No Longer

Chapter 4

One Year Later . . .

Jason had disappeared the minute he left the tournament arena, and he hadn't been heard from as Caijin since, despite the entire cultivation community looking for him. His cane and the handkerchief that had covered his face that day concealed his identity, and not being a student had allowed him to register as an independent contestant, making it even harder to track him down. To be completely honest, he didn't know why he continued to hide his identity, but something told him that was the right course of action. When the time came, they would all know, but the corruption was his priority, not his pride.

He kept close to the border while still working at the Academy, monitoring the corruption as he had been since his first encounter with it eight years prior. It was spreading, slowly, but consistently. Doubling every six months without fail. Jason, with the power of Caijin, took care of the more dangerous ones that would quicken the spread, but there was simply too many for one Guardian to handle. It was only a matter of time before the common population found out about it.

Since Kenshin's defeat at the tournament, Jason's rival had been accepted into the Guardian's Order, along with the twins and Sara. Sara was the only one who had been promoted to a noteworthy position in the HQ as an Elder's fifth apprentice, the twins were entry-level grunts, and Kenshin had been given minor command over the twins' unit but was making quick work of the ranks. Jason had kept one ear and an eye on any of the Guardians that could be useful to stopping the corruption, as had become his goal, and he would soon need the help. But not just yet, the time hadn't come. He had doubts that they would even hear him out unless he revealed his identity and he didn't need blind followers, he needed people who understood the danger and fought for it because it was right, not because a high class Spirit Host told them to.

So he waited for the right time, and it came sooner than he thought. The Guardians had finally discovered the corruption, he had witnessed their first encounter with it, ready to step in if needed but otherwise kept himself hidden. They had dealt with the creature, sloppily yes, but they still dealt with it. He expected one of two reaction to come from that discovery; a revelation to the public followed by mass panic or quiet investigation to deal with it. In the end, it had been a bit of both.

The Guardian Order's discovery of the corruption had sent them into a tailspin of their own before some kind of committee had been formed to investigate it. Sara and Kenshin had both made it into the committee, the twins were assigned as border patrol around the area they had discovered it in, but no one had any idea what they were actually dealing with. No one but Jason Hartlís.

But now that they knew and wanted to respond, he was ready to share with them what he had learned. He walked through the Guardian Order's Command Center, receiving odd looks from the passing Guardians as he limped by. Today wasn't a good day for the Great Protector and he was leaning rather heavily on his cane. He threw open the doors of the chamber the committee was using, taking note of the members as they rose to standing, weapons drawn. The words he said made them pause instantly. "I heard you've been dealing with a particularly dark situation. Allow me to shed some light on it."

"You know about the restricted zone?" One of the committee leaders, and a higher up in the Order, asked. Jason's Mystic Eyes revealed him to have a particularly powerful Earth Attunement, his Guardian aura that of a man with a deer head and antlers, he must be one of the Twenty Four Heads of the Guardian Order under the Twelve Elders.

Jason nodded in a solemn manner. "The corruption, as I have come to call it upon witnessing its transfer from host to host, is spreading faster than ever. I will tell you what I know and I will help you fight it."

A scoff drew everyone's attention. Kenshin had his feet on the command table with his arms crossed over his chest. "What could this cripple tell us that we don't already know? He is only a field keeper at the Academy, he is no one."

"Cripple?" Jason considered the word, "yes, I suppose I am, but you never bothered asking what caused me to become one." He let the words sit before he slashed open his pant leg, revealing the scars that mangled his leg; bite marks, claw marks, ripping and tearing marks. The scars had been purified by Caijin so he wouldn't become corrupted, but a reminder remained in the thin black lines at the center of otherwise shiny white tissue. "A corrupted wolf attacked me eight years ago. A benevolent Constituent stepped in, killed the wolf, and prevented me from being corrupted myself, though it could not heal me. Then three years ago, that Spirit chose me for its Host."

"Bullshit," Kenshin immediately called, "I'm not saying I believe a word of what you're saying, but if you were a Guardian three years ago, why didn't you enroll as a student or participate in the tournament?" How quickly he forgot that he had tormented Jason because of his lack of power. Jason wondered if he had even bothered to remember his name. But that was to be expected of a bully who didn't know he had been put in his place by his very own victim.

"His intel has been accurate so far, I say we hear out his proposition." Sara offered from the far side of the room, though she looked concerned at Jason, as if expecting him to fall short.

"Having the intelligence is nice, and you'll be compensated for it, but why would we want a cripple to fight for us?" The higher up from before asked, not meaning to be derogatory, just genuinely curious.

Jason sighed, "I suppose this was unavoidable. You want to know the reason that you need me? Fair enough." He called out to Caijin, fused their Energy, and bent every stray beam of light to form his signature armor. Kenshin dropped his legs from the table and sat at attention, Sara's eyes widened in surprise before a genuine smile lit up her face, and the higher up, well, his mouth literally just dropped open. Jason let the moment set before confidently declaring, "I am the True Host of the Great Protector."