Aarav, with tears streaming down his face, walked away alongside his parents, Fragment of Light and Shadow of Darkness.
But suddenly —
a suffocating pressure engulfed them all.
It was Eternis.
In his monstrous spider form, he took control of Saanvi's child,
absorbed Saanvi into himself,
and then consumed Zabuza as well.
Now far stronger than before, Eternis approached Aarav first.
With just a slight movement of his eyes, he forced Aarav to collapse onto his knees.
Then, Eternis turned to Fragment and Shadow.
He delivered a crushing blow that sent them flying away like broken dolls.
Eternis marched back towards Aarav —
who, under the immense pressure, was barely able to breathe,
on the verge of death.
Yet somehow, Aarav managed to rise, fueled by sheer will.
Seeing his determination, Eternis smiled darkly and offered:
"Join me, Aarav.
Stand by my side... and I shall grant you powers beyond imagination.
All you have to do... is kill your parents."
Aarav gritted his teeth.
"I could never kill my parents... even if they weren't truly my parents,
I would still never follow someone like you,"
he declared firmly.
Eternis laughed coldly:
"Do you think you can withstand even **0.1% of my power?"
And with that, he unleashed a devastating wave of energy.
Aarav collapsed again, nearly crushed to death under the overwhelming force.
Seeing her son suffer, Shadow of Darkness roared with rage.
She gave Fragment a desperate glance —
then charged at Eternis.
Without hesitation, she self-destructed, releasing a massive explosion that threw Eternis back.
Fragment immediately grabbed Aarav and teleported them both away,
ignoring Eternis's mocking laughter that echoed across the universe:
"Run as much as you want!
This entire world... this entire universe belongs to ME!"
At Fragment's Castle...
Fragment placed Aarav gently on the ground.
Aarav, broken and shattered, wept uncontrollably.
"Why?
Why does it always happen to me?
First my love...
then my sisters...
and now... my mother..."
Fragment sat beside him, his voice filled with sorrow and pride:
"Your mother sacrificed herself... for you, Aarav.
Now, you must protect this world... because when we are gone... it will be you who carries the burden of everything."
Fragment handed over Shadow of Darkness's crystal to Aarav.
"Absorb her power. Carry her will inside you."
With trembling hands, Aarav absorbed the crystal,
his power rising exponentially.
Then Fragment offered his own crystal.
At first, Aarav refused:
"No! If I take it... you too will die!"
Fragment smiled sadly,
"My life doesn't matter anymore.
You... are the hope of this universe."
Tears welled up in both their eyes.
Finally, Aarav accepted the crystal.
As he absorbed it, his power surged even further —
beyond anything he had ever felt before.
Father and son shared a quiet moment together,
exchanging a final, silent goodbye...
Until Eternis appeared again —
towering over them like an unstoppable nightmare.
Aarav's rage ignited.
Without hesitation, he attacked Eternis with everything he had.
But —
with just 5% of his true power,
Eternis froze Aarav in place.
Fragment of Light, refusing to stand by,
struck Eternis from behind —
and self-destructed without a second thought.
In his final moments, he smiled at his son.
The explosion shook the heavens.
But as the smoke cleared —
Eternis stood there, unharmed, laughing.
"Do you see now?
Everyone you ever loved... is gone.
This world... your precious universe... is MINE!"
With just 10% of his power,
Eternis destroyed the entire world in an instant —
leaving only broken ruins behind.
He turned to Aarav, now alone,
and spoke cruelly:
"Even now, you refuse to join me?
If you do... I will give you back everything you lost.
Think about it, Aarav..."
Eternis's evil laughter echoed across the remains of the world.
But in that moment —
Aarav felt something stir inside him.
Something deep, ancient, and unstoppable.
The hidden power his father once spoke about.
A power even Eternis himself did not possess.
To be continued...