"It's dark." Faced with darkness so dense that it's hard to tell if his eyes are closed. His body is numb, he's been drugged, his muscles are twitching. But suddenly, a bright light completely illuminates the room, revealing a cold, gloomy place with a completely black floor. A huge monitor hangs high above. Jack closes his eyes. The light was too bright.
"My mana is unstable, as I thought, my strength is being drained. It must be his doing."
Using his mana, he reflects the light, diminishing its passage. His eyes open slowly, there he is. A man watching everything. His presence was like a king watching a sinner about to be executed. "A spectacle."
"Did you sleep well?"
His gaze was cold. Without any thoughts or words. He just watches Arthur from above.
"Hehe."
Gradually, his body movements become more fluid. The mana is becoming more stable. Arthur watches this with an anxious look. His eyes can't look at anything but him. He was a rough diamond in his vision. He could be a "successor."
"That explosion that day was to test me, wasn't it? No casualties, and even with a big scandal, nothing happened."
Ignoring what he was told, he just concentrates on gathering the mana around him. It swirls around him like a small whirlpool. His light and calm breathing guides his mana slowly and precisely.
"Ohh! Once again you ignored me." He puts his hands on his waist and supports his body weight on his left foot. "I see that age is affecting me."
While his eyes are closed, he senses that something is wrong. The balance was broken, and the moment he opens his eyes, he realizes it. The ground has changed to a free fall, but now he calmly controls his mana, enveloping it in his body, making it lighter. At that moment, he realizes that the ground has changed again in the blink of an eye. Now he is face to face with a man with scarlet red eyes, looking deep into his eyes. "A repulsive presence."
"How."
Before he can even finish his sentence, Jack rushes forward toward him. Arthur's eyes widen as his fist approaches his face. His mouth forms a small slit. Several thorns approach Jack, about to pierce him. An explosion of mana expelled from his body destroys everyone in several shards. When his fist is about to hit... the environment changes. Turning his body to the right, he punches the wall, breaking it and hitting Arthur directly in the face. He was thrown against several walls, a single punch was enough to make him bleed. His vision became blurred. Jack begins to approach slowly while absorbing mana.
Before his eyes, that tower transforms into a queen. He couldn't take his eyes off her. As he rose from the rubble, it was clear that his injuries were serious. His knee could barely stand, his arms were worn out. That punch was like a tractor. He condensed his mana and applied it to Arthur's body, exploding in a strong wave of mana, amplifying the damage. The shockwave spread through his body, damaging not only the area where he was hit, but his entire body.
"I get it. They were all just sacrifices, weren't they!?"
With a sudden burst of speed, he reappears behind Arthur, about to punch him in the back, but the environment changes. Sensing a presence, he lunges forward and manages to pierce the chest of that presence. He realizes that what his fist pierced was not an enemy, but a child. For a second, he thought, "Could this be an illusion?"
"Hehehehehehe. The only thing I can't create is living things."
His laughter becomes uncontrollable. Jack has just murdered an innocent life. The deafening laughter fills the room as Jack holds the body of that little child. Several pieces of debris fly toward Arthur, who dodges and destroys them all. Jack, using his speed to his advantage once again, tries to land a punch on him. But the environment changes to a brightly lit place. His face is unresponsive to the scene.
"Mommy!"
"Hic hic ma-hic-mommy."
In a vast field around Jack, several children were crying. At that moment, Jack quickly shouts for everyone to come to his side.
"Ahh, I remember... it was amazing to play tag. I'm it!"
In an instant, appearing next to a child standing still using his left leg, his body slightly bent—touching the child's head—he breaks into a huge smile. The child's body distorts, focusing on just one point, contorting and compressing, and then exploding, sending pieces flying everywhere.
The children start screaming and trying to run away, Arthur prepares to kill the next child. However, with a quick reaction, he punches Arthur in the stomach, throwing him away. His ribs are broken, his body is convulsing, and his balance is completely gone. Even controlling his head is difficult. But that doesn't stop him. He disappears, touching the heads of two children and exploding their heads. Before he can think about his next move, Jack is already behind him, and before he can react, he lands a third punch. Throwing him to the ground, lying on the floor writhing in pain, Jack sits on his stomach ready to deliver another punch, when his fist is about to hit his face, a small window appears in his vision. And in it was a woman, along with two children. His fist stops.
"I wonder. Would you rather save 30 children or your family?"
His voice trembled. His pupils dilated, his gaze unable to hide what he felt. For someone who had been trained his entire life not to lose his cool, this was unacceptable. Losing your cool is forbidden.
"That's right. Good boy. So. Shall we negotiate?"
He had no words to formulate. His breathing was too fast. A drop of water ran down his forehead, along with his trembling gaze.
"Hey, say something! Being scared won't change anything." With a snap of his fingers, a huge screen opens, and there you can see hooded people pointing guns at their heads. "Look, if you don't do anything... they'll die."
"WAIT, LET'S NEGOTIATE."
It's fun. No words could describe that scene. Such a vivid feeling. It's not like the feeling expressed in the face of death. But it's still delightful. Seeing this from someone who sacrificed everyone just to achieve his goal makes it even more enjoyable.
"Sit down, let's talk."
The children disappear. They have been transported elsewhere. The chair appears behind him. It no longer impresses him. He sits down. Clenching his hands, he cannot stay still. His legs tremble.
—I know you want something from me. So let's make a deal. I'll do anything, I'll even become a dog. But don't hurt any of them.
Arthur's hands can barely hold a cup, his whole body can barely stand. His eyes are heavy and his breathing is heavy. He stares at the cup, but then looks back at Jack.
"A dog... Really, I need you. But I can tame you in countless ways. Whether through torture or even breaking your mind in various ways."
Incredible. Looking at Jack, he realizes. He has already calmed down. In a short space of time, he has managed to control himself. Even so, it is possible to see that he is still anxious. His family is trapped. Those he had tried so hard to hide. But in the end, it was useless.
"If you destroy my mind, you will be the one who loses. After all, what you need is me. Not my body."
He perfectly manages to hit exactly what Arthur wanted from him. Arthur smiles slightly, amused by the situation.
"I expected nothing less from someone who followed me for two years."
In a moment, Jack's body trembled. Arthur did the same to him. Attacking a weak spot. Both knew ways to make the other uncomfortable.
"So," with a snap of his fingers, a piece of paper and a pen appear, "read carefully."
A contract. Jack understands, there is nothing he can do but accept. An undeniable danger. "The contract with the devil himself."