Sitting in the corner of the tavern, John stared at his trainer, trying to connect the two personalities in his mind. “... Are you Captain Dirk?”

His trainer nodded, taking another sip of wine. “Correct, mostly. I’m glad he’s still alive.”

“Huh… So he’s a really good fighter? I tried attacking him the first time I saw him.”

“He’s a better trainer than a fighter, unfortunately. And when people of your talent show up, he will have mixed feelings. But still, he’s an aspecter. It’s no wonder you lost.”

“Oh, he’s an invoker now, actually,” John corrected, figuring that Boss didn’t have much contact with the outside world. “And I’m an aspecter.”

“Oh, already? I bet there’s an interesting story there. People don’t usually return so quickly after a first mission.”

“... There is. But I’m not ready to tell it again. Not right now.”

“That’s fine. I’m not all that interested.”

John smiled, not surprised by his disinterest. He had long since given up trying to figure out what made him so grumpy. It didn’t make him any less of a trainer.

‘Well, being a copy of someone from another world mashed together with memories you know are simulated would probably make someone pretty grumpy… That sounds way worse than my situation. But he does it for humanity.’

“I suddenly have even more respect for you, Boss. It can’t be easy being you.”

A faint hint of emotion showed on his face before he took another sip of wine. “Dirk was also chosen for his level of discipline and mental fortitude. I’m fine. And even better now that I know you’re doing a good job outside.”

John smiled, wishing he also had a cup of wine. But Hilda, the tavernkeeper, was outside with the others. “I’ll keep growing, don’t you worry.”

“Good. You can tell Vera that the others won’t be ready for a year or two still, but I intend to get them close to your level. She probably already knows, though.”

“There isn’t any communication between you? I’m surprised this world is so disconnected from the real world.”

“Nope. Some rules that were implemented after a few breakers went crazy. And it’s probably for the best. How would you react if someone suddenly removed people you knew or changed their personalities because it was convenient?”

John furrowed his brows at the thought, understanding his point. “Yeah, that… I might have gone berserk, especially right after being pulled out.”

Boss stared at him, looking like he was trying to determine something. “Pulled out, huh? I figured you would still see it that way.”

“Well, pulled back, returned to reality, escaping the technology prison, whatever you wanna call it. I would be a lot happier if it never happened. But at the same time, I can never go back to not knowing the troubles humanity is facing. And I have to do what I can to help.”

Boss nodded, seemingly satisfied with his reply. “I’m glad you see it that way. That was all I really wanted to say, so you can leave now.”

“... Just like that?”

“You’ve got a planet to fight for, right? No reason to waste time with me. I need to get back anyhow.”

“Well… I need some time, still.” John replied, his mind unwillingly thinking about everything that happened again. “...You should have picked up Serah as well, by the way. She’s more of a genius than I am, at least in magic and strategy.”

“Is that so? Well, even if I knew, I wouldn’t. She served as an excellent motivator for you during training.” He drank the final slurp of wine from the cup, burped, and stood up, making it clear he was ready to end the conversation.

John was used to his cold behavior, so it didn’t surprise him. It only made him feel a bit sad, even now. “Thanks for training me, Boss. I was close to death several times, so your guidance has saved my life.”

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His old trainer stopped on his way out, facing away from John. “... This is just the wine talking, but… I’m proud of you, kid. Keep up the good work.”

Then he left, leaving John to sit in shock at his words, filled with joy. It was by far the nicest thing Boss had ever said to him, revealing part of what was under his adamantine exterior.

‘... That can’t have been the first cup of wine, right?’

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On his way home, John took some more time talking to the people who greeted him. He was in absolutely no hurry to get to the Dunsby’s, fearing their reaction.

Serah’s parents were friendly people, but he had seen them become terrifying if Serah was in danger. He clearly remembered the time she broke her leg while playing with him, just as much because of their strict talk as the accident itself.

Luckily, Serah never blamed him, nor did she fear playing with him because of what happened. Seeing who could climb the highest was an obvious game to play as kids, and they were both competitive.

‘I might have come up with the idea, but… Nah, I’ll still blame myself for that one. I think I became a lot more protective of her after that…’

His feet took him back, past the crossing where he should have taken off to see Serah’s parents. It didn’t matter if he saw them later in the day; it was still early.

‘... I know there’s no reason to postpone it, and I’m sure they’re as worried as Mom was. But… It’s still early.’

He stepped through the entrance to his home, trying to make it back to his room before being noticed.

But his mother’s voice sounded from the kitchen, again proving her excellent hearing. “Oh, back already, dear? Did you talk to your trainer?”

John halted his steps, feeling like he was caught with a hind in the cookie jar. “Uh, yeah, I talked to him. He just wanted to hear how I was doing, and then he left.”

“Ah, that sounds just like him based on what you told me. He came all this way to see you and darts off as soon as you return. As bad at showing emotions as he is good at training… What about the Dunsby’s?”

“Oh, I… need some rest first. I’ll head over later.”

Her head appeared in the kitchen door, looking at him worriedly. “John, there’s no need to rush. I’ll come with you to see them later, or I can go alone if you want me to. Don’t push yourself.”

John couldn’t help but smile. He was lucky his mother was so understanding, even if he was terrible at showing emotions. “... That would be great, if you came along. Thanks, Mom.”

She smiled back, going back to whatever she was doing before replying. “Of course! You go rest, and don’t worry about it anymore.”

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Back in his bed, John had his hands under his head, staring up at the ceiling. He had taken a quick trip back to Earth to drink water and test the guiding point again. It still pointed him to the metal bed, so he had yet to figure out what it wanted him to do.

‘... Is it someone I have to find? One of the others with knowledge of the outside world? Or is there something I have to realize? Some knowledge I need to progress? Or do I simply need to rest before I can continue?’

With no idea what to look for and an entire world to search through, he felt a bit lost. His best bet was visiting the Dunsby’s, since Serah might have told them something they would relay to him later. But he wanted to think some more first.

‘If I could search through the past… Oh! OH!!’

He sat up so fast that he nearly lifted from the bed, realizing he had forgotten something important. He had the system command, and the ability to look at the past.

“System command,” he said eagerly, watching in excitement as the window of options appeared before him. Two additional commands had appeared since the last time, called ‘Conjure gold coins’ and ‘Cure ailment.’

‘Oh, wow! We really do have advantages as we rank up. Those will come in handy, especially if I can use the cure on other people. Well, whatever, ‘Recordings’ is the one I care about right now.’

He pressed the button, making another menu pop up in the window of light. It asked him to enter a date, starting at five years back in time, which seemed to be the earliest possible choice.

‘... Does that mean… we came here five years ago? Are so many of my memories fake?’

He put the question aside for now, deciding to ask once he went back to Earth. Instead he entered the earliest date possible, eager to see what was going on back then.

‘Aaand confirm.’

The world around him turned white for a couple of seconds, and then it came back almost exactly the same as it was. His room was nearly unchanged, except for the brighter sunlight and a different set of bedsheets.

And another unusual addition, quite prominently standing by the window close to his bed, looking out at the village with a sad expression. Serah, five years younger than her current age, stood inside his room.

‘... Wow. This is so… strange. What is she doing here? Did she really look so small back then?’

He tried to get out of the bed, not moving the sheets at all. But it made sense, seeing as how he was merely sitting on a recording of the bed.

But then Serah looked over at him, and her face immediately turned to one of shock. She screamed loudly, then she stopped, looking directly at John.

“John?! What the hell are you doing here? And why… do you look so old?”