JJ lifted her chin slightly, the regret in her eyes replaced by a flash of steel. "Because the world is rotting, Ty. And you're standing in the middle of it, whether you want to or not."
Ty stared at her, searching for answers in her face. "You're not making any sense."
JJ sighed and finally sat on the edge of the spa, her shoulders slumping. "Sit down," she said softly.
"No."
"Sit down, Ty."
He didn't know why, but sothing in her voice broke through his defiance. He lowered himself stiffly to the tiled floor, his glare unwavering.
JJ clasped her hands in her lap, staring down at them. "You've heard pieces of this world's history, haven't you?" she began quietly. "From the books? The five kingdoms? The Titan Goddess?"
Ty frowned. He hadn't expected this, but he gave a small nod. "Yeah. Bits and pieces."
"The books are lies," JJ said, her voice flat.
Ty blinked. "What?"
"Lies," she repeated, looking up at him finally. Her eyes were hard now. "They tell you about the rise of the Heian Kingdom, about how the Titan Goddess blessed the King, but they leave out the truth. The truth about what ca before."
Ty's jaw tightened. "What truth?"
JJ's expression softened, just barely. "The demon clans."
Silence stretched between them. The words hung heavy in the damp air. Ty's chest tightened.
"The demon clans were once the most powerful beings in this world," JJ continued. "Not because they sought war, not because they were monsters—but because of what they were. They were born with abilities beyond what humans could comprehend. Strength, intelligence, magic that defied understanding."
Ty swallowed, but he didn't interrupt.
"And what happens to things that can't be controlled, Ty?" JJ asked quietly. She didn't wait for him to answer. "They're destroyed. Hunted. Killed. The humans feared them, so they rose up. They called it justice, called it divine will. They claid the Titan Goddess herself gave them the right to eradicate the demons."
Ty's head dropped slightly, staring at the cracked floor beneath him.
"The Heian King was the first to succeed," JJ continued, her tone darkening. "He rallied the armies, promised peace through order, and built his kingdom on the bones of the demon clans. They call him the savior in those books, but he was a butcher. And now, his descendants sit on the throne, worshiped as gods while the truth of their treachery fades to dust."
"What does this have to do with ?" Ty muttered.
JJ's gaze bore into him. "Because the demons didn't die out. So survived. Hidden. Forgotten. Waiting. And Rui believes you… are one."
Ty jerked his head up, his eyes wide. "What?"
"He believes you're a descendant. A demon. A piece of the prophecy that says the demon clans will rise again to tear down the Heian Kingdom and the King's legacy."
Ty shot to his feet, his breath ragged. "I'm not a demon!"
JJ didn't move. "Maybe you're not," she said softly. "But Rui sees sothing in you. Your strength. Your defiance. That's why you're important to his plan."
Ty paced, his hands shaking as they ran through his hair. "You're all insane. Rui's insane. I don't care about his plans, and I don't care about your prophecy."
"You should care," JJ said, her voice firm. She stood, stepping toward him. "Rui's plan is the only chance we have to end this. To end the Heian King's rule, to free this world from its lies and its fear. You're part of that, whether you like it or not."
Ty stopped pacing, glaring at her. "And if I refuse?"
JJ looked at him for a long mont, her expression unreadable. "Then the world keeps burning. The King wins. And everything Rui sacrificed will have been for nothing."
The words hit Ty harder than he expected. He turned away, staring at the distant wall, his chest tight. Rui's face flashed in his mind—the resolve in his eyes as he stood before the King, the last words he'd spoken before shoving Ty into that portal.
I'm trusting you.
Ty exhaled shakily, his voice quiet. "What's the plan?"
JJ smiled faintly, just for a second, before it was gone. "You'll see soon enough."
Ty turned sharply as JJ's eyes darkened, her calm facade cracking for the first ti since she'd walked into the room.
Ty and JJ stood in silence as the last footsteps echoed through the cracked tiles, leaving the room empty. The stillness stretched between them, heavy and awkward. Ty sat on the edge of the spa, his arms folded, staring at the floor. Blue stirred faintly in his hand, her tiny wings shimring with tired energy as she awoke.
"You okay, Blue?" Ty asked quietly, his voice rough from everything that had happened.
The fairy blinked sleepily, her glow flickering faintly. "Mmm… barely. But I'll manage. What the hell did I miss?"
JJ stepped closer, her eyes softening as she looked at Blue. "You've been out for a while. I've been keeping you safe."
Blue tilted her head to the side, as if trying to process that. Then she darted her gaze between Ty and JJ. "Well, that's new." She hovered slightly above Ty's palm, her wings buzzing with faint energy. "And you…" she pointed at JJ with a tiny finger, "you're involved with these Black Bull psychos now?"
JJ's expression faltered for a mont before she sat down across from Ty, her back against one of the crumbling columns. "I don't trust them either," she said quietly. "But they reached out to . I… I had to make a choice."
Ty looked at her warily. "What choice?"
JJ hesitated, her gaze dropping to her hands. "They asked about you. About the coin."
Ty stiffened, his blood running cold. "The coin?"
"Yes," JJ said softly. "The power coin you got from the Goddess."
Blue froze mid-hover, her wings pausing for a mont. "Oh, great. That's out now?"
Ty stared hard at JJ. "What do they know?"
"Nothing." JJ's tone was firm as she t his gaze again. "I haven't told them anything. I said I didn't know the details, and for now, they believe . But Ty… they're looking for it. They don't understand what it is, and I don't trust what they'd do with it if they knew."
Ty exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. "Why keep it from them?"
JJ's eyes darkened again. "Because I don't know who to trust anymore. The Black Bulls are dangerous. You've seen it yourself. But… the kingdom is worse. If they find out what you have, they'll rip the world apart to take it from you."
"And what about you?" Ty asked, his voice low. "What do you want with it?" Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire
JJ shook her head. "I don't want it, Ty. I want… I want you to decide. Whatever happens next, I'll trust you to do the right thing."
Her words hung in the air, and for once, Ty didn't have a bitter retort. He stared at her, searching for so kind of deception, but found none. She ant it.
"Why?" Ty muttered, more to himself than to her. "Why ? I don't know what the hell I'm doing."
JJ's expression softened, and for the first ti since she walked in, there was a hint of vulnerability. "Because I don't have anyone else."
Ty blinked, taken aback. JJ turned her face away, looking at the broken tiles beneath them. "I don't have parents or family to lean on. I've been on my own for as long as I can rember. And when the kingdom finds out what I've done…" She swallowed hard, her voice dropping lower. "They'll strip of everything. My rank, my status. They'll drag to the gallows and hang like a traitor."
Ty stared at her, the weight of her words hitting him harder than he expected. He didn't know what to say. JJ's calm confidence always made her seem untouchable, but now she looked small, fragile in a way he'd never seen before.
"Then why are you helping them?" Ty asked quietly.
JJ's jaw tightened. "Because this world is broken, and I can't stand by and let it stay that way." Her hands curled into fists. "I want Fernando dead. For what he did to my parents. But that's not enough. I need to know who hired him—who set all of this in motion. And once we fix this ss, I will find them."
Ty was silent for a long mont. He didn't like JJ's determination—or maybe he didn't like how much it reminded him of his own. He didn't trust her, not completely, but he couldn't deny the truth in her words.
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