"Now that every remaining government and coalition in the world have collapsed, there is little order left anywhere anymore. People are just banding together to survive… naturally, they can't survive without the Awakened. Only Awakaned can effectively battle the monsters, so they have great value. There are remnants of previous authorities employing Awakened to fight for them, but they won't be able to control their own soldiers for long. In the end, the power will concentrate in the hands of people like us — and not everyone will use it fairly."
Jest scowled.
"So what? What does it have to do with us? You're not feeling responsible for the whole world, are you? Because, let me tell you something, Mr. Warden… you're not a god. Despite those magical powers of yours, you're still a person."
Warden sighed.
After a few moments of silence, he said:
"I am a part of the world too, am I not? Indeed, I am a person. My wife and son are people, too. People need food, shelter, and clean drinking water. They need air to breathe. You know how fractured NQSC is at the moment… there are so many factions and smaller communities that I can't even count them all. It has been less than a year since the Nightmare Spell descended, so things are still somewhat stable. But…"
He frowned.
"Who is going to repair the city barriers when they break down? Who is going to maintain the hydroponic farms? Who is going to distribute the food and make sure that people don't starve? For now, the infrastructure of the city is being controlled by a few factions that splintered from the regime when it broke apart. A few key points are being held hostage by Awakened warlords. Things are only going to get worse in the future, and that is just NQSC. It is in a far better state than the other cities."
Jest smiled.
"Aren't you overlooking something, though? Indeed, we are Awakened! You personally have the power to craft incredible items. There are others with the power to make plants grow faster, or summon stuff from thin air. The city barriers and farms have been maintained by the regime, but now that there are people like us walking around, making miracles happen… who's to say that things aren't going to improve, instead?"
His smile widened.
"Maybe your son will live ten times better than we ever did. My life has already improved, in fact. I have an entire room of my own… it even has an attached bathroom! And I haven't been hungry in weeks. That is also what the future holds, too."
Jest sighed.
"Now, if only I could fetch my girlfriend from that pit up north… life would be perfect."
Warden looked at him silently for a while, thinking about something.
Eventually, he shook his head.
"No way, have you been an optimist this whole time?"
Jest scratched the back of his head.
"Have my sunny personality and amazing sense of humor not relayed that? Anyway, I do understand your concerns. There are crazy people everywhere, and many of them have Awakened, as well. There are already horror stories being told about the guy who controls the train tracks. The factions formed by the former members of the secret police is… very creepy, too. And those fanatics going around trying to convert people, they're the creepiest! Honestly, what we need to do is gather the guys that reside in the castle out there in the real world, as well, and form a faction of our own. Better safe than sorry."
Warden remained silent for a while, then smiled.
"...You're just saying that because you want my help in retrieving your girlfriend, right?"
Jest grinned.
"She's from the castle too, is she not? More than that, her Aspect is quite useful… unlike mine. If you want to become one of the omnipotent tyrants of the distant future, you'll need people like her."
Warden lingered for a while.
Eventually, he shrugged.
"Well, why not? Let's gather a team of reliable people and go on a trip to the north. We can invite more of our fellow Awakened who reside there to join us in NQSC, as well. I'm not sure what shape the future will take, but if we want to even have a say in what happens to us, we need to consolidate our powerbase first… building a reliable foundation is the most important step, after all. And if we want to build a bastion of safety for us and our families, we will need a truly robust foundation."
Jest grinned, prompting Warden to look at him with suspicion.
"...What?"
Jest shook his head.
"No, no… it's nothing. It's just that, speaking of robust foundations… uh… wait, I almost have it!"
There was definitely a joke in there!
Warden took a deep breath and turned away.
"Right. I'll be going then… let's meet in the real world, when we wake up."
The goal of their trip to the north was quite simple — to gather a few of the Awakened following Warden from there and bring them all to NQSC.
However, many things changed as a result of that journey, and both of them were changed, as well.