Dark Matter Ascension

"How'd you get here?" Greg asked.

"Xera warped me," Jace replied as he saw Greg's protective aura settle around him. "Thanks, Void Shield is offline. Where's Dee?"

"She's here!" Priam said as he pointed to his sleeve. Jace could see the slight tinge of green inside his clothing. "She's a bit tired. Wiped out all of Troxanir's Signers."

Jace turned to face the pink, slimy, goopy form of Troxanir. It was…pathetic and small. "What now?" he asked.

Xera's voice replied, "It is the hard part because this is where you say goodbye. To all of the souls of the departed. Once you slay Troxanir, he is no more, and all the souls within him will be released into The Cosmic System's lower framework. I've made a pipeline for them to go right into the Astral Verge, through a rip I will make and then seal immediately, now that I have access to the exterior of our universe thanks to The Architect's Gate."

Jace gripped Nethaldrim in his hands, "There's no way we can get Chroma out?"

"Or my dad and brother?" Priam added.

"Or my friends and family?" Greg also added.

"No," Xera replied. "Soul capture always harms the soul. It's why we need the tunnel directly from the afterlife to our universe. To prevent the degradation. There is a chance that Astral Demons will catch them as they travel…but at least as a mass of trillions upon billions of souls, the odds of your specific loved ones being caught is slim to none."

Jace tightened his grip. "I…I'll get you back, Chroma. I promise." Jace walked forward and stabbed down into Troxanir's form. The white-grey of void caused the quivering mass to shudder, and as it spread across the jelly form, a voice echoed out.

"Damn you! I was so close! A few hundred-thousand more for the next Potency!"

Jace deactivated his helmet, knowing that Troxanir would not survive. "You lost. And I'm getting my sister back." He slashed again, feeling that rage building in him. The familiar sense of anger, wrath, and determination as he let out a scream, chopping with abandon as he cut the pink goop pile to nothingness.

An explosion of light-blue cascaded up past the group and swirled around them. Jace swore he saw faces in the mix of colors, and he shouted, "Chroma!"

But no one replied. The cacophony of voices overlapped and drowned out any possibility for her to speak to him. And then, a sphere appeared above the group, and the Souls all surged into it before it snapped out of existence.

The four were warped into the ground floor of the apartment, and Xera was standing there, eyes filled with tears of joy. Her Wayfinder, Josie, was floating behind her holding up a banner that said 'congratulations, saviors of the universe!' "You did it," Xera whispered.

"We did it," Priam replied.

"All of us," Greg added. "But without me we would have been screwed."

"And don't forget my blasts!" Dee's much-quieter and less boisterous voice added.

Xera walked up to Greg and held out a hand, "I thank you for your service, soldier." Greg reached out and shook. Xera moved over to Priam and held out her hand, "And you, Priam. I am happy you accepted my offer all those months ago."

He gripped her hand and shook it, "No problem! But we aren't done yet. We have to get everyone back!"

"In due time," Xera replied as she reached into his sleeve and pulled her hand out, Dee attached to it. "Thank you, Dee, for joining up as well."

"No problem!" Her higher-pitched voice replied.

Xera handed her to Priam, and then went over to Jace. "I'll talk to you later." She warped away, leaving Josie holding the banner in the background.

Ollie separated from Jace's head, and surprisingly Jace didn't feel any pain. The otter flew over to Josie, "Want to get out of here?" he asked.

She nodded and the two Wayfinders vanished with a pop.

Greg chuckled and shook his head, "This crazy world we live in." He looked at his allies. "We did good. Defeated an ancient malignant force. I think that calls for a celebration, don't you?"

"Oh yeah!" Dee replied. "Party time!"

Priam began to respond, but Jace was warped away from the conversation and found himself standing once more in front of the singularity. There was no event horizon, no Black Hole Conclave Signers. It was eerily quiet and peaceful. He could see the countless Astral Demons vying to enter the universe – all manner of monstrosities dredged up from the coalesced nightmares of a collection of other realities. Other universes. Other existences.

Xera was standing there, arms crossed behind her back, and she glanced back at Jace. "Join me up here."

Jace walked up next to her and looked out upon Oblivion. "Why bring me back here?"

Xera frowned, "I wanted you to see what I see. Troxanir's death will have sent ripples into the Astral Verge. Our universe is protected thanks to you." She turned to him, and her expression softened. She reached a hand up to his face and cupped his cheek, "I'm so…" she smiled and let out a laugh. "I'm so proud, Jace. As proud as a person can be. You are everything I was hoping for and more."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Jace practically melted there on the spot. He knew thanks to Quinn's contract that Xera was being very, very sincere with him. She could not lie. And that level of confidence in his skills and the pride she felt in his accomplishments caused him to feel emotions he had felt in her presence a handful of times before. That same sense of wonder and accomplishment that one felt when a parental figure applauded their actions. "Thank you," Jace whispered back.

"Now…I have work to do. You and your allies, however, deserve a nice, long break." She looked back to Oblivion and a look of determination mixed with enthusiasm crossed her visage, breaking the smile. "I'll get everything ready. Soon enough, you are heading in there. Into…that mess."

"I'll be ready," Jace replied. "I'll get her back. I'll get all of them back. Every person I killed. Every innocent from Earth I slaughtered."

She looked back to him and smiled, "You have a good sense of morals. I suppose I should thank your father for that. Well, perhaps he will be one you bring back as well."

The idea of meeting his father, actually meeting him and not just talking to the shade of the man that was his street-folk-mentor guise, filled Jace with a sense of curiosity and excitement. "I would love to bring him back. Chroma deserves a dad."

"I'll send you back now," Xera stated. She snapped her fingers, and billions of robotic drones appeared all around them. "My robots will get to work making this ring world habitable. A proper sending-off point. A staging ground." She tapped her wrist pad.

"Hold on," Jace interrupted and she paused. "Why did you never give me energy before when I needed it?"

"That took a lot of power," Xera replied. "Warping outside of Khrox and The Cosmic Corridor? Extremely taxing."

"But you just warped in a ton of robots?"

She giggled, "No I didn't. They were all in the TPS. I have a lot of stuff in there." She pointed to the wrist pad, "And I pulled them out with a prepared "snap" activation because it looks a lot more impressive. Now, I'll send you back. Enjoy your downtime."

Reality shifted around Jace and he was standing in the empty apartment entryway. He headed to the elevator and punched the button for his floor.

Quinn was sitting at her console when Xera appeared next to her. "Knock next time," Quinn said as she kept glancing at various stocks for Nebula Alliance industries she had invested in.

"Becoming a day trader?"

Quinn nodded and kept chewing on a bit of sour candy, "For now," she muttered as she munched. "What's up?"

"I wanted to see if you could help me with a project."

"What do you want me to work on?"

Xera grinned, "Astral System programs for my Signers."

Quinn turned to her and felt a sense of elation at the chance to be the first person ever outside of an Architect to get her hands on something completely unique and unknown up to that point. "It sounds like a plan."

"You couldn't use Valiant Crusader's Might because you weren't in the Astral Verge," Ollie stated as Jace stepped off the elevator.

"But Troxanir was using-"

"He's an Astral Demon. He has access to the Astral System, because he was a part of it. Just like you now have The Cosmic System as a part of you, and can take it around with you."

"Ah," Jace replied. "Good to know." He began taking off his armor and put aside his gear, swapping over to some relaxation clothes. "Shhiv? You here?"

Shhiv walked around the corner and a smile was plastered on her face, "I've got that surprise ready whenever you want it!"

Jace couldn't help but grin as he followed Shhiv to their bedroom.

"You felt it, did you not?" Valcrinox asked. The Astral Demon Lord sat on his throne on the fields of madness just outside of the entrance to the Nethershift. In the deepest levels of the Astral System.

"I did. Potency 8? The one who shoved himself into the funnel, yes? What was his name?" His advisor, Mixarizk asked.

"Troxanir," Valcrinox said with a chuckle. "That fool. He glutted himself upon a universe and died because of it."

Valcrinox saw an Astral System message appear from his vanguard, and he growled out in rage. "What?!"

-----

[There is a barrier in place.]

[Our forces cannot pierce it.]

[Beyond, we saw a ring world and two figures. One who was a progenitor species who protected that universe – and now there is no way in. The other was a Potency 1 Dreamer.]

-----

A Dreamer who is in a Universe? My, they are smart. Valcrinox knew the term well. Those who were not Astral Demons and gained access to the Astral System, or ventured into the Astral Verge. He still felt rage, but now that was tinged with curiosity. "What happened to the souls Troxanir was doubtless hoarding? Or the universal matter?"

"The universal matter was destroyed."

"Impossible!" Valcrinox shouted as he stood up from his throne, his titanic frame towering over his cowering servant. "Matter can neither be created nor destroyed!"

"Well it was destroyed. And the souls surged down the singularity funnel. Some were picked off…but he was hoarding quite a few. They have made it to the Nethershift already."

They do travel fast when they are chained for a long, long time, Valcrinox thought. "Very well. We will have to keep an eye on this Dreamer and this universe as a whole. Pull the forces of madness back. We will seek other prey. Easier prey."

"By your command," Mixarizk replied as the servant slinked off to his duties.

Valcrinox sat back down on his throne, closed his eyes, and listened to the screams and wails of madness from the souls swirling within him.

After their time together, Jace and Shhiv headed down to the recreation floor. Greg was grilling once more, wearing his apron. Missy and Quinn were chatting as they sunbathed under the lamps for that purpose, and Dee was in a sand box with Priam as they used a kinetic sand to build an immaculate sand castle.

Greetings and pleasantries were exchanged, and Jace went into the water cube with Shhiv. They played their game of swimming down to chase the sinking sticks, and Shhiv won far more than Jace did. Which he expected, given her natural aquatic form and tail.

Greg waved them over, and the two exited the cube, instantly drying off thanks to the square panel in the floor. "Dinner – at least I think it's dinner time – is served. Steaks, baked potatoes, grilled asparagus."

Missy had set up a table, and as the group took their seats Greg went from person to person proudly slapping down his freshly grilled-up food. The group dug in, and spent several hours drinking, laughing, and just enjoying life.

As the hours wore on, though, Jace sent a System Message to Ollie.

-----

[Mind asking Xera if she can warp us?"]

-----

Ollie popped next to him, "I can access the network if its inside Khrox."

Void Stalker (Rank 1) [Group], Jace thought as he focused on shrouding him and Shhiv. "Take us to the Harkon Secundus portal."

Ollie clapped his paws together, and the duo were whisked away. Jace wasn't concerned that he had no armor or weapon, as he slipped into the portal immediately, Shhiv's hand clasped in his. He punched the button for Hualong's temple, and then he lifted Shhiv in one arm and used his other to grapple up into the sky, until they were atop the temple mount.

Shhiv gasped as they crested the top and Jace gently set her down. "This place is beautiful," she said.

"Not as beautiful as you," Jace replied as he got down on a knee. Shhiv turned to face him and looked at him quizzically.

"What are you doing?"

"I…this is what Greg told me to do when you are asking-"

Shhiv's eyes went wide, and she grinned, "The answer is yes."

Jace smiled and stood, "Good. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't said yes." He held her in a warm embrace and kissed her deeply.