CHAPTER 29:IT IS THAT GUY AGAIN!
"Hello, John."
The voice slipped past him, faint and distant. His mind was still raw from the agony, his breath uneven. When his eyes finally opened, he expected the pod's steel walls, but instead, he was somewhere foreign. Somewhere that felt impossibly familiar, as if he had always belonged.
Above him, the red core burned like an inverted sun. Each pulse pressed outward in slow rhythm, steady and patient, as though the cosmos itself breathed with it. Around that core stretched the void—vast, oppressive, swallowing the horizon. Silent strands of purple threaded through it like veins of ink, drifting without wind, sketching patterns that felt alive yet unreadable. They left only silence in their wake, heavy and absolute.
Below him, the abyss yawned—cold, endless, and hungry. A depth that swallowed the red glow and gave back only colder echoes. The darkness stretched without bottom, wrong and unnatural, like standing on a living shadow that should not exist.
John hung between them, suspended in silence. Neither falling nor flying. And though the space beneath his feet was empty, he felt no fear. Only peace—strange, profound, as if he had stepped into a home he had never known.
Then the voice cut through again, sharper, impatient:
"Okay, this is like the fifth time I've called you. Earth John—are you there? Can you hear me?"
John snapped from his reverie, the peace shattering like glass. His head turned toward the sound.
A figure stood before him. Ethereal. His hair shimmered in shifting rainbow strands, flowing like liquid light. His eyes mirrored it—prismatic, endless, as if they carried every color at once. His clothes were regal, woven with a brilliance that seemed too perfect for mortal hands.
It was Jynx.
"Well, hello—" the figure began, voice smooth, almost amused.
But John didn't let him finish. His muscles coiled, breath snapping sharp in his chest, and he lunged. Every ounce of rage and power he could muster was directed into the strike.
Yet when his hand met Jynx, it found nothing. His arm plunged through, the figure dissolving like smoke, rainbow light rippling and reforming as if mocking the effort. He smiled faintly, as if the failed attack was expected.
"Did you really think that would work?"
John froze for a heartbeat, shock flashing across his face, but it didn't last long. He drove forward again—fists flying in a flurry, each punch more desperate, more frantic than the last. But every strike met nothing, passing straight through as if Jynx were smoke.
Jynx didn't flinch. The rainbow shimmer of his hair and eyes rippled with each failed blow, yet his smile never wavered. He just stood there, untouched.
"...Satisfied yet?"
John stopped after those words were spoken, his fists loosening just enough for him to take a few steps back. He lowered himself onto the unseen ground, the abyss beneath still—wrong, endless, alive in its silence.
Jynx tilted his head, rainbow strands of hair sliding like liquid silk across his shoulder. "You plan to be mute the whole time?"
John's jaw tightened, his fists clenching again as he looked straight at Jynx. "What do you want?"
Jynx's smile widened, faint but knowing. "Still the same as ever, I see? Well…" His voice carried a calm, light, and teasing tone, yet was threaded with something colder beneath. "I came to check up on you."
What followed was an awkward moment where neither spoke. John's breath slowed. He let out a long, bitter sigh. "What is wrong with this guy?" he muttered.
Jynx's brows twitched. "There's nothing wrong with me. I know how this looks, but I really did come to check up on you."
John leaned forward, fists tight. "Then tell me the real reason you're here."
"That is the reason," Jynx said smoothly, his smile steady.
John let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Alright, let me get this straight. You transmigrate me even after I told you I didn't want to. You drop me into a kid's body, in an organization that treats children like tools. Do you know what I had to endure in there? Of course you do—you're a god. But you were nowhere to be found then. And now you show up, saying you're just 'checking up'? Like hell I will believe that."
Jynx nodded along, almost too casually. "True, true, true… But I'm not that bad. I mean, at least I gave you the ability to understand the language here. I gave you a body with the same name as your old life to make it easier to adjust. And hey—you got another chance at life. That's worth something, isn't it? I even prepared a gift for you after your awakening."
John stared at him, deadpan. "That's supposed to make it better?"
Jynx scratched his head sheepishly. "Isn't it?"
John's voice cracked as he snapped, "No, you bitch! No, it won't. Not to me…"
Jynx blinked, his eyes a tad bit colder than before as John unleashed a barrage of curses at him. He muttered under his breath. "And here I thought he was done venting with those punches and we could talk like civilized people…"
John's breathing steadied, the edge of his fury dulling. He sat back; shoulders tense but no longer shaking.
Jynx tilted his head, watching him carefully. "So… are you alright now?"
John didn't answer. He kept his eyes fixed on Jynx before saying in a flat voice. "Just state your reason for being here—or leave."
Jynx shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "I see. What I've done may not be enough for you. So… I'll help you within reasonable bounds."
John's gaze snapped back to him, cold. "I don't need help from someone like you."
Jynx's smile stayed playful, but there was a sharper edge beneath it now.
"Do you truly believe that? Tell me, then—how do you plan to escape that place with your measly strength? How will you protect these so-called new friends and family you've found? How will you face an organization led by someone just one step below me?"
John hesitated, the words digging at him more than he wanted to admit. His fists loosened, then tightened again, sarcasm slipping into his voice. "Oh, that's rich. You expect me to trust you? You already broke your promise once. So, forgive me if I don't buy your sudden concern."
Jynx's expression shifted, the playfulness dimming into something more serious. "I don't expect your trust bu…," he said quietly. But before he could finish, the space around them rippled.
The abyss itself seemed to shudder, and another voice cut through the silence.
Jynx's eyes widened, his smile fading for the first time. John felt it instantly—the crushing weight pressing down on him, heavier than anything before. His chest tightened, his breath caught. It was like he was marked as prey by an apex predator.
Jynx's gaze flicked toward the source, shock plain on his face.
"Well, this is a surprise. I didn't expect to see you here, ***."
John's ears rang at the sound, but the last word slipped past him. He couldn't catch it. Whatever the stranger had said, he wasn't supposed to hear it. And for the first time, John saw Jynx's face turn truly serious, his eyes sharp and calculating.
"What are you doing here?" Jynx asked, voice stripped of its usual playfulness.
The newcomer's tone was calm, almost casual. "I was in the area because of something else, when I noticed your presence… figured I'd see what you were up to."
Jynx's jaw tightened. "How were you able to enter here? It shouldn't be possible for you?"
The man gave a faint smile. "And yet, you managed it yourself. So why the surprise?"
John stayed silent on the ground, watching. He could feel the shift—Jynx guarded, wary in a way he hadn't been before, and the newcomer equally cautious beneath his calm. The air pressed down heavier than before, making John feel like prey caught between predators.
Then the stranger's gaze turned to John. It was cold, not openly hostile, but there was something beneath it—an edge of disdain that wasn't obvious enough for John to name, only to feel. His chest tightened under the weight of it, though the man's expression shifted quickly, softening as if nothing had happened.
"You can address me as Dark, mortal… and you," the man said evenly.
John blinked, the name rolling strangely in his mind. Dark? What kind of name is that…
But he quickly replied," John."
Before Dark could talk, Jynx interrupted him, his eyes narrowed, his tone probing. "Cut the crap… why did you come here?"
Dark shifted his attention from John back to Jynx, studying him with a faint smile. "I was curious. It is not every day I see you this interested in something… enough to get your lazy ass moving." His gaze flicked to John again, lingering. "And I can see why. He is… Special."
John stiffened, uneasy under the weight of that look. Dark's presence felt off, unsettling, but before he could speak, Dark continued, "If it is you, maybe you will be able to do it. How about this? In exchange for you doing an errand for me, I will help fulfill your wish of escape."
John hesitated, suspicion rising. His gut screamed not to trust this man—everything about him felt wrong. He glanced at Jynx, catching the way his jaw ground tight, the tension clear. That alone made John pause. This could be a chance to get under his skin… but do I really want to tie myself to someone like this?
He exhaled slowly, weighing the thought. It doesn't hurt to have more options when the time for escape comes. And if the task turns out to be too much, I can always back out... hopefully, and really… my gut is telling me not to trust this guy, but this might really be my one chance to one up jynx.
"So?"
John let out a deep breath," Sure… but why me?"
Dark chuckled, catching the flicker of doubt and the spark of defiance. "Well, you are one of the more qualified ones so far, and I just find that guy… irritating, and it seems you do too, after all, you accepted out of spite for him, didn't you? You must really hate the guy."
John's lips curled into a thin, sarcastic smile. "Hate might be too soft a word."
Jynx's smile had long vanished, his voice low and cold as he interrupted John and Dark. "You have made your choice then… I wish you luck on your journey." He stared at John for a long moment before turning away, his figure fading until only Dark remained.
The silence pressed in, leaving John suddenly aware of how exposed he was. His nerves prickled, but Dark raised a hand lightly. "Relax. I can't do anything to you here… just as that guy couldn't do anything, you don't have to worry."
Before John could reply, the space around them began to tremble, the domain itself shaking. Dark's eyes gleamed. "It seems your awakening is almost over. I look forward to our deal, John."
John swallowed, then gave a hesitant nod, extending his hand. Dark only smiled, turned, and vanished without taking it.
John stared at the empty space, thinking to himself. How rude.