The city was restored, electrical blue lights setting the skyline aflame with lush colors. The city was crowded, overpopulated, bustling with life once more. Even the Dark Zone ceased to exist. Music thumped thumped thumped from nearby clubs.

The peace was broken however, by an explosion of supernovas that erupted across the sky. A blue portal opened up like an eye over the city, wind and debris being sucked into it like a black hole.

The laughter and conversation below erupted into screaming and panic.

Black mist seeped out from the edges of the portal, leaking from the gray world that lay beyond.

Plisskin watched the sight from behind the window of his chopper. He spoke into the microphone that was connected to each of the rebels' headset speakers.

"There it is! I can't get any closer or we'll get sucked in. When you find what you're looking for, just contact me, and I'll get you out of here."

Lloyd was the first one to step up to the cockpit window. He braced his hands on both sides of the starboard. The portal was only a few feet away from them, and Plisskin struggled to keep them from getting sucked in. He'd escape a deadly black mist, a massive dragon, and even fought aerial battle with the Mind Worm. Avoiding being sucked into a portal was just another event on his to-do list.

Lloyd took a few steps back, and then leaped off the chopper. He passed through the invisible wall of the portal, tearing through non-seeing fabric.

His feet landed firmly on the tip of the portal's right slab. He crouched down to regain his balance, then gestured to Ivan Joseph.

Ivan slung his sword across his back, holstered his handgun, backed up a few feet and then leaped. He landed on the portal's left slab, but it was unstable. He nearly collapsed had Lloyd not seized his arm.

They both glanced over their shoulders at the pilot and gave a salute before sliding down the portal slabs to the ground. They rushed towards the base inside the colorless universe,

Lloyd and Ivan were to be sent to retrieve the Missing Pages. Nox, Boomer and Beecher remained at the base to guard Romanov from The General and the Presence. And Etrius.

Nox exited the base and retreated into the forest. She hadn't told the team she was going on patrol, but she needed air.

Those were her powers inside the Crystal Shard. It suddenly dawned her that she could never retrieve them. Ever again.

She had never lived like a regular mortal, so how could she be expected to just get used to it? She knew how to fire a gun, but it wasn't the same without her powers. They had gotten her out of impossible situations before, and it even stopped Death in it's tracks.

The chance of surviving this was dwindling.

She stopped leaning against the branch of a tree. She glanced up at the sky, which held a cobalt blue shade. The sun nestled halfway above the lush green trees, blending the blue sky with hues of pink and orange. Like oil paint on a canvas.

The Presence hadn't made it's way near the base yet. It was dominating cities first. She knew the team had to get out there and stop it, but they couldn't. Not until they had the Missing Pages in their hands.

Footsteps crunched over the dewy grass behind her.

Nox whirled around to face Boomer, who had followed her. "Nox, are you feeling alright?"

I avoided his gaze. "I'm fine. Just patrolling the perimeter."

A smirk tugged at the corner of Boomer's mouth. "We all know Evils have ceased to exist after the first war ended. What are you really doing out here?"

Nox folded her arms, her eyes cast to the lush grass. "I can't live like a regular mortal. I can't get used to living without my powers. I've never done it before! I didn't grow up like this." She placed a hand over her heart.

Boomer closed the distance between them, his strong hand grasping her shoulder. "You did, all those years ago."

"What, when I was put in cryo-sleep by that bastard? My powers were the same. The only difference was the sapphire sword, and it channeled my powers. Otherwise, I could destroy cities with a mere thought. Now the sword is gone, and so are my powers. If I have both, we can win this war easier. But I don't. So I'm stuck like this."

Nox avoided his eyes, burying her thoughts in the silence. A warm wind stirred between them.

Ivan switched the safety off his handgun and Lloyd unsheathed his dual swords. A matrix of blue glowing wires ran beneath the blade.

Ivan cast a weary gaze back at the portal. "Where to, comrade? We need to find these pages before the portal closes and we're trapped here."

"Science wing." Lloyd answered, and the two darted inside the base.

The lights were off, and the electricity was down. Ivan clicked on a flashlight.

Lloyd flexed his robotic fingers, and a brilliant white light radiated off the fingertips. He extended his hand into the dark, and the two ignited their way inside the base.

Silence thickened the air, and shadows danced around them, casting skittish dark shapes on the walls.

"Wait," Ivan froze. "Do you hear that?"

Lloyd swept his gaze through the shadows. A low, scratching sound crawled all over the walls.

"Probably just some roaches."

"I've never seen roaches in a parallel realm." Ivan murmured disdainfully.

Whispers rose into the air, crawling form the darkness.

"Okay, I've had enough of this shit." Ivan aimed his flashlight at the ceiling. Glowing white eyes stared back at him.

"SON OF A—"

The Evil let go of the ceiling, pouncing on Ivan. He wrestled with the creature, keeping it's teeth away. He could smell it's reeking breath and nearly gagged.

"LLOYD!"

Slash.

The creature collapsed on top of Ivan, lifeless. Blood dribbled down it's head. Then it's throat. A thin line of blood appeared around it's neck and the head slowly slid off it's shoulder, plopping to the ground.

Lloyd watched the Evil's head as it snarled and gagged, still alive. He drove his blade between the eyes, killing it instantly.

Lloyd extended a hand to Ivan, but he leaped to his feet on his own.

Growls resounded from behind them.

They whirled around to face countless glowing eyes that stalked them from the darkness.

"RUN!"

"I don't belong in this world," Nox slid down the tree until was in a sitting position. "None of this should've happened."

"If you hadn't been here, Earth would be under the Mind Worm's rule."

Despite everything, Nox burst into a fit of laughter. "Patronize me all you want, but we all know the truth. I jeopardized this team. I jeopardized Earth. I nearly destroyed everything because of my powers. I'm a freak, just like the rest of them."

Boomer kneeled down to her level. "I don't think you're a freak."

"It's the truth. But my powers are gone now, and there's nothing I can do to hurt you anymore."

Without warning, Boomer pulled her into an embrace.

Nox squealed, afraid he would crush her to death. But he was surprisingly… gentle. Nox had never seen him this way before.

Bomer's eyes held Nox's, but he didn't let her escape his embrace.

"What are you doing?" Nox's pulse awoke under every touch, but she struggled not to let it show.

Boomer chuckled. "Your face is red."

Nox blinked. "Wha— let go of me!" She shoved him away and retreated into the forest.

Boomer followed. "Nox! Wait!"

Nox's feet pounded against the grass, not daring to look behind her. Too ashamed to face Boomer again.

He suddenly tackled her from behind, wrestling her to the ground. She hated herself for giggling. "Stop! Get off me! Can a girl just have some time alone?"

"You said it yourself," Boomer smirked. "There might still be Evils outside. And with the Presence's arrival, I am not leaving you alone."

"What—? But I— that's not… Damn it, Boomer!" She shoved him away, climbing to her feet and brushing dust off.

"Alright, that's enough messing around," Nox said. "We've got to head back to headqua—"

In one swift motion, Boomer grabbed her by the shoulders again. He tossed both of them into the brushwood, pinning her to the ground.

Nox opened her mouth to tell him off, but he cupped his hand over her mouth. "Shh… I heard something."

Nox's eyes scanned the area, but there was nothing. When Boomer pulled his hand away, Nox whispered. "I don't hear anything…" Had she kept her powers, she could've sensed a presence nearby.

But there was something going on with her heart. She glanced down with wide eyes. "What—what is this?"

Boomer raised a brow in inquiry, his eyes catching the light through the ever-shifting tree branches.

Her heart began hammering against her chest, and she felt heat rising into her face.

How is this possible? My powers are gone.

Boomer seemed to read her mind. He chuckled. "That's your human heart. It beats when you can't stand having someone handsome so close to you."

Nox's face flushed. Then she frowned at him. "You never heard any Evils. You just want to be alone with me."

A smile performed on Boomer's face despite everything.

Nox sighed and rolled her eyes. "Boomer, I…"

Instead of a playful quip Nox was expecting, Boomer spoke in a low, husky tone. "You don't have to say anything." He clasped her right hand, and brought it to his lips. He kissed each knuckle in turn, leaving behind a lingering, hot, longing ache. Her head swam with clustered thoughts.

"Boomer," She said his name, barely above a whisper.

Boomer looked up at her, and then leaned in until his teeth barely grazed her ear. He whispered. "Did I ever tell you how gorgeous you look in the dirt?"

Nox grumbled, pushing him away.

"I don't see them!" Ivan shouted to Lloyd over the loud screeching of the Evils outside. Lloyd guarded the exit, killing anything that came close to the science wing, while Ivan searched for the Missing Pages.

"We're in the wrong place!" He shouted to Lloyd.

Lloyd shook his head, decapitating an Evil that fell from the ceiling. "We can't be. This is the place Romanov—" He sliced off the head of an incoming Evil. "—told us to go!"

"Well, they're not here!" Ivan slammed down an old yellow file as he whirled around to face Lloyd. "WATCH IT!" He raised his handgun, and fired a bullet into an Evil's head just as it pounced on Lloyd, baring teeth.

The Evil collapsed to the floor, dead, but was soon replaced by five more.

Ivan swore, unsheathing his sword. He gestured to Lloyd with a flick of his head and spoke between his teeth, the cigar still in his mouth. "Let's get out of here before the portal closes. There's nothing here for us."

Lloyd gave a hesitant nod, and the two darted down the hallway. Ivan simultaneously fired and sliced at any Evils that stood in their path, and made his way through the complex maze of crisscrossing hallways.

Ivan and Lloyd burst through the double door, running towards the new portal. It was starting to close, spiraling to the center.

"No," Ivan breathed, barely any breath left in him. His legs burned from the running, but one look at the swarm of Evils and closing portal kicked his adrenaline in. He spoke into his headset radio once he got close enough to the portal. "Plisskin, do you copy?!"

"I copy, Joseph. Did you find them?"

"No," Lloyd slashed down a charging Evil. "But we're in deep shit. We need that heli, now!"

Lloyd and Ivan climbed up the portal platform, standing back-to-back against the army of Evils. They kept their weapons close, waiting to hear the sound of Plisskin's chopper resonating from the new portal above them.

"Get ready for another battle, brethren!" Ivan removed his reloaded his handgun and prepared to fire. He clenched his teeth.

Lloyd twisted his sword in his hands, preparing for battle.

The swarm of Evils closed in.

Ivan and Lloyd separated to fight each side of the battle. Lloyd hacked and slashed through the mass of bodies, vibrations travelling through his robotic arm from the impact of his blade. He ground his teeth to battle the pain, his eyes red and weary.

Ivan fired as many rounds as he could at the impending wall of Evils until they came too close to fire. He unsheathed his sword and launched it into the bodies of creatures. Blood stained his clothes and matted his hair. He lashed out with the blade, the scent of blood rising in the air. From him or the Evils, he wasn't sure, but only one word remained on his mind.

Survive.

Rip.

Shoot.

Tear.

Destroy.

Thump, thump, thump.

"What?" Ivan focused his attention to the portal above, simultaneously wrestling with an Evil.

The portal was closing, but the sound of Plisskin's chopper was heard from the opposite world. He could hear the rotors as clear as day.

Ivan shouted to Lloyd, and then pointed up at the portal as a rope ladder was dropped down. Ivan threw the Evil off him, and grabbed hold of the ladder first, then Lloyd.

They were hoisted into the air, moving closer to the portal as it grew thinner and thinner. Lloyd was unsure they would make it.

However they finally pulled through, and the portal spiraled close beneath them, shutting out any more blood-thirsty Evils. Lloyd sheathed his sword, ascending the ladder behind Ivan.

Nox had never known Boomer to have a gentle touch. He was used to handling explosives and breaking necks in wrestling challenges. Nobody had ever seen him with a soft side.

Nox's head and heart swam. How long was he hiding this? She remembered the way he held her after the defeat of the Mind Worm. She assumed he was only assisting her to the chopper, and she could barely stand on her feet.

What if that meant something else…?

Boomer began to close the space between them, his forehead leaning against hers. "I tried to deny what I felt, but it was real."

Nox blinked. So it was true.

Despite everything, Nox pushed him away, shutting her eyes. "I can't do this Boomer. Now isn't the time for playing around while the Earth is at stake."

"When is the Earth not at stake?!"

"Besides," She said, "How old are you?"

"Eighteen. And you're probably over 60 years due to Cryo-Sleep, but don't deny it. Eighteen and Seventeen. What's the big deal?"

Nox couldn't believe she was hearing this. She shoved Boomer away, climbing to her feet. "I have to go." Without another word, she darted back towards the base. This time, Boomer didn't follow her.

Nox leaned against the exterior of the base, but didn't go inside. Her heart was pounding, but not form the running. The nerve of him to do that. What was he thinking! Oh, I know. He wasn't.

But despite her better judgment, she could feel a tugging at her heart. Magnetic aspirations that wouldn't cease until she buried herself in Boomer's arms.

She tried shaking the thought from her head, but they only grew stronger. She bit the inside of her cheek.

She found herself craving his presence, and the way her heart pounded under his touch.

For a second, she was considering turning around and apologizing for running away like that, but froze mid-step. There was a lingering sound of white-noise filling the air. Then it split into a chopping sound of rotors.

A shadow swept over her from the skies.

Nox smiled. The team was back with the Missing Pages.

She darted inside the base, towards the helicopter pad. They used the southern field as an airfield, as the base didn't officially come with one when they first found it. So Boomer had spray-painted a red target to act as the helicopter pad.

Nox shook any thought of Boomer out of her head as she navigated the corridors. But each time she shoved away memories of him, they hit her harder with even sharper clarity.

She saw Ivan and Lloyd exit the chopper, followed by Plisskin as he shut the chopper's engine off. She darted towards them. "Well?"

Ivan shook his head solemnly.

Nox frowned. "They weren't there. Are you sure? Did you double-check?"

"There was no time to double-check." Lloyd wiped blood out of his eyes, and it was then that Nox realized they had been through a fight.

"What happened to you?" Nox inquired.

Ivan ran a hand through his matted hair. "Evils. That's what. And the portal was closing. Another second spend in there, and we wouldn't have made it out alive."

Nox felt all hope drain from her fingers like sand in an hourglass. If the Missing Pages weren't in the castle universe… Then where were they?

She sighed. "Let's get inside. Maybe Romanov uncovered something else."

Lloyd and Ivan gave a nod before following Nox and Plisskin inside.

They made their way to the science wing.

Romanov was hunched over a table, the first book sat open before him mid-page. Beside it was a recording device. Beecher lingered around the lab, bandages still wrapped around his shoulder from the gunshot. Romanov had given him advanced antibiotics. They contained similar elements to Nox's healing powers, but they worked slower.

Romanov swiveled around in his chair once he heard the team approaching. His tired and weary eyes watched theirs. "Well?"

The team exchanged glances before shaking their heads.

Romanov sighed and whirled back around. "Nonetheless, come see this. There's something everyone needs to know about the Presence."

Boomer slid to a stop in the doorway just in time, his hair ruffles from running. His eyes were on Nox, but he remained silent to listen to what Romanov had to say.

Romanov switched a few buttons on the receiver. "It's a message from the Presence. It speaks backward, similar to the Mind Worm."

Ivan frowned. "What does it want?"

Romanov hit the play button.

"Earthens. The Mind Worm was only the beginning. A test, one that I see you've passed. I am the Father of all Evil. I am the Earth Defiled, the god of this new world. This realm thrives with life. I look forward to feasting upon it's flesh and bones. A new age of suffering shall begin."