Jon had walked his sisters back to his house, settling them into their rooms. Their meal was a particularly extended affair, most of which was Jon listening to Lydia and Ariel discuss their shared birthday plans.

  Lydia wanted specific foods to available, and wondering about seating arrangements in the backyard. Music was a “necessity” but so was arranging suitable entertainment both inside and outside the house.

  Ariel wanted to certain decorations placed around the first floor, and if Jon was willing to house some of their friends over for a sleepover. The conversation that the three of them had about that was-.

  Interesting, to say the least.

  “… I think it would be best if another adult stayed over the night, preferably someone’s mum, to watch over you girls.” Was all that Jon had to say on the matter, Lydia and Ariel agreeing.

  Although he had experienced almost two whole addition years within the System Introduction, to everyone else Jon was still just eighteen. Even if his actual age was closer towards twenty-one, he wasn’t quite willing to take responsibility for the wellbeing of half-a-dozen teenage girls.

  He also couldn’t see their parents letting them stay over without another adult present. Even if said adult was one of his own parents.

  Ariel, as she often did, agreed with her older brother.

  “Yeah, I think that would be best.”

  “I cannot see Monica or Sarah’s parents letting them stay over without Mum or someone to watch over us. We told them that the party would probably be held at the house, so we would have to send out new, or at least updated invitations to everyone.”

  Lydia chirped up, nodding her head from across Jon’s Soothing-Comfort Couch.

  “How many people did we invite again Ariel?”

  “… Between us, I think about fifty?”

  ‘And that doesn’t include parents either…’ Jon thought to himself, watering some of his plants in the kitchen and dining room. Golden Fruit Flowers absorbing the water through its yellow-tinged roots, Joyous-Spirit Grass softly rustling under the dutiful care he was gifting it.

  A few shoots of Rose-Tinted Bamboo were placed on a chopping board, beside a set of Mortal Ranked spiritual knives. One knife in particular, a Mortal-Ranked Carving-Blade, had been left beside it, awaiting use for a later date.

  “Hey Jon!” Ariel called out to him from comfort of his spiritually air-conditioned living room, “Are you sure that it’s okay for us to be having all these people here!? I mean, I know that there is no-one else living here but-.”

  “But we don’t want to push you into this if you don’t want to do it!” Lydia continued.

  Jon smiled, placing his small watering can down in the sink, before walking towards his connected living room. His Fragment Of Heart softly thrumming within his chest, heartstrings taut, as though someone was gently pulling upon them.

  His expression softening, as he watched Lydia and Ariel turn towards him.

  “Of course it’s fine.” Jon said, “Although it might not seem it, I have experienced… quite a few things over the past few months. Things that have given me a greater perspective on life, and relationships in general.”

  Jon closed his eyes, leaning against the doorway that connected his living and dining room. Brows furrowing almost imperceptibly as he recounted the many events that he had experienced over the course of the System Introduction.

  His encounter with a certain fire-breathing duck…

  His first meeting with Avahni and Wilheim…

  His fight against Han Of The Red Wind and the first time he had taken a life…

  His chance encounter with the Malum Hobgoblin, and his subsequent encounter with Sariel and Shamael…

  Fighting Theodore in order to save Avahni…

  His ascension from Mortality to Knighthood…

  Summoning Schwarz Eis, Ashvattha Rana and Song Lian Yu all for the firs time…

  Discovering Springtown, and befriending Amadeus, Delila, Mael and even Maliq…

  Founding his Merchant Guild…

  Learning languages and forming his first spiritual vein…

  Creating his Fragment Of Draconian-Shadows and Fragment Of Shapeless-Carcosa…

  Protecting Springtown from the Voracious Swarm Mother…

  And even fighting against the Lord-Ranked incarnations of three Angels…

  Lingering emotions and flashes of sensory data bubbled up from the depths of his Three Seas Of Knowledge. His left hand unconsciously clenching into a fist for a split-second, before Jon opened his eyes, seeing Lydia and Ariel turn their heads towards him.

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  “I learnt…”

  “That life gives you but one opportunity. One brief, but extraordinary period of time to experience everything that the world as to offer. Although our lives are but a single breath in comparison to the existence of this world, it is something that is well, ours.”

  “Learning. Feeling. Exploring. Loving. Fighting. All of these are things that we can only do when we are alive. Death, although unpleasant, is something that we must accept happens to us all. But until that time when death comes for us, I think that I should make the most of what I have and continue fighting for what I believe in.”

  Jon smiled, watching as Lydia and Ariel both ran towards him, embracing him in another hug. [Bestial Intuition] hearing their heartbeats race within their chests, noses sniffling and fingers clenching at the hem of his shirt.

  “I cannot change the world.”

  “But I can try and give you two of you the best birthday that an annoying older brother like me can give.”.

  Break.

  [Violet Doors Of Janus Quirinus].

  Jons stepped out from within his Fragment Of Door, appearing within the park he had sprinted through a few hours prior. [Bestial Intuition] and [Eyes Through The Looking Glass] observing the shadows and shrubbery for any traces of movement or lingering spiritual energy.

  Hades-Draconian Shadow and Carcosa-Form Horrors shooting outwards from beneath the soles of his feet, vanishing amidst the darkened landscape. Archetype Twinleaf and Archetype Treasured-Avarice swirling within his chest, pulsating beside his Yaochi-Mudra Prana.

  “Are the two girls asleep yet Rana?” Jon asked, whispering towards his Fragment Of Tree.

  “I cannot detect any movements coming from within the house,” the Earth Reincarnation Womb replied, “The spiritual barrier around the house is holding strong, no traces of spiritual energy spilling out from within.”

  Jon nodded his head, affirming Rana’s response.

  “Good. Inform me if the two of them wake up. This, Wordsmith Of Time And Wind hasn’t torn up the [Tyrannical War Contract] I offered him, so safe to say this meeting might take a while depending on what he wants to talk about…”

  Minerva-Infiltration Eyes glancing in every direction around him. Observing for any changes in the shadows and darkness. Ears listening to the direction of the evening breeze; softly brushing against his cheeks as though a lover caressing his rough countenance.

  Eyebrow raised almost imperceptibly turning towards his ten o’clock. The soft, muted sound of a clocktower ringing echoing out behind him. Time natured spiritual energy gathering into the form of a seven-foot-tall vermiton, adorned in a Mortal Ranked Obfuscation-Cloak.

  Jon detected the presence of some familiar concept, but not one that he could put into words.

  ‘Was that… “annihilation?”’

  The Schwarzschild Light-Behemoth manifesting beside him. The light-destruction behemoth peering down to look at the Knight Ranked human, trying to observe for any changes in expression or traces of spiritual energy that clung to his clothing.

  Knight Ranked Dark-Thread Shirt and Knight Ranked Flickering-Wind Pants causing the summoned companion to glance in Jugen’s direction, seeing the blatant display of wealth and grandeur.

  Jon smiled, not bothering to conceal his appearance with Lethe.

  “You came,” he said.

  Jugen nodded his head in response.

  “I was interested in what you had to say. About the end of the System Introduction.”

  “Not about this world?” Jon queried, gesturing towards the skyscrapers and high-rise apartment buildings visible in the distance. Jugen half-glancing towards them but remaining visibly unmoved.

  “I have told my master about the wonders of technologically advanced societies. Although humanity has not yet reached the end of the Information Age, their progression into the sea of stars is not that far off.” Aggronia interjected, shifting her weight so as to stand upright.

  “The System Introduction often heralds the end of current civilizations as you know it. The advent of spiritual energy and the proliferation of fragments and Mana Cores prevents uninitiated items from affecting those that have achieved Knighthood or above.”

  “Laws are no longer appliable to those whose destructive might rivals intercontinental ballistic missiles or hydrogen bombs. Mortals are mostly constrained by their lack of spiritual energy, while Knights lack no such restraints.”

  Aggronia peered down towards Jon.

  “I’ve seen Knights that are capable of annihilating legions of technologically advanced soldiers. Fragments Of Annihilation and Fragments Of Extinction are quite easy to activate, when used in tandem with Fragments Of Doors or Fragments Of Teleportation are they not?”

  The Schwarzschild-Light Behemoth not-so-subtly probing him and his manifested abilities.

  Jon nodded his head in affirmation.

  “Yes. On that I tend to agree.”

  “Although, I cannot help but admit that I find myself using connected abilities as of late. Fragment pathways have so much more potential in comparison to ordinary abilities.”

  “Wouldn’t you agree, Schwarzschild-Light Behemoth?” Jon smirked.

  The light-destruction behemoth narrowing her eyes at him, softly growling, while lowering her centre of gravity. The Knight-Ranked human and Mortal-Ranked behemoth stared each other down for a few moments before Jugen interjected, gesturing for Aggronia to pull herself back.

  “That is enough Aggronia.”

  “I came here to talk about the rather abrupt ending to the System Introduction. Not fight with the one who possesses the answers we seek. If you have a problem with that, then you can return back to your Fragment Of Behemoth.”

  Jon could not help but show a vaguely curious expression, observing the relationship between the Wordsmith Of Time and Wind and the Schwarzschild-Light Behemoth. Fragment Of Eyes glancing between the two, trying to discern whether their interaction was true, or just a fabrication.

  Truthful-Scales tipping neither towards ‘truth’ or towards ‘falsehood’ either.

  ‘Interesting.’

  ‘Fragment Of Belief? Or perhaps a Fragment Of Fool?’

  “…” Aggronia softly growling but conceding to Jugen’s commands. Retreating backwards several steps behind her summoner but continuing her blatant observations of Jon and the lingering motes of spiritual energy that swirled around him.

  Jugen, unable to conceal a smile, seeing Aggronia act as though a feline stalking her prey. His gaze turning towards the human opposite him, not at all attempting to look down on him, despite his shorter stature and lack of defensive scales.

  He took note of the discolouration between his left and right arms but did not question it. More interested in receiving other answers instead.

  The dim, near lightless park grew quiet, accompanied by nothing other than the faint rustling of leaves in the wind and the soft droning of engine noises far off into the distance. The birds and insects had long since drifted off into sleep.

  Humans dreaming, of a world that belonged to them.

  No longer theirs.

  Jugen took a deep breath, straightening his back and pulling back his Mortal Ranked Obfuscation-Cloak. Earth-coloured scales saturated with concepts related to “time” and “nothingness.”

  “So… why did our System Introduction end before the timer was completed?”