《[Alternative Recode]》


 Chapter 1: Save the World

    Chapter 1: Save the World


    "A pleasant morning to all you listeners out there. A decade later, we humanity join hands once again as we reflect back on one of the most painful tragedies in our history: the outbreak of the May Plague. This May first, join us in this special report on how everyone, infected or not, has struggled to live in this broken world. Stay tuned." The solemn voice from the radio cut off, and was replaced by a series of advertisements nobody listened to.


    Our story begins in a homey little caf¨¦ on the outskirts of town. As people rarely came by, it was a perfect place to spend time when the troubles of life overtook you. The small bell above the door tinkled, and a gloomy young man entered the premises without ado.


    "Hmm, this place too, huh?" he mumbled to himself, as he was welcomed by an all-too familiar silence. Not even the radio could conceal the eerie muteness that permeated the air. He chose a place near the window and, after ordering a strawberry shortcake and a steaming cup of coffee, took out a pocketbook from his bag.


    The bell tinkled once more. The second customer of the day was a man in a lab coat, hiding his face behind a comically large newspaper. He took a corner seat and ordered a chocolate parfait, never once peeking outside. Our protagonist ¡ª Jack Waterfelt ¡ª nodded to himself, confirming his suspicions. The lab coat guy has been indeed following him all morning. In the library, in the park, even in the bathroom ¡ª he never dropped his pursuit nor his newspaper.


    Jack clicked his tongue. "How annoying," he said, wondering what he may have done to attract attention. He may not be some kind of fugitive, but attention was always bad. It was a lesson his teacher forcefully drilled inside his head. And she was right, as there were many scuffles in the past he could''ve avoided if he was a little more discreet than usual. He had to think of a way to lose the guy, then maybe move to the next city. Hopefully he wasn''t persistent enough to chase him until there.


    "But it sure is silent in here..." Everywhere he went, he was met with empty eyes. From the rare passersby on the streets to the lone shopkeeper who listlessly stared at the radio, and maybe even the guy hiding behind the newspaper. All of them had the same dead eyes. They say it''s been like this ever since that day exactly ten years ago. The day of the outbreak. And although Jack had the very same eyes, it was for an entirely different reason


    "Dammit, now''s not the time to think about that," he told himself. He had no time for reminiscing. At times like these, his teacher would say: Jack, if someone''s following you, it''s not enough to run away. Running away wildly is a no no. You gotta be smart. You gotta be sharp. You gotta use distractions. Divert his attention to something big. When he loses sight of you, then you run away. Timing is everything. Now, don''t do the distraction, let something else do. Much more effective that way.


    Jack nodded to himself. Now that he had a plan from his teacher, he was both invisible and invincible. Timing was everything. It wasn''t hard to find some random eye-catching trouble in this day and age. He rose up and prepared to promptly pay and leave, but something else took the first move.


    The door crash opened. Three punks with brightly colored hair stepped inside and scanned the area with looks that didn''t belong to a regular customer. The moment their apparent leader met eyes with the poor shaking shopkeeper, he stomped his foot on the ground with a large thud.


    "Empty that cash register, old man! Nobody else move! You know what happens if you do, right?" he said while throwing a bag to the shopkeeper.  This too was another usual scene in this world. These lively punks were, surprisingly enough, the results of the chaos ten years ago ¡ª sufferers of the May Death. They seemed too lively to be patients of a disease, but that didn''t fool Jack one bit. The troubles he had with these people were too many to bother counting.


    "Hey, you! Go back to your seat! Or do you wanna die?" shouted one of the goons at him. Jack took a small glance at the old shopkeeper shakily dumping all his earnings into the bag. If he left it alone, the punks would surely cause a big enough distraction to shake off his stalker. Even his no-trouble policy told him so. But something felt wrong. There was that prickly feeling in his heart. At times like this, what would his teacher say?


    ''Listen Jack. Conscience is a dangerous thing. Nothing good comes out of it. Conscience brings doubt, which brings hesitation, which brings death. When time comes, always clear your conscience. Got it? You can''t have a choice if you''re dead. Never forget!''


    "Dammit, teach."


    "Hey! You listening? You wanna die?" the punk threatened. None of his words registered in Jack''s mind.


    He took a deep breath. He felt the weight of the wooden bamboo sword dangling on his waist. He gripped his trusty partner and slackened his stance. On its handle was a white sash. That sight alone was enough to calm his heart. He took a bold step forward and glared at his enemies.


    "What''s this? You tryn''a be a hero? Watcha gonna do with a wooden sword?" Punk number one with the pink hair walked closer. "You know what we are, right? You think you gotta chance against us?"


    "Shut up, you freak. Why don''t you go back to mommy and cry until you die?" Jack said with a grin.


    Veins popped up on the punk''s head. He wasn''t taking this insult lightly. "What''cha said about mah mommy? You''ve gone and done it now, brat!" He thrust both of his hands forward and focused on one spot. Jack felt it. On the center of his body was heat. Just a hundredth of a second, but it was enough for his reflexes. He pulled back ¡ª and that spot spontaneously burst in flames.


    "Spontaneous combustion. I see, you''re a pyrokinetic." Jack took the sword from his waist and readied a stance. After taking a few deep breaths, he finalized his plan to defeat all three in one swoop.


    Punk one clicked his tongue. "You avoided that? Then let''s see you avoid this! And this! And this! And this! And this! And this!"


    A barrage of explosions surrounded him, but Jack avoided them all with nimble steps. Before the punk noticed, he danced his way closer and closer until he was within reach.


    "What the¡ª?"


    A clean hit on his forehead did the job. The unfortunate punk''s figure crumpled down, surprising his other two comrades. Jack did a spin and struck the next punk''s nape before he could completely turn invisible. He then thrust his sword in empty air.


    "Dammit, I was too slow," Jack muttered, staring at the remaining troublemaker standing from a distance. It seemed like punk number three''s power was telekinesis, and he propelled himself away before he could get hit. He prepared his stance once more.


    "AAAAHHH!" The red-haired punk lifted a table midair with his mind and threw it at Jack. He avoided it with the smallest movement required. The punk didn''t stop his assault and threw everything he saw at him ¡ª tables, chairs, even the chocolate parfait ¡ª nothing was safe from his wrath.


    "The hell''s with you!" the punk shouted. "What''s wrong with stealing a bit from you uninfected? We''re gonna die in a year anyways, so what''s wrong with taking from you? It''s just fair, right? Why the hell should only we suffer! Die! Die! Die!"


    He finally threw a table that obstructed his view. Jack didn''t miss the chance and made his move. He dashed forward and readied his sword for a one-hit-kill, but something unexpected happened.


    "Take this!" the table broke and revealed the punk flying at him at an insane speed. Jack realized what his aim was. Punk guy threw himself at him with telekinesis. There were many ways to catch the May Disease, but the most surefire way was skin-to-skin contact.


    But instead of dodging, Jack pressed on with his attack ¡ª and casually caught his punky face with a death grip.


    They stayed in that position for a while. Jack started feeling the beads of sweat from the punk''s face. Of course. Nothing was happening to Jack. No nosebleeds, no convulsions, no hair color-changing ¡ª not even a sneeze. It brought surprise not only for the punk, but for the shopkeeper and his stalker as well.


    "H¡ªhow?" punk three asked with a shaky voice.


    "It just isn''t your lucky day, I guess."


    Without further ado, he slammed his head on the ground. But it wasn''t over. He raised the unconscious body without releasing his grip and threw it outside the window, shattering the glass to a million pieces.


    ''Disappearance trick!'' Jack thought to himself. It was just for a millisecond, but he noticed it. The lab coat guy diverted his attention to the thrown punk outside. That was all he needed. Jack immediately made like the wind and quickly left the premises, leaving nothing but burning furniture and shattered glasses in his stead.


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    <hr />


    "Oh shit, I forgot to pay."


    Jack finally realized this fact once he arrived at a darkened alleyway. He promised himself that one day, he would pay the old shopkeeper in one way or another. But he was finally able to shake off that weird newspaper lab coat guy. Whatever his goal was, it was sure to be trouble, and Jack did the right thing in avoiding him. Not only that, he also did a good job in saving the poor shopkeeper.


    Sirens could be heard from afar, signaling the end of the fight. That was probably the Department of Public Defense going out to catch those rogue infected. That was the end waiting for them. They were sent to the infamous Quarantine Zones, where they''d wait for a year until their life wilted away.


    Jack stared at the hand he used to grip that punk. He''s held many people, both infected and not, but he never got the disease. It was a trait special to him. Maybe that was the reason why that lab coat guy was on his tail. Who knew? He didn''t want to know the reason for this trait, either. He knew it would only bring unnecessary trouble, so he refrained from digging any further. He might be the key to saving the world, but it never mattered to him.


    "That''s right. It''s because I don''t even know this world..."


    "Hoh? What did you mean by that?" asked a woman''s voice from behind.


    Jack hurriedly placed some distance between him and the voice. He turned around, and he was greeted by a woman with an alluring smile. The one thing he noticed was the custom-made lab coat she wore. It was different from the other guy, as hers had cutesy patterns on the stitches of her coat. She also had a smaller build than his stalker. "What''s wrong?"


    Jack readied his hand on his wooden sword and remained vigilant of her every move. "Who''re you?"


    "Me? Oh, just someone who''s been following you all morning," she replied with a cocky grin.


    He never noticed. Jack never noticed her anywhere this morning. Sure, there was the lab coat newspaper guy, but he never caught any sight of her anywhere. For someone who boasted his teacher''s life skills, he was extremely surprised.


    "Why the surprise? It''s the same principle you used back at the cafe: distraction. Well, just a bigger version of it. I only had to divert your attention to something big ¡ª that is, my assistant ¡ª and follow you around in a different way. You focused so much on that one guy that you lost sight of the true stalker ¡ª that is me."


    She was a dangerous woman to use his teacher''s teachings that effectively, Jack thought to himself. His senses warned him to be careful in dealing with her. Although he could try and shake her off like with that assistant, his gut feeling told him that it wouldn''t work. At times like these, he had no choice but to deal with the problem as quickly and as efficiently as possible.


    "What do you want?" he asked straight to the point without dropping his guard.


    "Now now, no need to be so tense. I''m here to offer you a job, nothing else."


    That somehow piqued Jack''s interest. After living as a vagabond for a year, he knew how hard it was to find a good job. But he also wouldn''t take the bait that easily.


    "What kind of job?" he asked.


    The woman smiled, as if she already won the game. "Well, I can''t say the details, but let''s just assume that it''s such a great job that it''ll take your mind off this world."


    Suspicious. Too suspicious. The way she worded that was like saying he would die on the job. And perhaps it really was that dangerous. Either way, Jack already made his choice. He might never find another jobs as mysterious as what she offered, but he also only had one life to spend. "Sorry, but I decline. I don''t like troublesome things."


    He passed by her shoulder and left her alone. He knew he did the right thing. Even if that woman came back again and again, he would refuse again and again and again. He wouldn''t fall for her persistence. He would live the life of a vagabond until his death, content of whatever he may come across during his travels. That is, if she never mentioned that name before he was out of earshot.


    "Sara Aislin."


    Jack stopped dead in his tracks. His heart raced faster. The grip on his sword tightened. He never expected to hear that name again in his life. A name made taboo by the world, that forsaken name.


    Seeing that she got his attention, the woman pressed on. "The cursed name of Sara Aislin. Well, with a good reason, too. I mean, she was the single reason of the world''s death ten years ago. The infamous leader of Liroli, the terrorist organization that lead humanity to its ruin. That Sara Aislin, the greatest mass murderer who effectively killed a third of humanity."


    Jack held whatever words he would''ve blurted out and chose his words carefully. "... And what about her?"


    "I heard you were searching information about her. Information above the narrative, that is."


    The woman took Jack''s silence as a cue to continue. "Well, I''m not here to condemn you. Also, I heard you lost your memories three years ago. Am I right?"


    "... Yes, you are." It was one of the main reasons he never understood the people of this age. He never had any memories about whatever happened ten years ago, so he couldn''t understand everyone''s sentiments about it. The lab coat woman was well-researched. He knew more things about him than he knew about her, and that was a dangerous position to be in. "So why are you asking these questions?"


    "Meh, just mere curiosity," she replied. "But if you really are determined in finding information about Sara Aislin, take this and visit the Department of Scientific Advances tomorrow."


    She casually threw him a card. It baffled Jack, as all it was nothing but a normal silver card that only read [Save the World]. No identity, no purpose, nothing but to show those troublesome words. He clutched the card in his hand. He wondered if this was finally the clue he has been waiting for. The clue that would lead him to the only person who could unlock his memories. "I may have taken this, but it doesn''t mean that I''ll go."


    "Oh, you''ll go," she said with certainty. "You''ll definitely go. You''re not someone who misses opportunity, after all."


    "Whatever." Jack turned around. He felt that spending a single second more with her would considerably lower his lifespan. He shouldn''t let that mysterious woman get to his psych, not with this new path presented to him. Sara Aislin. His lost memories. Saving the world. Tomorrow would probably be the first step in solving the many problems that predated his mind. With the silver card in hand, he walked away from the source of all his problems today.


    "Hey, before you go!" the woman shouted before Jack could step out of the dark alleyway. "My name''s Marianne Eventide, Head Professor of the Department of Scientific Advances. Welcome, Jack Waterfelt, to the World Restoration Project!"


    <hr />


    Minutes after Jack Waterfelt left the scene...


    "Good job, Professor Marianne." A man in a lab coat holding a newspaper appeared from a supposed-to-be boarded door at an obscure part of the alleyway. It was Marianne''s assistant, the one who she ordered to follow Jack all morning. His name was Marc, and although he looked older than her, still treated her with more respect. And for a good reason. "But really, that was a great plan. You used me to distract him and take his attention away from you. As expected of the Head Professor," he said with admiration.


    "What the hell are you talking about?" Marianne asked, seriously curious as to what his assistant was talking about.


    "Eh, I mean, right? I know you didn''t tell me about it, but it was part of the plan to make it look less suspicious, right? You know, the whole ''I only had to divert your attention to something big ¡ª that is, my assistant ¡ª and follow you around on a different route,'' right?" he said, while imitating Marianne''s pride-filled way of saying it.


    She slammed her assistant''s head. "Are you stupid? That was clearly a lie."


    "... Eh?" Marc couldn''t understand the professor''s words.


    "I''m a scientist, not a fucking ninja. Do you really believe I could follow him around with in a lab coat all morning without being noticed?"


    "O¡ªoh," the assistant said, his voice dripping with disappointment.


    "I just wanted to get on his nerves. I even practiced throwing that Marker Card all night, just to keep up with my mysterious atmosphere. It''s character building!"


    "O¡ªoh!" the assistant said, his voice now brimming with admiration. "As expected of the Head Professor!"


    "Now let''s go. We''ve got bigger things to worry about tomorrow."

 Chapter 2: Puny Mortals

    Chapter 2: Puny Mortals


    The Western District Ruins were one of the many consequences of the great war that started the plague ten years ago. This place what was once a bustling city with many high-rise buildings was reduced to nothing but rubble left to rot. Jack Waterfelt treaded across the chunks of concrete and cracked roads, carefully checking out unstable ground.


    People rarely dared to enter the ruins. One reason was that the government closed off the perimeter to the public due to safety reasons. The other was because many of those infected came here to hide from the Department of Public Defense, hearing rumors of the harshness of their Quarantine Zones. And although it has been proven that the disease wasn''t airborne, nobody uninfected could be too sure when it came to their own safety. Obviously.


    A few moments later, he saw a strange figure from a distance walking to his direction. He had a small frame like a kid, hiding every part of his body with an oversized blue raincoat. In the middle of the afternoon. It was probably just some may-infected drifter running away from the DPD, Jack believed. It wasn''t his problem though.


    As soon as he was at close range, the raincoat figure suddenly staggered and fell, lightly bumping Jack.


    "H¡ªhiiiiii¡ª!" he ¡ª or rather, she ¡ª squeaked and scurried away like a frightened mouse.


    "... What was that all about?" Jack wondered. But this event, which was perhaps the catalyst of a great catastrophe to come, quickly became the last thing on his mind.


    <hr />


    On top of the long winding slope was a military base, with high electric fences walling its perimeter. Believe it or not, this was the Department of Scientific Advances. True to its secretive nature, they hid their base in the dead center of the Western District Ruins, where people were scarce and test subjects were abundant. Even Jack didn''t know where to find this place at first, until he squeezed the information from his esteemed and seemingly all-knowing teacher.


    As he got closer to the top of the slope, he caught shouts from an argument between one cutesy voice and two gruff voices.


    "Like I tell you, I''m an infected! Lemme in! I''m part of the World Respiration Project, you know?"


    "You''re not in the list, missy. Scram before we actually shoot you."


    "Yeah. We''ve shot children smaller than you. Don''t test out patience."


    On front of the gate were two heavily-dressed military soldiers armed with armalites, arguing with a kid who looked about fourteen. She had golden blond hair neatly tied up and sparkling blue eyes that captivated at first sight. What was peculiar about her was her dress ¡ª a flowing white sundress paired with a wide-brimmed hat ¡ª a total clash with the sober ruins around them. The perfect way to describe her was a forest fairy who wandered into the valley of death. Jack approached at a safe distance and observed her actions, just enough to not be dragged along with them.


    "You don''t believe I''m infected? Look! Look at my hair! It''s yellow, but it shouldn''t be yellow. It should be black, like that guy who can''t help a lady," she said while sticking a tongue out at my direction. Jack clicked his tongue, annoyed that he got noticed.


    "You''re gonna help me, right?" she pleaded with those beady sapphire eyes.


    "No," Jack flatly answered.


    "Rejected again... I didn''t need your help anyways!" she said while puffing her cheeks in anger. She returned her attention to the soldiers. "Why don''t you let me enter? My hair''s colored as well, isn''t that enough proof that I''m an infected?"


    The soldiers were unamused. "Even before the outbreak, blond was already a natural hair color. If you want to prove your authenticity, show us your ability," they said, fully expecting her to give up this time. Even Jack, master of getting in trouble with infecteds, had a hard time discerning if she really had the May Disease or not. The only thing she really had in common with them was that specific trait: being annoying. This was probably the only way she could prove herself, other than showing some sort of identification.


    "Ability, huh." A spark of genius flashed in the young girl''s eyes. "If you want ability, then how about ¡ª this!"


    She did some showy hand motions, and from out of nowhere pulled out a deck of cards. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present thee with a special show today, as I demonstrate my awesome ability: magic!" She struck a weird pose, balancing with one foot while raising her deck of cards up high, waiting for a reaction from her audience.


    "Hahahaha!" The soldiers burst into laughter. "Fine, fine. We''re bored anyways. Show us what you got."


    The girl skillfully shuffled the deck with one hand, gaining looks of surprise and admiration. She may be weird, but she sure knew how to handle her cards. She spread the deck and presented it to them. "Pick a card, any card. And don''t show it to me." Soldier one took a card and showed it to his partner, and Jack as well. It was the six of hearts.


    "Okay? Now, put it back. Lemme show how true magic is done." She took the card and shuffled the deck, complete with an interpretive dance. "I see all. I see ALL! Every speck of dust in the universe, I see! The secrets of both life, death, and the BEYOND! I am the great sage of DARKNESS AND I WILL REVEAL TO YOU THE KNOWLEDGE I HAVE ACCUMULATED OVER MY THOUSAND YEARS OF EXPERIENCE! LO AND BEHOLD, PUNY MORTALS!"


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    She drew a seemingly random card from the deck and raised it up high. It was the Jack of Spades.


    The soldiers were unamused. They probably realized now that the girl was simply messing with them.


    "Curses! That video told me it would work!" She immediately backed out, sensing that the soldiers would actually shoot her if she messed with them more that she already has. She gave Jack an angry stare. "... What are you looking at, creep? I bet you can''t get in without using cards."


    He stopped his hand reaching for his silver card. Jack knew she was baiting him to create a commotion, but he just couldn''t accept being even lower than the kid.


    "Then, it''s my turn to do magic."


    "Oh?" The young girl raised an eyebrow as she observed with interest. Jack stepped forward and drew closer to the soldiers.


    "Are you that girl''s guardian? You should tell her not to play in this area. You know the rumors, right?"


    Jack didn''t waste time replying. He took a deep breath, placed a hand in his pocket, and calmly observed the two soldiers. Their breathing, their subtle mannerisms, their line of sight, their wariness to his actions ¡ª nothing escaped his observations. He was looking for ''that,'' the magical spot that every human should have.


    "Hey, what are you¡ª What the!?"


    He made his move. To the soldiers, it seemed like he suddenly vanished into thin air. What actually happened was Jack slipping into the soldiers'' blind spot with perfect execution. As soon as he was close enough, he used soldier one''s shoulder as a step to do a flip that threw him to the other side of the gate.


    Everyone was stunned. Soldier two was first to recover, as he readied his armalite and quickly aimed at Jack''s torso. "Shit! Take thi¡ª"


    He stopped before his finger reached the trigger. In Jack''s hand was a silver card that read nothing but [Save the World]. That single card alone was able to stop his untimely death. "... So you had a pass. Why didn''t you say so? You scared the fuck out of me there."


    Jack paid him no heed. He glared back at the young girl who challenged him. "There you go, I got in without the card. Staying in is a different story."


    Her eyes turned into dots. It was as if she couldn''t understand what she just saw. After her loading bar got filled, she returned Jack''s glare "Heh, what do you know? Straightforward and stupid, just like you should be. But I have to admit you actually won the challenge. Curses, foiled again."


    "And what the hell is going on here?" said a familiar voice that came behind Jack. Silky blond hair, striking brown eyes, a posture of confidence, the trademark lab coat with cutesy stitches ¡ª it was the Head Scientist of the Department of Scientific Advances, Marianne Eventide.


    "Ma''am!" the soldiers stood in attention. "These two troublemakers were stirring up trouble, ma''am!"


    "That''s why we''re called troublemakers, doofus," the fairy interjected. She didn''t flinch one bit from the soldier''s threatening glare. She then turned to Marianne and gave her a puppy-dog look. "Isn''t that right, mama?"


    "What!?" It was Jack and the soldier''s eyes'' turn to turn into dots. They couldn''t follow the developments unfolding in front of him.


    And to her alleged daughter, the scientist drove a sharp punch into her delicate body, making the young girl squirm in pain.


    "That hurt, dammit! What was that for?"


    "Stop with your games, Iris. You better tell me what the fuck are you doing in MY department, or I will kill the sorry little thing you call your life." Marianne spat. She probably loathed being in the presence of the girl''s existence.


    "Please stop using such profane words in front of a child. And I''m here to apply for the World Respiration Project!" she answered while flashing a smile and showing her own silver card.


    ''So she had one,'' Jack thought. ''But really, who the hell is she? And shouldn¡¯t it be Restoration?''


    Marianne heaved a heavy sigh. "You freak. Whatever, I would care less where you stole that from, I''m done with you. Do what you want." She directed her attention to one of the soldiers. "Dump her to Briefing Room #3. And Jack, follow me. Dammit, why do you kids have to ruin my lunch?"


    The soldier carried the girl''s tiny frame like what you would do to a kitten or a piece of garbage. She turned to face Jack and gave him a thumbs up. "Nice team up, fellow troublemaker. What''s your name?"


    "... Jack. Jack Waterfelt," he answered begrudgingly. The girl was nothing but trouble, but he couldn''t deny he felt a sense of camaraderie for a moment there. Or maybe he just liked seeing that Marianne being handled by a kid. It was the least he could do.


    "Well, I''m Iris Seralstin. I''ve got a feeling we''ll be partners in crime. Until next time, so don''t you die on me! And you, soldier two, check your pockets! And you, mama, you better prepare some breastmik!" She shouted as her figure grew smaller and smaller as she was carried deeper inside the base.


    "... So, is she really your daughter?" Jack asked Marianne.


    "No. Definitely no," she flatly answered. "The hell, what is wrong with her? Let''s go, I want to conduct a little interview."


    Jack followed Marianne inside the base, but not without a final glance at the remaining soldier. He fumbled through his pockets one by one, and as if like magic, a six of hearts came fluttering down the ground.


    <hr />

 Chapter 3: Take the Job

    Chapter 3: Take the Job


    The Department of Scientific Advances didn''t look like the department of scientific advances on the outside. It was the department of military advances. Military trucks, jets and soldiers scattered all over the grounds without any sense of alertness. It was indeed a lax environment. Their destination was Building Block 1, the largest building around. It wasn''t saying much as it was only two stories tall. Although the decaying building didn''t shout "scientific advances" from the outside, inside was a different story. They both entered a minimalistic world of white. White walls, white floors, white ceilings. It reminded Jack of a dull mental institute, and it could very well be. Another eerie thing was the lack of any activity or living being. Only Jack and the scientist''s own breathing resounded in the white halls with discreet white sliding doors with a card scanner beside them.


    "Where''s everyone?" Jack asked.


    "We''re understaffed at the moment," she replied. "Can''t blame them, with the abysmal pay and nonexistent benefits."


    "A department of the World Order is?"


    "The DSA is relatively new. The only thing they''d lend us is an army, but I bet they think we''re more of a refuge for problem soldiers. Who''d want to honestly work with infecteds?"


    Thus ended their conversation. A few twists and turns later, they reached a hall with a lone door at the end. Unlike the other doors, this one had a doorknob. There was no presence of a scanner of any kind around it. Above the door was a sign that read "Head Scientist''s Office."


    Marianne placed her hand on the doorknob, twisted it and slightly pulled the door back.


    "Let me be the first to say, welcome to hell."


    <hr />


    And indeed, her office was hell. It looked like the place was ransacked by a storm, as everything was a cacophony of papers, books and furniture. Jack watched in horror as Marianne mindlessly trod above the debris to make a pathway to the only thing that properly stood amidst the chaos ¡ª an expensive-looking mahogany table with a pile of books resting on top.


    "... Don''t you ever take time to clean?"


    "I just don''t like cleaning. I remember ever piece of detail in this room, ever speck, so I don''t worry about misplacing my stuff. Enough of that. What do you want, coffee or tea?"


    "Coffee."


    She kicked a stack of books that blocked her way and reached for the tumbled down mini refrigerator at the corner of the room. After rummaging inside for a while, she pulled out two cans of extra-chilled iced coffee. Marianne threw one to Jack''s direction, but he didn''t seem too ecstatic about her offer.


    "Nothing hot?"


    "It''s too tiresome. I could spend the time making hot water for instant coffee to finish a day''s worth of paperwork."


    "Instant coffee? The thought of brewing actual coffee never entered your mind?"


    "It''s all the same shit. Look, I don''t have chairs, so feel free use those books over there," she said, pointing to a corner where a stack of books was left to collect dust. "Get creative, make a throne out of it for all I care. This room is a Zen Zone, it becomes whatever you think it to be."


    "I think of it as a messed-up warehouse."


    Marianne flashed him a smug grin. "Then you must have a messed-up mind."


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    "... Yeah, whatever."


    Rather than follow her orders, Jack decided to just blast it all and sit on the floor ¡ª or the mess of papers and books on the floor, to be exact. It was his own little way of protesting against the unreasonable Marianne. She upped Jack in his own game by following him around and offering a shady job he normally wouldn''t take ¡ª if it wasn''t for the information she dangled in front of him.


    Marianne Eventide was a suspicious character. She knew what he was looking for despite his best efforts to hide it. And unlike most of the people he met, she said ''her'' name without any hint of disgust, fear or even twisted adoration, as if it was just another name to be said. Jack ascertained that she had real information due to that, but the problem was getting it out.


    The scientist carelessly swiped off the mess on top of her mahogany table and sat on it with legs crossed. The first thought that entered Jack''s mind was a lofty queen who held authority over the secrets of the universe. He quickly snapped out of it and steeled himself for whatever fastball that may come his way.


    But she exceeded his expectations. "So, was Sara Aislin your girlfriend?"


    Jack sprayed the chilled coffee he was drinking. "The hell is that question about?"


    "Nothing, just curious. Actually, I don''t plan on asking you about your past, or your motives. Those stuff reveal themselves more truthfully in time. All I need is your services. You work for me, I tell you what you want."


    He raised an eyebrow. It was an interesting proposal, not one he expected, but probably better. His teacher always said that the number one priority when swimming through dangerous people was hiding your motive. Motive decides whether you fail or succeed. It gives your enemies the means to become one step ahead of you at every turn. It was best for Jack to hide his motive for finding Sara as much as possible.


    "I do this troublesome job, you give me information. But what assurances do I have that you have the information that I''m looking for?" Jack had assurance, but he wanted to ask just in case.


    "This should be enough assurance." Marianne took out a picture from her lab coat''s pocket and threw it at Jack''s way.


    He couldn''t believe what he was seeing. The picture was a group shot of three scientists posing in front of a huge cylindrical machine: a frail blond girl on the left throwing an unstable peace sign, an older blond on the center glancing at the machine with a proud look and the one on the left with the silver hair timidly looking away from the camera. He knew these three women well. It was Sara Aislin, Marianne Eventide and surprisingly, his teacher, Anya Rozhkova.


    "You know my teacher?"


    Marianne smiled like she expected this reaction from him. "Are you going to take the job or not?"


    "No, how did you know my teach¡ª"


    "Are you going to take the job or not?" she asked once again, more forcefully this time.


    "Fine. I take the job. Are you happy?"


    "Yes I am."


    They both glared at each other so hard that sparks began to form between them, both unwilling to let down their threatening auras. The first one to back off was Jack, when he realized the most crucial question he failed to ask since day one.


    "So, what''s the job again?"


    <hr />

 Chapter 4: Introductions

    Chapter 4: Introductions


    After Jack''s discussion with Marianne, she summoned a soldier to accompany him to what they called the Briefing Room #3, which was basically a standard classroom with desks, chairs and a whiteboard in front. Of course, the walls were white and windowless to keep up with the plain minimalist theme of the laboratory. There were already around five or so people waiting inside the room, each and everyone of them possessing unnatural hair colors. Jack immediately realized they were all infected by the May Disease. The soldier pushed him inside the room and closed the sliding door behind him


    Jack easily found a familiar face sitting on the back row while waving at his direction. It was that annoying kid from the gate, Iris Seralstin, whose sundress was mysteriously replaced by a frilly maid uniform. Jack had to admit that it suited her neatly tied-up blond hair and graceful sitting posture that held no openings. Maybe she''s an actual maid here, he speculated. Curiosity got the best of him as he took the seat beside Iris.


    "Hey partner, welcome to the club. How''s life?"


    Jack didn''t answer and went straight to the important questions. "Why''re you in a maid outfit? You work here?"


    Her face grew grim. "Not really, I just had a little fight with the chef. But on the plus side, I learned how to make custard. And gravy. And pasta, stew, spaghetti, and their all-famous salmonella."


    Jack decided to drop his interrogation, afraid of the horrors he might unearth inside Iris'' Box. Many things on the universe were best left undiscovered, his teacher once said.


    Moments later, another familiar blond woman in her trademark lab coat entered the classroom in brisk steps and went towards the whiteboard. She grabbed a marker and began writing her name on it with abysmal handwriting.


    "Morning. I am Professor Marianne Eventide and welcome to the Department of Scientific Advances, where suicide rates are high and pay is low. In the next few months, I will be your god. You eat, sleep, breath when I tell you, and ONLY when I tell you. Listen to me, and you get to live your remaining days here on Earth comfortably, plus bonuses. I may be uninfected, but don''t push your luck. Any wrong move ¡ª and I swear to myself that you are going to experience hells so unimaginable that you''d rather wish to be placed in those Quarantine Zones. Any questions, morons?"


    There was someone who didn''t take Marianne''s words lightly. A ear-splitting crash resounded all over the classroom and a delinquent-looking guy with spiky red hair and beast-like eyes stood up, his desk split into two.


    "Oy, who do you think you are, you piece of shit?" he shouted in a threatening voice. "An uninfected like you shouldn''t be messing with me!"


    Before Marianne could reply, she was interrupted by another shout from another part of the class.


    "Hey! You shouldn''t shout to the professor like that!" This time, it was from a girl with low-hanging blue pigtails that reached her back. Her unwavering lightblue eyes weren''t something to be underestimated. "Being selfish won''t help anyone but you!"


    "You wanna be mincemeat too, little girl?"


    "I''m not gonna hold back against people like you, you know."


    Literal sparks surrounded the blue-haired girl, while the delinquent''s pissed off meter maxed out with veins popping on his head. But before any of them made a move, Marianne broke the tension by slamming her fist on the board. "Shut up, the both of you! And you, meathead, break any more tables there will be consequences."


    "DON''T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" The hothead hurled himself at Marianne like a huge mass of iron. The scientist calmly stood her ground. As soon as the hurricane was within reach, she pulled out a thin silver card from under her sleeve and caught his punch with it.


    "What the fuck!?"


    The brute''s strength magically fizzled away and his bullet-like punch stopped dead in its track. Everybody was dead silent. But it seemed like Marianne''s surprises didn''t end with just that.


    "And¡ª rebound."


    It was as if an invisible force took hold of the delinquent''s body and hammered him to a once pristine wall. And as expected, he passed out and fell to the ground like a thick flab of meat, leaving his figure imprinted on the wall.


    "You could say that she really drove him up the wall," Iris said with a smug grin. Her sad attempt at a joke was ignored by Jack and the rest of the class completely, making the poor girl retreat in silence.


    Marianne paid the mess(es) no mind and continued her speech. "Now that we have that over with, let''s all introduce ourselves." She walked to where the corpse sprawled on the ground and dug her shoe on its head. "This here''s Lance Silver. He''s one of the few people I yanked from the Quarantine Zones, so do forgive his actions this time. But you''re free to kill him if you can, I don''t care. Fuck, I don''t even care if you start killing each other right now. Anyways, introductions. Let''s start with miss bluehead over there."


    The blue pigtailed girl stood up. She wore a chic shirt under a brown cardigan and a short skirt to match. "My name''s Klara Constance from the Eastern District of Parea. I''m seventeen years old, and I''m here to save the world!"


    Klara immediately cut her introduction short and went back to her seat. Marianne looked pleased. "Snappy and concise, I like it. Constance''s the strongest powerhouse among you all, so think twice before you kill her. Next, miss seaweed."


    A frightened young girl with seaweed-like silver hair stood up next, shaking in her knees like a small animal. She was dressed with nothing but a plain gray dress. She raised her hand for some reason and stiffened up like a frightened goat. "Y¡ªYES! I¡ªIm... lili... LILI! Liselotte... fifteen. I don''t know why I''m h¡ªhere... mama told me to, but she doesn''t really like me... but she said my eggrolls were good... but I don''t like eggs... yeahokayI''llshutupnowthanksforlistening." She slammed her head on her desk and hid her face under her hair, steam coming out of her ears.


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    "Shitty but interesting, so I give it a pass. Don''t be fooled by Liselotte, everyone. She can both read and fry your minds, so think twice before you kill her. You next, Mr. Glasses."


    "Yes." This time, a tall guy with a cool demeanor stood up, with long dark purple hair and rectangular eyeglasses. He wore a jet-black suit over a shirt of deep blue and was truly what you could call "dressed to kill."


    "I am Gin. Gin Kazuya, nineteen years old. That is all," he said with a lingering smile.


    His speech was even shorter than Klara''s. "Short, but gives a sense of mysteriousness, so pass. For anyone planning to kill Kazuya, he''s got an absolute force field that even Klara can''t pierce, so think twice. Next... oh shi¡ª"


    "I, am the great Iris Seralstin, fourteen years of age! It''s self explanatory, so there''s no need to say that I am the bestest at everything around here. I''m a wicked cook as well. Is that all? No it''s not, but I can mess with Marianne later."


    "¡ªt. Shit. Somebody please KILL the bastard. Her ability''s so stupid, it should be easy to do. She can teleport, but not only must her body go along, she can only do it ONCE EVERY FUCKING DAY. So as long as you can predict where she''ll appear ¡ª which is usually behind you ¡ª you can twist a goddamned knife straight to her heart."


    Iris replied with a smug cocky grin. "If I''m that easy to kill, why haven''t you done it already? Oh sorry, I forgot. You''re so stupid you can''t even follow your own advice, retard."


    "... The problem is, she''s also the DPD''s most wanted, so anyone who could elude them for so long should be troublesome. But with 67% Lorine Infection Percentage, she''s only got four months left to live, so let''s hope she dies a horrible death. Take that, you sucker."


    "Yes, very funny. Let''s hope as well that you''ll live longer than me, considering that stupidity disease of yours at 100%."


    But there was someone who couldn''t ignore Marianne''s words that easily. Klara Constance stood up once again and protested to the scientist. "D¡ªDPD''s most wanted, that Iris Seralstin!? Professor, why are we letting an actual criminal roam free?"


    "I don''t know, Miss Constance," Iris answered for the profesor. "It''s said that every and all infected humans must report to the DPD''s Quarantine Zones at first sign, so it feels hypocritical for an infected not in those zones to tell me where to be right now."


    "W¡ªwe''re different! I''m here to save the world¡ª"


    "And I''m here to solve world hunger. See, I can make reasons too."


    "You¡ª"


    "SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!" Marianne interrupted their quarrel with a shout of her own. "Constance, I know you have your qualms about Seralstin over there. I do, too. But hell if I don''t hate the DPD as well."


    "But professor, where''s the justice in that?"


    "Rather than bringing justice to the world, our priority here is to ensure that there''s a world to bring justice to. And as much as I hate it, Seralstin''s services are required to do so. And I need your strength as well. So bear with it, Constance, or you can quit right now and report to the DPD if you want."


    "But¡ª! ... Fine. Saving the world come first."


    Iris tried to comfort her in an arrogant tone. "Heh, don''t be mad at yourself, Klara. We''re fellow criminals, so there''s no need for infighting."


    "And you, Seralstin! Just keep your mouth shut."


    "What wrong did I do?"


    "I don''t know, you just look annoying."


    "... Oh."


    Marianne took a deep breath to regain her composure and continue the introductions. "And lastly, Mr. Swordguy. Your turn."


    Jack was met with stares from almost everyone, especially his hair. They were mostly curious about it, as an infected with black hair was never seen before. And that wooden sword with the white sash he kept carrying around his waist added to the mystery. He began his introduction.


    "I''m Jack Waterfelt, seventeen years old. I''m here because of... a deal I made with Marianne, nothing else. I guess that''s it."


    Jack didn''t like attention, especially the kind of attention they were giving him. Attention only got him further away from his "problem-free" life. His ears caught the new murmurs going around the class.


    "Is he shy? But his sword looks cool." "S¡ªSa... nevermind." "Hmmm." "The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell." "*dead*"


    "Okay everyone, shut up. That introduction was lackluster, but I expected that. Waterfelt here''s... special. Any questions about him go directly to me, where I shall move the goalpost until you give up. And remember, he may be weaker than all of you, but his "special skill" can and WILL destroy the pathetic thing you call your lives, so think twice before you kill him."


    Jack cocked his head. He didn''t have a special skill. Well, there was that skill, but it really shouldn''t be considered as a special skill at all. He decided to roll with Marianne''s words after she glared at him to keep his mouth shut.


    <hr />


    Marianne Eventide glanced over the team she has assembled.


    Lance Silver, her pawn. Gin Kazuya, her rook. Lili Liselotte, her horse. Iris Seralstin, her crooked bishop. Klara Constance, her queen. And Jack Waterfelt, her king. She has gathered the pieces necessary to play a game against the greatest of adversaries. This historic moment was when the grand plan she has culminated for over ten years begins. All for the sake of one and one objective only.


    "Now that we got that over, are you kids ready to save the world?"


    <hr />

 Chapter 5: Humanity Shall Prosper

    Chapter 5: Humanity Shall Prosper


    Marianne began a short history lesson about the war that started it all, in order to keep everyone on the same page.


    "Everything began on March One, 2108, on what will be called by generations as the worst battle humanity has ever fought: the March War..."


    <hr />


    "... And that''s how we are where we are right now. With the March War stuffed in your heads, you kids must be well-versed in our world''s history by no¡ª Holy shit."


    Marriane was flabbergasted by the sight that greeted her after her long and effort-filled speech. On the back rows of the classroom was a bunch of desks merged together to serve as a playing field for an intense game of poker among troublemakers Iris, Jack and, surprisingly, even Lili. They even had the time to procure chips for the game.


    "S¡ªstraight flush..." said Lili in a meek voice, slowly placing her beautiful hand on the table.


    "ROYAL straight flush," said Iris as she followed suit.


    "Fuck. How the hell do I play against a literal mind reader and a compulsive cheater?" Jack complained as he dropped his sad hand, a pair of jacks.


    "Cheater? Any proof to back that up, compadre?"


    "You''ve been consistently getting royal straight flushes ever since we started the game!"


    "That''s not proof, that''s speculation. Poker IS a game of mere luck, in the end. And what about miss mind reader over there? Not only has she not said anything about me cheating, she''s also been consistently getting good hands. Not as good as mine, though."


    "B¡ªbut your mind''s a mess... and you keep m¡ªmessing with the deck so... sorry."


    Iris went on to pet Lili''s silver seaweed hair, but her look of ecstasy sure didn''t come from that. "Don''t fret, I had my fair share of mind readers back in the day, so I learned how to scramble my thoughts. And my hand''s just faste¡ª I mean, my luck''s just better than yours."


    "I demand a rematch on a different game."


    "M¡ªme too."


    "I don''t really think LOSERS have a right to change the game now, do they?" Iris answered with her annoyingly smug grin.


    Before Jack could bash her head with his sword or Lili could fry her brain into mush, Marianne slammed her fist on the makeshift poker table and sent the chips flying all over the place.


    "What the fuck are you doing in the middle of my lesson? And why the fuck are you with these guys too, Liselotte?"


    The stares their group was getting sent Lili cowering under her straight flush.


    "S¡ªS¡ªS¡ªS¡ªSo¡ª"


    "Heeeeh, but Mary Anne," Iris interrupted. "We didn''t come here for a boring history lesson we''ve been hearing for the past ten years. We came here to save the world, remember?"


    The scientist''s eye twitched and she briefly entered the "make Iris'' head into an unrecognizable heap of meat" club, but controlled herself at the last second. She remembered that she was the adult here, and so it was her duty to remain an adult until the very end.


    "Fine. Fine. I just wanted you guys to question the narrative, but since you insist, let''s move on to the main topic of the day: saving the world."


    <hr />


    [Save the World].


    Written on their silver cards and written on the whiteboard as well were those three little but heavy words: Save the world. After making sure to confiscate everything under Iris'' maid uniform that could initiate a game ¡ª cards, a portable chess board, rackets and a ping pong ball ¡ª Marianne directed everyone''s attention to those three little words.


    "This is our ultimate goal. Our gospel. We live, and we die for these three words. Don''t forget that. But saving the world means that something out there exists that can actually threaten the world. What are we going to save the world from, a big bad monster? What do you think, Constance?"


    Klara stood in attention. "Yes! ... uh, a big bad monster?"


    "Just go back to your seat. Today, you kids are going to be part of the selected people in the world ¡ª including me ¡ª who understands Interdimensional Science.


    She messily wrote the words "Interdimensional Science" on the top part of the whiteboard.


    "Someone give me a summary of the May Death... Seralstin."


    Iris began to recite in a robotic manner. "The May Death. A deadly plague that spread on May 1, 2110, soon after the dirty bomb Aislin launched hit the Russian Federation''s soil, it effectively killed everything breathing on the land. From that explosion came Lorine, an unidentifiable chemical that gave the infected humans mysterious powers that exceeded normal standards. At the first year of its spread, people deliberately infected themselves to gain the infamous abilities, but when it became known that infecteds only had a year to live, the May Death was finally treated like a proper plague. Up until this day, the May Death has claimed over a third of the human population, making it the deadliest plague humanity has ever encountered. The May Disease is known to transfer through body contact, but some reports has shown people spontaneously getting infected without any prior contact with other infecteds. There are still many secrets to uncover about the May Death, but we can only hope that one of them leads to a cure."


    "... Are you cheating?"


    "Got some proof to back that up? It was my own words, retard."


    "Shit. Just, sit down. Where were we again? That''s right. Now, I''m sure all of you are wondering what Interdimensional Science is, and how it relates with a biological disease. Maybe you''ve never even heard of the science before. That''s understandable, considering it''s a fairly new branch of science that only began a few years after the March War. We also sometimes refer it to as Pseudospacial Science, so choose whatever fits your boots. First, we write the general defenition of Interdimensional Science."


    She dictated as she wrote on the board. "Interdimensional Science, is, the study, of theoretical universes, parallel, to our own, and the interactions, between them. There. A heavily dumb downed definition. Do you have anything to say, Constance?"


    Klara had a very confused look on her face, as did the rest of the class. "... Inter¡ªsomething¡ªscience? Parallel universes? Ha?"


    Marianne glanced over the state of her class, and decided to change her approach. "Then, let''s try the grade school version of explaining."


    She drew a long horizontal line on the board.


    "This! is our universe. Inside this contains you, me, and every single thing in the observable universe."


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Next, she drew another horizontal line parallel to the first one.


    "This is a parallel universe. Let''s assume that it''s the exact copy of our own, with only one difference: Seralstin is on a pike on this one. So now, normally, interaction between these two universes is impossible."


    "Why?" asked the ever-curious Klara.


    "Cause there''s no bridge between them. There was no possible way for a universe to prove the existence of the other. Research has been conducted, but no hard proof was to be found."


    She snappily turned her head to the class.


    "But something happened. Something groundbreaking, game-changing, something that changed the course of both humanity and science. Can anyone guess what it was?"


    The normally silent Gin raised his hand and answered. "Aislin''s bomb, wasn''t it?"


    Marianne smiled. "That''s right. That freak bomb Aislin launched on the Russians ¡ª the Ebola Lesbian ¡ª changed Interdimensional Science from a fringe science to not only a valid science, but also the most crucial one of the century. The bomb, for all intentions, managed to "rip a hole" between us and the many universes parallel to us."


    She drew a small circle that enclosed a portion from each line.


    "And from this hole, came Lorine."


    The whole class was silent, even the disruptive Iris, which made Marianne''s smile turn into a wicked grin. After basking in the glorious light of victory, she continued.


    "Lorine was never from this world. And that is why its structure, properties and effects on humans was unlike anything we''ve ever encountered before. Nobody even knew where to start with it. It was probably luck that Lorine mysteriously disappears like mist in the air, otherwise humanity as we know it would''ve died out years ago. But there was one more problem we couldn''t ignore."


    She erased everything on the whiteboard and drew two intersecting circles, much like a Venn diagram.


    "And that problem is, universes expand. And when these two circles expand, what happens to the hole on the center, Liselotte?"


    "Eh? Me? Uh, it... g¡ªgrows bigger?"


    "Perfect answer! It''s almost like you can read my mind. That''s right. The hole is growing bigger with every tick of the clock. It''s growing as we speak! And once that hole becomes big enough to envelop Earth¡ª humanity, is, doomed."


    Marianne took a deep breath and released her tension. She turned to Klara, who was intently listening to her every word. "And that, Constance, is our big bad monster."


    "But professor, how can we humans stop a phenomenon that big?" Klara asked.


    "Aha! And that''s where WE come in."


    She once again erased everything on the whiteboard and enthusiastically wrote three words in big and bold letters.


    "W¡ªworld..."


    "Restoration..."


    "Project?"


    WORLD RESTORATION PROJECT.


    Marianne slammed her marker on those words to direct everyone''s attention to them.


    "What do we do when a hole appears on our roofs? What do we do when our clothes get torn? What do we do when a hole appears on our universe? We seal it, and humanity shall prosper. That is what the World Restoration Project is all about."


    Jack was confused. "So we... seal it? Us? How?"


    Hands on her hips, Marianne struck a proud pose for all to see. "Well, Waterfelt, with my once-in-a-millennium genius mind ¡ª I, Marianne La Rosea Eventide, have created a machine capable of sending your consciousness to those other worlds!"


    <hr />


    March War. That royal straight flush. Interdimensional Science. May Death. Lorine. Parallel Universes. The World Restoration Project.


    Save the World.


    Many thoughts swirled inside Jack''s head as he stared above the white ceiling. After that intense briefing, Marianne told everyone to rest both their bodies and minds and sent them to their own personal quarters: a bare white room with only a table and a bed. This place may very well be a jail cell. Nobody knew the reason as to why the scientist didn''t give any specifics, but Iris said that she was probably worried about insurgents. Marianne said that they would immediately start tomorrow, as the job wasn''t that complicated and they didn''t have the luxury to waste even a single second.


    "Deep in thought, partner-in-crime?"


    Jack reflexively jumped out of bed and reached for his wooden sword. He relaxed his grip after seeing it was just Iris Seralstin with her maid uniform leaning on the wall. He did a double take once he realized what was happening.


    "How''d you enter here? Aren''t there guards on the door?"


    "Did you forget that I can teleport?"


    "... But can''t you only do it once a day? How are you planning to get out?"


    "Really, now?"


    With Iris leaning on the wall and Jack sitting on the bed, they stayed like that for a while without breaking the fragile silence between them. Something about this moment stirred Jack''s heart. The feeling was almost nostalgic for some reason. Sadly, he couldn''t let it last forever, as he wanted to ask Iris the question that has bothered him the most.


    "Hey, Iris. What does it mean to save the world?"


    "What does the world mean to you?"


    "... nothing, I guess?"


    "Then saving the world means absolutely nothing to you."


    And that was the problem. Unlike everyone, he never felt connected to the world, so he didn''t feel an obligation to protect it. He had other priorities to worry about, like the whereabouts of Sara Aislin. And in order to reach her, Jack had no choice but to "save the world" as Marianne wishes. But did he have the resolve to do so? Since the world meant nothing to him, what if he did a halfhearted job and failed? Would his closest chance to reaching her vanish?


    While he was busy drowning in his thoughts, he felt something wet on his cheeks, like a cat''s lick. He froze like a statue once he realized Iris'' face was close enough to feel her warm breath on his face.


    "Did that excite you?"


    "U¡ªuh..."


    "That should have calmed your nerves at the very least."


    "W¡ªWha..."


    White electric sparks began to surround the elusive maid as she prepared for her timely exit. Iris softly patted the stunned Jack''s hair and gave him a warm loving smile. "Don''t worry, Jack. Even if the world fails you, I won''t."


    Iris'' figure disappeared in a flash, leaving behind nothing but her lingering marshmallow scent.


    "W¡ªwhat the hell was that?"


    That night, Jack''s problems shifted from his resolve on saving the world to convincing himself that he was not a pedophile.


    <hr />

 Chapter 6: King

    Chapter 6: King


    [Prologue Arc End]


    The next morning, everyone was summoned by Marianne Eventide to a spacious white-walled laboratory filled with many strange machinery and some free space to run around. But with the complete lack of stereotypical test tubes and standard laboratory equipment, it was more accurate to call it a machine workshop with all the wrenches, screws and power tools sprawled all over the place.


    "This lab, kids, is where all the magic happens, and where all the magic shall end. Welcome to HELL."


    This was the High-Ethereal Link Laboratory, or HELL as Marianne liked to call it. The first thing in the lab that caught Jack''s eye was the glass cylinder high above the wall, containing what seemed like a beautiful child suspended in blue liquid. Dressed in a dark-themed gown, she had wavy auburn hair and glass-like purple eyes that never blinked. Upon closer inspection, she had doll joints on her elbows, so it was safe to assume that it wasn''t a human being.


    "I hope nobody does something stupid, like pressing buttons they shouldn''t be pressing. Right, Seralstin?"


    "Oh come on, I''m well-versed in lab etiquette. Don''t treat me like a child now, Marianne."


    "... Waterfelt, I''m leaving Seralstin to you. Nobody better be touching ANYTHING while I set things up."


    Marianne immediately left for the computer close by and began clacking away.


    As soon as Jack made eye-contact with Iris'' sparkling sapphire eyes, he felt his cheeks warm up. The scene from yesterday night came flashing back. He didn''t like to beat around the bush, so he tried to clear up the things between them as soon as possible.


    "So, what was last night all about?"


    Iris cocked her head in a cute manner. "Ha? If you''re talking about a wet dream you had, then Iris Seralstin isn''t your girl."


    "Wet dream...? Ye¡ª I mean, no. Didn''t yo¡ª"


    "Wait, you really had a wet dream? Perve¡ª"


    "No! Didn''t you visit me last night?"


    They both stared at each other for seconds in confusion. The first one to break the silence was the kid in the maid uniform, who genuinely didn''t understand where Jack was coming from.


    "So you''re saying that I visited you last night? How''s that even possible?"


    "... With your teleportation ability?"


    Iris sighed and looked at Jack with pity. "You weren''t listening yesterday? Or rather, you don''t know about the teleportation ability''s flaw?"


    "Flaw? You mean only being able to teleport once a day? Yeah, but, I know what I saw yesterday."


    "Think about it like this. Our jail cells were guarded the whole night, so no one comes in or out without them being alerted. Let''s say I teleported to your cell. Then what? How would I escape without being seen?"


    "... You''re lying about your flaw?"


    "Are you stupid? It''s not my flaw, it''s the teleportation ability''s flaw. Every infected who got the teleportation ability has the same problems as mine. Literally every ability has a flaw, that''s why the DPD are so efficient at their job! Super strength guy can only use his powers for a while, then he needs to rest. Electric girl can''t shoot lightning out, so a gun can easily deal with her. Forcefield guy''s forcefield can only last one hit. Miss mind reader requires eye contact to use her powers. You... I don''t know what your ability is, but I can tell you its weakness once you tell me. Do you understand why yesterday''s wet dream can''t actually be possible?"


    Jack couldn''t say anything back. He knew abilities had exploitable flaws after a year of fighting them, but he has never met anyone else who could teleport. Since that genius Marianne said it herself yesterday, then it meant that Iris was right and last night couldn''t have happened.


    "So it was all just a wet dream?"


    "... I know it was me who started the whole "wet dream" thing, but can you please stop? It''s getting weirder with every mention."


    "Oh, a quarrel between lovers?" A new voice entered their conversation. It was the girl with the flowing blue pigtails, offering Jack a friendly handshake. "We haven''t greeted each other formally yet, have we? Hi, I''m Klara Constance. Nice meeting you."


    Normally, an uninfected would have qualms touching her, but such a problem was nonexistent for Jack. He took her hand and gave it an awkward shake. "I''m Jack... Waterfelt. And we''re not lovers."


    She turned to Iris next and donned an apologetic look. "I''m sorry about yesterday¡ª Iris, was it? I''ve been thinking about it, and now I realize that it was wrong of me to doubt my teammate without listening to their story first. I hope you can accept my apology!"


    Iris did nothing but laugh. "Mwahaha! That''s right, apologize. But I won''t accept your apology."


    "T¡ªthen what¡ª"


    "If I wanted mere words, I''d rather choose my beautiful face saying it in a mirror than yours. What I want is an actual apology. From now on, you owe me one favor. Can you vow in your honor to do just that?"


    Klara''s eyes blazed as soon as she heard the word ''honor''. "If that''s what it takes to make you accept, then I''ll take it!"


    "Say it loud, say it clear."


    "I vow in my honor to grant you a favor!"


    "SAY IT LOUDER!"


    "I VOW IN MY HONOR TO GRANT YOU A FAVOR!"


    "I CAN''T HEAR YOU!"


    "I VOW IN MY HONOR TO GRANT YOU A FAVOR!!"


    "Even if I ask you to pee on Marianne''s desk?"


    "I VOW IN MY¡ª what the heck!?"


    "Nothing, just asking¡ª geh!" "Oof!" "Ah!"


    Their heads were all consecutively smacked by the roll of paper on Marianne''s hand. She wasn''t too pleased about the racket the three were raising. "Why the hell are you shouting in my lab? And Seralstin and Waterfelt, you even dragged Constance along with your troublemaking."


    "N¡ªno, professor, Iris and Jack didn''t do anything wrong this time." Klara stood between them and Marianne to defend the duo. "It was me. I just wanted to apologize to Iris for my actions yesterday, and it... somehow went to us shouting."


    Marianne groaned. "Why can''t you be quiet like those guys over there?"


    In front of the exit was Lance Silver, growling at it like a lifelong rival. His face clearly showed his intentions of breaking the door and getting out of here for good. But at least he was silent. On another part of the lab was Gin, admiring a huge sphere of glass that could fit a person. And he was silent. Near the water dispenser was the fidgeting Lili who was looking at them the whole time. The moment they turned their heads to her direction, she immediately went back to ogling the water dispenser. And she was silent as usual.


    "You know what, I don''t care anymore. I''m done with my preparations anyways, so everyone gather up!"


    <hr />


    Marianne gathered everyone in front of a humongous cylindrical silver machine that towered them all, almost reaching the already high ceiling. It was similar to a steam engine, having a series of gears sticking out on its side and pistons on the other, but there was no sign of an exhaust pipe around it anywhere. A sliding door served as the machine''s entrance. Beside where the scientist stood was a control panel stuffed with switches, dials and complicated labels.


    Jack instantly realized that the whole thing was similar to the machine behind Marianne''s picture, the one with Sara Aislin and his teacher, with only a slight difference in some minor parts.


    "I''m sure you''re wondering why we''re starting this job right away," Marianne began. "Simple. The job requires not preparation, but adaptability. I have very little information about the worlds I''m going to send you to, so surprises are bound to be everywhere. Adaptability is key!"


    "Can you now tell us what we''re supposed to do?" asked an annoyed Jack, who has been waiting long enough.


    "I''m getting to that," she answered. The scientist placed a hand on the strange machine. "This is called the Mass Reality Switcher 2, the only machine in the world capable of injecting a human''s consciousness into another human from a parallel world. It''s very advanced, so don''t try to ask how it works. The important thing is that it works."


    "Wait, we''re taking over other people''s bodies!?" The first to complain was Klara, who didn''t find the idea endearing.


    "Yeah, and is that thing really safe?" added Iris.


    "In regards to its safety, I''ve done some tests. Most of them came out green, so it should be relatively safe." Marianne answered. "And Klara is right, you are going to take over someone else''s body. Unfortunately, the MRS2 doesn''t have the capability to transfer a human body''s mass from one universe to another, so your consciousness will have to do. But worry not, for you have her."


    Marianne pointed to the glass cylinder on the wall, more specifically the doll inside suspended in blue liquid. The moment they all cast their eyes on her, she softly blinked. That was the extent of the action she could spare them.


    "... I hope you weren''t expecting her to dance. That''s Harmonica, an AI droid, and her job is to be your Navigator. She chooses the person most compatible with you in the other world and feeds that info to the MRS2, where the machine will do its job. Take out those silver cards I gave you."


    Everyone followed her orders. The words [Save the World] was still plastered on them without change.


    "Along with adaptability, general knowledge of the world is what determines life and death. The cards on your hands are what we call Marker Cards. They are small AND durable enough to travel through universes. Use them to communicate with the Navigator, where she will give you general knowledge about whatever you encounter. Just think of it like a compact encyclopedia. Harmonica, say something."


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    [Example Text]


    And sure enough, the words on the cards magically changed. But the doll sure did a spectacular job at exhibiting her lethargy.


    "... I''m sure she''ll help if you ask nice enough. Finally, your job. Once you arrive to the other world, Harmonica will give everyone a destination we''ll call a Marker Point. The Marker Point is where the "hole" on their side is located, so meet there and leave the rest to Harmonica. Easy, right?"


    "Just... that?" Jack was surprised. He expected something more difficult, considering that Marianne only told them now.


    "Don''t worry. It won''t be as easy as it sounds, I assure you. Any other questions?"


    The silent Gin raised the first question. "What happens when we die in that world?"


    "You''re dead if you die, obviously," Marianne answered.


    Everyone was silent. Of course, everyone in the room except for Marianne (and Jack) was about to die in a year or less, but they weren''t too enthusiastic about shortening their lifespans even further.


    Jack was next to ask. "Why us? Why not send those soldiers outside lazing around"


    "Three answers. First, adaptability. Sending them is no better than sending you, but with your experiences, you should be better suited for this job than them. Second, advantage. If the lab tests were right, you should be able to carry your abilities over to the other world. There''s a whole lot of difference between a soldier with a gun and one without. Third, common sense. Lorine came from those world. So it makes sense that those worlds are polluted with high amounts of Lorine as well. Sending an uninfected''s consciousness out there may bring unexpected consequences. I like my lab ra¡ª I mean, my pieces not convulsing on the ground dying. Do you get it now, Waterfelt?"


    "I guess so."


    "Hey, can these Marker Cards do the same stuff you did with the musclehead yesterday?" Iris asked while completely ignoring the dangerous growl coming from delinquent.


    "Nope. That card is still on development, and I was just testing it out yesterday. You can look forward to it in the future, though"


    Marianne waited for anyone to raise a question, but it seemed like they were all satisfied.


    "Any more questions? No? Let''s quickly get this over with then. Harmonica, give me a random number."


    [0]


    "... Oh come on, something higher."


    [1]


    "Really?"


    [2]


    The words on Marianne''s Marker Card changed as she conversed with the Harmonica. "Shit, whatever. Um, 43. Okay. From now on, I shall refer to you guys as the 43rd Sealing Squad. I''ll need something to write on my damned report, after all. Your first world is A52o1, and you are in luck. Your time limit''s one year, and according to the data gathered by Harmonica, one year in that world is approximately one month here. So you get around eleven more months to your life. Consider it a bonus for working with me."


    The first person to happily react was Klara. "R¡ªreally? Is that true, professor?"


    "It depends, really. As long as one of you arrives on the Marker Point in that one year period, everything''s fine for me. You''ll all return together in a month''s time, anyways. Since the MRS2 can only accommodate six, I chose people who''ll give me the greatest possible chance at succeeding in this. Oh, a warning, though. To them, your consciousness is "Lorine". And what happens to infected people after a year? Do the math."


    Klara was unfazed by her words. Instead, she was happy enough that her time on this world (or the other) got extended, something she never expected in a million years. "Thank you, professor! We''ll be sure to give it our all with this job to repay you! Right, guys?"


    Unexpectedly, everyone else thought differently from her. Lance was his same old grumpy self and acted as if he already knew. Lili was as fidgety as usual, and hearing the good news didn''t change anything. Gin was deep in thought, but it felt like he was thinking about something else. Iris, the person who should be the happiest about it... just didn''t care. And Jack, as always, reacted like nothing ever mattered to him.


    Klara didn''t know what to make of their reactions. They were, indeed, a strange bunch.


    "Professor Marianne, power is online and ready to go!" A scientist in his mid-thirties entered the laboratory and gave the Head Scientist a thumbs up. Jack recognized him as the newspaper stalker from two days ago, and the one responsible for crossing his fate with Marianne''s.


    "Got it, Marc. Okay everyone, let''s begin before those people notice anything." Marianne flipped a series of switches on the control panel beside her, making the MRS2 emit a low hum. She looked at everyone dead in their eyes, wishing to express her seriousness to all of them. "Never forget our ultimate goal. Our gospel. The words we live for, and die for. Save thy world, ye children of Earth. For it''s the only one you own."


    The entrance to the machine slid open. Inside was a still abyss that even light couldn''t pierce.


    The first one to move was Lance Silver, irritated by all the talking. He spared no one a glance as he walked forward to the machine.


    "Lance." Marianne stopped him. "You are my pawn. You possess great potential, but you can only realize it if you never give up until the end. Have fun."


    Lance didn''t answer and silently stepped into the darkness.


    Next in line was Gin Kazuya, who acted as cool as ever. "Gin. You are my rook. You are a protector through and through, but protecting takes strength. Gain it there. And don''t worry, I''ll keep my side of the deal."


    "I hope so."


    He as well disappeared into the darkness.


    Next up was Lili Liselotte, taking hesitant steps to the machine. Marianne gave her a light push on the back to encourage her. "Lili. You are my knight. Your unconventional path will carry you to places nobody shall ever reach. Be careful out there."


    "Y¡ªyes..."


    The moment Lili met eyes with the scientist, she gulped. Although slow, there were no more hesitations in her steps towards the machine. Three down, three to go.


    Fourth was Iris Seralstin, who took everything like a school field trip. Marianne hesitated, but said something in the end. "Hey, Iris. You''re the bishop. You control the game''s flow. You''re crooked as hell, but you''ve got the longest reach on the board. Well, the queen as well, but you get my point."


    "Spare me the sappy sentiments. Don''t fret, despite all the infighting between us, I respect you. A teeny tiny bit. I''ll be the perfect "bishop" for you."


    Before she reached the darkness, Iris turned her head to Jack. "If you''re in any trouble, don''t forget to contact me through Harmonica. See you!"


    Four down, two to go. Second to the last was Klara, who was somehow teary-eyed. "Professor, can I ask you a question?"


    "Make it quick."


    "... Why aren''t you afraid of us infected? You interact with us like normal, and you aren''t even afraid to get close to us with only a labcoat. What if you get infected as well?"


    Marianne smiled. "I''m fighting things scarier than the May Death, so I don''t have time to be afraid." She placed her hands on Klara''s shoulders and gave her a motherly look. "You, Klara, are my queen. You''re my strongest piece. So don''t be afraid to find your justice. Good luck."


    Klara quickly turned away and hid her face from Marianne. Without uttering another word, she stepped into the darkness with determined steps. Five down, one to go.


    "... There''re are many things I don''t understand," Jack said. "But that''ll wait along with the information about her."


    Marianne nodded in approval. "You''re getting smarter. Jack. You''re my king. You''re the weakest of the bunch. At least the pawn has potential. Your sword skills won''t even push you far enough. But in the end, the king is the most important piece of all. Once it''s dead, it''s game over. For both you and for me. So don''t you dare die on me."


    "I don''t plan on dying anytime soon."


    The moment he turned his back on Marianne, he felt the Marker Card on his hand heat up. He subtly placed it in an angle where Marianne couldn''t see it as soon as he read what Harmonica had to write.


    [A Message from Sara]


    Jack was confused. Did Harmonica know Sara Aislin? Why choose this particular time to contact him? He had many other questions, but he had no time left lest Marianne got suspicious. He walked almost as slow as Lili in order to wait for the incoming message. First step, second step.


    [Save the World]


    Third step, fourth step.


    [Save Yourself]


    "Hey Jack." He was stopped right in front of the machine''s door. Jack clenched the card, hoping the the scientist didn''t notice anything weird. "I hope you find meaning in saving the world."


    "... Me as well."


    On the other side was another world he didn''t know. Another world, just like this one, but different. What challenges did he have to face? Maybe, just maybe, he could find the answer he has been looking for out there¡ª the answer Jack believed Sara Aislin held captive. The answer that would save him.


    He took a small glance below to read Sara''s words before being completely engulfed by the abyss.


    [Save Me]


    <hr />


    PROLOGUE ARC     >     WORLD ONE ARC


    <hr />

 Chapter 7: Elfia

    Chapter 7: Elfia


    [World One Arc]


    Jack found himself standing in the middle of a forest clearing, brandishing a heavy iron sword in his hands with a flimsy stance that could be easily broken by a gust of wind.


    He was lost. What was he doing all alone in the woods?


    The sound of grass rustling behind him warned Jack that he wasn''t alone. He hastily restructured his stance, although it wasn''t much as he was unused to the weight of the iron sword. He could only catch glimpses of a yellow blur that was adeptly going for his blind spots. It was a dangerous foe. As soon as he sensed the blur going for the kill, Jack decided to wing it and swung the sword to the blur''s direction, hoping that it would at least graze it and slow its movements. All was in vain as he swung it too wide to allowed the blur to slip pass his already poor defense.


    "Ha! Nice try, pup!"


    It was a woman''s voice. Before Jack could turn around and see his assailant, a heavy blow struck the back of his head, immediately knocking him out. Once again, he was engulfed by the abyss.


    <hr>


    "Ughh... what the hell was that?"


    Jack woke up with a massive headache and a large bump behind his head. He somehow ended up in a soft bed inside a wooden room, with not a single modern necessity in sight. It was like going back in time to the period where humans didn''t have any electricity. He was probably in some rural backwater village.


    But that was the least of his concerns. He was still confused with everything. What ¡ª or who ¡ª was that yellow blur? Why was he suddenly attacked in the middle of nowhere? In the first place, what was he even doing in the middle of nowhere?


    Jack took a deep breath and calmed himself. Being thrown in situations he didn''t understand was one of the amnesiac''s forte. And experience (and his teacher) taught him that the next best move was to "take a step back."


    The last thing he remembered was entering a huge machine, and an unending darkness. Then... everything finally came back to him. What he was doing. And what he was supposed to do.


    [Save the World]


    He gave out a sigh of relief, happy that he actually had memories now, unlike the last time three years ago. He wasn''t alone. He remembered Marianne, Iris and the rest of the team, and it almost brought tears to his cheeks.


    "Wait. Then, if my memories serves me right, then this is..."


    A different world. But it didn''t feel that different, even with the lack of technology around. Maybe because he wasn''t familiar with the original world himself? Jack shook his head. He remembered the reason he was here. He had to save the world, then find that cursed Sara Aislin. And to save the world, he had to find the Marker Point.


    Jack was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn''t notice someone enter the room.


    "Ah, you''re awake. Here, I brought you some ice," said a soft voice that suddenly came out of nowhere.


    A otherworldlybeauty in a simple green dress stood before him, holding a wooden bowl filled with ice. The girlhad fairskin and soft golden hair that reached her thighs. Although her face didn''t conveymuch of an emotion, those emerald green eyes themselves gavea sense of mystery. But her most eye-catching feature was definitely her ears, longer than an average human''s. She was a creature he only saw in his teacher''s many fantasy games: a freakingelf.


    "E¡ªelf?"


    "... I''ll warn Ranee not to hit your head too hard. But you should really reconsider, Jack. You''re never going to hit her with your skills."


    Jack didn''t understand what she was going on about, so he tilted his head in confusion. The mysterious elf somehow took it as a proper response.


    "I get it. I''ll be in the kitchen if you need me."


    After placing the bowl of ice on a nearby table, the elf promptly left the room and once again left him to his own devices. He sat there in the bed frozen, unable to comprehend what he just saw. An elf. A genuine pointy-eared elf, live in the flesh. It was then that the realization of being in another world finally struck him.


    "What the hell, I seriously thought that Marianne was joking about all this dimension-slipping sciency stuff... "


    Jack swung himself out of the bed and decided to tour the whole place, until he caught sight of a silver card just beside the bowl of melting ice. He immediately remembered the message he received just before entering Marianne''s weird machine.


    "That''s right, I got a message from Sara Aislin! Damnit, I almost forgot!"


    He swiped the card off the table and pressed it for an answer.


    "Hey! You''re... Harmonica, right? Do you know where Sara Aislin is right now? You gave me a message from her, remember? What do you know about Sara Aislin?"


    [It was just a prank. emoticon(wink);]Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "Just a prank? What the hell?! No, it wasn''t just a prank. You know something about her. Now spill it all out!"


    [Service Unavailable. Please try again later. Beep.]


    "Dammit!"


    Jack tried shaking the card for a different answer, but to no avail. He now understood the horrors Marianne had to face dealing with the borderline-broken doll called Harmonica. No amount of stomping, scratching or bending would change the words plastered on the blasted card.


    He stopped his mad assault as soon as he noticed the elf head peeking from behind the door, looking at him with pity-filled eyes.


    "Is a visit to the village elder necessary?" she asked with concern.


    "N¡ªNo thanks," Jack answered.


    "Ranee should really start holding back. I''m... going back to the kitchen."


    Once again, Jack was left in awkward silence.


    <hr>


    Jack decided it was time to leave the room and explore the brave new world, but not without some food first. Luckily for him, the house was smaller than expected, so he easily found what seemed to be a mix of a kitchen and a dining room.


    Jack peaked insideand was greeted by a pair of emerald eyes looking directly at him. The elf was stirring some weird alien soup in a pot over some magical burning leaves that didn''t seem to burn itself up. It truly was a fantasy world. Although there was no point in hiding as he has already been discovered, Jack refused to come out of his hiding spot. "You can''t trust those pesky elves," his teacher once said (to a game). Besides, he should have that trusty(?) Marker Card to tell him more about her.


    "What''s her name?" Jack whispered to the card.


    [Ask her, socially inept individual]


    "A¡ªaren''t you supposed to be helping me?"


    [I am helping you to grow into a functional member of the community, which you are not]


    "Just... tell me her name. I don''t even care about who or what she is anymore, just tell me her name!"


    [Name: Bloom Larisa]


    [Age: 203]


    [Occupation: Village Herbalist]


    [Lorine Capacity: 300]


    [Special Abilities:]


    [Divine Healing: Increase a body''s healing rate exponentially]


    [Magic Dispenser: Transfer Lorine to other bodies]


    Jack was surprised by the amount of detail given by the normally uncooperative card. Finally, Harmonica was starting to find some usel. It was a big help to have a pocket encyclopedia about everything around him, especially in an unknown world filled with surprises like this one.


    He finally went inside the kitchen, but not without Bloom giving him strange looks. She did witness him do a crazy skit with that card, so she made a point to herself to scold Ranee for hitting him in thehead too hard.


    But Jack was unfazed by her stare, thinking he held the upper hand in terms of information. Nothing could stop him now. He took a seat in the nearby table and waited for her. As his teacher once said, "Those who wins the information wars win all the wars."


    Bloom took a small sip of her mushroom soup, and once she found it satisfactory, poured some in wooden bowls. She set them on the table and took her own seat, but not without looking at Jack with the same pity-filled eyes. Jack didn''t back down and gave her his own stare, treating her like an enemy he had to face. He would indeed defeat her without fail, but not without having a taste of the soup that gave off a mouth-watering aroma.


    The moment a small drop of soup hit Jack''s taste buds, fireworks and mushroomy goodness began bursting inside his mouth, trumpets played around himand the slow realization of just how shitty every food he has eaten before hit him.


    "This is delicious! This is the best thing I''ve eaten in my life!"


    "But you eat that every day."


    "... Oh."


    Bloom gave Jack a suspicious glare.


    "You''re acting weird today. Are you sure you''re okay?"


    "Yep. Don''t worry about me, Bloom."


    "Bloom? Who''s Bloom?"


    "You?"


    "I''m not Bloom, I''m Flor."


    "... Are you 203 years old?"


    "... I''m sixteen."


    "Are you the village herbalist?"


    "I''m the village''s Great Magician."


    "Lorine capacity ranging around 300?"


    "What''s Lorine?"


    "Special abilities includeDivine Healing and Magic Dispenser?"


    "What are you talking about?"


    Silence filled the distance between them. Jack didn''t waste any time in taking out the silver card and giving everything he had to break it in two.


    "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"


    [It was just a prank. emoticon(wink);]


    "AAHHHHHHH!!"


    It was an all-out brawl between man and card. Jack didn''t hold anything back, while the card simply let everything flow through it, which pissed him off and made him redouble his efforts into bringing destruction to the little devil. It didn''t matter to him that the card was his only way of locating the Marker Point, or its real body was actually worlds away from him.


    Flor couldn''t take the bizzare scene any longer.


    "Let the light of my soul burn through the darkness, [Hestelvim]!"


    Her chant stop Jack''s mad assault dead in its track. The moment he made eye contact with her mesmerizing green eyes, a strange shock struck him and rendered hiswhole body numb. There was something hypnotic in her eyes that made his mind drunk and unable to think straight. It felt impossible to break eye contact with the elf.


    "Sorry, but I just have to make sure. Why are you acting like this?" Flor asked, making sure to add strength to her voice. Every word out of her felt like lightning striking his very essence.


    Something deep within compelled Jackto speak the truth and nothing but the truth. It was that magical chant fault, he realized. But what was he supposed to answer? That he was from another world? That he took over some poor chap''s body? That he was only here to save the world? There was really just one suitable answer in the end.


    "I... lost my memories," Jack answered.


    It wasn''t a lie. If it wasn''t for this stupid amnesia, he wouldn''t even be looking for Sara Aislin, and he wouldn''t have been wrapped up with Marianne''s plans and Harmonica''s bullshit.


    Those words convinced Flor. It was impossible for someone to lie while being under that spell, after all. "I see, so my suspicions were right. Ranee did hit you too hard."


    She finally released her spell. Jack dropped to the wooden floor like jelly, all his energy drained away. It felt like he aged considerably. That was true magic, one that gripped you at your very soul. This world was truly dangerous with crazy weapons like that.


    "Well, there is a silver lining. With this, the insane idea of leaving the forest should''ve been knocked out of you as well."


    "Eh? Leaving the forest? Why, you can''t leave this forest?"


    "You might have forgotten, but this is the Sacred Forest, a blessed sanctuary protected by the Goddess of Blessings. Humans predate the outside land and hunt on our kind, you see. Nobody has left the forest for years."


    That was... interesting. There were too many things that Jack didn''t know about. And in Marianne''s own wise words, "Along with adaptability, general knowledge of the world is what determines life and death." Worse, he couldn''t even trust the "encyclopedia" he was given to push through that problem. The job now required his own information-gathering skills. But if could handle crazed superpowered humans fightinghim at every corner, he should be able to handle this.


    Jack nodded his head. "Yep, I can do this. And Flor, was it?"


    "Yes, that''s my name."


    "I have to leave this forest. I don''t care how, but I have to."


    "But why? You don''t have any reason to leave this forest now, do you?" Flor wasn''t too pleased with his declaration. But that didn''t stop him.


    "I just want to," Jack answered. He didn''t think spilling the beans to her was a good idea. Maybe when he knew her better, but not now.


    "... I see. Not even losing your memories will stop you, of course."


    Jack didn''t understand why Flor looked so pitiful, but he knew it had something to do about him leaving. In the first place, he didn''t know his original relationship with the mystical elf. Family? Friend? Lover? Whatever it was, it felt like he owed her an apology.


    "... Sorry about this."


    "H¡ªhuh?" Flor was flabbergasted, not expecting the sudden apology.


    "However, nothing''s stopping me from leaving."


    "... I see."


    Something changed about Flor''s way of looking at him. What once was looks of pitybecame apparent curiosity. And for the very first time since they met, her normally blank expression turned into a soft smile.


    "But Jack, like I said. You''ll never hit Ranee once with your poor sword skills."