Aelion stood at the edge of the shattered landscape, his eyes scanning the ruins that stretched endlessly before him. The once vibrant city, with its towering spires and floating platforms, now lay in ruins, split apart by a cataclysmic force. The air buzzed with an eerie silence, broken only by the occasional crackle of energy as the remnants of broken systems flickered weakly in the distance.
"This wasn't here yesterday," Thalos murmured, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword. "What kind of destruction could cause something like this?"
Aelion clenched his fists, feeling a familiar yet unsettling pulse of energy in the air. The Primordial Gate had brought them to a new world—a place on the edge of collapse. This wasn't just a battle zone; it felt as though the very fabric of reality here was unraveling.
"Stay alert," Aelion said, his voice steady but laced with caution. "Something isn't right."
The ground beneath their feet trembled. From the depths of the shattered city, a massive shadow stirred. The sky, once filled with swirling colors, now seemed to flicker between dimensions, distorting with each passing moment. Aelion's senses sharpened, his connection to the Tide of Infinity flaring as he reached out for any sign of life, any trace of power.
"There," he pointed, his gaze fixed on a dark silhouette emerging from the ruins. It was unlike anything they had encountered before—a being wrapped in layers of energy, its form shifting between multiple dimensions, unstable yet powerful.
The creature let out a low growl, and in that instant, the world around them warped. Time itself seemed to stretch and bend as the air thickened with a raw, uncontrollable force.
"Is this... a Voidbeast?" Thalos asked, eyeing the creature warily.
Aelion's heart raced. "Not exactly. This one is something... different. Something beyond a Voidbeast."
Before Aelion could process what was happening, the being lunged at them. Its body flickered, vanishing and reappearing in an instant, its form shifting between states of existence. Aelion barely had time to react as the creature's massive claws slashed toward him.
He raised Starshard, the blade of crystallized energy glowing fiercely in his hand. As the creature's claws met the blade, a shockwave of energy exploded outward, sending both Aelion and Thalos flying backward.
"I don't like this," Thalos grunted as he regained his footing. "This thing isn't just strong—it's manipulating the fabric of space itself."
Aelion narrowed his eyes. "Whatever it is, it's connected to the collapse of this realm."
The creature let out a high-pitched screech, and the ground cracked open beneath them, pulling them into a swirling vortex. Aelion felt the pull of gravity distort, warping everything around them as they descended into the depths of the collapsing world.
When the world righted itself, Aelion found himself standing in a completely different landscape. The shattered city was gone, replaced by a vast expanse of floating islands, each connected by bridges of shimmering light. The air was thick with an unnatural energy, crackling like lightning.
"What... just happened?" Thalos muttered, looking around in confusion.
Aelion's mind raced. The Primordial Gate had brought them here, but the shift between realms was unstable, unpredictable. This wasn't just a new world—it was a fragmented space, teetering on the edge of oblivion.
"This place is unraveling faster than we expected," Aelion said. "We need to find out what's causing this... before it consumes everything."
As the two warriors made their way forward, Aelion could sense that the source of this instability lay somewhere deeper within the floating islands. But the closer they got to their destination, the stronger the pull of the unrelenting force became—an ancient power, one that had been dormant for eons but now threatened to engulf everything in its path.
"Stay close," Aelion warned. "We're not alone here."
Before he could finish speaking, a shadow loomed in the distance. Emerging from the darkness of the floating islands, an army of strange, faceless beings stepped forward. Their bodies were cloaked in translucent energy, their movements slow and deliberate, as if they were bound by forces beyond their control.
"Not just a beast," Aelion whispered, eyes narrowing. "An entire army."
Thalos gripped his sword tighter. "We might be in over our heads this time."
Aelion's pulse quickened, but he felt the tide of Infinity within him, its raw power rising as his connection deepened. There was no turning back now. The path ahead was fraught with dangers unimaginable, but Aelion was ready. The secrets of this collapsing world, and the creatures that sought to protect it, held the answers he needed.
He gripped Starshard, ready to face the challenge head-on.
"This is only the beginning," Aelion said, his voice filled with determination. "Let's see how far this path will take us."