Jagger's eyes flew open as a violent gasp tore from his lungs.
Air burned as it rushed into him, scraping raw against his throat and lungs that felt like they had been drowned and ignited at the same time. His pupils dilated wildly, darting across the ruined street in panicked bursts, trying and failing to make sense of the sensory overload. Sound came first in broken shards. Shouting. Footsteps. The distant crackle of fires. Then pain arrived, crashing down all at once, overwhelming and absolute.
His heart slammed against his ribs like a trapped animal.
"WOAH! CALM DOWN!" Porpo shouted.
Her hands slammed down onto his shoulders, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. The strength behind the grip surprised even her, desperation lending force to muscles already shaking with adrenaline.
-
[Regeneration initiating]
-
The system chime barely finished before agony detonated inside him.
Jagger screamed.
It was not a human sound. It ripped out of his chest raw and unfiltered, a sound born of nerves being flayed alive and stitched back together at the same time. His back arched violently off the asphalt, spine bowing in a brutal, unnatural curve as if something inside him was trying to tear free.
His hands clawed blindly at the ground, fingers scraping against concrete that offered no give. His nails tore. Flesh shredded. Blood smeared dark across the cracked road as he scrabbled for purchase that did not exist.
"AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!!!"
The scream echoed down the ruined street, bouncing off shattered buildings and hollow storefronts.
"Don't just watch, you fucking cunt!" Porpo yelled, straining as she fought to keep him pinned. "Help me hold him down!"
Heavy footsteps thudded closer, each step measured and unhurried.
"He is going to thrash a lot," Park said calmly, his voice deep and detached. "I would not bother."
Xander turned at the sound, his staff tapping once against the ground. His eyes widened slightly as he took in the scene, then a slow, amused smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he stepped closer.
Jagger's body convulsed again.
Muscles knotted beneath his skin like living things, fibers tearing apart and reknitting in a violent frenzy. His ruined arms twisted unnaturally as Regeneration took hold. Flesh that had been hanging in shredded tatters began to move.
It crawled.
Muscle fibers writhed like pale worms, stretching, gripping, pulling loose flesh back into place with obscene precision. Veins and arteries slithered visibly beneath translucent skin, reconnecting themselves as if guided by an unseen hand. Skin flowed like warm wax, sealing shut in rippling waves, erasing torn edges and open wounds.
Then came the sound.
A wet, grinding scrape that made Porpo's stomach lurch.
Bone dragged against bone.
Jagger's shattered forearm snapped inward as exposed bone segments forced themselves back into alignment. His rib cage buckled violently with each ragged breath, fractured ribs shifting, popping, grinding as they slid back into place. The sound was rhythmic and horrifying, a percussive crunch that echoed louder than his screams.
"What in the ever-loving fuck is happening to him?!" Porpo demanded, her voice cracking as she fought to keep him from convulsing off the ground.
"It seems we have someone who can regenerate," Xander replied evenly, his tone calm to the point of being unsettling. He rested his staff lightly against his shoulder and turned his gaze toward Park. "Park. Pour a high-grade healing potion down his throat. Now."
The smirk on Park's face widened.
With a casual flick of his wrist, an ornate crystal flask materialized in his hand. Inside, thick red liquid sloshed slowly, glowing faintly with condensed power.
"NO!"
Porpo's eyes widened instantly. Understanding slammed into her with sick clarity.
"I will not allow you to give that to him!" she shouted, shifting her body over Jagger protectively. She glared up at Park, defiance burning through the fear as she sat over Jagger's chest and, shielding his face with her own body.
"You'd better move out of the way," Park warned, his voice dropping into something darker. "Or I will make you move."
"Try it, you oversized brute," Porpo spat back.
Jagger was still screaming, still clawing at the ground as his fingertips regenerated and tore apart in endless cycles. But his arms were whole now. The last layers of flesh slid into place, sealing seamlessly. It was as if they had never been injured at all.
That only fueled Park's irritation.
Xander met Park's gaze.
The look was brief. Expressionless.
But it carried weight.
Even a warrior as large and battle-hardened as Park did not challenge that look.
With an annoyed snarl, Park let his great axe fall. The massive blade crashed down and sank halfway into the asphalt with a violent clang. He stepped forward and grabbed Porpo by the shoulder, hauling her upward with brutal ease.
She reacted instantly.
Porpo wrapped her arms and legs tightly around Jagger's torso, clinging to him like a lifeline as she pressed her shoulder over his face, shielding him completely.
"Heal! Heal! Fucking heal, you stupid cunt!" she screamed, voice breaking as both she and Jagger were lifted off the ground with terrifying ease.
"Park, get her off him," Xander said calmly.
The calm made it worse.
Park's anger finally flared.
"You little bitch, let him go now!" he roared, seizing Porpo by the hair and yanking her head back hard enough to make her cry out.
"AAARRGH!"
Pain exploded through her scalp, but she did not let go. Her grip tightened instead, nails digging into Jagger's clothes as if sheer will alone could keep him safe.
A blur shot past Park.
Jane moved.
Her fist was an inch from Park's face before something struck her sideways. Violet intercepted her with terrifying speed, her kick landing clean and brutal. Jane was sent flying, crashing hard into a slab of collapsed concrete. The impact cracked the stone and knocked the breath from her lungs.
"This has nothing to do with you, Newborn," Violet said coolly, twin daggers already in her hands. "Stay out of this."
Jane dragged herself upright, blood running down her forehead and lip. She cracked her neck and rolled her shoulder once, eyes burning.
"Let my squad members go," she said, voice steady despite the pain. "Or you'll have to kill me."
"As you wish," Violet replied, lowering herself into a ready stance. Her amber eyes gleamed with open, murderous intent.
Lynis staggered over to Jane's side, still pale, still injured. He raised his hands instinctively, voice low as he whispered, "Eh… we better back off lah. This fight one cannot win."
Then Jagger's screaming stopped.
Instantly.
His body went limp in Porpo's arms, weight sagging fully against her.
She froze.
"H-He's fully healed now!" Porpo gasped, looking up wildly. "You can't do anything now, so let go of me!"
Park froze mid-motion, confusion briefly cutting through his rage. He looked back at Xander.
Xander gave a single, unreadable nod.
"Motherfucker," Park muttered.
He released Porpo and Jagger without warning.
They hit the ground hard, Porpo rolling instinctively to shield Jagger's head as they landed.
-
[Regeneration complete]