Extra's Descent

Chapter 164: Brandon Locke [6]

'He's gone…?'

How could he be gone?

Wasn't he the strongest?

What kind of monster would be capable of killing him off like that?

Just the thought sent a shiver down his spine.

Surely, he wasn't dead.

He couldn't imagine anyone, or anything capable of killing Jin.

"Is he—"

"I don't know."

She decisively cut him off.

"But I trust him. If he's dead, then that's that."

She shook her head.

"I just have to do what I can. For now, I have to look out for you."

"Why?"

It didn't make any sense. He knew he was heavily favored by Jin, but there should've been no reason for the Ciel to do all of this.

"Because it was Jin's last will."

"...."

He could understand that.

Scanning her, he could definitely see that she was exhausted, evident by the slight creases in her eyelids.

The lengths she was going through for a stranger, even supplying him with her mana to the point where she was overfatigued…

Even if Jin had told her to do so, it was too much.

Just what kind of relationship did the two have?

"He's my brother."

Again.

Was she a mind reader?

"I'm not."

"...."

"I can tell from the expressions you're making."

"...."

That aside, the sudden revelation of her relationship with Jin had taken him aback and his eyes shot wide open.

Jin's identity was never revealed in the novel. As for Ciel, she had made several appearances.

But due to the nature of the organization's secrecy, and as for the author's writing style, it would always leave things vague.

Again, shit author.

But now that he was experiencing everything with his own eyes, more and more information gets revealed.

He had already doubted a long time ago whether he was actually in the novel, or just a world that was similar to it.

If he were actually in the novel, then he could solemnly swear that he had long surpassed the last chapter he had read.

Sure, he had altered the plotline of his own volition.

But the author had clearly left things far too vague. From what he knew, he was near the novel's ending.

There was no time to flesh out Ciel's character, nor give her a backstory like this.

'...This isn't a novel, isn't it?'

It was a plausible theory.

There were key concepts that were completely left out in the novel.

One such concept was Jin's identity.

The other, was Brandon Locke, the character he had transmigrated into's actual identity.

If he wasn't that important, then there was no reason for Jin's favoritism towards him.

And lastly…

"The rift!"

That was when he realized he had completely forgotten about the rift.

"What happened after?!"

He abruptly asked, changing the topic.

But her response was the shaking of her head.

"It's better if you see it for yourself."

"Do you know what happened to my family? My sister? My friends…?"

"Unfortunately, I don't."

"...."

Understandable.

"What about the incursion?"

"...It was a failure."

"...."

Then that could only mean…

His father was dead.

'Damn it.'

The thought of his death had left him conflicted. He wasn't particularly close to him, and he wasn't his real son.

But somewhere inside, he felt like he had let the original Brandon Locke down.

If that was the case, then how was Belle holding up?

"...."

The thought of Belle had made him feel melancholic.

She was the closest person to him.

The only one he could truly open himself up to.

Her father had died, and he wasn't by her side to console her.

She had consoled him whenever he was down. She was a beacon of hope, the one who had saved him from himself more than he could count.

And that was when he realized his current predicament.

If Ciel didn't know Belle's current state, then that could only mean that Belle didn't know where he was.

"....What happened to me?"

"I don't know either. I took you in under Jin's instructions. But I realized why, as soon as I found you unconscious."

"Why?"

"Because of your instability. You're a hazard to the others, Brandon. I was able to stabilize you these past few months. But clearly, it's a temporary solution."

Brandon listened attentively to each and every word she spoke.

"I'm sorry I couldn't inform them. But you should be well aware of my status."

Yes, she had to hide identity.

She had her own reasons, and Brandon could respect that.

"From what I've heard from the reports of the other members, on the day of the calamity, a lot of people died."

He understood where this was going.

But he didn't want to hear it.

Just the thought of it had made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"To the world, it seems like Brandon Locke is dead."

"...."

Of course the others would think that way. After all, he had been missing for over nine months.

"...Can I go back and see them?"

"No."

She shook her head.

"You might be fine now. But once you go unstable, it's highly likely that they would get affected. From what I can see, you seem to be a lot stronger now. People below your strength would most probably die once they get exposed to your unstable mana."

"If that's the case. Then why aren't you affected?"

"Because I've received a portion of his power."

"His power?"

Was she talking about—

"Jin."

As expected.

But that still didn't answer most of his questions.

The Sovereign's Will clearly entailed some sort of power.

Since she said that it would affect mages, then even someone as strong as Belle would get affected.

But in the first place, what kind of power did Jin give her?

And why was she able to stabilize him?

With such thoughts, he arrived at a question that he had wanted answers to for so long.

"Who is Jin?"

"Another one like you."

"...."

Well that was vague.

"Like me?"

"A system user."

"...."

What the fuck?

Is all he could think of.

Once again, the revelation had left him in shock. His mouth was left agape as it contorted to an 'o' shape.

There were already several surprises that took him aback. But this revelation took the cake.

But now everything made sense.

Jin's strength.

The mystery around him, and his favoritism towards him.

"I see."

But despite the shock, he responded maturely.

"Then… are there any others like us?"

"Not that I know of."

She shook her head.

He appreciated Ciel's honesty in her answering all of his questions. He realized he was asking too much, but it couldn't be helped.

He was too in the dark by all of this.

"Are you a system user as well?"

"No."

"So this power he gave you, is it related to the system?"

"You could say that. But to be precise, the power he had given me is related to the Sovereign's Will."

"I see. Then why can't you cure me yourself?"

"The power I have is nothing but a portion of the will. I can only stabilize you for a few hours before you go all berserk again."

That made sense.

Ciel had made it clear from the beginning that her method was inefficient.

"Then how can I be cured?"

"We need a Sovereign's Fragment to stabilize you."

"Then how can we find that?"

"Apologies for being vague. But the Sovereign's Fragment isn't an object. It's a person. We need to find 'her' to stabilize your core."

Her?

"Who?"

"Amelia Constantine."