Jace

A fight broke out as I was crossing the border to Auburn, and I initially thought that Alex and Hazel saw through my disguise. In reality, those two were trying to kill some handsome guy who looked kind of like me when I was younger and had longer to live. Obviously, I did the only thing any sane person would do: I ran as far and as fast as I could in the opposite direction of the literal explosions. I got used to playing hero as a Wanderer, but at times like these my old survival instincts prevail over any false sense of heroic pride. I didn't even attempt to save anyone, and I don't regret my decision in the slightest. I do what I can when I can, but I am under no obligation to save a stranger—especially if doing so may put my own life at risk.

Quartz is not with me right now, but I cannot disclose her location as per my agreement with the individual with whom Quartz is currently residing. If anyone is reading this, that is the meaning behind most of the missing pages thus far. I did not rip those out because I had something to hide; I ripped those out because I wanted to respect my benefactor's request. Well, technically that does mean I had something to hide, but it wasn't a thing that would directly effect me if I didn't hide it so I don't really know how to describe my motive. Eh, whatever, it's not like my role in the Wanderers was public speaking anyways.

Regardless, I made it across the border between Auburn and the Holy Lands of Nuntius Finis...

...probably because that border was the least guarded border on the continent. I just hope those guards who were hired for border patrol can find somewhere else to work because that path isn't going to be usable any time soon.

I can hear that guy from earlier ranting about how Hazel and Alex have probably become villains, but I'm not so sure. Yeah, they definitely just caused the deaths of some random innocent people, but their motives for becoming Wanderers should still remain unchanged—even now—as if they lost the will to be Wanderers (the heroes), their Wanderer items would turn to ash. I guess I'm a bit of an exception because one of the conditions I gave James for making my mask a Wanderer item was that he wasn't allowed to add a self-destruct feature.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

To this day I don't know whether or not he actually just straight up lied to me and put in a self-destruct feature without telling me. I hope he didn't. I wish he trusted me that much.

Right, I'm getting of topic, aren't I? I think I'm going to head to the place on the map I found in that one tower in the private pool in the Theocracy of Holy Day's Holy Lands of Nuntius Finis. I mean, there's no way someone as reliable and intelligent as James would mark a private pool as an important location if there wasn't some deeper secret hidden within, right? I'm not overthinking things due to any sort of misplaced confidence in my best friend, right? Right? Right? Well, it's not like I'm going to get a response regardless of how many times I decide to write "Right?", so I might as well stop writing "Right?" to save pages to write about the things that have yet to come to pass when they come to pass. Jeez, I'm starting to sound like Alex. That's definitely a sign of overwork, so I should go to sleep now.

...

I was going to use the tent Quartz used when she was traveling with me, but then I saw the ground I was standing on was literally just ash and volcanic rock with leaking magma that I almost accidentally stuck my foot into. I really need to sleep. Before I sleep, I should check in on Quartz's benefactor with the device I was given to see how the cure is coming along. I am still upset that the giant snake managed to bite her, but there's nothing that dwelling on the past can do for the now besides waste the now away.

Actually, I don't want anyone to talk to me while I'm in this state. I'm going to sleep. I guess I'll just go up into the mountain closest to the border so that I don't accidentally roll into a pitiful death by melting. I'll probably skip setting up the tent though because of how exhaused I am. I'm gonna be done writing for now.