CLICK~
Tyler rotated the dial, switching from The Fallout-Forge back to his human form. He returned to the Rustbucket with a triumphant smile, only to find the group staring at him as if he were a ghost.
"That was Vilgax... the conqueror of worlds," Max whispered, his face pale.
"You didn't just fight him, Tyler. You deleted him," Ben added, his voice a mix of awe and a strange, lingering discomfort. Tyler was simply too efficient, making their own struggle for heroism seem like child's play.
Gwen looked at the green Omnitrix on her wrist, her fingers trembling. "Is it really supposed to be this... violent?"
"Your watch is a tool for peace, Gwen," Ben said, maintaining his sharp tongue. "Tyler's watch? That's a butcher's knife. Hey, Tyler! Can you use your Carnitrix to 'infect' Gwen's watch? Imagine the DNA upgrade!"
"I haven't tried that. Gwen?" Tyler asked, offering what he thought was a kind smile.
Gwen scrambled into the corner of the RV, her eyes wide with fright. "No, no! Keep that thing away from me! Our art styles are... fundamentally incompatible!" She was genuinely terrified she'd accidentally summon a demon.
"Suit yourselves," Tyler shrugged, leaning back. "The big fish is dead. The small fry are all yours."
Ben grinned. "I've realized something. Even without a watch... I'm going to be a hero. Just watch me."
Gwen looked at her cousin with uncharacteristic seriousness. "Good luck, Ben. I think you mean it."
But when they turned to include Tyler in their next plan, his seat was empty. He was gone as silently as he had arrived.
In a pocket of white space, Tyler stood up, dusting off his jeans. "Paradox? Am I home?"
"No," Professor Paradox said, shaking his head. "You are still in the Gwen 10 Universe. I simply moved you to a desert to avoid further timeline contamination."
Tyler raised his hands defensively. "This jump wasn't my fault! The Warp-Disk triggered on its own."
"I know. I'm not here to scold you, Tyler," Paradox said, offering a rare smile. "In fact, I should thank you. By executing Vilgax here, you've secured this timeline's safety for a century. It saves me quite a lot of paperwork."
"You're welcome," Tyler grinned.
"As for your trip home... let's see if your luck holds." Paradox raised his cane, aiming it at Tyler's chest. "Sending you back now."
"Wait!" Tyler stepped forward. "The original Carnitrix Universe—the one where Ben is a puppet. You're watching it, right? Why haven't you stopped it?"
Paradox's expression turned grim. "Tyler, every universe has a fixed path. If I interfere arbitrarily, I create a dozen more 'Error' timelines. I can only step in if an inhabitant breaks the laws of space-time and threatens the greater Multiverse."
Tyler felt a chill. The thought of thousands of Carnitrix worlds blooming across reality was a nightmare beyond comprehension. He fell silent.
CLICK.
A sudden, rhythmic rotation echoed through the white void. Tyler looked down at his wrist. The Carnitrix was spinning wildly—icons for the Bog-Stalker, NRG, and Way Big flickered past in a red blur, never stopping.
"Is it malfunctioning?" Paradox asked, his cane glowing with golden light to stabilize Tyler's form.
"I... I don't know!" Tyler cried out as his body began to distort.
Suddenly, a profound, starlight-dappled energy smothered Paradox's golden light. A figure stepped out of the radiance. Tyler's blood ran cold. Paradox dropped his cane, frozen in a rare moment of genuine shock.
It was a humanoid entity, darker than the deepest void, its body filled with shifting galaxies. Two jagged, ivory fangs protruded from its mouth.
The Null-Entity.
The Carnitrix dial continued to spin, but Tyler realized it wasn't a glitch. The watch was desperately trying to find a form that could contain this presence—and it was failing.
"You've been watching me for a long time, Time-Walker," the Null-Entity spoke, its voice a chorus of a thousand dying stars. It revealed a sinister smile. "I felt your gaze... I waited until you were distracted with this 'traveler' to step into the light."
BOOM!
Ontological Pressure erupted from the Entity. The local reality didn't just break; it was annihilated. Tyler and Paradox were thrown through a rift of golden light just as the universe behind them dissolved into nothingness.
In a random, unstable dimension, Tyler and Paradox slammed into the ground. They scrambled up, hearts pounding.
CRACK.
Space twisted like a wet rag. A hand wreathed in starlight reached through a tear in reality, pulling the rift wide. The Null-Entity squeezed through, its face a mask of pathological madness.
"Wherever you run," the Entity whispered, "I will carve a path through the stars to find you."
WHOOSH.
A flash of gold, and Paradox vanished.
"You... you left me?!" Tyler shouted at the empty air, staring at the God-like horror standing before him.
"You..." The Null-Entity looked at Tyler, its head tilting. "You carry the same scent as me. No matter. I will kill you and reclaim the Core."
The Entity teleported instantly, its hand coming down toward Tyler's head like a death sentence.
WHOOSH.
Paradox reappeared in a streak of gold. He hadn't run; he had looped. He lunged forward, reaching with a mechanical hand toward the starlight-dial on the Null-Entity's chest!
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