Green Lantern's Blight!

Green Lantern's Blight

Time: 1702 AA / 1818 AD

Location: Deep Space, Beyond Sector 3601

The void yawned endlessly before us, a cold and uncaring expanse stretching into infinity. Sul-Da, Thala, and I moved through it like glowing specks, our emerald light swallowed by the oppressive darkness. The faint trail left by the breach shimmered in my mind's eye—a path that promised answers but, more importantly, threatened to upend the careful life I'd carved out over centuries.

I didn't like being threatened.

The Ring fed me constant data, a whispering stream of information about energy fluctuations, dimensional shifts, and potential dangers. I ignored most of it, focusing instead on the task at hand. Every kilometer we traveled away from Stupendous McAwesomeface III felt like a risk, a gamble that could end with my sanctuary—and everything I'd built—exposed.

Sul-Da's breathing was steady, but I could sense the strain beneath it. He was holding up, but he wasn't ready for this kind of journey. Not really. Thala, though, was a different story. She flew beside me with grim determination, her crimson cape billowing behind her. She was here for the kids. For them.

Me? I was here because some thing dared to threaten my little corner of the universe. I'd spent nearly two millennia preparing for the day the universe remembered I existed, and I wasn't about to let some interdimensional horror undo all my work.

I clenched my fists. I'd fight this threat—not because it was the "right" thing to do, but because I refused to lose what was mine.

"Michael," Thala's voice crackled through the comm-link, calm but edged with tension, "how much farther?"

I glanced at the holographic map projected by the Ring. The signature of the breach was growing stronger. We were getting close.

"Not far," I muttered. "A few million kilometers."

Sul-Da's eyes flicked toward me, a hint of anxiety breaking through his determined mask. "Do you think we'll find whoever caused the breach?"

I didn't answer immediately. The honest truth was, I didn't care who caused it, only that they had. They'd poked the bear. Now they'd deal with the consequences.

"We'll find out," I said flatly. "And we'll make sure they don't do it again."

The darkness thickened around us, a black void that swallowed all light. It felt wrong, like space itself was holding its breath. My Ring flared brighter, pushing back the encroaching dark. Something was here. Something that shouldn't be.

++ Warning: Dimensional instability increasing. Unknown energy fluctuations detected. Proceed with caution. ++

A jagged tear split the blackness ahead of us. A swirling vortex of sickly purple and black energy oozed outward, distorting space-time like a festering wound. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. This wasn't just a breach. This was an invitation to disaster.

Sul-Da's voice was shaky. "What is that?"

"A problem," I said, my jaw tight. "One I intend to solve."

As we neared the rift, something began to emerge—a mass of writhing shadows, tendrils tipped with crystalline barbs. Its form coalesced into a vaguely humanoid shape, a head crowned with jagged spikes and eyes that were pits of swirling darkness.

It spoke, its voice a chorus of hisses and screeches.

"YOU FOLLOWED. FOOLISH."

I smirked, my Ring crackling with energy. "You messed with my Sector. I don't like that."

The creature's maw twisted into something resembling a grin. "YOUR LIGHT IS WEAK. YOU CANNOT STOP THE DARKNESS."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't need to stop the darkness. I just need to make you regret stepping into my territory."

Sul-Da's hands blazed with blue light. He shot forward before I could stop him, a streak of energy aimed straight at the creature's core.

"SUL-DA, NO!" I barked, but he was already gone.

The creature's eyes flared with malicious glee. A tendril lashed out, wrapping around Sul-Da's torso and squeezing. He gasped, the light around him flickering.

Thala's eyes widened. "Michael! Do something!"

I clenched my teeth, irritation flaring alongside my willpower. This was exactly why I didn't want to bring the kids along. Now I was forced to play the hero—something I despised. But losing Sul-Da wasn't an option. Not because of some noble sentiment, but because I couldn't afford to lose an asset I'd invested years into.

"Fine," I growled. "Let's get this over with."

I surged forward, emerald energy blazing around me. A construct blade formed in my hand, shimmering with lethal intent. I sliced through the tendril in one clean motion, the dark mass recoiling with a screech as Sul-Da tumbled free.

Thala caught him, her face a mask of worry. "You okay?"

He nodded, coughing. "Yeah. Thanks."

I didn't wait for pleasantries. I turned to the creature, my eyes narrowing.

"You think you're scary?" I snarled. "I've survived worse. Now it's your turn to see what survival feels like."

I didn't give the parasite time to respond. My Ring flared, and a barrage of hard-light missiles erupted from my outstretched hands. They streaked through the void, impacting the creature's form and detonating in bursts of blinding green.

The parasite writhed, its tendrils flailing as it screeched in agony. But it wasn't done yet.

It coiled in on itself, darkness folding and twisting until it launched a spear of pure black energy directly at me.

I didn't dodge.

Instead, I formed a shield of layered constructs, a wall of shimmering emerald barriers. The spear smashed into it, cracks spiderwebbing across the surface. I gritted my teeth, reinforcing the shield with every ounce of willpower I had.

"Michael!" Thala shouted. "We need to fall back!"

I shook my head. "No. This thing invaded my Sector. It dies here."

The shield collapsed with a shattering sound, and the spear pierced through, grazing my side. Pain flared, hot and sharp, but I bit it down. Pain was temporary. Satisfaction was forever.

I clenched my fists, green energy boiling around me.

"Ring," I said coldly, "compress the breach. Permanently."

++ Initiating dimensional compression. ++

The Ring's light surged into the tear, wrapping around the edges like a vice. The parasite's eyes widened in panic as it realized what was happening.

"NO! YOU CANNOT—"

"Watch me," I snarled.

The rift twisted, the edges folding in on themselves. The creature's screams turned to garbled static as it was dragged back into the void. With one final surge of willpower, I slammed the rift shut.

SNAP!

Silence.

I hovered there, breathing heavily, the ache in my side a dull throb. The void was still again, the darkness no longer threatening to devour everything I'd built.

Thala and Sul-Da drifted toward me, their faces a mix of relief and shock.

"Is it… over?" Sul-Da asked, his voice small.

"For now," I said, my voice cold. "But this isn't the end. They'll try again."

Thala met my eyes, suspicion flickering behind her calm demeanor. "What are you going to do?"

I smirked, the predatory edge returning to my voice. "Prepare. Fortify. And when they come back, I'll make sure they regret ever thinking I was an easy target."

This wasn't about saving the universe. It was about protecting what was mine. And I'd be damned if I let anyone take that away from me.