The bubble around Zero shattered, freeing him as he rushed over to Ozai, who stood amid the devastation. "That—that was amazing!" Zero exclaimed, breathless. Ozai gave a faint smile, brushing off the praise. "It's nothing. We shouldn't waste any more time, though. We've got to find your girlfriend."
"Y-yeah," Zero responded, nodding. "We're not far from her parents' house. Let's go." He led the way, Ozai following closely behind. When they arrived, Zero's heart sank at the sight of the front door ajar and the roof caved in on one side. He rushed inside, calling out, "Maeve? Maeve!" Ozai jogged alongside him as they searched the house.
In the living room, Zero's steps faltered. Ozai noticed and asked, "What is it?" On the floor, Maeve's family lay slaughtered, their bodies showing signs of brutal violence. But Maeve was nowhere in sight. Zero's stomach churned as he covered his mouth in horror. "It's her parents…" he murmured, horrified.
"Shit," Ozai responded. "I'll look around and see if I can find Maeve." Ozai darted through the house, searching every room with urgency.
Meanwhile, Zero remained in the living room, his gaze fixed on the gruesome scene. He examined the bodies more closely and noticed something disturbing: they weren't covered in bite marks or scratches but in stab wounds and cuts.
Ozai soon returned, his expression grim. "There's nobody else in here, but I found this." He handed Zero Maeve's phone, its screen cracked and nonfunctional. Zero clutched the phone tightly. Ozai placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Look, Zero, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but maybe Maeve didn't ma—"
"Then don't be the one to tell me," Zero interrupted, his voice icy. He removed Ozai's hand from his shoulder.
He turned his attention back to the scene. Ozai looked at him, at a loss for words. "Zero…"
"I'm sorry," Zero said, his voice strained with anguish. "This doesn't make any sense. Look at their bodies—there are no bite marks or scratches. They were murdered, not just killed. Someone did this." Ozai pondered for a moment and suggested, "What if that someone took Maeve?" The two exchanged a brief, troubled glance. Then a faint yellow glow caught their attention from the backyard. The light seeped through the windows, illuminating the room with an eerie, otherworldly hue. "What is that?" Zero asked, both intrigued and apprehensive.
They slowly made their way to the backdoor. Ozai opened it cautiously. They stepped out into the yard. There, in the center of the lawn, was a large, light-yellow rift. Its edges shimmered with a distorted, surreal quality. It looked like a tear in the fabric of reality itself.
"This looks exactly like the one I came out of," Ozai observed. "Except it's bigger and more ragged, like it was forced open." Through the rift, they could see a breathtakingly beautiful scene: a serene waterfall surrounded by glowing fireflies. The place looked calm and enchanting, standing in stark contrast to the chaos they had just witnessed.
"Is that your home?" Zero asked, stepping closer to the rift. Ozai nodded, reaching out to touch it. His hand passed through the rift's shimmering surface, only to be repelled by an invisible barrier on the other side. "Still?" he muttered in frustration.
"Why am I being repelled from the world I belong to?" He pounded his fists against the barrier, shouting, "It doesn't make sense! I don't belong here, so let me leave!" In a moment of desperation, he rammed his head into the rift, only to be forced back, leaving him irritated and confused. "Shit," Ozai cursed. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, constructed a lighter, ignited it, and took a long drag before exhaling a cloud of smoke.
Zero's curiosity got the better of him. He inched his hand closer to the rift, hesitated for a moment, then pushed his hand through. The strange portal warped and distorted his arm as it slipped inside with eerie ease. Fascinated, he continued until his entire arm was through.
Suddenly, Ozai's cigarette dropped from his mouth, his eyes wide in disbelief. "How the hell did you do that?!" he exclaimed, snapping Zero out of his daze.
"I—I'm not sure…" Zero stammered. He tried to pull his arm back out, but to his horror, it was stuck. He tugged harder, panic rising in his chest. "Ozai!" he shouted, pulling with all his might, but the rift held him fast. Ozai rushed to Zero's side, grabbing his arm as they struggled together.
Muscles strained, but it was no use. "Damnit," Ozai muttered, frustration seeping into his voice. Just as they were about to try again, a wave of black feathers suddenly fluttered down, blanketing the ground around them. Both men froze, their heads snapping up to the sky.
A voice, smooth and familiar, called out, "Orion, long time no see." Ozai's eyes widened in shock as he turned around. There, on the roof, her silhouette illuminated by the moonlight, was a woman with large, magnificent black wings stretching out behind her. The air around her crackled with dark, mysterious energy.
"Aquila? What are you doing here? What's going on?" Ozai asked, his voice tinged with confusion and a hint of unease. Zero's voice trembled with unease as he glanced at the woman standing above them, her figure silhouetted against the moonlight. "Ozai, who is that?" Ozai's gaze remained fixed on the figure, a mix of fear and regret flickering in his eyes. "An old friend…"
His voice was barely above a whisper, betraying the tension that gripped him. The woman on the roof, her large black wings stretching out like a shadow across the sky, tilted her head slightly. Her expression was unreadable. "You still haven't figured it out, have you?" Her voice was soft, almost gentle, yet it carried a weight that made Zero's blood run cold. "This is the start of the apocalypse, Orion."
Ozai's breath caught in his throat. "What are you talking about, Aquila?" he demanded, his voice faltering as he spoke. Aquila's eyes gleamed with a cold, knowing light. "Look around you," she gestured to the chaos that surrounded them. The rift still pulsated with strange energy at their feet. "All of this destruction—it's just the beginning. Our goddess has decided to start over. She will remake the world in her image. She created these rifts," she pointed directly at the tear in the fabric of reality before them, "to connect our world to this one. Through these rifts, evil mages and monsters have poured in. They unleash havoc and destruction." Her wings shifted slightly, causing a gust of wind to stir the air. The tension rose as she continued. "The Twelve Zodiacs lead the charge, though not all have crossed over yet. But those who have… they've leveled entire cities in mere minutes." Her voice was calm, almost detached, as if recounting a simple fact.
"The goddess's plan is to merge our world with theirs, to create something new from the ashes of both. And as her constellations, handcrafted to follow her will, it is our duty to lead this invasion." Ozai's heart pounded in his chest as he took a step forward, desperation lacing his words. "The goddess has gone mad, Aquila! This isn't right! Billions of innocent people will die if this continues! And I know—" His voice cracked. "I know this isn't what you want!" Aquila's eyes narrowed, a sharp glint in their crimson depths. "Don't pretend to care about what I want, traitor." Ozai's breath caught in his throat, the accusation striking him like a physical blow.
"Aquila, it was an accident, I swear—ever since then I've done nothing but try to make things right, to earn your forgiveness, I—"
"Shut up." Her voice cut through the air like a blade, cold and final. She paused, considering her next words carefully. Her gaze shifted to Zero. "If you really want my forgiveness," she said, her tone dripping with venom, "then start by killing that human." Zero's eyes widened in terror, his heart pounding in his chest as he looked at Ozai. Ozai met his gaze with a mixture of sorrow and determination.
The world seemed to freeze in that moment, the air thick with the weight of impending doom. "And be quick about it," Aquila added, her wings flexing slightly as she prepared to take flight. "I want you to come with me. There's something I need to show you." Zero's body trembled, his mind racing. "Ozai…" he whispered, his voice barely audible, filled with fear and uncertainty.
Suddenly, without warning, Ozai's hand shot out, constructing a massive red hammer, its head towering over Zero larger than life. Zero gasped, instinctively pulling at his arm, still trapped in the rift, trying to free himself from what seemed like certain death. But instead of striking Zero, Ozai hurled the hammer with a roar of defiance. It crashed into the roof where Aquila stood, the impact shattering the structure, debris flying as Aquila leapt into the air, her wings carrying her effortlessly. Zero stared in shock, unable to move, his mind struggling to process what had just happened.
"Zero!" Ozai's voice snapped him back to reality. "Listen to me! If I remember correctly, there's a small village just east of that waterfall," he pointed in the direction beyond the rift. "There's a woman there with black hair and red eyes. Her name is Mesa." Zero's mind reeled as he watched Aquila conjure a dark spear from thin air, the weapon pulsating with ominous energy that seemed to consume the very light around it. "Find her," Ozai continued urgently. "Tell her I sent you and let her know what's happened." Aquila smiled faintly, her expression one of twisted satisfaction. "It's a shame," she said, her voice carrying dark amusement. "The goddess's creations aren't meant to fight each other. But honestly… I'm glad I finally have a reason to kill you. The goddess would see your rebellion as treachery. She would demand your death. So dead you must be."
With sudden, terrifying grace, Aquila aimed her spear at Ozai, preparing to strike. Ozai turned to Zero, his eyes filled with fierce determination. He grabbed Zero by the shirt, pulling him close. "You have to do this, Zero. Our worlds are at stake. Help save them." A small, sad smile crossed Ozai's face as he released Zero, giving him a final push into the rift just as Aquila launched her deadly attack.
"Wait, no!" Zero screamed, but it was too late. The world around him blurred, the last thing he saw was Ozai, standing defiantly against the oncoming spear, before everything went dark.