Chapter 102: A Sky Too Vast to Touch, A Horizon Too Far to See

Jack's POV

The stars had begun to peek through the darkening sky, flickering like distant fireflies scattered across the heavens. The last traces of orange and rose-gold clung to the edge of the world, slowly swallowed by dusk.

Ark's head rested on my shoulder, his arms curled around his knees, tucked comfortably against my side.

The quiet between us was soft. Safe. The kind of silence that only comes after trust has settled into the bones.

Eventually, Ark spoke.

"Jack?" he said, his voice hushed like he didn't want to disturb the stars.

"Mm?" I tilted my head slightly, glancing at him.

"…Can you tell me about your family?"

I smiled, a bit caught off guard—but not in a bad way.

I looked up at the stars. "Sure. I don't mind."

He lifted his head, ears twitching as he looked at me expectantly.

"My parents were adventurers like me," I began, a small chuckle leaving my lips. "B-rank, but… if they'd lived longer, they could've made A-rank without question."

Ark's eyes widened slightly. "That strong?"

I nodded. "Definitely. My dad was Draven Drovas, a swordsman and a blacksmith. He's the one who taught me how to fight."

I reached down to my belt and unclipped a small sheath, pulling the dagger free and holding it out to him. "He also made this and my spear for my 8th birthday."

Ark sat up straighter and took the dagger carefully in both hands.

His fingers traced along the black blade, his eyes going wide. "It's… obsidian?" he asked. "But those silver streaks… and is that… gold?"

I grinned. "You've got a good eye."

He looked at me in disbelief. "But… all of those are soft materials. Obsidian's brittle. Silver bends. Gold's not durable at all."

"Exactly," I said, smile fading slightly. "But my dad… he had a technique. Something he never got to teach me. He could reinforce even the weakest materials and forge them into something powerful."

Ark stared down at the blade, the dark stone catching a sliver of starlight and scattering it like a broken reflection of the sky. "It's beautiful."

I nodded. "He was good at what he did."

Ark handed it back, carefully and respectfully. I sheathed it again and leaned back onto the grass.

"What about your mother?" he asked softly.

My smile returned, a little brighter. "Miranda. She was a fire mage and a researcher of ancient magic. She taught me the basics of magic. She was fierce, clever, and a little too generous for her own good."

I let out a breathy laugh. "She helped everyone. And if anyone ever crossed her? Let's just say… they'd live to regret it—but not enjoy the experience."

Ark giggled a little, tail twitching. "She sounds scary."

"She was," I said fondly. "But never to me. She and my dad… they loved each other. And me. A lot."

I looked up at the stars again, my smile dimming just slightly. "She used the last of her life to help my father give me a chance to run away."

Ark went still beside me. "…What do you mean?"

I turned to look at him, a tear slipping down my cheek before I could stop it.

I smiled anyway. "That's… a story for another day."

Ark stared at me, visibly conflicted, but he nodded. He didn't push.

We sat like that a little longer, shoulder to shoulder, hearts beating quietly in sync.

Eventually, I broke the silence.

"You ready to head back?"

Ark nodded softly.

We stood and brushed ourselves off. The stars above us glittered brighter now, the sky a deep indigo canvas. We started walking, the soft grass giving way to the dirt road near the city.

When we reached the gates, I frowned.

"Locked," I muttered. "It is dark, so I shouldn't be surprised."

Ark looked around, blinking. "So… what do we do?"

"We walk the outer path around the walls. It'll take longer, but it's safer than trying to scale the walls and possibly setting off alarms."

Ark nodded, but did ask, "We jumped over them to leave earlier though, didn't we?"

I laughed. "Yeah, but that was leaving, not entering."

We smiled and turned, our footsteps quiet against the packed earth.

After a minute or two, he glanced at me. "Can I ask something else?"

"Of course."

"Your aunt. The one you lived with after your parents… um… passed. What was she like?"

I smiled faintly and shook my head. "Certain things prevent me from answering that question."

Ark tilted his head, ears twitching. "What does that mean?"

I chuckled. "I have a lot of secrets… but I'm not ready to tell them just yet."

He looked at me, confused, but nodded anyway. "Okay…"

We kept walking, the road curving slightly. The walls of the city loomed to our right, tall and silent in the starlight.

Then Ark looked up, blinking at the night sky. "Jack… what is outer space?"

I stopped.

"…What?" I turned toward him, genuinely surprised.

Ark smiled, a little embarrassed. "The night… after you stayed in my room…, Lavender came and talked to me."

"I remember you telling me this... What did you talk about, though?" I asked, intrigued.

He shyly smiled and said, "We talked for a while and... she helped me realize my feelings for you. But we were… surrounded by stars, like the night sky, but everywhere. She called it outer space… but said she didn't know much about it. Told me to ask you."

I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck. "Well… I can explain a little. But only a little."

Ark tilted his head again. "Why can't you answer some questions but talk about others? Like… like gods and werewolves." He whispered that last part.

I laughed. "The god thing? I brought that up by accident. I can't change the past, so as long as I don't go too far, it's fine now. And as for the whole werewolf thing? You're already a werewolf, so there's no reason to hide it from you."

Ark blinked, processing that. "…Oh." He nodded slowly. "That makes sense."

I smiled. "Anyway. Outer space."

We kept walking as I explained. "This isn't really common knowledge, but it is public information. The world of Primus is a sphere. A ball of rock and water, floating in a void. That void, and everything beyond it, is called outer space. It includes our sun, the stars, other planets…"

Ark stopped and stared up at the sky again. "You're saying… all of this… floats in a void?"

I ruffled his hair gently. "Yup."

He turned to me, wide-eyed. "Wait. You said 'planets.' Plural. So… there are other worlds out there? With other people?"

I smiled, the corners of my mouth curling upward. "…That's a question I can't answer," I said with a shrug.

Ark pouted. "Why not? And don't say it's against the rules."

I chuckled. "I want to tell you. I really do. But if I did now… You either wouldn't believe me, wouldn't understand, or—worst case—it could drag you and the others into something dangerous."

Ark frowned. "What does that mean?"

I sighed. "Knowledge and power attract powerful beings. And if I expose you all to too much before you're ready… we could end up in trouble."

He looked worried. "Is that going to happen soon?"

I smiled softly, gently taking his hand and holding it tighter.

"Sometimes… I'd like a normal life, Ark. Sometimes I really do. But I'm stuck on this path. And I know you, Orin, Zek, Araki… all of you are going down it too, whether I want you to or not."

I looked up at the sky.

"I will help prepare you all for this path, and when you are to step beyond the threshold, I'll give you the choice. To continue down it… or turn back. Even if only for a little while longer. I care about all of you. I don't want to lose anyone else because they weren't ready."

Ark was quiet, but I felt his hand squeeze mine tightly.

"I want to be ready," he said. "To stand with you. To help."

I looked down at him, surprised—but I smiled, warm and proud.

I leaned down and kissed his forehead gently. "Thank you. I'll do everything I can to make sure you're all ready."

We kept walking after that, hand in hand, as the stars wheeled silently overhead.

-

It didn't take us much longer to get to the Academy and our dorms.

The halls were silent tonight, and even though it was only around 9 PM, everyone was either asleep or in their rooms.

We walked to our dorms with my arm around his shoulder, and Ark blushing as he looked around.

Thankfully, I hadn't sensed Agatha anywhere in the Academy, as she apparently is staying in Raventhorn tonight, though I wasn't sure why.

We got to Ark's room first, and I asked, "Do you want me to stay over tonight again?"

Ark hesitated and said he would like that.

I smiled. "Ok. I will go and let Aaron know, then I will be back."

"Ok," he said before opening his door and heading inside.

I smiled and walked away as I sensed something on the door to my room.

I walked over and found a piece of paper taped to it.

'That's odd. Why does it have magic on it,' I thought as I examined it.

It was folded, so I couldn't read it, but some magic was definitely cast on it.

"Hm. I wonder if I just..." I reached a hand out and cast a spell.

A magic circle instantly lit up on the paper, showing me it was a concealing charm—and one set to only allow someone with spirit magic to see it, while to other people, they would only see the door and maybe some magic.

I paused instantly and said while whispering, "Weird. Someone cast magic on my door... but I can't tell what it is."

I shrugged and opened the door, and walked inside.

'That isn't good,' I thought. 'Someone knows, or at least suspects, I am a summoner. This might be bad.'

I looked around the room and saw Aaron wasn't here, nor could I sense his magic.

I placed a hand on the door and said, "Lavender."

Lavender appeared in a cloud of mist.

"Is everything alright, Jack?" she asked.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Someone put a note on my door that only I could read. I need you to take Glare and use it to see the door's memories for the past few hours so I can find out who did it and what it says."