The day had finally come.

Jack now stood in the main hall, the sound of chatter diminishing as time passed. The intrigue of the experience, of meeting someone new excited him a little and Jack found comfort in that emotion. However, he couldn't help but still feel dull amidst the lively environment.

For the first time, the future troubled him. He had always planned to do a pair training with Holly when they reached the age of ten, remaining at home to help the base. Perhaps one day they could've gone to one of the Seven Lands of Quintessence.

His sister had found the perfect group for her, and even Galen was already in it. He knew that they were good for her, and that relieved him to a great extent. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but feel alone without his parents, his friend, and in time his sister.

The little boy sighed, staring at the ceiling. His eyes felt heavy, his entire body suddenly an impossible weight to carry. It was a rather subdued feeling of being lost, but it was there nevertheless.

Jack shook his head, putting on a firm smile. He had to stay in the present, focus on the wonder around him. Despite his shy nature, Jack loved that lively atmosphere of the main hall. Such vigour, such energy - it suddenly made him feel elated.

He stood with his eyes closed, returning to a solitary peace that would soon be shared with someone else. The darkness was oddly brightened by the sound of a gentle breeze, little but heartfelt words slowly fading away.

"Be in the moment and move towards the aura that appeals the most."

Jack took a deep breath, sensing the various people around him. There was some chaos in the silence that was oddly comforting, not letting his dark space remain completely empty.

A few moments passed and Jack remained patient as he was slowly being drawn into a pocket of high energy. Suddenly everything felt trivial with the quiet impulse to journey to an enlightened space filling the young boy's mind. It pulled him away from the ordinary world and he no longer felt alone.

A dim ray of green light appeared in the darkness, bringing him back to the simulation of reality. He suddenly felt spirited and began walking in the direction of its source, relying on the deepening glow to lead him.

The light now glowed fiercely and Jack slowly opened his eyes to see a dark haired boy grin at him. His green light reminded Jack of his friend, a small smile coming on his face.

"Hello! My name is Theo. What's yours?"

The boy stretched out his hand, his soft but childish tone a warm sound to Jack's senses.

"I'm Jack," he replied in a shy tone, shaking Theo's hand slowly, though the other boy's grip was firm.

"It's great to meet you Jack! Your aura is so quiet and peaceful, ahh. Even though everything was already silent, that really was... you know what I mean!"

Jack suddenly felt a sense of pride as he nodded, no longer appearing too shy. In that moment he felt happy with a companion, and that felt nice.

"Heh, thank you. Yours was really fiery and I suddenly just felt joyful and free."

"I bet. Humans could probably use it as a supply of electricity for a lifetime."

Theo chuckled and Jack smiled in response, rubbing his neck. He looked around the room before stopping at Jay. The Shadow wore a sweet smile, sending a vibe of confidence through the boy. He gave a short nod and Jack turned towards Theo, satisfaction coming over him.

It'll all be fine, he thought. Things will follow, and this feels fine.

His eyes now truly felt open, even though a hidden feeling told him the darkness he felt was reality. But if life was a simulation, he just had to live it.

- - - - -

Jack immediately closed his eyes.

A horrendous red liquid marked the lifeless bodies of a gullible boy and a sinner clad in black, a sharp and terrible object laying next to them. The terror in his gaze burned Jack's thoughts, questioning his belief in humans. Such sentient beings they were, but he hadn't seen such ghastly emotions before.

What sort of deranged creature could commit such a crime... he simply couldn't fathom the idea. What would spur such an action? What was the trigger? What? What was he seeing?

"That, boy, is the true nature of humans."

The tone was silent and concealed, as if darkness were wandering in a black void, but the noise... it could shatter anything in existence. Jack held onto the light of the world, sensing Theo's presence support him.

"They are anything but innocent. Such vile deeds they perform, yet demonic creatures are considered to be the devil. This is their own moral undoing, the demons exert no influence. Rather, the thoughts of humans affect them, drag their image down and creates a demonic creature. They are the innocent, and humans are the demons.

"Why would they commit such a crime indeed? It stems from their nature, their instincts, their emotions. One murder in bloodlust, and the other in fear. No action is justified."

Jack heard a faint shriek, as if a powerful fragment of the universe shrieked in rage and agony. His thoughts were blurred, his innocence losing any sense of morale and perception.

"How cruel is your kind. Showing such an image to a fourteen year-old. But I suppose your respect and value for Truth allows a young mind to see the harsh reality. Well then, see it.

"You are all no doubt strong. So strong physically, mentally, and spiritually. You have the power of destroying planets, species, perhaps creating them. You could even create cracks in the fabric of space-time, and despite such power you remain in the shadows, helping the evil. What for? Why must you be so blind? So stupid?"

Jack now felt his presence in the void, focusing his senses to wake him from his disarray.

"I must be foolish to ask a young boy such questions, who knows nothing. But perhaps, innocence is what I need.

"Amuse me."

Jack couldn't think, and the lethal voice made no sense to him. Who it belonged to, he didn't know. But he did sense its vigour, saw glimpses of the green smoke, and heard parts of the universe's cries. For a moment he began to believe the entity's words to be true, that such emotions shouldn't exist. They affected the Shadow Beings - he'd heard many Shadows say that. An irrational fear of becoming human filled his mind.

Suddenly, a low and comforting sound filled his mind. That vibration of strings as the bow moved against it replaced the darkness of the voice. Eventually, his innocence helped him look past it all.

"I... don't know who you are, sir. But there is only one thing I can tell you."

Jack's words were slow and slurred, but his thoughts remained firm. His memories ran wild, glimpses of his melancholic happiness moving through his sight.

"My sister has the ability of mind-control. I haven't seen what she has seen, but I've felt the sincerity in her words. She's told me about the wonders of a human's mind - their hopes, their mix of emotions, their faith and their wisdom. Such complex creatures, and while they do have their bad side, they are not evil. And neither are the demonic creatures.

"I don't know what our history is and if our purpose is justified, or whether we even have a purpose. But I feel their empathy too, probably through the Shadow Dimension, the home of all thoughts. Any feeling I get from there, I trust it no matter who says what. I don't know who you are, sir, and I know you are powerful, but your perception will not become mine. The people around me, whether they are my family or my friends... you're right. They're strong and they have shaped my opinions.

"And anyway, maybe their thoughts really were so deep with negativity. But it is also what resulted in the birth of a Wind Phoenexia."

Jack sensed the being experience a momentary but stark pain, immediately wishing to alleviate its mind. Tranquillity and absolute silence filled the space, the green glow now brightening with a soft shine. A crimson radiation suddenly surrounded it, bringing comfort to Jack's mind. There was a sudden flash of light and a little girl appeared, a certain plant with red berries surrounding her. Jack's gaze widened with surprise, though soon melted at the sight of her sweet smile. The green in her eyes was alleviating, making him forget about the test at hand before he returned to the simulation.

The blue sky was a relieving sight, though Jack couldn't recall what had happened. What remained in his memory was a horrible red sight, a painful green light, and a comforting mix of the two colours. Everything was chaotic but it didn't take long for him to hold onto that last image.

"You idiot!"

Jack sat up suddenly, facing a rather furious Theo. He controlled his urge to laugh successfully but felt as if his throat would soon burst.

"You feeling alright?"

Theo's tone was heavy with worry, though Jack gave a short but genuine nod, smiling towards his friend.

"I'm glad to know that," Theo said softly, returning the smile before landing a hard punch on Jack's shoulder.

"That was the perfect time to just go blank, wasn't it? Oh yeah, let's leave Theo all scared. I'm just gonna fall asleep right here. Thank god Ava was there or - hey! Stop laughing!"

Theo punched him once again and somehow Jack got his laughter under control, though he couldn't help but grin in an attempt to not laugh.

"I'm sorry, really. I don't even know what happened, just have this weird and random feeling.

"Seriously though, Theo. Thank you."

Theo attempted to stay furious at his friend but soon gave up, putting his arm on Jack's shoulder firmly.

"Why do we do this? Helping them, I mean."

Theo gave an exhausted sigh, disturbance appearing in his eyes. Jack wore a look of concern, the horrors of that sight suddenly returning to haunt his mind. He took a deep breath to calm himself, looking for the previous feeling of comfort.

"We do it from the shadows so we can prevent such things to happen again. They have such a strong emotion of hope in them, and we can help save them."

Theo nodded slowly, pursing his lips before he sighed again. For the first time the two sat in silence, but Jack felt it was an important to moment to pray for both humans, both the victims.

Jack knew he had a lot left to learn. But at that point of time, he thought that the simulation of life really wasn't trivial at all. Perhaps with a little strength and little faith, everyone could move forward, towards that one point of solitude where everyone was together.

----- -------

She was happy. She felt guilty for leaving her brother so alone and wished to rush to him that second. But in that moment as she closed her eyes, laying against the soft grass with an innocent smile in her sight...

Audrey felt happiness.