I couldn't help but experience a feeling of deja vu when Hugh pointed his guns at me.
For a second, I froze as the flashback of a certain author killing me appeared in my mind.
However, I recovered quickly and kept my poker face on as I asked, "Will you kill me?"
"I can if I want," was what Hugh replied with.
He wasn't wrong. It would at least take me a split second to deploy my martial aura and shield me from the bullet.
By that time, I would already be dead with a bullet in my head.
But unfortunately for Hugh, I don't need to employ my martial aura when I can simply use Phoenix's Embrace.
Even then, however, I would want to resolve this matter peacefully. As if he shared the same intentions, Hugh said:
"But I won't kill you. Something tells me I can't anyway. So I'll imprison you in one of our cells until you tell us what's the source of your future knowledge."
Even though I didn't completely agree with the level of aggression Hugh was showing, I knew his demand wasn't exactly wrong.
You see, they have already shown me their trump card. What's to say I can't just go to the Vampires and sell them these secrets?
Hell, for all they know, I could be a spy since Lucas wasn't supposed to behave like the way I'm behaving in the original timeline.
Or what if the future knowledge I have is nothing but a trap that would lead this timeline another bad ending?
Maybe I'm just an imposter acting to match the description of the spearman from the prophecy to let them get their guard down.
The possibilities are endless.
Since I know the source of Kai's future knowledge, I have also come to know the weaknesses in it.
His knowledge comes from the memories of his alternate self that lived in the other timelines.
That means his knowledge isn't omniscient like mine since all he knows comes from his perspective.
That means, he only knows about the events and characters that he encountered.
I, on the other hand, know everything that Joe wrote in his novel.
Well, truth be told, my own knowledge hasn't proved to be very omniscient either, but at least I can confidently say that I know more than Kai.
So since I know their weaknesses, Hugh's argument is that it's only fair that they know mine.
"Fine," after a bit of thinking, I nodded my head. "I'll tell you – I'll tell you about the world I came from."
†
After approximately twenty minutes, Lucas was done telling his secret to Kai and Hugh.
As a result of that, the entire hall fell into an overwhelmingly deafening silence.
The two cadets aside from Lucas remained motionless on the sofa, their faces filled with a mix of confusion, surprise, shock, and various other indescribable emotions.
Within this absolute stillness, Kai and Hugh appeared like lifeless statues, only the sound of their breathing confirming that they didn't die from the shock.
Breaking the prolonged silence, it was Lucas who spoke first.
"Would you two like for me to offer some water or something?" Lucas sarcastically asked, unable to bear the oppressive silence any longer.
Hugh followed suit, "So, let me get this straight. You're saying that Lucas is dead, and you're now inhabiting his dead body? You seem pretty alive to me…"
"What?!" Lucas nearly leaped up, taken aback by the sheer absurdity of Hugh's statement.
For some reason, he felt a slight sense of offense. After all, Hugh pretty much called him a zombie.
Zombie? Him?! An extremely handsome person such as him?! What nonsense!
"I'm very much alive. I merely shifted into his body... unintentionally. The term for it is transmigration in modern pop culture."
Well, modern in his world.
"...How does that even make sense?" Kai pondered aloud, his fingers grazing his chin.
Lucas shrugged, unsure of how to explain any more clearly than he already has.
After a bit of thought, Hugh chimed in, "Actually, it does. It does kind of make sense."
"Hmm?" Kai gave Hugh a quizzical look. "Well, go on then, explain."
Rubbing his chin as if remembering something important, Hugh began to explain, "In one of the prophecies, it mentioned a spearman standing at the junction of two worlds.
"If we really consider Lucas as one of the Heroes, then it's not far-fetched to think that the prophecy was referring to this very situation.
"Perhaps it meant that one of the heroes would come from a different world to save ours. Of course, deciphering prophecies is challenging because of their cryptic and vague nature, so we can't be sure. But I think there is a good chance the spearman can really be him."
At that statement, Hugh received a look from Kai that screamed, 'I told you so.'
In response, Hugh held back his urge to roll his eyes.
Meanwhile, Lucas was lost in his own thoughts.
'A spearman standing at the junction of two worlds, huh?' Lucas took a long, deep breath as an unwanted memory resurfaced in his mind.
During his childhood, when he— 'he' as in: Noah Lambert—used to have recurring nightmares every single night, there was one particularly harrowing memory that remained etched deep within his soul.
Although most of the details from that nightmare had faded from his memory after growing up, he could still vividly remember seeing a boy standing at the convergence of two worlds with a two headed spear in his hands.
One world appeared futuristic yet mystic, while the other resembled a world Noah was very familiar with– his own Earth.
He remembers that the boy would lock eyes with him and utter in a sad tone...
"This is the point where our worlds collide."
"Hmm? What did you say?"
Both Hugh and Kai looked at Lucas with a confused look as he mumbled something under his breath.
With their gazes locked on him, he merely shook his head. "Ah, nothing."
Almost instantly, however, Lucas turned to Hugh and asked, "So, can I read the book now?"
"Haaa," letting out a soft sigh, Hugh closed his eyes for a few seconds before finally opening them and giving me a strong look.
"Fine," he nodded. "You can read it."
