From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

For a moment, there was silence. Kegaku could feel Erebos's gaze on him, weighing his request. Then, Erebos chuckled again, though this time there was a hint of something else—perhaps regret, or understanding. "As much as I would enjoy that, Griswald is needed for his connections more than anything else. The target is going to be Jade's future."

Back to Jade's hospital bed -

Jade watched as Rosa gave a final bow to Gojaro, who was also covered in bandages around his body. Jade wanted a moment and asked, "How is everyone anyways?

Gojaro turned to Rosa, his voice firm yet composed. "Please go meet with Master Ash and prepare for the council meeting. They'll be thrilled to hear that Jade is awake."

Rosa nodded, but a hint of concern flickered in her eyes. "Yes, but we can't expect her to attend the meeting, right?"

Gojaro's gaze shifted slightly, his expression thoughtful. "That all depends on her. We all know time isn't on our side. You saw that monster that spawned over New York, and Japan had a smaller scale of monsters that they managed to handle. Whatever light those Vale monsters sent piercing into the Earth... it's infected the planet.

And right now, we have no idea how much time we have."

Jade, having listened intently, finally spoke up as Rosa bowed and left the room. "What exactly are those... things? Since when could giant serpent monsters just emerge from the ground and attack New York like that? We saw it while dealing with that boy but had no idea what was happening."

Gojaro sighed, his brow furrowed. "That's a good question, one I don't have many answers to. But like you said, there's always an explanation somewhere. When that Angelic guy killed the bulky creature I was struggling with—"

Jade interrupted him, her tone sharp. "Bulky creature?"

Gojaro glanced at her, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Yeah, while you were busy fighting the boy, I was tangled up with a Vale monster. This one had thick wings and called itself a Harbinger."

He paused, the smirk fading as he continued more seriously, "It was probably the toughest thing I've ever faced. As much as I hate to admit it... if Masabi hadn't stepped in when he did, I might not have made it out alive."

Jade lowered her head slightly, absorbing his words. "I see... so what's the plan now?"

Gojaro's expression softened as he tried to lighten the mood. "Well, there's some good news in all of this—at least on the surface. Something you might find interesting, being the book nerd that you are."

Jade bristled at the comment, her voice rising defensively. "I'm not a nerd!"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You're into all that science stuff, you watch anime, read mangas, and all that."

She huffed, crossing her arms. "Well, yeah, but still."

Gojaro's tone grew more serious again as he continued, "Anyway, Master Ashaiki was right in her assumption that the Angelic could break the crystal easily, though I'm not entirely sure how she figured that out. But she was spot on."

He hesitated, his gaze turning downward. "The crystal has a huge crack in it now... After all these years of trying to break it ourselves, it's almost hard to believe that we could actually shatter it now if we wanted to."

Jade looked at him, sensing his reluctance. "But you don't think we should, do you?"

Gojaro sighed, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. "It's not that simple. We've been trying to break that crystal forever, and now that we finally can, I'm not sure if it's the right move. There's still so much we don't know."

Jade placed her hands into her lap, sitting up fully with her back against the white pillow. "Well, I don't know much about it," she began, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "I just remember being stabbed and then seeing memory after memory, before eventually encountering that white skeleton when my bond with the crystal was severed… It gave me access to energy again.

Now that I've met him again… I think everyone naturally has the ability to absorb or have this 'energy' course through their veins."

She stared at her hands, noticing light blue streams running just beneath her skin, weaving through her blood like something that was there and not there at the same time.

Gojaro's eyes widened in surprise. "The white skeleton?" he echoed. "You met him again? Was it about your boyfriend?"

Jade nodded slightly. "Pretty much. I'm not sure why they're so obsessed with him, but I've been thinking... If Ty is so special, why didn't they take him when he was a kid? Why wait until after he died and was kidnapped? What happened that made them suddenly so concerned with him?"

Gojaro shrugged, his expression thoughtful. "Who knows? I guess time will tell, but I can see where you're getting at. They didn't even know we were under attack this entire time… so what's to say there aren't other 'Ty's' out there? Whatever made Ty special—or whatever is making him special—we risk unleashing that by destroying the crystal and severing every bond connected to it."

He paused, then shifted gears. "Which brings me to my next point… do you think you can stand?"

Jade, fumbling over her words, replied, "I… I guess. I don't feel too much pain right now, but why?"

"We have a summit conference to decide how to get the world up to speed and ready to handle the threats of the Kaiju—which is what we're labeling them, since the government has been studying the one Masabi killed," Gojaro explained. "This meeting will include world leaders from major countries like Japan, Germany, China, Europe, Asia, and some of our own divisions.

Not all of them know that there are those with… well, superpowers."

Jade started to protest, "Well, they aren't really superpowers—"

But Gojaro cut her off, raising a hand. "I know, but calling them that is the easiest way to explain it to others. And, in a way, they kinda are, regardless of whether you can explain it with science."