I groggily opened my eyes, trying to get up...only to wince. Pain came from everywhere around me - at least, that was what it felt like.
I shook my head, throwing away the haze of sleep that tried to remain.
"Ah, you're awake...welcome back to the land of the living, Mr. Manager."
I heard that familiar voice and groaned, throwing my head to the side.
'Guessing by the fact that I'm not back in the gas station...I guess that whole dungeon wasn't for nothing.'
I wasn't really up for banter, but I replied, just to make sure I could still get my voice out.
"That you, fake priest?"
"I'm not a fake priest! I gave you a proper name to call me by!"
Jay immediately responded in indignation from somewhere around me. It was surprising hearing so much emotion in their voice, but I guess it was just another part of their mysterious personality.
For whatever reason, they cared a lot about their station as a 'priest'.
"A fake name, that is. I wouldn't really call that proper."
I replied, while sitting up.
"As if you weren't guilty of doing the same...'Mr.Manager'...manager of what, exactly?" They murmured, their voice returning to comparative monotone.
I took a few more quiet moments to come to fully, and scanned around the room. We were still in that mechanic's garage - made sense. If Jay had the sort of strength, luck, and stamina to carry two unconscious people across the city, they wouldn't have needed me to get into that dungeon.
I turned my eyes to the corner of the room, where Alyssa was sitting, unconscious, with her guns set out beside her.
I really didn't feel comfortable with her having her guns nearby with the current state of tired desperation she was in right now...I may have fought with her as a comrade-in-arms once, but she was in her right mind then.
At the same time, I didn't want to wake her up, forcibly bringing her back to the world of the waking where resisting the influence of the 'idea of God' abnormality would be the toughest.
"Have you started crafting yet?"
Now that my vision had cleared up, I could see that Jay was helping themselves to some of the leftover, intricate tools that the mechanic had apparently abandoned.
I was curious to see just how they were accomplishing that, but then I realized that some of the power stations were still continuing to operate, at this point. This building must still have power.
"No, not yet...it takes quite a while to work on these. I can't leave a single imperfection."
What I saw looked absolutely ridiculous. Still dressed in the priestly garbs that clung tightly to their sensual body, Jay was busy at work truly looking like some sort of mechanic, wearing a metal face mask while using some sort of tool to grind away at the crystals, turning them into a fine, fine powder.
Then they'd take the dust, sift it to purify it, and further grind the dust down again...
Until eventually, Jay finished, with their end product being some sort of sparkling powder. It was barely a small pile.
I wasn't impressed by the sight of the process, however. No, I was surprised...by just how rudimentary it had been.
All Jay did was grind the crystals into a fine dust, sieve them over and over, grind them some more, and make sure they came out as a clear, pure powder.
"...you're kidding me. They're not some sort of magical crystal? There's no weird ritual involved? You can just...work them over like any raw material?"
Jay chuckled, shaking their head. "Everyone's blinded by how strange everything's become. They're called 'materials' for a reason. You use them just as you would any sort of 'material'."
They held up the shimmering dust on a metal plate. Even without any light filtering into the building from the outside, they sparkled like they were being constantly hit by rays of sunshine.
"What's important with materials, is that you use them with a clear 'purpose' in mind. Frankly, they can be used with anything. You could add them to your food, you could try using them to create a weapon, you could even use them to make a building...the true 'magical' effects of Materials doesn't come from their actual purpose, but the purpose that people assign to them."
Jay grabbed a packet of cigarettes and began to methodically slice them open with a box cutter, one by one, and filled the tobacco ends with the refined Materials. A faint glow emanated from the tips, as they seemingly mixed together.
"So...the reason why people can't find a use for Materials...is just because we all assume that we can't find a use. And the reason why they only seem to ward away monsters a little bit...is that we mostly operate assuming that's their only use."
Jay smiled, holding up the pack after I had finished speaking.
"You're quick on the uptake with these sorts of things, Mr. Manager. Yes, that's right...for what's left of humanity to begin using Materials, they'd have to step away from the overwhelming belief that they're 'mostly useless'...unfortunately, that's easier said than done. Most people aren't trying to figure things like that out...they're just trying to become stronger and survive."
"You really could've left out the 'with these sorts of things'."
"My deepest apologies."
Finished with the packing of the crystal powder into the cigarettes, Jay then neatly tucked all the cigarettes back into the pack and shut it.
To be honest, it was a wasteful product. So many Materials spent for a single pack of cigarettes. Now, however, I understood the Saintess' large need for Materials even further.
Jay put in a lot of effort when creating that powder. Even if the process itself was simple, they took an excruciating amount of time and effort to make sure it all looked as pure as it could. All for the purpose of mixing it in with the tobacco of the cigarettes as fine powder.
"I can't believe it...it all comes back to meaning and purpose..." I groaned, slumping against the wall.
Viola's lessons were only becoming more important and applicable the more I learned.
Abnormalities themselves are born from cultural norms, ideas, and society at large...so too are the solutions to those Abnormalities. And of course, even beneficial items like Materials, fall under those same rules.
"Well, that isn't to say that anyone can do what I do. Creating something still requires skill, after all. For example, just because you want to make a sword, you can't just...imagine a sword being made out of Materials. You'd still need a blacksmith who can work on it while having a clear image in mind...though I'm sure you won't find much people like that who are still alive." Jay chuckled, while I stared at them blankly. They didn't seem to care about the darkness of their joke.
"And? That means you were really experienced with power tools and refining crystals before you switched over to being a priest?" I asked, with a raised eyebrow. Jay hummed, tapping a finger to their chin, and then turning to the side.
They didn't seem bothered by my jab, and just answered honestly.
"Well, let's just say that I'm no stranger to working with chemicals and mixtures. It's why crafting, specifically putting together these cigarettes, comes so easily to me." They admitted, their empty eyes glinting with some sort of past knowledge. "And...I want to help the Saintess beyond anything else. So I'm sure of the purpose I'm imbuing into this process being strong enough to ensure the effects. I'm always thinking of helping the Saintess."
That was the first time I was hearing of this. The Saintess - Alyssa herself had never brought up her past, but I had never seen her and Jay interact before.
And yet, whenever Jay spoke about the Saintess, that light appeared in their eyes, momentarily washing away the deep, deep darkness of their gaze.
I didn't understand where their feelings of gratitude and debt came from, but I didn't need to. I could tell just by watching how carefully they held those cigarettes that 'the Saintess' really did mean something important to them.
"Still, it's funny. To think we're saving someone's life by having to lead them to smoke...I'm sure a real doctor would have a field day with us."
Jay shook their head, as they gingerly stood up and walked over to the slumped Saintess. I didn't feel that much of a need to stop them from getting too close to her, weirdly enough.
I guess that I had formed some kind of trust with Jay. Or, at the very least, I trusted in their sincerity towards Alyssa.
"In this world that we're living in now...common sense can be both useful, and a hindrance. Our beliefs keep us alive...but they've also been weaponized and turned against us."
Jay kneeled, looking at the pained expression that was etched onto Alyssa's face.
"The Saintess doesn't deserve any of this...yet the sheer 'idea' of the God she knows harms her like this. Humanity's own preconceptions and focus on survival holds us back from maximizing items like the 'Materials'...the state the world in isn't just disadvantageous to us...it's outright cruel and unfair."
Just through listening to those words alone, I felt like I was beginning to understand the darkness in Jay's eyes a little bit better.
"Well, even if the world is going to crap, at least we've still got people like you around."
Jay had been reaching out to tap Alyssa on her shoulder and wake her up, but they stopped in their tracks. They didn't turn around to face me. I couldn't see their face too well from behind their short, midnight black hair.
But there was a pause.
"...I'd prefer to hear the Saintess say that." Jay spoke after, causing me to roll my eyes.
"Yeah, yeah...now go ahead, wake her up. The sooner she can get back on her feet, the better."
We were almost three weeks into the Regression cycle...of course, with this little progress, there was no way I would defeat the Flood Dragon this time around.
However, with thanks to what I had just learned from Jay, and the lessons I received from Viola about defeating Abnormalities...I was beginning to develop the basics of a plan.
So focused was I on my thoughts, I didn't notice the shy smile coming to Jay's face, as they gently shook Alyssa awake.
It was a real shame. After all, they had a beautiful smile.