The Achievement Junkie

Chapter 124 Looking for an Impossible Answer

"Maura... Why couldn’t it be me instead?"

As Jack’s empty words reached her, Maura’s eyes started to water. What should she say? What could she say? She had no clue.

"J-Jack..."

Jack’s eyes finally met hers instead of staring off into space. She was the first person he acknowledged since Slivia’s death.

Maura took another moment to swallow some of her fear and sighed deeply. "Jack, I don’t know. I’m too weak to try and help you guys, let alone save her..."

"Too weak... I’m too weak..." Jack spoke to himself while his gaze stayed on Maura.

"Maybe it was fate, Jack. Everyone has their time and we can’t control that," continued Maura, trying her best to find some kind of reason to make them both feel better. "She cared about you and knew that you could do a lot more than any of us in the future. If she did this, I’m sure she knew what she was doing."

"What did you say?" Jack’s tone changed. It wasn’t sorrowful but slightly hopeful.

Maura was caught off guard, but she felt a little better since something she did had finally gotten through to Jack. "Maybe, this was her time. If she hadn’t done this, all the good you’ll do in the future would never happen. She must’ve really cared about you..."

"No, before that. What did you say?" Jack interjected, sounding anxious.

"Uh... That this might have been her fate. No one can predict what will happen in the future when someone will die. If that was so--"

"DARUUN!!"

Jack’s sudden angry shout sent caused Maura to shiver. She had no clue who or what Daruun was. Seeing Jack so angry about it after she talked about fate baffled her. "J-Jack, what’s wrong?"

"He knew! That pestro knew all along!" Jack kept shouting. He hurried to his feet, no longer paying Maura any attention and not noticing that he had woken up Bowzer. "He knew and he never told me or even bothered to warn me, his only patron. Some god he is!"

While Jack was rambling, Maura only became more confused. God?! Who was Jack talking about? And what was he talking about when he mentioned being a patron?

"I’ll have to see what he has to say." Jack was still wearing his bloodied clothes and still had never bothered healing his wound, yet he appeared to have his strength back as his anger grew. A stone talisman appeared in his hand and Maura didn’t have a chance to ask about it before Jack yelled, "Show me thy way, oh great diviner!"

The world froze in place; Not a soul was moving. Maura was motionless as her hand had reached out, seemingly to try and comfort the suddenly enraged Jack. Bowzer was floating in the air. The fox had leaped toward Jack but hadn’t managed to reach Jack’s shoulders before Jack activated the tutorial stone.

"Come out! You already know why I’m here!" Jack was screaming all around the room, waiting for Daruun to show himself.

"Let’s not talk here."

An emotionless voice appeared out of thin air before a flash of light filled Jack’s vision and he was transported elsewhere.

Now, Jack stood among clouds with a rising sun in the distance. Surprisingly, there was also a setting sun in the opposite direction, as well as a sun high above him like it were midday.

"Wh-where did you take me? Show yourself!" shouted Jack, only fazed momentarily by the change of his surroundings.

"Jack." The voice came from behind the hero. "Are you here to ask your final question?"

Jack looked back to see an emotionless Daruun with only a slight frown on the god’s visage. "You knew this would happen, right? You knew that she would die to save me, that I wasn’t strong enough and she would die because of it? You knew she would die because of me?!"

"You already know that I would’ve read such a future, so there’s no need to ask a useless question," replied Daruun.

"Shut up! You knew that all of this would happen. You knew that I, your only patron, would have my life saved by her and that she would die in my place. Yet, you didn’t bother to warn me at all, even though I’m important to your plan?!"

"That’s the very reason why I couldn’t," answered Daruun. "If I had warned you that she would use her teleportation scroll to replace you in the face of death, would you have dared to perform that ritual and reveal the truth to the masses?"

"Yeah, I’d only change--"

"Change what? What change would you have made? Let Bowzer join the fight? And what about the beast tamer, wouldn’t he have possible captured Bowzer? Even though Bowzer is a Hell-flame Fox, don’t underestimate the Chaos Syndicate," explained Daruun. "Maybe you wouldn’t have given her the teleportation scroll, leading to your death and the inevitable death to millions across Kartonia. Does that sound any better."

"B-but..." Jack stammered, struggling to answer despite seeking a release for his unruly anger.

"If you perished, that would also mean that Zariff and Maynard would no longer have access to their beasts’ skills since the achievement system would become null and void. Had that happened, do you think they would’ve lasted long against the beast tamer in his wyvern mutation ability?" continued Daruun.

"There are too many factors to count when looking at fate. You don’t have the slightest understanding. Death is a part of life, you’ll have to accept that as one of the chosen champions. If not, how will you ever take on the world when you and your loved ones are threatened by your foes?"

Jack kept silent. Anger was still bubbling inside of him, but now he was angry at himself. He had nothing to say to refute Daruun’s words, even though he wanted it more than anything at that moment.

"Jack, like I said before, who are you? Who do you want to be? This is the question you need to answer," stated Daruun. "If you can answer this question, not only with words but actions, then you’ll truly become the champion you and I know you can become."

As the world was frozen in time, Jack spent a long while in silence. He tried to control his emotions while thinking about Daruun’s words. Jack wasn’t sure how long he waited to finally speak up. "Daruun..."

"Yes, Jack?"

"I’m... I’m sorry."

"No need to apologize. I’m only acting according to the laws of fate. I refuse to act against those laws, no matter the circumstance," said Daruun. "If you’re mad at me, that’s up to you. I only hope that you will do everything in your power to become the champion the world needs."

More silence passed between the two of them.

"Daruun, why did you choose me?"

"I’ve already answered that question so there’s no need to repeat myself."

"No, really, why did you choose me? I’m too weak to do anything and I’m too scared in the face of danger to try and change the world. I couldn’t even save the woman I loved..."

"You loved her?" asked Daruun, startling Jack.

"Of course I did!"

"Why? What did you love about her?"

"She was always so nice to me! Whenever I needed someone to talk to, she would listen. When I was hurt, I was always the first person she would heal," answered Jack. "She--"

"Sounds like a good friend, not a lover," stated Daruun, not letting Jack continue his explanation.

"How do you know?!" Jack yelled at Daruun, glaring at him angrily.

"Really? You’re asking me, the god of fate, how I would know?"

"You..." Again, Jack struggled to find a suitable answer for the all-knowing deity in front of him.

"What has she done for you that others haven’t? Did she do anything for you that she wouldn’t do for someone else?" reasoned Daruun.

It took a moment for Jack to blurt out an answer. "She died for me! You can’t deny that!"

"True, I can’t. But you also can’t deny the fact that you had already saved her life twice, and risked your own life against a troll captain to do so. Don’t you think she would feel indebted to you for that? Especially emotionally?"

"S-she..."

Jack choked on his own words. No anger was left in his body, only sorrow and pity. He couldn’t bring himself to deny Daruun’s reasoning, but he struggled to accept it as well.

"Jack, there’s nothing wrong with your relationship with her. Also, I’m not saying that you two may have genuinely fallen in love given time, but you must realize the truth behind it all. To her, you were a knight in shining armor that was the best prospect for a relationship that she had ever met. She had gone through a lot and wouldn’t dare miss an opportunity to get closer to you. Given what you had done for her, that only strengthened her reasons to do so."

Daruun’s dry, emotionless explanation was the hardest pill to swallow. It was harsh and brutal for the young Jack, who had never been in a relationship with a girl other than Slivia, which was extremely short-lived.

Jack took his time to digest the information and eventually speak up. "So, you’re saying that we were in love yet?"

"That’s one way to put it, yes."

"Then there was a good chance that we would’ve fallen in love for real, given time?" asked Jack.

Daruun nodded. "Of course, the mortal heart is easily swayed. With time, almost anyone can start to fall in love."

"Then I know what my last question is. How can I bring her back to life?"

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