The transformation within Jason is overwhelming, a constant surge of energy and power that threatens to tear him apart. As he stands there, struggling to process what has happened, the sensation in his loins grows even more pronounced, intensifying his discomfort. His body reacts to the power inside him—raw, primal, and unrelenting.
Jason grits his teeth, trying to focus, trying to control the burning energy that surges within him. He speaks aloud, his voice trembling.
'System, what is happening to me? What is this... *feeling*?'
The system's response comes swiftly, its voice clinical and precise, though there's a strange, almost indifferent tone to it.
[The Leviathan is a creature of desire and conquest,] the system explains. [Its nature is predominantly Yang-aligned, the force of creation and destruction, explosive and unrestrained. The Leviathan's very existence is tied to these forces, and its blood, now coursing through you, carries this overwhelming Yang energy. It is suspected to be the father of all aquatic life, a primordial being whose essence embodies both the power of the ocean and the primal forces of fertility and lust. You are now its inheritor, and with that comes its volatile nature.]
Jason's eyes widen in horror as he processes the information. He can feel it—the raw desire, the uncontrolled energy coursing through him. His body burns with a need that is foreign, powerful, and terrifying.
[If you do not expel this Yang energy, it will consume you,] the system warns, its tone urgent. [You will die a horrific death, your body unable to handle the strain. The energy must be released. There is no other way.]
Jason's stomach churns with dread as he stands there, unable to ignore the growing pressure. The sensation in his loins becomes unbearable, and his body seems to burn with the need to release the overwhelming energy.
Just as he starts to panic, the Leviathan's human form grins at him from across the cavern, its expression sadistic and knowing. The air around Jason feels thick with the creature's presence.
"Ah, Jason," the Leviathan laughs, his voice dripping with cruel amusement. "You have embraced my blood, but with it comes the essence of all things primal. You can feel it, can't you? The Yang energy. It pulses in your veins, and soon, it will consume you entirely if left unchecked."
Jason's eyes widen with horror as the Leviathan steps closer, its grin never faltering.
"But fear not, child," the Leviathan continues, his tone shifting to something more smug, more predatory. "I have a solution. You see, to stabilize the power within you, you need the Primordial Yin—the counterbalance to your Yang. Three virgin mortals, pure and unblemished by cultivation, must offer themselves to you. Only then will your energy be released, and your body spared from a fate worse than death."
Jason recoils, his face flushing with shock and disgust. His gaze snaps toward the portal, where the three sisters—Ramla, Adea, and Nea—wait, completely unaware of the horrors that now lie before him.
The Leviathan's grin widens, its eyes glowing with a terrible hunger.
"They are the key, Jason," the Leviathan says softly, almost coaxingly. "Their purity will stabilize the chaos inside you. Without them, you will not survive."
"All you need to survive… Is to take what is awed to you."
Jason's heart races, his breath coming in short, panicked gasps. The reality of his situation crashes down on him. He has been thrust into something he can barely understand, a power so ancient and primal that it feels beyond his control. The sisters, the women he's traveled with, are now entangled in his fate in ways he never imagined.
He looks at them through the portal, their innocent faces still unaware of the looming threat. He feels a wave of guilt wash over him—how can he even consider putting them in such a position?
"You are the inheritor now," the Leviathan's voice echoes in his mind, both distant and omnipresent. "Their fates are tied to yours. You must release the Yang energy within you, or you will die. They are your salvation, your means of survival. Do not hesitate."
Jason's heart clenches in his chest, the weight of his dilemma pressing down on him like a heavy stone. His body screams for release, but the thought of what it would mean to the sisters—what he would have to do—horrifies him.
The power within him is insistent, unyielding. The Leviathan's words ring in his mind like a curse.
What can he do? How can he make a decision when everything he believed in is now twisted into something dark and incomprehensible?
Jason stands there, frozen, the weight of the situation crashing down on him with each passing second. The energy inside him surges again, more violently this time, and the overwhelming sensation makes his thoughts spiral in a chaotic rush.
Suddenly, a pair of arms coiled around him from behind. A warmth he both dreaded and needed.
Jason looked behind to see Ramla, her chest pressing on his back, bringing within him a burning desire to conquer and indulge.
Ramla's arms are still around him, her presence steadying him, grounding him in the midst of this storm. He feels her body against his back, warm and firm, her breath shallow with the weight of the moment.
But then, in the quiet that follows, Ramla pulls back slightly, her hands still on his shoulders, and Jason can feel her resolve before she even speaks.
"Jason," she whispers, her voice softer than before, yet laced with a certain quiet determination. "It's okay."
Her words struck him like a blow to the chest. His eyes widen, and he turns to look at her, confusion, disbelief, and guilt all flooding his heart. "No… Ramla, I can't—" he begins, but she places a gentle finger to his lips, silencing him.
"You've come too far," she says softly, her gaze unwavering as she meets his eyes. "I don't know what this is. I don't know what the Leviathan wants, what it requires of you. But I know what you're feeling right now… that inner battle between your morals and the survival instinct. But I also know we can't escape this, Jason. Not now."
Jason's breath catches in his throat as his mind reels. His body still burns with the Yang energy inside him, demanding release, but the idea of accepting the sisters' fate—Ramla's fate—is beyond what he can process. Yet her words—her quiet acceptance—struck a chord deep within him.
Ramla's eyes soften, and she steps closer to him, her hands resting on his chest. "Jason… I can't bear to see you suffer like this, And if this is what it takes to save you, then I will accept it. We will all accept it."
Her words pierced him, cutting through the layers of confusion, guilt, and anger swirling inside him. She's made her choice. She's offering herself, offering them all, as the necessary balance for his survival. Jason's heart breaks at the thought of what she is willing to sacrifice.
"No, Ramla," he whispers hoarsely, shaking his head as he takes a step back, his chest tight with emotion. "You don't have to do this. I can't… I can't use you like this."
But Ramla shakes her head, her expression calm, almost serene. "You're not using us, Jason. You never have. Jason... I don't know what will come after this. But I know that seeing you suffer like this… its… its excruciating for me!"
Ramla stepped back. Looking at him, gazing at him. She sees the dilemma he's in. The choice he must make.
"I'm willing, Jason~. I can't watch you die! I'm…"
Jason's breath hitches as the reality of her words sinks in. This is happening. There's no turning back. The Leviathan's demands are not something that can be negotiated. Ramla, with her selfless, unwavering heart, has made her choice. She accepts her fate, and her acceptance, her willingness to stand by him despite everything, fills him with a crushing weight of guilt and desperation.
"Ramla…" he murmurs, his voice breaking as he reaches out to touch her arm, wanting to pull her away from this path, but her eyes hold a quiet intensity, one that tells him this is beyond his control now.
"Jason, you have no choice," she says again, more firmly this time. "We don't want you to die. We don't want you to lose yourself to this. And if this is what it takes to save you, then I will give it. We will all give it."
The weight of the situation presses down on Jason, suffocating him with the horror of what he has to do. He looks at her—Ramla, the woman who has been so kind, so caring, so full of life—and feels his heart shatter. Her willingness to make this sacrifice for him, to endure the Leviathan's demands, is something Jason never thought he would face.
But Ramla has accepted it. And so have the others. Jason can feel their presence, even from a distance, and knows that they are all aware now—aware of what must happen.
The Leviathan's voice echoes in his mind once again, and he can feel its sinister presence hovering just outside the realm of his consciousness, eager for what's to come.
"You've made your choice, Jason," the Leviathan's voice resounds, dark and expectant. "Your energy is unstable. You know what must be done. Embrace it, or die." The leviathan said as he disappeared into the darkness.
Jason stares at Ramla, the woman who has offered him everything, and for a moment, time seems to stand still. He doesn't want this. He doesn't want her to endure this. But in this moment, there is no other choice. The power inside him demands its release, and he knows what it will cost.
Tears sting at the corners of his eyes, but he can do nothing to stop the inevitable. The power must be expelled. The Yang energy within him must be balanced.
The memories of his family back home came to him. His lovers back home need him…
And so, with a heavy heart and a gut-wrenching decision, Jason steps forward, his breath shaky, his mind clouded by sorrow.
He accepts what must come next.
Ramla, seeing the devastation in his eyes, steps forward to meet him, her hand resting on his chest, the warmth of her touch grounding him even as everything inside him falls apart.
"It's okay, Jason," she whispers, her voice trembling but strong. "We're in this together."