Departure

" You know, Mado-kun..." 

"Huh?""...I always thought you were a kiddo! But I was surprised when I saw a grown man...""...Really?! That is the first time anyone s ever said that...!""...Honestly, I was a little nervous at first..."He finally tried to take a look at her face, but there was a strange light keeping his eyes from gazing forward. "Ughh, what the..?"The light then went brighter, and plunged everything around him as whatever he was seeing faded away. 

"Huh?!"

He immediately opened his eyes.He was laying on a bed with his body facing the ceiling, coverd by what it felt to him as cotton sheets. As he tried to get himself up, he noticed that his body was weaker than usual. "....Where am I....?" he muttered. "What is this place?"Trying desperately to grasp the situation enough, he started to turn his face around the room he was in. It was rather moderately large room with multiple beds distributed in two rows. Next to each bed, there was a small table with some bandages. "Seems like an infirmary..." he said unintentionally. 
Wait!, he thought.
"What did I just say?!"
His left palm was on his face as he cleaned every nook and corner of his head, but he just couldn t find the memory of how he came to take a nap in this place. 
Sleepwalking? Amnesia?
As those dangerous words crossed his mind. 
.. No way, he quickly denied it. 
I am....Jaden Inferno..... wait, no.... my name is Mado Luqman. Twenty three years old and eight months. I live at The Capital, Uttan prefecture with my aunt. Both of my parents are alive and well, and I ve got a brother and a sister; both younger than me.He felt somewhat calm as his related data came out smoothly, then he pulled out more memories.Currently, I m a senior medical student. But as I d meet the graduation requirement in the first semester of next year, I was thinking about living abroad in the Fall. Yes, I had consulted with someone about that. Was it a classmate? Wait! I remembered that I have friends! Four of them are closer than the others. What were their names? Waleed, Safi, Ekram, and Majd.He tried to remember more names of his other friends and classmates, but he felt uneasy. Was that it?!, he thought. It s weird! I feel like I m forgetting someone really important! That girl from the dream, was it her?! Man, it s like when there s an itch you can t reach! Was she a friend? Perhaps a lover, or family!He searched his memories for answers, but all he could was bringing her name to the tip of his tongue without being able to catch hold of it. While fighting with a sudden strike of loneliness, he stopped retracing his memories. 
As he removed his left hand away and saw it, something looked different. "Wait a minute..." he said. "What happened to my hand?! Since when I got a scar on the back of my forearm?" he exclaimed."Uhh, the Dungeon!" he muttered. Yes ......everyone else died before me... but that means...... Jaden the demon hunter, Fortuna, and the Church was all real?! All the time I ve spent there wasn t a long dream, he thought. But that s just insane! What s the meaning of this?!As he listened to the uninterrupted sound of little birds twittering and leaves rubbing against each other on the tree that was near the window in front of him, he recklessly tried to shake off a discomfort feeling which was creeping up from his waist.
He was absentminded for several tens of seconds, then, while being reluctant, he came up with three hypotheses which could sufficiently explain the current situation.First, it is possible that this place is a virtual world created by an extension of some Full-Dive technology, he thought. The situation and apparent circumstances in which I m in by now, is a standard fantasy RPG starting scene. However, in that case, no matter what kind of supercomputer I know, none of them had enough capability to generate these ultra-fine detailed 3D objects. It could be said that I have lost part of my memories and the time in reality had already passed by several years, or several tens of years. Next, the possibility that this place could be somewhere in the real world. It means I am the subject of a crime, an illegal experiment, or a terrible prank, someone dressed me up in these clothes and threw me out in the forest somewhere ...... from this weather it could be Ibb, However, I don t think my country has demon monsters, Dungeons, and weird hunters, and definitely there s no species of metallic green earthworm which could cry kyu kyu . Then, the last hypothesis, this place could possibly be a real different dimension, a different world, or perhaps an afterlife world. It is a familiar event which occurs in manga, novels, and anime. According to the dramaturgy of those, after this, I would save a girl from monster s attack, listen to village chief s request to become the savior hero, and fight against the devil king. But there is no Steel sword at my waist.He held his belly as he was attacked by a sudden desire to burst out laughing, after he somehow managed to let it pass, he decided to exclude the third possibility as out of the question as well; even though, it is the most likely. He felt as if he was starting to lose his sanity as well. After all, is this a fake world? Or is it the real world? If it s the former, no matter how super real the world is, it s not difficult to confirm, he theorized. I just have to climb to the top of a nearby tree and jump down head-first. If I was logged out, or resurrected at a save point in a temple somewhere, then it would be a virtual world. But if this is a real world, the worst result will come out from that experiment.
He then picked up a metalic plate that was next to his bed, and gazed at his reflection on that plate. Who the heck is that?!, he thought while looking at Jaden s face. And why do I have different eye color, gray and red! Jaden tried to pull out people s faces from his memories. As he was exhausting his mind, someone opened the door, and came in. He was a middle aged man, approximately in his late 50s. He was tall with dark skin and a small white beard, and was wearing a long coat, large boots, and what it seemed like a cowboy hat. He put down his hat as he looked at Jaden. "Oh, Jaden, you re awake!""Oy, Kathryn, he s up!" he said. "Uncle Morrison.." mumbled Jaden.Kat then came from behind Morrison and ran towards Jaden, hugging him. "You idiot!" she cried. "Do you know how scared we ve been?!""Uhh....sorry about that.." Jaden said. "Can you please let go now?""Is there any fever? Let me see!" Kat put her hand on his forehead. "Huh?!""That s all right, Kathryn." Morrison finally said.Kat sat back as Morrison sat down on the bed near Jaden. "You look okay now, Jaden. You have been knocked out for some time.""How long have I been unconscious?" Jaden asked. "You ve been asleep for a week!" Kat replied. "I see.." said Jaden with his face looking downwards.
"....."
"But you made it! You re right here with us. That s a blessing!" Kat said happily.Jaden cracked a slight smile, "Yeah..."He was deep in thought, and madly confused. The fact he couldn t decide what exactly was true dropped fear in his cells. Was his life here and now is the truth? Or his memories as Mado and that life he just bizarrely recalled?
"Umm, guys, do you know Mado?" he asked hesitantly. Both Kat and Morrison shook their heads."What s that?!" Kat asked as she tilted her head."Has anything else happened at that raid?" Morrison asked. "Anything else?!" Jaden exclaimed. 
"We used a Necromancer." said the person who just came in.
"Brother!" Kat said happily."Keryto!" Jaden exclaimed. "We saw as all the hunters were wiped out by those.. entities." said Keryto in a calm voice. "But the last thing we ve seen was when you were standing on your own.""Huh?!!" Jaden eyes widened as he looked at Keryto.What s that?!! Is this for real now?!, he thought in confusion. He noticed a panel floating near Keryto s body! It looked as it held some gauges and numbers. 
.. Are these.... his stats?!
Keryto felt uncomfortable as Jaden was gawking at him. "Are you listening to me?!"Jaden turned to Kat and Morrison. "You can see that, right?""See what?" replied Morrison. "You don t?!" Jaden mumbled in disappointment."Maybe you need to rest a little.." Kat tried to force Jaden into laying down, but he refused."She s probably right." Keryto said. "I ve got to go now. I still got some work needs to be done.""That s not like you to keep things hanging!" Morrison smirked. "I got busy with the guests." Keryto replied. "Herc can t roam Fortuna without company and all that."
-Herc!, Jaden raised up and got off the bed. "I need to use the bathroom." he said."I ll help you out!" Kat said."C mon! I can take care of myself.""You C mon!" Kat and Jaden left the room. "I was intending to congratulate you myself." Keryto told Jaden. "You got promoted. The Association raised you to S-Rank hunter." but he didn t get giddy about it. "Humph! I was actually expecting an expulsion." replied Jaden as he left the room.

Kat was waiting near the bathroom door while Jaden was inside.
He stood before the sink and washed his face as he looked at Jaden s features in the mirror.The tan skin is similar to my original body, but my face and body built is different, and my hair is quite different, too!, he chuckled. I d never had such haircut ever! And are those earings?! Jaden was examining his own ears. "Hate to admit, but Jaden is a colossal douche!" he whispered to himself.And those eyes!, he questioned. Why the right puiple is red? Heterochromia? The moment he closed his eyes and reopened them, a panel just showed up in front of him.
JadenLv. 14HP: 400Stamina: IntactSynchronization: 20%
"Ohh! So that s... my profile!" Jaden exclaimed. And there s a leveling system! Am I stuck inside a game?!, he thought. Looks like I m the only one who can see these panels. But I better not get ahead of myself. "Jaden, is everything good in there?" Kat yelled."Yeah sure, I m coming out now." Jaden then dried his face with a small rag and hurried out of the bathroom."Let me help you out!" Kat said as she tried to support him.
When they reached the room, the two were surprised as a new person was sitting in the room with Morrison. He was rather muscular and large with very fair skin, deep green eyes, short slick back brown hair, and a brown beard and mustache. Both Jaden and Kathryn recognized him."Herc!" they both said in surprise."And here s the man of the hour!" Herc shot back.Herc was Ovan s friend. He usually used to spend time with him whenever he visits. Herc isn t even from this planetoid. He also helped Ovan leave Red Grave, and set him with all the equipments he needed for all these space adventures. 
..It s you ..
After chatting for few minutes, both Morrison and Kathryn said they were going to take care of some business and left Jaden with Herc. "So, how does it feel being on top now?" Herc asked."I dunno. I don t believe that I deserved it, y know?" Jaden replied. Herc walked up and brought two drinks for him and Jaden. "Maybe you re right. But I wouldn t mind giving the ONLY person who stayed alive a promotion! Either that or accuse him for killing everybody else.""I wasn t exactly equipped with weapons that could take down the rest of the Hunters." Jaden smirked."Ironically!" Herc laughed."So, why are you here anyway?" Jaden asked. "Ouch!" Herc shot back. "Well, I actually came to see you."Jaden was surprised. As he can remember, Herc is a merchant from another planetoid. He d never come for just seeing people. So, why now all of sudden?! And why it s specifically him?! Did he know about him? About Mado?!"Ovan told me so much about you." Herc explained. "How you were trained by him and all. But most importantly, he told me once how you were found inside the ruins.""You still remember him?! Ovan.." Jaden asked."Of course! The guy s my friend. Even if it s been twelve years or twelve decades." Herc replied. "I still remember that one time when he told me that you were found inside some red crystal."I see! So, it is about me after all, he thought. "What s with the crystal?""When he came with me, Ovan brought a piece of that red crystal. It still powers my ship today!""So, you ve come here to get more?!" Jaden asked. "I thought it d be a great idea!" Herc shot back. "See, there s a grand prix in my city, and I might have a chance to win a fine, one of a kind space ship."A space ship!, Jaden was about to spray the drink out of his mouth.This too advanced for Red Grave! Guess this world isn t as simple after all... 
Don t think this planetoid had any visitors other than Herc, Jaden thought to himself. I think, this is my way out.
The sky already went bright red, and time has passed as he was sitting on his bed listening to Herc blabbering about all sort of things he had encountered since he came to Fortuna, Jaden finally made up his mind. Just like he helped Ovan leave, Herc can also be a use for him. "I have few shards of the crystal." Jaden smiled. "If you re this desperate, I guess I can help.""Are you serious?! This can make my day!" Herc said. "Sure thing! I keep some in my trailer. We can go together tomorrow and grab em." Jaden said."No need for you to tire yourself! Just pinpoint the location, and I ll get there!""Nuh! You do need me. My humble trailer can be very complicated at times. Besides, it s actually in the middle of the woods! You wouldn t like it when some wild animal have you as dinner." Jaden crossed his arms. "But aren t you still injured?! Can you walk with me there?!" Herc went nervous. "I don t think your uncle will like that.""Sorry Herc, my mind is made up." Jaden laid down on his side facing the opposite direction. Herc realized he got no other choice. He had to accept Jaden s terms. He then opened the door and was about to leave when Jaden said "Meet me outside tomorrow by sunrise. Don t bring anybody.""No worries.." Herc left the room.

Later on that night, Jaden was wide awake trying to figure out what was real and what was not. This new memories of this other life had felt way too visceral and true. It was impossible for him to just deny it.Medical student, huh?, he thought. All this time, I ve had this emptiness within me.. and now I m finally whole, or am I? If only I can remember how did I end up here! The last thing I recall is awfully mundane! Is my brain washed? And the fact that I lived here for 23 years is crazy in its own right! Am I in some kind of a virtual reality?! A game?! A freaky nightmare?! Damn, everything in my mind is just overlapping, and twisting in on itself! What on mother earth has happened to me?!"Ughhha!" he groaned. "I can t even think anymore!"Is any of this for real, or not?!, he told himself as he gazed at the ceilling.He then blinked intentionally, and the floating panels that he s the only one who sees, popped up before his eyes. He was only able to display his own profile. 
JadenLv. 14HP: 400Stamina: IntactSynchronization: 20%
Leveling system...and state of health and attentiveness... that s about it, he thought. But what s this Synchronization ? To what I do synchronize? If only there was a help menu...
HELP ANDSUPPORT GUIDE 
"Waaaaah?!" Jaden jumped off for a moment. For real?! I just thought of it! Does that mean.. I can control it with my thoughts?!He looked really hard at it and tried to tab it with his index finger. As he pressed it, a strange vibrant feeling traveled through his hands. And then a message showed up on the panel.
...Access Denied...
In his disappointment, Jaden let out a sigh, "And when you finally thought you got a hang of it.."
But to think about it, it s actually very crazy of a human managed company or workshop to make such vast world!, Jaden thought as he rolled over his side. That if THIS WORLD is basically man-made. This is nuts! With all the irony that it comes with, it feels like an MMORPG! But haven t I lived here all this time, day after day! Thinking that I felt like I was always a lackey, and the fact that it was too small.. What about all that time? Jaden s head got nothing but more unanswered questions. It seemed like there was no end in sight.I wonder if there s another person who can see these panels, he thought. What if there was?! What d that make us? Could it be that I m the ONLY person?! And the rest were merely NPCs as in games.Speaking of which. Herc, the Infernos, and the rest might not real humans, he guessed. Or are they automatic answering programs that far exceed what I know? On thinking about this, Jaden s mind immediately thought of the term <<Artificial Intelligence>>.In recent years, AIs, the electronic assistance for password codes, car navigation, and home electric appliance use, have been greatly developed. Once they hear a command given, a character, that s like a human or an animal, can correctly operate or obtain the necessary information. Besides these, there are other AIs, like the NPCs I m familiar with in MMO games. Though their main functions are to provide quests or event information, they can still answer casual dialogue to a certain extent. A group of people who believed in having Moe NPCs will always camp beside the beauty-types and talk with them. Of course, these AIs don t really have intelligence. Basically put, they re just a collection of commands that only know how to answer certain questions. Thus, if they end up seeing a question that s not in the database, the NPC will most likely smile nicely or tilt their heads to say something like I don t understand what you mean? Yet, Kat and the others aren t like that! But if they re not humans nor AIs, what are they? In a corner of his thoughts, he already had an answer. However, it felt scary to say it out. Assuming that he was correct, this developer has already extended its arms over to the realm of God. When compared to this, the process of understanding human soul is already at a level where they re merely playing with the key to Pandora s Box with their finger. He entered dreamland and listened to the voice deep inside his consciousness. 
Now s not the time to look for an escape, he told himself. Betting my money that the Infernos would provide me with the least clues would be a catastrophic mistake. I have to leave this planetoid. It s the only way to know the truth. Once I do, I ll find the reason why I exist in this world, and get myself home..

 14th day of Sixth Month, year 666 - Realm of Light: Fortuna, Red Grave.
Early on the next morning, Jaden was standing outside; leaning against the wall of the infirmary waiting for Herc. He was wearing a sloppy long sleeved shirt and what it seemed to him like military type pants with large boots. Most of his personal clothes have either been ripped off by the last raid, or lost during the attack of the Hunter Demon.As the time went by, Jaden started to look at the scenery around him. Of course, as Jaden, nothing seemed new to him. But for Mado, everything was jaw dropping. He recognized Fortuna as it resembled Venice in its architecture. To him, it was fantastical.
After what he felt like hours of waiting, Jaden finally heard approaching footsteps. When he looked towards the sound, his eyes caught Herc walking all by himself, and he was wearing a black military-style suit with what it looked like a silver shield attached to his right arm.What does he think he is? Captain America?!, he thought sarcastically.
"Somebody s an early bird!" Herc waved. "Hope I didn t make you wait long."Jaden looked behind Herc s shoulders, and around as well. Apparently, he came alone after all. "Okay, let s move, then." he told him.
The two walked all the way across the town, going south until they reached the woods on the edge of Fortuna. Both of them were totally quiet, and didn t speak for most of the trip. As Jaden was walking in the front, he started to think about his memories. It seems like I remember everything from few events during early childhood to my teenage years to my earlier twenties, he thought. I remember my religion, my studies, my interests! But something, something doesn t feel right. He tried to talk to Herc, but the latter suddenly spoke, "Are we still far?" "Couple more meters." Jaden replied. "Once we past that hill, we can see my trailer. Or what s left of it..."Before Herc could say anything, Jaden asked him if he knew about Mado."Mado?! What would that be?!" Herc asked."Dunno actually.." Jaden replied as he kicked his way forward."But anyway though, thanks for standing up for me!" said Herc.Jaden stopped and looked at Herc, "Okay, gotta make things clear!" "Huh!""This isn t a favor." said Jaden in a very serious tone. Herc looked frowned to Jaden s reply, but he pushed back his disappointment, so he can understand the situation. "So, what is it for you?" he asked."I want you to get me outta here." Jaden replied.Herc looked around him in denial. Outta here! Like, out of this planetoid?!, he was shocked. I seriously don t like the sound of it. "So, that s how it s gonna be!" he said. "But seriously? You wanna leave Red Grave?!""You were the one who helped Ovan leave, weren t you?""But that s a different story! He knew where he s headed. You just.." Herc couldn t finish what he wanted to say when Jaden dropped his conditions, "It s that, or no crystal shards." A silent moment froze the two with only the breeze making the grass and the leaves dance left and right. Herc whose Jaden just got off guard, found no other way. Words were coming from his mouth felt heavier than the entire universe. "Okay, but these shards better be worth it!"Jaden smirked in confidence "This way, please!"When they finally arrived at the location Jaden s previously pointed out, they found only few scraps of his broken down home with most of his belongings scattered around. "What the hell?!" Jaden muttered."I guess you weren t kidding when you said I needed your help!" Herc shot back sarcastically, but Jaden ignored him."The shards are gone!" he muttered, and then started to run towards the hilltop. He looked desperately in all directions before he found them right by the bottom of the hill on the opposite side. Herc stood besides him."Shall we get down there?!" "Yeah, let s go." Jaden nodded hesitantly. But once they got down near the red shards, the ground shook beneath their feet. The dust was coming from the floor. "What the hell is that?!" Herc asked.Jaden reached for his knife.I knew it!, he thought while gazing forward. He saw it.. both of them actually did. It was a purple snake-like monster that got gholish female human face, and a green lion-like hair around that face. It got a drill like tip on the tail. It was way larger than them."It doesn t look happy seeing us!" Herc said as he pulled up his shield." Guess it s from the ruins! It got drawn by the shards as they re similar to their home.""Shiiiii!" the monster gave a loud screech before rushing at them both. It attacked with its head as they both dodged it. 
~Braaaam!
Jaden tried to counter with his knife."Did you always fight with your left hand?" Herc asked.Jaden looked at his hand. I ve always been left-handed!, he thought. Guess it came back with my memories!Jaden tried to put a scratch on that hideous violent monster. But he got himself exposed to the drill attack. 
Dammit!, he thought. 
"Ughhhh!" 
~Block!
Herc was able to block the attack in the last second. He tried to pick Jaden off the floor. "Buddy, you re still very injured! Let s head back for now."Jaden rose himself up. "I can t turn back now!" There s no way around it, he thought. This thing is rock solid! He then tried to focus on the monster. But then, he heard a strange new sound.
...Initiate Battle Mode...
This can t be real!, he thought when his visual field has completely changed. He could now see the monster s Life Points, weak spots, and he can even see his own stats.
...Is this User Interface?! Wait a second! What are those at the bottom?
The hideous snake-like demon went more ferocious by every attack, and it started to use its body to twist at Herc."Wait! I got you!" said Jaden as he rescued Herc."Didn t know that demons are this hellishly strong!" Herc shot back."Well, that s the idea.." Jaden mumbled. That s not good, he thought as he was looking at the Snake s stats. It s HP was 700. And ours are 400 and 580.He then focused on the emblems on the bottom. 
..They got familiar names, though!
He jumped in the air as the monster unleashed an attack. 
~Bam!
Wait!, he thought. Those are the moves Ovan used to teach me, but I could never do them. So that means, they work as Skills!"This drill tail is getting me tired..." Herc wasn t able to stand up anymore.Jaden hurried to support him. "What s the matter, old man?" he said sarcastically. "Retirement issues?""Got some kind of plan, hotshot?!" Herc managed."Just hold it a little longer. I"ll try something!" Jaden stepped forward and attacked the monster using one of the Skills. Now, [Sharp Nail]!!, he thought of it and his body was as if pre-programmed and moved on its own. All Jaden could do was aiming it. The attack pushed the snake to the ground. 
~Faaaa!
"Guyaaaaah!" the monster screeched in pain, and then got off to swing it s body rapidly in all directions.
"There you go, you fat stinky piece of shit!" Herc yelled in relief."One more! " muttered Jaden.C mon UI! One more attack, he thought and chose another Skill. 
[Air Bounce]!!
Jaden then started to jump in mid-air, hitting the monster from every angle. And the dust rose up from the ground, covering the snake-like monster.Jaden landed besides Herc, extending his right arm. "Now Herc, toss me to it s face!""What about your injuries?!" Herc hesitated. "JUST DO IT!" Jaden shouted.Herc grabbed Jaden by the arm, span him in 360 degrees horizontally before tossing him upwards. Jaden rotated himself in the air, readying his knife.[Sharp Nail]!"Ghaaaaaaaaah!" Jaden s screamed as his knife collided with the monster s neck and pierced through.
~SLASH!
Jaden landed on his feet. The monster s head flew in the air before dropping down the floor. A moment later, blood splattered from the now headless snake-like monster that collapsed and disappeared.Herc walked slowly towards the gathered red crystal shards. He picked up one to examine it in admiration. Jaden was approaching him. "Well, these are far more glowing compared to the one Ovan gave me!""So?" Jaden managed to say through his exhausted breath.Herc made a clicking sound with his mouth and then said "My ship takes off tomorrow morning."Jaden smiled widely and then extended his clenched fist."What s that supposed to be?" Herc giggled "C mon! Put your fists against mine!" Jaden said. "Is that a Fortuna thing?!" Herc asked as he did as Jaden said."Nuh, it s an Earth thing..""What s that?""Something a little bigger than a planetoid.""I d sure like to see that!" Both of them laughed. 
Later that night, Jaden bought dinner for his little family in the tavern. It s been almost twelve years since they ate together on one table. But tonight, everything was as time didn t pass by. If only Ovan was here tonight with us, I would ve believed that wild thought, Kat thought to herself. There were four people around the table. Jaden, Kat, Morrison, and Keryto. As Jaden had told them, it was a night of change."Hate to admit this, but this place is a lot more quiet without you around." Morrison told Jaden." Guess I was an annoying kid!" Jaden laughed."Look who s talking?!" Kat said as she was about to get chocked. "Perhaps, we re about to encounter a new Jaden!" Keryto said. "Following his promotion to S-Rank.""Well, with great power, comes great responsibility, right?" Jaden replied.Everyone looked suddenly at Jaden in silence and shock.
"......"
"Well said!" Morrison exclaimed. "Maybe you re right this time, Keryto!"Keryto smiled quietly and continued to eat.Maybe it was a little out of bounds to quote Spider-Man in a world where Spider-Man doesn t exist, he thought as he was taking few bites from his plate. God I miss home!Kat was enjoying the meal as well. "This turkey tastes really great!" She said. "You re amazing, Jaden!""Glad you liked it!" he replied."For tonight, you can sleep in the attic till I get the old tools out of your old room." Morrison finally said."Yeah.. well.. about that.." said Jaden."You re moving in back with us, right?" Kat said.Jaden took a couple of deep breaths before managing to say "Since that I m now a S-Rank hunter, I wanna do things different. I have a goal I gotta accomplish."Keryto Inferno put down the fork and listened to Jaden."I m leaving Red Grave!" Jaden dropped the announcement as he was eying Keryto.Kat and Morrison froze in silence.Keryto looked away then said "Abandoning your sacred duty as a demon hunter is forbidden.""I m not abandoning it! I ll just change the battleground. Instead of remaining in defense mode, I thought I d take the battle to them." Jaden explained. "Where is that?!" Keryto asked "The realm of Darkness?!""Why not?!" Jaden argued. "Because it s suicidal!" Keryto yelled. "Ovan tried to be smart and drove himself to instant death!""Why all of you presumed he s dead?!" Jaden shouted back."Because we ve waited for him, and he never returned! For 12 years, and each day, more and more people lose hope! Nothing has changed to the better since he left!" Keryto said. "So, even if you keep believing that he is somehow alive somewhere in Lacrima, you re just wasting your energy!""Keryto.." Jaden said quietly "I know what I m doing! It s not gonna be like Ovan.""I ll see my way in the Realm of Light first. I got Herc! He ll help me out." Jaden further explained."But Herc is leaving tomorrow!" Keryto said."So that s what this is all about.." Morrison exclaimed. "A new Jaden! A fine family dinner! That s your way of saying goodbye?!""Jaden! Are you really gonna leave us like that?!" Kat sadly asked."I m really disappointed in you.." Morrison mumbled."Sorry about that.." Jaden got up. "But my mind s made up!""Get back here!" Keryto demanded."I think that s enough for tonight.." said Jaden quietly as he left the room. "Enjoy the dinner..."
Kat then followed Jaden outside. She found him minutes later siting on the stairs outside looking at the starry sky. She sat down next to him not saying anything for a while.Then she muttered "Jaden, you can talk to me! What s been going on?"Jaden finally turned to face her. "There s something wrong with me.."he told her. "Ever since I was little, I felt my soul wasn t at ease. Why has everyone got parents and I was found alone in a crystal. Were my parents hiding deep in the ruins? Who knows?! I always told myself that if I finally got through, I d probably find something!""We re your family!" She said as she put her hands in his."Yeah, Ovan used to say that to me..." he said. "But he s not here now..""Don t let what Keryto said get to you." Kat said."Why not?! He could be right! Ovan may pretty much be gone!""I m pretty sure Bahamut s light will guide him back to us." Kat smiled."Bahamut, you say?" Jaden said. "Do you believe in that?""Yeah, of course! He s our god!" Kat replied happily."That s the problem! I can t believe in him!" Jaden put both of his hands on her shoulders. "I can look him in the eye and tell him that I don t believe at all..""Jaden, I don t know what to say! That s something I..."Sorry Kat, Jaden thought. I wish I could tell you that Bahamut isn t real, but I can t just go and tell you that you and everything else isn t real, too!"Kat, those ruins gave me more questions than answers! It showed me that I m different for a reason, and I have to figure it out!" Jaden managed to say. "It isn t just about Ovan or the demons! It s about me!""There s no way I can stop you...right?" Kat said sadly."I have to go." Jaden nodded."Okay.." she licked her lips for a moment."Take this!" She gave something to Jaden. It was a red to cremson emblem wrapped by a necklace."Huh?!""You were found inside the ruins holding it." Kat explained.I got my memories back after fighting in that strange chamber in the ruins. Anything from there could be of use, he thought as he locked his eyes on it. I gotta keep this thing close.Jaden then wore it around his neck, "Thanks for holding on to it for me."
The 16th day of the Sixth Month, year 666 - Realm of Light. 
The next morning arrived. The yard of the Grand Church was filled with associates of the Church preparing for Herc s departure. Herc walked up to his ship to talk to his pilot."Jeremiah! Check your engine slots! One of em sounds pretty shaky!""Yes, sir!" Jeremiah replied.As he left, Herc was looking around.Is he really coming?, he wondered.
Near the entrance of the Church, Kat and Jaden were arguing."You really shouldn t do this!" Jaden said."But you look amazing! This jacket brings out your eyes!" Kat replied.Kathryn brought Jaden new clothes. A unsleeved shirt with red open zipper hoodie underneath a long dark-blue coat, and a dark gray jeans with hunter boots."Come on, get moving!" Kat pushed him forward.Herc eyes locked in on them. "Here you are Mr. S-Rank Inferno!""That s the worst wordplay I ve ever witnessed.." Jaden said sarcastically."Jaden, just a second!" Someone yelled from behind him."Keryto!" ge mumbled as Keryto approached him. "What?! You came to stop me?!" "Although I d really appreciate if you changed your mind, but I only wanted to give you this." he handed an envelope to Jaden. As he opened it, he saw a certificate."This is an official document from Sanctus. It s an extension permit of your Duty." Keryto said.Jaden smiled, "Say goodbye to old Sanctus for me!" He walked on towards the ship that was rotating. "But be forewarned." Keryto said quietly "When you re dreaming, memories awaken. You may not end up being who you are now.."Jaden turned around in confusion as Keryto continued. "It s something Ovan said to me before leaving.""I see.." Jaden looked at Keryto for few seconds before Herc yelled for him "Hey, little princess! We got a comfy seat for your majestic ass!"Jaden started running into the ship. Herc pulled him up since it was already hovering."You should stop this wordplay man! You re bad at it!" Jaden told Herc. Then, he looked towards Fortuna, the only place he had ever known for the last time. He glanced Kat waving there, and Keryto looking towards him, and even Morrison further in back! He didn t feel like he wanted to come up and say goodbye.But that s Jaden s problem, he thought as the door finally closed. Now, it s my journey! I have to find out why I m here in this vast mysterious world. I have to keep my mind from straying away from what s real and what s not. I have to..Jaden s expression became firm and determind."I am Mado Luqman. And I ll find my way back home no matter what." he whispered to himself with his fists clenched. "That s all I need to remember. That s the truth.."
"You better simmer down and put on seat builts. Just saying!" Herc told Jaden. "This trip is gonna take a while.""Got it!" Jaden smiled.