Sharpened Rage

[Scene: Earth – Accra, Ghana. Alley behind a local school. Dim afternoon light. Wind rustles scattered papers. The echo of a school bell fades into silence.]

Jason, 12, stands alone. The bruises on his face are fading, but something darker has bloomed in his eyes. He adjusts his backpack, then glances over his shoulder—paranoia, but sharp like a blade. The same alley where he was once a victim… is now his throne.

A shadow looms at the end of the alley. A soft clap echoes.

Voice (smooth, almost playful):

> "Oh Jason… Jason… the little sheep who bit back."

Jason flinches, then frowns.

> "Who's there?"

A slow shimmer reveals Vun, the ghoul of Predatory Patience. Draped in shadows, wearing a cloak that shifts like liquid oil. His eyes are bottomless voids, his grin patient… eager.

Vun (circling like a shark):

> "So noble… so tragic… so useful. You took justice into your own little hands. And the way you used that stone? Mmm... deliciously raw."

Jason takes a step back.

> Jason:

"What do you want?"

Vun's grin widens.

> "Want? Oh no, Jason. You called me. With that rage… that truth. Not everyone wants to be saved, right? That Yyvone girl… so sweet, so hopeful… but she didn't know. She didn't see you."

Jason looks down, fists trembling.

> Jason:

"They had it coming. They beat me every day. I was just… I was just stopping them."

Vun nods, like a mentor pleased with a pupil.

> "Exactly. You didn't start the fire, you finished it. But tell me, how did it feel? Crushing that fear into power?"

Jason hesitates, then whispers:

> Jason:

"…Good."

Vun's cloak flutters, excited.

> Vun:

"Then let's do more. You and me. Let's show this city what happens when wolves stop hiding behind fences. I'll help you… become more. Let's turn that justice… into evolution."

Jason gulps.

> Jason:

"I'm not a monster."

Vun laughs. It's deep. Amused.

> Vun:

"Oh, Jason. Neither was the first wolf. Until the pack made him one."

Suddenly, Jason sees images — flashes projected by Vun's corruption aura:

A future version of him, cloaked in lightning rage.

A city bending to his warped justice.

Yyvone, watching from a distance, devastated.

Jason snaps out of it, breathing heavy.

> Jason:

"No. I'm not like that. I won't be."

Vun, smirking:

> "You already are. You just haven't named it yet."

Suddenly, Jason screams, a raw howl of emotion — and the Avian spark ignites faintly in his chest. Not full… not yet… but there.

Vun's eyes flicker. He didn't expect that.

> Vun:

"…Interesting. Looks like there's a war inside you. Good. Wars… breed legacies."

And with that, Vun dissolves into smoke, leaving Jason alone.

---

Back at the Airien Academy, Yyvone senses something in her thread — a tremble of the soul she tried to save. Her face tightens. She grabs her thread locket and whispers:

> Yyvone:

"Jason… please… don't unravel."

[Scene: School Cafeteria – Midday. The noise of lunch trays, distant chatter, and plastic forks scraping plates. Jason sits alone at the edge of the room, hands buried deep in his pockets, his food untouched. He stares at it like it's a metaphor.]

His shoulders slump under a different kind of weight today — not fists, not insults. Just silence. Heavy, knowing silence.

Jason (internally)

> "They're scared of me now... but this isn't what I wanted. I just wanted it to stop. Just wanted to be left alone..."

Across the room, Ivan watches him — the boy with quiet confidence, a social drifter who fits in anywhere but never belongs to any group. The kind who chooses where to sit, not the kind who's told.

He picks up his tray and walks over. Smoothly. Casually. But with intention.

Ivan (smiling as he drops his tray):

> "Yo. This seat taken?"

Jason (startled):

> "Huh? Uh… no. I mean… yeah. No. Not really."

Ivan slides in without waiting.

> Ivan:

"Cool. Cafeteria's too loud. Food's mid. People are weird. You, though… you got the whole mysterious anti-hero thing going on. Kinda refreshing."

Jason chuckles faintly. It's the first time today he's almost smiled.

> Jason:

"Anti-hero, huh? More like accidental villain."

Ivan leans in, cracking open his juice box with flair.

> Ivan:

"Villains don't sit alone regretting what they did. Trust me, if you were a villain, you'd be plotting your next 'stone smash' or whatever. But you're just… human. Flawed. Haunted. Welcome to the club."

Jason, softly:

> "You saw what happened?"

Ivan (nods):

> "Yeah. Everyone did. But I saw more than that."

> Jason (quiet):

"Like what?"

Ivan leans back, staring at the ceiling as if searching for the right words.

> Ivan:

"I saw a kid who'd had enough. A kid who snapped after being pushed too far. You're not the monster, Jason. You're the mirror. You showed them what they created."

> Jason (defensive, pained):

"But I liked it. That moment. The power. That's messed up, right? What if… I really am broken?"

Ivan sets his juice down and looks Jason in the eye.

> Ivan:

"You know what I think's more messed up? Faking smiles in a world that ignores pain. You reacted. You survived. That's not broken. That's being real. And you're not alone, man… not anymore."

Jason looks away, blinking. Not because he's crying — but because someone saw past the smoke.

> Jason:

"Why are you even talking to me?"

Ivan grins, his expression soft but sharp.

> Ivan:

"Because everyone deserves at least one person who doesn't run away when things get ugly. I see you. And maybe… I'm kinda messed up too. So we balance out."

Jason smirks, shaking his head.

> "Dude, that's the weirdest friendship proposal I've ever heard."

Ivan raises his juice like a toast.

> Ivan:

"Welcome to weird. Try the fries. They're existential today."

Jason picks up a fry and chuckles under his breath.

> "Yeah… tastes like regret and processed potatoes."

[Scene: School Bathroom – Mid-afternoon. The harsh flicker of a buzzing fluorescent light overhead. Echoes bounce off the tiled walls. Jason stands over the sink, staring at his reflection. His fingers tremble slightly as he touches his bruised cheek from earlier — not from the bullies, but from memory.]

But it's peaceful here, at least for a moment.

Jason (softly, to himself)

> "Breathe. Just breathe... I'm not that person. I'm not."

Then—

The door swings open.

Footsteps. Heavy. Confident. Cruel.

Adrian, slick smile carved like arrogance itself, steps in with his entourage of echoing laughter.

> Adrian:

"Well, well. Look what the sewer dragged in. Jason the Jackal. Heard you went beast mode in the alley. Real cute."

Jason (tensing up, back still turned)

> "I didn't… I didn't mean to hurt them. I just—"

Adrian (cutting in):

> "Nah nah nah… you embarrassed them. That's what matters. You made some of my associates' cousins look bad. Now guess who's gotta restore a little family honor?"

The others laugh as they circle around him like hyenas, closing the exit.

Adrian's first punch lands hard. Right in the ribs.

Jason stumbles backward into the sink.

Another punch. Another regret.

Adrian (growling)

> "C'mon 'instinct boy,' do something. Heard you're terrifying now. Be the monster!"

But Jason doesn't move. Doesn't fight. He curls slightly—like a mirror refusing to reflect back what the world expects.

Then... the voice.

Vun — the ghoul of twisting morality — appears in his ear. Not seen. Only felt. Like a cold hand on the soul.

> Vun (whispering):

"Pathetic. This is what you're clinging to? Weakness? Let me help you. Let me show them what fear really feels like…"

Jason (mentally, biting back)

> "No. I said no. I already lost myself once. Not again."

He clenches his fists—not to strike, but to hold himself back.

Adrian lands another punch. This one draws blood.

> Adrian (disgusted)

"You're a fraud, Jason. You ain't scary. Just a fluke. A nobody with a lucky shot."

Then the bathroom door swings open again.

Ivan.

He freezes—eyes flicker from Jason, crumpled on the floor, to the gang of grinning wolves.

Ivan (voice low and sharp)

> "Back off."

Adrian (smirking)

> "Or what? You'll give us therapy?"

Ivan walks forward, calm. Too calm. His tray still in hand, like this is just another lunch break. He sets it down gently on the sink. Looks at Jason. Then back to Adrian.

> Ivan:

"This guy? He survived the Free Abyss in his mind and didn't break. You think a few fists'll rewrite his soul?"

> Adrian (stepping forward)

"You gonna fight for him?"

> Ivan:

"No. I'm gonna remind you… monsters don't scream. They endure."

For a second… Adrian falters.

Then he scoffs and walks away.

> Adrian (shrugging to his crew)

"He ain't worth it anyway. Let the loser rot."

They leave. Echoes of boots on tile vanish into silence.

Ivan crouches beside Jason. Gently offers a napkin.

> Ivan:

"Still think you're a monster?"

Jason (wincing, blood on his lip)

> "No… but I think monsters want me to believe I am."

Ivan (soft smile):

> "Then let's piss 'em off by not believing it."

Jason chuckles, weak but alive. And in that moment — not saved, but seen.

[Scene: Late afternoon. Jason's room. Game controllers tossed on the bed. The faint hum of a paused game. Ivan and Jason are sprawled out, surrounded by snacks, assignments, and the strange comfort that only real friendship brings.]

Jason (laughing as he throws his controller down):

> "Okay—okay, that was NOT fair. Bro, how do you even parry that many hits in one combo? You modding or something?"

Ivan (grinning, stretching back):

> "Natural instinct. Maybe I'm just built different."

Jason (snorts):

> "Oh, that sounds familiar..."

They both pause. The laughter fades into a soft silence. A safe one.

Jason sighs and leans back, gazing at the ceiling like it holds answers he's afraid to ask.

> Jason (hesitantly):

"Hey… can I tell you something weird?"

Ivan (eyebrow raised):

> "Dude. I hang out with you. I'm already strapped in."

Jason smiles—grateful—but his eyes carry weight.

> Jason:

"There's… stuff happening around me. Not just fights. Things. Like… I was getting beaten that day in the alley, and something just—protected me. Like a force field. I didn't make it. It just happened."

Ivan sits up straighter. Eyes focused now.

> Jason (continuing):

"And lately, I've been seeing things. Hearing whispers. One called itself Vun. Told me to… give in. To become something else."

> Ivan (quiet):

"You're not joking, are you?"

> Jason:

"Would I joke about being haunted by a ghoul?"

> Ivan:

"...maybe. But not like this."

They both chuckle, but it's thinner now. The room carries a different air. Curious. Chilling.

> Jason (nervous):

"You said something in the bathroom... about the Free Abyss. How did you know?"

Ivan looks away, then shrugs.

> Ivan:

"I read. A lot. My grandma used to say there were worlds beneath the real world. Places where the soul goes when it's too heavy. Maybe I picked up too many stories. Or maybe I've been close enough to one to know something's out there…"

> Jason:

"You ever see one?"

> Ivan (long pause):

"Not see. But feel. Like… sometimes I dream of places that don't follow rules. Where people wear masks made of truth and lie… and you can hear people's regrets before they say them."

Jason shivers a little. Because it matches.

> Jason:

"Maybe we're part of something. Something like… folklore. The new kind. Not vampires. Not werewolves."

> Ivan:

"Yeah. Maybe we're the next myth. The ghost stories people whisper around neon lights and cracked phone screens."

[Cut to: School Hallway – Days Later]

Whispers trail them.

> "How did Jason get a friend?"

"That loner? Wasn't he the one who went nuts in the alley?"

"Maybe he's hexed. That new guy's probably cursed too."

But they don't care. Not anymore.

Jason walks beside Ivan, laughing at a dumb joke. The kind only real friends laugh at.

And somewhere in the unseen realms... Vun watches.

> "So he's found anchor... hmm...

Let's see how long it lasts."

[Scene: School Backyard – mid-afternoon. The sun is high, but a coldness settles in the air. The concrete yard is ringed with students whispering, phones out, recording the horror and hype. At the center of it all—Ivan, Jason's only friend, is on the ground, bloodied, his glasses broken, breath shaky. Standing over him, fists red with misused power: Adrian. Behind him, laughing like a hyena drunk on revenge: Fred, Jason's old friend turned traitor.

Jason's steps echo like a hammer of fate. He pushes through the crowd, his heart loud enough to drown out the jeers.

> Adrian (mocking):

"Aww, look who showed up! The puppy with no teeth. You gonna bark for us again?"

> Fred (smirking):

"Or maybe cry this time? Just like the alley, huh Jason? Remember that? I do."

Jason's fists clench. His fingers tremble. Not with fear—no, those tremors are pressure.

Something inside him shifts.

He sees Ivan—bruised, coughing, barely lifting his head.

He sees Fred, the same Fred who once held his hand after they scraped knees in third grade.

He sees Adrian, the embodiment of cruelty disguised as popularity.

And Jason snaps.

The moment is quiet—too quiet. A single leaf lands on the ground, and as it touches, BOOM—

Jason's energy explodes.

Not a burst of light. Not a glow.

Will.

Raw, emotional will.

> Jason (growling):

"You messed with the wrong part of me."

His feet dig into the earth like roots. And then—he's gone.

One punch. One down. Adrian's squad flies like ragdolls.

Jason moves like a storm with purpose. Precision with pain.

> Fred (backing away):

"No, wait—wait, Jason—we were friends, man! I-I didn't mean to—"

> Jason (eyes glowing a dull violet):

"You watched. That's all it took. You watched."

He hits Fred. Hard.

Not just breaking nose or bone—breaking the bond they had.

Fred doesn't hit the ground—he folds into it, like the ground wanted him gone.

Adrian throws a punch.

Jason catches it.

Then stares into his eyes.

> Jason (whispers):

"Do you feel that? That's regret. Yours. Not mine."

And then Adrian—the golden boy—is dropped.

The yard goes silent.

Phones are down. No one's laughing anymore.

Jason breathes hard. His fists still shake, but now...they calm.

He turns to Ivan—helping him up, checking his pulse, holding his shoulder.

> Jason (gentle):

"Are you okay, man? They didn't break anything, right?"

Ivan coughs a laugh.

Smiles...and that smile stays just a bit too long.

> Ivan (softly):

"I'm better than okay, Jason. You did great. More than great... You passed."

Jason freezes.

> Jason:

"...What?"

Ivan stands fully now. Straight. Steady. His wounds...gone?

The air warps.

Ivan's eyes flicker—no longer just brown. Midnight black and crimson shimmer.

His voice drops, smooth as silk on broken glass.

> Ivan (now Vun):

"You think you resisted the Free Abyss that day in the bathroom? That was just a preview."

Jason stumbles back.

> Jason:

"No... you were my friend."

> Vun (smiling, genuinely):

"I am your friend, Jason. I'm the only one who saw the monster in you... and said thank you."

He steps closer, calm like a preacher about to deliver gospel.

> Vun:

"You saved Ivan, sure. But only because I let you believe he was worth saving.

Because you don't get it yet, do you?

You don't just protect the weak.

You punish the wicked.

And that? That's what the Free Abyss needs."

> Jason:

"You used me…"

> Vun:

"No. I believed in you. That strength? That fury? That wasn't corruption. That was clarity. And the more you accept it, the more you'll see. You're not a victim, Jason. You're a catalyst."

Jason's breath is unsteady. His knees buckle slightly.

But he holds his ground.

> Jason (quietly):

"Then maybe I'll be the one thing that finally breaks your abyss."

> Vun (grinning):

"Then come. Shatter me. If you can."

He vanishes, like a sigh in the wind.

Jason stands there—alone now—beside the broken bodies of tormentors, and the broken illusion of friendship.

And far away… in the shadows of the Free Abyss…

Bhine smiles.

[Scene: The Alley – Overcast Sky. The wind whistles like a soft warning. The same alley where the rage first bled into the world. A boy returns. Broken. Not by weakness—but by clarity sharpened too much, until it cuts everything. Even hope.]

Jason storms in—his steps heavy, the ground beneath cracking with the weight of conviction. He's shaking, but not from fear. This is different. This is surrender. Not to darkness, but to a truth he's carved from pain.

And then...

Ivan appears.

No...not Ivan. Not really.

Vun. His silhouette emerges from the wall like a whisper turning solid.

> Vun (softly, almost kindly):

"You're ready now. The pain finally made sense, didn't it?"

Jason doesn't speak. His fists are clenched. Not in defense—but in finality.

> Vun:

"You see it now. What they call 'wrong' is just a rule that didn't benefit you. What they call 'saving' was just someone else's ego. You don't owe them guilt, Jason. You owe yourself peace."

And then—

Yyvone arrives.

From above, descending gently—threads glowing faintly around her hands. The barrier girl. The one who saw him once. The one who believed.

She lands quietly. Looks at him—not like a threat.

Not even like a savior.

Like someone who remembers.

> Yyvone (calm, sincere):

"I was there. That day. You didn't see me... but I saw you. I saw someone who was scared, yes—but still had a choice."

Jason's jaw tightens.

> Jason (low):

"You weren't there. No one was. That shield was fake. You didn't show up. I saved myself."

> Yyvone:

"You did. And that's why I came. Because you didn't just survive—you resisted. You didn't let Redan take you. Don't let him do it either."

She points to Vun, whose smirk doesn't falter.

> Vun (mocking):

"Oh here we go. The thread queen playing therapist. Let him go, Yyvone. You weave too many dreams, and none of them are real. You're still chasing that orphanage smile, aren't you?"

Yyvone's eyes flicker. Her threads tighten. But her voice stays strong.

> Yyvone:

"Maybe. But if I'm wrong, I'll still be wrong fighting for people. Not abandoning them when they need hope most."

She steps closer to Jason.

> Yyvone:

"They broke you. I get it. But this? This isn't clarity. This is comfort. Rage feels good because it numbs everything else. But numb isn't power, Jason."

Jason closes his eyes. His breath shaky. He wants to believe her.

But he remembers the blood on his fists. The silence of Ivan's betrayal. The looks in their eyes.

He remembers what it felt like to finally not be helpless.

> Jason (whispers):

"I won't be dirt anymore. I won't go back."

> Vun (proud):

"Then let's go, Jason. The Free Abyss has a place for you. A real one. No rules. No guilt. Just you."

Yyvone takes a step forward, her voice cracks—

> Yyvone:

"Then don't go for them. Don't go for revenge. Go because you've chosen it freely. Not because you're running from pain."

Jason hesitates.

And that silence...

It feels like a year.

But it only lasts three seconds.

> Jason (eyes hardening):

"I'm tired of running."

He walks toward Vun.

> Yyvone (soft):

"Then promise me one thing."

Jason stops.

> Yyvone:

"When the storm clears, and you're alone... Remember this moment. You still had someone who believed in you."

Jason doesn't answer.

He walks into the shadow with Vun.

And the alley dims—not from darkness. But from the blinding shine of a boy's shattered heart turning into a weapon.

[Scene: The Free Abyss – Sanctuary of Liberation]

A place that shouldn't exist. And yet, it does.

Glorious colors bend around logic. The skies shimmer with freedoms that Earth never dared offer. Shapes of buildings fold inwards and dance to emotional rhythms. There's music without sound, light without source.

Here, you can be anything.

---

Jason steps through, blinking wildly. His jaw doesn't drop—but his soul does.

This isn't what he expected. There's no fire. No screams.

Only freedom.

Vun walks beside him, smug as ever, arms folded behind his back like a host in a mansion he built with his own twisted love.

> Vun (grinning):

"Told you... Hell doesn't burn here, Jason. It listens. It adapts. It gives back."

Jason says nothing. His eyes dart from floating gardens shaped like thoughts, to people laughing freely as they walk upside down on air.

A boy surfs on streams of pure regret turned into waves.

A woman feeds dreams to her pet concept named "Maybe."

This is madness… and it's beautiful.

They arrive at a marble platform, glowing in every shade of possibility. And waiting for him—

Jair. Eve Maid. Eugene. Banjo. Androsha. Klexis.

All standing like echoes from another life. Except they're real.

Too real.

---

Jair steps forward, eyes half-lidded, but not lazy—just focused inward, like every word he says is boiled in pain before spoken.

> Jair (calm, patient):

"Welcome to the place they told you not to love, Jason. The Free Abyss. You're one of us now."

> Jason (hesitant):

"But... this isn't... evil?"

Banjo chuckles, hands in pockets, glowing with his rule-bending aura.

> Banjo:

"Depends who writes the rules. Avia called us unstable. But what if we were just ahead of the curve?"

Eve Maid walks around Jason, her gaze soft, almost sad.

> Eve (softly):

"You don't look corrupted. Just cracked. That's okay. It means you can hold more light."

> Jason (nervous):

"But... I hurt people... I wasn't supposed to."

Androsha, arms crossed, leans in close. Her fog aura gently brushing Jason's shoulder.

> Androsha:

"So did we. We all did. But here? Your story doesn't get reduced to a single moment. Here... you get to write it again."

Eugene, zipping through fragmented reality trails, flickers in and out beside him.

> Eugene (grinning):

"And this time, nobody sidelines you. You run the race now."

Jason breathes in. It doesn't even feel like air. It feels like... validation.

Klexis, standing further back, arms folded, doesn't say anything.

But when their eyes meet—Jason sees it.

A shared pain. A silent brotherhood.

Klexis nods once.

Jason nods back.

---

Vun (smiling wide):

> "See, Jason? No one's asking you to be better. No one's telling you to 'calm down' or 'let go.' Here... your rage is your language. Your guilt is your currency. Your pain is your passport."

Jason looks around again. The landscape is changing to his thoughts.

He envisions a place where no one lies.

It forms behind him.

He imagines a world where justice feels real.

It pulses beneath his feet.

> Jason (whispers):

"So I really can... make something here?"

> Vun (dead serious):

"No, Jason. You can become something here."

---

Klexis (finally speaking):

> "This place... it doesn't fix you. It frees you. You'll still hurt. You'll still doubt. But at least now... you're not chained by someone else's idea of right."

Jason looks back once. Just once. The entrance to the Free Abyss is still faintly open behind him—glimmering like a door made of memory.

But he doesn't walk through it.

He walks forward.

Into the Sanctuary.

Into himself.

Into whatever this is