Jack would like to think that he faced Helbiel with head held high in contempt and eyes filled with determination; however, it was not so. He stood before her in shock for a good two or three seconds before it occurred to him that she wanted a response. It took another three seconds to comprehend exactly what she had said. And when he finally caught up, her lips were downturned in a slight scowl which, despite the mildness of the expression, somehow conveyed to Jack that he was about to default to her judgment.

“I was—,” he paused as his emotions settled back into place. The effect of Awaken seemed to be suppressed. In fact, the timer at the edge of his vision had stopped. He pushed the realization away in order to quickly formulate a course of action. It was hard. Coming down from a heightened emotional fervor to the current situation had rattled him a bit, not to mention the shock of being swatted several dozen feet by a giant. At the moment, the chief emotions vying for dominance in his mind were weakened anger, confusion, and embarrassment. “I ask that you please explain my crimes. As you can see from appearance and situation, I’ve been through a rather severe series of events recently. I may be able to explain my wrongdoings but I must first know what I’ve done.”

He spoke quickly with a tone far more formal and apologetic than his current emotional state warranted but this wasn’t the first time that he had been forced to present the façade of having his shit together emotionally. He made sure not to deny the supposed crime as his anger-fueled indignation desired; it would get him nowhere and he suspected the Dark Maker’s Key along with its ability to initiate restricted transfers tied into his “violations”. He gave himself a mental pat on the back as she cocked her head in a way that made her seem mechanical. It appeared as though she was considering his request. It was a start.

His fate rested on how this situation played out. He had such a massive disadvantage that he wanted to scream but he kept his wits about him. She knew he was a Scion of the Logos and the Blue Heart was blatantly on display due to the pitiful state of his clothing. He forced his hands to relax fighting against the urge to clench them or reach for the weapon he didn’t have.

While he fought his tumultuous mood, Helbiel finally finished her deliberation. Lifting her chin into the air, she said, “By writ of the World Keeper, the W.R.L.D Protocol governs the oversight of anchored worlds and procedures that pertain to combating the enemy.” Her voice took on a measure of severity laced with disdain, almost causing Jack to take a step back. “As I stated, I have born witness to your violations which are fourfold. You are guilty of possession and use of a corrupted Artifact which is prohibited as per Article Twelve. You are also guilty of initiating a restricted transfer without proper authorization as detailed in Article Thirteen. And lastly, you have, twice now, opened a rift into an unanchored world allowing the enemy to breach the Logos which is in violation of Article Three. The punishment for violating Articles Twelve and Thirteen is expulsion from Fracture and termination of any boons bestowed by the Logos.” Jack paled, partially because he had no idea what such a punishment would mean for him given his strange and confusing past. Unfortunately, the Celestial was not finished. “However, violation of Article Three renders that moot as the punishment for it is summary execution.”

Thankfully, Jack’s tired mind worked its ass off to keep him calm. Her mention of the World Keeper caused his heart to quicken and his hands to tremble. It was the first time he had heard mention of W in Fracture. His dream played back in his mind within an instant before his attention snapped back to the situation at hand. She had said “explain yourself or be judged” earlier which, perhaps, meant there was a path to avoiding death. He kept his gaze level with hers as he asked, “So why am I still alive?”

Her lips became a hard line and her left eyebrow twitched so slightly that he wondered if he’d imagined it. He couldn’t help but notice her beauty with her standing only a couple of feet away from him. She had a severe aesthetic to her features granting her a physical air of authority to compliment her overwhelming power. She reminded Jack of the few female corporate executives he’d seen in his time. All of them had the look of powerful and dominant women, aware of their advantages and ruthless in their application. They were the type of women that many men purported to desire but avoided in practice because they realized they wouldn’t have even the semblance of dominance in the relationship.

Jack ripped his attention away from the distracting contours of her face as she said, “You live because I have evidence that suggests your violations of the W.R.L.D Protocol were unintentional. In light of this, it would be unjust of me to render judgment without availing myself of your testimony. Now, speak your account; my patience is finite.”

So, he told her. It was such a surreal feeling, speaking to a Celestial with honest intent. Rage and acceptance battled in a storm of confusion while he relayed his story. The rage was familiar, close to his heart. This woman was one of them, a Celestial. She was just another immortal with so much power that she could never truly relate to the hardships of mortals. Her kind enacted countless atrocities on the denizens of Fracture for nothing more than their own amusement. He might not know her but why would she be any different? Her power was near-absolute and so too was her chance of being corrupt. Yet, she put forth a different mien than Azatiel or Ciel.

Here came the acceptance. Her presence was powerful, yes, but it was also clear. The feeling traced along the edge of his skin with his intent and her voice touch his mind with its clarity. The careful way in which she spoke, her posture, and the subtle tones in her speech painted an image that clashed with his preconceived notions. His anger called for a rejection of this image; however, his intuition and intellect won out leading to acceptance. He could rage against the machine in spite of the unfairness of it all yet doing so would have no meaning. None would know of his principled stand and his resistance would accomplish next to nothing. In the face of his acceptance, his anger suggested that Helbiel was using her power to influence his mind much like Bohum had— a definite possibility given her apparent potency. His acceptance disregarded the point, not because it wasn’t true but because it didn’t matter. Nothing changed. The optimal course of action remained the same.

Suicide was not an option.

At first, he tried to remain vague on the events leading up to his possession of the Dark Maker’s Key in the hopes of revealing as little as necessary. Helbiel put a stop to his plan almost immediately. She asked probing questions every few sentences to root out the specifics of his account.

“What Remnant were you raiding?”

“Who commissioned this raid?”

“Who were you with?”

“What did the World Boss say to you?”

“You are sure the skull said ‘Dark One’ in the Fractured Tongue?”

“Speak more of this Eternal Light and its Embrace.”

“Do you have the corrupted eidos stone?”

“This Illumination ritual implanted a Dark One within your World Core?”

Slowly, she unveiled the details of his experience in Terras and in the dying worlds. Before he knew it, the minutes rolled by with her meticulously interrogating him. He tried to avoid naming Ciel but she pushed and he found himself unable to lie to her. Whether it was because of undue influence or the fear that she would know, he couldn’t say. He only succeeded in hiding his meeting with Drake and the memories that he gained because she never thought to ask about it. Finally, she asked a question that caused him to fall silent.

“When did you first hear the chime?’

She stared at him as he failed to answer and her impatience manifested in her aura producing gooseflesh along his arms and neck. As he tried to decide whether he should speak of his dream, he observed the nuances of her body. She was agitated. Her heart had increased slightly and her breath came in deeper. Were it not for his extraordinary hearing, he wouldn’t have noticed. Once he figured it out, he saw the signs written in her body language, subtle but unhidden.

When did that start? He wondered. Was it when I didn’t answer her? No, it wasn’t that? Huh… Wait… Was it when I mentioned Ciel…? It was… I think it was when I mentioned what he said to me at the Remnant Gate. Why would that—

The realization hit him like a punch to the face. It was a feeling that he was intimately familiar with. She’s anxious.

Helbiel, tired of his silence, said, “Answer the question, Scion.”

The statement came with a significant amount of suggestive power although not enough to force the words from his mouth. It was more like a push in the desired direction as opposed to a chain that guaranteed his compliance. Jack found her restraint strange. Azatiel wouldn’t have exercised such self-control and Ciel certainly hadn’t.

He couldn’t restrain his curiosity and asked, “Why don’t you just make me answer your question? You could do it. I can tell by the power coming from you.”

Helbiel’s lips descended into a scowl and her brow furrowed. He hadn’t answered her question yet she offered no judgment. There was another pause, this time, on her part. He held her gaze as the visor’s glow flickered from bright to dim over and over.

“Though within my power, it is against the World Keeper’s intentions to control the free will of others.” She actually clenched her jaw as though parting with the information annoyed her. Nonetheless, it illuminated her character to Jack. He could tell from the inflection of her words and her body language that she struggled with the truth of her statement.

So, W is connected with the Celestials in addition to the W.R.L.D. Protocol? Is it direct? Can I capitalize on it? I think I first heard the chime when I met W. Maybe, I should tell her about the dream or hide it. Clearly, she holds the World Keeper in high regard. But… dammit, she’s a fucking Celestial!

Finally, he decided to tell her. He detailed his very first memory and dream of W. Helbiel listened patiently in silence though she gradually closed her eyes as he spoke. For some reason, the memory came forward in a powerful way, defining the experience with an unforeseen amount of clarity. It was almost as if a foreign presence intervened on Jack’s behalf, granting the story a concreteness, unlike any other memory or dream. When he finished, they were silent for several seconds.

Despite his cooperation, Jack struggled with the fact that he was being so forthcoming with a Celestial. He swallowed a bitter dose of self-loathing as the anger being held back turned on him. After solidifying his resolve, he had succumbed to the influence of a Celestial, to an enemy. When he finished, her visor projected a flat cone of vibrant blue light that swept over his body from head to toe. As it finished, he watched her head turn slightly from side to side and she swiped in the air a few times.

Under her breath, she muttered, “What a strange designation…”

It was then that he realized what she had done. Somehow, she was looking at his Status information. At that moment, he hated her with a burning passion. How dare she? It was a violation of his privacy. One she committed without hesitation and one he could do nothing to stop. Then, she spoke again.

“I am sorry,” Helbiel said. Absent the resonate power, her voice sent chills down his spine. She sounded tired and frustrated. Jack couldn’t handle such a response and responded accordingly.

“Huh?” he asked, dumbly.

Her scowl grew deeper and her voice took on a note of ire. “As a Scion and a Bonded, no less, my colleagues should have welcomed and guided you. Instead, they devote their time to vice and meaningless power games. You are not the first to suffer for their negligence in their duty. The fact that you had to have your World Core initialized in such a way is nothing short of a disgrace.”

Not to be undone by itself, his mind produced another concise reply. “… What?”

Helbiel pinched the bridge of her nose in apparent annoyance. Her tone became slow and even like she believed he might be an imbecile. “Are you even aware of your purpose as a Scion? Or your duties as a Bonded?”

His wits finally decided to get their shit together and a spark of ire ignited due to her tone. He said, “No, I am not. Sorry that you find my ignorance so irksome. For the past five years, I’ve been too busy dealing with your colleagues. All they’ve done is hunt me like a dog, destroy my life and the lives of those I care about, and attempt to enslave me for their own gain.” As he spoke, the words spilled out and his tone became more aggressive. He’d opened a nasty can of worms. “So, how about you cut down on the patronizing tone and actually tell me what I need to know because I think it’s blatantly fucking obvious that I have no idea what you’re talking.”

Although she wore a visor over her eyes, he felt the intensity of her gaze and imagined her narrowed eyes drilling into him. A bit of anxiety wormed its way into his thoughts but he squashed it and stared directly into the light of her visor where he believed her eyes were. Perhaps it was stupid to address her so disrespectfully yet it was good to finally say his piece.

Fortunately, she didn’t reprimand him or anything of the sort. She just sighed and said, “Very well, but first, surrender the corrupted Artifact.”

It was an order, plain and simple. She didn’t use her empowered voice but then again, she didn’t need to. She had all the power in the current situation. With a bit of reluctance, Jack pulled the bundle containing the Dark Maker’s Key from his belt and handed it over. She unwrapped the Artifact and she analyzed it for a few seconds. Nothing happened when she touched it.

Making a tsk sound, she tossed the Dark Maker’s Key to the side. Instead of falling to the ground, it stayed suspended in mid-air about a half a foot away. She put her hands on her hips and regarded him with a half-scowl as though considering where to begin.

Finally, she said, “Contrary to what the conduct of my colleagues might suggest, it is not the task of we Celestials to rule over Fracture, in the open or from the shadows. We are… more akin to public servants in truth. We have many duties; one of which is to guide new Scions of the Logos who themselves are chosen by the World Keeper himself to perform a certain function within Fracture. In guiding Scions, we help them discover their purpose and provide them with assistance in fulfilling said purpose should they require it. When you arrived in Fracture, there was a Celestial nearby, correct?”

Jack kept his face blank at the start of her explanation but the thought of Azatiel brought a scowl to his face. “Yes. His name is Azatiel and he tried to enslave me. He still hounds me to this day.”

She stiffened slightly when he said the name and her face twisted in disgust. “Yes, he is a rather unpleasant individual. Even when he laid claim to his Gnosis and performed the duties of a Celestial, his methods were… unconventional. But back to my point. Scions always are introduced to Fracture within the reach of a Celestial though which one depends on many variables. It’s unfortunate you ended up in the hands of Azatiel.”

“So, not only was I screwed because Celestials decided not to do their job, but by what might as well be random chance, I ended up with the guy who even other Celestials think is a scumbag.” Helbiel nodded and he shook his head. “Good to know my life is fucked because of my bad luck. Well, I might have an idea about the whole Scion purpose thing but what did you mean earlier when you said ‘he laid claim to his Gnosis’? And what duties do I have as a Bonded?”

Helbiel cocked her head to the side and placed a single finger on her chin as she silently regarded him for a moment. She appeared to come to some kind of decision and said, “Gnosis is difficult to explain to a mortal since it is a facet of higher beings. Some more primitive creatures think it is the spark of divinity. They are both wrong and right. For your purposes, just know that the Gnosis of Celestials is what gives us the power to perform our duties. I’m sure with the sensitivity to the Logos granted by your Bond, you’ve noted a difference between myself, Ciel, and Azatiel.”

Jack nodded. “You’re ridiculously more powerful. It’s almost a physical thing that I can feel against my skin.”

Helbiel actually smiled slightly which irked Jack a little. “Yes, a part of Gnosis is knowing. My Gnosis allows those around me to know my function but this knowledge is more than skin deep. All power comes at a cost. For me, the knowledge is a deep and intimate thing as it is for any being with Gnosis. In my knowing, I am bound to my function. To deny my function is to deny my Gnosis and to deny my Gnosis is to lose it. This is what most of my colleagues have done.” Jack raised an eyebrow at the vehemence in her voice as she mentioned the other Celestials. He found her explanation on Gnosis fascinating especially given the fact that he had once possessed Gnosis of his own according to Drake. However, Helbiel’s next words made the hairs on the back of his neck to quiver. “A being that rejects its own Gnosis is a pitiable and foolish thing, doomed to fall to corruption. Such is the path of ignorance. As it stands, those Celestials who have abandoned their Logos are burdens to the Logos and their folly emboldens the enemy.”

By the end, she was practically ranting. Jack suppressed a smirk as he realized Helbiel was becoming more expressive as their conversation continued like she had been holding things in for a while. He could relate to that.

As for her explanation, he was beginning to gain a fuller understanding of the situation. Of course, she could have been lying through her teeth but he doubted it. She didn’t exhibit the usual signs of a liar: elevated heart rate and breathing, nervous twitches, irregularity in speech. Though even if she were a master actor, she had little reason to lie. She could accomplish the same thing with her power that she could by lying. He still reserved his trust because he wasn’t the type to give such a precious commodity away easily. He listened closely when she began to speak again.

“Ah, but you asked about the duties of your Bond. As I’m sure you’ve realized from your experience in Terras, World Cores are a condensed collection of essential energy native to their world of origin. As their world matures, World Cores provide the necessary energy and later, maintain the stability of the world’s most important processes. Bonds are extremely rare and only come about when the World Core is in need but only creatures native to the world can form a Bond with it. The Blue Heart, as you’ve named it, is a nascent seed of potential produced by the World Keeper and as a Scion, you satisfy the requirement of being a native to Fracture. These nascent seeds serve as a sort of safety mechanism for Fracture and are meant to aid in World Restoration via Harmonic Convergence. You are not the only one to have such an honor.” She placed a hand to her chest. “I have borne three in my body.”

That caught Jack’s attention but before he could ask for more detail, she continued, “As a Bonded, your first duty is to nurture the Blue Heart’s growth. Second, you must assist in the restoration of Remnants that correlate to the maturity of your World Core. Your plan to assist this Twilight King? Do not follow through with it should you return to Terras. Enacting a Harmonic Convergence with a more mature World Core is dangerous, harmful to the less mature World Core and likely to fail. Third, as a Bonded, you are able to create Links on the Blue Heart’s behalf, do not make these Links frivolously. You will gain twelve over the course of the Core’s maturation. These Links will be important assets to you especially for your next responsibility which is to combat the enemy.”

She paused for a moment as though formulating her thoughts so Jack took the opportunity to get a question in. “This enemy you’ve been talking about. It’s related to the Dark Ones and the Dark Maker, isn’t it?”

Her face became a grim mask as she said, “Yes.”

The memories of his past lives flashed through his thoughts and his mind began filling in certain blanks. He gazed at the Harbinger over Helbiel’s shoulder, thoughts racing. He asked, “Ok, so how does my World Core play into fighting them?”

“It is due to their nature. They are in opposition to the Logos,” She said, glancing at the Harbinger frozen in the background with disdain. “It is usually the duty of Celestials to handle the enemy but Bonded are an extra layer of defense. Once the Blue Heart reaches Phase Three of its maturation, you will gain the ability to channel the Logos within it into your body or those of your Links. This ability will ward against the suppression of Skills by the enemy and negate their ability to bypass Ethos.”

“Hm. Those don’t sound too bad as far as responsibilities go. I’d have probably ended up doing them anyway.”

She held up a hand. “That is not all. When a Bonded’s World Core reaches the final stage of its maturation, it will call on you to do something via a World Objective which is essentially an objective tied to the fate of a world. The Purification of Terras objective that you have is one example. In my experience, the objectives provided by World Cores like the Blue Heart are momentous tasks correlating directly to a purpose set forth by the World Keeper. This is undoubtedly tied to your purpose as a Scion though, given the state of affairs in Fracture, I have my doubts that you will ever reach that point.”

“I see,” he said. They stood there in silence for a long while before Jack finally met Helbiel’s gaze once more. “So, what now? Am I to be executed by you for my unintentional violations?”

Helbiel frowned at him for a few seconds until she shook her head. “No, I will not execute you.” Although he appeared outwardly unfazed, Jack barely stopped himself from sighing in relief. Sadly, the relief was premature. “However, your crimes, unintentional as they are, cannot go unanswered. You’ve caused immense damage to this world’s stability and subjected this Remnant and those nearby to the corruptive influence of the enemy. I will have to stretch my already thin resources further to accommodate your blunder which will no doubt mean that I will have to cede at least one of the more severely corrupted Remnants to the enemy. Do you understand what that means? A world will likely be consumed because of your mistake.”

Jack glared at her. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth in frustration. At that moment, he wanted to tell her off, to scream in her face that she was full of shit. His emotions stirred up inside but he didn’t let them rampage. He knew why her words made him angry. It had nothing to do with her really. It was simple. He felt guilty and he didn’t know what to do about it. The idea of a world meeting its end at the hands of the enemy because of his actions evoked a soul-piercing sadness that overpowered all else. Logically, he understood that he had been trying to survive and shouldn’t feel so strongly about it but he had seen worlds claimed by them, he had seen the ashes of Terras, and in his newly discovered memories, he had seen the horror of a world being overrun. The knowledge of their inevitable advance added a poignant sting to the guilt as though he had somehow betrayed himself. He placed a hand on the Blue Heart to find comfort in its presence. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and when he opened his eyes, he saw her watching him quietly. Then, he said something he never thought he would say.

“I understand. What is to be my sentence?” An odd calm fell over him. He recognized the feeling that brought it about. It was the acceptance from earlier.

She sighed. “Procedure states that your punishment should be forced indenture to the Celestial who hands down the judgment which in this case is me. However, it would be wrong of me to ignore the part Ciel and Azatiel played in creating the desperation that drove you to act as you did. So, I offer you a choice.”

Jack raised his eyebrows, curious what alternative she would offer. She raised her left hand as though it held an object.

“If you wish, I will forgive your violations but I will also severe your Bond with the Blue Heart. This process is not fatal, worry not. Once it is severed, I will take the Blue Heart which will aid me tremendously in my duties and you will be free to go. I can deposit you anywhere in Fracture even somewhere where you would be safe from those who hunt you.” She raised her right hand. “Or you become my agent. This is similar to indenture but I will not strip you of your freedom. Instead, you can do as you wish but I will send you mandatory objectives. The exact nature of these objectives will vary but most will see you and any of your Links being teleported to a corrupted Remnant to combat the enemy. You will, of course, be rewarded appropriately for your service. I know they aren’t ideal but these are your options. Were I a kinder woman, I would let you free with a slap on the wrist and a warning. Sadly, I have no use for kindness. Curse me if you will but I will utilize any opportunity presented to gain an advantage against the enemy.”

Jack outright refused to consider the first option. Nonlethal or not, he had no desire to lose the Blue Heart. Just the thought of it being removed filled his mind with anger and panic. To his mind, there was no choice. “How frequent would these mandatory objectives be?”

The corners of her mouth twitched upward again. “I cannot say but I would expect one every two months at least. These objectives will also be assigned based on what I think you can handle though that is not to say that they won’t be dangerous; they will be, exceedingly so I might add.”

His eyes drifted to the Harbinger standing several dozen feet away. “And if I accepted option two, would my first assignment have anything to do with the current situation?”

He caught her smile out of the corner of his eye. “How astute of you. Yes. First, I would have you advance the Blue Heart to the third phase using your unallocated eidos. Then, you would be mandated to kill the Harbinger you unwittingly released and to close the rift that you opened. Upon its death, we would discuss what I think should be done about Terras.”

“And what if I fail to kill the Harbinger?”

“Then you would be dead and I would pull the Blue Heart from corpse after killing the Harbinger myself.”

Jack scowled at her glaring all the while. Logically, it made sense. Given that she could see his Status, she had an accurate measurement of his strength so he doubted she would force him into a fight that he had no chance of winning. Ultimately, it was better for her if he lived and continued to serve her purposes but even if he failed out the gate, she still got the Blue Heart. No matter what, she came out of the equation with something. He took another steadying deep breath and looked at her outstretched hands.

When he looked back up, she captured his gaze and asked, “So, what will it be, Jack?”