A Broken Lock

As Julian blinked in and out of the spatial layers, he tried to feel his connection to the spatial lock he created. Unlike Nova, Julian couldn't travel long distances through the spatial layers as he didn't have the proper traits to do so. Thus, he had to settle moving by blinking shorter distances towards the direction of Nova.

Frowning slightly, Julian realised he could no longer feel his spatial lock. It was as if the connection was cut off. Fearing the worst, Julian channelled his universal energy and increased the pace of his blinks as he talked with Nova.

'Nova, can you feel the spatial lock I created?' Julian asked, his worry resonating through the soul link.

Due to Julian's gift «Soul and Body Merge», Nova and his souls were merged. That's why they could converse with each other, feel each other's location, and even feel each other's universal energy signature. It was also due to the gift that some of Nova's abilities were transferred to Julian, giving him spatial powers as well, albeit to a lesser extent.

'No, I can't feel it either,' Nova frowned. Nova was travelling at his fastest speed, that was possible. Due to being bonded with Julian, Nova could not exert the full capabilities of his gift. It was a payoff for the power increase that came when they were merged.

'What do you mean they resemble Gaia?' Nova asked, remembering what Julian had told him.

'What are you-,' Julian was going to ask before remembering as well. 'Their eyes, they resemble hers.'

A short time after Julian said that to Nova, the memory of explaining to him seemed to vanish from Julian's mind.

'Quickly, we need to get to Mia and Ica,' Julian urged once more without feeling anything was wrong.

Nova didn't say anything, he knew what Julian had just gone through and knew it was best not to remind him forcefully too many times.

A few more minutes of breakneck travel later, Julian and Nova finally reached other.

Acting in sync, Julian activated his gift while Nova flew straight into him.

Universal energy surged around them as Nova shined and disappeared into Julian. Exiting the spatial layers for a moment, Julian started to change. Growing taller, Julian's skin started to grow void purple scales. His hair started to change from the tips to the roots, forming a gradient of light purple to dark purple.

Julian's eyes changed to resemble Nova's while two draconic wings and horns sprouted from his back and forehead. Blinking his clothes away, Julian's body was covered from neck to toe with a scaley armour. While his head was free from the scales, Julian's teeth had grown into fearsome fangs. Extending behind him was a lithe scaly tail that swayed around him powerfully.

Julian's hair danced as he raised his hands and gathered a torrent of universal energy. Making it his own, he bent the spatial layers to connect his current location with the location he left Mia and Ica at. Then he dropped his hand and promptly arrived at the grasslands.

Stretching before him was his broken spatial lock, with no trace of Emmia or Icarth.

------

Rewinding time to when Julian left, Emmia had gone to play with the rabbits while Icarth was laying on his back facing the sky.

He was currently pondering Julian's words to him. Ever since he had killed his first rabbit, something seemed to have freed itself within him. This he had continued to hunt whenever his instincts urged him to.

But somewhere he felt that it was wrong to kill so many rabbits, yet every time he killed he made sure that the whole rabbit was put to use so that he didn't kill it for no reason.

As he was thinking, a shuddering feeling came over him. Snapping his eyes open he sat up and looked around to find the cause.

His gramps hadn't taken them on his trip, yet he knew that Julian wouldn't leave the two alone without any protection. After all, those hand signs that his gramps was making should've served some cause. At least he hoped that is.

Icarth rushed towards Emmia who was somehow hugging a rabbit.

"Mia, something is coming," Icarth warned.

"What do you mean?" Emmia asked while clutching the rabbit. As the impending feeling of doom increased, all the other rabbits around the twins started freaking out.

Outside the spatial lock, a murky being emerged. It was unlike the other polikinnates who were constantly fluctuating between the different states of matter. This one looked like murky purple liquid that shimmered slightly from time to time. The air around the being seemed to distort as if it was trying to reject his existence.

Gazing at the spatial lock from the outside, the murky polikinnate opened its mouth and said with a raspy voice, "what...are you trying to hide...guard dog..."

The polikinnate gathered universal energy and started to throw it at the lock. Surprisingly the lock didn't activate immediately and the energy from the being seemed to distort the lock as it started to disintegrate the bindings that Julian had set.

Inside the lock, Icarth was frozen in a state of panic. His instincts were blaring at full throttle as he gazed up at the sky breaking down. This was the spatial lock that Julian had set, which was being broken in front of their eyes.

Emmia hugged the rabbit tightly and moved closer to Icarth. She also felt something wrong as the sky started to crack and the rabbits around her started to go crazy.

"Ica what do we do?" Emmia asked in a panicked voice.

Icarth gulped audibly. "I dont know..."

Finally, as the sky finished cracking, it shattered with the effect of broken glass. The twins stood transfixed before the spatial lock made its final effort. The spatial lock finally activated its protocol that Julian had set if it were to be breached.

A tornado of universal energy formed blocking the view from the outside. But not before the twins had gotten a glimpse of the invader. A huge floating pile of murky liquid that seemed to ooze a feeling of doom.

The polikinnate tried to disrupt the gathering of universal energy, but in the end, it was too late to stop it.

With a loud booming sound, the spatial layers bent and all the inhabitants were teleported away from the clutches of the murky being.

The murky being stood still for a moment before letting out a slow laugh, "ha..haha....., they must be precious to you.....guard dog. I wonder...how you will react....to their deaths."

The murky polikinnate's raspy voice rang out in the silent grassland. This polikinnate seemed to have a certain grudge against Julian. And caught in the crosshairs were Emmia and Icarth who were not out of danger yet.

The murky being started to track where universal energy had sent the twins. And then dipping into the distortion around it, the polikinnate disappeared out to find where ever the spatial lock had sent the twins.