The monster’s domain spread like inky darkness swallowing the ground. A pool of pure liquid black rewrote reality as it enforced the aspect of the creature’s cultivation path onto the world, changing the laws that held up reality, even if only in a limit scope.

The darkness swallowed the street under me, asphalt swallowed in inky blackness like a dark ocean spreading through the city. It’s qi moved freely in its domain as if it was inside the monster’s own body, allowing it to form techniques externally at full efficiency, and right now, the qi was battering me like a storm, slamming into me in waves.

The monster roared as the sky went black, an orb of unbroken luminous silver hovering above me. A moon hung over a sky as dark as night, stars aligned around it in concentric circles. It loomed as if it was about to crash into the earth.

But there was no earth. Below me was nothing more than inky darkness matched with more concentric stars.

I fell.

Darkness like ink, real and thick and viscous, clung to my legs and sucked me down as the stars at the edge of the darkness rotated, spinning around that huge, luminous moon in the sky, defaced by a hundred little craters.

And then it shattered.

The side of the illusory moon erupted like a bullet hit it. A million white stones filling the swirling domain, each spinning in owns direction as it orbited the moon above.

Distantly, I heard a card alarm still honking in the distance, just under the ringing tone of the siren.

The domain muffled the sound of combat, a hundred thudding blows of fist against ivory shell occasionally interspersed with swearing as the rocks swirled from the opposite side of the domain and towards me. Throwing myself to the side in the sinking dark, I clung to one stone as it rose towards me. Hundreds of pieces swirled around me now, all of them shooting upwards.

I pushed off from rock to rock, practically swimming in the externalized qi of the monster as I headed closer and closer to the mesh of stars that showed the edge of the domain.

I was getting the hell out of here.

The siren of the city got louder as I approached the edge.

Then I gasped as something slammed into me, throwing me out of the domain and knocking the air from my lungs at the same time.

I landed in a tangle. The Awoken who had arrived to respond to the gatebreak pushed himself off me, standing. One of his sleeves was in tatters and blood dripped from his knuckles. He stepped off, wiping blood from his nose, and swearing, before diving back into the domain without a second thought.

From the outside looking in, I could see through the veil of darkness that occluded the center of the domain before. A second moon was below the monster, a perfect reflection of the original, undamaged form. At the edge of the domain, the world simply stopped, buildings fading away into nothing.

It hadn’t escaped the combat undamaged.

Cracks showed in the ivory armor that layered its body, black blood oozing from the cracks the Awoken had opened. As the man dove into the domain, the rotating rubble from the broken moon inside shifted directions, moving towards him. The purple armor around his fists flickered as he bashed the solid, white chunks of rubble away; they cracked into rubble before dissolving into dust. New chunks reformed out of qi.

The man shot through the bubble before continuing his assault. I turned and walking away.

A news crew was unloading from a van, cameras pointed down the street at the ongoing conflict. I gave them a wide distance as I winded away from the fight.

A sharp pain took my right arm. I clutched at it. Something must have torn or been broke in the fall and impact. I bled lightly from abrasions, but the glass wasn’t strong enough to cut deep without breaking. The sound of shouting and fighting occasionally followed me as I made my way back to the entrance of the museum, using the walls as support.

Debris from the wall and floor covered the ground; it looked like a demolition site.

At least I had found no corpses yet.

Water pooled across the ground from broken pipes and by the time I reached the stairs the water crawled up to my ankle, pushing against me in a river that led down to the torn open basement of the facility, stained gray-brown with dirt carried from the floor and walls.

At least I hoped it was from the floor and walls, and not from the contents of the pipes.

I leaned against the wall for a moment, staring down at the water.

What would it be like if I hadn’t been here? If I hadn’t led the monster away?

Would the water on the floor be red instead? Would there be corpses instead of rubble?

“Kim?” I said, looking up the stairs. I had to speak up to talk over the rush of water. I was glad to be free of it at the first step. The shock of the fall and impact were wearing off, replaced with the aches and pains of internal bruising.

I walked in the monster's wake, across a sky bridge that looked significantly less stable than before. Wind whipped my hair through the opened windows, assaulting me as I stepped across. From up here, looking down, I could see the monster’s domain. The perfect sphere of spinning black occupied the middle of the street. I walked by, heading to the circular observatory looking over the fight. Kim stood at the window, staring out pale at the fight.

“Kim?” I asked. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t reply.

Following her gaze down, I looked into the domain. The monster pinned the man to the ground, raising a fist above its head. Kim gasped.

A bolt of gold shot down out of the sky, slamming into the monster and knocking it back.

Willow landed like a clap of thunder, golden armor shining even brighter against the contrast of the monster’s domain. I watched as she paused for a second. Then she kicked the second awakened out of the domain.

He flew 40 feet into the street, rolling, and pushed himself to his feet almost the instant he stopped moving. The monster swung a fist at Willow, a golden shield interrupting the blow. I could see the shock-wave ripple through the world, but Willow had her back to the monster. She was shouting to see if the other Awoken was alright.

“You alright?” I asked again.

“Um. Yes.” Kim said. She sighed. “Fuck.”

The Awoken Willow had kicked away looked angry, and not at the monster. He looked pissed at her.

To be fair, she had just kicked him 40 feet away. With a shrug, she continued to fight it. Her shields flickered and bent inside of the monster’s domain. A pulse of gold swept out from her feet, shooting outwards… and stopping at the edge of the domain, flickering before disappearing. Willow frowned, manifesting a shield in midair and kicking off of it to fly towards the edge of the domain. With a roar, the monster followed, and the hundreds of floating shards collapsed towards Willow. The monster was just as fast as her, if not faster. She turned, golden shields forming walls around her as hundreds of attacks slammed into the shields.

The corporate Awoken dove through the hallway of shields she made, landing a kick on the monster’s head. It slid backwards, raising slamming its hands in a clap to crush the man.

Golden shields popped into existence on either side of him, blocking the strike. Two on one, they forced the monster to the defensive. The two of them danced around it, taking it apart blow by blow.

The monster’s domain flickered as Willow landed a blow, arms glowing gold.

“We did good.” I took a seat, rubbing at my arm.

“You’re covered in blood.”

“It’s already dry.” I replied. “I might have a concussion though.”

There was a flash of gold light. A dozen transparent copies of Willow appeared at once, stabbing inwards at the monster. Its domain wobbled before dissolving. The rubble circling in it fell to the ruined street. A chasm in the ground revealed the sewer tunnel below. Willow free’d her spear from the monster’s chest, letting it collapse to the ground.

The other Awoken staggered backwards, brushing his clothes off. Willow brought the spear back and shoved it through the monster’s eye, grunting with effort. When she pulled it free, a golden light erupted out of her, a perfect circle flying outwards and flashing through the city. It swept the buildings and rubble, over the cars and into the museum.

Willow’s head snapped towards me. With a single motion she leapt from the street, hitting the peak of her jump and upward momentum right as she landed at the edge of the observatory. Glass shattered and tinkled under her foot.

“Rain?” Willow asked, crossing the room in huge strides. “That wasn’t an Iron monster. You’re going to explain this, later. After I take you to the hospital.” Willow touched a hand to the side of my head. I winced.

The second Awoken landed behind her. The observatory cracked where he jumped, and he wobbled in place for a moment, gaining his balance before stomping over.

“What the hell was that?” He asked.

Willow’s armor retreated away from her head, folding back into the gigantic metal breastplate and shifting to a dull iron color. She pushed frizzy blonde hair out of her face and rolled her eyes before she turned.

“Me saving your life?”

“You’re not on contract.”

“This is — it’s my city.” Willow replied, incredulous.

“Not anymore. You’re interfering in our business.” The man said. “I hope you’re ready to pay for all of this collateral.”

“Are you serious right now?” Willow asked, turning to the man, but he was already walking away. She groaned before turning back to me, fishing around in her pocket before tossing two potions to us. I grunted when I caught it, reflexively using my right arm — which I was now sure broke in the fall. I knocked the potion back instantly.

“Not any good for concussions.” Willow frowned as she looked at us. “Let’s get out of here.”