Gingerbread Man ate his breakfast, watching the Citadel News Channel. As he sat there, a news story appeared on the TV.
"Breaking news," said Draconic news anchor Lisa. "A wrecked escape pod has been found near the Citadel, about a lightyear out. It appears to have suffered heavy damage, with gaping holes in the sides and debris floating around it. Recordings were recovered from the mission log, which tell a tale of how a ship entered a mysterious portal to a strange universe, before it was subsequently attacked somehow."
Gingerbread Man watched and listened with alarm. Something felt unusual about this.
"Hey dad!" Jonathan said, entering the living room alongside his girlfriend Eclipse. "Whatcha watching?"
"There was this disturbing news flash," G-Man answered. "Something about a wrecked escape pod, and a portal to a mysterious universe."
"That doesn't sound good," Eclipse remarked.
At that moment, the doorbell rang. Jonathan went to open it. Standing there was Awenasa, except something was different about her. She seemed to be glowing white somehow.
"I need to speak with King Stantz," she told Jonathan. "It's urgent."
"What is it, Awenasa?" Gingerbread Man asked. "Also why is your skin glowing?"
"Long story short, I found the Amplification Crystal and used it to expand my powers," Awen said. "But that's not why I'm here. I've been having strange visions of a dead universe full of destroyed planets and cloudy stardust... I don't know what it means."
"Wait a second," G-Man paused her. He glanced at the TV again.
"The recordings," said the anchor, "described this universe as being full of planets that had been smashed to pieces and nebula clouds obscuring view. We don't know what this means, but the proper authorities will need to investigate these portals further..."
"That sounds exactly like my vision," Awen agreed. "But what does this mean?"
G-Man took a deep breath.
"It means we'll have to see it ourselves."