As the car wound its way back to Mr. Lee's house, Elio grasped Jason's hands tightly, cradling his brother's head in his lap. "Hey, bro, what's with the long face? I'll be fine," Jason murmured, his voice laced with pain as he winced in discomfort.
Elio's grip on Jason's hands didn't waver as he watched in amazement as his brother's body began to heal at an incredible rate. The bullet, which had been lodged in Jason's flesh, started to work its way out, and as it did, the wounds began to close, the skin repairing itself in a matter of moments.
"Whoa... holy...!" Elio's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Jason's rapidly healing body. "What the...?" he trailed off, his voice barely above a whisper.
Jason's groan of pain slowly turned into a sigh of relief as his body continued to mend itself. "I... I guess I'm just a little more resilient than I thought," he said, his voice still laced with pain, but tinged with a hint of wonder.
Elio's gaze never left Jason's face, his expression a mix of awe and concern. "You're... you're okay, bro?" he asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.
Mr. Lee's expression remained calm and collected as he witnessed Jason's rapid healing. He simply nodded to himself before refocusing on the road ahead. "I was once an Alkarene, Jason," he said, his voice steady and matter-of-fact.
Jason's eyes widened in shock, his gaze fixed on Mr. Lee as if trying to process the revelation. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Mr. Lee continued to speculate while his son kept driving, Mr Lee 's voice was clear and deliberate. "While you were in the hospital, the visions started getting clearer. I realize now it's my responsibility to teach you how to control your powers."
Sol slowly turned down the radio to hear Lee's words more clearly. Elio, on the other hand, looked uncertain, his eyes darting between Jason and Mr. Lee. He sensed that there was a deep history between his brother and Mr. Lee, one that he didn't fully understand.
"What powers?" Jason asked, his voice still laced with confusion and a hint of wariness.
Mr. Lee's expression remained serene, but his voice took on a sense of gravity. "The powers of the Alkarene. You've inherited them, Jason. And it's time you learned how to use them."
The car fell silent, the only sound was the soft hum of the engine and the occasional passing car. Elio's eyes were fixed on Jason, worried about his brother's reaction to this new revelation. Jason, meanwhile, looked like he was trying to process a thousand different thoughts at once, his mind racing with questions and doubts.
Sol's eyes widened as he fixed on the road ahead, his gaze drawn to a strange, pulsating crack of light in the air, like it was a glitch in the matrix. "What the...?" he muttered, his voice trailing off as he slowed the car to a stop. Other drivers around them seemed to sense the anomaly, and cars began to swerve and dodge the area, their horns blaring in a cacophony of alarm.
From the back seat, Jason's voice was low and urgent. "I can sense something coming," he warned, his eyes fixed intently on the growing crack of light.
As the crowd of onlookers grew, people spilled out of their cars, their faces filled with a mix of curiosity and fear. The crack of light continued to expand, its edges pulsating with an otherworldly energy.
Suddenly, a massive, clawed hand ripped out of the crack, its fingers grasping wildly as if searching for something to grab onto. The hand was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before - its skin was a deep, mottled purple, and its nails were long and razor-sharp.
The onlookers gasped in shock and horror, some of them screaming as they stumbled backward in fear. Sol's eyes were fixed on the hand, his face pale with alarm. "What in the world...?" he breathed.
Jason's voice was barely audible, his words lost in the chaos. "It's coming... something's coming from the other side..." Elio's eyes were wide with fear, his grip on Jason's hand tightening as the unknown creature's hand continued to grasp and claw at the air.
Panic erupted as people scrambled to escape the scene. Some tried to turn their cars around, while others fled on foot, their screams and shouts filling the air. Sol's voice trembled with fear as he tried to reverse the car. "We need to get out of here, now!"
However, his attempt was thwarted as the car bumped into another vehicle behind them. Elio quickly assessed the situation, peering out the window to survey the obstacle. "It's a car, and there's no one inside," he reported, his voice steady despite the chaos. "But there's no space for us to move. I think our best bet is to start running."
With that, Elio opened the door and stepped out, joining the throngs of people fleeing the scene. "Let's go," he urged, his eyes locked on Jason, who was still seated in the back. Sol followed suit, abandoning the car as they all scrambled to escape the unknown danger looming before them.
The three of them quickly fell into step with the other fleeing pedestrians, their hearts racing with fear as they desperately tried to put distance between themselves and the mysterious threat. Mr. Lee and Jason, however, seemed eerily calm, their eyes fixed intently on the growing portal as if he knew something the others didn't.
In the chaos of the fleeing crowd, Jason's ears picked up the desperate cries of a little girl, her voice piercing through the din. "Brother! Brother!" she wailed, her small frame trembling with fear. Jason's gaze scanned the crowd, and he spotted the girl standing alone, her eyes fixed on him with a mixture of terror and pleading.
Without hesitation, Jason's instincts kicked in, and he sprinted towards the girl, his heart pounding in his chest. "Darn it!" he muttered under his breath, aware of the danger that was rapidly unfolding behind him.
"Jason!!" Elio's voice echoed through the commotion, his tone laced with alarm and concern. People around them rushed to get away from the unknown monster crawling out of the portal, but Jason was running in the opposite direction, determined to save the little girl.
As he reached the girl, he scooped her up in his arms, holding her tightly as he prepared to face the impending danger. The girl clung to him, her tiny hands grasping his shirt as she buried her face in his chest.
Meanwhile, Elio tried to follow Jason, but Mr. Lee's firm grip on his arm restrained him. "You'll die, let him do it," Mr. Lee said, his voice low and calm, his eyes fixed intently on Jason.
The monster finally emerged from the portal, its massive body undulating as it moved. A ghostly knight sat atop the beast, its ethereal armor glinting in the fading light. The creature's gaze locked onto Jason, its eyes burning with an otherworldly intensity.
As Jason stood frozen, the beast's eyes met his, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still. The little girl trembled in his arms, her sobs muffled against his chest. Jason's grip on her tightened, his heart racing with adrenaline as he steeled himself