"Why are you doing this to us, Jax? We're on the same side. We shouldn't be fighting like this." Jose, a man in his late 20s, spoke. The glare in his eyes revealed his allegiance to Eliseo.
A moment of pause lingered before someone else interjected, "Right! We should join forces to subjugate the little monster that defeated Sir Eliseo's team earlier."
"Now that you've hindered us, that monster might have escaped already."
''I never thought you're this despicable, Jax! You've finally shown us your true colors!''
They could have attacked Jax too. However, their lack of courage proved to be a formidable restraint. The brutal display earlier still lingered. Jax had crushed three of Eliseo's top men with apparent ease, leaving them battered and humiliated.
Even Eliseo himself was no exception. In fact, he suffered a fate far more dire than the three combined. He lay there helpless, unable to strike back. He couldn't even bear his teeth now.
The memory sufficed to stay their hands.
Compared to them, even the weakest of those three top dogs could best them with the same effortless ease Jax had crushed them.
How much more if they were up against Jax?
Definitely, the best they could do right now was to bark from a distance, much like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs.
"Ha Ha Ha," Jax was lost for words, his vocal cords surrendering to amusement. A laughter erupted, growing louder and escalating to something more maniacal with each passing heartbeat.
Now that they couldn't do a thing against him, he was the bad guy. How amusing. They sure knew how to twist things to their advantage.
And what did they just say again?
Join forces with who? With them? To subjugate what? His new companion? How laughable, these bastards must still be dreaming.
Even if their sights weren't set on Nerissa, he'd never entertain the notion of alliance. With reasons abandoned, collaborating with them was now obsolete. He didn't have any reason to work for them.
He was no longer a worker at the hacienda. And would never be again.
If it weren't for his plan to meet "old friends", he would have left this place already and returned to his hometown by now.
Jax's laughter lingered, evoking mixed emotions from all the onlookers. Their thoughts were in unison: Jax must've gone mad!
Such circumstances would've driven them to similar abandon, mocking him unrestrained with ridiculing sneers.
The situation before them, however, tolerated no such reaction. A heavy pall of silence descended. Each onlooker was rendered mute, watching Jax with grim visages as goosebumps crawled across their skin.
Then as satisfaction etched itself upon Jax's expression, his lips curled into a broad grin as he retorted, "You guys really are good at joking. Just hurry up and come at me if you don't like it."
The ensuing pause hung heavy, his grin dissipating into an air of indifference. A much colder tone accompanied the words to follow, "If not, then hurry up and get out of my way. I'm kinda busy, you know."
''...'' This time again, no one dared to reply to him. Their feet reacted to the threatening command, giving way to Jax in unison.
They clearly believed that Jax, at this moment, was no ordinary person and was way above their league. His appearance, his aura, and even the way he spoke had undergone a drastic transformation.
Jax was unmistakably a completely different person now.
Minor background characters like them, having only conquered their fear, a low Grade and Rank Conquered Ability at that, stood no chance against Jax's ferocity.
''Hmph,'' Jax snorted coldly, his strides carrying him past them with utter disdain. Not a glance was spared their way as he said, ''Let's go, Nerissa.''
He had wasted too much time here. Still, crossing paths with Eliseo had made the delay worthwhile.
Nerissa trailed behind, her silence a mirror of Jax's icy demeanor. Her gaze as frosty as his, not sparing anyone out there a single glance.
The crowd's gaze fell upon Nerissa, yet her very presence seemed to emit a palpable warning, halting any thoughts of doing something funny in their tracks.
This girl, too, was definitely no ordinary person!
''Wait, Jax!''
Jax had barely put distance between himself and the crowd when a shout cut through the air. He might've brushed it off, but something about the voice struck a chord.
It was vaguely familiar.
Jax's eyes narrowed as he turned to see the person and, just as he expected, it was someone he knew.
Although they weren't exactly friends and didn't share a deep connection, Jax was certain this guy was the only person he'd exchanged the most words with.
If circumstances had been different, they might've clicked as good friends.
It was a young man of similar age and standing as his. A young man who also suffered the same fate as him at the hands of the filthy bastards.
This was the person whose name he wouldn't forget easily.
Robert. If Jax remembered correctly, he had a pretty younger sister, too.
Her name must be Blanca!
''...'' But Jax only stared at him nonchalantly, a gesture that implied he was willing to listen.
Robert drew nearer, intent on engaging Jax in clear conversation.
"Where have you been in these past two months? How did you become so strong?" Robert asked seriously, his tone revealing his desire to undergo the same transformation.
Robert only held to a fragile hope that Jax would deem their numerous exchanges worthy of camaraderie, and in doing so, grant him the leeway to respond.
"Two months? What are you talking about? I've only been out for two weeks." Jax frowned, clearly bewildered at the sudden question. He wasn't going senile. He was confident he remembered at least that much.
"Huh?" Robert was thrown off, clearly unsure how to respond. Jax's confidence only added to his confusion. Forcing a smile, Robert added, "I'm not kidding, though. It wasn't two weeks. You were gone for two whole months."
"What?" Jax's expression turned dark, his frown deepening as he scratched the back of his head, clearly doubting Robert's claim.
How could that be possible?
''Our Forbidden Land is sealed off from the human world. Time inside works at least four times slower. Sometimes it even went up to ten times slower depending on the season.''
When Jax's confusion peaked, a low, detached voice audible only to him sounded. His gaze tracked the speaker with involuntary slowness, his confusion giving way to shock.
"For real?" Jax gasped, lost for words. If it was Nerissa, her words weren't up for debate.
Nerissa looked at Jax and tilted her head in confusion, "You actually don't know that? I really wonder how you got in."
Jax smiled, his lips twitching as he replied, "I'm telling you, we've just got to get used to this kind of stuff happening to us. Monsters, magic... the world's just changed."
Nerissa's indifference gave way to a frown as she asked, "Don't tell me this is the Outlands. Are you guys Outlanders?"
As their focus was on technological advancements, Outlanders remained oblivious to the world's divine and mystical power. Nerissa was informed they were disconnected from the true nature the world held.
"Outlanders?" Jax repeated, recalling he'd heard that word before. "I think I heard King mention it before too. So yeah, I think this is the Outlands."
''For real?'' It was now Nerissa's turn to be shocked. No wonder people here displayed a strange kind of power. To think the Outlanders had finally made a huge leap into tapping into the world's true nature.
But who would've thought Jax was an Outlander? Not only did she become a Familiar of a human, but she actually got bound by an Outlander.
The worst kind and weakest of humans.
But surprisingly, Nerissa couldn't fathom what kind of power Jax had used to bind her. The restraint he had shackled her with defied her comprehension.
"Damn, what have I gotten myself into?" Nerissa cried inwardly, feeling her strength wane as her legs threatened to buckle and collapse.
"Are you okay?" Jax asked, tilting his head in bewilderment. He presumed Nerissa was ill and needed some rest.
But the other party didn't reply. She responded with a lone sigh, shaking her head imperceptibly as she cradled her temples with delicate fingers a moment later.
She might as well have needed some time to process the information she'd learned. And from the looks of it, there was still a lot of new information she'd discover sooner or later.
She might as well prepare herself for the revelation to come.
Just what in the world was going on now in the Outlands?
"So, Jax..." Finally seeing a chance to cut in, Robert called out, his voice tinged with anticipation and concern. "Where have you been these past two months? How did you get this strong?"