Life had a strange way of pretending everything was normal.
Three months after Abby's departure, the world had fully settled back into routine. The skies no longer fractured with crimson light, and reality itself seemed to have stitched its wounds closed. News channels stopped reporting unexplained phenomena. People forgot the fear surprisingly quickly.
But Danny couldn't.
No matter how ordinary the days became, something inside him constantly felt unfinished.
The school gym echoed with squeaking shoes and bouncing basketballs as students rushed across the court during practice. Danny dribbled absentmindedly near the three-point line while his teammates shouted at each other in the background.
"Danny!"
Ren's voice snapped across the court. "If you stare into space any harder, you might discover another dimension."
Danny blinked once before casually throwing the ball.
Swish.
A perfect shot.
The gym erupted with annoyed reactions from the opposing side.
Ren pointed dramatically. "See? That's exactly why I hate talented people."
Danny smirked faintly for the first time all day. "Skill issue."
"Wow. Abby leaves for three months and now you're stealing her insults too."
The smile on Danny's face faded slightly at the mention of her.
Ren immediately noticed.
"…Sorry."
"It's fine."
But it wasn't really fine.
Practice continued for another hour before the coach finally dismissed everyone. Students slowly filtered out of the gym while evening sunlight painted the windows gold.
Danny grabbed his bag and headed toward the exit with Ren walking beside him.
"You know," Ren said casually, "you've gotten stronger."
Danny glanced at him. "What brought that up?"
"You."
Ren shoved his hands into his pockets. "Your energy feels different lately. More stable."
Danny looked down quietly.
Ever since rewriting reality, the power inside him had changed. It no longer felt wild or uncontrollable like before. It was quieter now.
Deeper.
Like something sleeping beneath the surface.
"I don't even know what I am anymore," Danny admitted.
Ren was unusually silent for a moment before shrugging. "Still annoying. So probably still human enough."
Danny laughed softly.
Then suddenly—
The hallway lights flickered.
Both of them stopped instantly.
The air shifted.
A faint pressure spread through the school like an invisible pulse, subtle enough that normal people wouldn't notice it.
But Danny felt it immediately.
His eyes narrowed.
"…Did you feel that?"
Ren's expression lost all humor. "Yeah."
For a brief second, crimson light reflected across the hallway windows.
Then vanished.
The pressure disappeared just as quickly as it came.
Students around them continued talking and laughing, completely unaware that anything had happened.
Danny's heartbeat slowed uneasily.
That energy…
It felt familiar.
Far beyond Earth, the Crimson Kingdom stood beneath a blood-red sky filled with floating silver stars.
Massive chains of light stretched across the heavens as ancient towers hummed with unstable energy. Deep within the royal palace, alarms echoed through a circular chamber covered in glowing runes.
Royal mages rushed between floating symbols while streams of crimson energy spiraled violently through the room.
"Stability levels are dropping again!"
"The dimensional anchors are fluctuating!"
Another rune shattered midair.
The entire chamber trembled.
Abby stood at the center of it all with crimson energy flowing around her body like living fire. Her expression remained calm, but tension lingered behind her eyes.
"…Why now?" she muttered.
Queen Seraphine stood nearby, composed as always despite the chaos around them.
"Because the worlds are still adjusting," the Queen answered. "The rewrite altered the structure of existence itself."
Abby lowered her gaze briefly at the mention of the rewrite.
At the mention of Danny.
A massive floating map appeared above the chamber, displaying countless glowing realms connected by streams of light. One section pulsed violently.
Earth.
A royal mage turned pale. "Your Majesty… a boundary tear has formed."
Abby looked up sharply. "Where?"
The mage hesitated before answering.
"…The human world."
Silence filled the chamber.
Abby's chest tightened immediately.
Queen Seraphine's expression darkened. "You are not going."
Abby looked toward her mother. "People could die."
"And your emotions are clouding your judgment."
The words struck directly.
For a second, Abby's aura flared instinctively before calming again.
"I'm still the Crimson Heir," she said quietly.
Seraphine stepped closer. "Then act like one."
Another violent tremor shook the chamber. The floating image of Earth flickered again, showing brief glimpses of city lights beneath a storm-covered sky.
Home.
Abby stared at it silently.
Then made her decision.
"…Prepare the gate."
The mages froze.
"Your Highness—"
"Now."
Queen Seraphine's voice turned cold enough to silence the room instantly.
"Abigail."
Abby stopped walking but didn't turn around.
"I know my responsibilities," she said softly.
A pause followed.
"…That's exactly why I have to go."
Back on Earth, rain poured heavily over the city streets as Danny walked home beneath dark clouds. Water dripped from his hair while distant thunder rolled across the skyline.
Something still felt wrong.
The pressure from earlier hadn't disappeared completely.
It lingered.
Watching.
Danny suddenly stopped walking.
The rain around him froze midair.
Not naturally.
Instantly.
His eyes widened.
A crimson crack slowly spread across the sky above the street.
Small at first.
Then growing larger.
Danny's heartbeat accelerated.
"…Abby?"
The crack pulsed violently.
Then exploded open.
BOOOOM.
A shockwave ripped through the street, shattering windows and setting off car alarms. People screamed and ran as crimson light flooded the area.
Something stepped out of the Rift.
Tall.
Armored.
Its black armor gleamed beneath the rain while silver light glowed beneath a mask without expression.
Then another figure emerged.
And another.
Danny's expression darkened immediately.
"…Those aren't from her world."
The lead soldier slowly raised a massive silver blade toward him.
"Authority Signature confirmed."
Another voice answered behind it.
"Eliminate the Rewrite Origin."
Danny froze for half a second.
Rewrite Origin.
So they were after him.
The armored soldiers stepped forward together as the crimson Rift widened behind them.
Rain drifted unnaturally through the distorted air.
Then Danny slowly lifted his head.
The pressure around him changed instantly.
Cold wind spiraled outward as reality itself subtly bent around his presence.
For the first time in months—
The rewritten power inside him awakened again.
Not violently.
Not uncontrollably.
But something about it felt far more dangerous now.
Danny stepped forward slowly, eyes sharpening beneath the rain.
"…You picked the wrong world."
And somewhere beyond countless realities—
Abby suddenly felt the connection between them tremble.
Her eyes widened immediately.
"…Danny."