The bridge of bones stretched across an endless, roaring expanse of cosmic fire. Leo OConnell walked slowly along the macabre pathway, his heavy combat boots echoing against the colossal, fused spinal columns of extinct leviathans that formed the structure. There was no sky here. There was no ground. There was only the absolute, blinding chaos of the multiverse collapsing inward. He looked to his left and right. The sight was enough to shatter a mortal mind. Hanging in the vast, swirling abyss of the Nexus were thousands of entire universes. They looked like massive, glowing glass marbles, each one containing swirling galaxies, burning nebulas, and trillions of living souls. But they were not resting peacefully. They were being violently dragged from their natural orbits. Thick, glowing tethers of dark green and corrupted purple energy were wrapped around each universe, pulling them inexorably toward the center of the void like fish caught on massive, cosmic hooks. In the far dist

"Put the ring away, Father!" Leo shouted, his voice echoing violently against the towering bone pillars of the cathedral. "There is no wedding! There is only a graveyard, and you are digging it for trillions of innocent souls!"Finnian OConnell did not blink. The terrifying, empty white light in his eyes remained completely serene. He slowly closed the small velvet box, the crisp snap of the hinge sounding unnaturally loud in the vast, silent room. He slipped the box back into the inner pocket of his pristine, tailored black suit."You always lacked your mother's vision, Leo," Finnian replied, his tone smooth, cultured, and entirely devoid of human warmth. "You look at the multiverse and you see death. I look at it and see a blank canvas. I am simply clearing away the old paint. If you will not sit quietly and witness the rebirth of our family, then I will simply have to remove you from the sanctuary until the ceremony is complete.""You are not removing anyone!" Leo roared, gripping

Elena Vance drew a massive, ragged, and completely desperate breath of air. The sound of her inhaling echoed through the ruined Cathedral of Bones, cutting sharply across the deafening roar of the dying multiverse outside. Her dark eyes snapped wide open, staring blindly up at the shattered ceiling where galaxies were colliding in a furious storm of fire and cosmic dust. Finnian OConnell dropped to his knees right beside the marble altar. The terrifying, empty white light that had consumed his eyes for years flickered and instantly died, replaced entirely by the vibrant, weeping emerald green of the human man. The Mad God was gone. The tyrant who had just murdered a thousand universes vanished, leaving only a desperate, heartbroken husband staring at the absolute miracle he had ripped from the void. "Elena," Finnian choked out. His voice was a fragile, broken whisper, completely stripped of its demonic resonance. "Oh my god. Elena."He reached out with massive, trembling hands and

The sheer velocity of the Entropy launch defied every physical law of the ruined cathedral. It moved not like a human, but like a glitching shadow, closing the thirty-foot gap in a fraction of a millisecond.Leo OConnell barely had time to bring his heavy Bowie knife up in a defensive guard. CLANG.The impact of the creature pale, bare hands striking the flat of the glowing emerald blade rang out like a detonating artillery shell. The kinetic force sent a violent tremor straight down Leo arms, threatening to pop his newly set shoulder right back out of its socket. The marble floor beneath his heavy combat boots shattered into powder as he was pushed backward by the impossible weight of the monster."You are holding back, little prince," the Entropy mocked. The voice was a horrifying duality. Beneath the screeching, overlapping whispers of a billion starving insects, the clear, beautiful, and desperately familiar tone of Elena Vance resonated flawlessly. "Shut up!" Leo roared, shovi

The Cathedral of Bones was a crumbling arena suspended in the heart of an apocalyptic cosmic storm. Above them, the sky was a terrifying tapestry of colliding galaxies and burning nebulas. But on the shattered marble floor, the true war for the survival of existence was about to reach its absolute, bloody climax.Finnian OConnell and his son, Leo, stood shoulder to shoulder. The Demigod of the Forest and the young Warden of Reality faced the fifty-foot-tall abomination of dark matter that wore the stolen, distorted face of Elena Vance. "I WILL CONSUME YOUR LIGHT AND LEAVE YOU IN THE COLD!" the Entropy roared. The horrific, layered voice of a billion starving insects vibrated through the ruined cathedral, shattering the remaining pillars of petrified bone. Massive, shadowy tentacles forged from absolute nothingness erupted from the creature back. They whipped through the air with supersonic speed, aimed directly at the father and son."Shields up, Leo!" Finnian bellowed, his massive