471 Universe Destroyer

Eternals loved to hide. They were like moles that hid in the soil below. And it was difficult to find them without help from one of their own. Eternals had many Legends, yet only a few remained now. One of these few was the one known as the Cold Emperor; the Eternal called Winks. Winks was a man who had lived many years. He had seen several eras come and go, and he had served under many Supremes. Over the many years he had remained alive, watching his friends and family die and his life gradually lose its meaning, he had changed in a lot of ways. He had grown from a playful child, to an optimistic teen and then to an adult who had experienced the harsh realities of the world and had grown disenchanted with it. Yet there was one thing that had never changed. There was one thing that remained the same no matter what happened to Winks.

His loyalty

He may be the reigning Emperor of the Eternals, but he hadn't forgotten his vow to the Supremes. No matter what he became, his loyalty was theirs and theirs alone. Even when he learned of the destiny of the new Supreme, his loyalty to the boy never wavered. Instead of abandoning the boy, he went journeying throughout the entire universe, seeking the Eternal Legends of old; those who shared in his prestige and status amongst his people. For it was time to reunite the race and stand behind the one who was – unlike his predecessors – meant to rule the entire universe and beyond.

Winks was currently on a remote planet with very little signs of life. He was here for the very same reason he had visited all the other desolate planets in the Universe: to search for Eternals. So far he hadn't made much progress, but he had been able to pinpoint the location of the one he sought and narrow down the options to just two. Soon, he will find the Eternal whose flames were eternal.

"Grandfather," a man with brown hair and eyes that resembled pools of ink approached Winks with a large beast on his shoulders and a zweihander in his hand. The man was more beautiful than he was handsome. Even with his muscular and well cut frame, he couldn't hide his feminine appearance.

"You found one?" Grandpa Winks leaped off his bed with speed that the naked eye couldn't track. The young man, James, was a Noble. Yet his eyes could barely track his grandfather's casual motions.

"Yes," James had barely replied when he felt the weight on his shoulders disappear. A wry smile adorned his lips as he realised that his grandfather had already taken the corpse of the beast they had been searching for for a few months now – a Tracking Bear.

Tracking Bears had a special liver that Eternals could use to find other Eternals. It was a secret known only to them, and would remain that way as long as no traitor emerged amongst them.

Grandpa Winks was quick and efficient. In less than a couple of seconds the liver of the Tracking Bear was removed, and Grandpa Winks was already working on it. Before long the liver began to glow, and Grandpa Winks' eyes shone with delight. Now he knew where the Fire Eternal was.

"We leaving?" James asked. Grandpa Winks wasn't one to dally once he had all he needed for his task. So it went without saying that they were leaving right away.

"Get Morgana," Grandpa Winks replied eagerly as he packed the few belongings he had here. James nodded his head in reply and left. Morgana was only in the next room, so he didn't have to walk far. Soon he was standing in the middle of her room. But he dared not do anything else. For his wife was upon her bed, her face scrunched up in anxiety and pain as she twisted and turned upon her bed.

"James, Morgana; what are you younglings waiting for?!" Grandpa Winks entered the room impatiently and almost lost it when he saw James standing there, as static as a statue. However, his frustration quickly turned into worry when he saw the girl he regarded as his own granddaughter shaking piteously on the small bed.

"When was the last time she had a vision?" Grandpa Winks asked, his brows furrowed in worry.

"It's been several years since her last one. And that one wasn't as intense as this." James was just as worried. Although Morgana would be fine, it wasn't a pleasant sight seeing the one you loved and were bound to rolling around in pain. Grandpa Winks frowned and opened his mouth to speak once again.

"This begs the question: what must she be seeing, for Morgana of all people to be this shaken?"

Morgana was stuck in a strange state. The world around her was different from the one she knew. Desolation and chaos were widespread, and every planet that could fit into her limited vision was either dying or already dead. This wasn't the peaceful Universe she had come to love and accept. This was something else. A sort of grim reality that tore the soul apart and broke the bones.

People fled with fear and panic written across their faces. From every planet flew countless men and women seeking to save themselves. Some were in special suits made to survive the turbulence of space. Others were in spaceships and some were in space bots. It didn't matter who these people were – mortals or Ascenders. Everyone was eager to save his/her own life. Morgana saw several Ascenders fleeing just as panicked as the mortals. No one was too strong to be exempt from this disaster. There was none who could get away. Those who had not the power nor resources to escape could only watch in horror and helplessness as the Universe crumbled around them. What could they do but pray and hope that this carnage would end? But it wasn't meant to be.

Before Morgana's worried eyes countless planets were consumed, swallowed by the dark shadow which swept past the walls of the Universe in only a split second. So fast was this shadow that Morgana couldn't see anything concerning it. Only a pair of red eyes that were deeper than a sea of blood made the cut. For those eyes were too eerie to miss. Morgana's eyes were those of perception. They may not be comparable to the Eyes of Destruction or True Eyes but the eyes of a Seer were treasures. Yet her eyes that were given to see the visions and messages others could not surprisingly couldn't keep up with whatever this shadow was. In the time it took for one to blink their eyes, countless planets – almost a hundred – were swallowed. Yet the dark shadow remained unsated. Those huge red eyes flashed past the men and women who had escaped their homes before the shadow moved to consume them also, causing several screams and calls of despair to ring across the Universe.

Ascenders tried firing their strongest of attacks. The laws which they had dominance over filled the place, lighting up the bleak skies for o'er a short period of time. But they were ineffective. The laws of the Universe failed to even leave a scratch on whatever this creature was. It doth swallow the laws just as it swallowed the planets. And though it belched in pleasure after, none were naïve to think this was the pleasure of satisfaction. Its mockery was demeaning, yet none had the pleasure of being offended so.

Nobles called forth their titles and besieged the Will of the Universe to invoke their Noble Right. Yet the Universe Will remained silent, secretly cheering on the dark shadow that sought to eat all and be all. Heaven Realmers mobilized the Edict in the space above, yet even Edict trembled at the presence of this being and dared not show its countenance. These attacks did nothing. Heaven Realmer, Noble, Ascender; each man was swallowed like a bug, incapable of mounting any lasting or significant resistance. The laws of this world and the powers of men had failed. She saw a few gods come and fall. Even they were helpless before this creature. She watched in fear as their Godheads were summoned from their places of rest and swallowed as well, effectively killing the supposedly immortal gods. There was only one winner – the being that swalloweth all and was now all.

The more the being swallowed, the more the darkness around it was stripped away. And its form became clearer and clearer. After swallowing the thousandth planet, a dark moon with a bit of red in its core was formed in the vast expanse, its light connected to the figure that was now revealing itself. From that moon Morgana could feel a kind of evil that was beyond her. It caused her to shake as though she was in the middle of an ice storm.

Before that moon she felt naked; she felt alone; she felt distraught. Like a little girl tossed aside by her parents Morgana clutched her shoulder in trepidation as her face turned pale. She wasn't of this world. This was only a vision. So why did it feel so real? Why did it threaten to consume her soul? Why did it scare her so? Morgana took a deep breath and summoned the only energy that seemed to thrive in all of this – Chaos. With a heart that sought clarity and calm, she utilized a Lease and created a barrier around her, shielding her from the ominous energy of the Black Moon.

*Awooo*

A loud howl forced itself past Morgana's barrier and into her ears. Her barrier shattered like fragile glass once this howl resounded, and the energy she was trying hard to stay away from engulfed her. A creature so large that the entire Universe looked like it could be its blanket appeared before Morgana. Her eyes shook in fear as those deep red eyes that seemed to see past time and space appeared before her. Each eye was as large as three High Level Planets put together, and contained much more power than several thousands of High Level Planets. Within those eyes were savagery, wrath and the desire for destruction.

A wolf of destruction. Fur as black as the night and power that eclipsed everything but its own hunger and greed. Its name was Fenrir. Fenrir nostrils exhaled a small breath of air. But due to its large size this insignificant action stirred up a Universe storm that caused even more destruction. Yet in all this, Morgana remained where she was. A strange power held on to her, preventing her from being blown away or escaping. She tried to get out of the vision, yet she was unable to. She was trapped!

Her worst fears were confirmed when she saw Fenrir open his mouth. The large beast had saved her for this moment. Although she wasn't particularly powerful, it could sense a special energy in her that it sought to consume. As those huge jaws closed over her, Morgana could feel her connection to her world shattering and her presence in this one being established. This Universe Destroyer was breaking time and space apart just to consume her!

She had given up. She had accepted her fate. She wouldn't be able to see her husband James again. And her hopes of a reunion with Maia, her daughter whom she had abandoned, was off the table. There was nothing but those huge teeth comparable to a Universe Cyclone within her sight. So she closed her eyes. At least she didn't want to see how she was going to die.

"She is not of this world. Leave her be." A calm, masculine voice that exuded confidence and an air of omnipotence resounded as Fenrir's rapidly closing jaws suddenly halted in their actions.

Fenrir released a few pitiful howls, seemingly hoping that whoever spoke would change his mind. This stunned Morgana greatly. For she had seen this wolf break apart everything recklessly. Yet now it was seeking favor from another. Who was this person that dared command Fenrir? How was he still alive? And why did Fenrir seem to respect and fear the man at the same time? She hoped to see him, yet all that filled her vision was Fenrir's huge mouth.

"Let her go. She is needed elsewhere." The owner of the voice spoke up again and Morgana could feel her connection to the True Universe being reestablished amidst Fenrir's whimpering.

"Go woman" the man ordered, and Morgana could feel herself being drawn back to her body without her permission.

"Who are you?" she wondered.

"A shadow of my former self; a vengeful spirit; an angry child" surprisingly, the man heard her thoughts and gave her a reply. Though the reply was vague, it was still a reply.

"Oh and tell Sir Winks: Only you have a chance to stop this. No one else does."

And then she awoke.