Chrono-God

The Icebound Ruins

The abyssal beasts lunged from the shadows, their distorted forms slithering and crawling across the ice as if the laws of nature had never bound them. Their bodies—half-solid, half-writhing darkness—moved with unnatural speed, their hollow, glowing yellow eyes locked onto Jerry.

He didn't wait.

His swords were already in motion.

The curved tooth of Bengala's mother cut through the air with a sharp whistle, cleaving the first beast in half. It shrieked as it dissolved into black mist, vanishing as if it had never existed. The moment the second beast closed in, Jerry twisted, bringing the claw of Vrkane's mother across its chest in a brutal arc.

The impact sent a jarring vibration up his arm, but the creature didn't have time to retaliate—it burst into nothingness a second later.

They were fast. But he was faster.

A third beast lunged from the ceiling, its form shifting mid-air as jagged limbs extended toward him.

Jerry reacted on instinct.

He tapped into his bond with Vrkane, and his body shifted.

His muscles coiled, his legs lengthened, and dark fur sprouted across his arms. His nails sharpened into deadly claws as his pupils narrowed into predatory slits. The moment his transformation completed, he moved—vanishing from where he had stood just seconds before.

The abyssal beast struck the ice, its limbs piercing deep into the ground—only to find its target gone.

Jerry reappeared behind it, his stance hunched, his features a terrifying blend of man and beast.

With a snarl, he ripped his claws into the creature's back and tore it apart.

Its death cry barely had time to echo before he was moving again.

Above him, Aviana let out a piercing screech.

More were coming.

Jerry straightened, his fur receding, his form shifting back to its human state. His breath was steady, his grip on his swords unwavering.

The first wave was nothing.

He could feel something deeper within this ruin—something older, watching.

And it was waiting for him.

---

The Depths of the Temple

The chasm had led to something ancient.

Jerry stood before a massive doorway, its towering archway carved into the ice itself. Symbols and runes stretched across its surface, glowing faintly beneath the frost. He recognized none of them, but their meaning buzzed at the edge of his mind, like words spoken in a forgotten tongue.

Selene approached cautiously. "This isn't just a ruin," she murmured. "It's a prison."

Jerry's pulse quickened. "For what?"

Selene shook her head. "I don't know."

Janice touched the ice, her fingers tracing the symbols. "But something's still inside."

Jerry already knew.

Because Mike was here.

He stepped forward, placing a hand against the frozen surface. The ice was thick, solid beneath his palm, yet warm—almost alive.

Aviana landed on his shoulder, her talons gripping his armor.

Be careful, she whispered through their bond.

Jerry nodded.

Then, without hesitation, he pushed.

A pulse of golden energy rippled outward, flowing from his body into the door. His divine armor reacted instantly, shifting to accommodate the surge of power.

The ice trembled.

Then, slowly, it melted away.

Beyond the threshold, a vast chamber stretched into darkness, filled with towering pillars of stone. The air was thick—heavy with something unseen, waiting.

And in the center of the room, bound in chains of pulsating blue light—

Was Mike.

Jerry took a step forward, his heart hammering.

Mike's head was lowered, his arms restrained in shackles that pulsed with unnatural energy. His body was covered in scars, some fresh, others old, as if he had been trapped here for centuries.

Selene inhaled sharply. "Gods…"

Janice gripped Jerry's arm. "This—this doesn't make sense."

Jerry barely heard her. His mind was already racing.

How?

How had Mike survived? Had Orion's transformation not been complete? Was there something—anything—left of the man who had once been his best friend?

Jerry stepped closer. "Mike…"

The figure twitched.

Then, slowly, its head lifted.

His face was hollow, pale, but familiar.

And his eyes—

Not blue. Not the vibrant, sharp eyes Jerry remembered.

But black.

An abyssal void.

Jerry stopped.

Something was wrong.

Then—

Mike smiled.

The room exploded.

Shadows erupted from the walls, coiling like living serpents as abyssal magic surged through the air. The chains binding Mike shattered, their energy twisting into tendrils of raw darkness.

Selene reacted first. She flung a dagger at the figure—

It passed through him.

Mike's form flickered, distorting—

Not real.

Jerry's heart dropped.

This wasn't Mike.

This was a trap.

The entity lunged.

Jerry barely had time to raise his swords before a wave of abyssal energy slammed into him, sending him hurtling backward. He crashed into the ice, pain flaring through his ribs as the chamber shifted.

The walls melted away, revealing something else beneath the ice—

Rows of bodies.

Frozen. Bound in place. Their faces twisted in silent agony.

Not prisoners.

Sacrifices.

A deep, inhuman voice echoed through the chamber.

"How easily you walk into our embrace."

The entity that had mimicked Mike twisted, its form unraveling into a mass of writhing shadows. From within its depths, dozens of hollow, soulless eyes opened, their golden glow radiating malice.

Janice grabbed Jerry, hauling him to his feet. "What the hell is that?!"

"Not Mike," Jerry snarled.

Aviana shrieked overhead.

Vrkane and Bengala moved forward, their forms shifting.

Vrkane's sleek fur thickened, his humanoid shape emerging, his golden eyes burning with rage. Bengala's sabered fangs elongated, her muscles coiling as she grew taller, more human-like, yet still primal.

Jerry exhaled sharply.

They had walked straight into a nightmare.

But he wasn't alone.

He tightened his grip on his swords, letting his bonds surge through him once more.

The abyss had set its trap.

Now it was time to break it.

---