Chapter 295: The Aftermath

Chapter 295Han and the rest were consumed by an overwhelming fear.... one unlike anything they’d ever felt before.

It wasn’t just in their minds. Their bodies refused to obey them, trembling as if their very souls had turned against them. They felt small, prey before a predator too vast to comprehend.

The black portal loomed before them, alive and wrong. Every instinct in their bodies screamed at them to run... to get as far away as possible... because staying meant death.

Han forced himself to breathe, his heart pounding like war drums. He turned to Lightrunner. Based on the older hero’s pale expression and earlier reaction, Han could tell that he knew something.

"What is that portal?" Han asked, stepping closer.

Lightrunner didn’t answer right away. His usual grin was gone. The color had drained completely from his face. For a long moment, he just stared at the swirling void, eyes distant... haunted.

Then, slowly, in a low, heavy voice, he said,

"You’ve heard of the Sendok Calamity... haven’t you?"

Han froze. The others did too.

Of course they’d heard of it. Everyone had. The Sendok Calamity wasn’t just another world event... it was the catastrophe. The one that nearly erased all of humanity years ago.

"I’ll take your silence as a yes," Lightrunner muttered. His voice was strained, filled with a dread that made everyone’s stomach twist. "The Sendok Calamity... was caused by a Black Portal. A portal exactly like this one."

The words hit like lightning.

Han’s eyes widened. The air felt colder suddenly, heavier.

If Lightrunner was right... then the thing standing before them... the thing breathing darkness and dread into the world, it was the same kind of portal that once nearly destroyed everything. Meaning, if it broke open... humanity wouldn’t survive the second time.

Han’s face hardened. His chest felt tight.

The Sendok Calamity had taken everything from him. It was because of that disaster that he’d lost his parents... vanished without a trace. He had searched for them for years, but the world had only given him silence in return.

He clenched his fists.

The Sendok Calamity... humanity’s greatest tragedy. And now it was happening again.

He looked back at the swirling void. The black portal pulsed... alive, malevolent. The worst part? These things didn’t take long to break. A few hours. A day at most. Not nearly enough time to summon reinforcements.

And even if they gathered every hero on Earth... would it matter?

Could anyone stop what was waiting inside?

No matter how Han looked at it, it was death... inevitable, absolute.

The remaining heroes were being evacuated under Han’s command. Mia was already gone with the wounded, and those too broken to fight had been moved out. Only the elites remained, standing in silent dread before the black storm.

But even the elites knew the truth... this wasn’t a fight they could win.

Han’s mind raced.

Is this it... the future I saw?

He remembered that nightmare, the one from months after his awakening. Everyone had died. Heroes, villains, civilians.... it didn’t matter. The world had burned in silence.

He remembered the white entity that appeared to him in that dream.

He’d asked it how to stop the coming crisis.

The answer had been short. Simple. Unforgiving.

"Get stronger."

All Han had to do was get stronger. Stronger and stronger until he could be useful — strong enough to stop the crisis about to swallow Earth.

He’d been training with everything he had. He’d faced threats that should have ended him and walked through the wreckage. Each doubt-riddled battle had made him harder, meaner, more certain.

By most measures he was one of the strongest heroes alive. Still: strength alone didn’t buy you forever. If the portal before him broke, the fate of the world would be sealed. That much was clear.

"What... what do we do?" Aiden asked, brow tight. None of them had ever seen a portal like this. Lightrunner’s words hadn’t softened the picture... the black portal was a different beast.

Theories from the history had whispered for years .... portals like this didn’t last long; they shattered fast, often within a day. A day wasn’t enough to gather a force. They’d need S-rankers... maybe more than one.... and the top heroes were missing. The task wasn’t hard. It was impossible.

Han clenched his jaw until his teeth ached. He closed his eyes and breathed through the storm of thoughts. This can’t be it. This can’t be the end. I refuse to let Earth fall so soon. I refuse.

When Han opened his eyes they glowed a soft, cold blue. "There are a lot of people I vowed to protect," he said. "A lot of promises I made to change this world." His gaze burned on the black swirl that pulsed like a wound. "If this breaks... there will be no one left to save. No promises left to keep. Everyone’s doomed."

"You want us to head back?" Aiden asked, voice thin.

Han shook his head. The shake was a small, absolute thing. "No. I’m not leaving."

Aiden and the others froze, faces washing from hope to horror. "You can’t mean..." Lightrunner stated. Disbelief bled through him. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel•fire.net

"Yes." Han’s voice was flat and iron-cold. "I will stay. I’ll close this portal."

They stared like he’d gone mad. Had he? If he wasn’t, then he was simply choosing to walk into a death trap alone.

"You’re going to clear the black portal by yourself?" Lightrunner’s words stumbled out, half-anger, half-plea.

Han turned, scanning the ruined barrows the curse had left behind. The battlefield smelled of spent power and burnt promises. "This portal is my responsibility," he said. "I started the operation. I led the attack. The residue from our assault, the energy we bled into the fight, I caused this. If the world burns because of what I did, then I will be the one to fix it. No regrets. No excuses."

Han turned back toward the portal.

Just staring at that black swirl sent a tremor through his body. His chest tightened; his mind screamed at him to stop. But he couldn’t. He’d already decided.

Aiden and the others stared at him, their faces pale. What Han said might’ve held truth.... but it wasn’t the whole truth. They hadn’t come here just because Han ordered it. They’d come because they believed the Cursed had to be destroyed. That fight was theirs too. The blame wasn’t just Han’s. It was all of theirs.

"Don’t give me that look," Han said, his voice firm but quiet as he met Ronan’s gaze.

"At least let me follow you," Ronan said, a faint, broken smile on his face. "You can’t do this alone. And who’s better to accompany you than a killer like me?"

He said it half-joking, but everyone heard the truth under it.... if Han was walking into the dark, Ronan was walking beside him.

"I’m going too," Aiden said. His tone tried to sound steady, but the tremor in it gave him away. "You’ll need someone to watch your back. You can get pretty reckless when you fight, you know?" He forced a grin.

"Count me in," Clara added, her pink eyes bright with determination. "I might not be much, but I’ll still help however I can."

Han looked at his friends, and for a moment, his expression twisted... something between pride and pain.

He was stronger than all of them. After killing the Dark Emissary, his energy was nearly restored. He’d be back at his peak soon. But they weren’t. They were wounded, drained, not ready. And even if they were at full strength... what waited beyond that portal might still be too much.

"If I told you all to stay behind, would you listen?" Han asked.

Clara shook her head.

Ronan blinked.

Aiden grinned. "Of course not. Why would we? It’s not an order."

"What if it was an order?" Han pressed, staring at Aiden.

Aiden’s grin faltered for a moment. Then he shook his head. "Then I’d disobey. No way I’m sitting this one out."

Ronan didn’t bother to speak. The look in his eyes said enough. He was coming. Period.

"Let me grab a few things... I’ll be back," Clara said, already running off, probably for some gadgets.

Han stared after her, a dry laugh slipping from his lips. "Why are all my friends insane..."

He rubbed his forehead, sighing. "Well... maybe four’s better than one."

Then a shadow moved beside him.... Jay. The quiet martial artist. He stepped up, eyes fixed on the swirling darkness, face unreadable.

Han frowned. What’s he thinking?

"What, don’t tell me you’re coming too," Han said.

Jay didn’t answer immediately. He just stared at the portal, then turned, locking eyes with Han.

"You heard what they said, right? That’s a death portal. Chances of you or your people coming back are near zero."

Han stayed silent.

Jay studied him a bit longer, then suddenly let out a low chuckle. "You’re crazy," he said, smiling. "I like that."

He turned back to the portal. "Just looking at this thing gives me chills... like if I step through, I’ll die for sure."

But there was no fear in his voice...none at all. His posture was calm, his tone almost amused. He tilted his head, that same half-mad smile on his face.

"But wouldn’t that make it more fun?" Jay asked.

"Come on... let’s enter the death zone and take care of whatever’s inside ourselves. If it wants us dead, we’ll just have to disappoint it."

To be Continued....

AUTHOR’S NOTE

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– Ultra