The girl wore a long-sleeved shirt beneath her robe, revealing slender arms and thick legs in light tights as the robe fluttered as she landed, pulling her hood back. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, giving her a somewhat boyish appearance. She smiled warmly, looking into his eyes.
"You've gotten quite strong," Sera said. She spoke in a calm tone, yet her smile never wavered. She didn't seem threatening in any way. She gazed into his face, waiting for him to speak.
Jackson remained silent, unsure what to say. After a moment, he lowered his blade, sighing in relief.
"Um, what happened to you back there?" he replied hesitantly.
She shrugged lightly. "I'm sorry about what happened a few days ago, those guys are so pesky!!! Every time I show up, they always show up and chase after me. I was really worried about you, too. But thank goodness you managed to survive somehow!" she exclaimed happily.
Jackson blinked in surprise as she laughed merrily. He thought back, but there was nothing around them when she suddenly disappeared, "What do you mean? No one came!"
"Huh..?"
Jackson frowned. This was all very strange. He had seen her disappear, and no one appeared looking for her. He had assumed that she had used her magic to teleport away from the scene, but maybe it was something different, "So how did you leave The Sixth Island?"
She giggled softly, shaking her head. "Oh, I left on my own!" She looked to the skies and squinted her eyes before turning to him, "I'll be right back, okay? Don't worry, I won't let anyone bother you until I come back! I promise! See you later! Bye bye! Have fun exploring the tower! I hope you find lots of cool stuff! Oh, and I have a present for you! I know your Spirit Beasts must be hungry, so I brought them something to eat! Here you go! Enjoy! Mwahaha! Take care now! Goodbye!!"
With a flash of light, the young woman vanished, leaving Jackson alone in the forest.
He sighed, rubbing his temples. What the heck was going on?
"What the hell..? Maybe this is all a dream? Hmmm..."
He shook his head, dismissing the question. He knew that if this were all a dream, he wouldn't need to ask himself these questions. He turned away from the campfire and walked toward the edge of the clearing, staring out across the ocean.
He couldn't help thinking that Sera was hiding something from him, though he was uncertain exactly what that was. He was certain that whatever was happening, she was deeply involved.
He wondered if she was telling the truth as he inspected the large raw leg of a massive beast she had handed to him before she left, he tried to bring up his system interface, but something was preventing him from reviewing the item or placing it into his Gobbii Bag.
ραпdα nᴏνɐ| сom "Well, she did say it was for Khione and Umbra... Was it as simple as giving them the wrong food..?" he muttered quietly, holding onto the meat. He glanced down at it, deciding to call them out as they happily ran around him.
He pulled out his knife and cut off tiny pieces of flesh from the bone, kneeling as he handed them both a small slice as they greedily gobbled it down.
He watched as they devoured their meal with great enthusiasm and gasped when a series of notifications appeared across his vision:
[Khione has eaten Prime Meat from the Great Winged Sphinx, +1 Genome Gained]
[Umbra has eaten Prime Meat from the Great Winged Sphinx, +1 Genome Gained]
[Khione has eaten Prime Meat from the Great Winged Sphinx, +1 Genome Gained]
[Umbra has eaten Prime Meat from the Great Winged Sphinx, +1 Genome Point gained]
"What the..?" Jackson muttered, pulling up Khione's status window:
[Name: Khione]
[Species: Winged Snowdrift Panther]
[Spirit Rank: Queen (Evolvable)]
[Spirit Trait: Inspire Loyalty]
[Spirit Level: 4]
[Spirit Tier: 1 - 5/100 GP]
[Affinity: Ice]
[Power: 21]
[Perception: 24]
[Stamina: 20]
[Speed: 25]
[Instinct: 35]
[Available Points: 0]
[Spirit Artes: None Registered]
"I guess we can trust her..."
He chuckled slightly at the sight of their happy expressions as they ate and sighed inwardly in relief as they were no longer prisoners within his body.
He finished eating his own dinner before returning his focus to his training. He spent the rest of the day training, continuing his meditation and swordplay, and waiting for Sera to return; his mind raced with dozens of questions.
He practiced with his swords, using his mind to guide his movements, imagining each movement perfectly in advance. He imagined how he wanted his body to move, then moved his hands and feet accordingly. He repeated the process over and over, focusing intently and repeating the same movements over and over.
He practiced the same technique against multiple opponents, fighting them simultaneously while keeping track of each individual opponent and making sure each attack hit its mark. He fought them without blocking, dodging each blow and striking them at the perfect moment. He practiced the technique over and over, getting better and faster at it each time.
He panted heavily, lying on his back on the beach, staring into the skies.
"Jackson..? Are you there?" A familiar voice rang inside his mind as he sat up and reached up, touching his left ear.
"Hey, Megan! I am! How have things been in Duskgate? Sorry, I haven't visited in a few weeks, I'm almost to the tenth floor, and I'll come right over!?" He replied, sending the voicemail through the Zoís Corde.
He sat around waiting for Megan's response when he began thinking about something his grandmother used to say.
"Trouble always comes in threes..."
"First, Sera... Now, Megan... Don't tell me..." Jackson muttered as he quickly stood up and started looking around the beach worriedly. As if right on cue, a portal appeared on the beach and began rotating quickly as Elissa strutted out of it.
"Great! What is it you want?" Jackson asked, throwing his arms up and staring at her with wide eyes.
"Well, don't you know how to make a woman feel wanted!" Elissa clicked her tongue and raised her nose into the air.
"Jackson!! There's trouble!! You need to come back quick!!" Megan's voice shouted through the Zoís Corde.
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