"Hey, wait up!" Katherine cried out but Fenrir ignored her. After escaping, Katherine flew out towards the city, expecting Jason to follow her lead and stay close. However, Jason pulled away as soon as he could and Katherine had to double back and fly after him.

Fenrir ignored her and landed on Feng Shui Building's roof. Katherine slowly descended while he got off his bike, which flew away on autopilot. Without looking at her, he began to walk away, stumbling slightly from his injuries. Katherine raised her hands in exasperation when she saw how he was treating her.

"Hey, Katie, thank you for saving me," Kathrine said with mild annoyance while imitating Jason's gruff voice. "Thanks, Jason, I really appreciate the fact that you're thanking me for helping you out!"

"I didn't ask for help," Jason paused and said coldly. His voice modulator was damaged during the fight, causing his voice to switch from an electric grating metallic to deep husky erratically. He turned his head halfway and turned to look at Kathrine through his broken visor. His exposed eye, which was healing rapidly, twinkled like a black opal while his helmeted eye was a large cyan blue color. Together, they gave Katherine a visceral feeling that he was attempting to distance himself from her because he was frightened. "And I certainly didn't need it."

"Oh, so you enjoyed the beating you got? Wait a minute," Katherine stepped back from Jason as though he had something contagious. "Don't tell me you're an M?"

Jason was rendered speechless by Katherine's question and he blanked while she pulled her mask off. Only after seeing her face did he regain his bearings and he watched her coldly. After a moment, Jason raised an arm horizontally and pressed a button on his gauntlet. From the distance, a small light appeared before charging off into the distance at supersonic speed, a line of fume remained while it made its way to the ship that looked like a dot. Right after, a brilliant flash of light occurred, followed by the shockwave of an explosion that trailed in its wake.

During the fight, Jason threw an emitter onto the ship's control deck, an emitter that could broadcast a signal identical to the one that targeted a missile into his apartment. Even though he told AEM to fix the loophole that allowed the missile to be launched, Jason knew they wouldn't be able to fix it overnight and decided to use it against his enemies. Katherine stared at the distant ship that exploded before turning back to Jason.

"That was your plan? Blow the ship up with a missile? You know you wouldn't have made it out of there without me," Katherine said. "You'd have been caught in the blast."

"I've survived worse," Jason said coldly. He wasn't lying, considering that he did survive a missile strike earlier.

Katherine shrugged. "Doesn't mean you need to be a lone wolf."

"My name," Jason said quietly. "Is Fenrir. The name says it all."

"It's not a weakness to rely on others Jason," Katherine said. "Especially when it comes to friends and family."

"It is to me," Jason replied before jumping off the building. "And you're not a friend nor are you family."

He slashed his sword downwards and created a crack of blackness appeared, slowly spreading until it was large enough to consume him; he had torn an opening through space and time itself to create a path to his dimension. Katherine, who only saw him fall, rushed to the ledge but froze when she found nothing below.

"The fuck? Where'd he go?" Kathrine muttered in disbelief. Her mind went back to Jason, noticing how he saw her as a stranger. She realized just how alone she felt in this world and wiped her tears away.

***

Jason coughed again as he exited the dimensional tear. He staggered and tried to rebalance himself while swearing. He had wanted to escape from Katherine but didn't want her to know his secret, so he traveled through to his dimension without having the proper coordinates to his location in space and time. Because of this, he miscalculated his exit by a few centimeters, resulting in his internal organs dislocating themselves. With a deep breath, he gritted his teeth and used his telekinesis to twist the organs back in place.

After that, he looked around and saw that he was in back in his alchemy room. He sat down on a chair and closed his eyes, the exhaustion of not sleeping and fighting for two days overwhelmed him and he quietly fell asleep. After an untold amount of time, the door to the alchemy room opened and a figure walked in. Her graceful steps were full of elegance and her naturally arched eyebrows and tanned skin gave her a familiarity to Jason's features. She walked up to Jason and brushed his hair, her fingers ran through his short hair.

"Honestly, Jason," Helen whispered. "Just what am I supposed to do with you?"

"You're lying!"

Jason rubbed his dizzy head, unsure of what was happening. He couldn't recall what he was doing before hearing Alina's voice.

Oh, right, He thought. I was shopping with Alle.

He turned to look at Alina who was beside him, a pout on her face. She was around ten years old and she continued speaking while Jason grinned.

"You're lying again. There's no way you know how to cook," Alina said. Did he think she was still so gullible as to fall for his lies?

"All right," Jason replied amusedly. "Then why don't I cook today's meal. What do you think, Meredith?"

Jason turned to look at Meredith, the head maid of the Sages. Shopping was not part of her job, she usually didn't leave the mansion, but Madam Sage asked her to accompany the two. Jason had a feeling it was because of Aarav's visit today.

"If the young master wishes to do so, then I have no objections," Meredith answered perfunctorily.

"See? Even Meredith has confidence in me," Jason said while Alina stuck her tongue out. "Now, let's get everything in the list first, then we'll check out their ice cream section."

"Yay! Ice cream!" Alina cheered, completely motivated to shopping.

After some time, the three managed to gather everything and were waiting at the cashier, who was listening to a radio channel while helping the customers.

The radio host was talking to callers, giving them advice about their situation. "And here's our next caller. Hello there! What can I help you with?"

"I … my family abandoned me when I was a child," a voice that was very young said. He spoke slowly, as though he was having a hard time breathing. "I was so young, I didn't remember their faces or anything. And for years, I … I was forced to become something else. I did terrible things because I was ordered to."

The young speaker paused before continuing. "But that's not entirely true. I relished in my wrongdoings … using it to satisfy that emptiness deep down inside me."

Jason froze, unable to move as he listened to the speaker: he recognized that voice, but he couldn't believe that he was hearing it.

"Then I lost all my friends and the emptiness became bigger," the young boy said as the radio host listened without interrupting. "It was like there was a gaping hole in my chest … but I met someone. She was a fairy."

Jason swallowed his saliva as he listened with rapt attention.

"And things got better," the voice said. "But at the same time, it got stronger. The need, the need to know what happened to my parents. And soon, I got a lead after following a few … clues.

"So I traveled to where they were staying. And I met her. My mother," Jason closed his eyes as the speaker continued, trying to hide the burning tears that were trying to come out. "She was so … graceful. She looked just like how I imagined. But I couldn't take that step to meet her. What would I say? 'Hey, Miss, I think I'm your son.'

"I couldn't reveal myself to her, but I didn't want to leave without knowing. Especially when I saw how she was treated, and how she treated everyone," the voice paused as though he wanted it to sink into the crowd. "So I did the next best thing. I pretended to be a waiter at a restaurant she frequented and met her. She had a nice chat with me, but you know what? She didn't recognize me.

"There wasn't a hint of recognition in her eyes, not even a hint. And she told me, as she left, 'Your mother would be proud.' My mother …" the voice was no longer emotional, it was cold and detached. "I realized then that I was better off being a tool. That there was no way to be a boy."

The radio was silent for a while before the host sighed.

"I'm sorry," the host said. "I don't know what to say to you. But even if I did know, it wouldn’t help. Would it, Jason?"

The caller, who stopped speaking, sounded exactly like the young version of Jason ...

"Jason? Jason!" Jason roused himself and turned to Alina who was looking at him with worry while repeatedly calling his name.

"Sorry," Jason said. He turned to the cashier who was staring at him with bemusement. "I kinda got distracted by the radio."

"Uh, sir? What radio?" while not saying anything, the cashier stared at Jason as though he was a lunatic.

"Right," Jason said quietly before proceeding to checkout. The cashier shook his head while Jason had his head lowered.

"I’d say, Jason," the cashier spoke and Jason froze before slowly looking up. "What exactly are you doing?"

When Jason looked up, the old cashier was no longer there. Instead, a young boy with black hair and dark chocolate eyes stared back at him with a small smile. The front of his shirt was soaked in blood from a gunshot wound that he had on the chest, yet he appeared nonchalant, as though he wasn't injured.

"Jackie," Jason whispered, a look of pain flitting through his eyes. The boy in front of him was a good friend, one who died in Budapest on a train while saving Jason.

Stolen story; please report.

"Hey Jay," Jackie said. "Or should I call you Jason? Or maybe Fenrir? Man, you really took that last one too seriously. Anyways, what's up?"

Jason opened his mouth but no words came out. He took a deep breath and covered his mouth with his hand before it traveled down to his chin.

"Cat got your tongue, eh? Well, of course, you'd be surprised, seeing me here," Jackie said with a small chuckle. "We're in your dreams, Jay."

"What're -" Jason asked when Jackie interrupted him.

"I came to ask what you're doing Jason," Jackie said quietly, the smile fading from his face. "The others wanted to come too, but they're still upset that you killed us."

"I didn't - " Jason's voice broke and he had to breathe and calm himself down. "I didn't know, I swear."

"And yet I warned you," Jackie said quietly. "I warned you something was wrong before we even left for Budapest. I warned you … just like how I'm warning you now."

Jason shook his head, bemused and unable to understand Jackie's meaning when the latter gestured at the area behind him. Slowly Jason turned around and the scene changed, but he didn't notice as he saw the bodies lying on the ground. Everyone he knew, everyone was there, their corpses lying silently on the ground. Alina, Emily, Katelyn, Elizabeth, Silvia, Michelle, Raphael, even his students, they were all dead.

"Jason …" Alina whispered and Jason, with tears in his eyes, ran to her.

"Alle. Alle … no," Jason kneeled next to her and lifted her head in his arms while applying pressure to the gaping wound in her stomach.

"Why … why did you … ruin my life?" Alina asked through gasping breaths. "Why did you kill my dad, corrupt my mother, and kill Katelyn? They were my family."

"Alle …" Jason choked as tears flowed out from his eyes.

"What was I to you? Just a replacement for your sister? Why did you even help me when I'm nothing to you?" Alina looked at him with disappointment and hate, even as the life in her eyes faded away. Jason cradled her in his arms even as he heard a voice from behind him.

"You ruin everything near you, Jason," Jackie said quietly while standing behind Jason. "Everything you touch, everything, ends up broken … or damaged."

"No … no," Jason shook his head and tried ignoring what Jackie was saying. He didn't want to believe that was true.

"This isn't the life for you Jason," Jackie said. "You know what I'm saying is true."

"No …"

"And this? This is where your current life will lead you."

"NO!" [1]

Jason woke up abruptly and realized there was a presence next to him. Groggy, and barely awake from the nightmare he had, Jason reacted instinctively and grabbed the person by the throat.

"Ja … son," the person called out through her constricted voice.

Hearing her voice, Jason looked over and immediately released his grip. The girl standing near him dropped to the ground while sputtering, gasping for air while looking at Jason. Her dark eyes shone brightly while her sharp nose and arched eyebrows, similar to Jason but more refined and elegant, flared. Jason noticed he was on a sleeping bag, but he crawled out and away from the person.

"Hel? How?" Jason asked before shaking his head. He curled himself and shook his head repeatedly. "This … this …"

"Jason …" Helen said with a weak smile. "It's alright Jason, it's alright."

She was comforting Jason, telling him it okay, that she was there and that it wasn't his fault for choking her. She slowly walked to Jason who flinched when she raised a hand. Gently, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Tears leaked out of Jason's eyes and he closed them to stop the burning tears from falling. He hugged Helen back and the two stayed like that for a while.

Helen finally let go and looked around. They were still in the alchemy room, but Helen had found a sleeping bag and wanted to place Jason down on it when he woke up.

"Where are we, exactly?" Hel asked. "I saw that there were several rooms and a hallway but I wasn't able to open them nor could I find a way out."

"We're … in here," Jason raised the Dragon pendant he had with his hands. "This … was made by my previous incarnations. It's … I don't know what it is exactly. It's like a pocket dimension but at the same time it has its own laws that I can manipulate."

"I have no idea what you just said right now," Helen said while Jason smiled wryly. "Mind translating that?"

"It's a separate universe that doesn't conform to the laws of physics ...?" Jason said after thinking for a long time. He wasn't sure exactly how else to say it. "I mean, I can manipulate space, time, and matter in this place so …"

"Right. That ... makes sense. I think," Helen said before shaking her head. "That doesn't matter. Instead, I'm more interested in this marriage thing you mentioned the last time. Yes, I heard it. I was in a coma, but still awake."

Jason and Helen chatted for a long time, with Helen teasing him about the women around his life. She also wanted to see Alina, but was also worried about how Alina would react to her; they were very similar after all. And both Jason and Helen understood why, but neither of them brought it up.

"So what's your plan?" Helen asked while placing her arms on the table and leaning her head on her hands. "Juggling multiple women like this will probably end up with them ditching you."

"I don't know," Jason said. "Maybe it's better that way. It would save them a lot of pain."

"Why not just take them all at once? Make a harem, that's every man's dream!" Helen said before pausing. "Although I'd castrate any man that tried that on me."

"You know you just answered your own question right?" Jason pointed out with a wry chuckle. "Besides, they would have a miserable life if they ended up with me."

"Why? Cause of the curse?" Helen looked at Jason with disappointment. "Does it matter? Just live life the way you want it to."

"You know how bad it is," Jason said. "A curse to live a loveless life, blessed with women, only to have it torn apart eternally. And I'm tired of it all, Hel, tired of fighting it, tired of living. But right now, all I can think of is ..."

In his mind, Alice appeared. Her big blue eyes, soft blonde hair that straight and silky, that sweet smile she gave while saying something scathing, and he couldn't help but hesitate. To him, she was even more important than his lovers; he finally understood why parents dote on their children while ignoring their spouses.

"It's true. You have a point," Helen said softly, interrupting Jason's hesitation, unaware of what he was thinking. "Maybe they're all falling for you because of the curse and maybe they'll go through hell because of that. But if they care for you, if they love you ... then to them, it would be worth it. Trust me, I know from experience."

Jason looked at Helen, ignoring everything but her last words. It wasn't that he dismissed what she was saying, deep down he agreed with her as well.

"Hel … do you … you're starting to remember?" He asked hesitantly.

"Some, not all of it," Helen said with a sad smile. "Some were happy, others …"

Helen looked at Jason and turned the question to him.

"How about you? Do you remember everything?" Helen asked and Jason shook his head.

"It's not like that," Jason said quietly. "Each incarnation has a different personality, a different life experience. Connecting to them … well, let's just say I almost went insane. I can't handle the voices … telling me what to do. Thankfully, they stopped when I sealed my powers."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Helen said softly. "You always find a way to make it through."

Jason turned to look at Helen and smiled softly but sadly.

"This, this was nice," he said. "Even if it's not real."

"What do you mean?" Helen looked at Jason. She had a knowing smile like she knew what he meant but was waiting for him to say it.

Jason smiled sadly and looked down, his eyes were staring down at his legs when he closed them for a moment. Burning tears leaked out and stung his eyes again as he sighed.

"Meaning," Jason looked up and found the room completely empty; there was no one in the room. "I'm hallucinating."

Jason felt hollow inside when he realized that his assumption was correct; he was talking to himself and Helen was still in a coma.

'Ooh, he's finally figured it out,' a voice said. 'Took you long enough!'

'Hush, don't interrupt! It's a good scene,' another said with a snigger. 'Such familial love …'

Jason's face changed and he looked at the direction of the voices. He just remembered the fact that he released a bit of his Practitioner limit, meaning the voices of the previous incarnations were now free.

'Not there, over here,' the first voice said with a chuckle. The sound of his voice came from the opposite direction of where Jason was staring but the latter just closed his eyes.

'Enough fooling around,' a third voice said. 'Tell me, have you resolved yourself yet, or are you still refusing to take heed of our advice?'

"Advice? You manipulated me," Jason answered quietly. "Each of you tried to … to mold me into your own image. But I won't ever become any of you so go back and fuck yourselves."

'Language,' the third voice said. 'We may have been a tad bit ... enthusiastic, but that does not mean you should lock us away.'

"Shut up," Jason said before standing and walking out. The voices ignored him and continued speaking louder as more voices joined the three. Jason gritted his teeth and began ignoring them, trying his best to drown out their voices with his thoughts, unaware that they were also voicing their thoughts as his own.

'Hmph,' a new voice snorted violently. Jason could feel this incarnation sitting through his recent memories. It paused at the recent fight he had with Elizabeth and Melanie. 'You are still soft when it comes to women, what a disgrace.'

'Now now,' the second voice chided the newcomer. 'He took care of those two perfectly. Although, as a man, you should've pushed forward. Look at them! A little more training and those two would be willing to beg for your -'

'Ah, shut it, you frivolous playboy!' the new voice roared. 'As a warrior, you're a disgrace to us all!!'

'Ungh. What a barbarian,' the second voice muttered, causing the new voice to shimmer with anger.

"Both of you, shut up!" Jason yelled out loud.

'Haha,' the first voice chuckled before sneering. 'If only he could see how ridiculous he looks, screaming at an empty room. Ah, I can't wait to see everyone's reaction when you lose control.' [2]

Jason rubbed his eyes and ignored everything else the others were saying. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to seal his powers again so quickly. The only thing he could do was bear with the voices while pretending to be sane.

I - I can't bother with this, Jason thought. I need to focus on protecting Alice.

Exiting the dimension, Jason appeared back on the roof of Feng Shui apartments but paused with surprise when he saw the bright sky and morning sun that cane asking with it.

Shit, Alice! Jason thought before racing off to the Loft while dialing Alina's phone. He didn't pay attention and fell asleep for hours, it was only now that he remembered that he had to protect Alice.

[1] This is him remembering a memory that slowly turned into a nightmare. The scene of him shopping with Alina and hearing a radio which was just a delusion was real, it only turned into a nightmare when Jackie appeared.

[2] Each voice sort of represents a different personality and incarnation. Right now, there's a pessimist, a sadistic playboy, a muscle-headed bloodthirsty warrior, and a Sage-like voice.