Unexpected Reveal, Shocking Finale

Aiden, within Podbe in his Galactic Wolf form, retraced the path he had taken the last time he entered. This time, however, he knew that Chad —the mental manifestation of his father— was the only way he could face him directly. In reality, Chad was in a coma, floating in a tube, unreachable now that Nick knew his true name.

He began to call out, his voice echoing through the flooded hallways: "Reia! Chad! Where are you guys?" His feet splashed in the water as he moved forward, soaking his ankles. "It's always like this every time Podbe transforms into his Galactic Wolf form," he muttered to himself in frustration. "This place turns into a complete mess, like an endless labyrinth."

As Aiden searched for Podbe's control center and tried to locate his friends, he stumbled upon a wall that hadn't been there before. Just as he stopped to examine it, he saw a cloud in the shape of a woman pass by, similar to the one he had seen in his mind during his first journey through the portals. That's when he remembered the time he had to choose between two paths to activate his portal powers. The feminine cloud turned toward him and gestured with her hand, inviting him to follow.

Aiden started chasing her, but the cloud moved faster than seemed possible. "Wait for me!" he shouted, though she only responded with ethereal laughter that echoed in the damp air.

Suddenly, he crashed into some kind of invisible wall that he hadn't noticed in time. "Ouch!" He rubbed his head, frowning.

"Oops! So sorry," said the cloud, partially materializing amidst swirling vapors. "I thought you could pass through objects."

Then, she opened a hidden door in front of him. Aiden stepped inside and realized he was in the control center, the same place he'd been before. But this time, something was different: inside the transparent tubes were Reia and Chad, suspended in what appeared to be a motionless state.

"Why are they like this?" Aiden asked the cloud, pointing at his friends.

The cloud simply replied calmly: "That's something you'll have to figure out on your own." And before he could ask another question, she dissipated into the air as if she had never been there.

"Thanks for nothing," Aiden grumbled, crossing his arms. He looked at Reia and Chad trapped in the tubes, feeling utterly lost. "And now what do I do? Break the tubes? I don't know if that's safe..."

Just as those words left his lips, a deep voice resonated behind him: "If you do that, you'll probably kill them."

Aiden spun around quickly, startled. Standing before him was Podbe, now in his human form—or at least the form he believed he had when inside his mind.

"Relax, it's me!" said Podbe, raising his hands in a gesture of peace.

"Podbe! What are you doing here? You nearly gave me a heart attack," Aiden scolded, placing a hand over his chest.

"Well, well, sorry about that," Podbe replied with a mischievous grin. "Why are you this way? And why are they like that?" Aiden asked, pointing at Reia and Chad.

Podbe paused dramatically before answering: "I don't have the answer to either of those questions."

"Of course not typical of you," Aiden huffed, rolling his eyes. "The good thing is Reia isn't awake, because if she were, she'd shock you with a couple of electric jolts."

"Well, don't get too excited," Podbe retorted with a chuckle. "Right now I look just like you, a regular guy… well, at least in my mind."

"Yeah, but your mind gets all scrambled or messed up when you're like this," Aiden pointed out sarcastically.

"That's what I've noticed," Podbe admitted with a shrug. Then he added, "Anyway, how are we going to get them out of this? Didn't you say you needed to talk to Chad?"

"Aha! So you want to talk to Chad, or do you really want to talk to your father?" Podbe asked, arching an eyebrow playfully.

Aiden lowered his gaze, his voice trembling. "It's the same… I have questions for him. Like… why did he abandon me?"

Podbe fell silent for a moment before replying: "He didn't even know you existed anymore. We went over this already, Aiden. Remember what your other grandfather, Zeus—or Milo, or whatever he calls himself now—said."

"Yeah, you're right about that," Aiden responded with a frustrated sigh, trying to process the emotions overwhelming him.

"But I have his voice… Why don't you ask me instead?" Podbe asked, staring intently at Aiden.

"It's not the same, Podbe," Aiden quickly shot back, changing the subject. "Well then, how do we wake them up? Why don't you sit in the chair? Or are you still scared after everything that happened to you?" Podbe teased between laughs, clearly enjoying the moment.

"No, it's not that. I think I've gotten over it," Aiden assured him, though his tone betrayed a hint of insecurity. "There has to be a way to free them."

At that moment, a button emerged from the floor with an inscription that read: Press Here.

"What do you think? Should we press it, Aiden?"

"If there's no other option… though it's weird that it appeared out of nowhere. Plus, the cloud was here earlier," Aiden commented, frowning distrustfully.

"The cloud?" Podbe raised an eyebrow, confused.

"That is strange," the dog-boy added.

However, before Aiden could stop him, Podbe had already pressed the button, driven by his innate puppy-like instincts and curiosity.

"Wait, Podbe!" Aiden shouted, but it was too late. As soon as the button was pressed, the lights in the room blazed on, bathing everything in a flashing red glow. An alarm blared loudly throughout the space: "Danger! Danger! Containment tubes deactivated!"

Both tubes burst open suddenly, and Reia and Chad fell to the ground with a thud.

"Podbe! What happened?" Aiden exclaimed, looking for answers. But Podbe didn't respond. Instead of words, all Aiden heard were barks.

"Podbe! Did you turn into a dog in your mind? What's going on now?"

Reia and Chad began to stir slowly, recovering from the impact. They greeted Aiden and Podbe with a mix of confusion and relief.

"What happened?" Reia asked as she got up, brushing imaginary dust off her clothes.

Aiden quickly explained: "You were in those tubes, but when we pressed the button, they opened. And Podbe turned back into his dog form… now he's only making sounds, you know, barks."

"I see," Chad said thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "Maybe this time I need to be inside that tube to regain my voice."

"I wonder if it's because Chad's real body is nearby," Reia mused aloud, glancing at the screens displaying cryptic data.

"Chad!" Aiden shouted, rushing toward the man and hugging him tightly.

"Wow! And what's this for?" Chad asked, bewildered but visibly moved by the gesture.

"Well… don't you remember anything yet?" Aiden asked, pulling back slightly to look him in the eyes.

"Honestly, no, kid. Some things are still blurry in my mind," Chad admitted, hesitating a little before strengthening his voice. "Why? Who am I to you?"

"Your real name isn't Chad… it's Nick," Aiden said, his voice trembling as if saying it aloud was a revelation he still struggled to fully grasp.

"Alright… and also, you're…" Aiden paused, the words stuck in his throat as he fought to find the courage to continue. Finally, he took a deep breath and blurted it out: "You're my father. Or well, a mental version of him."

"My name is Nick? Well, that's definitely better than Chad," the man joked lightly, trying to ease the weight of the moment. However, his expression soon softened, taking on a more serious tone. "So I'm really your father? What fantastic news!" His voice filled with genuine emotion as he returned Aiden's hug with sincere enthusiasm. "I've always wanted to have a son."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Aiden replied, smiling shyly. "I've always wanted to belong to a family… Knowing you're alive brings me so much joy. And I hope we can find Mom someday too."

"Your mother must have been an incredible woman to have had such a beautiful boy," Chad said with a proud smile, looking at Aiden affectionately.

"Well… I never met her," Aiden responded softly, lowering his gaze.

"Guys!" Reia interrupted suddenly, grabbing everyone's attention. Her tone was urgent. "This isn't the time for this. We need to prepare."

All eyes turned to the flickering screens displaying warnings. A message stood out in red letters: "Imminent danger. A massive destructive force is detected approaching."

Moments earlier, outside in an area far from Drake's group, Milo was heard coldly declaring: "It's an order." Immediately, all the cables surrounding Geros began to transform into sharp needles. Silently, they started to drain the entity's lifeforce, a process so quiet that it went unnoticed by the others… until Adora noticed something strange.

"What's happening to that thing?" she pointed out, watching as Geros's body seemed to slowly evaporate.

"It's true," Ezequiel interjected, stepping closer with concern. "Why is its body deteriorating?"

"I think it's those cables attached to it," Adrian suggested, furrowing his brow as he analyzed the situation.

"But what are they doing to it?" Eduard asked, visibly alarmed.

"Look where those cables lead," Aragon instructed, returning after being knocked away earlier. His voice was steady, though he still showed signs of pain. "They went toward where Podbe sent Milo," he added, glancing at Drake, who was already recovering.

"But what are you doing to yourself, Milo?" Adia shouted, approaching with several swords ready to strike. Her tone was a mix of anger and worry.

"Fools," Milo replied disdainfully, as sharp needles began piercing his own body, injecting dark energy into his system. "If you couldn't defeat me before, now you'll witness something far more powerful than that overgrown mutt." His voice dripped with arrogance, and his eyes glimmered with a blend of pain and determination as he directly referenced Podbe's Galactic Wolf form.

With a scream of immense agony, Milo began absorbing all of Geros's power sources. The energy surged into him like an uncontrollable torrent, enveloping him in a pulsating, dark aura.

"I've found a way to achieve absolute power, and today I'll put it to the test," Milo declared with a sinister smile.

"Stop, brother! Don't do this! Just surrender!" Drake pleaded, rushing toward him in desperation. Though Milo had become a villain, he was still family. Drake wasn't someone who held grudges easily.

But Milo ignored his words. With one final roar, his body was encased in a dark cocoon that began glowing intensely, as if something monstrous was about to emerge.

"But what is that?!" Reia exclaimed, staring at the screens showing Milo breaking free from the cocoon surrounding him. Her eyes reflected a mix of awe and fear at the power emerging before them.

When the emergency alarm blared and the imminent danger alert flashed, and noticing that the Galactic Wolf remained motionless, Chad—or rather, the mental version of Nick—made a decision. "Yes, we need to address this, kid... I mean, son," he said firmly, correcting himself as he looked at Aiden with determination. "But we'll come back to the hugs and all that later."

"But... what if this is the last time I see you? You're actually in a coma," Aiden replied, his voice trembling as he pointed to one of the screens displaying the tube where the real Nick lay connected. His eyes began to well up with tears as he spoke.

The tube where Chad had been earlier suddenly lit up, as if waiting for something.

"I think that's why Podbe isn't talking," Reia remarked thoughtfully. "Though that's strange," she added, recalling that last time both could communicate without any issues.

Seeing the illuminated tube, Chad understood what he had to do. Though part of him wanted to stay a little longer to talk with Aiden, he knew there was no time to waste.

"Listen, boy," Chad said, placing a hand on Aiden's shoulder. "This isn't goodbye. It's just 'see you later.' I promise we'll meet again."

Aiden nodded slowly, though tears continued to roll down his cheeks. He knew Chad was right, but that didn't make it any easier to let him go.

Chad walked toward the tube, pausing for a moment to glance back. "Thank you for everything, son," he said with a sincere smile before stepping into the tube, which closed behind him with a flash of light.

"I understand," Aiden said calmly, though a shadow of doubt crossed his face.

"Well, I don't know if my name is Chad... but from the bottom of my heart, I know your father will love you just as much as I hope he wakes up from that slumber. Remember, I'm a part of him." He placed a warm hand on Aiden's shoulder and, with paternal tenderness, wiped away the tears streaming down his cheeks. "Dry those tears, lad. I know you'll get to meet him in person someday."

To Aiden's surprise, Chad leaned down and kissed him on the forehead—a gesture laden with affection and farewell. "I'd better step into that tube, as that arrow indicates, so your friend Podbe can talk again," he added as he walked toward the illuminated tube.

"No, wait!" Aiden shouted, his voice trembling with sadness.

"I'm fine, lad," Chad replied with a reassuring smile before entering the tube. The door closed behind him with a soft hiss, leaving Aiden frozen in place in front of the now-sealed structure.

"Your full name is Nick… Nick West," Aiden murmured finally, as if saying it aloud was a way to hold onto the truth.

"So, Nick West," the man repeated from inside the tube, offering a faint smile as a liquid substance began to fill the compartment, slowly enveloping him until his eyes closed, and he sank into a deep sleep.

"My voice is back, and so is my form," Podbe announced with evident relief, looking at his restored human hands. However, his face betrayed unease. "But why did this happen? Could it be those marks on your forehead?" Reia asked, pointing to the crescent-shaped symbols on Podbe's brow. Questions piled up, but answers remained elusive.

"There's no time," Aiden interrupted abruptly, his gaze fixed on the screens showing a figure emerging from the dark cocoon. "That thing that came out of the cocoon is approaching. Podbe, get to your post."

When the cocoon finally shattered, what emerged froze the blood of everyone present. It was a humanoid creature, but distorted beyond any human comprehension. Its face bore four eyes: two were human-like, while the other two, positioned above them, resembled those of some alien insect. It wore a tight red suit that accentuated its grotesque musculature, and its legs, covered in thick, wild fur, evoked the limbs of a beast. Its height was colossal, comparable to the Galactic Wolf form Podbe had taken just moments before.

With inhuman speed, the creature lunged directly toward the wolf. From its back sprouted electrified, shadowy tentacles that ensnared Podbe's legs and muzzle, immobilizing him completely. The creature's gaze radiated pure malevolence, as if every fiber of its being were designed to sow chaos and destruction.

"This is your end," it growled in a guttural, almost supernatural voice that echoed like a demonic reverberation. Instantly, half of its hands transformed into bright, lightning-like rays reminiscent of the Greek god Zeus himself. With a devastating motion, it hurled those rays at the wolf, splitting it in two with an explosion of energy that illuminated the entire battlefield.

"Podbe, Aiden, no!" their friends screamed in unison, especially Adia and Drake, who had just uncovered the truth about their bond with Aiden. Their voices resonated with a mix of desperation and fury, unable to accept what they had just witnessed.