Jack stood before six elders seated behind a high counter, roughly twice his height. In the middle was the highest seat—slightly elevated above the others—reserved for the King.
His head tilted slightly upward as he stared at them from a distance, with Captain Kai—the captain of the knights—standing right beside him.
"The fate of this realm depends on how well we protect our book. Two of the books have already been stolen, posing a great threat to ours. But even so, we must do our part and safeguard it," one of the elders said.
"If we fail, we fail not only the gods and our fellow kingdoms, but the Kingdom of Persia itself," another elder warned.
"What use is our title as the kingdom of education and wisdom if we can't put it to good use?"
"I suggest we find a more suitable family to take care of the book."
In an instant, most of the elders began mumbling among themselves, which only irritated Jack further.
He cared little about whether the book was protected or not—but now, caught in the situation, he had to act. Often, Jack preferred to remain silent, but when it mattered, he didn't hesitate to speak up.
"What do you mean?" His voice echoed across the room as everyone turned to look. Captain Kai tapped him on the shoulder, signaling him to stop—but Jack didn't even spare him a glance.
"How dare you speak without permission?" one of the elders shouted, slamming his fists onto the counter in anger.
Jack's eyes narrowed as he stared at the elders.
"The book is safe, isn't it? I did my part to protect it—that was my duty. But stopping assassins from getting into the capital, and into the most secure room in the palace? That's not my responsibility."
The elders began to mumble among themselves once more, while King Hannes remained silent, simply observing. Captain Kai grew more irritated with every word Jack spoke but forced an awkward smile to mask his emotions.
"None of you can even tell which one is the real book."
He raised the book he had been holding all this time and opened it, their eyes widening in fear.
"This isn't the book… and yet you want to judge me for doing my job, right?"
The elders began to murmur more loudly, pointing fingers at Jack for being disrespectful and insulting the King. But he simply stood there—unamused, unashamed.
He didn't regret what he said. Raiden had done his job, and Jack was only standing up for him. Once he got out of there, he would start looking for a way back to his own world. He had unfinished business to take care of now.
"Silence!" King Hannes commanded, and the noise in the room instantly ceased.
"The Night family has been entrusted with protecting the Book of Ashes for centuries.
Many have given their lives to keep it safe—including Tiago Night. May his soul rest with the gods."
He paused briefly, letting his words settle before locking eyes with Jack.
"As we all know, this isn't the first time the four Books of the Devourer have been hunted—and we can be certain it won't be the last. Even so, the Night family has always stood proud in their duty to protect the book.
To take that responsibility from them now would be an insult to their sacrifices—and an insult to us as a kingdom. It would mean we failed to uphold our promise to trust them."
The anger on some of the elders' faces, as they stared at Jack. It wasn't the kind an elder shows to a disobedient child—it was pure hatred. Whatever their motives were, their hostility was aimed at either Raiden or the Night family itself.
"However, the fate of the world depends entirely on how well we protect our book. We cannot rely on pride alone—and Raiden Night has yet to show the strength to match his determination for this duty."
Captain Kai smirked proudly as he glanced at Jack over his shoulder.
"For the last time, Raiden Night will be given the opportunity to prove his strength. He has four months. If, by then, his crest isn't at least rank seven or lower, we will strip him of his title as the bookkeeper and appoint a new one."
"Seven is too high, my lord. The assassins are said to be below six," Captain Kai said, his fists clenched and legs slightly trembling—the uneasiness in his voice unmistakable.
King Hannes simply turned to him.
"You're a number 5, aren't you? Then do your job, and his number won't matter."
He slammed his fist onto the counter, and in that instant, three of the elders did the same.
"Then it's settled," the King said as he rose to his feet—and the elders followed.
Jack remained still, silently watching as the King and elders exited the room. The moment they were gone, Captain Kai stepped forward, ready to threaten him, but Jack simply turned and walked away.
His pride was stained as he began following Jack, but Jack was too lost in thought to even catch up to his words. The moment he left the courtroom, he turned to his left and began climbing the stairs.
He was trying to make sense of everything—from his mission to his home—searching for anything that could make it all feel real, or at least make sense.
Did that old woman poison me with her touch? Or was it my parents…?
Because why else would I be in hell?
Jack never believed in superstitions. He was born and raised as an assassin, surrounded by murderers and powerful people—people who created and destroyed, just like the gods were said to. To him, anyone could be a god.
But this… this wasn't something he had ever seen anyone do. And the only way it made any sense to him was that he was in hell.
He continued toward the library once more, this time with a clearer mind, hoping to find some clue—anything that might explain what exactly had killed him.
But just before he could enter, someone called out to him.
He turned—and immediately recognized her. It was Raiden's mother, Yara Night. She had long dark hair and piercing dark eyes, and wore a black luxurious medieval tunic. Beside her stood Raiden's mentor, Aeris Vilya, dressed in a brown suit and blue trousers with blonde hair.
In an instant, they closed the distance. Yara pulled him into a hug, while he wore a barely concealed look of disgust.
Both began acting concerned—bombarding him with questions about the attack, their voices laced with worry.
"Your shirt is stained with blood; where's the wound?" Yaya asked, her voice filled with concern.
But Jack remained unfazed by their act. In truth, he found it all a bit uncomfortable. Still, he stood motionless, refusing to answer a single question they threw at him.
"Can you excuse me for a moment?" he asked.
Their expressions darkened with confusion as if the very idea of him making such a request was unheard of—unnatural, even.
He didn't wait for a response. He simply turned and walked into the library.
Without wasting a second, he began scanning the floor—searching for something, anything… a sign that he had actually died.
But on the reflective brown floor, there was only blood—and a key Raiden had pushed beneath one of the shelves. It was the key to where the original Book of Ashes was stored.
Golden and surprisingly heavy for a key, Jack gripped it tightly before slipping it into his pocket.
He sank to the floor with a heavy sigh, massaging his forehead as he tried to think.
"It can't end like this… they can't win," he muttered, his voice low with frustration.
In a burst of exhaustion and helplessness, he pulled at his hair, trying to steady himself.
He reached for his neck, fingers brushing over the blue crest.
"My parents wouldn't use something as cowardly as poison to kill me," he muttered. "It had to be that woman… that old lady who tapped my shoulder. She poisoned me—somehow.
But how? How did she know exactly what poison to use?"
Each thought pushed him deeper into frustration—so much so, he felt the urge to tear his very bones from his flesh.
He was immune to more than 70% of known poisons. For someone to have used the one that worked… they either knew him intimately or got incredibly lucky.
"How did she even get that close to me?… I've never seen anything like it, not even from my father," he muttered, exhaling sharply.
"I never knew there was magic in hell. But here I am.
And if I can get here… then I can damn well find a way back."
His expression darkened as he slammed his fist into the ground.
"I'm going back—no matter what.
And I'll kill them.
They must pay."
Just then, the door creaked open—it was Aeris.
"Who are you talking to, kid?" he asked.
Jack's expression darkened further, his eyes narrowing like a growl beneath the surface.
"I thought I asked to be alone…"
Aeris paused for a moment and raised her hands. "Whoa, relax." She walked over and sat by him.
Jack simply turned away, his gaze sinking to the floor, hands resting heavily on his knees.
"I know you don't have a yellow or gold crest like most of your ancestors—and sure, magic can do just about anything in this world—but come on… you graduated from the most prestigious university in the world, the Persian University, at just seventeen. That's no small feat."
Aeris got a little closer.
"Just be a little athletic again. Hit number seven. That's all they're asking."
Jack's eyes suddenly widened, as if a breathtaking realization had just struck him.
"Yes," he breathed, eyes sparkling with relief and renewed hope.
"Yes, magic!"
Aeris looked puzzled. "Uhm… what's that supposed to do?"
"If I get stronger in magic, I can go back!"
Jack said, pride shining in his eyes as he stared right at her, as if she already understood.
"Okayyy…" she replied, unsure.
"Let's start training."
Without hesitation, he shot to his feet.
"I like your enthusiasm—especially since this is the first time I've seen you this happy about getting stronger," she said, her voice tinged with genuine confusion.
"But… what's really going on?"
Without a single word, Jack took the lead out of the room. Aeris sighed, still confused, before following him.
After his realization, Jack cared less about who or what killed him. If magic could really do anything, then all he had to do was what he'd always done—get stronger, so he could return and finish his mission.