"Or, should I call you Kaushik?" The magenta figure spoke, a smile etched on its face, looking amiable.
"Both are one and the same, Ancestor Marble," Jyorta replied, looking tense.
"It is good that you could recognise me." The magenta figure smiled, shooting a glance at the cupboard overhead the bed. "It seems Jyovic Bone and Light have each given you a present."
"Ah, I forgot that you hate Light." It let out a wry chuckle, making eye contact with Jyorta. "So, your ability is corrosion."
"Yes," Jyorta let out a resigned sigh. The moment he had mistakenly used it in the class, he was prepared for getting found out.
"You don't need to worry though. I have ensured that the traces have been destroyed." The magenta figure said, "Mila is my granddaughter. She takes my word as the law. Moreover, I have concealed it as a Trait of yours."
The magenta figure then recounted the lie he had said to Madam Mila, "So, you can approach her for guidance. But, make sure that you don't slip up like this in the future. Thankfully, my granddaughter was there and had swiftly called upon me. What do you think would have happened if it were someone from Light's family instead?"
"I understand," Jyorta nodded, heaving out a sigh. He then sported a gaze of confusion, looking at the magenta figure, "But, why are you suddenly helping me? I thought you all didn't approve of our existence and only left us alone if we were on the side of humanity."
"Why shouldn't I?" The magenta figure smiled, "You, and Gajara Rahi; the two of you were brought to this era because we wanted to in the first place. Despite our strength, we can never hope to kill Parasite. The two of you are our contingency plan. Moreover, we all have faith in His choice."
"Okay, I have no intention of interfering in your life. Develop as much as you can and try to achieve Tier 6 soon enough." The magenta figure said, showing a trace of weakness, "I and Light have been nurturing our successors but, despite everything we have tried, achieving Tier 6 is really difficult. Moreover, our city is currently in a precarious situation; it is stretching our attention thin."
"How?" Jyorta inquired, "Don't we have three Ancestors guarding our city? How can our city be in a precarious situation?"
"Let me lay it out for you." The magenta figure shook its head, "To our west lies the territory of the Floating Spiders which are the strongest race among the Frenzy Beasts. They have three Tier 6 Frenzy beasts. To our east is the territory of the Spindle Bees; they have a Tier 6 Frenzy Beast. To our south lies a sole calamity level Frenzy Beast: Tier 6 Frenzy Beast, Lava Turtle."
"And finally, to the north is the region of the River Whales; they have two Tier 6 existences. They have prevented our communication with Dawn City ever since the death of Gajara Rahi." The magenta figure looked at Jyorta, "Even though we are surrounded by powerful Frenzy Beasts on all sides, we tacitly don't go into an all-out war. That will result in mutual annihilation. After all, Light is the natural counter of the Floating Spiders while I can resist the attacks of the other three to a great extent."
"But, the problem arrives with our lifespan," The magenta figure sighed once again, "Even though we tend to age a lot slower at Tier 6, we still age. Moreover, most of us are part of the first generation. We have been active since the dark ages. The most threatening at present is Rhachis Ancestor Spindle; it has at most 3 decades to live."
"So, in order to create a safer environment for their descendants, they would try to destroy their enemies before they die of old age. And, one of these enemies happen to be us, am I right?" Jyorta assumed, glancing at his front.
"Exactly," The magenta figure nodded, "That is why Light has been uneasy these days; because, just like Rhachis Ancestor Spindle, I too don't have much longer to live. Without an Esper protecting the city, we would be destroyed overnight. After all, whether Rhachis Ancestor Web or Rhachis Ancestor Spindle or Rhachis Ancestor Lava, all three of them are well versed with moping the crowd."
"In the early days of the Dawn Era, we humans formed cities under the banner of each Tier 6 human. The number of cities was in the two digits. But, cities without an Esper were easily besieged by the Frenzy Beasts and destroyed. After all, Warriors are good at one of one fights but, they can't protect people like the Espers. Marble city is housed by my barrier 24x7, resisting against the attacks of the Tier 6 Frenzy beasts that try to control the humans."
"Long ago, Light too had a city under him; it was called Light city. He had his friends, families, and loved ones living in it. But, it was destroyed by Parasite overnight. He turned most of the humans into a Child of Wisdom and made them attack him. Light led the survivors and joined my city. Learning from the incidents, we mass relocated and congregated around the Espers."
"I don't mean to burden you but, since you are living in this city, you must know of the situation it faces." The magenta figure the clapped its hands, "Our city follows a system of merit. If you want to become stronger, strive to accumulate as many merits as you can."
Suddenly, from the gap in the window, a mini chakram flew in. It had a radius of 3 centimetres and was thinner than a hair's width. "Ones that are pampered will never be able to become Tier 6. But, you were pulled here without consent; so, let me gift you with a little something that will prove to be of help to you."
The mini chakram, magenta in colour landed on his palm as the magenta figure said, "It is a Tier 5 Relic. Structure wise, it can be counted as a Tier 6 Artifact. If you infuse your psychic energy into it, you can increase both its size and weight. Once you retract the energy infused into it, it will revert to this state. Moreover, its usage will be limited by your Tier."
"Also," As it said, the magenta figure lifted its hands, pulling out the crystal lens from Jyorta's trolley bag. A white spec of light flashed from the window to the room as it collided into the crystal lens, merging into it. A flash of magenta later, the appearance of the lens changed into a set of goggles.
"Now, you will be able to use the Deific Inference Skill imbued in it with the help of your psychic energy. Deific Inference can only be used to its full potential with the Unranked Skill Light Symphony. So, I have fused a Tier 4 Relic made from the Unranked Skill Light Symphony into it. Though, you would only be able to use it after you have made it your Refined Object."
"I have been speaking for quite the while. You might be confused about many things but, when you become strong enough, I will explain them to you. After all, the one who brought you here was my close friend." The magenta figure just said it when its gaze paused, trailing towards a sketchbook in the trolley bag.
Due to the small disturbance in the air when it created the goggles, a page had been flipped over in the sketchbook, displaying the portrait of a middle-aged man and woman.
"I had sketched it in my free time. Even though they are my parents, I feel nothing when I see this picture. Sometimes, I feel like the memories of my previous life are just an illusion." Jyorta picked up the book, showing the magenta figure the page with his parents, "After all, I feel zero attachment to my previous life. Moreover, Ancestor Light has learnt all of this; so, I don't mind telling it to you. Or maybe, you are already aware?"
The magenta figure picked up the book as a flash of magenta washed over it, turning it solid. In the next second, it crumbled into fine dust. A flash of psychic energy gushed into it before the marble dust vanished. "Carrying it around with you will prove to be dangerous. After all, this is Earth. You have just been brought to the future, Vadlamani Kaushik."
Noticing the traces of shock on his face, the magenta figure continued, "Don't ask me why. Knowing about it at present will only endanger your life. If there is nothing else, I will get going."
The blue soul hurriedly overlaid the false persona on him—one of calm, optimism, and full of focus—again, after it had been shattered for the nth time since Ancestor Marble appeared. Jyorta raised his hands, his voice filled with urgency, "What about Laila?"
"Laila? Who is that?" The magenta figure tilted its head, its expression one of confusion.
"She is most probably a subsoul of Gajara Rahi or even herself." Jyorta replied, "Just today, she had grabbed hold of a Tier 5 Artifact in class and wielded it for more than a couple of seconds."
"There have been precedents of Warriors and Espers capable of resisting the aura of higher Tiered Artifacts. Back in the day, Strongest could calmly use a Tier 5 Artifact after he had just broken into Tier 2." The magenta figure replied, not putting much weight on his speculation.
"I mean, it was my sister who had mentioned it. She wasn't privy to the specifics as she wasn't shared with any memories related to her. But, a day after I was discharged from my hospital and when she came to visit me, Gajara Rahi took complete control of my sister's body and exchanged some information with Laila. It was as if Laila was a subsoul but, at the same time, she was detached from the rest. That was what my sister said."
"I see," The magenta figure nodded, its eyes widening in surprise. Suppressing its complicated emotions, it dissolved into magenta light and disappeared.
Once the magenta figure had disappeared from his sight, and feeling the spherical barrier around him vanish, Jyorta felt his legs go limp. He plopped on the ground, heaving out exhausted breaths, his body drained of strength. His false persona had been shattered once again, unable to suppress his mental turmoil.
He then looked at the roof of the room, 'Did I do the right thing by informing him about Laila? Or, was it a mistake? I don't know anymore. Being stripped of all my secrets, it's a feeling I will never come to appreciate.'