A/N - read the author's thoughts sections today's one is rather important atleast the latter half is.
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On that eventful day, John sat with Eric and Irene, meticulously explaining the reasons behind his actions during the banquet. The discussions went on for hours, only leaving him alone with his thoughts as night descended. Countless thoughts swirled in his mind, creating a tangled web of ideas and reflections.
"Huffffff," John breathed out, lying down on his bed as he pondered the events of the day. "I remember those two saying something about fusing souls or some shit, does it have something" John muttered as he got up and sat cross-legged.
"Something is odd. It seemed like their souls would be added to mine, but if my personality changed, then did they mix together?" John muttered, sitting cross-legged in contemplation, stroking his chin in thought.
"The idea sounds far-fetched, but after traveling back through time, nothing really feels impossible... hmmmm," John mused, a glint of seriousness in his eyes.
"However, it's too soon to make any rash movements. I have no idea about my situation right now. This whole situation is fucking absurd. There's no point in making plans without understanding how screwed I am. I'm certain messing with time will not be without consequences. But I made too many brash decisions today. Fuck," John cursed, grappling with the complexity of his predicament.
Letting out a sigh, John decided to lie down on the bed. After all, what's done is done, and he couldn't undo the past. Now, all he could do was cope with the situation at hand.
Thus, the day when John returned came to an end. Night fell, and behind the scenes, forces began to move, but John remained largely unaware of their machinations, still trying to grasp the full extent of his circumstances.
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The next morning, John woke up super early and headed to the training area within his palace. At this hour, the only person there was Joseph, whom the Emperor had ordered to move to John's Sapphire Palace instead of the Emperor's Diamond Palace.
"Your Highness, you are here quite early," Joseph remarked, glancing at the clock that read 5 am.
"I am usually here at this time, unless I have something else scheduled for the day," John replied casually.
"I see. How will you be training then?" Joseph inquired with an intrigued look.
"Today, it will be mostly basic training, as we'll be heading to the Holy See," John explained. He began by slowly walking around the 200-meter track, gradually increasing his pace until he was almost sprinting. After five minutes, he shifted to various other running exercises. Five minutes later, he slowed down and eventually stopped.
Taking only thirty seconds to catch his breath, John proceeded to do jumping jacks for ten rounds, followed by side-to-side toe touches for another ten rounds.
After that, it was time for stretching, from his knees to his torso, shoulders, arms, neck, and lastly, his wrists.
Once done with all that, John moved on to the weapon rack and picked up a spear. He swung it around to get a feel for it. Joseph noticed something odd as John started practicing the basic movements of the spear—the slash, the stab, and the grab.
"It's as if his body, mind, and skills are in complete disarray... that shouldn't be the case since he can use aura. I mean, it requires one to have a balance in atleast mind and skill to use it, but everything about him is abnormal," Joseph pondered to himself, watching John struggle to get used to his younger self's body.
It was natural for John to have difficulty adapting to his younger body. After all, he had used a much larger, robust, and stronger body for nearly thirty years before he died, during which he was much stronger than he was now. Perhaps, John hadn't fully realized that even his mind was not in sync, which further compounded the problem.
After nearly thirty minutes of trying to swing the spear as he wanted, John realized that there was no point in continuing if he couldn't get his body strong enough. He shifted to even more basic training, putting the spear aside for now—an objectively wise decision.
"Your Highness, I have a request," Joseph spoke up as he watched John finish his training for the day and take a sip of water.
"How can I help you?" John probed the knight, his curiosity piqued.
"I need to see your aura, just once. I have a feeling about something and I wish to confirm it," Joseph replied with an uncharacteristically serious expression.
"I don't quite understand why you want to see my aura, but sure," John said, raising his hand and covering it in aura. As he did, Joseph's eyes widened momentarily. He, too, covered his eyes in aura, nodded, and spoke, "My fears were correct Your Highness. Your aura isn't stable. In fact, I'm surprised you can even keep it covering your entire hand in the state it's in now."
"Huh," John exclaimed, looking at his own aura and realizing that Joseph was right about its instability.
"Don't dwell on it too much right now, Your Highness. I suggest you complete your ascension ceremony and give it some more thought afterward," Joseph advised.
"For now, please get ready for your departure. It's already 7 am, and I believe you'll be leaving at 9," Joseph added, pointing to the clock on the wall.
"Hmmmmmm," John sat down, lost in thought, and stared at his wavering aura, which seemed even more unstable now.
"You're right. It's better not to disturb my mind right before the trial tomorrow," John finally said, letting out a deep sigh as he got up.
Joseph couldn't help but be surprised by John's calm reaction, given the events of yesterday. He had expected John to be far angrier with his words. "This is totally different than the reaction I expected. I thought he would be much more furious... He's remarkably composed," Joseph mused, looking at John as he calmly left the training area. An intriguing smile appeared on Joseph's face. "Which one is the real him, I wonder," he pondered to himself.
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An hour later, John had gotten ready, donning a simple yet elegant white and black gold suit sent to him by the Emperor's palace. He made his way to the Emperor's office, where he found the Emperor, the High King, and his mother, Irene, waiting for him.
"You've arrived, good enough," Eric said, eyeing John up and adding, "Let's go. The portal should be opened by now." With that, Eric walked out, paying little heed to the High King, who looked at him with an odd expression.
As they began walking, Gerrard approached John from behind and patted his back. "How do you feel? Nervous? In 16 hours, you'll be having your ascension ceremony," Gerrard asked.
"Not particularly. Honestly, I think Mother is more nervous for me than I am," John replied, a smile on his face. This unexpected change in demeanor surprised Gerrard. It was as if the boy had multiple personalities, for this John was quite different from the one who had laughed at one of the five sword masters of the continent.
"I see. Well, it's good that you're confident. You'll need it," Gerrard said with a smile, as they slowly made their way to the teleportation portal inside the Diamond Palace.