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The Saviors of Reality

“Wait, let me get it straight. We are currently in space?” said Seraphor. After both Richard and Raithorakh nodded, he added, “In a space station run by reptilian aliens with wings?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“And they are besieged by ghosts returning to life as solids?” said Avila. “Including the Draconian World?”

“Yes, unfortunately,” said Richard.

“And these two,” said Seraphor, pointing at the two canine people sitting near them. “Are from Ternor…of the past?”

“What we’re more interested is how you guys even understand Hordo, a hellish common language,” said Anubis. “I thought anyone talking Hordo would either be a demon themselves or damned surface dwellers.”

“Like I said, it’s the universal translator,” said Seiryu. “How do you think you guys can converse normally like you have the same language? It’s a norm nowadays, with the Federation or shit like that.”

“Well, I don’t want details. We won’t stay in this world for long anyway,” said Seraphor. “In fact, we can’t. I mean, this is no place for dragons, right?”

“For now, we can’t be sure,” said Raithorakh. “As of now…this is our problem now.”

They all conversed among each other until Seiryu left them to look at the prime Dairyu, who was out of action the whole time. Raithorakh and Richard then walked with Seraphor and Avila to talk about the events which led them there.

The silver red dragon then told the two about the events which led them there. From their perspective, only two years had passed since the Final Crossing, one when the portal between dimensions was closed permanently. They were investigating another anomaly near their new home when they were sucked in, before they ended up in the darkened space station besieged by dangerous individuals, which proved to be no match for them. Avila was the first to notice the fear-based illusion that incapacitate both Richard and Raithorakh, one that was somehow as powerful as her own.

Seraphor could attack ‘Seiryu’ because he was unaware of his hybrid elemental powers, with him impaling this counterpart with a quick root attack that came out of his blind spot. Seraphor, despite of his immense devastating power in his youth, was more careful in using his magic as he grew older, mostly because his affinity had decreased in the recent years. He compensated it with great control over his elements, and favored a quick, surprising attack that would kill almost instantly, without any way to retaliate.

Avila, owing to the fact that she had awakened and accept her fate as the angel of death, also had a problem controlling her newfound abilities, but unlike Seraphor, she was succeeding, mostly because of assistance of fellow death angels. She did not like open combat as she aged, so she resorted to support, though he would fight when necessary.

Like when Raithorakh and Richard crossed the interdimensional portal and turned into a dragon and a human respectively, the appearance of some other distinguishable individuals seemed to cause a bit of confusion in the Scyllan space station, both by the Scyllas and by the crew of St. Vincent. They would regard the event as ‘Crossroads of Realities’, for everyone who were not originally from that universe claimed to come from different timelines, and it added to the confusion of whether they came from the same reality or not, since subtle differences were not detected.

This weighed heavily on Pritchard, who by this point had accepted that their mission had gone from something normal to something entirely beyond all common sense. His concerns and confusions were shared by both Dairyu (who could only comment, “This is one hell of a clusterfuck”), and Lunera (who felt that he was losing his sanity). In fact, everyone felt the same thing, and all shared the same feeling that the current crisis was getting out of hand too fast.

The weight on the St. Vincent and the Wind of Change crews were becoming even more apparent in a meeting on the giant ship, where they discussed on the involvement of the reality hoppers and their own understanding of the whole situation. In that meeting, it was another guest, who was expected, who finally revealed himself after many cryptic appearances and remarks.

The figure hailing from a higher dimension stood in the room, with the form of a white-clad human, appearing in front of them in a somehow darkened room. He smiled, then opened his folded arms, as if to hug them.

“So,” said Pritchard. “You are the one who started all this.”

“Yes, but no,” said the figure. “I am merely an observer, until recently when I have been forced to step in.”

“First,” said Lunera. “We need to be sure. As Dairyu instructed, we bring Rose Van Helsing into this meeting. Rose?”

Rose walked in front of the figure, who promptly said, “Unfortunately, I am not the white wolf goddess.”

“We are different entities,” said another female voice. A lupine form walked out from behind the humanoid and sat beside him. “Yet, we have the same purpose.”

“To ensure stability, and to keep the balance,” said the male humanoid. “You might have a guess of what keeping the other end of the spectrum.”

There was some contemplation before Rose said, “You represent order. The other end is chaos.”

“Correct,” said the wolf goddess. “And now, the balance is tipping towards chaos.”

“How did this happen? Why?”

“Everything started from one of ours,” started the male humanoid. “We are the embodiment of order and chaos, where one cannot be more powerful than the other, for it will cause a static universe. Where there is order, there is chaos. It is the law of what makes the universe grow, much like the flow of different streams that turn the gear of evolution. The ghosts are those whose contribution to this ‘gear’ has finished, and their existence has ascended to a higher plain, one you refer to as the ‘Fifth Dimension’. The opening of the borders between the two different dimensions upset the balance of the flow.

“In turn, the universe responded, much like an immune system. It created temporary bridges to many realities affected by this, and with something we called the ‘Weave’, those realities’ individuals, ones that had impacted not just their own world, but beyond, are called to help this reality, one of the cancerous source, to bring it back to remission.”

“Analogies aside, what’s got to do to us?” asked Lunera. “Are we supposed to be the chosen ones?”

“Your ships resonate with this universe, as the ‘Weave’ chose you all as the representation of this universe. In it, along with many other who had been chosen, you will go and return balance to all realities.”

“What are we supposed to do? We don’t know what we’re doing, and everything we’ve done up to this point are theories. We haven’t reached a conclusion.”

“That is the reason of our presence here,” said the wolf goddess. “As we need to maintain balance. Alas, we cannot act upon it, as our role is to guard and observe. You will be the executor of our will.”

“Executor…of your will?” said Rose. “What is it?”

“That you will close the tear of dimensions in the center of this galaxy, one that had become the main foundation of this universe’s existence. Fail, and this reality, and everything in it, will cease to exist, and the year will reset to zero.”

“A second big bang,” said Pritchard, grim.

“No, not the second. Your universe is not the first. There are countless multiverses in a past where we never exist. Like the universe, we will cease to exist if you fail, and the universe will begin anew with one, just like a seedling slowly growing into a tree full of branches, in the middle of a green plain, which eventually grow into a forest replacing the previously burned one.”

“Then, that means, if we fail, we’re not the only one who will be gone? Those other guys from other realities, too?”

The humanoid nodded.

“Then, tell us what we must do. What way to close the tear?”

“You will know it when you get there,” said the wolf goddess. “Even if we tell you now, you won’t understand it, or even believe, about everything we said. It is best if you can reach the center of this galaxy, witness the First Tear, and understand it. Then, and only then, will we give you the solution.”

The wolf goddess then turned her head towards Rose. “Your other reality awaits you outside, young wolf. She may be a condemned one, but for her, you are the condemned. Either way, she is you, and you are her. Talk to her, and she will listen.”

“Would she accept the fact that you told me to talk to her?”

“You can try. I leave the judgement to you.”

As the humanoid and the wolf goddess nodded to everyone in the room, they turned around and vanished as the room lightened up, baffling and confusing everyone in that room, despite of an obvious explanation.

Pritchard, who now felt that it was not so weird after all, smiled to the group and said, “Let’s get on with it. We’ve got a lot of work to do. First thing first, however…let’s regroup with our fleet.”

***

As St. Vincent prepared itself for travel back to sector Z0, there was another meeting in the ship’s hangar, where the Wind of Change was. As it was the only place to fit two and half dragons, they all decided to gather there to talk about their role in the coming event, and why they were the only ones being called and not some other.

Dairyu, who was already fit enough to walk with a support, joined the conversation. Seraphor, who was the first to have an idea of what’s going on, said, “You know, I think we are being gathered here for a reason.”

“And what’s that?” asked Dairyu.

“In that we are what’s left between us and the end of our existences.”

“Kinda weird, hearing that from a dragon,” said Seiryu.

“We do have our own history, draconian, and frankly, we are not extinct in the middle ages of this reality. Either way, dragons are still not fit anywhere else. One of the reasons is always that we’re feral, but frankly, I think that we’re too big.”

“No, we are too big, not you,” said Avila. “Haven’t grown that much, have you?”

“Shut, up, Vila.”

“Say…how’s she? Angelus?” asked Ifrit. “You do know her, right? She mentioned you a lot. She said you all disappear.”

Seraphor knew what the hellhound meant. The silver red never knew what happened to the fiery dragon and her rider when they attacked the fortress. His mind was too preoccupied with Raithorakh’s supposed death, him being stranded in another world, meeting his counterpart, and trying his best to go back home. Also, he knew what time period Ifrit and Anubis came from.

Avila, intrigued with Ifrit’s surname, asked, “You…don’t happen to be Ifrit Schelkz? The Ifrit Schelkz?”

“What about it? If you’re referring to me as a former prince, then yeah, I am Ifrit, from the house of Schelkz.”

“No, I was wondering whether you’re his descendant, since the Schelkz lineage has many recurring names. But since you claimed to be a former prince, then…you’re the one. The first.”

“Uh, I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Avila. May I call you that?”

“That’s fine, and I knew a Schelkz in the Hellhound Squad of the Order, but…I don’t want to talk more of it, unless it causes some problems with time and such.”

“Yeah, well, I need to know.”

“Let’s not, okay, Ifrit?” said Anubis. “She might be telling the truth about it.”

“I just want to know if Lilac and I are somehow…”

“Life’s kinda boring if you know the answers, right?”

“Yeah, like movie spoilers,” said Seraphor. “Anyway, you have movies, right? This is the future, after all.”

“We have everything in the subspace,” said Dairyu. “But, I hope someone on this ship can set up a holo-projector for you. My ship may be bigger than you, but the bay door’s not.”

“Someone’s got a wit in him,” said Seraphor with a smile. “Anyway…why don’t we work together? An odd grouping, but we can do our best, like we always do.”

“Well…might as well add ‘space travel’ as another weird thing we got,” said Avila with a sigh. “What say you, Raithorakh? Richard?”

“Not a bad idea,” said Richard. “I could use a little bit of action. Getting bored sitting behind a desk all day.”

“As do I,” said Raithorakh. “The space program takes a lot of my spare time, but I’ll use all the time I have here.”

Everyone smiled, either they were dragons, humans, draconians, or even hellhounds. They all felt the same: an unlikely team, but a team nonetheless. It would be the one that would be told years to come, where foreigners from other dimension and time would come and assist a universe in time of crisis. A group that would save all realities.

“So, now that we’ve agreed on this,” said Dairyu. “We need to seal our deal.”

“Seal our deal?”

Dairyu pulled out a small knife. Seiryu understood what he meant and find a bucket, one big enough to hold the blood of dragons. He somehow picked one that was made of aluminum.

The older Black Orient then used the knife to cut through his palm. Blood started gushing down from it, but it wasn’t all that serious, as he had ensured not to cut any vein. Raithorakh cut his flesh front leg, as Seraphor and Avila cut their own with their claws (only dragon claws could cut through their own scales). Ifrit and Anubis did the same, and everyone’s bloods were mixed in the bucket.

“In ancient times, people of my nation would cut their hand to let blood pour free to form a pact with their warlords, immortalized with a handshake,” said Dairyu. “It was also a pact for fellow warriors that whatever happens, they will fight for the good of their clan, and for the good of their warlords. As our ‘warlord’ is our future, and of all existence, we vow to save everything, wherever they come from, whoever or whatever they are, be it dragons, draconians, humans, or even hellhounds. We will succeed or die trying.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Let the blood sacrificed in this vessel be the seal of our contract, and may it be true, until Death takes us into her embrace,” said Anubis. “And may the scales be tipped in our favors when it is time of our crossing.”

Everyone then pulled away from the bucket, and Seiryu, who had pulled out a handy first aid kit with flesh regenerator, then proceeded to heal Dairyu’s hand, before handing the job over to a capable medical officer, who was apparently stationed in the hangar.

The blood in the bucket started to boil and became sizzling hot, before the officer closed it and ordered it to be jettisoned.

“Biohazard,” said Dairyu. “Well, this is not the feudal era. Anyway, whose blood boils like that?”

“I guess that’s me,” said Ifrit. “I’m half Infernal.”

“Even if you’re not whatever that is, the fact that you’re a hellhound stands,” said Avila.

“Well, now, if everybody don’t mind…I gotta go get myself some food. Everyone’s coming?”

They all followed Dairyu back into the space station, glad that they had already found a standing, however bizarre that was.

It was, however, the start of something new, one where the universe and all its realities fight back. It was time to go to the offensive. It was, after all, something natural.

Where there is imbalance, there will be countermeasure.