Salomé, still sitting on the rubble, looked at Jacob with a peaceful smile.
He stood upright, his back straight, his gaze determined.
A man who had finally reclaimed his name.
A survivor… become alive.
️ Salomé (softly):
— I'm so proud that you finally accept yourself.
Jacob gave a smile, almost shy, but full of sincerity.
Jacob:
— Maybe I should have done it all along.
From my resurrection… I should have changed my path.
If only Grijan had given me the chance.
Salomé slowly stood up, grimacing. She glanced at her body.
Her wounds were still open. Black streaks spread around the injuries.
Salomé:
— It's strange… I haven't healed yet.
Usually, my wounds close within seconds.
Jacob raised his hand.
A shadow swirled in his palm, forming a dark and fluid cloud.
Jacob:
— That's normal…
He moved his hand toward her, and immediately, filaments of shadow escaped from Salomé's wounds, as if being sucked out.
— My shadows… they're not just weapons.
They are also curses.
When they wound, they prevent healing, deep inside you.
They infect both body and mind.
Salomé watched, fascinated, the black wisps leaving her like polluted smoke.
Salomé:
— These shadows… they are the curses?
Jacob nodded.
Jacob:
— Yes. And I'm removing them all from you.
At the same time… I tip my hat to you.
You stayed standing, lucid,
while these curses multiplied the pain every time you got close to me.
Salomé froze.
She had only felt superficial pain.
She had never known.
But now, the wounds were closing, as if they had never existed.
She lowered her eyes, then smiled.
️ Salomé:
— Thank you, Lazareth…
(Oops) I mean… Jacob.
Jacob returned a calm, lighter smile.
Jacob:
— It's nothing.
So… we've made peace, huh?
Salomé (tenderly):
— Yes.
We have made peace.
She extended her fist, a simple gesture. Fraternal.
Jacob smiled, raised his arm… and just as their fists were about to collide:
BOOOOOOM!!
A gigantic rumble shook the earth.
An earthquake as if coming from the bowels of the world.
Debris fell, the ground vibrated.
Salomé (startled):
— What was… what was that?!
Jacob looked up, eyebrows furrowed.
He seemed… worried.
Jacob:
— I think it has finally arrived…
Salomé (tense):
— It? Who?
Jacob answered in a deep, almost choked voice:
Jacob:
— A threat far worse than me…
Worse than Shirōgane…
Worse than all the mutants we unleashed.
He clenched his fists.
— It's about… Gaïus.
Salomé's breath caught abruptly.
That name.
That name, she had heard it that day… in that chaos, in that place between worlds, drowned in dark clouds.
An ancient voice… had whispered in the sky "Gaïus."
Her heart raced.
DOM. DOM. DOM. DOM.
Her pulses grew heavy, deep.
She understood now:
The real fight starts here.
The true war… is coming.
️ Salomé (determined):
— I have to go.
Right now.
She turned around, her feet already lifting off the ground, ready to take flight.
But a voice stopped her.
Jacob:
— Wait…
She turned, surprised.
Jacob (calmly):
— I will fight by your side.
Salomé:
— What…?!
Jacob (with strength):
— I will try to fix my mistakes.
I will stand up, for the first time, with my true name.
Not as a monster.
Not as a slave.
But as Jacob, the survivor.
Salomé looked at him, eyes wide open.
Salomé:
— And Doctor Grijan?
Do you think he'll let you?
Jacob looked away, his gaze darkening.
Then he clenched his teeth.
Jacob (coldly):
— Doctor Grijan?
I don't care.
— If he stands in my way…
I will face him.
After Jacob's revelation, Salomé smiled, her eyes shining with determination:
— Good, let's not waste time.
The earth continued to tremble faintly, like a low rumble from the depths. But elsewhere, in a silent room, Sakolomé slowly opened his eyes. He blinked several times, seeking his bearings. He was lying down, surrounded by familiar walls.
Struggling to sit up, he looked around in confusion.
— I'm not in space? Where is F-Kgod?
He tried to move his hand, but a sharp, burning pain ran through his body. A groan of pain escaped him. Grimacing, he looked down: his body was wrapped in tight bandages.
His eyes suddenly widened, reality hitting him hard:
— So it wasn't a dream… I really faced F-Kgod…
The silence of the room felt heavy, almost unreal. He frowned, lost in thought:
— But I was in space… How did I come back here, to my room?
A voice then resonated, clear and familiar, directly in his mind:
— It was your brother who brought you here.
Sakolomé opened his eyes wide, surprised.
— That voice… is it you, Rivhiamë?
The voice replied with calm softness:
— You have a good memory. Yes, it's me. I am now here, permanently with you, to accomplish the task your father entrusted to me.
Sakolomé sighed, still troubled.
— I don't understand anything, it's too strange… On one hand, my brother brought me here. On the other, you came back, and yet I'm far from healed…
Rivhiamë explained, almost calmly:
— I think it's because he knew.
Intrigued, Sakolomé asked:
— Knew what?
— He knew that if you were fully healed, you would immediately go back to look for him.
Sakolomé's face lit up with sudden understanding.
— Yes… you're right. My brother would have thought exactly like that. But then, where is my mother? Bakuran? Salomé?
The voice in his head answered serenely:
— They are not here. Bakuzan left you at the door. Your mother found you in critical condition, which makes sense after your fight with F-Kgod. She brought you here, then took care of you.
Sakolomé frowned, his gaze trying to pierce the mystery.
— How do you know all this about F-Kgod? And above all… why are you here doing nothing?
Rivhiamë slipped in with a slightly teasing tone:
— If you want to know everything, I rummaged a bit through your memory to revisit some memories. And I came back into you barely forty-five minutes ago. Yet, you have been lying there, motionless, for much longer.
A heavy silence settled, then the voice resumed, more serious:
— What's surprising is that after such a titanic battle, you are standing so quickly. Normally, you should be in a coma for a long time, given your human nature. But you were unconscious for only seven hours. It's… interesting.
Sakolomé remained silent, lost in thought. Then suddenly, a memory came back to him fully conscious:
— The… the Killer Man Eradication plan!!!
Rivhiamë resumed, voice calm but grave:
— There's a lot of tension outside, you know. There's even a strong chance that all this has already started.
Sakolomé, surprised, frowned:
— What? Seriously? But that makes sense… That would explain the absence of Salomé and Bakuran…
At the same moment, the door suddenly opened. Amu entered, carrying a small basin of lukewarm water with a towel soaking in it. She approached, ready to place the towel on her son's forehead, still thinking he was in a coma.
To her great surprise, she saw him sitting on the bed. The basin slipped from her hands and fell to the floor with a dull sound. Breathless, she rushed to him, taking him in her arms:
— My son… Are you okay? You finally woke up!
Sakolomé felt the warmth of his mother, remained silent for a moment, then answered softly, holding her close:
— Yes, mother, I'm here, standing…
In his mind, Rivhiamë whispered:
— Hmm… Amu. I feel the anxiety running through her body and mind.
Sakolomé, intrigued, thought:
— What? Really?
Rivhiamë resumed:
— Yes. She's been very anxious lately. Before she met your father, she wasn't like that…
Amu gently stepped back, looking at him tenderly:
— I'm so happy to see you alive and awake!
Sakolomé gazed into his mother's eyes and noticed the wrinkles under her eyes, the traces of dried tears. She was suffering. When had she last slept? When had she stopped crying?
He finally dared to ask, voice soft but serious:
— Mother, what's wrong?
Amu answered, forcing a smile:
— Nothing… I'm just very happy to see you again…
But in his mind, Rivhiamë didn't believe it for a second:
— She's lying. It's much more than that, I assure you, Sakolomé.
Sakolomé's look grew harder, more serious:
— Mother…
Amu lowered her eyes for a moment, then slowly sat beside him on the bed.
— You know… I feel like I haven't controlled anything for a while. Since your father died, there's been too much turmoil. Your brother, Bakuzan, has become a shadow I can no longer manage… I probably won't see him again. I don't understand how you ended up in this state… An attack? A group that wants to harm us? Maybe a mutant?
Sakolomé listened, his silence full of compassion.
Amu continued, voice trembling:
— Not to mention the unrest in town… I know Salomé and Bakuran are there. They're probably fighting right now. But what can I do, huh, my son? What can I do, me…?
Sakolomé placed a firm hand on his mother's, looking at her with gentleness and assurance:
— Mother, you have already done more than you think. You have held the house, protected those who depend on us, even when all seemed lost. What we are living through is hard, but we are not alone. Salomé, Bakuran, and I… we will fight, each in our place.
He gently squeezed her hand:
— Don't let anxiety suffocate you. We must keep a clear head, hope alive. I will come back stronger, and we will weather this storm together.
Amu looked at him, tears threatening to fall, but a faint smile appeared on her tired lips.
— I want to believe it, my son…