The City Beneath the Red Sky

Every star in the Milky Way flickered. · For exactly one second. · Scientists across thousands of worlds froze in confusion. · Then came the shockwave. · An invisible pulse erupted from Earth and crossed galaxies faster than light itself. · Civilizations thought judgment day had arrived. · Entire alien fleets lost power. · Dimensional gates collapsed. · And in Neo-Eden… · The oceans rose hundreds of feet into the air. · Ronnie stood inside the shattered vault holding the black blade. · The chains had exploded into dust. · His body radiated crimson energy so violent that gravity itself distorted around him. · Rajan shielded his eyes. · Their father dropped to one knee. · Not from injury. · From pressure. · Marcus McGuire — the strongest warrior of the old age — could barely breathe near his own son. · Ronnie looked down at the sword. · The weapon had changed shape. · It was no longer black. · Now it glowed dark red like burning blood. · Symbols appeared along its edge. · Ancient symbols. · The language of the First Gods. · Then the blade spoke. · “Finally…” · Its voice echoed inside everyone’s minds. · “I am free.” · Ronnie’s grin faded. · “You can talk?” · The sword laughed. · A terrible laugh. · “I have consumed galaxies, child. Speech is beneath me.” · Rajan instantly stepped forward. · “Drop the weapon.” · The air became cold. · The sword noticed Rajan for the first time. · Then suddenly— · Silence. · Even the weapon stopped speaking. · “…you…” · The blade trembled. · “…why do you carry THAT inside you?” · Rajan’s eyes narrowed. · “What are you talking about?” · The sword did not answer. · Because for the first time in billions of years… · It felt fear. · Without warning, the underground vault began collapsing. · Massive cracks spread through the walls. · Emergency alarms screamed. · Marcus grabbed both brothers. · “We’re leaving NOW!” · The three launched upward through miles of earth in a flash of light. · BOOOOOOM! · Neo-Eden’s entire underground district exploded behind them. · Citizens watched in horror as a pillar of crimson energy pierced the heavens. · Clouds split apart across the planet. · Far away, hidden on a drifting fortress between dimensions… · The Sovereign Council gathered. · Twelve beings sat around a circular chamber forged from star matter. · Each one was legendary. · Each one had conquered worlds. · Yet all of them looked uneasy. · “The God Killer has awakened.” · “And one of the brothers controls it.” · A woman covered in silver armor leaned forward. · “Then we eliminate them now.” · “No,” said the council leader. · “You didn’t feel it?” · The chamber fell quiet. · The old leader’s hands trembled. · “That wasn’t merely power.” · He looked toward Earth through the dimensional screen. · “That was destiny.” · Back in Neo-Eden, Ronnie floated above the city with the blade resting on his shoulder. · People below stared in awe. · Cars floated into the sky from the pressure around him. · Windows shattered for miles. · Lightning spiraled around his body like dragons. · Then Rajan rose into the air opposite him. · Calm. · Silent. · Dangerous. · Unlike Ronnie’s explosive aura, Rajan’s energy was invisible. · But the sky reacted anyway. · Storms stopped moving. · Sound disappeared. · Reality itself seemed to hold its breath around him. · Ronnie smirked. · “You wanna test it?” · Rajan answered immediately. · “Yes.” · Their father’s eyes widened. · “WAIT—” · Too late. · The brothers vanished simultaneously. · BOOOOOOOOOOM! · The impact split the clouds across the entire hemisphere. · Ronnie swung the God Killer downward. · Rajan blocked it with his bare hand. · The collision created rings of energy visible from space. · Cities shook. · Volcanoes erupted across distant islands. · Ronnie laughed wildly. · “There you are!” · Rajan pushed him backward with a shockwave. · “You’re getting sloppy.” · Ronnie recovered instantly, slashing again faster than light. · Rajan dodged by inches. · The sword barely missed Earth’s atmosphere— · —and sliced the moon in half. · Silence. · Everyone on the planet looked upward. · The moon slowly separated into two burning pieces. · Marcus stared in disbelief. · “They’re going to destroy everything…” · High above the atmosphere, the brothers continued exchanging blows. · Every punch distorted space. · Every movement created storms across continents. · Ronnie swung the blade again. · Rajan caught his wrist. · For the first time, Ronnie’s smile faded. · Because Rajan was overpowering him. · Slowly. · Effortlessly. · “You still rely too much on raw strength,” Rajan said quietly. · Ronnie growled. · “And you talk too much.” · Then Ronnie’s aura exploded. · A second transformation began. · Dark crimson lightning erupted from his skin. · His eyes turned gold. · The God Killer screamed with excitement. · “YES! SHOW HIM!” · Marcus felt terror crawl down his spine. · “That form…” · But Rajan simply stared calmly at his brother. · Then finally— · He released his own power. · The universe shook.