124 Looking for an Impossible Answer (1/2)

”Maura… Why couldn't it be me instead?”

As Jack's empty words reached her, Maura's eyes started to water. What should she say? What could she say? She had no clue.

”J-Jack…”

Jack's eyes finally met hers instead of staring off into space. She was the first person he acknowledged since Slivia's death.

Maura took another moment to swallow some of her fear and sighed deeply. ”Jack, I don't know. I'm too weak to try and help you guys, let alone save her…”

”Too weak… I'm too weak…” Jack spoke to himself while his gaze stayed on Maura.

”Maybe it was fate, Jack. Everyone has their time and we can't control that,” continued Maura, trying her best to find some kind of reason to make them both feel better. ”She cared about you and knew that you could do a lot more than any of us in the future. If she did this, I'm sure she knew what she was doing.”

”What did you say?” Jack's tone changed. It wasn't sorrowful but slightly hopeful.

Maura was caught off guard, but she felt a little better since something she did had finally gotten through to Jack. ”Maybe, this was her time. If she hadn't done this, all the good you'll do in the future would never happen. She must've really cared about you…”

”No, before that. What did you say?” Jack interjected, sounding anxious.

”Uh… That this might have been her fate. No one can predict what will happen in the future when someone will die. If that was so--”

”DARUUN!!”

Jack's sudden angry shout sent caused Maura to shiver. She had no clue who or what Daruun was. Seeing Jack so angry about it after she talked about fate baffled her. ”J-Jack, what's wrong?”

”He knew! That pestro knew all along!” Jack kept shouting. He hurried to his feet, no longer paying Maura any attention and not noticing that he had woken up Bowzer. ”He knew and he never told me or even bothered to warn me, his only patron. Some god he is!”

While Jack was rambling, Maura only became more confused. God?! Who was Jack talking about? And what was he talking about when he mentioned being a patron?

”I'll have to see what he has to say.” Jack was still wearing his bloodied clothes and still had never bothered healing his wound, yet he appeared to have his strength back as his anger grew. A stone talisman appeared in his hand and Maura didn't have a chance to ask about it before Jack yelled, ”Show me thy way, oh great diviner!”

The world froze in place; Not a soul was moving. Maura was motionless as her hand had reached out, seemingly to try and comfort the suddenly enraged Jack. Bowzer was floating in the air. The fox had leaped toward Jack but hadn't managed to reach Jack's shoulders before Jack activated the tutorial stone.

”Come out! You already know why I'm here!” Jack was screaming all around the room, waiting for Daruun to show himself.

”Let's not talk here.”

An emotionless voice appeared out of thin air before a flash of light filled Jack's vision and he was transported elsewhere.

Now, Jack stood among clouds with a rising sun in the distance. Surprisingly, there was also a setting sun in the opposite direction, as well as a sun high above him like it were midday.

”Wh-where did you take me? Show yourself!” shouted Jack, only fazed momentarily by the change of his surroundings.

”Jack.” The voice came from behind the hero. ”Are you here to ask your final question?”

Jack looked back to see an emotionless Daruun with only a slight frown on the god's visage. ”You knew this would happen, right? You knew that she would die to save me, that I wasn't strong enough and she would die because of it? You knew she would die because of me?!”

”You already know that I would've read such a future, so there's no need to ask a useless question,” replied Daruun.

”Shut up! You knew that all of this would happen. You knew that I, your only patron, would have my life saved by her and that she would die in my place. Yet, you didn't bother to warn me at all, even though I'm important to your plan?!”

”That's the very reason why I couldn't,” answered Daruun. ”If I had warned you that she would use her teleportation scroll to replace you in the face of death, would you have dared to perform that ritual and reveal the truth to the masses?”

”Yeah, I'd only change--”

”Change what? What change would you have made? Let Bowzer join the fight? And what about the beast tamer, wouldn't he have possible captured Bowzer? Even though Bowzer is a Hell-flame Fox, don't underestimate the Chaos Syndicate,” explained Daruun. ”Maybe you wouldn't have given her the teleportation scroll, leading to your death and the inevitable death to millions across Kartonia. Does that sound any better.”

”B-but…” Jack stammered, struggling to answer despite seeking a release for his unruly anger.

”If you perished, that would also mean that Zariff and Maynard would no longer have access to their beasts' skills since the achievement system would become null and void. Had that happened, do you think they would've lasted long against the beast tamer in his wyvern mutation ability?” continued Daruun.