"You mean…" Madam Mary stared at Atika Light, "Part of what he said and behaved was an act?"
"Did you feel as such?" Atika Light smiled.
"No," Madam Mary shook her head, "Everything he had said was the truth."
"One doesn't need to lie to scheme. He just used the truths he had accumulated to force things his way. It is crude and has a lot of risks, but it seems he had enough confidence to foresee his plans into fruition." Atika Light stared in calm, expressing her interest, "Did you ever reveal your identity as his grandmother before?"
"Yes," Madam Mary nodded, "I did speak about it to him once. But…you mean, he decided to base everything on a single line? He doesn't strike me as such a gullible and naïve individual."
"No, right," Atika Light said, "But, he must have obtained some information to consolidate his confidence."
"The Portal, huh." Madam Mary nodded, "It is true that he can pull up the information of his lineage upto three generations worth in the Portal through the access given to his ID."
"There must have been other instances where he would have tried to verify the information listed in the Portal." Atika Light continued her conjecture, "His situation was dangerous this time, and he had definitely used the goggles before to see if it could offer him a solution."
She shook her head, "But, its beam only allowed him to gaze at his projection. Heima must have told him the things she had witnessed about Deific Inference when Ancestor Light confronted Ancestor Space to sever their connection. So, he concluded that the Relic in his hands was either sealed or limited in its functions. So, he had to do something."
"And, he also wanted a way to take the burden off his mind. After all, the things he discovered were beyond someone his age could handle. To relay the news, he stopped restricting himself, pushing his condition to dangerous extents." Atika Light exited the Indigo Building, taking a breath of fresh air.
She stretched her limbs, speaking with interest, "When you previously escorted him to my care, he figured that we had a relationship or at least a method of contact between each other. And, when he was in Grapple Force, I had purposely hinted at my abilities to influence the mind. He linked them all to come up with this plan."
"But, if I had acted any later, then his mental state would have progressed to a point beyond return." Madam Mary retorted.
"But you did right," Atika Light smiled, "Besides, when he exited his room, he was asking to be captured. If not, then other students might come at a risk. So, you were forced to act. But, his nature is kind, he chose a time to leave when there were no other students in the dorm. This shows that he's not someone who tosses others aside just to foster his plans."
"Now, when you captured him, even you won't be able to figure out the reason for his behaviour. After all, his behaviour wasn't an act. A normal person wouldn't become as such overnight. And, there was only one thing about Jyorta that is different from the rest." Atika Light smiled.
"The fake Trait of Corrosion. Since though you saw through that lie, you would be unable to understand the cause of his condition. So, the chances of you contacting me are definite. He relied on that factor. Whether I am busy or not, since I was the one who gave an official statement of his Trait, I am related to it. So, I would definitely have to move to show my stance on the matter." She laughed, "And, with my arrival, he would achieve the goal of getting a method to solve his issue while also being able to relay the information about the Frenzy Beasts' plan."
"And, he was willing to divulge his identity to you in the process." She chuckled, "In his eyes, Jyovic Bone already knows about his existence. He doesn't know of the political conflict between you too but he concluded that the benefits outweigh the risks. After all, he couldn't prolong his situation any further."
"Cheeky brat," Madam Mary snorted, but sported a mild smile. Seeing her expression, Atika Light laughed, "Cheeky brat indeed. He took a lot of information into consideration before he enacted this plan. Though, the arrival of Ancestor Marble could be said to be an unexpected surprise. It made things a lot easier for him."
"As for what Jyorta showed us," Madam Mary said, her expression hardening.
"Oh, they're going to bleed a lot this time." Atika Light chuckled, "Just from what he showed us, the Frenzy Beasts are trying to weaken the foundation of the land we are on while changing the terrain around us that would bolster their strength further. It is a simple but effective plan. They must also have more agendas hidden behind this plan, but now that we found it out, we can start planning countermeasures."
In Jyorta's room, the restrictions wore off as Jyorta regained control of his limbs. He sighed and fell, resting on the floor as he heaved a sigh. Standing before him was Psychic Ancestor Marble, looking at him in calm. "You did well. The two of them seem impressed by your meticulous plan."
"I was barely scrapping by. I actually failed to realise and control my actions," Jyorta sighed, gazing at his room.
"None were harmed, and none were pulled into the mess you created. So, it is fine. You did everything using the means at your disposal. I applaud you," Psychic Ancestor Marble waved his hand, emitting a gentle flux of psychic energy. At the next moment, all the mess in his room was cleaned, with the things returning to their prior conditions.
Even the fold marks he left on some pages in the textbooks while studying were returned, showing an exceptional manipulation that went beyond his understanding. Seeing his blank look, Psychic Ancestor Marble said, "The aura in each material in a treasure trove of their information, from the beginning of their existence. Using these, I can easily restructure them back into their rightful places and states."
He then pulled out a magenta chakram from Jyorta's trolley bag, making certain changes to it. "I lifted a layer of seal on it and made some modifications. Now, when you insert your psychic arm into it and Will the Relic in it to cause a fluctuation in this pattern, I will immediately arrive before you."
He pointed at Jyorta's forehead, unleashing a tinge of his aura, forming a thin line that impacted his forehead. The aura in Jyorta's body reacted in reflex, affected by the oppressive aura that vanished after a moment. Soon, Jyorta perceived some information in his mind, shocked at the method displayed, "H-How?"
"Information sharing using aura. You should be able to replicate it when you are at Tier 4. Though, it won't be necessary since the information you can transmit through your psychic arms at Tier 4 will be thousands of times greater in volume and detail." Psychic Ancestor Marble placed the magenta chakram in its respective place and disappeared, leaving behind a statement.
"Update me on all the information you get, once every month. When you graduate, I'll bring you to a place where we have stored most of the Crust-Mantles. You can fully help in investigating their plan then. As for now, I'll talk with Mary Veera. You will be unofficially awarded 1,00,000 Credits for bringing such valuable information to our notice. Mary Veera will contact you soon. Keep up with the good work, Jyorta Bone. I have high expectations for you."
"Thank you, Ancestor Marble." Jyorta bowed. He then gazed around, noticing his room was in the same state as before his rampage. He turned around and noticed that the bulletin board still remained, sporting the inscription.
Underneath the bulletin board, scribbled on the walls were a couple of lines glowing in a magenta hue, "What you did here was impressive, considering your skills. I left behind some of my presence around it that would prevent anyone other than you or Mary Veera from discovering it."
The moment he finished reading it, the wordings disappeared. Jyorta continued to sit on the floor as the beam of light fell on him, casting his projection behind him. The psychic arm infused into the pair of goggles peeked out, its form turning white while covered by clusters of squares and circles.
Black veins formed on it as the psychic arm began to corrode everything apart from him in the projection. Starting with the four pairs of a Floating Spider's legs, the psychic arm proceeded to the projection of a Crust-Mantle's head overlapping his.
With every external projection that was corroded, Jyorta's mental state recovered miraculously. After an hour, when his psychic energy reserves were fully expended, Jyorta retracted his psychic arm, heaving a breath of relief. "Finally, it's over."
He took in a deep breath, relaxing at his peaceful mental state. There were neither nightmares nor hallucinations that plagued his mind now. Jyorta wiped the tears that streamed from his mind, caressing the pair of goggles in gratitude as he put them back in their respective place.
He slept on the bed, his expression suffused with a content smile, immediately falling asleep. He only woke up on the morning of the next day, dressing up in his uniform as he was summoned to the principal's office.
After waiting at the entrance for 10 minutes, he was permitted to enter. Madam Mary smiled upon seeing him, "I'm sure Ancestor Marble informed you about the 1,00,000 Credits you were unofficially awarded. Do you want something you wish to exchange using them?"
"Yes," Jyorta replied with a brisk tone, "I wish to obtain the Unranked Skill, Regen."