The Paragons

Prologue, Part 4: The Opulent's Last Remnants

"So that's your plan....interesting....." Shocker mused once she, Herman, Mitchell, Caspian, and Malcorchus had all been teleported to the king's throne room inside his palace within the Shimmering Plane. "To use these.....'pylons' to erase Earth's world and put a new one in its place.....? That being yours?" 

"Correct," Malcorchus responded as he drew the last two sigils on the floor of the chamber. "I have two main reasons for this. For one thing.....The Viper destroyed Nic'qura and the Opulent when they only wished to return home. Such an unprovoked attack from someone who's supposed to be a hero.....cannot be allowed to go unanswered. We shall make her and her entire planet suffer for her wrongdoings. Second.....our realm is dying." 

"What.....?" Shocker asked concernedly. "What do you mean?" 

"The Shimmering Plane has persisted for several eons in secret; until now, we have never brought humans into it. However, our continued existence has taken a toll on our dimension; the scenery has started to fall into disrepair, resource shortages are all too prominent....and my people---the Enlightened Ones---have been dissipating into ether by the day due to lack of sustenance; a fate that is, quite sadly, irreversible. If we do not find another planet to inhabit soon.....we will go extinct." 

"That would be Earth, then....." 

"Exactly. I love my world and my people with all my heart, as any good leader would. And to that end, I would go to any length to preserve it, even if it means the sacrifice of a different world. I'm hoping that you three---as well as the two whom I am about to resurrect now---will help me achieve this goal; eliminating The Viper will only make things all the more easier for us. In return.....I shall spare all of you and we will rule the new world together." 

While Mitchell appeared to be deep in thought, Herman walked around the throne room and carefully analyzed its architecture. "So this is the Shimmering Plane....." he whispered, sounding rather impressed. "Breathtaking.....I don't think I've ever seen design patterns like these anywhere on Earth!" 

"That's just my palace, boy," Malcorchus reminded. "If you really want to see our dimension for yourself, I could always have Caspian take you on a brief tour, that you might come to see our predicament first-hand." 

"Umm.....maybe later," he replied. "Right now, I wanna see who these last two people are. You've already got Shocker, Mitchell, and I; we're quite a powerful team already. Besides, I can't think of anyone else who could hate The Viper." 

The king finished drawing the pair of sigils; like before, they consisted of a perfectly-round circle with a star shape embedded within. The symbol on the left featured a glowing "N", while the one on the right depicted an "S" instead. 

In a similar display from earlier, bright beams of light sprang forth from the runes and began moving in small circles, with two familiar figures beginning to take shape before everyone's eyes. 

Soon, Nic'qura and Sin'lazo had been revived. 

As soon as Sin'lazo realized that his king had brought him back to life, his first act was to take a knee before him in reverence. "My greatest thanks, Your Majesty," he said. "I thought for sure I was a goner when The Viper finished me off back at the cliffside in Hawaii. Although I do not approve of how you treated me, Nic'qura, and the rest of the Opulent....there's no doubt I owe you greatly. As I served you then.....I shall continue to serve you now. On an unrelated note, are there any grapes around? I used to love those back on Earth." 

Nic'qura pulled herself to her feet, dusted off her lab coat, and took a few moments to get her bearings before her gaze landed on Malcorchus as well. However, rather than bow before him in respect, her first act was to immediately power-walk towards him, grab him by the throat, and forcibly lift him upwards, breathing very heavily.