The Earth After Rebirth

The transfer was instantaneous, their bodies didn't wander or linger in limbo they were instantly transported into the other side.

The moment they stepped to the other side their every sense was robbed from them. There was darkness as far as their eyes could see, the noise of the battlefield they came from quietened, there wasn't any noise for a moment.

One thing that spiked uncontrollably, it was pure overwhelming fear, as though they didn't walk into a world but instead the belly of the beast.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Kiro could never forget the feeling that immediately took him over, the feeling of invisible hands squeezing the windpipe for dear life, making it hard to breathe even though there was enough oxygen to go round.

He tried walking but staggered, the gravity in the space they were transported to was very different from what they were used to, it felt like the weight of the world was draped on their limbs.

"Hubris, can you hear me?" His voice echoed throughout, he wa every relieved that sound could travel in that space. Kiro also noticed something, his eyes were adjusting to the darkness, while he couldn't see much it wasn't entirely useless.

"Yes, master?"

"Help us out here, the gravity in this place..."

Kiro didn't even need to finish what he was asking his mount to do and he was already making the gravity within the five kilometres radius his own to manipulate as he pleased.

A skill he acquired because he agreed to follow Kiro. He was beyond grateful to him for that, as much as he now had something else he valued, his family, he would lay his life for Kiro's in a heartbeat.

"I trust you'll be able to tell where my territory ends and not wander off too far."

"Thank you big guy, can you see anything?" His eyes could see clearly still, like staring at a mist hoping to see whatever was inside.

"My vision is limited but I reckon I can see better than you?"

"Hiro?"

"At least we aren't dead. I can see, more or less...We're surrounded." Hiro said simply.

Kiro couldn't understand why his sight was taking so long to adjust, it made him feel weaker and helpless something he hated more than he liked to admit.

He tried using vibrations to see better but that also seemed to be failing him miserably, like the space they were transported to didn't vibrate at any frequency.

"Calm yourself master don't panic, it's not harbingers surrounding us but rather a very sinister energy. Not unlike kaos but it feels different." Hubris tried to calm Kiro, they were still bound to each other so he was experiencing every emotion going through him.

"It's the ancient one, it must be. Can any of you sense Isla?" He asked trying to forget what was in their presence.

"Unfortunately, the energy is masking everything in here, if she's here we will find her though." Hiro answered before Hubris could.

"Splitting up will be our best chance, we can cover more ground that way." Kiro communicated his commands.

The two didn't argue, five kilometres was a lot of distance by foot they understood that as long as they didn't go very far from each other they would be okay.

Hubris would be at the centre while the two of them took the sides. Kiro wasn't exactly sure about this plan, seeing as his senses were being sabotaged, probably on purpose.

Kiro had Ryu out ready to strike at anything that jumped at him, blind as he was in this space. He never really thought about it before seeing as he was already blind in one eye, he didn't need eyes to see before, vibrations let him see more than anyone was capable in Asgard.

But now, it felt like the world was pulled under his feet and he only hoped that his stumbling wouldn't lead him to any serious injuries. But he also preferred injuries over death, he might not have been sure about death in the new Asgard update but he was sure here.

A single mistake would cost them their lives, they were no longer protected by the world created by Kronos. Isla might be dead too but he had to believe she was out here, fighting.

As though he was the predator walking towards an unsuspecting gazelle, Kiro's feet barely touched the ground. He wanted to be as silent as possible not that it would help him if indeed it was a god they were facing but his instincts told him this was a hunt and so he followed suit.

Maybe it was the darkness or perhaps the energy surrounding them but it was unexpected when a large serpent fell from wherever and right in front of him.

While it scared him, his instincts to fight immediately took over his body throwing Ryu right at it. Surprisingly the staff went right through it not because it had strength of a thousand gods but because the serpent appeared to be nothing but smoke.

"Strange, I could have sworn it was rea—"

Like it was offended to being seen as not real, the serpent made entirely of dark mist with glowing red eyes wrapped itself around Kiro's neck.

He tried to grab ahold of it away from his neck but his hands went through it touching and he felt his cold hands clutching his neck instead. For something that was intangible it was sure doing the devil's work trying to strangle him to death.

It crossed his mind to scream for his mount but even if he did, the thing had latched on his neck so good that even a whisper couldn't be let out. Just seconds ago air coud reach his lungs but now he was being deprived of it.

'Should I just wait for Hubris to feel my anxiety?' Kiro thought to himself as he was about to pass out. 'No, he may be in the same predicament. Okay, think what to use, what to do.'

Accessing his arsenal there was just the perfect one to use and so he moved his hand with much difficulty only inches away from his neck, poured every ounce of Kaos he could muster using his reality warping skill turning the creature from gas to solid state at that very moment Ryu plunged through its head.

Kiro could feel the air slowly coming back to him, the serpent uncoiled falling to the ground as he also fell but what he heard made him think he was in a dream.

"Ki?"