Yaxoc walked into his house, his usual nonchalant demeanor masking the exhaustion from the day's events. Inside, Marcus, Luna, and Moonlight were gathered around the table, chatting casually.
"Oh, hey guys," Yaxoc greeted, leaning casually against the doorway. "Where've you all been? Besides, you know, fighting enemies."
Marcus glanced up, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "We hit up a restaurant. Figured we deserved a break. What about you?"
Yaxoc stretched, cracking his neck with a lazy grin. "Me? Just training with Heraphiel. No big deal. Oh, and I got Angelic Essence."
The room fell into stunned silence as Marcus, Luna, and Moonlight stared at him, their jaws nearly hitting the floor.
"Wait, what?" Marcus finally blurted, disbelief written all over his face. "You're saying you already got Angelic Essence? That takes years for most people!"
Luna's eyes widened. "Yeah, even the saviors say it's almost impossible to achieve without extreme dedication."
Moonlight crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at Yaxoc. "You better not be joking, Yaxoc. That's not something to lie about."
Yaxoc chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I wouldn't lie about something like this. Heraphiel himself was impressed. Said I learned faster than any of his other students."
Marcus shook his head, laughing in disbelief. "Man, you're insane. First, you defeat Hight, and now this? You're on a roll!"
Luna smiled softly. "Still, that's incredible, Yaxoc. You're really stepping up."
Moonlight huffed, though a hint of pride crept into her voice. "Alright, show-off. If you're really that strong now, you better use it to protect us."
Yaxoc smirked, leaning against the wall. "Don't worry. I've got this. Hight's already down, and I'm not stopping until every enemy gets what they deserve."
The group exchanged determined glances, the weight of their mission clear in the air, but for now, they allowed themselves a moment of relief.
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In a dimly lit chamber, Lucius and Ogamak stood amidst the shadows, their voices echoing softly against the ancient stone walls.
"So... can you create the portal now that you've regained all your demonic essence?" Lucius asked, his tone even but laced with expectation.
Ogamak stretched his arms, dark energy pulsating around him. "Yeah, I can. But it's not an instant process."
Ogamak extended his hands, focusing his demonic essence. A swirling, ominous vortex began to form in the center of the room. The edges crackled with unstable energy, growing inch by inch.
"This might take some time," Ogamak muttered, beads of sweat forming on his brow as he maintained his concentration.
Lucius observed, nodding. "I see. Do what you must."
Minutes passed before the portal finally solidified, standing tall with a menacing glow.
"Perfect," Ogamak said, breathing heavily. "It's done."
Lucius crossed his arms, a slight smirk on his face. "Quite the effort, isn't it? Let's see what—"
Before he could finish, the portal began to flicker and distort, the stable glow turning erratic.
Ogamak's eyes narrowed. "What the hell?"
Lucius stepped closer, studying the glitching vortex. "Odd. The portal's instability could mean only one thing: the memory fragment is still interfering. Its presence disrupts anything connected to interdimensional travel."
Ogamak clenched his fists, his frustration boiling over. "That damn fragment… Always ruining everything!"
As his anger surged, the portal abruptly collapsed in on itself, vanishing without a trace. Ogamak stared at the empty space, his jaw tightening.
Lucius let out a deep sigh, shaking his head. "If someone from another universe managed to slip through during that brief moment of instability, we'll have a new problem on our hands. We need to locate them immediately."
Lucius turned to leave but stopped to issue commands. "I'll send word to my allies to find and capture the outsider. Meanwhile, you focus on empowering the captured saviors with your demonic essence. We'll need them ready for the second battle. Understood?"
Ogamak's anger simmered as he nodded. "Got it. I'll prepare them. But this isn't over, Lucius. Not by a long shot."
Lucius smirked faintly as he disappeared into the shadows, leaving Ogamak alone to brood over their next move.
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Xavy, perched silently on a distant rooftop, observed Lucius and Ogamak's conversation unfold. His sharp hearing caught every word.
"This is bad," Xavy muttered to himself, his brows furrowed. "I was lucky enough to interrupt their portal process, but I didn't have enough time to completely seal it. If that portal left even the slightest crack, an anomaly from another universe might've already slipped through..."
He paused, thinking. "Then again, portals like that are almost instantaneous. I may already be too late."
Without wasting another moment, Xavy pulled out a small, sleek device—a universal signal communicator. He pressed a button, and a static voice came through.
"What do you want?" the voice on the other end grumbled, clearly annoyed.
"We've got a situation. Ogamak attempted to create a portal," Xavy reported.
"So? Did you stop it?" the voice replied, its tone dismissive.
"Yes, but not completely. I didn't have enough time to close it entirely. That means something—or someone—might've crossed through," Xavy explained urgently. "I need Bambon and the universe organizer, Kuri, to check this out. It's beyond my expertise."
There was a long pause before the voice responded. "No can do. Bambon is in the middle of intense training, and Kuri's tied up with another crisis. You're on your own for now."
Xavy cursed under his breath. "Fine. I'll handle it myself. But this isn't the last you'll hear from me."
With that, he cut the connection and slipped the device back into his pocket. His form shimmered briefly before vanishing into the night. The hunt for the anomaly had already begun.
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As Yaxoc and Marcus strolled through the quiet night, their steps echoed softly against the pavement. Suddenly, Yaxoc's eyes caught a faint glimmer in the distance.
"Marcus, look! The shard!" Yaxoc exclaimed, pointing to a glowing object half-buried in the dirt.
Marcus stepped closer, squinting as he examined it. "Wait... that's not the usual chromatic shard."
The shard pulsed with a strange light, its color shifting between hues unlike any they'd seen before.
"What do you mean?" Yaxoc asked, intrigued.
Marcus cautiously picked it up. "This shard... its color is completely opposite of what we've encountered before. It's... rebooted, somehow."
As he inspected the shard, his eyes caught something peculiar nearby—a single strand of white hair. Marcus picked it up, holding it up to the moonlight.
"Yaxoc, is this yours?" Marcus asked, glancing at him skeptically.
Yaxoc tilted his head, confused. "That's not mine. I don't have white hair."
Marcus frowned, pulling out a small portable scanner from his satchel. He scanned the strand, and the results blinked on the screen: DNA match: Yaxoc.
"But... the DNA says it's yours," Marcus muttered, his brow furrowing.
Yaxoc took a step back, visibly bewildered. "That doesn't make sense! I don't even have siblings! How can someone else have my DNA?"
Marcus stared at the results in disbelief. "If it's not yours... then someone out there has an identical genetic profile. Someone we don't know about."
Yaxoc crossed his arms, tension building. "This is getting weirder by the minute."
"Agreed," Marcus said, slipping the shard and the strand of hair into his pocket. "We'll need to keep these and investigate further. For now, let's stay alert—something tells me this mystery runs deeper than we think."
The two exchanged a determined glance before continuing their search, now with more questions than answers.
As the moonlight bathed the scene, Marcus smirked at Yaxoc.
"And besides, you do have white hair," Marcus teased.
"Agh! You caught me," Yaxoc scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "I thought you forgot about it."
Marcus chuckled. "You're the one who forgets things easily, Yaxoc."
Before Yaxoc could reply, a sinister sound echoed through the air. Both turned sharply, their eyes narrowing as a figure emerged from the shadows.
"Miss me?" Zarzock said, his voice dripping with malice.
Yaxoc's brow furrowed. "Didn't I destroy you last time?"
Zarzock chuckled darkly. "My energy magic allowed me to regenerate. And now, I'm back to finish what I started, Yaxoc."
Marcus stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "Let me handle this one, Yaxoc. He's not worth your time."
Yaxoc shrugged nonchalantly. "Your call. Just don't take too long."
Marcus nodded, stepping into a fighting stance. Zarzock raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting Marcus to take the lead, but quickly smirked and mirrored the stance.
The fight began with Marcus lunging forward, landing a punch aimed at Zarzock's chest. Zarzock reacted swiftly, countering with a sharp kick that sent Marcus stumbling back. Without hesitation, Zarzock extended his hand, chanting:
"Energy Magic: Blasts!"
A barrage of glowing energy bolts surged toward Marcus. He gritted his teeth, crossing his arms to block the assault before leaping back to safety.
Marcus smirked. "You're strong, I'll give you that. But not strong enough for me."
He took a deep breath and chanted:
"Ice Magic: Glaciers of Destruction!"
The ground trembled as massive ice shards erupted, gleaming in the moonlight. Without pause, Marcus followed up with another chant:
"Fire Magic: Flamethrower!"
Twin streams of fire and ice roared toward Zarzock. His eyes widened in shock.
"What the hell?!" Zarzock yelled as the flames scorched his armor. He barely managed to dodge the incoming glaciers, but one jagged shard caught his arm, leaving a deep gash.
"DAMN IT!" Zarzock roared, clutching his injured arm.
Marcus smirked, his confidence unwavering. "Got you."
He dashed toward Zarzock, his movements a blur. Before Zarzock could react, Marcus delivered a devastating punch to his gut.
The impact sent Zarzock hurtling through the air, slamming him into a nearby wall with a thunderous crash. The rubble crumbled over him as he slumped to the ground, groaning in pain.
Marcus dusted off his hands, glancing back at Yaxoc. "See? Told you he wasn't worth your time."
Yaxoc crossed his arms, smirking. "Alright, I'll admit, that was impressive. Now let's move before someone else shows up."
Marcus nodded, leaving Zarzock groaning in defeat as they disappeared into the night.
Zarzock groaned, pulling himself out from the rubble as Xavy approached, his expression calm yet piercing.
"Well," Xavy began, his tone laced with amusement, "defeated enemies seem to be my thing to stumble upon." He glanced down at Zarzock with a smirk. "And judging by the trail of chaos, I'd say the shard and the hair have been claimed. Which means…" He paused, thinking aloud. "It's connected to Yaxoc—no, wait. An alternate version of him. Her, actually. And 'she' is hiding somewhere else."
Zarzock's eyes narrowed as he struggled to his feet. "Wait… who's this 'she' you're talking about?"
Xavy tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, realizing Zarzock was still conscious. "Oh, you're awake. Impressive, considering the loss you just suffered."
Zarzock's glare hardened. "Don't remind me! It's humiliating..."
Xavy sighed, shaking his head. "You really can't take a loss, can you? You're like that kid I wiped the floor with five times in a Roblox game. Always coming back, more frustrated than before."
Zarzock scowled. "What the hell does that even mean?"
"It means," Xavy began, folding his arms, "you've got to learn how to lose gracefully. I get it—losing sucks. I've been mad too, plenty of times. But you've got to move on. People who can't handle losing end up becoming insufferable, ego-driven jerks who think they're better than everyone else. They complain, they whine, and worst of all, they let that frustration define them." He leaned in slightly, his eyes sharp. "Sound familiar?"
Zarzock clenched his fists, his glare unwavering. "Are you here just to mock me, or do you have a point?"
"The point," Xavy said, stepping back, "is to stop sulking like a child. Accept your defeat, learn from it, and maybe—just maybe—you'll actually improve."
Before Zarzock could retort, Xavy gave him one last glance. "But hey, if wallowing in self-pity is your thing, don't let me stop you."
With that, Xavy vanished into thin air, leaving Zarzock seething in silence.