Chương 64: Aftermath

Joe was now alone with Catalina, inside her domain. She sat calmly, looking up at him. He felt awkward standing over her, so he stepped forward and sat down across from her. Exhaling slowly, he took a moment to reflect on everything that had just happened. A blessing. A new footwork. His mind buzzed with excitement, he couldn't wait to examine everything in detail.

"You did well," Catalina said. Joe bowed his head respectfully.

"Thank you for the dance. It was the most amazing dance of my life."

"Don't let my daughter know you said that," she replied with a soft chuckle. Joe laughed with her, relieved she was in such a good mood. As the laughter subsided, a moment of silence settled between them, tinged with the awkwardness of not knowing what to say next. What did one even talk to a god about?

"Ask away, we have time," she said, reading his thoughts with ease. He took a deep breath and nodded.

"Sorry, I didn't expect you to be so… nice today. I thought you didn't approve of… me. The bond."

"I don't," she replied simply.

"But I will tolerate you today. This blessing has benefited us both, though clearly it has benefited you far more." Joe gulped.

"Well… I hope our relationship can improve in the future," he said, then hesitated.

"I did have one question. The dolphin said something strange. It called me an anomaly. Do you know what that means?" Something about that word had stirred something deep within him. His instincts gnawed at him, and his mind was desperate for answers.

"It means," Catalina began, her tone growing more serious, "you stand outside of fate. Every being, those within the multiverse, and those beyond it, has one thing in common: a fate line. These lines determine the direction of the life they shall lead. It creates unavoidable focal points and scenarios. Like what grade you can reach, what classes you can gain, even the timing of your death." She paused, letting the weight of her words sink in.

"All of these are shaped by fate," she continued.

"Except yours. You are outside of fate, so you can become anything." She let that last sentence hang in the air like a prophecy. Joe sat in silence, letting the weight of Catalina's words settle. Outside of fate. He could be anything. The idea was staggering. But what even was fate, really?

"Do not worry too much about it. Just continue to push forward," Catalina added, watching him with a knowing look.

"You're doing pretty well, for such a low level. You really should hurry to level one hundred. Especially now that you have a bounty on your head." Joe groaned, the reminder hitting him like a slap. Right. That. He had almost forgotten that a god had placed a kill order on him. Why had that even happened in the first place? He opened his mouth to ask, but Catalina raised a hand.

"No more questions. It's time to return, the seedling is… impatient," Catalina said, rising smoothly to her feet. Joe scrambled upright.

"Before you go… You couldn't do something about the bounty, could you? Pretty please?" he asked, attempting his best impression of puppy-dog eyes? Catalina smiled, waving a hand. Joe felt something shift around him, a soft, invisible pressure washing over his body. Then came the familiar chime of a system notification. He quickly pulled it up and spotted something unusual. His stomach sank as he mentally clicked to open it. System Message Your bounty has been altered. A new clause has been added.

Joe groaned and pulled up his bounty. Integration Elite Bounty All elites ranking in the top one hundred in their world have been issued a quest by the God Lucius Von Brave. Kill World Ranked 27 combatant Feormere. Reward: A place within the Nomadic Cultists. Resources and training to assure ascension to C-grade. 500 million credits. To retrieve at any Eludian outpost. Behind him, Catalina laughed lightly as her domain shimmered and vanished, bringing the grand chamber of the Empire Meeting back into view.

Joe stood unmoving, jaw slack. He could still hear the soft echoes of her laughter as she vanished in a flash of light.

"... Damn it," he exhaled. Joe returned to his seat, Catalina's last actions swirling through his mind. He still had questions, and much to process. But it seemed this meeting wasn't completely over. So he pushed those thoughts aside for now. As he sat down, he could feel dozens of eyes still on him, particularly those from the group seated uncomfortably close. The Voldura. He turned to Pathfinder, deciding it was finally time for a little chat.

"Pathfinder. I've been wondering. What do you want?" he asked, voice calm but firm. Pathfinder stared back, his eyes burning with fire.

"Who are you to question me?"

"Just someone who has something you want," Joe shrugged. He could feel his anger rise, just being near the Volduran leader. This was the one who had caused so much pain. So many lives uprooted, enslaved, and yet he sat there, composed, as if he'd done nothing wrong. Joe was done staying quiet.

"I will get her back, in time," Pathfinder said smoothly.

"You can't keep my future from me." Joe's expression darkened.

"What about all the others your Voldura have captured? Let them go."

"Why would I do that?" Pathfinder asked, his voice sharp.

"They are my property now." Joe clenched his fists.

"Don't you feel shame for your actions?"

"Why would I feel shame?" Pathfinder spat.

"The weak who can't defend themselves don't deserve pity." And with that, Joe knew the conversation had reached its limit. He hadn't come to reason with Pathfinder, he'd come to get a feel for him. To look for cracks beneath the arrogance.

"Well, we'll see what happens when I take it all away from you," Joe said coldly.

"What will you do then when your Voldura realize they're following a coward?" Pathfinder's composure cracked. He leaned forward, rage in his eyes.

"How dare you call me a coward, human. You are nothing to me. I will kill you." There it was, the chink in the armor. Pride. A festering, dangerous pride. Joe didn't reply. He just smiled. Pathfinder quickly composed himself.

"Talking to you is a waste of time. We will meet on the battlefield soon. Then I will reclaim what you've stolen from me," he said, rising. Without another word, he moved away to a nearby set of empty seats, his entourage trailing behind. Joe considered it a small victory. He turned his attention back toward the podium where the meeting continued for another hour before things finally came to an end. One of the representatives stepped forward.

"Thank you all for coming today. We've witnessed some… unexpected events this time. Hopefully we will see you all next cycle," The representative gave a polite bow before vanishing from the stage. A silver-skinned man replaced him a moment later.

"Thank you all for attending. You may wish each other farewell and depart at your leisure. The room will close in one hour, teleporting any left back to their world." With that, he too left the stage. Joe watched as attendees began disappearing in quick flashes, returning to their respective Empires and worlds. Kilch and the rest of the world-ranked one were the first to vanish from the integration groups. But Joe remained. There were still two individuals he wanted to speak with before he left.

He stood up, his gaze following a pair of seemingly invisible figures as they moved toward the edge of the room, taking up a position against the wall. As he began walking toward them, he noticed a piece of paper lying on the floor, something one of them must've dropped. He bent down, picked it up, and continued forward. The hooded figures tensed as he neared. Neither looked directly at him, but Joe knew they were fully aware of his approach.

He stopped beside one of them and held up the piece of paper between two fingers, offering it wordlessly.

"You dropped this," Joe said, offering the paper to the nearest figure. The hooded figure didn't move to take it.

"That's not mine. Pretty sure it's yours," came the reply, deep and calm.

"Oh, my mistake then," Joe replied casually, beginning to turn away. He paused just before taking a step.

"I feel like I know you guys. Have we met before?" he asked, his tone still light.

"Nope. No chance of that. Never seen you before in my life," the deep voice responded evenly.

"I guess that's my second mistake. Well, see you later, fellas," Joe gave a small wave and walked back toward his seat. __ Gaston and Ark reappeared at their home base. The moment they materialized, Gaston let out a huge sigh of relief.

"What the hell was that? How did he see us?" he exclaimed, pacing the room with quick steps.

"Why didn't you say anything? You know how scared I was that something would happen. Why leave that to me?"

"You achieved the best outcome. My intervention would have only raised his interest, increasing failure probability," Ark answered calmly. Gaston stopped pacing, staring at him for a long second before throwing his hands in the air, exasperated.

"You know. For once, I wish you would forget about your damn calculations. Gah! That guy was not normal. Who gets a bounty placed on them by a god, and then does a dance straight after. Did you see that nonsense? What the hell was that…" Ark closed his eyes, tuning out the tirade as Gaston continued ranting. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. __"You didn't tell me you knew how to dance! And how do you know a god?

Oh my gosh, you have to tell me everything," Tevenny said excitedly, practically bouncing on her heels. She had waited until all attendees from the top twenty worlds had teleported out before approaching Joe.

"You sure you should be talking to the guy with the bounty on his head?" Joe replied with a grin.

"Oh, now, I don't care about that. Or maybe," she added with a giggle, "I'm just lowering your guard so I can kill you in your sleep." Joe's eyes widened.

"I knew it," he said, laughing.

"But yes, I can dance. And no, I'm not telling you how I met a god." Tevenny pouted dramatically.

"Well, when you feel like opening up, I'll be around. It was good meeting you, Feormere. Don't forget my offer. It still stands." She gave him a playful wink and waved as she returned to Shanna's side. A moment later, both yellow-skinned women teleported away. Joe decided that was enough socialising with Aliens for one day. Before anyone else could approach with more questions, he accepted the system prompt and was teleported back to his home world.

He appeared inside the same room in Kai and Sarah's house where he'd been before leaving. It was night now, the room dark. Thankfully, his glasses gave him night vision, so he slumped down into a chair with a weary thud. A blip on his mini-map caught his attention, someone was heading his way. A moment later, Sarah burst into the room, sword in hand.

"Who's there!" She shouted, scanning the shadows. When her eyes landed on him, she let out a huff and lowered her weapon.

"Oh, it's just..." Sarah stared at him. Joe stared back. They both locked eyes in complete silence until, finally, Sarah shook her head and threw the sword at his head. Joe plucked it out of the air, eyes wide.

"Sarah, it's me. Sheesh, what was that?" He gently placed the sword down next to himself, glancing at her wearily.

"Just claiming the bounty you have on your head. Why do you have a bounty? Who did you kill?" Sarah threw her arms in the air and began questioning life itself.

"Why do you always…"

"Shit, so you can see it? I was kinda hoping it only showed up when I was in a competition. Guess it's always there? What does it look like?" Joe asked, rubbing his temples.

"It just pops up when I look at you, other than that you look normal…" she didn't get to finish her sentence as Veda barreled past her, slamming into Joe's torso. He grunted from the hit as the chair he sat on slid back, crashing into the wall.

"Hey, be careful of the chair," Sarah said in mock outrage.

"Sorry," Joe apologized on Veda's behalf, as she snuggled up against him.

"Warmth. Gimme warmth," Veda mumbled into his chest. He scratched at the red serpent as Sarah took a seat beside him.

"So, care to explain?" she asked.

"Not right now, Can we talk about it tomorrow. I'm really tired."

"What are you talking about?" Veda asked looking up.

"What did you do this time boy?" Joe laughed grimly. He was in for a scolding. The next morning. Joe sat across from three very quiet people, Corel, Sarah, and Kai, each staring at him with varying levels of disbelief. He had just finished recounting the events of the Empire Meeting. Kai was the first to react, standing up and heading for the door.

"I've got work to do. You guys deal with this nonsense," he said, disappearing out of the room. Sarah and Corel exchanged a glance. Joe was starting to think he'd made a mistake letting the women in his life mingle. Nothing good could come from that kind of alliance.

"How do you manage to anger two Gods? Whatever you've got, I hope it's not contagious," Sarah said with a chuckle.

"He has stupidity," Veda added from around Joe's shoulder.

"Okay, if you're just gonna pick on me, I'm leaving," Joe complained, pretending to rise.

"Fine. But seriously. How did you end up the most wanted man in the integration?" Sarah asked.

"Wish I knew. I have a feeling it had something to do with Rose," Joe mused aloud. Sarah nodded knowingly. Something beeped nearby, and she turned her head with a tired sigh.

"Duty calls," She mumbled, standing up.

"We'll talk more later and come up with a plan to fix your mess," she said, giving Corel a quick hug and offering Joe a dramatic sigh before vanishing from the room. Alone now with Corel and Veda, Joe turned toward the Voldura, but before he could get a word out, a sudden pop burst through his arm, and the world turned black. __ Corel jumped as a strange popping sound echoed through the room, and then, two things happened at once that made her panic.

Veda suddenly leapt from Joe's shoulder to hers, hissing in fury as if bitten. At the same moment, Joe's arm began to tremble violently. His eyes rolled up into his head, and he collapsed. She moved to catch him, but Veda shrieked at her.

"Don't touch him. Step back!" Corel hesitated, but quickly backed away, watching in alarm as Joe hit the floor face-first. With a sound like thunder, his arm cracked open. There was no blood, but she could clearly see flesh and bone, and right in the centre of his arm was a small, circular, rotating void.

"What is that?" she whispered, stunned.

"I have no idea. But whatever it is, it's hurting him. We need to move him outside," Veda said urgently.

"How do we do that?" Corel asked. The answer came swiftly, Joe's body began to lift into the air, encased in a soft cloud of mana. But just as suddenly as it had appeared, the glow vanished, and his body dropped with a thud.

"What the, my mana disappeared. That thing made it vanish," Veda exclaimed, panic lacing her voice. Corel jumped back as Joe's body convulsed again. More cracks spidered up along his arm, glowing faintly.

"What do we do? Is he dying?" Corel's voice trembled as she struggled to grasp what was happening. She glanced at Veda, then back at Joe's prone form. Neither of them had a clue how to help. They needed to get him outside, but how?

"We need to hit him with something. Knock him outside," Veda said. Corel stared in disbelief.

"You want to attack him? In that state?" Corel shouted, gesturing wildly at Joe's motionless body. Her eyes darted around the room. The door led deeper into the house. How were they going to knock him out the front entrance? She opened her mouth to suggest finding something that wasn't made of mana to move him with, but Veda rose on her shoulder, eyes glowing.

"I'm going to blast him through that wall. We'll apologize to Sarah later." Before Corel could stop her, Veda opened her mouth and unleashed a blast, tearing a hole in the wall. A second later, Joe's body tumbled out through the breach and landed outside with a thud.

"Veda!" Corel shouted, dashing through the hole after him.

"He will heal. You can use the same skill as him? Use it now, direct it into him." Corel blinked, confused. She didn't remember ever telling Veda what skills she had. With a look of anger from Veda, she quickly knelt down near Joe and activated Nature's Paradise. Focusing the energy towards where he lay. She braced for what was about to happen…, but to her surprise, the energy flowed into him, but it stopped at his arm. It avoided going anywhere near the void there.

But his body started to heal; every part of him was filled with energy apart from his arm.

"It's not working. It won't enter his arm," she said. Veda jumped off her shoulder and started to walk around Joe. His breathing was consistent as they watched, but his arm still lay cracked open.

"What do we do?" Corel asked.

"Calm child. I don't think he's in any danger anymore. I think we have to just wait," Veda said, voice filled with shock. Veda sat staring at Joe's arm.

"Something is happening." Corel, activating her Seeker's Foresight skill, looked down at the void in Joe's arm. She saw something strange seeping out, thin white lines slowly extending, gripping onto his flesh like invasive roots. It was horrifying to witness, as if an organism were emerging from the void itself. Gradually, the white, vine-like strands began pulling his flesh closed. It only took a few moments for his arm to seal shut, the void now hidden beneath the surface.

The cracks along his arm started to knit themselves together. Corel glanced at Veda, confused. The limb was still devoid of mana, and Nature's healing energy hadn't reached it. What was fixing the damage? Neither of them had an answer. All they could do was watch. Hours passed as the wound continued to close. By the end of it, Joe's arm looked untouched, like nothing had ever happened. Veda tentatively extended a thread of mana toward Joe's body.

It touched him gently, and while his body jolted slightly from the contact, the mana held; it didn't vanish. Corel let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"It's gone... I think," Veda said as she approached Joe. With great care, she touched his body with her tail.

"It's safe," she said, turning back to Corel. Corel rushed over, dropping to her knees beside Joe. She pressed two fingers to his neck, checking his pulse. It was racing, but strong. She pulsed healing energy into him, though there were no visible signs of injury. The danger, for now, had passed. Whatever it had been, it was over. __ Joe opened his eyes to a pitch-black sky above. He groaned as pain surged up his arm, forcing him to roll onto his side.

"Don't move," Corel said softly from beside him. She knelt down, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Try not to move," she added, easing him onto his back.

"What happened?" was all he could manage. His memory was a blur; he only recalled passing out.

"What is that thing in your arm?" Veda asked sharply from somewhere nearby. Joe couldn't see her, and he was too sore to turn his head.

"Oh," he said weakly.

"What do you mean oh?" Veda snapped.

"Veda. Do you have to do this now? Let him rest," Corel pleaded, her voice calm but firm. Veda ignored her.

"No. He needs to explain now. That thing," She gestured toward Joe's arm.

"It didn't just drain my mana, it made it disappear. Gone. That should be impossible." The two locked eyes, tension heavy in the air. Joe raised a hand, drawing their attention. His second mana bar flashed empty. That must've been partially the cause of his black-out, its sudden depletion when his arm popped. But what had made his mana vanish entirely? Was it pulled into the void? He wondered. He tried to focus, but his thoughts were sluggish.

"Veda," he said, his voice low and unguarded.

"What exactly happened?" Veda recounted everything that had happened while he'd been unconscious. When she finished, she curled up in Corel's lap, no longer angry, just silent. Joe shut his eyes. He tried to make sense of it all, but only one thought lingered. There was something inside that void. Something that could destroy… mana. Something dangerous. Shit. What had he gotten himself into? After a while, Joe sat up. The pain gone, at least physically, he felt much better.

"Do either of you remember the eye? From the mana convergence?" he asked quietly. Corel and Veda both shook their heads. They didn't remember. Had their memories been erased, as his had been after bonding with Rose? Was the system shielding them from whatever that thing was? Joe tried to recall the event more clearly. As the memories came together, so did the realization of just how reckless he'd been. What had possessed him to reach into the void like that? He barely understood how his Space Jump even worked.

He was stumbling blind through things he didn't understand, grasping at straws in the most dangerous way possible.

"Promise me something," Veda said softly.

"I understand you want to learn more space skills. But whatever that thing is in your arm…" She trailed off, her voice heavy.

"I've never felt anything so dangerous before. Please… be careful." Joe nodded slowly. He regretted ever touching that void. It had saved his life at that moment, but now, something incomprehensible was lodged inside him. And he had no idea what it meant.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do," he mumbled.

"Rest now. You'd better pray that thing doesn't open up again," Veda said. Joe just nodded again, eyes closing as he slowly drifted off to sleep. Joe awoke the following morning, relieved to find his body in tip top shape. He sat up slowly and glanced around. He was outside, and alone, which was good. He needed a quiet moment to think. Activating both his sight skills, he focused on his arm. The combined effect gave him a kind of x-ray vision, he could see the mana in the air and within his own body.

Everywhere, that is, except his arm. What he saw there made him pause. The entire inside of his arm was now crisscrossed with tiny, white vine-like cracks. They pulsed gently, as if alive. At the centre, the void swirled, only now it was wrapped in a delicate web of glowing white threads. It looked like a net, containing something. The void itself rotated slowly, like a whirlpool of darkness dotted with tiny specks of light. It reminded him of images he'd seen of distant galaxies. Beautiful. Mesmerizing.

And deeply unsettling. He felt no immediate threat, no pain. Whatever this was, it wasn't hurting him, at least, not right now. He glimpsed his two mana bars, full and restored. Maybe that new web around the void was stabilising it, preventing it from destroying his mana. Did it destroy mana? Was that even the right word for what happened? Veda had described it as making her mana disappear. Mana annihilation, maybe? He shuddered at the thought. This was beyond his understanding. He was completely out of his depth.

He got to his feet just as Veda stepped out of the house and made her way toward him. She eyed him cautiously, her gaze lingering on his arm before she stopped a few steps away. Sitting, like a curious cat.

"You scared to touch me now?" he said, attempting a joke, though the thought was starting to worry him too.

"I don't like whatever is happening to you," she replied flatly.

"Your arm is empty. It's… scary." For maybe the first time since he'd met her, Joe saw real fear and confusion on her face. Veda was scared, and he couldn't blame her.

"It's not dangerous. At least right now anyway," Joe shrugged, trying to ease the tension.

"If you want we can cut it off and burn it."

"Don't be silly. That would make a horrible smell," Veda said with a faint smile. She leaned back and sprang onto his shoulder. Joe let out a soft sigh of relief as she settled into place. Her tail brushed his arm, then quickly recoiled, wrapping around his chest instead. He made a mental note not to let that arm touch her for a while. His thoughts drifted as he stepped back inside the house, stomach growling, ready to deal with more manageable problems, like food.