CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 48 – THE SKY ABOVE (PART 2)

Chapter 48 – The Sky Above (Part 2)

If one were told that the sky would one day rip open before their eyes, they would immediately think it a joke. After all, how could the sky physically be torn open? It was not a real fabric or tangible object to be held and reshaped.

Even more than that — what could one even see inside a torn sky? Would it be a darkness unlike anything before? A ceaseless light that blinds and consumes? There was no real answer to those questions, as nobody had ever seen such a thing.

Yet, at that moment, many people around the world realized the answer. Before their eyes, the clear night sky had an unimaginably large tear in it. A tear so wide, it spanned the entire field of view down to the horizon beyond. The sky looked as if it had been cut with scissors — jagged in some areas and smooth in others.

Within this new sky, all they saw were grim, washed-out colors mixing and clashing violently. It looked like colossal, colorful clouds, with lightning beating through them in fury. Each clash created a loud, thunderous beat that shook bones and froze bodies — and with each beat, an incomprehensibly powerful wave of pure Aether swept the world, seeping into its very core.

"AGH!" Luna grunted as she was pushed back several feet by the sheer force of the energy. She could barely stay on her feet, the pain of bearing that energy overwhelming.

BADUMP

"AGH!! J... ACK! Where are you?!" she yelled, looking around desperately. Eventually, she spotted a silhouette standing on the wall. Swallowing her pain, she forced herself forward toward him. In her mind, countless questions screamed unanswered.

"..." The boy stared at the torn sky in complete silence. Even as the waves slammed into him, he merely squinted before looking up again. "Is this the evolution you were talking about, Liliana?"

BADUMP

"Indeed. This is what happens when a world is introduced to Aether. The world has torn its atmosphere to allow more and more Aether to come in. Its hunger for this energy will only grow from now on, and the changes will be violent and abrupt — happening randomly."

’I can feel the Aether around me increasing rapidly. It’s so odd...’ Exhaling a pained breath, Jack let his senses roam. Each wave left behind an immense residue of energy that lingered in the atmosphere. While there was no visible destruction to buildings or structures, the waves were scarring the world deeply — and Jack could feel it.

’These deep scars will eventually show their effects...’

BADUMP

"Jack!!"

At that moment, the boy heard Luna’s voice from below. Turning around, he called back, "Is everyone good inside?"

"I think so. I left the others to come after you."

"You can go back inside. I’ll come in a second."

BADUMP

Another wave swept through, making Jack stumble, nearly falling under Luna’s worried gaze.

"You can’t stand up there, Jack! It’s too dangerous! We don’t know what’s going on with the sky — it could be another monster attacking!"

"No... Tsk, it’s fine. I think this is just the world changing due to Aether. I can feel the atmosphere shifting. It’s not a monster."

"The world... is changing?"

Staring up at the torn sky, Luna realized what he meant. She already knew that Aether surrounded them — and the fact that the world was receiving more of it could only mean one thing.

"Is that going to affect everything, Jack?"

More Aether, meant more power, and more power, meant more chaos. That was the logic Luna followed, and she was almost certain of that.

"...I fear yes..." he replied. "Monsters and humans alike — we’ll be evolving faster than before. I’m afraid we’ll be seeing stronger and stronger enemies soon. Ones that will make what we’ve fought so far seem weak."

It wouldn’t just be monsters. Trees, plants, and every living organism would absorb Aether and begin to evolve. While this change hadn’t yet begun, Jack was certain it wouldn’t take long before true disasters struck.

’This world will become completely unrecognizable before anyone even realizes it.’

The pulses were growing more rapid, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. At this point, Jack’s body had started adapting — each time they struck, his muscles tightened. It was still painful, but he could now stand against it.

"For how long will this continue, Liliana?"

"Could be hours, days, even weeks. It depends on how much Aether the world can absorb before it finally stops — for the time being."

"...And when it stops?"

"That’s when everything you just said, and more, will happen. You’ll have to brace yourself. It won’t be easy." Liliana’s tone turned serious. "You will be tested."

"..."

"And those who aren’t ready will face their demise. There’s no other way."

As the wind rustled his hair and the cold bit at his skin, Jack stood there quietly, contemplating her words. Exhaling a long breath, he finally turned and descended from the wall, rushing back inside.

The situation within the base was utter chaos. People were crying in fear at the scenes outside.

"The rapture! It’s the rapture!"

"...When will this nightmare end... When... when?!"

"Mommy, sniff I’m scared..."

"Everything will be okay, honey... Everything will be okay..."

Even the general sat in a corner, staring blankly out the window at the sky. His hands gripped his hat, trembling subtly.

"Jack!"

Immediately, Jack’s group surrounded him.

"What the hell is that outside? Why is the sky like that?"

"I don’t know for certain," Jack replied, "but if I had to guess, it’s most likely a process Earth is going through. It’s absorbing Aether from somewhere else to continue evolving."

"What?! The Earth is evolving like us?!" Emi blurted.

"Your voice," Jack warned quietly. "I think so. These pulses of Aether... they’re making the atmosphere far more Aether-rich."

"That’s... true. I felt it earlier," Alex said. "What could that mean, Jack?"

"It means we’ll be facing a lot more trouble soon. The Undead and all other creatures will get stronger — much faster. That’s why we can’t stagnate or wait. All of you will need to keep getting stronger while hunting more and more abominations. Unless you wish to die."

"..."

"Also, there’s a change of plans," he continued. "We’ll focus on getting most people in this base to awaken their powers so they can fight too. I have a bad feeling about this, and I don’t think it’s wise to just let them sit idle."

Originally, Jack planned to leave that task to the military — but with what he’d just seen, he couldn’t trust those incompetent idiots to do it in time. He had to make these civilians into actual fighters, and fast.

’Expanding this base isn’t an option anymore... It’s mandatory. We can’t remain in this one building — or everyone will die.’

Even as he tried to process everything, Jack knew one thing for certain: he had to act — and quickly. There was no time to think and contemplate, he had to get stronger, and get everyone around him stronger too, so he doesn’t end up bearing all the weight alone and hinder his progress. All of that needed to happen in the span of days, possibly less.

After all, the moment the sky above was torn apart... it marked the beginning of a ticking clock.