Haunted By The Past

June felt like the last bit was a shot directed at him, as if saying he was someone who was cowering away from now having an awakened soul, refusing to accept it as a whole.

Perhaps she was somewhat right. June would be lying if he said he wasn't running away, because in a way, he was. He had promised Dusk to become the last bearer of the Heritage he now held, yet… look at him. 

He hadn't made a single step toward that goal. 

Sure, it hadn't been long at all since he received the Heritage, but that was no excuse.

Right now, he should be mapping out exactly what it is he must achieve... not lingering about in a cafe with two people who he barely knew.

Every moment he wasted doing something other than thinking about the Ark and the Heritage, he felt a chill of guilt course through his body.

He had already made it clear, he was okay with dying after only eleven years. But the moment he vowed to Dusk he'd be the last bearer, the idea of dying became weightful.

Breaking a Heritage that had cursed those for generations was an arduous task. He didn't even know where to begin in order to complete his promise — or if he'd complete it.

Becoming an Ascender seemed like the starting point… but again, breaking the Heritage itself would take June too long — years. Thanks to Arthur, he had a small inkling of where to start, but it wasn't significant enough to ascertain anything.

"Don't think about it too much kid, or you'll end up as grumpy as Winston."

Jessie remarked, scoffing as she did.

June let out a sigh, reluctantly casting it all aside. 

'Yeah, she's right. It won't do me any good to dwell on things that I can't begin to understand.'

Sooner or later, he'd enter the Ark once more.

That much he knew.

With that, he shifted toward Jessie and asked a new question:

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you do?"

He was curious about Jessie's profession, he had been for some time now. 

Winston was the overseer of any natural disaster concerning the Ark, so what did Jessie do?

"Well, just like Winston, I work under the same branch of Government. Only, I don't exactly manage breaches, but fight 'em… it'd bore you, honestly."

She waved it off as if it was nothing major.

"Just remember, Ascendants and Transcendents like us are usually required to do many things for the sake of the continent, disregarding our own wishes in the process."

One of June's brows slightly lifted in confusion, tiling his head as he asked:

"Ascendant? Transcendent? What's that..?"

"Ah, of course… forgot you were kind of new." 

She paused for a moment before continuing:

"Ascendants and Transcendents are Trial Ranks given to Ascenders. I'm sure you've seen it in your Runic Web. The ranking goes from lowest to highest: Ascendant, Transcendent, Supreme, Paladin."

That's interesting. 

In June's Runic Web, the description did indeed say Trial Rank. Only, his was Awakened. Which, of course, signified his completion of the Awakening Trial.

The other four ranks were seemingly for those who completed the ones that came next.

"So, exactly how many of these people are there?" June asked.

"Hmm, there are several more Ascendants and Transcendents than there are Supremes and Paladins, that's for sure. In fact, there are only about six Supreme's and two Paladin's. Most Ascenders either die before becoming Ascendants, or cower in fear from the Trials nature after Transcendent, calling it quits altogether. Me and Winston fall under that category."

She let out a heavy sigh… suddenly feeling some kind of way.

"We've seen things June… lost friends, fought repulsive creatures beyond the laws of normality, and brushed death many times. It takes a toll on you, a heavy one. Winston and I are both Transcendents, but the things we experienced in that second Trial was enough for us to call it quits. I can't even begin to imagine what the next Trials hold… and I don't want to."

She rested the side of her face on her hand, placing her elbow firmly on the desk and staring out into the distance. The vibe around them seemed to have grown gloomy all of a sudden.

June couldn't even begin to imagine what she had been through. The Awakening Trial he had gone through alone seemed daunting enough, especially with the way things were inside the Ark; nothing was predictable.

Jessie herself had apparently experienced much worse than that…

With a slight frown, June peered away from her, noticing Winston walking toward them.

He seemed to have put the order in for them, so now they'd simply have to wait.

Winston soon pulled the chair next to Jessie out before sitting down and pushing himself back in.

Several people — mainly girls — were staring at Winston with profound awe from where he had come, their dreamy gazes stuck to him like glue.

'Weirdos…'

Clearly, Winston was a dashing man. Despite being in his late thirties, he still was attractive in his own way. 

But to June, it seemed a bit weird for them to be gawking at another person like that simply because of his appearance.

'It's honestly a bit creepy…'

"What's wrong..?"

Noticing the cloud of gloom that currently hovered over their table, Winston placed his hand softly on Jessie's shoulder.

"Oh, nothing… just the past coming back to haunt me is all…"

Jessie casually replied, still looking out into the streets without meeting anyones gaze.

Winston then turned toward June, asking him if he had done something to her with his eyes.

June replied silently with the shake of his head.

After that, they sat in silence for some time. 

Before they had arrived at the cafe, Winston had told June exactly what he could order, which he did in the Transporter.

Now, Winston had officially put their order in, and in no time it'd be out.

June ordered: Two croissants and a cappuccino.

Winston ordered: One breakfast burrito and a cappuccino.

Jessie ordered: Two chocolate chip cookies and a hot tea.

June wasn't craving much, he wasn't really a breakfast kind of guy. 

Actually, there was no such thing as breakfast for him. 

Either he had it or didn't.

"Hey Winston… can we perhaps do that one thing we always do at your place when I'm feeling down whenever we get back?" 

Jessie suddenly asked out of the blue. 

Her comment made Winston cough on his own saliva, replying immediately:

"S-stop…"

It ended there.

Unfortunately, June had an idea of what she meant… but he'd rather not think about it. 

Winston would probably want that for him as well, considering his state currently. He was both disappointed and embarrassed. 

Jessie, meanwhile, was still turned away, staring at the streets outside the window.

However, from where June was sitting, he could see the edges of her mouth slightly curling upward in amusement.