Raka did not flinch. The tip of the ice dagger hovered before his eyes, radiating a piercing cold. In a fraction of a second, he could have drawn a weapon and fought back, but this was Aeris. That pale face, even under another's control, was still the face of his friend. Pure Cosmic Light erupted from his palm, forming a transparent shield that stopped the ancient dagger mere inches from his chest. A high-pitched screech shattered the silence of the Silent Sector."I won't hurt you, Aeris," Raka growled, straining against the pressure. His energy shield pulsed, barely able to withstand the entropy pouring from Aeris's weapon. "Kael! Hurry!""I know, I know!" Kael shouted, his eyes blazing. The scanner in his hand crackled wildly, its signal struggling to penetrate the Moros frequency controlling Aeris. "The energy is too dense! It's like Moros has already merged with her!""He has not merged with her." Moros's voice, speaking through Aeris, echoed with cold amusement. "I have merely s

“Total erasure will begin in twenty-four standard galactic hours.”The Timekeeper’s voice echoed through the chamber, cold and emotionless, piercing deep into Sari and Bara’s hearts. Sari staggered backward, her eyes widening as she stared at the holographic document floating in the air. A digital countdown began flashing beside it.“Twenty-four hours?” Bara stepped forward, his weapon still raised. “You can’t do this! We didn’t cause that threat! We’re trying to stop it!”“Your actions, Mr. Bara, have interfered with the temporal weave,” the Timekeeper replied, its pale point of light unmoving. “The Shatter-Resonator virus has infected the resonance anchors. The potential for systemic collapse exceeds the risk posed by unauthorized intervention.”“But we tracked it!” Sari cried, her voice breaking. “We found its weak point! We know Moros is behind this. We’re going to stop him!”“The Sanitation Protocol is the standard response to a Failed Sector. There is no room for negotiation.”“

Dark violet light spread from Skycross Fortress, slowly swallowing everything in its path. A wave of absolute silence seemed to crush the air inside the academy hall. Monitor screens went dark, consoles fell silent, and even the comms unit at Bara's waist felt cold and lifeless. The emergency lights died as well, leaving them in darkness broken only by the faint glow of the fractured sky above."Everything... is dead," Bara whispered, his voice choked. He tried activating his weapon, but there was no response. "Communications are down. Technology is crippled."Sari slammed her console in frustration. "I can't do anything! He's locked everything down!"Kael stared at Skycross Fortress, now hanging above them, its aura of entropy piercing straight through his bones even without his Cosmic Light. "He doesn't just want to destroy us. He wants to erase every trace of hope."Moros's voice echoed once more, not through the air but directly inside their minds. It was cold, emotionless, yet fi

A wave of dark violet energy erupted from Raka, forcing Bara and Kael backward. It felt like an invisible hand squeezing their lungs, draining every trace of warmth from the room. Kael clutched Aeris, his body trembling."Raka, stop this!" Bara shouted, struggling to push through the aura of entropy. His faint Cosmic Light fought to shine. "You're not him! Fight back!"Raka merely tilted his head, his pitch-black eyes completely devoid of emotion."Moros is the path. Emptiness is the truth."He raised a hand, and Cosmic Light, no, it was reversed Cosmic Light, black-blue and freezing, shot toward Bara.Bara raised a shield of Cosmic Light, but this time it felt different. Raka's energy did not strike it directly. Instead, it seeped inside, trying to extinguish his Cosmic Light from within. An icy chill spread through his arm, leaving his muscles stiff."This isn't a normal attack, Kael!" Bara shouted, taking a step back. "He's reversing my own Cosmic Light!""He's fusing it with entro

"Kill me, Bara!"Bara's face went pale. He stared into Raka's blue-green eyes, now filled with tears and despair. The web of black entropy crept faster across his skin, threatening to swallow Raka's face completely."What are you saying, Raka?" Bara whispered, his voice catching in his throat. His hand, still gripping Raka's, had gone rigid. "I won't...""There's no time, Bara!" Raka's voice was hoarse as he struggled to speak. "He... he's coming back... completely! I can't fight him anymore! Please... this is the only way! Protect them!"Kael, still carrying Aeris, rushed over. The faint blue glow of the Creator frequency within his chest pulsed wildly, desperately trying to break through the entropy consuming Raka."No! Raka, hold on! I can... I can do something!""You've already tried, Kael."Moros' voice hissed through Raka's lips, stronger now, more solid. The black web of entropy suddenly surged at a horrifying speed, devouring Raka's face. His features shifted, reforming into s