Chapter 15: [Destiny Bond]

“John!” Prota called out. “John!”

She didn’t understand why the afterlife was so dark but didn’t question it. Maybe she’d just appeared in a somewhat remote corner, and she had to make her way to the more populated areas. The figures she’d been running toward turned their heads towards Prota, but their expression wasn’t what she was expecting. It seemed like they’d been fighting, given that they were dusty, but- hold on, how were they even dusty in the first place? John couldn’t touch Zero. And why did they look confused?

“...John?”

As Prota got closer, she could indeed see that they were, in fact, the people she’d spent a year with. Despite this, they didn’t seem to recognize her. They stared at her, then at each other, before turning back to her. Why were they so confused? Had they lost their memories?

Or maybe… maybe this wasn’t John. It might’ve been a hallucination. A memory.

Or someone else entirely.

The coloured one frowned, turning to the monotone one. “...? Do I look different or something? That’s her, right?”

“No, you still look like an idiot. And yes, that’s her. You’re not going crazy.”

“Hey, you-”

A feeling of relief washed through Prota. Right. There could only be two individuals like this. The world might go insane if there were too many pairs of people like this.

“John!” Prota exclaimed, barrelling into him with a massive hug. She knocked him over, clinging on to him, burying her face into his chest as she savoured the warmth she’d missed for so long. They were dead, but she wasn’t alone.

And maybe, just maybe, she’d never be alone again. What was the concern? There wasn’t much to look forward to in life. But here, in death, at least there was someone she could never lose again.

“...Prota?” John said, confused. She looked up at him, confused by his expression. He wasn’t happy or relieved. He just looked incredibly perplexed.

“Sory. I- I died…”

“Well, yeah. That’s kinda the requirement to get into this place.” John frowned. “Dying shouldn’t mean you automatically get here, though.”

He genuinely looked baffled, as if something impossible had happened. Well, maybe that made sense. After all, no one knew what came after death, right? Maybe John was just adapting to his surroundings.

“Well, fuck me, then,” John sighed, still holding Prota in his arms. “Hey, Zero. You cannot possibly be complaining about bad writing. Surely, we cannot look at this scenario rationally and continue to say that the [Author] is doing a good job.”

Zero shrugged. “I mean, what’s so bad about it?”

“Do you want to say something useful? Just look at this plot. If I were reading this shit, I’d point and go, ‘Ah. I see. The [Author] has no clue what they’re doing.’ Then I’d probably drop this garbage and go find something worthwhile to read.”

“I-”

“You might as well go find an isekai and go, ‘Wow, what a unique and clever plot!’ Seriously, you were complaining about me being a bad character?”

Prota held her head in confusion. She knew he wasn’t talking to her, but still. What was he talking about? Was he going insane? Maybe he’d been stuck in here for a month with no one but Zero. Now that she thought about it, it was very possible that something like that would actually drive John to the brink of insanity.

Still, this wasn’t the first time he’d said things like this. And he didn’t sound like he’d gone insane. Not yet.

“Seriously, I don’t have the energy to deal with something like this.”

He let go of Prota and stood up. What was his next move? How was he supposed to explain things? No, forget that, how was he supposed to understand the situation himself?

“...Prota. Do you know where we are, by any chance?” John asked hopefully.

She hated to let him down, but she had just gotten here herself. How could she know the answer?

“Do you know how you got here?”

“Um… I died.”

“That’s not what I- whatever. This is the [Reset Room].”

“...[Reset Room]?” Prota looked incredibly confused. John knew what this was? Then why was he so confused?

John grimaced. “Zero. Come on. You really don’t know how she ended up here? Come on.”

Zero just shrugged.

“You’re actually a piece of shit, you know that? I just wanted to make sure you knew that.”

John sighed again and sat down on the ground. Prota mirrored him, facing him without hesitation. Zero floated above the two, watching what would happen next.

“So, Prota,” John started, obviously uncomfortable. He seemed to be trying to say something, but he didn’t seem to know how to do so. He rubbed his head, stalling for time.

“Ugh… how do I even start this? How is anyone supposed to explain something like this?”

As if a gift from god, a screen popped up in front of John, interrupting the awkward atmosphere:

[Form [Destiny Bond] with desired target?]

“Form [Destiny Bond]? The fuck is that?” John frowned.

Zero closed his eyes and smiled. “[Destiny Bond], huh… you should say yes.”

“You know, I was gonna say yes, but now that you’ve said that, I’m kinda hesitant to do so.”

“Just say yes, you bastard!”

“Why don’t you tell me what it is first, asshole?”

The screen changed.

[You have discovered an [Anomaly]. The required specifications have been met. Would you like to form a [Destiny Bond]?]

“...do you wanna explain?” John said, shaking his head. “What’s with all this new information coming in? Huh?”

[You have attempted to use [Plot Armor] with another subject present. The secondary subject does not possess the ability [Plot Armor] due to a lack of [Deus Ex Machina] energy. Therefore, the secondary subject will not remember anything and will be reset back to its original state]

[However. The subject contains a fraction of [Deus Ex Machina] energy. By forming a [Destiny Bond], you will share a portion of your energy and allow the target to use [Plot Armor]. Would you like to form a [Destiny Bond]?]

“...” John frowned as he read the messages over and over.

Prota watched. What was going on? Wasn’t he going to explain? She started to open her mouth, but Zero shushed her, shaking his head.

“Shh. John needs to think right now. It’s something he doesn’t do very often, so you’ll have to give him some time. He’ll explain in a bit.”

~~~

John looked at Prota. He wanted to say yes. He really did. But too many things stopped him from doing so.

He wasn’t really one to care about a [Character], but Prota was different. And besides, even if they were a [Character], could he put anyone through something like this?

John was someone who had died countless times. He was someone who was unconcerned with death because he had the ability of [Plot Armor], an ability that allowed someone to essentially use a “save point” and resurrect at a point in time after dying. The ability for a character to survive through a situation they shouldn’t be living through.

However, with this ability came the burden of, well, coming back to life. John called the ability [Reset] because he thought the original name sounded stupid, but more than that, it reminded him that his abilities were really just lazy boosts that enabled him to get out of situations without much effort. He wasn’t strong because of anything like talent or effort.

He was strong because that was what a certain idiot had decided.

He didn’t call it [Reset] for nothing, though. Every single action he did. Every single person he met. Every relationship he formed, every problem he solved, it would all be reset. He’d die, go back in time, and it’d be as if nothing had ever happened. Fond memories. Victorious struggles.

All gone to waste. Every. Single. Time.

He’d been called lazy, cold, efficient, but really, what else was he supposed to do? What was anyone supposed to do with the knowledge that he had? Knowing that no matter what consequences he received, they could all be reset and ignored. He lived in a world of his own, one no one could join.

There’d been a time when people had been understanding. But even when people understood that he’d [Reset], they’d never truly understood what had happened. They wouldn’t remember dying, suffering, crying, and even though John would explain it to them, they’d never be the version of them that he’d tried to save. He was the only one who remembered every single iteration of a fight, every single attempt to solve a disaster.

He was alone. Holding a million memories no one would ever remember. Dying a million deaths no one would ever mourn. Over, and over, and over, and over, and…

But things were different now. Here was an opportunity for someone to join him, to be with him through it all. Someone who could understand what he went through. Someone who could stay with him, who would remember the things he went through, the struggles he had to endure.

But this decision would be selfish. To put someone through all of that, to force someone into his world… it just wasn’t right. Was it really ok to take this opportunity?

“John. She’s right in front of you. Just ask her yourself.”

John swallowed and looked up at the girl in front of him. She was a lot of things to him.

A [Character].

A variable.

A companion.

A friend.

A sister.

What had she said?

No more running. He was the one who’d been running, though. Running from people, responsibilities, everything, and it was finally catching up to him. He couldn’t put this off, much as he’d like to.

He closed his eyes, stalling as long as he could.

“Prota. You… you get that we’re dead right now, right?”

Prota was startled as he called her name, but she nodded in understanding. She was dead. She was accepting the fact with an eerie calm, but she was aware of it.

“Well… we can come back to life. What do you think about that?”

Prota was confused. How could they come back to life? Something like that was just a myth. A legend. People didn’t come back to life. If such magic existed, it would flip the world by its feet. She shook her head. That couldn’t happen.

Then, as if to prove Prota wrong, a glowing button appeared in front of John, bright letters spelling out the word “reset” blatantly showing what was to come next.

“See this button? If I press it, we’ll wake up in the morning as if nothing had ever happened. We’ll go back to the day I died, and we’ll be the only ones who remember anything”

John stared deep into Prota’s eyes.

“I wasn’t kidding. I can bring us back to life.”

Prota heard the words but instinctively refused to believe them. What kind of ability was this? It was incredibly stupid. It was broken, working beyond logic, beyond anything. This wasn’t even reincarnation. Was John some kind of god? What had he been so afraid of? He could just come back to life. What was he waiting for? Why wasn’t he pressing the button?

“Normally, I’m the only one that can do this. I still don’t really get why you’re here, but normally, you wouldn’t be here, and you wouldn’t remember anything. For you, it’d be like nothing had ever happened.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Prota looked at him. She wouldn’t remember him dying? She wouldn’t remember everything that had happened? This… this was just regression. She didn’t know the term, but she could somewhat understand the concept. That… it almost made sense. It felt as if it answered some questions, but still, she didn’t know.

“Wouldn’t that be better for you? To forget everything? Come on, Prota, think about it,” John pleaded. “You can live a normal life. You don’t have to get caught up in all this. The fight with that demon king was just the start. It doesn’t get any easier from here on out. Please.”

Prota frowned ever so slightly. Live a normal life? What did that mean? Her life was anything but normal. Normal to her was living on the streets, suffering, abused and neglected. She didn’t want to forget this. Sure, it was painful. But there was also John. She wanted to remember. She didn’t want to live with a John she didn’t know. She didn’t want there to be multiple versions of her, all of which only John remembered.

In a way, she might as well not exist at all.

John sighed heavily as he saw the determination in her eyes. One more time. He’d try to dissuade her one more time, and if that failed, then… well, it wouldn’t be selfish to take up the offer, right? It wouldn’t be his choice. It would be her’s.

“Prota. It’s not a good thing. Everything you think you know, everything you experience. This sounds corny as hell, but it’s all gonna change. There’s no going back. Everything you accomplish, everyone you know, they’ll all disappear. Friends. Family. None of them will be real to you anymore. There’ll be hundreds of versions of them, and you’ll never know which one was supposed to be the one you love.”

He really, really wanted her to understand before making a choice. His voice was hollow, and it wasn’t just an act to get Prota to think. The weight of his words were real. He’d lived millions of lives and died millions of deaths. Just as hope required despair to exist, life needed death to be worth anything. John was someone who ignored the concept of “death.”

Then, as a consequence, he also ignored the concept of “life.”

Prota was unaware of this. And, to be honest, she didn’t quite care. A cursed life. A life where people would forget you, a life where you could save the world, die, and the next day, no one would know who you were.

Wasn’t that already how she lived?

Right now, she had no one. The world hated her. There was nothing for her to salvage if she chose to forget. She had a family, but she’d lost it. She’d found John but lost him. She’d found Jinae, even if it was only for a little bit, then lost her, too. Even the sister she’d wanted to save was a mystery. No one knew where she was.

Like she’d thought earlier, there was nothing left for her in that life.

But if she chose to remember, she’d keep John, someone she’d never lose. No matter what, he’d always be with her. The world could never take him away from her. So, really, there was only one choice to make.

“Mm,” Prota nodded.

“Are you-”

She nodded again, determination burning in her eyes. She wouldn’t say no. John could see it there and then. No matter what he did, she wouldn’t refuse his offer.

“Damn,” John snorted. “So it comes to this, huh…?”

He looked at the screen in front of him.

“Ah, what the hell. Do it.”

[[Destiny Bond]: Initiated.]

[Good luck, John.]

With that, it was set. Two oddballs intertwined by fate, more so than either realized.

John, someone who appeared warm to others but was really just a husk of a person, someone who rejected all relationships because relationship was an empty word, a lie, a concept that didn’t exist. The world was nothing more than a fiction.

Prota, someone who looked dead on the outside but desperately wanted to be loved on the inside, maintaining a fire that was constantly being blown out. The world was nothing more than a place of suffering, a place where no one would ever accept her.

One who wanted to love but couldn’t hold on to those he held dear.

The other wanted to be loved but was destined to have everyone who loved her taken away.

Now bound by destiny.

John reached out to the reset button, pulling Prota in tight as she wrapped her arms tightly around him.

[Reset]

~~~

Prota sat up with a gasp. Sun streamed through the window, golden beams piercing the air as she looked around, her hair tangled like a bird’s nest. John sat up on the sofa he’d been sleeping on, stretching calmly.

“...” Prota looked down at her hands. They were perfectly fine.

A lot of thoughts were running through her head, all of them incoherent. Had it all been a dream? Maybe that was it. It’d just been a nightmare. She didn’t know whether to feel distressed or relieved. John calmly walked over to the sink as if nothing had happened.

“Up early?” John wasn’t acting any different than usual. Prota was scared. She didn’t know what to think.

“...” she looked up into his eyes. “John?”

John practically collapsed, taking a shaky breath as he embraced her.

“Oh, thank god,” John sighed as all the tension worked its way out of his body. “It worked. It worked. Holy shit, it worked. I-”

He couldn’t finish his sentence, choking on his words. Prota clung to him as she buried her face in his shirt, wrapping her arms tight around him. There were still doubts, things she didn’t understand, but that was ok.

She didn’t need to understand everything to know that John was with her again.

~~~

Prota fell asleep again, exhausted by the roller coaster of emotions she’d been through. On top of that, the sheer bizarreness of seeing John, being back in their home, and just everything in general was something she needed to recover from. Thankfully, John had experienced this more than enough, and so he started gathering his thoughts.

The same system that had informed him of the [Destiny Bond] had introduced him to a few new things. John’s vision was similar to that of a video game, with displays that could be added or removed. It was also possible to turn it off entirely, which came in handy considering how annoying it could get at times.

Unlike in the [Reset Room], the system was visible only from John’s point of view; it would be impossible for anyone else to see what he was seeing. Things like the time, a calendar, a to do list, maps, and other helpful things could all be called upon whenever he so wished. They were mainly quality of life additions that didn’t really do anything super useful, but that had just changed.

Now that Prota had formed a [Destiny Bond] with him, there were a few new things that had been added. One such feature was that Prota’s location was now shown on his map. Additionally, her health and stamina could be seen, although how that was supposed to translate to real life damage, John wasn’t sure.

“...it’s just like forming a party in an MMORPG,” John sighed. “Real creative. I thought I’d escaped [Systems] like this, but I suppose it’s a staple of any webnovel.”

Zero scoffed. “It’s helpful, isn’t it?”

John shrugged. “I mean, yeah, but weren’t you the one complaining about bad writing? Seriously, what’s the point in setting up a game like system if it’s just never going to be used?”

“At least there’s no levelling, skills, inventory or quests, right?” Zero offered.

“…I guess.”

[As a result of [Destiny Bond], your bond’s [Character Profile] is now fully available.]

“[Character Profile], huh…” John rubbed his head, remembering when he’d first tried it on Prota.

“...[Error]?”

He took a deep breath and extended his hand. His heartbeat sped up as he prepared to use the ability. Error didn’t mean “insufficient information.” He couldn’t use [Character Profile] on anyone he didn’t know well enough. If he didn’t have the info necessary, he wouldn’t get a screen in the first place. Error meant there was something he wasn’t meant to see. What was hiding inside of the girl in front of him?

“[Character Profile].”

A full screen of information popped up.

[Character Profile: Prota Char

Gender: Female

Age: 8

Abilities: [Soul Siphon], [Soul Copy: Level 1], [Magic: Level 1] [System] [Character Profile] [Plot Armor... [Expand?]

Traits: [Character: 100%] [Anomaly]

Status: Alive]

“...she’s not a [Protagonist].” John frowned. “How is she… and she’s eight? Not six? What?”

At least one thing made a little bit of sense. A six year old had a slightly higher chance of surviving than a five year old, and Prota’s motor skills were closer to that of an older child. She was seven when she’d met John, so her physical capabilities also made more sense. It wasn’t as unbelievable.

But at the same time, what kind of person forgets their age? By two years, at that? It made no sense.

But at the same time, he’d been given a cheat of sorts. It was no wonder that he couldn’t use [Character Profile] on her before. There was too much he hadn’t known. Too many bits of info that he couldn’t see.

“Hey. Zero. Explain.”

A bead of sweat fell down Zero’s face. “Well. You see.”

“Yes?” John said expectantly.

“That is a very good question. Mm hm. Good question indeed.”

“...you’re joking, right?”

“You really want to know?” Zero sighed.

“What kind of question is-”

“■■■■■■■■”

John winced as he covered his ears. “You could’ve just told me that it was restricted information.”

Zero snorted. “Yeah, right.”

“This is gonna be the start of something really annoying, isn’t it? She’s not the protagonist. She’s not even a [Hero]. And what the hell’s up with this [Anomaly] shit? You’d better have some explanation ready.”

“Sorry!” Zero shrugged. “I got nothing.”

John grumbled to himself, getting up to get a drink. It seemed that things had only gotten more complicated.

~~~

Prota woke up around noon. Feeling much more refreshed, she rubbed her eyes. John was sitting in the chair across from her, holding a cup. Taking a sip, he put his drink down and took a deep breath. His hair was sticking up all over the place, and he looked exhausted.

“Ready to talk?”

Prota was about to nod, but was interrupted as she noticed her vision looked very, very different. She frowned, waving her hands in front of her, trying to touch the little screens, but they weren’t something she could interact with.

“...Zero? What’s she doing?”

“Probably the same thing you first did when you got the [System].”

“I- oh, right. Hey, Prota. I know this is a lot to get used to, but… let’s take things one step at a time. See those glowing things in front of you? That’s your [System]. It should…”

He paused as a new screen appeared in his vision.

[A new user has been added to the system. Start tutorial?]

“You could’ve just told me this from the start,” John grumbled. “Yeah, do it.”

The moment those words were uttered, new screens popped up in front of Prota, directing her on how to use the system. John watched, entertained as Prota’s eyes shone in wonder, learning how to use this new strange thing that’d been given to her.

“Hey. Did I really look like that?” John said. “When I first used the system.”

“...John, you made this system.”

John snorted. “Yeah, right.”

Zero continued to stare, and John’s jaw dropped.

“You’re kidding.”

Zero just smiled. “There’s a lot of memories for you to find. I’m sure you’ll recover them all eventually. But yes, the first time you used the system after losing your memories, yes, you looked like a total dumbass.”

“Even though I made it?”

Zero just shrugged.

Thankfully, Prota was a quick learner, and in less than an hour she had been familiarized with her new ability. She still occasionally reached out to try and touch her screens, but she’d get used to the interface eventually.

It was more important that she got used to all of the new information being presented to her.

[Ability acquired: [Soul Siphon]. You are capable of absorbing the mana of other living beings.]

[Ability acquired: [Soul Copy]. By absorbing the mana of another living being, you are now capable of using their magic to a small degree. As proficiency in magic increases, the level of this skill will increase.]

Prota squeezed her eyes. So many complicated words were making her head hurt. Even with the [System’s] capabilities, it was still explaining things as if to a fully grown adult.

“Yeah, I don’t think the system was made with small children in mind,” Zero sighed. He floated over to Prota.

Zero turned to Prota. “You just read about [Soul Copy], right? Basically, if you take someone’s mana, you can copy their magic. Make sense?” He turned to John, mouthing the words, “I’ll explain more later.”

Prota nodded. That was much better than the long-winded explanation the system had given her.

[Ability acquired: [Character Profile]. When acquainted with a target, it is possible to see a list of known information about that [Character]. It is also possible to see their [Story Traits]. To be used efficiently, combine with passive, [Reader’s Revelations].]

Prota held her head. Why was it all so complicated?

Zero grinned. “Yeah, John made a really stupid system, right?”

“Hey!”

Zero ignored him.

“It’s easier to see it for yourself. Hold your hand out towards John and just think of using the ability. It’s like using magic.”

Prota nodded and did as she was told, and a new screen appeared in front of Prota.

[Character Profile: John Quarta (False Identity)

Gender: Male

Age: ■■■■■■■■

Abilities: [Infinity], [Zero], [Plot Armor], [Reader’s Revelations], [Storytelling], [Determination], [Fourth Wall]... [Expand?]

Traits: [Anomaly], [Character: ■■■] [Reader: ■■■] [Writer: ■■■]

Status: Alive]

Prota grew more and more confused as she read the words.

Character? Reader? Writer? Anomaly? And what was up with his age? What did “False Identity” mean?

She looked up at John, who was looking out the window. It seemed he’d already anticipated her questions because he looked tired.

“Prota. Do you believe in fate?”