The Ultimate Saga of Madness

Chapter 12 - The Wrath of TON-618

After the bizarre and surreal events with the Babadook, the battlefield had finally settled into an unexpected calm. The once-chaotic landscape was now a place of peace and camaraderie, where foes had become friends, and strange alliances were forged.

The Purple Frog and Mudskipper, normally content with hiding, had come out from their burrows and now curiously observed the Stag Beetles and their new "king," the microscopic Tardigrade, who were still being carried around in an odd display of loyalty. The frog croaked softly, while the Mudskipper flopped lazily on the ground, the tension from earlier events seemingly forgotten.

Meanwhile, the Gremlins, once a force of pure chaos, had found a new pastime. In a strange twist of events, they were sitting around a makeshift table made of broken branches and stones, playing chess with one another. Their wild, unruly laughter was now replaced by serious concentration as they strategized, albeit with the occasional cheating that was met with snickering.

A little farther off, the Simpsons, Sinclairs, and Wilkersons—who had once been in a wacky feud—were now building a bond like never before. Homer and Earl Sinclair were cracking open beers and sharing jokes, while Bart and Reese were busy planning more mischief. Lois Wilkerson and Marge Simpson were chatting, shaking their heads at their respective families but smiling all the same.

Across the way, Elliot and E.T. were laughing as they played catch with Charlie Bucket, their game of tag leaving them breathless with joy. Harry Potter was off to the side, practicing his spells, his wand flicking through the air as he tried out new incantations he had learned in his first year.

Even Zozobra, the once-menacing embodiment of despair, was now sitting quietly, no longer a towering figure of gloom. He gazed off into the distance, lost in thought but calm, as if the redemption Barney had offered him had sparked something new inside him.

Everything felt... normal.

But peace, as it always seems to be in this world, was fleeting.

The first sign of something wrong was subtle. The sky—once a soft blend of purples and blues—slowly began to shift. The sun, still hanging in the horizon, was now bathed in a slight tint of red. It was barely noticeable at first, just a hint of color that could be mistaken for a sunset. Most of the characters ignored it, continuing their games and conversations.

However, a few among them were not so dismissive. Danny Torrance, who had been hyper-alert ever since the Babadook incident, glanced upward, his brow furrowing. Beside him, Cole Sear instinctively shivered. The air felt different, heavier, and both boys could sense that something was coming.

Harry, pausing in his spell practice, caught sight of the change and tilted his head in curiosity. "That's... strange," he murmured, pocketing his wand for a moment as he gazed at the sky.

Even Zozobra—who had been quiet since his redemption—raised his hollow eyes to the heavens, sensing a shift in the atmosphere.

The others, still engaged in their games and conversations, paid little attention. To them, it was just another strange, but not particularly alarming, quirk of this world.

But then the shadow appeared.

At first, it was just a dark shape—a round, black, shadowy object floating in the sky, its edges tinged with an eerie red glow. It was unlike anything anyone had seen before. It hung there, high above the battlefield, unmoving but unmistakable.

For a moment, it almost looked like a solar eclipse, casting long shadows across the ground and dimming the once-bright day. The Gremlins, halfway through their chess match, stopped and stared up at the sky, their eyes narrowing in confusion.