Esta paused for another good fifteen seconds before she began. "As the new age sorcery began, with the inclusion of the sorcerer's chart, humans lost their original ability to absorb mana directly from the world. So, they could only slay other beings, snatch their cores, and absorb them. But there was a problem.
"When those beings absorb mana from the world, they get tainted by the oblivium that is also residing in the world. This gives their cores a large quantity of mana with speckles of oblivium.
"So when we absorb mana from these cores, we try to filter it with our mind, which can end in two ways—either you are successful and increase the mana in your core, or you become tainted by oblivium. If your mind succumbs first, you go mad. However, if your body succumbs first, you become a vessel of oblivium, spreading madness and corruption."
Jareth shuddered as his eyes locked onto the high level of corruption in his body.
Esta, as if she could read his mind, clarified, "The body column doesn't represent or show you your corruption status. It is more like your affinity level towards mana. And it's unchangeable. But the higher the mana percentage in your body, the harder it is to become tainted, and as you can deduce, the higher the oblivium percentage in your body, the easier it is to become tainted."
Jareth took a deep breath before asking in almost a whisper, "Can you, in some way, estimate how high my chances of getting tainted are?"
"Your body is the first with the highest oblivium percentage I've ever seen," said Esta.
Jareth's meager hope shattered.
She continued as if she didn't see his bleak expression, "The highest I've previously heard about was an arcanist with a body containing twenty percent mana, eighty percent oblivium. Well, he got tainted in mind and body on his first core absorption, becoming mad and corrupted. The Parliament even advised that arcanists with oblivium body higher than sixty-five percent shouldn't absorb cores, as they are almost certain of being tainted."
Taking a sip of water, she asked, "So, do you know how worse your case is?"
Jareth's lips quivered.
He was speechless for a few seconds before he shook his head with a self-deprecating smile. "Looks like I've nothing to do with magic. Well, I'll just live my life as a normal person. Don't tell me even a normal person gets tainted?"
"You're just going to give up?" Esta asked instead.
"Some things are not meant to be forced. Besides, everybody will still die, right?" Jareth shrugged.
"Thanks for the meal, and for taking your time to explain to me about this arcanist stuff. Although I have nothing to give you, I'm really grateful. I won't bother you anymore," Jareth said.
"So, what are you going to be to survive? A waiter? A cleaner? An actor? You have the build of a model," Esta said.
Jareth paused at the door for a few seconds. "Acting? Hehehe… I don't think I want to do that."
"Why?"
"Nothing. Just not talented for it," Jareth turned and replied with a smile.
"You haven't tried it, and their pay is good."
"I guess it's my instinct," He answered before leaving through the door.
He walked out, took the elevator, and left the restaurant. When he got outside, he stood and gazed at the sky, lost in his thoughts as he tried to figure out what was next in this strange world.
After much rumination, he decided to first get used to his comm band. The fastest way to understand things is through the internet, and he guessed that there's most likely one as he is seeing this world having many similarities to Earth, with some even more advanced technology than Earth. An example is the seamless merging of phones and watches into one—comm band
He left the vicinity of the restaurant, gazing left and right as he studied his surroundings while searching for a place to sit.
The street had many commercial buildings, which looked luxurious. At the end of the street, he found an alley with a short pavement running through, separating the two buildings.
He walked and sat in it.
Then he stared at his comm band and spotted four buttons, which he deduced their functions from their micro words—a power button, an expandable button, phone watch, and quick call.
He pressed the power button, and a rectangular holographic screen, the size of a PC screen, slowly popped up in front of him.
Then a word popped up: Do you want a tutorial, or skip it?
'Thank goodness.'
He accepted it, and that's how he was completely captivated by the holographic device, clicking left and right.
Time quickly flew, with him engrossed in the comm band.
And he discovered the nexus, which serves almost the same purpose as the internet. He found many things about Terminis Dominion from there, with few things and mostly rumors about arcanists.
But he also saw a warning from the Parliament, whom Jareth assumed were like the government. They warned that awakened arcanists, with as high as 65% oblivium in their body, should go to the Arcanist Court for body vaccination to reduce it, or risk getting tainted, with madness being the easiest result.
'Did Esta lie to me? But why? She said the mana and oblivium content in the body is constant. Or… is the Parliament lying?' Jareth squinted his eyes.
A sudden shadow casted over him made Jareth snap his head aside, to meet the face of Esta standing close to him.
He leapt in shock to his feet and clamped his hand on his comm band to hide the holographic screen, under Esta's scrutinizing gaze.
After about three seconds, when he noticed the light had disappeared from between his fingers, he retracted his hands and stood before Esta.
But she kept staring at him with an unreadable scrutinizing gaze that was a bit impassive.
Jareth felt fidgety beneath her stare but tried to act normal, even though his mind was anything but normal.
'Did she see it? Why did she follow me? How did I not hear her coming? What is she going to do? Did she see my screen? I should have used the phone mode and not the holographic mode. Are we just going to stare at each other? No! I can't keep going like this! I need to do something.'
"Hello, Miss Esta," Jareth greeted with a smile that was a bit forced.
"What's with that strained look? Were you doing something illegal?" Esta asked.
'She didn't see it?' he thought in delight.
"Nothing. Just getting used to this… familiar but foreign world," he spoke naturally after finding out he was in the clear.
Esta nodded.
"As you've just read…" Esta paused and stared at him sternly.
Jareth's relaxing heartbeat skyrocketed.
"With the power held by arcanists and the high chances of those with high oblivium being prone to madness, it's compulsory for those with a body of at least sixty-five percent oblivium to go to the Arcanist Court to keep the world safe."
Jareth took a deep breath to steady his shaky nerves.
"Is there really a cure?" his voice was low.
"Maybe there is one but I've never physically seen one."
"So there's none?"
Esta answered with silence.
"So… what happens to the people who go to the Arcanist Court?" Jareth asked with a shaky voice.
'Don't tell me they use the advertisement to lure them—us and then wipe out the problem preemptively?'
"They join the Grim Corps, in charge of battling external field threats, outside the city."
Jareth quickly deduced the reason.
'To allow them to run mad outside the city?'
He tried picturing himself among a group of people, with neighbors that might run mad at any moment. An invisible chill made him shiver.
"Of course there are benefits to joining the Grim Corps," Esta's calm voice interrupted his thoughts. "They are provided with pure cores; beast cores free from the impurities of oblivium."
"Those exist?" Jareth questioned dubiously, wondering why she didn't tell him from the beginning.
"Of course, it's exclusive to the Grim Corps."
"So… why didn't you tell me from the beginning?" He stared at her warily.
Esta quieted for a moment before replying, "To see how much you want to be an arcanist. But it wasn't as I envisioned. In Arkados, a world of arcanists and sorcery, surrounded by dangers, who will forgo their chance of being powerful? Some people do it for riches. Every kid looks forward to the day when they will be fifteen; they look forward to the day they will be arcanists. But you… maybe it's because of your memory loss. Maybe because you don't know much about the world and arcanists."
Jareth didn't deny her words. But what also scares him is one of his sources. Even though he doesn't know what it means, from everything he has heard, oblivium is bad.
"Now you're given two choices: I'll give you a beast core to absorb and if you survive it, you can live under my roof for a year. Then you are free to leave. Or, I will have to give you to the Grim Corps," Esta stated.
Jareth thought for a moment before asking, "What's the difference?"
"You are free for the first option, but you will have to follow orders for the second. However, in the first option, you will have to risk the chances of ruining yourself in madness, while the second is a safe path but with weaker strength compared to your rank mates."
"Weaker strength?"
"Yes. While pure cores are free from the taint, they grant you weaker natural physique compared to your rank mates. Of course, it's not open knowledge."
Jareth sucked in a deep breath.
"No third option?" he asked.
"Third option?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Like, living like a normal person until I die? No need to bother about arcanist stuff and that?" Jareth asked.
She stared into his eyes for fifteen seconds before she chuckled. "You're the first person I've ever heard that wants to remain normal after awakening. Unfortunately, life doesn't always give us the option we have in mind. You are left with two choices, so, which is it going to be? Which suits the life you want to live?"