Chapter 88: The Forbidden Phrase

"…"

"I know, right," Jim had to smile helplessly while the wounded master returned to sit on the bed with a strange look over his face. "This… and the dragons?" he suddenly turned to Jim, "what have they done?"

"Nothing," Jim shrugged, "aside from sending their minions after me, they can't do anything."

"Here," the master warned in a grave tone, "they can't touch you here but you have to leave the academy every once in a while."

"The war?" Jim asked.

"It's more like to be a purgatory," the master sighed while leaning his back to the bed with disturbed look over his face, "you should know how brutal that place is. Wait a minute, you know nothing about what I'm talking about, don't you?"

"Ahem," Jim cleared his throat as he felt a little awkward.

"It's normal," the master turned his glance over the two girls behind Jim, "anyway you will know sooner or later so hear it from me then. That place is a grinding ground for all of us."

"Us?"

"The sinners."

Jim glanced weirdly at him while the master nodded before raising his hand and he muttered something. His face turned pale instantly while a faint shield appeared in golden color and golden inscriptions around them.

"We are sinners, and this place… it's the punishment for what our ancestors did."

Jim started to think this man was on drugs or something. "I know it's a sacred war against dark forces like demons and other races."

"Yeah, that's what I first learnt about this place when I was in your age," the master sighed as he seemed to recall some distant memory, "but the real truth is far worse than what they would keep telling you. You won't know the truth unless you go there and hear that voice."

"What voice?" Ashley whispered in a grave tone.

"The sacred voice," the master whispered back, "the most sacred and majestic voice you'll ever hear."

"And?" Jim turned to the man as he added, "what will this voice say? Will it bless us?"

"Bless? He will loudly and majestically curse us for the crimes of the ancients. He will give us this redemption path, where we need to sacrifice endless numbers of our boys and girls all the time until the real one appears."

"The real one?" Jenny muttered while turning to Jim, "is it him?"

"I doubt it," the master instantly answered, "according to the sacred voice, the real one will be born inside the purgatory not coming from outside it."

Jim had his hopes raised for a moment before he was disappointed when he heard the master's answer.

"Sigh," he couldn't help but mutter, "I just hoped I would be the one."

"You shouldn't, it's a blessing you aren't," the master said, "that one… he will have very bad times ahead of him before ruling over the world or destroying it."

"Why is that, uncle?" Ashley asked while she felt so touched with this master.

"Because everyone wants him dead," the master didn't comment on her calling, "both sides, east and west, hell and heaven, us and them… all will amass their forces and start killing him."

"Why?" Jenny asked, "shouldn't they embrace him? At least our side, the cursed side?"

"Logically speaking… this should be true, but the world never works according to logic," the master sighed, "our side is content with this system. The dragons rule the lands and others are shedding blood on their name and as their sacrifice. They are the real criminals here, and they should be the first to be sacrificed out there, not us."

The master seemed agitated when he recalled some old memories of him and his recent injury.

"Calm yourself uncle," Ashley said, with a worried expression on her face.

"Don't worry," the master coughed several times before finally returning to normal, "My injury is cursed. I'm doomed and won't be able to recover anyway."

"Uncle…" Jenny and Ashley muttered in the same voice while Jim sighed. "You didn't say what crime it was," he said, trying to change the topic.

"It's obvious," the master shrugged, "it's the ancient crimes of killing the fairies on the hands of them."

"Them?" Jim asked.

"You know who I'm speaking about," the master said before stressing, "don't link their names in this phrase or else they will know and instantly come to kill you."

"They want to kill me either way," Jim laughed.

"But this phrase is a taboo, it's forbidden that anyone would speak about such a crime here or else he or she will instantly be wiped out… no questions asked."

"And the academy rules?" Jenny asked in doubt.

"They are willing to sacrifice one of them to make this unwritten forbidden rule sacred," the master sighed, "they did it before, and I'm pretty sure they are willing to do it again."

The three exchanged silent glances as they had the same question in mind. "Why take all the trouble to hide something everyone will eventually know?" Jim asked the obvious.

"To make those here oblivious to this fact," the master said it as if it was a given fact, "and they leave a curse on anyone knowing about this secret. So even if you left the academy and returned to your clan, your clan can't protect you if you leaked out the secret."

"Not even… those pantheon clans?" Ashley asked.

"Not even them… they are really ruthless regarding this sensitive matter."

"So," Jim tried to understand this weird situation, "everyone knows the truth but no one is allowed to speak about it?"

"We can only use hints," the master winked, "but not state the exact name, ok?"

"Fine by me," Jim shrugged, "so they killed the fairies at ancient times and thus the purgatory battlefield appeared as redemption… so we aren't fighting demons and their allies who are trying to invade this universe?"

"We are," the master nodded, "but they are just secondary beneficiaries of this curse."

"So who is our main enemy then?" Jenny asked in a loss.

"Those who remained from the fairy camp after what happened before," the master said before turning to the direction of the unconscious Saga and Sara, "like these Bulltors for instance."

"Bulltors?!" Jim turned towards Deno and others before muttering, "we are fighting the Bulltors there? That's why they are forbidding them from being disciples…"

"Indeed," the master said, before coughing again, "they believe Bulltors and other races will only join the fight against them once they step over the battlefield grounds."

"Interesting," Jim suddenly had some hopes and anticipation for that battlefield.

"And you should also think about your position."

"Me?" Jim pointed to himself in surprise.

"Sure, as one of those fighting there are humans as well."

The look over the three's faces was so amusing to the master that he laughed for a while before turning to a long coughing and sneezing attack.

"You must be joking uncle," Jenny couldn't help but shortly laugh, "Bulltors are strong but not a threat to d… them, and us?" she turned to glance at Jenny and Jim before adding, "we are weak, if not for my Jim here we wouldn't have a chance to even step a foot in this world."

"You are wrong young lady," the master smiled as he added in confidence, "those Bulltors out there aren't cursed or having their primes taken away from their chests. As for humans, tsk," he sneered and laughed before adding, "you are a hell of a force out there. You can't be easily touched or conquered."

"By what?" Jim asked in more doubt.

"By this…" but the answer the master gave to him made him realize his speciality.

Not only he, but the two girls on his back also felt the same.

"alright," the master coughed and this time he looked distressed and uncomfortable, "I'm about to lose my energy. Go out now and don't speak about what we had now to anyone."

Jim knew the master wasn't acting rude but he was really getting weaker. "Can I come to visit you again?" he asked and the master only could nod before coughing again.

As he went with the two girls back to the team, he noticed the name of the master written on a small board on his bed.

"Master Rami… interesting."

The three returned to the team where no one ever noticed their absence.

"Still unconscious?" Jim asked while checking over the two beds.

"The master came and gave them some syrup but they still unawake," Rick was extremely worried.

"Sigh, it's like what you heard guys," Jim said while his mind was already burdened by what he just heard, "they are just exhausted from the spell they used. They need rest and good supplements and they will be fine."

The team glared at him in a way that irritated him. "What? Having any opinion in your little minds or something?" he calmly said while turning around while adding, "you are my team and you'll do exactly what I tell you to do. At least thanks to their sacrifice we are now winners and have a one year protection."

Their faces changed slightly while he only sighed. He was stressed and much distressed by what he just heard.

"We…" Rick turned around before adding, "we were thinking about staying here."

"For what?" Jim squeezed his temples while casually asking.

"You know," Deno said and his tone made Jim recall what he just heard now from Rami. Unconsciously he glanced at Deno's hole in the chest and couldn't move his eyes from it except after Deno added: "to protect and safeguard them."

"Yeah boss," Rick joined him at once, "you know their identity and alike… they need some protection."

"Yeah boss, they must be protected day and night as long as they aren't with u… you," Kro hurried to say as well while others nodded in agreement.

"Do what suits you," Jim casually waved his hand before turning around as he added, "I'll take a stroll at the academy and return to the mansion. Don't forget, tomorrow you all have classes."

"We will come with you then," Ashley said.

"No, I prefer to be alone… for now," Jim declined while keeping his pace towards the exit. He wasn't alright after using his spell and now he had this severe headache that felt like hell.