He's Back (G)

He's Back (G) 

Well, as we saw in the previous chapters, 2022 arrived, meaning the 43 years had already passed. With that, Afonso reunited with Sebastião. Meanwhile, Titan was assembling his team of heroes, coincidentally during the same week that Afonso was preparing to leave for the U.S. 

During the week when Titan formed his team, and the other veterans were getting ready to travel, Zoe felt a disturbance in her powers. They weren't functioning properly. What could be causing this? 

There was something only Zoe knew ,neither her brother nor her mother had any idea. 

But uncovering the truth was incredibly difficult because not even the Honored Ones had knowledge of it. So, they began conducting tests on her powers, determining what was limited and what was still possible. Thomas was deeply worried about his sister's condition. He wanted to embark on a mission to resolve it, but all the heroes needed to gather and plan their approach to the great war. 

This took some time ,so much so that Afonso, Genivaldo, José, Wladeírson, and even the Immortals had already arrived at the designated meeting place. Everyone except Harbinger, who had apparently refused Titan's invitation. Yet, the day of war had not yet come, as Thanatos had not given any warnings or attempted to communicate with Afonso. 

So, the teams gathered. In the Honored Ones' control room, they arranged some chairs in the center of the room, and each person introduced themselves, revealing their true names. Some hesitated, wondering if it was too risky. But it was either this or nothing, right? 

Once they had all assembled, after introductions and some socializing, Afonso and Sebastião shared their history with Thanatos. The room filled with tension ,some cried, others felt resentment ,but everyone understood what needed to be done. 

Right after that, Zoe suffered an attack. A small explosion burst from her, causing panic among the group, especially Thomas. Verena quickly asked what could have happened, but no one had an answer. 

"OLÍVIA!" Thomas shouted. 

Verena flinched, turning around with a questioning look, just like the other heroes. 

"You have psychic powers, right?" 

"Y-yes, I do." 

"Then, I don't know… enter her mind and try to figure out what's going on. I know her… She must be hiding something we need to know." 

"Ah… I think I can try…" 

"Thank you. Thank you so much." 

Olívia then "spoke" with Zoe's subconscious and uncovered something crucial: her powers, the light that came to her on that starry night, originated from a planet situated exactly at the center of the galaxy where Earth resides. This meant her powers were failing due to something happening on that planet. 

Olívia informed the others about Zoe's condition. Afonso and Sebastião immediately felt a chill down their spines. They usually only felt this level of dread when something involved the Lotus Flower ,especially Thanatos. 

Then, they had another vision. It wasn't clear ,more like a déjà vu. Afonso narrowed his eyes as the vision revealed Thanatos standing on that very planet with his army, plotting something vile. But what? 

So, what needed to be done, apart from finishing the suits for the rest of Titan's team? They had to go to that planet. 

That was precisely the problem ,reaching a planet at the center of the galaxy would take an enormous amount of time, and the day of war would pass. What could they do? Find a wormhole. But that would be too convenient, wouldn't it? Instead, the plan was for Zoe to open a portal for them. 

But… she could only open portals to places she had been before, or where she knew someone, right? Well, if it wasn't obvious, she did know the planet that granted her powers, as its image was stored in her subconscious. So, that problem was partially solved. Now came the real issue: the ship they would use. Even if Zoe could open a portal there, she was weak, and the number of people traveling was too high. She would be completely drained. 

What could they do? Use the ship that Will and Sebastião had been secretly designing for a while ,almost no one knew about it. 

Oh, and of course, the Honored Ones helped the Immortals finish their suits. 

Right after that, they headed to the location where the ship was stored ,on an island near Santa Bárbara. They traveled there using two of Will's jets. 

Upon arrival, they boarded the ship: Will, John and Tomb, Thomas, Zoe, Verena, Catarse, Master Turtle, Afonso, Sebastião, Genivaldo, José, Wladeírson, and Titan ,who was the last to step inside. Then, out of nowhere, Harbinger appeared, startling everyone. 

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" 

"I have a feeling you'll need my help." 

"Then you're right." 

Titan smirked as he said this. With everyone on board, they began preparations for departure. It took an hour, and during that time, no one ,absolutely no one ,managed to extract any information from Harbinger, aside from his "hero" name. 

The ship finally took off, slicing through the skies like a metallic lightning bolt. The initial silence of the journey soon gave way to murmurs and speculation about what awaited them at the center of the galaxy. Will and Sebastião monitored the systems, ensuring everything was running smoothly, while the others tried to relax before the grand mission. 

However, something was wrong. 

Zoe, already weakened, started feeling even worse. Her breathing became irregular, and Verena was the first to notice. 

"Zoe, are you okay?" she asked, kneeling beside her. 

Zoe tried to respond, but before she could, her body glowed with unstable energy. The entire ship trembled. 

"That wasn't turbulence, was it?" Thomas asked, gripping the wall. 

"No." Will answered, eyes locked on the control panels. "Something is interfering with the ship's gravitational systems." 

Suddenly, a voice echoed over the radio. It was distorted but clear enough for everyone to understand. 

"You shouldn't be coming here…" 

Silence gripped the crew. They exchanged nervous glances, trying to locate the source of the transmission. 

"Who are you?" Sebastião asked, trying to stay calm. 

"That doesn't matter. But if you continue, you won't arrive alive…" 

Before they could respond, a violent impact shook the ship. Red alarms flashed across the control panels ,something had struck the hull. 

"We're under attack!" John shouted. 

"How?! We're in the middle of nowhere!" Catarse exclaimed, running to check the readings. 

On the main screen, shadowy figures emerged around the ship. Small, agile, moving like slithering darkness through space. Thanatos knew they were coming. 

"Shit, we're surrounded!" Titan growled, clenching his fists. 

"Then we fight!" Master Turtle declared, assuming a battle stance ,even inside the ship. 

Will activated the shields, but something was off. The energy flickered for a moment and then… vanished. 

"What?! No way…!" Will was in shock. 

Zoe's eyes widened as she clutched her head. 

"They… they're draining my energy…" 

She collapsed to her knees as the shadows outside began to take form. They weren't just enemy ships. They were beings ,humanoid figures with glowing eyes, faceless, with no defined bodies. They merged and separated as if made of pure darkness. 

"This is shadow magic…" Harbinger murmured, finally speaking. 

Everyone turned to him. 

"How do you know that?" Titan asked, narrowing his eyes. 

Harbinger didn't respond immediately. He simply closed his eyes for a moment, as if sensing something. 

"Because I've fought this before." 

The silence was broken by another impact. The ship spiraled out of control, forcing Will to take manual control. 

"Hold on!" he shouted. 

The ship plunged into a chaotic spiral as the enemies moved in to board them. Time was running out. They had to act ,fast.

The ship was shaking violently. Red lights flashed across the control panel, and a piercing sound echoed through the speakers. Will gripped the controls tightly, trying to stabilize the ship. 

 "Damn it! These guys are pulling us somewhere!" he shouted, looking at the readings. 

 "Pulling us? How?" Sebastião stepped closer. 

Will pointed at the screen. "They're not just attacking us. They're dragging us into some kind of space anomaly!" 

Afonso looked out the window and widened his eyes. Outside, the shadows weren't just surrounding the ship—they were spinning around it, forming a dark vortex. A black hole was opening right in front of them. 

 "If we don't get out of here now, we're going to be sucked in!" José shouted. 

 "I'll try to open a portal..." Zoe whispered weakly, trying to concentrate. 

But before she could even lift her hands, another wave of dark energy surged through her body, knocking her to the floor. 

 "I... can't..." 

Thomas ran to her. "Zoe, hold on! You can't give up now!" 

Harbinger approached, his face unreadable. 

 "If we get pulled in, we have no idea where we'll end up." 

Titan clenched his fists. "Then let's fight our way out!" 

He stepped toward the ship's door, but Afonso grabbed his shoulder. 

 "It's a vacuum out there. You can't just go punching shadows in space!" 

Titan let out a frustrated sigh. "Then tell me what to do!" 

That was when Verena had an idea. 

 "What if... what if we use their energy against them?" 

Everyone turned to her. 

 "Explain that," Turtle Master requested. 

 "They're draining Zoe's energy, right? But what if we could reverse the flow?" 

Will's eyes widened. "Like an energy short circuit?!" 

 "Exactly!" Verena nodded. "If we overload the connection, we might be able to break their influence!" 

Sebastião knocked on the side of the ship. 

 "But how do we do that?" 

Harbinger, who had been silent until now, stepped forward. 

 "Leave that to me." 

Before anyone could ask what he meant, he knelt beside Zoe and placed two fingers on her forehead. His eyes glowed a carmim red, and then... everything around them trembled even more. 

Outside, the shadows hesitated for a moment as if something was repelling them. The black hole that had been growing started to shrink. 

 "If you're going to do something, do it now!" Harbinger growled, his eyes glowing brighter. 

Will didn't waste any time. He pulled the engine levers, redirecting all of the ship's power into an emergency boost. 

 "Everybody hold on!" 

The ship blasted forward with a thunderous roar. The shadows tried to follow but faltered. Some exploded into dark sparks. Others vanished completely. 

And then, with one final push, the ship broke free from the anomaly's reach. 

Silence filled the cabin. Everyone was breathless, trying to process whether they had truly escaped. 

Zoe slowly opened her eyes. 

 "Did we... make it?" 

Will checked the sensors. 

 "Yes. But..." 

 "But what?" Thomas asked. 

Will swallowed hard. "I think we ended up... somewhere we shouldn't be." 

Everyone turned to the main screen. 

Outside, a colossal planet loomed before them, surrounded by a pulsating golden glow. 

Afonso and Sebastião exchanged looks. 

They knew exactly where they were. 

And so did Thanatos.