Jason Wu expected darkness.
Or light.
Or maybe some kind of cosmic vortex that screamed "you should NOT be here."
But instead—
Silence.
Not empty silence, but a silence that felt…occupied.Heavy.Like the air itself was watching him breathe.
Jason stumbled forward, boots scraping a surface he couldn't name. It wasn't stone. Wasn't metal. It felt like standing on condensed fog—yet solid. A faint shimmer rippled beneath his feet with every step.
He blinked slowly, letting his eyes adjust.
"…Where am I?"
Longwu Sword hummed inside his hand, nervous for once.
["Jason… this is not a realm. Not a dimension. Not a plane."]
Jason swallowed. "Then what is it?"
["…a gap."]
"A gap?"
["Yes. A place between realities. A space created only when a Severance event is strong enough to tear open the seams of existence."]
Jason stared into the endless expanse stretching before him.
Fog—no, memory—drifted like pale curtains.Fragments of broken symbols floated in the air.Silhouettes of… something… pulsed faintly beyond the haze.
Jason whispered, "This shouldn't exist, should it?"
Longwu answered quietly.
["…No, Jason. This is the Realm That Should Not Exist.And yet… here you are."]
Jason exhaled shakily. "Great. Another forbidden thing to add to my growing list."
He took a careful step forward. The floor rippled beneath him like water—yet held firm.
Jason muttered, "Feels like walking on someone's dream."
["Jason…"]
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Be careful."
He walked deeper.
The silence… wasn't silent anymore.
A faint hum—like a broken heartbeat—pulsed beneath the surface. Soft at first. Then clearer. Louder. Steady.
thum-thumthum-thumthum-thum
Jason stopped.
"…that's definitely a heartbeat."
["And it isn't yours."]
Jason's skin prickled.
The air shifted.
Fog swirled like a curtain being pulled aside—
Revealing structures Jason could barely understand.
Fragments of corridors.Doors without frames.Staircases that led nowhere.Pieces of buildings from different times, different worlds, stitched together like a patchwork corpse.
Jason whispered:
"This place is… broken."
Longwu spoke slowly:
["…This is the residue of Severances. When destinies are cut, the leftover paths— the ones that 'should have happened'—get sent here. This realm is made of discarded fates."]
Jason froze.
"…discarded fates?"
["Think of it as a graveyard for possibilities."]
Jason's throat tightened.
Graveyard.
For all the Jasons who died early.For all the lives he never lived.For all the worlds he never touched.
A chill crawled up his spine.
Then—
Something moved.
A soft, dragging sound.
Jason turned sharply.
"Longwu—did you hear—"
["Shhh."]
The dragging stopped.
Jason lifted Longwu slightly.
"…Is someone here?"
A whisper drifted through the fog—faint, broken, barely there.
"…hel…lo…"
Jason froze.
Longwu nearly jumped out of his sheath.
["OH ABSOLUTELY NOT—Jason we are LEAVING—run, teleport, crawl, I don't care—"]
Jason whispered harshly, "Shut up, Longwu. It might be someone who needs help!"
["Jason. JASON. In a forbidden realm of severed destinies, NOTHING THAT SAYS 'HELLO' IS SOMEONE YOU SHOULD TALK TO."]
Jason ignored him and stepped forward.
The fog thinned.
A shape appeared—
A figure.Sitting.Hunched.Back turned.
Jason saw messy dark hair. Torn robes. Bare feet. Fragile shoulders shaking slightly.
A child?
Jason's heart tugged.
"Hey… hey, it's alright. I'm not here to hurt you."
He approached slowly.
"Are you lost? Did you get stuck here somehow?"
Longwu pleaded:
["Jason, please. PLEASE. Back away. That is not a child."]
Jason crouched beside the figure.
"Hey… can you hear me?"
The small figure twitched—
Then slowly turned its head.
Jason's blood froze.
The child had no face.
Not damaged.Not injured.
Just a smooth, blank void where a face should be—like someone forgot to finish sculpting him.
Jason stumbled backward in horror.
Longwu shrieked:
["I TOLD YOU—!!!"]
The faceless child tilted its head, as if listening to his fear.
Then—
Its face rippled.
A mouth formed.A crooked, uncanny smile.
Jason's heart stopped.
The thing whispered:
"…Ja…son…"
Jason felt his soul shudder.
"You know my name?"
The faceless child nodded with a jerky motion.
"…many…Jason…left…here…"
Jason's heart hammered.
"What?"
The child's voice cracked, words bleeding into static.
"…paths…dead ends…the ones…you should have been…"
Jason felt sick.
It lifted a trembling hand and pointed behind Jason.
Jason turned slowly.
His spine went cold.
Dozens of silhouettes stood behind him—all different heights, shapes, clothing—but all with the same build.Same hair.Same presence.
All Jason Wus.
Faceless.Silent.Watching.
Longwu whispered:
["…These are your 'discarded selves.' Versions of you that died in the fates you broke."]
Jason's breath quickened.
"You mean… if I didn't defy fate… I'd be like them?"
["Yes."]
The faceless Jasons stepped closer.
Some limped.Some dragged broken legs.Some held their necks as if remembering how they died.Others had holes in their chests.
Jason felt his blood run cold.
The nearest one reached out and touched Jason's cheek—a cold, fragile touch.
"…yo…u…lived…"
Jason whispered, trembling:
"I… I'm sorry."
The silhouettes all tilted their heads.
"…don't…be…we…made…room…"
Longwu hissed in terror:
["Jason. DO NOT EMPATHIZE WITH THEM. This is how this realm devours people—by making them accept what they should NOT accept."]
Jason clenched his fists.
The faceless Jasons stepped closer—
Hundreds of them.
The circle tightened.
The pressure grew.
Jason's vision blurred.
"Longwu… I… I feel… dizzy…"
["Jason—LISTEN TO ME. This realm is trying to overwrite you. If you lose yourself—if you start believing you belong here—your current self will be absorbed."]
Jason gasped.
"But—these are me—"
["NO. They are NOT YOU. They are what you escaped."]
Jason stared at the crowd of faceless versions.
"…They suffered."
["And YOU survived."]
Jason's jaw tightened.
The faceless Jasons reached toward him—
Dozens of hands brushing his arms, his shoulders, his face—
Trying to share their grief.Trying to pull him into their collective.
Longwu roared:
["JASON—NOW—BREAK FREE!"]
Jason's vision snapped back into clarity.
He gripped Longwu hard.
"ENOUGH."
A shockwave burst outward.
The faceless Jasons staggered.
Jason stood tall.
"You're not me."
The faceless ones froze.
"I'm sorry you suffered.I'm sorry fate crushed you.But I'm the one who walked out alive.I'm the one fighting."
His voice sharpened.
"And I won't join you."
Silence.
Then—
The faceless Jasons bowed.
One by one.
Quiet.Slow.Reverent.
Jason's eyes widened.
Longwu whispered:
["…Jason… they're acknowledging you."]
The nearest faceless Jason raised a hand to Jason's chest—and tapped.
A faint light seeped into Jason's body.
A warmth spread—subtle at first.Then deep.Blooming like a second heartbeat.
Jason's breathing hitched.
"…What is this?"
Longwu trembled.
["…It's acceptance.They… are giving you their abandoned futures."]
Jason felt power…not raw strength,not cultivation realms,but something deeper—threads.
Possibilities.
Paths.
Jason gasped.
Everything went white.
When the light receded—the faceless Jasons were gone.
Jason stood alone.
In the distance, a faint door formed—not glowing gold like the Severance Gate—but shimmering silver-blue.
Jason whispered:
"…a way out?"
Longwu exhaled shakily.
["Maybe.Or maybe another test."]
Jason stepped forward.
Before reaching the door—a voice echoed behind him.
Childlike.
Faint.
But unmistakable.
"…you're not alone…"
Jason froze.
He turned slowly.
A small silhouette stood in the fog—
The First Error.
Not fully formed.Not fully here.Like a projection.
Jason whispered:
"You… followed me?"
The mask tilted.
"…you should not be here…but since you are…take this."
A fragment of light floated toward Jason—small, shard-like, pulsing softly.
Jason caught it.
It felt cold.
Familiar.
Jason whispered:
"…what is it?"
The First Error replied:
"A piece of your mother's severance."
Jason's heart stopped.
"What—WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY MOTHER—?!"
But the silhouette dissolved.
Gone.
Jason stood there, trembling, the shard glowing in his palm.
Longwu whispered:
["Jason… your mother… was not ordinary."]
Jason clenched the shard tightly.
"I'll find the truth.No matter what realm I have to tear apart."
He stepped through the shimmering door.
Light swallowed him whole.