The light faded slowly, revealing a world that no longer existed. Where the Iron Tower had stood, there was now only a crater, a perfect circle of nothing extending down into the earth for what must have been miles. The edges of the crater shimmered with distorted space, reality itself fractured and refusing to settle into any permanent state.
Marcus stood at the center of the crater, but he was no longer entirely standing. His body existed in multiple states simultaneously. One moment he was solid flesh. The next moment he was transparent, barely visible against the distorted backdrop of broken space. One moment he was alone. The next moment he could feel two other beings occupying the same physical form, fighting for control, fighting for dominance.
The merger had succeeded but not in
