Cosmic Dominion: Rise Beyond Realms

As Joseph and I stared at the destruction around us, I could feel the weight of everything pressing down on me. The silence was deafening—no birds, no wind, no life—just emptiness. My mind was spinning, still trying to process everything.

Joseph was quiet for a moment. Then, softly, he said, "Hey, umm… I'm sorry. For the loss of your wife."

His voice cracked slightly. I didn't look at him right away. My eyes were fixed on the scorched ruins in the distance, but I could feel the tears welling up. The burn behind my eyes came fast, too fast…

My chest tightened. My fists clenched.

I swallowed hard and whispered, "Whoever did this… whatever did this. I will chase them to the end of the world, and I'm gonna rip them apart."

A tear slipped down my cheek.

"I just… I hope she's resting in peace," I said, voice shaking. "Wherever she is."

Joseph didn't say anything else. After a pause, he gently nudged me, pulling me back to the present. I looked up to see what he was motioning toward.

That's when I noticed her.

The angel, still standing there, not far off, watching us with an unreadable expression.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. "Sorry," I said, glancing toward her. "I didn't notice you."

The angel crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at me. Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "How could you? I'm just a weak foe who can barely hold a candle to your overwhelming… presence."

Joseph came near us, his sarcasm kicking in instantly even after the serious conversation. His jaw practically dropped as he stared at her, blinking several times like he was trying to make sure she was real. "Whoa, whoa, wait a damn second," he said, pointing a finger at her. "Wings?! A glowing spear?! Smoking hot?! Shin, who the hell is this heavenly beauty?!"

I groaned and facepalmed. "Joseph, please… just stop."

He ignored me completely, scrambling to his feet and stepping closer to get a better look at her. "No, no, I need answers. Shin, is this your new girlfriend? Huh? Did you bag yourself an angelic babe while we were all up in space eating vacuum-sealed tofu?"

The angel's expression didn't change, but I could swear I saw the faintest twitch of irritation on her face. "I see you surround yourself with refined individuals," she said, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"Joseph, for the love of…" I started, but he cut me off, holding up a hand.

"Hey, hey, no judgment here!" he said, grinning like a maniac. "If I'd known dying and destroying the universe meant getting a celestial girlfriend, I might've signed up for it, too."

I turned to the angel, shaking my head in exasperation. "Please ignore him. He's always like this."

Joseph feigned offence, clutching his chest. "Rude! I'm just trying to get to know the lady. Speaking of which—" He turned to the angel, his tone suddenly more serious. "Who are you, anyway? And, uh… why are you glowing like a flashlight?"

The angel exhaled sharply, clearly unimpressed. She raised her spear slightly, letting its light pulse faintly. "I am Aetheria," she said, her voice carrying a calm but commanding tone. "A divine warrior sent by the goddess herself to assist in preventing the collapse of reality."

Joseph blinked, his grin faltering slightly. "Uh… goddess?" he echoed. "You're telling me there's an actual goddess? Like, the whole holy realm, harp-playing, pearly gates thing is legit?"

"Huh," I muttered, crossing my arms. "First, angels, now goddesses. What's next? Unicorns? Time-travelling leprechauns?"

Aetheria's eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, her expression softened, almost as if she pitied me. "You've seen enough to know the truth, Shin," she said firmly. "The universe is far vaster—and far more complicated—than you could ever comprehend."

I tilted my head, letting out a dry laugh. "Yeah, no kidding. I've seen more bullshit in the last six-seven years than most people see in their entire lives. At this point, you could tell me the moon's made of cheese, and I'd probably believe you."

Joseph, on the other hand, was still processing. "Wait, wait, wait," he said, holding up a finger. "So, let me get this straight. You're an angel, and you're telling us there's an actual goddess who sent you here?"

"Correct," Aetheria replied simply.

"And you're here to…" Joseph gestured vaguely, searching for the right words.

"To ensure Shin doesn't spiral into chaos again and collapse reality," she said.

"Right," Joseph said, nodding slowly. Then he turned to me, his expression deadpan. "Shin, buddy, what the hell have you been up to?"

"Believe me," I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose, "I wish I knew."

Joseph started pacing, muttering to himself. "Angels, goddesses, collapsing reality… I mean, it all makes sense when you think about it. The cube, the powers, the giant worms… Hell, I should've seen this coming! But damn, Shin, couldn't you have picked something less… apocalyptic?"

"Yeah, because I totally had a choice," I shot back sarcastically. "You think I asked for this? You think I wanted to turn into some rage-fueled cosmic nuke?"

Aetheria's voice cut through our banter. "The goddess sent me here because she believes you are vital to the survival of all existence."

She said, her tone sharp but sincere. "Whether you like it or not, Shin, you are far more than you realise."

Joseph snorted. "Great. No pressure, huh?"

I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of her words. "Vital to existence," I repeated quietly, looking around. "Yeah, sure. Just what I needed to hear right now."

Joseph clapped me on the back, his grin returning. "Hey, look on the bright side, buddy. At least you've got a badass angel on your team now. Plus, she's, you know…" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Joseph, I swear to God—"

"What?" he said innocently. "I'm just saying, if you're gonna save the universe, you might as well do it with some good company!"

Aetheria sighed, clearly done with his antics. "I'm beginning to understand why the goddess left humanity to its own devices," she muttered under her breath.

I couldn't help but smirk. "Welcome to Earth," I said dryly. "Or… what's left of it."

Joseph glanced around at the destruction, his expression sobering. "Yeah," he said softly. "What is left of it…"

For a moment, the three of us stood there in silence, the weight of everything settling over us like a heavy weight. The universe was in chaos, reality was hanging by a thread, and somehow, we were still here.

"So," Joseph said finally, breaking the silence. "What's the plan, angel lady? How do we stop… You know… all of this?"

The angel stepped forward. Her eyes locked onto mine, filled with a strange combination of urgency and determination. "Shin," she began, her voice carrying an authoritative weight, "there is a way to undo the damage you have caused. But it will not be easy."

I blinked at her, tilting my head slightly. "Okay... and what exactly do I need to do?"

Aetheria sighed, as if she had been preparing for this moment. She gestured toward the shattered remnants of Earth around us and spoke rapidly. "First, we must re-anchor the fractured fabric of reality. You've destabilised the cosmic balance, and the void left behind by the destruction of this world is causing rips in space-time. We'll need to funnel energy from a higher-dimensional plane to…."

I cut her off, holding up a hand. "Whoa, whoa. Back up. Funnel what from where?"

She gave me a sharp look but continued. "The energy within you—it's tied to the cosmic lattice. You'll need to channel that energy directly into the core nexus of this dimensional plane, creating a ripple effect that will…"

"Yes," I said quickly, trying to sound like I had the slightest clue what she was talking about.

Aetheria's gaze narrowed. "You will then have to stabilise the quantum substructures by harmonising their vibrational frequencies to…"

"Yes," I interrupted again, nodding. "Of course. Frequencies. Got it."

Joseph, standing a few feet away with his arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. His mouth was slightly open, and he muttered, "What the actual hell is she talking about?"

Aetheria didn't stop. She pointed her spear toward the heavens and continued. "Once the quantum substructures are stable, you will need to redirect the excess chaotic energy into a dimensional conduit. This will require precise manipulation of the energy currents flowing through…"

"Yes," I blurted out, nodding again, though I had absolutely no idea what she was saying.

Joseph turned to me, his mouth now hanging completely open. "Shin, are you seriously following any of this? Because I feel like she's reciting some kind of cosmic calculus on steroids."

Aetheria's voice grew sharper. "Do you understand, Shin? This is vital. You'll need to carefully align the fractal nodes along the dimensional ley lines before…"

"Yes, yes, yes," I said, waving my hands like I totally got it. "Absolutely. Fractal nodes, dimensional ley lines, all of it. Crystal clear."

Joseph looked at me, his eyebrows practically reaching his hairline. "Are you fucking serious right now?"

Finally, I threw up my hands and yelled, "I DON'T UNDERSTAND A SINGLE FUCKING WORD YOU'RE SAYING!"

The angel stopped mid-sentence, blinking at me in disbelief. Even Joseph snorted, clapping a hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh.

"You... don't understand?" Aetheria asked, her voice losing some of its commanding tone.

"No!" I exclaimed, pointing at her with both hands. "You're over here talking about cosmic lattices and quantum what-the-fucks, and I'm just trying to figure out how not to accidentally blow up another galaxy!"

Joseph was full-on laughing now, leaning on his knees for support. "Oh my God, I knew it! You were just nodding along like a dumbass!"

"Shut up, Joseph!" I snapped, glaring at him. "At least I'm trying!"

Before the angel could respond—or before I could launch Joseph into orbit—something caught our attention. A faint hum filled the air, growing louder with each passing second. I looked up, my senses on high alert. A sudden burst of light pierced through the void-like sky, and out of nowhere, the Odyssey appeared, its metallic hull gleaming faintly in the shattered light of the broken universe.

"What the…" I began, my words trailing off.

Joseph stopped laughing instantly, his mouth falling open again. "Wait... Is that...?"

"The Odyssey," I muttered, my eyes narrowing as I watched the ship glide closer. It was impossibly fast, its engines burning a faint blue as it hovered just above the shattered remains of Earth. For a moment, all three of us stood there in silence, staring up at the ship.

"What's it doing here?" Joseph whispered, his voice barely audible. "They weren't supposed to come back. I told them to go away from the battle zone..."

Aetheria turned her gaze to me, her eyes filled with curiosity and concern. "Is this... your vessel?"

I shook my head, still staring at the Odyssey in disbelief. "No. It's theirs. But, once upon a time, it used to mine, too!!!"

As the Odyssey hovered above us. I couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to get even more complicated. And, knowing my luck, probably worse. 

TO BE CONTINUED