The screams of the girl echoed through the narrow alley, a sound of pure, unadulterated agony. Chunks of concrete floated around her, a chaotic storm of debris. Null knew he didn't have much time. He couldn't just fight her; her power wasn't a weapon, but a raw, uncontrolled force that was destroying her from the inside out. He had to go in. He had to reach the core of the problem, the god in her stone.
"Ashley, Kai, cover me!" Null commanded, his voice a low growl. "Keep that debris away from me, and keep anyone from coming in here!"
Ashley didn't hesitate. She created a shimmering blue barrier around the entrance to the alley, a protective shell that absorbed the impact of the floating concrete. Kai's hands were a blur as he manipulated the air, creating small, focused bursts that deflected the heavier chunks of debris.
Null walked toward the center of the storm, his eyes fixed on Sophie. She was curled in on herself, her body shaking as if she were in the throes of a fever. Null felt the immense, raw power of her Prime Stone—the power of creation, the very essence of Earth, but it was twisted and corrupted. He saw the black wings in his mind again, the tail, the horns. He knew he had to act now.
He knelt before her, placing a hand gently on her head. The moment his fingers made contact, he felt a powerful psychic shockwave, a scream of pure, emotional pain that echoed in his mind. Null grit his teeth and pushed through it, a pulse of dark energy flowing from his hand and into her mind, a tendril of his own power seeking to connect with hers.
The world around him dissolved, the alleyway fading into a swirling vortex of black and green. He was no longer in the physical world, but in a mental realm, a chaotic landscape of raw emotion and power. The air was thick with the scent of ozone and the taste of metallic blood. Null looked around, his body now a semi-transparent, shimmering form of pure shadow. He was inside her.
He saw her, but she was a hollow, empty shell of herself. The girl was floating in the center of a storm of jagged, glowing rocks, her eyes wide and blank. But then, Null saw him. The god in her stone. He was a colossal figure, a mountain of a man with skin the color of deep granite and eyes that glowed with a furious, golden light. He was shouting, his voice a deafening roar that shook the very core of this mental space.
"Let me out! Let me out!" the god, Galeipot, roared, his voice a booming storm of fury. "You are not worthy of this power! Give it to me, you weak, pathetic creature! You broke the promise! You turned your back on the second chance I gave you!"
Sophie's shell of a body flinched, but she said nothing. She was lost in the trauma of her past. Null understood now. This was not a possession. This was a god punishing a mortal. This was a god who was trapped in her stone, feeding off her despair, her guilt, her pain.
Null stepped forward, his shadowy form solidifying as he manifested a form of himself, his golden, cross-shaped eyes burning. "Leave her alone," he said, his voice a low, commanding whisper. "This is not your fight."
Galeipot turned, his furious gaze landing on Null. A roar of pure, unbridled rage tore from his throat. "Who are you? You dare to intrude on my domain? I am Galeipot, God of the Earth! And this weak mortal is my prison! Now, get out before I shatter your soul into a million pieces!"
Null stood his ground. He knew he was no match for this being, but he didn't have to be. He was a key. He was a guide. He had to show Sophie the way.
"I won't leave," Null said, his voice steady. "But I will make you a deal. I will help her, and she will control you. Not the other way around. I'll show her how to use her power without hurting herself or anyone else. But you have to leave her alone."
Galeipot laughed, a sound that was more like a seismic shift than a show of amusement. "You think you can teach her to control my power? She is broken, boy. She is nothing."
Null didn't respond. He simply looked at the god, his face an impassive mask. He knew this was a bluff. Galeipot was trapped. Null had the power to make him a weapon, and he knew it. He saw the fear in Galeipot's eyes, a flicker of uncertainty that he quickly masked.
"I'll give you a chance, boy. Show me your power," Galeipot said, his voice now a low, dangerous rumble. "Show me that you are worthy of my time."
Null didn't respond with words. Instead, he reached out, and his shadowy hand phased through Galeipot's chest. Null was now touching the Prime Stone itself. He pushed, not with force, but with the intent to sever the connection between the god and the human, to create a space for Sophie to take control.
The god roared in fury, but something in his eyes changed when he saw Null's shadow abilities. He recognized the familiar shape, the dark energy that flowed from Null's form. It wasn't the darkness of a monster; it was the refined, controlled darkness of an absolute master. He stopped fighting, his roar dying in his throat. His gaze drifted from Null's shadowy form to his chest. He saw the faint, crimson glow of Null's Prime Stone, and his eyes widened in terror.
"That... that's impossible," he whispered, his voice a disbelieving tremor. "That is Umbros's ability. It's his power. I know it."
A tear formed in the corner of his eye and rolled down his stone cheek. It wasn't a tear of sorrow, but a tear of recognition, of a hope he thought was lost. He looked at Null, not with fury, but with a new, profound longing.
"Brother...?" he whispered, his voice cracking. "Are you here?"
The mental realm around them dissolved instantly. The swirling vortex of black and green vanished, replaced by an impossible stillness. They were in a void. A place of nothingness. A place where time and space didn't exist. Before them, a young, infant universe was beginning to form, a spiral of light and color. And standing in the middle of it all was a figure. A tall, graceful being with long brown hair and a long brown beard. His eyes were covered by a blindfold that seemed to glitch in and out of reality. He was the most powerful being Null had ever seen, more so than even 666:Satan. He was God.
"This is not where you belong, Galeipot," the Almighty said, his voice a melodic whisper that echoed through the silence of the void. "This is not your time. This is not your place."
Galeipot looked at the being with a newfound respect and humility, and with a single command from God, he was no longer a colossal mountain of fury, but a small, insignificant pebble in the vastness of the universe and said yes father.
Null was snapped back to his body with the force of a thunderclap. He gasped, his eyes flying open, the stench of decay still clinging to his nostrils. He was back in the clinic room, the beeping of the machines a welcome, sane sound. Kai and Ashley were still asleep, their faces serene. The room was still and peaceful, but his heart was pounding a furious rhythm against his ribs. The world he had just seen felt more real than the one he was in.