"The knowledge I am about to reveal might surprise a few of you. But it is pure reality—not from my imagination nor from my dreams," the Seruth Monster started, talking to Kairo, but his voice was loud enough for anyone attentive enough to hear him clearly.
"I have a card called The Seruth, a type of special card that allows me to look at answers in the timeline. With this ability, I can answer any question that might plague your mind—even those I have no idea or understanding of."
'This is the reason he is so dangerous,' Kairo, seated to the side, felt a chill run down his spine. The Seruth Monster was not a skilled fighter like all the other five-star criminals, but his danger level was no less. He literally had the ability to answer anything Kairo could imagine. But Kairo had a bad feeling rising in his heart. Knowing how unpredictable card magic was, such an ability definitely had a hefty cost.
"The ability, albeit interesting, has a little problem. To answer questions that go beyond our timeline, I need to give part of myself—or part of the person asking the question. I hope you understand what that means." With a smile, he looked at all of the onlookers. "Any volunteers?"
The card mages had very peculiar expressions on their faces. Clearly, none of them were eager to test the theory on themselves. As if all their earlier courage had vanished after those words.
"The Card Mage Police is the guardian of card magic, in some sense, in our world. It just makes sense to me—they should be the ones to do it for the sake of everyone."
The golden-haired woman stepped out of the crowd. When she walked, they parted like waves of the ocean, tumbling back in fear of coming into contact with her. This was the ultimate leader of the underground card masters: Selis Variant.
Kairo frowned when he saw her. Next to her was his friend. Or perhaps ex-friend, Kairo thought. Rellion seemed to have grown even colder. His villainous smile grew scarier, as if reflecting his new personality.
"Weren't you all the ones who asked for this—to be this way? If you want answers, you all have the right to ask for them. He is just there—ask him anything you wish," Mirelle said, unafraid to look the other party in the eyes. For her, it was just another criminal to be arrested.
"Yeah, the Card Mage Police should take the first move. Aren't you the protector of order or something like that? Just protect us, then," another criminal added sarcastically. His frame was well hidden in the crowd. If it wasn't for all the important people here today, they would have never dared to even appear in public. But today, they had nothing to fear.
"Take your filthy mouth out of those shadows so we can arrange it for you," Danzan said, already cracking his fingers, eager to get his card in action—eager to get to the part where he could beat people.
Despite those words, no faction was making any sort of move, causing the meeting to stall in a deadlock. The Seruth Monster was getting impatient, playing with his fingers.
'These wolves will never agree if we continue like this. Unless we give them an advantageous way out,' Kairo was trying to think of a solution to the problem. He didn't have much time, as the factions were getting irritated with every passing second. 'You asked Father to let you handle this. I can't fail,' Kairo said to himself, an idea coming to his mind.
"I have a better option," Kairo suddenly said, attracting everyone's attention once more. Taking a deep breath, he said, "We will all take turns to ask our questions—ones we will all agree upon. Four of them, one for each faction. This way, we will get all the answers we need without exploiting one party or another."
For Kairo, this was probably the best course of action.
"I agree. This sounds like a good way to resolve this impasse. What does Selis think?" At the top of the house, the man playing with pocket cards asked. This was the one they referred to in the OBH as The Collector. He didn't ask Sam nor even the Card Mage Police, but directly asked Selis—because if she agreed, everyone would follow. Otherwise, it would just get bloody faster.
"Then show us the way, Kairo," Selis said, a smile on her face.
"I will do it," Mirelle countered immediately. Selis's intentions were obvious—she wanted Kairo to be the first scapegoat if things were to go wrong.
The group then took a few seconds to agree on exactly four questions: one from the Card Mage Police, one from the OBH, one from the ICMA, and one from the Underground Card Masters. The smile on the face of the Seruth Monster was growing bigger.
The first question was simple, and it was supposed to be Mirelle who would ask.
"Where is Chosen Destiny found?" Kairo asked, shocking everyone on the spot. Kairo ignored Mirelle's protesting stare and kept his attention on the Seruth Monster. He was the one in charge of this operation. He was the one taking the big risk if needed. She is my mother anyway, Kairo thought.
"Fantastic question, Kairo… you know…" the Seruth Monster started talking, but his voice suddenly vanished into thin air. His eyes turned blank, as if he had lost consciousness. The circuitry of the void was summoned above their heads, causing somber clouds to form, as if a storm was preparing itself.
"The card Chosen Destiny is located at the top of an altar, in the middle of a lost island to the left of the Grand Ocean…" the Seruth Monster said, his voice calm and composed, as if answering a banal question.
The entire crowd began murmuring, their blood boiling at the new discovery. Many started looking in that direction as if, from here, they could already see Chosen Destiny in their hands. The greed and malice in their eyes grew so palpable, the air around the fountain had changed. But only the low-level criminals were excited. Selis and the likes of The Collector didn't even budge, for they knew the location was just one part of the puzzle. Everyone was more interested in the second question.
---
It wasn't that scary after all, Kairo thought, noticing no apparent change in himself or anything else. He was neither tired nor dying. Letting out a clear sigh, he focused his attention back on Sam and the others—now it was their turn.
"What are the dangers of the island?" a member of the ICMA asked. Similar to the Card Mage Police, they were structured and organized, thus no one hesitated to follow Sam's orders.
"On the island, you will face what were called in the past—Card Fossils," the Seruth Monster said. But this time, he slowed down an instant, as if the answer he was looking for was further back in the timeline. Also, the officers of the ICMA began noticing something strange: the one who had asked the question fell to his knees, his skin turning pale at a visible pace, as if he was racing against time—and time was catching up to him.
"What's happening to him, Sam? Is he going to die?" someone asked, scared.
But Sam didn't listen, and all continued to listen—without care for what was happening to him.
"Card Fossils are semi-sentient beings created with card magic by... in an attempt to recreate a perfect life form that would only receive and obey orders. They are masters at card magic and know all its deep secrets and mechanics. The greatest danger of the Island of Card Fossils is the one—the guardian of the altar—the one they refer to as Slayer… one advice: if you meet him, run," the Seruth Monster said.
By the time he finished answering the question, the member of the ICMA who had asked it was no more—blown away into particles of dust that went through the crowd. Many were both startled and shocked at the scene. But no one cared for him. The card Chosen Destiny was well worth it