The Oracle Paths

Jake found himself at a loss for words. Part of him longed to rise to her banter, yet he feared aggravating the situation further, forcing him to prove his mettle right here, right now.

Not that it bothered him, but given their circumstances, they undoubtedly had other priorities...

Thankfully, the timely return of Cekt, Saros, and the two Brain-Eaters saved Jake from his predicament. He instantly noticed that the cage holding the parasitic Brain-Eater, Syrbarun, had vanished, but the real Syrbarun was back. He had entrusted the Vrusug's body to his master at his request before their separation.

"Good job, Jake. It's quicker and more miraculous than I anticipated," the alien elder praised, noticing that all his disciples and even the Sinewshades had reverted to their original forms. Noting the peculiar ambience between Jake and Lucia, he chuckled, "Am I interrupting something?"

"Cough, cough, no, we're done," Lucia cleared her throat, blushing slightly, much to Jake's astonishment.

Casting a warning glare at Jake as he held back laughter, Lucia huffed softly and retreated, ending their flirtatious exchange as Cekt arrived.

Cekt had watched the scene with some interest, eager to tease his disciple, but first, he needed something from Jake. Stretching out his hand, he unabashedly asked, "And my serum?"

"Right here," Jake tossed him the antibody serum cartridge. "Just keep in mind, I'm potentially a Digestor and my Corruption level is high. I'm not sure if it'll have negative effects on you."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You worry too much," Cekt dismissed his concerns casually.

"Remember, I've been infected with the virus too. I'm much, much older than you and my Corruption level has long surpassed a normal Evolver's limit. The only difference is that it happened more gradually for me and my mental stats and self-control could keep up. Sure, every day isn't smooth sailing, but I've got enough experience to handle the storms when they come..."

Jake and the others shifted uncomfortably, surprised to hear their master admit that he wasn't always in control of himself. As nonchalant as he sounded, they could sense that the reality was far from rosy.

Who knew how many unfortunate incidents had occurred before the Wendok managed to gain control without harming others? He might have even lived in isolation for a long time before daring to mingle with other Evolvers from their Mirror Universe.

Then, in front of them, the gremlin injected the antibody serum into his veins with a syringe sturdy and sharp enough to penetrate his skin. In terms of hardness alone, this syringe was at least a Silver Artefact.

It took mere seconds for the serum to work in tandem with the Wendok's high vitality. A satisfied and admiring smile soon graced his face, indicating complete recovery.

"Thanks, Jake. You've no idea how much you've lifted off my shoulders," Cekt thanked him sincerely, handing back the empty cartridge. "Without your help, it would've taken much longer to develop the vaccine, and who knows how high my Corruption level would've risen."

"I could've given it to you earlier if you had waited a bit," Jake shrugged. "I didn't think you'd be gone so long with Saros."

"Hah... I didn't think it'd take me this long either, but at least now I'm sure my brainwashing won't be an issue. Consider our two Brain-Eater friends on our side.

Syrbarun and Rigel are back to their old selves, but the Brain-Eaters are temporarily inhabiting their bodies, cohabiting in their skulls. For now, aside from the Corruption, their relationship is more akin to a symbiosis, benefiting both parties."

Jake was curious but refrained from asking more questions. Instead, he wanted to know when Cekt planned to broach the elephant in the room. Seeing Jake's anxious expression, the elder alien suddenly became serious and clapped his hands, commanding everyone's attention.

He then asked them to gather for a briefing, having important matters to share.

Some, like Hade or Epsilom, already had a sense of impending doom based on their gloomy expressions, but others were blissfully unaware.

Jake had thought that Cekt would rouse the other sedated Evolvers before the briefing to avoid repeating himself, but apparently, this wasn't his main concern.

Contrary to his expectations, Cekt even commended his sharpness for not foolishly trying to wake them up. When Jake questioned why, the little alien merely shook his head with a weary expression and answered cryptically, "You'll understand when you see what happens to an Evolver once their

Corruption reaches 100%. To familiarize you with the reality, I'll show you what it entails before you leave this place..."

Once his apprentices and Jake's companions had assembled, the Wendok took a measured look at each of them, then began,

"Firstly, I need to apologize for the questionable execution of the test I had planned for you. Yes, you were indeed tested, and some of you handled it better than others... But let's be honest, it wasn't meant to go down this way."

A bitter laugh escaped from Lucia, and several disciples, including Lyra, Drakon, and Siri, repeated her sentiment, finding little humor in the situation. As an aside, Siri remained in the body Jake had created for her, reflecting her emotional state.

Her expressions and gestures seemed unquestionably more human.

A sigh grew within Cekt at their dismayed faces, but he had no choice but to swallow the bitter pill and continue,

"Regrettably, I have only one piece of good news amid a sea of bad. But before I drop those bombs, I need to explain what has transpired here so everyone's on the same page. Following Lure's death and the compromise of the Aether Network, the Oracle Overseer, Oros, drafted all competent Aetherists and Evolvers yesterday to fortify the Aether Network around B842 whether it is in terms of energy production or transmission. The Gravitation Oscillators and Magnetic Resonators that harness energy from black holes play a pivotal role in our planet's energy ecosystem, so I was sent out to oversee this Magnetic Resonator and many others. Up until now, I haven't told you anything new."

Jake and the others gave him a nod, prompting him to continue his narrative.

Having received their consent, Cekt dived headfirst into the crux of the matter, "The presence of Digestors on this Magnetic Resonator was anticipated, hence the test, but what I didn't foresee was that it was a trap. Both you and I fell into it, but we weren't the intended targets-this was designed for B842 as a whole and, more openly, for the Oracle. I'll be blunt with you. It was a temporal trap.

"The Magnetic Resonator had long been under the sway of a Dungeon Digestor versed in space-time laws, and as soon as we arrived here, the trap had already been sprung. To avoid arousing suspicion, the Dungeon Digestor waited until I had ventured deep into the Magnetic Resonator before activating its temporal trap. Then, once everyone had entered the Dungeon, it deactivated the Aether Array protecting the Magnetic Resonator from the temporal distortion resulting from the black hole's proximity, thereby reducing its Aether consumption. That's why this Dungeon Digestor was so passive, and why there were virtually no monsters spawning in this Dungeon except these Sinewshades, who were

infected Evolvers like you and me. Almost all its energy and focus was not on keeping me under control, but on maintaining this temporal trap over a vast area."

At that moment, he shot Jake a complicated glance, the meaning of which Jake grasped immediately. The distorted voice of Cekt in the message Jake had received hinted that his master had fallen into a temporal trap where time was significantly slowed. Had he been more cautious, he should have immediately left the Magnetic Resonator.

But how could he have guessed that the temporal trap wasn't just confined to a small area holding Cekt, but covered the entirety of the space occupied by the Dungeon Digestor's consciousness? Given that abandoning his friends was unthinkable, he was in checkmate from the moment Lucia had managed to

breach the barrier and chose to explore the funnel without him.

It was a tough pill to swallow, but indeed, Lucia was the one who had led Jake and Hade astray. Had it been up to them, they would have certainly thought twice before taking any risks.

Now, judging by the ghastly and horrified expressions on Lucia, Ulfar, and other disciples, it was clear that they were starting to catch on to the old alien's implication.

Lucia, especially, was short of breath, so mortified by guilt and shame that she struggled to breathe. She was slowly realizing that her recklessness had likely sealed her companions' fate, dragging them down with her.

Just as her mind was about to shut down under the weight of overwhelming guilt, Jake's hand on her hair jolted her back to reality. Looking up, she saw him smiling gently at her.

'What's done is done. You've already paid enough for your mistake, there's no need to punish yourself further,' he chastised her telepathically. 'Making mistakes isn't a sin, but repeating them is. Remember what happened here for the next time.'

This advice applied to him as well. Be it because of his bloodline, Soul Class, the Corruption, his Digestor instincts, or his own personality, he also tended to err on the side of overconfidence, almost irrationally, despite his extraordinary intelligence.

Just when Jake thought he had managed to lift Lucia's spirits, it was precisely at that moment that Lyra's soft voice posed the disheartening question that was on everyone's lips.

"Um, Master... When you say 'time trap,' how much time are we talking about? A few days?" Her voice was tinged with anxiety as she held her breath.

Unfortunately, Cekt's reply boomed like an irrevocable judgement and could only let her down.

"Four years."

Author Note:

For those who are good at math, yes, the period of diplomatic immunity has already ended. Of course, I could have chosen a less 'convenient' date, but that would have meant writing the story in a way that doesn't necessarily suit me.

For those worried that Jake is four years behind the others, don't get too excited. Don't forget, he still got the Nexus from the same Dungeon Digestor responsible for his situation, which I think is worth it.