As soon as Jack fell asleep, a chime echoed in his mind. A voice followed shattering the nascent dreams within his unconscious.

“At last,” the voice said.

A force, familiar and alien, seized his consciousness pulling him deeper into his mindscape. The flashes of other lives that he’d received in his encounter with Drake assailed him once more as he was dragged along. When he finally came to a stop, his consciousness had become less amorphous loosely imitating his physical form. He stood in a nondescript plane. The gray landscape stretched into infinity while the ground and sky choked with black mist.

A notification appeared blaring out an alarm and startling him in the process. Since he was seemingly still within his mind, the notice popped into existence a short distance from his face like it would when on the visual setting. The alarm sounded again eliciting a grimace as he read the Logos message.

[Warning: Unauthorized access to the Logos detected.]

Attempting to contact nearest adminis—

[Error: User’s Logos connection compromised by a foreign presence.]

“There can be no interruptions,” the voice echoed from somewhere within the void. The entire space shuddered and a familiar feeling of wrongness flooded his being. The familiarity condensed into full-blown recognition causing dread to bloom in the depths of his mind. The black mist roiled in response.

“No, it can’t be…” His thoughts sounded across the void much like the voice had instead of staying within the vague representation of his being. He froze at the sound of his thoughts echoing through the strange space. “Dark Ones! Shit, how are they here?”

As his last thought reverberated, the voice spoke up again confirming Jack’s fear. “While important, how pales in comparison to why.”

Jack looked around at the roiling mists in an attempt to locate the source of the voice. His resolve hardened as he found nothing. He wouldn’t cower from this presence. “You sound so familiar. Does this have something to do with my past lives?”

“Your words bear truth.” The voice came from below this time. He searched again while the knot of stress forming in his being tightened. “We are of one soul and purpose.”

“What do you want!?” Jack shouted into the void. Unlike before, his mental voice didn’t spread across the emptiness; it erupted from the loose facsimile of his body. As the words left him, his form grew more defined and his inner thoughts stayed within. He grabbed hold of his steeled resolve and spoke again, “If this is so important then show yourself and let’s get it over with; otherwise, fuck off and let me get some sleep.”

“Caution, eternal soldier,” The voice said, hints of amusement shining through. The sound shook the space like an earthquake filling Jack with wrongness once more. “We walk upon a tight rope over unending ruin.”

Footsteps began to echo across the void. At first, he couldn’t pinpoint the origin of the sound; however, when gazing into the roiling black clouds overhead, he saw a dark figure in the shape of a man. It walked upside-down along the mist-choked sky as though it were the ground. With each of the figure’s footsteps, the sky descended.

Jack took the equivalent of a deep breath and strode forward to meet it. As he walked, the ground ascended bringing earth and sky to bear against one another. Despite his resolve, the result unnerved him on a primal level making his instincts cry out for a retreat. Nevertheless, he fought past the claustrophobia and anxiety as he and the figure grew closer together. They stopped a short distance from each other and another shudder crashed throughout the space as the figure spoke.

“Jack,” It said. Like Jack, the figure’s voice was no longer a disembodied echo in the void yet there was a key difference between the two. The power of its words pushed Jack down like the weight of the sky had suddenly been thrown upon his shoulders. It was suffocating. He collapsed to his hands and knees straining against the pressure. He heard a cracking noise and space quaked for the third time. Unfortunately, Jack’s very being convulsed in response to the sensation of corruption permeating suffusing the plane. He struggled for an eternity against the weight, his will purely bent on standing. The figure’s voice crashed down upon him again. “Can you stand to bear the weight of the Dark Truth we must convey, eternal soldier?”

The fractures in him spread threatening to collapse his form altogether. He roared summoning every bit of his strength to stand. He gradually got his feet under him. From there, he pushed even further and lifted his face to stare at the dark figure. He rose, bit by bit, in defiance of the power that sought to crush his will. Still, it wasn’t enough. He faltered; several fractures expanded across his form causing weakness to spread through his limbs. He couldn’t push any further, not without breaking.

“Rise!” The figure shouted. The word carried the full weight of its power, simultaneously reminiscent of the force of Helbiel’s divine authority and altogether different. The command reinforced his faltering will but it didn’t change the limitations of the vessel. He tried to rise, only to produce a frightening amount of cracks across his fragile form. Soon, he would shatter.

“I can’t!” he screamed as panic and horror struggled against the command.

“You must,” the figure said dispassionately. Jack’s subconscious mind trembled as the words sliced through any resistance that he could mount. This presence cared little for his wellbeing. It only cared that he achieved the task set before him.

“Leave him alone,” said a distinctly feminine voice as the hopelessness of the situation began to mount.

The sound was gentle and light compared to the harsh and heavy pressure exuded by the dark figure. A hand, seemingly belonging to the new speaker, landed on Jack’s shoulder. Relief spread through him like a soothing balm had been applied to the aggravated fractures across his form. He still couldn’t move due to the pressure but he no longer felt as though he would break.

The dark figure looked past his shoulder at the new presence. He tried to look as well yet the pressure locked him in place. Power rolled off of the dark figure in waves carrying its displeasure and challenge to the newcomer. Jack shook as the power collided with his form. The hand gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze before the feminine voice spoke again.

“You’ll destroy us if you keep this up.” The hand reached past Jack, palm facing the dark figure. The maneuver allowed him to see the hand. Shockingly, the appendage was seemingly made of soft blue light which near-blinded Jack with its vibrance in contrast to the dull landscape of grays and blacks.

“He must be ready,” the dark figure said triggering another shudder throughout the plane. It too raised its hand. “A tool that knows nothing of the burden we bear has no part in this meeting. Begone.”

The force of the dark figure’s speech struck fear into the core of Jack’s essence. This thing was dangerous beyond what he understood. He feared for the newcomer but she did not simply wait for the dark figure’s strike to hit.

“Sleep,” she said, her voice suddenly infused with a strength that surpassed the dark figure’s.

The sound of glass shattering filled the space in an instant as blue light spilled from behind Jack. The pressure disappeared completely and then, he fell. Blinded by the light, he flailed searching for purchase on anything. He found only emptiness.

“It’s ok,” The soothing voice said. “I’ve got you.”

His descent slowed dramatically as the blinding light softened to a cozy myriad of grays and blues. He managed to right his body so that his feet were under him. A few moments later, his fall abruptly came to a stop when his feet met a flat surface. He looked down as a small crack somehow formed on the unseen surface beneath his feet. The crack expanded stretching to twice the length of his body. Then, the edges of the fissure began to fragment and peel away filling the space with a sound akin to thousands of glass shards shattering as they hit the ground. The pieces flew into the emptiness only to disappear once they traveled a short distance. Jack didn’t focus on them for too long though; something far more interesting caught his attention.

As the fissure widened, it revealed a platform beneath his feet. Vibrant panes of colored glass shone on its surface as though lit from within by something he couldn’t see. Jack turned in a circle marveling at the beauty of the display. Then, his eyes alighted upon a section of glass at the center of the platform, not far from his position, and his thoughts came to a jarring halt.

Depicted in panes of black and gold glass was an image that he hadn’t seen in what felt like a lifetime: a black throne within a golden sphere. He walked over to the area circling the image several times to observe it from all angles. It was the same image that had been in the center of the space where he met the World Keeper. As he stared at it, the beginnings of something dark stirred from the depths of the black throne. He looked closer which seemed to invigorate the darkness and the stirring grew stronger. The faintest echo of a chime played through the mindscape.

“Look away from it!” the female voice from before shouted. The sudden noise shocked him out of the trance. Looking up, he saw a form reminiscent of a girl at the cusp of reaching physical maturity. Her petite body radiated soft blue light. Her face, while vague in its features, brimmed with concern though an undercurrent of soft warmth came through regardless. “If you look for too long, you’ll be dragged in.”

Jack suppressed an urge to look back down at the black throne. He knew to whom she referred; the dark figure was somehow sealed within that image. He focused wholly on the blue girl instead. Once he got a good look at her, he knew without a doubt who, or more accurately, what she was.

“You’re the Blue Heart,” he said. He had meant for it to come out as a question but his certainty on the matter shone through. He took a few steps forward but nearly stumbled when the girl ran into him.

“I’m so glad you’re ok!” she said burying her face into his abdomen.

Warmth blossomed in his chest spreading outward until his entire form tingled with a pleasant sensation. It didn’t last long though. A storm of questions bubbled in his thoughts asking to be answered and perhaps due to the nature of the strange space, his pseudo-physical form reflected that by becoming tumultuous. The blue girl, or, more accurately, the Blue Heart’s avatar, looked up meeting his gaze.

“Are you mad at me?” she asked, her face a mask of concern. She pulled away slightly holding his gaze with her oddly lustrous eyes. It was like staring into tiny blue stars. He broke eye contact shaking his head as though to clear of the mounting confusion.

“Why would I be mad at you?” He asked buying time to organize his jumbled state of mind.

She scowled as though seriously considering something. “I had to use all of the Logos I had and… most of our Eidos to save you.”

“Our Eidos?” he said raising an eyebrow despite himself. Instinctively, he tried to summon his Status. It worked, much to his surprise.

Name: Jack

Designation: The Fool (C-10)

Available Eidos: 23,670

Ethos: 1000/1000 (4/min.)

Mana: 960/960 (10.2/min.)

Vigor: 1440/1440 (6.6/min.)

[Attributes]

Might

39 (44)

Stamina

70 (100)

Dexterity

25 (30)

Agility

28

Intellect

66

Willpower

32 (68)

Focus

28 (30)

Resonance

-

[Abilities]

View Skills?

View Traits?

View Relic Skills?

Jack blinked at the reduction in his available Eidos; his mind went blank from shock. It was gone, almost all the Eidos he had left from the optional assignment rewards. Running the numbers with rough estimates, he groaned, his form growing unstable as his emotions grew unstable. “You used one hundred thousand Logos?!”

She cringed averting her eyes. “Y-yes but I had to! Your mind would’ve collapsed!”

“It’s—,” he stopped and sighed to dispel the rising anger. It worked, at least a little bit. “It’s fine.”

A rush of guilt hit when their eyes met again. He had been on the brink of destruction before she stepped in to save him. As someone who had spent several years scraping at the bottom of Fracture’s food chain, any loss of resources triggered an episode of frustration and anxiety simply by force of habit. He reminded himself that despite all, he wasn’t the same as he had been when he entered Terras; he was on the brink of B-rank, real power was within reach. If he could gain over two million Eidos from the optional assignments of the Purification of Terras, what would he gain for completing the objective?

As if reading his mind, the Blue Heart piped up, her voice suddenly oozing positivity, “Don’t worry! We’ll get a whole lot of Eidos once we save Terras!”

Like a child, she buried her face into his midsection again as though hiding in case he was still angry. He shook his head at the behavior. His mind worked to come up with an explanation for his current situation and he decided negative emotion wouldn’t serve him well in that regard.

“You’re right,” he said, taking a deep breath. It was more for his benefit than out of necessity since he was sure he needed to breathe in the strange mental space. He’d learned from Helbiel that a World Objective, like hidden objectives, only appeared under special conditions usually when the very fabric of the world was in peril by anomalous forces outside of the Logos’s influence, forces such as the Dark Maker’s legions. At their most basic level, World Objectives granted rewards of a higher rank upon completion of the primary assignment; consequently, where Purification of Terras would’ve normally given out B-rank rewards due to Terras’s strange dichotomy of D-rank and S-rank threats, the World objective would instead bestow A-rank rewards. It’s a shame that optional assignments don’t receive the increased reward scale but I won’t scoff at more B-rank rewards.

“That said,” he remarked as he gently peeled the girl off of him. “I need you to explain yourself. How are we talking like this and how did you take Eidos without my permission?”

She pouted at being pushed away from the embrace but answered, “I’ve been able to talk to you since I woke up but you never understood me.” Jack remembered the surges of emotions that he had received from the Blue Heart after Kafkë activated it. It had been clear that the Blue Heart was communicating with him but he hadn’t considered something like this as a possibility which was rather silly in hindsight. The blue avatar of his World Core put her hands on her hips and smiled. “Now, I’m all big and strong though so I can talk to you in your dreams and when I get even stronger, I’ll be able to do it when you’re awake too.”

“Fair enough,” he chuckled. Assuming the conscious aspect of the Blue Heart matured as the mechanical aspects did, her claim made perfect sense. Part of the reason he hadn’t considered it boiled down to the fact that Helbiel hadn’t mentioned such a development. He needed to be careful of not extrapolating on information he was given in the future. He’d been so enraptured by getting answers to some long-held questions that he didn’t question it all. Bah, there I go berating myself again. All of this has happened so quickly that I’m barely keeping up.

“What about my Eidos?” he asked, some annoyance slipping through in his tone despite himself.

“Our Eidos,” she said crossing her arms. “We’ve always shared everything.”

“Wait a minute,” he said, holding up a hand. He recalled the Eidos that he’d gathered before gaining his designation. “Are you the reason that my Eidos would always disappear before I got my designation?”

She nodded, smiling as though his accusation was instead praise. “Yup, yup! I couldn’t do much ‘cause I was asleep but I did my best to help you.” Her smile faltered a bit. “Sorry that I made things harder for you sometimes.”

The honest remorse in her expression and voice was a bit much for Jack to process at the moment so he ignored it. He had no doubt she meant the loss of feeling in his left side due to the partial transformation and the crippling headaches he had gotten when the potency of his hearing skyrocketed. Instead of getting caught up in the avatar’s expressiveness and ability to communicate, he honed in on the implications of her statement.

Come to think of it, my body started becoming metallic shortly after I absorbed my first eidos stone. He thought while stroking his chin. He looked over the Blue Heart giving her a calculating gaze. She must’ve been somehow subconsciously converting the Eidos to Logos in an attempt to activate herself since… Wait a minute…

“Have you been aware of everything that’s happened to us these past five years?” He asked sitting down on the platform to get more comfortable. Since this space wasn’t physical, the movement was likely unnecessary but it made him feel slightly more relaxed.

The Blue Heart’s faltering smile died and she nodded. “It was really fuzzy most of the time but I did feel everything you felt.”

A heavy silence settled over them for a few moments after that. Jack let out a deep sigh at the end of it pushing away the resurging memories. Frankly, he was tired of despair and helplessness. He reached out taking the blue girl’s hand.

“I’m sorry you had to experience all that,” he said.

“Stop it,” she said, pulling herself closer so that she leaned against his chest. The same warmth from their first embrace spread through his essence again filling his thoughts with sudden sentimental feelings. She squeezed his hand and added, “I was made to support you so don’t say sorry. I just wish I could’ve helped more.”

Fighting past the budding, warm emotions, Jack asked, “What do you mean you were made to support me? It sounded like the opposite was true based on the way Helbiel explained Scions and the World Cores of Fracture.”

Her sapphire-like eyes met his own. “You were… broken when you came to Father.”

“Father?” Jack furrowed his brow as he quickly pieced together her meaning. “Are you talking about the World Keeper?”

“Mhm.” Her smile widened. “Before we met, Father used to tell me stories about different worlds while I slept. Once, he told me about a dear friend of his, a warrior who fought an eternal was against overwhelming odds. The warrior never gave up. He would lose and fall in battle but each time, his spirit would come back wearing a new face to continue the fight. Father said that I was special because one day, I would help his friend finally achieve victory. When I saw you talking to Father, I knew you were the one from the story. I could tell by your Gnosis.”

Her bright demeanor suddenly dimmed as she saw the look in his eyes. He had heard her words but one piece of information, in particular, struck a chord in his soul. His form trembled.

“I’ve never won?” He asked, his voice cracking slightly. She flinched at his pained expression but he saw the truth in her eyes, supported by the ache in his soul. After meeting with Drake, gaining the fractured insight into his past lives, and learning more about the Dark Ones from Helbiel, Jack had figured out that his past was inextricably tied to the Dark Ones. They were the enemy that his past selves had fought against.

How many lives have I lived? He recalled the torrent of visions that Drake caused. He couldn’t remember the specifics but he could recall the scale. Hundreds? Thousands? All that and I haven’t achieved victory once?

Jack struggled with strong negative emotions frequently yet what hit him at that moment dwarfed all else. Bitterness as cold as the grave crawled out of his subconscious wrapping itself around him like an old cloak. It had a weight to it, much like the dark figure’s voice. The colors of the platform lost some of their luster in its wake. “Eternal soldier”, the title used by Drake and the dark figure, echoed in his thoughts.

Is that my fate? To fight and die in an unwinnable war only to reincarnate into the next fight? His mind began to churn under the chill of his bitterness; though more potent than usual, it was a familiar state of mind. The cold sharpened his mind as he worked through his thoughts looking for something to blame. W probably knew yet refused to tell me, supposedly due to a request I made, and that missing piece that I was trying to find is probably connected to my Gnosis… The two must be connected. Helbiel said Gnosis was a state of knowing connected to one’s purpose. Assuming that’s true, my Gnosis has to be tied to my constant reincarnation and the fight against the Dark Ones. That means…

“That dark figure—.” He looked down at the Blue Heart to ask a question that would confirm or deny his suspicions but he stopped midway.

She clung to his midsection shivering uncontrollably and watching his face with a worried look. His form had become as hard and cold as glacial ice mirroring his mental state. Around his body, a small circle of frost had started to creep outward. In his chest, that damned warm feeling from earlier held out against the cold, stubbornly inextinguishable. The Blue Heart smiled at him.

He blinked feeling drawn in by her smile. Tentatively, he grabbed hold of the warmth within his chest. The encompassing cold melted away almost instantly and his surroundings regained their vibrancy.

“Sorr—,” he began to say only to stop when her brow furrowed at the sound of his apology. He remembered her words and gave her his best smile. This wasn’t the first time that the Blue Heart had pulled him out of an emotional spiral. “I mean, thanks, Blue. These last couple of days have been intense and sometimes it feels like I’m barely keeping my head above water.”

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m used to it. We… We’re family after all.”

Fucking hells, it’s like I’m her bipolar older brother. I need to get this mental shit in check. Somehow, her reassurance evoked more guilt from him than relief. He could tell from the hesitation and lack of conviction in her voice that any familial relationship between them was something she wanted rather than a fact. He ran a hand down his face sighing in the process. Sparing a glance at her, he couldn’t deny the quickly-growing emotional attachment to the Blue Heart’s avatar which likely stemmed from his bond with the World Core.

“You’re right, Blue. We’re like brother and sister,” he said, petting the multihued blue strands that made up her hair. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever had a little sister so he couldn’t say for certain how that felt; however, she glowed brighter in response to his words and silence settled into the mindscape.

He took a few moments to center himself causing his form to grow smooth and loose as his mind grew calm. Blue, the nickname he decided to give her, settled into a more comfortable position against him. The now-familiar warmth suffused them adding further peace to the bond. The peace chipped away at the mental fatigue still gripping his psyche, something that this whole ordeal had only made worse thus far. They sat like that for a while, simply resting. He savored the calm; he wouldn’t get another chance in the coming day, he understood that. Even with that in mind, he couldn’t let go of his lingering thoughts about his Gnosis.

“Blue, I’ve got to ask you something,” he eventually said putting an end to the silence. The look in her eyes told him that she had an idea what his question entailed. He took a deep breath and suppressed the impulse to look at the center of the platform. “That dark figure that you saved me from, is it connected to my Gnosis?”

In truth, he was almost certain it was but he needed confirmation. Blue didn’t say anything for a few seconds though she furrowed her brow and her soft smile flattened into a hard line. He could practically see the conflict in her eyes, likely concerning whether or not she should answer honestly. Although he needed to know, he couldn’t blame her for the hesitation. If his suspicions were correct, the information was dangerous.

Finally, she responded, “Remember when I said you were broken when you met with Father?”

“Mhm.”

“Well, your Gnosis was still bound to your soul but it was fragmented which is…,” she trailed off, her expression growing grim. “I’m not sure but I don’t think should be possible.”

He scowled, “Helbiel did make it sound like you either had Gnosis or didn’t.”

With a nod, she continued, “Yours had been broken somehow and that process damaged your soul. I was still able to recognize you but the remaining Gnosis barely had an echo of power. That thing is the remnant: what was left of your Gnosis.”

“Hm, you’re saying I’ve had that thing inside me this entire time?” He asked rubbing his chin. She nodded. “So, the question is: what changed to cause this new behavior?”

She made to answer but the look of sudden anger on her face revealed enough. He could only think of one instance wherein the Blue Heart had displayed anger.

“Drake,” he said beating her to it. His mind raced through the current conundrum isolating the specifics of certain unknowns and drawing conclusions based on the information he had.

“The remnant of your Gnosis was asleep like I was but that chant he used woke it up,” Blue explained. “When it awakened, it started forcefully melding with your mind. I was so afraid; I thought it would take over you but then, it stopped all of a sudden.”

Jack recalled that storm of remembrance. He had fought through it seeking answers to the mystery of his past. Upon reaching the eye of the maelstrom, he had been pushed out, left only with the few fragmented memories that had touched his mind during the journey. He sighed as a bit of frustration came with the memory.

“Dammit, if only I could remember more,” he said. For a moment, he considered attempting to overpower the remnant of his Gnosis to gain more insight into his past. However, he thought better of that idea given the numerous red flags that his last encounter had raised. Blue hesitantly spoke up at his comment.

“Um,” she looked pensive as though trying to figure something out. “The remnant of your Gnosis seemed… really different just now compared to the way it usually is.”

“How do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, it’s always felt hollow and fragmented but with a powerful sense of focus. After Drake woke it up, the remnant just became more powerful but it still felt the same. After it withdrew from your mind, its presence disappeared which was odd because the remnant and I are both bound to your soul so we’ve always been aware of each other. I thought it was gone until it stirred during my maturation to Phase Two.”

“I see. So, when Drake awakened my Gnosis, something changed about it but only after it initially made contact with me. That said, it stirred during your maturation so why didn’t this happen back when I was unconscious then?”

“I don’t know.” Her expression became pained as she continued, “Just now though, the remnant seemed almost desperate. It felt unstable, dangerous, and… and…”

“Corrupted,” he said finishing the declaration. She nodded, her eyes betraying her fear and uncertainty. He couldn’t deny the terrible suspicion sliding through his thoughts any longer. After all, he had mistaken the dark figure’s power, or rather, the power of his own broken Gnosis, for Dark One influence. And those shudders. It was like his entire mindscape would collapse just because of its presence.

He suppressed a shudder of his own and got to his feet. Despite how attached she had been, Blue let him go and simply watched as he paced the length of the platform. While he thought, he confirmed another suspicion of his by closely examining the platform; the various mosaics that surrounded the black throne in a golden sphere were familiar. Each held a scene from a past life he recognized; they were from the few memories he’d retained after the initial contact between his mind and his Gnosis remnant.

“If my Gnosis was corrupted somehow, it may not have revealed itself earlier because we were with Helbiel,” he said voicing his thoughts as they came to him. Blue’s eyes widened.

“That must be it. When it stirred during my maturation, its signature disappeared almost immediately and it didn’t stir at all when I matured to Phase Three.”

“Mhm, it clearly has some intelligence to it so I wouldn’t be surprised if it hid to preserve itself. I doubt Helbiel would’ve abided by the existence of a being with a corrupted Gnosis.” Jack scowled considering the dangers of having the remnant of a corrupted Gnosis, even a broken and crippled one, bound to his soul. He crossed his arms rubbing his chin as he ponded aloud, “The memory of how and why my Gnosis broke is, most likely, the key to figuring out why I came to Fracture. Despite that, I apparently asked W not to tell me what he knew. Something similar happened initially with the remnant as well; after Drake’s chant, I saw broken visions of my past but they were all swirling around a single memory. That memory was dark and silent, almost foreboding. I tried to grab hold of it but then I was pushed out almost like the remnant didn’t want me to have it.”

He gestured in the direction of the center. “And just now, the remnant mentioned a Dark Truth that it had to convey. Assuming Drake’s chant was meant to activate my Gnosis, I think his power was guiding the Gnosis. I don’t think it actually woke up until the process seemingly failed which might explain why it felt the same during its first contact with my mind. As for why the remnant seems to target my mind, I’m almost certain my Gnosis is tied to the cycle of reincarnation and my memories of past lives. After all, Gnosis is knowing and knowledge is power. Having the skills, experience, and knowledge of all my past lives would be beyond invaluable against any enemy especially if it’s the same one every time.”

Blue adopted her own thoughtful expression, complete with a furrowed brow and pursed lips. Jack found the expression far more endearing then it ought to have been. She finally spoke following a few seconds of, seemingly, intense consideration.

“I could see all that being true. Does that mean that it was so dangerous this time because now it’s awake and damaged?”

“That’s what seems most likely. It was just doing what it was meant to but the corruption might be interfering, causing it to become more aggressive and volatile in its pursuit to restore my memories despite it being damaged. In both instance there was an emphasis on that one dark memory,” he responded. “Which means, this Dark Truth, whatever it is, must be simultaneously very important and very dangerous; something that I would want to keep away from myself but would also want to retain. I wouldn’t be surprised if it or whatever I did to obtain it is the reason for my broken Gnosis.”

“I don’t know of anything capable of breaking a being’s Gnosis though. Father’s stories didn’t even contain anything like that even when Gnosis was mentioned,” Blue said.

“The key is in the platform,” he said, the pieces finally clicking together.

“Huh?” she asked, clearing lost. She looked at the various mosaics. “Do you think one of these past lives has the answer?”

“No, not this platform.” He walked toward the center stopping right outside of the golden sphere. He met Blue’s confused gaze. “I’m not certain what role these memories play outside of being from my past lives but this one was there when I met W. The difference? That platform was covered in separate mosaics. It depicted places and people that I always thought I should recognize but I didn’t.”

She figured it out then and her star-like eyes widened. “So those were memories and if you figure out what they were, you can figure out how you’re Gnosis broke and got corrupted!”

“Mhm, that’s the theory anyway. I’ve also already got a loose idea on the circumstance that led to the corruption,” he said. His voice sounded calm considering the magnitude of his conclusion.

“Wait, you do?” Blue asked, her sudden enthusiasm being subsumed by more confusion.

“All of these mosaics depict something related to the memory, Blue,” Jack explained. “Both here and when I met W, this one has depicted a throne in a golden sphere. Thrones are for sovereigns and to my knowledge, gold is associated with rulers and divinity in a lot of humanoid cultures. Considering the corruption, the chimes I heard back when I met W, and my connection with the Dark Ones, it seems pretty obvious what I tried to do.”

“I don’t understand,” she said but he could tell from her eyes that she had an inkling.

“Well, according to Drake, W’s stories, and the remnant of my own Gnosis, I’m some kind of eternal soldier fighting against the Dark Ones. Supposedly, I’ve never won; I just die and move on to the next battlefield. Add on top of that the memories from who knows how many lifetimes spent losing and dying and I’m willing to bet I got sick of it.”

Unable to help himself, he glanced down at the dark throne yet unlike before, the remnant didn’t stir. Instead, it watched, taking his measure like a predator ready to pounce. He stared into the foreboding darkness without fear.

“In my last life, I stopped fighting on the battlefield like a soldier and I tried to stop the Dark Ones at their head.” He smiled at the remnant of his Gnosis locked within the center of the platform. “I tried to bring down the Dark Maker.”

Blue scowled. “Is that even possible?”

“I don’t know but I’m sure the answer lies in this memory. All I have to do is figure out what it is.” Jack knelt over the dark throne and placed his hand against the smooth material. He sensed the corruption and power beneath threatening to drag him below. “And I promise I will.”

He and the remnant observed each other. He felt its doubt in his determination; its power pushed against his will instead of pulling. Pain lanced through his mind yet he didn’t relent. It was too important that he succeeded. When it seemed like neither he nor the remnant would relent, glowing blue arms wrapped around his neck from the back.

“And I’ll be there to help. Until the end,” Blue said.

Their combined resolve won the day and the remnant withdrew into its prison. The understanding was clear; it would abate its effort for the time being but neither Jack nor Blue knew how long it would last.

Jack stood and let out a heavy breath. “Well, I can’t say this was completely enjoyable.” Blue, who had let go of his neck, hugged him and he ran a hand through her hair. “Still, I’m glad it happened. We’re one step closer to figuring everything out.”

“Yep, first, we’ve got to save Terras though.”

Resisting the urge to sigh again, he grunted his agreement. “Yeah, on that note, do you mind telling me how to get back to normal sleep? I was supposed to be resting after all.”

“No problem!” she answered. “I can do that. Oh! But before I do, I should tell you something.”

What is it now?” he asked, unable to prevent his frown from deepening.

“It’s good news!” she said, surprisingly unaffected by his grouchiness. “When I sealed the remnant away, I had to repair your connection to the Logos ‘cause it was damaged: that’s partly why I needed so much Logos. The good news is that I was able to insert some of my consciousness into your connection when I fixed it so I can stop stuff from interfering with it in the future. I might even be able to do other stuff like maintain your connection when it might normally be severed but I’ll probably need more Logos to do that.”

Jack had to admit that did sound like good news. He could think of several scenarios where such capabilities would come in handy especially with enemies like the Dark Ones. Blue wasn’t finished yet though.

“Also, since I interfaced with your Logos connection, the Logos registered my consciousness as separate from your own which I don’t think is supposed to be possible because of our bond.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Jack asked with a bit more anxiety beginning to blossom in his heart.

“I don’t think so,” she said, looking anything but sure. Then, her face brightened and her smile widened. “But the separation and our bond allowed me to count for your designation so you got another Skill!”

Furrowing his brow, Jack checked navigated through the menus of his Status. “I don’t see anything new and I didn’t get the weird intro speech either.”

“Oh, that’s my fault. This place was made at the intersection of you, the remnant, and me. Technically, I still haven’t completely reestablished your connection so while you can still access your Status, you won’t get notifications or updates until you’re back in your own consciousness. Once you get back to sleep and wake up, you’ll get it.”

Jack shook his head. “If you say so, I’ll look forward to it.”

She giggled squeezing his midsection much tighter than before. “Good night, Jack. Get some rest. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”