Cracks In The Silence

Jonah easily overpowers the young boy, knocking him to the floor, and Jaceon is visibly upset.

"I guess the Myxote you're born with doesn't mean much if its user is weak," teases Jonah, laughing.

Jaceon slowly gets to his feet and raises his hands, throwing a punch at Jonah—but Jonah easily dodges it and trips him.

"Come on, Jaceon, you keep trying to do the same thing over and over. It won't work," Jonah chides.

"Take it easy, Dad—he's only seven," Jade calls from her chair on the patio, her face etched with motherly concern, though Jonah shrugs it off.

"Ignore her—you're a man. We don't get it easy, understood? Now get up," Jonah says, looking down at Jaceon. "Come on, I ain't even done nothing," he adds, nudging Jaceon with his foot.

Jaceon pushes off Jonah's foot in annoyance and gets back up, prompting a smile from Jonah.

"Now consider taking my advice from earlier rather than just attacking out of anger. Focus on your muscles. Imagine flexing muscles that aren't there—you can do it," Jonah urges.

Jaceon flexes his arm, showing little improvement from their previous attempt. He drops his arm with a sigh and rolls his eyes. "It just doesn't work," he mumbles.

"It does—you're just approaching it with the mindset that it doesn't. Stop thinking you can't do it, because you can. In fact, it should be easier for you than for any other Myxom kid," Jonah insists. He makes a fist, and purple muscle fibers envelop it as he shapes them into a mace. "You have a stronger Myxote than I do, boy. You should be able to do this with no problem," he adds as the fibers retract back into his hand.

Jaceon tries again, closing his eyes, forming a fist, and focusing on replicating Jonah's technique—this time without the thought that he can't succeed. When he opens his eyes, his fist is enveloped in black muscle fibers. The frustration on his face instantly gives way to joy, though Jade watches with concern.

"That's enough—it's time to come inside," Jade yells from the patio, her voice carrying urgency. Yet once again, Jonah shrugs her off, his gaze fixed in curiosity on the black muscle fibers.

"Ignore her. Come on, hit me with it—let's see how much power you can muster," Jonah challenges, his confident smile and folded arms belying the tension in his posture.

Jaceon tightens his fist, his expression growing serious as he locks eyes with Jonah. He throws a punch, and at the last second, Jonah dodges it—predicting the full force of the impact. For a moment, Jonah chuckles in approval.

"That was close—good job, Jaceon. I could tell you had a lot of power behind that—" Jonah begins, but his words are cut off by a loud burst of wind and a sudden chorus of bird chirps. He turns his head, and a shockwave ripples through the forest, sending birds scattering in fear and toppling trees.

"He did all that with that punch? Fuck... what if they heard that..." Jonah mutters, his gaze shifting back to Jade and Jaceon, worry and a trace of fear evident on his face. "Get inside, both of you—now!"

Jade dashes out to the backyard, grabs Jaceon firmly by his arm, and pulls him inside the cabin with haste.

Jonah closes his eyes and drops to one knee, pressing his fingertips into the earth. A pulse of purple ripples spreads silently across the forest floor as he concentrates. His senses lock onto two Myxom soldiers slowly advancing through the woods, their movements cautious and deliberate.

"Shit," he mutters, opening his eyes. He casts a brief glance back toward the cabin, then exhales as he rises to his feet.

With a quiet hum, purple muscle fibers coil around his prosthetic arm, reinforcing it as he channels his Myxote. In his palm, a swirling purple orb begins to take shape.

"Hopefully this works," he says under his breath.

The orb expands rapidly, its color fading as it grows, until it blankets a large section of the forest—including the two soldiers—before stabilizing. They remain oblivious, unaware they've stepped into Jonah's gravitational field.

He gradually increases the gravity's pull, warping space and time within the zone. To the soldiers inside, each step feels heavier—each breath more drawn out—as time begins to stretch. From the outside, they appear to be moving in slow motion, like insects caught in syrup.

Minutes pass. The weight becomes too much. Weakened, disoriented, the soldiers turn back, retreating in sluggish desperation.

Jonah watches quietly, then finally disperses the field with a slow breath, a rare flicker of sympathy crossing his face.

"That should keep anyone from coming around for a while," he mutters with a smirk, wiping sweat from his brow as the muscle fibers retract back into his arm.

"So this is where you've been hiding?"

Jonah's head snaps back, his pupils narrowing in a rare flash of fear. Behind him stands Jaxon, calm and composed, his expression unreadable—but exuding absolute confidence.

"What the hell do you want, Jaxon?" Jonah growls, feigning ignorance as his body subconsciously braces for a fight.

"No point in pretending," Jaxon replies coolly. "I'll start simple: the Vantablack and Jade aren't dead."

He steps closer, peering into Jonah's eyes with quiet disdain. "They're alive. And they're here."

"Back the hell up, boy." Jonah shoves Jaxon backward with a firm arm and jabs a finger into his chest. "You've lost your damn mind. I don't know anything about Jade—or no Vantablack. You show up on my land, making accusations—"

"Lies. All of it. Lies," Jaxon cuts in smoothly, gently lowering Jonah's arm. "Didn't I warn you once about the futility of lying to me?"

His voice drops, cold and calculating.

"My eyes are not ordinary. Thanks to the holy power within me, I see more than most. And recently... I saw a black mass of pure destruction. Only one being carries such a presence. Then I arrived—and found a gravitational field powerful enough to turn soldiers away. A field you created."

He straightens his posture, gaze unwavering.

"That confirmed everything. So again—there's no use lying."

"What do you want, then?" Jonah growls, his voice lowering. "I won't let you hurt them. For once in your life, show mercy—to your son and your wife."

Jaxon tilts his head slightly, unfazed. "They'll both be slaughtered. And you, as well. I assume you'll try to stop me, but let's be honest—your age betrays you. Your Myxote is pathetic compared to mine. Even back when you were hailed as the Millennium Force, I doubt I'd have struggled to kill you."

He turns and begins walking calmly toward the cabin.

But Jonah slams him back with a sudden gravitational burst, halting his advance.

"You really think you're some sort of god, don't you?" Jonah scoffs, stepping forward. "You're terrified—that's what this is. That's why you want to kill Jaceon. You're afraid he'll surpass you. You're a bitch in disguise."

He chuckles darkly, shaking his head.

Jaxon exhales through his nose, eyes narrowing. "Out of all Myxoms, I had the most respect for you, Jonah. I believed you, of all people, would understand the gravity of this situation."

He pauses, letting the pun hang in the air.

"But it seems you're just as foolish as the rest."

A spear of radiant light materializes above him—glinting, woven from razor-thin strands of steel-like energy. With his hands still calmly behind his back, Jaxon launches it forward.

Jonah shifts just in time, the spear slicing his cheek as it whistles past. A thin line of blood marks his face.

But the spear doesn't stop—it continues toward the cabin.

Jonah snatches it mid-air, but instead of stopping it, the force drags him with it, slamming him through the wall.

Jaxon steps calmly through the opening, scanning the cabin.

"Vantablack," he calls coldly. "Come out—and you might still save your mother. And your grandfather."

A low growl breaks the silence.

"Quit ignoring me," Jonah snarls, bursting from the rubble with a fist that slams into Jaxon's face, sending him tumbling back outside.

Jonah doesn't give him a second.

He leaps forward, landing a brutal kick into Jaxon's stomach. With a snarl, he amplifies the gravity and mass of his foot, compressing the air around it with devastating force.

Jonah slams his foot down on Jaxon's chest—again. And again. Each stomp ripples the earth, forming deeper craters beneath them. The ground groans beneath the pressure, cracks spidering out in every direction.

But as Jonah pauses to catch his breath, chest heaving, Jaxon rises—completely unfazed.

He brushes the dirt from his shoulder with calm detachment, as if the onslaught were a minor inconvenience.

Without a word, Jaxon forms a gleaming gauntlet of light around his fist and drives it into Jonah's gut before he can react. The impact sends Jonah hurtling through the forest, the shockwave leveling trees in a wide arc around him.

Jaxon exhales slowly.

White muscle fibers weave across his back, forming radiant wings of light. With a single flap, he ascends into the sky, surveying the wreckage below.

Through the treetops, his enhanced eyes lock onto Jonah's position—and without hesitation, he summons a constellation of blinding white spears overhead.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, he rains them down.

The sky blazes.

The forest quakes.

It's a display of power so effortless, it feels unfair.

TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER FOUR: THE MILLENNIUM FORCE

Bonus Information:

Jonah Myxom, now 68 years old, was once known as The Millennium Force in his prime. Wielding the Myxote of Gravity, he rose to the rank of General in the Myxom Empire. Rival clans dubbed him "The Comet Tosser", claiming he could summon meteor showers to wipe out entire civilizations in minutes—and some believed he could pull comets straight from orbit to end the world.

You'd think a man like that would sit back and rain destruction from a distance. That's what his enemies hoped for. Instead, Jonah rushed the battlefield, meeting them face-to-face with overwhelming brute strength.

The first thing Jonah did upon awakening his Myxote was build his own weights, training relentlessly. By strengthening his muscle fibers, he enhanced not only his speed and durability, but also deepened his connection to his Myxote soul, unlocking greater power. In Myxom culture, this kind of physical discipline is one of the most effective ways to bond with your Myxote, and Jonah proved it.

By the age of 19, he had fully bonded with his Myxote—one of the youngest to ever achieve such a feat. Even without using gravity manipulation, Jonah was able to overpower top-ranking Myxom warriors. Yet despite his unmatched strength, he remained humble, always standing with the people.

After many wars, a rare era of peace fell over the Myxom clan. Jonah took the luxuries he was given by the Empire and returned them to the people. Then, at age 34, he vanished from the public eye. In truth, he had retreated into the forests with the love of his life, Judith, where he built a quiet life and started a family.

But peace was fleeting.

A young royal prodigy named Jaxon Myxom was born, said to possess the Holi Myxote. In time, his gaze turned toward Jonah's daughter, Jade—and he wanted her. No matter the cost.

Jonah resisted, but his former allies were blinded by Jaxon's supposed divine purpose. To them, "the prophet" had spoken.

At sixteen years old, Jade—young, impressionable, and captivated by dreams of royalty—left willingly. She slipped away from Jonah's protection to chase the fantasy of being a princess, unaware of the danger she was stepping into. The grief of losing his daughter would soon take Judith's life, leaving Jonah truly alone.

Now, Jonah lives in isolation, hardened by loss. He appears to have forgiven his past, but beneath the surface is a man who bears the weight of a thousand regrets—and the power to level planets.