Jin watched in awe as Bing Chilling stood unwavering, his figure outlined by a flickering, fiery aura that pulsed with quiet, intense power. A flame-wreathed gauntlet manifested around Bing's hand, casting an eerie glow that seemed to defy the darkness closing in.
Above him, Lord Quiorra descended, floating with a slow, almost delicate grace, as if he were a feather drifting on the wind. His gaze was sharp, piercing, as he regarded Bing with a mix of curiosity and contempt.
"And who are you?" Quiorra's voice echoed, cold and edged with disdain.
Bing paused, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips.
"Just a man. Nothing more," he replied, his tone light, almost dismissive.
"There's no way a mere man could survive the devastation I unleashed here… unscathed." Quiorra's eyes narrowed. "You're not like the rest of them, are you? I can sense it… something different in your life force. Tell me, what are you? You're not… human."
Bing barely looked at him, casually picking his nose, utterly indifferent.
Quiorra's expression darkened.
"No matter. Today… a god falls."
He unsheathed his blade—a weapon that vibrated with a dark, ominous energy, like a fragment of the void itself.
Bing laughed softly.
"Observant, I'll give you that. You can sense the difference between god-force and ordinary power… a rare skill."
The tension was electric. From the shadows, Jin watched, fading in and out of consciousness. The exchange blurred into a dreamlike haze before everything went black.
When Jin awoke, the sky had turned a heavy gray. Lord Quiorra was gone. Only a few alien soldiers remained, standing like statues among the ruins.
Pinned under rubble, Jin struggled to move. Each attempt brought searing pain.
Then—thud.
A body slammed to the ground in front of him. It was Bing Chilling—bloodied, battered, barely conscious.
Bing opened his eyes, met Jin's gaze, and whispered:
"Take… my hand, bro… I can… get you out of here."
Jin hesitated. Panic warred with instinct.
"Trust me," Bing murmured.
Against all reason, Jin reached out—and the instant their hands touched, everything exploded.
A vortex of light and memories surged through Jin's mind—lives not his own, battles, grief, love, war, power. It was like he was being rewritten at the atomic level.
And then, darkness.
Far away, Varik wandered through the city. His silver hair glinted, and his electrified spear crackled with energy.
"Man, there's no one to fight. How boring."
Soon joined by Sera and Renn, they bantered over how easy Earth had been to conquer—until a shockwave rocked the ruins.
"What the hell was that?" Sera asked.
They tracked the source. As the dust cleared, they saw something impossible:
Jin.
But different.
His eyes were now glowing yellow, pupils shaped like stars. A radiant aura surrounded him, and the ground melted beneath his feet.
Varik's grin widened.
"Finally—something exciting! Dibs on this one!"
He charged.
Jin stood still.
Varik struck.
Jin didn't move.
The blow landed with full force… and did nothing.
Jin calmly grabbed Varik's arm—and in a blink, sent him flying with a devastating kick.
Dust exploded.
"Guys," Renn muttered, "we might actually have a problem."
The Astrids prepared to strike together.
Sera lunged from above. Jin summoned a tornado of fire, forcing her to retreat.
Renn cloaked in invisibility. Jin caught him mid-air, and casually slapped him senseless.
The others stood frozen. Shocked.
Jin stood alone, fire dancing around him, unbothered.
Then—Mira arrived.
She summoned a glowing hemisphere, retrieving her fallen comrades.
Before vanishing, she locked eyes with Jin. A silent exchange—respect mixed with uneasy fear.
The Astrids vanished.
Jin collapsed.
He awoke in a sleek, metallic room. Soft bed. No rubble. No dust.
Not Earth.
He approached a metallic door.
It slid open.
A silhouette stepped in, bathed in cold, white light.
To be continued…