The battle was over. But the war had only begun.
Pain was the first thing Jerry felt when he woke.
Not the screaming, sharp kind—but the deep, marrow-crushing ache that came after surviving something you weren't supposed to walk away from.
His eyes fluttered open to the unfamiliar, sterile white of a hospital room.
Machines beeped steadily. His chest was bandaged. One arm was in a sling. His ribs... broken again. Maybe four or five. And his shoulder had been dislocated.
He turned his head slightly—and found Emily sleeping in a chair beside him.
Her head rested on her folded arms at his bedside. She hadn't changed clothes. Her hair was messy. But her presence... it anchored him. Reminded him he was still alive.
A nurse entered quietly and smiled when she saw his eyes open.
"You're lucky," she said softly. "They said there wasn't much left of that dock after the explosion. You shouldn't have survived."
Jerry swallowed hard, voice rough. "Where's my mom?"
"She was here all night," the nurse said. "We sent her home to rest. She'll be back soon."
Emily stirred then, blinking groggily. When she saw his open eyes, she sat up straight.
"You're awake." Her voice was soft, but her eyes were stormy. "Do you even know how close you came to dying?"
Jerry nodded. "Yeah. I remember... most of it."
She crossed her arms and leaned in, glaring. "Next time you run off to fight a monster that could melt tanks, maybe text me first?"
Despite himself, Jerry smiled.
Two days passed.
The world outside the hospital spun in chaos.
News networks exploded with blurry footage and scattered reports: A monster at the docks. A second, unknown monster fighting it. A black flash that ended everything.
Civilians claimed they saw wings of darkness. Others spoke of "the Abyssborn."
Online forums called him a hero. Conspiracy threads labeled him a government weapon. Some said he was the cause of the attacks.
But no one knew his name.
Yet.
Edward Xyros arrived on the third day.
Emily stood stiffly beside him as he entered the room—a tall man in a steel-gray suit with eyes like ice and a presence that crushed oxygen out of the air.
Jerry felt the weight of that gaze before Edward even spoke.
"You fought the Infernal Apex," Edward said, folding his hands behind his back. "And lived."
Jerry didn't answer. He didn't have to.
Edward stepped closer, his voice now low and razor-sharp. "I saw the footage. Your transformation. Your instincts. You're not just touched by the Abyss Core—you are the Core's evolution."
Emily flinched. "Dad—"
"Let me be clear," Edward cut in. "There are people who will want to use you. Control you. Fear you. And there are others... who will want to kill you before you grow stronger."
Jerry stared back, jaw clenched.
Edward straightened. "You need training. Support. Strategy. My facility can offer that."
Jerry looked between him and Emily.
"I'll think about it."
That night, Jerry lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The Core pulsed within him—not in pain, not in threat... but in hunger.
He knew this wasn't the end.
It was just the beginning
(To be continued... )