Jacob still had Jayden in a chokehold before he threw him straight into a boulder. Jayden hit it hard, pain shooting through every part of his body. Gasping for air, he grabbed his scythe and used it to void travel behind Jacob. With a burst of energy, Jayden jump-slashed at Jacob’s back.

Jacob’s wings retracted, and he spun around, trying to strike back, but Jayden kept teleporting just before the attack could land. Frustration flashed across Jacob’s face, and he quickly guessed where Jayden would appear next. He slashed with his keyblade just as Jayden teleported—this time, he didn’t miss.

Jayden was sent crashing into another boulder, his vision blurring from the impact. He groaned, his hand clutching the cut across his chest. When he looked down, his heart skipped a beat—something black was oozing from the wound. Demon ichor.

Jacob’s maniacal laughter filled the air. “You really thought you could kill me?” he mocked, stepping closer. “This is where it ends, Jayden.” He raised his keyblade, aiming for Jayden’s neck.

Just as Jacob swung, Jayden felt a rush of wind, and suddenly, he was flying—fast.

Confused, Jayden looked to his side, expecting to see Aiden. But instead, there was someone else. A tall figure clad in black armor, a black Corinthian helmet with no visible face beneath. Where the eyes and mouth should’ve been, there was only pitch-black nothingness. The plume on the helmet was made of green fire, and the figure had four sleek black wings on each side. A massive black sword hung at his side, a glowing ruby embedded in its hilt.

The figure laughed, a sound that sent chills down Jayden’s spine. “Well, Jayden! How are ya?” The voice sounded oddly familiar—like his grandad, but younger. “Not gonna give your old grandpa a hug?”

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Jayden blinked in disbelief. “Grandpa? What the—? I thought you were... weren’t you in Cancun?”

His grandpa chuckled. “Yeah, about that... things got a little complicated.” He glanced down at Jayden. “You good, though? You’re feelin’ a bit heavy.”

Jayden groaned in pain, trying to get up. “I-I don’t think I can...”

Before he could finish, his grandpa traced a glowing green circle in the air, a simple leaf symbol inside it. “Nesta,” he whispered.

Instantly, Jayden felt a surge of energy, like he could run five marathons back-to-back. He shook off the pain, focused, and summoned his wings again. They shot out, powerful and strong. He grinned.

“Hell yeah!” Jayden yelled, taking to the sky. He called out, “Back!” and his scythe reappeared in his hand.

He flew straight toward the crack in the sky, which was shrinking fast. Just as he was about to make it through, Jacob shot toward him, swinging the Chaos Scepter. Jayden dodged the hit and countered with a slash of his own, but Jacob blocked it with his keyblade.

Jacob then unleashed a golden beam of light from the Chaos Scepter. Jayden, acting on instinct, spun his scythe like a propeller, miraculously absorbing the beam. He flew higher, diving down toward Jacob. With a fierce battle cry, he swooped down, grabbing Jacob by the shoulder, and threw him into another boulder. Without hesitation, Jayden followed through, slashing Jacob across the chest—once, then again.

Breathing hard, Jayden’s voice turned cold. “I’ll spare you... for now.”

He slashed again, this time cutting off Jacob’s wings. Golden ichor splattered everywhere as Jacob screamed in agony, collapsing onto the ground.

Jayden didn’t look back. He flew away, heading toward the crack in the Bottom which had shrunk to the size of a quarter.

He muttered under his breath, “How the hell do I open this thing?”

He tried everything he could think of—nothing worked. Then, an idea hit him. His scythe. It was the only thing left.

“Sacrificing the scythe...” Jayden whispered to himself. He didn’t want to do it, but there was no other option.

With a heavy heart, he drew an extra-large green circle in the air, a 64-tetrahedron inside it. He took a deep breath and said a quiet prayer.

“O Eros Bellos, the heaven-scorching light. I, Jayden Jude Zephyr, bid for thy might. To sacrifice mine prized possession and mine pride. Allow me to open this portal back to mine realm.”

The scythe began to glow with a golden aura and floated in the air before vanishing in a flash of light. All that remained was a key.

Jayden reached out, grabbed it, and pocketed it. The crack in the bottom widened slightly, the gateway to his realm now visible.

Jayden looked up, breathing out in relief. “I thank thee, Eros Bellos.”

With that, Jayden descended toward the ground, ready for whatever came next.