Chapter 41: Preparations and Departure
Jaden sat in his bed with an expressionless face. His hands were on his knees, and his eyes were locked on the camera placed on the short, polished wooden table in front of him.
"Should I do it?" he muttered doubtfully.
After his emotional exchange, Jaden had thought of a method to keep his mother, Elara, safe and together with him... and that method was to turn her into a picture using his [Capture] skill.
Yes, it was an immoral thought, a selfish thought even, but Jaden found himself leaning towards that selfish action.
"I can’t... I shouldn’t."
He reasoned with himself and tried to contain such selfish thoughts; however, they still arrived. He always had strong control over his emotions, or at least he liked to think so, but now, all of them were flooding out as the dam of reason cracked.
Each person holds different delusions within themselves; some try to let go of them, others keep them closer than their own lives.
Jaden also lived in one such delusion, a delusion that he had everything he needed, that he didn’t need anyone’s presence in his life; however, his hypocritical choice of those challenges directly defied that delusion.
Jaden could have become a professional photographer, or he could have sold his images to any company, but he didn’t—why? Appreciation.
Those professions lacked appreciation... There were tidbits of appreciation thrown, but when he completed the challenges, he gained constant appreciation from his social media followers.
They appreciated his fearlessness in learning or doing anything to stay relevant.
Appreciation helped him create dams around his actual emotions... but then this loathsome city decided to show him what he always lacked, just to take it all away.
For the first time, Jaden was not in his delusion... He knew that he needed someone or something to hold onto, but he couldn’t... he didn’t have all of his memories, thus he couldn’t hold onto his friends. His real memories told him that nothing in the city was actually his, thus he couldn’t hold onto them either.
He placed his hands on his face and took a few deep breaths.
"Giving me all of this just to take it all away... how cruel can this be?" he mumbled in a low, sorrowful voice.
A few moments passed, and he heaved a sigh and collapsed into his bed.
"Even if I lose my mother... I won’t do such a thing." He concluded with a solemn look and closed his eyes, "And I have to make sure not to fall deeper in this quagmire of emotions."
He said as he closed his eyes and let himself fall into the sweet embrace of sleep.
Shelly, who was standing at the door for some time, also left with measured steps.
Time passed, and Nightshade City, which was bathed in the calm white of the moon, soon turned golden as the sun came out and brought morning with it.
Jaden stood inside a dimly lit room with a leather bag in his hand.
Before him, swords, bows, and spears were lined up on a shelf; however, most of them were rusted because of the ravages of time.
He stepped towards one of the better swords and picked it up.
"This looks good."
He swung it a few times and gave a faint smile before putting it into the leather bag. He then checked a few more swords, and in the end, he ended up with three suitable swords.
Afterwards, he turned towards the shelves filled with armour... most of them were heavy knight armour, and He didn’t feel like taking any of them.
"These won’t do... I need something lighter."
He searched around for a bit and soon decided upon a leather armour with small metal plates for extra protection. The armour itself was designed primarily for mobility, with some protection; however, it was the best option available for now.
He also put the armour in the bag and left the room.
About fifteen minutes later, Jaden, who sat in a carriage with his face covered with a dark hood, looked at the tall southern walls which barricaded the star beasts and nightmares of the forest from entering the city with wide eyes.
"It’s huge!" he exclaimed.
Soon, the carriage stopped a few meters away from the southern wall, and Jaden stepped down from it.
His eyes then fell on two guards standing at the gates.
He walked towards a secluded spot and took out his camera. He positioned the lens between the two of them and pressed the shutter button. Just as he did so, a blue screen appeared before him.
[Capturing two E rank Humans.]
[Capture Requires - 2 slot]
[Confirm | Deny]
’E ranks... It will be easy.’
He thought and dismissed the screen.
’Deny.’
Jaden slid the camera into his pocket and began circulating his mana. Suddenly, his mana began to burn rapidly as if petrol caught fire.
His body rippled, became faint before disappearing. He had turned invisible using [Twilight Veil ★★]; however, because he still hadn’t mastered that spell, he had to control his mana circulation by himself.
He walked behind the two guards, who were chatting with each other. After he became visible, he punched them with all of his might.
He used [Shattering Fist] and hit both of them on the back of their heads, making them fall unconscious.
Bending down, he picked up the key and spoke with an apologetic expression.
"I am sorry... I really am."
Turning around, his lips widened into a grin as he walked towards a small gate at the corner of the main tall iron gate.
A soft click echoed as the gate opened. Jaden pushed the door open before stepping out.
After stepping out, he was in a short dark tunnel with light at the end. He flowed mana in his eyes, and the scene became much clearer... he could see tall tree trunks with vines dropping from them at the end of the tunnel.
"Time to catch some Pokémon."