After Story: Relapse

Four months have passed since the faithful "world reset" triggered apparently by John's death.

Suddenly, John just found himself asleep. Usually he's love playing videogames, doing things with his PC, and walking around the town, singing. But now... 

He's just sleeping. Not going about in the social network.

His trademark sweet smiles, elation, and energetic vibe can't be seen or felt, somewhat unusually. 

 I'm sorry. I always thought that this is going to happen. Yeah i have the Jade inside me, but that's merely an energy source. Soul is something else, and I'm willingly share some of myself out of a deep love to you. To you, my one and only beloved Bell Aster Springfield, please, forgive me, and accept the fact that I'm relapsing. It's not your fault anymore. Since the moment we met in Milleu, and to the ends of the universe, i love you. Ever and always.

-John Aster (formerly John Archer)

Tears dropped on the letter. 

The tears belongs to Bell, who read this. 

Bell: John... You... you...willing to give it all, even despite knowing that you whittle your own soul... Just for me.

John is bedridden. He's... Okay, physically, but he felt... relapsed, thus his emotions and thinking capabilities gradually fades.

The good thing is that due to many parts of her soul once belonged to John, who willfully gave his own, they can communicate telepathicly each other, and Bell could took control or "charm" and "encourage" John through the use of magic. But when the relapsing happens, Bell could only do much. When relapsing, Bell only felt like she's controlling a puppet. When left to his own devices, John would act like an emotionless doll with only few figment or residual parts of the soul to answer the call in the world of living.

Even doing the deed with a relapsed John felt... like the sweetness eroded into ashes.

John: (emotionless, but trying to shake it off) Don't worry Bell, i make sure of it that i will keep on living. 

John: The world may be against us, but... I... No... We... will treasure every single cherishable moments of our days...

Bell sings a tone. It's been a long time since she singed. Sometimes she do sing like her husband loved to. Her tunes are often cheery and peppy unlike her husband's tendency to sing and compose rock songs, whether it's about love or brooding.

Indeed, an immoralist she is. Or was. Once she unlocked her powers she become... well, different. In her "quest" to appease her brother she made games with otherworlders that shouldn't belong in this universe. Now she regrets it, looking at her beloved, who willingly sacrifice part of him.

Her beloved firmly yet gently grabbed her own hand...

Bell then lifts John up and embraces him.

 

Location Profile: Persica

 

Flag

 

Official License Plate

 Persica is a state in the Western part of the Continental United States of Amelion, stradling around the Amelion Pacifica Coast.
To the north it borders with Brumina Mountains
To the east it borders with the desert states Mohavi and Rhizome
To the south it borders with the mountainous regions of Ironhills with meadows just before the state limit.
With over 100 million residents across a total area of approximately 17,000,000 square miles, it is the most populous state in the United States of Amelion, the third largest national state, and the most populated region in the country.

 

Urban Environments

The South Border, AKA "The Rift"

Styled over the ancient legendary city of Riften, the South Border, AKA Outer Persica, is a popular traveller's stop from outside the regional lines of Persica. It was also infamous for its active criminal activities and corrupt law enforcements, sometimes forcing the D Platoon fresh from Los Suenos to intervene.

 

 San Da Silva, AKA Oakfield

Named after expedition leader Francesco Da Silva, San Da Silva is the second most populated metropolitan city in the State of Persica. During the "nightmare event" it was subject to attacks from zombie, undead, and Novoslavic troops, but afterwards it's just a bustling metropolitan with a technological and magical edge.

Los Suenos, The City of Dreams

The last destination of the Sage Candidates, the city of Los Suenos, being surrounded by a tall barrier, combines medieval and modern look, giving the unique urban aesthetic experience. To the center there's the mayor's castle.

"Underworld"

A "multipurpose realm" where "real-life" military style war games and expeditions were often made. The theme of the season's candidates were "Shadows Die Four Times" and "Sageunknown's Battlegrounds". At that point, John didn't realize that those who died... died for real (Though time resets for the better and those that are not killed by Jonathan Torrington returned)

Later, the area was nuked after a Sage Candidate scored a 25 kill streak.

 

Character Profile: Percival Bryant

 

 

 

American race driver. Often contracted to several major racing teams and leagues. Now retired.

He now oversees his wife, Sophia Bryant Tokitou, who is half Japanese half American and basically having his torch passed to her.

His appearance of an early 20s men (or boy) belie his actual age, which is around 33 years old.

He was infamous for being reckless during his early driving ages, but his charm won over Sophia, who he married just as he retired.

Right now he's kind of reclusive and doesn't appear much in the public view, but he maintained his image and sometimes can be found singing at clubs where race drivers were resting.

He also maintained the simulation program for the team drivers as he spent his retiring times playing video games and tuning the simulation machine.

Character Profile: Jonathan Torrington / Yogiri Takatou & Daniella Tammison / Tomochika Dannoura

Note: This profile is written using the English names.

Refer to

https://namelessstoryteller07.blogspot.com/2024/03/name-change-list.html

for the full name change list.

Jonathan, shirt and tie.

Daniella

Jonathan Voiced by: Koki Uchiyama (Japanese) Sean Chiplock (English) (Type A) Matt Shipman (English) Type B

Daniella Voiced by: Miyu Tomita (Japanese) Brittany Lauda (English)

A pair of hapless, and apparently unwilling couple "spirited away" into Mobius. What they all remember is that they hear some nice tunes in the bus radio.

Daniella in particular, noticed that the nighttime woodland in Wyoming is suddenly changed into an expansive, large meadow at afternoon.

Upon arrival in Mobius, they're greeted by a beautiful, but ruthless woman who identified herself as Bell the Sage. She grant them powers that they could imagine with, however a magical power demonstration "accidentally" killed the group's older members, the driver and what appears to be the group's homeroom teacher.

After a dragon out of nowhere kills some of the group while others are running away, the two managed to overpower the dragon with Jonathan doing the one and only killing blow. 

"Alpha and Omega. Beginning and the end. To those who thirsts will be given the water from the fountain of life, freely."

-Revelation 21:6, reinterpreted. 

 --------------------------------

US Army General: Arrest them!

Rick Sanchez: You have a right to refuse his order, and I guarantee you're going to die if you touch me, and there's no afterlife. Everything just goes black. Don't do it.

A Secret Service guard touched Rick. He fell died instantly.

Morty: Whoa, Rick!

President: Okay. What was that?

Rick: Death.

President: What kind?

Rick: Instant.

President: There was no sound. He just died.

Rick: Yeah, terrifying. It's a terrifying thing to watch happen. It's called a deterrent.

Female Officer: You couldn't just knock him out?

Rick: How is knocking out a deterrent? Everyone wants to be knocked out. Nobody wants to be dead.

 Excerpt scene from "The Rickchurian Mortydate", Rick and Morty S03E10.

 

As it is known, Jonathan / Jon* (*not John, without h) possessed an instant death capability, which, while initially need eye, projectile, and physical contact, with the "death gate limiter" gradually broken by escalating threat, it eventually allows him to kill by sight and thought. He's formerly known as "Alpha Omega" and being a factor of death itself.

To Archer Logistics members and others that doesn't wish to call him by name, he's also called "The Harbinger".

He can kill his enemies with thought, as long as the target has a killing intent, and also he can "kill" individual parts of a being as well, as in crippling. 

He took his current name from his surrogate parent, Allison Torrington, who happily accept a conspicuously high-paying "babysitter" job.

After seeing massive death and tragedy in front of him, especially how there's their innocent homeroom teacher and bus driver being killed without second thought, the dragon attack, and the "Battle Royale" happening to him, he became vengeful against the "Sage" and end up tearing her apart as she tried to seduce him. 

Despite of that, he possesses a good heart and also able to see John's heart during a confrontation to the point that he understood that John doesn't want him and his loved ones to be hurt and eventually, John is the one that can send him and his friends home.

In fact, John is the one for Jonathan that doesn't have a killing intent at all, especially how John deeply in love with the Sage and the Sage deeply loves John. 

Apart from the cyan "wings" around his hair, his eye color, him being taller, and him having deeper tone, Jonathan could be seen as a splitting image to John Archer. That being said a lot of people could tell them apart.

Especially how Jonathan tend to goes around with business suit or a shirt and tie (which, according to John, making him look like Louis from Left 4 Dead), while John prefers wearing camo, military uniform, sportswear, or casualwear.

Jonathan, or Jon, for short, is an aloof and mysterious men who's taking Bethesda like his wife. He even carried himself a custom portable gaming PC and a heavily modded Skyrim during the fateful field trip to Wyoming. 

Little is known about his past however, apart from his girlfriend-later-wife...

 

Daniella, or Dani in short, almost never put out her little twintails. She's also confirmed to be a long line of ancient Celtic priesthood, and thus seeks her spirited-away ancestor as one of her life goals. Dani is the most expressive one, who basically took care of Jonathan, who is awkward in communicating with people.

Dani is noted to be a strong willed girl despite her petite frame.