So it is done: What's next? (Patreon)

The hours Jonathan had set aside passed as inexorably as they always did. As the clock struck five o'clock in the evening, Jonathan was bundled into a prepared car and was driven into a restaurant that was already fully booked for the evening. There would be no other guests than the king and his family, and close friends.

Not because he was expecting to fill the whole restaurant with his guests, but simply out of a necessity for safety.

Besides, with all due respect, Jonathan didn't plan on jostling elbows with the other customers, the number of scrolls aimed his way would destroy any hint of celebration the first time someone forgot to shut off their flash.

So upon arriving at the restaurant, naturally, Jonathan was instantly greeted by Cinder, with Neo standing over her shoulder, flanked by a couple of RATS agents in civilian clothes. Cinder immediately greeted him as soon as he got off the limousine.

“Happy Birthday, Jonathan,” Cinder said instantly before Jonathan could say anything.

“How are you feeling?”

Neo appeared behind Cinder's back and jabbed a finger in Cinder's direction as if to wordlessly say ‘Yes what she said, and I also want to know how you are’, making Jonathan grin slightly in response.

“Good. I’m good.” Jonathan answered with a nod before taking a step forward, wordlessly stepping between his two daughters… Foster daughters, Cinder's insistence on adding that prefix, had become very necessary recently.

“Had the Belladonnas arrived yet?”

“No, but they should be arriving any minute now.” Taking her position at Jonathan's right with ease and naturalness, as if it was her only possible place in the world. Cinder matched Jonathan's stride, leaving Neo to take Jonathan’s left side a few moments later, shaking her head all the while at her sister’s antics.

“The waiters have put out the hors d'oeuvres and apéritifs, there are alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to choose from, so if you're hungry or thirsty…”

“No, I had a little snack before coming here, I could wait.” Jonathan answered Cinder as he made his way to the entrance of the restaurant. As he did, he noticed how one of the men in a waiter's uniform, who was probably the waiter at the party, was looking at each dish with a keen eye. Clearly, the waiter was probably also a RATS agent, assigned to keep Jonathan safe at the moment.

Not that Jonathan could even name anyone that could be his enemy right now. Less of all, someone powerful and influential enough, or perhaps suicidal would be the more fitting? That would try to poison him on his birthday. Even Ozpin had changed his stance from being confrontational to something closer to cautious co-operation as the years had passed.

But still, that was no reason to relax.

What did Jonathan care if the poison slipped into his food was the result of the machinations of his opponents or the accidental mistake of a cook mistaking one bottle for another, if it still resulted in Jonathan being poisoned? So, having someone watching the food preparation is paramount on either occasion.

Once inside the restaurant, Jonathan glanced around at the long tables, laid and prepared even when there would be no one that would sit there, all done solely to avoid leaving empty space in. The RATS agents were also to receive their portion of the celebratory dinner, but only well after the main event for Jonathan was over.

But until then, Jonathan and his birthday guests would only occupy the small table against the far wall of the large hall, where there would actually be a semblance of a real celebration.

Immediately Jonathan's eyes were drawn to the center seat, the seat of honor, apparently reserved for him. Next was a seat on his right side, obviously reserved for Cinder, with the one on his left for Neo, which was already marked by a glass of soda and a plate of canapés and tartlets.

The soda was not surprising to Neo, although she was not averse to alcohol, quite contrary actually, she took her job as Jonathan's bodyguard seriously and did not allow herself to relax during her duties. Even Cinder's presence, while certainly an added incentive for Neo not to slack off or break the rules she had been assigned, was not the reason for her sobriety at the moment.

Neo, as childish as she usually acted, was very serious about Jonathan’s safety.

However, this did not prevent her from enjoying a good meal, there were no prohibitions on her gluttony.

Jonathan only grinned in response, before glancing at Cinder's empty front of the table, except for the glass of water, and then at Cinder herself. Is there something wrong with Cinder?

“Nothing wrong, just bad coffee.” Cinder explained her condition, without Jonathan needing to ask. Finally, he made his way to his seat, grabbing a couple of canapés on the way. Fortunately, with his absolute control over his own body, Jonathan wasn't afraid of gaining extra pounds and so could enjoy the great meal to the fullest, limited only by his own appetite instead of thoughts of future weight gain.

Magic opens hundreds of thousands of paths…

Making his way to his seat, Jonathan settled himself at the head of the table, glancing at the empty hall before him, with tables set up but completely empty. He then looked at Cinder and Neo, who had joined him at his sides.

Thirty-four years old, huh…

Jonathan was turning thirty-four years old, an age he had never thought about until now. The age of those wise and knowledgeable adults, huh… He admits that he doesn’t feel all that wise. Knowledgeable perhaps, but not wise.

When Jonathan thought about the past years of his life it seemed to him that he had experienced so much, enough for a book or even two, three… Actually, a whole collection of autobiographies. Something discreet, yet tasteful.

‘Following in the footsteps of my youth?’ As a title? No, too pretentious, not to mention that our youth is not yet over…

‘From Criminal to King’? No, there's no point in talking about the fact that we were by definition an outlaw once… Well, ‘King’ is also wrong, since we don’t have anything to do with the royal family of Vale. There’s no way we could write about that, it would cause the legitimacy of our rule to fall…

What is ‘good’?

The cost of a single decision?

Thoughts, various thoughts and ideas swarmed in Jonathan's head, but none suited him, none touched some inner strings of his soul, or captured himself thoroughly.

It's funny, though… The more we think about how great our journey was, the more we realize that, in fact, it wasn't all that outstanding.

Really, what could Jonathan tell about his life?

He could go into a long, lengthy account of his life, he could remember a lot, after all. Mentioning what he ate for breakfast and what brand of polish he used for his shoes, Jonathan might be able to go on and on about his story indefinitely…

But if he were to concentrate only on the most important things, the things that were the turning points of his life, it would be…

One day a child was born into an unhappy family.

His parents started a fire and died, but he was saved because he was unknowingly a Mage.

An old man took him in, to raise him, and to teach him everything he could.

But then the old man died, and the kid fell into an Abyss that should have killed him, instead he landed in another world. Literally a world away from everything and everyone he knew. Magic was the only companion he had.

In that other world the guy made a lot of decisions, some good, some definitely bad, and he got himself a family. Two adopted daughters, and one destroyed town later, and he decided to become a king.

Being King, he made a lot more right and wrong choices.

He killed a lot of monsters and then an evil witch who was perhaps not so evil after all.

The End.

Jonathan stood unmoving, as the two voices in his head narrated the life of one Jonathan Goodman, trying to comprehend it.

Once long ago, so long ago that it already seemed to Jonathan like part of an old, erased, half-forgotten dream, the Old Man explained to Jonathan about how the world really was. At how universal truths worked, how the laws of the universe were created and destroyed. The Old Man had talked to Jonathan a lot about the nature of Mages, about magic, about omnipotence, about evolution, and finally, about Ascension…

The Avatar.

The Old Man had once told Jonathan that the Avatar could not simply be explained, deduced, or described by some number of formulas or words. The Avatar was unique, so unique that some Mages could say it didn't exist in the first place. And that is because the Avatar was not something concrete.

For some, the Avatar was an old cat found near their place of work, or a slight tingle in their hands when they felt danger approaching. Randomly occurring words in the headlines of newspapers seen by chance that attracted their attention. Or even the peculiar shapes that the clouds floating in the sky took. A friendly neighbor, a favorite pair of gloves, a nostalgic trip to another city, a favorite song, a tangle of flowers and a pattern on the wallpaper.

All could be the Avatar.

For an Avatar served no particular function.

One knew that, seeing the right word, he always had to instantly turn left. One knew that if he felt a scratch in his throat, he needed to visit his parents. When there were too many A's in a person's life, it meant he was in mortal danger. When he felt like humming to himself, it meant that he was going to get a big payday.

All could be an Avatar.

The Avatar exists, but no one could say what the avatar was, or why it existed, and what it did. It just was, in a thousand forms and a thousand meanings. Not to serve any particular function, it just is.

Under such circumstances, how could a Mage determine what was his Avatar? What function was it fulfilling, and most importantly, was it even worth it for him to know such a thing in the first place?

If the Avatar simply was, perhaps the best way to continue living was to simply… Let it be?

Jonathan shared this point of view, and so he never bothered trying to find what his Avatar was. After all, even if at some point in time he identified his Avatar, discovered its existence and what it is, where would that discovery lead him?

Did Jonathan need to identify his Avatar at all?

So Jonathan treated the search for his Avatar not even as a trivial matter, but simply as a child's fancy. A fable or tale he had heard about once long ago, but no longer paid attention to, absorbed in the more important matters of his adult life.

And yet, even if Jonathan never found his Avatar, the inability to see something did not mean that this ‘something’ did not exist at all, nor does it not affect him.

All could be an Avatar, even the most mundane of things… Such as an inner voice.

How easy is it for a person to hear their own inner voice? To stop and interact with them as they hear their own thoughts? To determine whether it sounds high falsetto or low bass, male or female, slow or fast, if it is similar to his voice or not?

And it was not the voice one has as they silently read a book, or when they sing to themselves. Their true inner voice?

Who can determine that his inner voice has changed, that it has suddenly begun to sound different? And, even if it is possible, is it possible to identify one's own inner voice as something different, something foreign, something that must be different, different from the norm, if that voice has always sounded that way?

Perhaps it spoke with two distinct voices, but even if years, or decades had passed, why would it change? Perhaps sometimes this voice began to speak differently, raised different topics in its conversation and asked questions, but wasn't that the task of reflection, the task of the inner voice as such?

It was not necessary to attribute to other hands what was in your own hands. Occam's razor cut away unnecessary suppositions, forcing one to look away from thinking that behind the identity of Jonathan's inner voice there could be something more than his own inner voice?

Yet Jonathan was not a foolish man.

For years, he had an inkling about his inner voice, suspected it and investigated it, hypothesized and tested his guesses, before coming to the conclusion that his inner voice was not entirely his own.

Every time Jonathan was on the verge of making a big decision, when he was deep in thought about something more lasting and yet more urgent, something important to him, his voice began to take on new intonations. New features, speaking a little differently than it had before.

Jonathan had figured out his Avatar, however…

What should he do about it? It’s not like it would change even if Jonathan knew that his Avatar was his own inner voice.

Jonathan had questioned himself about what he should do if he ever found his Avatar in that distant past. About what this discovery could be worth, as it would determine whether he should have pursued it. And, having come to the conclusion that even if he knew the answer, there was still nothing he could do about it, Jonathan, now knowing the answer to his question, could do nothing about it.

Yes, he had discovered his Avatar… So what next? Did it mean anything in the big picture? Did it affect his future actions?

You are my Avatar, aren't you?

Yes.

The simple answer to a simple question made Jonathan raise his gaze to the empty tables before him, silently staring at them. Waiting to see if some appropriate question for his Avatar would come to mind.

Maybe something fundamental?

About what magic was, what the Avatar's function was, or what secrets he could reveal to Jonathan…

Yet these questions somehow scattered like tasteless sand on his tongue, making Jonathan forget about them. For some reason, Jonathan did not want to ask such questions to his Avatar as he continued to stare at the empty tables around him.

You have appeared every time I faced a choice in my life, didn't you?

Yes.

The Avatar's answer this time was calm and clear, measured even, in a way. As if it had already known that Jonathan would ask that question and had prepared the answer to it out of hand.

Once again, Jonathan could only fall thoughtfully silent before asking what was probably the only question in the current circumstances that still bothered him.

So I have to make some incredibly important choices now, too?

Unlike all the previous times, however, this time the Avatar did not respond instantly to Jonathan's question, seeming to hesitate for a few seconds before speaking slowly.

Yes… And no.

Jonathan frowned slightly at those words, waiting for a clarification from his Avatar, and, not receiving one, asked it another question.

What do you mean?

Yes, the decision you have to make… It's here… But it's not the decision you're thinking of. And it's a decision that you've already made, even if you never had thought about it.

At these words, Jonathan only tries to look at something to try to take his mind off from that information. His eyes inexorably lingered on Cinder, who was thoughtfully sipping mineral water from her glass, looking at it with a suspicious squint, as if trying to see if the content of the glass was a conspiracy plotting against her.

Jonathan thought about what decision it could have been, his mind flashing with a hundred guesses that came together into one concrete and understandable fact.

Immediately, he rose from his seat with a sudden movement that made Cinder and Neo look at him with a slight surprise in their eyes. Much more noticeable in Neo's gaze than in Cinder's, but Jonathan paid no attention to them.

Heading with quick steps, Jonathan didn't pay attention to the RATS agent that was currently trying to disguise himself as a waiter. A disguise donned not only for the sake of efficiency in fulfilling his mission, but also simply to avoid putting undue pressure on the other restaurant employees, the actual cooks for example, and the guests.

Even if Jonathan and Ghira logically knew that they were in the middle of a carefully guarded perimeter, by agents of Remnant's most efficient Secret Service. Was it really worth it to stress that fact and constantly remind the people gathered for the party?

Right now, however, Jonathan didn't care about that fact at all, so upon reaching the waiter, Jonathan instantly leaned over to him and whispered something.

In a rare moment of Jonathan’s life, he took advantage of his position of authority to bypass the waiter's orders by giving him Jonathan’s own instructions. The waiter slash agent, however, hearing his order, glanced momentarily at him, then at Cinder, then back at Jonathan, before nodding minutely, immediately setting the tray aside before walking away with a quick step.

Jonathan, his job done, however, returned to his seat and ignored the surprised and intrigued stares of Neo and Cinder. This time, however, it was Cinder who seemed more interested, knowing full well how rarely Jonathan interfered directly with the work of anyone, much less a RATS agent. Especially one already engaged in ensuring his personal safety, and even more so in such a rude manner.

Disrupting the cordon around Jonathan required an important reason, not so much for Jonathan of course, all the agents are perfectly aware of who was the great top-dog in all of Glenn. Both for them and the world.

Being King, Jonathan’s every whim might as well be an ultimatum to the RATS agents, not that he ever used such privileges. Now especially since Jonathan was well aware that even a single disruption could have far-reaching consequences, and therefore Cinder was extremely curious to know exactly what had prompted Jonathan to do such a thing.

However, Jonathan himself did not seem all that eager to respond to her silent interested gaze as he settled back at his seat, crossing his arms in front of him and leaning forward thoughtfully, resting his chin on his hands.

Yes, Jonathan. The question, the decision is not whether you, whether we kill Salem. It's not even a question, is it? Not a big decision that requires reflection, a choice? What choice is there? Salem is a threat to all of humanity, and she wishes for her own destruction, sparing her would not be a kindness. Salem's destruction is not only in the defense of humanity, but a show of mercy. To Salem first and foremost. You have no choice here, Jonathan, much less a moral quandary.

“Jonathan?” Seeing the silent Jonathan, Cinder became even more worried, as he looked at him with an attentive gaze. But Jonathan did not answer, lost within his own thoughts as he stared at the empty hall in front of him.

Then what is the question? What decision have I already made?

What next, Jonathan? That is the question, and the answer. What's next?

Once upon a time, many years ago, Jonathan had landed into this world by accident.

Jonathan was not born in Remnant, neither did he spend his childhood here, he did not spend his schooling here, nor did he make local friends at school, he was not even trained in a School or Academy.

And yet he had spent more time in Remnant than Earth. He had begun to understand the local politics, the local culture. He had learned its history and legends, saw its films and listened to its music.

After all these years, he had fully integrated himself into Remnant and became an integral part of it, had allowed Remnant itself to become an integral part of Jonathan himself.

In this world, Jonathan had fully grown up. Gained a job, social connections, family, knowledge, experience…

He had ascended to the top of the world, and after many agonizing years, encountered Salem. The enemy of all Remnants and so, to a lesser extent, Jonathan's enemy. A powerful ruler, the living embodiment of the Grimm’s power and destructive potential. She was something that Jonathan needed to destroy.

Of course, Jonathan had to, it was natural, but… What followed after? After the destruction of Salem?

“Jonathan?” Cinder repeated her question, now actually tinged with worry, turning to Jonathan a little more insistently, but Jonathan's own gaze only slid higher, as if to picture the scene outside the restaurant he had chosen for the celebration.

People rushing through the streets, office clerks staying up late, workers celebrating another weekend…

The destruction of Salem could be called, in a way, Jonathan's final and greatest achievement, nothing else would come close. In one swoop, he would have destroyed all the Super-Hordes in the world, by the destruction of the Grimm Queen could be called his final achievement, the crowning of his achievements.

Salem could be considered Remnant's ‘final boss’ and her killing in this case was Jonathan's crowning achievement.

However, what then would follow, after this feat?

Salem's death would not have put Jonathan out of a job, would not have been the final point in his life, would not be the end credits to his life. Salem's demise, by all the canons of history, should have been followed by something else, something even more fundamental…

It is after all the death of perhaps the greatest evil that had walked on the surface of Remnant.

But Jonathan didn't see that.

So what's next, Jonathan? Actually, we both know what follows next, all that's left is to realize it fully.

What will Jonathan do next, after Salem is destroyed?

Jonathan's original plan was to eat the cake, kiss Cinder, then go to bed, nothing more.

In light of recent developments however…

Jonathan finally shifted his gaze to Cinder, then, seeing the interest and slight excitement carefully concealed by her outstanding composure, he… Jonathan blinked, then shook off the ruminations in which Jonathan had once again immersed himself and smiled at Cinder.

“It's fine, just a little something… On my mind.”

“I see.” Cinder only reacted by smiling slightly at Jonathan's words, then glanced at Neo, who rolled her eyes, not even noticing anything strange about Jonathan's actions, too often he was immersed in his own thoughts to worry about that.

After a moment, however, Jonathan was distracted by the figure of the waiter who had returned.

Getting up from the table, he took a small package from the waiter's hands. The waiter slash agent picked up the tray he had left earlier to do Jonathan’s task, returning to his spot, as if he had never left. Jonathan meanwhile made his way back to his seat, placing the package on Cinder's lap as he did so.

Cinder looked at Jonathan with one eyebrow raised in mild bewilderment and, seeing that she would not be getting a reaction from him, she unwrapped the small package with a quick movement of her hands.

Whereupon her eyes opened wide in shock, and she gave Jonathan a look that instantly lit up with understanding. Cinder got up from her seat and walked away from the hall in a sedated but still hurried pace, only not running simply because it would be uncouth.

Seeing Cinder acting so strangely, Neo looked at Jonathan questioningly.

Jonathan shrugged his shoulders and drew the glass of mineral water to himself, smiling at her with a mysterious smile.

Now, after the news, do you…

Jonathan thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Nothing's changed. I'll eat cake. Kiss Cinder. Go to bed before going back to work tomorrow.

That's right, Jonathan. That's why I'm saying you've already made your choice. Already you have answered the question of what's next.

Jonathan silently looked up at the ceiling.

Then… What is the essence of this question?

That, Jonathan… That is something you have to learn on your own. To learn why this question is important, and why the answer to that question is important, and what the complex moral implications of your answer are. It's the last thing I can do for you.

The last thing?

Jonathan asked into the void, but received no answer.

And so, after a few seconds of silence, he looked at Neo, who glanced back at him with a single raised eyebrow before something seemed to attract him from the edge of her vision. Nodding towards the front doors, Neo made Jonathan shift his gaze towards them.

With a start, he realized that he was hearing the sound of wheels moving and traffic stopping in front of the restaurant.

Rising from his seat, Jonathan took a brisk, confident step towards the front doors.

A moment later, he came across the sight of a limo stopping and a familiar family emerging from it. First Ghira, then Kali, and then finally Blake, who simultaneously looked considerably annoyed at having to attend Jonathan's birthday party, a person that was hard to call her close friend. But overjoyed by the opportunity to get out of her estate, especially escape from Ilia’s overly strong ‘personality’.

It wasn't that Blake was uncomfortable interacting with Ilia, but having grown up largely under the tutelage of Ghira, Blake wasn't too well-versed in the social intricacies of dealing with people… Especially when dealing with someone of her own gender, which viewed her from the perspective of the opposite gender.

In other words, Ilia had something else in mind when she floated the idea of taking a bath together.

Jonathan could only chuckle at the courtship rituals of teenagers. And seeing that he had no reason to consider Ilia a master of seduction either, the mix of awkwardness at the same time as assertiveness was too distinct in all her actions.

Ilia would have to try harder to get through to Blake without making more mistakes than she had already… Not like he could talk about being blind to romance, Cinder had to do a lot of work to get through his thick head.

“Jonathan.” Thoughts about romance aside, Jonathan greeted his friend as Ghira grinned, holding out his hand to Jonathan for a congratulatory handshake. A huge paw in which Jonathan's palm sank deeply.

“Ghira," Jonathan nodded back at his friend before looking at Kali next. "You look wonderful, Kali.”

“Oh, stop it," Kali snorted at the compliment, causing Jonathan to cast an understanding glance at Ghira, and get an understanding glance in return. After all, Jonathan wasn't lying when he complimented Kali. It would be hard for a girl even half Kali’s age to keep up with her beauty, but Kali had simply ignored Jonathan's compliments as flattery.

And, no matter how many times even Ghira complimented her, it was almost impossible to change her reaction to them.

“Blake.” Jonathan nodded to Blake and waited for a distracted nod in return before he turned to leave, opening the door.

Jonathan glanced a little further down the corridor for a moment before smiling slightly to himself, thoughtfully, as the Belladonna seemed to be looking for someone. “Don't worry, Cinder will be joining us soon.”

Pausing for a moment, Jonathan thought about it before dismissing the thoughts that had begun to creep into his head. “The first course will be ready soon…”

The question is not what comes next, Jonathan.

It's what ‘next’ means.