"Let's go," Samaelas commanded, his voice firm, as he led the group to a vast expanse where countless portals shimmered in six distinct colors.
Each portal pulsed with a unique energy, some swirling with hues that blended together like the merging of two worlds.
Kallen's eyes widened at the sight. There were interstellar cosmic paths?... They looked like railways, each connected to a portal, stretching far into the distance, leading to realms unknown.
The sight reminded Kallen of how he had arrived in this strange place, sparking a deep curiosity within him.
_'Where did these rails come from? Where do they lead?'_ he wondered, his thoughts racing with the possibilities.
The air hummed with an strange energy, and Kallen could feel the weight of the unknown pressing down on him. However, he shrugged it off, it was pointless to continue worrying about every little detail when these things were clearly beyond him.
"These portals are the gateways to your new life," Samaelas explained.
"The red and orange portals lead to low-grade worlds, places barren of resources and teeming with conflict. Bloodbath settings where survival is a daily struggle.
"The deeper the color, the more brutal the environment. Portals with shades of orange and yellow lead to worlds in between low and mid-grade, either advancing or deteriorating."
Kallen listened intently, his eyes fixed on the swirling colors. The sheer number of portals was overwhelming, but he could feel a strange pull towards the more vibrant portals.
"The yellow and green portals are mid-grade worlds," Samaelas continued, his voice taking on a slightly strained edge.
"Those with shades of green and blue are in transition, either climbing towards high-grade status or slipping away.
"Finally, the blue and purple portals are high-grade worlds; the pinnacle of mortal planets. These places are treasure troves filled with powerful hegemons and abundant resources. They're often backed by an apex lifeform or even an entire pantheon. You should definitely aim for one of them."
Kallen's heart pounded with anticipation, but something about Samaelas' demeanor caught his attention.
He seemed uneasy, Kallen couldn't understand why.
"Okay," Kallen responded, his voice steady, though his mind was racing with thoughts of potential dangers Samaelas might want to put him into.
"I suppose it's time we finalize the contract..." Samaelas said, his voice low. He conjured a blood-red orb, its surface pulsing with a dark, ominous light.
"...However, take this first," he added, manifesting a square-shaped flat disk, which he tossed to Kallen.
Kallen caught the disk with ease, but his focus quickly shifted back to Samaelas, whose appearance had suddenly become alarmingly pale, his once vibrant energy now almost completely drained.
The transformation was so stark that even the others, usually just tag along, were visibly alarmed.
Pashupati, in particular, narrowed his eyes, a frown deepening on his face. He watched Samaelas closely, his worry and agitation evident as he tried to figure out what was really happening.
Despite the palpable concern in the air, Samaelas silenced them all with a burning fervor in his eyes, signaling that he was not to be interrupted.
Without any interruptions, Samaelas pulled out a quill from nowhere, a quill unlike any other, one that shimmered with an otherworldly aura.
The moment it appeared though, the very fabric of the void split open, revealing a crack from which flickered ominous flashes of purple light. It seemed like whatever dangerous line he had been treading had snapped.
Pashupati's eyes widened in shock, his pupils constricting to pinholes as a sudden realization struck him.
Before he could react, an overwhelming pressure descended upon them all, stifling any movement, leaving them rooted to the spot as if time itself had frozen.
With great effort, Samaelas, his form now infused with the power of the quill; Infinity's Edge, cocked his head upwards, his gaze locking onto the crack as though he could see into the very heart of the void beyond it.
A defiant harrumph escaped his lips, followed by a victorious smirk that spread into a grin, challenging something beyond their comprehension.
Before anyone could fully grasp what was happening, Samaelas, empowered by the artifact, moved toward Kallen with phantom-like speed.
But just as he approached, a brilliant purple beam shot out from the crack, faster than any of them could register.
It struck Samaelas with an incomprehensible force, and though he had activated Infinity's Edge, his weakened state made it impossible for him to wield its full power. He was quickly overwhelmed, his expression twisting from triumph into sheer terror.
Suddenly, a figure appeared before Samaelas, ethereal and translucent, shimmering with an iridescent glow that seemed to encompass every color imaginable.
The figure's presence was both beautiful and terrifying, a beacon of power beyond comprehension. With a mere touch, the figure absorbed Samaelas, the quill, and the purple light in a single, effortless motion.
Pashupati, and the others stood frozen, bound by the overwhelming pressure, their minds struggling to process what they had just witnessed.
The figure raised his gaze, his piercing silver eyes dauntless and cold. Just then, another surge of purple energy shot down from the crack in the void, disappearing into the figure as he consumed it entirely.
A fleeting moment of stillness followed, but the crack expanded, unleashing a massive, intense beam that descended upon him. The figure still took in head on, devouring it, though this time, the sheer force pushed him back, albeit slowly.
The crack widened yet again, unleashing a fierce red beam alongside the purple one. The figure fought against the energy, devouring it, but was pushed back faster, his resistance faltering under the immense pressure.
While he was still struggling, the beam surged to enormous size, becoming a multicolored torrent that struck him with overwhelming force.
Space tore like paper at the point of impact, and the figure was hurled out at breakneck speed.
Their form reverted to a familiar sky-blue soul color— now unconscious, hurtling toward an odd yellow and green portal
The crack in the void closed up as suddenly as it had appeared, and with it, the overwhelming pressure, and Samaelas was gone... same as Kallen.
"Noooooo!" the archons cried out simultaneously, their voices filled with fear, confusion, despair, and desperation.
Pashupati stood rooted to the spot, his face grim, his mind racing with thoughts that only deepened his confusion and unease.
_'Yaldabaoth… that fool… what was he even thinking? He created a system from his own divinity? What was he also trying to do? Possess a mortal soul?'_
He gritted his teeth in anger, his thoughts growing darker. Then he looked around, and Kallen was gone.
_'Huh? Don't tell me... Impossible! He's a human, there's no way he can be that. How could he devour universal tribulation and annihilation beams?'
_'Did he die instead? Mortals can't transfigure, so it's a good possibility. But thinking about before... No, the first time was just a slight change in color, possibly due to absorbing the divinities, but this… this is different.'
_'There was no aura then, just… nothing. But now… No, it's impossible'_
With a grim sigh, he allowed his thoughts to trail off, his mind too overwhelmed to continue.
_'I have to report this'_ he thought.
The archons remained silent, their expressions etched with a mixture of horror and disbelief as they stared at the now-closed void.
A ripple spread across the universe and many who had been in the shadows began to surface.
Pashupati lingered for a while before vanishing, his location unknown, leaving the archons to their own devices.
Lost and terrified, all they could do was stand in the aftermath, grappling with the implications of what had just transpired.