The sky didn't heal.
It stayed broken.
A crack in reality hung above the city.
Shifting.
Breathing.
The air beneath it warped.
Like the world itself was struggling to exist.
People ran.
Screamed.
Collapsed.
Nothing made sense anymore.
— The Entity —
It moved slowly through the streets.
Not walking.
Not floating.
Existing.
Every step—
Reality bent.
Buildings twisted.
Glass melted.
Sound distorted.
Its form flickered constantly.
Never the same.
Never stable.
"Source…"
The voice echoed again.
Inside minds.
Not ears.
"Find… the source…"
— Juvy —
She arrived first.
Landing on a broken rooftop.
Her light activated instantly.
Not aggressive.
Protective.
A barrier spread across nearby civilians.
Holding the pressure back.
Her eyes locked onto the entity.
"…What are you…"
The entity stopped.
Slowly—
It turned.
Toward her.
The air tightened.
Her barrier trembled.
For the first time since her evolution—
It struggled.
Juvy clenched her fist.
"…Stay calm."
She stepped forward.
Light flowing naturally around her.
"…If you understand anything—stop."
Silence.
Then—
"Light…"
Juvy froze.
"…It recognized me…?"
The entity tilted its head.
Its form glitching.
"Incomplete… fragment…"
Juvy's eyes narrowed.
"…Fragment?"
The entity moved.
Instantly.
Right in front of her.
Juvy reacted—
Barrier—
The impact hit.
The barrier cracked violently.
Juvy was pushed back—
Sliding across the rooftop.
"…That power…"
— Maxruell —
He arrived seconds later.
Landing behind the entity.
Shadows already reacting.
But—
Different this time.
They weren't aggressive.
They were… cautious.
"…So this is what scared you."
The entity froze.
Then—
Turned again.
"Dark…"
Maxruell smirked slightly.
"…Guess I stand out too."
The pressure increased.
The ground cracked further.
"Both… present…"
Juvy stood again.
"…Max—don't rush it."
Maxruell glanced at her.
"…You think I'm stupid?"
A pause.
"…This thing isn't normal."
For once—
They agreed instantly.
— The First Clash —
The entity moved.
Faster than expected.
Juvy reacted—
Light formed—
Maxruell moved—
Shadows surged—
They attacked together.
Light struck first—
Darkness followed—
The impact hit—
Nothing happened.
Silence.
Juvy's eyes widened.
"…No damage…?"
Maxruell frowned.
"…Not even a scratch."
The entity stood still.
Unchanged.
"Insufficient…"
Then—
It raised its hand.
Reality bent again.
A pulse—
Both of them were sent flying.
Juvy crashed into a building.
Maxruell slammed into the ground.
Neither could fully block it.
Juvy stood slowly.
"…We can't fight it like this."
Maxruell got up.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"…This isn't a fight."
The entity stepped forward.
"Locate… source…"
Its focus sharpened.
On them.
— Final Moment —
Juvy looked at Maxruell.
"…We need to hold it here."
Maxruell smirked slightly.
"…For once, we're on the same page."
Light flared.
Shadows rose.
Not clashing.
Not conflicting.
Side by side.
Against something neither of them understood.
The storm returned.
The tear widened.
And the real threat—
Had finally arrived.