The deep void of the galaxy trembled with a faint pulse of energy, a heartbeat that seemed to echo throughout the fabric of reality itself. Eryssa's dark eyes fixed on the expanding ripples, her thoughts as sharp as the dagger she wore at her side.
The Outliers had once been a myth, spoken of only in the most forbidden texts of the ancient ones. They were creatures of the Void, beyond the comprehension of even the gods of the Hollow Star. These beings existed not to create or destroy, but to unmake. They were born from the spaces between stars, from the places where light and time could not touch. Their sole purpose was to undo what had been made, to return all things to the void from which they came.
And now, they were awake.
The man in the dark robes, Sable, tilted his head slightly, as if sensing the weight of her words. "You speak of them as though they are a thing of prophecy. But they are more than that, aren't they? More than legends?"
Eryssa's lips parted into a thin smile, a smile devoid of humor. "They are not legends, Sable. They are a reality that has long been forgotten. A reality that we, the last of the ancient guardians, were tasked to keep sealed. The Hollow Star was a lock, a seal to keep them bound. But with its return, the barrier is weakening. They are returning."
She paused, and her eyes darkened. "The Outliers were not meant to be part of this universe. Their essence is made of nothingness—an absence of all things. And when they reach the core of this realm, they will unmake everything."
Sable's eyes narrowed as he regarded her with a mix of curiosity and concern. "And what is it you intend to do? How will we stop them?"
Eryssa took a deep breath, her fingers brushing against the soft glow of a long-forgotten artifact on her waist—a dark crystal, etched with ancient symbols. The artifact had been left behind by the first of the guardians, crafted to anchor her people to this plane of existence. But it had long since been dormant, its power sealed.
"The Outliers are already moving," she said, her voice low. "But they cannot come freely. They need a doorway—a rift between realities. The barriers are still strong, but the Hollow Star has weakened them."
A soft hum began to emanate from the artifact, a warning echoing through Eryssa's bones. She turned toward Sable, her expression grim.
"It begins."
---
Meanwhile, on the edge of the known world, Orin, Mira, and Kaelen stood in a quiet space, far from the chaos of the Hollow Star's rebirth. The stars shone with a calm brilliance overhead, but the trio knew that peace was fragile. They had restored the balance, but a dark energy lingered on the edges of the cosmos. Orin could feel it deep in his chest, like the pull of an unseen gravity.
"What's happening?" Orin asked, his gaze scanning the heavens. His hand instinctively reached for the Skybrand, as though the ancient power might help him understand.
Mira frowned, looking up at the stars. "There's something wrong out there. I can feel it too."
Kaelen shifted, his eyes narrowing. "It's different from before. The Hollow Star might have healed, but something else is stirring. Something that's not part of the natural order."
Just then, the sky above them shimmered, as though the fabric of reality itself was flickering. A momentary distortion stretched across the stars—a ripple that spread from the farthest reaches of the universe toward the heart of their world. Orin's heart raced as the distortion grew.
"Did you see that?" Mira whispered, her voice trembling. "What was that?"
"It's the Void," Orin said, his eyes wide. "The very thing we thought was sealed, the thing that shouldn't exist, is reaching into our world."
He stepped forward, his voice filled with urgency. "We need to go. Now."
Kaelen turned to Orin, the weight of understanding passing between them. "The Outliers. They're coming."
---
Back in the heart of the lost galaxy, Eryssa stood at the center of a darkened nexus, her eyes fixed on the growing distortion that was now spreading across the stars. The fabric of the universe was thinning. The Outliers were opening their rift, and the clock was ticking.
"The stars will fall," she murmured. "The Outliers will bring everything to nothing."
Sable remained silent, his masked face unreadable. But Eryssa could feel the silent tension in the air. He knew what was at stake. She reached down and gripped the dark crystal tighter, her voice calm but filled with a cold certainty.
"The barrier is fading. If I don't stop this now, it will be too late. The Outliers will tear through the fabric of reality, and there will be nothing left but the Void."
Sable took a step closer. "Then what must we do?"
Eryssa's lips curled into a determined smile, and for the first time in a long while, her eyes shone with hope.
"We go to the heart of the Void. We stop them before they can break through."
---
The stage was set for a collision between the restored universe and the ancient darkness. The Outliers were stirring, and their threat would challenge everything that Orin, Mira, and Kaelen had fought to protect. They were no longer just facing the remnants of the Hollow Star, but a force that sought to unravel existence itself.