“What the hell happened here?” Scott muttered to himself; shock evident in the curious eyes of the voidweaver. He had seen and heard the massive laser display earlier—something straight out of an alien invasion movie.

Scott lingered at the periphery of the massive gorge, his eyes narrowing as they wandered over the charred landscape. “Are you guys okay?” Scott asked mentally, trying to keep his tone calm.

“I heard the explosion,” Zara responded briskly. “What was that?”

“Are the two of you safe?” Ember added, her voice edged with anxiety. “Slim and Plume haven’t awakened yet, but we’re safe.”

“I fought with the calamity for a while, but he decided to go after you guys instead. I chased him, and that’s when I heard the explosion,” Scott explained, his gaze flicking back toward the unfathomable darkness within the gorge. “Long story short, I can’t see any signs of Orion, the calamity, or the other guy. You should keep moving.”

“What about you?” Zara asked, her concern evident. “We’ve already summoned a few Wutas like Orion instructed. They should give us enough firepower to—”

“Go to Carcosa,” Scott interjected. “I’ll join you soon.”

A brief silence lingered in the party channel before Ember’s voice broke it. “Don’t be late, and make sure you both return in one piece.”

“Don’t do something stupid, Scott,” Zara added, her voice softer now with concern. Then the channel went quiet.

Scott stood at the edge of the gorge, inching closer to the abyss. Did Orion do this? he mused, raising his head to scan the horizon. How long would it take to go around this thing? Maybe I should just use Shadowstep to…

He paused mid-thought as a faint, unfamiliar sound filled his ears. He turned to his right. The sound—a muffled, but continuous shuttering noise—echoed faintly, like the rapid clicks of a malfunctioning camera shutter.

Scott’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the nearby vegetation, but nothing seemed out of place. Strange. Where the hell is that sound coming from? he pondered, deciding to investigate.

He took a few steps toward the source of the sound when Zara’s voice echoed in his ears once more. “We’re pulling back now. Don’t you dare die, okay?”

“I’ll see you soon,” Scott replied, a thin smile curling his lips.

The sound grew louder as Scott walked, though nothing visible explained it. Ten minutes later, he had circled a large portion of the gorge’s perimeter. The shuttering noise was louder now, almost as if dozens of cameras were clicking simultaneously. But this time, Scott saw something.

What the hell is that?

A prism-like distortion, as though reality itself had been torn and twisted, hovered in the air ahead. The strange phenomenon shifted and warped, each twist producing the distinct, rhythmic shuttering echo. Scott stared, transfixed. Despite its bizarre appearance, the distortion radiated no oppressive or ominous energy—just the relentless sound.

He inched closer, his curiosity warring with caution. Is this some remnant of whatever happened here? The voidweaver’s instincts screamed at him to stay alert, yet the distortion seemed eerily neutral—no threat, no aura of danger, just a quiet disruption in the fabric of existence.

Scott took another step forward, his gaze locked on the twisting anomaly. He strained to listen, but the shuttering clicks were the only sounds filling the still air.

He took another step toward the portal when a voice echoed suddenly, halting him. "I wouldn’t do that if I were you."

Scott froze, his head snapping toward a tree several paces away. "You should've said something earlier," he muttered, locking gazes with Orion, who was casually perched atop a branch.

The mage wore a dry smile. "I’ve always wanted to make a dramatic entrance."

Scott sighed, shaking his head. "So, what happened?" he asked, gesturing first to the massive gorge, then to the strange distortion nearby. "Are these your handiwork?"

Orion shook his head instantly. "As much as I’d love to take credit, I didn’t do either," he replied, sliding down from the tree like a serpent, his movements fluid yet exhausted.

"What happened to the calamity and the other one?" Scott asked mentally, eyes narrowing as he observed the mage. Despite Orion’s pristine, unscathed clothes, his eyes seemed hollow, and his gait was labored, a sharp contrast to his usual poise.

"I took care of the guy with the crystals. We won’t have to worry about him anymore," Orion began, adjusting his glasses while summoning several cobalt-blue vials from his inventory. With a swift motion, he emptied them into his mouth, letting out a loud burp before chuckling. "Pardon me," he said, grinning brightly as vigor returned to his steps. The empty vials vanished, and he continued, "As for the calamity, I just borrowed Carcosa’s arsenal to deal with him."

"So, he’s dead?" Scott asked sharply.

Orion chuckled, shaking his head. "I wish, but no. That’s not nearly enough to kill a calamity."

Scott’s eyes flickered toward the gorge again. The laser beam that lit up the skies had been unlike anything he’d seen—a force beyond comprehension. "You’re telling me he survived that?" His voice held disbelief.

"Sadly, yes," Orion said, offering a strained smile. "It didn’t kill him, but it definitely damaged him. He won’t be coming after us anytime soon. You did the right thing telling the others to leave, especially with that over there."

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Both men turned toward the strange distortion, its shuttering echoes filling the air with an eerie rhythm.

"And do you know what that is?" Scott asked, his tone skeptical.

Orion turned, an almost mischievous glint in his eye. "Take a guess."

Scott frowned, his gaze darting between the distortion and Orion’s expectant expression. Whatever this thing was, it had been enough for the mage to momentarily ignore his message earlier. Could it be…? A thought flashed through Scott’s mind suddenly, and he stared at Orion.

As if reading his thoughts, Orion nodded, his smile turning sarcastic. "It’s either that or this place is about to become the sanctuary of a god. But I’m 90% sure it’s the former."

Scott’s expression tightened; his gaze locked onto the twisting distortion. It hasn’t even been an hour since we learned about them trying to manifest the bridge physically, and they’re already this far along. His mind raced. Those spiteful assholes can be damn efficient when it comes to screwing us over.

Tearing his gaze away from the portal, Scott turned to Orion. "We need to leave. Nothing good comes from watching that thing."

Orion nodded slowly. "I agree… and disagree. It's something I’ve never seen before, so there’s value in documenting it," he remarked before his body suddenly split into two identical copies. The clone gave a nod. "I’ll stay here and observe," it declared, while the original Orion added, "And I’ll return with you."

"Sure... let’s move—" Scott barely finished his sentence when a system notification flashed before his eyes.

???

Scott frowned, instinctively glancing toward Orion, who mirrored his confusion. The two shared a wary glance before another notification appeared.

The Council of Gods has lifted the restrictions on the use of the Endless Bridge between timelines!

The message barely registered as both champions moved to flee, but they only managed three steps before freezing in place. For the first time, the relentless shuttering of the portal ceased. The distortion expanded, growing hundreds of times larger until it reached the sky, casting a surreal glow over the landscape. Scott and Orion stood helpless before it as the optical lines within the portal morphed into an ancient, ethereal bridge. It stretched endlessly into a dark abyss, its surface formless yet tangible, with countless stars spiraling around it like grains of sand caught in an infinite current.

The Endless Bridges have surfaced!

Both champions regained control of their bodies, but before they could act, a powerful suction force pulled them into the ancient walkway. Powerless to resist, they were yanked into the swirling expanse, landing hard on a solid, tarred road. The stars above vanished, replaced by towering stone walls that seemed to stretch into eternity. The vast gorge, the vegetation, everything they had known before was gone. Only an endless, empty road lay before and behind them.

"This could be a problem," Orion muttered, rising to his feet. Several empty vials appeared between his fingers as he began to gather samples from the chipped road and scratched walls in silence.

Scott stood, scanning the area with narrowed eyes. A vast nothingness hung above them, yet somehow, they could see perfectly, though no obvious source of light existed.

"Zara, Ember, can you hear me?" Scott called out mentally, but only static answered. His eyes shifted toward Orion, who remained focused on his samples, oblivious to Scott’s unease. Frowning, Scott muttered under his breath, "I suspend all laws within my domain."

Nothing.

Scott’s brow furrowed further. He flexed his arm, attempting to summon the nihilistic portals, but once again, nothing happened. This place is dangerous… A creeping dread began to settle over him.

"Domains are useless, all abilities seem either limited or completely nullified," Orion said calmly, standing up and brushing off his robes. The vials disappeared into his inventory. "Though you can chip off pieces of the walls and road, they’re impossible to break. There’s light and air, yet no visible source. And no exits, at least none that are obvious. Fascinating, don’t you think?"

Orion smiled, the excitement of discovery gleaming in his eyes.

Scott rolled his eyes, uninterested in the mage’s obsession. For him, getting out of this strange location was the priority—nothing else mattered.

“Should we head forward or backward?” Scott asked suddenly.

“Either way is fine, really. It’s not like we know where we are,” Orion replied, shrugging.

That’s true, Scott mused. But if that calamity returns soon, it would be best if we’re far away from him. His gaze wandered into the vast, empty sky. “Do you think there’s a top to this place?”

Orion shook his head. “That, I genuinely can’t say. But I think it’s unlikely. I can’t explain it without sounding like a maniac, but this is a place that shouldn’t exist, yet it does. I haven’t figured out the rules governing it—if there are any at all.”

Scott nodded, lowering his gaze to the imposing walls around them. The road ahead seemed endless, and the walls were unnervingly high, likely impossible to scale. Moving forward or retreating seemed to be their only options. "I wonder if the same restrictions apply to the others if we manage to emerge in another timeline."

“We haven’t received any notifications about it, so it’s safe to assume the others would be teleported to whatever timeline we find ourselves in,” Orion reasoned, glancing between the two paths. “So, which way? I’m fine with either.”

“Let’s move forward,” Scott decided quickly. “Hopefully, it’s the right choice.”

Without saying another word, the voidweaver stepped ahead, with Orion following just behind. Scott led the way, but on his twentieth step, he suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving the mage momentarily stunned. Before Orion could react, Scott reappeared, beckoning him.

“I think I’ve found a path,” Scott said, disappearing again.

Curious, Orion marched forward. As he crossed an almost imperceptible barrier, it felt no different than walking in a straight line—yet a divergent path had presented itself, cutting through the massive road. The walls on this new path were equally towering and foreboding.

Orion stepped back and forth between the barrier, vanishing and reappearing several times, biting his fingers in frustration.

“What are you doing?” Scott asked, watching the mage repeat the strange ritual.

“I can’t figure out how this place works, and it’s driving me insane!” Orion snapped, biting his fingernails furiously. “There must be a reason this is possible, and I need to understand it. It feels like this entire place was created to mock me.”

“I get that you always need to know—”

“Need?” Orion interjected; his voice sharp as he whirled toward Scott. He closed the distance between them, gripping Scott’s shoulders with an almost frantic intensity. “It’s not a need, it’s the essence of my existence. This isn’t about wanting answers—wants can be satisfied. This is a need. I need to know.”

Scott frowned, brushing Orion’s hands off. “Do you really think this is the time for that?” he asked, trying to stay calm. “I’m not going to tell you what you can or can’t do, but we need to focus on what we’re doing right now. Do you really want to—”

Suddenly, heavy footsteps cut him off, echoing ominously through the air. Both champions instinctively turned toward the road ahead, abandoning the distraction of the divergent path.

From the nothingness ahead, a massive leg emerged, stepping out as if from a mirror. It was grotesque, shimmering, and unnatural—and worse, there wasn’t just one leg. There were eight.