Penultimate Days

Stunned, Jean sat for a moment before realizing why.

M explained, "As I told you earlier, each time someone like you comes here, a disaster follows. To combat this, Vespucc has a unit of elites specifically dedicated to eradicating those like you. I should be able to keep you safe here, but their presence in the University is far more pronounced than the area nearby, where it is virtually nonexistent."

"So you're trying to protect me? Why? What makes you care?"

"... That is a complicated question. Or, no, I suppose it's a simple question, but the answer is complicated... It's a mix of a few things, but that doesn't matter right now. The easiest explanation is that you're a useful source of information on your world."

"Alright, that makes sense. I can accept that, but what about the future? Do I just sit here forever? Just rely on you until I die?"

M paused to consider the possibilities. "It is possible to get you out of here, but not yet. I can't tell you how long it'll take, but it may be a while, depending on you."

"Depending on me? What do you mean?"

"You can get out of here, but unless you have some advanced magic at your disposal, you won't get far, and particularly not in areas with higher Vespuccian presence. Living in the Hegemony could protect you to an extent because they don't have a unit dedicated to destroying people like you, but a lowered Vespuccian presence doesn't mean that they aren't there, and although the Hegemony doesn't dedicate any resources to tracking you down, if they find you, they will still kill you."

"What about the wilderness? On the map you showed me, it looked like the borders of some of the nations East of Vespucc and the Hegemony were uncertain, and even if those nations want to kill me, they can't have as many people as Vespucc, so there should be some unoccupied places I can go, right?"

"Maybe but maybe not. Vespucc's forces are everywhere. None of those nations are superpowers of any kind, so they can't pose a threat to the status quo yet, but who's to say that it will stay that way forever? Vespucc hasn't kept their power for so long by being idle. Any option you take has risk, but you'll need some level of self-defense and protection no matter where you go."

"So, I can leave after I learn magic."

"You could also go the martial route for self-defense, but yes. If magic is what you want to learn, then I'll teach you, and you can leave, but you can only leave if I can keep tabs on you. I need to make sure you remain docile and don't become another disaster."

"Can't I do that on my own? I mean, making sure I don't kill anybody or whatever."

"No, not exactly. We don't know what it is that entices people like you to commit such horrible acts, so I can't leave you alone. Not entirely. What I can do when you become proficient enough in magic is give you what is essentially a clone of me, or at least my consciousness. It will report to me what it sees, but you have to be the one to sustain it. This is the only condition under which I can let you leave, so you need magic not only to defend yourself but also for my trust. Do you understand?"

By this point, M had entirely given up on playing it safe to keep Jean from running away and decided to fully give in to his desire to come clean and tell the truth. There was very little he would keep from Jean now.

"You want me to keep a camera on me at all times just for your viewing pleasure, then? That does not sound appealing," Jean noted dryly.

"I wouldn't expect it to, but it's the only choice we have. Frankly, you should be dead. If I were acting like I think I should be, I would have already killed you. You're a risk, and the longer you live, the more likely it is that my worst fears are proven true." He sighed. "However, you do not seem to be violent. As far as I can tell, after our initial scuffle, you've proven to be honest and extremely intelligent. Far more than what is typical, so I've decided to bet on the possibility that you may be able to resist whatever draws others of your kind to destroy so much."

"If you're betting on that, then why can't I just leave?"

"Because I need a failsafe. Letting you live is extremely irresponsible of me. If I'm betting wrong, then I am dooming an untold number of lives for the sake of personal curiosity and your life. I don't want to kill you, either. I hate it, so maybe I'm just making excuses to myself to satiate my soft heart, but so be it. This is the limit of my goodwill."

"That's not a very high limit," Jean muttered, trying to hide his thoughts from M but still express his frustrations. M's limit was actually extremely high, though, and Jean was simply being immature because he was frustrated. M had given him a place to stay, was teaching him to speak naturally, would teach him magic, was giving him advice, fed him, healed him, was genuinely trying to find a way to help him, and more. Luckily, however, Jean's comment escaped M's ears.

After establishing limits, M released Jean's shackles, seeing as he didn't need to restrain him anymore, and asked him to stay while he explained the situation to his family. 

Slowly, after multiple hours, M allowed him to come up and see his family, and although the atmosphere was slightly awkward, M managed to smooth it over between his family and Jean and clear things up as much as he could. Yun was extremely wary, but the boys were perfectly fine, if a little on their toes. Lin was somewhere in-between.

It was early morning now, so the rest of the family, with the exception of M and Jean, started their regular chores. Yun was mostly in charge of keeping the house itself in order, managing the cooks, helping them cook, cleaning, managing the maids, and so on. Lin jointly managed the finances with Li because Li was more cerebral than his brothers, though Lin had less to do with it because she was more busy managing the other staff with her mother as well.

The other three were normally training or out on a mission of some kind. They were asked to find something, gather information, and so on. Li was the exception among the boys because he was his father's apprentice and was learning magic, which is why M didn't require him to be as physically fit for defense. Li could use magic to defend himself, so he had little use for physical might.

Jean and M headed to the study, though, to continue Jean's tutelage, where they finished the basics of Asc's first alphabet and phonetics before beginning the basic vocabulary. This was all done before 16:00 (4 pm), so M also began to introduce him to the basics of magic with a few elementary practices.

Ecstasy lined Jean's face as he watched lights dance and intertwine with themselves only to separate again in an explosion of mystique. Dinner came soon after, though, and it went like it had last time, though there was no wrestling exhibition this time, and the conversation was slightly more subdued. Gao and Zhang were also missing, as they had been sent to the Hegemony for something.

The day passed like it had yesterday, but when Jean went to sleep, he was locked back into the chair like before so that he wouldn't experience any of the side effects of his dreams. But when he lost consciousness... he slept like a baby would, perfectly calm. And when he awoke, he was completely refreshed.

After the next several days being the same, they assumed that his nocturnal treks through the abyss were over, not that Jean had any problems with that. M was slightly disappointed but glad he wouldn't have to keep Jean alive every time he slept.

Over the next week, Jean grew increasingly proficient in speaking their peculiar language of Asc. It had several abnormal conventions, but with Jean's experience, it was easier than expected. He was finally able to hold unsteady conversations and had a place at their table when they exchanged their regular banter.

With this, they were finally able to grow closer through jokes, teasing one another, and general good intentions. Jean's poor control of the language was novel to the boys, and they became the best of friends nearly overnight.

Lin was still wary of him, but Yun began to see the good in him, ever so slowly, reversing their positions. Now, M's daughter was distant, while his wife was beginning to see him like one of their sons.