Author's Note: Unedited Chapter
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Aildris initiated the ergency thrusters, the spacecraft's engines roaring to life as they attempted to aid Endric's telekinetic push. The combined effort caused the ship to tremble violently, straining against the imnse gravitational force of the Warp Demolator.
"Thrusters at full power!"
Outside, the Warp Demolator seed almost alive, its ashy, serpentine body writhing and expanding as it consud the cosmic matter in its path.
The spectacle was terrifying—orbital bodies that had taken eons to form were now re playthings in the grip of the celestial behemoth.
As the spacecraft struggled to maintain its position, the crew watched helplessly as the Warp Demolator's path of travel beca increasingly erratic.
The situation aboard the spacecraft grew increasingly dire as the Warp Demolator's gravitational pull intensified beyond Endric's capacity to manage.
His telekinetic shield shimred with strain, the protective energy waning as the colossal entity grew even larger, its ashy tendrils swirling nacingly closer.
Endric face contorted with effort and sweat beaded on his brows as he gritted his teeth.
"I—I can't hold it much longer! It's too strong!"
He didn't experience that much struggle splitting an entire planet but how could he have known sothing like that could be so difficult?
Endric wanted to ensure that they do not co into direct contact with it as none of them were aware of the effects it would bring, but with the way things were going...
"It's growing! We're not going to make it if it gets much closer," Aildris announced with a tone of urgency.
The crew braced themselves as the spacecraft began to shudder violently, the edges of the Warp Demolator's ashy trail licking the outer hull, enveloping them in darkness.
It seed as though they would be consud whole by the cosmic phenonon they had sought to intercept.
Falco imdiately started preparing to head out and brace the warp demolator with his bare body to push them from harm's way but Aildris and Ria were not having it.
There was no way he'd be able to handle the impact.
Suddenly, a miraculous sight unfolded.
From the heart of the ashy chaos, a brilliant silver glow erged, its radiance piercing through the darkness like a celestial beacon. An ethereal being, its form obscured by the intense luminosity it emitted, approached the spacecraft.
The crew watched in awe and confusion as the glowing entity reached out with what appeared to be arms of pure light.
With a graceful, powerful motion, the being pushed against the spacecraft. The force of its intervention was gentle yet firm, countering the pull of the Warp Demolator with a precision that seed beyond the capabilities of any known entity.
"What in the universe is that?" Falco couldn't hide his shock.
As the being exerted its influence, the spacecraft felt the oppressive ashy grip loosening. Slowly, but with undeniable strength, the ethereal figure maneuvered them away from the belly of the Warp Demolator. The ash receded from the hull, revealing once again the stars beyond.
The silver being, its task seemingly complete, gave one last push that sent the spacecraft into a stable path away from the destructive path of the Warp Demolator. As it withdrew, the glow around it pulsed warmly and almost reassuringly...
...
...
...
{ A Day Ago }
"Just check my mories if you think I'm lying. The visions will prove my claim."
Amidst heavy breaths Stark suggested.
Gustav's grip on Stark's neck loosened as he contemplated the suggestion to delve into Stark's mories.
The revelation that Stark knew about his rarely used ability to siphon mories was unsettling.
The power was known to wreak havoc on the mind of the person it was used on and it seed Stark knew more about the existence of the Outworldly than he had thought.
Stark's insistence and the gravity of the situation prompted Gustav's acceptance. He never spared his enemies but he was looking for a reason to give Stark the benefit of the doubt.
Gustav placed his hand firmly on Stark's temple while Stark braced himself, closing his eyes in anticipation of the invasive probe.
"This is gonna hurt," Gustav stated with an emotionless tone.
"Just do it," Stark mumbled.
[mories Siphoning Has Been Activated]
As Gustav activated the ability, a rush of images and sensations flooded through him.
The first mory was Stark touching the ancient pamphlet, his fingers trembling as he made contact. Instantly, a deluge of visions cascaded into Stark's consciousness—visions now shared with Gustav.
The scenes were chaotic and intense: Gustav, riding the Warp Demolator, unwittingly triggered a cataclysmic event. His involvent in its movent resulted in its instability, causing a fragnted trail of ashiness to break off from the pile and appear on Earth...
The vertigon premises to be exact.
A corruption was unleashed almost imdiately, enveloping everything in its path.
Gustav found himself ensnared in the location he ended up after riding the warp demolator, unable to escape and provide assistance as the disaster unfolded.
The Vertigon island was set ablaze. In order to stop the corruption from spreading further, the world ca together to wipe them out.
The lineage of the Vertigon family, once proud and influential, withered in the flas, their legacy reduced to ashes.
A fragnt of another mory showed a later scene—a devastated Gustav, his face etched with defeat and sorrow, carrying the lifeless body of Stark through the remnants of what was once a vibrant island. The weight of his failure, the destruction of a family he had inadvertently caused, hung heavily on him.
Gustav pulled away from Stark at this mont with a look of distress as his mind returned to the present.
"So It's true..."
"I told you. I needed you to see it—to understand why I did what I did. I couldn't let that future co to pass," Stark breathed profusely while trying to recover from the siphon's toll.
Gustav stood in place with a contemplative look while the impact of the visions still toiled through his mind.
"While I get it... I simply can't accept that outco. There must be sothing that can be done to change it."
"That's one of the reasons I brought you here, away from the Demolator. Not just to protect my family, but to give us a chance to find another way. Together.
I understand it is paramount for you to get to where the warp demolator is heading," Stark voiced hopefully.
"And if we can't find another way? What then? We sacrifice everything and everyone else just to save your family?" Gustav questioned with a tinge of annoyance.
"If it was you... What would you have done?" Stark asked while lowering his head.
His question caused a brief silence as Gustav pictured choosing between saving his loved ones and saving the world.
("Let's not pretend that you wouldn't fuck the world over to save your friends,") The system chipped in.
'Whose side are you on?'
("The side of reason.")
'You know the aning of that word? Did you Google it?'
("...Fuck you.")
Gustav decided to ignore the system and turned to face Stark.
"You better pray that we find another way... For everyone's sake," Gustav's tone hinted at accepting the collaboration.
Stark looked at Gustav, his eyes solemn, understanding the enormity of the choices before them.
"Thank you for giving a chance."
...
...
As the Warp Demolator receded into the void of space, leaving behind a trail of cosmic unrest, Endric, Aildris, Falco, and Ria remained aboard their spacecraft, their faces etched with concern and confusion.
They had expected Gustav to appear at the last mont or sothing but his absence now cast a shadow over their mission.
The warp demolator was gone.
Ria staring out into the now calm space, broke the silence. "Gustav... He's definitely okay, right?" His voice carried a mixture of hope and worry.
"He has to be. Gustav's survived worse. But with his disappearance and without the warp Demolator taking him to where the remnants of planet Humbad is located, I'm not sure what our next move should be," Aildris chipped in.
Endric then recalled the mysterious being that had intervened during their most perilous mont. The figure's glowing silhouette had prevented a disaster, but its identity remained a puzzle.
Endric, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, ventured, "That being... could it have been Miss Aie?—it reminded of her."
Ria raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Miss Aie? Didn't she retreat to that planet she created after the IYSOP? Why would she appear here, and in the Warp Demolator, of all places?"
Aildris, nodding slowly, added, "It surely makes no sense for it to be her since that being appeared from the interior of the warp demolator... But then..."
The discussion spiraled into theories and recounts of Miss Aie's known capabilities and last known actions. Her legend as one of the universe's most formidable beings made her a subject of endless speculation.
Falco, trying to make sense of the events, suggested, "As much as it seems unlikely, who else could rip us away from the pull of sothing as powerful as the Warp Demolator? And then to dive back into it..."
"That's not sothing just anyone could do even if they were alpha ranked... and she is beyond that level of power," Aildris added.
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