The Oracle Paths

"Fuck..." Jake exhaled, the staggering gravity of their predicament settling upon him like a yoke of stones. Each disjointed word from Cekt, each distortion of his formerly unflappable voice, struck him like a pebble skimming a tranquil pond, dispatching waves of unease through the still reservoir of his mind.

His heart drummed a rhythm of trepidation within his breast. The silence that followed the termination of their link was oppressive, descending upon him like the promise of an unsheathed blade.

With distortion and background noise making his mentor's voice choppy and protracted, Jake had struggled to parse Cekt's intended meaning. Yet, despite the challenges, he had finally pieced together the message.

There was no longer any room for doubt. His master had been ensnared in a trap. And a formidable one at that!

Jake began to suspect he was cursed with ill fortune. Each time he personally embarked on an adventure, leaving the cushy confines of his Floating Island, a disaster involving Digestors or other Evolvers ensued.

Yet, this was simply a reflection of the precarious state of the Mirror Universe. It was likely not only he who faced such ordeals, but all those with the courage to venture beyond the safety of their Oracle Shelters.

But was his luck truly this wretched? He began to question his Luck stat.

[Cekt's voice was distorted, taking long seconds to relay each word instead of the usual microseconds that telepathy allows.] Xi analyzed calmly. [Given the time it took for him to respond, the interference, and the distortion of his voice... my conclusion is that he's fallen into a temporal trap. Somehow his enemies have managed to draw him out of the reach of the Aether Array covering the Magnetic Resonator.]

Jake frowned, conjuring a multitude of unpleasant scenarios in his mind before finally inquiring,

"Assuming that's true, how long will it take for him to free himself and return?"

[Several possibilities, but don't hold your breath.] Xi sighed somberly. "First scenario, Cekt accidentally left the Aether Array and is only a few meters from the safe zone of the Magnetic Resonator. In this case, it could take from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on his circumstances. This is the most optimistic case, but also the least likely, I fear. Second possibility, he was teleported by an enemy far from here. In which case... I have absolutely no idea how long it would take him to return. Instinctively, I would like to believe that an experienced Rank 3 Aetherist like him, tasked with extracting Aether from black holes, would have adequate contingencies in place for incidents of this nature, like a spacecraft covered with a Time Aether Array similar to that of the Resonator or a portable Yellow Cube. If that's the case, it's not impossible for him to escape the trap within a few hours or days depending on his distance from us. But..."

"But?" Jake knew he wouldn't like what was to follow.

[But if it's a trap and not an accident, enemies capable of ensnaring a Rank 3 Aetherist would undoubtedly have anticipated all of this. Digestors spawning near black holes are feared for their space-time abilities. If one of them is capable of stabilizing the space where Cekt is trapped, any teleportation will become much more difficult, if not impossible. As for a spacecraft, even if we're talking about that of a Rank 3 Aetherist, it's even less reliable. Unless he possesses an exceptional ship and his enemies give him a chance to start it, I wouldn't count on it.]

| Jake's heart sank as he listened to Xi's grim deductions. No matter which way he looked at it, their situation was riddled with foul play. The stench of it was too potent to deny.

The other possibilities raised by Xi weren't much better, sometimes worse.

Refusing to believe Digestors could orchestrate such a trap when, just a day ago, Cekt was blissfully ignorant of his impending mission here, Jake's eyes narrowed in a slow, serious squint. He muttered gloomily, "Traitors?"

His mind initially flickered towards Oros, the Oracle Overseer himself before promptly discarding the thought. He started to recap the significant events that had transpired recently, searching for potential connections to their current predicament. Before long, his body stiffened in the clutches of realization.

Lure's death!

The scheme concocted by the Digestors and other enemies of the Oracle was chillingly thorough. After their first stab at the heart of the Mirror Universe, they had no intention of letting the wounded beast bleed out at its own pace for fear it might miraculously recover.

"So now, they're targeting those trying to mend or fortify the Aether Network." Jake reasoned out loud, unable to hide his fearful admiration for the sheer breadth of the enemy's conspiracy.

This was a stark lesson in humility for him. If the enemies had anticipated every response from the Oracle and the Mirror Universe following Lure's death and the sabotage of the Aether Network, then it wasn't just Cekt and them in danger. Everyone who had been hastily recruited and mobilized across each System and Planet to reinforce their Aether Network was also in the crosshairs.

Yet, such an ambitious and magnificent plan raised another significant question: How had they predicted their arrival and successfully deceived the vigilance of Cekt and the regular squads of Oracle Guardians who came here to exterminate the Digestors spawning here?

Jake now knew that the Oracle had its ways of identifying and tracking Digestor Trojans, so it certainly wasn't as simple as it seemed.

Thud, thud!

Hearing heavy footsteps rapidly approaching, he swiftly pivoted, raising his guard, only to lower it upon recognizing Saros. Squinting his eyes suspiciously, he inquired coldly, "Where have you been?"

Saros also sized him up in return, maintaining his distance. He too seemed to be wondering if he was part of this intricately woven scheme. However, seeing the same wariness reflected in the eyes of the man he was tasked with monitoring, a palpable wave of relief visibly eased his shoulders.

"Cekt asked me to keep my distance so as not to interfere with your test. Since my sole duty is to monitor you, I had no reason to refuse. Just now, I received the same message as you. I tried to reach Thelma using my bracelet, but to no avail. I was able to alert them via the Mirror World, but the situation is dire. We're on our own."

Jake displayed a world-weary exasperation at this familiar predicament. Weren't the circumstances almost identical to when they tried to save Maeve, Kyle's sister? The Oracle Shelter where she was enslaved had been attacked by Digestors, and if Cekt hadn't arrived to rescue them by some divine grace, they'd likely all be dead.

Since that day, Jake had come to the conclusion that he couldn't rely on the Oracle's rescue.

'Although, if I remember correctly, there was another Oracle Guardian with six arms who came to help but was injured by one of his colleagues before he could even prove useful.'

Even the Oracle Guardians had their share of traitors. And from Saros's glum expression, he wasn't far from the truth.

"Can you contact any Oracle Guardians you trust?" Jake suggested without much hope.

"No," Saros disappointed him instantly.

"Why?" He asked anyway, striving to stay polite.

"Because I don't have any friends."

Jake blinked stupidly, his jaw dropping in disbelief.

Fuck!! Of all the Oracle Guardians, they had to stick him with the most antisocial one!

"No matter..." Jake let it go, resigning himself to his fate with a gloomy countenance.

[What do you plan to do now?] Xi pressed relentlessly, not allowing him time to wallow.

Jake was about to seriously ponder a plan when a mad quake reminded him that he didn't have that luxury.

CRACK!

The steel ground that had so far proven utterly solid cracked beneath his feet. A faint but noticeable shockwave had simultaneously coursed through his body, originating from the ground. If he wasn't mistaken, a colossal explosion from within the Resonator was the source of the quake and ground's fracturing.

The faces of his companions on the other side of the barrier flashed in his mind, and worry seized him. A wave of urgency, fueled by the peril they faced, crashed over him. He whirled toward Saros, his voice echoing amidst the tumult,

"Can you deactivate this damn barrier?"

"No."

"..."

"..."

Jake didn't endure their silent staring contest for long. He was already a pressure cooker teetering on the edge of explosion, and release was inevitable, one way or another.

Instead, with a regal calm that belied his inner turmoil, his face radiating with unmistakable disdain, he asked, "Seriously... Are you good for anything at all?"

Jake was on the brink, frustration pushing him dangerously close to planting his fist square in Saros's face just to drive home how utterly useless he found him. He drew a shaky breath, fighting to rein in his temper, and finally declared, his words heavy with resolute determination,

"In that case, we've got no choice but to bulldoze our way through."

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