"What is it?" The manticore smiled and asked. Arthur rubbed his hands together as he pondered.
"The Enders, you know them." Arthur mouthed out slowly. The manticore's smile vanished. "What is their current goal?" This was Arthur's chance to gain an insight into this.
The manticore's demeanor changed as it stood up. Its fur swayed gently in the wind as it drew closer to Arthur.
"Why are you asking?"
"Is this your question?" Arthur teased and used the monster's words against him. However, the manticore was still expressionless. With a serious face, it shook its head.
"I'll rephrase it. Why are you here?"
Arthur was taken aback. He didn't think the monster would throw away its only question on this one. However, if it did, then the answer must be important to it.
"To stop the Enders." Arthur didn't try to lie or sugarcoat it. He could already feel the monster's mana spreading.
"Then, they're here already." The manticore nodded. It seemed as if it had finally found the answer. "I wondered how much time it would take for them to make their moves."
"How did you know they would be here?" Arthur asked with furrowed brows.
"Is this another question?"
"No, forget it." Instead of sating his curiosity, it would be better to gain some information about his goals. "You haven't answered me." Arthur urged. "What's is their current goal?"
"You must already know that."
"Yes, but I don't know why they're here. I want to know the details."
"Most of the convicted here have fallen to the dark side, so I can answer that. They're looking for the artifact that links both worlds."
"That's not their final goal." Arthur pushed again. He already knew that, but he didn't know why. He only had guesses but nothing certain.
"They call it End Day. They're trying to remerge the world again. What we live in is an incomplete dimension, a place they can't manifest. That's why they use the mediums to descend. However, even that is barely possible."
Arthur slumped on the branch as he allowed the information to sink in. Jizo has only told him that if the two worlds become one, calamities would ensue. At that time, Arthur didn't know about the seven families or the Enders, so Jizo hasn't told him.
Rather, Arthur wasn't so sure Jizo knew the future at all. He did know about the past, but that doesn't mean he knew about the present. After all, what can a soul fragment from someone that died countless years ago know about the current world's affairs?
As he realized this, Arthur felt like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. It was contradicting feeling if he was, to be honest. However, the feeling that Jizo wasn't omniscient somehow relieved him as well.
Maybe deep down, he feared the person who changed his life more than he feared anyone else. After all, this person can take away this strength he gave him as easily as he gave it to him.
Master Ronin always wanted him to believe that this was his strength, but it didn't feel like it. Even if it wasn't Jizo, what about the person he has seen behind the portal in the runic world?
The person that was on the other side of the Reality Gates was the source of Arthur's powers but it wasn't Jizo, so what does that mean? Does it mean that Jizo's powers are also borrowed from something else?
"You have one more question left." The manticore sat back down in front of Arthur, pulling his attention from his thoughts.
Arthur stood up from his seat and dusted himself. He looked at the manticore's bizarre eyes with hope and expectations.
"Where is the artifact?" If he got an answer, then his second legacy quest would be over.
"I don't know," The Monster of Truth shot his hopes down with a single phrase. "It has never been a part of Jerano. If it's going to be here, then it'll be in the future. That's a realm I do not know of."
"Alright." Arthur nodded. "Then I get to ask something different." The manticore grinned at his words and nodded. Since it couldn't provide an answer, it was obliged to take on another question.
This time, Arthur had to ponder his question seriously. He wanted to know how the monster knew his name, but he guessed it was because of his ability. In the end, he had to settle for erasing his fears.
"Are you going to tell anyone about my identity?"
This time, the manticore fell silent. This was not a question of knowledge, but a promise of secrecy. Whatever it would say would be the absolute truth. That means if it goes back on its answer, this would kill it.
Arthur looked at the monster as it pondered his question. He had chosen his question wisely for it to fall in the realm of the future rather than the past. This way, he would know the monster's true intentions.
"I would only do so if you threaten Jerano." The manticore answered at last. "If you intend to fight against the dark side, then I won't reveal your identity unless it compromises the safety of Jerano or myself."
The moment that the monster finished its words, Arthur felt its mana construct a bond between them. This was a promise that can't be broken.
"That's fair enough." Arthur nodded. "Now, I wish to leave." Since he got his answer, Arthur planned on raising his strength before passing the second test.
"It has been a pleasure to meet you, Arthur Silvera."
"Same goes to you, eh…"
"Rayxin." The manticore smiled. "That's what they call me. You have earned the right to know who I am. I am Rayxin, the Spirit Guardian of Jerano and its first founder."
The manticore began floating and so did Arthur. With a sudden acceleration, they began soaring across the sky toward the edge of the space.
At the end of the space, Arthur found a window in the middle of the blue sky. He landed safely on the window's edge as he turned to face Rayxin.
"Why is such a space hidden in plain sight, open to the public?" Arthur asked as he looked through the window. It was on top of a hill in a forest.
"That is also a question." Rayxin smiled and Arthur found himself tongue-tied. "However, it doesn't make a difference if I answer since you can ask any of Jerano's staff once you leave."
"Haha," Rayxin laughed when it saw Arthur's face go from frowning to relief. "It's far from being open to the public. I control this pocket-dimension and overlooking the test. I could have made it impossible for you to access my abode, but I did."
Arthur didn't say anything but his face conveyed his confusion. The manticore continued one leisurely.
"I didn't because I saw how easily you unlocked that runic door. Then, I saw how you navigated through those traps. I wanted to meet you, and I'm glad I did. Protect my city, Arthur."
With that, Rayxin flew away. Arthur looked at it for a moment and opened the window and jumped out of it. He felt the tall grass brush against his calves and turned to see that the window has already disappeared.
'Hide your strength from others, but you can use it if I'm the only one watching.' Rayxin said in his mind as the voice drifted away for the last time. Arthur smiled and shook his head.
"Truly, it's scary how he knows things." Arthur could understand that this monster's powers aligned themselves with 'truth' but he couldn't fathom how something so powerful could exist.
Yet in the end, this was a world of magical miracles.
As Arthur looked around, he found that he was at the edge of the desert. Remembering the words of Rayxin, he couldn't stop a grin from appearing on his face.
"Ah, the Falkgen." He looked toward the desert and started sprinting again toward the location of the entrance to the underground prison.
A Middle-High-tier monster would provide him with a lot of experience as well as essence. He felt sorry for taking down one of Rayxin's minions, but these monsters were placed here to be hunted by the students.
He found the window he fell from again and dropped down. The moment that he landed, he was already sprinting and leaving a trail of sand behind him.
His blood was boiling with excitement from the anticipation of the fight. At first, he feared these monsters as they endangered his life. That changed when he gained strength as he began seeking ways to use his abilities.
It was as if using this power that he was given would make it feel more like his. Even though he commanded these runes and these stats were his, he wanted to control them more. He wanted to feel in control of his life.
The Falkgen shrieked when it sensed Arthur's presence and turned to face a new threat. It spread its wings and flapped them generating wind blades all in Arthur's direction. With a grin, Arthur interlocked his arms to block them as his skin turned metallic.
"Come!"