The Two Rulers

Jason had a confused expression on his face as he said looked at Thomas and said. "Did you say NYCS2...?"

A confused expression appeared on Thomas's face as well as he looked at Jason and replied. "Yeah I did. Is that a problem?"

Jason shook his head and said. "No." He muttered to himself. "That is just where I was originally headed to begin with." He thought. "Did Jack know that? Was this all a part of his plan?" His head throbbed intensely. He clenched both sides of his head tightly as he thought. "Did he know I was planning on taking over the abandoned Shadow Corp building?" He shook his head back and forth as he thought. "But he couldn't have known. I never told him... Did I?" His head continued to throb. He looked down at his cracked sword and his black knife as he thought. "Is that why my equipment is damaged?! He knocked me out in NYCS1 and then damaged my equipment so he could get a head start to NYCS2! He then told Thomas to lie and say I got attacked in order to stall me here!" He continued to stare at the black knife as he suddenly shook his head and thought. "Wait... that's not right! I got this from Norv, didn't I?" The throbbing in his head began to lessen. He continued his thoughts. "And I was with Aeolos and Jack before I left the blacksmith shop and suddenly ended up here." He stared at the black knife intensely as he thought. "Actually... did I ever even leave the blacksmith shop? I remember Aeolos said something... about my mask... But, what did he-"

Thomas cut off Jason's thoughts as he said. "Jason! Jason, come back to your senses!"

Jason looked at Thomas with annoyance. He removed both of his hands from the sides of his head and said coldly. "I'm fine." He reached down and grabbed his cracked sword with his left hand and his black knife with his right hand. He then stood back up again as he put his cracked sword back on his back and his black knife back on his right side. Jason looked at Thomas with an annoyed expression.

Thomas looked back at Jason with both an expression of worry and irritation.

Jason turned his head and looked at Aeolos.

Aeolos looked at Jason with a confused expression.

Jason thought as he looked at Aeolos. "I'll ask him later."

He turned his head and looked forward in between both Thomas and Aeolos. He said to them as he began to walk toward them. "Let's go."

He walked past both Thomas and Aeolos.

Thomas said to Jason with slight irritation. "Do you even know where you're going?"

Jason stopped walking. He looked over his right shoulder at Thomas and said with annoyance. "All NYC sections are connected to each other via a very long narrow section commonly referred to as the Strips. NYCS1 connects to both NYCS2 in the North and NYCS3 in the East. All of the Strips are about the same length and there are a total of four. Besides connecting all four sections of NYC the other purpose of the Strips is to trap all the Devourers in The Square at the center of NYC."

Thomas had a surprised expression on his face as he said. "Well at least you can remember basic Geography."

Aeolos said to Jason. "You're right. But, they added a fifth section to NYC two years ago called NYCS0. So now there are a total of five sections and a total of six Strips."

Thomas said confidently. "I already knew that." He then smirked and said to Jason. "But, I don't really expect you to be caught up with the events involving NYC. This is probably your first time even being here."

Jason put his left hand on his chin as he thought. "NYCS0? I remember Jack telling me about that before. I believe he called it... the New Capital." He said to Aeolos. "You said there a total of six Strips, right? What do the last two connect to?"

Thomas said to Jason. "Huh? Jason are you even listening?"

Aeolos held up both of his hands. He put up three fingers on his left hand and four fingers on his right hand. He said to Jason. "The Eastern Strip for NYCS0 connects to the Strip that connects both NYCS3 and NYCS4." He then put two fingers down on his left hand and two fingers down on his right hand. "And the Western Strip for NYCS0 connects to this Strip."

Jason's left hand remained placed over his chin as he thought. "They connect to another Strip?" He said to Aeolos. "Where would they connect at?"

Thomas had a bored expression on his face as he listened to Jason and Aeolos.

Aeolos replied. "They connect at the center of the Strip. So this Strip actually has two paths to it. If we go forward we would reach NYCS2 but if we reach the halfway point of this Strip and then head East we would reach NYCS0."

Jason asked. "So what about The Square in the center of NYC?"

Aeolos replied. "It got split in half by NYCS0 and its two Strips. I've heard both the SG and The Devourer Slayer have almost completed cleared out the Southern Half."

Jason asked with a serious expression. "If both the SG and The Devourer Slayer are clearing out the Southern Half... then who is clearing out the Northern Half?"

Thomas said with a serious tone. "The First SG, Aeton Maxidus."

Jason had both a shocked and surprised expression on his face as he said. "What?!" He looked over at Thomas.

Thomas looked at Jason and said with a serious expression. "The First SG rules the north and The Second SG rules the south."

Jason had an expression of both annoyance and fear on his face as he thought. "Both eighty five and eighty six are here?!"A sharp pain went through his skull. He groaned as he thought. "Whose idea was it to have both of them in the same place?! Alex why didn't you say anything before I left?! I never would have come here if I knew both The Order Bringer and The Chaos Bringer were going to be here!"

Thomas said with a serious tone. "So we should be cautious once we reach the Northern part of the NYC. The First SG doesn't let Slashers roam freely throughout his territory."

Jason had a confused expression on his face as he thought. "He is more afraid of The Order Bringer than The Chaos Bringer?" His confused expression turned into a serious expression as he suddenly grabbed the hilt of sword with his left hand. He asked Thomas with a serious tone. "Hold on! How do you know about Slashers?!"

Thomas said with an annoyed tone. "Don't ask me such a stupid question!" He looked at Jason and then at Aeolos as he said. "We should go. We've been standing around talking for too long. Don't forgot that we are standing out in the open. It would be bad if someone like The Devourer Slayer caught us out here."

Jason had a worried expression on his face as he thought. "We're out in the open?!" He looked around at his surroundings.

In front of Jason, Aeolos, and Thomas was a very long field of grass that seemed to stretch out endlessly. To the left of them was a field of grass that stretched out to a massive wall that seemed to touch the sky as well as to the right of them. Finally, behind them was a field of grass that stretched out to a massive gate.

Jason let go of the hilt of his sword as he nodded and said. "Agreed. We should get out of here quickly."

Aeolos looked at Jason and said with excitement. "Do you want to race again?"

Jason thought. "Again?" A sharp pain went through his skull. He groaned with pain as he said. "Let's just get out of here." He began to walk forward.

Aeolos and Thomas followed behind Jason. The three of them walked several meters and then Jason suddenly stopped walking.

Jason quickly grabbed the hilt of his sword. He said angrily as he spun around to face the direction of what was previously behind him. "Who are you?! Why are you following us?!"