Jester POV
Jester stood in the middle of the Second Sector's Middle District, the remains of abandoned buildings surrounding him like the ruins of a forgotten civilization. A sinister smile rested beneath his white-and-black theatrical mask as a beast nearly twice the size of a human lunged toward him with murderous intent. Its body resembled an unnatural amalgamation of a lion and a bird, possessing the muscular frame of a great predator while bearing enormous wings upon its back. Its fur was as black as the night, while its crimson eyes burned with an animalistic hunger.
Jester merely sidestepped the creature, almost playfully, the slightest hint of joy accompanying every step he took. There was no urgency in his movements, no hesitation, and certainly no fear. He summoned his deck of cards from his Celestial Forge, allowing the collection of enchanted cards to materialize within his hand. He began shuffling them casually as the beast stared at him for a brief moment, its enormous maw hanging open while thick strands of saliva dripped from its jaws.
He had already dealt with several two-star beasts, and each victory brought him one step closer to attempting the trial required to ascend to four-star. To become a four-star Star Master, one had to undergo a trial within their Celestial Forge, a trial designed to test the limits of one's mind, body, and soul. It was not something that could be taken lightly, nor was it something every Star Master survived.
But Jester couldn't afford to think about that right now. The beast before him had already caused considerable problems for the civilians who had chosen to remain on the surface of the Low District, and Jester had decided that eliminating it would be far more entertaining than simply ignoring it.
He pulled a single card from the deck as the beast lunged toward him once again, its claws extended and prepared to tear him apart. Jester smiled beneath his mask, quickly ducked beneath the incoming attack, and drove his knee directly into the beast's stomach. The impact was tremendous, sending the creature flying several meters into the air.
Jester immediately followed.
He leapt into the sky, effortlessly reaching the same altitude as the beast he had just launched upward. With the card still between his fingers, he slowly turned it toward the creature, revealing the Three of Hearts.
"Seems I only have thirty seconds to play with you, but that should be more than enough," he said.
He clenched his fist and drove it directly into the top of the beast's head.
The force sent the creature plummeting back toward the earth.
Its enormous body collided with the solid ground with such force that the surrounding structures trembled. Several already-damaged buildings collapsed beneath the impact, sending chunks of stone and clouds of dust into the air. A thunderous thud reverberated throughout the district.
Jester inhaled a small amount of the dust and immediately began coughing. He waved his hand in front of his face, attempting to disperse the cloud that surrounded him before sighing in irritation.
He walked toward the fallen beast and grabbed it by the hair on its head, lifting its enormous body from the ground as though its weight meant nothing to him. He stared into its crimson eyes for a moment before smiling beneath his mask.
"It was fun while it lasted."
He then brought all five fingers of his left hand together, forming what almost resembled a sword constructed from human flesh. Without hesitation, he drove his hand directly into the beast's chest, piercing through its flesh and targeting the organ that kept it alive.
His fingers wrapped around its heart. He could feel it beating within his grasp. He could feel the warm blood of the creature trickling down his hand.
Jester smiled.
Then he clenched his fist. The beast's heart was crushed instantly, its final remnants of life disappearing as its body became nothing more than a lifeless shell devoid of a soul. Jester slowly retracted his arm from the creature's chest, allowing the corpse to collapse onto the ground. Blood spewed from the enormous cavity he had created, pouring onto the ground with the force of water from an open faucet. Crimson liquid stained his sleeve and coated his arm.
He stared at the blood covering his skin for a moment before casually shaking his hand, flinging droplets of crimson from his fingers.
He sighed.
Then he noticed something.
The air shifted.
It was subtle at first, almost imperceptible, but the atmosphere around him suddenly changed as darkness began to descend upon the area. A singular point of light appeared within the darkness, gradually growing brighter until it took the shape of a person.
Claire.
Jester tilted his head slightly.
"A Celestial Projection. What do you want?"
"It's not me who wants something," Claire replied.
Another figure began to materialize beside her. The crimson hair immediately caught Jester's attention. His tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth as recognition dawned upon him.
Tristan.
"I need you to do something for me," Tristan said.
"And why would I do something for you? It's almost as if you've forgotten what you did to my arm."
Jester raised his prosthetic arm, deliberately displaying it.
Tristan's gaze briefly shifted toward the artificial limb before returning to Jester.
"I am willing to give you a rematch with Killington if you do this for me. A chance to fight a strong opponent."
Jester's smile widened beneath his mask.
"That is a good offer," he said. "But I'll need more."
Tristan sighed as he glanced toward Claire before turning his attention back toward Jester.
"In the coming weeks, we will be fighting an exceptionally strong opponent. If you do this for me, I'll involve you in the plan."
Jester smirked beneath his mask, a quiet chuckle beginning to escape his throat.
"Okay, then. I'll do it. What do you need?"
"There's a woman who will dock at Sector 4 within the next twenty-four hours. Her name is Gloria Estonia. I want her dead."
"A name is good and all, but I don't know what she looks like."
Tristan smiled.
His body slowly began to dissipate into particles of light, but before his projection completely disappeared, he spoke one final sentence.
"I never said the job would be easy."
Jester clicked his tongue as the darkness gradually dissipated, returning him to the material world. The corpse of the beast he had just slain remained before him, sprawled lifelessly across the ground.
He ran a hand through his hair.
Then he smiled.
"It's time to have some fun."
The beast's body slowly began to dissipate, its very existence breaking apart into countless particles that were carried away by the cold winter winds. Jester remained standing there for a moment, watching the remnants of the creature disappear.
Tristan POV
It had been two days since the Masquerade Ball.
Tristan's whereabouts had been kept strictly under wraps, known only to some members of Pillar Orion and those directly involved in protecting him. This was precisely what they wanted. Tristan and the others understood that, in order to draw Jonathan Graves out, Jonathan needed to discover where Tristan was.
During those two days, Tristan had begun meditating more frequently while simultaneously sending Killington into the Low District to hunt and eliminate more beasts. With every battle, Tristan's strength continued to increase, allowing Killington to remain manifested for longer periods without exhausting him completely.
[300/1000 Shadow Fragments]
After reaching the two-star rank, the number of Shadow Fragments required to advance had increased considerably. However, Tristan had found it easier to acquire Shadow Fragments due to his increased strength and the abundance of Remnants provided to him.
Yet during his meditation, the face of one person continued to appear within Tristan's mind.
Amelia.
Her sorrowful expression repeatedly surfaced in his thoughts, stirring emotions he desperately tried to suppress. Every time her face appeared, his resolve weakened. There were moments when he desperately wished to see her again, but Claire had immediately talked him out of it whenever he brought up the idea.
Tristan sighed and rose from his meditation position.
He walked toward the window of his room and opened it, allowing the frigid breeze to enter. The cold air brushed against his face as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
For a moment, he simply stood there, taking in the quiet beauty of the snow-covered surroundings.
Then a knock pulled him from his thoughts.
The door opened, and Tristan turned around. Claire stood on the other side.
"Bart's here to see you."
Tristan sighed.
"I'll be down in a minute."
He left his room and descended the staircase, eventually entering Godfrey's office.
Godfrey sat behind his desk while Bart occupied one of the two couches positioned parallel to each other. As always, Bart wore a wide smile that made it difficult to determine whether he was genuinely happy or simply amused by everything around him.
Tristan walked toward the remaining couch and sat down, placing himself directly opposite Bart.
"What do you want?" Tristan asked, his voice carrying a noticeable edge of irritation.
Bart smirked.
"Why such hostility, cousin?"
Tristan remained silent.
Bart shrugged before continuing.
"I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"
"Bart, I don't have time for your games."
"Alright, then. The good news first."
Bart slowly interlaced his ten fingers, resting them together as his expression remained strangely cheerful.
"In the past few hours, I've received reports that Jonathan has arrived in Sector Three. So he's here, but we don't know exactly where."
Tristan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"And the bad news?" Godfrey asked.
Bart's expression changed.
The smile disappeared.
For someone like Bart, such a change was rare. He swallowed before finally speaking.
"Decker Vermillion is here."