The world suddenly shifted around the military truck, like a painting violently smudged by an angry artist.
The ground, sky, and everything else were ripped away, replaced by a swirling vortex of colors and abstract shapes as they passed through the spacial tear.
Inside the truck, a cacophony erupted. Brandon's voice was the first to break the initial stunned silence.
"Baph! Keep it steady!"
Brandon yelled as he moved his body to protect Crystal and the twins.
Baph, with his usual playful grin now stretched into an exaggerated grimace of surprise, fought to maintain control of the wheel.
"Steady? Boss, the 'steady' ship sailed the moment this interdimensional mess gulped us down!"
He quipped, a flicker of his usual jest still dancing in his eyes amid the surreal chaos.
"What in the world just happened?!"
Asmo's usual stoic face gave way to a mask of disbelief, his eyes darting wildly as he tried to make sense of their new surroundings.
In the back, Crystal grabbed the twins firmly and comforted,
"Hang on, my brave little ones. We will be okay," she whispered, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her worried eyes as she hugged them tighter.
The twins, sensing the shock of the adults, let out startled cries.
As quickly as the disorienting journey began, it ended.
*SKRRRRRRRRRR~*
The truck skidded with tires screeching, sliding uncontrollably into a vast hall that struck them as majestic, almost sacred, the air pulsating with a quiet but undeniable power.
It was a grandiose room that stood timeless, a pulsating heart of ancient secrets and vibrant life, where countless tales echoed softly among rows of towering shelves, whispering secrets to those who dared to listen.
The towering shelves, each bearing tomes and scrolls, reached the heights of the chamber, their designs pulling from both Sumerian and Egyptian influences.
The room's columns were etched with intricate hieroglyphics and cuneiform scripts, blending tales of human history with that of strange otherworldly beings.
Images of beings descending from celestial spaces, mingling and sharing knowledge with humans, adorned the walls and floors.
Above them, strange yet beautiful lights floated, showering the hall in a golden glow.
Plants with glowing flowers twisted between bookshelves, giving the library a pulse, a breath, a life of its own.
The truck's sudden arrival disturbed the serenity of this ancient sanctuary. Dust and golden particles floated into the air, dancing around in the glow of the lights.
Asmo, ever the sharp-eyed assassin, was already surveying their surroundings with wary curiosity.
Brandon, helping Crystal and the twins down from the truck, gazed around with a sense of wonder.
"This… this a secret realm…"
Brandon whispered, more to himself than to anyone else, a hint of reverence in his voice.
He moved forward slowly, his eyes growing wider with every step, a mixture of wonder and a small, nagging fear at the back of his mind.
His hand reaching out to gently caress the rich carvings that adorned the towering columns.
Each etching, vibrant with stories of bygone eras, was an intricate weave of humanity's erased past…
'These carvings… What stories are they trying to tell us?'
It was like a visual echo, a heartbeat from a time that defied memory, a seemingly completely different age from the world as they knew it.
He remembered snippets from his past life: the devastating aftermath of the Earth ceasing its spin, the chaos that ensued, and the hidden pockets of hope - these secret realms left behind by ancestors from a forgotten era.
His mind wandered back to those surreal days, just after the apocalypse fully unfurled its wrath.
There were not only promises of resources and wisdom in these realms but also forewarnings of malevolent entities that might seep through these very spacial tears.
They were double-edged swords—gifts with potential curses attached.
That was the warning that Brandon had given the world in Poki's stream just moments ago.
While he died only a month after the earth stopped spinning in his previous life, there were already rumors and signs of these enemies.
Of course he didn't know much, but the signs were clear enough and the impending doom humanity faced was obvious.
Lost in this spiral of thoughts, a youthful, lilting voice pulled him back to the present.
"Mommy! Thish library is shoo bwigg!"
Jade's voice echoed in the large hall, her words tumbling out in awe-struck whispers as she clung to Crystal, her small finger pointing here and there in wonder.
"You're right, Jade. It really does look like a library."
Brandon replied, his eyes mirroring Jade's wonder, a gentle smile stretching across his face as he acknowledged the vastness of the place through a child's eyes.
He found himself wandering, driven by an insatiable curiosity, to the towering shelves that hosted ancient scripts and texts.
His hands reached out almost involuntarily, pulling out a fragile scroll with the utmost care.
Unfurling the parchment, his breath caught in his throat as his eyes met the characters inscribed upon it…
As he gazed deeper, realization struck him like lightning!
"This..."
His voice was a mere whisper, dripping with reverence and disbelief.
"This is the language that declared me the King of Void City!"
From the corner of his eye, he saw Crystal approaching, Baron and Jade trailing along, both small faces curious.
Baron, his little fingers wiggling, exclaimed,
"Daddy… Daddy… I want two shee!"
His black eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief.
Brandon couldn't resist; he offered a heartwarming smile, bending down to show the tiny prince the scroll.
Jade, ever the contrast to her brother, pouted.
Her doe eyes cautiously darted between her mother and father.
"Me two… Me twooo~," she cooed softly.
As Brandon chuckled, ruffling her soft hair with a gentle hand, before showing the scroll to her.
Jade put a finger on her lips cutely as her beady eyes scrutinized the scroll as if deep in thought.
Just then, the little princess stunned everyone with her next move.
Suddenly, an armor formed from light appeared around her, breathtaking and delicate.
It was as if moonbeams and cherry blossoms had woven together, creating a glowing armor of white and pink, ethereal and luminescent, giving her a radiant, with an almost fairy-like tinge to her appearance.
"Mommy… I can read it! Hehehe~"
Jade declared, her voice dripping with pride.
A wave of surprise rushed over Brandon, his eyes stretching wide before morphing into an expression of sheer pride.
The surrounding air vibrated with an unseen energy as he too summoned his armor.
The black ethereal shield engulfed him, a stark contrast to Jade's luminescent protection.
Dark as the abyss, it wrapped around him, as if he had become a shadow turned solid.
In that instant, the cryptic alien characters on the scroll seemed to shift and twirl, reforming themselves.
Before Brandon's astonished gaze, they transformed into clear English words…