In The Mystic Emporium, John was looking through a shelf full of books on the main floor of the store. He was bored and was looking for something interesting to read.
He could manifest nearly anything, long as he was in this store. He only needed to visualize something he desired and it would appear. The problem is he was unsure of what to manifest. John couldn’t just say he wanted something interesting or fun to do and it would appear, he had to visualize it in his mind, and that’s hard when you don't know what you want.
John was hoping that looking through his books, he would find something interesting to read, but it wasn't looking hopeful.
He let out a long sigh.
“No good. These are all written in the local script, which I can’t read very well. Since coming here, I have gained the ability to understand what people are saying to me, but why doesn't that also translate to writing? Ugh, maybe I should stop being lazy and learn. But, I would have to ask someone to teach me, and that just feels too embarrassing.” he thought to himself.
John had realized a long time ago that what people said to him, and what he heard, were completely different. The words he heard people say didn’t match the movement of their lips. He immediately clued in that another world would likely develop a completely different language from his own. Therefore, he concluded that he had gained some sort of ability from Onyx, allowing him to understand what people are saying to him and vice versa.
Unfortunately, that same ability didn’t seem to work with writing. John never completely learned the local script. He knew just enough for him to get by, and have sorta an idea of what was being written.
Graheel was located in the Union states, who all spoke and wrote Unia. John wasn't sure about the spoken language, as he was not able to hear it because it was automatically translated for him, but he knew that written Unia was ridiculous. It had a weird convention where it had two types of writing to convey tone, Formal and Informal. Formal Unia is no nonsense and straight to the point, where Informal is more flowery and poetic.
The main problem of Unia for John was that words in Formal and Informal are spelled completely differently and follow different sentence structure. It made the writing so much harder to learn for him. It was like Unia was two languages in one.
He had only barely gotten a grasp on formal writing, so he could at least read newspapers and book titles, as those are always written in formal. But, outside of formal writing, it was a hit and miss for whether or not John knew what was being written. It also didn’t help that people like to mix informal and formal writing together, making things even more confusing for him.
John wished that there was some sort of book written in English that could teach him the local writing properly. He tried manifesting such a book before and it didn’t work. He can’t manifest what does not exist. The best he could do was manifest something that was an approximation of what he wanted. When he tried to manifest a book to help him learn, he just ended up creating a book that had even more bizarre text he couldn’t read. It looked even more weird than the local script. That book gave him a headache from just looking at that erratic writing, so he had thrown it away a long time ago.
As he was looking at the shelf, he heard the familiar ring of the store bell. John turned cautiously towards who was entering, still a little shaken by Onyx’s recent visit, but was glad to see it was just Cid.
John: “Oh, Cid. It’s you. Did you come for coffee?” he said, sounding relieved that it was just Cid.
Cid: “Sorry, not today. I’m on my way to meet Miss Scarlett, but I thought I would stop by to briefly say hello, and thank you for earlier.” he said, as he entered through the front door.
It was just last night with the incident with Sorin. Not enough time had gone by yet for everyone to realize what had happened. Cid felt the need to tell John about it, even though he assumed he already knew. It was done more out of politeness than anything else.
John: “For earlier? Sorry, you're going to have to jog my memory.” completely clueless to what Cid was referring to.
Cid just smiled at John’s question.
“I guess that whole undead thing really was nothing to him. The book warned me that Sorin’s undead could bother Mr Li, but I guess the trouble would’ve been just an annoyance to him from his perspective.” Cid thought to himself.
The book of grand design had warned Cid that in the future, the undead of Sorin would eventually meet John and cause him trouble. It recommended to Cid to remove these things so that it wouldn’t happen, to which he agreed. He owed a lot to John, and this was a small way of repaying him for the guidance he received.
Cid: “It was that advice on those pests you’ve given me.”
John: “Oh! So it’s about that. You really don’t need to thank me. I barely did anything to help you out at that time. But, based on what you're saying, it sounds like you got it under control.”
Cid: “Yup. I managed to find the source and got rid of it. Just like you told me to.” he said, following the advice of the book and Scarlett, by obfuscating what he was really trying to convey.
With those words, what he was really trying to say was: “I found who was making the undead at the university, and killed him.”
John: “Oh, that’s good to hear. I'm sure it must be a relief that those bugs are gone.” he said, thinking Cid had gotten rid of a normal cockroach problem.
Cid: “Sure is. Anyways, I would love to stay and talk some more, but I gotta go see Miss Scarlett soon.” he said, about to turn and leave.
John: “Wait, before you go.” he said, but then stopped briefly to think about what he was about to say.
John recalled the conversation he had with Onyx, about the warning of something going to happen at the university. He had no idea what was going on at the university, and only had a very vague warning from Onyx. He could never know that the trouble he was warned about may have been about Cid killing Sorin.
He intended to warn Cid, without knowing what had already transpired. John was carefully thinking how to tell Cid’s about the warning he got without sounding weird, but eventually gave up and just told him.
John: “Um, I heard from a…’friend’ that there was trouble brewing at the university. So, just keep your head down until the trouble passes, OK.” he said, hoping Cid wouldn’t ask him to explain his vague warning.
“He must be talking about the media storm that’s about to happen once people learn Sorin was a necromancer. Well, I was going to lay low after this anyways.” Cid silently thought to himself.
Cid: “Sure, anyways, I’ll be sure to come by sometime this week for coffee,” he said as turned to leave.
John: “Wait, one more thing. Take this,” he said, handing Cid a bag of dried tea leaves.
Cid: “Um, what’s this?”
John: “It is a special herbal blend for Scarlett. I give this to her regularly, but she hasn't come around for a while for me to do so. Since you're going to meet her, mind giving this to her?”
Cid: “No problem. I’ll make sure she gets it.”
John: “Thank you.”
Cid nodded and quickly left the store.
The familiar ring of bell attached to the front door rang out, as it was open and closed from Cid’s departure. John was once again left alone in “The Mystic Emporium”.
He let out a disappointed sigh as he went back to look at the books on the shelf. John was excited by Cid's sudden visit and was hoping to have a pleasant conversation with him, but it didn’t seem like it was meant to be.
“I guess it’s back to trying to figure out how to read this world's writing.” John thought to himself.
He almost immediately heard the store bell ring again. Thinking it was Cid, who had maybe forgotten something, turned to the front door to greet the shroom pact student.
John: “Did you forget som—eep!” he said, cutting himself off in surprise.
Entering through the front door with a cane with a metallic skull pommel and red eyes was Onyx, the eldritch nightmare that brought John to this world.
Onyx: “Good day to you John.”
John: “W-why are y-you here?”
Onyx: “Because I said I would check in on you from time to time. Is your memory OK? Although, memory is relative, so I understand if it’s different from others.”
John: “N-no, I remember what you said, but the last check up was literally five days ago.”
Onyx: “Is that too soon? Huh? The perception of time is so tedious. How about we sit and talk about it,” he said while gesturing to the table at the back of the store.
The way Onyx phrased that, John wasn't sure if this was a suggestion or an order, so he just assumed it was an order and walked over to the table at the back and sat down. He was not about to upset this thing.
Onyx followed behind John and took a seat across from him. The elderly appearing man reached off outside of John's perception and pulled out a tray with a teapot and cups on it. There was steam coming out of the spout of the pot.
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Onyx: “You do drink tea, right? That is a thing humans do?” he said while pouring a cup of tea and offering it to John.
John: “Y-yeah,” he said, as received the teacup.
Onyx: “Good to know.”
Onyx poured a cup for himself and then drank the liquid it contained in one big gulp. John couldn’t help but winch a little at seeing that. The tea was still scalding hot, if he were to drink the beverage like Onyx, it would definitely burn his mouth and throat. A small reminder for John that Onyx wasn't human, not that he needed to be reminded.
The nightmare creature then put his cup down and smiled at John, which he found disturbing. The way Onyx speaks, stares at, and smiles was always off. No matter what Onyx did, something about it didn’t feel entirely right. John wondered if he would feel different about this if he didn’t know what that “man” really was.
Onyx: “If twenty years is too long and five days is too short, what is an appropriate amount of time to wait before visiting you?”
John wished for nothing more than to never see Onyx again, but that was not something he was going to vocalize, for fear of angering this creature.
John thought for a little while at what to say. He knew he couldn't say anything over twenty years, due to what he said to Onyx previously about it being a long time. He debated if he should tell him nineteen years, trying to limit his appearance as much as possible, but decided against that. He didn’t want to risk annoying this creature with that kind of answer. So, John decided to go half way with his recommendation.
John: “How about ten…years. You should wait ten years before visiting me.”
Onyx crossed his arms and began to think for a little while before speaking, something John hadn't seen him do before and found strange.
Onyx: “Hmm, that’s not going to be an option for me. At least, not now. “
John: “What is that supposed to mean?”
Onyx: “It means the wheels of destiny are finally spinning after a long time, at least, I think it was a long time? I will be required to appear before you to help with your role in that. So I will have to visit you beyond the ten years you suggest.”
John let out a long sigh. He was purposely trying to avoid learning about Onyx and what he meant by his role here, but with how Onyx was talking, it was starting to feel unavoidable. It was starting to sound like he was about to be involved in something, regardless of how much John wanted to distance himself. So with resignation, he tried asking about the reason he’s here, something he had been avoiding for years.
John: “What is my role here?”
Onyx: “To bring salvation to the people who show up on your doorstep.”
John: “I think you said something like that years ago, but I don’t understand why. Why bring me to this world and tell me to give out this thing you call salvation?”
Onyx: “You were not allowed to exist in your previous world, that’s why you're here.”
John: “But why is it my role to give out salvation?”
Onyx: “Because that is what you were brought here to do.”
John: “But why?”
Onyx: “Because that is your role.”
John: “But why is this my role?”
Onyx: “Because this is what you were brought here for.”
John became confused and stopped with the line of questioning he was doing. He noticed a strange circular logic that was going on with Onyx. He was brought here to fulfill some role, but the role exists because he was brought here. Onyx didn't think like a normal human. If John really wanted to understand what was happening, he had to ask the right questions.
John: “OK…what is this salvation? What does it mean to give others salvation?”
Onyx: “Salvation is a latin word meaning to be in a state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. Giving salvation means saving something.”
John: “No, I mean—” he said, stopping what he was about to say, because he knew he wouldn't get the answer he wanted. John shifted to a different question. “You said something about fate, do I have some sort of destiny I'm supposed to fulfill?”
Onyx tilted his head slightly, which possibly indicated he was confused, but John wasn’t sure. It was hard to read Onyx, he didn’t express like a normal person.
Onyx: “Fate has already been destroyed and has nothing to do with destiny.”
John: “Wait, is destiny and fate not the same thing? And what do you mean fate has been destroyed?”
Onyx: “I’m starting to realize that humans interchange these terms, which is not correct. How do you explain in the words of a human,” he said, while resting his index finger on his chin. He was acting as if he was pondering. “Destiny is something that is likely to happen. Fate is something that will happen. Does that make sense?”
It took a few seconds for John to process what he was just told.
John: “I think so. Fate is something that’s predetermined, while destiny is something like probability.”
Onyx: “Not quite, but close enough.”
John: “Ok, but what’s this about fate being destroyed?”
Onyx: “It is as I said. The wheels of destiny are turning once more, because fate no longer holds sway over this world. Destiny now fills the void that was once fate. And, in time maybe even destiny too will become naught.”
John: “What is the cause of this?”
Onyx: “You.”
John: “ME?!?!” he yelled out in surprise.
Onyx: “Yes.”
John: “I-I don’t understand?” he said, completely confused.
Onyx: “You are not bound to either the fate or destiny of this world, as you are not of it. As such, every action you do, even small ones, change’s fate and destiny. Due to the rigid nature of fate, the changes you made were big enough—and numerous enough—to eventually add up and cause fate to collapse on itself.”
John: “B-but what did I exactly do that changed fate so much?”
Onyx: “You gave out salvation. Almost every person that has ever visited this store, had a tragic fate that you changed. Some for the better, others not as much, and a few who you delayed their tragedy. Those kinds of changes were significant. Many of those people were supposed to die at a predetermined moment, but didn’t because of you. They went on to live past that moment, causing them to change others' fate, and then those people went on to change more peoples fate, and so on and so on.“
John's eyes widened at what he just heard, he never thought the things he was doing were having such a big impact on the world. He just thought he was helping people, giving them some advice and a shoulder to cry on.
“It’s starting to make sense.” John thought to himself.
John: “Then, is that why you brought me to this world? To destroy some sort of unseen cosmic order in the world? Is that your intention?”
Onyx: “Can you explain what you mean by 'your intention’.”
John: “It's why you brought me here!”
Onyx: “No, it’s because it is your role.”
John: “Then why are you doing this? And don’t say it’s because of my role or whatever. There must be something you want for you to be doing all this.”
Onyx: “Oh, I see now what you meant by intention. You think this is happening because of our desire, something that we want. I guess humans think like that, for someone to take an action, a desire is needed. But, that's not the case with us, at least not always.”
John: “Your saying there is no reason for any of this? “
Onyx: “Do you need a reason to do something?”
John: “Yes!”
Onyx: “I was under the impression humans do random things without reason all the time.”
John: “T-that’s, um, ugh.” he said, unable to properly respond.
What Onyx said was true, there are plenty of things that people do without a particular reason. It could be out of habit, an instinctual response, or just because it’s fun. When John thought about it, he had difficulty following up on his point.
Onyx: “You're a lot more curious than the last few times we met. Maybe five days is longer than twenty years? But, I'm also still getting the sense that you still don’t want to really know. So I’ll say this. Everything that is happening to you is because of the choices you made, no more, no less. It was your choice to call us. The only thing we did was answer the call. This is the role you have chosen for yourself, whether you knew it or not.”
“Is there really no great purpose to anything that has happened to me? No reason why I was brought here?” He thought to himself, feeling conflicted.
John: “Then there’s no purpose to it. It’s just because of me that fate is destroyed,” he said, not knowing how to feel about this fact.
Onyx: “I wouldn’t get choked up about that. If it wasn't you, it would be something else that would’ve done it. And at the rate you're going, I'm sure destiny will eventually follow. It’s more flexible than fate, but it can only bend so far.”
John: “I-is this a bad thing?”
Onyx: “Well, it depends on who you ask. Making predictions and prophecies are going to get a lot harder, but let's be honest. Foretelling the future was always dull. After all, what's the fun of reading the ending of a story before getting to the beginning and middle acts? But, if this bothers you so much, you could always stop giving out salvation. Destiny will eventually correct itself and restore fate. That also means giving up on the people coming here, who wander into this store, leaving them to meet their inevitable tragic ends.”
John thought about the whole reason he did that desperate ritual before. It was because he was alone and desperate when he performed that ritual. If he had someone, he would’ve never done something like that ritual. Abandoning people that were in a similar position to himself, was something he couldn’t agree to. He wouldn't abandon these people.
John: “No, I won’t do that.”
Onyx: “Then nothing has changed. That was the whole reason you didn’t ask too many questions before. Because you knew the answers wouldn’t change anything.”
John: “It’s as you say,” he said, hating the fact that Onyx was confirming what he already had concluded from before.
John was really wishing he didn’t ask the questions that he did, and stuck with his original plan of limiting how much he learned about Onyx. He knew what he was told would linger in his mind.
Onyx: “Anyways, this was a pleasant conversation, but I should be—what’s the saying? ‘Get back to it’? No, that doesn't sound right, oh well. I will be leaving.”
John: “Is that it? You're done?”
Onyx: “Yes. I believe so. I have informed you that I will be making additional appearances when appropriate. And, the issue I was supposed to help you with, you already resolved.”
John: “Huh? W-what issue?”
Onyx: “It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with now. Things will play out as they are supposed to, or maybe not. Fate’s gone after all, so who knows what the future holds anymore,” he chuckled, with a laugh that sounded just a little too deep and a slightly abnormal cadence to it.
The laughter from Onyx made John's hair stand on ends. Something about it which was very uncomfortable and unnatural. John was now too apprehensive to try and ask Onyx any more questions.
Onyx didn’t say anything else and got up from his chair and quietly exited the store, leaving John alone once again.
John’s head raced with thoughts about what he had just heard.
“I guess I was right before. Knowing more about Onyx doesn't really help me, and just makes me more anxious.” He quietly thought to himself.
From John's side, Lunar appeared, whining for his attention.
Lunar: “Waah,” the dog squeaked out, while looking up at John with its big blue eyes.
John: “Where were you hiding? Actually let’s not think about what that thing said and focus on something better. Wanna go for a walk, boy?”
Lunar: “Woof!” it barked out excitedly.
John got up from his seat and headed out onto the street with Lunar following. Trying to clear his mind from all the anxiety he built up from that conversation.