“Even if we can’t agree, he should at least try.”

A solemn silence filled the room.

“He’s awake. Let’s go check on him.”

The door across Amon opened, revealing three men shuffling inside the already cramped medical room.

“Amon, my boy! Sorry if we unsettled you.”

Sien gave a doting smile and grasped Amon’s large bicep. Naturally he would favor an upcoming talent from the Alzair bloodline quite highly, especially if that talent was the only friend of his grandchild.

“Amon, thank you for your assistance in this matter. However might we have a private word with your dear friend? He’ll be fine, so no need to worry.”

Sien motioned towards the door while maintaining a warm expression.

“It’s an honor to meet you Elder Einstoldt. I’ll wait outside.”

Amon gave a deep bow before excusing himself from the room, but not before making brief eye contact with Jun who smiled and raised an eyebrow.

Jun’s eyes show no fear. I’ll have to take their word for it. Seems like he’ll be okay.

This motion didn’t go missed by the three adults in the room. They looked at each other knowingly before revealing hidden smiles.

Once Amon had left the room, Sahves waved a hand in the air and spoke up.

“We can speak freely, this room has been sealed. No sound will escape.”

“Psh. How is it that the Alzair family always ends up in cahoots with the Einstoldts? Is it some sort of pre-ordained fate?”

Lucius commented offhandedly with a laugh as he watched the scene play out.

“He’s going to grow up to be a fine berserker, I can guarantee that.”

Sien replied while nodding his head.

Controlled fury, the release of repressed resentment, these were just some of the basic foundations of the Alzair family. Those born into the family would undergo subtle training that would orient their mentality for life.

These ordeals shaped them into monolithic champions that could rain blood on the battlefield and relish the adrenaline of a fierce fight. In Amon’s case, one of his ordeals was to overcome his weight and eating disorder.

It shocked his family greatly when he completed his dramatic transformation from an enormously overweight teenager to a hulking monstrosity. While they expected him to overcome his troubles eventually, they didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

“How are you feeling, Jun?”

Sien pulled up a seat next to the teen. Jun sat upright, with his legs hanging off the side of the hospital bed.

“Never better! Just had a great nap.”

Jun smiled with his characteristic smirk, immediately reducing the anxiety that filled the air.

Lucius walked forward and stood next to Sien, while Sahves leaned against the back wall with a solemn expression. His arms were folded across his chest as he eyed the floor in thought.

“Jun, there’s something we need to discuss. We didn’t think it’d be an issue, at least not for a few more years.”

Lucius spoke in a serious tone, which in turn caused Sien to grow serious as well. Clearly, this wasn’t the time to play around. Jun nodded his head slightly to show that he was listening.

“The circumstances of your birth were extraordinary. You’re aware of how talented your parents were. The fact that you’re alive today is only a testament to the strength and control of both Mia and Tyras.”

Lucius’ reminder of the deceased heroes sent a pang of guilt through the hearts of the three men present.

Could they have done more? Could they have helped in their time of need?

Sien spoke next as if it were his turn.

“During her period of pregnancy, Mia controlled the corruption that sought to devour you. It was a delicate balancing act, but she did it nonetheless. However, you were still born with that corruption within your body. It essentially merged with your soul. Tyras sacrificed his life in order to buy you what precious little time you currently have.”

Sien frowned after mentioning Tyras’ sacrifice. After all, he had to watched his son’s lifeless body fall to the floor afterwards.

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“We estimated his sacrifice would protect you for approximately 20 years…”

A silence lingered in the air as Lucius said this last sentence.

Perhaps they were waiting for a reaction from the boy, or perhaps they were still reflecting on possible solutions. After a few moments, Jun broke them out of their individual thoughts.

“I understand that I am dying.”

He said this sentence with a straight face, shocking the adults present.

What a staggering level of maturity.

Most adults fear death, but it seems he’s already come to terms with the potential outcome.

He reminds me of the commander…

The three men each had their own thoughts, but they only had praise for the boy.

“I’ll be upfront. This isn’t the first blackout I’ve had. I’ve been having these for the past year. I didn’t think much of it at first, but the duration of each blackout has been slowly increasing.”

Sahves furrowed his brow after hearing this. How had he been kept in the dark of this? Especially when he was Jun’s direct guardian.

“Is this worse than we thought?”

Sien and Lucius shared a glance with each other. Jun spoke up once again.

“So what’s the cure?”

The grandparent’s visibly aged once this question was asked. The moment they had been dreading for the last fifteen years had finally arrived.

“We… don’t have one.”

Lucius spoke quietly.

“We’ve had ideas, but none of them would work. It would have been possible to find a cure if your soul was injured in some way. However an injured soul is one thing, a corrupted soul is another.”

“Your soul is currently in a delicate balance between purity and corruption. The only beings that have the ability to manipulate the soul are world spirits. That fact alone already takes this matter out of our hands.”

Lucius glanced towards Sien who had remained quiet. Sahves closed his eyes in defeat as he knew what was going to be discussed next. Sien stared at his grandson and spoke up.

“Sahves has been striving to find a way for you. Over the years he’s amassed a staggering amount of merits. However, his accomplishments are not your own, and it’s incredibly difficult to force a world spirit into motion.”

So that’s why he was never home? For my sake?

Jun thought to himself quietly. His thoughts towards his guardian subtly shifted from a negative light to a more positive one.

And to think I had given him all that heartache over the years. But still… to not be there for her.

Jun avoided looking in Sahves’ direction.

“Over time, we finally managed to contact a world spirit that was willing to accept merits for information. That’s when we learned that… well, there is no cure for you.”

As Sien spoke the last part quietly, Jun’s heart sank a bit.

Lucius clicked his tongue before speaking up.

“You daft fool. That’s not everything the world spirit said. It’s true they mentioned there was no cure, but they did find a solution.”

Sien angrily turned to Lucius. It was unknown if he was angry for being called a fool or for the topic of discussion.

“You call that solution? That’s just an impossibility. It’s not going to happen!”

Sahves let out a sigh in the background. It was unimaginable just how many times he heard these two argue over the same topic.

“Er, what solution? If it’s all the same to you, I don’t really have many options. So, I would like to know what was proposed.”

Jun cut in before the two elders were reduced to a verbal fight.

“The world spirit said that your problem could be solved should you enter a contract with another world spirit.”

Jun looked at Lucius with an odd expression.

“Uh… is that even possible?”

Jun was genuinely curious about this matter.

Wasn’t a world spirit supposed to exist… for the world?

How could a world spirit dedicate itself to one single being. What circumstances could one life be deemed as more valuable than an entire plane of existence?

“No, of course not.”

Sien refuted before continuing.

“There is no way a world spirit would possibly be willing to enter a contract with anyone. Additionally, it would have to be a contract for life. If the world spirit was going to regulate your soul, then it would have continue to do so until the day you die.”

Jun gave a wry smile as he heard this.

That sounds like a pretty impossible outcome to me.

“It’s not impossible. It would just require the right opportunity.”

Lucius tried defending it, almost for arguments sake.

“Yes, and that opportunity will never exist, therefore it’s impossible!”

Jun refused to let them quarrel with each other and quickly interrupted once more.

“What opportunity?”

Lucius flashed a small smile to Sien, much to his chagrin, before replying to Jun.

“A world spirit would have less reason to refuse if their world was already close to destruction, wouldn’t you agree?”

Jun grimaced after hearing that statement.

“Your suggestion is to let a world die out, and then ask the world spirit to enter a contract?”

“Precisely! Obviously the world can’t completely die out, otherwise it’ll cease to be a world spirit. However, if we can pinpoint a world that is close to dying out, then it would have an easier time making its decision. Should it choose you, or its nearly dead world?”

Sien sighed and buried his forehead into his hands.

“You bumbling fool. There’s two things wrong with what you’re saying, and that’s already if we ignore the morality of it. First, why would the world spirit choose Jun? Secondly, if the world is nearly dead, then how is the world spirit supposed to continuing existing? It’ll be close to death regardless, nullifying all of your effort.”

Lucius looked away as if he were ignoring Sien’s arguments.

“Yes, yes. I’ve thought about this. It’s simple really. Jun just needs to save that world from its untimely demise. That would kill two birds with one stone, wouldn’t it? Not only would the world spirit survive, but it would also be incredibly indebted towards Jun; potentially allowing it to consider entering a contract.”

Jun looked around the room awkwardly before speaking up.

“Let me clarify, you’re suggesting I save an entire world?”

“Yes, precisely.”

“You’re talking about a world that’s close to death, right?”

Lucius nodded.

“That’s correct.”

“This same world would be overrun with fearsome corrupted monstrosities and world ending levels of death?”

Lucius almost faltered after hearing this but quickly cleared his throat and confirmed.

“Ahem. Yes… that’s what I’m suggesting.”

“On top of it, even if I miraculously saved this world. You would then want me to prey on a vulnerable world spirit’s emotions and guilt trip it into entering a contract with me? This same world spirit whose world was almost completely annihilated?”

Lucius’ expression became somewhat awkward at this point.

“…Yes.”

Silence reigned supreme once more in the room as everyone waited for someone to have a reaction. They looked around the room and met each other’s eyes, but no one had anything to say.

Eventually Jun broke the unsettling atmosphere.

“That, seems highly improbably to happen, but…”

His voice lingered for a moment as he made eye contact with his elders.

“If it’s my only chance of surviving, I’m willing to try finding a way.”