3”25

Ysabel's condition had stabilized, yet she remained in a semi-comatose state, monitored closely to avoid further deterioration. The tension was palpable as the clock ticked down to the mission's critical moment. Bravo Team—Arjus, Ellis and Alasteir—were tasked with guarding Ysabel aboard the mothership. Meanwhile, Alpha Team—Gadriel, Helianthus, Armyt, Carter, and Brady—prepared for the perilous journey through the wormhole.

Gadriel addressed his team with grim resolve. "We are venturing into the unknown realm of Cabala. Our reconnaissance has shown a world engulfed in unrelenting darkness, where only wavelengths of blue light beyond 450 nanometers are not absorbed. We've adapted our sensory glasses to navigate this hostile environment. Additionally, ensure your combat suits are equipped with anti-gravity systems; gravity here is 18 times stronger than Kayron's."

"If we fail," he continued, "Bravo Team will be our last defense against any resurgence. Ysabel is our last resort; awaken her only if absolutely necessary."

Arjus, steadfast and determined, replied, "As you command, my king."

The mission's departure was meticulously timed with the solar flares to obscure their transit. The wormhole opened in the Orion Nebula, and precise calculations allowed Alpha Team to arrive just before the ritual's climax—Titheus's final coordinates indicated a 4-minute window to act before dark queen's transformation into pure darkness.

Brady, ever the emotional leader, took a moment to address General Carter. "I wanted to express how proud I am to have shared this journey with you. I promise to ensure that your names are remembered."

General Carter responded with a grin, "Son, I'm not done fighting yet. I plan to kick some alien ass before I retire. This cause—defending life itself—has made me prouder than any other mission."

Sergeant Brady added with a chuckle, "I agree, General. There's no greater thrill than fighting for a true cause rather than mere profits. And you can bet I'll be selling the rights to my story when I get back!"

Despite the bravado, the gravity of their mission was undeniable. Team Alpha prepared for departure, the weight of their impending battle clear in their eyes. Gadriel, sitting beside Ysabel, whispered softly, "Wait for me, Lisana. I've found you again, and I won't let you go."

The time had come. Team Alpha boarded their spacecraft, their destination the heart of the darkness in the Cabala dimension.

As they arrived near the M42 Nebula, the stargate activated. Two ships were selected for the mission: one to maintain the wormhole, the other to breach the pyramid where their enemy awaited.

Stepping through the gate, Team Alpha found themselves in an awe-inspiring yet foreboding landscape. They were in the shadow of a pitch-black planet, encircled by a swirling asteroid field. The scene was reminiscent of an astral eclipse, where light seemed to be swallowed by the endless void.

The environment was a surreal and oppressive haze. The blackness was so complete that it absorbed all colors, leaving an abyssal darkness that felt almost tangible. The air was thick with a metallic, acrid scent, tinged with the stench of decay and old, forgotten dreams. The ground beneath them was a bleak expanse of shifting, sand-like particles that seemed to whisper as they moved. Disembodied faces floated in the mist, their expressions frozen in eternal queries and their voices echoing cryptic riddles.

The team approached the pyramid, a monolithic structure split into three segments at its peak. The stark contrast between the inky black of the surroundings and the cold, metallic glint of the pyramid was jarring.

Deploying mini spy drones—nanobots capable of morphing into various forms—the team set up a teleportation bridge. These drones, now shaped like tiny insects and relics, infiltrated the pyramid to install the necessary equipment for their entry into the Queen's chamber.

Back on the mothership, Arjus and Ellis monitored the mission until a sudden explosion rocked the ship. Alarms blared, indicating breaches and loss of pressure. The vessel was under attack.

Ellis sprinted towards the medical bay, only to find their path obstructed by flames and debris. Through a viewport, they saw fragments of the mothership drifting away. When they reached the lower decks, they were met with the horrifying sight of the medical bay's complete disappearance, replaced by a magnetic field designed to contain further damage.

The mothership was forced to make an emergency landing on the lunar base. Arjus urgently relayed the situation: "We need to inform Alpha Team. This attack means they know our plans."

Ellis, now deeply concerned, reported, "Commander, we've lost visual on the Queen. A black mist seems to have used the explosion to escape with her regeneration pod. Our pursuit is futile; there's no trace left."

On Cabala, Team Alpha's advance was met with disbelief. They had lost communication, leaving them vulnerable and uncertain. They pressed on, infiltrating the deepest levels of the pyramid, guided by the coordinates they had received. They reached a set of black steel doors.

"We're here," Gadriel whispered, "Sync your vision glasses. We have three minutes and twenty-five seconds before they return."

The team managed to infiltrate the deepest level of the pyramid, and their coordinates brought them before a set of black steel doors. "We've arrived," Gadriel whispered. "Sync your vision glasses now—we have three minutes and twenty-five seconds before they come back.

Helianthus said, "I can open a passageway through the wall to the right of the corridor. The infrared reveals that there is only one presence inside this room."

Uttering a conjuring spell, Helianthus dematerialized a portion of the wall and the group slipped into what appeared to be a royal chamber.

The group entered a sort of parlor, an annex to the bedroom.

Armyt, "Admiral, you too have felt this oppressive force coming from the bedroom?"

The Admiral took a deep breath before responding. "There is a powerful presence in that room. It feels... dark, malevolent. I fear we may be walking into a trap."

Gadriel nodded in agreement. "Yes, I feel it too. It's coming from the back of the chamber, but we all know why we are here, let's move now.

The group halted when they spotted the regeneration pod with the royal insignia. No doubts remained, this was the Queen's pod. Bloodstains from hands were smeared along the walls of the module, visible to all.

Gadriel was furious and shouted, "What have you done with Ysabel?

As the team moved closer to the pod, they could see the black mist swirling around it. Suddenly, the mist dissipated, revealing a dark form. She was unlike anything they had ever seen before. Her skin was a dark, oily black and her eyes glowed a deep red. She was dressed in a robe made of shadows, and her hair was a mass of writhing tendrils.

"Welcome, mortal" she hissed, her voice echoing through the chamber. "I have been expecting you."

The voice seems to coming from all around them, like she was everywhere.

"I am the Darkness," the voice continued. "The one you call the Ominous Void Queen."

The sudden roar of a familiar voice echoed through the room, "Nova, her power has grown too strong for you to defeat her. please leave."

"Enough talk," Armyt's body ignited and she took a step forward with blazing determination, shouting "Chromosphere!" as flames engulfed the room. The temperature skyrocketed and objects melted into a molten puddle on the floor.

Chromosphere was her choice; it was the second layer of the sun that could reach up to 20,000 Kelvin in heat, but she had mainly chosen this spell because Gadriel's power was linked to the sun.

Helianthus quickly cast an elemental shield around the team while Carter and Brady fired phasers at full blast, streams of laser fire tearing through the air all around them.

Gadriel's voice boomed with a thunderous energy, reverberating off the chamber walls as he commanded: "Release Ysabel - NOW!"

Electrical discharges began to form and course through his veins as pupils in his eyes gave way to blinding light.

"Now Armyt!", shouted Gadriel

"Tempest Solar!" yelled Armyt as she unleashed a maelstrom of flames towards the Queen of Darkness. As flames swirled around the room, Gadriel invoked "Pulsaranta", his body suddenly clothed in an aura of raw, pulsating energy. With a split-second's thought, he teleported himself into the firestorm, and it began to sparkle and rage around him with unparalleled intensity.

The intensity of the power only grew stronger, destroying anything that crossed its path.

Helianthus completed the combination with "Cube Parfait". The firecloud collided with its target with devastating force, trapping her inside a prison of pure energy. The resulting explosion was so powerful it could have destroyed entire stars.

The Queen of Darkness was composed entirely of energy so no physical attacks could reach her.

Suddenly all went dark and cold with a single utterance - "Annulation Total" - the chamber returned to darkness and stillness.

"I am the Darkness", you really think you stand a chance against me?

In one swift movement, Armyt appeared behind her and placed both hands on her head, "Ysabel - I see you! follow my voice and return to us!

"Immediately, she slumped down to the floor, assuming human form once more. Ysabel opened her eyes: "My friends! You did it! I've been able to seal her away in a dimension where neither time nor matter exist."

Brady, "Is it all over then?"

The dark Queen, "Yes, it's all over for you!"

A wave of dark matter erupted, sending everyone in the room flying against the walls. The force of the blast had knocked them out, and Gradriel still felt a bit dizzy. A ringing in his ears played as he surveyed the aftermath. Brady's body had been completely disintegrated by the blast, and splatters of blood on the walls were evidence of its violence.

Armyt lay motionless on the ground, part of her body still burning with black flames. Only Helianthus, who had stayed behind, was able to protect himself with a magical shield.

In the center of the room stood the Queen of Darkness, surrounded by a whirlwind of black energy. No trace of Ysabel remained in her gaze; it was as if she were the one who had finally been locked away in a parallel dimension. Another shockwave of dark matter followed, and Helianthus threw himself in front of Armyt to shield her from it.

With one hand he erected a protective magical barrier, and with the other he cast a regeneration spell. Each wave that arrived was more powerful than the last. "I won't be able to hold up this shield much longer while keeping the princess alive."

Carter burst forward like a lightning bolt, activating his exo-armor shield. "There's no time to waste, we have to evacuate the princess!" Each shockwave sent cracks across the barrier. Carter looked back at where Brady stood, "Goodbye, Sergeant - we'll meet again soon, my friend."

Gadriel rose to his feet, part of his body disintegrating on each wave of shock; yet somehow his power of regeneration kept him standing. He slowly approached the Dark Queen. With every movement, his face twisted and contorted, then returned to normal in an instant. The pain he must have been feeling was unimaginable, but his determination was unparalleled.

Arriving to the Queen's side, he spoke with unwavering authority: "I know you can hear me. Fight against this dark force! Look at me. We said together we were stronger. You are not alone - take my hand."

The Queen's face seemed to fluctuate between kind and cruel before she extended her shaking hand. "Gadriel, I'm here but I can't do it - she is too powerful!".

Gadriel then took her hand in his and embraced her tightly. He looked straight into her eyes and smiled fondly as he declared solemnly: "Eternity means nothing without you - if I have to lose you again to seal it I refuse.

Gadriel drew the dagger that Titheus had given him, made of the same metal as the box holding the Stone of Orion, which could nullify any kind of magic. He thrust it through Ysabel, piercing her heart and his own in one motion.

Ysabel's demonic face started to take over once more; her neck elongated to bite Gadriel on his throat.

The Dark Queen, "She's mine!"

Helianthus, "Cube parfait!"

Armyt regained his senses and began the ritual of the "Prayer of Binding," but this spell required far too much energy for the incantation and Armyt was still wounded. Suddenly, an immense heat filled the room, an enormous power erupting from it.

"We sealed you once before and we shall do so again," came the voice of the four Ancient Dragonaute Sovereigns.

Queen Shiondreil, "Join with me, Armyt, in the "Prayer of Binding"!

A dome of light encircled Queen Ysabel and Gadriel and waves of light destroying the walls of the pyramid and illuminating the world of nothingness.

Ysabel returned to her original appearance, still entwined in Gadriel's arms. Her eyes glistened with the moisture of tears and reflected the distant lights beneath her long lashes. "Promise me that we will never be separated."

Gadriel, to find you, I endured hundreds of years of loneliness, no force in the universe can separate us, for we have forged a bond that comes from the heart.

In your arms I have found my home, And I promise to always be by your side...

The two were absorbed into the Orion Stone and the box closed, floating towards the hands of Queen Shiondreil.

Shiondreil, "I will keep it safe in a place where no one can find it."

History will now remember that the survival of the entire universe lies in an act of love, so strong that it defied eternity itself, the story of Great Queen Ysabel and her King Gadriel.