The fading book - II

"..."

The only thing present was the silence that spread all over the empty space. As if a bright flash had blinded him, the vast white surroundings devoured his vision. What was this place?

That question wasn't even completely on the man's mind. Before he could grasp a firm understanding of his situation, he found himself staring at the two doors in front of him. Strangely, he couldn't see any walls around them.

Those doors were simply standing on a white surface, side by side. As curious as he was about their appearance, he couldn't bring himself to touch either of them carelessly.

'Is this happening because of that book?'

The last thing he remembered before finding himself standing there was opening the book Tower Master Blaise had lent him. That was surely supposed to be a book containing information on the history of the world.

How would it even make sense for a book to bring him to another place? Unless it wasn't an ordinary book... That situation would've been surprising for him if he were the same as before.

"Assuming this is some other dimension..."

The circumstances he faced until then were beyond abnormal. What was happening at the moment wasn't enough to get Jaden fazed at all.

The doors were of two different colours: white and black. But what was behind them? That question gave him goosebumps.

'There's no knowing what is behind the doors.'

Jaden's suspicions were accurately aligned with the gravity of the situation. His eyes wavered as he rapidly tried to take a look at his surroundings.

Shhhk

The sound of something moving behind him made his body shudder with surprise. He gritted his teeth and swiftly spun around with his eyes wide open.

The two doors had something written on them. There was no way he could've forgotten the doors, which had nothing written on them. Was it his hallucination?

No, surely it wasn't. Not a while ago, those doors had nothing written on them. When he was taking a look at his surroundings, he wasn't looking at the doors.

"But..."

Was it even the right time to be thinking about it? He shook his head sideways lightly. There was something more important to do presently; read those words.

[□ Records]

[■ Records]

What did those boxes stand for? Both doors were records of something, but of what? The 'fill in the blanks' were truly different from those he answered during his primary schooling.

'Is this a puzzle?'

Pft-

The soft laughter that fell on his ears developed a pale expression on Jaden's face. He had no idea where that sound came from.

Tssrkk tssrkkk

The blue sparks of lightning flung around the doors, making the words on them disappear. The droplets of water began gathering to form a new set of words.

Splish

With a thrilled smile on his face, Jaden grinded his teeth. The memories that would refuse to leave him alone resurfaced in his mind.

How could he ever forget his first-ever encounter with that phenomenon? The beating of his heart fastened up as he read the words.

[Nice meeting you again.]

Pff-

Those words were greeting Jaden? That was nothing but a joke to him. The unintended laughter barely stopped at his throat.

Those water droplets again. That was the being he wished to not see and encounter the same phenomenon again for a long time. 

Yet there it was. Those words. The reason behind everything that Jaden had to go through all this time.

"Are you here to answer my questions? If not, then take your leave."

Jaden had no intention of getting pushed around with those words. Whatever it was, he could've tried to figure things out by himself.

He had been quietly gulping down everything that was happening throughout his time in that world.

The absurdities he had to go through. The times he had to risk his life. The time he had no choice but to accept whatever the other person asked him to do. Jaden had to do it all for the sake of his own survival.

That was the only reason he never really displayed his hostility. Even at the moment, he was doing his best to hold his anger back.

The being behind those water droplets might've been something too bizarre for anyone to handle. He had no idea who it was, but his gut feeling was telling him not to offend it.

[Calm down, boy. I'm just here to throw you some tips.]

"Tips?"

--------------------

A skill that could make one stand victorious even in the worst of situations. What might it be? It's something that is too ordinary and is possessed by everyone.

Might it be strength? No. If the enemy is stronger than one, obviously strength will be of no use in achieving victory. Should we make it more simple with a hint?

It's considered a skill by many, while others consider it a complete bullcrap. That was supposed to make it simple, but it became more complicated.

The answer might be something one easily finds by chance. If the person is lucky enough to make a guess, he will certainly find it. That's right, if one is lucky...

"What?"

[It all depends on your luck.]

Those words weren't sufficient to brush off the confusion Jaden was feeling. The direction of the conversation wasn't in his favour.

He was not getting any answers to his questions or any proper explanation. What the droplets told him was that he needed to choose a door out of the two.

"And it all depends on my luck... you say?"

What kind of tip was even that? How was he supposed to act according to what he was told? Surely it was a joke that he was supposed to choose randomly, right?

[Luck is also a skill.]

"So you mean to say..."

Blindly choose a door and leave everything to his luck. Supposedly, he did so. Then, what about consequences? What will happen if his choice is wrong?

The black and white doors had their own specific records, for sure. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been two different doors from the get-go.

Jaden understood the situation very well, remembering what had happened in the past. The being behind that unnatural phenomenon had conversed with him once before.

'This being...'

A God? A transcendent being? There was no way to know what it was, but one thing was for sure: It only interfered when it was truly necessary.

The first time he encountered it was when Jaden just woke up in an unfamiliar body. If he hadn't found some reason, there's no telling what the present situation would've been.

That time, he was beyond confused. And at present, he was again in a situation where he was confused. Jaden couldn't exactly point out what it was trying to do.

'Is it trying to help me? Or...'

He couldn't bring himself to blindly trust those words completely, but he did feel as if that were the case. Then there was one more thing that Jaden realised.

The last time he encountered that phenomenon, what was common besides Jaden's confusion? His lips were left gaping when he finally understood it.

'That means...'

-[Good luck.]

The pair of words he saw for a split moment back at the Brimstone residence. What happened after that? Wasn't there someone he got involved with?

Whatever gears were spinning within Jaden's brain were all just suspicions and not clean facts. Assuming things might not have been helpful, it did manage to help Jaden prepare his mind.

"Is it linked to Aliana Rosenstein again?"

[...!]

"What's with that reaction?"

The question he asked was answered with nothing but heavy silence. Was there any reason to listen any further? That silence meant that Jaden was correct about the water droplets' appearance.

The first condition was that he must be confused and in a bothersome situation. The second condition was that Aliana must be involved at some point.

There might've been more to it, but that didn't bother Jaden a bit. What really bothered him was the only question on his mind:

'What did she do now?'

She had told him that she was going to travel to the Sabbianyth Empire. But for what reason? There was no way of knowing that.

Then there were the rumors. Jaden wished for them to be only rumours and not the truth. The national treasure of the Sabbianyth Empire went missing overnight.

Jaden hoped that Aliana did not have anything to do with it so badly that he spaced out some times. The words paused by Jaden continued.

"Did something happen to her?"

[I can't answer that...]

Snap

As soon as he read those words, his mind went blank. Can't answer this, can't answer that. That was all the being behind the water words said from the start.

Then what was the point of asking it any further? The fingers that just made the snapping sound were wrapping themselves around the hilt of Frozen Rose.

"Shut up... I need to choose whichever I want, right?"

He moved past the words of water while dragging the blue blade alongside. His hand grabbed the door knob firmly while he spoke in a monotone voice.

"Then..."

Clink

The sound resonated with the glimmering spark that flashed. What was that sound? No one would know because it was too sudden, but Jaden had a faint smile on his lips as he spoke.

"This is my choice..."