Gasp!
Jack's eyes snapped open, his back arching off the soft earth. He grunted, pushing himself up into a sitting position, his head swimming with confusion. Where…?
He blinked, taking in the gentle sway of golden wheat stalks around him. The air was still and carried the sweet scent of summer. He stood up, a disoriented frown creasing his brow. What was this place?
His gaze caught on a figure a few meters away, their back to him. The person wore a pristine white suit. Jack made his way through the wheat, the stalks rustling softly with each step. As he drew closer, he saw the figure was a man with slicked-back black hair.
"It sure is beautiful isn't it?" the man said, his voice calm and smooth, without turning around.
Jack's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He looked straight ahead, towards the horizon, where the first slivers of the sun were beginning to paint the sky in hues of orange and pink. "Oh. Ah yeah, Yeah, uhm…" he murmured, then looked back at the man. "Who are you?"
The man chuckled, a low, mellow sound. "…Junn."
"Junn? Okay…" Jack repeated slowly. "Do you know Where we are?"
"You in a plane…" Junn said, finally turning around. Sunglasses obscured his eyes, and he held a sleek black cane with both hands, resting the handle against his chin. A serene smile graced his lips. "…between life and death."
Jack's breath hitched. His head whipped to the side, a vivid memory of Revan's hand plunging into his chest, squeezing his heart, flashing through his mind. He turned back to Junn, his breathing becoming rapid and shallow. "How do I... go back to where i'm from... or was from? To my world to be exact."
"You wait," Junn replied, his smile unwavering.
"What?" Jack demanded, his voice rising in panic.
"You not dead, dead," Junn clarified. "You will return to your body in... well depending on how you died."
Okay... what if I were to... get my heart punched through my fucking chest, how long will it take for me to go back to my body?"
"Nine hours. And if you lucky... seven." Junn smiled faintly.
Jack paced around the golden wheat field, clearly not liking the sound of that. "Nah, that won't work... I need to get to my world fast. Do you know another way or something?"
"Yes." Junn's smile widened for a second before his expression turned serious. "A short cut. But it's highly not recommended, ESPECIALLY... when you've got too many problems on your hands."
Jack stopped pacing and looked intently at Junn. "You know me?"
Junn slowly walked around Jack, his sunglasses still hiding his eyes. "Ofcourse I do! This whole PLANE... knows... Who. You. Are…" A gust of wind rustled the wheat around them, giving Jack a creepy feeling, but he shook it off, eagerness returning.
"Okay uhm... Tell me the alternative outta here." Jack asked.
Junn tilted his head slightly, his serene smile returning. "You sure you wanna know? Did you misheard me say that i do not recommend it…"
Jack nodded his head firmly. "Especially when i have too many problems on my hands... Yes i heard you. Besides! What's one more to the fastest man alive."
"'Fastest man alive'?" Junn mocked gently, tilting his head. "You shouldn't be here if you were that fast."
"Yeah? Well, the person I'm dealing with, stops my powers every time I'm near him," Jack retorted, defending himself.
"Really? Well, that's one way to kick a speedster's ass," Junn commented, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Okay, smartass," Jack exclaimed, his patience wearing thin. "How do I get outta here?"
"Simple," Junn said, snapping his fingers.
The tranquil wheat field dissolved in an instant, replaced by a swirling vortex of dark, large green spirals of orbs ascending into a vast, stormy opening in the sky. The air crackled with an otherworldly energy.
"What the...?" Jack breathed, his eyes wide with confusion as he spun around, taking in the bizarre and unsettling sight.
Junn's voice, calm amidst the swirling chaos, cut through Jack's bewilderment. "See that spiral?" He points at the spiral of orbs going upwards.
Jack looks at the direction and answers him "Yeah?"
Junn points to the bottom where there's a brighter flash of light where the spiral originated from. "Go down there and disrupt the flow, having the spiral spread outwards and open up rifts that will be your way home."
Jack's gaze followed Junn's direction, noticing the intense flash of light at the base of the spiraling orbs. "Okay..." he said slowly, looking back at Junn. "How do I... disrupt the flow?"
Junn's serene smile returned. "Uhm... let's see here..." he suddenly reached into the pristine white suit and pulled out a long scroll paper that unfurled and trailed onto the ground, the text filled with elegant, swirling script. He started reading it, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Jack looked at Junn in complete confusion and wonder, his head tilting as he tried to discern where the ridiculously large scroll had come from. He followed the paper as it continued to roll forward on the ethereal plane. "Where'd you get that?" he asked, his voice a mix of bewilderment and amusement.
Junn didn't answer, his eyes still scanning the lengthy scroll. Jack noticed Junn's focused attention and cautiously tried to get closer, leaning in to see what the cryptic writing held, before Junn abruptly tilted the paper out of Jack's view, a playful glint in his eye.
Jack looked at Junn in mock shock, throwing his hands up in playful surrender before turning around to stare into the swirling distance of green orbs. He sighed dramatically and muttered, "Juuust great. Looks like I might have to wait seven freaking hours... or worse nine."
"Got it!" Junn suddenly yelled, snapping Jack out of his frustrated contemplation.
Jack moved back to Junn in a hurry, his earlier annoyance replaced with anticipation. "Yeah? What you got?"
Junn dramatically raised a sharp golden dagger, its blade etched with intricate red runes that pulsed with a faint, inner light. "The only way to disrupt the flow is by using... this..."
Jack looked at the ornate dagger, his eyes narrowing slightly as he then eyed Junn with suspicion, still wondering how he was producing these items seemingly out of thin air. He cautiously took the dagger, the runes on the blade flaring with a bright red light for a fleeting second upon being held in his hand. After quickly inspecting the unusual weapon, Jack nodded his head, a newfound determination hardening his gaze. He looked back at Junn. "Okay. So... is there anything I gotta know about before I head down there? Any traps? Monsters?"
Junn looked towards the swirling spiral of orbs, his brow furrowed in thought as he answered Jack, his gaze distant. "Uuuh... Not one that I am aware of.... No. Good luck."
He looked back at Jack, who stared at him in utter confusion. "Wait, you not... coming with?"
Junn chuckled, shaking his head. "Uhm... Yeah. This has nothing to do with me so... I'll just sit back and watch." He then casually sat back on a plush armchair that materialized out of thin air behind him.
Jack stared, his mouth slightly agape. "Are you a magician?"
Junn simply winked, his serene smile returning. "Yes."
"Ah well that explains alot." Jack said, finally accepting the strangeness of the situation. With a final determined nod, he turned and began to make his way towards the base of the swirling vortex of green orbs, the golden dagger clutched tightly in his hand.
As Jack made his way towards the spiral of green orbs, Junn called out, his voice sounding strangely distant, "Jack."
Confused by Junn's sudden distance, Jack turned around to see that Junn was now far away, standing atop a small hill, while Jack remained at the bottom in the swirling chaos. "What the actual fuck..." Jack muttered, looking around in disbelief at the sudden change in the ethereal landscape.
Junn called out again, his voice echoing, catching Jack's attention. "Yeah?" Jack yelled back, squinting to see Junn in the distance.
"Incase you succeed and end up in your world," Junn called out, his voice clear despite the distance, "tell Kyle that he still owes me."
Kyle was here before? Jack thought, a shock of realization hitting him. He gave Junn a thumbs up, acknowledging the strange request, and then turned back, continuing his determined path towards the swirling spiral of green orbs.
Junn watched Jack descend towards the base of the spiral, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Always in a hurry, that one," he murmured to himself, adjusting his sunglasses. The plush armchair vanished, and Junn sighed, the serene smile returning to his lips. "Well, might as well see if he lives up to the name." He snapped his fingers, and a large screen, displaying Jack's progress, materialized in front of him. Junn leaned back, a bag of popcorn suddenly appearing in his hands. "Let the show begin."
Jack finally reached the area where the light flashed intensely, heavy currents blowing his clothes and hair erratically. He squinted, pushing forward against the strange force, and saw the source of the spiral: a grey stone cube with a distinct socket opening emitting the swirling green light. Taking a deep breath and steeling his nerves, Jack muttered, "Here goes nothing." He raised the golden dagger, the runes glowing brightly, and thrust it into the socket. A searing pain shot up his arm as the socket closed around the dagger like an eye, its light dimming.
A piercingly loud scream echoed through the ethereal plane, a sound that seemed to vibrate in Jack's very soul. He looked up and saw the spiral of green orbs begin to wiggle and writhe violently before exploding outwards in massive waves of energy that spread everywhere. Large green rifts tore open in the sky, branching out like cracks in glass, and the individual orbs scattered, each heading in a different direction towards the newly formed rifts.
Jack scoffed, a small smile touching his lips. "It worked." he said, relief washing over him. But the moment was short-lived as a blinding flash of light erupted from the same spot where the socket had been, blasting Jack backwards.
As the light faded, a tall, pale-skinned man with long black hair and pitch-black eyes materialized where the cube had been. He wore a simple orange robe with black pants and white socks in sandals. The man looked up and around, taking in the sight of the green rifts, his expression impassive before his gaze settled on Jack. A black rod staff materialized in his hand as he spoke, his voice calm but firm, "Must kill the disruptor."
Jack, groaning, pushed himself up to a sitting position, muttering to himself, "not one he's away of, he said..." He looked at the man, a mix of confusion and weariness on his face. "Hey man, I don't know what I did... Well I do, but I'm sorry. Had to stop that spiral to go home ASAP."
Without a word, the man swung the black rod staff horizontally with one arm, launching a powerful wave of wind that slammed into Jack, sending him tumbling backwards another ten meters. The man then spoke, his voice still calm but with an underlying edge of authority, "Your actions cause a discord to the samsara and therefore must be punished."
Jack looked at the man, his confusion reaching its peak. He could only manage one word, spoken with utter bewilderment: "What?!"