Chapter Text
In the very beginning of the Omniverse, thirteen beings were created.
They were to preserve the balance of the Omniverse.
They were the True Shapeshifters, for they could take on any physical form they wished.
One of their group betrayed them, giving up her natural ability in exchange for limitless power.
After the resulting fight, the Gateways between the Multiverses were sealed off.
But it was said that one day, descendants of the first True Shapeshifters would reopen them.
This event would come to be known as the Gateway Anomaly.
~Corrin Creaturae, excerpt from Science of the Omniverse Vol. I
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[Inkiora Region, Inkopolis]
[May 28, 2015 AE]
Despite Inkopolis’ exterior, even the City of Colors hid dark secrets in its alleyways and back roads. Usually they were roamed by all sorts of rough characters, practically an ecosystem of its own. But tonight, the ecosystem was disrupted. There was a new presence among them. An apex predator. The streets were empty as he passed by, malicious intent fueling his walk. He wasn’t there to coexist. He was there to conquer. He wore a large cloak, obscuring his face and body, showing nothing but his mouth, which housed two rows of sharp, pointed teeth. His eyes, twin glowing yellow orbs, shone through the shadows cast by his cowl. He was followed by a small group of similarly dressed individuals.
One thug, working for a small gang, made the mistake of challenging them. “Ey you,” the muscular Sea Angel said challengingly, his transparent blue skin almost glowing in the light of the setting sun. “What do yer think yer doin’ on our turf?”
The procession stopped. The figure in the lead looked up at the thug, who towered over him by several feet. “Move,” he said, not bothered by the Sea Angel’s menacing stature.
“I don’ think so buddy. You lot need teh skedaddle, or else I’m gonna hafta get rough with ya.” He cracked his knuckles, going for his usual strategy of intimidating those smaller than him (which was most of the city’s population).
The leader looked back down, then spoke a command in a language the Sea Angel didn’t understand. Two of the cloaked figures stepped out of line, moving towards the Sea Angel. They pushed back the sleeves of their cloaks, revealing pale arms and fingers that ended in red claws. Underneath their cowls, red lights glowed where their eyes were supposed to be, their upper face covered by a shiny metal mask. Their mouths showed no expression, emotionless as they moved towards their target.
“This is yer last warnin, back off before ya regret it.”
The leader gave a grim chuckle. “You’re the one who will regret this,” he said with a thick accent.
That night was the first night most of the residents of Inkopolis’ back streets heard the sound of a Sea Angel screaming. And it was a sound they wouldn’t forget for a long, long time. It got louder, and louder, more pained by the second… until it stopped. And there was silence.
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Commander Greyfish grinned as he looked up at the titanic creature that curled around Inkopolis Tower. The Great Zapfish, the source for most of Inkopolis’ power. Its children, the Zapfish, were also valuable power sources, but they paled in comparison to their mother.
“Sir,” said Captain Elisha, “we’ve almost got enough Zapfish for Project: Scaffold. The team is just gathering up the last few.”
“Excellent.” Greyfish continued to stare up at the sleeping leviathan.
“Is… something on your mind sir?” Elisha asked.
“You could say that. We need the Zapfish for Project: Scaffold, right? But imagine what we could power with the Great Zapfish.”
“It would be a great asset to have on our side, sir. But it would be difficult to take it with us. And it would certainly attract a lot more attention than just stealing a few Zapfish.”
“Hmm… It would seriously cripple Inkopolis though. I think I might be able to pull it off.”
“How so, sir?”
Greyfish turned to his second-in-command. “Oh, I have my ways…”
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As the sun rose over the City of Color, Inklings began to wake up. As they flipped their light switches, however, their lights didn’t turn on.
Many Inklings, despite the power outage, still made their way to Inkopolis Plaza. They talked amongst themselves about what could have happened, until one of them happened to look up at Inkopolis Tower. Instead of the sight of the Great Zapfish looking down at them, the tower’s top was warped, the metal bent in several places. The Great Zapfish was nowhere to be found.
The Great Zapfish, the power source that kept the city running, had been stolen.