Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

Chapter 106 Who are you anyways?

[[Title: Destiny Repeats Itself]]

[[Title: King Slayer]]

[[Retrieving Memory Fragments…]]

[[Successor of ???]]

[[Transporting Host…]]

[[Please wait…]]

*****

Jett slowly blinked his eyes open, his mind sluggish as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. Except there was nothing. Literally nothing. No walls, no ground, no sky: just an infinite expanse of emptiness, as if he were floating in a vacuum. The silence was oppressive, a stark contrast to the chaotic battle he had just been in.

He couldn't even feel the ground beneath him, though he somehow remained upright.

"What the hell?" Jett half-screamed, his voice echoing in the void around him. Panic flared as his instincts kicked in, but no matter where he looked, there was only nothingness. His thoughts raced, trying to make sense of the eerie situation.

The emptiness wasn't just around him: it felt empty. There was no air, no sensation of time or space. It was as though the world itself had vanished.

"So, you're finally awake," a voice interrupted the silence. The tone was deep and calm, belonging to an elderly man. Jett instinctively turned toward it.

Standing a few meters away was a man, his build surprisingly solid for his apparent age. His skin was weathered, his posture stoic, yet the most unsettling thing was his bloodstained attire: so soaked in crimson that it was impossible to tell if it was his own or someone else's.

The scabbard at his side held no sword, and his face wore an expression of deep regret and sorrow, as though burdened by an unimaginable loss.

Jett tensed, his eyes scanning the old man carefully. "Who are you?" he asked, his tone cautious. He tried to conceal the unease creeping up his spine.

The old man remained silent, his gaze fixed somewhere far away, staring into the abyss that surrounded them. He didn't even acknowledge Jett's presence, not a flicker of recognition in his eyes.

"Hey, you okay though?" Jett asked, noting the sheer amount of blood on the man's clothing. "That's a lot of blood. You sure you're not, like... dying?"

Still, the man gave no response, his silence unbroken. It was as though Jett's words didn't reach him.

Jett frowned, feeling restless. "So, you won't answer me, huh?" he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing in frustration. 'What's his deal, anyway?' Jett thought, glancing around again, still hoping for some clue about where he was: or how to get out.

After what felt like an eternity, the old man finally moved. He sighed, long and slow, and then: without warning, he appeared directly in front of Jett in a blur of speed. His eyes, now sharp and scrutinizing, scanned Jett's body with an intensity that sent chills down his spine.

"I see..." the man said, his voice softer yet weighted with meaning, "So you're the one he chose."

"Hey, hey, hey, cut it out! What are you even talking about?" Jett said, immediately creating some distance between them. The speed at which the old man had moved was on another level, and Jett knew better than to let his guard down now. A thousand questions raced through his mind, only adding to his growing unease. "Where are we, anyway? Who are you?

How did you get here?"

The old man turned away from Jett, his eyes once again gazing into the empty expanse around them. His voice, hollow and detached, echoed in the void. "This is my domain, my worth, my thoughts... and my prison."

Jett raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "That's a really miserable way of saying you're stuck here and lonely," he scoffed, shaking his head. "Let me guess: you were sealed here for thousands of years because of something you did, or maybe something you wanted to do. And now I'm your ticket out of here, right? Classic."

"You're not totally wrong…" the old man began, his tone shifting as if he were about to explain further.

But Jett wasn't in the mood to let him finish. "Not happening though," Jett interrupted, crossing his arms as he leaned back slightly. "I'm not in the business of freeing mysterious old men from their eternal prisons. However, I might be willing to find out who you messed with and help you take them down."

The old man sighed in disappointment, his face showing only mild irritation. "And why would I need help from an insignificant pebble like you?" His voice dripped with disdain. "It seems you haven't even regained your memory."

Jett's expression tightened, feeling the weight of the man's words but still confused. 'Memories? What memories?' Jett thought, feeling a swirl of uncertainty. "I'm pretty sure my memory is intact," he said aloud, his voice firm. His thoughts quickly added, 'Not to mention I remember everything from my previous life.'

The whole situation felt surreal to Jett, as if he had been thrust into a story he hadn't been given the script for. This strange place, the cryptic old man, and now talk of some "forgotten memory"? None of it made sense, but the man's cryptic words weighed on him.

"You must be sick though," Jett muttered, half in disbelief, "I'm getting out of here."

He activated [Checkpoint], expecting the familiar sensation of his body being whisked away, but… nothing.

A slow, sarcastic laugh escaped the old man's lips. "You're trying to use that skill here? Don't make me laugh," he sneered. "Look at you, still weak. I could break you with a flick of my wrist. How did you even manage to get here?

Was it his doing?"

"Ouch," Jett replied, rolling his eyes. But the man's words forced him to trace back to what was more important. 'What is this place? And how the hell did I even get here? It's even weirder that it seems like he knew what I was trying to do.'

Flashes of his last moments with the King of Laxen raced through his mind. The battle had been brutal, overwhelming, but he had managed to take down the king.

'The last thing I remember… was taking out that annoying king and then…' He tried to recall what had happened next, but his mind hit a blank. 'Nothing. I don't remember.'

Jett glanced at the old man, still rambling on to himself, lost in his own world. 'Was he the one who brought me here? Nah, I don't think so.' Jett wondered. 'I can't seem so sense any Mana or Aura coming off him. But… why is my Lumix reacting to him?'

The Lumix, a volatile energy inside Jett that he usually kept under tight control was raging now, thrashing like a wild beast in response to the man's presence. Jett could feel its pressure growing inside him, threatening to explode.

"You better take care of that thing before you blow yourself up," the old man remarked, stepping closer to Jett with a casual indifference.

Jett's fists clenched. He could feel the Lumix spiraling out of control. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he fought to suppress it, his mind racing. What does this guy know about the Lumix? And why is it reacting like this?

Every instinct told him this man was dangerous, but something deeper tugged at his thoughts: a connection he couldn't yet explain.

"Next time, don't come here unless you actually want me to kill you." The old man's voice echoed faintly, almost like a distant whisper in Jett's mind as everything faded to black.

*****

[[Memory Retrieval was interrupted...]]

[[Retrieval Failed]]

"Jett, Jett... wake up, dude!" Cedric's voice sounded distant, but the urgency was unmistakable. He shook Jett's shoulders, trying to rouse him from unconsciousness.

"You could try slapping him," Rey suggested with a mischievous smirk, standing nearby with his arms crossed.

"How could you even think of doing that to him?" Cedric scowled, not liking the idea at all.

"Trust me, he would've done the same to me." Rey's smirk widened as he leaned in, hand raised, preparing to deliver a playful slap.

Just as Rey's hand was about to make contact, Jett's eyes snapped open. In one swift motion, Jett's hand shot up, catching Rey's wrist mid-air, his reflexes sharp as ever.

"What the…" Rey began, but before he could react, Jett flipped him effortlessly over his shoulder, sending him crashing down the hall.

"Seriously?" Rey groaned from where he landed, but there was an amused twinkle in his eye.

Cedric rushed over. "Are you okay? You passed out for a really long time."

"I even tried using [Heal] on you, but that did nothing," Rey added, rubbing his wrist as he got back to his feet.

Jett sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm good. Nothing's broken. But I did have the strangest dream…"

"A dream?" Cedric repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah, forget it." Jett waved it off, glancing toward the now open doors. "I see the doors finally opened. So, we can leave now?"

"Yeah," Cedric confirmed. "But we still need to find the others. I even forgot to send them a message 'cause I was so worried about you."

-Rey- "Hey guys. We made it out and we're coming your way. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

They waited for a response, but the silence stretched longer than expected. No reply.

Rey frowned and turned to Jett and Cedric. "You don't think... something happened to them?"

Jett's expression hardened. "Let's just go find out." He stretched, flexing his limbs before they started moving.

As they made their way toward the princess's room, something else gnawed at Jett's mind. He was trying to shake off the bizarre encounter with the old man, but something kept bothering him. Then, out of nowhere, a notification popped up in front of him.

[[The Throne of Destiny is reacting. Find the source.]]

Jett's steps faltered for a split second. 'What the hell is this now?' he thought, glancing down at the notification. He kept the information to himself for now but couldn't shake the feeling that something much bigger was unraveling before him.

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Who do you think he is?