The City of Aetherion gleamed like a crown adrift above the clouds.
Far beneath its floating spires, the world was silent—oceans of golden mist reflecting the glow of mana reactors that powered the Empire's skies. To most citizens, Aetherion was a symbol of progress. But buried beneath its radiant towers, in the lowest and most restricted sector, lay a secret that had never seen daylight.
The Cross Portal Facility.
Its walls hummed with restrained power. Cool blue light pulsed through conduits that stretched across the chamber, feeding energy into a colossal ring suspended in magnetic lock. Engineers moved with precise coordination, their visors flickering with code as they adjusted readings and recalibrated generators. For weeks, the portal had failed to stabilize.
But today, the hum felt different—steady, alive.
"Power output steady at seventy-one percent," one of the operators called, fingers flying across the console. "Stabilization field is holding."
Another voice chimed in. "Resonance sync locked. We're reading a constant feedback loop. No degradation!"
A moment later, the vast chamber trembled as the ring ignited—voidlight blooming into existence.
A window between worlds.
From the observation deck above, FrostByte stood with arms folded behind his back. The faint reflection of the glowing gate shimmered across the frost-blue circuitry lining his coat. At his side stood a tall figure clad in Dominion combat armor—CounterKiller34, the Empire's most efficient strike captain.
For the first time in weeks, FrostByte allowed himself a small, satisfied exhale.
"Stabilized," he murmured.
CounterKiller tilted his head slightly, visor glinting. "So this is what all the hype was about."
FrostByte gave a faint smile. "You're looking at the first successful Cross Portal activation since SynCorp abandoned the project. History, Captain."
"Or suicide," CounterKiller said flatly. "You sure this thing won't shred us into data fragments?"
"The odds," FrostByte replied, "have improved."
"Define improved."
"Non-zero."
The captain chuckled dryly, shaking his head. "You really know how to inspire confidence, Commander."
Their voices echoed faintly against the hum of the chamber. Engineers below celebrated in restrained tones, relief etched into their faces as the portal stabilized for longer than any previous attempt. The air felt charged—alive—with the weight of discovery and danger.
FrostByte's tone shifted, colder now. "As of this moment, Operation Mirrorlight is active. Your team will depart immediately."
CounterKiller straightened. "Orders?"
"Survey mission," FrostByte said. "You are not to engage unless necessary. Confirm the source of the signal and return. Simple."
"Seven personnel total?" CounterKiller asked.
"Correct," FrostByte said. "Three from Dominion Frontline—including you—two from Skyrealm, and two Eclipse Online operatives. The best of each domain. You'll cross through the portal, maintain comms for as long as the channel allows, and log everything. No heroics."
The captain nodded once. "Copy that."
A faint tremor ran through the structure as the portal's light deepened into a stable blue vortex, calm and eerily silent. The air smelled faintly of ozone.
"Command has been tracking this anomaly for days," FrostByte continued. "Origin coordinates point to a dead sector—one that should've collapsed months ago."
"The Void?" CounterKiller asked.
FrostByte nodded. "Precisely. The same signature that appeared during the Fall of Skyrealm has resurfaced. Stronger. Focused."
The captain's visor dimmed slightly as he reviewed the mission brief projected before him. The signal analysis was fragmented but clear enough to show three distinct pulse patterns.
"Three signals," CounterKiller muttered. "Two stable. One fluctuating."
FrostByte clasped his hands behind his back, eyes still fixed on the gate.
"Two of those are confirmed to belong to living entities. Imperial records identify one as The Reaper—designation SK."
CounterKiller paused. "You mean that SK? The Empire's Executioner?"
"The very same," FrostByte said quietly. "Presumed lost in the Void. Yet her tag resurfaced forty hours ago."
"And the second?"
"Unknown, but likely human. Codename in old Resistance logs—Starlink."
CounterKiller gave a low whistle. "So one of ours, one of theirs. Classic."
"The third," FrostByte said, his voice lowering, "is unregistered. No pattern recognition. Power readings are… beyond expected parameters."
"How beyond?"
"Enough that our systems flagged it as a possible non-human anomaly."
"Lovely," the captain said dryly. "You sending us to say hello."
"You're being sent to understand," FrostByte corrected. "If this entity exists, it either poses a threat—or represents an opportunity the Empire cannot ignore."
The chamber lights dimmed as the technicians rerouted auxiliary power to maintain the portal's stability. FrostByte turned toward the captain, expression unreadable.
"Captain Killer," he said evenly, "you've survived Dominion resets, Void incursions, and world collapses. This mission will test more than your endurance—it will test your loyalty."
CounterKiller gave a half grin beneath his visor. "You don't need to worry about that, Commander. I follow orders."
"Good," FrostByte said, stepping back. "Then lead well. Your squad awaits."
The seven soldiers assembled on the platform, their armor reflecting the azure light of the portal. Each came from a different world, yet carried the same emblem—The Empire's crest of the unified sky.
No one spoke as the power surged.
"Comm link established," said one of the Skyrealm officers. "Signal stable. Receiving data feed from the Void side."
"Visual telemetry is holding," another from Eclipse added, checking his wrist display. "No distortion detected."
"Then it's time," CounterKiller said, stepping forward. His rifle locked across his back as he looked into the swirling gate. "We walk through, we map the terrain, we confirm the signal, and we come back alive. Understood?"
A chorus of nods followed.
"Good." He gave one last glance toward FrostByte. "See you on the other side, Commander."
"Try not to get lost," FrostByte replied quietly.
Without another word, CounterKiller turned and led his squad into the light.
The Cross Portal shimmered as the seven figures vanished beyond its surface, their silhouettes dissolving into streaks of energy.
For a long moment, FrostByte stood alone on the observation deck, staring into the vortex as the resonance stabilized perfectly for the first time in history.
Then the data feed lit up—seven biosigns, active and transmitting.
"Contact confirmed," said an operator. "They've made it through."
For the first time that day, FrostByte allowed himself a faint, genuine smile.
"Then history begins now."