----------------------------------------
Raw scan:
----------------------------------------
[https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/ec2540e6-582a-403f-b321-ecf4536dc9b1/del04ks-28be9dc8-9130-4fbd-ae6b-5a145827cd8b.jpg/v1/fill/w_774,h_1032,q_70,strp/chapter_4_lineart_by_verticalskyline_del04ks-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTcwNyIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2VjMjU0MGU2LTU4MmEtNDAzZi1iMzIxLWVjZjQ1MzZkYzliMVwvZGVsMDRrcy0yOGJlOWRjOC05MTMwLTRmYmQtYWU2Yi01YTE0NTgyN2NkOGIuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEyODAifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.euXQRGGVYV7ZXd9Rh-z2tZ5ZM7GS2JEmcaIqSJAsIQ8]
----------------------------------------
"Eh??" He was starting to get annoyed. More secrets. Just when he woke up in this world without memories and without knowing who he is... Is it such a bother to explain one thing to him??
"It's fine, isn't it?" said June. "He's a big boy. He can handle it."
"I thought I was your mom," he said, half-surprised, half filling with gratitude. He thought he wouldn't get along well with an energetic girl like this, but this is a great start.
"It's better he hears this sooner than later," said the stoic Death God, Memento. "He's as much a part of this problem as us now. He has a right to know."
Raine looked like she was wrestling with the idea. "But, —but we're still just speculating! We don't know for sure if—"
"That's exactly why he needs to be part of this," scorned Darkstar. "We're speculating without clues. He might be able to provide some valuable insight. Or are you scared of what he might have to say?"
Raine stared at them apprehensively, eyes darting from one to the other like a cornered animal. "...Agyros?"
"—Hmmm? I don't think it changes anything... I'll go with whatever Shion has to say."
"I SAY YES!" he immediately let out.
"Then I vote he listens," chimed Agyros.
"That's four against one now~," taunted Darkstar. "Hera. Thoughts?"
Hera. That was the tall one, right? With all the jewelry on her?
He wheeled around, hoping for another bout of support, but it was then that he noticed—Hera had been looking at him for a while now; and the smile on his face immediately faded into nothing. She was staring sincerely, and wore a facial expression he had never seen before. An odd expression he couldn't quite grasp—something akin to sadness, but not entirely. It was pained, and contorted, in a way he could not explain... If he had to put a name on it, —pity, is what it looked close to.
"...Hera?" repeated Raine.
Hera closed her eyes, and pretended not to hear anyone. The others knotted their eyebrows.
"Is she communicating with you?" June turned to him.
"Huh?"
"Telepathically," clarified Raine.
He shook his head.
It seemed the others were just as confused by this than he was.
"—Anyway, it's four votes for, one against," said Darkstar, setting aside the weird moment just now. "You know what that means."
Raine, finally realizing no one will give her the support she's looking for, scratched her head in defeat. "Okay, okay, he can stay."
"Thank you," he said. "Now, what we talking about?" he said too enthusiastically.
Raine took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts one last time. "We've said that you were sent to《Hell》to slay the DemonLord, right?"
He nodded.
"That's... not entirely true. There's one thing about this story which doesn't add up. Why did Shion need to defeat the DemonLord? Because the quick answer is, —he didn't. The DemonLord posed no harm to human society. There was no need to start an attack like that whatsoever..."
"On the surface, it looked like an act of heroism," said Darkstar, clearly enjoying herself. "But what that really was... — was a terrorist attack in disguise."
"Eh?" he said. "But that's the DemonLord, right? The DemonLord. You sure he wasn't planning anything evil or dangerous?"
"Like what?" snapped Raine. "Demons do not feed on humans, nor do they have use for us as slaves. There's no merit to them ever engaging with the human realm. The battle with the DemonLord was a conflict that should have never happened at all."
"He was clearly sent down for a different objective," sang Agyros, playing with her UFO's. "What and why, we don't know. As things stand, the only thing we can conclude..."
"—is that he was sent here to die," finished Memento. He felt the atmosphere grow heavy. No one spoke for a while. It was a weird feeling, the idea of him dying, even though he's still alive. Or maybe it's accurate to say Shion did die, and he having lost his memories is now a completely different person.
"Anyone who had the motive and resources to pull this off would be a high-ranking government official," continued Raine. "That's assuming there was even a motive at all. I'm still hoping this is all just an unfortunate accident, and that—"
"HA! Unfortunate accident??" said Darkstar. "You're out of your mind. This is strategic muder and you know it."
Raine did not answer.
"You have proof of that?" he asked.
"Nope~!" tossed Darkstar.
"But it is likely..." said Memento. "Disguising murder as a mission is definitely something that's happened before. Couple that with the fact subduing the DemonLord is unneccessary, this is the only conclusion available... A government inside job."
"It's not the only conclusion available~," said Agyros. Memento eyed her like she was a worm.
"You think this isn't murder?" said Darkstar skeptically.
"Oh no, this is definitely murder~," she said with relish. "But I think y'all are looking at this the wrong way. Remember. Shion had all the six Arcanas at his disposal. Do you honestly believe any plot to kill him, even if it's by the world government, has a chance of succeeding?"
Hera spoke again for the first time, still with her eyes closed. "Agyros is right. Aether magic alone allows him to read minds; there's no way a plan to harm him would go unnoticed."
"Correct~. Even if the whole world planned a conspiracy against him, Shion would easily dispel everything they throw at him and more. He has long surpassed the limits of what one can do with Arcane magic. Killing him, —is simply not achieveable for humans."
"So?" said Darkstar. "What, he wanted this to happen??"
"Yes~. No, humor me here. Shion was the most powerful human on earth. Every challenge in his path, he cleared with the utmost ease; that's how it's always been as far back as he can remember. He was born perfect, and he will die perfect. Honestly, where's the fun in a life like that? He wanted a challenge. He wanted to face someone as powerful as he was, possibly even stronger! He wanted to know what it feels like to be pushed back for once, to feel like there was no guarantee of victory or survival. And the DemonLord proved just the right fix.
"It did not matter that there was a ploy to get rid of him, or that those tiny humans were cooking something diabolical up their sleeve... Battling the DemonLord was the best thing that could've happened to him. He was finally going to fight an equal, a rival who can dance toe to toe with him. He was ecstatic!"
"Agyros..." said Raine in a tone of concern. "Shion is not like that..."
"No, wait, that's actually not half bad," said Darkstar, impressed. "Nice one, shorty!"
"No, your theory is more plausible, Darkstar," said Hera. "This one requires too many assumptions for it to work. It's simpler to conclude the government wanted Shion gone."
"Heehhhh~," said Agyros, turning to Hera. "You think I'm assuming things? Tell me then. Do you not want to fight everybody in this room right now?"
It was in such a casual tone, yet he swore he felt the temperature drop a few degrees. There was every hint of seriousness in her voice, and he could tell the others were not taking this matter lightly either. Hera half-opened her eyes, a hint of offense in her eyes, as though someone just insulted her child.
"—Do you not want to beat everyone senseless and prove you're better than each and every one of us? Do you not think that you alone hold the superior magic out of everyone? Shion's ...favorite Arcana."
"Agyros," warned Raine. "That's enough."
"Ehhhh, you too, Raine?" grinned Agyros. "You're going to deny your own nature? I mean, we can pretend to be buddy-buddies all we want, but don't tell me you won't stab my neck given the chance. Which is better: the Wave Arcana or the Cloud Arcana?"
"The Wave Arcana, of course!" said Raine indigantly.
"Cloud," answered Darkstar.
"We're not talking to you."
"Ahahaha!" laughed Agyros. "Hey, Darkstar... Cloud or Moon?"
Darkstar's eyes twitched. "I'll beat you to a pulp the minute you cross me, twerp!"
"Don't," chuckled Memento. "...You'll die."
"Haaah???" snarled Darkstar, looking murderous. "You wanna go, Zombie Face???"
"My my~, that's oddly unexpected of you," said Agyros, "I thought you hated me."
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
"Don't get the wrong idea..." said Memento. "I was just saving Darkstar from a battle she can't win. If you two clash, she'll surely lose."
"And you won't?" said Agyros playfully.
Memento's eyes narrowed. "I am the very avatar of death. You can't kill me even if you wanted to."
"Want us to test that now?" said Darkstar angrily.
"Ehehee~, we're getting awfully out of topic here," chimed June. "Maa~, I do think both Agyros is correct in a way. Shion can look into the future using my Arcana, Time magic. If there was a battle with the DemonLord, he should be able to tell beforehand if he was going to win, or if he was going to fall back."
"Or you know..." sighed Hera, disapponted. "You could just read their minds with my Arcana and it'd be faster."
"Reading minds and predicting the future are not the same!" cried June. "Hera, mou~!!"
"Get to the point," said Raine.
June cleared her throat.
"Ahem. Fortune telling is a very iffy art. It's common to see bad futures. And it's common to see wrong futures. But seeing nothing at all...? That should never happen. That's the worst omen you can get; it means something big is going to happen, —something so big, that Time magic itself doesn't understand.
"The day of the battle, the days and the weeks following after, Shion could not foresee anything. Everything stopped at the day of the onslaught on Hell. There was nothing. The future beyond that, was a blank static no matter how hard he strained his magic. It's as if time just ended then and there, and the world after that day, does not exist.
"—Most likely, Shion knew that the space-time continuum would be disturbed. This future was set in stone, there was nothing he could do that would make a difference... That's why he willingly walked into his death by the DemonLord's hands. If something terrible was going to happen to him, then he best embrace it head on and not involve anyone else. I concur with Agyros. Shion faced his battle knowing full well he was walking into death. Just that... instead of 'alone' in the sense that he had no challengers, I mean alone in that there was no one who could help him. He was trapped in a maze with no way out. His time was over..."
The others let the thought sink in. It's only dawning on him now how he really doesn't have a clue what is happening. These girls are arguing about a fictional version of him, a version who is apparently a world-renowned hero and an all-powerful mage.
"How sure are you that Shion could not read through the future?" asked Raine.
"I find it hard to believe Shion would simply lose to an act of fate like that," said Agyros. "If he wanted to, he could've run."
"If he ran away, things would be much worse right now!" said June.
"How?" asked Memento skeptically. "I doubt there's anything worse than death. Or rather..."
Tentacles sprung out from her back, pointing to each one of the sisters seated around. "I doubt there's anything worse than Shion losing his magic and bringing about our six's existence. Who knows what we'll end up doing with this immense power..."
"Please don't say that," said Raine. "We're Shion's Arcanas, brought forth from the Legendary Hero himself. There's no way we'll misuse this power given to us."
Memento stared disbelievingly. "Raine... I, for one, don't care about this world. So you don't have to worry about me doing anything. But can you really say the same for the others?"
Memento turned to Darkstar, who averted her gaze and faced sideways. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she chuckled. "I'm not gonna do anything."
"June," called Memento. "...That true?"
"Absolutely not~," remarked June. "I can't spill the details, but... Well, Darkstar is definitely up to no good~!"
"Figured as much..."
Memento then turned to Agyros, who curiously tilted her head. "...Stop me?"
Memento ignored her and turned to Hera.
"I am up to no good," she admitted shamelessly, "What you gonna do about it?"
"Hey!" shouted Raine.
"What."
"These powers are not to be misused!"
"Pfffttt. Speak for yourself, princess. I'm gonna use everything however I damn want."
"That's my magic you're using!" he said. Ah crap. I went into tsukkomi without thinking...
"Ahaa... Tough luck 'cuz it's mine now," teased Hera. "Although — I wouldn't mind giving you half~."
"What do you mean," he asked.
Hera edged nearer towards him. "Well, I can't give out what I can't give, so I won't make promises of enablng you to use magic... But if you promise to pledge allegiance under me, serve me, worship me, be mine alone—I'll make sure everything you want is taken care of. I can force this entire world down to it's knees. Without even needing your help. So you won't have to worry about doing anyting. All you have to do is say the Tower Arcana is the best Arcana of them all... Devote yourself to me and only me, and when I take over everything, I'll make sure you get half my spoils for the taking. This power, the oh so coveted Arcana that the original Shion possessed, shall be yours to share for practically nothing in return... That's not a hard deal, is it? It's like rigging a pyramid scheme, you did nothing but be first, and yet you're taking candies from every baby. "
"Hey! No flirting with Shion!!" cried June, frantically flailing her arms.
"Tower is useless though..." remarked Memento.
Hera ignored them. "What do you say?" she pressed, running a finger up his chest. She was only inches away from his face now... He could feel her breath on his neck. "Let's rule this world together, you and I..."
Raine stood up, shaking. "Shion is a hero... NOT a tyrant!!!"
Hera glared at her. "And look where that got him—dead and split into six beings he doesn't even recognize! All this playing hero is what led to his miserable end. If he had just used his power for himself, he'd still be alive today!"
"THE LIVES SHION SAVED ARE WORTH MORE THAN HIS OWN!!"
Hera stopped. Raine was breathing heavily, her shoulders heaving up and down.
"You hear that?" Hera whisphered to his ear. "She thinks your life isn't worth anything. She doesn't care about you. She'd rather you die in place of a couple hundred nameless faces..."
"That's not what I—"
"How mean," said Agyros dreamily. "If it were me, I' protect Shion at all costs~♡."
"Boo~!" yelled June.
"Booo..." copied Memento.
"No! I— I just..."
She looked around, desperate for reassurance. "I just, want to believe... I want to believe Shion died for a noble cause! And that this is all an unintended accident—"
"Oh, come off it!" said Darkstar. "Unintended accident?? How is this not a ploy??? The DemonLord was just minding his own business!!"
"Maybe the demons were planning to siege the human realm," said Raine unassuringly. "Maybe there was top secret intel of an invasion that could not be leaked to the public!"
"Who??? Who would know that??? Suppose the demons do plan a siege next month, or next year or whenever — who in the world would find out? You think people can just visit Hell like a tourist spot???"
"Darkstar's right," said Memento. "Hell is pretty much uncharted territory. You can't go around spying as you please. Maybe Shion can, but as we all know, that mission was his first incursion into the underworld. He's never been to hell before, so he wouldn't have known anything that was going on in the demon society."
Raine was at a loss at this rebuttal.
"Do you all have memories of the previous Shion?" he asked June.
"Incomplete fragments, more or less... When he split, we each took in different aspects of his being."
"Frankly, we're all just as clueless about the original Shion as you are," said Hera. "Well... Maybe not you..."
"Uh-huh..."
He didn't know what to say. He thought he wanted to be part of this conversation, but now he realized he can't really offer any two cents. He's too uninformed and clueless on everything. So much for all that enthusiasm...
Darkstar was staring laser-focused at him. "Ah!"
The others jumped. "I think I got it!"
"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"
"Listen. Shion was the strongest human alive, right? Then. Wouldn't it also be true, that he is the strongest corpse in existence?"
Hera's eyebrows furrowed. "You think someone wanted to re-animate his corpse?"
Darkstar held up a finger. "Imagine this scenario: Shion and the DemonLord were meant to take each other out. The DemonLord would kill Shion, and Shion would incapacitate Hell's forces enough to make an infiltration safe. The mastermind walks down and keeps Shion's fresh, all-powerful corpse for himself. This has to be it! I bet you once we get out of here, the first higher-up we see with a Nest Arcana is the instigator of all this. No, we may not even have to wait. He could be coming here to retrieve Shion's body as we speak."
"Except Shion's body is still kicking," said Agyros. "They messed up big time if that's the case."
"The battle with the DemonLord lasted days," said Raine. "I'll admit it's an ingenious plan, but you have no way of knowing when and where Shion's body will drop. Finding his body will require a massive reconnaissance on its own, and that's not even accounting for the fact that the DemonLord might've won. If Shion himself could not survive, what chance does the culprit have?"
Tsk. Darkstar looked livid at being one-upped like that. Like a you-better-watch-your-back-when-you-sleep-tonight kind of vibe...
"Here's what I think," said Raine in a final tone. "We don't fully know what Shion was thinking when he challenged the DemonLord. There could be some top secret info that he found out about the demons, that drove them to launch an attack on Hell. Something that was threating humanity, and something that cannot be let known to the public..."
"Doubt that," chuckled Hera. "Why keep it a secret if there's something the demons were planning? Alert the public, and you'd instantly rally everyone's support for the army."
"I wouldn't dismiss Raine's idea entirely," said Memento. "Humans are foolish. I wouldn't put it past their tiny brains to spot all the deteriments in their plans. That's how history has always been. This could be a well-intentioned plan, that was executed poorly without thought..."
"We are not gonna agree on a conclusion at this rate," sighed Agyros. "I don't care what you all think anymore. I say Shion wanted all this to happen. End of story."
June pouted. "What you mean is... Shion didn't want any of this to happen, but had no choice."
"I say this was a plan to assassinate him," said Darkstar. Hera agreed. "And grab hold of his corpse!" ("Nah, that's stupid," Hera telepathized him.)
"Then that makes Raine and I, on the side that this was well-intentioned..." said Memento.
A three-way split, he thought. One on the side that this was a heroic act. Another, erring that this was a predetermined murder. And a third, arguing that, not the government, but Shion chose to face this head-on.
Who is correct? Who, of the six Arcana — knows the original Shion best?
[https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/ec2540e6-582a-403f-b321-ecf4536dc9b1/deksyus-0619ddb0-87d6-4828-b852-6ce008245da0.png/v1/fill/w_940,h_540,q_80,strp/the_six_arcana__side_by_side_by_verticalskyline_deksyus-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NTQwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvZWMyNTQwZTYtNTgyYS00MDNmLWIzMjEtZWNmNDUzNmRjOWIxXC9kZWtzeXVzLTA2MTlkZGIwLTg3ZDYtNDgyOC1iODUyLTZjZTAwODI0NWRhMC5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9OTQwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.aSM1vRSlVaV1UpkHHF_J5TmSG2YuIg0q4gh6KIEKaf8]
----------------------------------------
"Let's just agree to disagree," said Hera, standing up. "Even if we keep arguing we're just going to end up going in circles. This is fine, right? I mean, I'm sure right now we all just want to convince the others and have no actual intention of being convinced otherwise..."
She turned her back on them, only the side of her face showing with a smile. "I'd consider it an insult if I had the same opinion as any of you."
Hera strode off. "I'll be in my room. Remote's on the couch, go watch TV or something, just don't bother me."
"Welp. Guess this meeting is over now," Darkstar followed suit, melting into wisps of black fire.
Raine sighed, then turned to him. "I think you should retire as well. We've prepared a room for you just in case, it's the second to the last door upstairs. There's a bathroom and drinking water there, but if you need anything, feel free to call downstairs. I still have something to take care of. Any of you free to show him his room?"
"There's a movie I need to watch," said Agyros.
June fidgeted shyly. "I don't think a maiden should waltz into a boy's room so early. This thing takes time. We need to go on a proper date first before even considering such things— Ah what am I even saying?" she said, turning red.
Raine stared deploringly...
"I'll show him his room," volunteered Memento.
"Sounds good," said Raine.
"AHH! NO!" shouted June. "That's not how it works!! >.< You were supposed to not listen to me and encourage me to go nevertheless!!"
The others were not listening to her alright. Memento already started the ascend upstairs, and he jogged to follow. It was a quiet climb. Memento wasn't as rowdy as the others, it seems she doesn't waste energy to say something when it's not important. He found this oddly comforting. This was, how to say it—the "most normal" interaction he's had all day. And it wasn't even an interaction, technically speaking!
They reached the second floor landing in silence. Memento led to the left, he followed. They reached the front of an oak door painted in hearts, which Memento had the sense not to open with a greasy tentacle. Why is this is my room, he cringed internally. But Memento turned to face him and said something he almost didn't catch.
"Don't trust Hera."
He stood, wondering what she meant. "...Eh?"
"Shion is dead," she said with a tone of finality. "Shion died on that battle with the DemonLord. He does not exist anymore, and he will never again return... Do you understand?"
She floated towards him until she was uncomfortably close to his face. "I don't know who you are, or where you came from, but you are not Shion. —Raine is wrong. You are not Shion who's lost his memories, you are a completely different person."
"What?"
"I saw Hera tampering with your body after the battle," she said, retreating back. " Shion's body was technically dead at that point. I don't know what she did. But here you are now, piloting a lifeless corpse as if it's still with life..."
"Don't trust Hera," Memento reiterated. "Stay away from her if you know what's good for you. This is all I'm gonna say... Whatever that woman is planning, you don't wanna get caught up in it."
----------------------------------------
[https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/ec2540e6-582a-403f-b321-ecf4536dc9b1/dellqok-eb4e3984-db53-41ab-88a6-7eab0967399e.png/v1/fill/w_714,h_1119,q_70,strp/arcana__chapter_3_by_verticalskyline_dellqok-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTE2MCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2VjMjU0MGU2LTU4MmEtNDAzZi1iMzIxLWVjZjQ1MzZkYzliMVwvZGVsbHFvay1lYjRlMzk4NC1kYjUzLTQxYWItODhhNi03ZWFiMDk2NzM5OWUucG5nIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTc0MSJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.FBAo0RopgTnj0Hap3sp0GpH45FQrUY_K0F-AOURA070]
----------------------------------------
Memento was about to leave, when she decided to leave one more advice. "Ah, but just to be safe. This advice goes for all of us. It may not look like it, but we are more dangerous than you could ever fathom. Do not form attachments with any of us, it will only bring you pain in the future..."
"...Even you?" he asked, feeling that they were finally starting to develop a connection. A friend who warns others is a good friend. But it seems Memento thought otherwise, as she just pretended not to hear anything, and shortly vanished down the landing...