NOVEL NEXT X2.4.5: Losing the Plot
X2.4.5: Losing the Plot
The enormous black wolf's jaws sunk into Rosso's left arm, causing him to scream in pain. Fortunately, his Scutum activated, shielding him from most of the damage.
"He's going to crush my bones!" he screamed. "Help!"
Indigo jumped on top of the animal's head and began pummeling him repeatedly, however, the jaws would not open. Roa slid underneath the animal and focused his aura. He felt his body abuzz with warm energy, traveling through his core, to his arms and legs. He pushed upward, lifting the animal off the ground, throwing him against the rocks nearby, smashing them into pieces. The hit released their friend from the hold, allowing him to get away.
"Master, get a hold of yourself!" said Roa. "Stop, or we will have to use lethal force against you."
When the Sunflower's tattoos began to reappear again, and his aura began to glow around him, the animal's eyes opened wide, as if coming out of a spell again. It shook its head and ran away. The three looked at each other with a worried and confused look.
"What the hell was that all about?" asked Indigo.
"Are you alright, Rosso?" asked the boy from Earth.
"Yeah," he said, rubbing his arm, "I think I used up a lot of my energy. I feel exhausted, but at least I didn't lose an arm to that—insane idiot."
The next day, Roa went up to the old master to demand an explanation but the old man seemed oblivious to what he was talking about. The Jumpers were shaken but decided to continue with their training, although the energy in the air had become uneasy from that moment on.
As another month passed, things calmed down a bit, and the students were able to make great progress. All three had mastered the Powerhouse Gift, lifting up all three rocks in due time, although Roa was able to do it with greater ease. The one who mastered the Solar Clap first was Rosso, who managed to figure it out long before the other two did. Lastly, Indigo became extremely adept at wielding the Heal Gift, having practiced more than the others each time before bed as she tended to Roa's infection.
"I know you don't want to hear this, but—your arm, it's not looking good, man," Rosso said.
"It started as a scratch, remember?" asked Indigo, trying to reason with the boy, "now it's covering almost your whole arm up to your shoulder. When are you going to stop? When you're dead?"
"Yeah, when I'm dead," the Sunflower said, storming off.
"Alright, this is the last part of your training," said Master O, rubbing his head. He was sweating profusely, and looked ill. "I will teach you the martial arts of the peoples of the Pillars of the Sages."
"We already know how to fight," Rosso said.
"Did I ask you to speak?! Did I want your input?" roared the Master, "speak when spoken to. You know a martial art, not this one."
"Alright, sorry," Rosso lifted his arms up.
The old man taught them how to move, how to block, how to hit and how to focus, using the techniques he had learned in some distant world. The training was even harder than the previous one, and much more violent, resulting in several injuries that had to be healed through Indigo's skilled mastery of the Gift. When the training finally had reached a level of danger that became unacceptable, the students finally challenged their teacher.
"Master, with all due respect, we are concerned that your—approach to the training may be endangering our lives," said Indigo.
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"Yeah, I mean—yesterday, you almost choked me to death. Was that really—necessary?" said Rosso, rubbing his neck.
The old man was breathing fast as sweat fell from his brow. He stormed off into the forest, disappearing soon after.
After about fifteen minutes had passed, the three heard screams coming from the nearby village.
"It's coming from the Thousand Step Village, near the shrine. Let's go," said Roa.
Upon reaching the plaza, they saw the locals running away in fear. The large, black wolf was tearing things apart, chasing children and destroying everything in its path. The Jumpers tried to reason with the teacher but nothing seemed to get through. They glanced at each other, knowing full well that they need to protect the locals before he would hurt them.
Indigo sprinted forth, catching the wolf's attention. Her years in the circus paid off, and her agility was unmatched.
"Cover your eyes!" the boy from the desert shouted.
Rosso jumped in front of the animal and clapped his hands, causing a thunderous sound that was followed by a flash. He used the Solar Clap, blinding him along with everyone else in the village. The animal began to run, blind, with its eyes closed, towards a group of children and elderly people. Before he could crush them with its large paws, Roa appeared before him, grabbing him by the mouth.
"Stop—stop this madness, master!" Roa pleaded to no avail.
The animal was in a rage. Its jaws opened and shut closed as the boy's hands attempted to hold them still. Roa screamed, activating his aura until his tattoos once again appeared. A rush of energy flowed through his veins, and a state of euphoria enveloped him for a moment. However, the animal managed to break free before the boy could do anything, pushing him to the ground as it lunged towards the group of defenseless people. With one last attempt, the Sunflower turned around, aimed his hand and shot the wolf through the chest. Smoke billowed on top of his fingers.
A hole the size of a basketball tore through the animal, causing it to finally collapse in a pool of blood. The three of them checked on the locals who were all fortunately still in one piece, then rushed over to the old master, who had returned to his normal form.
"Master—why?" said Roa.
"I'm sorry, my boy. I am not worthy to train you anymore. Too long has passed. My mind—it's not well anymore. It has not been well for ages now. I have been in this place too long—too alone, for too long. Forgive me," Master O said as a tear ran down his face.
"He Lost the Plot," Indigo said, causing Roa to turn with an angry look on his face. "I'm not cracking a joke. Losing the Plot is a travel disease some Jumpers get when they get stuck on a world for too long. They forget a lot of the truths they learned along the way, their identities begin to tear down, and some—well, some become unstable."
The old man spat up blood. "Forgive me, my boy, but this is for the best. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else more worthy to end my life. My time has come. It's now up to the remaining fighters to take on the Greatest Fight, and carry the torch of hope forth, into the future," he said, coughing some more.
"Master—if you know anything else that might help us on our journey, please, tell us now," Roa pleaded.
"The man named Elevar—he's up there somewhere." He pointed up. "He knows the worlds of the Innerverse—better than most. Find him, and get out of this cursed world," Master O said, as his eyes began to roll back.
"Master—do you know where we can find the Ambrosians? What about the way to the top of the Palace? How do I find my girl? Tell me! Anything, please! I need your help," Roa said, grabbing his shoulders, shaking him back to consciousness.
"Your girl?" he said, opening his eyes. "The one with the white hair? Eralay?"
He had blurted out that last question out of instinct, but the old man's response caused him to freeze as he was taken by surprise.
"Yes—Eralay."
"I remember her."
"How?" Roa said, remaining speechless as his mind raced. "How can you remember her? She was with me in my home—I mean in my prison world after my reset. Were you in that world too?"
"No. I got stuck here in Vertica soon after we met last time, centuries ago. I've been here ever since."
"Then, how do you possibly know her? Tell me!"
"Because—she was with you--before Black Fortia."
"What? That can't be. I met her in—"
"She was the one who brought you to me the first time we met in Paradise East," Master O revealed.
"Are you sure?" Roa shook him again. "Master, are you sure?"
"Yes. I remember—she was the one who brought you to me."
The master's eyes closed, as he lay in the pool of blood. Roa looked at his red-stained hands. His heart was racing, and his head was spinning. He stood, but blood rushed to his head and he collapsed down. His chest heaved as his eyes darted around, his mind looking for an answer.
"How—how could she have been with me before Black Fortia?" the boy thought as his heart raced. A million thoughts ran through his head, then eventually coalesced into one, enormous fear. "If she's not some local girl that I fell in love with after my reset, then—who is she?"
And so, within the boy, the last little of bit of truth that anchored him to an identity and a past, finally began to dislodge, and crumble.