A Coincidence... or A Conspiracy?

[The five finally arrived, their exhaustion evident, but relief flickered in their eyes. As soon as SAIFUR saw TACKLER, he rushed forward, wrapping him in a tight hug. The tension that had built over their separation melted slightly as the group exchanged words, reconnecting after everything they had been through.]

[But the atmosphere shifted the moment TACKLER laid eyes on ECTO. Without hesitation, he pointed his sword at him.]

TACKLER: He'll get us out? I'm out. Nope.

[ECTO sighed, his expression unreadable.]

ECTO: "I'm not sorry for that jerk. He started the fight, not me."

[While the others listened, AQUA was fixated on something else entirely. She turned to STELLER, her eyes desperate, her voice pleading.]

AQUA: "STELLER! Please, tell me how you came back! I can't wait anymore!"

[STELLER raised a hand in a calming gesture.]

STELLER: Not now, AQUA. It's not the time. I'll tell you all when we return.]

BAPO's face lit up in realization & says: "I know! It's the leaf that revived you, right?"

HOUND scoffed:  "No shit, Sherlock."

[SAIFUR nudged TACKLER, his tone firm but not unkind.]

SAIFUR: "C'mon, TACKLER, admit it was your fault."

[TACKLER crossed his arms defiantly.]

TACKLER: "No way! If I hadn't sacrificed my hand, I would've defeated this guy."

[HOUND narrowed his eyes at ECTO. ]

HOUND: "Why is this guy helping us to begin with?"

[STELLER remained neutral, said: You are free to stay.

[HOUND's face twisted with frustration, his voice sharp.]

HOUND: "Fine! I'll go! I didn't have any problem since the start."

AQUA smirked at TACKLER: "You sure had some nerve taking someone on while you were still at the basics."

BAPO grinned, throwing fuel on the fire. "Someone's crying for getting whooped."

STELLER held up her hand: "I don't know the details, so I'll pass my dialogue on this one."

[TACKLER exhaled, glancing around. Seeing that everyone was against him, he grumbled.]

TACKLER: "Fine… My fault… Let's get with it."

[With the dispute settled, all eyes turned to ECTO.]

"You all ready?" ECTO asked, his voice serious. "I'll open it. You have one minute to leave. After that, I won't be able to open it again."

HOUND narrows his eyes: "Why?"

ECTO validates: "Even I have a limit. I won't be able to open one for another day."

SAIFUR hesitates: "What about you? You'll be alone in this world."

ECTO flicked SAIFUR's forehead lightly: "I'm not that easy to kill. Rest assured."

[No one said anything after that. The silence was heavy, but there was no turning back.]

BAPO finally broke it: "Open it."

[ECTO raised his hands and performed a hand sign, drawing a dark black circle in the air. The rain had stopped pouring, the silence before departure settling in.]

"Let's get out of here," HOUND said.

—

[The scene cut to Thebe, watching through the screen, his heart pounding in his chest.]

THEBE: "Oh god! We ARE GOING HOME! LET'S GOO!!!"

[he cheered, his eyes shining with hope.]

[But beside him, a voice cut through his excitement.]

IT: "Who the heck is that guy opening the PORTAL!??" IT asked, his tone laced with suspicion.

Thebe glances:  "I don't know, but we're going home thanks to him!"

[IT remained silent for a moment before speaking again.]

IT: "I can't allow you guys to return."

THEBE blinked. "What?"

"If I let you all leave now, the chain will cease."

[A chill ran down Thebe's spine.]

THEBE: "What chain? To kill OP User? Nah, we ain't doing that."

IT: "ECTO is an anomaly in this chain. He should not be there. But… I saw him enter this world, so I've made preparations to halt it." His voice remained eerily calm.

[Thebe's breath caught. He turned to IT, his voice laced with worry.]

THEBE: "What… preparations?"

[IT didn't answer immediately. Instead, he spoke with unsettling conviction.]

IT: "Trust me… It's not good for you to leave now. And it's not good for me if you leave now. Have you even thought about how YOU will leave? Look at it—the portal opened for them, not for you."

[The realization struck Thebe hard. His breath quickened. His own brother wasn't stopping for him. No one was stopping for him. He was going to be left behind.]

[The voice slithered closer, tempting.]

IT: "Well, don't you think you should stop them until you find a way out of here?"

[Thebe didn't answer for a while. His hands clenched into fists.]

THEBE: "Yeah… Being here alone will be hard on me…"

[The voice hummed approvingly.]

IT: "Yes. And you won't be able to take on OP User alone. So, what do you think you should do?"

[Thebe felt the weight of his decision pressing down on him. Whatever he chose now would have a great impact on his life.]

[As he wrestled with his thoughts, IT watched him, a devious smile creeping across his deformed face.]

[The scene cut back to the six cousins and Ecto, who were heading back home.]

[All of a sudden, Aqua hit a realization.]

AQUA: "Hey… What about Thebe?"

ECTO groaned in frustration. "Now who the heck is THE BE?"

[Saifur, Bapo, Tackler, Steller, and Hound all froze, their expressions shifting as they realized Thebe was still trapped in this world.]

SAIFUR's mind raced. Why didn't I realize it…?

ECTO sighed. "Just… tell me where he is, and I'll open a portal for him as well."

[Everyone looked at SAIFUR.]

SAIFUR threw up his hands. "Why are you guys looking at me?! I don't know… A-ask Aqua, she was with me…"

ECTO snapped impatiently. "A smallest hint will work. Quick with words!"

[SAIFUR's heart pounded. The portal would only stay open for one minute. He blurted out the first thing that came to mind.]

SAIFUR exclaimed:"A glitch! A glitch swallowed Thebe, and then he disappeared… Something like that!"

ECTO smirked. "Found him."

[They all gaped at him in disbelief. None of them had been able to track THEBE, yet ECTO had pinpointed him just from hearing about the glitch.]

STELLER stammered, "A-a-amazing…"

ECTO rolled his eyes: "Thank me later. Now, GET YOUR ASSES THROUGH THE PORTAL, IT'S GONNA CLOSE IN 30 SECONDS!"

.

.

[When Thebe was deep in thought, a portal opened up, identical to the one opened for Tackler and the others. Thebe's heart leaped. This was his chance.]

"Here's my decision," he muttered, sprinting toward the portal. But before he could reach it, IT's clawed hand grabbed his leg, yanking him down. A sharp burn flared through Thebe's skin, and IT recoiled, its hand sizzling where it touched him.]

"What was that?" IT murmured.

[Gritting his teeth, Thebe pushed forward, ignoring the pain. But just as he neared the portal, IT materialized in front of him.]

IT sneered:"Now, now, why don't we talk this over?" 

THEBE glared. "You know I won't listen to you. Why are you even trying?"

IT: "I'm not trying to make you understand," it's voice darkened. "I'm telling you—you can't leave."

THEBE smirked. "Oh yeah? You realize that time doesn't exist here, right? The portal isn't going anywhere."

IT chuckled. "You won't last a second against me."

"Try it."

[THEBE lunged forward, but IT disappeared from the portal's edge. Confused, Thebe turned, spotting IT standing casually at his side.]

 IT taunted: "Go on"

[Thebe didn't hesitate. He bolted through the portal, closing his eyes in anticipation.]

[But when he opened them… he was still there. The portal had vanished.]

His stomach dropped: "What…?"

[IT's voice was laced with amusement.]

IT: "I glitched the portal. Losing the other six is a fair trade, but keeping you here… guarantees we'll win against HIM."

[Thebe's breath came fast and shallow, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He stared at the shifting figure before him, the entity that had taunted him, stopped him, and now threatened to trap him here forever.]

THEBE: Hey, I don't know your name… Who are you?

IT: That's a funny question. I don't have a name…

[THEBE narrowed his eyes. That answer unsettled him more than it should have. But he had no time to dwell on it.]

[With a sudden burst of speed, Thebe lunged at IT, his entire body surging forward like a bolt of lightning. IT twisted its form, shifting to avoid the charge, but Thebe anticipated the movement. Instead of colliding, he abruptly stopped and flicked his finger against IT's distorted form.

A ripple spread across IT's body, distorting it for a brief second. Thebe didn't wait to see the result—he turned and sprinted toward the portal.]

THEBE thoughts: If I can make direct contact, I can disrupt the glitch. I can fix the portal.

[He was close. The swirling gateway pulsed in front of him, his escape finally within reach. His muscles burned, his lungs screamed for air, but he pushed forward.]

THEBE: I CAN DO THIS!

[He leaped through the portal, the sensation of crossing through washing over him like static surging through his veins. He squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the shift—

—And then, nothing.]

[His feet hit solid ground.]

[His stomach dropped.]

[Slowly, hesitantly, he opened his eyes.]

[He was still there & the portal had vanished.]

THEBE: What...?

-------------------

[SCENE CUTS TO THE 6 COUSINS]

SAIFUR thinks happily: THEBE, I can't wait to meet you again!!

[As they all began to walk through the portal, all of a sudden, Bapo's body stiffened, and a guttural scream tore from his throat. His hands clawed at his temples as his eyes flickered from red to pitch black.]

Tackler's breath hitched. "Bapo?! What's wrong?"

[TACKLER glanced around, but none of the others seemed to notice the eerie shift in Bapo's eyes. A creeping dread crawled up his spine.]

[Then, just as suddenly as it began, Bapo's eyes returned to normal. His breathing was heavy, but he was… sane.]

[TACKLER was sweating in worry, he swallowed hard, steadying himself.]

TACKLER: "Bapo? You okay? Bud?"

[Without warning, BAPO shoved everyone aside and bolted toward the portal.]

AQUA laughs in relief. "Oh… He's just rushing to the portal; he really had us worried…"

HOUND sighed. "Seriously…"

[But Steller's breath hitched, her vision clouding over with a chilling premonition.]

[The future unraveled before her eyes.]

[Four seconds.]

STELLER: "SHIT! NO!" she screamed, lunging forward and grabbing for Bapo's bag handle. But she was too late.

[As the others turned, their blood ran cold.]

[BAPO stood motionless, his hand still gripped around the hilt of his sword, deep red blood dripping from it, they stiffed up in fear as they found ECTO's dead body at his feet. The portal—their way home—was gone...]

[Silence. Pure, suffocating silence.]

BAPO didn't move.

He just stood there....

---------------------x------------------------------------x----------------------------------------x------------------------------------x-------------------