The light swallowed them again. Harry hit stone, then dirt, then his side slammed into something cold. He rolled and coughed, vision white-hot. The dagger burned like fire in his hand, silver veins crawling all the way up to his shoulder now.
"Harry!" Naruto's voice, rough, too close. Hands shook him. "You okay?"
Harry forced his eyes open. "No. Not really."
The ground was cracked pavement this time. Buildings rose high but broken, signs in languages he didn't know flickering in dead neon. The sky was purple-black, streaked with cracks of silver light like scars.
Spider-Man landed beside him, panting. "Okay. Okay. Where the hell are we now? Multiverse roulette wheel's on fire at this point."
Flash zipped in and stopped suddenly, eyes sharp. "We're not alone."
Kakashi already had a kunai out. Jinwoo's shadows rippled wider, spilling like smoke around them. Dokja's eyes tracked the sky, quiet but focused.
Harry's scar seared again. The whispers crowded his head. "Open.""Open." Over and over, crawling like knives.
And then a voice cut through them.
Smooth. Calm. Familiar already.
"You can't run from me."
Harry's stomach dropped. He twisted around.
Through the fracture in the air — through light that should have sealed — Aizen stepped out. Unhurried. Perfectly composed. His cloak barely shifted as the world mended behind him.
Spider-Man swore under his breath. "Oh great, Evil Glasses Guy came along for the ride."
Naruto bristled. "How'd he do that? We didn't invite him!"
Flash muttered, "He didn't need an invite."
Harry stumbled back, scar flaring, dagger pulsing harder at the sight of him. Aizen's eyes flicked to the weapon, then to Harry's face, like he was already reading every thought he had.
"You see?" Aizen said softly. "No matter the world, the key pulls us together. You and I are bound by it now."
Jinwoo stepped forward, shadows rising like an army. "Stay away from him."
Aizen smiled faint. "Still protective, even of someone you barely know. Curious."
Jinwoo's voice was low. "First time or not, I know what you are."
Aizen's eyes glinted behind the glasses. "Do you?"
The ground shook suddenly. A tremor ran through the broken city. Lights flickered, signs crackling. From the alleys, shadows moved — not Jinwoo's, but wrong, crooked figures dragging themselves closer. Not zombies, not men. Something between.
Naruto swore. "Oh come on. More creeps?"
Spider-Man muttered, "Every world comes with a free monster pack, huh?"
Dokja's voice cut calm. "They're drawn to the dagger. The longer it glows, the more things come."
Harry shook his head. "I can't turn it off!"
Aizen's smile deepened. "Of course you can't. That's why you need me."
"Not happening," Flash snapped, standing between them.
Aizen didn't move. He didn't need to. His presence pressed down harder than the monsters creeping closer. His words cut sharper than blades. "Every time it opens, it will tear this reality further. Cities will fall. People will vanish. Do you think these strangers you cling to can stop it?"
Harry's chest heaved. He wanted to scream at him. To say yes. To say no. But the dagger pulsed harder, and the whispers screamed.
"Open."
"No!" Harry clutched his head, gasping. "Not again—"
Naruto grabbed his arm. "We're here, Harry. You're not alone, believe it!"
Spider-Man shot a web across one of the monsters, yanking it down. "Yeah, kid, ignore evil smooth-talker! Team effort, remember?"
Flash's hand steadied his shoulder. Jinwoo's shadows rose taller. Dokja's voice stayed calm, anchoring. "You don't need him. You need us."
For a moment, Harry almost believed it.
Then Aizen's voice cut like silk. "You already believe me. That's why the dagger listens."
The monsters rushed in. Dozens, maybe more. The group braced, weapons raised. The city cracked louder under the pressure.
And Aizen just smiled, watching, as though the chaos was all part of his plan.
Harry screamed as the dagger burst silver again, the fractures spreading wider, dragging them all toward another fall.
And this time, Aizen didn't resist. He walked into the light with them.