Jack felt a cold dread pool in his ethereal gut. The teenage girl from the Cult of Purity had won. Highcliff Town and its inhabitants were damned.
He'd hoped the six-winged angel would at least put up more of a fight. But no, she got obliterated.
The floating girl glowed even more with her corrupted light. She looked ready to inflict further misery on the survivors. But, a series of pale golden chains erupted suddenly from the air. Binding her body and limbs in an instant.
She struggled. A furious animal caught in a trap. But the shackles held fast.
Then a mature lady in noble attire appeared from the void. Onto the damaged street. She stepped out of thin air like she was strolling into her parlor.
The air around her crackled with power. Jack instantly recognized the aura. He'd sensed it coming from the Highborn District. It had already terrified him enough when he first felt it. It was even more terrifying now.
"Estherine, Imperfect Incarnation of Purity." The lady said coldly. Her voice was laced with icy disdain. "Look at the destruction you've wrought. My people, my subjects, have suffered immeasurably because of your… recklessness."
"Ashworth bitch!" Estherine, the teenage-looking girl, spat. Her words were dripping with venom.
Jack immediately recognized the name. This was... Countess Ashworth. The one who ostensibly ruled Highcliff. She was a transcendent. Jack had expected that. But he hadn't imagined that she would be way out of his league like this.
"You will atone for this," the Countess continued, ignoring the insult.
She grabbed a thick, leather-bound grimoire from the void. Its pages filled with cryptic symbols. She began to chant. Soon afterward, four grotesque, pulsating tentacles sprouted from her back. It was writhing in the air like living nightmares.
Jack's understanding of the situation clicked into a horrifying focus. The grimoire, the incantation… Countess Ashworth wasn't just some pampered noble. She was not one born with supernatural power.
She was a Mystic Scholar, a wielder of arcane knowledge. She gained her power through knowledge, research, and experiments. She might not be as young as she looked.
But then... came another explosion, this one from the rubble where the angel had fallen. A figure emerged, coughing and covered in dust, but unmistakably alive. He wore the pale-blue cloak of the Church of Justice.
"Countess Ashworth!" The man interrupted. His voice was soft and raspy. But it could somehow be heard from a long distance. "Remember our agreement! Our Church of Justice have suffered significant losses in this operation."
The Countess sighed, a sound of weary impatience.
"Cardinal Gawain," she acknowledged. "Of course. The Church will receive the heart. I don't need it. My target was her life energy which you don't need. Now, let me cleanse her life energy of its corruption in peace."
So, the tentacles weren't meant to kill Estherine outright. They were there to purify and absorb her life power. To extract something valuable for her. While the Church of Justice also acquired something valuable for them.
Jack finally grasped the full, sickening truth. This whole disaster, the destruction, the deaths… it was all a carefully orchestrated trap.
Countess Ashworth and Cardinal Gawain had used Highcliff Town as a bait. To lure out the Incarnation of Purity. They were willing to sacrifice innocent lives to achieve their goals.
A surge of anger coursed through him. But it was quickly tempered by a chilling dose of self-preservation. He was outmatched. He was a gnat buzzing around the heads of giants. He had to get out of here.
He began to float away quickly. He silently cursed himself for getting too comfortable with his own insignificant power.
He had missed so many clues. No! He'd known so little that he'd completely missed the bigger picture. He'd wandered into a game far beyond his understanding. He needed to learn more about this world. About the structure of its power.
It wouldn't surprise him if the Countess and the Cardinal had already sensed him. They might have even known he was there all along. Yet, they chose to ignore him until their little trap had sprung. After all, what threat could a newly minted ghost possibly pose to beings of their caliber?
But now the trap was sprung. Estherine was contained. The corrupted energy was about to be harvested. And once they were done with that, what would stop them from turning their attention to him? A weak, insignificant ghost who had witnessed too much?
He picked up his pace. He phased through walls and buildings. Putting as much distance as possible between himself and the carnage. He needed to leave Highcliff. Immediately. Find somewhere else, anywhere else.
He thought of Lotogear City. Possible choice, but he wasn't that thrilled with it.
Asquall Village? No. It was too small, too quiet. He needed a place where he could blend in. A place where a weak supernatural entity like him wouldn't be the main attraction.
He considered the sea. Maybe he could stow away on a ship. Heading to some distant land. But he knew nothing of the dangers that might lurk on the open water.
What about the capital city? Lonestone City? The place where the strange twins moved to? No. Not for now. It was likely more dangerous there.
Jack decided to just follow the road and find a nearby city. The main destination should be the... library. He needed to learn more. Know more.
He needed to get stronger. He couldn't just depend on his 'level-up' power. That Countess Ashworth's power... Mystic Art. It was something without any entry barrier to learn. He might be able to learn it too.
But for now, he would need to escape. He wouldn't become a pawn in the twisted game of the powerful ones.
He was Faceless Jack, and he would survive. He would learn. He would grow stronger. And one day, maybe, just maybe, he would return. But until then, he would disappear into the shadows.
Imagining a heavy sigh, Jack wished he understood more about his system. It was his best advantage in this world after all. He wished to at least know what could make him 'level-up'.
Suddenly, the system notification appeared. It seemed to be burned in Jack's vision.
He didn't stop to read it. He kept flying at his highest speed. Hauling his ass out of Highcliff. The Countess and that Cardinal could finish anytime. He needed distance. He needed to not become another casualty in their power plays.
Still, he could move at the top speed while reading the notification.
[DETECTING THE DESIRE AND NECESSITY FOR SPECIALIZATION!]
[AVAILABLE POWER SOURCE SPECIALIZATION] CHOOSE ONE:
[DOMAIN OF ORDER]
[DOMAIN OF NATURE]
[DOMAIN OF ANARCHY]
[SPIRIT OF PROTECTION]
[SPIRIT OF JUDGEMENT]
[DEGREE OF REPUTATION]
[DEGREE OF NOTORIETY]
It was not a level-up notification? What the hell were those choices? Jack tried to focus on them. Trying to know further what they meant. As expected, there was no information. He had to make a blind choice.
Jack looked up the first line. 'Detecting the desire and necessity...' What did he desire? Just before the notification appeared?
Beating those nasty big-shot bastards there? Not that one. Getting out of here? No. Finding out how level-up works? That was it. The notification was about the way to gain experience for his level-ups.
Jack focused on the list. His ethereal form blurring slightly as he processed options while fleeing.
Okay. Domain of Order. He'd get stronger by becoming a goddamn cop? Enforcing laws? Upholding some bullshit status quo? Fuck that. He'd seen what 'order' looked like in this world. Besides, he hated following orders. Why would he force others to follow them. No way.
Domain of Nature. This world had polluted rivers and air. The forests were in problem too. He'd gain power by... protecting trees? Cleaning rivers and restoring forest? In the form of ghost or draugr? Yeah, right. Not going to happen.
Domain of Anarchy. Now that sounded interesting. Doing whatever he wanted. Disrupting the system. Tearing down unjust structures. Gaining experience from causing chaos? Maybe that was the path he was already going.
Jack didn't stop moving. Even when he was considering the choice. It might be a good path for him. But it needed to be analyzed more fully.
Spirit of Protection. This was something different. Not a 'Domain' but a 'Spirit'. He would gain power by... protecting people? Rescuing innocents? This seemed... troublesome. He didn't mind protecting innocents in danger when he encountered one, and having ability to do so. But spending his life searching and protecting troubled people? Nope.
Spirit of Judgement. Judging the guilty? Sentencing them to his own brand of punishment? That fit him. This was what he had done. But was it better than the Domain of Anarchy? Did Judgement only mean punishment for the guilty? Or did it also mean reward for worthy?
Degree of Reputation. Did that mean becoming famous? A legend? He'd gain power from people knowing his name? He shuddered. He was Faceless Jack. Anonymity was his cloak. His advantage.
Degree of Notoriety. Similar to Reputation... but this should be darker. Being feared, hated, reviled. He'd gain power from inspiring terror. That might be worth considering. He did enjoy scaring the shit out of those who deserved it.
Jack was still flying, now passing over some nondescript farmland.
He needed to stop. He needed to find somewhere safe and really think this through. Each choice felt like a path, a commitment to a different way of life. And he had no goddamn idea which one was right.