Everything suddenly turned black in Jaden's mind.
'It's like when I was dead.' Jaden thought as he slowly lost all his senses.
His subconscious smiled after that thought; it's funny to say you were dead when you're still alive, you have to admit.
After some time, Jaden woke up abruptly, as if he had just emerged from a nightmare. He might have expected to return to that strange place and encounter the Supreme HOUM again. But this time, everything was as clear as before.
There was a pleasant smell, the atmosphere was of good quality, and he definitely wasn't where death had led him the first time. He was in his bed, and he started to turn his head around when...
'The CREDHOS!' Jaden screamed in his head in alarm after seeing those guys. Then he looked down at his body and realized that the clothes he was wearing were torn around his heart.
He tried to move as far away from them as he could, even though there was no way to do that. That's when Rei's voice rang out.
"Five minutes." he said, his eyes fixed on the phone on the table. Five minutes was the time it had taken Jaden to come back to life, it was also more than enough for other things.
"Back among the humans, young one." Rush said with a warm smile, leaving Jaden gaping.
'It's crazy! These guys kill me, and then they talk to me like what just happened is normal.'
He wasn't just astonished; he was angry. He had just been killed, and what if what he had experienced was just a simple illusion?
"Why did you... kill me, Rei?" He was a bit hesitant, wondering if that word could really apply to him in these circumstances, since he doesn't die. Can he be killed? But he still needed to ask the question.
After all, who gets a knife in the heart and wouldn't want to know the reason behind it?
Both CREDHOS expected this question, but Rei didn't think there was much need to think about what had happened. So it was Rush who spoke up.
"The HOUM we thought we killed was a Phoenix-class exception." he continued "Phoenix exceptions can die more than once, and this one took a while to come back to life, probably because of Rei's knives."
Rei's daggers were designed in such a way that they could almost nullify the regenerative abilities of HOUMs. Although the HOUM had cut off his own hand before the substance could spread through his body, Rei had decapitated him, allowing the substance to propagate from there.
Since he could come back to life after his death, he revived very slowly due to the poison that remained in his body. Once his reincarnation was complete, he had immediately lunged at Jaden, either because he was the weakest of the three or because his encounter with the Supreme HOUM made him much more attractive than any other human.
"Once it was clear that your death was the only outcome, Rei decided to finish you off to prevent you from dying in the arms of a HOUM." He paused for a moment to give the young one time to digest it.
"So, to answer your question, he 'killed' you to save five innocent people." Rush concluded, making air quotes with his hands when he said 'killed.'
Jaden was even more astonished than before. In a fraction of a second, this guy had made such a decision, and it was a very risky one at that.
"I see." was Jaden's simple response after he had fully processed everything he had been told.
"What about the HOUM?" Jaden asked next, glancing around the now somewhat disheveled room.
"This time, it's truly dead." Rei said, noting the concerned look on Jaden's face.
Phoenix exceptions, depending on their class, could only come back to life a certain number of times. Often, those of middle class level-A could come back up to three times. The one from earlier could only resurrect once; the second time, it had turned to ashes like all other HOUMs when they die.
"Jaden Lavender, with a background in several combat sports, including judo and kickboxing, always among the top of his class, speaks multiple languages, and it seems he has very sharp reflexes, a keen intuition, and a great sense of analysis." Said Rei.
"So you're a Lavender, huh? Now I understand the hospital and everything." Rush said, nodding in agreement.
Who were the Lavenders? They were at the forefront of technology, and Lavenders were involved in all major discoveries. The evolution of military and computer equipment all had a connection to the Lavenders.
But they were not just known for their contributions to technology. It's just that some things are only within the reach of a certain restricted circle.
'Why is he displaying all this? Moreover, who knows all this about me? Are we in a movie where all the residents are monitored and analyzed?' Jaden couldn't help but think about this description of himself. Worse yet, they had all this information in less than five minutes, which was pretty scary.
'Why would anyone want to reveal everything about me, especially a CREDHOS?' Jaden was getting more and more confused, and this feeling seemed to be following him a lot lately.
Jaden continued to search his mind for why Rei had detailed all this information about him. After some time, he came to a conclusion that almost made him jump out of his bed.
"No!" he exclaimed with a face that couldn't be more serious. There was a moment of silence before he added.
'N-No, no, I'm sorry, but I can't become a CREDHOS. It's too much for me. I may be a fan of fame, but with less work, even if it means less fame." Jaden Said.
Jaden enjoyed living a peaceful life. He came from a family that could provide him with everything he needed, and he was intelligent enough to excel in many fields.
'Even if I won't be the absolute best in the fields I choose, I'm sure my name will be mentioned multiple times. So why spend my time fighting terrifying monsters?'
'Plus, I still don't know if killing these monsters is the right thing to do. In any case, I would become more and more tainted over time—killing is still killing, and there's no good reason for it.'
'...But I guess that in the same circumstances, I would do the same.'
'They can't be reasoned with, and worse still, the lives of many people depend on mine.'
Some truths were hard to accept, but they remained facts. However, acknowledging that he would kill HOUMs if forced did not mean he would accept becoming a CREDHOS.
"You're mistaken about one thing though" Rei said before adding "It's not a proposal or a request. It's an obligation." His voice was firm, with no room for negotiation, but his face said 'I will explain why it's an order.'
Despite this, Jaden couldn't keep a calm expression. He looked troubled. Did this guy not know that they were in a democracy?
"An... obligation?" Jaden asked in a low voice.
"You can refuse if you want, but once we send our report, they will likely lock you up in a white zone prison, filled with guards, because your life no longer belongs to you." Rei replied before continuing
"You can tell your father to block the letter, but you will still kill innocent people again and again, because your death no longer belongs to you." These words felt so true that with each of them, Jaden felt like he was being shot in the heart.
"I... I could defend myself." Jaden's voice was even lower than before, and his expression was excessively dark.
"Of course, with your strength, you can defend yourself against many humans. But without further training, you could barely fight against a level A low-class HOUM. What will happen if you encounter higher levels or even exceptions?"
'He's absolutely right. I was killed by a level A low-class HOUM.' Jaden thought.
"I can't defend myself at all, I don't have that ability... not yet." He clenched his fists tightly, while his head looked down with a vacant gaze.
…
"Jaden Lavender, make your choice." Rei said after the silence had lasted for a while.
"Make the right choice, kid." this time it was Rush's voice, which sounded different from what it was earlier. He appeared serious and concerned at the same time.
"And they say we always have a choice, haha."
"Merely the act of choosing or not shows that we have no choice because whether we choose or not, a choice would have been made." Jaden had his back against the wall.
If he chose not to choose, they would file their report, and he would be locked up to protect the population. Without choosing, he would still have chosen.
"And they say life is a choice." Jaden murmured.
"Do you think we always have a choice?" he asked after a moment of silence.
From this perspective, he didn't really have a choice to make. Neither of the two CREDHOS responded, as they could see he was in conflict with himself.
"Do you think Mrs. Aiko chose to die? I chose to die, and I was told that I would never die again. Do you still believe we always have a choice?" He added after the silence that served as their response. He needed to get it off his chest.
He took a breath before adding:
"You're asking me to either live behind bars, to live while letting people die in my place, or to live 'comfortably' but become a CREDHOS. Do you really think I have a choice? I didn't ask for any of this. Did I choose to have the choice between all these things?"
"Jaden!" Rei called out, and Jaden gave his full attention to the man who had called him.
"What did you think when you were dying?" Rei asked.
Of all the questions, why this one? What did it have to do with the choice Jaden had to make? This question added to the confusion on Jaden's face, which was already filled with emotion.
"What did I think? I'm not exactly sure anymore, something like life might be better after death."
"So you thought about a better life after death. You thought there might be a life after death. Don't you think that this is that so-called life? Aren't you living after being killed?
"You probably imagined having another life, a better life. What's better than helping those around us?" Rei said in a calm, reassuring, and convincing voice.
…
This time, it was Jaden who didn't know how to respond. These words likely had no direct relation to his choice, but they held significant meaning.
"If you make the right choice now, you will probably live the life you wanted after death. I can't tell you what the right choice is, and I can't force you to choose." Rei continued before adding after a brief pause. "You have until tomorrow to respond."
After that, the two CREDHOS left without saying anything more, leaving Jaden deep in thought.