“Ancient of Replication.” I say through gritted teeth, opting not to give voice to my other thought. Besides, having a greater grasp of Trevor’s motives was not something I ever wanted to experience.

  Remaining ignorant of his views on justice and violence, and the overlap between the two, was where I wanted to stay. Except, standing face to face with this man, something in me has snapped, and I can’t reconcile who he was in that flashback with who he is today. All I know is it’s causing a rage to begin festering within me, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

  “Another Ancient?” Dardania says with wide eyes, excitement slowly forming on her face. “Really?”

  “That is correct, to a certain extent.” Gem responds as he takes a seat back on the pedestal. I take several steps away and lean against the wall. I didn’t want to be near him. “Though, I am not what I once was.”

  “How so?” Asked Art.

  “When the world was split in two, the part of me that was classified as an Ancient was swept away to the other side. All that remains is a copy that carried my consciousness and a minuscule fraction of my power.”

  With this revelation, Prisha tries to catch my gaze but I turn away from her and stare at the wall instead.

  “Out of curiosity, over these countless years, how much sway have you had? You were an Ancient, I imagine that grants you an immense amount of political sway.” Prisha says as she turns her attention back towards Gem. It was clearly a pointed question asked for my benefit.

  Was how I felt in this moment logical? Probably not, but I didn’t care. Things may have been a cake walk in the first round for Dardania and Avis, but I can’t say the same. These people forced me to face a version of my mother that hated every fiber of my being, and I can’t forgive them for that. That’s not even considering the time loop I was stuck in having to dig my way out of debt caused by my father’s illness. They don’t deserve any sort of logic, just vengeance.

  “The Zodiac were obliterated in the collapse of the world, the opening ceremony wasn’t lying when it said as such. Godrick attempted to eradicate the world of those known as Ancients, the Zodiac was made up of quite of few Ancients. In that era we weren’t simply the twelve families, but in the end, the twelve are all that remained. So, to answer your question, no. I have not personally held much sway over the ages.”

  Prisha turns towards me again, and I continue to choose to ignore her.

  “If the Zodiac collapsed, how is there so much power in one place?” I ask from my corner of the room, forcing myself to turn towards Gem.

  Gem smirks.

  “Because not all of them were Ancients, and those who were that remained, didn’t classify themselves as such.”

  “So… semantics.” Dardania responds with disbelief.

  “Exactly. But, those individuals have long since been murdered by our dear Saint.”

  “Why? Why are you willing to just offer us information so freely?” Dardania asks, her brow furrowed and her face scrunched as she contemplates everything we’re learning.

  “Because he was in love with Herc.” I respond, not giving Gem a chance to answer. “So perhaps this is some misguided attempt to repay that love… or something.”

  “Misguided?” Dardania turns towards me, looking even more confused than before. “If he was in fact in love with Herc, then wouldn’t helping us be a way to honor his memory?”

  “Sure, if it’s genuine.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be genuine?” Gem’s voice turns dark.

  “Because you’re a member of the Zodiac.” I lock eyes with him, refusing to blink.

  “Pray tell, how does that matter?”

  “The Saint isn’t the only one who has committed atrocities, so have the Zodiac. Exhibit A: The Tournament.”

  “James are you okay?” Avis asks as she takes several steps towards me, but I don’t react to his movement.

  “I see.” Gem breaks away and looks at the floor. “Whether you may believe it or not, I do not have the power to change the world. When I was stripped of my power, I have been unable to regain it. I have tried, for centuries, my sole focus was to return to what I once was. Alas, I am not capable of it any more. In the same way, I am powerless to stop the heads of the families.”

  “Bullshit.” I spit. “Your literal name is Gemini. You are the Gemini family.”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Your assumption is incorrect.”

  “Tsk.” I turn away, lean against the wall, slide down it, and sit with my legs crossed. Avis makes his way to my side, and sits down next to me. He doesn’t say anything, just offers me his presence.

  His warmth feels nice. It does make me feel safer, more relaxed.

  But even that can’t make me not feel what I feel.

  Dardania and the rest of the group just stare at me in silence. No one opts to break the silence and confront me on what I’ve said. After several moments, Dardania changes the subject. I’m guessing with the hope of reliving the tension.

  “You said you’ve tried to regain your power, but can’t. Why is that?”

  “Unclear.” Gem begins to scratch at his temple for a few seconds before speaking again. “Magic of this world follows the laws of nature. Except, the majority of people have a rigid view of what this means. They operate under their current understanding, misguided to believe that they understand how the laws of nature function. Sure, we know how certain things work, but our knowledge of the universe is extremely limited.

  “When you recognize that our understanding is virtually nonexistent, the world of possibilities is born. That possibility is the world where an Ancient is born, except I have yet to be able to reach that possibility again. It’s as though someone can only achieve it once, and never again.”

  “Wait a minute.” Dardania says, “So you’re saying we should ignore the laws of nature?”

  “Not that you should ignore it, but stop focusing on what you know and start focusing on what you don’t know. We lack any true understanding of why the universe exists. Add in the countless laws and rules where we can’t even fathom why they occur. Add in the quantum realm and it essentially becomes fiction. So recognize our knowledge is only a fraction of a percent, and the rest is completely unknown.” Gem tries to elaborate, not that I’m sure it made any more sense than it did when he first said it.

  “I see.” Prisha responds with excitement, “We’ve spent all our energy on the things we were aware of completely ignoring that we are just ignorant children. Rather we should focus on what we wish to occur and allow the universe to make it so.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Sounds like gibberish.” I sigh. “Allow the universe to make it so?”

  “Is sentience not gibberish? The fact that an electrical current through flesh somehow gives us the ability to think and reason, that’s gibberish. We lack any solid foundation of knowledge when it comes to the universe at large, take dark matter, for instance. Shall I go on?” Prisha spits at me, clearly irritated.

  “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean—” I try to apologize.

  “You meant to insult Gem, but instead opted to insult me. Undermining my intelligence.”

  “I—”

  “I get that you have issues with this tournament, we all do. But if you let that anger fester, it will eat you alive. Much as it did Trevor.” Prisha looks at the floor as she begins to pick at her braid.

  “I’m sorry.” I mutter, my voice shaky.

  “If I may offer a word of advice dear Magician.” Gem turns his attention towards me, “Any issues you have with me, or the Zodiac, direct at me, not at your friends. They don’t deserve such disdain.”

  “I know that!” I scream at him, tears welling up in my eyes.

  I don’t need him telling me that I fucked up, I’m aware of it. But I don’t know how to not feel like this. I don’t know how to let this anger go. I just want to cause them the same pain they caused me. I don’t want my friends to feel that pain, just the Zodiac.

  Avis places his hand over mine. I turn towards him, and there is a simple warm smile on his face. He doesn’t say anything, just smiles.

  “It’s okay.” He whispers to me.

  “No it’s not.”

  “No, it’s okay to not be okay.” He responds, his voice still so soft and warm. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this side of him before.

  “I came to this world the day my day was buried.” I mutter softly. “I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned that before. I never had the chance to grieve him, to see what life would be like without him. I laid him to rest and immediately was thrown into a world of chaos that has yet to stop.

  “To be confronted with that… that pain, I don’t know how to deal.” I begin drawing an imaginary infinity sign on the floor beneath us as my mind races.

  “Then there’s my mother… they showed me my mother. She hated me. I… I repulsed her. I know it’s not real but—”

  I stare at the floor, tears threatening to drown me. Avis simply stays silent, his hand resting gently on my leg.

  “It doesn’t stop it from really fucking hurting.” I look up at Gem, “And I just want them to pay for making me feel this way. For making everyone feel this way. They don’t deserve to know happiness.”

  “Will that make you feel better?” He asks.

  “Yes. No. I don’t know.” I truly didn’t know.

  “Ya know, fuck em. Like, royally fuck em. But don’t fuck yourself in the process.”

  “I finally figured Trevor out.” I turn towards Avis, he furrows his brow. “Violence equals Justice. I think that’s what he thought.”

  “Um… what?”

  “How do you solve a problem? Violence, it’s the most surefire way.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, I love my knives, but… don’t think that’s true.” Avis mindless places his hand around the grip of one of his knives.

  “Every great change in the world happened because of violence.” I stare at Gem on the other side of the room as he talks with Prisha, Art, and Dardania. “Whether it’s true or not doesn’t matter, it’s what I think is true. World Wars, plagues, famine, assassinations, and so on, all violence. It’s the only time things actually change. Otherwise they just keep strolling along without much change.

  “Hell, even the change of this world happened because of great violence.” I turn my attention back towards Avis.

  “Then why go after you? Why the Arcana?”

  “Because it forces a war. If we sit idly by while we are whacked, then what? Who stops the Saint?” I respond.

  “Why not kill Godrick instead? Boom, problem solved.” Avis shrugs, not seeing the logic here.

  “Well, here’s the kicker, it’s a fucked up solution. It’s not based in logic, just emotion. Violence looks like the solution, but it’s not. Violence in most of those cases was just the arbiter of change. Change and progress is the real solution.”

  “Gotcha. Makes sense.” Avis nods several times, finally catching up. He turns towards me. “Then why kill the Zodiac, won’t solve the problem.”

  “Cause I don’t care about the solution, I just want to make them feel pain.” I turn back towards Gem. “It’s not logical, I know but it’s how I feel.”

  I don’t care if it makes sense, I just want to see them suffer. Maybe tomorrow I will feel differently, but right now, it’s what I feel.

  “So, you gonna go on a spree and murder all the Zodiac?”

  “Not today.” I say softly as Avis takes my hand in his.

  “Well, then we will take this homicidal rage one day at a time.”

  “I guess so.” I reply. “I guess so.