Cosmic Dominion: Rise Beyond Realms

"Alright," I muttered to myself, my voice ragged but determined. "Let's get to work…."

From behind, Aetheria spoke with a calm but urgent voice and guided me. "Focus, Shin. One tear at a time. Let your energy flow into the wounds of reality. Do not rush… Balance is key."

I nodded faintly, and the weight of the task pressed down on me like a mountain. My hands started glowing with radiant energy as I stretched them outward, directing the flow of the energy toward the nearest crack. As the energy surged from my palms, it radiated outward in waves toward the gash in space-time. The jagged edges of the crack resisted at first. But slowly, the edges began to draw together, the light dimming as the tear sealed shut.

Behind me, Joseph let out a shaky breath. "He's doing it," he said, his voice filled with cautious hope. "Holy shit, he's actually doing it."

Zhang, standing nearby in her space suit, clutched her helmet tightly. "It's... It's like watching a god at work," she murmured, awe and fear mixing in her tone. "I can't believe my eyes..."

I turned my focus to the next crack, directing another wave of energy toward it. The process was painful. Each tear resisted as if the cracks of the space-time had a will of their own. But I pushed through the resistance and forced the edges of the rift to close.

"Two down," I muttered, wiping sweat from my brow. "Thousands more to go."

"You're doing well," Aetheria said, her tone steady but urgent. "But do not let your guard down. The balance is fragile. Even one mistake could undo everything."

"Yeah, no pressure or anything," I muttered under my breath, rolling my shoulders as I moved to the next tear.

Joseph's voice rang out, a mix of encouragement and his usual sarcasm. "Hey, buddy, just don't pass out again. One cosmic disaster is enough for the day."

"Thanks, Joseph," I replied dryly. "Really helpful advice."

I started closing the rifts in the void one after another. Each time I poured my energy into them, I felt a little more of the chaos fading away, replaced by a fragile but growing sense of order. The surrounding void, filled with the flickering light of destruction, began to stabilise.

Hours turned into what felt like days as I worked tirelessly. Every muscle of my body ached, but my resolve was unshaken. The glowing fractures in space slowly disappeared, replaced by faint scars that would likely linger for eternity.

Behind me, I could hear Joseph and Zhang whispering to each other.

Zhang said softly, her voice trembling. "Can't believe he actually did all that all on his own…."

Joseph let out a nervous laugh. "Of course he is. That's Shin for you—always pulling off the impossible."

Finally, I reached the last few cracks. The largest and most unstable one of them all loomed before me, pulsing with chaotic energy that sent tremors through the void. I clenched my fists and took a deep breath, steeling myself for the final push.

"Alright," I said, my voice steady despite the exhaustion weighing me down. "Here goes nothing…."

Aetheria floated beside me. "Be careful, Shin," she said. "This one is the most unstable. But you can do this."

I nodded, channelling every ounce of energy I had left into my hands. The crimson glow intensified, wrapping around me like a living flame. As I thrust my hands forward, the energy surged outward, colliding with the crack and forcing it to shrink. The chaotic light pushed back with equal force, but I gritted my teeth and poured more energy.

"Come on," I growled through clenched teeth. "Close, damn it!!"

The crack began to shrink, its jagged edges started trembling as they drew closer together. Joseph and Zhang watched in silence, their eyes wide with hope and fear. And then, just as the final tear was about to seal shut, something shifted.

The light in the void dimmed, and a low, ominous rumble echoed through the space. The crack I had been sealing shuddered violently, and then—without warning—it began to expand. New fractures spread outward like spiderwebs.

"What the fuck?!" I yelled, stumbling back as the cracks multiplied before my eyes. "What's happening?!"

Aetheria's face paled as she stared at the spreading destruction. "This shouldn't be happening…" she whispered, her voice filled with dread. "The balance was stabilizing. How is this happening?!"

Joseph's voice broke through the chaos, filled with panic. "Uh, guys? Not to state the obvious, but it looks like things just got a hell of a lot worse!"

Zhang grabbed Joseph's arm, her eyes wide with fear. "Shin, what's going on? I thought you were fixing it!"

"I was!" I shouted; my voice laced with frustration and desperation. "This doesn't make any sense!"

The cracks continued to spread, their chaotic energy radiating outward and threatening to undo everything I had repaired. The void trembled, and the faint scars of the closed tears began to glow again, as if they were on the verge of reopening.

Aetheria's voice snapped me out of my spiralling thoughts. "Shin, focus!" she commanded, her tone sharp and authoritative. "We cannot let this escalate further. You must try again!"

I clenched my fists. I stared at the chaos unfolding before me. My mind raced, trying to make sense of what was happening, but the destruction was relentless.

"This is getting way worse…" I muttered, my voice trembling.

 Behind me, Joseph's voice cracked with desperation. "Shin, come on! You've got this! You've come too far to stop now!"

I took a shaky breath, my hands trembling as I prepared to channel my energy once more. But deep down, a sinking feeling gnawed at me—a feeling that, no matter how hard I tried, this might be beyond even me.

I raised my hand again to seal the reopened cracks again, but I was hit by a wave of dizziness and my vision blurred, and I collapsed to the ground. The crimson energy around me flickered and was dissipating like dying embers. My entire body screamed in pain as if the weight of the universe had been poured into my body. I tried to stand up again I couldn't even hold myself up anymore—my legs gave out completely, and I collapsed onto the ground.

"Shin!" Joseph's voice rang out, filled with panic. He rushed to my side, skidding to his knees as he grabbed my arm. "Shin, are you okay, buddy?! What the hell happened?!"

I tried to respond, but my throat was dry, and my body refused to cooperate. All I could manage was a weak groan as my head lolled to the side.

Zhang followed closely behind Joseph, her movements frantic as she crouched next to me. "Shin, what's going on? Talk to us! Are you hurt? What's happening?!"

Aetheria hovered nearby, her face filled with visible concern. Her gaze darted between me and the expanding cracks in space, her lips pressed tightly together as if she were bracing herself for something terrible. The air was thick with tension, and for a moment, it felt like time had stopped.

Suddenly, Aetheria froze in place. Her eyes widened, and her entire body went rigid as if she had been struck by some invisible force. The golden light around her dimmed, and she clutched her spear tightly, her knuckles whitening as she seemed to listen to something no one else could hear.

"Aetheria?" Zhang asked hesitantly, her brow furrowed. "What's wrong?"

Joseph looked up at her, his panic briefly replaced by confusion. "Hey, Angel Lady, what's going on?"

Aetheria didn't respond immediately. Her head tilted slightly upward, and her eyes seemed to stare into the void, unfocused yet piercing. Then a faint gasp escaped her lips.

Aetheria finally whispered, her voice trembling. "No, no, no…"

Her reaction sent a chill down my spine. I forced myself to lift my head slightly, though it felt like my entire body weighed a thousand tons. "Aetheria," I rasped, my voice barely above a whisper. "What's… happening?"

She slowly lowered her head. Her expression was a mixture of fear, grief, and resignation. For the first time since I'd met her, she looked completely shaken.

"I've received… a revelation," she said, her voice unsteady. "From my goddess."

The weight of her words sent a wave of dread washing over all of us. Joseph tightened his grip on my arm, his face pale. Zhang stared at Aetheria, her lips parted as if she wanted to speak but couldn't find the right words.

"What did she say?" Joseph asked. "What's going on?"

Aetheria hesitated, her hands trembling as she clutched her spear. She closed her eyes briefly, as if trying to gather her strength, before speaking.

"This universe…" Her voice broke slightly, and she took a shaky breath before continuing. "It's beyond saving."

The words hit like a straight punch to the face. Zhang's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief. Joseph froze, his grip on my arm slackening as he stared at Aetheria in shock.

"What... what the hell do you mean by that?" Joseph demanded, his voice rising in desperation. "What do you mean it's beyond saving?!"

Aetheria's gaze dropped to the ground, her expression pained. "The damage caused by Shin's energy outburst… it is far worse than we initially thought. The fabric of reality itself has been irreparably damaged. This universe is bound to collapse."

"No…" Zhang whispered, her voice shaking. "No, that… that can't be true."

Joseph shook his head violently, his face twisting with anger and denial. "You're lying! There has to be a way to fix this! There's always a way! Shin's been fixing it this whole time—he just needs more time!"

Aetheria shook her head slowly, her expression filled with sorrow. "I wish that were true," she said softly. "But it's not just the cracks in space-time. Every star, every planet, every living organism in this universe… they're gone."

Her words felt like a dagger to my chest. I forced myself to sit up slightly, my body trembling with the effort. "What do you mean… gone?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

She turned to me; her glowing eyes filled with regret. "During your energy outburst, Shin… the power you unleashed didn't just damage space-time. It wiped out entire galaxies. Stars burned out, planets disintegrated, and all of humanity was wiped out from this universe. Humans were the only life form in the universe. The only survivors of this universe…" She hesitated, her voice catching. "Are the people here. You, Joseph, Zhang, and the crew of the Odyssey. That's it. You guys were lucky that your ship survived the energy outburst…"

Her words echoed in my ears like a death knell. I felt the blood drain from my face, and my vision swam as the weight of her revelation settled on my shoulders. I had done this. I had destroyed everything. Every single living being in this universe was gone because of me.

"No…" I whispered, shaking my head. "No, no, no, this can't be happening."

Joseph grabbed my shoulders, his voice frantic. "Shin, it's not your fault! Beside it were those alien ships that killed humanity, not you…"

"Stop," I said sharply, my voice breaking. I shrugged him off and stared at Aetheria, my eyes burning with desperation. "There has to be a way to stop this. Tell me there's a way to stop this!"

Aetheria shook her head again, her expression filled with grief. "There isn't," she said softly. "This universe is bound to collapse. Nothing can change that now."

The world around me seemed to blur as her words sank in. My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms as I trembled with a mixture of rage, grief, and despair. I had lost everything—my wife, my home, and now, the universe itself.

Joseph's voice broke through the fog of my thoughts. "Shin," he said softly, his tone pleading. "Talk to me, man. What are we going to do?"

I looked up at him, my eyes filled with despair. "I don't know," I whispered. "I don't know what to do anymore."

For the first time in my life, I felt completely and utterly powerless

TO BE CONTINUED