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Chapter 15 - Chapter 15: The Chain Of Despair

Jay's voice cut through the silence like steel.

"Ciel. Find them. Find Mamako and Masato. Now."

The air trembled. A cascade of golden glyphs spun into existence before his eyes as Ciel's calm, emotionless voice answered inside his mind.

"Acknowledged. Commencing universal-scale search."

In an instant, Jay felt his consciousness expand outward—Ciel scanning not just the house, not just the town, but entire planetary systems in layered threads of analysis. Galaxies unfolded like star-maps, data streaming faster than thought itself.

"Tracing… Target signatures located. Identified: Mamako Oosuki. Masato Oosuki."

Jay's fists tightened. "Where?"

"They have been transported aboard an interstellar-class war vessel, designation: unknown. Current trajectory—exit vector beyond Milky Way galaxy. Estimated enemy combatants: approximately one thousand. Energy signatures ranging from planetary-level to star-core level."

Ciel's voice remained even, clinical.

"Projection: hostile mercenary faction. Mission parameters: abduction, bait, elimination of host. Probability of targets' survival without intervention—0.01%."

Jay's gaze sharpened, his voice cutting through the flow of data.

"Ciel. Coordinates. Now."

"Understood. Transmitting precise dimensional coordinates."

His hand lifted, the sigil of teleportation already igniting around him. The ancient spell Gatom flared to life, fueled not by simple magic but by his infinite reserves of mana, bending the fabric of space like paper in his grasp.

"Hold on, Mama." His voice was a whisper, but the air froze with killing intent.

"I'm coming."

And in the next heartbeat, the world shattered around him—his figure swallowed by blinding light as he vanished into the void, directly toward the ship that dared lay hands on his family.

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Mamako PoV

The night before had been ordinary—or at least, it should have been. Yet the weight in Mamako's chest refused to leave her.

Jay had left the house without a word, his expression unreadable. She had watched him disappear into the darkness beyond the sliding door, her hand pressed against her chest, a strange ache burning within.

She should have stopped him. She should have asked him to stay.

But she didn't.

Now, sitting alone at the low dining table with the dishes already cleaned, Mamako found herself staring at the empty seat across from her. Jay's seat. The silence of the house pressed against her ears, louder than any storm.

It's my fault, she thought bitterly, fingers clutching at her apron. I couldn't hold the family together. First Masato drifting further away, now Jay… maybe I'm the reason everything is breaking apart.

Her throat tightened, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. She tried to smile—like she always did, like a mother should—but the expression faltered into a quiver.

If only I had done better… if only I had been stronger…

A voice cut through her spiraling thoughts.

"Seriously, Mom?"

She flinched and looked up. Masato stood at the doorway, his arms crossed, his expression twisted with irritation rather than concern.

"What's with that face? Crying again? Over him, right? Over Jay? Again?"

Mamako shook her head quickly, wiping at her eyes with trembling fingers. "N-no, Ma-Kun. Mama's just… tired. That's all. Don't worry."

"Don't lie." His tone was sharp, almost mocking. 

"You're thinking about him. You always are. Every time something happens, it's 'Jay this, Jay that.' You never look at me anymore!"

Mamako's lips parted, but no words came.

Masato stepped closer, his voice rising.

"Do you know how pathetic this is? You're supposed to be the mom! But look at you—crying, all because that freak decided to run off! It's disgusting!"

Each word cut deeper than the last. Mamako's shoulders trembled, her heart clenching.

"Masato, please… don't say things like that. He's your brother too—"

"He's not my brother!" Masato snapped, his face red with anger. 

"He's the reason everything's gone wrong! Ever since he showed up, it's been nothing but chaos. You dote on him, you protect him, you… you love him more than your own son!"

Mamako shook her head, tears spilling freely now. "That's not true! I love you both—"

"Shut up!" Masato slammed his fist against the wall, the sound echoing through the room. "You don't get it, do you? You've ruined this family. You let him take everything from me!"

Her voice broke into sobs. "Masato, please… stop…"

But he didn't. His words only grew sharper, crueler, each one hammering the cracks already spreading through her heart.

And then—

The world split open.

A blinding light engulfed the room, searing white and alien. Mamako shielded her eyes, her breath caught in her throat. Masato staggered back with a curse, throwing his arm over his face.

When the light faded, the walls of their home were gone. The familiar tatami mats had vanished beneath their feet.

Instead, Mamako stood on rough, metallic ground, the air thick with an unfamiliar stench. The sky above was a swirling void of stars and shadows, as though they had been torn from Earth and thrown into some distant nightmare.

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest.

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"W-where… where are we?" she whispered, clinging to Masato's sleeve.

The answer came not from him, but from the figures that emerged from the shadows.

Many of them.

Creatures unlike anything Mamako had ever seen—twisted forms of flesh and metal, eyes glowing like embers in the dark. Some towered over her, their limbs too long, their movements jagged and wrong. Others slithered across the ground, their tongues flickering as though tasting her fear.

She froze, paralyzed by terror.

Alien.

The word barely formed in her mind before a voice cut through the silence.

"Well, well. So these are the ones tied to Jay Oosuki."

The speaker stepped forward—a tall figure clad in obsidian armor, his face hidden behind a jagged mask. His voice was low, mocking, each syllable dripping with contempt.

"We are Assassins, sent by the suitors of Princess Lala. That boy has made enemies far greater than you could imagine. And now, his weakness has led us to you."

Mamako's breath hitched. Jay… engaged? The word echoed in her mind like a dagger twisting in her chest.

Since when…? Why didn't he… tell me?

Her heart ached in a way she couldn't explain.

The alien continued, his tone cruel. 

"Our orders are simple. Take what he loves. Break it. And when he comes running… kill him."

Mamako's knees trembled. Her voice came out broken. "J-Jay…"

Before she could gather her thoughts, Masato spoke up, his face contorted with rage—not at the aliens, but at her.

"See?! Do you see now, Mom?!" he shouted, pointing at her as if she were to blame. 

"It's all because of him! Because of Jay! He's dragged us into this mess, he's cursed our family, and now we're paying the price!"

Mamako shook her head, her tears spilling freely. "Ma-Kun, stop… please—"

But he wasn't done.

He turned to the aliens, his tone venomous. 

"I don't care what you do to him. Kill him. Tear him apart. If it means ending this nightmare, I'll help you myself!"

The aliens laughed, their guttural voices echoing like a chorus of demons.

"You hear that?" one hissed, stepping closer. 

"The little worm offers his own kin for slaughter. How amusing."

Another sneered. "Pathetic. Yet… brave enough to speak before us. Let us reward his courage."

A clawed hand lashed out. The blow landed across Masato's face with brutal force, sending him crashing to the ground. He groaned once before going limp, unconscious.

Mamako screamed. "Ma-Kun!"

But her cry only drew their attention to her.

"Well, well," one of them chuckled, his gaze sliding across her trembling form. 

"What have we here? A delicate flower. Perhaps before the boy arrives, we should enjoy ourselves."

The others jeered, their monstrous eyes glinting with hunger.

Mamako's entire body froze. The weight of their intent pressed against her like chains, suffocating, unrelenting. Her lips trembled, her voice breaking into a desperate scream.

"Jay!! Help me!! Please!"

Her sobs tore through the air, raw and agonized. She clutched her chest, her legs giving way as she fell to her knees.

The aliens stepped closer. Their laughter echoed, cruel and mocking.

And then—

A voice slipped through the chaos—calm, warm, unmistakable.

"Mama… it's alright. You don't have to be afraid."

Mamako's head lifted, tears clinging to her lashes. And there he was.

Jay.

He stood tall at the far end of the chamber, white hair catching the alien arm, gleaming like strands of silver fire. His frame was no longer the boy she remembered tucking into bed—broad shoulders, a body honed and hardened, towering and powerful. The very air around him pulsed with restrained might.

Her heart clenched. For just an instant, her thoughts scattered. This child… the one I raised… Since when did he… become like this?

Her breath hitched as her chest swelled with something indescribable. Relief. Safety. A trembling sense that no harm could reach her anymore.

The word rang silently in her mind, as if acknowledging a truth: she was safe, because he was here.

Jay's lips curved, soft and playful, his blue eyes warm as they found hers.

"See? I told you, Mama. I'd always come back. You don't need to cry anymore."

Mamako choked on a sob, nodding weakly. "J-Jay…"

But then—his gaze shifted.

And everything changed.

The warmth bled out of him, vanishing like the final ember of a dying flame. His jaw tightened, the faint smile dissolving into cold stillness. His eyes—once a clear crystalline blue—shifted.

A pulse of raw, impossible energy rippled outward.

His irises deepened, darkening into a searing violet glow, a brilliance so sharp it carved against reality itself. A single glance carried the weight to shatter worlds. This was no ordinary gaze—this was the Magic Eye of Chaotic Destruction.

The aliens froze, their laughter strangled into silence. Even they could feel it—that those eyes were never meant to be opened in this fragile cosmos. That a single spark of intent could unravel galaxies, crush low-complex multiverses into dust.

And yet… Jay held it back.

The glow trembled at the edge of annihilation, but it did not spread. His control was absolute, a tyrant's leash on the chaos inside.

"You touched her," he whispered.

The ground cracked beneath his step. His shadow stretched unnaturally, filling the chamber, suffocating.

"You dared to put your filthy hands… your disgusting intentions… on my mother."

The air thickened, a crushing weight pressing against every alien's chest. Armor groaned, bones creaked, lesser creatures dropped to their knees, choking.

Jay advanced, every step bending the space around him. Frost bloomed across the steel walls, veins of ice crackling outward.

"You think you're predators?" His voice rose, laced with venom and divine wrath. "No. You're nothing but vermin. And you dared to bite what's mine."

The ship itself screamed under the pressure—lights flickered, alarms blared, the metal hull twisting as though the vessel itself was begging for mercy.

Jay's eyes glowed brighter, the violet abyss swallowing their courage whole.

"Look at me," he thundered, voice echoing with the power of ten thousand collapsing stars.

"You wanted to see what happens when you take what I love?"

A cold smile curved his lips again, but there was no warmth left. Only cruelty. Only death.

"Then I'll show you."

His final words fell like a curse.

"None of you will leave this ship alive."

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