Citizens cheer, some cry, others fall into religious awe.
Children play with toy Storm-Lions. Some hum the eerie tune of Yenya's lullaby.
Yariam pauses from daycare duty, his massive hands clutching a screen.
"They're fighting with heart… but those new ones… they scare me."
Marisov, on Azura's lap, frowns.
"They don't love their beasts. They use them. That's cheating."
Earth: Reactions Across the Globe
Social Media Meltdown:
Elon Musk tweets:
"Should I build a bonded beast or nah?"
Taylor Swift posts a pic of Shaadar with a flower emoji:
"Not gonna lie… kinda vibing with this aesthetic."
On the Internet many tags began trending:
#BondedBeasts
#StormboundSweep
#YenyaNation
#LetRaavokCook
#CerberisMySleepParalysisDemon
#ZalthorionKnows
Kai Cenat:
"YOOOO VORAK JUST GREW HANDS OUT HIS SHOULDERS—LOOK AT THIS MONSTER!"
PewDiePie:
"This is Pokémon if Pokémon went to war with God."
VTuber Ironmouse (VShojo):
"I wanna ride Shaadar into battle and whisper lullabies too, nya~!"
Vatican City – Papal Statement
The Pope holds a global address.
"We must remember: these are not demons nor angels, but manifestations of bond. Love. Sacrifice. We pray for those who fight for meaning, not for conquest."
A holographic projection of Raavok stands behind him during the message.
Across Mecca and beyond, Imams call for understanding.
"If beasts are bonded through love and mercy, then they are not unholy. But we must remain vigilant. The heart is the true battlefield."
Mosques host livestreams, prayers, and discussions. Children draw their own dream beasts.
A fringe doomsday cult called "The Rift Ascendants" claim the beasts are harbingers of divine judgment.
Their leader livestreams in front of a swirling projection of The Rift:
"The bondless shall perish. The Rift selects only the worthy."
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson says:
"Team Stormbound, baby. If Raavok needs backup, I'm bringing the Brahma Bull."
Grimes releases a Bonded Beasts inspired track. It's haunting and features distorted violin echoes.
Draykahn and Bahmuul collide, molten obsidian smashing into mirrored crystal.
Every blow Draykahn lands returns stronger.
He starts burning himself to confuse the feedback loop.
"Pain… is part of the forge." He grins.
Kry'skith crawls along the ceiling of the arena, moving like a spider across crystal sky.
He drops onto Cerberis their minds clash like clashing cities. Screams echo through the void.
And yet in every corner of Earth, Evolto City, and beyond…
Millions keep watching.
Some fear.
Some cheer.
Some pray.
But no one looks away.
The battlefield is fractured. Shards of crystal rise like jagged fangs.
The Stormbound bleed. The Synapse Pact grow louder in thought.
Every movement now ripples across dimensions watchers weep, scream, or kneel.
Avaara is on her knees.
Shaadar's spores sing through her skull a lullaby that plays memories of her sister who never returned from the tundra war.
She blinks, tears falling and suddenly throws her daggers into her own shadow.
Shadow Bind: Echo Loop.
"You wanna sing? I'll make you listen to yourself."
Shaadar is trapped in a feedback scream, twisting in petals and ichor, imploding into silence.
Yenya screams. The violin breaks in two.
Draykahn is the last wall before Bahmuul.
The Mirror-Crusher is reflecting not just blows, but intentions. Desperations. Emotions.
Draykahn walks, molten blood pouring like a trail of war drums.
He lifts a piece of Cerberis' torn horn, fuses it to his own core with lava, and charges.
Bahmuul steps forward.
FLASH
Both beasts explode into energy, hurling Ka-Len and Draykahn across the battlefield like dolls.
Now, only two left.
Raavok vs. Kry'skith.
Storm meets mind. The lion stalks. The mind-harrower floats.
"You are an emotion. I am a storm of thoughts. I am victory."
Raavok does not roar.
He closes his eyes… and remembers every child in Evolto who touched his mane. Every tear wiped. Every laugh shared.
"No. You are noise. I am heart."
He vanishes into the wind lightning in all directions striking Kry'skith at angles that do not exist.
The mind collapses. Kry'skith convulses, shatters into dust.
VICTORY: THE STORMBOUND
The Rift shrieks the sound of gods applauding.
The void glows golden. The arena dissolves into soft light.
"VICTORS RETAINED. STORMBOUND MAINTAIN DOMINION."
Earth Explodes (Figuratively)
Twitter/X:
"RAAVOK STORM DIFF."
"AVAARA WENT FULL METAL PSYCHO."
"DRAYKAHN DIED STANDING GOAT."
TikTok edits flood in:
Raavok lightning strikes to Travis Scott beats.
Yenya crying set to Billie Eilish.
Cerberis being weird gets its own meme format.
As the last echoes of battle fade, the Stormbound kneel under a rain of silver petals a symbol of respect from the Rift itself.
The Synapse Pact is gone. Not dead. Just… dismissed. Folded back into whatever void-borne dimension they came from.
Marisov, clutching his plushie version of Raavok, whispers:
"They were scary... but we were braver."
Even the voices became quiet, as if in agreement.
Glass orbs spin around him. Realities flicker. Worlds kneel.
He steps into the center, and with a wave reality becomes a gameboard.
THE NEXT GAMES BEGINS: LUMINA CHESS
A blinding light pours in from nowhere. A simple table. Two chairs. A chessboard.
But the pieces shimmer… morph… reflect the very souls of those who touch them.
Each pawn, bishop, rook becomes a shard of the player's essence.
Their hopes, fears, styles of thinking. The board breathes with sentient light
Zalthorion smiles faintly.
"To all those watching across Earth… I see you now."
"I apologize. Your lives may… never be the same."
"But hey at least I'm easy on the eyes, right?"
WINK.
Twitter/X trends within seconds:
#DaddyZalthorion
#GodKingCheckmate
#HeCanInvadeMyBoard
#WINKSEENTHOUGHTSLost
Ryan Reynolds: "Okay but like… how's your queen's gambit?"
Lady Gaga: "Somebody paint him on the Sistine Ceiling."
Lizzo: "Sir?? You can ruin my multiverse, that's fine."
IShowSpeed:
"BRO WHAT IS THIS?? JUST. CHESS?? AIN'T NO MONSTERS?? THIS MID!!!"
PewDiePie:
"Why do I feel like I'm not smart enough for this game."
Markiplier:
"If he makes me cry over a pawn, I swear…"
CoryxKenshin:
"I came here for hands being thrown. Now I gotta use my BRAIN?!"
Ironmouse:
(blushing furiously) "I-I didn't know omniscience came with abs HELLO?!"
Nyanners"I'm gonna lose at Lumina Chess just to hear him say checkmate in that voice."
Mori Calliope (on stream):
screaming in reverb
"SOMEONE TIE ME TO A ROOK I'M READY TO ASCEND"
She tweets moments later:
"If Zalthorion doesn't crush me under the weight of his galactic intellect, I will simply perish."
GothamChess (Levy):
"This is like… Kasparov vs Magnus, but if the board could talk and cast fireballs."
Hikaru:
"Yeah I'll play. But only if I get pieces that look as good as his."
THE ROOM EMPTIES. LIGHT FADES.
Zalthorion disappears no sound, no flash. Just gone.
In his place… the chess table. Two seats. The Rift glows again.
1. A Dendrite:
Tall. Bark-laced with emerald light. Roots twisting with elegance.
Immediately, the internet screams:
"IS THAT GROOT???"
"Marvel fans punching air."
"He better say 'I am Mate.'"
2. His Opponent A Man Cloaked in Blue
Silver hair. Cold eyes. Yamato-like presence.
Resembling Vergil from Devil May Cry.
"Your move... before I grow bored."
DMC FANDOM DETONATES
"IF HE SAYS MOTIVATION I'M DONE."
"Vergil boutta parry a bishop with a sword."
"WHERE'S DANTE?? PUT DANTE ON THE BOARD."