Jade's breath came out in shallow bursts as he crept deeper into the heart of the fortress. The shadows grew thicker, the weight of his mission pressing heavily on his chest. Each corner he turned felt like a moment closer to uncovering the truth — a truth he wasn't entirely ready for but needed desperately.
He moved silently, relying on his instincts. As he rounded another corner, he froze. Voices. Two figures stood just ahead, one of them laughing lightly, the other more serious.
"Did you hear what Nebet's been saying?" The voice was deep, smooth, almost too calm. "He's got plans for the kid, you know, the one from the other world."
Jade's heart skipped a beat. They were talking about him. The mention of "the kid from the other world" was enough to send his thoughts spiraling. He had hoped to keep his past life buried — as Yuma, a shadow lost in the past — but it seemed the truth was catching up with him.
"Yuma, huh?" The second voice spoke with a grim edge, as though the name itself tasted foul. "I heard he was a monster in his own right. Aetherion, they called him. What a joke."
The name echoed in Jade's mind, like a broken record.
Yuma.Aetherion.
It hit him like a hammer to the chest. His past, his true identity, the power that had once been his, now spoken of as a joke. He had tried so hard to distance himself from that life. But the past never truly let go.
The first figure spoke again, his voice full of disdain. "Can you believe he ever stood a chance against Nebet's crew? If Yuma ever had any real power, he would have joined us. Instead, he got himself killed. Such a waste. The weak always end up where they belong."
The words stung deeper than Jade expected. The wounds of his past — the life he had tried to forget — reopened, raw and bleeding. The words "weak" and "failed" echoed in his mind.
His hands trembled at his sides, and before he could think, the anger flared inside him, a storm of fury that he couldn't contain.
"Shut up!" Jade snapped, his voice sharp, laced with all the frustration and helplessness he had kept buried. He stepped forward into the open, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
The two figures turned, startled by the sudden outburst. One of them, a tall man with dark, slicked-back hair, raised an eyebrow. "Well, well, what do we have here? The little runt finally speaking up?"
Jade's vision blurred with a rush of heat as the name Aetherion reverberated in his mind. He couldn't take it anymore.
Before either of them could react, Jade lunged at the man who had spoken, his hand flashing out with the speed of lightning. His fist slammed into the man's chest, sending him crashing into the stone wall behind him.
"Don't talk about me like that," Jade growled, his voice low and dangerous, his body shaking with pent-up rage.
The second man, a wiry figure with a scar across his cheek, drew a blade with lightning speed. "You dare attack us? Do you have any idea who we are?" His eyes narrowed as he sized Jade up. "You're nothing compared to us."
Jade didn't care. He was fueled by a need to prove himself, to erase the memory of Aetherion, the monster they claimed him to be. He charged again, but this time, the scarred man moved faster. He twisted Jade's arm behind his back with expert precision, locking him into a painful hold.
"You're stronger than you look," the man muttered, his voice a mixture of surprise and disdain. "But still not enough."
Jade gritted his teeth, pain shooting through his arm, but he wasn't done. He was never done.
With a sudden twist of his body, Jade used his own training to break free from the hold, spinning and landing on his feet. But the fight wasn't over. The words they had spoken, mocking him, laughing at his previous life, had ignited something deep within him — something that he could no longer ignore.
In a blur of motion, Jade activated his Time Pause ability. Everything around him froze in place, the world turning to a still image. He walked slowly toward the scarred man, his eyes burning with the desire to make them regret ever crossing him.
"You'll remember this," Jade muttered to the frozen figures, his voice a low growl. He reached into his coat and grabbed the small shard of crystal he had kept hidden for so long — the reminder of Aetherion, of Yuma, of the man he had been.
When he snapped his fingers, time resumed, and in an instant, Jade struck.
The scarred man collapsed to the ground, gasping for air as Jade stood over him. The other man, still groggy from the blow to the wall, was too slow to react.
Jade's chest heaved as he regained his composure, the rush of victory mixing with the weight of his emotions. He had won. But at what cost?
"You think you're the only one who's been through hell?" Jade muttered, standing over the defeated men. His fists were still clenched, the adrenaline wearing off.
He looked up to see the towering figure of Nebet standing in the distance, watching him. His expression unreadable, calculating.
"You've got guts," Nebet said, his voice smooth. "But that won't be enough. Not in this world."
Jade stood taller, his body bruised but unbroken. "I don't need your approval," he said, his voice steady.
Nebet's smile was cold. "We'll see how long that attitude lasts."
As Nebet turned and walked away, Jade knew this fight was far from over. The darkness around him was growing, and he was just getting started.