Chương 125: 124 - Divergence

Kam's hand closed around her sleeve, tugging hard. Nobody moved. Alfred's jaw had gone tight, his composed mask cracking at the edges. Heber stood frozen mid-step, eyes darting between Alexandra and the old Keeper. Willow's mouth hung slightly open. Jenna, for her part, looked delighted.

"Yeah! Tell them."

"You too, Jenna. Shut the fuck up," Alexandra said, her voice level. Jenna rolled her eyes.

"Rude."

"Why are you here?" Alexandra asked.

"To see you. Why else?" Jenna took a step toward her.

"We haven't seen each other in a century. Well, I guess it was only a decade for you, but that's still a while, isn't it?"

"Drop the act." Jenna shook her head.

"Fine. I came to take you out of here. You don't want to stand between Raymond and Lila. Those two idiots will play you to death."

"And you're better?"

"I like to think so."

"Veil Sealer," Alfred spoke up.

"We were in the process of teleporting her to a low-level zone. Your intervention was unnecessary." Jenna turned to him.

"You think I didn't notice your shitty formation. Sloppy work."

"It would have worked perfectly fine," Alfred protested.

"That's neither here nor there. Such mediocre work is an insult to the art."

"You can't be serious…" Jenna tapped her foot on the remains of the circle.

"I've never been more serious. Do you think formations are about shiny powder and fancy drawings?" She spat on the ground.

"Ignoramus."

"I'm perfectly aware of the nature of formations. I admit that my ability to manifest them pales in comparison to yours, but that is no reason to disrespect me." Jenna rolled her eyes.

"Manifest a formation? Please. Who uses the word in the context of formation?" Alexandra let Jenna and Alfred bicker. She turned to Kam and spoke softly.

"You can let go." The boy released his grip on her sleeve. She exchanged a look with Willow. The girl didn't speak, but her lips moved all the same. Alexandra got the message.

"Are you two done?" she asked, silencing the room once more. Alfred coughed.

"Indeed, we should focus on the matter at hand. It is most urgent to get Alexandra and her friends to a low-level zone before The Magus returns." He sighed.

"Alas, the teleportation circle is ruined. Setting up a new one will take too much time. I suggest we delay—" Jenna groaned.

"Enough yapping. I, of course, have a better formation to offer. Instant teleportation to a low-level zone. One hundred percent accuracy. Absolute safety."

"What's the catch?" Alexandra asked.

"That's the best part, there's no catch!" Alexandra stared at Jenna, making it clear she didn't believe her.

"I swear," Jenna added.

"Come on, Alex, you know me."

"I knew the past you. Seeing how Raymond changed, how can I trust you?"

"I mean…" Jenna started, her words trailing.

"What?"

"You were about to trust that guy." She pointed to Alfred.

"I'm a bit offended you'd pick him over me." Alexandra looked at Alfred.

"Be mindful of your words," the Keeper said. Alexandra rubbed her eyebrows.

"Okay. So. You both want to send me to a low-level zone. I want to go to a low-level zone. I think we're all on the same page here. Let's get to it." If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"Wait," Jenna said.

"I want full credit."

"Why?"

"It will annoy Lila and Raymond." Jenna smiled at Alfred.

"You won't take that away from me, right?" The old man shrugged.

"I'd rather not be publicly involved. It suits me." He looked at Alexandra.

"Our intended destination was Hanton. Can you direct a teleportation there?"

"Of course I can." Jenna smiled.

"But I won't."

"Okay, any low-level zone will do," Alexandra said.

"Let's stop wasting time."

"Miss Alexandra, we selected Hanton for a good reason—" Alexandra raised her hand.

"Alfred, I appreciate your help, but let's be realistic." She turned to Jenna.

"I hope you're not fucking with me." Jenna's smile widened.

"Not yet. I have bigger fish to fry." Alexandra looked back at Willow. The girl's gaze was darting between her and her ancestor, clearly unsure of how to act. Jenna's presence made her uncomfortable, much like Raymond would.

"Your formation," Alexandra said to Jenna, turning her back on the old Keeper.

"Where does it go?"

"The Gray Basin," Jenna said, leaning back.

"Deep west. The tier ceiling is enforced by the local topography itself. Perfect for someone who wants to spend a few months or years grinding without a supervisor." Alexandra raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? The topography?"

"I believe I can answer that question, if you'll allow me," Alfred said. Jenna nodded.

"The Gray Basin is a crater surrounded by mountains. For reasons we have not figured out yet, the ambient mana there is extremely thin, making it very uncomfortable for Ruby ranks and above to enter." He paused.

"Though I must say, it is only uncomfortable. Not impossible. Still, the region was designated as a low-level area. So even platinum ranks won't bother you there." Alexandra understood that the extra restriction didn't make much of a difference. If a Ruby was ready to break the law to get to her, would they care about some discomfort?

"Anything else?" Alfred hesitated.

"Compared to Hanton, the Gray Basin is more isolated. You'll have less access to outside resources. It's not a bad place to hone your skills." She looked at Willow and Kam.

"Are you two good with that?" Kam nodded. Willow looked at her grandfather.

"I don't think we have a choice."

"Then let's go." The room was silent. Jenna grinned, her teeth flashing white in the dim light. She stepped past Alfred, her heavy cloak dragging across the shattered lines on the stone floor.

"Perfect," Jenna said, snapping her fingers.

"I love an audience that knows when to stop talking." She raised her arm, her hand curling into a loose fist before snapping open. There was no chanting, no drawing of elaborate circles, and no slow gathering of ambient energy. Jenna simply willed it, and the air inside the room warped violently. Alexandra felt her boots lose contact with the ground.

"Have fun!" Jenna laughed, her voice booming unnaturally against the stone walls.

"I'll see you soon, Alex!" The world went dark, then reassembled itself in a fraction of a second. *"There. Done." Jenna dusted off her hands.

"You may leave now," Alfred said. Right, the old man was still there. Well, no matter. She was done with her task. How she'd like to see Raymond's face, but she knew he wouldn't let her have this pleasure. Lame. But that's how he was. At least, she would be able to taunt Lila. All she needed was to take a little detour via Goldharbor before going home. Yes, that could be arranged.

"Well, Alfred, I'll see you soon," she said.

"My name is Alfred, and hopefully we won't see each other anytime soon."

"We will, Alphonse." She smiled.

"We will." She pulled on a second formation to teleport out of the Iron Library and started walking toward the village of Greenwall.

"Okay, pick up the girl, quick trip to Goldharbor, then I'll pay Jade and Lucas a visit at the Abyssal Fissure. It's time to shake things up a bit." * After sending Heber away, Alfred got to work cleaning up the remains of his formation. It was ruined, but many of the materials he'd used were salvageable. It would be a waste not to. Despite the protests from his lower back, he bent down and started sifting the elements. Where most would use a spell to do the job, he preferred his hands.

There was something about manual labor that couldn't be replicated. He felt closer to his work. Closer to the truth. Hours later, he was still kneeling when he felt someone appear behind him.

"Is it done?" It was Raymond. Alfred stood up and turned to face The Magus.

"Yes. The Veil Sealer appeared, as you predicted. Her destination of choice was the Gray Basin."

"Acceptable." Raymond nodded.

"You did well." Alfred bowed slightly.

"You made the right decision, not fighting her departure." Raymond sighed.

"When something isn't working, one must know when to stop. I was too arrogant, thinking that my perfect memory was enough to stop time from tainting me."

"You are not the person you were a century ago. That is only natural. Though I'm still not sure why you had to send her away."

"My hope of making her an ally is not dead. But an unwilling ally is worse than an enemy. She will come back on her own when she sees my sincerity. It might take a while, but it will happen."

"Sincerity…" Alfred said.

"I'm doing this for her own good." Raymond turned around.

"In time, she will realize." Alfred watched him leave before returning to his work. He knelt back down and picked up a fine layer of silver powder. In his palm, he carefully separated the precious metal from the dust. As he did, for the millionth time, he wondered what the Seven were thinking when they summoned those people to save them. Perhaps the answer to this question was what separated him from divinity. Perhaps.