Red pulses echoed through the Vault's ceiling, casting eerie shadows on the polished floors. Warning glyphs circled in the air like floating symbols of doom. Aarav stood still, eyes fixed on the giant projection in the center of the control hall—a collapsing world, Axis 12, cracked with energy veins and slowly folding into itself.
Elios's voice was calm but heavy. "Axis 12 is nearing complete destabilization. The energy readings confirm it's been infected by Axis 17's corruption."
Aarav clenched his jaw. "So they've started targeting full universes now?"
"They already have," Elios said. "This is just the first you're seeing with your own eyes. Once an Axis is lost, its collapse spreads—like rot in a tree."
Rishi's fingers sparked faintly with energy. "What's the plan? We go in and fix it?"
"You two will enter Axis 12. Head to the Anchor Core, the heart of the dimension. It's on the verge of shattering. You'll have to use your Axis Guardian signatures to stabilize it. But the area around it is corrupted. The environment won't follow any logic, and neither will time."
Aarav exchanged a glance with Rishi. "We've been through the Loop. We'll handle it."
Elios nodded, raising a glowing circle from his palm. "Once you enter, you're on your own. No backup. If Axis 17 detects your presence, they'll try to draw you into their layer."
Aarav took a deep breath and stepped toward the portal. "Then let's make sure they don't."
The two Guardians entered.
---
Axis 12: Collapse Zone
They arrived mid-air—and immediately fell sideways. The sky twisted in an impossible swirl of colors. Buildings floated upside down. Roads looped in and out of themselves like broken ribbons. The laws of gravity flickered, sometimes vanishing completely.
"Okay, this is worse than I imagined," Rishi muttered, flipping to land on a tilted balcony.
Aarav landed hard, his power instinctively anchoring him to the fractured terrain. "This whole universe is coming undone."
They could see it—the Anchor Core in the center of the crumbling city. It was a glowing crystal tower, flickering blue, its energy leaking like blood from a wound. Around it swirled fog—black with streaks of red.
Then, the corrupted beings appeared.
Humanoid shadows with jagged forms, covered in red lightning veins. Their eyes burned bright crimson, no features—only void.
Rishi sparked to life, his fists glowing. "Here comes the welcoming party."
They charged.
Rishi met them head-on, releasing electric bursts that cracked across the warped air. Aarav followed, manipulating gravitational pulls to slam enemies into broken walls. The corrupted creatures hissed but kept coming—nonstop, growing more twisted with every moment.
"They're endless!" Rishi shouted.
"We're not here to fight forever," Aarav replied. "Head for the Core!"
They fought their way forward. Each step, the gravity shifted. One moment, they floated. The next, they dropped like rocks. Time itself slowed and accelerated randomly.
They reached the Core platform, but something was wrong. A long, sharp spike of black crystal jutted through the Anchor Core—pulsing with red. Axis 17's influence.
"We need to cleanse it," Aarav said.
Rishi looked at the storm forming above. "And fast."
The corrupted shadows began gathering again.
Aarav placed his hand on the Core. A scream echoed—not a voice, but a vibration through the soul. Images flashed in Aarav's mind.
He saw himself—8 years old, looking up at the sky.
Then 17, lost in the Loop.
Then... darkness.
"You don't belong anywhere," a voice whispered. "You are a glitch."
Aarav growled. "I'm not a glitch. I'm the bridge."
He focused, pouring gravity and memory into the Core. The energy resisted, tried to twist him—but he pushed harder. Light flowed from his chest to his hands, entering the crystal.
Rishi joined him, pressing his palm on the other side. "We finish this together."
Electricity surged. The Core began to heal. Cracks sealed. The red lightning pulled away.
The storm above screamed—and then shattered.
The corrupted beings hissed one final time before vanishing into the broken air. The fog cleared. The sky began returning to blue.
Axis 12... was stable again.
---
Return to the Vault
The portal opened behind them. Elios waited.
As Aarav and Rishi stepped back into the Vault, Elios gave a solemn nod.
"You've done it. A collapsing universe brought back from the edge."
Rishi grinned, exhausted. "That was insane. Felt like fighting a hurricane inside a maze."
"But it's not over, is it?" Aarav asked.
Elios's expression darkened. "No. Axis 17 now knows you're threats. They won't stop."
Aarav looked down at the infinity mark on his palm. "Then neither will we."
"There's more," Elios said. "You're not just Guardians anymore. You're evolving. The Loop responds to you more directly than any I've seen."
Rishi raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"
Elios stepped closer. "It means your next step is to enter Axis Prime—the original dimension. The first Anchor. The birthplace of the multiverse."
Aarav's eyes widened. "You think the answers are there?"
"Not just answers," Elios said, his voice quiet. "The origin of everything. Including the power Axis 17 fears most—yours."
As Aarav looked out at the star paths between universes, he didn't feel like a boy anymore.
He felt like something more.
And soon, the truth of who he was would be revealed.