š Chapter 41: The Call of the Worlds
The sky above Earth had never witnessed a night like this. Crystalline cracks began forming in the atmosphere, as if time itself was slowly breaking apart. Inside the Watchtower's command room, Batman stood before a spectral monitor displaying overlapping signals from fractured universes.
"It's a contagionā¦ an existential one," he muttered, watching the patterns of collapsing realities.
Injured Flash sat beside him, breathing heavily, and added:
"If it spreads to every worldā¦ there's no turning back."
Green Lantern activated his ring, expanding the communication field and projecting a holographic map of the multiverse's collapse points.
Wonder Woman asked grimly,
"How many have survived?"
He answered, disheartened,
"Fewer than we hopedā¦ more than we feared."
**
In the emergency lab, Ben examined the newly forged Omnitrix while Supergirl analyzed a shattered crystal fragment from a fallen dimension.
She spoke softly,
"This contagion doesn't just killā¦ it rewrites the laws of universes."
Ben replied, his eyes fixed on the watch,
"We're not just fighting Kairosā¦ we're fighting the urge of reality to surrender."
**
Just then, a side screen flickered with a scrambled message. The frequency was Azmuth'sādormant since the start of the crisis. Batman quickly opened the channel.
A partially obscured face appearedāit wasn't Azmuth, but his assistant from Planet Oa, panting heavily:
> "The infection has reached the Seventh Dimensionā¦ some heroes are still resisting, but they're falling one by oneā¦ we need help."
The signal cut off.
**
Within the hour, Ben, Superman, and Batman gathered around the main strategy table.
Batman spoke sharply:
"We can't defend Earth if the other worlds collapse. We move now."
Superman nodded,
"We'll open temporary gatesārescue whoever we can."
Ben added,
"Or find the last standing championsā¦ and fight beside them."
**
The plan launched into action. Using Azmuth's frequency matrix, Green Lantern and Shazam created phase-bridges to infected realities. The first gate opened to Dimension 67āa world cloaked in crystal ash.
A lone figure stepped through: a battle-scarred hero in a scorched suit, half his armor melted.
"I've been alone for seven days," he said, "but I waited for this."
His name was Cyber-Zo, the final survivor of the Alloy Worlds Alliance.
**
In another dimensionāone nearly silentāstood a version of Wonder Woman with glowing golden eyes, guarding a small girl wrapped in an energy shield.
She whispered,
"I couldn't save them allā¦ but I'll protect what's left."
Each gateway revealed remnants of hopeā¦ and echoes of ruin.
**
By the end of the day, after saving survivors from several realities, the team returned to Earth. But their eyesā¦ were no longer the same.
Gwen, overseeing the care of the rescued, stood in front of Ben.
"What's coming is bigger than any of us," she said. "But not bigger than all of us together."
Ben replied with a faint smile,
"That's why we're picking up the pieces. And starting from here."
**
Deep within the Core Crystal, Kairos felt the ripple of movement across the multiverse. His faceāhalf radiant, half shadowāemerged within the crystal depths.
With a dual voice, he whispered:
> "The light begins to gatherā¦ but even light needs shadow to be seen."
**
And thus, the gathering began.
The Alliance of Realmsā¦ was born.
---
Note: The device they used to move to the parallel universes is the device that Gwen and Kevin used, made by Azmuth, when they moved to the DC universe and when they returned to their world.