Death Get's Taught a Lesson: Chapter 21

Jack was currently staring out into the nothingness of space wondering what was going on with his life. He was just told that he had a dead guy's heart in his chest and now he was standing in front of a giant tree waving its branches about like a little kid.

Mysterious Man "This thing hasn't changed at all."

The man was patting the tree's leaves as if petting it was a dog.

Jack was lost at this. He was still inside his memory but now there was the giant tree from before he passed out as well.

Mysterious Man "We are most likely in a space created by the world tree. Kind of similar to the spirit realm but not… weird."

Jack "Wait, how is that possible and also you said you are dead so how am I seeing you?"

Mysterious Man "I couldn't tell you, I died when the empire fell so it has been quite a while."

Jack "Why do I have your heart then?"

Mysterious Man "I cannot tell you that as it concerns higher powers than me."

Jack "Quite useless from some old wise guy."

The man just glanced at Jack and scoffed slightly making Jack a little angry. He had no clue who it even was and was baffled at the fact that he could treat a tree like a pet.

Jack "So what can you tell me?"

Mysterious Man "That me and you are somehow related to one another."

Jack "You know my parents?"

Mysterious Man "Not that kind of related but something different. I can't put my finger on it."

Jack "You are quite useless."

The Mysterious Man mumbled a few words and something came out of his shadow. It looked slightly similar to Bellivir but also had a much stronger aura.

Jack "Is that Bellivir?"

The man raised an eyebrow at Jack's words. He was surprised that Jack could know his oldest shadow. The one who had been with him from the beginning.

Mysterious Man "How do you know Bellivir?"

Jack "He is my shadow soldier."

The man nodded at this; it was quite similar to what he had gone through before.

Mysterious Man "Well we still have a few months in here so why doesn't this "old man" show you some things."

Jack "As if I need help from you old fart."

The Man moved faster than Jack could see and suddenly there was a dagger at his neck. This made all the hair on his neck stand up. He then fell down to his butt and shook his head to get rid of the fear he felt at that moment.

Jack "I still don't believe you."

Mysterious Man "Then let me show you. First lesson, do not believe in everything that you see and trust no one."

The man reached his hand out and when Jack grabbed it his sight turned to dark and the good memory he was enjoying was suddenly gone.

Suddenly his sight was back and he could now see a paved road similar to the ones he would see back on earth but they were made of random sized stones. Jack's body suddenly looked up but he was in no control of it. It was as if he was seeing through the eyes of someone else, almost like when he looked through the eyes of his shadows. He stood up and began walking but it was more of a limp than a walk. He felt his leg had been stabbed by something and was bleeding. All the people around him looked at him with disgust and said slurs at him. This continued for a few minutes when he reached a small house when he opened the door there was a little girl there that greeted him but she only looked at him with a blank face.

He then headed upstairs and that was when someone came into the room that he went into. It was a man that had a whip. From then on he could feel the pain with every crack of the whip. This made him feel enraged but also sad.

The day after he left the house with only the clothes on his back and a leather bag. He then met a woman who took him in and treated him kindly but she also only used him and attempted to sell him as a slave. He had run from her escaping by the skin of his teeth. He had met an old man but the second night after he started to trust him the old man attempted to do unspeakable things to him which he had also escaped from just barely.

This was the entirety of the memory that Jack was living through. It had felt as if he was living someone else's life. His sight then turned black and he was brought into a white space with only the child-like tree and the Man.

Jack "What was that?"

Mysterious Man "That was the first lesson, now we move onto the second one stand up."

Jack then stood up but the second he did the Man knocked him down instantly.

Jack "What was that for?"

Mysterious Man "Second lesson, Never stop getting up, the second you do is the second you forfeit everything you have."

Jack then stood back up but this time he tried to dodge the man but failed.

This continued for hours if not days but everytime Jack tried to get up the Man would knock him down with even more strength.

Jack "What is the point of this?"

Mysterious Man "You must face all danger head on so that the ones who you are so desperate to protect do not fall."

Jack "But I have nothing left to protect."

Mysterious Man "Oh if only you knew."

Jack raised an eyebrow but then he suddenly burst forward trying to get the jump on the Man.

Mysterious Man "Good you're getting the hang of it."

Jack was once again on his butt but this time he was determined to knock the Man down once.

- - - - -

Jack was now panting after finally getting the Man to take a step back.

The man continued to knock Jack down for an entire month.

Jack "This is pointless."

Mysterious Man "You say it is pointless but have never known what true despair is. You do not know how difficult it is to stand up after losing those who you cherished so dearly in your heart. You will need the things I am going to teach you more than you could ever imagine. You will face enemies stronger than you could ever think of. They will be able to break through your plans that you may have worked so desperately to come up with. They will ruin everything you have ever loved and cared about. They will cause you to feel despair that could ruin any man. If you would ever like to see some light at the end of the tunnel, listen to me and I will teach you to survive."