Chapter 188: The Truth

  John didn’t feel anxious or even upset. If there was any emotion that could be used to describe his current state of mind…

  It was probably just that of annoyance.

  “What are you doing here?” John sighed.

  “Me? I’ve been exploring the world,” Jinae said with a smile. “Travelling does wonders for these old bones of mine.”

  “Don’t get it twisted,” John muttered. “Your old bones are perfectly fine.”

  “Oh? Who’s to say that? You? I don’t see the years stacking on top of you, young man,” Jinae grumbled, shuffling up to him.

  She was wearing a shawl of good quality, and while it was worn, it still seemed to be in good shape. A cane was by her side, but given the fact that it was made of a strange wood, it was also likely a staff.

  Jinae reached John, poking him in the chest with the cane.

  “I was surprised you just up and left, you know. You dropped quite the bomb on me before your departure.”

  “I don’t know. Is that an issue… Jinae?”

  The old lady didn’t react, but John saw her eyes light up in surprise momentarily.

  “…I see.”

  “Secrets are meant to be kept, but they are just as easily found. I am curious, though. For how long did you know?” she asked, but she didn’t seem upset.

  “Since we met. I only found out your name the day I said it, though.”

  “Hm… interesting.” She didn’t push the issue any further. “Then, I suppose the obvious question remains. What are the two of you doing in this town?”

  “Cut the bullshit. You know what we’ve been up to,” John grumbled. “You contacted your Mystic friends and got me into situations I really wasn’t looking forward to.”

  “Ah, Lupin and Leora. I hope those two are doing well,” Jinae smiled.

  “What, didn’t talk to them yourself?”

  “No. I suppose you know, by now, that I am the leader of our little group. We have our ways of contacting each other. I simply asked everyone to look out for you if they ran into someone of your appearance.”

  “...thanks.”

  John would have answered in a slightly more clever manner, but he was busy talking to Prota at the same time. She’d been messaging him in their system, and he was desperately trying to dissuade her from the idea she currently had.

  [Can we tell her about you]

  [no what]

  [Please?]

  [what why there’s literally no reason]

  [You told Kit and Destiny and Miss Dawn and Mister Wolfhound]

  [That]

  [?]

  [Thats not fair]

  “And how’s little Prota doing?” Jinae smiled. “I suppose you’re aware of your brother’s shenanigans by now, hm? Has he been behaving himself?”

  Prota nodded her head, paused for a moment, then changed her mind and shook it “no” instead.

  “That makes sense. You know, he almost killed me the first time we met. What a scary fellow.”

  “That was your fault!” John protested. “Why were you larping as a cultist?”

  “...larping?”

  “Live action role- you know what? Never mind.”

  Jinae chuckled. “Regardless, it is good to see the two of you in good health. I truly mean that. Not to be rude, but… neither of you seemed to be very healthy the last I saw you.”

  The statement made sense in respects to Prota, but…

  “Me?” John frowned. “I’m fine. What do you mean?”

  “Mm… there’s a light in your eyes that was not there before.”

  Before John could do anything, the old lady had shuffled up to him, grabbing his face and looking at it from all angles. He tried to protest, but most of his words came out as muffle gibberish.

  “Buh- hey, warn me before you do that next time,” John said, backing off quickly.

  “Mm. Definitely a lot better looking. Find any ladies you’re interested in, young man?” Jinae grinned.

  “Wha- why is everyone in this world obsessed with dating?!” John yelled. “Seriously, you old women are gonna drive me crazy…”

  “Well, I suppose there’s no hiding it. We both know this town is special, don’t we?” Jinae said, sitting on John’s bed. “So, let’s just have with it. I’ll tell you what I’m up to if you tell me what you’re up to.”

  Prota looked at him, her eyes shining.

  [No.]

  She stared even harder, pleading without a single word.

  [...fine]

  With a sigh, John crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

  “Jinae. I’m gonna tell you a lot of things, ok?”

  “Oh?”

  The old lady didn’t quite sit up, but she did seem quite interested. Still, she hid it well.

  “No, it’s not the truth or whatever. But it’s what I told Lupin and Leora, so I’ll tell you as well. Plus, you… well, you did take pretty good care of me in Vulcan. I’ll give you that.”

  “Good to know my deeds haven’t gone unrewarded,” Jinae said with a chortle.

  John just sighed again. Well, it wasn’t like his secret was much of a secret anymore. Besides, Zero had said the end was near. If that were the case, he might as well just get all of this over with.

  He explained everything any other [Character] knew, starting with his powers, the idea of conceptual energy, the fact that he came from another world, his age, all of it.

  Throughout, Jinae showed no signs of surprise, nor did she react. She simply listened calmly and accepted everything as it was.

  “And that’s it,” John concluded.

  Jinae simply nodded.

  “What, did they already tell you?” John frowned.

  “No. They did not,” Jinae said simply. “But I was aware of much of this before I even met you.”

  “...let me guess, you guys had a member in this town?”

  “And thus, the reason we are both here is revealed.”

  She wasn’t showing any emotion, but she was no longer smiling.

  “And I believe you have one more thing to tell me, do you not?” the old lady said.

  John flinched, but there was no getting out of it now.

  “...Jinae. Are you familiar with the concept of regression?”

  “Yes, but it is not possible. Many Mystics have tried, but…”

  Her eyes widened as she realized what John was about to say.

  “You-”

  “Shh. Not even Lupin and Leora know about this. There’s only three other beings in this world that know. Prota is one. I won’t tell you about the other two.”

  “I see… but why tell me this? For what purpose?” she frowned. “I suppose it is nice to know you have that ability available, but-”

  “Correction,” John said, clearing his throat. “I don’t have that ability anymore.”

  “Then why?”

  “...Prota’s the one who told me to tell you about this. I’m only doing it because you’re not going to understand what she has to say.”

  Jinae looked at Prota in surprise and found the little girl staring back at her, eyes shining.

  “Do you remember how she didn’t like being around other people?” John said. “She’s still like that, by the way. I hate to break it to you, but interacting with you a few times isn’t gonna make her like you all that much.”

  “Are you sure it’s alright to speak of her like a pet…?”

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Yes, because it’s true. She’s not fond of that many people. Do you know why she’s fond of you?”

  Jinae looked at Prota again, who had now backed up somewhat, but was still looking at Jinae with an expression of fondness. Well, it wasn’t really visible to Jinae, given that Prota’s expression was completely blank, but for John, it was quite apparent.

  “Well, have you seen her magic, for starters?”

  “Who, Prota?” Jinae said, surprised.

  “Yeah. Actually, before I tell you anything, why don’t you two have a little spar?”

  Jinae raised an eyebrow at that. “Me? And her? John, you-”

  “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

  Prota looked up at John, mildly annoyed. She didn’t mind fighting, but she also didn’t think this was very necessary. At least, that’s what John thought she was thinking.

  “I’m not telling her unless you fight her,” he said.

  “...fine,” she muttered, standing up.

  “Come on. Let’s go.”

  ~~~

  Given how difficult the forests were to navigate, it was only a short time before Prota and Jinae found a suitable place to battle. There was no clearing this time, but that was fine.

  A warrior needed to know how to fight in any terrain, after all.

  Jinae still seemed a little concerned about the whole scenario. Well, that was to be agiven. She didn’t know how strong Prota was, but more than that, she was unaware of Prota’s special traits.

  “John, I understand the two of you went to Scholaris, but this is still-”

  “Just shut up and fight,” John sighed. “You’d better not underestimate her, either.”

  Indeed, Prota seemed all fired up. The prospect of showing her first mentor how far she’d come was starting to get to her. Of course, Jinae didn’t know that.

  But it was the idea that was burning in Prota’s heart.

  “I don’t know what the rules are. Just… whatever. Fight until you’re satisfied. You can start, Prota,” John called out.

  As soon as he’d done so, mana flowed through Prota’s body and veins, her feet pushing off the ground explosively as she immediately tried to close the distance between herself and Jinae.

  “Whoa!” Jinae exclaimed, but she didn’t seem worried.

  With a chant, she raised a wall of ice, then immediately created a downdraft strong enough to slow Prota down.

  “You don’t need to chant,” John called out. “She’s not chanting, either. Oh, watch out.”

  Jinae snapped back to the fight, but Prota had already created an array of icicles, spell after spell pelting the old lady. She wasn’t taking much damage, but it was definitely annoying to deal with.

  However, icicles were no longer Prota’s main source of damage.

  “Blossom of Ice.”

  The dozens of ice shards on the ground began to shake, pulling themselves toward Prota, rearranging themselves into two crystalline roses. With a cry, Prota sent them forward, all while dodging the bombardment Jinae was sending.

  “Wh- I’ve never seen a spell like that before!” Jinae exclaimed, but she didn’t seem worried.

  No, she seemed incredibly impressed.

  “She’s got more,” John said, his expression smug.

  Still, Jinae definitely wasn’t weak. She was handling the attacks with ease, simultaneously sending spells back in Prota’s direction, and there wasn’t a hint of stress or discomfort on her face. Well, John had said this was a showcase of sorts. It made sense to build up one’s skills slowly to see what the other party was capable of.

  But Prota had yet to display anything of interest.

  “Frozen Flame,” she muttered, blue fire and clear ice forming together.

  The spell exploded, sending flames spewing everywhere, but even this was just a diversion. Bursting through the flames, Prota dashed forward, mana forming at her fingertips.

  “Frozen Bullet.”

  She no longer needed to slow down time to fire this spell off. The icicle zipped past Jinae’s head, piercing through a tree behind the former cult leader.

  “...I see,” Jinae said, closing her eyes with a smile. “Then, I suppose I’ll start taking things a little seriously as well?”

  A gale began to swirl around the old lady, almost in a defensive stance. Prota instinctively backed off, watching as element after element began to swirl around in the wind.

  Firing off a few experimental icicles, she found that the various spells within the gale automatically moved to protect their caster. It was an automatic shield, one that seemed incredibly impressive. Prota didn’t think she could replicate it.

  “You won’t need to miss intentionally, now,” Jinae said with a wink. “Show me more, won’t you?”

  Prota didn’t need to be told twice. She took mana from her staff, replenishing her core to cast the spell she deemed the most fitting:

  Absolute Zero.

  How was Jinae supposed to block a spell that didn’t involve a projectile?

  Cold mana gathered around Jinae as even her body began to lower in temperature, the very space freezing to ice…

  Or, at least, that’s how it was supposed to go.

  “Fascinating!” Jinae muttered, steam wafting off her body. “A spell that dictates the temperature of space? I didn’t think anyone knew how to do that!”

  “What- what did you do?” John frowned.

  Even he was confused.

  “Ah, I just raised the temperature a bit,” Jinae winked. “These old bones aren’t fond of the cold, you see.”

  Prota wasn’t done, though. A Plasma Disk had already been formed, spinning through the air, setting the branches on fire as it passed through the trees.

  Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough. A giant hand of earth emerged from the ground, catching the spell like a frisbee, tossing it back into the air where it wouldn’t do any harm.

  “Prota!” John called out.

  She turned to him, sweat pouring down her face. The new mana reinforcement and mana recovery she was using were keeping her quite fit, but this many spells at once was still bound to take somewhat of a toll. Still, she could go on for way longer.

  “Just bring everything out!”

  Prota’s eyes widened, but she realized what John was saying.

  Jinae still wasn’t taking her seriously. It was time to step things up.

  Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, focusing for just a moment.

  “Snowstorm.”

  The mana in the air began to attune itself to that of ice, the temperature dropping ever so slightly.

  “...a domain?” Jinae mouthed, wonder in her eyes. “John, just what did you raise?”

  Prota wasn’t done.

  Snow and wind began to whip around, creating a genuine snowstorm that blocked Jinae’s vision. The gale surrounding her stopped her from taking any damage, but the fact that it was annoying didn’t change.

  “An effective domain… ha! What a monster!”

  Before she could do anything else, Prota emerged from the snow, half a dozen Blossoms surrounding her.

  “Go.”

  They all shot toward Jinae, whose spell blocked them with ease, but a few of the spells within the gale began to disappear.

  It was working.

  The shards from the Blossoms were called back, pressing in on themselves until the ice turned blue, slowly compressing into a single, thin icicle.

  “Frozen Cannon.”

  The icicle shot forward, a boom ringing out as the sound barrier was broken. Jinae’s eyes widened, but she called up a giant wall of flame, its heat apparent even to John, who was standing a good ways away.

  It wasn’t enough.

  “Drat,” Jinae muttered. “That’s quite the spell.”

  She raised her hands, her eyes momentarily glowing before an arrow of flame appeared, its fire pure white. With a single motion, the arrow shot forward, piercing through Prota’s spell.

  Unfortunately for Jinae, it wasn’t just a bullet.

  The power of a Blossom erupted upon the spell’s destruction, hundreds of shards of ice scattering and reconverging upon Jinae, who was forced to manually block some of them with even more magic.

  “Rain of Arrows.”

  Prota was still two steps ahead. She was no longer giving Jinae time to react. A giant hail of arrows made of fire and ice rained down, forcing Jinae to block once more.

  “Oh, give this old lady a break,” Jinae called out, but there was an excitement to her voice that hadn’t been there before.

  By the time the arrows had finished, Prota had already charged her next spell.

  “Tas. Yas.”

  Jinae’s eyes widened as she felt the massive collection of mana gathering before Prota. A white ball of mana was now visible, its energy dense and heavy.

  “Hold on, that’s-”

  “Go.”

  A giant beam of energy ripped through the forest, obliterating several trees along the way. There was a roaring sound as the compounded mana performed its only task: pure destruction.

  “Phew! That was close!”

  Jinae was still untouched.

  In fact, she was floating in the sky, a single bead of sweat dripping down her cheek. Somehow, she’d moved dozens of meters without Prota or John noticing.

  “Teleporting is cheating,” John called out. “Old hag.”

  “Oh, please. If anyone’s cheating, it’s your sister.”

  “You don’t have time to be arguing with me,” John grinned.

  Jinae’s eyes widened as she looked back down. Fire and ice were gathering around Prota, but Jinae hadn’t see this spell yet. The elements were swirling, taking form, condensing into…

  “Are those… dragons?”

  For Prota, time was almost at a standstill. She couldn’t afford to mess this spell up. Just a bit more. A little more, and…

  She was out of mana. Her staff… well, she didn’t need her staff for this one.

  There was still one last thing to show her teacher.

  Her eyes flashed as the tendrils reached out, piercing through Jinae’s core, absorbing just a bit of mana from the old lady. Quickly, Jinae closed her core off, but Prota had gotten what she needed.

  Time snapped back to normal. Prota’s hair fluttered as a storm of wind picked up, generated by the intense difference in cold and heat generated by the spell.

  “Go. Dragon of Fire and Ice.”

  The spell spiralled through the sky, the dragons jaws open and roaring as they flew, threatening to devour their prey alive.

  “Ah… I understand.”

  Jinae smiled, closing her eyes. For a moment, Prota feared she wouldn’t block.

  “Then, I’ll also show you something amazing.”

  The spell would reach her in a second, but somehow, that second felt like eternity. Prota dropped her defenses as she watched, her heart pounding in her chest.

  But, suddenly, a single spell flew out of Jinae’s hands. It didn’t look like much. Just a small beam of light.

  Prota didn’t see what happened next. All she knew was that her spell disappeared. Vanished, as if it’d never been there. But it hadn’t been forcefully cancelled or teleported away. The mana used to create it had scattered, as if the spell itself had been destroyed. More than that, there was an equal amount of mana hovering around, as if a spell of equivalent force had been used to destroy it.

  But that was impossible. There had been no spell of equal force. What was going on?

  “Impressive, child,” Jinae said, slowly clapping as she floated back down. “And… that was Soul Steal, was it not?”

  Prota nodded, still frozen with shock. Just what had happened?

  “John. Is this what you wished to show me? She is an impressive child, for sure. I can see why you are fond of her. But… what was the point?”

  Prota stared. Jinae wasn’t even a little tired. She was standing there, conversing with John as if she’d just come back from a light stroll.

  All that effort… and for what?

  “Hold on,” John said, walking over to Prota.

  He grabbed her shoulders, pointing to Jinae.

  “Do you see that? Her smile is forced. Her neck muscles are a little strained, and her hands are shaking ever so slightly. That woman is a match for Mystics, Prota. Stronger, even. You did fine. Plus, you drew out her ultimate skill.”

  Jinae’s eyes widened. “You don’t-”

  “I know what your skill is,” John smirked. “I’m just not going to say it. I want Prota to figure it out.”

  “A monster who grows just from watching… I see,” Jinae nodded. “But for you to just call me out like that… people like having their secrets, you know? You’ll never find yourself a wife like this.”

  “For the last time, I’m not- seriously,” he grumbled.

  He looked around, seeing the once dense forest now absolutely obliterated. If there weren’t any clearings before, there certainly was one now.

  “So. What was it you wished to tell me, John? And why did it require us to participate in this light sparring?”

  John sighed, sitting on the ground.

  “Jinae. Let me ask you something. With this much strength, you could rule the world. Why don’t you?”

  “Hm… an interesting question indeed.”

  “Just answer.”

  “Well… there is no point in destroying this beautiful world. I search for the truth, yes, but my search has led me to many places, led me to many people. I try to hold myself to the standards that Mystics do. Involving myself with mortal affairs is… undesirable.”

  “And if you were going to die?”

  “It depends what for. If it was to protect the future… I wouldn’t mind sacrificing myself, I suppose. I have many friends, many comrades. And I really am old. I have evaded death for many years. Mortals aren’t meant to live this long, you know,” Jinae said with a wink.

  “...just how old are you?”

  “You shouldn’t ask a woman-”

  “Fuck you.”

  Jinae just laughed. “But, such odd questions. Do you mean to tell me that I died for someone? Is that why you brought up…”

  Her voice trailed off as she realized what was going on. She looked at Prota, eyes wide.

  “Yeah. Prota didn’t know shit when I first met her. Do you know what she was capable of? She couldn’t control her Soul Steal and killed people just by making contact. I had to help her with that. But do you know who taught her magic?”

  “Ha… how fascinating. A previous life, an unknown encounter… I suppose this, too, is part of the world.”

  “I don’t know what you’re saying, but sure. Jinae. You taught her. You taught her how to control her Soul Steal in combat, how to cast magic, the basis of everything she’s now capable of. She’s strong, right?”

  “Strong? John, you don’t know the half of it!” Jinae laughed. “This is a child, yes? You say she didn’t know how to use magic a few years ago? In another decade, she may be as strong as me!”

  “...good to know,” John said quietly, but he was smiling.

  “Prota.” Jinae turned to the small girl with a kind expression on her face. “Even if I do not remember it… I am incredibly proud to have been your future. I suppose I died for you in the past. Well… I would do it again. You are part of this world’s future. There is incredible, infinite potential within you. Never forget that.”

  Prota’s eyes shone.

  For her, that was one of the greatest compliments she could receive.