-----

  Shock and disbelief hit them both at once.

  Oblivion stared at the fragments raining down— shattered shards of the artifact still glowing faintly before dimming to nothing. His arms uncrossed on instinct as he staggered back a step, boots scraping loose debris. He ran a hand through his hair, breath coming out sharp and uneven.

  Oblivion "Oh shit, what the fuck! How the hell did this happen?! Why'd you let your guard down?!"

  The cloaked man snapped, grabbing Black Mentis by the neck with both hands and shaking him violently, fingers digging into torn flesh.

  Cloaked Man "DAMN YOU! DAMN YOUUU!!"

  He drove a brutal punch into Mentis' gut.

  Spit flew from his mouth as he roared, knuckles whitening. With a furious snarl, he hurled the useless, sparking remains of the artifact aside. It clattered across the rubble and went dark.

  "THE BOSS IS GONNA BLAME ME FOR THIS MISTAKE!"

  He spun on Oblivion, jabbing an accusing finger inches from his face, voice cracking with rage.

  "And YOU! You lowered your guard too, asshole! How the hell WOULD I KNOW he was gonna fire a damn energy attack when the gem didn't find anything to take?!"

  He didn't wait for an answer.

  His fist came down hard.

  THOOM!

  Mentis' head snapped sideways. Blood and teeth sprayed in a wide arc. His body folded and slammed into the rubble, rolling once before going still. Only a faint, wet, rattling breath escaped his chest.

  Oblivion crossed his arms, fingers tapping rapidly as he paced in a short, agitated circle, shaking his head.

  Oblivion "We're so dead… We failed to steal his powers— and everyone else's that died today."

  He stopped, turning and opening a hand toward Mentis' broken body.

  "And worse, because of this asshole. Our fusion with the demons got delayed. The damage we took?"

  He spat on the ground, rubbing his shoulders as if trying to shake off invisible pain.

  "That damn white flame of his? Somehow it canceled my instant healing. It's not working anymore."

  The cloaked man groaned, clutching his side as scorched flesh hissed faintly. He drew in a breath through his teeth.

  Cloaked Man "Mine isn't healing either… and that's not even the worst part."

  His voice dropped, jaw tightening.

  "The king will punish us for losing that artifact. It was entrusted to us. It's irreplaceable. I don't know if we can fix this before he wakes up."

  Oblivion stopped pacing and clapped his hands together sharply, a grin flashing across his face.

  Oblivion "That's it. It's not irreplaceable."

  The cloaked man shot him a skeptical look.

  Oblivion continued "These artifacts respawn across parallel universes. We just need the right one."

  His tone dropped lower as he scratched his head.

  "From infinite ones."

  Oblivion leaned in slightly, eyes glinting.

  "And who better to help us than Bloodstrike? We need him to steal a certain ability for us. With that, we can locate the artifacts— one by one."

  The cloaked man scowled, shaking his head slowly.

  Cloaked Man "If this idea of yours fails, I'm killing your ass. I can't believe we need Bloodstrike to move forward. This is bad."

  He glanced around the ruined city, exhaling heavily.

  "We'll report this to the boss when he wakes up. Hopefully… he spares us."

  Both figures slowly lifted into the air, boots leaving the ground as they floated above the battlefield.

  Below them— nothing moved. Craters yawned open. Severed limbs lay scattered. Smoke columns twisted into the sky. Melted streets glowed faintly where heat still lingered.

  Oblivion looked down at the destruction, clicking his tongue in disgust.

  Oblivion "All this killing… all this destruction… for nothing."

  He pointed down at Mentis' motionless body, eyes narrowing.

  "Since the gem didn't grab anything— from him or from Megalodon— this means something."

  He flicked his fingers once.

  "That golden light? That was his doing. I think he somehow found a way to move his power to someone else."

  A smirk tugged at his mouth.

  "Probably that false demon king helped with the spell too. No way that thing could've pulled this off alone. He couldn't do that without an artifact like ours— or something ancient."

  The cloaked man's jaw tightened further, fists clenching at his sides.

  Cloaked Man "You think so? How sure are you? What do you know about ancient spells? You sound like you know something."

  Oblivion shrugged casually, waving a hand.

  "When you were busy getting cooked, I heard him chanting. Latin. Then that golden light shot off somewhere."

  He scoffed, giving a sideways glance.

  "It's obvious. At least to me. Didn't know I was working with a dumbass."

  The cloaked man swung at him with a growl.

  Oblivion hopped backward, the punch missing by inches, landing lightly on a chunk of debris.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Cloaked Man "Alright, smartass. So who did he send the power to? And how the hell did he shatter the gem?"

  Oblivion grinned wider, tapping his temple.

  "Beats me. But he used Ki. He wrapped Ki around us. That's how he shot that tiny blast."

  His grin faded, replaced by a grim expression.

  "We're screwed. Big time."

  He glanced back down at Mentis, tilting his head curiously.

  "Since we're here… wanna see who's behind Black Mentis' mask?"

  A cold tremor ran through the cloaked man. His posture stiffened.

  He scoffed sharply, turning away with a dismissive wave.

  "Fuck no. The king would kill us. Let's dip. We're leaving now. That's enough trouble for one day."

  Oblivion sighed, rolling his eyes.

  "Tsk. Coward."

  The cloaked man paused, scanning the ruins with narrowed eyes. He winced, touching scorched skin as smoke curled from it.

  Cloaked Man "We also need to wipe out any remaining survivors. There could be heroes still alive somewhere. And some of the people in the evac domes. If anyone saw—"

  Oblivion cut in, adjusting his hood with a nod.

  "Yea, yea I get it dude your skin's more fucked up than mine. We need to get back to base and heal… fast."

  The cloaked man clenched his jaw but didn't argue, glancing once more at the devastation.

  Oblivion gave a final shrug.

  "Don't blame yourself. As I said these artifacts will respawn. We'll just need Bloodstrike's ability to track the right universe so don't worry much."

  Silence reclaimed the battlefield.

  Black Mentis lay half-buried in rubble. His breath rattled weakly. Warm blood seeped beneath him, darkening the stone.

  Smoke drifted overhead.

  A thin line of morning light cut through the haze.

  He exhaled— barely audible.

  Mentis (fading): "Al…an… Diana… Jade… My… three years with you… were real…"

  His fingers jerked once.

  His chest rose once then stopped.

  Black Mentis was no more.

  The battlefield remained silent.

  The war was only beginning.

  (Winchester Manor)

  Alan tightened the final strip of bandage around his mother's shoulder, pulling just enough to secure it without hurting her. His fingers lingered for a second, checking the tension, then smoothing the fabric flat.

  "…and here you go. It's all good now."

  "Thanks for the help, Al."

  Diana tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. Alan caught the tiny twitch at the corner of her mouth, the stiffness in her jaw as she shifted her arm slightly, testing the pain.

  The manor felt wrong.

  For hours, the walls had groaned under distant explosions. Windows had rattled. The ground itself had shivered. Now—nothing.

  The rumbling had completely stopped. No more shockwaves. No screams carried by the wind. The city fell silent—heavy and unnatural.

  Diana's brows slowly pulled together. Her shoulders tensed despite the fresh bandage.

  "Is the fight over?"

  Alan lifted his head, listening. His breath caught for a moment as he realized how quiet it truly was.

  "It… seems that way."

  Before either of them could react, a razor-thin flash of golden light tore through the window.

  It slammed straight into Alan's chest.

  A smaller fragment splintered off and struck Diana across the side.

  Alan jolted violently. The roll of bandage tape slipped from his fingers, hit the tile with a dull tik… tik… tik… and rolled across the floor until it bumped into the leg of the table.

  His arm stayed frozen mid-air.

  His eyes widened, unfocused.

  A sharp tremor ran up his spine.

  Heat flooded his veins— violent, invasive. It burned its way through his chest, his throat, his skull. His breath stuttered, turning shallow and erratic. His pupils rolled back.

  Diana lurched forward, fingers digging into his forearm.

  "Alan? Alan, talk to me. What's going on? Look at me, son."

  His body snapped.

  "UGHAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

  The scream tore out of him. His back arched violently, spine pressing hard against his shirt. His limbs spasmed, knocking the chair sideways as a blast of raw energy detonated from his body.

  The whole mansion shook. Picture frames ripped free from the walls and shattered mid-air.

  The air thickened, vibrating with crushing pressure. Diana's lungs seized as if the room itself was pressing down on her chest.

  "W-What is this…? Such intense power—!"

  Alan's aura ignited in white, unstable— flickering around him. Every pulse shoved the air outward, rattling furniture and cracking the walls.

  Another shockwave exploded.

  CRASH!

  The table flipped and slammed into the wall, wood splitting down the middle. Plates shattered across the floor. Papers burst upward, fluttering wildly. Diana ducked instinctively, raising her injured arm to shield her face as shards grazed her cheek.

  Diana extended an arm.

  "Energy nullification."

  She closed her hand and coughed blood twice. A thin line ran out of her nose as she started panting.

  Alan's knees gave out.

  He collapsed.

  His body hit the floor hard. His muscles were locked and trembling. Veins glowed faintly beneath his skin, branching across his arms and neck. His fingers clawed desperately at the ground, scraping pale lines into the rug as his breath broke into sharp, uneven gasps.

  "Glad that worked."

  She wiped the blood away with a towel nearby.

  Diana dropped to her knees beside him, debris crunching under her feet.

  "What is this sudden overwhelming energy…?" she whispered, voice shaking. "What caused him to explode like this…?"

  She slid closer, ignoring the pain in her body, and cupped his burning cheeks with trembling hands. His skin was slick with sweat, fever-hot.

  "Alan… stay with me. Stay with me, baby, come on—"

  Diana exhaled heavily.

  "Soothing aura… Divine healing."

  She coughed three times, placing a hand over her mouth, blood trickling between her fingers.

  His chest rose and fell in ragged intervals.

  Then, a green aura covered him, stabilizing his breathing.

  Stillness.

  His body went slack. His fingers loosened their grip on the rug. His eyes slid shut as the glow beneath his skin dimmed, shrinking to a faint, unstable pulse.

  Diana drew in a shaky gasp. Her voice cracked as realization hit her.

  "I know exactly what aura this was… is this a damn joke?"

  Her jaw clenched hard as she looked up.

  "Huh? You're playing games with me now, God."

  She gathered Alan into her arms with effort, grunting softly as she lifted him. His weight felt heavier than it should have been. She staggered down the hall, steps uneven, shoulders shaking, then gently laid him onto his bed.

  She pulled the blanket over him, smoothing it down with slow, uncertain movements. Her hands hovered above him, trembling.

  "What just happened…? To Ben… it's too quiet over there," she whispered, the name tasting bitter in her mouth.

  Her jaw tightened.

  "I guess… I have no choice but to risk it again. I need to see what went inside my son."

  Her irises flashed.

  Appraisal.

  Her breath hitched sharply.

  "That's… impossible. What's the meaning of this?"

  Her hands shook as invisible information flooded her perception.

  "It says Ben sent this…? But how?" Her voice dropped to a whisper.

  "No, the question is who gave him access to this high-ranking spell? How did he even—"

  She kept reading, her expression growing paler with every second.

  (She observed Alan's information— something only she could see. Scrolling through multiple abilities layered on top of each other. Foreign. Ancient. Overlapping.)

  "This isn't normal," she murmured. "It's not even close."

  A sudden vision slammed into her mind.

  The room vanished.

  "Hello, Diana. This is my last message to you."

  Ben's voice was steady and calm.

  "…I don't have a lot of time. But I want you to know I'll miss you. You and the kids…" A quiet sigh.

  "Listen, and listen carefully. You have to stay strong. Don't you dare give up, for the kids' sake. Protect them from what I'm about to say."

  Images flickered— fractured timelines, burning worlds.

  "A new demon king will rise in a couple of years from now. Far worse than Megalodon you've faced. I can't say much. The branches of time won't allow it. But Alan… he's the key. He's the only hope left—not just for humanity, but for everything that exists. All universes. All races. Even the other outer worlds."

  His voice softened.

  "I've seen endless futures— hell, even endless possibilities in my time here. They're all bad. I'm telling you, it's worse than that war that happened in the heavens millions of years ago."

  A pause.

  "I'll leave Alan a message for when he's ready. Just remember that I loved you. And don't trust anyone except our kids once the demons start invading Earth. Your lives will be in danger when the new king finally rises."

  The vision shattered.

  Diana clutched her head, staggering back as reality rushed in. Her palm pressed hard against her mouth. Tears welled, spilling over.

  "What… was that…? Oh, I understand…" she whispered through quiet sobs.

  "It's a vision of the light that went into me."

  She wiped her face with trembling fingers.

  "I'll stay strong for your sake. And I promise I'll keep our kids safe."

  She turned toward the doorway, then stopped.

  She looked back at Alan.

  His body jerked faintly beneath the blanket.

  Thinking: (I cannot believe my boy inherited not just his father's power, but also the powers of everyone who died today.)

  The sheer weight of energy and newly acquired abilities was crushing his body from the inside.

  Diana forced a long, shaky exhale and slapped her cheeks lightly, grounding herself.

  "Now's not the time to break," she muttered. "I have to focus. I have to do this for my family."

  She crossed the room, opened a desk drawer with trembling fingers, and snatched the yellow gemstone inside.

  The cold surface pressed into her palm.

  "This teleportation stone will take me to where he was…" Her fingers tightened around it.

  "I only have less than ten uses left."

  She closed her eyes for a moment.

  "I will retrieve your body no matter what," she whispered.

  "I won't leave you there. I swear."

  Her grip tightened as the gemstone began to hum faintly.

  -----