Jon stared at the near-seven-foot-tall vermiton that stood opposite him. Their dark, earth-coloured scales slightly visible, Minerva-Infiltration Eyes capable of piercing through the Mortal Ranked Obfuscation-Cloak that adorned his head and torso.

  Hand extended forward, winterish-white blood dripping from his palm.

  The man, Jugen Alhaiven, could not help but go wide-eyed, hearing the familiar, if slightly-accented tones of his native language. Raa’vash was quite a brutish sounding language, emphasizing guttural tones and more than seven different kinds of snarling to highlight specific emotions.

  Jon, with his human vocal-cords, was only able to mimic about five of the seven snarls. Amadeus teaching him about the differences between each one, and certain situations where it was best to use one over another.

  A low grumbling noise escaping his lips, emanating from deep with his abdomen.

  Prompting the vermiton, Jugen, to tilt his head backwards, peering at Jon with a strange, but curious expression on his face. The draconic-lizard-looking humanoid peering at him, eyeing his form alongside his Tabitha-Cedarspear Arm.

  “You are… human, correct? And yet you speak my tongue?” Jugen asked.

  “I do,” Jon nodded, hand still extended forward, “I befriended a number of vermitons during my time within the System Introduction. Among other things, I was taught about the nine virtues of battle and about the house of Vavina as well.”

  “Although I will admit, my accent makes pronunciation quite difficult at times.”

  Jugen snorted, as if expression laughter or a slight chuckle.

  “It is more than sufficient.” Jugen said, eyeing the wards that Jon had manifested around the two of them. His Fragment Of Mind and Fragment Of Behemoth analysing the structure and intent imbued into said ward.

  “This is a concealment ward? Designed to keep perceptions out?”

  Jon nodded his head once more.

  “Yes. I am here to talk, nothing more, nothing less.”

  “Is that fine with you, Jugen?”

  The earth-scaled vermiton narrowed his eyes at him, activating a Fragment Of Observation. A spiritual gust of wind natured mana flowing outwards from his eyes and ears, rushing towards Jon while mimicking the natured flow of air around them.

  If it was used against someone that lacked control over their Fragments Of Mind or Fragments Of Spirit, it might have been effective. Or, if Jon was still a Mortal, Jugen might have gleamed a little something more than just a name and Rank.

  His probing, not quite as subtle when used against a Knight.

  Jonathan Randall Guilliman

  Age: 20

  Rank: Knight

  Jon watched as Jugen’s eyes widened, allowing his Fragment Of Observation to gleam the barest amount of information from his status page. His age and name momentarily ignored as the Wordsmith Of Time And Wind observed the different in Rank between himself and the human that stood before him.

  Aggronia shifting within her Fragment Of Behemoth, awaiting the moment that Jugen would need her.

  “Y-you’re a Knight!?” Jugen exclaimed, seeing Jon remain motionless, despite the differences in Rank between the two of them. Yellow-brown eyes glancing towards either side of him, wondering if he should think about running towards his left or right.

  Jon’s voice interrupting his train of thought.

  “If you’re thinking about running, that’s fine by me. So long as you don’t cause indiscriminate harm to any of the uninitiated humans than you’re free to come and go as you please.”

  “I won’t stop you.”

  “But…”

  Jon took one step closer towards Jugen, watching as the Sixth-Initiated Mortal took a step backwards in response, manifesting his summoned companion without a moments hesitation.

  [Aggronia; Schwarzschild Light-Behemoth].

  A seven-metre-tall quadrupedal behemoth manifesting herself between this Knight and her master. Light natured spiritual energy flowing across her monstrous-looking scales, giving the appearance of veins, or arteries forged from colourless starlight. Aggronia looking down at him menacingly, lion-shaped head sprouting horns reminiscent of a moose.

  Jon just smiled.

  “If you would like to know more about this world and what happened during the System Introduction, then come back to this location at midnight,” Jon gestured towards this park, enclosed on all sides by trees and shrubbery.

  “I might not have all the details regarding certain events, but I was present when the Angel Of Green and Angel Of Transformation entered our small realm.”

  “I understand your apprehension, given that I am a Knight and that you are still a Mortal so perhaps this might entice you-.” Jon activating his Fragment Of Contract.

  [Thy Name Shalt Be Written In Blood And War]

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Aggronia’s eyes widening, almost imperceptibly in the presence of Jon’s [Tyrannical War Contract]. War natured spiritual energy was not common throughout the integrated universes. Neither was weave natured spiritual energy, which was what formed the ward around herself and Jugen.

  Jon placed down his manifested contract onto the soft earth at his feet.

  “Destroy it if you don’t want to talk, I’ll be able to feel it regardless of the distance you put between us. Although, if you do not destroy it, I’ll come back here tonight at midnight.”

  “There, I’ll answer whatever questions you may have about this world. And the events leading to up to the sudden termination of our System Introduction.”

  Jon tapping his foot against the ground twice, manifesting an illusory-set of blue-coloured doors behind him. Weave natured spiritual energy weaving itself into an ordinary-looking door, one that did not resemble the door to his childhood room.

  [Violet Doors Of Janus Quirinus].

  The doors opening without Jon needing to turn the handle.

  “Although we could settle this with an ava’hashida, I thought it would be unfair considering that you are still a Mortal. An honourable weapon-less bout might seem interesting if we were both Knights, but…”

  Jon flashed Jugen a small grin.

  “I’ll wait until you cross that threshold first before considering fighting against a vermiton barehanded.”

  Stepping through his manifested Violet Doors, Jon disappeared from the park that Jugen had been left standing in. Motes of weave natured spiritual energy dissipating into purplish-silver motes of light, leaving not a single trace of his existence anywhere around him.

  Nothing at least, other than the wards surrounding said park.

  And the war natured contract placed softly on the grass.

  Aggronia shifting her enormous mass, peering down to look at Jugen.

  “Well… that was interesting.”

  Break.

  Jon had left Lydia and Ariel back at the Albion Hotel, leaving the two younger girls alone amidst a growing sea of bodies and noise. His two sisters staring at the table full of food, not daring to touch even a single chip before Jon returned from whatever side-quest he had ran off towards.

  Lydia texting some of her friends, alongside Devon, the boy whom she had seen earlier this morning. Ariel, on the other hand, continued to glance downwards at her phone, sending Jon text messages every other minute.

  “Do you think he is in trouble Lydia?” Ariel asked.

  “He’s probably fine,” Lydia muttered, fingers pressing against her virtual keyboard, “Jon probably just saw another pretty girl and decided to chase after her in order to get her number or something.”

  “You know what he’s like Ariel. I’m almost surprised that he didn’t try and ask Summer out considering that-.”

  “Considering what exactly?” Jon interrupted.

  Lydia felt her words being cut short, as a hand pressed down on the top of her head. Another hand reaching down towards her phone, snatching it out of her grip without even so much as blinking an eye.

  She instinctively tried reaching for said phone but found herself powerless against Jon’s superior size and strength. Her expression shifting into one of childish wrath, staring up at Jon, eyes narrowed and brows twisted into a frown.

  “… If you mess up my hair, I promise I’ll ruin your chances with that girl Kate.”

  “If you keep threatening me, I might just have to cancel all your plans to host your birthday party at mine.” Jon glanced towards Ariel, giving flashing her an arrogant-looking wink. The older twin suppressing the urge to giggle, placing her phone down on the table and reaching towards some of the wedges Jon had asked her to order.

  “… You wouldn’t dare,” Lydia said, eyes narrowed even further.

  Her older brother chuckled, taking his seat opposite the two of them. Extrasensory-Observation Glasses changed for a pair of uninitiated spectacles. The sight of all this human food causing his stomach to grumble, earning expressions of amusement from his two younger sisters.

  The scent and sight of human food, even those not prepared by someone with a Food Mana Core, Chef Mana Core or related fragments was still more than enough to incite a sense of hunger within him. The steak sandwich that he had specifically ordered was missing more than a handful of chips, eyes wandering towards Lydia and Ariel who had already started to devour their entrees with a vigorous gusto.

  ‘Some things never change I guess…’

  Reaching under the table, Jon pulled out his phone from his Red Archives, placing it against his leg and moving his arm so at to pull it out from his pocket. The sight of almost a dozen different messages from Ariel all popped up at once, Jon mostly ignoring all of them until-.

  “Hmm?”

  A curious sounding hum escaping his lips.

  “Is something the matter Jon?” Ariel asked, covering her mouth after taking a large bite from one of her sliders. Lydia perking her head up as well, considering that Jon had taken her phone. It sat across the table from her, the furthest point away from where she was currently sitting.

  Although she considering reaching for it and snatching it back, Lydia was more than capable of waiting until she had finished her food before attempting such a thing.

  Both girls watched as Jon pursed his lips, raising an eyebrow before shaking his head.

  “… No. Everything is fine.”

  “Just… thought that I saw another familiar face.”

  Lydia and Ariel shared another glance, the former gesturing towards his phone.

  “Like on social media or something? Someone from high school?” Lydia queried.

  Jon shook his head, swiping his phone open before opening the article that had popped up in the centre of his news feed. There were a few scattered articles about missing persons and the rising cost of living around the world, but the one that Jon was referring to was-.

  “… Idol ‘Miyoung’ returns to public eye after two months on hiatus?”

  Lydia and Ariel scrunched up their faces in confusion.

  “Jon… what?”

  Jon shrugged his shoulders, nodding his head as though trying to appear as believable as possible. The enormous, shit-eating grin on his face doing to the complete opposite, causing both Lydia and Ariel to roll their eyes at him, throwing a wedge at him playfully.

  “Yeah right!?” Lydia exclaimed, tilting her head backwards and exploding into laughter.

  “She is way out of your league Jon! I mean, I love you, but you are reaching levels of self-delusion that I cannot even comprehend! I mean just look at her Jon! She is a renowned singer, songwriter, model, and a member of a world-famous idol group!”

  “How in the world did she look familiar to you!?”

  Ariel nodded her head, agreeing with her twin, gaze lingering on ‘Miyoung’s’ masked face.

  “… Wasn’t this girl nominated for Miss Korea this year? I remember their being a whole scandal about it, considering that some of the judges tried to coerce participants into… well…”

  No-one needed to say anything more, each knowing exactly what Ariel was alluding to. Jon, tapping his fingers against the table, bit down on the steak sandwich in his hands, nodding his head in agreement with his sisters’ words.

  “… You two are probably right. I’m probably just thinking of someone else.”

  The sounds of rambunctious laughter and drunken giggling echoed out all around them. Ariel swiftly switching the conversation back towards the birthday party that herself and Lydia had planned for the end of this month, discussing possible decoration plans and party ideas with their older brother.

  Jon nodding his head, agreeing with most of their demands, including the ones about people staying over. He would have to set a few ground rules and remove some of the more dangerous spiritual items and research materials he had laying about, placing them all back within his [Red Archives Of Mars Quirinus] before the party.

  His eyes glancing toward the news article placed in the centre of his feed.

  Mouth curling upwards into something in-between a smirk and a smile as he observed the slightly blurred photo of ‘Miyoung.’

  ‘… Interesting.’