A chilling silence swept across the throne chamber of the Void Citadel. Vael'thyr knelt before a dormant monolith carved from obsidian stardust—its surface pulsed with the heartbeat of a forgotten god. The chamber's walls trembled with whispers older than time, echoing in a tongue never meant for mortals.
Then it stirred.
The monolith cracked open, oozing darkness like blood from a wound in the cosmos. From within rose a towering figure cloaked in swirling voidmatter—an ancient being whose presence bent the very laws of existence.
Its face was a shifting mass of stars and screams.
"The Genesis Core has awakened," it rumbled. "And with it… the tether to the old cycle weakens."
Vael'thyr bowed low. "My Father, the Key has bonded to the child of fate. But he grows too quickly."
The entity's eyes—blazing galaxies of extinction—locked onto Vael'thyr.
"Then shatter his path. Unravel his spirit. Or I will replace you."
Vael'thyr clenched his jaw. "Yes, Father of Voids."
With a sweep of his arm, a fragment of the void peeled away and flew outward—aimed directly at Jin Long's ship.
—
Aboard the Celestial Wound
Jin Long awoke from his meditation with a sharp breath. The Spear of Aeons beside him pulsed. A message—an ancient one—was being whispered into his soul:
He stirs… He watches…
He rushed to the observation deck where Yue Lan, Elder Ji, and Kyra awaited. Outside the ship, a tear in space was forming. Unlike the rift before, this one wasn't just a gateway—it was a curse, a wound in time itself.
"We're not alone anymore," Yue Lan said, her voice grim.
Out of the rift came a shape—a black meteor wrapped in flame, barreling toward them.
"Brace for impact!" Kyra shouted, her hands flying across the controls.
The ship veered, barely avoiding annihilation, but the meteor shattered into a swarm of creatures—voidspawn, dripping with corrosive magic and snarling with primordial hatred.
Jin gripped the Spear. "We fight."
—
The battle was chaos.
Jin dove into the fray, the Spear of Aeons cleaving through space and creature alike. Each strike banished not flesh, but the essence of the monsters. Yue Lan danced beside him, her dual blades glowing with radiant fire. Elder Ji chanted ancient seals that bound several spawn mid-air before Kyra's ship cannons vaporized them.
But they kept coming.
Then, from the heart of the rift, a greater beast emerged—one the size of a temple, armored in cosmic plates, eyes glowing red with ancient malice.
The Father of Voids had sent a champion.
Yue Lan fell back, blood on her arm. "It's adapting to us!"
Jin planted his feet, raised the Spear, and felt the Genesis Core awaken. The energy surged, not with rage, but resolve.
"Then we change the rules."
He launched forward—becoming light itself. The Spear extended, growing in size and power, and pierced the monster's chest. There was a sound like an entire dimension crying out—and the beast collapsed into stardust.
The rift flickered… then vanished.
—
In the aftermath, the crew limped to recover. Jin sat alone at the rear observation deck, the stars quiet again—for now.
Yue Lan sat beside him, resting her head against his shoulder. "He's coming, isn't he?"
Jin nodded. "The Father of Voids isn't just an enemy. He's the source of the Genesis War. The first one to fall… and the last one to rise."
Yue Lan's grip tightened. "Then we don't just need strength… we need allies."
Jin looked to the stars.
"I know where to start. The Skyward Monks."