Jonah woke to the beeping of medical equipment. He was in the Academy's infirmary.

His whole body ached and his God Mark throbbed with constant pain that made him flinch every time he moved his arm.

"Finally awake, sleeping beauty?"

Vanessa sat in a chair beside his bed. A cup of coffee was on the table next to her with different datapads covered in complex diagrams and notes.

"How long was I out?" Jonah's voice came out rough.

"Sixteen hours. The medics said your body shut down from exhaustion." She reached over and squeezed his hand. "You scared me."

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize. Just don't do it again." Her attempt at to look serious failed when her eyes got watery. "I can't lose you, Jonah."

Before he could respond, the door opened. The Headmaster walked in, followed by a nervous-looking doctor carrying a medical scanner.

"Ah, you're awake. Good." The Headmaster pulled up a chair. "We need to talk. Doctor, show him."

The doctor activated a holographic display above Jonah's bed. It showed a scan of his God Mark, but something was wrong with it. The normal lines of the nine-headed beast were blurred and unstable, like a picture taken while moving.

"What am I looking at?" Jonah asked.

"The result of maintaining a Grade-5 Progeny at maximum output for straight five hours," the doctor explained. "Your God Mark is showing signs of severe strain. The psychic channels that connect you to your creations are... frayed"

"Is it permanent?"

"We don't know. This is new to us." The doctor adjusted the display, zooming in on particularly damaged areas. "What we do know is that if you push yourself like that again anytime soon, you could cause permanent damage. Or worse."

"Define worse." Jonah said.

The Headmaster answered that one. "Complete psychic collapse. Your mind would totally burn out, causing you to enter a non-conscious state. The connection to your Progeny would be damaged forever."

"How long until I can use my powers again?" Jonah asked.

"That's not the question you should be asking," the Headmaster said gently. "The question is, can we afford to rely on your presence to keep hundreds of unstable Weavers calm? The answer is no. We need a different solution."

Vanessa moved her chair forward. "That's actually why I've been up all night." She grabbed one of her datapads and pulled up her own set of scans. "I've been analyzing the Weavers' psychic signatures. Trying to figure out why they are so unstable."

"And?" Jonah sat up straighter, ignoring his aching muscles.

"And I found something horrible." Vanessa's hands shook slightly as she manipulated the display. "Look at this. This is your God Mark's energy signature. See how complete it is? All the pathways are connected, forming a whole circuit."

She switched to a different scan. "Now look at one of the Weavers. See the difference?"

Jonah did. The Weaver's God Mark looked like a broken mirror. The pathways existed, but they were broken, incomplete, with huge gaps throughout the structure.

"Their souls are incomplete," Vanessa said quietly. "Sterling's factory process copied the code of your power, but not the spirit behind it."

"So they feel everything," Jonah said slowly. "But they can't process it properly. It's all just noise."

"Exactly. Constant psychic noise with no filter, no way to make sense of it."

"Can we fix it?" Jonah finally asked.

The Headmaster and Vanessa exchanged glances.

"That depends," the Headmaster said carefully. "Do you remember Project Requiem?"

Jonah's breath caught. Of course he remembered. The promise he'd made to a dying queen. The essence he'd absorbed from the Broodmother.

"You want me to use the Broodmother's essence to heal them."

"It's the only option we have," the Headmaster confirmed. "The Broodmother's power wasn't about destruction or combat. It was about creation, balance, and restoration. If anything can repair broken souls, it would be that."

"But Jonah's in no condition to attempt a synthesis right now," Vanessa protested. "You just said he needs to rest!"

"I'm not suggesting he create new Progeny," the Headmaster replied. "I'm just saying we find a different application."

Jonah's mind raced. He'd been carrying the Broodmother's essence for months now, keeping it sealed away because he didn't fully understand it. The complexity of it scared him.

But maybe that was the point. Maybe he'd been given this gift specifically for this moment.

"I need to see the essence," Jonah said. "Really see it. Understand what it can do."

"You need to rest," Vanessa insisted.

"I need to help them." Jonah came down from the bed, ignoring the dizziness that came with the movement. "Those kids are suffering right now. Every second we wait is another second of torture for them."

The Headmaster studied him for a long moment. "You understand this is dangerous? Exploring a Nexus-grade essence in your current condition could fasten the damage to your God Mark."

"I understand. But I made a promise." Jonah looked the Headmaster in the eyes. "To the Broodmother, and to those kids. I'm keeping it."

A small smile appeared on the Headmaster's face. "Very well. But I'm setting strict limits. Two hours maximum. If you show any signs of distress, we're pulling you out immediately."

"Deal."

The doctor tried to protest, but the Headmaster silenced him with a look. They all left the room, leaving Jonah alone with Vanessa.

She didn't say anything at first. She just looked at him with a mix of anger and worry.

"You're impossible, you know that?"

"I learned from the best." He tried to smile, but it came out tired. "You've stayed up all night working on this. Don't lecture me about pushing too hard."

"That's different."

"How?"

"Because I'm not the one who might burn out their soul if they push too far." She stood and helped him to his feet, supporting him when he tried to fall. "But I know better than to try and stop you. So I'm coming with you. Every step of the way."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

They made their way slowly through the Academy's corridors. It was early morning, and most students were still asleep. The few who were awake stared at them as they passed. Word had spread about the rescue operation. About the hundreds of new Weavers now locked in the containment facility.

Some students looked curious. Others looked scared.

Jonah tried not to think about what that fear meant for the people he'd promised to help.

The Synthesis Loom was already humming with power when they arrived.

Vanessa had clearly been preparing this before he even woke up.

"You knew I'd want to do this," he said.

"Of course I did. I know you." She moved to the control console and began running diagnostics. "Now sit down before you fall down."

Jonah took his position in the middle of the Loom's runic circle. The moment he sat down, he felt the machine connect to his God Mark.

"Ready?" Vanessa asked from the console.

He closed his eyes and reached deep into his Beast Space, to the sealed vault where he'd kept the Broodmother's essence locked away.

"Ready."

"Beginning analysis. Try to relax and let the Loom guide you."

Relax. Right. Easy to say when you're about to connect with the spiritual remnant of an ancient god.

Jonah took a deep breath and opened the vault.

The essence exploded into his consciousness. It wasn't violent, but it was overwhelming. Thousands of interconnected patterns and possibilities flooded his mind. He saw glimpses of ecosystems and life cycles.

And beneath all that, he felt the Broodmother's presence. Not as a voice or a personality, but as a memory of intention.

Create a better future.

"I'm trying," Jonah whispered. "Show me how."

The essence responded.

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