Second World

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I laid this on you. I don't know what got into me. You must think of me as an emotional person," Wilted said.

"It's okay to be emotional," Jack said. "As for Joe, he was robbed of those luxuries when the world turned. Yet, he stays with you. I think that means something."

"Yes… I'm grateful to him for that," Wilted said. "What I have against is the pretentious people. He has proven himself to be not one of those people, so he was okay."

"Perhaps it was because he had entered your world, the world of the mundane, that he became the way he is. Perhaps he was, as you said, had a taste, and he liked it. Not that he liked having less. I think what he found to his liking was the company, you, and your partner. I think that's why he stuck with you instead of his sister when the world turned."

Wilted didn't say anything to Jack's words.

"I understand your feelings. What happened to your family was indeed horrible," Jack continued. "I believe everyone always has a choice whether they are wealthy or poor. Yes, the wealthy have more options because they have access to many things the poor don't have, but there is always an option. I don't mean to criticize your dad, but if it is me, I believe there will always be a way out as long as we have our hands and feet."

"Easy for you to say," Wilted said. "Wait until you are fifty years old."

"Uh… Maybe you should have said, wait until I am fifty years old and have nothing. I mean, I am a king. Even if I am fifty years old, I will still be having a good life… If we don't lose this war, that is."

Wilted chuckled in response. "You are very much like him, you know."

"Who?" Jack asked.

"My partner. He was always cheery and optimistic. I don't think I would have been able to continue living after what happened to my family if not for him."

"Oh? Your partner was also your childhood friend?" Jack asked.

"He was my schoolmate. After learning about my situation, he begged his family to take me in. If not for him, I would have lived on the streets."

"No child service came to your aid?" Jack asked.

"If your country had child service, yours was better developed than mine," Wilted answered.

"I see. Well, it's getting very late already. We are going to continue our march early tomorrow. Will you be joining our march?" Jack asked.

"I won't miss the chance of taking Master down. Of course, I will join. There is no longer a need for me to disrupt him from behind the shadow. Time to face him directly."

"Great, then we will depart together tomorrow morning," Jack said and stood up. The moment he did, Peniel slapped his head.

"Ouch…! What is this for this time?" Jack complained.

"I've been quiet throughout all your talk, but I can't believe you truly forget," Peniel rolled her eyes.

"Forget what?" Jack asked while massaging his head.

"That stone in your bag!" Peniel exclaimed.

"What sto… Oh…! That stone…!" Jack came to a realization.

"What stone?" It was Wilted who asked.

"I don't know. It is just a stone with a weird description. Doesn't seem to do anything but I also can't get rid of it. The description says to give this stone to you," Jack answered. An ordinary-looking stone appeared in his hand. "It is called Chris Memory Stone."

"Wait! Did you say Chris…?" Wilted asked with wide eyes.

"Oh? You know the name?" Jack asked.

"Give it to me!" Wilted exclaimed. It was almost as if she lunged at Jack to snatch the stone from Jack's hand.

"Uh… It's all yours, lady," Jack said. He was rather taken aback by Wilted's eagerness.

Wilted held the stone in her hand. She used her Inspect. The description was as Jack mentioned. "What does it do?" She asked Jack.

"Uh…," Jack didn't know what to say. Didn't he just say that he had no idea what the stone was for?

While the two were in puzzlement, the stone abruptly shone.

"What…?" Both Jack, Peniel, and Wilted were surprised by the turn of events. Wilted even dropped the stone to the floor. The glow from the stone was directed at one side. On that side, a holographic image of a man appeared.

"Ch…Chris…?" Wilted said in surprise. Her voice was trembling as she called the image that appeared. "You… You are alive…?"

The hologram man smiled gently at Wilted's words. He spoke, "Mae, it's good to see you again. Unfortunately, if you receive this stone, it means I am no longer among the living."

"What… What do you mean…?"

"That stone was what I left for you in case something happened to me," The hologram man whom Wilted called Chris replied.

"Do you know this person?" Jack asked.

"He… He is… He was my partner," Wilted answered. "He was the main designer of this game world."

"I see you have a friend. Storm Wind, is it? Were you the one who had gotten my stone?" Chris asked.

"Oh? You can inspect me? I thought you were just a memory left behind by a deceased person?" Jack asked.

"I'm a memory with consciousness. A.I. business, you know. However, my capacity to answer your question is limited. If the two of you have any inquiries, you can ask. I will answer them to the best of my ability."

"I have a ton of them. Since you asked, I won't hold back," Jack said. "Firstly…"

"You said you leave behind this stone in case something happened to you. That means you already know about the possible danger!" Wilted shouted.

"Okay, lady first…," Jack said.

"You know about Apollyon's scheme!" Wilted continued. "Why did you let him do this? Why didn't you just erase all the changes he made to the system? Why did you let him turn our world?"

"I knew about his scheme earlier than everyone else. Why did I let him? Because, my dear, this world is our child. We designed it. If Apollyon can turn our imaginary child into a real one, why did I want to fight him?"