Chapter 25: War Pt 4

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As Aiden's vision blurred and exhaustion gnawed at his body, a single thought rose within him, sharp and unyielding: I can't die. No. I won't die. He gritted his teeth, his trembling hand reaching out instinctively. I can't stop now. Not yet.

Determined, he extended his hand, calling on the Force buried deep within him. He felt its raw power stir, sluggish but present, like a flame struggling against the wind.

But then, time itself seemed to slow. The battlefield around him faded into an eerie stillness, the sounds of war reduced to a distant hum. His focus narrowed to the monstrous Parademon before him, every detail of its grotesque form etched into his mind with painful clarity.

A voice, smooth and mocking, broke through the silence.

"You'll die, you know."

What? His heart leaped, panic flaring.

"Shush now," the voice continued, dripping with condescension. "Wouldn't want you wasting this much energy for nothing, would we?"

The words echoed within this distorted reality, their source elusive. Aiden's breath quickened as he realized he could feel his body, yet not entirely. He was caught in a liminal state, neither here nor there, suspended between action and thought.

This wasn't an entirely unfamiliar feeling. 

In the moment before death, the brain could distort perception, searching desperately for a solution to impending doom. 

For the well-trained, this fleeting instant often birthed miraculous counters or desperate last moves.

But this felt... different. Alien. As though an unseen force had seized the reins of his fate.

While undeniably convenient, this state consumed an immense and proportional amount of energy, leaving its user mentally and physically drained, a cost few could afford.

But to Aiden, who had experienced the chilling embrace of True Death, this liminal state was no unfamiliar terrain. He had walked this precarious edge countless times in his new life. 

The only difference now was glaring and immutable: he couldn't return this time.

"Who are you?" Aiden asked, his voice steady despite the surreal stillness surrounding him.

For a moment, there was silence, heavy and pregnant with disdain. Then, a disappointed sigh echoed through the void.

"Of all the questions you could ask, knowing full well the stakes," the voice drawled, dripping with derision, "you chose that one. Should I commend your bravery in facing death so casually, or lament your utter idiocy for treating your life so carelessly?"

The space around him twisted and shimmered. Slowly, a faint, light-red silhouette materialized before him, its form fluid yet strikingly human. It moved closer with a measured grace, its glowing gaze raking over Aiden's suspended form.

"For my Creator," the figure said, voice laced with disappointment, "you're surprisingly clueless about what you're capable of doing with me."

The figure tilted its head, a flicker of pity, perhaps frustration, crossing its radiant features. "I expected more."

Aiden blinked, confusion flashing across his face before a sudden realization dawned on him. His breath hitched, the weight of understanding settling in his chest.

"The Force," he murmured.

The silhouette froze, its glowing eyes widening momentarily before it tilted its head, a hint of amusement flickering across its expression. "Hmm. As much as I'd like to dissect that revelation, it seems the matter at hand takes precedence." 

It gestured toward the looming Parademon, its voice shifting to a more urgent tone.

Aiden's gaze followed the silhouette's gesture, his body tense but his mind calculating. 

"If you return to your body now, you will die," the silhouette continued, its tone devoid of sympathy, only certainty. "There's no miracle waiting for you. With your current understanding of what I am, you face only one outcome: Certain Death."

Aiden's eyes didn't betray any fear, only a sharp, calculating intensity that caught the silhouette off guard. 

It was so sure that Aiden would panic at the mention of death, yet, there he stood, his emotions calm and steady as though he held no fear for Death. 

It paused, studying him with a quiet curiosity. For a brief moment, the tension hung between them like a taut string.

It wondered what Aiden would do with this new information, but just then, Aiden's gaze hardened, a steely resolve glinting in his eyes causing the silhouette to chuckle in a faint, almost approving sound.

"I like that look," it said softly, stepping closer. "All you need to do is relinquish control of your body to me. Don't worry, I will only do what's good for us both. After all…" Its glowing form leaned closer, its voice dropping to a near whisper. "You are me, and I am you."

Aiden nodded, his decision made. "We'll discuss this later," he said firmly, his voice unwavering.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and allowed his consciousness to retreat, relinquishing his seat as the driver of his own body.

As The Force took full control, time seemed to resume as the battlefield erupted in chaos once more, yet Aiden's mind watched everything from within, witnessing the transformation as the approaching Parademon let out a guttural roar as it was yanked into the air, its massive form suspended by Aiden's sheer force of will, and in the next moment crushed in a vortex of crushed stone and twisted metal. 

But there was no time for satisfaction, more enemies swarmed in from every side, Apokoliptian warriors, more Parademons, all racing to crush Earth's defenders.

The Force didn't hesitate.

Without hesitation, it activated The Domain: Spatial Domination and extended it in all directions, pushing beyond the typical 10 meters Aiden was used to. 

Space itself warped, bending the battlefield in ways Aiden could only dream of. 

Several Parademons rushing toward him were instantly caught within his expanded domain, their movements slowed as if time itself had been distorted.

With a mere thought, large chunks of debris from the ground, pieces of shattered earth, broken weapons, and discarded shields were lifted and hurled with pinpoint precision at the oncoming horde. 

'I didn't know I could use telekinesis like that…damn.' Aiden thought in awe as he saw the devastating scene he was creating. 

Several enemies were pierced, torn apart by the force of the improvised projectiles.

"Is that—?" Finn started, his fists still crackling with electricity as he dodged a Parademon's swipe.

Jaxon was equally wide-eyed. "He's… different. How the hell is he doing that?"

Aiden, watching from inside his own mind, could feel their confusion but couldn't respond. 

His focus remained on The Force, on how it moved, how it used not just his abilities but the world around him and that was when he came to a realisation. 

As another wave of enemies closed in, Aiden's eyes shone and he looked into the sky before raising his hands towards it. 

Magic Enhancement. 

That was the third ability of the first stage of the Force.

While Aiden was limiting himself to the Mana Pool within him, The Force straight up tapped into the Residual Magic Energy in the air. 

The battlefield was soaked in it, spells from mages who had fallen, magical blasts from the Old Gods, elemental remnants of sorcerers who still fought. 

They were all energy and the Force Intercepted all this energy effortlessly, weaving it as he pulled in the ambient magic. Instantly, the air crackled with power as a storm of magic energy gathered. 

Aiden could feel the raw intensity, the way The Force molded it into a devastating wave.

With a single motion, the stored magic was unleashed, an explosion of bright, destructive energy that ripped through the approaching Apokoliptian forces. 

Entire battalions were obliterated in seconds, disintegrated by the sheer magnitude of the blast.

But The Force was not done.

Even as the magical explosion cleared, it didn't pause. 

It warped the space around itself again, rapidly closing the distance between Aiden and the next group of enemies. 

Parademons and warriors alike fell as Telekinesis and Spatial Manipulation worked together seamlessly, hurling bodies into one another, disorienting enemies, and crushing them with unseen force.

"You seeing this?" Finn breathed, dodging another strike as he glanced toward Aiden. "He's a one-man army!"

Jaxon grunted, reinforcing the ground beneath them to hold off another attack. "I don't know what's going on, but this isn't the Aiden we know."

Inside his head, Aiden grimaced. I know this isn't me. The Force is too powerful... too efficient. This is beyond what I can do.

But as his body continued its relentless assault, he realized something else.

He had been Wrong all along.