“How trustworthy is this source?”
“A lot, I would say.”
“And how certain you are of this?”
Even with all of us standing and facing each other, it felt like an interrogation. I could very much be sitting in a chair, cuffed with my feet tied together, while Kurosawa kept shooting his questions at me.
It feels like I’m his cheating wife and not his employee, seriously…
However, I could see his point.
Park Eun-Woo had worked with Kaduna in the previous trial and received enough help from her to know she didn’t seem like someone who would lie about something like that.
Kurosawa Touma had only seen the woman once, amidst all the chaos of the wedding ceremony, and had no idea of the type of person Kaduna was. The actual extent and intensity of the aura she exhaled.
“I’m certain. She has nothing to gain from lying about this, and this information matches what I heard from Quinn. About having three more places like this.”
“If this source is right, and the tournament will be broadcast…this means someone will be watching. Likely other participants like us, right?” Aída spoke, walking closer to us. “Because if they want others to watch us competing…”
Neither of us finished her sentence, even though we had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to say. There were a few options for why the system would broadcast us to the other three areas, so that other participants could see us fight.
None of them were good reasons for us.
“…do you think you can contact that woman again?” Kurosawa spoke without turning to me, his eyes looking far away.
“You mean Quinn?” When he nodded, I suppressed a curse. I was pretty sure I could contact her again, yet the price she would demand… “What would you like to ask?”
Kurosawa finally met my gaze, his arms still crossed. “We need more information about these other islands. If our assumption about the Courts being the same as the cards’ suits, and if that woman spoke true about us visiting all four, knowing what the others are facing in those places could help us prepare.”
“Or if she could tell us if there has been similar broadcast. And for what purpose,” Aída added, her hand going for the necklace around her neck, the one I gave her. And somehow the gesture made me happy.
Stop being so petty, Eun-Woo…
“I can ask—yet I can’t guarantee she will be willing to help us. Last time she offered, her demands were…things that could bring future liabilities.”
Even with my explanation, the boss didn’t bat an eye.
“Do it.”
I sighed, starting to write the message. Yet the moment I tried to send it—
[You do not meet the requirements for ‘Long Distance Communication’]
Huh?
Even after pressing the button four more times, the same message kept popping in front of me.
Then it clicked.
“They went back…”
My teammates frowned at my words, yet only the man’s eyes became sharper.
“Care to explain in a way we understand?”
“The system won’t let me send the message—it keeps saying I don’t meet the requirements for long-distance communication. But isn’t the way these messages work already a way to communicate long distance with others?”
I saw as their gazes went from confusion to understanding, the light unclouding their gazes bit by bit.
“You believe they returned to the isle they were before?”
“I’m certain. It’s the only option that makes sense,” I closed the notifications, turning to Kurosawa. “Before the last Trial, I was able to message Quinn just fine—because she was still here. Yet Hal mentioned how her group said they only needed to endure this ‘a couple more times’. The Third Trial must have been their last one before they were sent back.”
Aída let out a sigh, leaning against the wall. “That’s our luck, then. It would have been good if we could get more information from her, though…”
A new idea popped into my head, something that was just as silly as it was desperate.
“What if we do a reading?”
Although Aída knew exactly what I was talking about, I could almost see the gears spinning endlessly in Kurosawa Touma’s head.
“A reading?”
“It’s something we did when Eun-Woo hadn’t met the Third Trial requirements yet. It might be worth a try.”
The man looked between me and Aída before his eyes shifted to the air in front of him.
“Would you require a third party?”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Aída straightened her posture, her eyes never wavering as she gave her reply. “We can do this by ourselves, cap.”
He gave a short nod. “Good. I need to attend to some matters with the others. Let me know once you are finished.”
The others…
Thinking about it, it was odd. How the previous members of their group were never present in our meetings, or how I had never seen them again after that first trial. I knew Aída was late for the meeting the other day because of minor complications with them, but…
What exactly was happening?
It didn’t take much to guess something was happening. Some kind of disagreement, perhaps? As Aída and I walked toward the Reading Stone, I kept wondering if I should ask or not. At the same time that it was relevant enough to me, seeing I was being employed by their leader, as I stole glances at the woman beside me…
No matter the way I phrased the question, it felt too personal.
And while I struggled and fought back my own curiosity, Aída broke the silence between us.
Making the choice for me.
“It’s only a disagreement between the others and Cap. You don’t have to worry about it too much.” A weak chuckle escaped her lips when she glanced at me, her voice echoing around the woods as she put a strand of hair behind her ear. “It really wasn’t hard to guess, with all the side glances you’ve been giving me ever since Cap mentioned them.”
“I see…” Even though I laughed, there was no actual relief or lightness in the sound.
That was because I could see all the dark shadows crossing her eyes as she spoke.
And it also wasn’t hard to guess the reason.
“They want to separate from this group…don’t they?” Her silence was my answer.
Given how they were never present whenever Kurosawa held a meeting, and that he was the one actively reaching out to them, it wasn’t difficult to draw this conclusion. Yet as for their reasons… I was completely lost.
“Why? That bastar-I mean, Kurosawa may be one of the most competent participants here, right now. Shouldn’t people be making lines to become part of his group?”
Aída’s voice became softer, almost too gentle. Yet her words, their truth carried so much weight—so many layers and concealed feelings—it gave that kindness in her voice a different tone.
“People do not always act in ways that make sense. Perhaps because, like all things around us, humans can be as perplexing and complex as they are simple.” The next time she met my eyes, I was able to see it clearly.
The sadness behind them.
“So you don’t have to worry about this. As I said, Cap and I will handle it.”
Maybe it was because of my current status. Or maybe, it was because I had been spending enough time with her to understand her a little better. Yet there was something inside me, an inkling, that kept telling me the reason why Aída was saying I shouldn’t worry about their internal conflict was not only because she was kind.
But because I was, somehow, to be blamed for it.
No matter how small that blame could be.
“Are you sure you don’t want to try yourself?”
Aída shook her head, raising both hands as if in resignation.
“Something tells me you are far more fitted to do this than I. I’m sorry I can’t contribute with any cards, though.”
“No need to worry about that.”
Cards, I had plenty.
I stared at the round table, seeing once again the lines carved into the stone. Yet instead of placing the cards on top, as I had done the first time, I touched a particular symbol carved at the table’s corner—almost hidden.
[The current active Spread is ‘Three Cards Reading - Generic’]
[Do you wish to see other Spreads available?]
As I confirmed, a new window appeared in front of me. And although many options were locked to me, there was still a lot I could choose from—only two were free, however.
[Three Cards Reading - The Flow of Time]
[Three Cards Reading - Action & Reaction]
One represented the past, present, and future of a situation. The other would read into a situation’s action and consequence. Neither sounded too appealing to me. I scrolled down, seeing spreads prices going from measly a hundred points to a thousand. Then, right before reaching the end of the ones available to me, a single one caught my eye.
[Blazing Wands]
It used a total of seven cards.
[For those questioning their desires and the course of action that must be taken. What sparks them, what moves them forward, and what will keep them burning]
[Only available for purchase at ?le de Baton]
In the small icon, four cards mirrored each other—two on each side—while the last three cards made a line between the two cards at the bottom, like a two-pronged trident.
It cost 1,000 points.
I glanced at the total points I had, wondering how worth it those readings actually were. How worth that investment was. In my previous life, never once did I believe in things like “reading into my future”. However, this was not the same world as that place. It followed different rules.
And here, these readings actually foretold the future—even if it was one among many possibilities.
After considering the other options, I purchased ‘Blazing Wands’. Not only it looked like the best option I had at the moment, it was also exclusive to this place. Then, it only took me a few more moments to change the active Spread and sort it out seven cards among my current stock, placing them in the only clear space the table had—right in the middle.
[Does Contracted Self Park Eun-Woo wish to read into his future?]
Right before I confirmed, I heard Aída’s voice on my left.
“I decided to participate in the tournament.”
As I turned to her, I saw her staring into the distance. And for a second, I wondered what exactly she was seeing, the things she was thinking, to be making such an expression.
To be filled with so much determination.
“Why?”
She met my gaze, hints of defiance flowing through her words.
“Every Trial we face is a chance to understand what this system wants from us. A chance for us to seek answers and get stronger.” The woman clenched her fists, a new fierceness filling her voice. “If the only way I can improve my skills is by participating in these Trials, so be it. Because I cannot accept a world where the only thing I can do while others fight their way through these cruelties is stand by and watch, powerless.”
Ah, there it is again.
That untainted sense of justice of hers. Its purity and candidness. Something I could only but admire and respect, since its concept was so distant from my reality, it was almost like an otherworldly entity. And though I couldn’t be sure what had prompted her to reveal that to me, I was grateful she did.
Because seeing how bright her sense of justice shone, even after all we had been through, made me feel a bit more hopeful. Even if this hope ended up as another one of my foolish endeavors, it made me grateful.
She averted her gaze then, her eyes locking on the seven cards at the table.
“I thought it could be nice for you to know. Since it may influence the reading, in some way.”
“Ah, y-yes! Thank you for letting me know, I’m glad.”
She smiled then, a smile that was more than enough to make my heart skip a beat. Yet before I could get too much sidetracked by my own delusional dreams, I confirmed the question that was still floating above the stone pillars around us.
[Does Contracted Self Park Eun-Woo wish to read into his future?]
“Yes.”
And the moment I spoke, all seven cards began to glow alongside the purple letters.
Blinding us in their ethereal light as we foolishly hoped to have some of our doubts answered.
ANOTHER CHAPTER FINISHED!!
As always, thank you for everyone supporting this series by giving it the grace of your time and love m(_ _)m This small author is truly grateful to every single one of you.
