Dododex

ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended Companion

The Omega Timeline

Chapter 46: Red sky

—By Moon

Jethezzar was flying around the Shadowkeep, his wings beating fast and his gaze searching the ground. He wanted to be tucked back away in his room, but Milo had burst in and said that intruders had gotten in and out of the keep, and Jethezzar needed to find them before they got away.

He couldn't focus though. Even if the kids were hiding somewhere, he wouldn't have seen them. His mind went right back to the image of the bear, jumping out to protect its ally. Jethezzar had turned and fled back to the keep as quick as he could, glancing back every few seconds as if expecting the bear to somehow be following him, coming after him to finish the fight.

He forced away his scared and guilty expression.

Just then, he noticed a sudden light spread across the ground, a dim red glow. Jethezzar’s eyes widened in disarray, and a sense of Déjà vu sunk in and went through his veins, causing his blood to run cold.

He didn’t dare look up at the sky. Spiraling down back towards the ground, he landed with a thump and went up to the entrance, preparing to go inside and this time not come back out.

Then a burst of violet and black light erupted from the top of the Shadowkeep. He stopped, staring as the beam shot out and stretched down towards the midst of the city.

“What the heck…” He breathed.

He watched the beam fly down to the city, before shaking himself. Drawing his wings back up and lifting off, he flew towards the light and watched as it sunk down to where it hit and disappeared. He flapped his wings and glided down till he was at the same height as most of the buildings, and slowed down in confusion, wondering if he should go any further.

He landed on a random balcony, looking out to see if he could locate where the light had gone.

Then suddenly, a large window from beside him slid open and a creature wrapped their wings around his head, yanking him through the window. He let out a muffled screech and collapsed onto the hard floor, looking up with a hiss at his attacker.

At first he thought it was the Wyvern he had seen before, the one that was part of the enemy. But this was a different Ice Wyvern with a much more confident and furious expression and a flurry of deep blue scales on her throat and tail. She released him gently, though she still seemed to have her guard up, as did Jethezzar.

“You.” she hissed at him. “Why am I here, and what is going on? You must know. You better know!”

He rubbed his neck where her claws had grazed him and shrugged, standing up. This didn’t appear to be someone against him. “Who knows,” he admitted.

“You have to know something! What is happening and why is the moon suddenly red like that?”

He blinked, finally glancing out the window to see what she meant. Above them, the moon was huge and dull blood red, glowing high up in the scarlet sky. Jethezzar exhaled through a slightly open mouth, stepping back.

“Answer me?” The Ice Wyvern demanded questioningly.

“Um–” He turned back around but didn't look at her, his eyes fixed on the floor ahead instead as he fought himself silently. “I really don’t know.”

She growled and he inhaled and exhaled, not able to pay attention to her.

“...What are you doing?” She asked after a second, looking both bothered and concerned.

“I, uh-” He tried to find words and found himself hyperventilating, absolutely freaking out inside. “I think I’m— I’m having some sort of panic attack or something–”

She stared at him with a deadpan look, watching as he waved his folded wings up and down in a frantic motion.

She opened her mouth to speak. “A– can– hey, can you just– HEY!” She struck a blow to his head with the edge of her wing and he stopped as he was hit, his yellow eyes looking at her in startled offense.

“Calm. Down,” She said to him in an exasperated tone. “You’re a full grown freaking Wyvern, for Vardilands sake.”

“Vardiland?” He echoed.

“Don’t interrupt me! Anyway, I don’t know what your issue is, but you need to suck it up so I can understand what’s happening in this place.”

Jethezzar swallowed slowly, unreplying. She sighed. “You’re no help. Guess I’m going to go find out for myself. Ehh, and you’re coming with me.” She wrapped her tail around him and dragged him forwards, and he hissed rebelliously and tore himself away from her, then hesitated as she moved on. He groaned quietly and followed after her.

“What’s your name?” The Ice Wyvern asked, not looking back at him. “I’m Zeer, for your information.”

“Jethezzar,” He answered as Zeer squeezed out the window from before and glanced over at him.

“That’s a funny one,” She observed. “What does it mean?”

“It… It doesn’t mean anything,” He said.

“Ugh. All Wyvern names should mean something,” She said. “Mine means something fun, but you’re not finding out from me any time soon, hah!”

He watched her silently as he exited the window as well, looking sideways at the sky again and ignoring it.

Zeer most definitely didn't seem like a Wyvern from his world, or at least from the timeline he was in.

“Are you from Pandora’s time?” He chose to ask, his tail flicking.

She paused and turned her gaze back to him again, her heterochrome eyes flashing. “You know Pandora?”

~

Sig was the first to advance. She came forward and whipped her tail down towards Aragorn and Sylveevve, roaring as Sylveevee threw the element ball towards the Reaper’s face. Sig stepped back as it exploded in front of her, and her tail just barely missed them, instead flying sideways and crashing into a small shop that sent debris flying across the ground.

A few meters away, Arianna stumbled to her feet beside Moonbeam, who quickly helped her up and looked on as Sig pursued Aragorn. Orbit pulled himself up slowly from a little ways away.

There was another crash as Sylveevee shifted into a Quetzalcoatlus and attacked Sig from behind, flapping her wings and latching onto the Reaper’s back.

Aragorn skidded to a halt and planted his feet, and shadow’s morphed into view around him and the buildings. They swiftly snaked towards Sig’s back talons, wrapping around her and holding her in place. She snarled and smacked Sylveevee away, who quickly shifted back to her human form.

“Let’s go,” Moonbeam exclaimed, glancing at Arianna, who nodded and climbed on top of her. She then ran forwards and pounced towards Sig, whose eyes lit up with fury as she swiped one huge set of claws their way.

“No!” Orbit jumped from the side and pushed them out of the way, and Moonbeam landed hard on the street’s ground, claws scraping and Arianna holding onto her back tightly.

“Orbit!” Moonbeam yelled.

“I’m not losing you!” He roared from where he stood.

Moonbeam's spines bristled like a furious cat and she said back, “You won’t, you can trust me to stay safe!”

“Quit arguing!” Sylveevee said out of nowhere, stopping beside them in the form of a Shadowmane. “C’mon!”

Orbit looked at Moonbeam, a worried guilt in his eyes as Sylveevee went to attack the half-trapped Sig. Moonbeam looked over at Orbit lovingly and then shot forward alongside Sylveevee, and the two attacked Sig with quick and fierce strength. Sig let out a screeching roar, her tail lifting before being smacked down and pinned under Moonbeam’s paws. Sig snapped in frustration at the shadow’s winding around her chest, before swiveling her head Aragorn’s way, her eyes glowing.

“Let go,” She hissed in Aragorn's mind. Aragorn grinded his teeth together and felt his power waver for a moment. But he held on strongly, not daring let it slip.

Then Orbit was there, too, jumping onto Sig’s head and yanking her downwards. Her snout landed with a thump on the ground and she hissed from the impact. Sylveevee stepped and placed one paw on the Reaper Queen’s muzzle, digging her claws in. “Yield or else,” she ordered firmly.

Sig cracked a small smile, her fangs showing. “I… would… nev–”

It was then that the moon turned slowly red. Sig paused, her eyes flicking to the sky, before a dark beam of black and purple light shot from far away. It soared through the sky over their heads and Aragorn, Arriana and the Shadowmanes looked up to watch it.

“Would you look at that,” Sig murmured slyly.

~

Aurora looked up in fear and awe, the light coming from the Shadowkeep reflecting in her eyes. “What is that?” She said softly.

Moments later, as the battles of the city ensued, a dark, shadowed creature flew up and hovered high in the sky, inverted eyes staring down and giant wings beating.

“This world will be mine.”