The Jester of Apocalypse

Dukean was initially full of questions and curiosities, but when Neave started talking about the loop, he grew silent. They spent the next few hours with Neave recapping everything that had happened to him since he touched the hell tome.

Once he finally caught up with what he was doing, Dukean pinched his forehead, fighting off a massive headache. Rather than pressure him to respond, Neave just sat there and waited.

Eventually, Dukean spoke.

“Why wouldn’t you want to become the disciple of a god?”

Neave was surprised neither at the casual question nor the calm tone with which Dukean asked it. It made sense. There wasn’t a way to react ‘appropriately’ to Neave’s story.

The recap of all that had happened to him was so bat shit insane that all of the implications and shocks ended up canceling each other out.

“It’s simple. I have two reasons why. The first is the underground chamber. Astrador said I won’t like what’s waiting for me down there, but he never said that going there would be bad for me.”

“Perhaps that’s what he meant when he said that?”

“No. There is simply no way. Astrador loves strategically using soul oaths as a tool for bargaining. He would wager that statement on a soul oath if he truly thought or knew that going down there would be bad for me. Given that he hadn’t done that, going down there has to be either neutral or good.” Neave’s expression darkened, “But I’ll bet whatever you want that he isn’t stopping me from going down there for my protection.”

“What’s your second reason?”

Neave hesitated.

“I… I don’t know. I have this feeling that gods aren’t that good. Whoever is manipulating my mind clearly thinks that too, which makes things even more complicated. Where do my thoughts end and manipulation begins? Well, that issue aside, I also simply don’t like Astrador. The moment he spotted that I possessed knowledge he wanted, he unhesitantly subjected me to immense agony. That alone is enough to refuse to be his disciple.”

“Fair enough. I will be fully transparent with you, Neave. After this conversation, I fully believe that getting involved with you is the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.”

Neave grinned upon hearing that.

“So, do you wish to cut ties?”

Dukean smirked.

“Hell no.”

“So, that settles that then. Either way, I have a request for you. I’ve explained what I’m doing here. I need help.”

“Help you shall receive. First, I fully agree with your assessment of the situation. If they are truly alive, these obsidian plants are your greatest bet for creating a sustainable ecosystem.”

“...But?”

“It’s just going to take a lot of work. There is one other small thing I would like to point out, as well.”

“What?”

“We don’t know exactly how this place works. Let me present you with a hypothetical scenario. You enter this realm, eject all of the life force in your body, and are returned to reality. Then, in reality, you find yourself again in possession of all of the life force you have just ejected. Then you return to this place again, bringing the same life force inside. See the problem?”

Neave gaped.

“Infinite life force.”

“Precisely. The only scenario where that would make any sense is if this place were an illusion. But if that’s the case… Are there any limits to it? What if the structure of whatever phenomenon keeps this place together begins falling apart under the burden of handling an illusory, planet-wide ecosystem?”

“... Fuck.”

“Fuck, indeed. Can you recall the details of the original curse?”

“I know what you’re getting at, and no. There was no way to tell whether the loop was real or imaginary. Even then, there is no indication whether this place works by the same principles.” Neave aggressively scratched the back of his head, “Fucking hell, what is happening here? I’ve been so used to crazy shit that I just took it at face value, but isn’t this insane?”

“Are you seriously just now realizing how mad your situation is?”

“Fair point. So what do I do then? Do I continue?”

“You’re putting quite the burden on my shoulders by asking that.” Dukean sighed, “My opinion is that you should continue, but cautiously. You have a powerful perception power, right?”

Neave nodded.

“Then you should be able to tell early if the realm begins falling apart. Right now, while I agree with your decision, there is another thing you should do.”

“Hmm?”

“Bring your allies in here with you.”

Neave paused.

“Why?”

“You can provide them with the same advantage you’ve had. Having allies would be an excellent way to prepare yourself for the messenger coming for you.”

Neave laughed.

“Advantage? I plan to spend hundreds of years inside this realm at a time. That is an incomprehensively massive advantage if you’re just looking at the time. Consider the implications, though.” Dukean winced at the change in Neave’s eyes, “Do you believe they will be able to handle that?”

Rather than taking it back, Dukean doubled down on his argument. “Yes. I believe they will handle it perfectly fine.”

“Well, I think they would go insane.”

“I think you’re wrong.”

“Do you know how it feels to spend an unfathomable amount of time trapped within a realm where you’re merely waiting to die?”

“They wouldn’t be trapped and wouldn’t be merely waiting to die. You’re comparing this to what you’ve experienced within the loop, but it would be entirely different. They would be in here with several others, getting more powerful and working toward a common goal. Even if you don’t want them to accompany you in here countless times, you should still take them at least once.”

“Why?”

“You call those people your allies, but where is the alliance? Back then, I’ve witnessed a man that ignored everyone else's existence, a girl that pretended not to be there, a boy that held deep hatred toward you, and you all collectively didn’t even notice that your bloody sect master was missing.”

“They’re the best allies I’ve ever had!”

Dukean gave Neave a pitying look, and Neave scoffed.

“I’m joking. Look, Dukean, I get what you’re trying to say, but there is no point. Even my initial reasons for taking them along and playing sect aren’t more important than facing this heavenly messenger.”

“What were your reasons for ‘playing sect’?”

Neave paused.

“I… Why is this sounding more and more like an interrogation? This is a waste of time.”

“You know you’ve fully explained how this place works, right? Even if we spent years talking, it wouldn’t be a waste of time.”

Neave groaned. He wanted to dismiss Dukean and continue his experiments, but for some reason, he felt strangely vulnerable in front of this young man. Was it because he spilled his heart out about everything that happened to him ever since he touched the tome?

Dukean smiled.

“Take your time and think about it. I understand that having some mysterious force manipulate your mind makes it difficult to tell what you want. That is hard even without the complications you’re faced with. However, I believe in you, Neave. Deep within, you desire something very simple, very human. You just haven’t realized it yet.”

“Can we please change the subject?” Neave rebuked in a weirdly defensive tone. 

Dukean nodded, “I have an offer for you. Perhaps I can help you with the trouble you’re faced with.” 

“How?”

“Make me as powerful as you can. I will bring you the monster cores myself. I only want you to round them up. Then, when the messenger comes, I will protect you.” Dukean grinned.

Neave snorted.

“You arrogant asshole. That’s not going to be so simple.”

“Oh, really? Doesn’t most of your power come from spirit powers? The thing is, you’re still at the beginning of the foundation realm. If I had a set of powers like yours, I’d probably be powerful enough to face even Astrador.”

Neave scoffed.

“You couldn’t attain a set of spirit powers like mine.”

“Why not? You just have to round up the cores, and I have to defeat the trials.”

Neave giggled as he explained his ability to modify his own spirit realm. Dukean’s eyes widened as he listened to Neave’s explanation.

“Ho–Holy… Alright, you have a point there. I will certainly never be able to do that much. You should still assist me in getting more powerful, though.”

“Honestly, why should I? What do I get out of that?”

It was Dukean’s time to giggle now.

“The Emperor’s library may be one of the most valuable sources of knowledge in this entire realm. But! What is available publicly to anyone capable of paying for it pales in comparison to the private library of my family.”

“You’re assuming I even care about that type of knowledge.”

“Yes, I assume you would care about a book that details the optimal way to strengthen plants with fragile life force.”

Neave perked up. Moments before they entered here, he had read through quite a few books on herbology. Digging through them, he hadn’t found anything capable of doing what Dukean was saying. He had numerous ideas on circumventing that, but a book that held the answer outright was preferable.

“Deal then.”

There was no reason to refuse.

Dukean grinned.

“What do you suggest we do before we leave this place?”

Neave thought about it.

“We don’t have as much time as you think, Dukean. You’ll starve to death or dehydrate rather soon in here. There is no water, and your dimension ring is gone.”

That realization was quite unpleasant for Dukean. Sure, he could survive for months if he didn’t drain himself too much, given that he was on the second step of the golden path…

…But that would make the process of starvation longer and significantly more agonizing.

“How about it? Try yourself out and see precisely how strong your willpower is. I dare you.”

Well… He couldn’t back out of that one, could he?