As we journeyed through the vast expanse of the cosmos, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of tranquility. The chaos Kai had warned us about seemed distant, like a storm on the horizon that hadn't yet reached us. Flora, Jinvolo, and I had spent hours, sometimes days, traversing galaxies, drifting between stars and nebulae, each moment filled with a sense of discovery.
It wasn't lost on me that Kai could probably travel from one side of the Mother Universe to the other in a fraction of the time it took us. He always seemed to be waiting when we arrived somewhere, his calm, knowing expression never faltering. He was almost like a guardian or a guide, yet distant, holding back pieces of knowledge we weren't yet ready to comprehend.
We had stopped to rest for a few days on a small, peculiar planet—Planet H. The name wasn't poetic or mysterious; it was just labeled as such, and the massive "H" carved into the surface gave it away. Despite its insignificance, the planet offered a kind of serenity that we all needed. It had an odd cycle—two hours of daylight and thirty hours of night. I reveled in the long darkness, which felt like a blanket, wrapping us in calm before whatever came next.
During those nights, we talked, rested, and explored. We even ventured out to nearby galaxies, getting glimpses of other civilizations—some advanced, some primitive, but all utterly fascinating. I had never expected this journey to be so filled with such strange beauty. There were moments where we danced with the locals, Flora glowing with joy as she laughed and spun under alien skies, her hair shifting colors as it always did, reflecting her mood. Jinvolo, stoic as ever, still found moments to engage with the new life we encountered, though his mind was always half-focused on the battles ahead.
For a brief time, it felt like a respite from the heaviness of what we were doing. I could almost convince myself that this journey through the stars might not be as perilous as Kai had made it seem. But I knew better.
Kai, meanwhile, remained distant. While we had spent time soaking in the wonders of these galaxies, he often stood alone, his eyes fixed on some point far in the distance, as if he was listening to something we couldn't hear. And though he hadn't yet revealed more about our ultimate destination, I could feel that something was coming. A shift, a weight pressing down on us that Kai wasn't speaking about yet.
One night, as we sat around a small fire on Planet H—though fire seemed almost unnecessary in the weightless cold of space—Kai finally joined us. His face, lit by the flickering flames, looked more serious than usual.
"You're thinking something," I said, watching him closely. "What aren't you telling us?"
Flora perked up beside me, her violet hair softly glowing in the low light, and even Jinvolo looked over, sensing the shift in Kai's demeanor.
Kai glanced at each of us, his eyes holding something heavy, something he was reluctant to share. "There are parts of the universe that are hidden," he started, his voice quiet yet firm. "Places where even the gods themselves tread carefully. Not everything out here follows the rules you know."
A chill ran down my spine, though his words were still vague.
Flora tilted her head. "You mean the places where reality breaks down, right? The cracks in the universe?"
Kai nodded but didn't elaborate. "It's more than that. The deeper we go, the more we'll see that the universe isn't just a collection of stars and galaxies. There are forces beyond even the understanding of the gods—forces older than the Mother Universe itself."
Jinvolo leaned forward. "And we're heading towards those places, aren't we?"
Kai's silence was answer enough.
"Then why haven't we seen more of these forces?" I asked, my voice more demanding than I intended. "We've been out here for days, and so far, all we've seen are strange creatures and civilizations. Beautiful, yes, but hardly the chaos you warned us about."
Kai's eyes darkened, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of something that almost looked like... hesitation. "You haven't seen them because we're not there yet," he said, his voice low. "What you've faced so far is nothing. A prelude. Once we go further, past the point of no return, you'll understand."
He stood up, turning his back to the fire as if the conversation was over. But before he walked away, he added, "You think the universe is what you see—galaxies, stars, life. It's more than that. Far more. And you'll see soon enough."
The ominous note in his voice sent a shiver through me, even though the night was still and quiet.
After Kai left, Flora sighed and leaned into me, her warmth soothing. "You think he'll ever tell us the full truth?" she asked softly, her voice barely a whisper.
I shook my head. "Not yet. Maybe not ever."
We sat in silence for a while after that, watching the alien constellations shimmer in the dark sky above. The beauty of the universe around us clashed with the foreboding sense that something much darker was waiting for us. And no matter how much we wanted to deny it, we knew that our peaceful respite was coming to an end.
A few more days passed as we explored the surrounding galaxies. Some of the civilizations we encountered seemed to be aware of the same forces Kai had hinted at, though they spoke of them in hushed tones, referring to "forbidden zones" or "the edges of reality." They offered no details—only warnings. We danced, sang, and marveled at their wonders, but always with a sense that we were being watched, or that something far greater was looming just beyond the stars.
Finally, on the last night of our stay on Planet H, as we were packing up camp, Kai called us together.
"It's time," he said simply.
We gathered around him, our packs slung over our shoulders, ready to move.
"Where are we going now?" Flora asked, her voice quiet but filled with curiosity.
Kai's gaze swept across the star-filled horizon. "We're heading into deeper space. There's something I need you to see—something that will change everything you think you know about the Mother Universe."
There was a pause, and I caught a brief look in his eyes—something like apprehension. It was so fleeting I almost missed it. But it was there, that flicker of uncertainty, and it sent a shiver down my spine. Kai was rarely unsettled, and if something out here could make him nervous, I knew we were in for more than we bargained for.
We took to the skies, leaving Planet H behind. As we drifted further into the void, the darkness ahead felt heavier, thicker, as though the very fabric of space was dense with an unseen presence. It wasn't just an absence of stars—it was as if the darkness itself was watching, waiting for us to make a wrong move.
And though Kai hadn't yet named it, I knew we were heading toward whatever forbidden place he had hinted at. The peaceful days of exploration were over. Now, we were stepping into something far more dangerous.
As we ventured deeper, I caught sight of something. A creature. One of those horrific beings we had seen clawing at the edges of the Mother Universe, trying to break through. Its form was grotesque, a shifting mass of chaotic energy and twisted limbs. It was desperately pushing against the barrier of reality, but no matter how much it tried, it couldn't cross over.
Kai watched it for a long moment, his face unreadable. Then he spoke, his voice low and calm. "You know what, let's set up camp here."
We descended onto a small, rocky planet nearby. Its surface was jagged and uneven, the air thick with an electric tension. There was no sign of life, no atmosphere to speak of, just the faint glow of distant stars lighting up the barren landscape.
We pulled our mini-tents from our pocket dimensions—compact but comfortable—and set up camp. Flora and I shared one, Jinvolo in another, and Kai in his own. The silence that fell over us was unsettling, far too quiet for the vastness of space. There was something in Kai's voice when he suggested we stop, something off. A disturbance, a tension I couldn't shake.
As Flora curled up beside me, her warmth a welcome comfort in the coldness of space, I couldn't help but replay the moment in my mind. Kai's tone had been calm, but there was a subtle undercurrent of urgency—like he knew something we didn't.
Hours passed in an uneasy quiet. The distant stars flickered above us, and the planet beneath felt uncomfortably still, as though holding its breath.
Then, without warning, the air changed.
I sat up, my instincts flaring. The ground beneath us pulsed with energy, and in the center of our camp, where there had been nothing moments ago, a portal began to form. Its edges were jagged and dark, swirling with a strange energy that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
"Kai?" I called out, my voice barely above a whisper. But his tent was silent, and when I looked, he was gone.
The portal pulsed once more, then opened fully, its dark energy radiating through the camp. I felt a pull, an irresistible force drawing us toward it. Flora woke with a start, her violet eyes wide with alarm.
"What's happening?" she asked, panic creeping into her voice.
"I don't know," I replied, my heart racing. But there was no time to think. The portal's pull intensified, and before we could react, it dragged us inside.
The moment we passed through, the portal vanished, leaving nothing behind but the empty planet. We found ourselves in a place that defied explanation. The ground was an endless plane of shimmering black glass, reflecting nothing but the strange, twisting sky above. It wasn't like any dimension or realm we had encountered before. The air was thick, heavy with an oppressive energy that made it hard to breathe.
"What... what is this place?" Flora whispered, her voice shaking.
Jinvolo stepped forward, his usually calm demeanor replaced with unease. "This isn't natural. It feels... wrong."
Suddenly, from the shadows, a small figure appeared—a fairy, no larger than Flora's hand. Its wings shimmered like stardust, but its expression was grave.
"You shouldn't be here," the fairy said, her voice soft but urgent. "This is the Forbidden Dimension. You're not supposed to be here."
"The Forbidden Dimension?" I echoed, frowning. "What does that mean?"
The fairy fluttered closer, her tiny face etched with worry. "It's not really a dimension in the way you understand. It's a forbidden galaxy, hidden from most eyes. Realms and dimensions—those are just galaxies, after all. Only those with a Void Whisper Halo or higher can truly see beyond the surface of reality here. What you're standing in now... it's a trap. A place where the Mother Universe hides its mistakes."
Flora gasped, stepping closer to me. "How do we get out?"
The fairy shook her head. "I don't know if you can. This place—there are things here, beings beyond the power of even Halos, that hunt anything that enters. You'll have to move quickly and carefully. I can guide you to temporary safety, but after that... you're on your own."
The oppressive energy around us seemed to grow heavier with every passing second, and in the distance, I could feel it—an invisible presence, malevolent and closing in fast.
We didn't have time to argue. With a nod, the fairy led the way, her wings glowing faintly as she darted ahead.
As we followed, I couldn't shake the growing dread that filled me. We were in the Forbidden Dimension now, and whatever was hunting us... it was close.
We moved quickly, following the fairy's glowing wings as she darted ahead. The ground beneath our feet—if it could even be called ground—was slick and unsettling, like walking on a surface that wasn't fully real. The entire place felt distorted, warped, as though reality was struggling to hold itself together here.
Flora clutched my arm, her fingers trembling slightly. "Nova… what's happening? Where's Kai?"
"I don't know," I whispered, my eyes scanning the endless horizon. There was no sign of him, no trace of where he might have gone. "But we need to keep moving. This place… it's not right."
Jinvolo, ever the stoic, kept his gaze forward, though I could tell he was just as unsettled as the rest of us. "We need answers. Fast."
The fairy led us across the shimmering black plane, her wings flickering like dying embers in the strange half-light of the dimension. The further we went, the heavier the air became, pressing down on us with a weight that made it hard to breathe, as if the atmosphere itself was trying to crush us.
Suddenly, the fairy stopped mid-flight, her wings fluttering anxiously. "Here," she whispered, pointing to what seemed like a cluster of jagged, obsidian-like rocks jutting out from the ground. "We can rest here for a moment. It will shield you from the eyes of the invisible."
We hurried into the small enclave of rocks, crouching low as the fairy hovered nearby. The space between the stones wasn't much, but the moment we stepped inside, I felt a strange sense of relief, as if some of the oppressive weight had lifted. It wasn't true safety—nothing here felt safe—but at least it was a reprieve.
"What are those things out there?" Flora asked, her voice barely above a whisper, her wide eyes darting nervously toward the shimmering air beyond the rocks. "I could feel them watching us, but I couldn't see anything."
The fairy hovered closer, her expression grim. "They're called the Eclipsed—creatures that exist on the fringes of perception. They can't be seen, not even with the Halo you possess, unless they want to be seen. They are the Mother Universe's darkest mistakes, things born from failed realities and broken dimensions."
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. "And they're hunting us?"
The fairy nodded solemnly. "They sense anything foreign in their domain. You've crossed into a forbidden place, where the natural order is disrupted. The Eclipsed will chase anything that doesn't belong until it's… erased."
Flora shuddered, pulling her knees to her chest. "Erased? As in…"
"Gone," the fairy confirmed. "Not killed. Not destroyed. Just… erased, as if you never existed."
A cold chill ran through me. "How did we end up here? This isn't where Kai was taking us."
The fairy glanced at me, her tiny face filled with concern. "I don't know how you entered, but this dimension—this galaxy—is hidden for a reason. It exists outside the normal flow of time and space. Normally, only those with the Void Whisper Halo or higher can see it, much less enter it. Your presence here is an anomaly, and anomalies don't last long."
Jinvolo leaned against the rock, his jaw clenched. "So how do we get out?"
The fairy hesitated, her wings flickering nervously. "There's only one way out of the Forbidden Dimension, but it's not easy. The entire galaxy is structured to keep intruders trapped within. There are exit points, but they're hidden—guarded by things far worse than the Eclipsed. I can guide you to one of those points, but once we get close… it's up to you to survive."
I exchanged a glance with Flora, her expression mirroring the fear gnawing at my insides. "What about Kai?" I asked, a flicker of hope in my voice. "Is he still here? Can he help us?"
The fairy's wings fluttered sadly. "I don't know where he is. He might have been pulled into another part of this dimension, or perhaps he's found a way out already. The Forbidden Dimension warps everything inside it, so it's impossible to track someone unless you're right beside them."
I let out a slow breath, trying to steady myself. "Okay. Then we find the exit."
Jinvolo nodded in agreement. "We move fast, and we move smart. No stopping unless absolutely necessary."
The fairy nodded, hovering slightly higher now. "The closest exit point is several hours away, deeper into the dimension. But you'll have to be careful. The further in we go, the more dangerous it becomes. The Eclipsed are the least of your worries."
"What could be worse than them?" Flora asked, her voice trembling slightly.
The fairy hesitated, her eyes flicking nervously toward the shadows beyond the rocks. "The Guardians. They protect the exit points, and they don't care who or what you are. They're tasked with keeping anything from leaving once it's entered. If you encounter one… run."
The silence that followed was suffocating. I could see the fear in Flora's eyes, and I felt the same icy dread creeping up my spine. This was worse than any battle we had faced before—worse than the chaos creatures, worse than the stars between galaxies. This was something that went beyond life and death.
"Let's move," Jinvolo said, his voice steady despite the tension in the air. "The longer we stay, the more likely they'll find us."
We stood, ready to follow the fairy once more. The eerie darkness of the Forbidden Dimension stretched out before us, a vast, unknowable void that promised nothing but danger. But we had no choice. We had to find the exit, find Kai, and get out of this place before we were lost to it forever.
As we stepped out from the shelter of the rocks, the oppressive weight of the dimension pressed down on us again, and the air around us shimmered with the unseen threat of the Eclipsed.
The fairy glanced back at us, her voice barely a whisper. "Stay close. And whatever happens… don't stop moving."
We hadn't taken more than a few steps before the air around us began to shimmer—subtle at first, like the wavering heat on a desert horizon. But it quickly became more intense, rippling like a veil between worlds was being torn open.
"They're coming," the fairy whispered, her wings glowing faintly. "The Eclipsed."
I clenched my fists, feeling the surge of energy pulsing through me as my Halo activated, casting a soft light around us. Flora's glow intensified, and Jinvolo's form flickered with a faint aura of defense. The three of us stood ready, though I wasn't sure how much our powers would help against things we couldn't even see.
The first attack came without warning—a sharp force slammed into my chest, knocking the breath from my lungs and sending me stumbling back. I barely caught myself before I was hit again, this time from the side. It was as if the air itself had turned against us, attacking with invisible claws and fists.
"Stay together!" Jinvolo shouted, his voice strained as he held his ground.
Flora darted to my side, her hands glowing with energy as she tried to fight back, but every swing missed its mark. The Eclipsed were there, all around us, but they moved so fast, so silently, that they were nearly impossible to track.
I lashed out with my own power, sending waves of energy in every direction, but all I hit was empty air. Something grabbed my arm, twisting painfully, and I barely had time to react before I was flung through the air, crashing into the ground with a force that left me gasping.
The fairy's voice was panicked now. "Keep moving! Don't let them surround you!"
But we were already surrounded. I could feel them pressing in, a suffocating presence that made it hard to think, hard to breathe. Every second brought another strike, another blow that we couldn't see coming.
Flora screamed as something tore at her shoulder, blood streaking her arm. Jinvolo was on his knees, trying to fend off invisible attackers with nothing but brute force. The air crackled with energy, but it was doing nothing to stop the Eclipsed from tearing us apart.
"Nova!" Flora shouted, desperation in her voice. I reached out, grabbing her hand just as another force hit me from behind, sending both of us tumbling forward. The world spun, and for a moment, everything was chaos—a blur of pain, confusion, and darkness.
I wasn't sure how much longer we could survive this.
And then, just as suddenly as it had started, the attacks stopped.
Panting, I forced myself to my feet, every muscle aching, my vision blurred. The Eclipsed were gone, or at least they had retreated for the moment, but the damage was done. We were bleeding, bruised, barely standing. Flora's breath was ragged, and Jinvolo was struggling to hold onto his balance.
"We… we need to get out of here," Flora whispered, clutching her wounded arm.
Before I could respond, the fairy darted in front of us, her expression grave. "You need to move now. They're regrouping. This was just the first wave."
I nodded, helping Flora to her feet as Jinvolo limped over to us. We were barely holding together, but we didn't have time to recover. The air still felt thick with danger, and I could feel the Eclipsed lurking just beyond the edge of perception, waiting for their next strike.
"We're not going to make it," Jinvolo muttered, wiping blood from his mouth.
"We have to try," I said, though even I wasn't sure how much fight we had left in us.
The fairy turned, pointing to a distant point in the darkness. "The exit is close. But you'll need to run. Now."
Without hesitation, we pushed ourselves forward, stumbling and staggering across the uneven ground. The weight of the Forbidden Dimension pressed down on us, and the strange, warped landscape seemed to shift beneath our feet, making it harder to keep our balance.
And then, just as we thought we might have a chance, something enormous loomed ahead of us.
A figure appeared from the darkness—a towering, monstrous form made of jagged black stone and shadow. Its body pulsed with the same strange energy that filled this place, its glowing red eyes staring down at us with a cold, unyielding fury. This was no Eclipsed.
It was a Guardian.
The fairy froze mid-flight, her wings dimming in fear. "No… it's too soon. You're not ready."
The Guardian loomed before us, its colossal form dominating the warped landscape, radiating an unearthly power that seemed to defy the very laws of existence. Its jagged, stone-like body shifted and cracked, red energy pulsing from deep within its core. The air around it rippled, as if reality itself struggled to contain the sheer force of its presence.
Jinvolo stood, battered and bruised, blood dripping from a deep gash on his arm. Flora, her light dimming, stumbled back toward me, clutching her side where one of the Eclipsed had struck her earlier. The fairy fluttered anxiously at my shoulder, her wings trembling in fear.
"We can't beat this thing!" Flora shouted, her voice tinged with desperation. "Nova, we have to run!"
I looked at the Guardian again, its dark red eyes glowing with a cold, merciless intent. It raised a massive hand, preparing to bring it down upon us, the ground shaking under its weight.
Jinvolo staggered forward, ready to fight, but he was too weak—too drained. The fairy shouted in panic, "You need to escape! It'll kill you all if you stay!"
But we were trapped. There was no escape unless—
I made my decision in an instant, my Halo flaring to life with the last of my energy. I reached out, pulling Flora toward me with one hand and Jinvolo with the other. "Get out of here," I gasped, the effort nearly breaking me.
"No! Nova, you can't—" Flora started, but I cut her off.
"You have to. I'll hold it off." I turned to the fairy, whose glow flickered faintly. "You can guide them out, right? Get them to safety?"
The fairy hesitated for a moment, her tiny form trembling, before nodding. "I can… but what about you?"
"I'll hold it off," I said through gritted teeth, my voice growing weaker with each word. "Just… go."
The Guardian's hand came crashing down, a blur of overwhelming force. I threw up a shield with everything I had left, straining against the sheer pressure of its attack. The barrier cracked under the weight, energy splintering in every direction.
Flora screamed, grabbing at my arm. "We're not leaving without you!"
"You have to," I managed, my Halo flickering dangerously. "I'll find a way back. Trust me."
But the truth was, I wasn't sure I would survive this.
With a final surge of power, I pushed Flora and Jinvolo away, hurling them toward the portal that had opened behind us. The fairy, her glow now brighter, guided them forward. The portal's edges were flickering, shrinking fast—this was their only chance to escape.
Flora's eyes were wide, filled with a mix of fury and fear, but the force of my push sent her stumbling through the portal, with Jinvolo close behind. The fairy hovered a moment longer, casting me one last desperate glance before darting through the closing rift.
I let out a ragged breath as the portal vanished, sealing them safely on the other side.
And now I was alone.
The Guardian stepped forward, its monstrous form towering over me. My legs buckled, the energy drained from my body. My Halo sputtered, its light barely a flicker now, unable to sustain the protective shield much longer.
The ground beneath me shifted and warped, abstract shapes rising from the ever-changing surface of the Forbidden Dimension. It felt as though the very landscape itself was mocking me, twisting into forms that made no sense, shifting between solid and intangible with each passing second.
The Guardian's hand came down again, and this time, my shield shattered. I felt the impact ripple through my body, sending me sprawling across the shifting terrain. My vision blurred, every breath a struggle.
I pushed myself up, trembling, blood trickling down the side of my face. I could barely stand, my entire body screaming in pain, but I couldn't give in. Not yet.
I looked up at the Guardian, its cold red eyes watching me, calculating, as if it knew exactly how much longer I had left. It raised its arm once more, preparing to finish me off.
There was nothing left in me to stop it.
As the Guardian loomed over me, the ground beneath me shifted again, twisting into shapes I couldn't comprehend. I could feel the dimension itself pressing down on me, bending reality in ways my mind couldn't grasp. The sky above me had turned a deep, unnatural shade of black, stars fading from view. Everything was warping—abstract, surreal, like a nightmare I couldn't wake from.
I collapsed onto the ground, my limbs heavy and unresponsive. The Guardian's presence filled the space around me, an overwhelming force pressing down on my soul. But I had done what I needed to. Flora and Jinvolo were safe. They were free. That was all that mattered.
The Guardian's arm came down again.
But just before the blow could land, the ground rippled violently beneath me, and the Guardian paused, its movements halting as though it sensed something shift in the fabric of the dimension. The shapes on the ground twisted faster, their patterns growing more erratic, more chaotic.
The Guardian took a step back, its red eyes narrowing as it assessed the shifting landscape. It looked at me one last time, and then, without warning, it turned and began to retreat into the depths of the Forbidden Dimension.
I lay there, gasping for air, barely conscious. The ground beneath me was unstable, constantly changing, as though the dimension itself was trying to decide whether to consume me or spit me out.
I had survived. Barely.
But I knew I was trapped here, in this chaotic, shifting realm. The Guardian had marked me—it had let me live, but I wasn't free. Not yet.
As I lay on the surreal, ever-shifting ground, my body aching, I could feel the weight of the dimension pressing down on me. The fairy's words echoed in my mind: We can't leave… until you're stronger.
And that could take years.
I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breath, knowing that this was only the beginning of a long, painful journey ahead. I had no idea how I was going to survive this place, or how I would find a way out.
But I would.
I had to.