Chapter 19

Chapter 19 - LOT - [UNEDITED]

Time, endless time.

The world around Jack moved so slowly it appeared frozen, a beautiful, timeless world, where he alone walked.

For several minutes, Jack ran to the north, escaping the radius of the massive explosion. As he ran, he gradually felt the energy in his red scar drain.

Jack deftly moved through the streets, dodging the frozen bodies of various guards, merchants, and fighters. Many of them were caught in expressions of terror, twisting to try and flee from the explosion spreading off to the south. Particles of dust and water floated in the air, things he would normally never notice.

He saw a street performer with knives frozen in the air, beginning to fall to the ground as the juggler looked up in shock. He saw a pair of red scaled horses bucking upward, refusing to obey a merchants order. He saw a pair of street urchins frozen just before throwing punches at each other, one of them about to punch the other in the throat.

On that last occurrence, Jack took a moment and let go of his two charges, watching with interest as they just floated, frozen in the air. He then stepped forward and slightly moved the arm of the first urchin, making it so his punch would hit the other in the chest, not the throat.

Everything felt surreal to Jack.

Jack felt and knew, somehow, that the energy in his red scar would drain away completely after this. He had tapped into it, and now it would all be used or wasted, and would no longer remain in his scar. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but the knowledge simply existed within him.

Thus, he took his time, getting used to and experiencing the frozen world.

Eventually, Jack arrived at the Inn where he had rented a room. He ran all the way there, carrying the two weightless bodies of his charges. As he arrived and went upstairs, he released the energy in his red scar, feeling it recede, about two thirds used up. The last third of energy would fade away over the next few days.

The world snapped back, the grey color fading away, replaced by fullness and richness.

Garmen, heavily injured and silent, lay on the bed, while Jack carefully attended to Little Seven who he’d laid out a blanket for. The young girl seemed to have completely recovered, and was simply resting.

As Jack finally relaxed, his heart starting to calm down, an overwhelming sense of tiredness began to crash down upon him. A huge, massive feeling of strain, of overuse, bleed into his body.

Before he could do anything else, Jack slowly fell backwards, his eyes shutting as unconsciousness overtook him.

..

..

Gradually, Jack came awake.

His head was groggy, and his body ached all over. A light soreness had set in, as if he had overdrawn himself. He took several deep breaths, gradually coming to.

He was lying on a comfortable bed. Jack blinked as he looked down at the mattress in confusion, trying to catch his thoughts. He felt the hilt of his rag covered blade dig into his side as he shifted.

Abruptly, he sat up, energy jolting into him as his memories flooded back into his mind. Of escaping the massive explosion with Little Seven and the Branch Chief, of the fights that occurred, of his successful Hunter test.

Before he could do anything, however, a voice rang out.

“SIGGGGGGHHHH. Good, you are awake.”

Jack turned to face the speaker.

An elderly woman with long white hair and sharp golden eyes stared at Jack, the simple but elegant white dress she wore draped over her shoulders. She was currently sitting in a wooden chair, her hands folded across her lap.

The rest of the room was familiar. It was the room Jack had originally rented, a small place sparsely decorated. Just a bed, a chair, a small table, a few other normal things you’d see in an inn of this size.

“May- cough. May I help you? Who are you?” Jack coughed as he spoke, clearing his throat. He shrugged his shoulders, shifting in his bed to face her. As he did so, he looked in surprise at his left shoulder. It was completely healed of the crack he had gotten in it from earlier.

“I am Dyrana. I don’t need your help; rather, I am here to give you some help.” The elderly woman gave Jack a kind looking smile. Her eyes, however, remained unchanging. The woman had a powerful, commanding aura about her. Jack also sensed a heavy and dangerous air. This woman was strong. Far stronger than him.

“Um… Can you tell me what is going on? Is Little Seven okay?” Jack’s first thoughts immediately jumped to Diana, his heart in his throat. He had just finally managed to rescue her, and then an instant after it seemed lost her.

“Yes, Diana is fine. She successfully Awakened her ability, an extraordinary one at that.” The woman nodded as she answered Jack’s question.

Jack smiled in relief. For some reason, he felt as if he could trust what this woman was saying. The way she talked about Little Seven made it clear to him. That being said, he decided to err on the side of caution and be careful regardless. He knew strength was the only thing you could truly trust in this world.

“Can I see her?” Jack kept his voice respectful.

The woman shook her head.

“I am afraid she has already left. However, she had a message she wanted me to hand you when you woke up. I specifically left this clone behind to hand you it.” From seeming thin air the woman drew out and handed Jack a small letter. She smiled as she did so.

“That girl cares a great deal about you.”

Jack thanked the woman and grasped onto the letter, his heart nervous. He opened it up in an instant, reading it quickly.

My dearest Laujack,

Heyo! I am SO sorry for making you worry over the past few days, and I am SO sorry Big Jebraim hurt you! I TOLD him to not, but he didn’t listen. He’s kind of like you, stubborn and stuff. A dummy. Anyways, big brother.

These guys are actually much nicer then they seem. They care about me, and want to help me train my power. I don’t want to leave you, big brother, but they said if they brought you with me, you would only be in danger and might die. I’m so sorry. I told them I wanted to stay with you, but they showed me that if I do that my powers will grow out of control and I might end up killing you.

Big brother you were asleep when they were telling me this, and they wouldn’t wait for you to wake up. They said something about being in danger the longer they stayed, and that that would put you in danger too, and I can’t let you do that, you already got hurt for me earlier.

So I had to leave without saying goodbye. I’m so sorry. I wish I could stay with you, but I’ll only hurt you if I do stay, and I don’t want that. They said you can come visit me, once I grow strong enough to control my powers, so you better! The nice lady said she’d show you how to.

So that’s all, big brother.

I miss you and I love you, and I can’t wait to see you soon

~ Diana

P.s. My name is NOT LITTLE SEVEN.

P.s.s. I am sorry for leaving you, I love you big brother.

Jack stared at the message, tears dripping down his face. His heart ached as he looked at the message, his face expressionless.

He had lost his little sister once more. And it seemed like she was being forced away.

“A very sweet child.”

A voice interrupted Jack’s moment, causing him to look up. The elderly woman was currently looking at Jack, ignoring his tears.

As Jack made eye contact with the woman, he activated his Slowed State, at 1/5th the world’s speed, ignoring the Time Essence in his soul for the moment.

For, in the briefest instant, Jack had noticed a vicious gleam in the woman’s eyes as she saw his tears. Jack instinctively realized that this woman was not his ally, and that he was in danger. She was looking at him like a predator studies prey, not with compassion or care.

His heart pounding, Jack acted completely natural, as if he didn’t notice how coerced Little Seven’s response seemed in her letter.

“I am just grateful she is being taken care of by people who understand her power.” He kept his voice carefully humble, using his Slowed State to help him plan ahead.

“Of course, of course.” The woman gave him a kindly smile.

“I understand that Diana cares about you a great deal. Therefore, I have decided that you will be allowed to meet up with her in the future. However, her training will take her several years to complete. If you wish to see her again, you can only see her at the Great Meet that will occur four years from now.” The woman spoke without waiting for Jack to respond,

“And only if you have the qualifications.” The elderly woman paused, glancing at the rag covered blade on Jack’s side with the slightest hint of disdain.

“Do you understand?” As the woman uttered this sentence, Jack felt a keen sense of danger fall onto him, as if if he misspoke he would be instantly killed. He used his Slowed State to help control his face and emotions, however, keeping his calm as he processed her words.

Jack bowed, releasing his Slowed State as he spoke,

“Yes ma’am. I will do my best to not disappoint.”

The woman stared at Jack, her sharp golden eyes cool. After a tense moment, the dangerous aura disappeared, and she smiled warmly as if nothing had happened.

“Good, good! I am glad you understand.” The elderly woman pulled out a small brown bag, again seemingly from nowhere. She then stood up, setting the bag on the bed next to Jack.

“As a show of thanks for taking care of Diana, I have left you a small reward in this Space Sealed Pouch. Additionally, I had had you injuries and wounds taken care of. Your body seemed to have undergone some sort of forceful change recently, and all the veins in your body had suffered severe damage. All of this has been healed, as has the lateral cracks in your shoulder blade.”

The woman paused as she finished speaking, giving Jack a pat on the head before stepping away.

“I hope Diana can see you in the future.” With that, she snapped her fingers.

Instantly, the elder woman in front of Jack abruptly dissipated into floating golden flames. Before Jack could do anything, the flames vanished, leaving behind a faint hint of smoke, and a burnt feeling in the air.

As soon as Jack was sure she left, Jack’s eyes teared up and his body set to trembling, a mixture of fear, sadness, loneliness, and rage filling him. His hands shook as he picked up the pouch, and took several deep breaths, calming himself.

“Every single time…” Jack muttered, his hand resting on the golden sword at side. He entered his Slowed State again.

“EVERY SINGLE TIME. I. AM. TOO. WEAK.” Venom filled Jack’s voice as he cut off the words, looking at his bleary reflection in the golden sword.

“Too weak to help mom. Too weak to save Diana. Too weak to even defend myself.” Jack’s voice calmed down for an instant.

“Every. Damn. Time.” His shoulders shook for a moment, as if he was bearing a great weight. Gradually, however, his eyes grew clear, and his shaking stopped.

“Never again.” His mind was set.

“I will save you, Diana, if they dare mistreat you. I will discover the truth behind my clan and its destruction. I will reestablish our clan proudly in the open, not hiding in the dark.” Jack’s eyes went black for a moment, his concentration reaching an extreme height.

“I will grow strong.”

Quietly, alone in his room, Jack renewed his determination and made the second of his two great promises. One to avenge his clan, and one to find his best friend.

..

..

Several thousand miles to the south, high in the sky was a massive, enormous leviathan. With gargantuan red wings that stretched hundreds of meters, covered in black ridges and spikes, a huge red dragon soared. Golden flames covered the wings of this ferocious beast, emanating an intense aura of heat.

No creatures in the sky dared approach this massive behemoth, a king in its own right.

On the center of the back of this enormous creature was a large, wooden carriage, strapped to the back.

That carriage was around twenty meters wide and the same long, covered in ornate black symbols.

Inside the carriage transformed into a type of enclosed pavilion, with several long couches, a table, and chairs.

Currently, a young girl was sleeping on one of the couches, her eyes closed and restful. She seemed exhausted, and was quiet, wrapped up with a blanket on the couch. Seven symmetrical freckles dotted across her face.

Standing at the table, the only other person in the room, was a kindly looking elderly woman.

The First Torch of the Golden Flame Clan.

A slight sparkle of light entered this elderly woman’s eyes as she paused from looking down at the table. It was covered in a map where various figures were listed, covered in a few notes referencing an ongoing search effort.

As this light entered her eyes, she looked off into the distance, back at the partially destroyed Snowbank City.

“Good, good, that matter is settled.” She nodded her head dismissively, turning to look down at her new disciple, a gentle smile on her face that failed to reach her eyes.

“I have kept my word, and left your childhood friend alive. Whether he grows enough to reach the Grand Meet is up to him, my dear child.”