The Achievement Junkie

Chapter 705 - Kylon Learned the Truth...

"Auntie Kylon…" Jack dropped to one knee and hugged the crying, mentally confused woman. Though Perchet would still hear it, Jack softly whispered, "Would you rather your child be raised by Skaryn or eaten by Halmut?"

Both Perchet's and Kylon's faces instantly paled. Perchet clenched his fists tightly but refrained from saying anything more. Kylon's lip and stare quivered as Jack looked directly into her eyes.

"Do you want to know the truth?"

"... Y-y…" Kylon tried to speak but found herself unable. All she could do was force a slight nod to Jack's humbling question.

"Then let me share what really happened." Jack let go of Kylon but remained on his knees. He opened his menu and purchased two skills. "Just watch… Don't say anything until the end."

Illusory energy filled Jack's eyes as he looked to both Perchet and Kylon. Both dragon gods suddenly felt themselves dragged into a new mind space, a crystal clear memory that neither of them had experienced. They were standing in the air looking over the long-lost Kustram, which was in perfect order. Occasionally, they noticed that the person in memory would look to the side and spot either Daruun or a skeleton they recognized from their earlier battle, Jack's new assistant.

But a gigantic pillar of light abruptly fell from the sky, crashing down onto Kustram's capital and wiping it off the map.

Perchet was speechless, unsure how he should be reacting. Kylon was already in tears, immediately linking this memory to her countless nightmares of the people's perspective. Both understood what had begun the moment Halmut's unwarned attack fell onto the island nation.

They watched as Skaryn arrived without delay, trying to sway Halmut from fighting. And Skaryn's most impactful line was unexpected yet mind-opening.

"Does Kylon know about this?"

That line was repeated by Skaryn and echoed through their minds as they both understood the care behind them. Such words coming from their supposed enemy of old proved just how falsely Halmut had changed history and just how far he was willing to go to keep his influence. Adding that to how Halmut had forced himself onto Kylon, neither could deny how character-defining this reveal was for Halmut, though Halmut had done everything possible to conceal the truth.

"Stop Halmut!" Kylon cried out of reflex as more and more pillars of light fell onto her home country, reducing it to rubble and eliminating the Flood Dragon civilization beneath the island. She couldn't help herself. Watching Skaryn fight for her people's survival while her false leader and forced lover obliterated her home… it left Kylon feeling broken. Her mind could no longer hide the many truths within her mind and it hurt more than anything she could anticipate.

Jack allowed the memory to close as Halmut was finishing his dark deed and threw his arms around Kylon yet again. "Auntie… It's okay. It will be okay… Skaryn is still alive though he's currently trapped."

"Then we'll free him!" shouted Kylon, unable to control her emotionally free mind from the downpour of recollection. "We'll free him and--"

"Auntie, calm down… It's not that simple," Jack stated, pulling his head back to look her in the eyes. "The moment Halmut learns that Skaryn is freed is the moment he'll use you as a hostage like he always did against Skaryn."

"I… I was a hostage? You mean… Skaryn…"

"If Skaryn was always stronger than Halmut, why do you think Skaryn would allow Halmut to remain in the spotlight for so long while Skaryn is labeled as the villain? Their friendship ended long ago and I'm certain that having your life on the line is why Skaryn was reactionary to everything that AHlmut did and not visa versa," reasoned Jack. "But it's not your fault. It's Halmut's. He's the one who's been scheming and planning all this. That's why I need your help taking him down."

"... I…" Kylon was torn but not on what she should do. She was torn in her heart, fully knowing now that everything she had done for Skaryn, especially after the destruction of her home, was all playing into Halmut's plans and not what she had wanted. It left her empty and hollow, as if she had become the opposite of everything she had wanted to become. "What… would I need to do?"

"Would you mind if I took a look at Skaryn's seal?" Jack asked, surprising both Kylon and Perchet. "I want to check if there's a way to unseal him without the use of enchantment keys."

"Jack, that's--"

"Please, Auntie. This would be best for us all. I can even teleport us there."

"I… Yes… I can let you take a look. But--"

"I'll need to do it alone with no one else in the room, not even you, Auntie," Jack added.

After learning the truth, the feeling of being called "Auntie" had changed drastically. Now, it felt endearing, which was a feeling that Kylon struggled to remember from anything beyond her past with Lunara.

"O-okay…"

"Then let's go and not waste time."

All of a sudden, spatial energy enveloped the three of them. They were carried deep into the sea as they appeared in Kylon's personal chambers. Both the dragons were fine and Jack quickly cast a water breathing spell he'd gained from long ago in-game.

"Sorry, but reading your mind was the fastest way to find the place."

"That's fine… At least you read my mind and didn't try to manipulate it…" Kylon sighed, still embracing her newly revealed reality.

Jack's appearance suddenly changed to that of Sillo, allowing him to remain hidden from the other Flood Dragons attending to Kylon's underwater palace. "Lead the way, Auntie. Just tell them all that Halmut ordered for Sillo to inspect the seal and that it requires absolute privacy."

"Alright… Follow me."

"Jack, would you mind if I--"

"Sorry, Perchet, but you can't come inside. It's better that way," Jack stated. "After inspecting the seal, we'll discuss what comes next. Kylon's mind is still blurry to me and somewhat closed, so something is still trying to manipulate her thoughts. With that in mind, I think we should be careful about what information is shared between us."