The air trembled with unnatural energy. Xroven stood in the center of the shattered street, his presence bending the very light around him.

One by one, he struck them down. Dan charged first, his fists blazing with radioactive power — and was sent flying with a single blow. Amber teleported behind him, blades flashing, but he caught her by the throat and hurled her aside. Azel and Jina attacked in unison, their speed and strength a blur — but Xroven’s power was beyond them. Sophie fired blasts of pure energy from the gauntlets she carried, but he batted them away like sparks from a dying fire.

And then… Jace.

He swung his father’s sword with all the fury and grief in his heart. Xroven caught the blade in one hand. The celestial’s eyes burned brighter.

“In tribute to your father,” he said, his voice like the cracking of mountains, “your people will be the first to die.”

And then he was gone, vanishing into the ash-choked horizon.

Jace fell to his knees. His chest heaved, his knuckles white around the hilt of his sword. “This is my fault… all of it. I unleashed him.”

Azel knelt beside him. “We all make mistakes. What matters is what we do after.”

Amber came forward and pulled Jace into her arms. “You made a mistake,” she whispered, “but we will stand by your side.” She pulled back just enough to kiss him, her lips warm against his cold skin.

Dan placed a hand on Jace’s shoulder. “We won’t leave you. Not now. Not ever. Through thick and thin.”

The others gathered around, pulling him into a tight embrace.

Jace’s voice was steady, but his eyes were haunted. “Then hear me. I will lay down my life to seal him.”

“No,” Amber said sharply.

“You can’t,” Sophie added, her voice breaking.

“He’s a god,” Jace replied. “It’s the only way. And… it’s my way of making things right.”

Amber’s grip on him tightened. “There’s so much more you can do. So much to live for.”

“I’ve made up my mind,” Jace said quietly.

The silence was heavy. Then Jace forced a faint smile. “Heads up, team. This is it — the final battle. The battle for the universe.”

The plan was simple, but suicidal. They would fight through Xroven’s army, create an opening, and Jace would confront him alone.

The battlefield stretched across the ruins of Krymor. Alien war beasts roared. Energy blasts split the ground. Dan tore through enemy lines with raw strength. Azel and Jina moved like twin storms, cutting down soldiers with merciless precision. Sophie darted through the chaos, shielding allies with walls of crackling light.

And then the path was clear.

Jace ran, his father’s sword burning in his grip.

Xroven was waiting. “Did you think you could win?” he asked, and then he struck.

Jace was fast — faster than he had ever been — but still, Xroven’s blows landed like meteors. The sword flew from Jace’s hand, skidding across the rubble.

“You are nothing,” Xroven hissed.

But then… a voice.

“Not nothing.”

Behind him, a bloody hand pressed against his back.

Amber.

Her other hand gripped Jace’s sword — and she drove it deep.

Her voice trembled, but her words were resolute. “I seal you.”

Light exploded from the blade. Energy ripped through the air, wrapping around Xroven like chains of fire. He roared, his form twisting and shrinking until he was dragged screaming into the void between worlds.

The seal was complete.

Jace caught Amber as she collapsed, her breath shallow. “Why?” he choked.

“You need to live,” she whispered. “Live a long, full life. Save people. Be the hero you truly are.” Her lips curved into the faintest smile. “I love you.”

And then… she was gone.

Jace held her close, his tears falling onto the dust of Krymor.

Weeks later, the galaxy knew peace.

The team — Dan, Sophie, Azel, Jina, and Jace — were hailed as heroes across countless worlds. And Jace… he had truly become like his father. Not just in power, but in the way he carried the weight of sacrifice.

But in the quiet moments, when the stars were still and the galaxy slept, he would remember her smile. And the promise she had left him with.

To live.

To be the hero she believed he could be.