The story continues...
Arrav lay defeated, stripped of all hope, his body motionless on the ground. The three enemies stood over him, grinning without a trace of mercy. Just then, a strange sound echoed behind them—crack—as if something ancient had awakened. They turned just in time to witness the remaining nine statues shatter violently, releasing a horrific aura that instantly sent chills through their bones.
"Boss... King... you're awake?!" one of them whispered, trembling as the raw power from the awakening filled the air. Yet even in the chaos, Arrav remained still—blank, as though he was waiting for death to finally take him.
Suddenly, a portal opened beneath him. Before the enemies could react, the nine statues abruptly returned to their stone form. Confused and enraged, they lunged toward Arrav—but he was gone. Vanished.
Furious, they began reviving the last member of their squad, determined to finish what they had started.
Arrav found himself floating in space. The cold silence was broken by the presence of an unknown figure standing beside him—an entity cloaked in mystery. What shocked Arrav was that the figure was using the same type of powers he once possessed.
The entity turned toward him. "Remember who you are... You are Aeternis. You must believe in yourself, for that is the only way forward. If you fall, the multiverse itself will collapse. Only you can stop it."
Arrav shook his head. "But I don't even have my powers anymore. I can't even teleport... and those statues—they're alive again. If they awaken Lord Nyxiran, the entire world will end in minutes. What am I supposed to do?"
The mysterious figure replied calmly, "Those statues are still stone. The one you saw was just an illusion—mine. And here..."
He tossed two blank crystals toward Arrav. As Arrav caught them, his eyes widened. They were his parents'... His hands trembled. A tear rolled down his cheek.
"This is where it all began... and where it must change. They have been dead for a long time. You attempted to change the future—but even then, their fate remained the same. Shadow and Fragment... died before, and die again now. It had to happen. Even unintended mistakes shape destiny."
He stepped forward and whispered, "Here's a hint: build your own team. And one more thing... if you want to save this world, you must join hands with your enemy. He is your final hope. You alone don't have the strength."
Arrav's voice trembled. "Is... is Eternis still alive?"
The figure nodded. "Yes. And remember this—what you see is not always the truth."
Then, he leaned in and spoke one final word into Arrav's ear. The moment Arrav heard it, he gasped.
In a flash, he was teleported.
Back in the real world, Zabuza saw him and rushed forward. Saanvi ran up to him and hugged him tightly.
"You didn't faint out of fear," she said gently. "Your body must've been overwhelmed by some sudden pain."
Zabuza nodded. "It happened to me too, at the exact same time."
But before they could say more, Arrav collapsed again. His body was badly injured. They quickly applied medkits to him, worried.
Suddenly, Zabuza's parents called from downstairs.
"Zabuza! Come quickly!"
He rushed down and saw the news on TV—four colossal monsters had attacked a city in Europe. Their next target: Asia.
His eyes widened.
"They're already marching across Europe..." he whispered.
He dashed upstairs and told Saanvi and Arrav everything. Arrav slowly woke up, just as the briefing ended.
As Saanvi and Zabuza explained the entire situation, Arrav shared everything about the mysterious figure and the illusion... but he left out the final word the figure had spoken.
He stood up slowly, his gaze now focused and determined.
"Let's go," he said. "We have a mission."
To be continued...