After defeating Sandipa, the explosion hurled Val'Zhemyr through the void and sent him crashing into planet earth. He tore through the deep in the forest and struck the ground hard, carving a crater into the soil. Sunlight pierced through the trees, and every ray that touched him burned like acid.
Val'Zhemyr: "What is this place?"
He covers his face with his arm to protect himself from the sunlight. His skin cracked and smoked under the daylight.
Val'Zhemyr: "Damn it! I don't have enough power to make an armor, I need to find a shelter."
He staggered across the underbrush, searching. At the base of a mountain, he spotted a cave entrance. Wounded and scorched by lingering celestial fire, he dragged himself into a deep cave. Darkness wrapped around him like a cold blanket as he collapsed against the stone floor.
Val'Zhemyr: "Curse you, Sandipa! How dare you stand in the way of my plans!"
He starts coughing because of being too weak.
Val'Zhemyr: "No matter how long it takes.. once I regain all my powers back, I will rise again. Now that you are dead, Sandipa, nothing will stop me from devouring the sun!"
In a language older than humanity, older than light itself, he began to speak. His voice wasn't heard by human ears, it vibrated through the unseen layers of the world, seeping into nightmares and shadows. And in his message he states.
Val'Zhemyr: "Come, Aid me and together we will extinguish the sun. Eternal night will be ours. Chaos will reign. Help me rise and I shall grant you great power!"
Across the world, creatures of the dark stirred. They heed his call, every word like a heartbeat calling them home. Excitement, hunger, and madness rippled through the night-born.
As darkness fell, they emerged from the alleys, forests, and graves. Creatures who had never seen each other gathered, unified by a single desire, the promise of power. Drawn to the cave they entered one by one. They felt the temperature dropping with every step they took. Then, they felt his presence, his overwhelming aura. And for the first time in their lives, these bringers of fear felt fear themselves. The moment they saw him, their bodies dropped to their knees. Not out of loyalty, but instinct. Survival. They know he could erase all of them in an instant. Val'Zhemyr greeted them with a cold, pleased grin.
Val'Zhemyr: "Welcome, I am Val'Zhemyr, I seek to devour the sun and drown the world in eternal darkness. But to accomplish that, I must regain my full strength. You shall be my Legion. I will raise leaders among you, champions of each brood."
From each kind, he chose one lifting them forward with tendrils of pulsing dark energy. Their forms twisted, swelled with power. Armor forged from pure shadow formed across their bodies, glowing with runes from a dead universe. Weapons jagged, beautiful, drenched in malice materialized in their hands. The chosen ascended, becoming the generals of the dark entities. The others, though lesser, still felt their power swell, claws sharpened, fangs lengthened, spectral bodies darkened and thickened, and their hunger grew deeper.
Val'Zhemyr: "I shall devour the sun. but to accomplish that, I need to fully recover. I must feed. Fear, sorrow, despair. Bring them to me. Let humanity weep, let their hearts fracture. Those who drown in rage and vengeance shall be reborn as our kin."
The world shifted. The dark entities moved through streets and shadows, unseen yet felt, like a cold hand on a sleeping throat. The world thought it faced ordinary nightmares. But somewhere lurking beneath, wrapped in darkness like a cocoon, Val'Zhemyr fed absorbing every shiver of fear. He was growing stronger. A clock had begun to tick. A darkness had begun to rise. And night had never felt so hungry.
At the very moment Val'Zhemyr's ancient voice seeped through the bones of the world, stirring nightmares and awakening shadows, something else happened, something he did not anticipate. His call was also heard across the veil into Solaris Sanctum, an alternate layer of Earth unseen by mortal eyes. A world of guardians, watchers, and mystic forces sworn to protect humanity from that which crawled in the dark. There, time is paused. Light shimmered. And every guardian felt the echo of Val'Zhemyr's proclamation like ice down their spirit.
They are beings of all shapes and natures, spirits of dawn, ancient beings some born of pure energy, each bound to the duty of balance and protection. They had heard the message. And they trembled. "Devour the sun." "Eternal darkness." "Chaos for all living." Within Solaris Sanctum, a sanctuary carved into the seams between realities, they gathered. Floating lanterns of pure spirit-fire burned. Crystalline walls hummed like quiet stars. A silver table stood at the center, and around it, the protectors assembled. Bathala, The supreme deity, spoke first.
Bathala: "A being beyond this world has arrived. His intent is extinction by shadow. And Sandipa, The protector of the Sun, has fallen."
A soft, mournful voice followed, Lady Mayari, Goddess of the moon, her gown flowing like morning sky.
Lady Mayari: "Now that he is gone, there is no one to protect it from harm. And to devour the sun... such power should not exist. Yet we felt it. He speaks truth."
Lady Tala: "He calls the night-born to him. This is not a good sign. We must do something immediately."
They were silent for a long moment. Even they, ancient and powerful, felt a flicker of uncertainty. An unknown enemy, a force from the darkness beyond creation. recovering, growing, awaiting to cause chaos.
Bathala: "We face more than a threat. If he rises, the sun will fall. Humanity will drown in sorrow. The balance will collapse and it will be the end of this world. We must do something to protect this land. We all know that we are forbidden from helping humans with any of this world's conflict. All we can do is guide them."
Maria Makiling: "What about those humans who received the fragments of Sandipa? We can aid them to help fight evil."
Amanikable: "We must be careful who we aid. As you know, some humans are corrupt."
Bathala: "He is right. We have to choose who we give aid to. We cannot afford to make any mistake as it could lead to more danger."
Lady Mayari: "What do you suggest we do?Amanikable: "I suggest we watch over these humans who have the fragments of Sandipa. See how they act. And from there we decide if we aid them or not."
Bathala: "Anyone agree to Amanikable's suggestion?"
Everyone agreed.
Lady Tala: "We should start sending our "eyes" around this world."
Bathala: "Begin the preparations."