—We did it—Jack remarked as he approached his frozen brother. Channeling his energy, he quickly warmed Jace up, restoring his mobility and easing his pain—You two did great.
—...You did well too, Jack—The mage replied, pleased both by their trial's success and by the Red Demon's willingness to listen. Together, they hoisted Jace onto their shoulders and exited the black structure through a doorway behind where the vestige had stood. The moment they stepped out, the pyramid crumbled and the barrier shattered.
—Congratulations on passing your trial, though it was to be expected from the prophecy's chosen ones— The scholar praised as he approached The Three Jacks, who eyed him exhaustedly—You look worn out. Best we rest for what remains of the day.
—Yeah. Thank you for showing us this place, Mr. Kai— the Red Demon said gratefully, his companions quickly echoing.
—Thank you, sir.
—Thanks...— Jace, still half-asleep from the battle, was last to mumble his appreciation.
—Don't worry. As I said before, I want you to fulfill your prophecy. So here's my offer, I can assist you whenever you come here. I'm skilled at tracking vestiges, so hunting them during your visits won't be an issue. What do you think?
—...—Jack glanced at his teammates, still weighing the risks of accepting the man's help—Hmm, we'll consider it. Could you give us your number to discuss later?
—Of course!—The enthusiast pulled a notepad from his inner coat pocket, scribbled his number, and handed it to Jack—One last thing. Could you share your version of the prophecy? I'm fairly sure they all match, but I'd like to confirm... and hear each of your interpretations.
The youths exchanged looks. Every government, human, demon, and elf, kept a copy of the prophecy, despite humans not being part of it. Assuming that's how Kai learned of it (and given how much he already knew), they saw no harm in recounting it. As they spoke, the scholar's grin stretched ear to ear.
***
The following Friday after The Three Jacks completed their trial, Shoun and Kaze sat silently watching a movie at home.
Shoun's mind kept replaying the memory of Kaze's face, or rather, its absence. The headache from viewing the "interference" (identical to what he saw when observing vestiges) still haunted him. He'd shared all this with Kaze earlier, voicing his concerns.
—...Did you tell them about my face yet?
—...Not yet.
—Why?
—I'm scared. Scared they might side with those three idiots.
—You didn't. They're my friends too, why would they be different?
—...I know you better than anyone. I can say for certain that, no matter how much you resemble vestiges, you'd never hurt anyone. I'd never point my sword at you outside of training... but I can't vouch for the others.— The weight of withholding this from his teammates gnawed at Shoun, especially since he'd always preached transparency. But this was different.
—...I'm scared too. But hiding the truth isn't right... Even if they leave, at least I'll know one friend stayed—The masked one admitted tonelessly, leaning against Shoun, who kept his eyes glued to the screen, haunted by that terrifying memory.
—(Can I really promise I'll always stand by Kaze?)—The question had plagued Shoun all week, but his answer never changed—(Yes. I made my vows. He's always been there, saved my life. This is the least I can do)
Soon, the other members of the Clover Flush arrived, looking the same as usual, even little Sein had regained their most energetic state after gradually accepting the whole situation.
—Hey, friends... Before we head to the mirror world, I think it's important to tell you something—The young man signaled to Kaze, then carefully removed his own mask, startling everyone at the sight.
—Huh!?
—How is this possible?
—Why is it that every time the five of us get together lately, something new pops up!?—The scientist approached Kaze after that question, and Robin examined him as closely as they could—Agh!... Please put the mask back on, looking at you is giving me a headache.—Usually, the headache from the vestiges was minimal, but staring at Kaze's face for too long seemed to have an even stronger effect.
—Alright.—His monotone voice came from behind the mask before it was placed back over his face.
—So? What do you guys think?
—Well...this is definitely something. By that, I mean it was obviously very similar to a vestige, not to mention you straight up don't have a face!—The scientist startled once again, grabbing their head in disbelief as they tried to process what was happening—How is it even possible for you to eat?
—We wondered the same thing before. Turns out it only works if he has his mask on and lifts it slightly. If he doesn't have it on, he can't eat.
—How does that even work with drinks!?—Robin didn't remember ever seeing Kaze drink anything in all the time they'd known him. Noticing this, the masked one picked up a nearby glass of water, lifted his mask slightly, and slid the glass inside. After a few seconds, he lowered it, and the water was gone—...I give up. Deuz, start with your theories.—Without waiting for a response, the scientist flopped onto the couch.
—Well...it's obvious this connects Kaze to the vestiges, and it makes me question something: What if memories weren't the only thing stolen from Kaze?—At that question, everyone present looked at him in confusion, so he hurried to explain—Let's remember, Kaze appeared in a forest wearing only his mask. When he became a Codex bearer, he gained his abilities and a uniform. We never stopped to think about why he received a uniform, one even so unique, but I'll get to that. Then, when he became an apprentice, aside from gaining his new ability, he also gained a broader emotional range. Which leads me to this theory: What if what was really stolen from Kaze was his identity?
—Hmmm, I think you'll have to explain yourself better, Deuz—added the young man, watching as steam practically poured from Kaze's and Sein's ears.
—...Thinking about it, your theory makes sense. His clothes might be what he was wearing before, part of his emotions returned when he ranked up, so if the pattern holds, it would likely mean that each time he reaches a new rank, he could recover something he lost... That's why he doesn't have a name, it was stolen along with everything else. It's also the reason he has a title; it's something he earned by unlocking the Codex—added the scientist from the couch, making it much clearer for the two who hadn't understood.
—Oh, well, that explanation calms me down. It reinforces that Kaze won't be dangerous in the future... well, no more than a normal Codex bearer already is—Concluded the little one.
—Yeah, that's the most likely scenario. It seems your assumption that continuing to rank up would open more doors to your past is becoming more solid, Kaze—Exclaimed the boy in the beret, recalling the masked one's desire to advance in hopes of recovering his lost memories.
—Haaah... I'm glad you all weren't more frightened than necessary by this... I feared the worst.
—Pff, nonsense, Shoun.
—Exactly! Kaze is our friend—we'd never betray him for anything in the world!—Proclaimed the small one with confidence.
—I believe you, Sein. With that settled... Robin, did you finish the artifact you've been working on this past week?
—Yes! I haven't slept much this week, but thanks to that, I managed to finish these babies!—With a summon from their core, the scientist pulled out identical silver bracelets, each the size of a wristband. Every bracelet bore an engraved five-leaf clover on its surface, with each leaf featuring a tiny symbol clearly representing one of them: a lightning bolt for Shoun, a mask for Kaze, a beret for Deuz, a sun for Sein, and glasses for Robin—They're called "Clover Bracelets". Now, you're probably wondering, what do they do? Well, it's simple. They have a general function and an individual one. Each bracelet is linked to the other four. You can channel a small amount of spiritual energy into it, and when you do, the other bracelets will light up the corresponding leaf in red, signaling that the person needs help—along with their current location. Sein, would you do the honors?
—Gladly!—The little one infused their energy into the artifact, causing the leaf with the sun symbol to glow. And even though they could see it, Sein's location was just as clear in their minds.
—It works well, but we need to test if it functions across worlds. So, Sein… could you?—Without objection, Sein stepped into the mirror world. From there, they activated the artifact. The other bracelets lit up the corresponding leaf, but no precise location was transmitted. Deuz went in to retrieve them and confirmed that, upon entering, he could immediately sense where the little one was.
—Well, it seems it doesn't work properly between worlds. So, if you can't sense where a call for help is coming from, it means they're either in the mirror world… or the demon world. But I doubt anyone plans on going there anytime soon.
—I appreciate it, Robin. This is exactly what we needed—With the threat of The Three Jacks looming, having an artifact like this to call for help during a potential ambush was essential.
—I know. That said, there's still one more function, this one's a bit different for each bracelet. For Deuz's, Sein's, and mine, there's a passive core-energy absorption effect. Given enough time, it can gather enough energy to recharge the equivalent of 10% of an apprentice's core. It's for emergencies, so ideally, don't rely on it. Since Shoun doesn't need that feature, his bracelet absorbs electricity from his core to store a mini instant-heal. As a closet masochist, he'll probably use it more than he'll admit.
—Hey!
—Last but not least, Kaze's. For this function, you also need to inject spiritual energy. It'll conceal your current rank, making you appear as if you're not a Codex bearer. This way, you can move around more freely, people will just think you're an oddball, without the risk of arrest for being an undocumented Codex wielder.
—Haaah, thank you, Robin—Shoun, who'd suffered the most from not being able to take Kaze outside, sighed in relief—But how did you even create such complex artifacts? Wouldn't the government question it?
—They *would* have questioned it. So I tried making them alone first, but quickly realized that wouldn't work. So I asked Kaze for help, he took me to the Refinery, where we finished them.
—Oh… well, that explains everything. Though I'm not sure when you two were alone long enough for him to take you to the base.—Shoun finally claimed his artifact, charging it with electricity before storing it in his core, as he didn't need it yet—With everything ready… How about we go hunt some vestiges?