Leaving the I.P.S

Robert stood amidst the ruins of the I.P.S underground base, a place he had once helped design. Sporting a scruffy beard and clad in an arctic lab coat, he stood alongside Loh, who was also wearing a lab coat.

"We need to pick up the pace," Robert urged with a sense of urgency. "These invisible creatures are far too unpredictable." He turned to one of his super-skinned soldiers.

"Ariah, are you absolutely certain that you saw Al perish, along with the rest of his phantom seed?" He carefully studied the face of his subordinate, seeking confirmation.

"Yes," Ariah responded firmly, her eyes unwavering. "They sacrificed themselves so that me and the remaining super soldiers could survive."

Her gaze shifted to her comrades, all of whom had been personally saved by Cesar's phantom seed. When Cesar shared the plan with Al, Al went and explained to Ariah and the other super soldiers what actually had occurred.

How most of their squads would not have died if Robert hadn't used them as lab rats.

Realizing the truth of the situation, they all agreed that parting ways from Cesar and his phantom seed was the best course of action. The soldiers nodded in agreement to report their death and forget all of this had occurred with Ariah giving the account.

"They were good and offered me help when most refused, we cannot let their death be in vain,"

Loh asserted, his eyes intently fixed on the super soldiers, particularly Ariah. "You all need to get stronger; you can't be a liability. In fact, your potential might be the key."

Near the Arctic edge, miles away, Al wore a face of weary patience as Cesar posed the same question for the fifth time. "Wait, so how exactly are you planning to get us to land again?" Cesar inquired, seeking clarification.

Weeks had passed and their injuries had healed. Al responded wearily, his voice tinged with exhaustion, "I've already told you. I'll utilize Midnight-Abyss and we'll ride the pillars until we encounter land... Actually, I have a better idea."

Al retrieved an inhaler, activating the special mixture of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. He entered the mental domain something they had all grown familiar with. As always, a foreign spell accompanied his Stubborn Will—Midnight-Abyss.

Upon activating the spell, a language spoken through his blade permeated Al's mind, granting him access to the indestructible power of the black pillar.

Everyone took a step back as shadows instantly coalesced, condensing around his twisted knife which became the handle of the dark blade. Al plunged it into the ice and turned the twisted handle like a key.

There was no immediate darkness present to activate the spell, Al stood close to the ocean, which began to tremble violently. A dense river of darkness erupted, converging upon Al's blade, causing his obsidian armor to crystallize, starting from the hand that held the dark blade.

For a moment, the ocean was clear like a lake all of obscurity was drawn from it, only to be swiftly refilled by an engulfing darkness that returned to the depths of the sea.

"Alright, gather around me and please don't move around too much, I might not be able to save you if you fall." Al instructed; his voice laced with a sense of seriousness.

Donning his dark crystal armor, Al swung his blade upwards, the ice sheet beneath their feet trembled before breaking, forming a massive black pillar right under them.

Everyone jumped and found a place near Al as he moved with a hypnotic grace, emphasizing upward momentum. The five of them shot up with incredible speed, the black pillar now visible from miles away, a sight that could have been spotted by Robert had he been outside.

Amidst the swift ascent, Cesar used his Wind Will through his majestic spear to disperse the wind buffeting them. However, he couldn't contain his confusion, shouting over the roaring wind, "Al, where the hell are you taking us? I don't think we'll find any land in the sky!"

"Just keep your eyes open," Al calmly replied, unwavering in his focus. They soared to such heights that the world's edge seemed within sight, though it was all water as far as their eyes could discern.

The air thinned as they ascended, but they had refined their breath and awakened their Wills, they could absorb what little oxygen remained in the atmosphere.

Their ascent continued, and the view stretched far and wide, revealing an awe-inspiring vista of endless water below them and a dark sky with stars. Al's plan was becoming clear, and despite the thinning air, they pressed on with determination.

"To our left!" Agnethe's voice pierced through the air, accompanied by a disturbing cough that expelled blood.

Al swiftly adjusted his swings, causing the black pillar to sharply descend towards their left. Like a shooting star they descended with blazing speed.

As they neared, the tip of a land mass became discernible, beckoning them from a distance. The realization struck them that they were looking at the tip of South America and the were still incredibly far.

"Uh oh!" Al exclaimed as his blade and armor began to dissipate, signaling an approaching time limit. Concern filled Cesar's voice as he asked, "Al, what's happening?" Meanwhile, the pillar beneath their feet started disintegrating like ashes.

"It seems there's some type of limit," Al responded, his tone tinged with resignation.

Understanding the imminent danger, Ellie shouted, "Everyone, hold hands!" She reached out and grabbed Cesar and Jin's hands.

Al, returned to his normal state, his Stubborn Will healing the damaged caused by the armor, he held Cesar and Agnethe's hands soon the pillar they stood upon turned to ashes.

Falling from the sky, the five of them plummeted hundreds of feet toward the awaiting ocean below. As they descended, the landmass they had been aiming for became more distinct.

Just before they crashed into the water's surface, they released each other's hands. The impact with the ocean sent jolts of pain through Al's body, threatening to tear him apart. But his Stubborn Will swiftly mended his injuries as he resurfaced, breaking through the water's surface.

Above, the sky rumbled with heavy gray clouds hanging low over the sea. They had landed in the midst of a tempest, and Al struggled to swim upward, battling against the turbulent waters that tossed and obscured his vision.

"Hellooooo!!" Al's voice echoed defiantly through the turbulent storm, battling against the rumbling clouds and the heavy rain. "Over hereee!!" Cesar's voice responded, and Al swam determinedly toward it, even as he felt something swiftly pass by his leg.

As he reached Cesar and the others, he saw his friend suddenly disappear under the water.

Before he could say anything, he was yanked down by an unseen force. Reacting instinctively, Al fiercely stabbed at whatever had a hold of him with his twisted knife, eventually breaking free. He began swimming up, thankful that his Stubborn Will was already at work, healing his injured legs, which had gone numb from the encounter.

Emerging back to the surface Al turned to Cesar and the rest and found them engaged in a frenzied struggle with bloodthirsty sharks.

The sea around them was filled with turmoil as the sharks attacked with relentless aggression. "Agnethe, what are you waiting for!?" Al called out, urging her to act.

Responding to his words, Agnethe earrings manifested her Titans Will and she began to grow, reaching a towering height of 90 feet. The sharks relentlessly continued to try and bite into her, but she ignored the pain.

She grabbed the everyone including Al, wielding her immense size to swim with powerful strokes, smashing the sharks and sending some of them flying into pieces.

She continued until she had left the shark infested waters, the heavy rain poured down, and the thunder boomed menacingly through the gray skies.

Agnethe held everyone inside her closed fist, above the raging waters. However, despite her massive size, even she was being tossed around by waves, some towering as high as 100 feet.

The team had managed to escape the immediate danger of the sharks, but their struggle against the sea was far from over.

Amidst the chaotic onslaught of the storm, Al and the rest tried to hold on to something, tossed violently by the towering waves as if they were dice in Agnethe's giant hand. Al, held to his blade with great caution, made every effort to avoid slicing Agnethe's hand or anyone else.

A tremendous impact against a metal pole cracked one of Al's ribs, causing him immense pain. As a deafening boom reverberated through the air, a shocking force paralyzed Al, rendering him unconscious.

Ellie, who was positioned next to him, remained shielded from the lightning's impact, the electric energy reflecting off her mirror had hit Al's body instead.

The team was abruptly cast into the raging sea, and Agnethe, now unconscious and separated from the group, shrunk back to her normal size and began to sink.

Ellie, quick to react, commanded her floating mirror to create a reflection of herself, which transformed into a duplicate. The mirror clone darted toward Agnethe, diving after her, while the real Ellie swam towards Al who was unconscious.

Jin wielded Lightning Will, he was completely unharmed by the lightning strike. He was thrown into the sea next to Cesar who was unconscious. He was holding Cesar struggling to rouse him.

When Jin turned to see Ellie, he watched as the relentless ocean seemed to devour the very heavens above.

Without a moment's hesitation, Jin closed Cesar's nostrils, took a deep breath, and with every ounce of strength he could muster, dove underwater, their survival depending on his tenacity.

Ellie, shocked by Jin's sudden reaction, was unable to evade the powerful force that crashed into her. However, she clung tightly to Al, wrapping her arms and legs around him, refusing to let go.

As the colossal wave subsided, the water continued to roar, and the rain intensified, accompanied by flashes of lightning. Soon, two heads emerged from the water—Jin and Cesar, gasping for air and coughing.

Jin stayed close to Cesar, but they couldn't see anyone else nearby. Moments later, two more heads emerged, those of Ellie's mirror clone and Agnethe, both desperately trying to catch their breath.

Before they could fully recover, another massive wave began forming. "Swim towards it!" Cesar shouted, and the four of them mustered their strength, swimming towards the oncoming wave. They managed to ride over it as it surged past.

Hours passed, and the rain finally ceased, revealing a clear sky adorned with shimmering stars, the Milky Way stretching across the heavens. The water had turned pitch black and freezing cold.

Cesar swam alongside Jin and Agnethe, while Ellie's mirror clone remained with them. The once tumultuous sea had now become tranquil.

Jin's voice, heavy with exhaustion, broke the silence. "We will never find them in the middle of the ocean. Our best course of action is to reach land and hope that they do the same."

Cesar and Agnethe didn't respond, their voices already worn out from hours of yelling and screaming, hoping that Ellie and Al would hear them if they were nearby.

As the four of them floated in the cold, dark waters, Agnethe's head turned to stare into the darkness to their left. "What now?" she wondered aloud.

Jin and Cesar turned to look in the direction she was staring, but they couldn't see anything. Suddenly, a massive light illuminated the area, and a voice spoke through a powerful speaker, instructing them to remain calm as emergency life rafts were dispatched to rescue them.

Before long, a decent-sized orange lifeboat appeared, and a man tossed a lifesaver with a rope, rescuing each of them one by one.

*Some Distance Away*

Al opened his eyes, he saw the night sky adorned with stars, and a warm fire burning nearby. Ellie was sitting beside the fire, her gaze contemplative as she looked at him. "What happened? Where's everyone else?" Al asked, his voice weak trying to piece together what had transpired.

Ellie was surprised to see Al awake his question catching her by surprise. "After we were separated by a giant wave, we were swept to this island," she began, recounting their ordeal.

"We were in the water for hours, I thought you were actually dead Al. Your heart stopped beating for such a long time. But I refused to let go of you. I dragged you through the sand and performed CPR on you; your lungs were filled with water. But I kept going... Al, I'm really glad you're alive." Her voice held a mixture of relief and emotion as she gazed at Al with a gentle smile.