Jason stood amid the remnants of the three-eyed creature he had just slaughtered. Black-red essence still lingered in the air where the dark mana sword had consumed it completely. The dangerous ability he had gained in that moment pulsed quietly beneath his skin—an authority over portals that now felt as natural as breathing. He could open paths to any realm he had already stepped into. More importantly, he suspected he could force them shut.
He dropped to one knee and pressed his palm flat against the cracked volcanic ground. The scorching heat that would have melted ordinary flesh registered as nothing more than mild warmth. Immunity had been secured long ago. Jason closed his eyes and released a wide, invisible wave of pure sensing force.
The pulse expanded outward in every direction, racing across rivers of lava, through ash-choked valleys, and over jagged peaks.
The result stunned him.
Over one hundred distinct life signatures flared into his awareness. Some clustered in groups. Others moved alone through the haze. A handful burned far brighter and denser than the rest—clear markers of higher-ranked entities deeper within the realm. Jason could leave right now if he wished.
The newly acquired portal authority would let him step back to his own world in an instant. That option held no appeal.
Leaving would only delay the problem. These things had reached for his child. The entire realm needed to be erased.
Jason rose and clapped his hands together once.
The sound cracked like thunder across the volcanic plain. From the point of impact, massive roots exploded upward through the lava-crusted surface. They stretched for miles in every direction, thick as ancient trees and completely immune to the molten rock that should have incinerated them. The roots moved with purpose, coiling and spreading until they formed a living network that dominated the landscape. Lava flowed harmlessly around and over them. Nothing about this place could touch what Jason had summoned.
He raised his right hand.
Dozens of figures stepped out from the larger tree trunks. Each one was an exact physical copy of Jason, down to the last detail. Because the Marrow’s power had been divided evenly among them, every clone stood on the same absolute level as the original. There was no dilution, no weakness. Jason had become a one-man army of equals, each capable of the same catastrophic force.
He was overpowered in every measurable sense.
Jason tilted his head back and screamed at the top of his lungs, the sound carrying far beyond ordinary limits.
"Come to me!"
It was not a request. It was a command issued through the true authority of the Marrow—the undiluted source rather than the inferior fragments that had bled into his home world. Even across the barriers of this foreign realm, the order took hold. Over a dozen life signatures shifted direction at once and began racing toward his position with single-minded urgency.
Jason smirked.
"Damn! That is some good stuff!"
They came from the sky and from the ground. Winged horrors with elongated limbs dove through the ash clouds, trailing ribbons of void mist. Ground-bound beasts with too many joints and jaws that opened sideways charged across the cracked earth, bloodlust rolling off them in visible waves. Their eyes locked on Jason with pure killing intent. They had no idea what they were running toward.
Jason closed his eyes for a single heartbeat. When they opened again, the irises had turned pure pitch black. The bloodlust that erupted from him in that moment was almost choking—thick, oppressive, and laced with a plain, unfiltered evil that came from channeling the Marrow directly. The air itself seemed to recoil.
"Bow to me, you scums!"
The command slammed into the charging creatures like a physical law. Those diving from the sky lost control of their flight and crashed hard into the ground.
Those sprinting across the plain dropped to their knees mid-stride, bodies forced downward by an authority they could not resist. Not one of them managed to come within striking distance.
Jason raised his right hand and closed it into a fist with deliberate slowness.
Every head among the kneeling creatures imploded at the same instant. Skulls collapsed inward with wet, synchronized sounds. Bodies toppled forward and lay still. No dramatic struggle. No final screams. Just instant, absolute termination. The small fries had been erased before they could even understand what had killed them.
Jason lowered his hand and turned his head slightly. Stronger signatures still burned in the distance—brighter, denser, and far more dangerous than the ones he had just erased. He could feel their attention beginning to shift toward the disturbance he had created. Leaving this location now would be troublesome. An open tear still hung behind him, a wound in reality that could allow more of these things to spill into his world if left unattended.
Jason faced the tear and extended his will.
The portal shuddered, edges folding inward under irresistible pressure. Reality sealed itself with a final, clean snap. The tear was gone.
Jason exhaled once and rolled his shoulders. The clones remained in position around him, silent and ready. The root network continued to pulse with residual power. Over a hundred life signatures still existed deeper in the realm, and the brightest among them had almost certainly taken notice.
A cold smile crossed his face.
"Now then," Jason said quietly, voice carrying across the empty plain, "let us hunt for the big dogs."
He took his first step toward the strongest signatures, the full weight of the Marrow’s unrestricted authority moving with him. The eradication of this realm had only just begun.
-
Ylva’s body convulsed with another powerful contraction. Sweat soaked her hair and clung to her skin as she gripped the edge of the makeshift bedding with white-knuckled force. She pushed with everything she had, teeth gritted against the overwhelming pressure.
The pain was unlike anything she had ever experienced—deep, tearing, and relentless. Weeks still remained before she was due, yet her body had decided the time was now.
Jason was nowhere in sight.
He had done everything possible to remain present for this moment. The partners all knew how determined he had been. Yet the tear he had entered was gone, sealed shut from the outside. To anyone watching from the settlement, it looked as though Jason had been trapped on the other side with no way back. None of them realized the truth of what was happening within that foreign realm. They only knew he was absent when Ylva needed him most but for good reasons.
Mae stayed close, one hand steady on Ylva’s shoulder, the other supporting her back. Her voice remained firm despite the worry in her eyes.
"Push, Ylva. Breathe and push. You’re doing well. Just a little more."
Ylva tried. She bore down hard, a raw sound escaping her throat as the pain spiked higher. Tears mixed with sweat on her cheeks. The contraction peaked and then rolled back, leaving her gasping and trembling.
"I can’t—" she managed between breaths. "It hurts too much."
"You can," Mae insisted, though her own voice had begun to shake. "We’re right here with you. Keep going."
Tauriel stood on the opposite side, hands already glowing with diagnostic magic as she monitored the progress. Her expression, usually composed, tightened suddenly. Something was wrong. The flow of energy within Ylva’s body had shifted in a dangerous way.
"Mae," Tauriel said sharply. "She’s bleeding."
Mae’s head snapped down. Bright red blood was spreading rapidly across the bedding beneath Ylva. Panic flashed across her face.
"No—no, this isn’t right. Ylva, stay with me. Keep breathing."
Tauriel’s voice cut through the rising fear like a blade.
"We need to get the babies out now!"
Mae stared at her. "B-Babies?"
Tauriel gave a single, grim nod. "Twins. I can feel both of them. One is in distress. The bleeding is getting worse."
She pressed her glowing hands gently against Ylva’s lower abdomen, attempting to stabilize the internal damage and slow the hemorrhage. Soft light sank into skin and muscle, but the bleeding only eased slightly. The situation was deteriorating faster than her healing could compensate.
Ylva’s eyes were half-lidded with pain, yet still clear. She understood what the magic was telling them. She understood how little time remained.
"C-Cut me open..." she whispered through clenched teeth.
Mae’s face went pale. "What? No! Ylva, you can’t ask that. You’ll die!"
Ylva managed a faint, exhausted smile even as another wave of pain tore through her. Blood continued to pool beneath her.
"I’m not scared..."
The words were quiet but steady. There was no hesitation in them. Only acceptance and a fierce determination to bring her children into the world no matter the cost.
Tauriel’s jaw tightened. She withdrew her hands for a moment and met Mae’s panicked gaze, then looked back at Ylva. The light around her fingers brightened again as she prepared for the only option left that might save the twins.
"We are running out of time..."
Outside the ruined house the Ember Lord and Shade Lord stood motionless near the place where the tear had once been, still obeying Jason’s final command. Inside, the three women faced a different kind of battle—one measured in heartbeats and blood, with no guarantee of survival for everyone involved.
The next contraction began to build.