[IC] A Hero Tale {Complete}

[tex]

"Fallen, eh?" A familiar voice called out to Jenso, pulling his body back into existence. The surrounding darkness faded in an instant, and he was shown a paradise of brilliant light and colors. Waterfalls spouted from the sky, and ended in the bright depths below what appeared to be a transparent expanse of soft grass, where Jenso found himself lying.

It was Nexus!

[Jensoman]

Jenso scrambled back onto his feet and looked around. "Nexus? Is that you?!" Jenso shouted with some relief in his voice, trying to see or sense where he was. Despite recognising Nexus's voice, he was still unsure if he was actually really being spoken too by Nexus considering the creature he'd seen earlier.

[tex]

"Certainly," Nexus assured, "This must be confusing for you, being dead and all."

[Jensoman]

Jenso frowned and looked at the ground. "I failed everyone...The man in red killed me.." Jenso spoke in a sad tone. He gave up trying to locate Nexus and just stood still. He clenched his fists. "Now your...family..is going to keep killing people, and I can't do anything about it anymore.."

[tex]

"I did warn you. It was only a matter of time before Yzeira took notice of your shenanigans. I must admit, though. Seeing Rajaka without an arm has made this entire trek worthwhile, haha.." Nexus made himself visible to Jenso, wearing nothing but a loincloth, his mask, and several bracelets. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. If nothing else, you're far more interesting than anyone we've ever come across before. The fact that your soul hasn't been consumed by the void is... Stupendous."

[Jensoman]

"Thanks..." Jenso said, appreciating Nexus's compliments despite still being sad. He looked at Nexus and got a small smirk on his face. "Yzeira...so that's his name, huh..." Jenso muttered. "You did warn me, but..." Jenso paused and his small smirk changed into a wide, confident smirk on his face. "If I could do it all over again, I would have done the same." He admitted proudly, without any sign of regret in his tone of voice.

[tex]

"Haha, maybe that's just it," Nexus quipped, "Perhaps you could go back. Your body is still in one piece, after all."

[Jensoman]

Jenso's eyes widened as Nexus spoke. "Go back...? But how?" Jenso asked Nexus. He was unsure how he would be able to be alive again. What Nexus said was shocking, but after it sunk in for a moment, he began to calm down. The Chaos Order was capable of many insane things, so perhaps this was yet another one of the masked people's many abilities. As such, it somewhat made sense to him.

[tex]

"All I'd need to do is guide your ki back to your body. In theory, your natural regenerative powers would jump start your heart and reactivate your brain. But, I'm not going to do that. It's just a curious thought, heh." Nexus teased, sitting down and crossing his legs. "I think you need to relax."

[Jensoman]

Jenso glared at Nexus as he finished speaking. "What, are you just here to make fun of me then? There's nothing relaxing about having to deal with a bunch of murderers!" Jenso barked at him.

[tex]

"That's behind you, now. There's nothing you can do about it anymore, so you have no reason to be so caught up in those nonsensical thoughts. Besides, if I sent you back now, you'd only find yourself dead again in moments. And this time, Yzeira would make sure your soul was in tatters before letting you die. If you're that eager to throw your soul away, then perhaps you've been on the wrong path this entire time." Nexus said, calmly. He patted the transparent ground and smiled. "Sit. Relax. Let's have a chat. We barely know each other, after all."

[Jensoman]

Jenso gave Nexus a somewhat annoyed look, but his words managed to calm him down. He sat down in front of Nexus and let out a deep sigh. "Alright...so, what do you want to know about me?" Jenso asked in a calm and relaxed tone.

[tex]

Nexus shrugged. "I was hoping we could both learn a little about you, Jenso. I already know more than most, through observing you all this time, though," Nexus admitted, "You're exactly the kind of person I've been looking for- Somebody who I could call a friend. I sense that you may be worried that this is a waste of time, but... You should already know, there's no hope anymore. As long as you're still willing to throw your life away, and push forward on paths that all lead to your demise, I don't think we can really be... Friends."

[Jensoman]

Jenso frowned as Nexus spoke. "I don't mind being friends with you, but...What, are you expecting me to run and let the Order kill and do as they please?" Jenso said, in a somewhat annoyed but still calm tone. "The way I see it, all of this started when Prisma killed most of the people in Arcadia and nearly killed me. Even if I ran away...Surely he would have been able to catch up to me and kill me, right? Even if he didn't, sooner or later, I believe the Order would have killed me anyways." Jenso said, and looked away. "But I guess what I could've done doesn't matter anymore.."

[tex]

"You're impatient," Nexus whispered, raising his hands and conjuring up a blue glass of liquid for himself. "I would offer you some, but my Ki has unfortunate effects on others," He sighed. Nexus sipped slowly and smiled with his eyes closed.

"Jenso, you go out of your way to help everyone else, and do what's best for the world, but you never take a moment to relax. To meditate. You're caught indefinitely between your morals and your pride, made a slave of heroism and righteous judgement. You remind me of myself, so vividly. Another curious thought. I think you're too obsessed with that idea- The idea that you can stop the order, or save everyone. It's not realistic, even less now than before. Even though you say it to me, you don't believe that it's all lost, do you. Perhaps you'd love to try and convince me to send you back, or force my hand, or anything at all, desperately trying to retake a test that you were doomed to fail from the start. Have you ever considered just... Studying?"

[Jensoman]

Jenso frowned at Nexus. 'He seems sincere...but can I really trust him?' He thought. 'He might just be messing with me like Ada did, but...well, I guess I'll just have to find out.' Jenso smiled at Nexus. "You're right, if I had the chance to live again then I'd definitely grasp it immediately with both hands." Jenso said to Nexus. 'I can't believe this guy...the way he talks reminds me of Zelriane now..' He thought. "You do have a point, though...I never really took the time to prepare myself or study for anything I was going to face. But...people's lives are always at stake, and.." Jenso spoke, and was silent after that.

[tex]

"When I was a boy," Nexus started, moments after Jenso stopped, "I fell in love with a beautiful girl. Alexia. She was the most intelligent young woman I'd ever seen in my life. For years, I'd studied just to get a single chance to share my thoughts with her on multi-dimensional theory. I'd hold demonstrations, break new grounds with my research, and even impress the high counsels of Primeiria, the world where I hail from. Not once did she recognize me. Not once did she even pay me a passing glance, and it had always felt like everything I'd done was for nothing after each failure to get her eyes pointed in my direction. It was only after I'd stripped myself of the thought, when I began working for myself, slowing down, and making strides at a comfortable pace, that I became happy. It was also only after that, when the woman had approached me of her own accord, seeking my help." Nexus paused and lowered his cup. "Sad, isn't it?"

[Jensoman]

Jenso gave Nexus a sad look as he told him his story. It surprised him that Nexus would mention such a sensitive story to him, which made him relax more in Nexus's presence. He did not seem ill-intended in the least. "Man...that sucks...but I guess it worked out in the end, right?" Jenso said with a smirk, trying to comfort the man. "I get where you're going with this, though. You mean that, no matter how hard I would try to win and get what I want by doing things the same way when I was alive, I won't get anywhere unless I take it easy...like you mentioned earlier." Jenso stated with a smirk. Jenso realised that this story had essentially the same meaning like what Nexus had said earlier, but put in a more gentle manner. Regardless, it made Jenso feel more at ease around the man and made him more willing to listen. "Alright, so what do you suggest I should do now? How do I take it slow and...study?"

[tex]

"Haha, the order thought you were far denser than this, Jenso. You're a lot smarter than you let on! Those good fer' nothin... ehem." Nexus put his drink down and exhaled. "You merely need to find yourself asking more questions, and challenging your morals. Much like that Vampire has insisted time and time again, with his peculiar sword calling the shots. You have all the time in the world now, to think on your mistakes, in this placebo of a heaven."

[Jensoman]

Jenso smiled at Nexus. "Thanks..." Jenso said to him, and got in a meditating position as he closed his eyes. "Vale did tell me that I should kill bad people, but...I don't know if I can do that. Do I really have the right to end their lives? Everyone deserves a second chance, right? I can bring myself to kill dangerous creatures that just don't know any better, but human beings? Or something just as smart as humans? I don't know if I can do that, Nexus. I'm not afraid to kill, but...I just don't feel like it's up to me to decide if their lives end." Jenso admitted, trying to focus his ki within his body to have flames erupt from them. Or in this case, his Ki.