Jay POV
I watched the crumbling island before me slowly disperse into chromatic dust.
I felt Ouroboros appear behind me, her gaze lingering on my back, then turning toward my other half.
At this point, I had no idea what to do. I had been so consumed in ecstasy that I didn't realize how close I came to killing myself.
It was a stark contrast to my ideal form of control, the kind of lapse I had once sworn to avoid.
My idea was simple. I dictated my own actions and mind, aiming for complete management of self.
I mean, control in and of itself is a simple concept made complex by the mind.
But unknowingly, I had almost strayed from that path as soon as I realized it.
When I fully resonated with my star, and the knowledge of my Star Form arrived in my mind, it was like the strings that were held by my star were released.
The shades of light in the sky deepened for just a moment.
If I lingered in that ecstasy for one more moment, maybe I would've realized something completely different.
"Jay." Ouroboros called for me, her hand extended to my slouching form.
"We are moving."
I didn't have time to question what she meant. The world simply vanished, grass arched around our feet, and I was left amazed at the sheer mysticism of Janus's world.
Hills and trees stretched along the new world, as if they were painted into place.
The once blank hue of the sky slowly shifted into a golden simmer, dying the world in a sepia of tranquility.
A small stone cottage formed, outfitted like a family home.
Janus's voice cut me back to myself. "You understand your mission, correct?"
I had more or less understood what they needed.
Apparently, my star operated differently from others. It had a unique ability to communicate in pockets. Like when I got the revelation of the perfect method of Stellarium absorption for me.
This meant, since I had fully resonated with my star, I could now receive visions of progress. Things that could help me develop outside of its concept
For example, if the star guided me, it could prove as the first clue to escaping this world.
The only thing stopping us from getting these visions was achievements. Moments in discovery or battle that my star deems great enough to warrant growth.
But to gather an achievement great enough for the star to grant knowledge, I had to beat one of the creatures Ouroboros had shown me before my last duel.
Quetzalcoatlus – The Monarch of the Skies. The Wyvern of Earth. Whatever grand title you wanted to give it.
I wasn't sure about my victory, but if I somehow managed it, this one would definitely qualify.
Megatherium – The Sleeping Titan. A Giant Bear Sloth.
This was one I never got a good read on. It was one of those creatures that were rarely encountered, even as fossils on Earth. For now, he sat at the bottom of my list. I didn't feel like he was enough of a challenge.
Spinosaurus – The King of the Lake. The true heir of the swamp.
This one would be close. Seeing it up close dwindled my hopes a little, but at least I'd watched how it fought. My chances were better against it than the others, not good, just better.
"Have you decided on what you're going to hunt?" Janus's cold voice washed reality over me.
Hunt?
I wasn't even sure I could avoid being prey.
"I'll decide based on encounters." I lied helplessly. The truth was, I felt tired.
My goal was achieved. I had technically won against someone who seemed unbeatable. I wanted a break.
I was a teenager for crying out loud.
If I'm going to spend the rest of my life fighting in a prehistoric nightmare, I want it at my own, selfish pace.
Janus's mouth opened, ready to say something, but he stopped himself.
I knew what he wanted to say.
'You're our only hope.'
'Be safe.'
Whatever cruel, underhanded words could rile up my psyche to want to fight.
But I had fought.
I won, truly won.
What is the rush? There's no timer here.
I gathered the remainder of my belongings from Janus's storage.
The items I brought into the pocket would usually break down when leaving Janus's realm.
But Ouroboros had used a tiny sliver of her eternal life span to cement my glaive in time.
It was like I was holding a paradox in my hand.
I glanced behind me, and my other half stood, still reeling from accepting life.
Ouroboros, eyeing me with that same motherly gaze.
Janus, his cold eyes staring mindlessly at the sun.
I broke the still air.
"Please send me out."
"I want to leave."
My cold voice snapped everyone's attention to me.
Janus, standing to the side, waved his arm, and a massive door cascaded out of the ground.
I breathed in the clean air around me, my eyes as much sunlight as they could.
"Jay," Ouroboros's cadence pulled on the strings in my heart. "Be safe, we're counting on you."
There it was.
Those words.
I never needed them.
Every time I heard them, I always felt heavier.
But right now, the weight seemed to disappear. I mustered a smile on my lips. This was gonna be fun.
"See ya."
As I walked through the hallway of light in front of me, Janus's voice echoed in my head.
"If you need to come back, ground the stone I put at the bottom of your glaive. You'll need to channel Stellarium through it."
"Yes, sir." I sarcastically saluted the air.
With that, I stepped into the world I once lived in for weeks, and away from one I lived for months.
The cold air of nighttime clung to the ridges of my skin.
I don't remember it being this cold…
Ah.
I quickly pulsed Stellarium through my body.
Right, I was fully resonated with my star now. I was finally in full control.
I glanced at the sky above.
The night sky was just as beautiful as it had been all those nights ago.
I traced my eyes along the thin line of stars branching outward from the center. It wound across the sky, merging with others and thinning until it reached the deepest blue. Right there, at the deepest point of blue, was my star.
I had learned its name.
Apollox.
I watched as the star twinkled above, as if my reverence pleased it.
Thud.
Sweeping across the ground, the reverberation of something massive pulled me out of my thoughts.
Thud.
Atop a hill around a kilometer away, the sound of something massive moved through the forest.
And it was making its way here.