Grave Decision

Leegna stood on shaky legs, the aftermath of the fierce battle leaving him utterly drained. The Lost Rapier of Dark Matter trembled in his hand, the energy that had once surged through him now fading. His vision blurred, but his senses remained alert as he felt an approaching presence.

At first, his heart leaped with hope—Yuj, he thought. Perhaps Yuj had come to aid him. But as the figure drew nearer, something felt off. This wasn't Yuj. The creature moved with an eerie familiarity, its energy strangely resonant, yet it carried a different weight. Leegna's instincts flared in warning. His body, however, had reached its limits.

"Who... who are you?" Leegna's voice was hoarse, barely audible over the heavy breathing.

Leegna's grip on the rapier faltered as the figure came closer. The creature's form was humanoid but far from ordinary. Its face, though vaguely human-shaped, was eerily smooth, devoid of any defining features—no eyes, no mouth, nothing but a blank, pale surface. Yet it glowed faintly in the growing darkness, its presence somehow both menacing and protective.

Leegna's heart sank. This wasn't Yuj.

"Yuj? No... you're not him." His voice cracked as he struggled to stay upright. Exhaustion gnawed at him, each breath a battle of its own. The power he'd summoned during the fight had taken a toll—his body felt as though it would collapse at any moment. He was cornered, three enemies surrounding him, and this new entity, whatever it was, only added to the confusion.

But the creature did not attack. Instead, it stood between him and his enemies, almost as if guarding him.

Leegna's mind raced. He could feel the creeping temptation to use Time Leap again, to escape this situation. His precognitive powers flared, showing him a brief, flickering image of the future—himself lying motionless on the ground, defeated. He was running out of options.

The vision of himself, lifeless on the ground, lingered in his mind. It sent a wave of panic through him, but also a grim reminder: I can only leap four times. I've used two.

Leegna's hand instinctively reached for the power within—the urge to escape growing stronger. But as he tapped into the time-altering force, something stopped him. His body, drained of energy, refused to respond. The power he sought was out of reach, as if his very soul was resisting the cost.

No... not now. Not like this, he thought, frustration building inside him.

The three creatures around him moved in, sensing his moment of vulnerability. Aternos, with his calm demeanor, advanced with the two shadowed beings from the realm beyond the Time Guardians. Their presence was suffocating, the air around them pulsing with a dangerous energy.

Just as the finishing blow was imminent, the faceless figure shifted, positioning itself directly between Leegna and his attackers. A soft, shimmering light radiated from its form, casting eerie shadows on the darkened battlefield.

The shadow creatures halted, confusion flickering across their unseen expressions. Aternos, ever calm, paused, narrowing his gaze at the strange newcomer.

Without warning, the faceless entity raised its hand, and the world around them warped. It was as if the entire reality twisted for a moment, and Leegna's enemies found themselves disoriented, suddenly unsure of their surroundings.

The landscape shifted—trees, sky, and moon bent out of shape. Leegna, still conscious but barely holding on, realized that the creature had done something. It hadn't just changed the scene, it had manipulated the very fabric of their reality. In the blink of an eye, they were no longer in the park but somewhere... else.

The battle ceased. Aternos and the others staggered, momentarily losing their bearings.

And then, without a word, the faceless being grabbed Leegna, lifting him effortlessly before vanishing into the night, leaving their enemies behind in utter confusion.

As Leegna felt himself being carried away from the fight, he experienced an unsettling blend of warmth and coldness enveloping his body. The presence, while familiar and reminiscent of Yuj, felt oddly dual, as though Yuj was not alone. As he began losing consciousness from the fierce battle, he heard faint, echoing words in his mind: "Dearest dark one, I am here as I was back then, and the moment where we..." The rest of the message dissolved into a disorienting blur, leaving Leegna grasping at fragments of a forgotten past before he was whisked away by the enigmatic new ally.