Jareth's eyes slowly flickered open. He gazed at the beautiful ceiling above, before the memory of what happened rushed back.
He jumped to his feet and rubbed his head, expecting to at least feel pain after being smacked unconscious. Surprisingly, he felt nothing.
Without wasting much time dwelling on the situation, he looked around the large room with its elegant furniture with his thoughts swirling.
'Damn! I just used that spell, and I'm kidnapped already? Should I blame my foolishness? Is it the Arkados federal agents? No time to whine. Let's check the wind—'
His thoughts trailed off as his door flung open.
Seeing the two people at the entrance made his jaw drop.
Who else could it be but Liana and Nadia?
'I should have thought. The feminine perfume and the familiar ceiling design!'
"How are you feeling?" Liana rushed to him and asked.
"Fine, for a person who was smacked on his head," Jareth answered calmly.
"Sorry about that. Nadia heard something scuttling... but we assumed it was just my sister, so we ignored it. However, when we came back and found the training basement door locked, I planned to knock. But Nadia stopped me and called my sister, who told us she wasn't at home. You know the rest of the story. But don't worry; Nadia healed you. She even used her expensive healing potion from her stash." Liana winked at him.
Jareth turned to her but found Nadia looking at a plushie on the bed.
He didn't know what to say.
"Can I go now?" he could only ask.
"Of course. We never imprisoned you. Or were you doing something that is worth imprisonment?" Liana drew closer, her eyes staring into his own even with their height difference.
Jareth withdrew his gaze and tried to walk around her when his stomach grumbled.
"You're hungry?! Let's go eat something. I know a good restaurant," Liana said.
Jareth said nothing. But when he looked at his exposed chest through the tattered pajamas, he remembered he didn't have any casual clothes.
'I should have taken it off,' he lamented.
He awkwardly turned to Liana with a smile on his lips. "Erm… do you have a spare cloth for me? I forgot to buy mine."
Liana stared at him before looking at herself. "Mine wouldn't fit."
Then she turned to Nadia. "Nadia should have. She has many new clothes but doesn't wear them."
Liana suddenly said to Nadia, "Nadia, just give him that tracksuit. And all your bottled grudges are wiped. Right, Jareth?" She turned to Jareth.
What could Jareth do except nod with a smile?
Nadia walked to the wardrobe.
'Is she so stingy that I've to use my grudge as paym—' Jareth thought.
"No, she isn't stingy about anything. Didn't you hear she used an expensive potion for you? She is a giver," Liana answered like she could read his thoughts. "...except giving her clothes."
The scattering in the wardrobe paused before continuing.
Liana burst out laughing and rolled on the bed.
A few minutes later, Nadia returned and reluctantly gave Jareth a white tracksuit, which just confirmed Liana's words.
He went to his room and changed, and the tracksuit felt a bit tight on him. Before leaving the room, he collected the guest comm band and checked the time. It was already 2 PM.
Arkados followed Earth years, months, dates, and time, which Jareth just accepted; he didn't want to think about it, as his existence is already a big 'how', and it would still remain a mystery despite overthinking.
But before they could leave, Liana quickly set up a bank for him and transferred all the money from the guest comm band.
Then they left for a medium-sized restaurant. Liana ordered a large sumptuous meal, claiming it was her treat, but he was paying.
Jareth couldn't fathom how it became her treat.
Liana was doing most of the talking, whining about how her evil sister cut her funds just because she began hunting, which was why they were dining in a smaller restaurant. She spoke about how it made her possess Rank 1 equipment.
Jareth tried to contribute to make her feel comfortable as he guessed he might stay with them for some time with his decision—that's if he survives the absorption.
Then she took him to a clothing store, and he quickly regretted it. Liana dragged Nadia, quickly forgetting about helping him, and began window-shopping.
'Even this world too?' Jareth lamented at his fate.
They were at it for almost an hour before returning empty-handed to Jareth, who had long picked the set of casual clothes he liked and was watching the people, studying the general behavior to perfect his blend in.
Jareth could only shake his head as they took him to pay.
The sun was already setting when they returned, so they walked back, with Liana speaking about their last hunt. And it was then she remembered something, which she began pestering Jareth for a brief introduction of his ability.
That was how they got home to find Esta, who told them that food was on the dining table. Jareth declined and left for his room while Liana dragged the protesting Nadia to eat.
He wondered where she put all that food, for her small frame.
Taking a quick shower, he changed into his pajamas and lay on the bed, feeling exhausted.
He fell asleep in a few minutes.
***
A soft knock jolted Jareth from his lovely sleep.
Through the tiny opening of the curtain, he saw bright sunlight outside.
'It's already morning. Why was I so tired?'
Wiping his eyes, he walked to the door and opened it, and not surprisingly, it was Esta dressed in a casual outfit.
"So, what's your answer?" she asked before he could speak, staring dead into his eyes.
Jareth's lips twitched at the directness.
"I guess I want to be free, so I'll go with your option."
She nodded and walked away.
Jareth stared at her back until her voice called out, "Are you coming?"
"Oh!"
He quickly followed her, and she led him to the training basement below.
When he saw the robot, Jareth remembered its name, and he threw Esta a suspicious glance, but she was focused on her arcanist badge strapped to her wrist.
Something suddenly popped up in her palm, and Jareth remembered that he hadn't activated his arcanist badge to store things.
She tossed the objects to him, and he caught them against his chest.
It was a fist-sized translucent crystal, marred by a few black blotches, and a simple black bracelet three-fingers-wide.
"Wear it," she ordered.
Jareth eyed it and followed her instructions, wearing it on his left wrist.
"Now, sit."
Jareth sat on the floor.
"Close your eyes and feel the energy in the beast core, and then connect with it. When you connect with it, you will be transported to a mental world, where you can control your mental energy just like your arm. In that world, there will be clusters of two distinct colors—violet and white—which will flow into the core in your body if not controlled. Use your mental energy to cage the violet color, then allow the white color to disappear. When the white color is gone, the violet will vanish, and you'll automatically wake up," she explained clearly.
Jareth nodded and was about to shut his eyes when her stern voice interrupted him.
"Remember, you must, I repeat, you must never allow the violet energy to break free! Just a little taint might result in your madness."
The graveness of her gaze spoke volumes about the gravity of the situation.
Jareth took a deep breath and shut his eyes.
'This might be my last day in this world of Arkados. Come to think of it, if I die, will I wake up to my miserable life on Earth?'
His lips quirked up a bit before he shook off the distraction and focused on the core in his hand.
The moment he focused, he sensed something churning, trying to invade his body, but an invisible barrier held it back.
With a thought, his vision suddenly changed.