Chapter 8: Jack; Shauran 19th, 344SR; 22:40
Jack bit through the flatbread. The creamy yet zesty sauce coated the juicy red tomatoes and crunchy lettuce. With the savoury texture of the turkey, a combination of satisfying flavours tickled his taste yet again. He leaned back and relaxed as he looked up at the Celestial. ‘This is one thing I don’t mind waking up for...’ He heard a crunch to his right, followed by several more in rapid succession. Eos barely even chewed his wrap, he swallowed and then immediately took two more wholesome bites.
“This- this is made in Helios?!” Eos shouted with his mouth full.
Jack laughed as Eos took yet another large bite of the wrap, and immediately gagged as he choked.
“Chew your food, it’s not like it’s going anywhere,” Jack laughed, he almost choked on his own food.
The people in Logos were all enjoying the night. Jack watched a woman sing for a crowd of people who danced with frothy cups of ale in hand. The caravans selling goods were being closed, the owners packing up to go home themselves.
“But... This is so good?! How can something be this good?” Eos sobbed.
“Scout Eos,” Jack heard an annoyed voice behind him.
Eos and Jack turned to see a woman who wore a white shirt buttoned up to her neck, on her chest was the red insignia of a dragon coiled around a spear. ‘She’s a lieutenant of Arthurs?’ There was a red band on the upper part of her left arm, Jack squinted at it. ‘What is that? I’ve never seen others wear that…’ She had short black hair, with bangs covering the left side of her face, and her outfit gave her a dignified appearance. Freiya glanced at Jack for a moment but turned her attention back to Eos.
“Oh hey Freiya, how are you?” Eos waved his hand with the wrap, there was some sauce on the side of his mouth. “This is Freiya, she’s a spy from House Pendragon. Isn’t that cool!”
The paper in the woman’s hand crinkled in her grip.
“Hey...” Freiya put her hand on Eos’s shoulder.
“Hm?” Eos smiled back at Freiya but noticed her seethe with anger behind her calm expression.
Freiya sighed. “It may be normal for you to be public about your occupation, but don’t just go telling everyone who spies are,” she advised.
“Oh, sorry,” said Eos.
“Anyways, the nobles and Lord Lightbringer saw your report yesterday and have requested me to tell you to stop entering the mines,” she informed him.
“What?!” Eos suddenly stood, his expression went from cheerful to shocked. “B-b-but-” he tried to plead.
“Stop entering the mines. You’re a scout, you have other jobs. Now come on, you submitted yesterday’s report late and now you’re here eating and I still haven’t seen today’s report!” Freiya ordered.
Eos shoulders slumped down and so did his head.
“Okay...” Eos stood up and wiped the sauce and crumbs off his face. “Well, we collected a lot of the logorite we found yesterday, let’s do it again tomorrow!” he yelled to Jack as he walked off with a bright smile.
“I just told you not to...” Freiya uttered, now extremely annoyed.
Eos continued to wave. The last bit of the wrap didn’t have any chicken, just vegetables and sauce, Jack threw the rest into his mouth. He dusted off his hands and looked up at the Celestial.
“Tomorrow...” Jack looked down, he felt a familiar emptiness.
Jack stood up and made his way home. A chill ran down his spine. ‘How much longer am I gonna do this...’ As Jack arrived at his house he saw Lydia, she sat on the steps of her house across from Jack’s.
‘It’s her... She still looks down about yesterday...’
Jack walked over to his front door and turned the knob. Instead of opening it, he looked down and sighed as he thought about Lydia. ‘Ah…’ Jack turned and walked across the road to the house across from his. Her hair was a complete mess, she hadn’t even changed out of the clothes she wore yesterday. ‘How long has she been sitting here?’ She held her head down in her lap. Jack noticed a hint of red in her nails, and multiple scratches were carved into her arms. Jack gulped, fearing how she’d respond to him, but he continued anyway.
“Hey... Are you okay?” Jack asked from a distance at first.
‘Last time she talked to me I think she told me to just vanish... I really should just walk away…’ As Jack got closer he heard what she muttered to herself.
“How much longer am I gonna do this...” she whispered repeatedly, tears falling out of her eyes.
Jack froze, he gulped suddenly when he heard the words, the same words he told himself so many times.
“Are you okay?” Jack reached forward, she looked up and slapped his hand away with a frightened expression.
The loose sleeves of her dress were moist. Tears flowed down her face like an endless stream. As she realized it was just Jack, her expression turned from fear to resentment as she gritted her teeth. Jack’s palm didn’t hurt, but he was shaken by her outburst.
“Get away from me! All you’ll do is make everything worse than it already is! Just like your parents!” Lydia shouted.
Jack stood still, confused but as he heard her mention his parents he felt anger surge through him. She turned and ran into her house, shutting the door behind her.
“I’m not them! Screw you!” Jack cursed before he turned and marched into his own home, shaking his head in frustration.
‘I knew I should’ve just walked away...’
* * *
Everything was calm, the branches of every tree were smothered in white snow. Jack looked east down the valley of trees and lush green bushes. ‘Huh...’ Jack looked off in the distance towards a mountain covered in snow. Jack realized he was dreaming as he recognized the setting, nothing but green and white for miles in all directions. The dark brown wood of spruce trees and white snow filled the sky.
‘It’s just like... That moment from Arthur’s book…’
Jack walked forward, until he noticed a figure in the fog. A white owl stared back at him. Before a crow flew in from the left and began to tear at the owl with its talons. The two fought violently as something landed on Jack’s head. ‘Ow…’ A cold sensation spread over his head as the snow melted quickly and began to drip down his face. Jack brushed the snow out of his hair, his fingers felt a chill, but his entire body froze as the world shook.
He looked back up to see the owl and the crow looking in the same direction, they were staring at the mountain. Another low rumble shook the land. Every tree bounced, and the clumps of snow that hung on the branches fell. Jack lost his balance as he felt it this time, a large rumble in the distance could be heard as he looked up and saw a hand rise from behind the mountain and grasp the peak. Jack’s entire body froze as he watched the colossal hand grip the mountain.
What looked like a giant person began to pull itself up from behind the mountain. the crow and the owl stood still as they watched the monster rise. The massive hand crushed the rocks in its grip as it pulled its colossal body up. The things leg rose over the mountain, and then slammed into the ground. The rumble sent a quake through the world. The snow on the mountains cracked and started to slide down.
The thing stood upright and Jack fell backward, he watched the silhouette of the massive creature rise. Two orange lights appeared above the clouds, followed by two larger ones just below. It let out a great roar that filled the sky for miles, the crow and the owl flew away. Jack looked at the base of the mountain and noticed an avalanche of snow coming toward him. ‘I have to run-’ He turned to run, but right there behind him was the red sword he saw in his dream from long ago in front of a throne made out of the snow.
* * *
Jack opened his eyes, huffing quickly as he looked around. He reached for his head, a cold sweat around his back made him sit up. He stretched his arms as he yawned, his shoulders ached from picking up the logorite he mined with Eos. A glass window across the room revealed the black night sky. ‘What the hell was that dream...’ Jack rolled over onto his side and held his throbbing head. A sudden lock opening from outside made him sit upright. ‘Is that Arthur... But...’ Jack froze as he thought of Alexander Rael’s burnt figure.
‘No, calm down... That’s impossible…’ Jack grabbed the beige shirt he wore earlier from a basket of clothes, put it on, and exited the room. He quietly walked to the front door and opened it slowly without a sound. The houses and path all looked like shades of blue as his eyes had adjusted to the dark. The air was crisp, with the sounds of a thunderous storm far off in the distance.
He stepped outside of the house and walked to the side where the cellar was wide open. He approached slowly, peering inside only to see a black-haired man in white hunched over in thought. Jack breathed a sigh of relief. ‘It’s just Arthur...’
“Thanks for not disturbing my sleep,” said Jack, Arthur glanced over his shoulder.
“Sorry if I woke you,” he replied.
“I’m pretty sure I said not...”
“What woke you then?”
“Dumb dream... I think it was about the book you gave me,” Jack replied as he took a step onto the cold dirt of the cellar.
“Oh?”
“I have a lot of weird dreams…” Jack replied. “Some more than others…”
Arthur continued to observe the unconscious man’s body.
“I don’t think he’s waking up,” said Jack.
Arthur stood up and shook his head.
“This is getting ridiculous… How has he been in a coma for this long, I messed up thinking this was an opportunity...” Arthur pondered as he turned towards the exit of the cellar.
“Huh... Messed up? That’s it then? We’re just gonna keep waiting? You still haven’t told me anything, you won’t even explain that book, I’ve read it several times now by the way,” Jack scolded the noble.
Arthur stopped, and a chill rattled Jack’s spine. ‘I might have made him ang-’ Jack was surprised to see the opposite of what he thought. Arthur sat on the steps of the cellar and let out a sigh.
“I can’t tell you the truth... If I do then it’s more than just the people at Logos at risk... It’s everyone,” Arthur told him. “I’m running out of options, and time,” he looked forward toward Jack. “I’m no longer the Warden of Logos anymore… Alexander Rael is taking the position back... Starting tomorrow morning.”
“What...” Jack felt an almost nostalgic fear rattle down his spine.
“Forget Alexander Rael for now, you... Who are you anyway?” Arthur asked, his sudden question catching Jack off guard.
“Who... Am I?” Jack said in confusion.
“The council meeting today was held because Libra prison in Hiria was destroyed. Multiple high-profile hybrid criminals are on the loose,” Arthur explained.
“O-Okay?” Jack tilted his head.
“The big shot in the prison, Geral Murdok was apparently chanting ‘He is coming’ over and over again, before stopping and just saying your name...” Arthur pointed at Jack.
“Whose Geral Murdok?” Jack asked in confusion.
A drop of sweat crept down Jack’s neck at the fact he was mentioned in a council meeting.
“Geral Murdok, the criminal who turned Maryn into Murdok Bay, the infamous crime citadel the hybrids and angels can’t do anything about because it’s the center of black-market trade. For some reason, he said your name. Just before the entire prison was destroyed. Now he along with other horrible criminals were set loose. Why does someone who skins his enemies alive, in a different country, know you?” Arthur said while pointing at Jack.
Jack felt a shiver down his spine when Arthur pointed at him again.
“Skins them alive? What is skinning?” Jack asked nervously.
“Skin. Torn Off. While they’re alive and awake...” Arthur’s hand gestures implied this should be obvious.
Jack’s stomach turned.
“I don’t know... How the hell should I know why he said my name?! Did he say Eldritch?” Jack turned and asked.
“No, just Jack-”
“It’s not me, no way... I did not blow up a prison that’s just... That’s just stupid and impossible, I was literally mining like I have been every day for over a year, I did not do anything!” Jack frantically tried to deny the possibility.
“Calm down, I know it’s preposterous and I don’t believe it either... But if Geral Murdok said your name... You’d better keep an eye on your back... He may have sent a message, it may not even be someone’s name but it could be a hidden code... Geral Murdok is a master of stealth and deception... That was before he had the gift of Gyro...” Arthur warned.
“What? Keep an eye on my back?” Jack could barely process what he was hearing.
“I’m serious... A big-name criminal just said your name and the only thing that you’ve done is... Wait...” Arthur looked down suddenly.
“What? What is it?” Jack asked.
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“None of the angels saw you attack Alexander Rael, no hybrids saw you... I saw you, and a couple of other citizens saw you as well,” Arthur stood up.
“The only way the information could spread would be through one of the other slaves... But who could it be... And how did they get the information off the continent... If they could get the information off the continent... Could they be connected to the resistance... “ Arthur continued to contemplate.
‘This guy thinks quickly...’ Jack glanced over at the body in the room. Underneath the unconscious man’s hair, Jack noticed something purple on his forehead. ‘Huh?’ Jack turned and looked back at the unconscious man’s face but didn’t see anything. ‘What was that?’
“Hey, Arthur...” Jack tried to call out to Arthur but he was already up the stairs.
“I must go... If there are resistance members in Logos... I need to find them and soon,” Arthur explained.
“Wait for a second, I’m serious I just saw something!” Jack called Arthur back.
Arthur turned and looked at the body. Jack turned to see the body still on the floor as it always was. There was nothing under his bangs. ‘I swear I saw something...’
“I’m serious I just saw something purple in the corner of my eye,” Jack turned.
“Forget the damn corpse, for now, he isn’t waking up,” Arthur turned around and exited the cellar. “Stay safe, don’t do anything reckless!”
‘What the heck...’ Jack sighed.
“We’re this desperate for the guy to wake up and our first hint at something is ignored...” Jack groaned.
“Yeah, what a shame,” A deep voice to his right said nonchalantly.
“I hate angels...” Jack shook his head. “Huh?” Jack glanced to the right in confusion, only for his face to get grabbed by a large hand. “Hol-mmph!”
Jack struggled and tried to tear away from the man’s grip. The man’s hand was massive, his palm alone was almost bigger than Jack’s head.
“Don’t scream, I’m not going to hurt you…” the once unconscious man asked. “Just tell me where I am, and where my ship is...” He let go after he asked.
He released his grip, and Jack stumbled to the wall. He turned to face the man, the same man who had been unconscious for over a year standing upright and awake. ‘What- What the fuck! I told Arthur!’
His black hair was long and dense as it clumped together. It reached past his shoulders while his bangs reached past his nose, he slid his hair back and rubbed his scarred left eye. The mysterious man had a long face and a well-defined jaw. ‘He’s Alexander Rael’s height...’ The man bent his knees slightly as the room was too short for him. Jack’s heartbeat began to return to normal as he took deep breaths.
“Y-You’re... Awake,” Jack cowered in the corner.
“Yeah...” he raised an eyebrow awkwardly. “My name is Ajal, I am the Divine Being of Imperion.”
“Divine Being? Imperion?” Jack repeated. “M-My name is Jack, this is... The town of Logos... I’m- a slave?” Jack felt awkward as he compared statuses.
“Logos? How long was I out?” Ajal asked with a confused expression.
“A year... M-me and my friend found you inside some blue thing that crashed in the woods and brought you back here because you were hurt,” Jack explained.
“That blue thing is my ship, where is it... I need to get back to Braxus, which faction is this town a part of, when was it made?” Ajal stared at Jack as he awaited an answer.
Jack simply looked at him with a confused expression. Ajal cleared his throat.
“Where on Imperion are we? I don’t recall a country known as Logos ever existing,” Ajal asked Jack once more, gesturing with his hands as if this should be simple to answer.
Jack tilted his head.
“What’s Imperion?” Jack asked.
Ajal’s eyes widened, he looked worried all of a sudden. “What planet is this?”
‘Huh...’
“Grelt… That’s what everyone else calls it…” Jack raised an eyebrow.
Ajal took a step back. “Grelt… Not Imperion…”
Jack nodded and shrugged. “This is… The continent of Kamino… On Grelt, we’re… In Logos- I said Logos already… Uh… You crashed outside Helios over a year ago…?”
“A year!” Ajal looked down in thought as he proceeded to recall the events that led up to his arrival. “This is bad…”
“What are you? Your blood was growing crystals and that wound on your stomach...” Jack asked. “I uh… When we found you, we could see through it…”
Ajal lifted his arm and looked at the rhombus-shaped scar on the left side of his abs. “Yeah, that’s where I got stabbed, a few times...” Ajal said nonchalantly before he went back to thought.
Jack shivered, his teeth slightly jittered. “Stabbed a few times?! W-who stabbed you?”
“My friends…”Ajal looked down for a moment, he had a pained expression. “Can you show me the way to this forest?”
“Uh- Sure?”
‘Who the hell is this guy?!’ Jack led Ajal out of the cellar. He took a deep breath as he touched the wood of the houses. He walked onto the open street, then looked up at the Celestial.
“That’s a Celestial...” Ajal muttered under his breath.
“Yeah... Do- do you also worship it?” Jack asked.
Ajal did a full circle and looked in every direction, he analyzed the surroundings.
“Why are all these houses so poorly made... What kind of technology do you people even have? Hey Jack, do you have a radio?” Ajal asked.
“A radio? What?” Jack replied.
“That answers that... There are no power lines... What’s the most advanced thing you’ve ever seen?”
“What?”
“Never mind that’s a stupid question...” Ajal turned back to the Celestial.
“Ok, at least I know that thing exists here... Is that Celestial on this continent? Can I reach it?” Ajal asked a question Jack would have a simpler time answering.
“Reach it? Well... No, the angels will probably kill you if you try.”
“The… Angels?” Ajal squinted. “Okay, that’s a strange name... I’d rather not start a commotion, what about the other Celestials?”
“Others? There’s only one,” Jack answered as he opened the door to his house.
“What? Imperion has six?” Ajal compared.
“Six?!” Jack shouted in surprise. “Never mind that... You need clothes, aren’t you cold?”
Jack hurried into his house, and Ajal followed, analyzing the interior as he ducked under the door frame. It was less cramped than the cellar but roomy enough so that Ajal didn’t have to crouch slightly. Jack walked into his bedroom, opened the creaking closet, and pulled out an extra beige shirt.
“Try this on,” said Jack as he paced back and forth.
Ajal put the shirt on but it was too tight and his abdomen was still exposed, he immediately took it off
“If you have something bigger that would work,” he commented as he threw the shirt to Jack.
Jack caught the flapping shirt and ran back into the room. He left the shirt on the bed and reached for his parent’s old clothes.
“Try this,” Jack pulled a large beige shirt out of the closet and threw it to Ajal.
Ajal caught the shirt without looking, he was observing the room instead. He pulled the beige shirt over his head, it was still somewhat small for him. His muscles were still defined with the bigger clothes over them.
“I left a change of pants and a coat on the bed, but I wanted to ask... Um... It’s probably a weird question but… Are you a gift from the Celestial?” Jack asked curiously.
Ajal looked at him with one eyebrow raised. “No? What kind of question is that…”
“Oh…”
“I said I’m a divine being...”
Jack rubbed his elbow ‘This guy doesn’t sound right in the head. Can this guy even stand against the angels? He looks strong... But... That’s meaningless against someone with a gift,’ Ajal stood up and entered the bedroom, he closed the door behind him.
“Thanks for the help, I can picture a couple of worse places I could have woken up... You said my ship crashed in the woods?” Ajal asked behind the door.
Jack suddenly remembered what Arthur said. ‘Wait... Alexander Rael is coming back to Logos tomorrow...’ Ajal opened the door and exited the room adjusting the coat. He wore dark brown now. ‘If Alexander Rael is coming tomorrow... I’m screwed... It’s over... I should run away...’
“Do you have a washroom or shower?” Ajal asked as he analyzed the room.
“Theres an outhouse around the back… Showers or most water we have to go down south to the lake…”
“Down south?! Wow…” Ajal shook his head. “You said you’re a slave, right? I’ve never met a slave who owned a house?”
“Well... Everyone in this town must work for the angels...” Jack answered. “They’d hunt us down if we tried to leave…”
“I see… Where did that ship crash?” Ajal nodded.
“In the woods outside Helios, it’s just north of here. What are you gonna do?” Jack replied.
“Can you point me in that direction?” Ajal asked as he walked out of the house.
‘Huh?’ Jack followed him outside, the sky was dark. Ajal stared at the Celestial once more.
“Imperion has six different Celestials. Are you sure there’s only one?” Ajal stated.
While he said it nonchalantly, Jack felt his curiosity boil.
“But... You didn’t get a gift from either of them?” Jack asked, his voice cracking slightly.
“Nope, as I said, I’m a divine being... Which way is the ship?” Ajal asked.
“Huh? Oh, that way,” Jack pointed slightly to the left of the Celestial. “There’s a forest in that direction, and… Past the mountain…”
“Alright, thank you, Jack. I’ll be on my way now,” Ajal turned.
He walked along the town’s path towards Helios. ‘Huh?’ Jack watched as the person he and Arthur waited an entire year for started to walk off.
“Wait...” Jack uttered, but Ajal didn’t hear him. “Wait!” Jack cried as loud as he could.
‘What the hell am I doing...’ Jack thought to himself as he felt tears come out of his eyes.
“Can I come with you?!” Jack asked frantically.
Ajal stopped and looked back at Jack.
“Please... I’d rather be dead than a slave to the angels for another day...” Jack admitted.
Ajal stared at him for a moment.
“What about the other houses?” Ajal asked.
Jack wiped his eyes dry. “Huh?”
“How many people are living here in Logos? There are multiple houses just like yours… Why are you slaves anyway? You don’t look like you’re being chained, you have homes... Can’t you leave?” Ajal observed.
“We have nowhere else to go... The Celestial doesn’t give any of the non-unified gifts. The hybrids and angels would kill us if we try to resist... They think our only use is to work for them...” Jack explained.
“Why doesn’t the Celestial grant you gifts?”
“What? I don’t know, it just never has... It’s always been like this... I don’t even know the reason it grants gifts to people...” Jack replied in confusion.
“That’s… Odd…”Ajal looked down for a few seconds while he rubbed his chin. “Alright, I get it. I’ll try to free you and all these people. We’ll consider this a partnership, one between a slave, and an alien,” Ajal grinned.
“What? What’s an alien?”
“Ugh- This is difficult- Uh... Just... Take me to my ship because I have no idea where I am,” Ajal turned.
Jack felt a mix of relief that followed the panic he felt, he felt as if he had almost lost his one chance to escape this hell.
“I’m on my way!” Jack ran forward.
In the corner of his eyes, he saw a face in the window. A blonde-haired woman peeking out. ‘Isn’t that Lydia... Why is she looking at me like that...’ She stared at Jack with wide eyes. Jack took a moment to realize she just saw Ajal and heard everything.
“Ah- crap?!” Jack looked around awkwardly.
Jack rubbed his head, he looked over at Ajal who stared off at Necropolis in the distance.
“How do people get up there?” Ajal asked himself.
Jack looked back at Lydia standing in the window, her palm was on the glass. He felt awkward as she continued to stare at him as if she hoped for something. ‘Screw her...’ Jack turned away and ran off to catch up to Ajal.
The two made their way out of Logos, walking down the pathway toward the mines. The ground was littered with leaves that had fallen from the trees in the forest.
“It’s almost Hemhir? How is the cold season here in this place? I’d imagine it’s hard if that’s how the houses are built,” Ajal asked while he pointed at the town with his thumb.
Jack’s eyes had adjusted to the darkness, the crop fields were full of wrinkled and dry crops.
“We don’t get snow here, but it’s much colder than it is during Vagril or Grivar,” Jack explained.
“Hmm...” Ajal squinted at Jack.
“What?” Jack asked.
“It’s strange, we have the same seasons... And the same language,” Ajal noticed. “On my world, we had known there were other planets, but we were still working on reaching them… We always imagined people would speak other languages…”
The skinny branches of the trees loomed over them, the dark blue sky was visible past the black silhouettes of branches above them. ‘There’s a whole other world out there... I haven’t even seen all of this one.’ Jack wondered as he looked up at the black sky.
“How is Imperion?” Jack asked.
“Imperion huh, well... It’s nice... I-I think...” Ajal stuttered awkwardly.
Ajal looked up in thought about how to word his answer. ‘What does that mean?’ Jack looked puzzled as the two entered the dark forest.
“Last time I was on Imperion... I thought I was saving it...” Ajal explained.
Branches cracked as they stepped over piles of leaves. Jack looked at him oddly.
“But, I guess I was more like the armies dog... Doing the bidding of the higher-ups... Until they didn’t need me anymore...” Ajal clenched his fist tightly.
“Sounds familiar...” Jack scratched the side of his head.
“When I found out they were using me... I killed every one of them,” Ajal casually said.
Jack felt his heart skip a beat when he heard Ajal say that so calmly. He slowed down as Ajal looked down.
“Well, not I... We did... I have a team, or I had a team... My friends...” The tall man rubbed his head awkwardly.
“You killed them? You’re a soldier?” Jack questioned.
“No, Imperion has an army we call... We’re called... The Imperials... That sounds dumb to say to someone who isn’t from there... To set Imperion free, my friends and I set out to kill our false prophets, however right after we succeeded... They turned on me...” Ajal stopped and put his hand over his wound. “The worst part is... None of them said anything... I barely escaped with my life.”
Jack didn’t know what to say, but he felt like he should say something.
“That’s how Imperion is, I wanted to make it a better place, but... I guess I didn’t see it through to the end,” said Ajal.
“I don’t know what to say…” Jack stuttered. “Well... The people of Logos sold out my parents even though they were just trying to help… My parents closed the mines to help them get some rest… Alexander Rael… The Warden of Logos treats us like were just tools… Beating us if we try to resist… Sometimes even to death… He killed my friend, and my parents…”
Ajal looked surprised.
“The people in that town sold out their own?” Ajal pointed back at Logos.
“Yeah... One of the noble angels, Alexander Rael, made the people clear the debris with their bare hands. Rather than work, the other slaves gave my parents up, but they still ended up clearing the entrance themselves... I don’t know, if that helps answer anything at all…” Jack shrugged. “I guess… You could think you’re helping someone but… Maybe you’re not…”
“Maybe... No use thinking about it now though…” Ajal sighed. “This Alexander Rael guy sounds bad… Do you hate him?”
Jack turned to him quickly. ‘Hate him?’
“I hate his guts! People in Logos hate me just because of what he did... I’ve never even met my parents... I wish Alexander could just die but that didn’t even work... The guys invincible or something,” Jack snapped and vented his rage.
“You never met your parents?” Ajal asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Non-unified kids are sent south to grow up and learn the basics of labor. When their parents are executed or are sent to Ulkay when they are too old, the child takes their place in either Roccan or Logos. Any children born are supposed to be sent to Torovince. No one knows their parents, maybe they’ll know their siblings if they’re lucky,” Jack explained.
“It’s funny that they’re called angels,” Ajal joked. “Do they have wings?”
“No?”
The two of them reached the large opening to the mines. The interior was too dark to see through. Some of the trees around the entrance had toppled over some time ago.
“It’s this way,” Jack pointed down the path in between the wall of the mountain and the trees of the forest.
There were tiny purple crystal on the ground, they were scattered around the path. Ajal noticed it and then slowed down.
“That reminds me, you didn’t say... Why does your blood turn into a crystal?” Jack asked.
Ajal got down on one knee in front of the small purple crystal. His expression was blank as he stared down at it with wide eyes.
“Are you alright?” Jack asked.
“Yeah... Sorry... My blood has always done this, it’s because I’m a divine being,” Ajal answered.
‘A divine what-’ Ajal crushed the crystal in his hand and bright purple light slipped through the cracks of his fist ‘Woah!’ Jack quickly covered his face, but he was surprised to see the explosion wasn’t as big as it was when he used them.
“What was that!” Jack replied in confusion. “Your hand! It’s... It’s okay?!”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Ajal continued forward nonchalantly.
Jack stood speechless for several seconds before following. “Huh... Hey wait up! How’d you do that!”
The two approached a large grey boulder that had been broken off the mountain. The foliage had begun to grow from underneath the boulder. ‘The last time I was here was with Carol...’ Jack recalled.
“We have to go around this boulder, that thing crashed just past it,” Jack pointed to the left of the rock.
“Don’t worry...” Ajal said as he walked towards the boulder and put his palm on the rough surface.
‘Don’t worry?’ Ajal’s fist seemed to glow red in the darkness. Ajal pulled his arm back, took a deep breath, and swung forward.
‘What the hell is he-’
As his fist connected Jack felt himself get pushed back slightly. The massive boulder that towered over them shattered outwards into multiple pieces with a loud smash that rippled through the sky. ‘Holy shit!’ Jack shielded his face. Bits of pebbles rained down from the sky in front of them. The path had been cleared and Ajal walked forward through a field of shattered rock.
“Woah! Woah, slow down... How did you do that!” Jack shouted.
“I punched it, with spirit arts?” Ajal spoke casually as if that was a normal thing to do.
“Are all divine beings this strong! Does Grelt have one?” Jack babbled as he observed the jagged chunks of debris that scattered from that boulder.
“Is this the place?” Ajal asked as he noticed the many broken tree trunks.
“Huh? Yeah...” Jack calmed down as he remembered the scene he witnessed.
The blue object had once been at the base of a few trees it couldn’t knock down, however, it was gone now. Where the object once rested, the grass had failed to grow for some time and now was merely a patch of dirt.
“Well, it’s been a year... I’m not surprised it’s gone, but...” Ajal muttered as he walked over to the large patch of dirt. There had been a distinct path on the ground where something had to have been dragged through.
“They dragged it further through the forest...” Ajal said in an annoyed tone. “It better not be damaged.”
“But... Helios is that way?” Jack pointed north.
“Well, the trail looks like it’s going east. What’s over there anyway?” Ajal asked.
“It’s just more forest...” Jack answered before he recalled his conversation with Eos yesterday. “Wait, there is something over there... I’ve only heard about it, I don’t know what it is though.”
“Well, let’s go,” Ajal put his hands back into his pockets and continued to carelessly walk along the path of dead grass.
“Wait, if you’re this strong... Can you... Can you kill the angels?!” Jack asked desperately.
Ajal stopped and stared at Jack with a look of disappointment.
“No. I’m done killing people,” Ajal declined before he turned and continued onward.
“But... They’re evil! They don’t deserve to live! They’ve killed thousands of people for years and no one has been able to do anything! But you can! You might be able to do it if you can shatter a boulder that big with your bare fist! And if you don’t kill them... They’ll just come back for you, over and over!” Jack snapped.
Jack breathed heavily. Ajal turned around.
“I really like being alive…” Ajal stated simply.
Jack reared his head back. “Wha- What?”
“I’ll help you attain freedom... I refuse to take another life in the process of that...” Ajal declared as he turned and continued to walk through the forest.
‘That won’t...’ Jack looked down, he considered for a moment whether he was in the wrong. ‘How can we be free while they exist…’