Chapter 41 – Those That Stay Behind

Jenny

Jenny stared at the boy's back as the others started gathering around the table and dropping a copper coin. This felt like déjà vu. The mask had covered his face when he made the declaration, but it was the same tone of voice that had been haunting her dreams.

“…Get out of my house. Do not dare to show me your face again, unless you are willing to accept …”

He had used similar words back then too. Giving her an ultimatum to make a choice. A choice between doing what was easy, and what was…

She was startled by a tap on her shoulders. It was Eskad. Everyone had deposited their coins, and it was her turn. All eyes were on her as she dragged her feet to the table, not taking her eyes off the boy. He just stood there in silence with his hands behind his back. She bumped into the table, stubbing her toe in the process. But she didn’t even register the pain as she saw what was on the table.

Six copper coins, just sitting there. She had gone through a large amount of this world’s currency back at her job in Pinespire. Copper, Silver, Gold, and even a platinum at one point. People were diligent in keeping track of money after all. Yet no one had bothered with copper coins, their value was just not worth it. But the six before her held more value than even the platinum one she had handled once. She couldn’t describe the feeling as she retrieved a copper coin from her inventory. She held her fist over the inconspicuous pile but couldn’t bear to drop the coin.

She didn’t understand why. Was this more of that soul manipulation that Aenon mentioned. She had been so freaked out when he had revealed to her that she had locked herself in her room for hours. She had felt betrayed, horrified, and unsure of who she truly was. If her feelings could be turned against her, how was she to trust anyone. How could she even trust herself. Conflicting emotions roiled in her chest as she stared long and hard at the coin. 5 grams (0.18 ounces) was all the coin weighed, and yet it was like she was holding a mountain in her hands. And yet, she couldn’t let go.

Why? Why did she still trust Lady Agatha after all she knew now? Why did she still feel no fear towards the boy? They too had manipulated her. Just like her mother, like Erwin. And yet, what she felt towards them wasn’t fear or hate. Why? She kept running the question through her minds again and again. Until it finally clicked. The one thing that was different. The one thing these two individuals had given her that others didn’t.

Choice.

Her mother had always controlled her life. Making her believe what was right for her. On the rare occasion that her views differed, she was subjected to emotional abuse that she had failed to recognize. With Erwin it was even worse. She was essentially his slave, his pet. To make her do as he pleased. But it was not what Lady Agatha did. She isolated Jenny from the world for a while. She let her process her thoughts. But not once did she ask her to do anything. She always left the choice to her. Jenny could have chosen not to speak up against Erwin. And maybe he would have gotten away with everything. But that hearing was as much to heal Jenny as it was to expose Erwin.

At first, she assumed her testimony was crucial for Erwin’s downfall. But she later found that Lady Agatha had a lot of evidence prepared. She just chose not to use it. Now she realized why. It was essential that she stood up for herself before her tormentor. And it had done wonders for her confidence. Even the mission to come here was a choice.

And in a way, Aenon was just like Lady Agatha. He saved her and tried to help her when he could. Despite her tantrums and mistakes, despite the hate she hurled his way. He gave her a choice. To open her eyes to reality or leave. The same choice that was before her now. The words written in that note echoed in her mind as she held the coin.

Cross the bridge to face your future; or turn back towards your past.

She knew then what she had to do. What her path in life was. She clenched her fist so tight that the coin cut into her palm. But she just gritted her teeth and made a silent vow to herself, “Never again.”

She ran out of the room to catch up with the others who had already left. They all stood before the main door, all packed and ready to go. She stopped before them as they all turned at her. Jenny felt a subtle vibration pass through her. Almost like… something was removed from the surrounding air.

“Ready to leave?” Eskad asked solemnly. The mood was heavy, and no one wanted to prolong this any longer.

“I am not leaving,” she said confidently, making everyone look at her in shock.

“What do you mean…” Eskad started to ask.

“If this is about the incident in the forest, you don’t have to feel guilty towards us. That man is right. It wasn’t your fault, it was mine. I might have overreacted after seeing my party almost getting wiped…,” Elara explained.

“No,” Jenny shook her head. “It’s not about that. Although I am sorry that my mistake almost cost you all your lives.”

Jenny gave a deep bow to the adventurers who had always been kind to her. She was too afraid to talk to the party ever since the mess she created and had not apologized to them properly.

“I am deeply grateful for all that you have done for me. Both in town, and on this escort quest. I will never forget your kindness, and if I get a chance, I will be sure to repay the favor,” she said while continuing to keep her head down.

“Oh, lassie. You do not owe us anything. So please, come with us. This path you have chosen, will lead to nothing but death. I have seen men like that before. Stubborn and fearless. Thinking nothing in the world can harm them. They are a dime a dozen in the multiverse. And do you know what they have in common? They all die young. Don’t be a fool and come with us,” Boff pleaded.

“We too owe that man, twice over. But we cannot just throw away the lives our brother sacrificed himself for,” Toff also chimed in.

“I must agree with the dwarves,” the old man, Vincent, said in a sad tone. “I do not know what your experience has been with the man upstairs, but we both have lived with him longer. And yes, he does have power beyond what we expect. But he would not survive the combined might of two empires. No one can.”

Her companion nodded silently from the side in agreement. Jenny looked at everyone in turn. They all had the same resigned looks as they stared at her with pleading eyes. She walked past them and stood at the door, staring at the sky overhead.

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“And yet, this is the path that I must walk on. The moment I crossed that bridge, the way back was shut for me. Taking even a step back would crumble everything that I am today,” Jenny said with a smile as she gazed at the planets beyond.

“But that path has nothing but death on it,” Eskad said.

Jenny stayed quiet for a bit before responding, “Did you know I had arachnophobia back on my old world. I couldn’t even look at a picture of a spider without having a mental breakdown. And yet… I was eaten alive by thousands of spiderlings as I lay trapped in a cocoon. For days I felt their legs all over me, as they nibbled my flesh, one tiny piece at a time. I tried crying out for help, struggled to break free, even prayed for death.”

She took a deep breath to collect herself. She had never spoken about her ordeal out loud till now. The memory was gut wrenching, even without her phobia. But she needed to keep moving forward. She turned back to face the horrified gazes of everyone.

“It was a slow and painful death by my worst fears. So no, death does not faze me anymore. And yes, I will continue down this path, come what may. I have faced a lot to finally find my path. And I cannot abandon it. My path is to keep moving ahead. Towards life, or death. Towards riches, or ruins. Never again will I turn back.”

Jenny felt something deep inside her crack, like an eggshell. She didn’t know what it was, but she felt a refreshing breeze pass through her body. But she calmed herself and looked at the group before her. Since no one reacted to what she had just experienced, she stayed quiet.

“It looks like you have made up your mind. We will not disrespect your resolve any further. I sincerely hope that our paths cross again in the future,” Eskad said as he walked up and put his humongous hand on her shoulder. Her knees almost buckled from the impact. The giant really needed to learn his own strength.

They all walked past her with some kind and encouraging words, even the two men she hardly knew. She nodded with a smile but said nothing. No more words were needed. They had all made their choice.

As they stood before the mansion stairs, she gave one last bow along with a request, “Please do not reveal the existence of this town to anyone. I feel bad about saying this, but not even to Lady Agatha.”

“Don’t worry. We will not. I did vow to protect the sapling after all. This is the only way that I know how. I am powerless before the empire, but this I can do,” Eskad said sincerely. His party members all nodded in confirmation. Even the two old men did, once Eskad gave them a death stare.

With a heavy heart, Jenny saw them all leave. The future was bleak and probably very short lived. But deep down she knew, this was the only way forward for her. And so, when she turned back to the mansion, she had a bright and determined smile on her face.

………………

Somewhere deep in the abyss, far away from any creation, a castle stood by its lonesome. Nothing existed around it. Not space, nor time. And there was just one entity that lived in its halls. A woman with lush blonde hair, and a slim build. Only a handful of people even knew of her existence, for she rarely, if ever, left her dwelling.

As she sat on her obsidian throne, an inconceivable number of floating screens drifted around her. But she had eyes for just one of them. A screen that showed an unassuming boy, hugging an abyssal wolf.

“Fascinating, is he not?” a voice broke the deathly silence as a figure appeared to the side of the throne. Another woman, but with a sickly appearance and viciously long nails. A draugr.

“An understatement, if I have ever heard one,” the blonde-haired woman replied. She didn’t even bother to turn towards her guest.

The two women observed in silence as the scene shifted to another girl in the same building. A cascade of notifications erupted as the red head made a firm vow to never turn back. The blonde-haired woman raised a hand and suppressed the screens before they could be deployed. She even cast a barrier around the girl to prevent others from noticing the effects of her declaration.

“Again?” the draugr sighed while clutching her forehead. “How many time has this boy caused such incidents. Forcing you to set up a barrier. He’s like a spark amidst a sea of dry tinder.”

“Oh, he’s not a spark,” the blonde replied with a smile. “He is an inferno.”

“And aren’t you afraid he will burn everything down?” the draugr asked with a concerned look.

“Sometimes a forest fire is needed for the truly special seeds to bloom,” the lady responded as she continued observing.

“What of the behemoths who will quell the fire with water? The kid will not survive the combined might of the entire world. And that is exactly where he is headed,” the draugr asked with a raised eyebrow.

The blonde lady didn’t respond to that and continued staring at the screen. The draugr got uncomfortable at the silence and finally asked, “Are you going to help him?”

The lady snapped her fingers, making the screen disappear. She finally turned to look at her companion, who immediately averted her gaze and bowed down on one knee. Which was a smart move, since anyone who dared look into the blonde woman’s eyes in her true form would have lost their minds. Her eye sockets were empty, like the abyss that she resided in.

“The only reason I let you linger on, was because the kid liked you. But don’t forget your place,” the lady said in a cold voice.

“I apologize, my lady,” the draugr responded. “I am merely following the subroutines set by you. To safeguard the wellbeing of the boy.”

The fierce expression on the woman’s face mellowed a bit on hearing that. She nodded in understanding before saying, “I see. Well, it doesn’t really matter anyway. I cannot help him because of the pact. Even the minor barriers I am forced to set up to hide him are costing me dearly. I am not looking forward to when he will name that little tree. It would probably cost me a ton to block that from being detected.”

“His command of soul spaces and links is truly extraordinary. And that too without any guidance,” the draugr stated while continuing to bow down.

“Well, we can’t really forget his origins after all,” the lady replied before realizing something. The draugr had a confused look on her face.

“Forget I said that,” the blonde said while pointing a finger at the kneeling draugr. For a few seconds, the woman moved erratically, as though time was rewinding around her.

“His command of soul spaces and links is truly extraordinary. And that too without any guidance,” the draugr repeated her earlier statement. But this time there was no response from her superior.

After a moment of silence, the draugr spoke again, “I really wish he had taken the unique classes. It would have made him exponentially stronger and allowed you to be more directly involved in his growth.”

“True. But if he had, I would have purged his existence from my mind in a heartbeat,” the lady responded seriously.

“My lady?” the draugr asked in confusion.

“I do not need puppets or loyal pets. I value free will above all else. And so does that boy. That is what gives me confidence that he is something special.”

“But… what about them? Surely you see how they have started to undermine the delicate balance you have been maintaining for so long. They are playing dirty. Why can’t we?” the draugr asked with worry in her voice.

“Because I am not like them,” the lady replied furiously. The draugr shivered in fear as her surroundings distorted chaotically.

“My apologies,” she managed to reply which calmed the blonde woman down.

“You do not have to worry about the petty squabbles. I am confident the boy can handle it.”

“But it might take centuries for the boy to get strong enough. And there will be countless powers and creatures that can possibly eliminate him. Isn’t that too big a risk?” the draugr asked. Despite the sensitive nature and the outbursts, she kept pushing further and further.

“If he cannot even handle a few tiny empires and old fogies throwing a tantrum, then he has absolutely no chance to face what comes after. I need him to face it all, and come out on the other side.”

Before the draugr could ask any more questions, the lady got up off her throne and started walking down the hall. The draugr politely followed without comment. The two walked for a while before they reached the entryway to the castle. The lady stood at the edge, staring out into the expanse that was like a reflection of her eyes.

“I have waited eons, my dear. A few more centuries are nothing compared to that,” she stretched out her hand and was met with a transparent barrier. But the moment her hand touched, there was a loud impact on the other side.

BANG

A coiling mass of… something lurked behind the barrier. Angry. Hungry. It kept hitting the barrier at the exact spot where the hand touched it. But it was futile, as the barrier refused to even budge.

“Spicy one, aren’t you? We’ll see how ferocious you are,” the lady said with a smile. “When the true apex predator comes after you.”