Joy remained kneeling before the two paths, the relentless whispers pounding her skull like a hammer striking repeatedly. Each time she tried to choose, the opposing voices would rise in defense of the unchosen path, screaming for her to follow their way.
—Seems you're still struggling to decide— Joy's masked double reappeared. Despite the cacophony of other voices, her counterpart's words cut through loud and clear.
—What do you want?— she asked, glaring with clear irritation.
—To give you a push. The others have already passed their trials, while you're still stuck here—Instantly, mirrors flew from the depths of the forest, each reflecting pivotal moments from her life.
—...—Joy observed them in silence. One showed her father scolding her for wanting to take piano lessons.
—You must dedicate yourself to magic, nothing more, nothing less!
—B-but Dad—
—No buts!—Without even letting her respond, he dragged her to the family library—where she was forced to study magic endlessly. She'd loved magic since childhood, but had also wanted other hobbies, dreams crushed by her father's obsession with their magical lineage.
—When you got a B on your applied magic exam, he hit you. Right?—Her double asked.
—...Yes—Unable to bear her father's face any longer, Joy turned to the next mirror. This one showed her tied to a chair, with a tattoo artist and her father looming over her, the day she received her first magical tattoos. Even now, she absently rubbed her arms beneath her long coat, remembering the pain.
—You were terrified of needles.
—I still am... maybe even more now—She moved to the next mirror. Here, her father refused to even look at her, the day they discovered her Apprentice Skill, the day she became an outcast among their kind.
This time, her double stayed silent. So Joy turned to the final mirror, revealing a far more recent memory: one of her conversations with Sein. Watching now, she saw herself withholding information, not just about the prophecy, but about her own past. Yet despite noticing her lies, Sein kept smiling at her. That smile... whenever she saw it, everything else faded, her mission, her trauma, all of it.
—Don't forget this one—The other mirrors parted, revealing a final one, a fusion of memories: her first encounter with Kaze, Sein persistently reaching out, Jack planning his assault against Kaze and Shoun—What do you think Sein would've said if you'd told him everything? About your past, the prophecy, all that torments you?
—...I'm not sure. He might not have supported our mission, but he'd have tried to understand both sides. That's just who Sein is.
—Then would you do it differently now?
—...I don't know—Her eyes traced the reflections again, her weakest self, her saddest self, her most fearful self. She saw moments where different choices could've led to better outcomes. She knew she couldn't have changed everything, but when she could have acted, like pointing out flaws in Jack's plans,she'd stayed silent—...I'm utterly spineless, aren't I?
—You let yourself be dragged into this unknown world by a stranger and Jack, even when you knew it was a bad idea. You tell me.
—...I think I know how to pass this trial—Joy stood and stepped forward. The voices crescendoed, her brain burning from their screams, but the mage shut them out. Her choice was made—No more letting others decide my path, not Jack, not my father, not these voices. I'll move forward, even if I have to carve the way myself! Let the world bend to my will!
Her spellbook glowed as a new page formed, inscribing an original incantation. Before her staff, a colossal sphere of energy materialized and fired, shattering trees and blasting open a third path, one of her own making. She strode down it without looking back.
Soon, darkness swallowed everything again... but at the tunnel's end, light waited.
***
At the end of the tunnel, The Three Jacks reunited. Outwardly unchanged, yet fundamentally different. A heavy silence lingered, none wished to speak of their trials' deeply personal revelations.
—...Haaah. Guys, I owe you an apology. I dragged you here without proper consideration or even asking. I hope you can forgive me—Jack bowed deeply. Jace watched his brother with pity, while Joy shook her head.
—It's hard to forgive when this isn't the first time you've thrown us into such situations, Jack. At this rate, even if we grow stronger, we'll never defeat those two.
—I know... I realize we've been approaching the prophecy all wrong. I'm too easily consumed by rage, I want to change that. But I'll need help. From now on, all group decisions must be unanimous. No more shrugging, no more silence... if you agree, of course.
—That sounds right. After all, we three are the chosen ones. None can succeed without the others. I support this.—The mage's reply was firm. All eyes turned to Jace.
—Fine by me. It's true you lose your temper too easily, brother. And while I do enjoy your warmth...we need cooler heads for decisions—As if by magic, the moment all three agreed, a new light emerged in the distance. Exchanging glances, they nodded in unison, walking together toward their newfound destiny.
Before them stretched a vast hall of black stone, illuminated by numerous candelabras and torches. At its center stood the vestige called "Protector of the Last Memory."
It was a shifting mass of bones, its crocodile-shaped skull sported sharp fangs, while its lower half formed a skeletal sheep. Tattered black robes draped its frame, and in its right hand it clutched a large staff made of bones. Around its neck hung a collar displaying the three masks worn by each of the youths' doppelgängers.
Upon seeing them, the vestige rose and stood motionless, as if waiting for the right moment to strike.
—It seems this is our final challenge in this trial, that vestige—Jack summoned his saber as his companions drew their respective weapons—Shall we stick to our usual formation?"
—Actually, in this case, you should be the one hiding while Jace takes the front line.
—Why?
—I can only freeze things. Your ability will let us kill the beast more efficiently.
—You took the words right out of my mouth, Jace.
Jack wanted to reject the idea immediately, but seeing the confidence in his companions' eyes, he took a deep breath and relented.
—Fuuuh, fine. We'll do it that way. Just... please be careful.
—Don't worry— Jace stepped forward.
His first ability enhanced his innate ice control. His second ability let him conjure a mist that concealed him from nearly all senses, though it only worked on himself. Finally, his Apprentice Skill was a state: to activate it, Jace needed absolute calm. Once triggered, his spiritual energy consumption dropped, his abilities amplified (even extending his mist to hide others), his pain tolerance increased, and, most crucially, his body became far more resistant to his own ice.
All demons are born with elemental affinities, but unlike metahumans, not all can withstand their own power. Jace was one such case, since birth, he'd been dangerously vulnerable to ice, a condition that worsened when he became a Codex bearer (a common fate for demons with this affliction). Most like him lived quiet lives, avoiding battle... but Jace had no choice, bound by prophecy.
—(I barely use this skill... let alone in combat. Let's see how I adapt.)—
With everything set, Jace entered his calm state, activating his ability. He surged toward the beast on an ice path. The vestige charged back, bone staff raised.
Jace threw up an ice wall, barely slowing the strike, but bought just enough time to slip past and flank the creature. A blast of frost shot from his hands, forcing the beast back, straight into an energy orb Joy had fired. The projectile tore through its ribcage, leaving a gaping hole in the bone armor.
—Graaaah!— The creature roared in fury. Leaping back to create distance, it swung its bone staff, conjuring massive fireballs to hurl at Joy. The mage prepared to counter with her spells—until the eerily calm Jace intervened.
Blue frost swirled in his palm, forming a colossal rime-sphere. From the outside, his skin and clothes froze visibly, but Joy didn't panic. Through their bond, she sensed his tranquil state holding firm.
Jace unleashed the frost sphere. It collided with the fireballs, extinguishing them in a hissing steam cloud, which the vestige used as cover, lunging through the smoke with a surprise jump. The Blue Demon had seconds before being crushed. His calm wavered, but logic prevailed.
He fired another frost blast sideways, propelling himself just far enough to evade the bone staff's crushing strike. The vestige's impact shattered the floor, staggering Jace. Seizing the opening, the beast reared back for a full-power swing—
—Down!— Joy's spell slammed the vestige into the ground as if gravity itself had tripled. Staff and bones clattered against stone—Now Jace!
Nodding, Jace prepared another frost blast, this time far more powerful, and unleashed it upon the creature. Gradually, its limbs began freezing solid, just like Jace's own. But the Blue Demon didn't stop there. With the floor now frozen from his attack, he pressed his hand against it, summoning massive ice pillars that speared through the vestige's bones, trapping it helplessly.
—...—Jace could push no further. Exiting his calm state, he collapsed, only to be caught by Joy. Most of his limbs were frozen; pain flooded his consciousness, leaving him clinging to awareness by a thread—F-finish it... brother.
Perhaps it was the frigid air filling the hall, but the beast hadn't noticed the blue flames encircling the entire room. Jack emerged from them at a sprint, greatsword in hand. He was furious, at himself, at his teammates for being unable to act until now, at the creature for pushing his brother to the brink. But none of that mattered anymore. He wouldn't act on rage. Not again. Anger was his tool to grow stronger, not his entire being. Like water, he'd simmered patiently...until the moment to boil over arrived.
Leaping high, he drove his massive blade clean through the vestige's skull. Seeing it still clung to life, he activated his ability, detonating the beast's entire body in a fiery explosion that vaporized every trace of ice in the area.
From the smoke emerged Jack, his greatsword gone, but bearing the message they'd all waited for:
[You have slain the "Protector of the Last Memory" a Brute. Bonus for difficulty obtained.]