Act 1 - Chapter 3

Chapter 8: Jack; Shauran 19th, 344SR; 22:40

Jack bit his sandwich. The creamy yet zesty sauce coated the juicy red tomatoes and crunchy lettuce. With the savory texture of the turkey, a familiar combination of satisfying flavors tickled his taste yet again. He leaned back and relaxed as he looked up at the Celestial. 'This is one thing I don't mind waking up for...' He heard a crunch to his right, a short pause, then several more crunches in rapid succession. Eos barely even chewed his sandwich, he swallowed and then immediately took two more wholesome bites.

"This- this is made in Helios?! Where can I-" Eos shouted with his mouth full, then shut his mouth and winced as he suddenly choked.

Jack laughed, almost choking himself as Eos slammed his fist on his chest. "Chew your food... It's not like its going anywhere..."

The people in Logos were all enjoying the night. Jack watched a woman sing for a crowd of people who danced with frothy cups of ale in hand. The caravans selling goods were being closed, the owners packing up to go home themselves. Eos gulped down the food as a tear fell from his eye, he sniffled.

"But... This is so good?! How can something be this good?" Eos sobbed.

"Are... Are you crying?" Jack raised an eyebrow as he laughed.

"Scout Eos," an annoyed woman approached from behind.

Eos and Jack turned to see a woman who wore a white shirt buttoned up to her neck, on her chest was the red insignia of a dragon coiled around a spear. 'She's a lieutenant of Arthurs?' There was a red band on the upper part of her left arm, Jack squinted at it. 'What is that? I've never seen others wear that...' She had short black hair, with bangs covering the left side of her face. Freiya glanced at Jack for a moment but turned her attention back to Eos.

"Oh hey Freiya, how are you?" Eos waved with the wrap in his hand, there was some sauce on the side of his mouth. "This is Freiya, she's a spy from House Pendragon. Isn't that cool!"

The paper in Freiya's hand crinkled in her grip. "Hey..."

"Hm?" Eos smiled back at Freiya, but noticed her seethe with anger behind her calm expression.

Freiya sighed. "It may be normal for you to be public about your occupation, but don't just go telling everyone who spies are..."

"Oh, sorry," said Eos.

"Anyways, the nobles and Lord Lightbringer saw your report yesterday and have requested me to tell you to stop entering the mines," she informed him.

"What?!" Eos suddenly stood, his expression went from cheerful to shocked. "B-b-but-"

"No buts! Stop entering the mines. You're a scout, you have other jobs. Now come on, you submitted yesterday's report late and now you're here eating and I still haven't seen today's report!" Freiya ordered.

Eos shoulders slumped down and so did his head.

"Okay..." Eos stood up and wiped the sauce and crumbs off his face. "Well, we collected a lot of the logorite we found yesterday, let's do it again tomorrow!" he yelled to Jack as he walked off with a bright smile.

"I just told you not to!" Freiya uttered, now extremely annoyed.

Eos continued to wave. Jack threw the rest of the sandwich into his mouth. He dusted off his hands, then leaned back and looked up at the Celestial. The brief respite suddenly felt dull, as he remembered this was all there was to his life.

"Tomorrow..." Jack looked down, he felt a familiar emptiness.

Jack sighed, then stood up and made his way home. He walked to the south entrance, then turned left and went down the path, glancing at Carol's destroyed house for a moment. 'Couldn't collect much logorite today...' A chill ran down his spine. 'How much longer am I gonna do this...' As Jack arrived at his house he saw Lydia. She sat on the steps of her house across from Jack's house. 'She still looks sad about yesterday... She'd probably yell at me if I try to talk to her...'

Jack walked over to his front door and turned the knob. Instead of opening it, he looked down and sighed, gripping the cold door knob as he thought about how she cried. It reminded him of himself. Jack sighed, then turned and walked across the road. Her hair was a complete mess, she hadn't even changed out of the clothes she wore yesterday. 'How long has she been sitting here?' She held her head down in her lap. Jack noticed a hint of red in her nails, and multiple scratches were carved into her arms. Jack gulped, dreading how she'd respond to him, but he continued anyway.

"Hey... Are you okay?" Jack asked from a distance at first, he squinted as he heard her muttering.

"How much longer am I gonna do this..." she whispered repeatedly, tears falling out of her eyes.

Jack froze. He gulped suddenly when he heard the words. The same words he told himself so many times.

"Are you okay?" Jack reached forward, she looked up and slapped his hand away with a frightened expression.

The loose sleeves of her dress were moist. Tears flowed down her face like an endless stream. As she realized it was just Jack, her expression turned from fear to resentment as she gritted her teeth. Jack's palm didn't hurt, but he was shaken by her outburst.

"Get away from me! All you'll do is make everything worse than it already is! Just like your parents!" Lydia shouted.

Jack stood still in confusion, but as he heard her mention his parents, he felt anger surge through him. She turned and ran into her house, shutting the door behind her.

"I'm not them! Screw you!" Jack cursed before he turned and marched into his own home, shaking his head in frustration.

'I knew I should've just ignored her...'

* * *

The rhythmic strikes of the pickaxes came to a stop as Jack hit the wall once more. The small cavern that was usually cold, was humid from the miner's sweat. Jack cracked his neck, then raised his pick again and swung. The edge of the blade got stuck in the wall of green Logorite. 'Huh?! No way... Again?!'

"Hey, hey Eos!" Jack called. "I think I found another hidden cave!"

"What!? Really!" Eos shouted.

"Yeah, help me clear this out!"

Jack and Eos struck the wall repeatedly, easily cleaving through it like it wasn't even there. When the hole was wide enough, the two of them walked through. However, on the other side was just a small pocket of space, the ceiling was just high enough to walk under. What was odd, was the green light that shone through a hole in the center of the hidden chamber.

"What the?" Eos squinted.

Jack and Eos walked around the small hole, it was no bigger than a clenched fist. The green light wasn't too bright, but as Jack looked through he was caught off guard by what he saw.

"Eos... Eos come look at this!" Jack stressed.

Beyond the small hole, was a giant expanse of open space. Green logorite crystals shone brightly, illuminating a massive underground cavern. But what was most fascinating, were the structures and walls he saw. It was hard to see due to the glare of the light, but it almost resembled a city.

"Woah! A kingdom! Underground?!" Eos cheered excitedly.

"I think so!" Jack laughed, dumbfounded by the majestic sight.

"Cool! We should go down there!" Eos suggested. "What do you think Carol?"

Jack's heart stopped.

"For sure! It must belong to one of the lost lords!" said Carol.

Jack turned around slowly, and noticed her short black hair and green eyes. Carol leaned over the hole, clenching her fists in excitement. She had a dumb grin on her face as she raised her pickaxe and chipped away at the rock to make it bigger. Jack looked up at her in shock. 'What... Why...' Eos noticed Jack's expression and tilted his head.

"Hey Jack, what's wrong?" Eos asked.

"Yeah, stop being gloomy and help us get through here!" Carol laughed.

"Carol... You're... You're alive?!" Jack skipped a breath.

"Huh?" Carol turned, Jack could only see half of her smile as her back was turned. "What do you mean?"

As she faced Jack, his heart froze. Her skin was burnt off, but she was still smiling. Without eyelids, her green eyes were piercingly wide. Her exposed gums and teeth made fixed her expression into a permanent, painful looking grin. The ground cracked, before completely shattering. The green light flooded over Carol's face, just like the flames of Alexander Rael.

* * *

Jack eyes shot open as he sprang up out of bed, huffing quickly as he looked around. He reached for his mouth, and gagged as he almost threw up. The cold sweat that smothered his back made him uncomfortable. 'What the fuck!' A glass window across the room revealed the black night sky. 'Of all the things I could dream about... Why am I dreaming about mining...' Jack rolled over onto his side and held his throbbing head. A latch unlocked outside, he quickly sat up and listened to the silence. He heard light steps on wood as someone descended into the cellar. 'Is that Arthur?'

Jack grabbed the beige shirt he wore earlier from a straw basket, put it on, and left the room. He quietly walked to the front door and opened it slowly without a sound. The houses and path all looked like shades of blue as his eyes adjusted to the dark. The air was crisp, with the sounds of a thunderous storm far off in the distance. He stepped outside of the house and walked to the right side, the cellar was wide open. He approached slowly, peering inside only to see a black-haired man in white hunched over in thought.

"Thanks for not waking me up," said Jack, Arthur glanced over his shoulder.

"Sorry if I woke you," he replied.

"I'm pretty sure I said not..."

"What woke you then?"

"Uh... A bad dream..." Jack sighed and shook his head as he took a step onto the cold dirt of the cellar. "Really bad..."

"Oh?"

"I have a lot of weird dreams..." Jack replied. "Some more than others..."

"The scholars in Andurill say dreams reflect your subconscious mind... There is a lot of truth to them if you look at them carefully..." Arthur continued to observe the unconscious man's body.

"Definitely not this one," said Jack. "I'm gonna be honest... I don't think this guy is waking up any time soon..."

Arthur stood up and shook his head.

"This is getting ridiculous... How has he been in a coma for this long, I messed up thinking this was an opportunity..." Arthur pondered as he turned towards the exit of the cellar.

"Huh... Messed up? That's it then? We're just gonna keep waiting?" Jack asked.

Arthur sighed and sat on the steps of the cellar. "We... Can't wait... At least not here, not anymore... We must move the body..."

"Huh... Why? And where? I don't have anywhere else to hide him?!"

"I'm running out of options, and time... I'm no longer the warden anymore... Alexander Rael is taking the position back... Starting in the morning."

"What..." Jack felt a nostalgic fear rattle his spine.

"But... Forget Alexander Rael for now, you... Who are you anyway?" Arthur asked, his sudden question catching Jack off guard.

"Who... Am I?"

"The council meeting yesterday was held because Libra prison in Hiria was destroyed. Multiple high-profile criminals are on the loose," Arthur explained.

"Okay? And..."

"The big shot in the prison, Geral Murdok was apparently chanting 'He is coming' repeatedly, before stopping and just saying your name..." Arthur pointed at Jack.

A drop of sweat crept down Jack's neck at the fact he was mentioned in a council meeting. "I don't know who that is?"

"You don't know Geral Murdok?! The criminal who turned Maryn into Murdok Bay? The place with borders made from the flayed bodies of people! For some reason, he said your name just before the entire prison was destroyed. Now he, along with other horrible criminals, are on the loose! Why does someone who skins his enemies alive, on a different continent, know you?" Arthur stressed while pointing at Jack.

"Skins them alive? What is skinning?" Jack asked nervously.

"Skin. Torn Off. While they're alive and awake..." Arthur's hand gestures implied this should be obvious.

Jack's stomach turned. "I don't know... How the hell should I know why he said my name?! Did he say Eldritch?"

"No, just Jack-"

"It's not me, no way... I did not blow up a prison, that's just... That's just stupid and impossible, I was literally mining like I have been every day for over a year, I did not do anything!" Jack frantically tried to deny the possibility.

"Calm down, I know it's preposterous and I don't believe it either... But if Geral Murdok said your name... You'd better keep an eye on your back... He may have sent a message, it may not even be someone's name but it could be a hidden code... Geral Murdok is a master of stealth and deception... That was before he had the gift of Gyro..." Arthur warned.

"What? Keep an eye on my back?" Jack could barely process what he was hearing.

"I'm serious... A big-name criminal just said your name and the only thing that you've done is... Wait..." Arthur looked down suddenly.

"What? What is it?" Jack asked.

"The only other people that saw you attack Alexander... Could have been citizens of Logos..." Arthur stood up. "The only way the information could spread would be through the other slaves... But who could it be... And how did they get the information off the continent... If they could get the information off the continent... Could they be connected to the resistance..."

'This guy thinks quickly...' Jack glanced over at the body in the room for just a second. Underneath the unconscious man's hair, Jack noticed something purple on his forehead. 'Huh?' Jack turned and looked back at the unconscious man's face but didn't see anything. 'What was that?'

"Hey, Arthur..." Jack tried to call out to Arthur but he was already up the stairs.

"If there are resistance members in Logos... I need to find them and soon, they might be able to safely move the body. Alexander already suspects us, but if they do it, we won't have to worry..." Arthur explained.

"Wait for a second, I'm serious I just saw something!" Jack called Arthur back.

Arthur turned and looked at the body. Jack turned to see the body still on the floor as it always was. There was nothing under his bangs. 'It's gone? Where did that light go?'

"I'm serious I just saw something purple in the corner of my eye," Jack turned.

"Just stop, he isn't waking up," Arthur sighed and turned around and exited the cellar. "Stay safe, don't do anything reckless!"

Jack sighed. "We're this desperate for the guy to wake up and our first hint at something is ignored..."

"Yeah, what a shame," A deep voice to his right said nonchalantly.

"I hate angels..." Jack shook his head. "Huh?" Jack quickly glanced to the right in confusion, only for his face to get grabbed by a large hand. "Hol-mmph!"

Jack struggled and tried to tear away from the man's grip. His hand was massive, the palm alone was almost bigger than Jack's head.

"Don't scream, I'm not going to hurt you..." the once unconscious man asked. "Just tell me where I am, and where my ship is..."

He released his grip, and Jack stumbled to the wall. He turned to face the man, the same man who had been unconscious for over a year standing upright and awake. 'What- What the fuck! I told Arthur, and he didn't listen!'

His black hair was long and dense as it clumped together. It reached past his shoulders while his bangs reached past his nose, he slid his hair back and rubbed his scarred left eye. The mysterious man had a long face and a well-defined jaw. 'He's Alexander Rael's height...' The man bent his knees slightly as the cellar was too short for him. Jack's heartbeat began to return to normal as he took deep breaths.

"Y-You're... Awake," Jack cowered in the corner.

"Yeah..." he raised an eyebrow awkwardly. "My name is Ajal, the divine being of Imperion."

"Divine being? Imperion?" Jack repeated. "M-My name is Jack, this is... The town of Logos... I'm- a slave?"

"Logos? How long was I out?" Ajal asked with a confused expression.

"A year... M-me and my friend found you inside some blue thing that crashed in the woods... We brought you back here because you were hurt," Jack explained.

"That blue thing is my ship, where is it... I need to get back to Braxus, which faction is this town a part of, when was it made?" Ajal stared at Jack as he awaited an answer.

Jack simply looked at him with a confused expression. Ajal cleared his throat.

"Where on Imperion are we? I don't recall a country known as Logos ever existing," Ajal asked Jack once more, gesturing with his hands as if this should be simple to answer.

Jack tilted his head. "What's Imperion?"

Ajal's eyes widened, he suddenly looked worried. "What... What is the name of this world?"

"Grelt... At least... That's what everyone else calls it..." Jack raised an eyebrow.

Ajal took a step back. "Grelt... Not Imperion..."

Jack nodded and shrugged. "This is... The continent of Kamino... On Grelt, we're... In Logos- I said Logos already... Uh... You crashed outside Helios over a year ago...?"

"A year..." Ajal's eyes widened. "This is bad..."

"What are you? Your blood was growing crystals and that wound on your stomach..." Jack asked. "I uh... When we found you, we could see through it..."

Ajal lifted his arm and looked at the rhombus-shaped scar on the left side of his abs. "Yeah, that's where I got stabbed, a few times..." Ajal said nonchalantly before he went back to thought.

Jack shivered, his teeth jittering slightly. "Stabbed a few times?! W-who stabbed you?"

"My friends..."Ajal looked down for a moment, he had a pained expression. "Can you show me the way to this forest?"

"Uh- Sure?"

'Who the hell is this guy?!' Jack led Ajal out of the cellar. He took a deep breath as he touched the wood of the houses. He walked onto the open street, then looked up at the Celestial.

"That's a Celestial..." Ajal muttered under his breath.

"Yeah... Do- do you also worship it?" Jack asked.

Ajal did a full circle and looked in every direction, he analyzed the surroundings.

"These houses are so poorly made... What kind of technology do you people even have? Hey Jack, do you have a radio?" Ajal asked.

"A radio? What?" Jack replied.

"That answers that... There are no power lines... What's the most advanced thing you've ever seen?"

"What?"

"Never mind that's a stupid question..." Ajal turned back to the Celestial. "Ok, at least I know that thing exists here... Is that Celestial on this continent? Can I reach it?"

"Reach it? Well... No, the angels will probably kill you if you try."

"The... Angels?" Ajal squinted. "Okay, that's a strange name... I'd rather not start a commotion, what about the other Celestials?"

"Others? There's only one," Jack answered as he opened the door to his house.

"What? But Imperion has six?"

"Six?!" Jack shouted in surprise. "That's... A lot to think about.... Uh... You need clothes, aren't you cold?"

Jack hurried into his house, and Ajal followed. He analyzed the interior as he ducked under the door frame. It was less cramped than the cellar but roomy enough so that Ajal didn't have to crouch slightly. Jack walked into his bedroom, opened the creaking closet, and pulled out an extra beige shirt.

"Try this on," said Jack as he paced back and forth.

Ajal put the shirt on but it was too tight and his abdomen was still exposed, he immediately took it off

"If you have something bigger that would work," he threw the shirt to Jack.

Jack caught the flapping shirt and ran back into the room. He left it on the bed and reached for his parent's old clothes. 'We don't have clothes for someone this tall... These pants are stretchy though...'

"Try this," Jack pulled a large beige shirt out of the closet and threw it to Ajal.

Ajal caught the shirt without looking, he was observing the room instead. He pulled the beige shirt over his head, it was still somewhat small for him. The fabric hugged each of his muscles tightly, it almost looked like they'd rip through the shirt.

"It's not too cold, but, I left a coat on the bed, and a change of pants..." Jack scratched his neck. "I wanted to ask... Um... It's probably a weird question but... Are you a gift from the Celestial?"

Ajal looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "No? What kind of question is that..."

"Oh..."

"I said I'm a divine being..."

Jack rubbed his elbow. 'This guy doesn't sound right in the head. Can this guy even fight the angels? He looks strong though...' Ajal stood up and entered the bedroom, he closed the door behind him.

"Thanks for the help, I can picture a couple of worse places I could have woken up..." Ajal spoke from inside the room.

Jack suddenly remembered what Arthur said. 'Wait... Alexander Rael is coming back to Logos tomorrow...' Ajal opened the door and exited the room, adjusting the coat. He wore dark brown pants now and a dark blue coat. 'If Alexander Rael is coming tomorrow... I'm screwed... It's over... I should run away...'

"Do you have a washroom or shower?" Ajal asked as he analyzed the room.

"Theres an outhouse around the back... To shower you would have to go down south to the lake..."

"Down south?! Wow..." Ajal shook his head. "You said you're a slave, right? I've never met a slave who owned a house?"

"Well... Everyone in this town must work for the angels..." Jack answered. "They'd hunt us down if we tried to leave..."

"I see..." Ajal nodded. "Where did my ship crash again?"

"In Roverswood outside Helios, it's just north of here. What are you gonna do?" Jack replied.

"Can you point me in that direction?" Ajal asked as he walked out of the house.

'Huh?' Jack followed him outside, the sky was dark. Ajal stared at the Celestial once more.

"Imperion has six different Celestials. Are you sure there's only one?" Ajal asked curiously.

While he said it nonchalantly, Jack felt his curiosity boil.

"But... You didn't get a gift from either of them?" Jack asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"No? As I said twice already, I'm a divine being... Which way is the ship?" Ajal asked.

"Huh? Oh, that way," Jack pointed slightly to the left of the Celestial. "Past the mountain... There's a forest, your... Ship... Crashed in the middle of it..."

"Alright, thank you, Jack. I'll be on my way now," Ajal turned.

He walked along the town's path towards Helios. 'Huh?' Jack watched as the person he and Arthur waited an entire year for started to walk off.

"Wait..." Jack uttered, but Ajal didn't hear him. "Wait!" Jack cried as loud as he could.

'What the hell am I doing...' Jack thought to himself as he felt tears come out of his eyes.

"Can I come with you?!" Jack asked frantically.

Ajal stopped and looked back at Jack.

"Please... I'd rather be dead than a slave to the angels for another day..." Jack admitted.

Ajal stared at him for a moment.

"What about the other houses?" Ajal asked.

Jack wiped his eyes dry. "Huh?"

"How many people are living here in Logos? There are multiple houses just like yours... Why are you slaves anyway? You don't look like you're being chained, you have homes... Can't you leave?" Ajal observed.

"We have nowhere else to go... The Celestial doesn't give any of the non-unified gifts. The alliance would kill us if we try to resist... They think our only use is to work for them..." Jack explained.

"Why doesn't the Celestial grant you gifts?"

"What? I don't know, it just never has... It's always been like this... I don't even know the reason it grants gifts to them, they're horrible..." Jack replied in confusion.

"That's... Odd..."Ajal looked down for a few seconds while he rubbed his chin. "Alright, I get it. Since you helped me... I'll try to free you and all these people, but I'll be going back to my world after.... We'll consider this a partnership, one between a slave, and an alien," Ajal grinned.

"What? What's an alien?"

"Ugh- This is difficult- Uh... Just... Take me to my ship... I have no idea where I am going," Ajal turned.

Jack felt a mix of relief that followed the panic he felt. He thought he had almost lost his one chance to escape this life. Jack started forward, but in the corner of his eyes, he saw a face in the window. A blonde-haired woman peeking out. 'Isn't that Lydia...' She stared at Jack with wide eyes. Jack took a moment to realize she just saw Ajal and heard everything.

"Ah- crap?!" Jack looked around awkwardly.

Jack rubbed his head, he looked over at Ajal who stared off at Necropolis in the distance.

"Is that a floating island? But I don't see any way up... How did someone light that? Do they live up there?" Ajal asked himself nonchalantly. "Why is the fire green? It looks cool though..."

Jack looked back at Lydia standing in the window, her palm was on the glass. He felt awkward as she continued to stare at him as if she hoped for something. 'Dammit... I hope she doesn't sell me out to the angels...' Jack turned away and ran off to catch up to Ajal.

The two made their way out of Logos, walking down the pathway toward the mines. The ground was littered with leaves that had fallen from the trees in the forest. The crop fields were full of wrinkled and dry crops.

"It's almost Hemhir? How is the cold season here in this place? I'd imagine it's hard if that's how the houses are built," Ajal asked while he pointed at the town with his thumb.

"We don't get snow here, but it's much colder than it is during Vagril or Grivar," Jack explained.

"Hmm..." Ajal squinted at Jack.

"What?" Jack asked.

"It's strange, we have the same seasons... And the same language," Ajal noticed. "On my world, we had known there were other planets, but we were still working on reaching them... We always imagined people from other planets would speak different languages..."

"Other... Planets..." the thought made Jack feel small.

The skinny branches of the trees loomed over them, the dark blue sky was visible past the black silhouettes of branches above them. 'There's a whole other world out there... I haven't even seen all of Grelt.' Jack wondered as he looked up at the black sky.

"What is Imperion like?" Jack asked.

"Imperion huh, well... It's nice... I-I think..." Ajal stuttered awkwardly.

Ajal looked up in thought about how to word his answer. 'What does that mean?' Jack looked puzzled as the two entered the dark forest. Branches cracked as they stepped over piles of leaves.

"I always thought I was saving Imperion... But each time I took out the problem... Another problem showed up... Because of me... I guess I was more like the armies dog... Doing the bidding of the higher-ups... Until I found out they were using me..." Ajal clenched his fist tightly. When I found out... I killed them..."

Jack felt his heart skip a beat when he heard Ajal say that so calmly. He slowed down as Ajal lowered his head.

"Well, not I... We did... I have a team, or I had a team... My friends..." The tall man rubbed his head awkwardly.

"You killed them? You're a soldier?" Jack questioned.

"Imperion has an army we call... We're called... The Imperials... That sounds dumb to say to someone who isn't from there... To set Imperion free, we set out to kill the archbishops, the prophets who first formed the Imperial's army, however right after we succeeded... My friends turned on me..." Ajal stopped and put his hand over his wound. "The worst part is... I think I know why they did it, and I get it... But none of them said anything, none of the people who I cherished all my life even flinched as they did it... It... Hurt... Mentally more than physically if I'm being honest, even though I barely escaped with my life."

Jack didn't know what to say, but he felt like he should say something. 'What has this guy gone through?'

"Looking back, I just feel pain, and anger... That's how Imperion is I guess... A world defined by wrath..." said Ajal.

"I don't know what to say..." Jack stuttered. "Well... The people of Logos sold out my parents even though they were just trying to help... My parents closed the mines to help them get some rest... Alexander Rael... The warden of Logos treats us like we're just tools... Beating us if we try to resist... Sometimes even to death... He killed my friend, and my parents..."

Ajal looked surprised.

"The people in that town sold out their own?" Ajal pointed back at Logos.

"Yeah... One of the nobles, Alexander Rael, made the people clear the debris with their bare hands. Rather than work, the other slaves gave my parents up, but they still ended up clearing the entrance themselves... I don't know, if that helps answer anything at all..." Jack shrugged. "I guess... You could think you're helping someone but... Maybe you're not..."

"Maybe... No use thinking about it now though..." Ajal sighed. "This Alexander Rael guy sounds bad..."

"I hate his guts! People in Logos hate me just because of what he did... I've never even met my parents... I wish Alexander could just die but that didn't even work... He's invincible or something," Jack snapped and vented his rage.

"You never met your parents?" Ajal asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Non-unified kids are sent south to grow up and learn the basics of labor and servitude. When their parents are executed or are sent to Ulkay when they are too old, the child takes their place in either Roccan or Logos. Any children born are supposed to be sent to Torovince. No one knows their parents, maybe they'll know their siblings if they're lucky," Jack explained.

"It's odd that they're called angels then," Ajal sighed. "Do they have wings?"

"No? I mean, some have gifts that give them wings..."

"Huh... What an odd name..."

The two of them reached the large opening to the mines. The interior was too dark to see through. Some of the trees around the entrance had toppled over some time ago. There were tiny purple crystal on the ground, they were scattered around the path. Ajal noticed it and then slowed down.

"That reminds me, you didn't say... Why does your blood turn into a crystal?" Jack asked.

Ajal got down on one knee in front of the small purple crystal. His expression was blank as he stared down at it with wide eyes. He grasped it with two fingers, easily plucking the small gem from the ground. Ajal sighed as he rolled around in his palm.

"My blood has always done this, it's because I'm a divine being," Ajal answered.

'A divine what-' Ajal crushed the crystal, a bright purple light slipped through the cracks of his fist. 'Woah!' Jack quickly covered his face, but he was surprised to see Ajal contain the violent explosion with just his hand.

"What was that!" Jack replied in confusion. "Your hand! It's... It's okay?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ajal continued forward nonchalantly.

Jack stood speechless for several seconds before following. "Huh... Hey wait up! How'd you do that!"

The two walked around the mountain and entered Roverswood. 'Was the crystal smaller? The one I threw at Alexander was smaller, but it's still insane he did that with just his hand?!' Jack looked around for another. 'The angels must have missed that one, all the others have been picked...' They approached a large grey boulder that had broken off the mountain. The foliage had begun to grow from underneath the boulder. 'The last time I was here was with Carol...' However, Jack squinted as he noticed that the sides of it seemed to extend outwards in an odd way, as if it had been stretched horizontally into a wall. Jack squinted as he noticed the wall seemed to extend through the trees quite far into the forest.

"Shit... This wall wasn't here before... I don't know how they built it around this boulder, but the crash site was just beyond this..." said Jack.

"Don't worry... I got it," Ajal said as he walked towards the boulder and put his palm on the rough surface.

'Don't worry?' Ajal's fist seemed to glow in the darkness. 'What is that... Did that just come out his arm?' Ajal pulled his arm back, an array of colors shone brightly off his hand as he took a deep breath. He swung forward, as his fist connected to the rock, a shockwave of force pushed Jack a step back. The massive boulder that towered over them shattered outwards into multiple pieces. A loud smash echoed through the sky. 'Holy shit!' Jack shielded his face. Bits of pebbles rained down from the sky in front of them. The path had been cleared, Ajal walked forward through a field of shattered rock.

"Woah! Woah, slow down... How did you do that!" Jack shouted.

"I punched it, with my spirit?" Ajal squinted, as if what he did normal.

"Are all divine beings this strong! Does Grelt have one?" Jack babbled as he observed the jagged chunks of debris that scattered from that boulder.

"Is this the place?" Ajal asked as he noticed the many broken tree trunks.

"Huh? Yeah..." Jack calmed down as he remembered the scene he witnessed.

The blue object had once been at the base of a few trees it couldn't knock down. However, it was gone now. Where the object once rested, the grass had failed to grow for some time and now was merely a patch of dirt.

"Well, it's been a year... I'm not surprised it's gone, but..." Ajal muttered as he walked over to the large patch of dirt. There had been a distinct path on the ground where something had to have been dragged through. "They dragged it further through the forest... It better not be damaged."

"But... Helios is that way?" Jack pointed north.

"Well, the trail looks like it's going east. What's over there anyway?" Ajal asked.

"It's just more forest..."

"Well, that's probably where my ship is..." Ajal put his hands back into his pockets and continued to carelessly walk along the path of dead grass.

"Wait, if you're this strong... You could kill Alexander Rael! Not just him, all the angels?!" said Jack.

Ajal stopped, he turned around and stared blankly at Jack.

"No. I'm done killing people," Ajal declined before he turned and continued onward.

"But... They're evil! They don't deserve to live! They've killed thousands of people for years and no one has been able to do anything! But you can! You might be able to do it if you can shatter a boulder that big with just your fist! And if you don't kill them... They'll just come back for you, over and over!" Jack snapped.

Jack breathed heavily, Ajal glanced back at him.

"I really like being alive..." said Ajal. "And I'm sure I'm not the only one who does..."

Jack reared his head back, his eyebrows furled. "What?"

"I'll help you and your people attain freedom... I refuse to take another life in the process of that..." Ajal continued through the forest.

'That won't...' Jack looked down, he considered for a moment whether he was in the wrong. 'But... How can we be free while they exist...'