Brand New World

Chapter 7

"Like father, like son."

"Well, you were too, at his age." Two men, one significantly older than the other, stood in the doorway as a child sat glued to the screen; a silver being threw an immense creature to the ground, buildings crumbling around them. "I wonder what's going through his head right now." In his lap was his notebook and pencil. As he watched, he started drawing, trying to recreate the silver being on paper. What came out instead was something a little different.

Jason's eyes shot open, and he found himself on the floor of the bridge. His head pounding, he picked himself up and looked around. The entity was gone, and around him the Star Fox team lied unconscious. Fox was stirring, groaning loudly and picking himself up. Jason went to Peppy and helped the oldster to a sitting position while Fox helped Falco up. "Just what the hell…was that?" the Avian asked.

"Don't know," Fox replied. "But Jason seemed to recognize it." Slippy got up, rubbing his head as it felt like a sledgehammer was pounding his brain. Fox went to Jason, steadying himself on a console. "You recognize it, Jason?" The human looked back at Fox.

"I thought I did, but it's impossible. No way it could be…"

"Could be what, monkey boy? What aren't you telling us?!" Falco made his way to Jason, his hawk-like face twisted into an angry sneer. He almost lunged at him as he grabbed Jason by his shirt and almost lifted him up. "What have you brought on us this time?!" Jason looked into Falco's eyes, and saw a burning hatred in them that he hadn't seen in a long while, not since his days in the army. "First Zoness and then almost all of Lylat. You stinking monkeys should all die!" Jason felt the feathery digits on his neck and tightening. He reacted on instinct, grabbing the wing pushing down and twisting, forcing Falco on his knees. He barely had a hold on him, but Falco was already wincing in pain as he held him down.

"Jason, let him go!" He looked at Fox, then at Falco. He let the wing go and Falco held it like it was broken, looking back at the human with a venomous glare. Fox went to help Falco and walked him to the lift while Jason watched them go.

"Ever since we found him, it's been one thing after another." Fox got Falco to the medical room as Falco started grumbling. "We lost a planet, and then this happens,"

"None of this is Jason's fault," Fox said as he got Falco onto a bench in front of the medical beds.

"He's just like any Simian, you know. Most of them left with Andross when he was banished. It's in their nature."

"He's not like Andross. And you need to let go of what happened." Fox came back with bandages and started to wrap Falco's wing up. The door opened, and ROB 64, the automated service droid of the ship, came in.

"Can I be of service?" he asked.

"We're alright here, ROB. Has General Pepper sent a message?" Fox asked, wrapping Falco's wing.

"Affirmative. He is waiting for your response in the briefing room, and suggests you get all the team and Jason as well."

"We'll be there," Fox replied, getting back up to his feet.

"Fox!" The Vulpine looked back at the Avian, who was holding his injured wing. "Don't trust him." Without a word, Fox left the medical wing while Falco rubbed his wing, feeling there was something fractured.

The briefing room was already occupied with Jason, Peppy and Slippy by the time Fox arrived. "I assume you all got the same message?" Fox asked.

"Yeah, and if General Pepper's calling, it may be 'cause of the Venomians attacking that planet."

"If we're lucky, it might be our call to war," Peppy mused.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's see what the old war-hound wants," Fox replied while taking his seat. In the center of the room was a small module that started to light up. The room darkened and an image appeared above the device. It was an image of a Canine's head with a red military cap. His face showed that he was at least Peppy's age, with wrinkles forming on his jowls and muzzle, and bags were starting to form under his eyes. Nonetheless, he still had a sense of dignity about him.

"Star Fox team, I have some information for you that you might find interesting. You recall Professors Amirs and Aeries from the planet where you picked up the alien Jason from. Well, they had begun construction on a smaller version of the Rift Window, and they ran a test run on it today, what they found was rather… they opened the portal, what they found was something that was beyond description, something so horrific, several of the technicians either went insane or died of fright."

"What do you mean, General?" Fox asked. The image flickered, and Amirs replaced him.

"What he means is we may have found the gateway to Hell itself!" His eyes were full of fear, almost frantic. His facial fur was matted with sweat, and the collar of his labcoat was bent and undone. "I have seen many things, but the things I saw…horrible…" The lemur held a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes, as though he were trying to remove the nightmarish images from them. "I'm sorry, I…I need a moment…" He took a deep breath and looked more composed. "What we saw was another realm of existence. Whether or not it is Hell is up in the air. One thing we do know is that Jason's kind seems to be connected to them!" A chill ran down his spine as the human heard this.

"What makes you say that?" Jason asked.

"We saw what looked like humans among them. Some were being tortured in way I can't even begin to describe, while others were…doing the torturing. I don't know what it was, but… Do you have any idea what it is?" All eyes were focused on him, and Jason looked from one to the next, looking for a way out. How could he possibly know?

"Oh come on, you know perfectly well what he's talking about." From behind Fox walked Malachi, wearing the same smug grin that Jason saw last.

"You…"

"Yeah. Me."

"Can't they see you?" Malachi tapped Fox's head, but he didn't respond, in fact he didn't even move. None of them moved, they were as still as statues. Even the hologram of Amirs stopped flickering.

"Not if I stopped all of time in this room they can't," Malachi replied. "You see, there's been something I've been wanting to tell you, but I was having a little trouble with a certain friend of yours."

"What fried? What are you going on about, and what the hell did they see?!"

"I'm talking about a certain being, a certain person that you created in your childhood. Someone who could travel through the multiverse and enter other realm. Someone who fights Gods." It was then that it dawned on him. The mass of light he saw on that planet, and what happened just minutes before.

"Galan…"

"Exactly! You have no idea how hard it was to get him here, he fought me every step of the way. Not exactly sure why," Malachi said with a shrug.

"But…how?"

"The same way I got you here, buddy-boy. I told you, in this realm, everything you've ever wanted can happen. You'll get to meet the being that you created as part of a childhood fantasy, and then turned into something more." Malachi strolled around the room as Jason watched him. "However, as you and I both know, there can be no hero, no protagonist, without an obstacle to overcome. And you so graciously provided me with it. In fact, it is the very same thing that helped bring Galan into being within your mind in the first place. All those years reading those old books of your grandfather's and father's, getting into the twisted minds of Lovecraft and King and McCammon, had helped you create the perfect opponent." Jason's eyes widened as he realized what Malachi was getting at. "In fact, you wrote a short story during your freshman year in college that you entered and was actually published. And I believe it started with a poem that went a little something like this." Malachi turned to face Jason, and he could see the evil grin grow on his face, his black eyes alight with glee. "'To gaze upon the Devil's own, look to a madman's face. Look upon him, and see the Devil's grace. When the Gates of Madness part and the Pits of Anguish yawn, forever more will you lose yourself, forever more the Devil's Pawn.' And you know what lies beyond the Gates of Madness, deep below the Pits of Anguish. Yes, your very own Devil, one you crafted with your own hands! And with it, you created its kin! And you know them all by name. You created them, the "Outer Gods", and the almighty "Ultarans" to war and battle with one another in an endless struggle. Well guess what, I know exactly what your heart desires, and I brought them here to have your wish granted!"

"But, the Outer Gods…if they come here, then…"

"Everything will be wiped off the face of this plane." Malachi almost lunged and grabbed the arms of the chair Jason was sitting in, his face just inches from his. "All dreams come true in this place, Jason. Never forget that." Right in front of him, Malachi vanished. Still in shock, Jason let his hands fall to his face, his breath coming out in a shudder. When he lowered them, he saw the team still looking at him, but it appeared that time was flowing normally now. Even the holographic projection flickered every now and then.

"Jason, I asked if you had any idea what that was." Looking from the team to the projection, Jason stood up, without saying a word, and left the briefing room.

In his quarters, he paced the room, going back and forth, back and forth as the inner demons he had created started to well up from within. As he walked, he ran his hands through his hair, mumbling and grumbling. Finally, he sat on the bed, holding his head as he saw them again in his mind's eye. He still remembers the nightmares he had, the trips to the psychologists whenever they heard about a teenager having horrific night terrors. When he started to read, they took on a life of their own in his head, but they really started to haunt him when he put them down on paper. It won him an award in high school, but almost at the cost of his sanity. As he wrote, their image burned in his brain and haunted his dreams, and all dreams come true in this plane. "Oh God…not like this…" The door opened and Fox walked in. He saw the human sitting on the bed, holding his head. "Oh God, NOT LIKE THIS!"

"Jason!" The human looked up and saw the concern on the Vulpine's face. "What's going on, you just left like…" Jason shot up and almost grabbed Fox.

"They have no idea what's coming! For God's sake, they know now where we are!"

"Who knows, what's going on?! Ever since Amirs mentioned what he saw you've been…" Jason walked from him, walked to the viewport and leant against the wall. "Do you, know what's going on?" Jason stared out into space, finding his resolve. He then turned back to Fox, a firmer grip on himself.

"Is everyone still in the briefing room?"

"Yes. Falco is there now."

"Good. I'll explain everything. I just need a couple minutes."

"Alright. Just, take it easy." As Fox left, Jason started to recall his story.

"I…apologize for what had happened earlier. I just thought that with everything that had happened…" Jason slumped into his seat and took a deep breath. All eyes, even the holographic head of the general, were on him. "What Amirs saw, was actually not Hell, but something close to Hell. My people, like yours, also believe in the existence of other dimensions surrounding us, other worlds and realms that we cannot begin to imagine. One such reality is the home to a race of beings that we have come to know as the "Outer Gods". We don't know their real name, since we have no way of pronouncing it. However, they've been around since the birth of my planet, and they made frequent visitations to other realms, and they passed through the dimensional gateway as easily as we would pass through an open door." He leant back, his face more somber. "They're conquerors. They expand and reach out to subjugate everything, and make those that they have conquered worship them like Gods, it's…it's the source of their power."

"How do you know all this?" Peppy asked.

"Because it happened before to my kind. When they came to my planet millions of years ago, they subjugated my kind's ancestors into slave labor to build their cities for them!" He slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "It's all documented! If you were to go to Earth, you would find references to a Nightmare City sunken beneath the ocean, the Mountains of Madness, the Lost Continents! Everything we were forced to build for them! They even turned the fourth planet in my system, Mars, into a vast temple and shipped us there to worship them against our will!" He was getting more agitated, but why?

"So what happened?" Jason sat back down in his seat, calmer.

"Turns out, they weren't the only beings able to cross between realms. They had an enemy, one that was at least their equal."

"Who were they?" Peppy asked.

"Once, they were like my race, almost a billion years ago. At that time, the Outer Gods had looked to their realm for new conquests, and started to invade their universe. However, this race achieved something that they called the "Grand Ascension", and took the name "Ultarans". They were able to resist and fight back against the Outer Gods and drove them from their universe, destroying everything belonging or relating to them in their path. However, they decided that they would not be safe by simply driving them off, and decided that they must be utterly destroyed. So they took to the multiverse and waged their endless war against them. They came to my realm at the peak of their power there. They had an almost unlimited number of followers who would give their own lives to them. Their war left my world in ruins, and left Mars a dead world, but they were finally driven away from my realm, and a few of the Ultarans were left to safeguard my planet, my realm."

"And they took the place of Gods, didn't they?" Fox asked.

"Yeah. They helped us rebuild our civilization, and taught us how to better fight back against the Outer Gods. However, over time their numbers dwindled till there was only one Ultaran left to watch over us. And he's here now. You all saw him."

"You mean that bright light?" Slippy asked.

"His name is Galan. He personally led the war against the Outer Gods in my realm, and he left Mars a dead planet so they could never use it again. He's been watching over us for thousands of years, and now he's here."

"For you?" Fox asked. Jason shrugged.

"But what about our current situation right now?" Pepper asked.

"Well, since you opened the window, the Outer Gods will know your existence." Amir's face flickered into view in place of General Pepper's.

"But that window was only open for an instant."

"You think that matters? Once you opened the window, they knew about you. You might as well have opened the gateway for them!" Jason nearly yelled, getting to his feet again. "Now that they know about you, they will be coming for you!" he pointed accusingly at the lemur. "You have no idea what's coming, and it is going to send you all back to the Stone Age!" The team looked amongst themselves, while the image of Amirs flickered out, replaced with General Pepper.

"Regardless, we have just received a curious distress call from our outpost on Aquas. We've sent a contingent from Katina to investigate, but the message has me concerned."

"What was the message, General?" Fox asked.

"That's just it; there was no message, just the automated distress beacon. At first I thought it was nothing. But now, I don't want to take any chances. I want you to head there directly."

"We're on it, General." Pepper's head winked out as Fox turned to his team. "Alright people, we're heading for Aquas. Slippy, prep the Blue Marine and get her ready. Everyone else I want in Arwings, and that includes you, Jason."

"Wait, what?!" Falco exclaimed, looking back as he reached for the door. "You can't be serious; he doesn't even have a license yet!"

"He passed the written exam, and that makes him able to fly under supervision, which you, Slippy and Peppy will be doing!" Falco's beak clenched tightly, then stormed off. Fox turned to Jason, his demeanor taking on a more authoritative stance. "And it might be a good idea for you to use that new disguise Slippy gave you. Aquas is pretty far out, but the pilots from Katina still remember the Lylat Wars, and still probably nurse old grudges against Simians."

"I gotcha," Jason replied, heading out of the door. When he was alone, Fox sighed and shook his head, wondering how he was going to work these two unstable elements. He left the briefing room and headed for his own quarters. Entering his own room, He opened the closet and got out his flight jacket and scarf. He walked past the window on his dresser and stopped. He looked into it, and saw something standing behind him. He looked back, but it wasn't there. He looked back into the mirror, and it was there, only it took up where his own reflection should be. It was anthropomorphic in shape and was silver in color, save for a gold stripe on its chest and black patters on its wrists. Its head was smooth and featureless, save for a single fin going through its head with a jewel in the middle of the forehead. Its eyes were golden yellow, and another jewel on its chest was a bright emerald, like the jewel on its forehead. Fox rubbed his eyes and blinked, but the apparition did not dissipate.

"Fox…Fox McCloud…"

"What are you?"

"I am Galan. I came here after the human to safeguard him back home. Unfortunately, the enemy has discovered you. I cannot leave and let you fall victim to them."

"What will you do?"

"Whatever I must." Galan vanished from view, and Fox felt something on his chest. He reached down his shirt, and felt something around his neck; he lifted it up, and saw it was a cross-shaped pendant.

'What is this?'

Aquas was one of two planets whose surface was almost completely covered in water. However, unlike its sister planet Zoness, it has even less landmass on its surface. In fact, its entire surface is nothing but water. Long ago, there were islands and a prosperous civilization, but they were wiped out eons ago when the polar ice caps melted, flooding the planet and sending the civilization to the bottom of the oceans forever. But since the discovery of the ruins, The Scientific Committee on Corneria has been working on trying to raise the ruins to the surface, via artificial gravity inducers to raise the sunken islands. With this, scientists could unravel the unanswered questions, possibly even answer why the ruins on Titania are so similar to the ones on Aquas. As the Great Fox warped into orbit around the planet, the team was already underway as the Arwings launched out of the Great Fox while the mother ship entered the atmosphere, flanked by the fighters. Jason, already in his wolverine guise, guided the fighter in. The real thing was definitely different from the simulator, especially as the controls trembled in his hands.

"How's the real thing treating ya, newbie?" Falco asked.

"Worry about your own self, Falco!" Jason replied, getting a tighter grip on the controls. He heard the Avian laugh

"Leave him alone, Falco! It's his first reentry." Peppy replied

"All the more reason why we should be worried about him. One wrong move and he won't even be a smear on the surface." Jason tried to ignore Falco as his own Arwing trembled from the reentry friction. However, he was able to see the surface of Aquas, and why it was so named. Nothing but water for miles and miles, and not a speck of land, save for a small spot of silver that gradually got larger and larger. As Jason got closer, it looked like a small city on the surface of the sea; buildings and structures floated on the surface, and what's strange is that around the outskirts of the city the buildings looked modern, whereas in the center they looked like the ruins of some lost civilization.

"Look at that!" Slippy said.

"Looks like they started bringing up the ruins," Peppy replied. "The structures around it are for the archaeologists, technicians, engineers and workers to help preserve the ruins as they're brought up."

"And they're bringing up the whole landmass too," Fox replied. "This is just a small part of the city that's underneath the sea." As the fighters got closer, it was Falco who noticed something odd.

"It's too still. Where is everyone, on a lunch break?"

"Sensors are not picking up any life signs on the surface." ROB replied over their headsets.

"So their all down beneath the surface, probably working on getting the rest of it up," Slippy reasoned.

"Everyone down there at once, with no one waiting on the surface? And where's that contingent from Katina at?" Jason asked.

"They should be here, but I'm not picking up anything."

"This is weird. This is real weird." Peppy added. "Fox, be careful down there. We have no idea what's waiting for us down there." The Great Fox touched the surface of the water, and then settled down with the launch bay submerged. In the launch bay, the Blue Marine's propellers whirred and spun, and the submersible launched out of the bay and towards the depths of the sea. The lights from the Blue Marine only lit up a miniscule part of the ocean's depths, and the darkness was pressing around almost like a tangible thing. Deeper and deeper the submersible went till Fox could identify the sea bottom.

"I've reached the bottom. I'm starting the sensor sweep." Fox looked around the small cockpit for the controls of the sonar and scanner. The interior was much like the Arwing's cockpit, except there was no canopy. All he could see was either out of the window in front of him, or the computer screens around him. He switched the sonar and scanners on, and the two screens next to the window changed; one was sonar, the other showed an infrared image of the sea bottom. He slowed the submersible to take better readings, and the sonar picked up objects on the bottom, and the scanner showed them; fragments, pieces of structures, what he had expected when he went down amidst the ruins. However, the searchlight caught something metallic and he guided the sub towards it. The scanner showed the shape of it, or what was left of it. "I got the remains of a Cornerian fighter down here," Fox said into the mike on his headset.

"Careful Fox," Peppy warned. The blue Marine glided through the darkness and what he saw on the scanner and out the window sent a chill down his spine.

"I just found the people," Fox replied.

"Which ones?" Peppy asked.

"All of them." The light shone off the metal of the fragments of fighters and submersibles used by the personnel of the scientific teams while the floor of the ocean was littered with hundreds of dead bodies. "All the archaeologists, engineers, pilots, everyone is down here."

"Fox, come back. We'll regroup and send a report to General Pepper."

"Not yet, Peppy; I wanna know how these people died."

"And I don't want you to join them!" the Hare urged. As he guided the sub further, the bodies seemed to be grouping closer and closer together. He guided the search light up and he saw a mound. The Blue Marine got closer to it, and Fox saw that the mound was composed of the dead bodies. He looked at the scanner, and figured that most of the people must have been used in the mound. "I got a mound here; looks like most of the bodies are there." In his Arwing, Jason looked down at the water, his hand on his headset.

"What's it look like?" he asked.

"It looks like a mound of dead people. It's chilling and creepy, but nothing stands out…wait. Wait, I think there might be something here." The scanner showed something in the center; it was registered as a ruin, but as it focused on it, he could see the shape of the thing; it was shaped differently from the rest of the ruins. He got the searchlight on it, and he saw it perched at the top of the mound. It looked to be made of pure gold, and was in the shape of a diamond. But on closer inspection, it looked like it was made of bone, and muscle. In fact, the artifact itself looks like it could be a living thing. "I got a strange artifact here. It looks like it's made of gold, but it doesn't look like any of the artifacts that were pulled up."

"What do you mean?" Peppy asked.

"It looks like…I don't even know how to describe it. It looks…alien." Jason felt a tingle in the back of his head as realization dawned on him. He tapped the control on his mike.

"Fox, get out of there now!"

"What?"

"Get out of there, right now!"

"Jason, what's going on?"

"Fox, just trust me, you need to leave that place right now!"

"What is it?"

"F-….Ou-…" Fox's headset frizzled and he felt the submarine shudder. He looked out the view port, and saw that the mound was…moving, almost undulating. The artifact gave off a sickly green and yellow glow that lit up the dark depths in a low light. Fox looked above, and saw what looked like a crack in the ocean; it was black, and it seemed to be opening. As the tear opened, the green and yellow was replaced with a deep, blood red color, and something was coming through the tear. "I got something coming!"

"Fox, Fox, can you hear me?! Fox, you need to get the hell out of there right now!" Jason almost screamed into the mike as he looked down.

"Jason, what the hell is going on?!" Peppy asked. The blue ocean seemed to darken in a spot, as though it were stained. A dark red glow filled the ocean, and it seemed to heave upwards as something came to the surface. A great mass breached, and a piercing wail all but rattled the ships to pieces. Jason could not tear his eyes off of the form that appeared; it was dark green in color, its body was an indescribable mass and tentacles writhing about like mad serpents where arms would be. Its head was squat, with a single emerald eye above a maw with razor-like teeth. "Sweet creation…" Peppy exhaled.

"What in the name of Corneria…!"

"Dude, what the fuck is that?" However, Jason knew its name, and he uttered it softly.

"A Kraken." The entity thrashed in the ocean, and some of the tentacles seemed to reach up towards the Arwings. The ships got out of reach, and Peppy was the first one to see the Blue Marine floating not far from the beast.

"I got a fix on the Blue Marine! I'll try to raise Fox!"

"Fox, can you hear me? Fox, come in!" In the Blue Marine, Fox was out. His head was bleeding and his body laid limply over the controls. He heard Peppy's voice and stirred with a groan. He looked up and saw daylight through the viewport, and something else. Galanlooked back at him through the reflection on the viewport.

"What happened?" Fox asked.

"You've met the enemy. Now it is time for me to do my duty." From the reflection of the sunlight came another light, one that engulfed Fox in a warm brilliance. He felt himself get lost in the light, and lightly closed his eyes as something akin to reassurance filled him, like a promise.

"Can you raise Fox?" Jason asked.

"I'm not getting anything."

"Fox, please respond!" Slippy's wail filled the airwaves, but went unanswered. Below, the Kraken was making its way to the floating ruins and structures while the Great Fox headed towards the Blue Marine. It was then that Jason saw it; a bright light filled the sky above, and an orb of luminescence descended from the sun. The orb touched the water, and then filled the area with light.

"Aw shit, now what?!" Falco asked, flying above and around the beast and the orb. As the light dimmed, a shape could be made; it was huge, at least as huge as the Kraken. It was anthropomorphic in shape, and as the light faded, more features could be made. Its body was silver, save for a single gold stripe going across its chest and upper back and around the shoulders. It has two jewels, on in the forehead and the other on the chest. A single fin went through the head above the jewel, and the eyes were golden yellow, glowing like miniature suns. It had dark patterns going from the wrists and up the forearm. Its musculature was solid under its silvery hide, and the muscles flexed lightly as it moved. It was thigh-deep in the water, floating above the surface under its own power to face the beast. "Now what the hell is that thing?!"

"Galan," Jason said softly. He felt a smile creep on his face. Slippy did a fly-by around the two titans, and saw something.

"Guys, check out the new guy's chest!" Jason looked, and saw it; a figure that looked a lot like Fox was suspended inside the jewel on Galan's chest. "What's Fox doing there?"

"He's using Fox as an avatar."

"What do you mean?" Peppy asked.

"Ultarans sometimes choose someone to act on their behalf while on certain planes where they have difficulty existing. They occupy their bodies, and when they are summoned, the avatar is kept safe inside the Soul Gem on the chest."

"So what do we do?" Falco asked.

"What can we do?" Peppy asked. Galan stood before the Kraken, and the interdimensional monstrosity shrieked at the Ultaran. Several tentacles erupted out of the water around the Ultaran and wrapped around him. Galan brought his arms up to guard and kept them from fully constricting him. With great effort, Galan spread his arms out; the tentacles were either ripped off, or sliced. On the forearms, blades extended along the black patterns and were the same color. The Kraken wailed at Galan, either in pain, or anger. The deep one whipped more tentacles at the titan and wrapped them around his waist, torso and neck. Grabbing them, Galan was slowly being dragged towards the Kraken. Its maw opened, and like an eel, its lower jaw dislocated itself to extend its bite radius, as though to swallow the Ultaran whole. Galan grabbed the tentacle around his neck and pulled at it. He put both hands on it, and pulled it apart, freeing his neck from its crushing grip. With his forearm blades, he sliced the tentacles on his waist and chest, the remains falling into the sea and dissipating. Galan lunged at the Kraken, slicing down its body and rending its body. However, the rubbery flesh was tougher than it looked, and Galan only got partly down to where its shoulder should be. Galan lunged back as the body began to repair and reattach itself and the tentacles regrew and replaced themselves. The Kraken then dove beneath the waves, forcing the titan to look around, expecting a sneak attack. The water erupted around him, and tentacles wrapped around him and drag him into the depths. "Quick, let's get the Blue Marine while we still can!" Peppy flew over the submersible as the Great Fox floated towards it. However, Peppy was the only one concerned with the submersible, as the other Arwings flew over the roiling water where Galan was dragged under.

The dark depths pressed on Galan as he was dragged to the bottom of the ocean. The Kraken, moving as swiftly as a squid, threw Galan onto the ocean floor. The Ultaran recovered and looked up and around, but the Kraken's dark body made it hard to discern it from the murk. He was struck from behind and forced to the bottom once more. He got up, and saw the faintest hint of movement, and sliced upward with his left forearm. The piece of tentacle drifted before dissolving in the sea and a soft growl echoed from the depths. Even as Galan watched the depths, he knew he was at a disadvantage when he was dragged into the beast's element. He was at a disadvantage when he summoned himself while bonded to the native of this realm, a native he knew he was not fully compatible with. Because of this, his full potential is significantly reduced, and he could feel the life from the avatar slipping away. He knew the risks, at least he thought he did, but this is the first time he ever felt he made the wrong choice. He was struck from behind and knocked down again. Time to end this farce; first, take away the beast's advantage: He saw the slight hint of movement again, and when the tentacle lunged forward, instead of slicing it he grabbed it. Reeling the beast in, he grabbed the slippery mass and propelled both himself and the Kraken upwards. He could see daylight beneath the water, and when he breached the surface the Kraken wailed again, this time in it felt like indignation. Galan surged through the water towards the floating ruins, and flung the Kraken onto the only piece of dry land on the whole planet. He then surged out of the water and leapt through the air and onto the ground, facing the Kraken as it turned to Galan. Out of its element, it panicked. It sent its tentacles whipping at its adversary, but Galan rushed forward and sliced them to pieces before reaching the Kraken itself. He slammed his fist into its fanged maw, knocking several teeth out as the beast fell to the ground. Galan gathered the beast up into a bundle and flung it into the air. Now for the second part: Annihilating it. He brought his arms to his chest, meeting them at the wrists. He pulled his arms apart vertically, and blue energy sparked and danced between them. The energy got bolder in color till it looked like the energy that crackled between the wrists looked like a single arc instead of many. Then, Galan thrust both his arms out at the falling Kraken, and the energy shot itself from his arms and towards the beast. When it hit, a brilliant flash lit the sky, and when it faded, nothing was left of the Kraken. The Arwings flew overhead, watching the spectacle from a distance. Galan regarded them for a moment, and then was engulfed in a bright blue light. When the light faded, he was gone. Falco went down to where he stood, and found Fox, lying on the ground, unconscious.