Axel Ferrov's hands trembled slightly as he double-checked the Erebus device's connections. Professor Romanov's voice echoed in his mind:
"Confidence, Axel. No one can stop us now."
Axel glanced up at his mentor, whose eyes burned with obsession.
"How many times must I say it, Axel? This will revolutionize energy production. We're on the cusp of limitless power."
Axel's thoughts drifted back to their initial idea – ripping a portal through space-time – and he felt chills crawl down his spine.
"No matter what warnings others gave us... we've calculated every risk," Romanov continued, his voice low and convincing.
Axel nodded, trying to shake off doubt.
Romanov's confidence was infectious.
Together, they exchanged a determined glance before initiating the sequence.
**MACHINERY ROARED TO LIFE**
The room erupted in a kaleidoscope of lights:
- Tubes pulsated like veins
- Liquid energy coursed through transparent pipelines
- The air vibrated with escalating power
The final surge collided with a gigantic glass cylinder..
**BOOM**
Axel stumbled back, eyes fixed on Romanov's stunned expression.
"What happened, Professor?! This isn't possible!" Romanov stuttered.
"Calm down, Professor... reality itself is..." Axel trailed off, horror creeping in.
Cracks spider-webbed across the cylinder, darkness seeping in like ink...
Reality fractured.
Boom. Crack. Crack.
Axel felt vibrations beneath his feet as he stared at the shattered cylinder. His mind reeled at the abyssal horror within:
A void so dark, light itself was consumed.
The cracks spread rapidly, engulfing everything...
Axel's world dissolved into darkness.
Time lost meaning.
There was only silence...
And then, nothing.
**AXEL'S CONSCIOUSNESS RETURNED SLOWLY...**