WHOOSH!
The moment Sora vanished into a flurry of glowing feathers, a strange silence blanketed the battlefield. Jack stood still, frozen in place. The silence wasn't peaceful; it was heavy, thick with aftershocks of revelation.
His heart pounded in his chest like war drums.
BA-DUMP… BA-DUMP…
So much had happened. The Divine Artifact Life Bond Weapon. The Supreme Blessing's Origin. The Legendary Mythical Beast Egg. Sora's departure. The mystery of her master…
CRACK!
A sharp sound pierced the silence. The barrier once dense with layered elemental mana began to splinter like a mirror under pressure. Light burst through the cracks. It's a same barrier created by Sora for no interference between Jack's trial with the help of Beasts Tide Elemental mana.
Then
BOOOOM!!
In a thunderous blast of sound and wind, the entire barrier shattered into glittering fragments of light, which evaporated into the air as if they were never real.
Jack's cloak billowed wildly from the shockwave, his crimson-red hair fluttering in the wind. But his golden eyes remained calm, quietly watching the last remnants of Sora's power fade into nothingness.
Ding!
A soft chime echoed in his mind confirmation that the space had fully returned to normal.
The very next moment...
THUD!
Bodies stirred.
One by one, the Otherworlders lying unconscious on the battlefield began to groan and rise. Jack's parents James and Emma also opened their eyes slowly, their expressions tense and wary, as if awakened in the middle of war.
Emma gasped and sat up sharply, scanning the surroundings with motherly urgency.
James, ever the warrior, was already half-standing, fists clenched, his aura coiled and ready to explode at the slightest threat.
But there were none.
No new roars in the distance. No stampedes. No claws or fangs rushing toward them.
Just silence… and death.
Beast corpses lay strewn across the land like discarded puppets. Pools of blood had already begun to dry under the morning sun. Limbs twisted in unnatural angles. Crushed skulls. Torn wings. The stench of death was thick.
And then…
Realization dawned.
They had survived. They had won.
The tension broke like a dam.
"WE DID IT!!" someone shouted from the back.
"We're alive!! Hahaha! We fucking made it!!"
"No more those damned beasts?! Thank the gods!"
"Look at all these corpses! Damn, we killed this many?!"
Laughter, joy, and disbelief exploded across the battlefield.
"I thought I was done for in the second wave…" said one boy, tears in his eyes, gripping his sword like a lifeline. "But here I am… alive…"
"Oi! Alan, are you still breathing?"
"Barely! Haha! Remind me to never call beast tides like this 'exaggerated' again!"
"We better get big rewards or something when we return! Hell, I want a my Adventure rank ranking up twice!"
"Screw that, I just want a bath and a feast!"
"Praise the gods and gods blessings! Praise whatever got us through this!"
Others were hugging. Some collapsed to their knees, laughing and crying at the same time. A few simply stared at the sky, unable to speak, the relief too overwhelming.
They are total 100 otherworlders. No one dies because all Otherworlders Ascendants went into unconscious because it's a Jack's trial not their but because of Sora replace their memories and rewrite them. Because of this all Otherworlders remember according to altered memories is they won the battle with their efforts.
Jack remained silent amidst the celebration.
But deep inside, he smiled.
Not because they had survived.
Not because he had gained some things from this battle. But because… they had all lived together.
And only he knew the full truth.
The hidden trial. The mysterious god.
The manipulated memories. The impossible power now slumbering in the egg within his Beast Space and Divine Level Life Bond Artifact…
Jack glanced toward his family. His mother was helping another wounded Otherworlder. His father stood still without moving with sad face.
Everything looked normal again.
But Jack knew what kind of chaos by beast tide if that is not his test trial given by Unknown God.
There would be more. More trials. More truths.
More power… and more danger.
He exhaled slowly.
"So this is what it means… to be chosen."
----
BOOM!
A sudden cheers erupted nearby as another group of Otherworlders discovered they were still alive. But in the middle of all that commotion, a more intimate moment unfolded.
"Jack!"
Emma rushed toward her son, her armor still stained with beast blood, her breathing uneven. But none of that mattered. Her eyes shimmered with maternal worry.
She placed a trembling hand on his shoulder.
"Are you alright, son?" she asked, voice cracking slightly. "You weren't moving… I thought "
Before James And Emma went unconscious all they saw was Jack's aura burst because he saw Shadowclaw Manticore beast trying to ambush them again and then he released unimaginable pressure because of that pressure they fainted.
Jack blinked, startled, pulled out of his heavy thoughts by the warmth of her touch.
He quickly smiled to ease her fear.
"I'm okay, Mom. Really." He gently squeezed her hand. "What about you? You and Dad…?"
Behind her, James approached slowly. His usual fierce aura was dimmed. His steps were heavy, like a warrior returning from a battlefield carrying invisible wounds.
There was no need for words.
The loss of Ironfang, his loyal beast and battle companion lost his life saving James at last moments of his death.
James didn't speak. His silence screamed louder than any words. His clenched fists trembled, his jaw tight. The pain of loss. The weight of guilt. The emptiness of a bond severed by sacrifice.
Jack's gaze softened.
But then Sora's final words echoed in his memory:
'Your father… will give you and your family Big a surprise.'
His eyes sharpened.
He stepped forward and placed a hand on James's broad shoulder. "Dad," he said gently but firmly, "I know it hurts. Ironfang meant everything to you. But sometimes… those who suffer the most are being prepared for something greater."
'Think Dad." Jack's voice dropped to a whisper. "Did anything… Strange happened after Ironfang fell? Any strange visions, sensations, or a presence you didn't recognize?"
James looked up, puzzled.
Emma furrowed her brow, her eyes darting between father and son. "Jack… what are you saying?"
But Jack's gaze stayed locked on his father.
"Maybe Ironfang's sacrifice wasn't the end."
"Maybe… It was the beginning."
"Maybe something awakened in you."
A beat of silence.
Then… a flicker.
James's eyes widened slightly. He looked down at his own hands calloused, worn from years of battle and then stared into the empty air in front of him.
"Tch… what the hell…?"
A strange heat coursed through his soul.
Something was there: a presence, a power, faint but unmistakable. His aura began to stir like an ancient beast waking from slumber.
Crackle…
Tiny sparks of light shimmered briefly around his wrist before fading.
"This… this wasn't here before," James muttered under his breath, awe creeping into his voice.
Then
"HAAAAAA!!"
James suddenly burst forward with a laugh sharp, wild, alive. His sorrow melted like ice under sunlight. He turned to Jack, eyes gleaming.
-----
To Be Continued…!!