okay, okay—just move.”
Chronos adjusted his grip on Shukan before stepping forward. His golden circuits flashed.
Then—he stomped down.
The hatch buckled.
Aetheron grinned. “See? All it needed was some pressure.”
Then—
Shukan’s head tilted slightly, his golden eye flickering.
And he heard it.
Screaming.
From below.
His entire body tensed.
It wasn’t the kind of screaming you heard in a battle. It wasn’t even the kind that came from pain.
It was something else.
Something raw. Something wrong.
His breath hitched. It was close.
“—Wait.” His voice was sharp.
Chronos stopped immediately.
Aetheron blinked. “What?”
Shukan’s golden eye glowed faintly. He stared at the hatch.
“…There’s something down there.”
Yurei narrowed her eyes. “Something, or someone?”
Shukan didn’t answer.
Because he wasn’t sure.
All he knew was, The screaming was getting louder.
Aetheron knelt, pressing his ear against the cracked floor. His wings twitched—instinctively tense.
“…I don’t think that’s a creature.”
The screaming was too human. Too raw.
Then—
Silence.
Not gradual. Not fading.
Just—gone.
Like something had reached out and cut the sound from existence.
Aetheron immediately pulled back, his wings flaring as he stepped away from the hatch. His entire body was rigid.
Shukan felt his throat tighten.
Chronos’ golden circuits flared. “That wasn’t normal.”
Yurei exhaled sharply, ice creeping along her arm. “No sh*t, Chronos.”
Shukan clenched his fists. The silence felt heavier than the screaming.
It wasn’t just gone.
It felt like something was waiting.
Watching.
Aetheron’s face was unreadable. “I don’t like this.”
Chronos scanned the hatch again. “We don’t have a choice.”
He reached forward—
Shukan grabbed his wrist.
Chronos froze.
Shukan’s grip was tight.
“…That was too perfect.” Shukan’s voice was low. “The timing. The way it just—stopped.”
He looked down at the hatch. His golden eye flickered.
“…What if it wasn’t a person?”
Yurei scoffed, crossing her arms. “Then what, genius?”
Shukan’s expression was sharp. “What if it was bait?”
Silence.
Chronos didn’t move.
Aetheron’s wings twitched.
Yurei frowned. “You think it was… faking?”
Shukan exhaled slowly. “I think it knew we were listening.”
Chronos’ circuits flickered. His voice was steady, but cold.
“…Then we just confirmed that we’re not the only ones down here.”
Another crack ran through the cathedral floor.
The hatch groaned.
Something on the other side shifted.
Shukan’s stomach dropped.
Because for the first time since it stopped screaming—
It was knocking back.
Faint screeches from the floor below echoed as something started moving. Yurei blinked. “Should we really go down there? “
“…Probably not,” Shukan muttered, his legs still burning and trembling in pain. “ But we have to. The king already knows we are here so it will probably blitz us with something.”
The entire Cathedral tilted.
Not like a building collapsing, Not like something natural.
Like it was being yanked toward something stronger then gravity.
The entrance was wide open, a howling void-born wind ripping through the structure, pulling everything towards it.
Debris shot through the air, pillars crumbled under the force—the King was resisting.
The Void was pulling. The king was pushing. And the squad was caught in between. Shukan clenched his fists, still draped over Chronos’s shoulder, his voice was hoarse, but sharp. “ CLOSE THE DOORS!”
Aetheron was already moving. His wings burned with radiant energy as he fought back against the vacuum, his mission to get to the entrance. Each step a battle against the force pulling them back.
He reached the entrance, grabbing the massive stone doors. They wouldn’t budge. Aetheron gritted his teeth. The void was fighting. His light flared, pushing against the pull.
Chronos turned sharply, his veins burning golden. “The vacuum is warping reality—can you overcome that?” He said, while he was locked in a push and pull stasis.
Aetheron turned back giving him a deadpan look. “Trying.” He snarled.
Yurei grabbed onto a pillar, bracing herself against the wind. Her ice-arm pulsed violently.
“Put me down Chronos.” He said, finally being able to really feel his legs.
Shukan’s voice was sharp, but his body was barely responding.
Chronos didn’t let go. His golden circuits burned, his stance locked against the impossible force.
"You can barely stand," he said flatly.
Shukan gritted his teeth. "I don’t care."
Chronos didn’t react.
Then—he dropped him.
Shukan’s legs nearly buckled the second his feet hit the ground.
He clenched his fists. Forced himself to stay upright. Forced his body to work.
He had to.
Behind him, Aetheron was still fighting.
The doors were massive—too heavy for a normal person. But that wasn’t the problem.
The Void was holding them open.
Aetheron’s wings burned bright, his body straining against something invisible.
Yurei dug her ice-arm into the ground to stay anchored. “If this keeps up, we’re gonna get ripped apart before we even go down.”
Chronos’ golden veins flared. “We don’t have time to argue.”
Shukan took a slow, painful breath. His chest still ached. His heartbeat was too slow. But Jikan was active.
And Jikan hated the Void.
Shukan stepped forward.
Chronos noticed immediately. "You're not stable."
Shukan exhaled. "Never was."
Aetheron gritted his teeth. "If you got a plan, I need it now."
Shukan didn’t answer.
He just raised his hand—
And Jikan pulsed.
For one instant—
Time hesitated.
The force of the pull weakened. The wind stuttered.
Aetheron felt it.
And in that fraction of a second—
He SLAMMED the doors shut.
BOOM.
The silence hit like a gunshot.
Everything stilled.
Aetheron exhaled, pressing his hand against the stone. “Never… wanna do that again.”
Yurei pulled herself up, rolling her shoulder. "You good, or should I start writing your will?"
Aetheron shot her a look. "Oh, I’m great. Just got into a physical fight with a cosmic vacuum, but I’m great."
Shukan took a shaky breath. His legs were trembling. But he was standing.
Chronos crossed his arms, watching him closely. "...Your heartbeat still isn't normal."
Shukan ignored him.
Instead—he turned toward the hatch.
The knocking had stopped.
The silence wasn’t natural.
It was waiting.
Shukan steeled himself. “Alright.” He rolled his shoulders. “We’re out of time. Let’s go down.”