Jin picked up the unconscious Luke and carried him out of the barrier.
After walking for a while, Jin gently laid Luke down on the road and sat beside him, one knee bent.
"Hey, you. Wake up."
Jin shaked Luke's head, trying to wake him up.
"Ahhh... wait, no, no, please I beg of you.... don't kill me, mom, dad. Please....."
Tears slipped down Luke's cheeks as he cried softly in his sleep, his face contorted with pain that only his dreams could reveal.
"What!!? Hay wake up!!" Jin began shaking him faster, urgency creeping into his movements as he tried to rouse him.
"Where am I ?" Luke woke with a gasp, drenched in sweat, his breath coming in short, panicked bursts. His surroundings felt foreign to him, as if he hadn't fully escaped the nightmare yet.
"You ok? You were screaming in your sleep." Jin asked.
"Oh. I see.. it's fine. I am fine. Probability a nightmare." Luke voice was still shaking.
"You're not able to increase your harmony completion, are you?" Jin asked straightforwardly.
"What is harmony completion?"
"It's what you called level." Said Jin.
"No, no, I can't," Luke answered, gritting his teeth. "Maybe it was my limit. I don't have what it takes to go any further."
"Not true. Everyone can reach the Harmony state. As long as you understand yourself."
"You think I can become as strong as you?"
"I am not that strong to be honest. Beside I am just a level 1 with 48 spiritual energy output."
"What are you taking about." Said Luke,"You must have a skill to hide your power."
Jin didn't answered. And looked at the night sky.
"You need to go home. It's becoming a bit dangerous around me." Jin offered his hand, helping Luke to his feet.
[Time Dragon Heart: Time Stop]
In that instance time stop. All things in the world frozen in time.
[Mathematician: Auto Counter]
In the frozen world, Jin slowly started to perceived the time stop. Able to think in the world of complete silence.
'Someone stopped the time! Mathematician auto counter ability must have activated to prevent the time stop effect on me.'
When suddenly a lone figure, suspended in the sky, gradually descended upon the frozen world below.
'So beautiful!' Jin was astonished by how beautiful the man looked.
He had striking, fiery red long hair that fell in soft waves around his face, its vibrant color accentuating his chiseled, symmetrical features. His sharp jawline and high cheekbones framed a face so naturally beautiful, it was almost ethereal. His skin was smooth and fair, giving him a youthful glow. But what caught Jin's eye the most were his eyes -bright lime green, glinting like gems. They were intense and captivating, their vivid hue standing out against his red hair, drawing anyone who looked at him into their mesmerizing depth.
"Hello there, I am Albedo. And you are Jin right?" Albedo spoke with a voice that resonated with profound gravitas.
'Albedo, he mean Albedo Samael. The thirteenth headed king.' Jin thought.
"Exactly. It's me." Albedo said in response to Jin's thought.
[Mathematician: mind attack resistance × 1 billion]
Jin hurriedly enhanced his mental attack resistance.
'The auto counter didn't worked this time.' Jin wound why his ability didn't worked. That was something unusual, it didn't happened until he turned it off himself.
"Oh my. I can't read your thoughts anymore. You must have multiplied it several millions times." Albedo spoke disappointly.
How did you know? Jin want to asked Albedo. Then realised that he couldn't moved in time stop.
'I suppose I can free myself.'
[Mathematician: Numerical Manipulation]
Jin modified his body, transformed it into a state free from time and space. With that he could moved freely in time stop.
"Oh, wow. You really did freed yourself for the time stop." Albedo clapped with excitement.
Yes now tell me. Is what Jin opened his mouth to spoke. But sound didn't came.
Actually when Jin thought about it. Nobody should be able to speak in the time stop. Since, along with everything air to stopped. And without a medium sound couldn't traveled. Even if you could move, you can't speak.
Awakened could used spiritual energy as a medium. But even spiritual energy couldn't moved without time. The only possible way for communication was thought transfer.
'No thought transfer also need spiritual energy.' Jin tried to figure out a way of commission.
Albedo was able to spoke perfectly. Because he possessed a more powerful energy then spiritual energy. Which didn't flowed with time.
'I could use that, but it can be risky. Maybe I don't have a choice but to start the time flow again.'
[Mathematician: Flow of time + 1]
Jin snapped his finger, but no sound came out. But the flow of time started again. All things started to moved again normally.
Jin coughed. Slightly embarrassed that his dramatic finger snapping poses with soundless.
"Incredible, you must have started the time again by adding 1 to the time flow which was zero in time stop."
"Wait you know about my innate ability."
"Ofcourse I am...."
"Lord Albedo, when did you came here." Luke interrupted after seeing Albedo suddenly appeared.
"Hay Luke. You fight brilliantly today."
"Did I?" Luke paused, "But I lost."
"Yes, but you gain experience, didn't you?" Albedo met his gazed."Now let's go to a better place."
A gigantic wooden door slowly rose from the ground, revealing its massive structure. As it fully opened, a dazzling, blinding light poured through, engulfing them all.
**********************
An intense light blinded Jin, making it impossible for him to open his eyes. After a moment, the brightness faded. Slowly, Jin opened his eyes. "Wow!" he whispered, unable to believe what lay before him. In the distance, a waterfall brimming with mysterious energy cascaded down. The landscape was covered in endless rows of vibrant flowers. On a platform near the waterfall, Albedo sat calmly, sipping his tea.
Jin walked over to Albedo, analyzing his surroundings.
"Your clothes are a bit ruffled," said Albedo.
'More than a bit, actually,' he thought, glancing down at his clothes.
"Well, yes. I was in a..."
"Don't worry."
Jin's clothes, which were filled with holes and stained with blood, repaired themselves, returning to their original state as if nothing had happened.
"Choose wisely—tea or coffee," Albedo offered, giving Jin the choice.
"Tea... please," Jin replied, sitting in the chair opposite Albedo.
Albedo poured tea into an elegant cup and handed it to Jin. As Jin sipped, he glanced around, amazed by the breathtaking surroundings. His eyes settled on the grass near the platform. Upon closer inspection, he recognized it as spiritual grass, often used in crafting potent healing poisons and such.
He let his gaze wander further, realizing that nearly everything around them, whether living or non-living, was infused with spiritual energy.
"Incredible," Jin said, amazed. "So this is what a king's domain looks like."
"Oh no, my domain isn't that special," Albedo said.
After enjoying his tea, Jin realized someone was missing. "Where is he, by the way? Luka, or was it Luke?" he surmised.
"I send him to his room." said Albedo.
"So, is he your disciple?" Jin asked.
"Yes he is my only disciple at the moment."
Jin picked up a slice of cake from the basket on the table, looking for a good moment to ask Albedo some questions.
"So about my innate ability..."
"You mean 'Mathematician' right? The ability said to be the strongest."
"How did you know that?"
"I am a king, my dear. I know more than you've heard about," Albedo said."But I am rather curious about the innate abilities now days."
"Are you now? Why not ask for those works with this O.R.D.E.R. of yours?"
"That would be a better option, but here's the thing: in the last ten thousand years of human history, fewer than twenty people have had innate abilities."
"Less than twenty." Jin was surprised.
'I knew they were rare, but not to this extent. No wonder they were after me,' Jin mused to himself.
"I am more surprised to hear that you don't know that. You who was wondering in the Forbidden land for twenty years."
"I am not that familiar with the human realm."
"Ofcourse." He paused ,"But I invited you here to asked you something."
"About the Forbidden land." Jin assumed.
"No, I'm well aware of that. What I want to know is why you are suppressing your own memories."
"Wh-What do you mean?" Jin's eyes widened in shock.
"Oh, let me put it another way. Do you remember your mother's face? Or your sister's name?"
Jin sat there in silence, trying to recall his past, his mother's face, and his sister's name. But all he could remember were fleeting, vivid impressions of them.
"Ofcourse you don't know."
Jin stood up in shock. 'My memories... he's right. I can't recall so many things. But why? Why? Why?' Jin's breathing grew rapid and uneven.
"How can this be? Mathematician would have eliminated any factor that could have caused the erasure of my memories."
"Yes, except for yourself," Albedo indicated.
Jin fell silent. He had suspected what Albedo was suggesting from the start but had tried to avoid it. Jin didn't want to believe that he was responsible for the loss of his own memories.
'Mother, I want to know how you look like. But all I remember is an Oblivion.'