The next day arrived quickly. Jack had rested as best he could after his awakening the previous day but any sleep he got was fitful and filled with nightmares. Nurses checked on him every half hour at first until a proper timeline for cleaning out his lungs was established, at which point they came every hour. In addition one of the doctors also came and ran diagnostic tests both in the evening and again in the early morning. None of them conversed with Jack really other than exchanging brief niceties with him.

As noon started to come around Madam Blue came into the room along with one of the nurses. Her cold voice brooked no argument as she instructed the nurse to check Jack over and make sure that he was functioning well enough for her to interview.

Once the nurse gave the okay and left the room Madam Blue set out a recording crystal as well as a notebook and pen. Looking at Jack for a moment she opened her mouth and spoke. “I am given to understand that you work as a private investigator. Is that correct?”

Jack while unsure of her motivations decided that at least for right now it would be best to cooperate. If she said or did something that indicated a possible danger to him he could always reconsider, plus if necessary it was unlikely that she suspected his ability to move, limited as it was. “Yeah. That’s what I do these days.”

She nodded before continuing. “Have you during the course of any of your investigations visited the ruins north of the city?”

“No, can’t say I have. In fact, the case I was or am currently working on is the first to involve the ruins in any sort of way, even tangentially. So, no, I have never been to the ruins.” Jack replied.

Taking note of his response she proceeded with her next question “Alright. Then while you have been working on your current case, have you come into contact with any artifacts or relics from the ruins by any chance?”

Jack had to pause and think for a moment before something clicked. The pieces that he had touched back in the archives of the library. They were fragments of something from the other side of the portal was opened in the town at that location. Those very pieces had caused him to experience a painful hallucination that at least partially involved a screen covered in strange broken symbols and letters. A screen that was the same exact color as the one that was created by the illusion spell that he would cast to bring up his status. “I may have. When I was doing some of the initial research into the case I went to the archives and took a look at the materials there about the history of that region. There were two pieces of some kind of broken metal that when touched caused rather vivid and painful hallucinations. I don’t know if that is what you would consider an artifact or relic from there, but that is the closest thing that I can think of.”

“I see. How would you describe these hallucinations?” Madam Blue’s cold voice immediately queried.

“Painful and disconcerting would be the best description what with the flashing blue screen covered in who knows what that took up most of my vision while a rather terrible screeching sound rang in my head. Fucking awful doesn’t even begin to cover it.” Jack scowled in remembrance.

“Noted. Is there a reason that you chose to mention these fragments as possible artifacts? Other than them being held in the archives along with historic records of the area I mean.”

“Yeah. The same reason you were asking for clarifications on the hallucinations, I think. You were wanting to see if the effects that I experienced from the fragments and what I was experiencing while I was brought here were the same, or at least close enough to be from the same source. I figure that they are based on how the color of the floating screen in the hallucination was the same as the one that I was seeing the last couple of days.” Jack explained.

“Was? Does that mean that you no longer see it?” For the first time a note of emotion entered Madam Blue’s voice. Curiosity.

Jack responded seriously, “I mean I could if I really wanted. Best I can figure all it was, is an illusion that shows information in a manner that best suits the caster. I think it’s part of why whatever intelligence that controlled that information used me and my mana to cast the spell. It automatically it. So yeah, I could make myself see the screen again but it would useless. All it would show me now is just information that I know. If I tried to take notes in it or something all it would mean all I am doing is trying to remember it in another way. If I forgot it those notes would vanish unlike if I wrote something down on paper.”

“And how exactly did you figure that?” Madam Blue asked for clarification.

“Well not only did I end up forcing myself to cast that a couple of times while I was under whatever influence but it really isn’t that hard to puzzle out. When I brought up my status before, not only did it hurt, a standard sign of spellcasting, but with the low aspects that I have it was a significant mana cost. Even more so in a location that prevents the absorption of ambient mana. Besides, while it was clear even while I was under the influence that there was something off with the status being shown. Where parts of it were showing strangely or the fact that it for whatever reason was not able to classify what type of magic user I am.” Jack listed off his thoughts.

There was a lull of silence as Madam Blue processed and wrote down her thoughts about what Jack was telling her. Jack on the other hand took the time to try to organize himself and what he wanted to say.

Opening his mouth Jack spoke out about what was bothering him. “Look I am fine with answering these questions as I do want to know exactly what was going on to me. But I also do have a couple of my own that I do really need an answer to. First off, what is going to be happening to me here in the future? I have no doubt that you didn’t heal me simply out of the goodness of your hearts. So, what exactly are you wanting or hoping to get out of me?”

“Answers.” The cold emotionless response came back giving Jack no real substance.

Jack groaned in frustration doing his best not to shout “Yes, because that tells me so much. What type of answers are you looking for here? Also, will I be able to leave here after all this is done? Because right now I get the feeling that all those other patients that I saw the other day, don’t really get that option. If some of the theories that I have come up with are right then I can understand why, but I am hoping there is something or some way to eventually leave.”

Madam Blue gave him an unimpressed look as she simply stated “It’s theoretically possible. What are the theories that you have come up with?”

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“Right, of course, theoretically possible.” Jack grumbled before he sighed and answered “Look, my best guess is that the magical infection or whatever that I was told of when I first got here both is and isn’t that. Obviously, it is able to be picked up or transmitted to living creatures. Likely though some kind of nonliving material. Specifically, whatever those fragments that I’ve seen before are made out of.”

Jack paused a moment to try to sort his following ideas into something coherent. “Now whatever that stuff is it either is part of or is connected to some kind of entity. That entity alters and changes the persons mana and thoughts to suit itself incorporating the affected people… victims… whatever. I think that once they hit a certain level of they almost become part of them kind of like the relay crystals that are used for boosting the long distance crystal calls. Judging by how my thoughts and memories were changed to accept what was done to me I expect that there is some benefit to the entity for bringing people into it. I doubt it is material goods but it could be something like using creatures as mana batteries or something. Though I would also bet on the fact that as I had been afflicted that everything I say is taken with a hearty grain of salt. I wouldn’t doubt for a minute based on what I had been told and experienced that at least a few of the other affected people have tried to claim to have escaped its clutches.”

The Madam concurred, “Those are indeed some good guesses. Some of those line up well with our own theories, while others are a fresh take on what could be. And you are correct. There have been numerous attempts by those afflicted to either spread their affliction to the employees working here or to escape through various means. Including as you surmised the idea of having broken free of its control.”

“I mean if that is the case then why bother going through an interview like this? Would you really get anything out of it? And besides would there even be a way to actually prove that someone really is free then?” Jack asked feeling bitter and a sense of defeat beginning to loom.

Madam Blue thought for a moment on if she wanted to actually answer Jack before she came to a decision and spoke. “We have found that just like if you asked twenty people who all were trying to hide the same fact. Each one overall might do a decent job of hiding it. However, each one would also likely accidently let slip some small detail without knowing or meaning too. The same happens with interviewing those affected. While the Great System as it calls itself tries it’s best to obscure or hide information that could be used against it bit by bit more pieces are put together. In terms of proof of freedom however, that leads us to you. You are the only individual that we are aware of have had your mana change back from the affected state. Whatever happened to you when you were in the testing area caused a completely unique reaction and we are hoping to find out what caused it and what it accomplished. If our theories are correct then the change in mana signature could very well be evidence of breaking free.”

“Well I can tell you that when I worked to change my mana back to what it should be I got several warning messages to desist my behavior, and right before I finished the screen or whatever said that I was a heretic to the Great System and that all who were in its… embrace?... whatever, would hunt me.” Jack shrugged as much as his body would currently allow.

“Hmm that is good to know, if true it does explain some of what we have been seeing the last few days. Do you have any thoughts on why you were able to convert your mana back, much less why you would if your memories and thoughts were changed as you mentioned before?”

Jack was slightly confused at the first part of her question as from his experiences he knew that the mana conversion was something that anyone should be able to do, even if it was difficult and dangerous. Perhaps it was the fact that people were warned away so much from the dangers of absorption, purification and utilization that people didn’t really think of what exactly they were doing. “I was able to change my mana the same way that someone normally does. We do it all the time as part of the purification process where you convert absorbed mana into your own. It can be dangerous just as if you don’t properly purify mana you can make yourself go mad you can easily do the same thing if you screw something up while changing your mana. In general I would recommend to never even try as you are more likely to die or permanently ruin your mind then accomplish something useful.”

Jack paused for a moment laughing bitterly, “Though fuck it if I haven’t had to do that twice here this week.”

Madam Blue stared at him intensely “Elucidate please. What do you mean you have had to do that twice this week?”

“I mean just that. I fucked myself up earlier this week by purposely absorbing and purifying incorrectly to hide my mana signature. I was lucky I managed to regain enough self-awareness to fix it before my heart stopped. Thinking about it, that’s probably why my heart was beating so slow before. Remnants of my foolishness. I had thought I had fixed myself up well enough. More fool me.” Jack winced as he explained his idiocy.

Madam Blue was aghast at his lunacy. “Are you insane? Why in the world would you do such a thing?”

Jack shrugged uncomfortably. “Honestly? It seemed the best idea at the time. I certainly don’t have the power or reserves with my low aptitudes to have long sustain or powerful effects. So when I was stuck in an alley with at least half a dozen pursuers and no real way out. Well the thought that if I couldn’t escape by running or fighting my only chance was to hide in such a way it would seem I died or teleported.”

Jack lifted an arm to run his hand through his hair, grimacing as the pain hit but finishing the movement anyway. “I do think my prior experience with bringing my mana back from being something other then what it should be likely helped with keeping part of my sense of self and doing it again. The other big thing is what I am. You even mentioned it a bit ago, all of my mana passages show signs of atrophy or crystallization. Let’s be honest there is only one thing that causes that.”

“Being a jack.” Madam Blue stated flatly

Jack agreed in the same tone. “Yep. That’s me. Jack the jack.”

“It was suspected but we couldn’t fully confirm if that was the case or it was because of whatever interaction your mana and the System had had when you were converting your mana back.” Madam Blue explained.

Jack let out a short bark of a laugh. “Yeah no, I have no idea if what happened earlier made the crystallization worse or how it’s affected it. Haven’t really had a chance to even see if mana absorption is restricted here much less how my mana passages are doing. But I can tell you that the Great System hated it when I was using all of my passages. It seemed that either it was damaging the connection or something. Not exactly sure what. I do know that both the pain as well as however my mana was interacting with however it was in me made it easier to break free of its influence.”

Madam Blue immediately followed up his statement asking, “And how would you describe the feeling of breaking that influence? Do you think there would be a way to induce that breakage in someone else?”

Jack shuddered from phantom pain as the fragmented memories washed over him. “It was one of the singularly most painful things in existence. I honestly don’t know how many people would be able to go through something like that and come out on the other side. I suppose that you could say that I am lucky that I have had more than a little experience with pain. You could probably cause it to happen if you could somehow engage a person’s other mana passages that they don’t use.”

After Jack finished talking both of them sat in silence ruminating on everything that had been said. The Madam took some time to write down a few more things in her notepad. After a little bit she closed everything up and turned off the recording crystal, putting it into her pocked. As she finished up putting everything away, she spun the calling crystal on the wall to summon a nurse before heading to the door.

Before she stepped through the portal she turned back toward Jack and said. “Thank you for speaking candidly with me. To answer one of your unasked questions yes, this room like much of the facility prevents the absorption of mana. After you are fully healed then you will be given the chance to check your mana passages again and to see what exactly happens. In addition we will have discussion another day about what skills and abilities that the system gave you or listed and see how that matches up with what has been said by others.”

As the door closed behind her all Jack could do was mumble to himself in confusion. “Skills? What is she talking about? Skills?”