After completing the Soul Bond with the Legendary Mythical Beast Egg. And After forging contract with the Life Bond Artifact that pulsed with power and destiny. Jack's sharp gaze locked onto the harpy puppet standing before him.
His voice came calm, but heavy with anticipation.
"What's next?"
Sora stretched her arms and let out a long, lazy yawn. "Haaah~"
"Oh? What's next, huh?" she replied nonchalantly. "Nothing much… It's over. My job's done here."
She turned slightly, wings fluttering softly in the mana-rich air.
WHOOSH.
"Time for me say Goodbye," she said, her voice softening with a strange gentleness. "Maybe we'll meet again someday, Jack."
Jack raised a brow, sensing a shift in her tone.
Sora's playful smile faded.
Then, her eyes gleamed with seriousness as she spoke.
"But before I leave, there's something important you must know."
A low hum echoed through the area as the elemental barrier around them pulsed faintly.
BZZZZZ...
"I've already erased and rewritten the memories of all the Otherworlder Ascendants," she said flatly. "That was part of my mission. My Master specifically ordered that no other Otherworlders interfere in this trial."
CRACK!
A distant sound echoed like thunder ripping through silence.
Jack's expression darkened.
Sora folded her arms with that action. Her puppet harpy breast poped out with giggle looks so sexy even it's a beast, her eyes locked on his.
"From the very beginning the beast tide, the first two waves, everything was a test. The real purpose… was to see how you'd lead with your parents. How you'd rise when others crumbled. How you'd stand as a shield and a sword. Save others with help of your parents"
"You and your parents passed in flying colours."
THUD.
Her words struck him like a falling boulder.
Jack's fists clenched subtly.
Sora continued, voice clear and deliberate.
"As for the other Otherworlders… they remember nothing of your family being ambushed by 3rd Star Peak Overlord-class beasts."
DING!
The chilling weight of the truth echoed in Jack's mind.
"In their false memories, they fought beside you. Shoulder to shoulder. United. Victorious. That's all they'll ever recall."
Bang!
A ripple of emotion cracked across Jack's heart. Deception… protection… manipulation. All tangled into one.
Sora's eyes softened for a moment.
"Only you… and your family… remember what truly happened."
A cold wind blew.
Jack's eyes narrowed, sharp as blades.
Sora continued, now with an eerie calmness.
"As for the native Ascendants from the Samsara World the so-called 'supporters' meant to guide you…"
She raised her arm slowly and pointed toward the horizon.
"They were never inside the battlefield."
WHOOSH!
"I sealed them out with a divine barrier. A world-shield fueled by the very mana storm generated by the beast tide."
Her wings flared slightly as if responding to the truth being spoken.
"Even gods couldn't see past it. Because God doesn't have that much authority check what happening in Samsara World. All they know important events"
CRACKLE!
Lightning-like energy rippled across the sky above.
Jack turned his gaze, and for the first time, he truly saw the barrier. It wasn't just an invisible force, it was alive. He doesn't notice before because his concentration all in battlefield and his battle with overload best under Mortal Tier.
A dome of swirling elemental chaos fire, ice, thunder, wind raging in harmony, keeping the outside world blind.
"All they witnessed," Sora whispered, "was what I allowed them to see."
BOOM.
The revelation struck like thunder in Jack's chest. Now he truly know how Sora capable of.
He exhaled slowly, his breath turning to mist from the ambient mana. His heart burned. With fury. With clarity. With understanding.
This trial…This chaos…This moment of growth.
Had all been orchestrated in silence.
And now, only he held the truth.
-----
Sora smirked, her voice playful yet laced with hidden weight.
"Your parents are doing well, by the way."
She tilted her head with a knowing glint in her eye. "Your father… he'll be giving you and your family a big surprise soon."
Jack's heart skipped.
Thump.
Before he could speak, Sora leaned forward, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Also whether you want to tell your parents about this test or trial… or about my master's involvement…".She paused, letting the silence linger like a blade at his throat."…That choice is entirely yours."
Her tone shifted, growing heavier like a storm brewing behind calm skies.
"This trial was given by my master… it's not just important for you, Jack. It's meant for your whole family. Even your little sister Sofia is a part of it."
Jack's breath caught in his throat.
CRACK!
A sudden surge of pressure tightened the air. Mana trembled around him like a coiled beast.
Sora's wings rustled softly.
"Opportunity is always wrapped in dangers," she continued. "Big risk… big rewards. Don't forget that. The moment you received my master's blessing… you stepped into something far, far greater than yourself."
"And it's a Big advantage for you live in this Dangerous World. Where Survival of the Fittest Rule apply"
"There's no turning back now. Oh! Chosen One of my master."
Her voice echoed like prophecy, like fate being written in real time.
Jack's gaze flickered, the weight of her words sinking in like iron chains. His family was involved. His sister. The Supreme Blessing wasn't just a gift… it was a call to destiny.
"But listen carefully," Sora added, her voice softening like a fading song. "This isn't a curse. It's a deal. One where your whole family gains something far more you could imagine."
"You can rise above all…" She stepped back slightly, wings beginning to shimmer with golden light. "…Or fall into nothingness."
WHOOSH!
Winds stirred violently as feathers began to unravel from her form.
"My master bears you no ill will," she said, her voice becoming distant, ethereal. "He saw something in you, Jack. True potential. That's why he invested in you. It's a bond of mutual benefit…"
"Ahh… Just when did my master first interfere with the Samsara World?"
Sora's voice drifted, both nostalgic and uncertain.
"Feels like… countless Age Cycles have already passed."
She chuckled lightly, more to herself than to Jack.
"Time's funny like that. When you serve a being like him, even eons blur together."
Then she comes back to her senses and said "And it'sA win-win situation. For Both of you and my master"
Then, with a graceful motion, she bowed. Not as a puppet. Not even as a guide. But as someone who respected what he might become.
"Goodbye… Oh, Chosen One. Jack."
DING!
A chime echoed as if the world itself acknowledged the end of her role.
And then
WHOOSH!
FLUTTER.
SHHH!
Sora's form burst into a shower of feathers.
They swirled into the sky, catching the glimmers of elemental light.
One by one… the feathers faded..Vanishing into the wind. Into silence.
Jack stood there, staring at the empty space where she had just been.
He didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't speak.
His lips parted slightly words he wanted to ask still clinging to his tongue:
Sora… who are you really?
What kind of being is your master?
What does he see in me… that I don't?
Why…Why would a unknown god invest in someone like him?
What kind of future for Jack had already been set in motion?
But
The answers had vanished.
Just like the harpy.
Just like the illusion of control.
All that remained now was silence. A stillness filled with weight. With expectation. With power.
Jack took a deep breath.
Inhale. Exhale.
And then he looked ahead.
Eyes sharp. Heart steady. Fate unwritten.
Because the only path left…
Was forward without looking back.
---------
To Be Continued…!!