Ethan drew a deep breath, trying to steady the pounding in his chest. Panic wouldn't help him now—not with that demon looming like a stormcloud ready to break. If he tried to fight head-on, he wouldn't even get the chance to run.

So he chose a different path.

He shifted his stance, centering his breath, pulling his energy inward. A flicker of resolve lit his eyes. Then, with a sharp motion, he carved a massive wheel of sword-light into the air, its edges humming with raw power. His plan: tear open the rift in space and slip through before the demon could react.

But the demon didn't even flinch. He waved a hand, casual as brushing away a fly.

"You think you can escape?" he said, voice smooth and amused.

Light flared at his fingertips. In the next instant, a sphere of energy coalesced midair—dense, radiant, and pulsing with annihilation. It shot toward Ethan like a meteor, trailing a wake of warped space behind it.

BOOM—

The energy ball screamed through the air, dragging the very fabric of reality in its wake. The pressure hit like a tidal wave.

Ethan sprang back, narrowly dodging the brunt of it, but he knew better than to think he was safe. That kind of force didn't just miss—it lingered, shattered, consumed.

He twisted midair, trying to ride the shockwave, to use it—bend it—into a tear in space. But just as he moved, something even heavier slammed into him from behind. A crushing force, like a mountain falling out of the sky, pinned him in place.

"You little insects," the demon sneered, voice thick with glee. "You came all this way—why not stay a while?"

The pressure behind Ethan grew unbearable. His limbs locked up, lungs straining for air. If he didn't break free now, there wouldn't be a later.

A low hum vibrated through the air as Ethan's power surged. Space around him twisted, warping like heat haze.

"Behind me—now!" he barked, snapping his head around to Elira and Ataneya. "Channel your power into me!"

They didn't hesitate. In a heartbeat, their hands pressed against his back, and their energy poured into him—pure, fierce, and unrelenting.

The moment their power met his, a golden light burst around Ethan's body, radiant and blinding. It wrapped him like armor, pulsing with divine intensity.

Above them, a golden bow took shape in the air, its form sharp and elegant. The string thrummed with tension, the sound echoing like thunder across the sky.

Ethan pulled the bowstring back. A glowing arrow formed in his palm, its tip aimed straight at the demon's chest.

The air vibrated.

Then—

TWANG—

The golden arrow shot forward, a beam of light with the weight of a god's fury behind it.

CRACK—

The impact split the sky. The collision of forces sent shockwaves tearing through the world. Space buckled. The ground groaned. For a moment, it felt like the entire plane of existence was coming apart at the seams.

The demon reeled, his body jerking as the arrow struck. A guttural roar tore from his throat—raw, furious, wounded. He sounded less like a conqueror now, more like a beast caught in a trap.

The rift in space widened, jagged and unstable. The world around them began to unravel, piece by piece.

Cracks spiderwebbed through the air. Light bled from the seams. The entire dimension trembled, then began to collapse in on itself.

And then—

BOOM—

A final, deafening blast. Everything—light, sound, matter—was swallowed by the vortex. The energy storm consumed it all: Ethan, Elira, Ataneya… even the demon's howling form vanished into the void.

And just like that, the world was gone.

As if it had never existed at all.

...

Ethan clenched his eyes shut, bracing himself as the surge of energy rocked through him. His boots held firm against the invisible tide, but the sheer force of it nearly knocked him off balance.

When the tremors finally eased, he opened his eyes—and froze.

The world around him had changed.

Gone was the crumbling dimension, the collapsing sky, the howling void. In its place stood a new realm, eerily similar in appearance but unmistakably different. Lush greenery swayed gently in the breeze, and the air shimmered with a dense, almost tangible energy. It was like breathing in lightning—sharp, electric, alive.

But something was off.

The energy here wasn't just abundant—it was oppressive. Ethan could feel it pressing against his skin, seeping into his bones. Every inch of space felt saturated, as if the air itself had weight.

He exhaled slowly, raising a hand to test the currents. His senses stretched outward, scanning for movement, for life. The system confirmed what he already suspected: the place was silent. No signs of people. No threats.

At least, not yet.

Then he turned—and blinked in surprise.

Idra and Auri were already floating nearby, their forms suspended midair, eyes gleaming with hunger. They were drawing in the ambient energy like sponges in a storm, their bodies glowing faintly with the overload.

"Auri. Idra." Ethan's voice cut through the stillness, sharp with warning. "Don't overdo it. This kind of pure energy—it might be too much for your bodies. Stay alert."

Auri spun toward him, her face flushed with excitement. "Father! I can feel something—something powerful. It's coming from that valley over there." She pointed toward a dip in the distant hills. "There are Fairies. A lot of them."

Ethan's pulse quickened.

A lot of Fairies.

That could only mean one thing: a Fairy host. A full army, maybe. And if that was true, then this place wasn't just a random pocket of space—it was a reservoir of power. The kind he needed.

With Auri's Fairy God bloodline, he had no doubt they'd recognize her. Submit to her. Serve her.

His mind was already racing ahead, calculating possibilities.

"Lead the way," he said without hesitation.

But the moment he stepped forward, something tugged at his instincts. He stopped mid-stride, eyes narrowing.

Something wasn't right.

He turned in a slow circle, scanning the landscape. The trees still swayed. The air still shimmered. But…

"Strange," he muttered, voice low. His gaze sharpened, cutting through the illusion.

They'd been flying for what felt like ages—but nothing had changed. The trees, the hills, the sky… all exactly the same. Not a single leaf out of place. Even the air smelled identical, as if time itself had stalled.

"No way," Ethan whispered, a chill crawling up his spine.

He opened his palm and pressed it gently into the air in front of him. The space resisted—subtly, but unmistakably.

"We're trapped," he said, voice tight. "Something's locking this space down."

...