"I can see you must’ve lived a very good life on Earth. You and that traitor you call a father."
Jason’s hand tightened immediately, and the man chuckled when he saw annoyance flash across Jason’s eyes! The man began to walk around the hall slowly while talking.
"Are you angry that I called your father a traitor? The worst king to ever rule Avaran! A man who ran away when we were at our lowest and left the few surviving Avarans to care for themselves without any support! What would you call a man like that if not a traitor!? And you, his youngest son, showered with all his love and blessed with a stolen birthright! You too are a traitor! You do not deserve the title of Prince!"
Jason watched the man closely as he walked around. Jason honestly didn’t know what to feel right now. At first, Jason had been happy that he finally found someone from his world that he could talk to. If this man was a pure Avaran like Stella, then he must have more stories about when his father was king! But after hearing the man’s words, it became obvious that this was not someone who supported the royal family at all!
Jason spoke up as the man walked around him.
"My father did not abandon you. He had no choice but to leave."
"Your father was a fool! He led us into a war against the Primordials, knowing we stood no chance of victory! And you are a fool for still believing in him!"
The man pointed a finger at Jason as anger flashed through his eyes for the first time since this conversation started, but Jason remained calm as he listened. The man spread his hands out and continued:
"We were once the mightiest race in the Primordial Expanse! A warrior people who would not be dared by any of our enemies! And now look at us! Scavengers and refugees running from our past like cockroaches! That is the fault of your father! He brought us this shame! How dare he call himself king? And how dare you stand there and call yourself a prince? Haha~ I’ve been following your journey, you know..."
At this point, the man’s form shifted into a perfect replica of Riyala, and Jason’s eyes widened in shock! The man turned to Jason and spoke kindly.
"The saviour of Radagan. The dragonslayer who liberated the dragon people."
The man’s form changed into a replica of Gina this time.
"The man who travelled across the dimensions with his lover to save his world. Carving his name in history!"
This time, he changed to the beautiful form of Hesbeath and covered his lower face with a fan.
"The grand mage who faced the world itself in battle and survived to tell the tale."
And then, the man changed into the form of a Machina and pointed his blaster at Jason!
"The genocidal monster who eradicated an entire race from existence! So many stories told about you! So many legends credited to your name, and yet, not once did I hear that you were searching for your people. Not once did you attempt to gather the Avarans from their displacement and bring them back to their former glory. They say with great power comes great responsibility. But all that power you possess has been wasted on you. You are no Avaran Prince. You are a fake KING. A lowly human."
Jason listened to everything the man had to say with a calm look on his face, and even the insults didn’t do anything to move Jason’s emotions. Once the man was done talking, Jason spoke up.
"I don’t know what exactly your issue with me is, but you will not place the responsibility for other people’s failures on my shoulders. My father failed to protect our world; that is true. But he was not the only one responsible for protecting that world. You and the other soldiers failed as well. My father did his best for those he cared about. And I will spend my life doing the same thing."
The man grinned.
"I see... so you simply do not care about the Avarans. How fitting for a human. I suppose I shouldn’t have wasted my time confronting you. But know this: War is coming to you, and the true Avarans have chosen a side. The main royal family has shown that they do not care for us, but there is another who does. Someone who has earned our trust as the one true Prince. The power you have been granted by your father is not yours to have. You are a false King clinging on to a stolen birthright. And when the destined Prince arises with his King’s Guard, he will come to take what is his."
The man started moving backwards, and he gave Jason a malicious grin filled with promises of what was to come, but Jason refused to allow this conversation to end like this!
[Land of Lost Shadows]!
Jason immediately activated the shadow skill, and the world darkened as the two of them were transported into the alternate dimension! Jason stood on the large hill overlooking his world, and he spoke to the man.
"I can’t let you go. You still have a lot of questions you need to answer. You say you are from the King’s Guard? How many Avarans accepted the invitation to join?"
Jason glared at the man as he asked this! Jason could still remember the conversation he had with his brother, Hendrix, back on Earth about the King’s Guard and how they were made up of Avarans that wanted to overthrow his father! It was obvious that this man was one of the members, and Jason needed to know more about them!
The man was standing in the murky water below the mountain, and he looked around at the world with a critical gaze before he looked at Jason and laughed.
"An Arcane Art? How interesting. I suppose you have more mysteries hidden away than I thought, little Prince. But you should remember: there are powers in this world that cannot be stopped by anything. Not even by a power as complicated as the Arcane Arts."
The man suddenly began to sink into the ground, and Jason’s eyes widened in shock! What the hell was going on!? They were in the [Land of Lost Shadows], so the man shouldn’t be able to go anywhere! The mysterious man saw Jason’s confusion, and he gave Jason a mocking smile!
"I hope you enjoy the gift I left for you, little Prince. The next time we meet will be on the battlefield. And if you see that father of yours, tell him Jack the Ripper sends his worst regards."
The man was about to completely vanish into the ground, but Jason suddenly flashed forward faster than the man could move and grabbed him by the face!
[Time Dilation]!
The man was shocked by Jason’s speed, and his eyes widened when Jason summoned a sword and raised it to stab him! Did this bastard think he could just escape like that!? If the man wasn’t going to talk by himself, then Jason was going to kill him and get the information he needed after resurrecting him!
"Reaynar!"
The man suddenly shouted, and Jason turned in shock as he felt an intense tremor travel through the [Land of Lost Shadows]! Outside the shadow world, a tall woman put her hand against the black wall of the Alternate Dimension, and she activated a skill before she unleashed an intense wave of mana that shook the entire world!
BOOM!
Jason felt a tremor go through his chest, and his control over the [Land of Lost Shadows] slipped for a moment! That single moment of distraction allowed the shapeshifting man to slip out of Jason’s grasp by reducing the size of his head! But Jason quickly activated a skill!
[Vertigo]!