The air crackled with ozone as Alan and the Kraken stood facing each other, the ruined power station trembling around them. Sparks danced across Alan's skin, his eyes glowing white-hot with stolen electricity. The Kraken's massive form loomed, tentacles writhing like living shadows, his crimson axe humming with dark energy.
"You stole my lightning," Alan grinned, rolling his shoulders. "So I stole yours."
The Kraken moved first—a blur of ink-black flesh as his fist smashed through the concrete wall where Alan's head had been a second before. Alan blinked, surprised by his own reflexes. His body moved before he could think, muscles singing with electric precision.
"Annoying insect!" The Kraken pivoted, his massive leg whipping toward Alan's ribs. This time, Alan crossed his arms—
BOOM!
The impact sent shockwaves through the room, but Alan held firm, his forearms crackling with defensive energy. He could feel the Kraken's surprise.
"What's wrong?" Alan smirked. "Thought I'd break?"
The Kraken snarled, gripping his Crimson Axe with both hands. Then, without warning, he spun—a whirlwind of destruction, the axe carving arcs of red light through the air. Alan barely dodged, the blade grazing his cheek as he stumbled back.
"Shit. That's new."
From the sidelines, Phi adjusted his sunglasses, watching carefully. Alan's keeping up... but this power boost won't last. "End it fast!" he shouted. "You're on borrowed time!"
Alan didn't need the warning. He could already feel the energy waning. With a burst of lightning from his legs, he launched upward, crashing through the ceiling. For a heartbeat, he hung in the air—then dropped like a thunderbolt, fist crackling with concentrated voltage.
CRACK!
His punch connected with the Kraken's skull, sending the monster crashing to his knees.
"RRRAAAAAGH!" The Kraken's roar shook the room, so deafening that Alan instinctively clamped his hands over his ears—
"ALAN, MOVE!" Phi's voice cut through.
Too late.
The Crimson Axe slammed into Alan's ribs, sending him flying through five consecutive walls. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he skidded to a stop in a heap of rubble.
"Pathetic." The Kraken loomed over him, axe raised. "Your borrowed power is fading."
Alan coughed, tasting copper. He was right—his lightning flickered weakly now. The Kraken swung again—
BOOM!
Alan barely blocked, his arms trembling under the force. Another swing. Another block. Each impact sent shocks of pain through his body.
"Just... die already!" The Kraken snarled, rearing back for the final blow—
Then—
ZZZZZT-KABOOM!
A massive surge of electricity erupted from somewhere deep in the facility. The entire level plunged into darkness—then exploded with blue-white light.
Handy and Rusha, still fighting through swarms of Deathmoths, froze as the shockwave rippled through Level 5. The lights flickered, then died entirely.
"What the hell was that?" Rusha hissed.
Handy's mask tilted toward the power station. "Alan."
Back in the ruins, the Kraken staggered, momentarily blinded. When his vision cleared, Alan was gone.
Then—
"Looking for me?"
Alan's voice came from everywhere. The Kraken whirled—
SLASH!
A flash of lightning—too fast to follow—and the Kraken's right arm, still clutching the Crimson Axe, tumbled to the ground.
"GAAAAAH!" The Kraken collapsed, writhing in agony.
Alan landed smoothly, the stolen axe now in his grip, crackling with his remaining energy. "This thing was really getting on my nerves."
The Kraken looked up, snarling—
THOOM!
Alan's electrified kick snapped the Kraken's head back, sending him crashing to the ground. Before the monster could react, Alan was airborne again—Crimson Axe raised high, every last volt of his power surging into the blade.
"This... is for Phi's team."
He brought the axe down.
The explosion that followed sent Alan and Phi flying, the force hurling them through a broken wall—and into pitch-black darkness.
Level 6 - Lights Out
Alan groaned as consciousness returned in waves. His body ached like he'd been run over by a truck—twice. The Crimson Axe was still clutched in his hand, its blade faintly humming with residual energy. He blinked, then blinked again.
*Why can't I see anything?*
The darkness was absolute. Not the dim, flickering gloom of the other levels—this was a suffocating void that pressed against his eyeballs. He reached out with his free hand, fingers grasping at empty air.
"Phi?" His voice echoed strangely, like the blackness itself was swallowing the sound.
A match flared to life nearby, revealing Phi's sunglasses glinting in the sudden light. The faceling was already on his feet, brushing dust off his suit with his usual detached precision.
"Welcome to Level 6," Phi said, his voice dry as always. "Otherwise known as 'Lights Out.' Because, well." He gestured broadly at the nothingness around them. "The lights are out."
Alan squinted past the match's tiny flame. "No kidding. How is there literally nothing?"
Phi adjusted his sunglasses—a pointless gesture in the dark, but Alan suspected he did it out of habit. "Oh, there's plenty here. You just can't see it. That's the fun part."
A chill ran down Alan's spine. "That's not fun. That's terrifying."
The match burned down to Phi's fingers. He shook it out, plunging them back into darkness.
"Here's what we know," Phi continued, his voice closer now. "Level 6 is an infinite, non-Euclidean space of pure darkness. No light sources work for long. No maps exist. And the entities here... well, let's just say they've adapted to the dark."
Alan swallowed hard. "What kind of entities?"
Phi didn't answer immediately. Instead, Alan heard the distinct sound of a pistol being cocked.
"That kind," Phi said at last.
Somewhere in the blackness, something scurried. The sound was wrong—too many legs, moving too fast. Then another. And another.
Alan tightened his grip on the Crimson Axe. The weapon's faint glow barely illuminated his own hands, but it was better than nothing. "So what's the plan?"
"Simple," Phi said. "We walk until we find an exit. And we don't die."
A wet, clicking noise echoed from their left. Then their right. Then—impossibly—from above.
Alan exhaled shakily. "That's a terrible plan."
Phi's lighter flicked open, the tiny flame revealing his smirk for just an instant before darkness swallowed them again.
"Welcome to the Backrooms, kid."