Bone, Part One

Jodio's days were full. He usually got up at eight sharp and started his morning run in the sunshine. By academy custom, that meant at least five laps around the village. Come to think of it, Jodio found Little Huo's damn homeroom teacher ridiculous. Making every combat Soul Master and Healing Soul Master run ten laps while carrying weights—what kind of person came up with a rule like that?

On second thought, it was probably just a show of authority. Anyone who showed enough grit could likely pass. But considering that homeroom teacher's high expulsion rate and low graduation rate, Jodio still thought the old hag had a sadistic streak.

He got up at eight, ran a few laps to warm up, then enjoyed a hearty breakfast of steamed buns and Korea's national banquet dish: spicy cabbage. After that came classroom lessons until around eleven. For Jodio, they were mostly a chance to broaden his knowledge and learn a little theory.

There was an hour's break at noon, followed by physical and practical training in the afternoon. Shrek Academy ran on a two-week schedule: classes continued from Monday through the following Friday morning. Odd-numbered afternoons were for fitness and combat, while even-numbered afternoons focused on other forms of training, such as playing chess with Lu Qibin, learning heat control from Teacher Shao Xin, or running simulated Soul Master battles. Armchair tactics, in other words.

Afternoon training ended at five, leaving the rest of the day free. In practice, the teachers often got lazy. They would gather a few students for physical training, decide they had done enough, and dismiss everyone early. Shrek's teaching methods always left Jodio shaking his head. He suspected the students who had failed to graduate weren't lacking talent at all. More likely, they simply hadn't been taught enough.

In the evening, he would stop by the clinic in the city, then visit the Great Soul Arena. After he handled a few Passione matters, the day was usually over. That was what a full day looked like for Jodio. His Soul Power grew steadily, as did his understanding of his Stand, and the organization continued to expand. But all of that only helped him pursue his real goal. The thing he had been searching for remained elusive, with scarcely a clue and no real progress.

"Boss, these are the organization's accounts for this month. Please take a look."

Jodio glanced at the ledger and immediately lost interest. A quick look at the accounts was enough for him. Even a big lug as loyal to Diavolo as Polpo had quietly stashed a few things away. As long as his subordinates didn't take too much, Jodio could turn a blind eye.

"How's the search for that thing going?" Jodio asked quietly, resting his cheek on one hand.

"Th-there's been no progress. We tried buying books from a Spirit Hall branch to learn more about those secrets, but found nothing substantial. After all, the age when 'Saints' supposedly existed was hundreds of thousands of years ago. There just aren't many records left." Several trails of cold sweat ran down the subordinate's forehead as he spoke in fear.

"Nothing in any of the books?" Jodio closed the ledger with one hand and looked at him.

"Y-yes. There are a few vague myths and legends, but we couldn't find anything else." The subordinate took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.

"Sigh."

Jodio rose irritably, turned his back, and looked out the window. Three years. In that time, he had collected every kind of book, from Ten Secrets I Have to Tell You About the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and A Guide to the Heaven Dou Empire's Pleasure Houses to Marvelous Soul Beasts, The Shrek Killer, When the Dungeon Appears, The Secrets of Human Nature, and Dark Psychology. Yet there was nothing about Saints or "bones."

Jodio knew that actively hunting for that thing only made it more likely something would go wrong. He could truly seize it only when the time was right. But Fang had already appeared, and that thing still hadn't. He had to wonder whether his guess was wrong—whether Fang's appearance had nothing to do with it after all.

"Boss, forgive my incompetence." The man promptly dropped to one knee and pleaded for mercy.

"It's not your fault. What I'm looking for is too rare." Jodio realized that his presence and the pressure he gave off had unsettled a man working for him. He immediately drew both in, along with his irritation, and stopped letting his impatience show.

"I was too impatient. This isn't your fault. Thank you all for your hard work," Jodio said slowly, choosing his words.

"It's no trouble to serve you, Boss." The man lowered his head at once and placed a hand over his chest.

"The assignment hasn't changed. Keep gathering every scrap of information about 'Saints' and 'bones.' These bones aren't Spirit Bones, but... In any case, spread the word throughout the city. Tell them that if anyone brings me information like that, true or false, as long as it sounds plausible, I'll owe them a favor. I'll do one thing for them, provided it doesn't cross my line." Jodio sat back down and rested both hands on the arms of the sofa.

"Boss, forgive me for saying so, but it's terribly hard to search with only those three keywords."

The subordinate had worked up the courage to ask, but regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. What a joke! How could something a man like Jodio wanted badly enough to owe someone a favor be ordinary? It was like asking an emperor what petitions he had reviewed that day, asking a general where he planned to attack, or asking that old monster Araki why he still looked so young!

I'm dead, the subordinate thought in terror.

"Your name is... Banana, right?" Jodio recalled. The organization had two or three hundred people by now. Remembering every name wouldn't be easy for most people, but Jodio managed it just fine.

"Banana, do you believe in miracles?" Jodio stood up, set the backs of his hands against his waist, and asked unhurriedly.

"Miracles...?"

"Yes. Miracles. Real miracles."

"A miracle is an extraordinary event or birth. If a level-ten Soul Master defeated a Titled Douluo, we would call it a miracle. If a person were born from a dead body, we would call it a miracle. If a corpse rose, walked, and returned to life, we would call it a miracle. If someone foretold a natural disaster, we would call that a miracle too."

"The gods of legend are too distant from us, and their divine acts have grown too vague to judge. In the history we know today, miracles are all we can believe in. Everyone believes miracles really happen. And a person blessed by several miracles is fortunate by nature—destined for their protection and for extraordinary deeds," Jodio explained.

"A person who accomplishes extraordinary deeds under the protection of miracles is called a Saint. One trait stands out above all others: a Saint manifests twice after death, bringing about at least two miracles." Jodio suddenly bent down and crouched face-to-face with Banana.

"Go and find one. Show me what you find. If you succeed, I'll give you a future beyond anything you can imagine." Jodio patted his shoulder and smiled.