Act 2 - Chapter 7

Chapter 22: Jack; Shauran 24th, 344SR; 9:30

Jack ran through the busy streets of Rea, frantically sprinting through the crowds of hybrid citizens with his head down. 'I can't be seen! Where's Eckleflor? What do I do!' Jack ran head-first into a line of people and knocked two of them down. Jack rolled onto his front and quickly turned his head to them.

"Ow... What the hell?" One of the hybrids groaned.

"Watch where you're going, idiot!" The other hybrid scolded Jack.

Jack looked up, there was a line of hybrids stretching out of a building with a sign that read: 'Carrot Cream Crunch.' People walked out of the store with plastic packages in hand, containing a white cake with orange spots and a brown base. The hybrid that scolded Jack got up and walked towards him and offered his hand. Jack shielded his face as the hybrid raised his hand.

"Hey, are you okay?" the hybrid called out.

"Huh-" Jack looked at the short black-haired man with wide eyes.

"You should really watch where you're- hey... Are you a hybrid? You look... Non-unified..."

Jack gasped, 'Shit!'

"Wow, I've never seen one in person..." A hybrid in the line who wore a plain shirt put a hand on his chin as he observed Jack.

"You're right... He is a non-unified..."

"Hey, wait!"

Jack quickly got to his feet and continued down the street, he turned at a dark alleyway and cut through to the end. 'Damnit! Eckleflor which way did you go?! Where are you? What do I do!' Jack ran onto the new street and took a left, going further into the center of Rea as he ran. Jack looked around and saw lots of stores with vegetables, some stores sold specific sets of items. Hybrids picked through the boxes of vegetables. 'What the...' The sight reminded him of the traveling salesman from Helios who came to Logos and sold food every day.

"Hey, kiddo! You are interested in some fine yellow bananas! They were picked this morning from Bomo's jungle!" A store owner called out to Jack.

A skinny man with lots of brown facial hair and sunken cheeks stood behind the basket full of bananas. They were yellow with a hint of green on some of them. Across the street, red bananas were being sold, and they seemed to have a much bigger crowd than the hut Jack was at.

"Don't look over there... Uh... He picks his bananas from Croal's Grotto... Mine are much better, sweeter too," the banana-selling hybrid reasoned.

Jack picked up a banana. 'What is this?' He smelled it, however, his nose was filled with a pungent fruity smell from somewhere else in the market.

"Hey... kid... are you-"

Jack bit the banana, a bitter and disgusting taste followed by a semi-sweet one filled his mouth and he immediately spat it out.

"Ugh!" Jack spat.

"Hey!" The store owner shouted.

Jack froze when he got shouted at. The store owner suddenly looked furious.

"Pay for the banana before you just bite it! Are you trying to scam me? What are you trying to pull!" The store owner grabbed Jack's collar.

"No- no! I'm sorry I- I didn't have a ticket!"

"Ticket?! What ticket? I want gold! Pay up! Three gold coins for a banana!"

"I- I don't... have gold..."

"What do you-"

The man stopped and looked carefully. Jack raised an eyebrow as he saw the man rub his chin curiously as he looked at him.

"Hey, kid, you from Welis?"

"Huh? No-" Jack stopped as he remembered his situation.

"Then... You're definitely a non-unified... Lying punk!" The store owner picked Jack up by the collar with surreal strength and shoved him against the wall.

"Ah! Let me go!" Jack shouted.

"What's going on over there?", "A fight break out?", "That old man is scamming people again isn't he..." various voices in the crowd commented on the conflict.

"You came from Kamino, didn't you? Fork up some gold! I know you have it!" the store owner shook Jack.

"I'm serious I don't, please just let me go!" Jack begged.

"You punk! Still trying to lie! You damn non-unified lived lives of luxury under the angel's rule! And you think you can come here and scam me!"

"Lux-luxury?" Jack stuttered as he looked at the store owner with wide eyes.

"Yeah, you heard me you spoiled brat! I bet you saw a market like this and saw us as nothing but lesser!"

"Did you just say... Luxury?!" Jack clenched his teeth.

The old man raised an eyebrow when he noticed the shift in Jack's tone. Jack focused his spirit on his foot, his knee bent as he got ready to kick. The old man looked down and noticed Jack's foot, his expression lit up as Jack swung his leg forward. The store owner raised his hand and blocked Jack's foot, but he stumbled backward into a hut where a pale green, spiky-shaped fruit was being sold. The store owner crashed into the fruit, and some of them broke open, revealing a yellow inside surrounded by an off-white layer just underneath the spiky green skin.

"Don't ever say that again!" Jack screamed.

Jack breathed in and out as he looked at the store owner roll onto his front of the pile of fruit with a funky scent.

"What's going on over there!" A deep voice shouted somewhere inside the market.

Jack heard a strange thumping, but as it approached he realized those were footsteps. He squinted as he stared through the people in the market, and noticed someone much larger hurrying through. They wore a grey robe over their left side, over top of black armored plates that covered parts of their body. The man was taller than Ajal, his neck was like a tree trunk, and his arms and legs were even bigger.

"What happened here!" The guard observed the crowd of people in the market.

He looked down at Jack, and just like everyone else he squinted as he realized where he came from. Jack observed his massive form and froze, he started backing up instinctively

"A non-unified?"

"I- I..."

Jack turned to the store owner who stared at him with wide eyes.

"How did you use Arken's Chambers!" the store owner asked him, not with a look or tone of anger, but one of genuine confusion.

Various people in the crowd gasped when they heard that. The guard looked at Jack with wide eyes, he didn't see anger or shock, but genuine fear in the guard's eyes.

"Arken's ch- chambers?" Jack stuttered. 'What are they talking about?!'

"You- where did you learn such a thing!" the guard shouted at Jack.

"Huh? I don't know what that is?!" Jack replied quickly.

"To think there are people from Kamino who know that demon's techniques..." Jack heard whispers from the crowd.

"You still think you can lie!" The store owner shouted at Jack.

"Forget it! You're coming with me!" the guard grabbed Jack's wrist, pulling him to his feet effortlessly.

"Hey! Let me go! I didn't do anything!" Jack pulled away from the guard.

"Didn't do anything? You just used a forbidden technique! You're coming with me, you're under arrest!"

"How was I supposed to know that?!"

"They teach you not to in Kamino, or at least they should have!"

"What?!"

The guard dragged Jack through the market. Upon leaving it, Jack noticed the streets become much more spacious and much cleaner as well. One of the buildings on the corner of the street was under construction. Various descendants of Ophi spread clay on top of bricks and stacked them.

"What are they doing?" Jack whispered to himself.

"Building? You don't even know what that is? You're so ignorant I'm starting to believe you... You non-unified have life easy... Living comfortable lives under the angels," the guard groaned.

Jack clenched his teeth as his head throbbed. "Shut up idiot, that's not true at all!"Jack screamed.

"Huh!"

Jack pulled against the guard's fingers to try and free his hand.

"Hey... Even if you broke free you can't run from me-"

"I'll make you regret that!" Jack threatened.

"Regret what?"

"What the hell do you people see us as!" Jack spat. "Luxury? Easy life?! Comfort! Is that what you think!"

"Well- yeah..."

"Being born into slavery is not luxury! Waking up and mining for hybrids and angels every day until my bones can't go on isn't comfortable! Watching others get killed or beaten by the angels- is not easy!"

The guard looked down at him with a confused expression. Jack stopped trying to free his hand, instead, he grabbed the guard's wrist and focused his spirit on his back and arms. To the guard's surprise, Jack managed to drag him off his feet. With a pivot, he turned and swung the guard with all his strength. The guard crashed into the ground with a surprised look. A sudden shock of discomfort rippled through Jack's body. 'What the, I can't feel my-' Jack looked at his left arm, he had dislocated his shoulder.

"My- my arm!" Jack stuttered in shock.

Various hybrids started to shout for the guards as they watched what happened. Jack started to breathe rapidly in and out. He nervously reached for his arm, he had only seen this happen once before, to someone who had been mining for hours. He grasped it and pulled it back into the socket, and a sudden rush of pain rippled through him.

"Ah!" Jack grunted.

It was like there was a crack in the middle of his arm, he dropped to one knee as his arm throbbed. He looked back at the guard he threw, the man was already getting back up, rubbing his head.

"That surprised me... You really can use Arken's chambers..."

'I can't fight with my left arm like this!' Jack turned and ran down the street as he breathed heavily.

"Hey! Stop right there!" The guard shouted.

Jack ran for the street across from the market, but to his surprise, he suddenly stopped in place with one leg lifted in the air.

"Huh- what the?!" Jack couldn't push himself any further.

Jack's body was pulled backward, the force was so powerful he fell on his back, only to start getting dragged by an unknown force across the ground. Jack tried to grasp at the ground but he couldn't. He rolled to his front and saw the guard with his hand raised up, two streaks that resembled horns were painted on the palm of his hand. His body was lifted off the ground and his neck was grasped by the guard. Jack's eyes opened and he found himself face to face with the guard, his feet dangled in the air helplessly.

"How the- What!" Jack stuttered.

"I told you it's useless to try and run..." the guard reminded Jack. "I am oath sworn to the deity Morne, and thus I possess Morne's Reach, I can drag anything to my palm within a certain distance."

'Morne's Reach!' Jack struggled against the guard's iron grip, he kicked and struggled as much as he could.

"Morne's Reach? That name was always ironic..." An unknown person mocked from above, their voice filled with confidence and contempt.

Jack looked up to see where the voice came from, the guard turned and looked up as well. His grip on Jack loosened slightly. 'I think I can get free- huh... Who's that?' A slim man stood on the roof, his white coat which reached a quarter down the length of his leg and it drifted in the wind. The man looked extremely lean, but his exposed torso was muscular. He wore black pants with two large steel rings around his ankles and a large steel ring around his waist. His bangs covered the top half of his face, his narrow eyes were hard to see behind them, and most of his hair was tied back in a ponytail. A wide grin was all Jack could see on the man's face. 'Who is that? Another hybrid?'

"You-you're...!" the guard stuttered.

Jack blinked and he immediately felt the guard's grip loosen, and a sudden gust of wind that felt like it came from a tornado. Jack fell to the ground but heard a hollow sound upon falling rather than a thud. The moment he opened his eyes after blinking, Jack found himself looking at the ground from the roof of a building. The guard that held Jack cried out in pain.

"What the- how did I get up here..." Jack asked.

He looked up and squinted as he noticed a crimson pool spread out along the white concrete around the guard and shimmer against the sunlight. 'No way-' The arm that held Jack up, the guard's arm, was now on the ground twitching slightly. The guard dropped to his knees and grasped his bleeding severed arm as he writhed on the ground. Various people in the crowd ran over to help, and many of them stood by in shock, another set of people knew what happened and were running from the scene.

"My arm!" the guard screamed.

"Is it true? You're from Kamino?" Jack heard an apathetic voice to his right.

"Huh... who said-" Jack looked to his left and saw the man who was on top of the building on the other side of the street earlier.

Jack couldn't see his eyes behind his bangs, only the same wide smile he had before. A droplet hit the roof and made a small splat, Jack looked down and noticed a red stain next to the man's boot. 'What is that metal ring around his ankle?' Another drop fell into the stain and it grew bigger. Jack looked up and noticed a curved dagger in his hand, the blood dripped off the edge of the blade.

"I said it," the slim man turned his head to Jack.

Jack quickly got to his feet and stepped back from the man. His eyes glanced back and forth from the knife to the man's face.

"Let me guess," the man put a thumb to his chin, he observed Jack from head to toe. "You're from Logos, right?"

"How- how did you know?" Jack replied.

"Just a moment- this spot isn't safe."

In a single moment, the man disappeared. 'Huh...' Jack kept his eyes open, he questioned if he blinked as the man just vanished from his sight. Jack felt someone grasp his arm and then he was suddenly pulled. Everything in his vision became a blur for a moment. The man let go, Jack opened his eyes and his jaw dropped.

"How- what!" Jack stuttered in shock.

Jack stumbled backward as he looked down and an overpoweringly dreadful feeling of anxiety filled up in a matter of seconds. They now stood on top of the wall which surrounded Andurill, they were at least two hundred and fifty feet above the streets.

"Fear of heights? Or is this your first time being so high up?" the mysterious slim man asked.

"Wha-" Jack's mind was too blown away to speak.

"Now, if you don't mind, I have some questions that need answering."

Jack's eyes were fixed on the vast city. In the central district, Jack could see a dense jungle of buildings. Past that to the northwest was a city full of massive towers. To the northeast of the center, was a much more spacious city with large buildings. The two cities closest to Jack were densely packed with buildings, the only difference was the city Jack just came from had red beams between the buildings.

"How did you- what did..."

"Hahaha, you're funny... You're acting so surprised after using Arken's Chambers twice in a city where it's illegal."

"I don't know what Arken's Chambers are!" Jack shouted.

"Easy now, you're from Logos, right? How is your luxurious life the angels gave to you? Is it fun? Do you enjoy all of that freedom?" The man asked with a sarcastic tone.

Jack felt his head throb with rage. "Shut up! Logos isn't like that at all!" he stepped forward and the slim man backed up with his hands raised.

"Hahahahaha! That's really funny!" the slim man giggled, even wiping a tear from his eye. "Sorry, sorry, I couldn't help myself... Ah man that was good..."

'What's up with this guy...' "It's not that funny..."

"You're from Logos, could you tell me... What happened there recently?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I'm being genuinely honest with my question, I want to know, what happened in Logos?"

"Well... It's... Gone? Obviously... wouldn't the word about have spread? It's been a few days already..."

The man continued to smile, however, he looked down.

"The world... Thrives on lies..." he raised his head.

"What?" Jack replied.

"There was no news of Logos's destruction."

"What..."

"In fact, the majority of people in Hiria all believe the non-unified live comfortable lives, where they just mine Logorite all day for the great angels who they should aspire to be like."

"What!" Jack shouted.

"I have one more question if you don't-"

"That's fucking nonsense! What?! They don't know? About how much?! How much do they not know!"

The man stared at Jack with a surprised expression. "Enough to idolize the angels who've wronged you. They only care about the results, I mean, this whole city is powered by the logorite you've mined after all."

A breeze blew by, it was extremely strong. At the height that Jack stood at, it'd normally have scared him. However his eyes were wide open, he looked at the man in shock as his head started to throb.

"This- this city... Is powered by Logorite?"

"Yup... Rea, Cabac, Ketova, Bellos, and Anka are all powered by the Logorite inside of that," the man pointed to the center of the city. "That over there, in the central district of Anka, that's where the logorite in this city is processed, into an energy that can sustain all of Andurill."

Jack looked at the center of the city, a pyramid-shaped building with a green light spilling out of the top of the building.

"But... The demons?" Jack asked.

"The demons? They haven't left the north for a very long time, I would say for longer than I've been alive. But if that was so how could I know, right?" the man answered strangely.

"So- then Carol... and my parents... They died for-"

"Yes. Nothing."

Jack dropped to his knees. His head throbbed heavily, he looked at the city with contempt. The man walked over and got on one knee, he rested his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"I understand your pain. You and I are the same," the man compared.

"The- same?"

"For me, it was my darling Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth, who is that?"

"She was wonderful... She could brighten any day that felt awful with just the reflection in her green eyes. Seeing her white hair blow through the winds of adversity motivated the shallow self I once was. Her smile enough to bring wars to an end," the man rambled.

"Uh-"

"Oh, sorry, I got carried away..."

"Sounds... Like you really liked her, I'm sorry for your loss," said Jack.

"Oh I do, I'll cherish my memory of her forever..."

Another breeze blew by, the sun started to fall passed the horizon.

"Ah, this heat is terrible, I have one more question. How was Logos destroyed?" the man asked.

"How? Well... Wait- who are you anyway!" Jack asked.

"Who am I? That's a good question... I've cast aside my name... "

"What? You cut off that guy's arm earlier?!"

"So what if I did?"

"You definitely have a gift, right?" Jack asked nervously.

"Yes, the Mouse Deity, Gyro, I possess his tooth," the man explained as he raised his hand. A short dagger appeared.

"What?" Jack replied in confusion, but when he turned to the man he was gone. "Huh..."

"Anyone connected to this dagger can have their speed accelerated," he said from behind Jack.

Jack turned with wide eyes, "Woah... ah-" Jack grasped his left shoulder, it still hurt just to move it.

"What happened in Logos?"

"W- I'm trying to-" Jack stuttered. 'I don't think I should say much...' "Alexander Rael got into... A fight with... Some guy."

"Some guy? And Logos was destroyed?" the man raised an eyebrow. "Who could have possibly given Alexander Rael a fight like that?"

"Yeah..." Jack answered awkwardly. "He had... Black hair and he was tall, he was able to fight Alexander Rael and two hybrid clan leaders with ease. But... He didn't kill them although he had the chance..."

"How foolish of him, nobles and hybrid clan leaders deserve to die, especially someone like Alexander Rael," the man replied.

"Some non-unified and I from Logos escaped, and are traveling to Murdok Bay. We're going through Andurill, then Argol, and then to Murdok Bay to escape from the angels and hybrid alliance."

"Why would you go there?"

"Oh I- we're looking for the black market," Jack answered.

The man stared at him with a raised eyebrow for a moment.

"Hmm... Interesting, do you know how to get to Argol?"

"Well- I don't..."

"The gate to Argol is rarely ever opened, only if it's necessary will such a request be granted. The clan leader of the descendants of Wilo holds the key to the gate, his name is Raum Septirion."

"Oh..."

"And then to get to Murdok, you have to head north through Darkwood while avoiding the border to Baltin until you find the Stagnant Sea, you'll see Ziola's Tower from there, just head in that direction through Marok's Domain and you'll reach Murdok Bay."

"That's... A lot to remember... You seem to know a lot about this place," Jack observed.

"Well, I did grow up in Rea, and I've never liked borders."

"Who are-"

"Are those your friends?" the man interrupted Jack's question.

"Huh?" Jack looked down the wall and saw the caravan zoom out of the sewer exit into the dry aqueduct. "Oh! They got through the tunnel-" Jack stopped as he noticed a field of skeletons follow the caravan out of the tunnel as well.

A mixture of screams from hybrids who watched the exit ensued.

"Oh no! More of those things! I have to help them! Can you help me?!" Jack asked the man.

He looked at the caravan for a moment. "Sure," he held the back of Jack's neck.

Jack gasped as the world moved like a blur and he was suddenly at the concrete ramp in front of the house he had run away from. Adam kicked a skeleton away as he held the horse's reigns.

"Alright, let's- huh?" Jack looked around in confusion, the man was gone.

A scream from the caravan caught his attention. The caravan was covered in skeletons with green eyes, they ripped the wooden wheels and even tried to push it over. A skeleton dragged Sarah out of the caravan, she struggled and attempted to break free. But two more skeletons assisted and she was slowly dragged toward the tunnel.

"No!" Sarah screamed.

The horses were struggling against the reins as the undead latched onto them and bit away at the flesh. Reinhardt jumped out of the back of the caravan and ran for Sarah, only to be blocked by five skeletons who attempted to restrain him as well.

"Reinhardt!" George shouted as he jumped out of the caravan to help.

"Ah! Let go of me!" John cried.

George turned as he heard his brother's cry. He was overwhelmed as he didn't know who to help and more skeletons closed in. "The damned don't kill non-unified... They just take them somewhere..." Jack recalled Ecklefor's words. He ran forward and focused his spirit on his feet as he sprinted towards Sarah. 'Spirit Ignition!' A skeleton tried to dive at him but Jack jumped right over it just in time.

"It's Jack!" Franklin shouted.

Jack rolled and sprinted forward. Sarah struggled and the skeletons stopped, Jack focused his spirit into his left hand and struck the skeleton holding Sarah in the head. A surge of pain rushed through him. 'Ah! I forgot- my shoulder!' Jack dropped onto all fours and clenched his teeth through the pain.

"Help!" Sarah cried.

Jack roared as he got to his feet and jumped forward, swinging his right hand at the next skeleton and cracking its jaw loose. The strength in his knee disappeared as another rush of pain flew through him.

"Thanks! I owe you!" Sarah got up. "Huh... Jack, what's wrong?" Sarah noticed him on his knees.

"My arm- I dislocated my shoulder earlier- it hurts so much!" Jack complained.

On one knee, Jack held his arm and clenched his teeth. However, the skeleton he had punched approached from behind, grasping his left arm and dragging him into the dark tunnel.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Ah!" Jack grunted as the skeleton violently dragged him by the left arm.

"They got Jack! Someone help!" Sarah shouted.

All of a sudden, a smash followed by bones rattling on the ground echoed through the tunnel. Jack looked up to see the old man with bushy eyebrows and a thick grey beard. His hands were behind his back, he stomped down on the skull of the skeleton as he shot a glare toward the next. 'Wo... Woah!'

Two more skeletons ran towards him, he jumped up and swung his leg, spinning around a full circle and kicking the two skeletons away.

"Well, well, well... How long has it been since we've seen this many of the damned come through?" Someone said in a raised voice.

Jack looked across the aqueduct, and multiple elder hybrid men, with dense grey hair and wrinkled skin, walked over with vicious expressions. Jack heard footsteps approach from his right.

"Are you okay, why did you run earlier? You gave me such a headache!" A woman asked.

Jack looked up to see the woman he had run away from earlier.

"Alright! All of you, I'll let you help yourselves to some beef stew after this so don't die!" The woman shouted at the hybrids who approached.

The hybrid crowd roared as they ran forward and engaged the damned. They helped John get free and even assisted Reinhardt. They seemed quick on their feet despite being old, kicking and smashing skeletons into pieces one by one.

"Who are you, people?" Jack asked weakly.

"My name's Marina, those are homeless hybrids from the area. You don't have to be afraid, let us help you, you won't be forced to be slaves here!"

A skeleton charged Marina and Jack, the old man was about to jump but stopped.

"Don't let them hurt Marina!" the hybrids shouted.

All of a sudden a black pole from the sky impaled the skeleton's rib cage.

"Huh," Marina uttered.

"Huh!" the other hybrids uttered in shock.

A black figure crashed into the pavement and sent multiple skeletons in all directions. The smoke was blown to the side and revealed Ajal spinning two black scythes in his hand.

"You- how did-" Marina stuttered.

"Look's like we're all here," Ajal grinned as he jumped forward and decapitated three skeletons in a single swing.

The hybrids all had the same expression of pure shock and loss towards what they were witnessing unfold. Ajal cleared through fields of skeletons on his own, cleaving his scythe through the rigid bones like they were nothing but air.

"Keep going!", "Make them regret ever crawling out of the ground!", "Help the tall one!"

***

After all of the skeletons had been defeated, Jack and the others sat on the concrete ramp and watched the sky darken as nighttime approached. The hybrids who showed up to help all surrounded the sleepy Ajal as they gushed about his strength. An aroma of rich spices floated out of Marina's house. Although Jack felt cold, and there was nothing to do except wait for food, it felt nice to just relax.

"Seriously? Ecklefor just left?" Adam asked.

"Yeah... He said something about a big plan... I didn't really get it," Jack replied.

"Forget that weirdo... He's always up to something, I can barely trust him anyways."

"How did you all get swarmed by so many skeletons?"

"Oh... well... we tried to follow Ajal through the tunnel but he was too fast, so Sarah and I waited for the others..." John explained.

"And... We were having a hard time getting the caravan through the tunnel..." George added.

"And... then more skeletons started showing up in the tunnel," John added more. "Yeah so... what happened to you? That lady Marina was raving about how you ran off apparently," John snickered.

"Well... I got scared cause I saw her with a knife-"

"That's a load of bogus!" one of the hybrids shouted at Ajal, and they interrupted the other conversations.

"I'm serious," Ajal argued.

"Six Celestials?!"

"Yup. I think it's strange this planet only has one..."

"If you're from a different planet-" the hybrid tipped a bottle of beer over his maw and chugged a mouthful. "Which one has better women." the hybrid asked with a strange seriousness.

"I've only been awake for a few days... How am I supposed to answer this..." Ajal rubbed his eye.

"Do you have a partner to return to back home?"

"Partner..." Ajal suddenly looked down.

"Stew's ready!" Marina walked out of her home with a large pot.

"I can help you with that if you need it!" George offered.

"Huh? We, descendants of Ophi, can make anything lighter you goof," Marina laughed.

"Oh right..." George chuckled.

"I'm- a little tired... I'm gonna look for a bed..." Ajal stood up and walked towards Marina's home.

"Huh? Why don't you eat something first?" Marina asked him.

"I'll... Probably be back pretty soon..." said Ajal.

"Oh... Okay?" Marina tilted her head in confusion.

"Ajal really knows how to be the life of a party... So what happened to you Jack? I don't even remember seeing you when we left the tunnel, how many goons did you beat up to do that to your shoulder?" John asked.

"I- I found a market where fruits were sold... Then I kind of got into a fight..." Jack recounted.

"A fight?"

"I kicked a hybrid and a guard showed up and took me away,"

"No way," Franklin leaned forward.

"Hah! Hahaha!" John bursted into laughter.

"What?" Jack replied.

"You could not have said that in a funnier way!" John chuckled.

Marina walked past Jack and the other resistance members but she glanced back when she heard that.

"And then... I tried to get away... I threw him and I messed up my shoulder, he used his gift... Morne's Reach or something... And then when I was caught, I thought I was done for... Until some guy showed up on the roof," Jack explained.

"Some guy?" Reinhardt repeated.

"He was lean and had long hair which was tied back, black baggy pants, and a white coat. I didn't get his name but he had a strange gift... He had these... Thick silver rings around his waist and ankles..."

Marina set the stew down and ran to Jack.

"Wait- the guard with the missing arm in the market today... He was the one you got away from?!" Marina sounded very concerned.

"Yeah... Some slim guy helped me out, he said he had a gift from- the Mouse Deity..."

"Some slim guy, the mouse deity... Oh no... No one believed the guard when he said it."

"What?"

"He said, Geral Murdok had cut his arm off..."

Everyone's jaw dropped as they heard the name. Jack's heart skipped a beat. He let go of his spoon as his mouth hung open. 'What!'

"That- That was Geral Murdok?!" Jack shouted in shock.

"Why did he target you!" Marina grabbed Jack's shoulders. "Did he want something? Did he ask you for anything!?" she frantically questioned him.

"Huh- No! I didn't tell him my name or anything! He just wanted to know what really happened in Logos..."

"If you ever see him again, run!" Marina stressed.

"Is he a bad person?" Jack asked curiously.

"Bad doesn't describe the horrors of what he's done..."

"That's unlucky, I would've liked to meet him..." said Ajal as he walked back to the house.

"Where were you anyways?" Sarah asked Ajal.

"I fell asleep..." Ajal groaned with a lazy tone.

"Again!" John and Sarah both shouted at the same time.

Marina still looked at Jack with a concerned look, but she stood up and shook her head.

"Let's enjoy the stew before it goes cold, okay? Okay!" said Marina.

After some organizing and distribution, the pot of stew was about half empty. Jack sat next to Ben, and George who stuffed a spoonful of soup and meat into his mouth and immediately dropped his spoon.

"Is something wrong?" Marina asked nervously.

"This is- so good..." George sniffed.

"Are you crying?" Ben asked.

'What the heck?' Jack took a spoon of steaming hot stew. He blew on it before he bit into a soft and fluffy piece of potato. The flavor of the stew enriched the potato and the flavor danced across Jack's tongue. Jack felt a satisfying lack of resistance as his teeth glided through a chunk of beef, 'It's so tender...'

"Wow... This is so good..." Sarah looked down with wide eyes.

"The amount of flavor one bite provides in a single extended moment..." George responded with a strange finesse.

"What's up with that description?" John raised an eyebrow.

"All the flavor of the soup is in the potato! This is so much better than oats..." Jack took another bite. "I could just eat these potatoes!"

"Right you are my fellow food enthusiast," said George.

"I- I hate you... I really do..." said John.

Jack rested the spoon in the small puddle of red soup remaining in his bowl, his thoughts drifted back to the events throughout the day. 'That was Geral Murdok... Why did he help me?' Jack remembered the things he told him, and bitterness grew inside of him. Resentment for the injustice he had to face continued to bounce around his head as Jack recalled Geral's words.

"Hey, Jack," Marina approached him. "I feel like these drunkards will end up eating all of the stew, so could you go and give this to Ajal? He looked exhausted..."

"Yeah, sure..." Jack agreed.

Jack took the metal bowl of soup with both hands and started towards Marina's home. He walked past the black cloth which had been pulled to the side and walked onto the creaky wooden floor. He looked to the left at the stairwell and then to the right which led to the living room and kitchen. Jack walked forward towards the kitchen, he peeked into the living room and saw no one. A quiet buzz and a bubbling could be heard from the kitchen, he leaned through the door. A small green flame on the stovetop heated a pot of water.

"Where is he..." said Jack.

Jack walked back towards the stairs and looked up. He stepped up the weak wooden steps, making sure not to spill any of the stew. Jack reached the second level of the house and looked around, the bedrooms were all dark, but no one was in any of the beds. Jack turned and looked up to see the stairwell continue to a third level. He walked up and this time to his surprise he saw two of the kids who had been playing earlier, Korra and Yorin. They were peeking through a door that led outside.

"What are you doing-"

The two kids turned and immediately put a finger over their mouths to tell Jack to be quiet. 'Huh?' Jack peaked through the door and noticed Ajal sitting on the edge of the building looking up at the sky.

"Why are we hiding?" Jack whispered.

"He was crying just now," said Korra.

'Crying? Ajal? No way...' Jack walked past the kids.

"Hey stop!" the two of them whispered dramatically.

Ajal turned his head and noticed Jack approach. A stream of tears flowed down Ajal's face, but he looked expressionless and calm. Jack was surprised to see this.

"Oh... I'm guessing the food was almost finished..." Ajal wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

"Yeah... Marina- told me to give this to you," Jack said awkwardly.

Ajal took the bowl of stew and just stared at it.

"Are... You okay?" Jack asked.

Ajal exhaled as he set the stew to the side. "I don't really know what I want right now..."

Jack immediately thought back to the similar question Ecklefor asked him. "You want to get back to Imperion, right?"

"Is that the best choice though..."

"What do you mean?"

"They tried to kill me... The people I considered friends... Now I'm trying to go back..."

Jack looked down, unsure of what to say. "What else would you rather do?"

"Well... I've been thinking... Maybe it's useless for me to try and go back... Maybe I could offer some help to this world..."

"You want to stay on Grelt?" Jack asked with a surprised face.

"Yeah... I think I should put Imperion behind me, I could help this world become a better place."

"You grew up there your entire life, right? Is it really that easy to put it behind you like that?" Jack asked.

"No... I haven't been able to sleep at all... I constantly remember them, my friends..." Ajal admitted. "Every time I do, I wake up in a panic remembering what they did..." Ajal held the side of his stomach.

"Well... I think you shouldn't, if they tried to kill you, who knows they may try again... But... It... Sounds like a hard call..." Jack tried to offer some words to help.

Ajal took a deep breath. "Maybe this is my second chance at life... An opportunity to do the right thing properly this time..."

"Properly?"

"Without killing the innocent, there has to be a way to peace without death, I know I can find it."

Jack looked off at the red beams in the city, and Geral's words continued to echo in his head. 'But Ajal, they deserve to die...'