Chapter 32: Companionship
John was bandaged up, lying very still in his bed. Prota was sitting worriedly next to him, but despite all her worries, there was nothing she could do.
“Just leave him in bed for a few days,” the healer had said. “He’ll be all better by then.”
He’d violently protested since he felt better after drinking the potion, but Fate had convinced the nurses to ensure he was back to full health. So, with nothing left to do, she was left alone with her thoughts. Her mind wandered back to John and Fate's conversation on their way back.
“Hey, so what did you see in there?”
“...don’t worry about it.”
Fate nodded. “Do you know what that cave does? Kit told me this. It takes your weakest point and forces you to break through it. You’re not supposed to win easily. So… if something happened in there, don’t worry too much about it.”
“So the cave…”
“Yeah. Whoever, whatever you fought? It was some kind of barrier you couldn’t surpass. Something you would’ve never pushed past on your own.”
Her opponent had been John. Someone she believed to be incredibly powerful, someone she would never normally be able to defeat. So just who was that girl to John?
For Prota, the cave had strengthened her resolve. She was scared of losing John. She was scared that she wasn’t good enough. She was scared of failing. The cave had helped her with that. Granted, the fears weren’t gone, but she was on the right path. The cave had helped with that.
So what kind of issues was John facing? Was it a matter of strength? Was it related to his fears? The fact that she’d seen him using [Infinity] upon entering the portal was more than enough to let her know that it was a fight he’d needed to take seriously. Despite being able to use his power without [Determination], he despised using it.
“It’s not that simple. My head starts to ache. It’s annoying. I’d rather not use the ability unless I absolutely have to. Besides, one thousand times isn’t as much as you might think. It’s easier to avoid using the ability.”
So who was that girl? The girl that’d forced John to use [Infinity]?
“Her name was Amber.”
Prota froze. Had she been thinking out loud?
“She was kinda like a sister to me. She wasn’t actually a sister or anything, just a good friend.”
John didn’t move. Not because he couldn’t but simply because he lacked the will to do so.
“Remember how I said I came from Earth? That’s true in two ways. There’s the Earth that [Writers] and [Readers] live on. But there was an Earth that was a [Story]. I was just like you. A [Character]. Back when I didn’t know all of this [Story] shit.”
His voice took on a wistful tone. He wanted to forget. But forgetting would ruin the point of everything, so as painful as it was, the memories were here to stay.
“Life was ok. Well, ok, it wasn’t that great, but the people around me made it… well, it wasn’t that bad, actually. They made it manageable. But then I found out. About [Plot], [Stories], [Readers], [Writers], [Characters], me… one thing led to another, and the world was destroyed. Completely. Just an empty void, nothing left. [Resets] wouldn’t work. Well- no, that’s too complicated. Anyway. I was given a choice.”
He started choking on his words.
“At that point in time, I had all my memories. Almost all of them. I had just gotten them back after hunting for them for years. But. I was given the choice to give them up to restore the world. But I couldn’t return. I would be sent to another world. Given the choice to go on the hunt for my memories a second time in exchange for… for what?”
There was a moment of silence. The air felt heavy, dense, as if the empty space were pressing in on them.
“Well. I’m here now, right? But it’s fine. They’re just [Characters]. They were never real in the first place, so it never really mattered, right? It’s whatever. I’ll- I’ll deal with it.”
The story seemed to end there. John acted like he was fine, but it really felt like a massive coping mechanism, and it didn’t seem like he was trying to hide the fact all that much.
Prota shuffled around nervously, but eventually, she found the resolve to speak up.
“So… will John abandon me?”
“...what?”
“If John has a choice. Will John leave Prota, too? Since… Prota is just a [Character].”
Her voice, normally so flat and monotone, started cracking up.
“I-”
John stopped.
Since… Prota is just a [Character].
What was she to him? He thought about it. If he was forced to go through that choice again. If he gained all his memories but lost Prota, what would he do? He hadn’t wanted to think about this, but it was being forced on him now. Would he abandon Prota? No, she was different, right? She was different. She knew. She could [Reset]. Things were different.
But were they really?
“I…”
He looked at Prota with a heavy heart, but was greeted with an unexpected sight. Her face was as passive as always, but her eyes were shining, brimming with tears that she was desperately fighting back.
Decide.
Fake? Was Prota fake? What did that mean in the first place? Was he real? She knew what he knew, right? So she was less of a [Character] than anyone else. But was that enough? Did that mean that Prota was truly someone “real” to him? If it came down to him or her, who would he choose?
“So march forward, and take care of those you have around you.”
“...would you really have been proud of me?”
Now that he thought about it, he’d never really decided. What he’d do with Prota, how he’d treat her, what to do with her, but the cave had forced him into a decision. Some things wouldn’t change. The world was fake. People were tools. Consequences were irrelevant.
Those were facts, not opinions. Right?
But when he looked at Prota, he couldn’t help but think differently. Real. What did that mean? Amber, at one point, had been real. They’d all been real. What would’ve happened if he’d never learned the truth? He’d probably have settled down. Relaxed. He could’ve had a normal life. A family. Friends.
He’d never have that again. But Prota was giving him a second chance at that. It wasn’t exactly the same thing, but…
John looked at his sister. He wanted to stay with her. But could he? In the end, he did what he did best. Put it off until he was forced to make a decision. He didn’t have to decide now. That could come another day.
“I… I don’t know.”
Prota stared at him, tears beginning to flow out of her eyes.
“That’s… it’s not a yes, Prota. I just… don’t know. I don’t know.”
Prota nodded halfheartedly, then buried her face in John’s chest. It took a lot of effort, but he put his hand on her head, letting it rest there. He hated his answer. He hated the fact that he didn’t have an answer for her. But at the same time, it would be far worse to make a choice.
So for now, all he could do was put it off until he couldn’t put it off anymore.
~~~
“How? How was that possible?”
Kit shrugged. She was still in her fox form, but the little critter’s shoulders seemed to go up and down.
“I’ve never seen something like that. In the first place, you shouldn’t be able to enter someone else’s trial. The mana should stop something like that. I’ve heard of people trying, but everyone’s said that it just sends them to a trial of their own.” Fate sighed and leaned back. “But they came out together. So they were in the same trial, right?”
Kit hesitated. “Hey. If I tell you something, will your view of those two change?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
The little fox jumped off the bed and walked toward the door, not saying anything.
“Kit…”
“Will you treat me to something?”
“Like what?”
“Give me another one of those hard candies,” Kit grinned, licking her lips.
“You know I only have so many of those, right? I don’t think I can make any more in this town.”
“You wanna know or not?”
Kit just laughed, and Fate was forced to give in. Reaching into his cloak, he tossed a hard strawberry candy to Kit, who caught it with her mouth midair.
“Mm… why didn’t we ever make any of these? Honestly, the more you tell me about Earth, the more I want to go there.”
Fate shuddered at the thought of Kit getting a hold of modern science. She was already enough of a menace with the magic in this world. What would she do with the inventions of mankind?
“Alright. Answer the question. Why do you say that?”
Kit paused and looked at Fate. It was hard to tell since she was literally a fox, but she seemed worried.
“Those two. You want them to be your companions, right?”
“Well… yeah. John is someone from Earth, and his intuition is incredible. Besides, I’d rather keep him close than let him… observe me or whatever. On the other hand, Prota is incredibly strong. Even more so than I might’ve thought, since you’re the one acknowledging her. But more than that… she reminds me of myself.”
“Mm… I understand. Your reasons don’t really matter, though. The point is that what I have to tell you might completely ruin your perception of them.”
Kit’s voice was unusually serious.
“Well, if that’s the case, shouldn’t I know about it?”
“...I just don’t want you making any assumptions, that’s all.”
Fate nodded uneasily. Kit was usually a lot more playful. It was hard to understand what she wanted, what with all her sarcasm and little games, but right now, she was being dead serious. While Fate was relieved that he didn’t have to play the game of deciphering her real intent, he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.
“Now, this is just my own theory. You know I used to study the nature of mana. Now, mana is simply a form of energy. It might power every living thing, but ultimately, it’s still just energy. It makes up our universe.”
Kit paused.
“The cave is made of mana, an energy source. But what would happen if an even stronger energy source were introduced to the system?”
“It would completely override the original energy. But that’s not possible. You told me that nothing is more powerful than mana.”
Kit looked away, uneasy.
“Well, yes, but… I also would never have thought reincarnation was possible, either. You’ve opened my eyes to thing we never would’ve thought of. So my point is… if two beings have the same wavelength of energy that’s completely foreign to mana… it might be possible for them to enter together.”
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“...what? But-”
“That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. Because as far as we know, the only other kind of energy that exists is demonic energy and draconic energy, but both of those ultimately use mana anyway.”
“Then that would mean-”
“Don’t say it.”
Fate looked at Kit.
“You… you do understand what you’re saying, right?”
Kit nodded solemnly. “Even I don’t know what we’re dealing with here.”
~~~
“What the…”
Breaker stood in the middle of a blood soaked room, bodies sprawled around everywhere. Eyes, guts, limbs, brain fluid, all over the floors and walls, blood flowing like water into a drain in the center of the room.
“Isn’t it amazing?” Doctor giggled, appearing behind him. “What filth will do to survive.”
In the center of the room was a singular girl, shaking. Her body was coated with blood, but a weapon was nowhere to be found.
“So,” Doctor said, approaching the girl. “How was it?”
The girl didn’t respond. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t. It was simply that her brain had snapped beyond the point of communication.
“Ugh,” Doctor grunted. “No good. She won’t do anything.”
“...” Breaker continued to stare at the room. He’d done some things in his life, but this…
“Was it not enough? Hm… was three months not enough? I didn’t think she would be this docile,” Doctor said, shaking his head. “It’s amazing, what people will do when they’re pushed to their limits. Will they lose their minds? Turn into something else? How exciting!”
He ran his hands through his hair, an ecstatic look on his face.
“Well, I’ll be taking her out of here. Breaker, call in a crew to collect the body parts. I’ll need them for later.”
“For later? You’re not…”
“Of course I’m still making them!” Doctor said with glee. “They’re the best of all my toys. And besides, when you mix a bit of all their souls…”
Breaker felt a shiver run down his spine. He knew why he was working with this man, but he couldn’t help but feel disgusted.
“Living beings are filth, Breaker,” Doctor said as he left the room. “They exist to be used and experimented on, so people like us can grow even stronger. It’s our right. If they break, nothing of value is lost.”
“...sure.”
He shook his head as his boss sauntered out,, humming some kind of tune as if he’d just gotten a job well done. Halfway out the door, Doctor stopped and turned back, peeking his head past the doorframe.
“Oh, but you must’ve come in here for a reason. What’s up?”
“They took the bait. They should find our dungeon within the next year, if everything goes well.”
“How long has it been since that Fate boy came to this town?”
“Two months, sir. We should wrap this up within ten months.”
“It’ll be spring again… the sign of a new life. How poetic. You may leave.”
Doctor giggled to himself quietly in the center of the blood soaked room, the laughs slowly getting louder and louder as the broken girl quietly watched.
~~~
The next day, Fate went to check up on John, who was still hospitalized.
“What the- why are you here? To laugh at me or something?”
“Why would I laugh at you?”
“...never mind.”
Fate put a basket of fruit on John’s bedstand while Kit hopped off Fate’s shoulders and landed softly on the bed. She grabbed an apple from the basket and started nibbling away.
“Hey, Kit.” Fate said quietly. “Can you put up the mirage magic over this place?”
The fox frowned at Fate before going into her human form.
“Really, just as I was enjoying a treat…”
She closed her eyes and took a breath. A warm pulse spread throughout the room, and Kit’s eyes opened again.
“Knock yourselves out.”
She went back to her fox form and picked up her apple, then trotted over to Prota and continued to snack on her treat with Prota’s lap as her resting place. Unable to resist, the little girl put her hands on Kit’s back and began to pet her. Surprisingly, Kit began to purr.
“Foxes purr?”
“Um… I wouldn’t know. I guess they can.”
“...are they even feline? I thought they were canines.”
Fate’s golden eyes bored into John. “You really want to discuss whether or not foxes can purr? I’d bet Kit is doing it regardless of whether they can or not.”
The masked boy sighed and started cutting up an apple. His small hands were quick, with the precision of a surgeon, but he wasn’t focused on the fruit.
“John. Do you trust me?”
“Well, yeah.”
“...really?”
“Did you think asking a second time would make me change my answer?”
Fate shrugged. “I mean, you just have so many secrets. I get it. I have my own secrets. But I just thought… you know. You’d open up a little.”
John closed his eyes and sighed. “Fate. It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s because it’s better for you not to know.”
“I can take it.”
“Have you told your parents that you’re from another world?”
The question was blunt. Fate flinched as if John’s words had materialized and physically hit him in the chest. It’d been completely unexpected, but then again, that was the point.
“That- that’s different.”
“Yeah? How?”
“It would hurt them. It’s not like I distrust them, it’s just that…”
Fate’s voice trailed off as he realized the point John was making.
“Right?”
“Since when did you care for me so much?” Fate said with a dry laugh.
“Well, it’s not really you in particular. Look, I’m not trying to hide anything. But some things are really just better unknown. Ignorance is bliss and all that.”
[So Prota’s special?]
[Shut up. That was unavoidable. Weren’t you the one who pushed me into making that decision anyway?]
Fate sighed. “You’re telling the truth, huh?”
“What, still don’t trust me?”
“Not really.”
John laughed.
“You’re honest, at least.”
“How could anyone trust you? Look at how you act,” Fate said. “You’re just so… mysterious. Your motives, your past, everything. Even if we were the best of friends, how could I trust someone I know so little about? Besides, you’ve revealed most of my secrets without me even saying anything. You have to at least understand that.”
John nodded. “Mm. Sounds like a skill issue.”
“...what?”
“I mean, I figured those things out on my own. Why don’t you do your own digging?”
“Are you trying to make things better or worse?”
“Kidding, just kidding.”
Fate didn’t respond, seemingly deep in thought. After a few minutes, it seemed that he’d come to a decision. He placed his hands on his mask and pressed something, causing it to come off. He shook his hair loose to reveal a young but handsome face, save for a singular scar running down the right eye. It was clear he would grow up to be quite the charmer, and even now there were signs of maturity. A strange thing to think of a child, but then again, John wasn’t the one who wrote these tropes.
“I want you to see my face when I tell you this. I want to tell this to you as me. No mask.”
He seemed rather serious, but he was stalling out something that John already knew.
“What, that you’re the hero?”
“...can you stop doing that?” Fate sighed, visibly annoyed. “Kit, shut up. It’s not that funny.”
Apparently, the fox was laughing at him.
Fate turned back to John. “Yes. The goddess of this world chose me to defeat the demon king. So… I guess I’ll do that. If you’re companions with me, you’ll have to come along. Well… what am I saying?” A sad smile formed on Fate’s face. “That’s why you approached me in the first place, right?”
“I mean, technically I had no way of knowing. But yeah. I was definitely hoping for that.”
“…you could be a little less blunt about it, you know.”
John frowned, grunting in displeasure.
“Hey, isn’t that a little broken? That you can just use your lie detector whenever?”
“...”
“What, you can’t?”
Fate’s sad expression twisted into an evil grin.
“Oh, so there are some things you don’t know?”
“What did I- ah, shit.”
Fate cackled. “Finally! A one up on you! You don’t know how good that feels!”
“Yeah, yeah, shut up,” John grumbled.
Fate handed John the plate of apples, cleanly cut and peeled. He looked at John as if he was expecting something. John sighed as he lifted a piece of apple to his mouth.
“You want something in return, right?”
Fate nodded. “Well, it would be nice.”
“So, what do you want?”
“Just one question. If you think it’s harmful, tell me, and I’ll just ask something else.”
John closed his eyes for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of the situation. Well, he’d said himself that he didn’t really care to keep secrets, right? It couldn’t be that bad.
“Fine. Ask away.”
Fate took a deep breath in. “You. You have some kind of foreign energy, right? Both you and Prota.”
“...wow. Gold trophy for you.”
“I didn’t ask you that question to hear you praise me.”
John nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll tell you. But, hey. How did you get to that conclusion?”
Fate hesitated, looking at Kit. The fox nodded, giving permission to share.
“Well, it wasn’t me, it was Kit. See, both you and Prota came out of the portal at the same time. That’s not supposed to happen. Trials are supposed to be taken individually. So Kit theorized that if a more powerful energy enters, then it’ll take over and form a new kind of room. If two beings are synched up to that, then… well, you get into the same trial.”
John frowned. He’d been taught something else. Granted, his knowledge was rather rudimentary, but- well, it didn’t hurt to ask.
“Huh? But isn’t mana also energy? Isn’t everyone synched up to that?”
“No,” Fate said, shaking his head. “Everyone’s wavelength is a little different. It’s what makes some spells unique to some people and also what allows for affinities. I could explain, but it doesn’t look like you want a lecture on mana right now.”
John nodded. It made sense.
“Yeah, thanks. Something as simple as that huh… well, yeah. Honestly, maybe I should’ve been more careful about it.”
“Then what is it?”
“Can’t tell you that.”
“Because…?”
“Well, it’s a little complex. I also don’t really understand it myself. I don’t think anyone does, to be fair. It’s not very logical. I can tell you that it’s an energy unique to me. And Prota, I guess.”
John’s voice, normally so light and free, was now so bitter that Fate didn’t question it.
“Oh, by the way. Kit will be pleased to know that Prota used that Blossom of Ice spell in my trial. She did it pretty well, too.”
“Huh? What?” Kit popped back into her human form, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She leapt onto the bed, causing John to flinch. “Do you even understand how clear her mind has to be to do something like that in battle?”
“Huh? What? Clear mind? What about magic skill?”
Kit jumping on the bed had caused John to panic just a little, making him stumble over his words. Thankfully, the fox got the point.
“Magic skill? I mean, yes, that’s an important factor, but that’s not the whole equation. We had this discussion.”
John sighed. Right, they had talked about this. He looked at Prota, who’d fallen asleep. It was strange that the one who was using magic wasn’t conscious for the lecture, but then again, there was no real need for her to hear it.
“So her mind is…”
“Yes, very clear. Well, maybe not, but she clearly has something to focus on. Something to push her forwards.”
Fate got up and turned to leave. There was a puff of smoke as Kit turned back into a fox, hopping off the bed onto his shoulders.
“By the way, you better get healed up soon. You need to get to B-rank as soon as possible.”
“Huh? B-rank? Why? I mean, I was aiming for it anyways, but…”
“Didn’t Albert tell you? They found evidence pointing to what we’ve been looking into. We think the group is hidden in a dungeon somewhere, but to go in…”
“Can’t he just make us B-rank?”
Fate shrugged as he put on his mask. “Dunno. Ask him, he’s the boss. I’m just the messenger. Come on, Kit.”
John grit his teeth as they left. Things weren’t progressing as smoothly as he’d hoped.