THE UNKNOWN WORLD OF SHADOWS

Chapter 17: The Eleventh Layer - The Ethereal Skylands

The air around them was thin and cold, as if they had ascended to the peak of some forgotten world. Before them, the Ethereal Skylands stretched out in all directions—an impossible expanse of floating islands, connected only by narrow stone bridges and suspended platforms that shifted and spun in the empty sky. The blue of the horizon was punctuated by clouds of mist, and in the distance, massive rings of light pulsed like ancient celestial bodies. Gravity itself felt warped, as if it couldn't decide whether to pull them down or push them upward.

Evelyn stood at the edge of the nearest platform, staring out at the vastness before them. His breath was shallow, not just from the thin air, but from the sheer scale of the challenge ahead. "This is… something else," he murmured.

Fenrir, standing beside him, gripped his sword tightly. "We've faced worse," he said, though his gaze never left the shifting platforms. His tone was steady, but there was an underlying tension. "Let's move before the islands start to drift further apart."

Asher, ever vigilant, had his rifle trained on the sky. "You feel that? We're not alone up here."

A gust of wind swept through, carrying with it faint whispers. Evelyn's device buzzed, the readings fluctuating wildly. "Sky Seraphs," he said grimly, looking at the device. "They're fast, and they don't fight like anything we've seen before. We need to stay sharp."

Fenrir glanced at Evelyn, a small flicker of worry in his eyes. "This gravity... it's unstable. We're fighting on their turf now."

As if on cue, the first of the Sky Seraphs appeared, darting from behind a cloud. The creature moved with a grace that was almost beautiful, its ethereal wings shimmering in the fractured light. It was humanoid, but its features were sharp, elongated, and otherworldly, with eyes that glowed like stars. And then there were more—dozens of them, each moving as if they were part of the very air itself.

The Seraphs attacked without warning, their movements almost too fast to follow. Asher fired off a shot, but the bullet curved away as if repelled by some unseen force. "Damn it!" he cursed. "The gravity's screwing with my aim."

Evelyn's heart raced. "We need to adapt," he shouted, pulling a device from his pack. He adjusted the settings, recalibrating their equipment to match the distorted gravity. "This should help stabilize our movements."

Fenrir was already in motion, leaping from one platform to the next, his blade slicing through the air as he engaged the nearest Seraph. But even his attacks seemed to struggle against the creatures, their bodies slipping between dimensions, barely tangible.

"We can't fight them like this," Evelyn muttered, his mind racing. "We need to figure out what's anchoring them here."

Asher was already moving, jumping between crumbling platforms and firing controlled bursts at the Seraphs. "Evelyn, we can't keep this up forever!"

"Give me a minute," Evelyn replied, his eyes scanning the islands ahead. And then he saw it—a massive floating ring in the distance, pulsing with energy. It was almost identical to the Nexus Beacon from before, but it seemed even more ancient, its power resonating through the entire layer. "There," he pointed. "That's their anchor. If we can disable it, they'll lose their advantage."

Fenrir nodded, already sprinting toward the next platform. "Then let's move."

The team pressed on, leaping between unstable islands that crumbled beneath their feet. The Sky Seraphs swooped in and out of the mists, their attacks relentless. Asher fired at them with controlled precision, keeping them at bay while Fenrir led the charge toward the pulsing ring of light.

Evelyn, trailing slightly behind, felt the pull of the layer's energy. Every step seemed to resonate with something deeper inside him, something connected not just to the Non-Space, but to his very being. The feeling had been growing ever since they'd entered the ruins in the last layer, but here in the Skylands, it was almost unbearable. The pull was not just external—it was something rooted in his core, something tied to the very essence of the Non-Space.

As they closed in on the ring, the air seemed to shift. The gravity fluctuated more wildly, the islands trembling as if the entire layer was reacting to their presence. The closer they got, the harder it became to keep their footing, and the Seraphs grew even more aggressive, their attacks coming in waves.

"We're almost there!" Fenrir shouted, slashing through another Seraph. "Just a little further!"

But Evelyn had slowed, his mind overwhelmed by the connection he was feeling. Visions flashed before his eyes—memories that weren't his own. A battle long ago, a figure standing amidst chaos, fighting back creatures just like these Seraphs. And in the center of it all, Aiden.

He saw Aiden clearly now, the commander of the Shadow Seekers, standing at the heart of a different battle in a different time. Aiden, who had fought to protect their world from the Non-Space, who had led his team into the unknown, only to fall victim to the very forces he had sworn to destroy. The memories were vivid, not just images but emotions—fear, determination, sacrifice.

"Evelyn!" Asher's voice cut through the haze. "Snap out of it!"

Evelyn blinked, the vision fading as quickly as it had come. But the weight of what he had seen lingered. Aiden's soul hadn't just been reborn in him by chance. It was deliberate, part of a larger design, a plan to end the Non-Space once and for all. The weight of it was staggering, and for a moment, he felt as though he might be crushed by the responsibility.

But then he looked at Fenrir and Asher, still fighting, still pressing forward. They didn't know what he had just experienced, but they trusted him. And that trust was what gave him the strength to keep moving.

"I'm fine!" Evelyn shouted, pushing the visions aside for now. There would be time to process everything later—if they survived.

They reached the pulsing ring at the heart of the Skylands, the energy swirling around it like a storm. Fenrir and Asher held off the Seraphs while Evelyn approached the ring, his device buzzing furiously as it scanned the energy. This was it—the anchor that was tying the Seraphs to this layer.

Evelyn worked quickly, his fingers moving over the controls with practiced precision. "I'm disabling it now. Just hold them off for a little longer!"

Asher fired another burst, dropping two Seraphs as they swooped in from above. "Hurry up, Evelyn!"

Fenrir was locked in combat with three of the creatures, his sword moving in a blur as he parried their strikes. "We don't have much time!"

Evelyn's heart pounded in his chest. The energy from the ring was overwhelming, its power resonating with the memories he had just seen. But he couldn't let it distract him. He had to focus—had to shut it down before the Seraphs overwhelmed them.

And then, with a final keystroke, the ring's energy flickered and dimmed. The effect was immediate. The Seraphs let out an unnatural screech as their forms began to dissolve, their connection to the layer severed. One by one, they vanished into the mists, their bodies disintegrating into nothingness.

The silence that followed was deafening. The pulsing energy of the ring had ceased, and the floating islands were now eerily still.

Asher lowered his rifle, breathing heavily. "That… was too close."

Fenrir sheathed his sword, his eyes scanning the now-empty sky. "It's never easy."

Evelyn collapsed to his knees, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The connection to Aiden was still there, stronger than ever, and he knew that he couldn't ignore it any longer. "I… I saw something," he said, his voice trembling. "Aiden. He's… he's not just part of my past. He's why I'm here. Why we're here."

Asher frowned, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Evelyn looked up at them, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and resolve. "Aiden's soul was reincarnated in me. This wasn't an accident—it was all part of a plan to destroy the Non-Space. I'm… I'm the key to ending this."

Fenrir and Asher exchanged a glance, the weight of Evelyn's revelation settling over them.

"Then we finish this," Fenrir said quietly. "We take down the Non-Space, just like Aiden intended."

Evelyn nodded, though the weight of his destiny felt heavier than ever. There was only one layer left now—one final challenge before they faced the heart of the Non-Space.

And with Aiden's legacy now fully revealed, they knew the battle ahead would be their greatest yet.

The Mustery fight was just going begin