Published at 4th of July 2026 6:53 am

Chapter 222: Split jaw's Return

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Chapter 222: Split-jaw's Return

It was the next morning when Ash finally began to stir. The group had arrived at the entrance to the sewers late last night. Unsure about the state of the city, Min had Grimm take it slow, but surprisingly not a soul was out to spot them. Inside the tunnels, the Arruesses were few in number, the giant rats barely slowing their pace as Min carved through them.

At one point it looked like they might be in trouble, but after nearly two hours of smacking her forehead against the wall and cursing under her breath, Min finally remembered the passcode to get inside.

Watching the massive vault door grind open, Teal couldn't help but feel excited. The moment she saw the rows and rows of books and movies stretching into the room, she nearly squealed.

All of this, Ash missed. Carried by Min, the boy had slept the entire way, and now that he finally stirred, the events of the previous day crashed into his brain like a lemon-wrapped gold brick.

Grabbing his head as he sat up, he felt like his skull would spin right off if he didn't hold it together. His temples throbbed in time with his pulse, and his vision was blurred, though it slowly cleared as he blinked the sleep from his eyes.

"What the heck..."

Turning from the book she was reading, Teal jumped to her feet, smiling.

"He's awake!"

"Ownot so loud, please."

Rushing to his side, Teal placed a hand on his forehead. Her cool touch made him sigh, his shoulders loosening as he smiled.

"How are you feelin', kid?"

Min's powerful voice came from somewhere nearby, but Ash's eyes had drifted closed again, too lost in the relief of Teal's hand.

"Feel like something ate me, then pooped me out."

Teal smiled.

"Smell like it too."

Blushing, Ash's eyes snapped open as he pushed himself away.

"Very funny. Where are weoh. When'd we get here?"

"Last night."

Teal reached into a bag and pulled out a small loaf of bread and a canteen of water.

"Bread's a little stale, but here. You must be starving."

Taking them without complaint, he winced as he moved a little too quickly to drink, but his throat felt like sandpaper so he pushed through it. After a few deep gulps, Ash gasped in relief, then nearly shoved the entire loaf into his mouth.

A short laugh escaped Min.

"Slow down or you're gonna choke."

The two women sat and watched as he finished his breakfast. It was a strange feeling, but both Teal and Min felt some of the tension seep from their shoulders as they watched the boy eat. Seeing color slowly return to his face made both women smile.

"Where's everyone else? Last thing I remember we just defeated that cult leader, then it's all fuzzy."

The smiles slipped from both women's faces. Teal looked toward Min, and the larger woman could tell she was waiting for her to answer.

Rubbing a hand over her forehead, Min gathered her thoughts.

"Seo-jin and the Brood are still out in the Freelands. We're here because we're a burden. Plus, we had no idea how long you were gonna be out."

"A burden? Hmm. Makes sense. What happened though? Why'd I pass out?"

"Your system didn't tell you?"

"Dad always said it was rude to talk to your shard with company around. It's become a habit, I guess. One sec."

Both women waited while Ash spoke with his system. They could practically follow the conversation just by watching the kid's expressions shift. Then the topic must have reached Baal, because the color drained right back out of Ash's face.

"I was cursed?!"

Swiping his hand through the air, Ash brought up his panel and stared at his profile. Sure enough, sitting there in blinking red letters was the source of his panic.

[Midas's Blood]

When he pressed on it for details, only question marks filled the description.

"Midas's Blood... either of you heard of a curse like that?"

The kid looked desperate, which made shaking their heads no all the harder. Teal could barely imagine the knot of worry twisting in his stomach.

"What's it say?"

Resting a hand on Ash's leg as if the touch alone might ease some of his burden, Teal felt the tension in him. His eyes looked glossy when they rose to meet hers.

"Nothing. It just says the curse's name."

Frowning, Min brought up her panel and scrolled over to connect to the Network.

"Give me a sec. I'll look it up. Maybe the forums have something on it."

A shimmer of hope returned to Ash's eyes. Seeing it, Teal decided to steer the conversation somewhere else for now.

"Min told me you know a lot about movies. Is that right?"

It took a second for the question to register, but once it did, some of the color returned to Ash's face.

"I know a bit. Why?"

"I was hoping you could help me find a movie I'm looking for. It's about these teenage mutants that are ninjas. They eat this stuff called"

"Pizza! Yeah, I know that one. Think I saw it actually. Hold on"

Pushing himself to his feet, Ash wobbled as dizziness washed over him, but he shook his head hard and headed deeper into the vault.

"You're good with kids."

Teal smiled weakly and shrugged.

"Kids are easy. It's adults I have problems with."

"Found it!"

Ash's voice echoed from a few rows over, followed by the quick slap of his footsteps on the floor.

"Either of you seen Triss?! Kinda surprised she wasn't there when I wokeoh shit!"

The abrupt curse made both women jump. Anxiety shot through them, and they were already moving before either thought to ask why.

"What?!"

"What is it?!"

They skidded to a stop at the end of an aisle. A few feet away, Ash stood frozen, one hand raised with his finger moving through the air as he read his panel.

"Did the curse activate?!"

Min took a step forward, but the huge grin spreading across his face stopped her cold.

"I totally forgot... Split-jaw's done."

Min's grin made Ash's look tiny as a long breath left her.

"Finally some good news. Wake him up."

Nodding, Ash swiped away his panel and stepped back. Before he could strike a pose and say his line, Min cut him off.

"Stop with the corny shit and just summon him."

It was like someone had stomped on his birthday cake. Ash visibly deflated, but he didn't argue. He flicked his hand, and a gray glow spread across the floor beside him. The light quickly rose and took shape, forming the old man Min hadn't realized she'd missed so much.

Tears burst from her eyes as she rushed forward, boots thudding against the floor, but she stupidly passed right through him and slammed shoulder-first into a shelf instead.

Both Ash and Teal snickered, but they knew better than to laugh out loud.

Split-jaw, though, was too busy processing the fact that Min had just run straight through him.

"Still feels like a dream. I really am dead."

Floating there, Split-jaw looked down at himself, his expression bittersweet. He looked like he normally did, except his body was gray-toned and faintly transparent, the shelves behind him visible through his chest.

"Finally! You and Triss are gonna do great together. Your synergy is almost perfect!"

Snapping out of it, Split-jaw's bows drew together as he looked at the boy.

"So how'd I do?"

Both Min and Teal instantly picked up on the context. Their eyes brightened as they turned to Ash as well. They were curious to see what kind of ghost Split-jaw had become.

"Awesome! Look at thisah, right. Well, basically you're a tank. Damage is weak, but your health and defense are both insane for a level one. And this possession skill? With this, I could become a front-liner just like the boss! Boom! Pow! Ooh, I gotta choose a weapon style... Katana. Yyeeeaaahhhh, definitely a katana. Shink! Shink!"

"Possession skill?"

Setting the last movie back onto the shelf with a soft thump, Min eyed the two of them suspiciously as she heard the word possession. Split-jaw being a ghost was something she could tolerate, but him possessing people? That crossed a line.

Swiping his panel closed, Ash frowned for a second as he looked around.

"Where is that cat? But yeah, the skill lets Split-jaw temporarily possess someone, adding his health and defense to their own. Control depends on who's stronger. So fricken cool."

Clinging to the word temporary, Min felt some of the tension ease from her neck.

"Just don't go gettin' any ideas, old man. I'll get your ass exorcized so fuckin' quick if you even think about possessin' me."

"Gotta sleep sometime, kiddo."

"Gross!"

"Gross!"

Both Ash and Min reacted the same way, grimacing at Split-jaw. The sudden look of confusion on the ghost's face, however, stalled their disgust. Ash felt it too through their connection. Something had seized Split-jaw's attention.

Before anyone could ask, he took off down the aisle in a sprint.

"It's Triss!"

Shouting as he ran, Split-jaw took the corner at the end of the row hard and disappeared from sight.

Quickly following, Ash's heart instantly seized at the mention of Triss. Much faster than Split-jaw, both Min and the boy started catching up while Teal trailed behind. Split-jaw stayed in the aisles, taking the turns at the end of each row, something Ash picked up on even through his panic.

"You're a ghost! Just run through it! We'll catch up!"

The realization hit him hard, and if he still had flesh, Split-jaw would have been blushing. Closing his eyes, he lowered a shoulder and ran straight ahead. He looked like he expected to hit something, but phased right through the shelf. Confidence surging, he crossed the vault and made straight for the hidden passage.

"The farm!"

Min shouted as she leapt over the bookshelves, her steps surprisingly light as she vaulted across them. Ash followed, jumping after. Just a normal human, Teal rolled her eyes and huffed. Luckily Min had already shown her the passage and warned her about the robot. She hadn't been down there yet, and her excitement over seeing it was quickly dulled as the urgency of the situation pressed in.

Far ahead, Split-jaw had already reached the end of the passage and sprinted straight through the door leading out to the landing. His momentum stalled the second he passed through.

The sight of the farm caught him off guard.

"So green..."

An explosion at the edge of his vision snapped him back to reality.

There, running for her life, Triss was dodging a red laser. The beam distorted the air as it passed, and anything it touched vaporized instantly. Tracing it back to its source, Split-jaw's eyes landed on the white robot.

"Bastard!"

For reasons unknown to him, seeing Triss under attack sent his emotions spiking. Rage flooded him as if his own child were in danger. Jumping down from the landing, Split-jaw sprinted for Triss as fast as he could.

Hitting the landing, Min and Ash caught up, and the one thing they'd desperately hoped wasn't happening proved to be true.

"Stay back!"

Leaping down after them, system light exploded over Min's arms as her shield gauntlets manifested. She hit the ground hard enough to crack the dirt, then dashed forward like a bullet, quickly overtaking Split-jaw's ghost and tanking a laser with her shields. This time, the beam bounced off her arms, sending her boots skidding across the grass, but she held.

"Get them out of here!"

Looking back for only a moment, Min shouted at Ash, only to curse as she saw the boy hit the ground as well. Ignoring her warning, the idiot had jumped down and was already sprinting toward Triss.

Heat bloomed against her skin, and just in time, she brought her arms together and deflected another blast. The beam sheared off and hit a row of trees, burning clean holes through everything it touched.

Before she could recover, another blast hit, then another. Beam after beam slammed into her shields, forcing her backward again and again, her feet carving trenches through the earth until her back crashed into the farm's stone wall.

Impact after impact made her arms shake and her teeth grind together. The change was gradual, but she could feel the metal of her gauntlets growing hotter with every strike. She didn't know how much longer she could hold out.

Leaping into Ash's arms, Triss looked ragged. Her body fizzled in multiple places where the laser had grazed her, thin wisps of purple drifting from the wounds. Seeing it, Ash's anger surged right alongside Split-jaw's as his eyes locked onto the faceless robot.

"Use Tremor!"

Instantly, Split-jaw knew what to do.

Running forward, he activated his ghost skill for the first time.

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