87 Judgement

A sterling aegis loomed over the vast expanse of what seemed like infinity. It, alone, would be the final line in the sand.

Should it fall, that'd be it. There wouldn't be a second chance.

Not against that. There were so many of them it didn't seem even real. It felt like someone had played a cruel joke on him. There was no winning against that eldritch monstrosity out there.

Hundreds of millions of lives were on the line, maybe even more than that.

He could not fail. Could. Not. Fail. If there was ever a time to not fail, it would be right now.

The pressure continued to mount on his shoulders as he stared at the mind-numbingly colossal tendril of darkness head towards him.

At a distance, it looked like it was a uniform pitch-black but once it got close enough, Reed gasped silently.