ã€ŠLet&#x2019;s Not [Obliterate]: An OP MC Romance &#x1F308;ã€‹


 Chapter 1: The Cube of Solitude

    About four years ago, Theora had stopped receiving new quests.

    At first, she¡¯d spent a few weeks in denial, thinking another one would appear eventually. That once more, the world would need her, and that she¡¯d find something else to do for a while. But that salvation never came.

    The System was fed up with her, and she knew it. ¡®There¡¯s nothing else left,¡¯ the System may as well have told her, if it could speak at all, or had a personality. ¡®Stop wasting my time and get on with it,¡¯ it might have said.

    Theora had ignored her Main Quest in favour of all kinds of side quests for too long. Thus, with a heavy heart, she¡¯d set out on that final journey. North, the way had led her, always north. A year turned into two, village after town after natural wonder, none of what she saw could untangle that deep and heavy, darkened and muddied knot in her heart.

    After all this time, she would finally complete it. The Main Quest she¡¯d been dreading to touch for so long.

    And she was almost there.

    Step by step, she climbed up the largest summit, along the ice-cold stair path meandering relentlessly into thinner air.

    They called this mountain range the ¡®Zenith of the End.¡¯ Being the very cusp of the continent, there was nothing to be found past this place. It was one of the most dangerous regions known to the world.

    A myriad of snowflakes melted against Theora¡¯s face. Wearing a thick and multilayered beige coat, red frills dancing in the wind behind her, she advanced like a betta fish manoeuvring across a mountainous calcite ocean floor.

    It was a lonely sight.

    Sometimes, perhaps, dark and deadly shadows would twitch and rush away far in the corner of her vision. Once in a while, something would jump up, launching itself into the air, and escape into the snow¡¯s obscurity. Rare occurrences. Most of the time, all she could see were the white summits around her, the snow, the clouds. She would never be confronted, by anything.

    Because the monsters were scared.

    It was cold, but the cold didn¡¯t matter. Nor did that she¡¯d been on foot now for almost ten hours, or that the day was slowly nearing its end. This path, these stairs frozen into the ground, were the very last part of her journey. And with it, she felt the calm rumbling in her chest of subdued emotions she was too tired to name.

    When she reached the top of the mountain, her coat was powdered deep in snow, her face was littered with flakes. And there, she saw it, on a stone altar, just the way it should be. The Cube of Solitude. The strongest cage in the world, impenetrable. One of the most incredible magical items ever created.

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    Millennia ago, the Ancient Evil had been put inside, after a vicious fight against the strongest heroes all peoples of the world had to offer. Sealed away, never to be seen again.

    Until today.

    Theora stared at it for a while. All the pretend-determination that had led her here, it wavered in front of this foreign object, seemingly not part of this world. It floated a few fingerbreadths above the stone, untouched by weather, embellished in thousands of fine lines that paralleled and crossed each other in a masterful showcase of the finesse of its makers.

    The first Skill Theora had ever learned was [Joyous Punch]. As a child, back when she¡¯d received her initial Class ¡ª [Berserker], granting strength by way of her emotions, be they sad or angry, happy or solemn. As she¡¯d been cheerful and hot-blooded, the Class had served her well.

    That was a long time ago. Now, she was an empty shell, except for her futile reluctance to do what had to be done. Theora¡¯s old self had advanced to dust. Her level risen to an obscene number, her Class evolved to [Hero], and all her Skills ¡ª offensive, defensive, passive ¡ª had fused and melted and converged into just a single one.

    She drew her sword, and it activated automatically.

    [Obliterate].

    With an ear-rending short slash, the seal cracked in a glittering burst of azure and pink sparks, and with it, aeons of safety perished. The clot in Theora¡¯s heart grew thicker. Now, there was no turning back.

    Black goo oozed from the broken outer layer, dripping onto the stone altar, causing an acidic hiss. Hastily, Theora touched the viscous liquid.

    With a violent twist, her body changed and warped in a way that would have caused pain if it happened to someone else. The goo exerted a massive gravitational pull and dragged the puddle of human she had become inside the sealed-off dimension.

    Not something one would usually be inclined to survive, but it didn¡¯t matter to her.

    She regained her form inside a large and empty space. Her eyes needed a moment to adjust to the dark surroundings. Slowly, galaxies and nebulae appeared on the void¡¯s firmament. An endless, reflective liquid was at her feet. It had no depth. She simply stood upon it.

    Behind her was a crack in the air ¡ª a violent black rip in a beautiful night sky painting. It was the entrance she¡¯d torn open by violently entering this space.

    She took another, deeper breath.

    It was time to face it. Hit by a wave of rare anxiety, she shivered.

    There, just a few steps away, on the liquid filling this vast, isolated dimension, it stood.

    The Ancient Evil.

    Not much of a creature in a monstrous form, it was instead cast in the shape of an anthropomorphic female with parts of its skin as white as ash, and others as dark as tar. It looked like a demon with short and messy black hair, dressed in a torn old cloak of muddy brown colour. The Ancient Evil glared at Theora with glowing amber eyes as it slowly approached, a golden grin on its face.

    ¡°Why, hello there,¡± it said.

    Theora absently stared at it for just a second. Then, she sat down cross-legged, blocking the way out. The liquid making up the floor felt soft, like skin to the touch, despite the crystal clear reflections. Her movement shoved soft ripples across it, like on a calm pond.

    She looked up at the creature. ¡°Ancient Evil¡ª¡±

    ¡°Dema,¡± the being interrupted. ¡°Just Dema¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Dema,¡± Theora started again, unfazed. She steeled her voice for what she would say next.

    ¡°Please state your dying wish.¡±

 Chapter 2: The Ancient Evilâ€™s Dying Wish

    Upon hearing Theora¡¯s unusual request, Dema simply laughed. She had a raspy voice with a full colour to it, and laughing suited it especially well.

    ¡°Dang,¡± she smiled, ¡°Cutting right to the chase? Why, I wanted to chat!¡±

    A soft shiver went down Theora¡¯s spine. ¡°Please,¡± she repeated. ¡°Your dying wish. I will hear it, and fulfil it best I can.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, though.¡± The cheer was still in her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t even feel sick, you know? Also, not gonna lie. Dying ain¡¯t really my thing.¡±

    Theora extracted an old, large scroll from under her clothes, and gently unrolled it at her legs.

    ¡°This scroll contains the pinnacle of magical research,¡± she explained. ¡°Humankind¡¯s greatest spell. It¡¯s only effective against beings older than ten thousand years. When cast, it pierces [Immortality].¡±

    Dema intently inspected the scroll and the complex words, symbols, and diagrams engraved on it, morbid curiosity filling her expression. ¡°Huh. I guess you had to go all out to kill an undying thing like me. So, a wish, you said? I get a wish before you off me? That it?¡±

    Theora nodded.

    ¡°Why, that¡¯s quite generous of you. Feeling bad for me, ain¡¯t ya?¡±

    ¡°The evils you committed are deep in the past,¡± Theora said with an empty gaze. ¡°I have no relation to them. You¡¯ve had time to atone. I bear you no ill will. The truth is, I don¡¯t want to kill you.¡±

    Theora swallowed before continuing. ¡°However, with endless time, all seals can be undone. All evils be unleashed. Thus, for the safety of those to come, you must cease to exist. Still, I want to make this process as gentle for you as possible.¡± She took another short breath. Talking meant effort, and she was tired. ¡°So, allow me to grant you a wish, and end you in peace.¡±

    Sitting down on the sea, right before the Heroine, a small spark gathered in Dema¡¯s eyes. ¡°That scroll¡¯s nice and all, but that much ain¡¯t gonna be enough. First gotta pummel me into submission, you know? Am not gonna sit idly while you get rid of me.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not fight,¡± Theora said.

    A chuckle. The glint in Dema¡¯s eyes went firmer, as if a real light. ¡°You¡¯re kinda confident in yourself, even though you¡¯re so small. Barging in here, big mouthed. Like, yeah, that coat and all the folds, makes you look like a big deal, almost monstrous. I¡¯ll give you that. But it¡¯s all just for show, ain¡¯t it? Still just a little rabbit beneath. Wearing a coat like that to puff yourself up.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s cold outside,¡± Theora said, monotonous.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it is,¡± Dema replied amused, before sobering up. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is, I¡¯m not weak, you know? Be at least a little worried. Hell, truth is, I¡¯m worried about you. First visitor I get, and they¡¯re gonna throw a fit and I have to kill ¡¯em? Why, what a downer. You know, those guys and gals back then ¡ª all they could do was seal me away, and a couple of ¡¯em died trying.¡±

    She dared touch the scroll, gently moving a finger across the writings, not recognizing any authority it was supposed to exert over her.

    ¡°Confident in myself,¡± Theora repeated Dema¡¯s earlier statement, as if waking from thought. ¡°I don¡¯t think that phrase fits. There is no question here, I am what ends you, such is the way of the world. Whether I am confident or not will not change that fact.¡±

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    Dema¡¯s smile returned, curling even deeper into her face this time. She seemed to be enjoying herself a lot. ¡°Huh. Not confident then,¡± she said. ¡°You just know more about all this than I do. Shame, because I¡¯m curious. You gonna help me understand, little rabbit?¡±

    Little rabbit. She was going to stick to that? Regardless, Theora wet her lips. More talking. But that poor being deserved at least this much.

    After pulling in some air, she explained, hands resting on her knees. ¡°The world had to wait for two prerequisites to be met. First, that you aged beyond ten thousand years. Second, that a being strong enough to subdue you was born.¡± Theora swallowed. ¡°That being is me. Thus, the conditions have been fulfilled. I advise you not to fight, for I would simply tear you apart, then call on the scroll to strip away the feeble remains of your existence.¡±

    The Ancient Evil¡¯s gaze rested on the scroll for a few moments, her large lashes hiding her eyes from Theora¡¯s view. Then, Dema looked up, her amber eyes shining.

    ¡°What a big, big bummer,¡± she whispered. ¡°¡¯Cause I wanna stay alive.¡±

    Theora frowned just the tiniest frown, the smallest hint of confusion in her eyes. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Why I wanna stay alive? What a question. I¡¯m stubborn like that, so I just wanna. No reason.¡±

    ¡°There must be a reason,¡± Theora insisted. ¡°You¡¯ve been here for¡­ practically, forever. All alone. Not a single person to talk to. How? This space is entirely empty. How have you not lost hope? Not lost your will to go on? What have you been doing all this time?¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t even matter,¡± she said, stretching her limbs. ¡°It¡¯s just, the entire time I¡¯ve been in here, I¡¯ve been racking my brain. Thinking those big brain thoughts. I¡¯m good at that,¡± she chuckled. ¡°And not gonna lie, I kinda wanna keep doing it. So dying would be bad. Please? Oh, right. I get a dying wish! Then, my dying wish¡ª¡± She made a pause, and tapped her temple, ¡°¡­ is for you to let me keep thinking. Not a big wish, right? That can¡¯t be asking too much?¡±

    Theora shook her head. ¡°I cannot allow that. You are the Ancient Evil. You manipulate. You scheme. If left unchecked, you will destroy countless lives the moment you break free.¡±

    Placing her chin in her hand, Dema gazed into the air. ¡°True, I guess. My eyes are itching for some bloodshed and rumbling excitement. But, you said you¡¯re pretty strong, right?¡±

    Theora gave a hint of a nod.

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Dema exclaimed. ¡°Just lemme go with you, then. I can¡¯t do bad stuff while you keep tabs on me, right? Since you¡¯re that much stronger than I am, you know? So, that¡¯s my wish. Take me with you so I can keep thinking, just for a little bit. You can always kill me later.¡±

    Theora stared at Dema. It was obvious what she was doing. The scheming and manipulating Ancient Evil, as it clung to its life with just the tiniest glimpse of hope. An animal caught in a cage, and its transparent and desperate last attempt to survive.

    Except, she didn¡¯t seem desperate at all.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Theora said, regardless. Because none of it really mattered. Because there was no avenue for Dema to escape death. No avenue for her to outsmart or trick Theora, or to betray her or beat her. A hopeless endeavour because she didn¡¯t understand the true discrepancy in strength.

    But also, Theora didn¡¯t want to kill her right now, anyway. This gave her a small ember, a reason to keep her hands off murdering a defenceless person she only knew through myths. If only just for another moment.

    As if on cue, a System message popped up out of nowhere.

    [Current Main Quest: Kill the Ancient Evil.]

    She tried to dismiss it mentally, but the message persisted. Closing her eyes, she forced it away with all the intent she could muster, and it finally relented. For now. Lingering in the darkness, ready to break out again at any time.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Theora repeated, a bit more forcefully, and furled the scroll back together to bury it somewhere in her layered clothes. She couldn¡¯t remember the last time her heart had beaten this strong. ¡°You can follow me for a while.¡±

    With these words, Theora got up, turned around, and vanished through the crack in the void.

 Chapter 3: Hatchling

    Theora jumped out of the goo on the other side, back into reality, having once again gone through being dematerialised and then reshaping herself based on pure power of will. She waited for Dema to follow suit, sitting down on a snow covered stone a few steps away from the altar. Her garments stood still in the air, as the snow that had melted into her clothes during her stay in the sealed-off dimension was slowly freezing.

    Dema was taking her time. A minute. Three minutes. Theora¡¯s head felt empty. She didn¡¯t know whether she was consciously counting or if she could simply tell time passed on instinct. Every second she lived through felt like a drag, so it could very well have been either.

    Her throbbing anxiety had changed in its nature. It was still there, but different now. Until a short while ago, she¡¯d only known that she would have to kill some Ancient Evil outlined in myths and legends, and even that thought had made her nauseous.

    Now, she knew she had to kill Dema.

    A person with a soft laugh and wishes and a curious gaze.

    Suddenly, a bloodied hand jerked from the puddle of goo, fingers tensed like claws. It slammed down, touching the stone around, until it finally found some ledge to grip on. The attached arm slowly emerged, muscles contracting to pull itself up. Like a chicklet from an egg with too hard of a shell, Dema slowly dragged her way out. At some point, her asymmetric demon horn from the side of her head poked through the black liquid. Then, the gooey hair, her pointed ears, her face.

    She opened her eyes as the blood and black ooze dripped down on her skin, her amber eyes shining through with pure determination. Slowly, she managed to wrangle her second arm free, and slammed it on the altar, splatting blood around. Countless steaming wounds closed up almost as soon as her skin appeared from the ooze, as if she had been remade from a pure blend of flesh.

    Within a few minutes, Dema, dripping, panting, drenched in red, finally fully emerged. When she saw Theora, she grinned. ¡°Leaving that place ain¡¯t fun, huh?¡± she wheezed.

    Theora nodded. ¡°Unpleasant.¡±

    ¡°Being undying is one hell of a perk, if you ask me.¡±

    She hopped down from the altar, looking down at the gory mess, took a few steps, and crouched to fill her hands with snow. Then, she proceeded to use it to clean herself up.

    Dema was quite a scrawny figure. Her coat was thin and torn, and it looked like she only wore a basic garment beneath it that left both her legs and arms exposed. She was barefoot.

    The summit sported a temperature far beneath the freezing point, but Dema seemed unconcerned, rubbing snow all over herself in an attempt to dissolve the blood and goo. There was no helping the bloodsoaked coat, so she mostly ignored it, letting it drip into the snow.

    Her body appeared to have fully healed already. After leaving almost the entire snow on the summit with a pink hue, she finally rubbed some of it between her toes, then looked down at herself proudly.

    ¡°There, there! Sorry for holding you up, little rabbit.¡±

    Why was she still calling her ¡®rabbit¡¯? Theora dismissed the thought, shrugged, and stood up. ¡°I wasn¡¯t waiting for you. Just lost in thought. Taking a break.¡±

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    ¡°No, I think you were waiting,¡± Dema said. ¡°Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t move on at the moment I¡¯m done!¡±

    ¡°Coincidence,¡± Theora asserted. ¡°You are just following me, after all. No reason to wait for you.¡±

    Dema chuckled, and made her way after Theora as they slowly descended from the stairs. It was getting dark now, the sun must have been close to setting behind the thick wall of clouds.

    Theora felt despondent, empty. Overall, this day had very much not gone as anticipated. Of course, there had never been a chance that Dema would willingly let herself get killed after having a measly wish fulfilled. But Dema also hadn¡¯t tried to fight her. Hadn¡¯t given her a reason at all to do anything.

    Was that good or bad? If Dema had agreed or given a strong reason to be killed, Theora would have likely completed her Main Quest by now, and finally gotten to rest.

    But now, it felt like her issues had only become bigger. She still needed to kill Dema. But there was no way to do so in good conscience. If such a thing existed for the act of killing anything at all.

    At least, Dema was having fun. That was probably the one thing that kept Theora from¡­ Well. She wasn¡¯t sure what would happen otherwise. She was already empty. She had nothing left to give. That said, Theora still didn¡¯t feel completely untouched by seeing a being that had been trapped in confinement for aeons be so happy upon its release.

    It didn¡¯t take too long until Dema pulled ahead. She hurried in such a way that it almost seemed like she¡¯d fall down the mountain as she moved past Theora on the narrow stair path. She was completely amazed by her surroundings, pirouetting around herself slowly as she took in the vast landscape. The other summits barely visible through the snowflakes, the stinging whiteness around them. She even stopped to inspect the stairs that looked like ice but were made of something different, much harder, but unrecognisable.

    ¡°Why, what a nice place they dumped me at. Where is this?¡±

    ¡°The Zenith of the End. You were moved here a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°What, that place? I don¡¯t remember it looking like this. Like, not that white. Not even in winter.¡±

    ¡°The world has gotten colder,¡± Theora responded, and stopped walking as Dema was now blocking her path.

    ¡°Huh. I see. And why¡¯d they put me here?¡±

    Theora pointed to a trail in the snow on an adjacent mountainside. It was barely visible through the storm, which at this distance betrayed how impossibly large the creature that left it must have been. ¡°It¡¯s become quite a dangerous place. A safe location to store something you wouldn¡¯t want anyone to accidentally walk into.¡±

    Dema stared at the prints on the other mountain. ¡°Damn. Seems like whatever left these ran away from something hella scary. Big, terrifying thing. I wonder what that was.¡±

    ¡°Who knows,¡± mumbled Theora, still standing a step away from Dema, waiting for her to continue on. And finally, she did.

    ¡°By the way, uh. Where we headed?¡± Dema asked a while later.

    ¡°No idea,¡± Theora replied. She hadn¡¯t thought about that at all. It made sense to move down the mountain, since there was no other path for now¡­ but after? Theora had never imagined a destination past the Zenith of the End.

    Dema chuckled, picking up on that detail immediately. ¡°No idea? That¡¯s ominous. You know, very dangerous thing to say, actually. Don¡¯t wanna hint that this was all a one-way-trip for you. I might come to think I could beat you, after all.¡±

    Theora did not respond. Did not even look at Dema, just stared at the path winding down in front of them, endlessly. It was becoming wider, and they were now walking next to each other. Rock to one side, an abyss on the other.

    After thinking for a moment, Dema said, ¡°Anyway, batting around is nice and all, but you¡¯re human. You gotta eat at some point. Let¡¯s aim for the next settlement? A village or something? If you¡¯re looking for feedback, I mean. I¡¯m just following, after all. Not gonna lie, though. I¡¯d love to actually talk to some people. Sounds exciting.¡±

    Again, no answer. Theora simply took one step after the other.

    ¡°I mean, I can talk to you. Not to say that you¡¯re a bore, or anything,¡± Dema continued, voice seeping with sarcasm. ¡°No, big pleasure, since you¡¯re a great listener and all. Just what I needed after¡­ y¡¯know!¡±

    ¡°Village it is,¡± Theora muttered.

 Chapter 4: A Hearth in the Cold

    Upon hearing Theora agree with her suggestion to aim for the next settlement, Dema let out a small cheer, and hopped a few stairs further down.

    ¡°Alright! Village it is! So, how long¡¯s that gonna take?¡±

    Theora mused, going over the path in her head, estimating. There was only really one place that could be called ¡®close¡¯, and even that one was quite a distance away. Finally, she came to a good enough conclusion.

    ¡°Two months.¡±

    ¡°Dang!¡± Dema let out in what seemed like pretended surprise. ¡°Well, I hope you¡¯re gonna make it. Humans are feeble.¡±

    As she traipsed further down the stairs, trying not to slip, a widening grin creeped onto her face. ¡°Hell, I can¡¯t believe it,¡± she said more to herself than to Theora. ¡°What a lucky day, getting out and all. And headed to a village, too!¡± She turned around to Theora, as if she was breaking news with that statement. ¡°I¡¯m gonna meet so many humans! Big get-together. Oh, this is gonna be fun.¡±

    Theora gave her an unimpressed look, but Dema didn¡¯t seem to care. Instead, she held up a hand.

    ¡°No talking to me for a while,¡± she said, as if there had been any risk of that happening. ¡°I¡¯m gonna devise a plan of what I¡¯m gonna tell ¡¯em.¡± Then, she tapped her temple. ¡°Time to think!¡±

    The promise of calm didn¡¯t last for long. Soon, they had made their way down far enough that the steep cliff to their left had flattened into a hillside, vast and filled with snow. Dema immediately jumped off the path and into it, vanishing almost to her hip inside.

    ¡°How cool is that!¡± she shouted into the rumbling of the wind, and started diving and throwing snow around like a child.

    Theora tried to ignore her, and simply paced further down the stairs. Every time she dared to feel even slightly good about Dema acting this excited, her chest stung at the realisation of what she¡¯d later need to do.

    After a few steps, Dema yelled a drawn out ¡°Hey!¡± at her.

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    The moment Theora turned around, a big, fat snowball landed directly in her face. It burst into a thousand smaller flakes like powder and left residue on her lips, in her nose, and on her eyebrows.

    Dema stared at her in mortified surprise, but couldn¡¯t keep the amusement off her expression at the same time. ¡°Oh my, little rabbit, I thought you were gonna dodge that, you know! After hyping yourself up like that, and then you can¡¯t even avoid that much.¡±

    ¡°I definitely could have dodged,¡± Theora mumbled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true,¡± Dema teasingly sing-songed.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it is,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you?¡±

    A few seconds passed, with Theora fighting with herself as to whether she should explain herself or move on. Talking took effort, and she tried her best to deal with the storm inside her empty shell right now. Eventually, she said, ¡°Moving fast is tiring.¡±

    Dema replied with a drawn out ¡°Oh!¡± and then set out to form another, even larger snowball. She made an incredibly telegraphed winding up motion and theatrically threw it at Theora.

    It impacted straight on her face in another massive barrage of white.

    ¡°Oh my,¡± Dema exclaimed, and stared for a few seconds. Theora continued to stand there, unmoving. ¡°I think I found your weakness. Damn, I gotta note those things down somewhere. I forget things a lot. I¡¯ll need to fetch some paper in town¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have any money,¡± Theora pointed out. In the far north, the use of money was still common. But Dema simply shrugged.

    ¡°Big deal. Can always steal some.¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t steal money. People worked hard for that,¡± Theora said, turned around, and continued walking.

    ¡°Who said I was gonna steal the money! I¡¯m just gonna steal the paper. Way easier. Think straight for a second, please.¡±

    Theora ever so slightly shook her head in a way that Dema wouldn¡¯t be able to pick up from this distance. After playing in the snow for a bit longer, Dema finally caught up. She was shivering, folding her arms in front of her to keep herself warm. Realistically, her blood was probably close to freezing.

    ¡°It¡¯s kinda chilly,¡± she chattered.

    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± said Theora. ¡°Why would you play in the snow if you¡¯ll get cold? Do you need some of my clothing? I¡¯d rather not have to carry you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, no,¡± she said, trembling, waving her arm in a dismissive gesture before folding it back in. ¡°I feel kinda warm in the cold, actually.¡±

    ¡°How would that work?¡±

    ¡°Well, it lets me feel alive,¡± she explained, a soft smile on her face. Not the usual, teasing grin. She pulled her arms closer to herself. ¡°And being alive is nice. Makes my heart a hearth.¡±

    Theora swallowed.

    Two more months until they¡¯d reach that village. Two more months of Dema getting to live. That wasn¡¯t too much to ask, right?

 Chapter 5: Terrible Fate

    And thus, two months passed.

    They took both an eternity and went over in a heartbeat at the same time. Theora mostly spent them just walking ahead on the path, being lost in her own circling thoughts. Dema talked to her constantly, but rarely required any answers.

    They both had a very intricate relationship with time, and what might seem like a daunting duration to many felt like almost nothing to them.

    Theora spent a sizable while as an anxious mess, though it didn¡¯t necessarily show on the outside. There was no reason to let Dema know any of it, it would just be cruel to use that girl as an outlet to lament a situation she was essentially the victim of. However, day after day, Theora¡¯s anxiety slowly subsided in lieu of increasing agitation.

    That agitation stemmed not from Dema¡¯s endless shenanigans. Not from her constant questions, her teasing, or from her pretend-snoring at night, or from the way she started screaming in joy every time she saw a snow rabbit and started gushing how it was ¡®just like Theora¡¯. Or from the fact that Dema really liked to show off random rocks she found on the wayside. No, these things didn¡¯t bother Theora at all. If anything, they were helpful distractions, though her emptiness was hard to fill even with any of that.

    Instead, what actually bothered her was the System. It had been quite a while since she¡¯d felt such annoyance, and even if, by some metric, she maybe wasn¡¯t justified in feeling like this, she couldn¡¯t help it.

    She thought the System was being unkind. Hadn¡¯t Theora earned some good-will? Shown determination? She¡¯d put on a yearlong journey to find the Ancient Evil, had removed it from its prison, and now, Dema¡¯s impending death was just a second away, at any given point in time. Theora had, for some reason, expected a little bit of a concession, the tiniest fragment of a compromise for having advanced on her Main Quest.

    And yet, right now, as Dema was peacefully sleeping in front of her, Theora had been woken up by a pop-up she knew all too well. One that persisted even through her attempts to mute System notifications.

    [Current Main Quest: Kill the Ancient Evil.]

    In her anger, she almost lashed out. Almost did something she¡¯d already done once before and knew to be pointless.

    It was no use. She took a deep breath, needing to restrain herself. It was getting strikingly hard. Theora wasn¡¯t usually one to work herself up ¡ª except exactly in situations like this that felt simply unjust.

    As she forcefully shut down the message again, Dema¡¯s face suddenly appeared in the middle of her field of view. Theora had prepared a mat of hay and grass over the stone floor, and Dema was sleeping on it soundly.

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    The two were in an alcove, shielding themselves from the rain in the night. They¡¯d travelled south for a long time, but the weather was still chilly. Not that Dema minded, as she continued doing all the same kinds of lively nonsense that would cause her to get cold. And then, she¡¯d proceed to complain about feeling cold for an hour.

    Right now, she was probably truly asleep. If she wasn¡¯t, she¡¯d likely attempt to be aggravating in some way. ¡®Accidentally¡¯ kicking Theora, making unsavoury noises, or ¡®sleep talking¡¯ mockeries for which she¡¯d deny all responsibility when awake. ¡®Little rabbit wants to be dominated¡¯ had been one of the more egregious sleepy mumble crimes, and when Theora tried to complain about it later, Dema gave her best to make Theora repeat ¡®the exact words¡¯ because otherwise ¡®how would she be able to remember what Theora was talking about.¡¯

    But now, Dema looked calm. Her body gently swayed up and down with her breathing, her expression was unusually serene. One of her arms was ashen white, the other was tar black, and the legs repeated that pattern, but on opposite limbs. Her face was mostly dark, patches of white around her eyes. Where the colours met, they did so in seemingly mathematical patterns. It was fairly aesthetic, as far as Theora dared to judge.

    Her pointed and long ears were bent ever so slightly against the plants on the ground. Rather cutely, a little twig had somehow gotten itself caught up on the slightly bent, black demon horn protruding from the right side of her forehead. And the hair was a dark and short mess. Dema kept lazily cutting it herself ¡ª apparently whenever a strand grew too long and annoyed her in some way, for example by grazing her shoulder or entering her field of vision, she¡¯d just shorten it back by half, leaving the rest of her hair-style as-is.

    Theora had the sudden urge to draw a blanket over Dema¡¯s body, except, of course, she didn¡¯t have a blanket, and even if she did, she would never actually do it. If Dema suddenly woke up after being doted on that way, Theora would never hear the end of it.

    Well, ¡®never¡¯ was a harsh word to use, because it didn¡¯t encompass that much time in their case.

    Tomorrow, they¡¯d arrive in the village. Dema could have a bit of fun, let herself out. And then, perhaps, finally, she¡¯d agree to end this whole farce. Maybe these two months had given her enough time to ¡®think¡¯. Because Theora was tired, being reminded of this Main Quest every single day, and having that excruciating pain in her chest of knowing where it all would end. For both of them.

    Because completing her Main Quest would be the last thing Theora would ever do. After that, she¡¯d finally be able to rest and find respite from this continued exhaustion Dema happily called ¡®being alive.¡¯

    Ending the Ancient Evil was the only reason for Theora to even exist. She knew that no matter how she felt about it, it was what she had to do. She couldn¡¯t pass on before ending the Ancient Evil. Unleashing it on the world would lead to unknowable suffering. It was the inevitable conclusion.

    It was her terrible fate.

    Even for Theora, it was hard to believe. This small, fragile creature, sleeping peacefully. That something like her could be irredeemably evil. And yet, it was likely that every single gesture of this creature was deliberate, carefully constructed for the purpose of prolonging its life and regaining its freedom to inflict endless suffering.

    Of course, those attempts were pointless floundering, because none of it would work in the end. And yet, Theora couldn¡¯t help but feel sympathetic for her.

    She inhaled the air filled with petrichor, gazed out at the soft drizzle lit up by just one moon and the dying embers of their campfire, and then laid back down to sleep.

    Just one more day.

 Chapter 6: Shut-Down

    A few hours later, Theora was woken up by Dema¡¯s voice sing-songing a hearty ¡°Good morning, little rabbit!¡± but she didn¡¯t immediately open her eyes. Even moving her eyelids was too tiring.

    ¡°Look what I found!¡± Dema continued, but Theora didn¡¯t budge, each of her limbs feeling way too heavy.

    ¡°If you ain¡¯t gonna wake up, I¡¯ll put it on your face.¡± In that gleeful threat, the grin on her face was perceivable through just her voice.

    ¡°Already awake,¡± Theora murmured, lids still closed like iron curtains.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you are!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I am.¡±

    After a few more seconds, Dema let out a mock sullen hum. ¡°Why, you brought this on yourself, then,¡± she pouted, and Theora could hear her shuffle in motion. A moment later, a few soft prickles appeared on her skin. On her cheek, on her lip, on her forehead. They spanned almost half her face. Something had been placed on her, and it moved.

    Six legs, big body. A large beetle of sorts, it must have been. Slowly, it crawled across her skin, even placing a little leg on her closed eyelid. It was quite heavy.

    ¡°Don¡¯t use animals as toys,¡± Theora chastised, but despite saying that, she enjoyed its touch.

    ¡°Damn, I was hoping you were gonna jump or something. Aren¡¯t humans queasy about this stuff? You ain¡¯t icked out? Not scared?¡±

    ¡°Scared of what? It¡¯s just a bug.¡± It was probably even a very cute bug.

    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Dema trailed off in her hum, appearing to be lost in thought for a moment.

    With her grin still shining through her voice, she then said, ¡°So¡¯s that what you think of me too? A lil¡¯ bug you¡¯ve no reason to be scared of?¡± That question wasn¡¯t intoned as a reproach at all. Just curiosity.

    ¡°You are not a bug,¡± Theora said. ¡°And bugs are just as precious as anything else. Don¡¯t toy with them.¡±

    Dema¡¯s body shuffled again, maybe in a shrug. ¡°Little thing crawled on my hand on its own. And on your face too. Why, it probably likes you.¡±

    Eventually, the bug took off and flew away. Theora opened her eyes, and saw Dema¡¯s teasing face.

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna reach the village later, so I didn¡¯t wanna have you sleep in,¡± she explained. ¡°Am a little excited for it, not gonna lie. I got a bunch of things I wanna do there. So, let¡¯s hurry up!¡±

    Theora was close to drifting away again, but she mustered her strength, steeled her mind and eventually got up, subjected to Dema¡¯s exaggerated cheering.

    ¡°You did it! I¡¯m so proud of you. Off we go!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going,¡± Theora claimed, but kept Dema in her gaze. ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to follow me? It feels like you are ordering me around.¡±

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    ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t mind being ordered around.¡±

    Theora gave her a blank look. ¡°How would you possibly come to that conclusion? I just complained,¡± she replied. Somehow, she was surprised at herself for even arguing this point at all.

    Because she really didn¡¯t mind.

    ¡°Oh, yeah, sorry,¡± Dema grinned. ¡°You know I¡¯m gonna forget these things if you don¡¯t put them in writing!¡±

    The rain had stopped by now and it was a relatively nice day. The sun shone from an unclouded sky, but their breath was still visible as it puffed into the cold. Dema undid her cloak and hung it over her shoulder, stretching her arms out and aiming her face upwards to absorb as much light on her skin as possible.

    Meanwhile, Theora¡¯s thoughts were bleak. She, somehow, in her tired state of mind, had managed to delude herself into thinking ¡°Just a few more hours.¡± Just a few more hours until she¡¯d fulfilled Dema¡¯s wish. Just a few more hours, and she¡¯d finally be rid of this tiresome existence. Just a few more hours, and she¡¯d never have to see another System prompt again. In the far back of her mind, she knew that none of it was true, and if she hadn¡¯t been so frustrated and tired and anxious, she would have realised that.

    Dema¡¯s joyful rambles barely pierced the cloak of her subconscious. She was vaguely aware that someone was talking to her, but didn¡¯t listen. Not that anything Dema ever said was truly important, she just loved to talk, and most of the time, Theora was fine hearing it all. The cadence of Dema¡¯s words was nice, it was an alto pitched voice with gentle rasp, soothing just for its sound, even without listening to the content.

    Just a few more hours, she thought again, and finally, to some degree, the phrase struck her as odd.

    How was it possible that she both looked forward to and dreaded the result of this day? A truly impossible state of mind, and the worst part was, she wasn¡¯t even the victim in all this.

    Dema was.

    And yet, all of Theora¡¯s thoughts were centred on herself. She took a deep breath, and held it a few seconds. Dema was what mattered here. Dema would get to have a nice day, maybe even complete some of the schemes she had devised. Theora needed to stop her selfish thoughts, and instead contemplate whether there was something she could do for Dema. Not that she had any inspiration on what that could possibly be, and not that the girl seemed to have any need for it. But still, it was better than brooding over useless thoughts.

    And with that, the town came into view, after a curve in the path around a mountain.

    The moment it did, Theora felt a little relief. Dema¡¯s big day. Time to be there for her. Time to do her best. Time to be nice and supportive to the best of her ability, even if that ability wasn¡¯t very high.

    And immediately, a System message popped up.

    [Current Main Quest: Kill the Ancient Evil.]

    Maybe it was her exhaustion. Her feeling of bottomless emptiness. The anxiety mixed with the happiness for Dema. Or maybe it was all of this together.

    Theora finally snapped.

    The entire soup of conflicting thoughts in her brain brewed a cocktail that somehow managed to dissolve all her self-restraint, which just a few hours at night she had already only barely managed to sustain. She pulled her sword in a wild reflex, splitting the air in a line of azure light, pink particles bursting out from it.

    [Obliterate].

    And thus, the System message in front of her was slashed in half. It fizzled out in glitching flashes, gone just like that, with a pitiful buzz only Theora could hear.

    ¡°Huh? The hell?¡± Dema let out, jolting up. All the System prompts and messages in her personal frame of mind were likely disintegrating in front of her that very moment.

    For the second time ever since its birth so very long ago, the System shut down.

 Chapter 7: A Crack in the Facade

    Shutting down the System had consequences, but there were limits. Skills were inherent to people and not granted, thus, they could still be used. However, with her action, Theora had broken the ability for anyone within a certain range to gain quests or to clear them, to read System descriptions or use System-specific Skills like [Appraise], or receive notifications of other types. There were likely other features, but she didn¡¯t use the System very much, so she had no idea what had been impacted there.

    The first time she¡¯d done it, she had hoped the System would be gone for good, but within a few days, it had reinstated itself. If it learned anything at that time, it should come back faster now.

    Still, she bit her lip. Losing her temper in this overreaching manner, impacting people who had nothing to do with this, she deeply detested it. The only good part was that she didn¡¯t have to look at this despicable Main Quest for a while. She¡¯d make sure to ask in the village if anyone was negatively affected by the shut-down.

    ¡°Damn, that was you, right?¡± Dema suddenly gaped at her. ¡°You can overpower the System? Huh. I can¡¯t even view my stats.¡±

    Theora stared back, an ever so slight amount of blood rushing to her face, and not necessarily in the good way. For once, Dema wasn¡¯t grinning. She looked stupefied and confused. ¡°Ain¡¯t ever seen anything like this,¡± she said. She kept Theora in her piercing stare. Thoughts must have been rattling in her brain, because, after a while, sounding a little defeated, Dema raised her voice again in a bit of a sullen tone. ¡°You didn¡¯t, like, have to do that, you know?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Theora asked, and for some reason, a slight shiver went down her spine.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t gonna pull anything, is what I¡¯m saying,¡± Dema continued. ¡°I was just gonna have a little fun. Nothing bad. That must have¡­ what. Cost you a fortune of credits? No way that wasn¡¯t some unique one-time Skill. Or is it your Legendary?¡±

    Credits¡­ Legendary Skills¡­ Theora vaguely remembered there being things like that. They had lost meaning to her a long time ago. She caught Dema¡¯s look, and something dawned on her. It was hard to make out from her expression, impossible to tell for sure, but there was a slight possibility that Dema was actually genuinely hurt.

    ¡°I¡­ That¡¯s not what happened,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°I see,¡± Dema carefully intoned, not arguing maybe for the first time. ¡°Well. I don¡¯t know the first thing about you, your Class, or Skills. My [Appraise] only ever gave me gibberish on you. So it¡¯s kinda hard for me to tell what happened.¡±

    ¡®I got angry at a quest that kept telling me to kill you, so I lashed out like a child and terminated the System with my basic Skill¡¯ was what happened, but there was no way for Theora to tell Dema that. To even think about telling her that. It was ridiculous, and Dema probably wouldn¡¯t even believe it.

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    As an amalgamation of hundreds, perhaps thousands of Skills Theora had gathered over her life, probably half of which she¡¯d forgotten and the other half never even read, [Obliterate] was a complex Skill that could be used on virtually anything. With a plethora of unforeseeable results, most of which had a tendency to be irreversibly destructive. Though, even she had been shocked when, a long time ago, she¡¯d used it on her Main Quest out of frustration for the first time, and it actually worked.

    Theora was broken, in every sense of the word.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, and that did cause a slight shift in Dema¡¯s posture. Probably did not expect the Heroine to apologise for anything, ever.

    ¡°Just here to have fun,¡± Dema repeated her intentions with a nod, almost as if to appease a wild beast. The sentence lingered in the air for a while, and then she added, ¡°I¡¯m gonna think for a bit,¡± and tapped her temple. With that, a slight smile came back to her face. She slowly paced on toward the village, breaking eye-contact with Theora only after bending her neck with a slightly uncomfortable amount of steps.

    Eventually, Theora followed after her.

    Dema did cause the guards at the entrance gate to raise some eyebrows. She looked inhuman enough to make them wary, and they were probably on edge anyway due to not being able to [Appraise] her. When Theora followed and stepped next to her, the atmosphere relaxed, if only a little. After all, Theora looked strong. A complex and reinforced, multilayered coat with expensive looking ornaments, and a high quality sword peeking out from her side. And, she looked human, with wild and puffed curly brown hair, thick eyebrows, and freckles all over her face. Age in her mid-twenties, and very tall. Expressionless and calm gaze, unperturbed by the presence of a monster at her side.

    And that monster on her side was a scrawny, small creature in ragged clothes, shivering from the cold.

    After asking for a few details like names, levels, Classes and destination, to which Theora gave short and largely uninformative answers, they ended up letting them pass reluctantly. Probably mostly out of pity for the trembling demoness who seemed very much like a captive.

    ¡°Let¡¯s find an inn first,¡± Theora proposed as they walked through the main street. The buildings were interspersed with many trees, a beautiful apple orchard forming the centre of the village. People were taking walks there, and a few children were playing. It was still early in the evening. After taking in the scenery for a bit with a wary glance, Theora added, ¡°Once we have a place to sleep, you can go and have fun. I¡¯ll need to take care of some things.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Dema¡¯s eyebrows perked up. ¡°Little rabbit¡¯s not gonna keep tabs on me?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t today.¡±

    Dema intently inspected Theora¡¯s face, but it was blank, not giving away any information.

    ¡°Not worried I¡¯m gonna do something bad after all, huh?¡±

    ¡°Dema,¡± Theora started, her voice firm, but her expression still calm. ¡°Please don¡¯t do anything. I need to make sure everyone is okay, with the System not working.¡±

    With that, the Ancient Evil¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Oh my! I see,¡± she hummed. ¡°What a shame I don¡¯t have any paper yet. That¡¯s another big weakness of yours showing. I gotta note it down before I forget. But, sure. I already told you I wasn¡¯t gonna do anything bad here. Was just teasing. Rest assured!¡±

    Theora nodded in what appeared to be a thankful gesture, and then she paced further along the main road, eyes intently scanning the buildings in search for a place to stay. She also started counting them.

    There were a lot. She couldn¡¯t afford to waste time.

 Chapter 8: Fallout

    Dema wasn¡¯t used to Theora pacing at a heightened speed, so she stumbled a bit to keep up with her due to her shorter legs. Eventually, the two found themselves in front of a large inn on the other side of the garden, and entered.

    The atmosphere inside was warm, the air thick. It smelled of food ¡ª potatoes, baked apple pie, a few herbal spices. The place was filled with people of all ages; apparently the villagers that didn¡¯t bother staying in the garden in the cold used this place as a gathering spot during the darker months.

    At the bar was a small man, fairly thin, with long hair, glasses, light skin and a welcoming smile.

    Theora looked at Dema, who was pirouetting next to her, checking out every single person in the tavern with a curious, brimming smile. Like a child that had been given its favourite toy. Except to her, the toys were people. Nobody inside seemed wary of her; the guards had been, but that was just because it was their job not to let threats inside. Now that Dema was here, nobody had a reason to be suspicious of her.

    Theora turned her gaze to stare at the Innkeeper, unable to make up her mind. Dema didn¡¯t even notice how much she was hesitating. Finally, trying to steel her voice, Theora said, ¡°One room, please. But make sure that it has two different beds.¡±

    That was the best solution she could come up with. Staying in separate rooms seemed like the sensible thing to do, but¡­

    At that moment, Theora realised that they really had no reason at all to stay in the same room. Even sleeping next door, there was no way Dema would pull anything. So, why one room?

    She filed that curiosity of her own mind away for later. Instead, she ended up causing Dema to sulk dramatically by asking the barman to provide them with some paper.

    ¡°I wanted to steal it,¡± Dema lamented, sitting at an empty table, a stack and a pen in front of her.

    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I asked for some before you could. Look, we got it for free, so what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°The matter¡¯s that it ain¡¯t no fun if it ain¡¯t stolen!¡± Now, she complained even louder ¡ª in fact, so loud, most people around probably heard.

    Theora almost laughed. ¡°I need to go now,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll be back as soon as I can, but if I¡¯m late, feel free to just go to bed.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Dema grumbled.

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    The small village called Dusketon contained a total of 86 houses. Over the next few hours, Theora systematically knocked on door after door, with the intended goal of visiting every single home. Each time, she asked a few short questions. Was there any trouble? Did anyone in the house require use of the System to survive? Was any person living in that house currently missing?

    It was a small town, with only a few hundred inhabitants, and for most of them, the System turned out to be a mere afterthought. Something they used for their everyday tasks, but few of them actually had the need to access messages immediately. If it was just a few days, they said, everything should be fine.

    The sun soon set, and the nightly hours arrived, however, Theora didn¡¯t stop proceeding with her visitations. Even if it meant waking people up, it was important to check on every single person.

    She reached house number 56 long past midnight, and was answered there by a woman in her sixties. She had a warm, lopsided smile, was wearing a pink nightgown and seemed vaguely bleary-eyed from sleep. It had taken her a few minutes to answer the knocks. The house smelled of basil and old books.

    ¡°Hello dear, how can I help?¡± she asked, opening the door as wide as possible.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to offer assistance in case you need any,¡± Theora almost croaked. She was not used to talking this much and had strained her voice for hours. ¡°Concerning the System being down.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, you need a cup of tea,¡± she groaned in an endearing tone and wildly gestured Theora inside.

    Theora, however, didn¡¯t oblige. ¡°I still have more homes to visit,¡± she said.

    ¡°Yes, but keep watch of yourself, dear. You can¡¯t help others while you ignore your bodily needs. Come, now. The water in the pot should still be warm enough to infuse a cup of green tea.¡±

    Somehow, Theora found herself unable to refuse, and within just a minute, she sat on an old but sturdy chair in front of a dark oakwood table, surrounded by bookshelves.

    ¡°Do you live here alone?¡± Theora asked, just as the old woman came back with the cup, tea leaves still brewing in a small sieve within.

    ¡°No, my grandson¡¯s here with me. Out tonight, though.¡±

    ¡°Where did he go?¡±

    ¡°Left for the woods, I presume. Hunting.¡±

    Theora raised an eyebrow. ¡°Hunting?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Or, levelling, to be more precise. There¡¯s old ruins in the woods. It¡¯s a place that attracts Afterthoughts.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± said Theora. It was important not to make that woman panic. ¡°Can you describe to me where it is?¡±

    The woman smiled, and gave a concise description. Leave through the west gate, into the forest, take a few correct turns in the winding path. Theora nodded, etching it into her memory.

    If the System had still been online, and if it hadn¡¯t been currently rejecting her, this would have probably caused a side quest to pop-up. That said, if the System was still online, this all wouldn¡¯t be necessary.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Theora said, and got up. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to drink your tea now. I need to leave.¡±

    ¡°Oh? But you only just¡­¡±

    The woman frowned. She stared at Theora for just a moment, as the pieces seemed to fall into place. ¡°You said the System was down. Didn¡¯t even notice.¡± A few more seconds passed, and the horror entered her expression. ¡°Oh my god.¡±

    ¡°I will make sure he is safe,¡± Theora said, and left through the door.

 Chapter 9: The Orb of Seven Wishes

    The moment Theora left the house, she pulled one of her arms inside her multilayered clothing and rummaged around for a bit. When it came back out, she held a small, iridescent glass orb between her fingers.

    This was the last one she had. Initially, she¡¯d planned to keep this item ¡ª an Orb of Seven Wishes, a high-end quest reward ¡ª for a different purpose.

    No choice. With a snap, the orb shattered into a fine powder between her fingers, carried away with the wind. As it went, her body was engulfed by a faint white aura that subsided over the next few seconds, and she felt noticeably lighter. A bubbly feeling filled her chest, her heart beating faster as was the blood flushing through her veins. A fake cloud of excitement induced by the temporary effect of the orb.

    She hopped, and remained floating in the air. Then, she hovered out of the village, the wind lashing against her face and hair.

    Theora was not built for haste ¡ª the quests she typically received weren¡¯t time-sensitive in a way that made it necessary to rush. Also, it was possible that the grandchild was completely fine. However, training typically involved relying on level-up and achievement rewards, as well as reading new Skills. It was entirely possible that the boy had gone there expecting to receive a bunch of quest and levelling bonuses, and gotten none, and thus found himself in a dangerous position.

    She¡¯d lost her temper, and now, someone was in potential danger because of it. In fact, there were still many homes to check even in case he was fine.

    She flew through the air, a few paces above the ground ¡ª the orb would have allowed her to go higher, but it was a mountainous forest region, so seeing her target from afar wasn¡¯t easy. Instead, she followed the route described to her by the old woman, rushing ahead as fast as she could.

    The two moons hadn¡¯t entirely filled, but were strong enough to light the up-and-down path in front of her. The world swept past in a blur, forest scents filling her nose while she tried to still her thoughts and remain ready and poised for whatever she¡¯d find at her destination.

    It took her six minutes to reach the place. She had counted the seconds. A small ruin came into view, of what must have once been a mill. The riverbed next to it had dried out to a tiny rinse unable to power the massive wheel.

    And thus, the mill had been abandoned. A lot of the planks making up the walls had withered away, leaving the stone behind. Theora found the young boy on the roof.

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    He was hurt, but alive. Panting deeply, with a puddle of blood beneath him, he tried to face off the Afterthoughts pushing him into a corner. He was clearly at wit¡¯s end. There was no way to escape for him.

    Afterthoughts weren¡¯t intelligent creatures ¡ª in fact, they weren¡¯t creatures at all. They formed from the surplus of thoughts and emotions, and were attracted to locations filled with bygone remorse or similar strong attachments. At least, that¡¯s what most people thought, though Theora had a different suspicion about their origin.

    That didn¡¯t matter right now, though.

    Lashing out against whatever was close with parts of the cognition that brought them into existence, the weaker ones were made of black, bulky shadows, resembling the beings that involuntarily created them.

    Right now, there were two that looked like wolves, seven that looked like humans, and three birds of prey. Sharp contours, sometimes melting away before reforming.

    The boy was a teenager, probably not even eighteen years old yet. He was holding a staff, likely a [Mage] and not a [Healer], since his wounds showed no sign of closing. Combat Classes weren¡¯t common; he could well be the only one in that village to have selected one, save maybe for some of the guards.

    [Obliterate] was a Skill that needed a target. That target had to be clearly defined, and singular.

    However, while [Obliterate] could only target single entities, those entities could be about whatever one chose, although more creative choices showed more unpredictable results, many of which could include unwelcome side effects. The important part was that the Skill allowed abstract concepts as potential targets.

    In this very specific case, Theora knew she was able to target the [Swarm of Afterthoughts], and her wind-element sword made her slashes carry through the air.

    With a single, complex drawing motion, she destroyed all of them. They were torn into pieces, sweeping away in the wind, letting out terrible death cries. It felt awful to end them. Their remains scattered across the area.

    Theora had caused this boy to be hurt, put herself in a position where she needed to kill. Afterthoughts weren¡¯t truly alive, and yet, she couldn¡¯t help but feel put-off, because using [Obliterate] on an Afterthought or the strongest monster in the world made functionally no difference. Before, there was something, and then there was nothing.

    The boy sank to the ground. ¡°Thank you,¡± he wheezed, his eyes losing focus. Theora closed the distance to him, checking up on his wounds, tearing off parts of her clothes to stop the bleedings for lack of any better material. ¡°I messed up so bad¡­ The System¡­¡± he mumbled. ¡°I wasn¡¯t getting any rewards¡­ I thought I could keep going, but¡­¡±

    Theora took him up into a princess carry. ¡°Sleep,¡± she said, and turned to fly back to the village. Her night wasn¡¯t even close to ending. There was still much left to do.

 Chapter 10: Amends

    She visited the remaining houses that same night, but found no further issues in any of them. Finally, after having seen and talked to every single person in the village, she returned to house number 56 in the morning hours.

    The old woman answered, and seemed like she¡¯d not gotten a lot of sleep. ¡°Welcome back,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you so much. I heard from the doctor. Nate is okay, he¡¯s sleeping, he¡¯ll stay in the resting bed at her place for a day, but it should all be well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Theora said.

    The woman widened her eyes. For a second, confusion filled her face, but then she nodded. ¡°He¡¯ll be okay. Levelling is dangerous. That¡¯s part of the deal.¡±

    Theora said nothing. Just as she was about to leave, the woman raised her voice again. ¡°I¡¯ll make you another cup of tea. You didn¡¯t get to drink the old one.¡±

    ¡°Do you still have it? The old one?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡ª Yes. I forgot to clear it away. I was just so worried when you left.¡±

    ¡°I will have that one,¡± Theora said, ¡°If you allow.¡±

    Sinking down on the same chair, finally, after all these hours, the exhaustion and fatigue caught up to her. She felt it not in her muscles or her lungs, but in her heart and her mind. Existing was tiring. She made a mistake, and that mistake had almost cost someone¡¯s life. Oh, how much she wanted to sleep.

    Except, she couldn¡¯t. Not yet. She¡¯d stay awake until the System was reinstated, in case anyone came for help.

    The tea was cold, but it tasted well. The brew time had been short. No bitterness, and yet, a full, sweet, and grassy flavour, like standing on a freshly scythed meadow. Being able to brew such amazing tea was truly nothing but a blessing ¡ª one that likely stemmed from a mountain of loving effort over a long time. And now, after what she¡¯d done, Theora was somehow still allowed, still tolerated, to sit here, and cherish it.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she repeated.

    There was something else Theora needed to do, and she set out for it right after leaving house 56. It was unrelated to the System itself, and yet still connected to her mistake. Making her way through the garden towards the east side of the village, she came back to the flower shop she¡¯d already visited a few hours earlier. Everything had been fine, but there was another reason for her to return.

    ¡°Oh, you are back!¡± the owner said, a black, tall man with dreadlocks and glasses, wearing a jersey that looked almost a little too cold for the weather.

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    ¡°I said I would be,¡± Theora replied. Did she not seem dependable?

    ¡°It¡¯s just a little early,¡± he chuckled. ¡°You look like you haven¡¯t slept in days.¡±

    She felt like she hadn¡¯t slept in years.

    ¡°Flower language,¡± Theora noted. ¡°Such a thing exists, right?¡±

    He looked a little surprised, but then started beaming. ¡°You want to give someone a message through flowers?¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°A sentence, if possible. An apology.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Hurt someone?¡± Oddly, his smile didn¡¯t leave, but it still didn¡¯t seem misplaced. He was immediately turning to his flowers, giving a thoughtful look while glancing over them.

    ¡°I hurt several people,¡± Theora responded, ¡°but the flowers are for my companion.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Yes, yes. Well, flower language does exist. It was a fad a long time ago, people kept publishing books on how to arrange and read bouquets. It¡¯s very regional and depends a lot on the book you use. I don¡¯t know which one was the most popular here¡­ You¡¯re travellers, right? It might be hard to understand a message just from flowers if you¡¯ve not learned the language. Unless the message is encoded through something like a Skill, of course.¡±

    ¡°So I can¡¯t apologise?¡± Theora asked, and despite her monotonous voice, the dejection was immediately apparent.

    The owner laughed. ¡°I think if you hurt that person and turn up with a bouquet of flowers the next day, the intent should be clear enough. Just put your heart into it while choosing the flowers, and it should work. I believe that your voice will be carried through your choices.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora responded. ¡°Please, do criticise my picks if it somehow ends up spelling out a death wish to her in regional flower language.¡±

    He burst out, harder than before. ¡°Of course I will! No worries.¡±

    And with that, Theora deliberately went over every single flower and plant in the shop, and made her deliberations on how to fill her bouquet.

    It was a lovely place. The flowers were all arranged by colour. Outside stood a few ones resistant to the cold weather, and inside, they were aligned in a rainbow, with white ones to the left, and black ones to the right. To Theora, Dema¡¯s main colours were white, black, red, and amber. However, she didn¡¯t want to give her a bouquet that looked simply like her.

    Theora¡¯s favourite colour was blue.

    How did this all mesh?

    The bouquet she eventually ended up with was a mix of tulips and roses, all white. A very simple spray of flowers, but Theora was not good at expressing herself, and this was the best she could do. In a vague and abstract way she couldn¡¯t put into words, it did look exactly like what she wanted to say. Whether these feelings would be carried to the recipient, she wasn¡¯t so sure.

    She hadn¡¯t shut down the System out of mistrust towards Dema. Maybe, one could argue that mistrust may have actually been in order due to Dema being the Ancient Evil, but that really didn¡¯t matter here at all. If Theora thought Dema was truly evil, then she should simply kill her, not go on journeys together and look at the pretty rocks the girl found. She couldn¡¯t have it both ways; as long as Dema was alive, she needed to treat her properly.

    Even though she hadn¡¯t meant to, she¡¯d hurt her, so a few flowers were the least she could do.

    Leaving the flower shop, Theora couldn¡¯t help but wonder. During all this time she¡¯d been gone, what had Dema been up to? She just hoped she¡¯d found a few nice people to talk to, and been able to have fun.

 Chapter 11: Tricked

    Dema sat in the tavern, and she looked both excited and wary at the same time. She gave anxious looks left and right, sitting across a light skinned man in his twenties with ashen hair, whom she''d come to know as ¡®Leo¡¯.

    ¡°Make sure to keep this all a secret,¡± Dema whispered, slowly. ¡°Not gonna lie, I¡¯ll be in trouble when it gets out.¡±

    ¡°Of course. No, of course. This is terrible,¡± he replied. ¡°I mean, she sounds like a tyrant. She kidnapped you. Is holding you hostage, on a tight leash. And she says she¡¯s going to kill you. Look, I know some demons can be bad, but¡­ damn.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Dema responded, biting her lip. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know any better. That¡¯s the kinda stuff heroes do, after all.¡± Then, a small smile curled her lip. ¡°But, no need to pity her, because I¡¯m gonna betray her, badly. She ain¡¯t even gonna see it coming.¡±

    Leo winced ever so slightly at her smile, but caught himself quickly. ¡°But you said she¡¯s ridiculously strong. Look, I¡¯m willing to help, but I¡¯m only a Level 20 [Baker]. I can¡¯t watch injustice like this, but¡­¡± He hesitated for just a moment, before shaking his head, ashen hair jiggling at the sides of his face. ¡°I mean, you said she even complained about you bossing her around?¡±

    Dema looked onto the table with a sad gaze. ¡°Yeah. It may be hard to believe, but she did do that.¡±

    ¡°Even though she essentially has complete control over you and your fate,¡± he said, head still shaking, making fists on the table. ¡°It¡¯s horrifying. She has no concept of ¡ª of decency.¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s true¡­ she really doesn¡¯t¡­¡±

    A few moments went by, Leo visibly trying to restrain his anger. Eventually, he took a breath, steeled himself, and said, ¡°Okay. So, you can¡¯t fight her. Do you know what kinds of abilities she has? Do you have any Skills to counter her, maybe? Perhaps it¡¯s best if we can come up with a way to get you out without fighting.¡±

    Dema fell into thought for a moment. ¡°Well¡­ Her abilities are one hell of a mystery to me. Big question mark. My [Appraise] doesn¡¯t even work on her.¡± She eyed the ceiling for a second. ¡°Why, I hear someone apparently saw her fly at night.¡±

    ¡°Damn, flight?¡± Leo said with a gasp. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª pretty big stuff. Let¡¯s hope for your sake it was an item, and not a Skill, since an item¡¯s gonna time out. Though¡­ if she¡¯s really that strong, she might have a big stash¡­¡±

    Dema nodded, looking slightly worried. ¡°As for me, my stuff is mostly deception themed. I¡¯m good at lying, and tricking people. I have some offensive capabilities too, my main affinities are [Blood] and [Earth] magic, but they probably pale in relation to whatever it is that she can do.¡±

    ¡°This is not going to be easy,¡± Leo agreed, scratching his well-shaved cheeks. ¡°You¡¯ll probably need to run away instead of fighting, but¡­ you don¡¯t even know if she can track you! And the issue is, the moment she suspects that you might be plotting something, that could be lights-out.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema cried out, pointing her hand at him in deep catharsis. ¡°Exactly!¡± She acted like the first time in her life, someone truly understood her.

    ¡°I wonder if she already suspects anything,¡± he said. ¡°She apparently does leave you alone for at least a little bit, so it seems like she¡¯s totally oblivious.¡±

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    ¡°She does leave me some room, but that¡¯s only because she has better things to do. Doesn¡¯t even properly take care of me. Hasn¡¯t given me any food, either.¡± She stared into the distance with a resigned shake of her head. Then, she added, ¡°As to whether she suspects something, I think we can just ask?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± he blurted at Dema¡¯s suggestion, and watched her turn to the woman who was sitting next to her.

    ¡°Hey there, little rabbit!¡± she playfully yelled in an accusatory tone. ¡°Out with it. What do you know?!¡±

    Theora was sitting bent over the table in deep exhaustion, head lying on the wood, hugged by her own arms. Her eyes were open, but she just stared into a fixed point somewhere on a different table with a blank expression.

    Theora desperately wanted to sleep, but she couldn¡¯t. Not before the System was reinstated. She¡¯d been awake for almost sixty hours by now. Running on pure power of will. Ignoring the fog on her mind, the dull pain in her head, the heaviness of her limbs.

    In front of her was a glass, filled to the very brink with apple juice. Every time Theora took a sip, Dema immediately filled it back up with the big jug in the middle of the table.

    ¡°Looks like she ain¡¯t listening,¡± Dema shrugged.

    ¡°I am listening.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like it¡¯s true! You¡¯re half-asleep!¡±

    ¡°I cannot afford to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Wait a second, this can¡¯t be real,¡± Leo interrupted, mouth agape. ¡°I thought this was a random girl you picked up. It¡¯s her?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Tight leash and all. Can¡¯t even conspire in peace,¡± Dema claimed, and wiped a tear out of her eye.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what you¡ª,¡± he started, but then caught himself in a sigh of relief. ¡°Oh, thank god. You were messing with me. Sheesh. And I believed you! I was actually ready to like, I don¡¯t know. Take up arms for you. Oh my god. It¡¯s not even that time of a year. Don¡¯t go around doing stuff like that, you¡¯re going to cause a catastrophe one day.¡±

    Dema just shrugged and grinned. ¡°I did tell you I was good at deception! Everything I told you is true, though. Probably.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right. You think your captor would just sit by idly while you betray her? That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±

    He glanced at Theora, whose empty gaze switched to meet his, and suddenly, his demeanour changed. He looked her over. Her frilled and well-embellished clothes, the apparently magical sword leaning next to the bench she was sitting on. The unsettlingly calm look in her brown and unyielding eyes.

    And it dawned on him.

    ¡°Oh my god,¡± he blurted, and swallowed, sweat breaking from his head. ¡°How the hell ¡ª How the hell?!¡± Dema laughed out loud. He was genuinely stumped, and mortified. ¡°Please,¡± he begged, looking back at Theora, ¡°don¡¯t kill me for getting along with her. I was just¡ª¡± A flash of genuine worry flickered over his face.

    ¡°All in good fun!¡± Dema hummed, busy trying to get another drop into Theora¡¯s glass without it spilling over.

    Leo¡¯s gaze wandered between the two of them, and eventually, rested on Theora. It took him a few minutes before he was ready to speak again, but then he said, ¡°Okay, but, for real. Aren¡¯t you the slightest bit worried? What if she¡¯s putting on an act with all this?¡± He gestured at Dema, who was still concentrating with a scrunched up face on pouring the smallest amount possible, intent on not messing up. ¡°What if she''s just out to kill you off the moment she gets the chance? Knowing the exact behaviour you are weak to? How can you be so confident to just ignore it all? She could just be pretending to be approachable and cute.¡±

    Pretending to be flustered at being called cute, Dema raised her brows and drew her hand before her mouth, while ¡®accidentally¡¯ spilling a gush from the jug all over the table.

    Meanwhile, Theora just turned her gaze back to a random fixed point somewhere in the tavern. ¡°Confident,¡± she murmured. ¡°That word again.¡±

    It had nothing to do with confidence. Dema could conspire as much as she wanted, in secret or in the open, and none of it would matter. She¡¯d be killed by Theora; it was simply the truth of the world. A truth Theora could do nothing about.

    Oh, how much she wanted to sleep.

 Chapter 12: Flower Language

    It took another two hours until the System finally reinstated itself. Dema and Theora were still in the Tavern, although Dema had lost interest in talking to people and was now loudly yawning every ten seconds.

    ¡°Why, it¡¯s back,¡± she said the moment it happened. ¡°There we go, I can [Appraise] again. Been trying to do it the entire time.¡± She turned her gaze to Theora. ¡°Yep, yours is still nonsense. No clue how you do that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because the stat integers overflow, making the UI glitch out,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°At least, it used to be that. By now, maybe the encoding is just broken.¡±

    ¡°The hell does that mean?¡±

    ¡°I only vaguely understand myself,¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s what I pieced together from some error logs I sifted through a long time ago.¡±

    ¡®Some¡¯ being several thousand lines of code that had been regurgitated by the System once after some outer shell had broken. Or, to be more precise, after Theora had broken that outer shell.

    ¡°Damn.¡± Dema stared at her companion for a while longer, presumably studying the glitched-out [Appraisal] pop-up. ¡°Am starting to think you ain¡¯t bluffing,¡± she grinned.

    Theora gave a tired hum that didn¡¯t really mean anything.

    ¡°You gotta sleep,¡± Dema said. ¡°And I¡¯m spent too. Let¡¯s go to our room?¡±

    Theora did want to sleep, but she did not want to move. Instead, she just kept lying on the table.

    ¡°Want me to carry you up?¡± Dema asked cheekily.

    ¡°I do not,¡± Theora replied.

    ¡°I think you do!¡±

    Somehow, Theora never got tired of arguing with Dema. With a sudden jerk, she pushed herself up, mustering all energy to rise to her feet, only to defy her. Dema let out a disappointed ¡°Aww!¡± while giggling, and then got up as well.

    ¡°Ah, Dema, I have something for you. Upstairs.¡±

    The Ancient Evil looked at Theora, as a dark flicker of emotion wandered over her face, betraying her first thought at what that ¡®something¡¯ could be. It was clear that for the briefest moment, what Dema expected would await her upstairs was her death. However, she quickly caught herself, and kept smiling.

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    Theora¡¯s heart sank. Of course, it wasn¡¯t actually possible to be on good terms with someone one was planning to kill. Again, she had managed to delude herself. With heavy steps, she followed Dema to their room. Closing the wooden door behind her, Theora took a careful glance at the little demon, who was sitting on her bed and eyeing her with a curious gaze.

    Opening the cupboard in the room, Theora pulled out her white bouquet. She slowly traipsed over to Dema, and held it out to her.

    Dema just stared, surprised, with an I-can¡¯t-believe-this-is-happening expression plastered all across her face.

    ¡°It¡¯s for you,¡± Theora said. She felt awkward. Anxious. Terrible. This was an impossible situation, and the truth was, there was really nothing she could do to make anything about this any better, and giving out a bouquet was probably one of the worst things imaginable to attempt. But she had already gotten it, and didn¡¯t want it to go to waste, so she might as well.

    Almost to Theora¡¯s surprise, Dema actually accepted the flowers, and took a deep breath to take in their scent.

    ¡°Love tulips,¡± she said. ¡°Haven¡¯t gotten to smell any in¡­ forever.¡± A smile came over her. One that actually seemed genuine. With the bouquet in front of her chest, looking up from her bed, she was so irresistibly pretty.

    Theora almost blushed, and took two steps back in her surprise.

    ¡°Why do I have the feeling this won¡¯t be the last time you give me flowers?¡± Dema teased.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it will be,¡± Theora said, gulping.

    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true!¡±

    ¡°Do you¡ª you understand what I¡¯m trying to tell you with this?¡±

    Dema looked at the flowers, intently, then back at Theora. ¡°Not gonna lie, no clue. But, when I look at them, at least I can tell I feel kinda warm.¡±

    Theora broke eye-contact, staring down at the wooden planks of the room.

    It was at that very moment. For the first time in so long, something happened that truly and utterly came to Theora¡¯s surprise ¡ª an event so shocking to her that her stomach dropped out.

    The only Skill she had was [Obliterate], an amalgamation, a mush of all her old abilities. A chimaera capable of destroying virtually anything. Theora didn¡¯t even remember the last time she had received a new Skill, and had no clue which one that could have been. She was very sure she had never even read it, because at that point, she¡¯d been so strong that a measly additional ability had not made any difference at all.

    And now, she was looking at a System message that made her nostalgic for a time she didn¡¯t want to remember. The first time she¡¯d ever received a Skill, as a child, pumped full of emotion, stock full of embarrassment, just having made a fool of herself by accidentally punching a wall.

    It was quite similar now. She¡¯d made a fool of herself, but in some way, it had changed her.

    You have learned the Skill [Flower Language].

    [Flower Language] advanced to Level 2!

 Chapter 13: Last Chance

    So, there it was. The olive branch extended to her by the System. She wasn¡¯t sure why it had finally come ¡ª maybe she had whined enough, and the System had relented, or maybe the System had understood how dangerous it was to spite her, and sent amends. Or, maybe, this had nothing to do with the System at all, because Skills were inherent to people. Perhaps it was just the first time Theora had tried something new in a very long while.

    Be that as it may, that new Skill now rested on her glitched-out and broken stat sheet, becoming the only part of it that felt nice to look at. A little space on the sheet that spelled comfort.

    Of course, the Skill had limited use. Dema was the only person she could gift bouquets to, and if she actually did that, Dema would tease her to no end. Not that Theora actually minded, but she did foster the delusion of having some dignity left.

    Theora went to sit on her own bed, a little lost with how to behave herself or what to do now. Eventually, Dema placed the flowers into a vase on the night table, and looked over at Theora, with a bit of a questioning look in her eyes. ¡°So,¡± she began, ¡°that mean you gonna kill me now? Is it, like, a goodbye gift or something?¡±

    Theora met her eyes, as hard as it was. ¡°That depends. Are you¡­ Are you still thinking?¡±

    Dema smiled. ¡°Why, yes of course!¡± she exclaimed, and tapped her temple. ¡°Doing some pretty heavy lifting up here, all the time, non-stop. Hella busy.¡±

    Theora nodded. An awkward nod, not one of her perfect solemn and weary nods, but instead a nod that jolted to the side a bit by accident. ¡°In that case, we can go for a while longer.¡±

    And as she said that, Theora felt both terrible and relieved at once.

    She didn¡¯t want to kill Dema, so she felt good for putting it off.

    But she also desperately wanted to rest. And she could never truly rest while Dema was alive.

    These two opposing realities fought inside her brain, but it wasn¡¯t a slugfest right now, because she was too tired and her head was too heavy and so she just bounced onto the cushion. She would have drifted asleep almost immediately, if not for Dema¡¯s voice cutting right through the fog of her consciousness again.

    ¡°So, where, like, do we go now?¡± she asked. ¡°We¡¯ve been to the village. What¡¯s up next?¡±

    Theora struggled to get her thoughts in order. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she mumbled. She still hadn¡¯t received a side quest, and doing side quests had always been her primary objective. Or rather, her primary way to procrastinate. Without that, she was lost.

    Dema hummed curiously. ¡°You know, following you is kinda hard if you don¡¯t know where you¡¯re going.¡±

    ¡°Getting bored?¡± Theora asked, half-asleep.

    ¡°Huh. No way. Told you, I¡¯m thinking. Same as in my prison, except a lot prettier out here. If I didn¡¯t get bored in there, why should I get bored now?¡±

    She interrupted her rambling for a moment.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m a little worried about you? You¡¯re human, so shouldn¡¯t we¡­ do stuff, before you kick the bucket? You guys drop to time like flies. Time flies for you like a gull!¡±

    Theora opened her eyes again that had fallen shut. She just stared at Dema in disbelief, not responding.

    ¡°Alright, fine.¡± Dema raised her arms in defeat. ¡°Yeah, I get it, no worrying about you, no being patronising to the little rabbit out to off you. I just can¡¯t help it!¡±

    ¡°Not what I meant,¡± Theora pressed out, but was unwilling to elaborate. ¡°Do you have anywhere you want to go?¡±

    Dema put her chin in her hand and acted deep in thought. Then, she shouted out an ¡°Ah!¡± and said, ¡°There¡¯s this big town fire tomorrow! They¡¯ve been pruning a lot of the apple trees because spring¡¯s coming, and it all has to go somewhere. I wanna sit at the big fire tomorrow. Let¡¯s go there?¡±

    Theora gave a weak nod. This didn¡¯t answer the real question at all, just postponed it for a day. What were they supposed to do next?

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    This was all very new to her. This feeling of ¡ª almost, but not quite ¡ª being free. She did not like it. But, she¡¯d received her first new Skill in a long time just now. Things were changing, weren¡¯t they?

    Maybe it was time for Theora to change as well. And in her weary state, she made a decision. She¡¯d give it one more day. One more day for the System to give her a side quest. One last chance for the System to make use of her. And, if it didn¡¯t, Theora would give up on side quests forever, and just do¡­ what she wanted? What did she want?

    With a very weak smile, and on the brink of falling into dreams, Theora thought she might just have to find that out right then.

    Theora was woken up by a soft and teasing voice whispering sweet lies to her. ¡°Wake up, pretty rabbit! Why, aren¡¯t you such a cute sleeper!¡±

    ¡°I most definitely am not.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t help but disagree! But really now, get up, it¡¯s time. For the fire!¡±

    Theora¡¯s eyelids softly sprang open, as if she¡¯d only faked her sleep. ¡°Already?¡± She couldn¡¯t tell how much time had passed. From how she felt, she might as well have only slept a minute. A look through the window showed her it definitely was still dark ¡ª or, more likely, dark again. Theora was somewhat sure that in the sorry state she was in right now, she could sleep for a hundred years.

    ¡°What do you mean, already, sleepyhead! Get up now, you said we¡¯d go! No take-backs or I will cry.¡±

    Had Theora actually said that? Either way, it didn¡¯t matter. She gently pressed herself up from the mattress, realising a few things ¡ª she was still dressed in her layered travelling coat, she was extremely thirsty, and she had to address other human needs.

    Well, ¡®had to¡¯ was a strong expression. Technically, Theora didn¡¯t have to drink or eat, or do anything else, since her body had morphed into something akin to a low-maintenance monstrosity over time. In a way, this was part of the result of both not taking care of herself as well as refusing to die at the same time. But even that was looking at it too optimistically. She liked to think it was her sheer force of will holding her together, and while that was probably mostly true, there were other reasons for her condition she didn¡¯t love to think about.

    Still, Theora felt awkward not taking care of her body, regardless of whether she ¡®needed to¡¯, especially around Dema. ¡°Give me a few minutes to get myself proper,¡± she mumbled, and pulled a set of fresh undergarments and a handkerchief from somewhere within her layered coat.

    ¡°Damn, is that like¡­ bigger on the inside?¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Has storage room in the creases. I just have to remember where things are. Truth be told, I mostly only use a few of the pockets. Who knows what I¡¯ve forgotten exists in the others.¡±

    Dema smirked. ¡°Full of surprises then, huh? Well, just know that whatever you carry with yourself, I won¡¯t judge.¡±

    Theora did not comprehend what in the world Dema could be getting at, but she didn¡¯t care either. There was a bathhouse in the village, so she¡¯d go there and get ready. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    ¡°Just come to the fireplace in the middle of the village,¡± Dema sang.

    ¡°Alright, yes. Saw that the day before last. I¡¯ll find it.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Dema exclaimed, then looked down at herself. She still wore her ragged cloak and the same set of clothes underneath. Demons didn¡¯t really function like humans; they didn¡¯t generally sweat or excrete other stuff, not unless they wanted to or got sick, so mostly she just smelled like soil, with scents of ash and coal mixed in. Those scents probably originated from her own body. ¡°I should join you!¡±

    Theora stared. She¡¯d seen Dema take baths in rivers and lakes before, wash herself with snow and the likes. In fact, Dema never missed a single chance to immerse herself in any kind of water. But they¡¯d never done it together.

    It was right then. Right as Theora was parsing the implications of visiting a bath together with Dema, right as her thoughts were both racing and screeching to a halt at the same time, causing her brain to effectively shut down. It was then that the System took its chance.

    It took its chance, or maybe, it was more of a matter of the System blinking first.

    Theora was the kind of person to receive the quests that nobody else was able to handle. She was the last resort, the ace, the thing glaring at the end of the path of every despicable and unspeakable cruel abomination on the planet. She knew that, and the System did, too. By not giving her quests, the System had dared her, but it had also left one of its major players unused. Without a doubt, other heroes had needed to fill in, holding back the monsters at the risk of their own lives, waiting for Theora¡¯s return.

    This pressure was part of the reason Theora had set out to solve her Main Quest in the first place ¡ª knowing that without her, others would sacrifice their resources and themselves to hold the dark things in the world at bay.

    The System had dared her, and she had blinked, by pursuing her Main Quest.

    But, now, she had dared the System, and the System blinked in return. It used its last chance because Theora had dared to set herself free.

    For the first time in four years, a [New Quest] notification lit up on the edge of her vision.

 Chapter 14: Sleep Without Rest

    ¡°We have to cancel our plans,¡± Theora said simply.

    Dema¡¯s face fell at the prospect of not getting to bathe with her. ¡°Damn, why! What¡¯d I do!¡±

    ¡°Not you. Something came up.¡±

    At these words, Dema raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued. ¡°Oh? You found something for us to do?¡±

    Meanwhile, Theora gathered her things and mentally made sure they hadn¡¯t forgotten anything important. The notification was open in her mind in front of her.

    [Side Quest: Kill the Devil of Truth.]

    The description below outlined a destination. It wasn¡¯t a very precise location; usually, Theora would need to start investigating and asking locals the closer she came to the whereabouts of the monster she needed to dispatch.

    ¡°So, where we going?¡± Dema asked as they left the tavern behind.

    ¡°I received a request to dispatch the Devil of Truth.¡±

    Dema widened her eyes in mild surprise. ¡°That guy woke up? How long¡¯s he been awake for? Thought he was dormant in hell.¡±

    ¡°Apparently, not anymore,¡± Theora said. ¡°He¡¯s in Callarand right now. Or rather, that¡¯s where the quest leads me. So it could mean that he¡¯ll be in Callarand by the time we get there. Who knows.¡±

    ¡°Callarand¡­¡± Dema mused. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard that before. Must be a new country. Those pop up like weeds. Or is it a town?¡±

    ¡°A region in the south,¡± Theora supplied.

    ¡°So, ¡®by the time we get there¡¯? What¡¯s that supposed to mean? How long are we gonna travel for?¡±

    Theora slightly pursed her lips and frowned in thought, going through different paths in her head to calculate a rough estimation. ¡°It¡¯s far away. I¡¯d say, five to seven years, depending on how many roadblocks we meet. But the quest gives us a very long time to complete it, so it should be fine.¡±

    The thing Theora did not say out loud was that she very much intended on using up all of that time. There was no telling what the System would be up to after the side quest¡¯s completion. She¡¯d drink up every single second she received, like finding an oasis after a long drought.

    But¡­ how would she actually spend all that time? All she knew was that she was oh, so very tired.

    ¡°Damn, so long,¡± Dema said. ¡°Wait, if we have that much time, we can totally take a bath! And see the campfire! Come on, don¡¯t waste years just like that! That¡¯s like, what, half of a human¡¯s lifespan or something?¡±

    ¡°Humans live a little longer than that,¡± Theora said. She stared at Dema¡¯s pouting face. She was right; they could probably take a bath. The System was well aware that Theora wouldn¡¯t hurry on her way to complete quests; after all, she used them to procrastinate. So, in that sense, the System always measured a lot of time. But still. Theora had never put things off by being¡­ leisurely before. Back when getting stronger still mattered, she used the time to train, and then after, she just started helping out random people she found on the way.

    ¡°Point still stands! Bath time?¡±

    Theora sighed. ¡°The System calculates the time we have for quests based on hindrances we might meet along the way,¡± she said. And Theora had beaten the System into submission by having procrastinated with training and helping people, but never by having fun. So ¡®fun¡¯ would likely not be incorporated in this generous time limit they had. ¡°Our time window being so long means something truly outrageous might happen on the way. I would prefer if we¡­ Moved along.¡±

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    Did she really prefer that, though? She wasn¡¯t so sure. She¡¯d gotten all she wanted. A beautiful new Skill, and a side quest she had waited for, for years. Shouldn¡¯t she feel happy? Indulging in a bit of fun with Dema would be fine, right?

    Ah, there it was. Yes, that was the issue.

    She just didn¡¯t feel like she deserved to have fun with a person she was going to hurt. At that realisation, fog and exhaustion draped over her mind like a spiked weighted blanket.

    Sleep. She just wanted to sleep.

    Meanwhile, Dema¡¯s innocent eyes simply lit up at the prospect of ¡®something truly outrageous¡¯ happening to them. ¡°Alright, sure, sounds good. But I still wanna take a bath! Come on, we have so much time!¡±

    Theora stopped walking and stared at her. She did feel awful in her own body right now. But¡­ sharing a bath with Dema in her current state of being? Terrifying.

    ¡°Fine. One after another, not at the same time. And we only stay in for a short while. We really need to get going.¡±

    They needed to get going? At this point, her words correlated to nothing, especially not the truth. Needed to get going so she could lie down and close her eyes, maybe¡­

    ¡°Well, that sounds good enough for me,¡± Dema shrugged, but her disappointment was obvious. ¡°You¡¯re pretty set on completing this quest, huh? Juicy reward?¡±

    Theora glanced at the quest compensation outlined at the end of the description. ¡°Just numbers and things.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­ Then, why?¡±

    ¡°The quests I receive are usually those that other people can¡¯t easily complete. I suppose I feel responsible.¡±

    ¡°What a goodie-two-shoes,¡± Dema chirped.

    And thus, after their short baths, they made for their journey. The northern cusp of the continent was rarely travelled to or even visited. The paths were worn out, sometimes not even there. Dusketon was a self-sustaining village; the only people who left or visited probably had [Merchant] or [Adventurer] Classes that would allow them to traverse these types of terrain easily.

    While Theora was very experienced in travelling, she did not possess any of the boons granted by such Classes. She was just a person walking around on her two legs with the layers of her coat waving behind her, swimming across the planet like a lost betta fish. Lost, and tired. Oh, so very tired.

    Dema spent a lot of time making fun of her, and also gushing about the world. She still kept finding cute little rocks she desperately needed to show Theora, she kept stopping to take in the hillside views, and she kept finding fruits and nuts to eat and offer up. And, Dema schemed. Just sitting at pretty places, lost in her own mind. Or walking along the path, eyes unfocussed, contemplative.

    What a cruel fate. As the days, and finally weeks, moved by, Theora realised she may have been tricked. Or that she might have made a mistake. Before meeting Dema, the worst reminder of her Main Quest had been the pop-up, and the fact that she wasn¡¯t receiving side quests. But now, it was different. Now she had a live reminder of her inevitable murder of the Ancient Evil right next to her, in full bloom, all-excited about the smallest things.

    Theora remembered opening her eyes once during this time and facing the dawning sky. She¡¯d lain down beneath a patch of brambles, to find shelter against the sun. Their thorny offshoots edged into the corners of her vision, vignetting the soft orange-blue glow of the sky. It was only broken by the beautiful silhouette of Dema. She was sitting on a large weathered rock with her arms placed on her knees, gazing into the distance, writing down notes on paper from time to time.

    When Dema noticed her, she smiled. ¡°Why, hello there,¡± she said, the paper shuffling softly in the wind.

    If there was anything left in Theora¡¯s almost empty shell, it left her then.

    At some point, rather than wanting to sleep, it more so became hard for her to even stay awake. The reality of her life was just too oppressing. She slept ten hours a day. Another month went by, and she found herself at thirteen, which turned into seventeen, and ultimately, more. Their travels mostly stalled. Dema¡­ what was she doing? The truth was, Theora barely wanted to know, because thinking of Dema was terrifying. Time slowly disappeared from her perception and things just vaguely happened around her, or maybe they didn¡¯t for all she could tell.

    How long had she already spent asleep? It was a question that by now she was barely even able to form in her head.

    There was only one sound in the world capable of waking her up. A sound that was sometimes whining, sometimes teasing. Sometimes confident, or mischievous.

    ¡°Hey, little rabbit, get up!¡±

 Chapter 15: Time Remaining

    ¡°Get. Up.¡±

    Theora felt Dema shaking her shoulders in an effort to return her to the living. ¡°Don¡¯t wanna,¡± Theora mumbled in her sleepy-voice and earned herself a chuckle.

    ¡°The hell, ¡®don¡¯t wanna¡¯? That¡¯s, like, top ten cutest things you¡¯ve ever said! Not that you talk a lot.¡± The sounds of crinkled paper issued out from near her. ¡°Gotta take notes or I¡¯ll forget,¡± she mused, and Theora could hear her pen scratching.

    ¡°There we go! This is now the top one cutest thing you¡¯ve ever said! Let¡¯s see how long it¡¯s gonna take for you to top yourself.¡± At that, Dema giggled. ¡°Top yourself,¡± she repeated. ¡°I gotta remember this too,¡± she said, issuing further pen scratches.

    Meanwhile, Theora was threatening to fall into empty dreams again, so Dema gently shook her once more. ¡°Why, stay awake! The sun¡¯s gonna set, you¡¯ve been asleep all day. Let¡¯s get at least a little distance done? What do you say? Ten minutes? I could carry you.¡±

    Suddenly, Theora¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°No,¡± she croaked in her morning voice, ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to be carried.¡±

    ¡°I think you do!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I don¡¯t,¡± she yawned, and rose up. Bleary-eyed, she saw the sun getting closer to one of the hills at the horizon.

    They had put up camp at the side of a well-trodden path slowly descending into a valley, although not much of it could yet be seen. The trees were mostly small, and they didn¡¯t carry any leaves for now. It was early winter. Fog had descended to some of the areas between the hills, humidity was high and Theora¡¯s clothes were a little drenched. Had it rained while she was asleep?

    A slow tap on the grass beside her confirmed it.

    Wait¡­ Had they actually put up camp here at all? Or had she just decided to rest for a moment and then fallen asleep right then and there? She was too scared of the answer to ask Dema. In fact, any interaction with Dema would just risk reminding her of¡ª

    Theora closed her eyes and pressed her hand against her head, covering her temples. Oh, god. She was going to have to kill this girl.

    She swallowed that thought with a deep breath, banishing it back to where she was desperately trying to keep it the whole time: A dark, hidden space in the very back of her mind, one that still loomed and exerted pressure like a shadowy figure following her through the night.

    Oh, how badly she wanted to go right back to sleep.

    ¡°Come now, little rabbit,¡± Dema urged. ¡°Just for a bit, alright? One little tiny step after the other. Or, hops. You can use hops! Hop, hop. You can do this.¡±

    Theora obliged. Not because she chose to or wanted to, she just listened to the words and obeyed, because it didn¡¯t matter anyway. Nothing mattered. Step after step, she walked down the path.

    That made Dema really happy. ¡°Good girl,¡± she praised, creating a bit of a game out of cheering Theora on with supportive gestures and winks.

    ¡°Why are you rushing us? Didn¡¯t you say you don¡¯t mind waiting?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t mind at all, that¡¯s true. ¡¯Course I don¡¯t. Having the time of my life, not gonna lie. Am never gonna get tired of your sleeping face.¡±

    Theora gulped. ¡°My sleeping face? Is that something you should admit to looking at? Seems a bit¡­¡± She trailed off, because it was not like she minded. She watched Dema¡¯s sleeping face too, after all. Or rather, she¡¯d done so, once, shortly after they¡¯d started travelling together.

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    ¡°Why, whatever! I am the Ancient Evil, after all.¡± Dema grinned. ¡°Got an image to protect!¡±

    ¡°Protecting your image by watching me sleep?¡±

    ¡°Hey, now, not like that¡¯s all I¡¯m doing! I¡¯m also scheming, non-stop. Thinking, you know?¡± She tapped her temple.

    ¡°Are you making progress with your scheme? Will your wish be fulfilled soon?¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Dema shouted. ¡°I¡¯m only just getting started. So many more variables to consider, like, damn. Never gonna get done at this rate.¡±

    ¡°But then, why rush? Why can¡¯t I sleep all day? Why can¡¯t I sleep forever?¡±

    ¡°Because human lifespans are over just like that!¡± Dema said, snapping her fingers. ¡°Poof, you¡¯ll be gone. Big bummer. Don¡¯t you wanna, like¡­ live a little? Back then, you said this trip was gonna cost us, like, seven years. And we¡¯ve only made like a third of that way so far. Even though we¡¯ve already been going for so long! Because you sleep so much! Ain¡¯t ya worried? What if we ain¡¯t gonna make it?¡±

    Theora shook her head gently. ¡°The quest gives us enough time. We still have¡­¡± She opened the window to check. ¡°Yeah. More than enough left. Don¡¯t worry about that. It¡¯s also not an explanation. Why do you care about my quest?¡±

    Dema groaned. She seemed actually grumpy, in a rather sweet way. ¡°No way we have that much time left.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Well, I said it already!¡± She snapped her fingers again. ¡°Poof, gone! Humans are just poof, gone all the time. I guess I just wanted to get to know you a little before you withered like all the others. I am a bit lonely, after all. And also, you¡¯re kinda¡­¡± her voice trailed off into a whisper that Theora couldn¡¯t hear.

    She threw up her arms next to her head in what seemed like exasperation, and then added, ¡°We¡¯ve been travelling how long now? Ten years or something? And you sleep all the time! Can hardly call it travelling. And I¡¯m right here! Am I just gonna watch you grow old until you decide to end me right before dying and then that¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Theora asked, completely stumped, and stopped walking. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t noticed yet?¡±

    Dema raised her eyebrows. ¡°Noticed what?¡±

    Theora just shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you didn¡¯t notice.¡±

    ¡°Noticed what!¡± Dema¡¯s energy seemed to seep back into her. ¡°Come on, tell me! You know I¡¯m always to have for a nice mystery!¡±

    ¡°This should not be a mystery at all,¡± Theora deadpanned. ¡°You said you watch me sleep? And you didn¡¯t notice? This is unbelievable. Fine. No more sleeping. Let¡¯s move on.¡±

    ¡°Oh, my! Did I make you angry? I kinda did, huh?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s wrong!¡± Dema sing-songed.

    Maybe it was. Though, technically, the real reason Theora was angry was because the System forced her to travel with a cute girl and then kill her, not because Dema lacked basic observational capabilities.

    They made their way down the path for a while, and eventually, it started snowing. No more sleeping, she had said. Was that something she could actually promise? Maybe. Maybe she could try.

    ¡°Damn, makes me nostalgic,¡± Dema hummed as she caught one of the flakes. ¡°Always think of our first encounter during winter. We¡¯ve come so far south, snow¡¯s a rare occurrence now. And you can¡¯t dote on me as much during the colder months! So it¡¯s, like, twice as bad!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doting on you,¡± Theora mumbled. When would she be doting on her? What did that even mean? She didn¡¯t remember doing such a thing. If anything, she treated her terribly, staying asleep all the time. Of course, in the rare moments Theora did wake up, she felt so bad that she tried to apologise. But that was hardly worth mentioning.

    ¡°Oh, you so are! But never in winter! Such a shame, but I suppose it does make sense.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Something she did for Dema, but never in winter? What could that possibly be?

    ¡°Oh my,¡± Dema let out, staring at Theora with her amber eyes. ¡°Why, don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t notice! I can¡¯t believe you!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t copy me,¡± Theora pouted. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡±

    ¡°Come on!¡± Dema whined with a wide grin. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be a mystery at all! Well, I suppose if you ain¡¯t gonna sleep anymore, you¡¯ve got enough time to figure it out. And I¡¯ll do some hard thinking on whatever it is that I haven¡¯t noticed, too.¡±

    ¡°That should require no thinking,¡± Theora muttered.

    But, it was true. They had enough time. With her vision still slightly blurred from sleep, Theora gazed back at the side quest notification, reading through it wearily.

    [New Side Quest: Kill the Devil of Truth.]

    Time remaining: 89 years.

    More than enough.

 Chapter 16: A Rift Between Mountains

    ¡°Oh, my!¡± Dema yelped out. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s big!¡±

    The both of them had just left a brimming forest filled with high trees and now found themselves in front of a gigantic cliff. Theora looked to the left and the right, and apparently, they had walked into a cone, with the cliff pinching off their path. The forest flora hugged the stone closely to both sides.

    ¡°There used to be a tunnel here,¡± she said. ¡°A long time ago. I remember passing through it. It must have collapsed.¡±

    ¡°Cool!¡± Dema cheered, as if that piece of information was some random trivia about the moons.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go back,¡± Theora suggested, and turned around to re-enter the forest. ¡°There should be a path around, if I remember correctly. About a two-month detour. Should be fine.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Dema stared back, not moving a muscle. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go through? Ain¡¯t ya, like, the strongest heroine in the world? You must have a way to cut through a cliff or two?¡±

    Theora turned to face her companion. She didn¡¯t know what to say. Of course, she could [Obliterate] the cliff. But she most definitely was not going to do so. Instead, she just looked back, lost.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a big shame.¡± Dema shrugged. ¡°If you can¡¯t even do that, we could¡­ like, at least climb? That sounds fun, right? You must have a climbing Skill!¡±

    Theora looked up the cliff. It was several trees tall, reaching far into the sky. ¡°Climbing is effort,¡± she said.

    Dema rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright. I see. Uhm. Can I¡­ help out?¡±

    ¡°Help out with what?¡± Theora asked. ¡°We aren¡¯t in a pinch. I mean, granted, we somewhat literally are in a pinch, but we can just walk back and around.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s gonna take so long!¡± Dema whined. ¡°You¡¯re out to make this side quest your last, huh?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you are!¡±

    ¡°What is this help you want to offer?¡±

    Dema looked sheepish for a second, biting her lip and hiding her arms behind her back. ¡°Well, a Skill. I have a perfect Skill for this. Am I allowed to use it?¡±

    Theora shook her head ever so slightly, a hint of bewilderment carved into her brows. ¡°You do not need to ask for permission to use Skills,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t?¡± Dema¡¯s hair and coat were being tousled by the wind, and she looked genuinely puzzled for a second.

    ¡°No?¡±

    A short silence ensued. They both stared at each other until Dema mumbled, ¡°I just thought¡­ Well. I thought if I used a Skill, you might see that as stepping outta line, being hostile and such, and, like, get rid of me before I can kill you? You know. So I¡¯ve been holding back?¡±

    Theora froze.

    Of course. Yes. Dema was doing well at hiding it, but she was probably terrified of Theora every single second of her life. And rightly so, because one day, Theora would decide to kill her.

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    Or, more accurately, Theora was hoping for the day when Dema didn¡¯t feel like living anymore and gave her permission to end all this. She had communicated as much, but it wasn¡¯t surprising that Dema wouldn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°I would not see you using a Skill as a threat,¡± Theora tried to explain, raising her hands slightly in a rare emphasising gesture. ¡°I told you before. You cannot win against me. Cannot conspire against me with any hope of success. Cannot even harm me. It is all futile. I would never interpret you using a Skill as a reason to kill you.¡± She made a step towards Dema. ¡°I realise that, considering our arrangement, these words may sound empty, but let me try to assert this regardless: You do not need my permission to do anything.¡±

    The words came out cool and collected, and yet had an amount of urgency behind them that very much was unlike her.

    ¡°Well, some of my Skills are kinda strong and scary,¡± Dema mumbled, but she tried her best to seem convinced.

    ¡°I am not afraid of you. No behaviour you could show would change that.¡±

    ¡°Alright, damn, fine!¡± Dema grumbled and walked towards the cliff. ¡°No telling me I didn¡¯t warn you!¡±

    As she said these words, she touched the stone. A second later, the earth began to tremble as she muttered the name of a Skill.

    [Reshape Earth].

    From the origin of her hand, an impossible jerking motion rippled through the entire cliff, rocking through it in a wave, with a strong pulse moving straight up. The earth rumbled in a deep and desperate sound, as if gravely upset by being forced into impossible motions.

    Then, the cliff parted. Bit by bit, from Dema¡¯s hand upwards, a crevice opened up and widened, revealing more and more of what became a dark and narrow path forward. From the woods, swarms of birds erupted, chirping away as they fled towards the horizon.

    It only took a few seconds in total until the Skill was finished. With a proud smile on her face, Dema looked back, only to find Theora¡¯s eyes widened and her gaze filled with terror.

    ¡°What have you done?¡± she asked, making a step back.

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Dema asked. ¡°I made a path! You told me I can do what I want!¡±

    Theora swallowed hard. ¡°I told you that you don¡¯t need my permission,¡± she clarified. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make you exempt from my criticism.¡±

    Dema boggled at her. ¡°That¡ª What? You tricked me!¡± she cried out, and then added, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this, anyway? What did I do?¡±

    ¡°You made a permanent change.¡± Although Theora¡¯s voice was calm, she still seemed unsettled. ¡°We can¡¯t run around and change the world to our pleasing. If we do, we¡¯ll leave it in ruins.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Dema waved off. ¡°It¡¯s just a little tiny thing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and every ¡®little tiny thing¡¯ will stick and stack. To an immortal being, I do not recommend making permanent changes for little inconveniences like a two-month round-trip. You will destroy the world you are trying to live in.¡±

    Dema scrunched up her face like this concept was completely foreign to her. ¡°The hell? Why do you care, anyway? You¡¯ll live a hundred years tops, don¡¯t worry so much about leaving a lil¡¯ mark!¡± Throughout that last sentence, her tone had switched back to being teasing and light-hearted. ¡°Come on! Alright, sorry, I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d feel this bad about it. I¡¯m not gonna do it again. Out of respect, by the way, not because you¡¯re being convincing or anything. Your logic¡¯s, like, really lousy. Change ain¡¯t that bad!¡±

    Theora simply shook her head and started moving towards the newformed chasm.

    ¡°Why, so we¡¯re gonna use it after all, huh?¡± Dema said with a grin. ¡°Oh, my! All happy to get angry at me, but you¡¯re still fine using the fruits of my labour!¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t being angry with you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you so were!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°You can be such a child,¡± said Dema, of all people. ¡°I suppose it makes sense for a cute little rabbit, though. You¡¯ve still got a lot to learn!¡±

    ¡°Do I, now,¡± Theora mumbled. ¡°I see you still haven¡¯t noticed.¡±

    ¡°Noticed what?¡± Dema asked, but Theora didn¡¯t dignify her with an answer.

    With a quick glance, she looked at the details of her side quest again. Being awake really slowed things down, didn¡¯t it? She wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d be able to keep this up. The truth was, even though she slept less now, her body and mind ached even more. If only an opportunity presented itself to give her the chance for endless sleep.

    Time remaining: 86 years.

 Chapter 17: Prospect of a Small Infinity

    They walked on and on through the chasm for what felt like an eternity. Dema was happily chatting about nothing, as she usually did. Complaining about how dark it was at the bottom of the path, then praising the darkness two minutes later. Examining the rocks left and right to her, and one time breaking one out of the sedimentary rock and carrying it to Theora.

    ¡°Look! It¡¯s a fossil!¡±

    Theora glanced at it. The bones and feathers of a small flightless bird were edged into the surface of a stone, a chonky body and small wings and a very tiny skull.

    ¡°I know these from way back,¡± Dema mused. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen any since I got out, though.¡±

    ¡°Extinct,¡± Theora supplied.

    ¡°Dang¡­ What a downer. They were cute little things.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they were,¡± Theora murmured.

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve seen them? That¡¯s even more of a bummer. Last one must have died recently, then.¡±

    ¡°Must have.¡±

    ¡°Hey, is something the matter with you? Still cross with me?¡± Dema glanced at Theora, then at their surroundings, then stopped. ¡°Oh, damn,¡± she said. ¡°Something ain¡¯t right in here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Theora stopped as well. ¡°That¡¯s not good. I¡¯ve been wondering for a while. These mountains should not be this deep.¡±

    They¡¯d been walking straight ahead for hours now. With a sigh, Theora walked back, a hand stretched out. And, sure enough, with an electrifying humming sound, she hit a force-field. Made up of fine and detailed fractal lines, the field became visible in a wave around where Theora touched, and then ebbed away and returned to invisibility when she didn¡¯t agitate it further. Running her fingers along, the fractal shapes shortly became visible again.

    Theora turned around into the direction they were going in, and sure enough, a few steps later, now there was a force-field in front of them too.

    ¡°A trap,¡± she hummed. ¡°We¡¯ve been walking in an illusion. Now that it¡¯s broken, we can see the cage.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Dema huffed angrily. ¡°Cage? Not again!¡± She jumped next to Theora and placed her hand on the walls as well, only to be violently electrocuted and thrown back. She flew just far enough to clash against the other side of the field, where she ended up engulfed by slow beams of electricity cooking her alive with a violent buzzing sound.

    A few seconds later, she slumped over to the ground with a soft thud.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t touch it,¡± Theora remarked. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    Dema grumbled and huffed unhappy sounds while the damage to her body healed. A moment later, she pushed herself up, and saw an outstretched hand from Theora offering to help her stand.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Dema mumbled sorely as she accepted. ¡°The hell is this?¡±

    ¡°A threat,¡± Theora mused.

    ¡°A threat? You mean someone¡¯s threatening us?¡±

    Theora shook her head slightly. ¡°Not for us. This likely has nothing to do with us. Also, it¡¯s a threat in the sense that it¡¯s a hazard.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking in riddles,¡± Dema whined, rubbing her back. ¡°Just tell me what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can only guess.¡±

    ¡°Then are you gonna share your guess with me? Can¡¯t believe I have to, like, pull this outta you!¡±

    Theora looked back at Dema, who seemed genuinely displeased. After all, even though she healed, she still felt pain. Though, the issue here likely had more to do with a certain aversion to closed-off spaces. ¡°This is an energy field. Probably made by a highly potent Skill. There used to be a tunnel here. Maybe this was a trap. Someone was supposed to get lost here and die.¡±

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    ¡°Alright.¡± Dema looked around, touched the rock to their left and right to test if it was affected by the cage. It wasn¡¯t, but likely, the cage would extend inside it. ¡°Those things can¡¯t possibly trigger more than once, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. It wasn¡¯t triggered until we walked in. I assume it¡¯s been here for a long time.¡±

    ¡°So, like, someone made the trap and then the tunnel randomly collapsed before anyone could get to it?¡±

    Theora gazed back through the tunnel to where they came from. The tunnel collapsed¡­? Maybe. Maybe that¡¯s how it went. Someone put up the trap, it was forgotten about and never triggered, and it all caved in one day.

    She certainly didn¡¯t have enough evidence on hand to disprove it. And yet, she shook her head.

    ¡°I doubt that. The assumption that the tunnel ¡®collapsed¡¯ may have been premature. After all, we didn¡¯t see any signs of a collapse. It was just gone.¡±

    ¡°I just assumed it collapsed a long time ago,¡± Dema said, but then she raised her eyebrows. ¡°Oh, right. Couldn¡¯t have been that long, since you mentioned you¡¯d been here before,¡± she rambled.

    Theora shook her head in soft annoyance, but didn¡¯t say anything.

    So, if the tunnel hadn¡¯t collapsed naturally, what else could have happened? There were a few possible scenarios. Maybe people went out of their way to close it for some reason. But it would have been difficult to close the tunnel by hand without triggering the trap. And it would have probably been pointless to put the trap after the tunnel was already gone.

    Nobody would waste such an elaborate entrapping construction without knowing it would find its target.

    Could Theora and Dema be the target after all?

    That was also very unlikely, because nobody could have guessed that Dema was going to do something so reckless like parting a cliff.

    Finally, Theora said, ¡°I think it was another hero. Someone with magic like yours. They may have collapsed the tunnel.¡±

    ¡°Why would anyone do that, though?¡±

    Theora shrugged. ¡°The System is also energy based, so my assumption would be that it noticed the creation of the trap and then sent a hero on a quest to disable it. And that hero may have had earth-related Skills like you do and thought, ¡®well, if I destroy the tunnel, nobody can walk into the trap!¡¯ and been done with it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, my. So you¡¯re not the only lazy hero, then.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not laziness,¡± Theora guessed. ¡°This field is very strong if it can push back even you. That hero may have been unable to solve it in a different way. Even I am not sure how to get out of it.¡±

    Dema shook her head in agitation. ¡°That makes no sense! Such a strong trap in a random tunnel?¡±

    ¡°Could have been anything. Maybe an assassination attempt on a high priority target.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Dema sighed. ¡°And now we¡¯re stuck in it.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora confirmed and laid down on the ground. ¡°Dema, how much more scheming and thinking do you have to do? Finished soon?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Nah, still plenty of nice and big thoughts left. Won¡¯t run out anytime soon. Why? Wanna kill me in this cage? Fitting end?¡±

    ¡°No, I was just making sure you would not get bored.¡±

    Dema frowned at her. ¡°Why, no, I never get bored. No worries there. But this is starting to sound ominous.¡±

    Theora took a deep breath. This was nice. Probably about the best thing she could have possibly asked for. A good little conundrum with almost no way out, a welcome way to just waste away an enormous amount of time without having to think about anything. And Dema didn¡¯t seem to mind passing time, either. She would get to scheme and think, and Theora would get to do what she loved to do the most.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep.¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Dema yelped. ¡°Wait, what? You must have a Skill that can get us out!¡±

    ¡°These traps work by being impenetrable from the inside,¡± Theora said, eyes closed. ¡°High-Level Skill, as I mentioned. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this was a Legendary Skill, even.¡±

    She huddled up against the rough soil before continuing. ¡°That''s what this feels like, doesn¡¯t it? This cage can kill incredibly strong targets.¡± After shuffling a little to get herself in the most comfortable position, Theora let out a soft sigh. ¡°But, don¡¯t worry, it will run out of energy at some point if we wait long enough.¡±

    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t exactly worried,¡± Dema said. ¡°I¡¯m immortal, after all. I guess if it runs out at some point, it¡¯s fine. I just wasn¡¯t looking forward to being imprisoned forever again. The Cube of Solitude had no expiration date, after all. But still, you sure Skills won¡¯t do anything to help us?¡±

    ¡°You are welcome to try,¡± Theora hummed. ¡°However, with such cages, there is always a chance it may be able to absorb certain affinities. If you use the wrong Skill, you will strengthen the prison instead of weakening it, and prolong our stay.¡±

    ¡°Damn. Alright, sure. Gonna wait, then. A few days? Hey! No sleeping!¡± She crouched next to Theora and gently rocked her shoulder. ¡°This is a problem, isn¡¯t it? Won¡¯t you, like¡­ Have to drink at some point? Or eat? Or¡ª Oh, dear, you¡¯re human! After eating, you¡¯ll eventually have to¡ª¡± She stopped herself and looked around in the tiny space they were confined in.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m a strong girl,¡± Theora yawned. ¡°I can hold for a few years.¡±

    ¡°Years¡­?¡±

    ¡°Decades, even. Just lie down and rest.¡±

    Dema did slump down, but more out of resignation than following Theora¡¯s advice. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this,¡± she muttered. ¡°What if you¡¯re gonna die here, and leave me all alone again?¡±

    Theora turned around to face away from Dema, pouting. ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave you alone.¡±

 Chapter 18: Reading the Fine Print

    Every now and then, Theora¡¯s mind came loose from sleep. It was never too clear to her how much time had passed. A few hours maybe, or days. Perhaps weeks?

    Sometimes, she felt so disoriented, it felt like it had to be months.

    And every time she woke up, a different kind of feeling overwhelmed her, as if taking turns to torture her.

    On some days, she felt bad about her Main Quest. On others, she felt bad about Dema. About how she was trapped again, and about how Theora could free them both, but didn¡¯t. And then, she felt bad that if she were to free them, it might cause bad side effects to the surrounding area.

    Whenever she was awake, Theora tried to steer her mind away from all of these thoughts and focus on the prison they were in. Remembering the soft whirls of energy she had felt when she first touched the field. Sensing the power flowing through it, and judging its decline. Thinking about the logistics of it ¡ª what kind of skill might have created it, what kind of affinities it would absorb or be weak to¡­ She made a long list in her head, identifying the seal¡¯s properties through thought alone.

    But it took a lot of time, and a lot of observation, and she was tired, and happened to nap away by accident every few minutes.

    ¡°This ain¡¯t cool,¡± Dema grumbled one day, after about six years.

    Theora opened one of her eyes, wearily. It was winter. A thin coat of snow rested on her body like a blanket.

    Their prison was small, but weather and outside forces like winds still reached them. It was unclear to Theora whether this was an extension of the illusion or if the cage was permeable; they never actually saw people or animals here, so some form of separation still existed. There was still a lot of analysing left to do.

    ¡°Are you done thinking, then?¡± she asked. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t mind waiting.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind the waiting!¡± Dema whined. ¡°But this is¡ª gah!¡± She made a gesture like ripping something from her face. ¡°You¡¯re angry with me! I can feel it. And I¡¯ve no clue what I did wrong!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not angry with you,¡± Theora mumbled.

    ¡°Then why? You¡¯re gonna spend your life like this? Look, I¡¯ll be all fine and dandy, but soon, you¡¯re gonna be an old woman! Throwing away all our time together.¡±

    ¡°So you still haven¡¯t noticed,¡± Theora replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t noticed what? You keep saying this!¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Theora puffed.

    Dema¡¯s eyes went wide. Suddenly, she started to scramble all around herself. ¡°Oh my. Oh my, where is ¡ª there!¡± She pulled out a wrinkled sheet of paper and her pen. ¡°New top one cutest thing,¡± she whispered as she wrote something down. ¡°Oh my, these happen when you¡¯re sleepy, huh?¡±

    ¡°Lowers my filters and defences,¡± Theora muttered.

    Dema nodded. ¡°Why, that also sounds like something you wouldn¡¯t say when awake. New weakness of yours, heh.¡± Again, she became busy making more notes. ¡°I already have three. Getting worried?¡±

    ¡°If that makes you happy.¡±

    ¡°Why, it sure would,¡± Dema smirked.

    ¡°Then I¡¯m very worried, yes,¡± Theora mumbled, shifting her legs closer to herself, and rubbing her eye clumsily. Seeing that, Dema bit her lip and raised her brows like she¡¯d just seen a puppy, and wrote down another note.

    The days kept going by; sometimes, the sun would dare peek between the mountain rifts, and Dema would throw most of her clothes away and lie down on the ground to capture as much sun on her skin as possible. During winters, she¡¯d try to scrape up all of the little snow that fell, but she didn¡¯t dare throw any balls at Theora that had been mixed with dirty soil.

    To their left and their right, a decent amount of stone was accessible without leaving their cage, so she used her Skills to search through the rock. She found another fossil one day, which she couldn¡¯t shut up about for weeks, calling the little horseshoe crab ¡®Old Lass¡¯ and talking to ¡®her¡¯ non-stop.

    ¡°You know,¡± she mused, ¡°Fossils are great. They¡¯re even older than I am. And one day, they¡¯re gonna outlive me, too. If you get your way, that is.¡±

    She held her hand out over it, and let some of her blood gush out from beneath her finger nails, encasing the fossil in an oddly shaped, foamy red bubble. ¡°I kinda wanna know,¡± she continued in a bit of a soft mumble, ¡°If my blood and earth magic could bring something like this back alive. Would be so cool, right? Never worked, though.¡±

    Theora hummed in an acknowledging response. ¡°Would probably need to be a Legendary Skill. But you have [Immortality] already, right?¡±

    Dema sighed, and nodded. ¡°Yeah. Big shame I can¡¯t have two.¡±

    Eventually, Dema gave up bringing Old Lass back alive, though it took her a few years.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°So,¡± Dema was saying one day. ¡°How much time has passed? Did you count?¡±

    Theora opened her tired eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t need to count,¡± she replied, opening her quest dialogue.

    Time remaining: 38 years.

    ¡°Hm. A bit of time has passed.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting old? I feel like you must be.¡±

    Theora pushed herself up from the ground, staring at Dema. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m getting old?¡± She crawled closer to her, face on full display. In a voice as calm as a sea brooding with movement beneath, she said, ¡°In fact, how do you think this works? You are the Ancient Evil, who has been walking over the planet for thousands of years. And I get stronger than you in, what, twenty years of training? Is that what you were thinking? Did you not question this at all?¡±

    Dema just shrugged and shook her head in confusion. ¡°I thought you just had a broken cheat Class or something.¡±

    Theora¡¯s mouth gaped for a moment, then she closed it again. ¡°We met over 60 years ago, Dema.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know it¡¯s been long!¡± Her eyes flared up with an orange glow. ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why¡ª¡±

    It was at that moment that the cogs in Dema¡¯s head seemed to finally click together. Staring at Theora, at last realising that she looked pretty much the same as when they¡¯d first met.

    ¡°Ah, damn,¡± she spluttered. ¡°Wait. Oh, damn. Must have missed that somehow.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    Dema threw her hands up. ¡°I mean ¡ª humans just age and pass so quickly! I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t look so closely. Makes me sad when I do!¡±

    ¡°And yet you said you liked my sleeping face,¡± Theora said, rolling her eyes.

    ¡°Not a lie,¡± Dema replied, sounding rather serious. ¡°Not a lie! I just¡ª I didn¡¯t look at the details, okay? I didn¡¯t read the fine print. Gosh, damn. You are¡­ Wait. Long-lived, or immortal?¡±

    Theora looked into Dema¡¯s amber eyes for a moment while she tried to come up with an accurate answer. ¡°Neither, I suppose. But the important part is that you will not see me die. No matter how long you keep ¡®thinking¡¯ or ¡®scheming¡¯. So stop worrying about me, alright? I am a strong girl. Let me make my own decisions about how I want to spend my life. If I want to sleep, please let me sleep!¡±

    ¡°Alright, fine! Fine!¡± Dema sighed in resignation.

    Upon seeing that, Theora felt bad. She took a step back in her head, and added, ¡°If you want to wake me up because you are bored, or because you are lonely, then I will be there for you.¡±

    Dema started grinning. ¡°Damn, alright! I get it. You could have just¡­ told me, you know!¡± She laughed. ¡°Not that a few years mean anything to me, but damn, way to make a point!¡±

    Theora averted her gaze. She wasn¡¯t good at communication, she knew that. Well, and the fact that she was travelling with someone she was tasked to kill didn¡¯t exactly help her with tackling such issues sincerely. Being vulnerable in front of the person you were going to murder? Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. No, avoiding problems and sleeping forever was preferable by a long shot.

    When she managed to stop brooding in such thoughts, she looked back at Dema, who had gotten rather close to her, staring intently.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Theora asked, but didn¡¯t shy away. Dema seemed serious, her eyes wandering over Theora¡¯s face with a weight she could almost feel on her skin.

    ¡°Reading the fine print,¡± Dema smirked.

    Theora stayed steady with great effort, holding back a wince at these words. Still, she couldn¡¯t keep herself from blushing slightly.

    ¡°Well, sure, do that, if you must,¡± she whispered. ¡°I am an open book.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I absolutely must,¡± Dema said, the corners of her mouth curling up into an almost dangerous expression of mischief. ¡°After all, that was your point. With trapping us in here. I see it now.¡±

    ¡°Huh? There was no point. I didn¡¯t trap us.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not, but you refused to let us out! I was wondering why, and now I know!¡± Dema called her out with a victorious raise of an eyebrow. ¡°Little rabbit was sulking. You were like, ¡®Why doesn¡¯t she look at me? I¡¯m all lonely!¡¯¡±

    ¡°That doesn''t sound like me at all,¡± Theora said, biting her lip.

    ¡°And then we got trapped here, and you thought, ¡®Ha, now I have her all to myself, and she''s gonna have to look at me. She''s gonna have to notice!¡¯ Well, sorry for getting distracted with the Old Lass, but good news! Now I¡¯m looking all at you.¡±

    Theora shook her head, her heart beating a little quicker. ¡°I don''t think that''s what I did.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it most definitely is!¡±

    ¡°I doubt it,¡± she mumbled.

    ¡°So, can you let us out of here now?¡±

    Theora took a deep breath. ¡°Sure, why not. If it means you''ll stop pestering me with this¡­¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡± Dema put her hands on her hip, rising up. ¡°That''s what I thought. Your point is made, after all.¡±

    ¡°I don''t think there was a point.¡±

    ¡°There most definitely was!¡±

    Theora broke eye-contact, picking up her sword from next to where she¡¯d slept, and took a deep breath in hopes of clearing away her tomato-red blush.

    ¡°[Obliterate],¡± she murmured, and with a single swing of her blade, the cage gave way.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Dema let out as she saw the particles of blue and rose-pink energy descend around them while the cube-shaped prison fell to pieces. ¡°[Obliterate]? That a Skill of yours? Never heard of it before.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± She hadn¡¯t ever spoken its name aloud before when using it around Dema. Doing so raised its strength, which was usually not needed, but Theora wanted to avoid a situation where an [Obliterate] got absorbed ¡ª even though that would have been very unlikely to happen.

    Pretty much impossible, in fact, but she hadn¡¯t become the strongest person alive by taking unnecessary risks to look cooler.

    ¡°I wonder what kinda Class would grant a Skill like that¡­ Wanna share some of your other Skills with me too, while we¡¯re at it? I¡¯m very curious. Well, I already know you must have a Skill similar to my [Immortality], you made big efforts to prove that to me, after all. Well done. But, what else?¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t answer. In fact, these questions just made her want to go back to sleep. She didn¡¯t know how to respond in the first place, because she didn¡¯t have an [Immortality]-related Skill at all, and even a Skill as versatile as [Obliterate] didn¡¯t grant any effect like that. Her inability to die came from a very different source, one that she really didn¡¯t want to think about. And yet, now she was almost thinking about it, and it made her feel awful.

    One day, she would have to do something about it.

    For now, she just went on through the chasm, with Dema running a few steps in front of her, still busy with taking in all of Theora¡¯s facial features.

    If only the two of them could just keep going like this forever.

    In fact, wouldn¡¯t it be nice if after this entire ordeal in the dark mountains, a ray of sunlight could hit them for once? As they made their way out, Theora almost dared to hope.

 Chapter 19: Something to Do in the Meadows

    On the other side of the mountains, wide and almost treeless plains greeted them. Theora stopped, looking back at the cliff.

    ¡°Still angry at me for splitting that open?¡± Dema wondered. ¡°You could¡¯a used [Obliterate] to get us through that, right?¡±

    ¡°I could have,¡± Theora said, ¡°But as I said, I don¡¯t want to inflict lasting damage on the world.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Like, if you¡¯d used that Skill to dig, it¡¯d have done much less damage than me. Less of a change, I guess. Could have just remade the tunnel that already used to be there.¡±

    ¡°[Obliterate] is a Skill merely meant to destroy. It often delivers damage directly to the fabric of reality. I don¡¯t want to use it if I can help it.¡±

    Dema hummed. ¡°But you did use it to get us out of the cage.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°I took a long time to analyse the Skill that trapped us, while we were inside. It was an energy cage enclosed in an illusion spell. Incredibly strong. For one, I¡¯m not even sure if we were close to waiting it out. Could have taken hundreds of years. I have a duty to complete the side quest within the given time. Also, I am rather sure that due to the nature of the spell, the damage of [Obliterate] was self-contained within the prison and vanished with it.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­ So every time you use [Obliterate] it messes with reality?¡±

    ¡°It¡­ depends on the target. A death is lasting damage, so if I use the Skill to kill something, there won¡¯t be additional issues, most of the time. Not that that makes it any better. In general, the target is irreversibly broken, but in some cases the target can only be broken by damaging reality itself. Damage done by [Obliterate] cannot heal, and since I have been living for a long time and dreadfully might continue to do so, I don¡¯t want to severely poison the world during my stay by leaving irreversible wounds all over it.¡±

    As she was explaining that, a pang of guilt spread through her chest. She¡¯d used [Obliterate] on the System twice, and even though each time the System had rebooted after a while, she was fairly certain that she¡¯d permanently destroyed a part of it. Plus, usually, [Obliterate] couldn¡¯t even be used on the same target twice. Not like there would ever be any need for that. In other words, the times she had lashed out against the System, she¡¯d likely destroyed different aspects of it.

    ¡°I see¡­ makes sense,¡± Dema nodded, sounding a little more serious. ¡°So, uh¡­ Want me to close that thing back up?¡± She gestured to the chasm.

    Theora shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s been that way for half a century now. People and animals have likely already been using it. We triggered the illusion, so they couldn¡¯t find the cage and just walked by. After all, it would be bad if the target of the assassination could have received help from outside.¡±

    ¡°I wonder who did that. Must have been strong.¡±

    ¡°Probably already dead,¡± Theora mused, though she was merely guessing. ¡°This all likely transpired ages back.¡±

    ¡°Right. You said you¡¯ve been here before, prior to the trap being set. When was that?¡±

    Theora fell into silence for a while, stroking her chin in thought. What was the quest she¡¯d been on back then? She started scrolling through her notification history, scrolled and scrolled, and finally found one that sounded about right. ¡°Hm. Around seven hundred years ago.¡±

    ¡°Damn,¡± Dema puffed. ¡°You really are an old one.¡±

    Theora looked down to the lush plains to the right of the outgoing path. Last time, they had still been ocean.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said, eyes heavy and tired. ¡°I really am.¡±

    Dema smiled, and it didn¡¯t take long for it to turn mischievous. ¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯re out!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Are you? Why?¡±

    Raising her eyebrows knowingly, she increased her pace. ¡°Why, because you couldn¡¯t dote on me in there! Not the right place! I¡¯m looking forward to you starting it up again. And it happens to be spring!¡±

    Theora shook her head. What in the world was she talking about?

    That said, she did feel bad. Yes, using [Obliterate] to break them out was never going to be her first option; ideally, the cage would have given way soon after entering. But instead, she¡¯d made Dema spend several more decades in confinement. Awful. The least she could do was offer the slightest hint of an apology, so she kept her eyes open in hopes of finding a way. And soon, she found it.

    In the months after their involuntary shared solitude, Dema¡¯s behaviour towards Theora changed. She no longer kept trying to wake her up to rush her along. Instead, Dema simply relished the time in any way possible; mostly by scheming and taking in their surroundings.

    It seemed like the one thing Dema had predominantly been occupied with before their entrapment was her fear of having Theora age and waste away completely asleep. Now that this was no longer a concern, she happily gave the heroine all the sleepy time she could ever ask for.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    That said, Dema still woke her up whenever she found a pretty rock to show off, or a particularly cool or large insect.

    Conversely, Theora also spent less time asleep now. Not a lot less time; being awake still felt awful, but she had found a little habit to follow every day. Something that was both cynical and the most sincere thing she could come up with at the same time; which, to be fair, wasn¡¯t necessarily the most unexpected combination when travelling with one¡¯s future murder victim.

    It took a while for her to actually notice what she was doing, though. She hadn¡¯t thought too much of it when she¡¯d started, the first time they had passed by a lush and verdant meadow. Just a small little way to apologise. And Dema had done her absolute very best not to throw Theora off and give the game away ¡ª a feat that, in hindsight, considering how much Dema liked to tease people and especially Theora, must have taken quite an amount of willpower and self-restraint.

    Right now, again, they were standing in a valley within a vast hillside meadow, and Theora had just a moment ago done what she¡¯d always done lately when the opportunity presented itself. She had done what she¡¯d simply rationalised as an ¡®apology¡¯. Without second thoughts, without thinking deeply. And Dema stood in front of her, grinning.

    System notifications could be muted. That was something Theora always did, because these notifications meant nothing to her. However, the System wasn¡¯t necessarily made for immortals, so it was only possible to mute the notifications for an hour, a day, a few days, up to a year maximum.

    And right that morning, that year had apparently timed out without Theora realising, and now, she was presented with a System message that made her blush ever so faintly.

    [Flower Language] advanced to Level 53!

    Oh no.

    Theora stared at Dema, who was holding a freshly picked bouquet of pansies in front of her chest, starting to grin as she realised things had finally dawned on Theora.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been giving you flowers non-stop,¡± she mumbled with the blankest expression. ¡°Oh my god.¡±

    ¡°Yep! Sure have!¡± Dema was now beaming ear-to-ear, but not without a decent hint of smugness mixed into her expression. ¡°You finally noticed! And after saying you¡¯d never do it again, too!¡±

    ¡°I was sleepwalking,¡± Theora lied.

    ¡°Pretty sure you weren¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°No, I definitely was!¡± Theora turned away, burying her face in her hands. Really, really, this was not the time to blush. No, instead, this was the time to realise she¡¯d messed up even more than she initially thought. The Skill was called ¡®Flower Language¡¯.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Theora said as she noticed the bigger problem. ¡°Wait, what have I been saying?¡±

    Had she really been communicating her subconscious feelings all this time? Judging from the reaction, she definitely might have. Dema raised her head with a swing, making her horn twirl in the air. Her eyebrows perked up. ¡°Why, some of the sweetest things I¡¯ve ever heard, that¡¯s what!¡±

    ¡°What did the flowers say?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, no! Those messages were for my eyes only! Not gonna tell you!¡±

    ¡°No, please tell me. I was the one who sent them, I should be allowed to know what they said,¡± Theora pleaded, but Dema just kept teasing her.

    It took a while for them to calm down and find their way back to the path towards the location of the side quest. It was right about then that Theora felt the lump in her chest that Dema had done quite a good job of distracting her from.

    Over fifty levels. She¡¯d collected and given Dema enough flowers to level up a Skill over fifty times. Given those flowers to Dema, of all people. Not that Theora had a right to give anyone flowers with how much of a wretched monster she was, but Dema?

    Was she trying to apologise for being about to kill her? Or gain her good favour in some way? If anything, Dema should be throwing those flowers on the ground, trampling on them.

    Well, not really. Flowers were precious and didn¡¯t deserve to be trampled on. But the point was, Dema should be angry, or annoyed, or something, anything like that.

    And she probably was. Dema just played along. This was all a scheme, after all, a scheme Theora nothing but deserved. Dema must have noticed a long time ago, and had kept this little farce going. The two of them were just acting as if they could have a cordial relationship, when it was always clear that they couldn¡¯t.

    And yet, these thoughts were still immensely unfair. Theora was imagining malice in Dema¡¯s actions when there was no proof other than the fact that her actually being genuinely happy at receiving flowers like this was pretty much impossible to comprehend.

    ¡°Brooding again?¡± Dema asked, giving a sidelong smirk. It knocked Theora right out of her downward spiral of destructive thoughts.

    ¡°I¡ª,¡± she started, but stopped herself. ¡°¡­ I suppose.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m showing you rocks, you¡¯re showing me flowers.¡± Dema shrugged with an innocent look on her face. ¡°Ain¡¯t gonna call it anything but a fair trade.¡±

    Theora swallowed. Then, nodded.

    ¡°Can¡¯t have you steal my thing, after all!¡±

    ¡°Your thing?¡± Theora asked with a slight squint.

    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m the one who¡¯s supposed to be thinking and scheming and brooding! Not you! Can¡¯t have that. Nu-uh.¡± She waved her pointed index finger in a motion of denial. ¡°No more thinking for Theora.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± She boggled.

    ¡°Yep! If something comes up that needs thinking about, let me handle it. No more thinking for Theora!¡±

    No more thinking for Theora. She tried not to think about that rule too hard.

    To distract herself, Theora brought up the quest log.

    Time remaining: 3 years.

    These numbers were dropping in the blink of an eye, and yet not nearly fast enough. But the two of them were almost there, both in a spatial and temporal sense. And then, what would happen? Would it finally be time to end all this? Would the System leave them alone? Probably not. But even if it did, what else would Theora do with her time?

    Just one more blink.

 Chapter 20: A Sip of Cherished Cherry Tea

    Dema sat on an old couch in a cosy living room, slowly turning through the pages of a book entirely filled with pressed herbs and flowers.

    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s a cute one! Theora gave it to me once.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a Morning Glory,¡± the old man said, smiling. He had gathered and put together his collection of plants over decades, and the moment Dema had shown the slightest interest in it, he¡¯d not stopped for a second from showing it all off.

    Dema and Theora had finally arrived in Callarand ¡ª the side quest¡¯s final destination. Now, they had to find where the Devil of Truth was currently located, and as always, Theora had decided to settle down in one of the larger cities for a while and ask the locals.

    The old man had been kind enough to offer them a place to stay. His husband had died and all adopted children were out of the house, so now there was enough space to let adventurers stay every now and then. Unfortunately, despite his age, he didn¡¯t know anything about the Devil of Truth, because he¡¯d only arrived in this region some decades ago.

    Almost 100 years in the past ¡ª around the time Dema and Theora met ¡ª the Devil of Truth had attacked Callarand. That, people remembered. But the details of the attack were now the fabric of myths and legends, as about every person who lived to see it had died of old age.

    It was no densely populated area, and if any archivists or librarians had recorded these events, they¡¯d still need to find them.

    ¡°Still, Morning Glory¡­¡± he mused after having fallen into thought for a bit. ¡°What a peculiar choice of a flower to gift someone. You two must have a close relationship.¡±

    Dema started grinning wide. ¡°Why, of course! We¡¯ve been travelling together for so long. No way we wouldn¡¯t get, like, super tight!¡± She interlocked both of her index fingers to empathise her words, and winked. ¡°We know all about each other! By heart.¡±

    The old man wasn¡¯t impressed, and raised a single eyebrow somewhat higher than one would expect to be possible on his weathered and kind face. He¡¯d known the two of them for a while now, and seemed to have gathered some idea about them. ¡°That¡¯s a lie, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Dema¡¯s expression fell apart and was replaced with a show of exaggerated pained sadness. ¡°Big, total lie, yeah! All she ever does is sleep! I feel like she doesn¡¯t love me at all.¡±

    She pursed her lips to one side and then shrugged. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a lie too. She¡¯s just feeling down a lot, working through some issues, you know? I just wish she¡¯d talk about them more with me. I feel like she needs a big, strong sis who can give her one hell of a hug and wring all her troubles out, but too bad, she¡¯s already the strongest. And she¡¯s taller than I am! Big bummer.¡±

    She acted like she was looking into the distance wistfully, then caught herself. ¡°Oh, but it¡¯s not all bad. The few moments she does spend awake, she can¡¯t help but shower me with affection, and doesn¡¯t even realise!¡±

    At that moment, Theora entered the room from the adjacent kitchen, having overheard the entire conversation from just a few steps away. ¡°You are talking nonsense again. I don¡¯t do any showering with affection,¡± she said, placing Dema¡¯s morning tea down on the table in front of her. ¡°Here. I tried making fruit tea this time. Oranges and cherries. Let me know if you like it.¡±

    Dema stared at the old man, shaking her head and suppressing a smile, her hands raised to point at Theora. ¡°See!? Such a cutie.¡± The old man laughed as he watched Dema give him knowing looks while she put down the book to try and taste the tea she had so generously received.

    ¡°We need to get out early today,¡± Theora murmured in thought. ¡°We still haven¡¯t made any progress towards finding the Devil, and we are running out of time.¡±

    ¡°Why, sleepyhead, for that, you¡¯ve only got yourself to blame,¡± Dema sing-songed.

    Theora perked up to stare at her, brows raised in ever so slight shock. ¡°Oh, there I go again. I apologise.¡± Theora sighed, trying hard to contain her disappointment with herself. ¡°I am making you suffer for my own shortcomings and mistakes. Please, feel free to stay home and rest.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what!¡± Dema yelped. ¡°Hell no! I wanna join. Let me join! I was just teasing!¡±

    ¡°Of course, you can join.¡± Theora shook her head in confusion. ¡°I was just saying that you don¡¯t need to feel like you have to. You are still welcome.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Dema replied with more force in her voice than would be necessary. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll join, then!¡±

    ¡°Alright. Yes, then please do.¡±

    ¡°I so will!¡±

    Theora frowned, feeling lost. ¡°Why are you so stirred up about this?¡±

    The old man came to the rescue. ¡°I think she might not like to be separated from you.¡±

    The moment she heard that suggestion, Theora¡¯s brain stopped working. The phrase did not parse. ¡°What?¡± was all she managed to stammer out.

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    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Dema confirmed. ¡°Don¡¯t wanna be lonely! I need you doting on me.¡± Demonstratively, she took the first sip from her tea, and her eyes widened. ¡°Damn, little rabbit! This one¡¯s actually good!¡±

    Theora¡¯s mouth stood open for a moment. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®this one¡¯? The others haven¡¯t been?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the others sucked! Bitter messes.¡± She pulled a grimace as she remembered them. ¡°But this one¡¯s amazing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been making you tea all week. Why haven¡¯t you told me?¡±

    Dema shrugged sheepishly. ¡°Because I thought you were gonna stop making me tea if I said anything?¡±

    ¡°Of course I would have stopped making you tea if it was bad.¡± After all, her goal wasn¡¯t to make Dema suffer.

    ¡°Yeah, but this one ain¡¯t bad! So sweet and running down my throat like¡­ Well, like blood. I do love drinking blood. Maybe it¡¯s the cherries, they always make me think of blood.¡± Dema pulled her gaze back down from the ceiling to end her nostalgic thoughts. ¡°What I¡¯m tryna say is, it was worth the effort! Now you can brew tea.¡±

    In emphasis, she downed the rest of the cup in one go, even though it must have still been way too hot. And, as if to add insult to injury, a System notification popped up the moment she finished.

    You have learned the Skill [Tea Brewing].

    [Tea Brewing] advanced to Level 2!

    Theora was overwhelmed by this to the point of feeling dizzy. She slumped down, right on the ground where she was standing. This was too much. Why was her chest feeling so warm and big and fuzzy?

    Dema felt lonely without her? That had to be a lie, right? After all, the old man was very nice company.

    Dema liked her tea? Had barely even teased her over it. Just a full-on, direct and honest compliment.

    Was this some kind of attack? She felt like she was going to burst.

    And then, that Skill. Sitting there at the bottom of her ugly and glitched-out stat sheet. Oh, how pretty it was, especially right next to the equally beautiful [Flower Language]. Almost enough to drown out the dark pressure exerted by [Obliterate] above them.

    ¡°Damn, you good?¡± Dema¡¯s voice echoed in her mind and tore her out of her thoughts.

    ¡°Oh, yes. I just received a new Skill. So I got distracted.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Another Skill? That sucks! Sorry for you!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Theora looked up, and at that exact moment, Dema seemed to realise she¡¯d said something wrong.

    ¡°No, I mean, it¡¯s great if you like the Skill!¡± she backpedalled. ¡°Just, you know? The UI issue. Only gonna get worse the more Skills you receive.¡±

    What was she talking about? Was she referring to her glitched stat sheet? How would more Skills make that worse?

    ¡°I have no idea what you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Dema started, looking a little lost. ¡°You know, the thing? With the terrible UI design? Whoever made the System seriously messed up. If you learn tons of Skills, it will list them all on your stat sheet, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Dema continued. ¡°But the sheet has the big, big problem that when you pull it up, it always defaults to show the bottom of the Skill page. I guess maybe whoever made it thought you¡¯d wanna see the newest Skills first. But I open my sheet to see my stats! It¡¯s a big pain, whenever I just wanna check my HP or something, I gotta scroll all the way up to the top just to see them, through all those different Skills. I imagine it must be even worse for you.¡±

    Theora¡¯s gaze darted back to her stat sheet. It was amazingly short and messy, and a true horror to look at. A reflection of self-inflicted scars that would never heal. The result of becoming the strongest person in the world, and then continuing to push. The answer to the question of what happened when one used [Obliterate] on one¡¯s own stats, out of pure morbid curiosity ¡ª and, in a further desperate attempt to avoid one¡¯s fate by destroying reality.

    ??me: The??? ???Cl?????????: H?e?r?o???? Leve??????l??????: ????????????¨€¨€??????????

    HP: ¨€¨€¨€???????????¨€??? / _??????????????????????????3??????????????????????????_?

    STR: ???????????67??? DEx???????????????????????????????????????: ???????????

    MN£Ä: ¨€?????????????????????????????????????¨€????????????? VIT: -2¨€???????????¨€?

    DEF: 6?????????????_??????????????????????????

    Ski????????????s:

    [Obliterate] Lv. MAX

    [Flower Language] Lv. 66, [Tea Brewing] Lv. 2

    It was painful to look at, a total disaster. It¡¯s not like using [Obliterate] on it had even accomplished anything. Now, her stats were completely unaffected by any external changes; but they¡¯d already been so high before that it functionally made no difference at all. A true waste, and a testament of how impatient and tired and broken she was. An empty shell filled with glitches and nothingness that would usurp and delete and overwrite whatever she let inside.

    On the other hand, what Dema had just said filled that voided emptiness with the tiniest of warm thoughts. An ember of something Theora needed a few seconds to identify.

    Because, yes ¡ª now that Dema mentioned it, there had been something like that, a long time ago. For a while, before her Skills had started to merge into [Obliterate], she¡¯d had so many that looking at her stat sheet was a chore. Because she¡¯d needed to scroll up for so long to find the simplest amount of information on herself.

    ¡°That¡¯s perfect,¡± she mumbled.

    ¡°What? What¡¯s perfect?¡± Dema echoed.

    This really was amazing.

    What if she just kept collecting pretty Skills? What if, at one point, she¡¯d have found so many beautiful and precious Skills that they¡¯d cleanse away all that havoc, so she¡¯d never have to look at her botched and messed-up sheet again?

    It was a true wonder to behold in her head, the pure thought of it overwhelming her like a warm wave of glittering summer sea. She had to swallow hard, because that image alone made her choke up.

    Yes.

    How about she just did that? Maybe she could learn to fill the world with beautiful things.

 Chapter 21: Whereabouts

    Theora stared at her quest description, feeling extraordinarily tired and empty. How had she managed to manoeuvre herself into this position?

    Together with Dema, she sat at a table outside a caf¨¦, hidden under parasols in the gleaming sun, after a day full of questioning people in town, none of whom had any clue about what they needed to know.

    ¡°What are we gonna do if we find nothing?¡± Dema asked and then plopped a spoonful of marble cake into her mouth.

    Just as Theora was about to answer, a young woman interrupted the both of them after she¡¯d slowly walked up to the table.

    ¡°E-excuse me,¡± she mumbled, eyes to the ground. She looked terrible. Tired, exhausted. She was wearing a waitress uniform, apparently belonging to the staff of the caf¨¦.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Dema asked. ¡°Why, ain¡¯t you a little cutie! Come sit down with us?¡±

    ¡°N-no!¡± the girl answered, looking up finally. She had deep bags under her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ My shift¡¯s ending in a moment, and¡­ Earlier ¡ª a while ago ¡ª I heard you talk about him. And, I was trying to¡­ to get myself to come here. Because I think I know where he is.¡±

    ¡°He?¡± Dema asked. ¡°Who you talking about?¡±

    She swallowed. ¡°The Devil of Truth.¡±

    Those words were like balm on Theora¡¯s aching soul.

    Finally.

    She glanced at her quest details.

    Time remaining: 7 hours.

    This was cutting it way too close even for Theora¡¯s tastes. Though, as Dema had said a few weeks prior, she certainly only had herself to blame. Of course, there was no way she¡¯d actually miss the deadline; she¡¯d rather tear a hole into the fabric of reality than have the Devil of Truth go rampant after the System had gone through all the effort of summoning her here.

    Because, at least speaking for side quests, they really never were in vain. Usually, those were quests that actually required her. She would slack a lot, trying to stretch the deadline as far as possible, but in the end, she would accept and shoulder her responsibilities. And the consequences.

    Although in this case, she really wasn¡¯t sure how she could have approached it any differently. Had she spent less time asleep and wallowing, she would have been here earlier, in theory. It was an easy thing to say.

    And yet, the sleep was something her mind had demanded of her with such urgency that she wasn¡¯t sure whether she would have been able to remain collected and capable if she hadn¡¯t given in. Immediately after meeting Dema, her pressure had caused her to lash out against the System, endangering people in the process. This was something she didn¡¯t want to repeat under any circumstances.

    So, if sleep was the only coping mechanism she was allowed, she¡¯d take it. She¡¯d sleep a hundred years if it meant shielding the world from another one of her childish fits.

    As a saving grace, she could at least grant that during those very last few months, she¡¯d been mostly awake. The closer the deadline came, the more she forced herself to be clear-minded.

    But nothing could be changed at this point anyway. She simply had to find and dispatch the Devil of Truth within seven hours, without relying on any means that were improper. Callarand was a large region, so there was a limit to how much of it could be combed through within a few hours.

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    Luckily, now, they had found their very first lead.

    The girl was probably somewhere in her twenties. Extremely long black hair fell down her back. She wore a very thick pair of glasses, and had a constant air of feeling lost about her.

    ¡°Oh my, tell us!¡± Dema agreed. ¡°We¡¯re gonna kill him. She needs those juicy quest rewards.¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t,¡± Theora murmured.

    The girl jumped her eyes between the two of them in slight confusion.

    ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s your name? I¡¯m Dema, and this clueless beauty right here is Little Rabbit.¡±

    The girl gulped, and took a short breath. ¡°Really? You¡¯re going to end him? You are here for that?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora confirmed, and as she did, a wave of relief washed over that person¡¯s face.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. That¡¯s good, yes. I¡¯m Hannah.¡±

    ¡°Why, you¡¯re so skittish. Were you worried about that so much?¡± Dema asked.

    Hannah took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes by shoving her fingers under her glasses. ¡°I know he¡¯s going to be set free soon. Not exactly when, but¡­ I¡¯m on edge, and nobody I know cares. They say to trust in the System.¡±

    ¡°In this particular case, you have no need to be frightened,¡± Theora assured her. ¡°We are here to end him, and will do so tonight. Any information you can give us would help, so please, let us know what you can.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes. I only know what my grandmother told me. She wasn¡¯t alive when it all went down, but the hero responsible¡­ I mean, the hero who ended the incident came back a few decades later to check on his work. Like, when she was young. And they talked a lot.¡±

    ¡°Dang, he survived?¡± Dema raised her brows. ¡°I thought he woulda gotten pummelled. Like, that he only managed to delay the inevitable by sacrificing himself or something. The Devil of Truth ain¡¯t exactly easy to deal with. That boy must have been really strong.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure,¡± Hannah said. ¡°I think he died a long time ago, from old age. I don¡¯t think he fought the Devil.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What did he do, then?¡±

    ¡°He had the [Sealer] Class. He imprisoned him in a cage.¡±

    Dema shook her head with a hint of contempt. ¡°Damn those guys.¡±

    Theora hummed in thought. ¡°Still, imprisoning the Devil of Truth for a hundred years would require a very strong [Sealer]. Is the deadline of the quest the remaining time on that seal? Does it last exactly a hundred years?¡± She leaned back in her chair, looking up at the yellow parasol and the glare of the sun hidden behind it. ¡°The Devil of Truth seems too strong to be fought by a single hero¡­ Sending more would have required more time, so maybe the System was in a hurry.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± asked Dema.

    ¡°So, my guess is, the seal used by the hero freezes time. Stops time for a hundred years. That way, it can¡¯t be fought from the inside, with the drawback that it won¡¯t harm what¡¯s in it.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, she¡¯s got it all figured out already,¡± Dema grinned.

    ¡°Not all. I¡¯m only guessing. Also, I¡¯ve seen it used a few times before. The System sent me on the quest right back then when it happened. So, it knew that eventually, someone would arrive who could dispatch the Devil of Truth. Harming him wasn¡¯t necessary.¡±

    To Theora, this seemed like the most plausible course of action for the System to take. One hundred years was probably the most that hero had to offer. Regardless, it was an enormous amount of time.

    ¡°Anyway, we still need to find where the seal is located.¡± Theora glanced back at the girl with a questioning gaze.

    ¡°I¡­ think I know where it is,¡± the girl murmured, and her gaze turned a little darker. ¡°You¡¯re going there to finish the job no matter what, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the intention,¡± Theora confirmed.

    ¡°I understand. Please, be careful. That being cannot be allowed to leave its seal. I still have nightmares today, and my grandmother barely told me anything. You¡¯ll¡­ Know what I mean when you get there, I think.¡± Hannah pressed her lips together in a worried expression. ¡°If what she told me is true¡­ Please, don¡¯t underestimate him. I realise you think you are strong, but¡­¡± She trailed off, and swallowed. ¡°And whatever he says, don¡¯t listen to him, okay? You can¡¯t let him live, no matter what.¡±

    ¡°Why, that¡¯s ominous,¡± Dema hummed. ¡°But, don¡¯t worry! The guy¡¯s not gonna get away. Should be a tad weaker than I am, and Theora is a little stronger than me. Two on one. You can sleep safely tonight, I promise!¡±

    Hannah nodded, and took a deep breath. ¡°Alright. Then, do you have a map?¡±

 Chapter 22: A Past Heroâ€™s Masterpiece

    ¡°That girl seemed kinda anxious, huh?¡± Dema mused when they finally left the small town. ¡°Wonder what we¡¯ll find there. Maybe he¡¯s a big meanie.¡±

    ¡°Probably is,¡± Theora confirmed.

    ¡°What if he isn¡¯t?¡± Dema grinned. ¡°What if he offers us a cup of coffee and says sorry? You gonna add him to our party if he begs?¡± She raised her eyebrows playfully, the non-verbal ¡®Like me?¡¯ lingering in the air.

    ¡°Unlikely.¡±

    ¡°Why, come on! You¡¯re such a big softie! Can you even really kill anything? I ain¡¯t ever seen you actually do that.¡±

    Theora shifted her head slightly to lose Dema from her field of view. They were walking side by side through high grass, the demoness engulfed in it up to her hip.

    Ever since the attack, the surroundings of the incident¡¯s location had been uninhabited. It was pure wilderness, no path leading where they were meant to go. A small village by the countryside, rich with its local herbal flora, featuring some of the cleanest water and air in Callarand.

    Back then, it had been a sanctuary offering respite, before the Devil of Truth had warped it to a venue of horror.

    Not that any of that horror was yet apparent. The bees hummed through the air. Bunches of lavender patches swayed in the soft breeze under evening sunlight that was only briefly interrupted by the occasional fluffy cloud passing along.

    If it truly was a time seal, then the evidence of Truth¡¯s deeds would become immediately apparent once they entered.

    This would not be similar at all to Dema¡¯s situation. Time had washed away all reliable accounts, all evidence of evils she may have once committed, and the myths and legends had biases implanted that turned Theora unwilling to rely on them.

    But for the Devil of Truth, they would know what he did, and was going to continue to do if left to his own devices.

    ¡°Not like I wanna team up with him or anything, but, how do you feel about travelling with more than just us? What if we found someone cool one day and decided to let them tag along?¡±

    Dema¡¯s smoky voice rang over the buzzing of the insects and the soft breeze shifting the leaves, and let the question it carried linger. Theora tried to turn it over in her head. Another companion? How would that even work?

    During the last century, how much time had Theora actually spent awake? Maybe five or six years? And most of that, she¡¯d spent putting one foot after the other, walking mindlessly along long roads, unsecured paths, or simple plains.

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    They¡¯d not actually met many people on their way. Himaeya was an incredibly large planet with a very low population density. Or rather, the population was low at the moment. There had been times Theora lived through when it¡¯d been much more lively, and others when it had been yet emptier.

    But, even if they found someone to travel with, how would that turn out? Being trapped in that cage in the chasm with a human would have potentially ended very differently. Theora would have had much less time to analyse the Skill and wait for its energy to run out, which could have made breaking out riskier in various ways.

    But, looking at this in a different way, this was a rather selfish thing to think. Another companion would have perhaps known a way to break out of that seal that didn¡¯t occur to her or may have been outside her capabilities.

    Though, that still didn¡¯t address the fact that they¡¯d just spent 100 years travelling, and not a single human would have survived that long a journey.

    Of course, other humanoid peoples lived in the world too. Some had longer lifespans, even going up to a millennium. But currently, their numbers were sparse, and they mostly lived in far off regions.

    But even disregarding all that, just in principle ¡ª would Theora want to travel with more people, if it was possible? She¡¯d never done so before. She¡¯d never even travelled with others before meeting Dema, and so far, travelling with Dema had done nothing but plunge her into the most desperate sleeping fit she¡¯d ever had. Using sleep as a coping mechanism had never occurred to her before, but in these special circumstances, having Dema right there, there was really no other way to avoid the things she was trying to deny needed to happen.

    Would she continue sleeping even after completing the side quest? She really didn¡¯t know. She was still tired, and she still wanted to just lie down, though her sense of duty and the urgency of the remaining time dwindling down gave her mind the necessary impetus to stay awake for now.

    What would the world look like once she¡¯d faced the Devil of Truth? How would the System react to her clearing the quest? Would it grant another one, or would it argue that it had shown all possible goodwill and that now, it was finally time?

    Was Theora just moments away from ending Dema?

    As her thoughts kept circling, and without her ever giving a proper answer to Dema¡¯s question, they eventually reached the village. All its houses had fallen into a grave disrepair only a century of untouched nature could cause.

    There were no signs of a struggle. Because the village specifically had not been the Devil¡¯s target. The target had been a large building outside, placed here amid healing nature to provide whatever boon possible to its former residents.

    And at long last, it came into view. The final destination of their journey.

    The place of the attack. The place of the gigantic prison.

    It was a large, crystallised structure like an uncut diamond, glittering in the setting sun in sparkles of all possible colours. A fabrication of such tremendous and oppressive beauty and power that it could have only possibly been brought forth by a Skill of Legendary rank.

    Something that, much like the Cube of Solitude, could hold virtually anything.

    This enormous diamond had long since outlived its creator, lying here in wait for Theora¡¯s arrival, for one hundred years. Maybe even the greatest feat that hero had ever achieved, the incredible triumph that would carry his legacy through history ¡ª having succeeded in sealing away the Devil of Truth, and living to tell the tale. A tale that Hannah had now relayed to them.

    Theora stepped in front of the structure, taller than a cathedral, not a single scratch or sign of weathering on its incandescent surface.

    She drew her sword.

    [Obliterate].

 Chapter 23: The Realm of Truth

    As the slash carried through the world and sprinkled the time prison into tiny pieces, accompanied by [Obliterate]¡¯s telltale sparks of azure and rose-pink light, another formation revealed itself within the diamond, like a fossil embedded in amber.

    It was a dark red, bulging blob, a terrible ooze engulfing where the building they had come for was supposed to be.

    ¡°Damn,¡± Dema let out with an awe-inspired voice. ¡°He¡¯s already gotten his [Realm] up before getting sealed. That¡¯s gonna make this a whole lot harder.¡±

    ¡°[Realm]?¡± Theora asked, as she started to make her way towards it.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know what a [Realm] is?¡± Dema asked in undisguised disbelief. ¡°What the hell?¡±

    Theora made a few more steps before realising Dema wasn¡¯t following, so she turned back around with a slight questioning gaze.

    Meanwhile, Dema just stared back. ¡°Why, I can¡¯t believe you came to fight me without knowing about [Realms]. It¡¯s an ability some demons have access to. Like, they create a space in which they cannot lose. You enter it, you die. We should wait it out. Won¡¯t last forever.¡±

    ¡°Time is running out,¡± Theora said, and went ahead. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±

    Dema shook her head and rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, fine!¡± she shouted, catching up. ¡°Just don¡¯t tell me I didn¡¯t warn ya! I mean, I¡¯m straight-up immortal and even I¡¯m scared to go in! Entering another demon¡¯s [Realm] is just reckless¡­¡±

    ¡°You can wait outside. It¡¯s my quest, after all. You don¡¯t have to endanger yourself.¡±

    Dema pouted, turning her head in a way that made her horn run a cute little swirl. ¡°No way I¡¯m gonna miss this spectacle! I¡¯d probably manage this guy outside his [Realm], but I¡¯d still like to know if and how you beat him. Maybe you¡¯re not that strong after all.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Not that I actually think you¡¯re gonna do him in. Little rabbit¡¯s too big a softie. You¡¯re gonna get all mopey.¡±

    By now, they were right in front of the goo, and Theora softly touched it with a finger.

    ¡°Oh, before we go in, there¡¯s something you may wanna know,¡± Dema added, grinning. ¡°It¡¯s the Devil of Truth. His [Realm] makes it so that when we¡¯re inside, we can¡¯t lie.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Yep. So if there¡¯s some big secret you¡¯ve been hiding from me, now¡¯s the time to turn around and forget about this side quest.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be the one to worry about that?¡± Theora asked, and went inside, and Dema followed.

    Within the bubble, a dark storm was raging. The air felt heavy and exuded a strong pressure, winds blasting past as the vegetation inside was rotting and the soil barren. The building stood before them, made up of different complexes of various sizes, all constructed in grey stone bricks with embellished wooden beams between. It really seemed to be a time seal, as the building had not weathered like those outside.

    They made for the main entrance; a large, two compartment door with serif lettering stretched above it spelling out the words ¡®Callarand Solstice Children¡¯s Hospital¡¯.

    The corridors and halls were empty. There was a reception area, some waiting rooms, and further connections to deeper parts of the premise, though so far, not a single person was to be seen.

    ¡°Damn,¡± Dema murmured. ¡°I can smell the blood.¡±

    ¡°Any survivors?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°Nah. [Appraise] says it¡¯s just him.¡± She pointed in a direction that would, as per the layouts hanging on the walls, lead to the hospital¡¯s dining hall.

    They paced forward, steps echoing through the silence. ¡°You know,¡± Dema started again, ¡°I kinda was planning to play this fun li¡¯l game. Like, for you and I to ask each other questions that we gotta answer. To pass the time if we get stuck in Truth¡¯s [Realm].¡±

    She shrugged, looking about the gloom-inducing surroundings. Emptiness, but no dust anywhere. Not much in terms of destruction or wear, either. Just a space that should have people in it, but didn¡¯t.

    Then, Dema continued, ¡°But now, this ain¡¯t fun at all. What a bummer. I had such a good plan too. And he just had to ruin it.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°The side quests I¡¯m sent on aren¡¯t usually fun.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I get that now. Shame.¡±

    They made another turn, finding a corridor with several doors to patient rooms. Some were open and seemed like they were still actively lived in. Dema got progressively agitated as they walked by, until at one point, she couldn¡¯t stop herself anymore, and stopped walking.

    ¡°Hey, ain¡¯t this, like, totally messed up?¡± she snapped. ¡°How are you just walking through it? Almost seems like you¡¯re bored. I kinda wanna trash the place and bury the guy in soil. I can¡¯t, because we¡¯re in his [Realm]. But still.¡±

    ¡°Not bored, just tired,¡± Theora returned. ¡°I¡¯m the only one in the world who can do this, and so I must, and so I will. There¡¯s nothing more to it.¡±

    ¡°Damn,¡± Dema whispered. ¡°No wonder you wanna sleep all the time. This ain¡¯t fun at all.¡±

    ¡°Must mean something, if it¡¯s the Ancient Evil saying it,¡± Theora mused.

    ¡°Look, now, even I¡¯ve got limits!¡±

    They kept on for a while longer, and eventually found themselves in the same corridor they¡¯d already been in before.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Theora hummed. ¡°Illusion magic? He¡¯s trying to throw us off?¡±

    ¡°Unlikely. The guy¡¯s got a big ego. Probably doesn¡¯t even think he¡¯s in danger. It¡¯s his [Realm], too. He basically rules here, doesn¡¯t even need illusion magic to accomplish something like this, could be he just bent reality.¡±

    ¡°So? What do we do?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°Why, ain¡¯t that rare, you asking my advice! I feel flattered.¡±

    Theora glanced back to her quest outline.

    Time remaining: 47 minutes.

    ¡°Your expertise is valuable here,¡± she said. ¡°You know him. And, he¡¯s a demon like you. We don¡¯t have much time left. Of course I would rely on your advice, if you allow.¡±

    ¡°I say we just gotta keep walking,¡± Dema supplied, looking back and forth the hall. ¡°He¡¯s the Devil of Truth, probably wants to have some fun watching us. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much we can do here for now. Not without¡­ well, making a big mess, and probably getting killed off by him.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Maybe we should play that game after all.¡±

    ¡°You think he can hear us?¡±

    Dema let out a long hum in her smoky voice. ¡°Maybe. Pretty sure he at least feels our, like, state of mind. He might honour us with a visit if we start getting jumpy.¡±

    ¡°Game it is, then,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Kinda funny, though, how we can¡¯t lie and are still talking like we always do, huh! Must mean we have that big a bond of trust.¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t been asking challenging questions of each other. In fact, never did, in those past one hundred years.¡±

    ¡°True that. I¡¯ve been saving them, hoping for this to happen!¡±

    ¡°Oh, have you?¡±

    Dema smirked, stretching thin her golden lips. ¡°Why, of course. You told me we were gonna meet the Devil of Truth, and I¡¯ve had a hundred years to prepare! I¡¯m ready!¡±

    ¡°Impressive,¡± Theora murmured. Meanwhile, she hadn¡¯t prepared at all.

    ¡°That said, I kinda thought he¡¯d set up the [Realm] while we fought him, and then we¡¯d be in this big pinch and I could come save you. I didn¡¯t expect you to just walk in!¡±

    Theora shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t wait it out. We arrived late.¡±

    They were probably making their fortieth round in those same corridors by now, always circling back into the same one.

    Not being able to lie inside this [Realm] was certainly on-brand for someone called the Devil of Truth, but warping space? This didn¡¯t feel much like reality, and not much like the truth, either.

    Just as Theora was about to start contemplating what that could mean, Dema interrupted her. ¡°So, first question! What¡¯s your favourite food?¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°That¡¯s your first question where I can¡¯t lie? I would have answered that anytime.¡±

    ¡°We gotta start easy!¡± Dema grinned.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a favourite food.¡±

    ¡°Colour?¡±

    ¡°Blue.¡±

    ¡°Then, how about¡­ Why, what¡¯s your favourite smell! Mine¡¯s still tulips!¡±

    ¡°This sounds a lot like you are making these questions up as you go,¡± Theora said. ¡°I thought you prepared them?¡±

    Dema grumbled. ¡°I kinda thought¡­ Well, you know! You still wanna kill me, right? But you¡¯re hesitating. So¡­ my plan was kinda just to give you a chance to ask me,¡± she said, her voice trailing off into a whisper by the end.

    ¡°To ask you what?¡±

    ¡°Why, the obvious question, of course! You can go ahead and ask!¡±

    Obvious question?

    Was there an obvious question? What could Dema be referring to? Something that had to do with Theora having to kill her¡­

    It took a moment for her to understand. As she did, her heart sank.

    That¡¯s right, the obvious question. The one thing Theora wanted to know about the Ancient Evil. The question that had agonised her for a century now, even though she really did not want to hear the answer. Because receiving that answer was a terrifying prospect. And, maybe the framing of the question was already wrong. Maybe she was working off flawed assumptions, and maybe they¡¯d all crumble down in front of her the moment she issued the words. And if that happened, nothing would be the same.

    And now, they were in the [Realm] of Truth, where lying was not possible. Of course, Dema could have lied about that, maybe lying was possible. It would have been easy enough for Theora to check, but she didn¡¯t bother. She simply trusted Dema.

    Trusted the girl who was walking next to her, offering to simply answer the dangerous question that would potentially change it all.

    So, Theora gathered all her courage, steeled her voice, clenching fists to steady herself, and asked the one thing she both wondered about so much, and still didn¡¯t want to know.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you hate me?¡±

 Chapter 24: Knock at the Door

    ¡°What?¡± Dema asked, caught in surprise. ¡°What kinda thing to ask is that? Why would I hate you?¡±

    Theora stared back, equally puzzled. ¡°Because I¡¯m going to kill you.¡±

    Dema made a grimace, scrunching up her face and waving one of her hands. ¡°We don¡¯t know that. Maybe you¡¯re gonna kill me one day. Who knows. Would be a bummer, for sure. But for now, all you actually did was save me.¡±

    ¡°Save you?¡±

    Dema nodded, eyebrows raised as if it was obvious. ¡°You came to the Zenith of the End, shattered that big unbreakable seal, and took me out when I was all lonely. And so far, it¡¯s given me a hundred more years to live in that pretty world of ours. How would I ever hate you?¡± Dema shook her head gently. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? You are my saviouress.¡±

    Theora just stared. These words did not fit into her brain. How could that be true? Had Dema lied about the nature of the [Realm] after all? Or did she have a Skill to circumvent it?

    Theora being Dema¡¯s saviouress? What a ridiculous notion. No, she was her murderer. She had come to the Zenith of the End with intent, and she¡¯d travelled with her for a hundred years with that selfsame intent. Knowing exactly the only possible outcome involving herself with Dema could ever lead to. How could Dema say something like that? How could she expect Theora to believe it, even in this place?

    Can¡¯t lie in the [Realm] of Truth? These rules of the world meant nothing. The only ironclad law of existence was that Theora would never lose. And that wasn¡¯t confidence, it was reality, because she wished for it to be wrong with every fibre of her being, but it wasn¡¯t wrong, and that was the cause of all of her problems.

    If she was trapped with a demon in a place where it was impossible for that demon to lose, she¡¯d still win. She would always win. She was the unstoppable force destroying any immovable object.

    Right now, she could probably open her mouth, and spout the biggest, most obvious lie, and the words would come out unrestrained. So, could it be that Dema was lying too? That the Ancient Evil had tricked her in some way, to make this illusion come to fruit, this fairy tale where the two of them could be on good terms?

    Why, even? Was Dema still trying to betray her? It was pointless. Even if Theora believed what Dema was saying, it would make no difference for any such ploy.

    But she couldn¡¯t believe it. Her saviouress? What a word. No. Absolutely not. If she dared seriously entertain that thought for a single second, she¡¯d probably retch.

    And yet, it was all too alluring. To play along with this act, to smile, and to spend a while being happy around each other, even if it¡¯s all a lie.

    Earlier, Dema had asked what Theora¡¯s favourite scent was, and Theora had immediately derailed the conversation. Of course she had. She couldn¡¯t have possibly answered. A scent that now felt like home, one of coal and ash. Something she would have never thought to love before, because that kind of scent was usually that of destruction and ruin, except she¡¯d now come to associate it with serenity, gleeful mischief, carefreeness, and finding appreciation in everything. To her, it was now simply the scent of Dema.

    Coal and ash, what should be the scent of the end, felt to her now like the colours in the air of a new beginning.

    And it was all a lie. A lie she so desperately wanted to believe.

    ¡°We need to find the Devil,¡± Theora said, ending her thoughts, because by now, they were hurting too much.

    And so, they continued to move through the corridors in silence. Theora wouldn¡¯t give him more of a spectacle; he had better gotten his fill. If he was even listening at all.

    As she watched the counter of minutes rinse down, she wondered if he was going to let them circle around until time ran out. By now, there were only three minutes left.

    In a way, didn¡¯t that betray his interests? He was on the clock too, after all. If what Dema had said was true, then [Realms] didn¡¯t last forever. Maybe there was some other meaning to the quest¡¯s countdown than the seal¡¯s expiration after all. Maybe he was plotting something.

    Not that it mattered. Not that Theora had any interest to find out.

    She had already gotten him cornered. She didn¡¯t care about his plans, nor about the rewards, but letting the side quest expire was still not an option, because truth be told, she was just making assumptions.

    This was a [Realm], so there was some chance that using [Obliterate] on it would only cause self-contained damage, but she couldn¡¯t say that for sure. The Devil of Truth was an immensely powerful opponent, and tearing something he made out from the fabric of reality in ways that weren¡¯t supposed to happen was always a risk. It would possibly endanger people living in this region. Or, it could leave a gigantic unfixable hole in the world, forever.

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    That said, if they didn¡¯t find him soon, she¡¯d have no choice. Taking a short breath, Theora decided to ask.

    ¡°Dema, do you have a Skill that could cut a corner here? Get us to the dining hall somehow?¡±

    Upon being asked that, Dema turned her in a bright cheer. ¡°Why, little rabbit, relying on me again!¡± But then, she sighed, looking around. ¡°Am a little hesitant, not gonna lie, but if you ask like that, I just can¡¯t resist.¡± Her eyes turned unfocussed for a moment, maybe in consultation of her stat sheet. ¡°This ain¡¯t it¡­ this won¡¯t do, either¡­ That one¡¯s gonna make the little rabbit unhappy,¡± she mumbled. She ruffled her hair. ¡°Damn, doing this without destroying the world is so hard!¡±

    ¡°Dema,¡± Theora intoned, and the amber eyes perked up into her direction.

    ¡°Oh my? Am I gonna get scolded again?¡±

    ¡°We are about to face off a rather capable being, with the aim to destroy it before it can deliver further suffering on uninvolved lives. We likely won¡¯t be able to avoid inflicting some damage. This is different from demolishing a landmark to sidestep a detour. The harm you do won¡¯t be truly permanent in the sense that mine would be. That is why I ask.¡±

    Listening to this, Dema started smirking, her eyes catching a golden glow. ¡°So, you telling me I can let loose?¡±

    ¡°You can let loose.¡±

    The moment Dema heard those words, she stopped thinking or going through a stat screen or worrying. ¡°That¡¯s nice, so I get to be angry after all. That damn guy had my blood boiling for a while.¡±

    It was like threads that had been holding her in place were cut away, her body shifting in a manner Theora hadn¡¯t seen before. Her grin wasn¡¯t simply mischievous now, it was downright frenzied. With that, blood spilled out from all of her pores. It gathered around her in swirling, floating bubbles, all daring to explode any second.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna try and pull him out, but it¡¯s still his [Realm], and he ain¡¯t gonna like it,¡± Dema said as the tension in her legs made her stand on her forefeet. ¡°You¡¯re not gonna abandon me when he comes to beat me up, are you?¡±

    ¡°I might not be able to keep him from damaging you,¡± Theora began. ¡°But ultimately, you are always safe with me.¡±

    Dema bit her lip. She formed a claw with one of her hands, then snapped finger after finger into a fist with boney cracks, releasing more dashes of her blood into the air. ¡°Damn, making my heart flutter. That¡¯s good enough for me.¡±

    With these words, she bashed her fist into the wall. There was something chilling even for Theora in seeing a scrawny little figure like Dema stretch her muscles to the brink and pierce stone bricks, her coat whirling around her from the impact of her blow.

    Her arm plunged deep inside, cracks issuing out in all directions. But, there was something unnatural about it ¡ª instead of destroying the wall, she had wounded it. As if the stone had come alive, it wobbled ever so slightly around her injection point, trying to pull away, but she held firm.

    Then, as if she had become a heart, her body pumped endless amounts of blood into the building with rhythmic pulses. The building didn¡¯t like it. It tried to push the blood out from the cracks, but Dema kept worming her way back in, relentlessly.

    Meanwhile, Theora could feel Dema unleash more of her power through a drowning hum in the air. The effects didn¡¯t become apparent until, suddenly, with an enormous jerking motion passing through it, the world collapsed.

    The corridor ceased to exist, folding into itself like paper, until all that Theora saw around them was a kaleidoscope of black on black ¡ª except for the wounded part of the wall that Dema still held firm. An empty space, an endless space, but at the same time, it seemed oppressive and discomforting, narrow and confining.

    ¡°Given up on reality really fast, huh? What a big scam your name is,¡± Dema sneered, waving her head around as if speaking to everything.

    A moment later, her eyes widened. ¡°Oh my! Gotcha!¡±

    Her entire body violently pulled on the wound, until her hand emerged from it, holding something by its horn. It was one smooth motion, like dragging out a massive parasitic worm through too small an opening out of sick skin. Blood gushed from the crack in waves, as the kaleidoscope around them shattered.

    Time remaining: 46 seconds.

    They found themselves in a hospital¡¯s dining hall.

    Theora¡¯s eyes flickered around. Half-dried blood on the ceiling and the walls. No bodies, but this was enough. There would be no negotiations. This blemish could not be suffered in this world.

    Her gaze calmed down on the creature Dema had retrieved out from its hiding space. She still held it by one of the horns on its head. Soaked in her blood, it was a demon wearing the guise of an angry looking young man, clad in a suit of the likes Theora hadn¡¯t seen before; prim and proper, chequered patterns across it. He had a small piece of black silky cloth wrapped tightly around his neck, with its long tail hanging down the middle of his chest.

    His suit was a tight fit, his cheeks clean and smooth, and his hair cut to perfection. His outfit was only tarnished by Dema¡¯s blood and the fact she¡¯d wrinkled his clothes.

    In his fury, he swung his hand adorned with claw-like long black fingernails, cutting off Dema¡¯s arm to free himself. Then, he pushed his other hand through her heart, holding her up, impaled. A soft rasp echoed from her throat.

    ¡°The Ancient Evil?¡± He squinted at her with a slick voice running down any consciousness that might hear it like hot oil. ¡°You escaped the Cube of Solitude? And then came right here to die. Pathetic.¡±

    ¡°Leave her,¡± Theora intoned, calm as the sea on a windless day. ¡°She was merely knocking at your door.¡±

    As the Devil of Truth turned around to face her, his muscles lost tension, and he dropped Dema to the ground, who remained there, coughing and curling up with a pool of blood spreading beneath her.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you? What a grave misfortune,¡± he drawled, speaking mostly into the air around him, as his features flared up in recognition upon seeing Theora¡¯s face. At the same time, she could feel an intricate clockwork of hundreds of Skills activating within him. Small red lightning sparks arcing over his body hinted at the power he was building, like getting ready to move a mountain, destroy a star, or oppose Theora.

    ¡°A true shame. Had I known the Roaming Blight was still alive, I would have stayed dormant in hell.¡±

    Time remaining: 2 seconds.

 Chapter 25: Two Realities

    [Obliterate].

    In the blink of an eye, Theora gazed into a deep abyss. She grasped at the nature of the being in front of her, saw aspects of what it was, what it wanted, and how it functioned. Through countless layers of instinct and experience, it came to her like a thousand speakers reading out definitions at once. Masses of information flowing through her head as she recognised the feelings and intentions behind the many Skills this monster was launching like a volley into the sky.

    In some ways, the Devil of Truth was like an onion. Layer upon layer of defensive Skills outlined his core, and as Theora¡¯s sword slashed through the air, he simply dodged, warping reality to his wishes by declaring a new truth. She could feel his thoughts, or rather, his will, as it dominated the space and came down like an iron hammer.

    Theora wondered. What she had in front of her right now, it couldn¡¯t possibly be what he once was. What had he been? She tried to perceive that original person, if only out of a vague feeling of curiosity. A being almost as broken as herself, maybe? One that had lost its way.

    Perhaps, a long time ago, the Devil of Truth had been a creature of rationality. Of observation and deduction, using wits to hurt his opponents with cleverly constructed networks of irrefutable fact. That was certainly what his Skills hinted at. It was the story told by their remains, when excavated from past times.

    But, much like Theora, once he had hit the ceiling of his powers, he had not stopped. By now, his words created truth instead of searching it, spun it from thin air to wield it as a weapon.

    Now, what he spoke was the truth. Not because he only spoke truth, but because truth was formed by his words. He was warping reality to his wishes.

    Once the target was set, [Obliterate] could not be evaded, and yet, his reality defying power, strengthened by the [Realm], blunted the blow.

    In the meantime, the volley formed by his offensive Skills edged closer, a storm of arrows where each one could pierce a planet. Some of them, Theora slashed through before they could manifest, and others she let sink into her skin, too tired to dodge or defend herself. Why should she? Was there even a truth that could harm her?

    As his onslaught weaved itself into her body and mind, she had yet to graze the essence of his being, so she scraped away at his attacks instead.

    In seeing his Skills, Theora sensed that the Devil of Truth had two main affinities; [Mind] and [Illusion]. Though, all of them had a certain spin to them. It wasn¡¯t Skills of the mind to bend someone¡¯s will. Instead, they opened a certain manipulated reality to them, making them believe a thing that the Devil decided to be true. And the illusions, instead of taking away from reality, they attempted to reveal it. To destroy preconceived notions ¡ª and the mind that carried them with it.

    But Theora was an empty shell. What was there left to reveal? She simply tore all attempts of opening her eyes apart. There was nothing to be seen. No other reality but the one in which Dema hated her, and played along because of a scheme. Especially after how much she¡¯d just gotten hurt by doing Theora¡¯s bidding.

    No reality but the one in which her journey would end with Dema dead at her hands.

    Theora already knew that truth, and the Devil had no avenue to reveal anything more substantial to her.

    But he didn¡¯t give up. When he realised his attacks were failing, he instead used them to hold her off. From what? It was clear that he was leading her on, distracting her, showing her truths he made up to hide in others.

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    Theora saw a room full of people with him just sitting in the middle and talking. His soft voice like running hot oil down any listener¡¯s ear.

    And then, one by one, they started murdering each other.

    I only revealed the truth to them. Never laid a hand on anyone.

    Of course, that was a lie. He had laid hands on Dema. Though, maybe he didn¡¯t consider that right. Maybe there was a law in his head, annotating this as self-defence, which technically might be true. The same was true for all of the attacks he was currently stabbing into Theora, although she couldn¡¯t say she minded the assault.

    Or did she? It was hard to tell, with how muted she felt.

    All she was here to do was destroy this being that had started an attack on uninvolved people. As more of his truths revealed themselves to her, she realised that he gained power whenever a truth he told resulted in harm. Thus, playing people out against each other had helped him grow stronger. Maybe that had been his scheme with keeping them in the [Realm] without confronting them. Perhaps he had hoped in some warped way that he could manipulate Theora to harm Dema.

    And in a way, she had done exactly that. Dema was lying in a pool of her own blood right that moment, and it was all Theora¡¯s fault. Had that empowered him even further? Was he now even stronger?

    Maybe Theora had played right into his hand. But then again, it didn¡¯t entirely feel this way.

    As all these thoughts circled through Theora¡¯s head, she started wondering. Why try to distract her like this? What did he not want her to notice?

    There had to be a reason.

    She averted her attention away from the attacks, letting them plunge into her completely unrestrained, and looked at everything else instead. At his defences, his reality, his actions.

    Ah. There it was.

    Theora couldn¡¯t help but like what she found. The ace he was attempting to play, it had a certain beauty to it. She saw the tendrils of his mind reach outward. Tendrils of immense range, and yet ever so thin, trying to hide beneath the surface of their fight, fumbling at the edges of what constituted the framework of the universe.

    Within the blink of an eye that their fight had been going, he¡¯d immediately known he was losing.

    But winning was not the only way out of a fight. No, he was trying to run away. Into a new truth, a new reality he was constructing, without Theora in it. Wasn¡¯t that just such an elegant solution?

    Yes, if he were to flee into a world that didn¡¯t feature a blemish such as Theora, then that would solve all of his problems. Weaving the threads that spun the cosmos into something else, warping it in a way that shut her out and would deliver him to safety. He was telling his new tale to convert into fact, splitting reality in two, choosing the one that would allow him to live. Without a doubt, in that small fraction of time, he used all the power of his mind to create a Skill of the highest rank. A Skill to tell the ultimate new truth.

    Or, to tell the ultimate lie.

    Of course, even such a thing could not be allowed. Theora was meant to defeat him, after all.

    So, she obliterated the threads. A smooth and all-encompassing motion, an instant one that yet felt slow due to the boundless distance travelled. Like a whale devouring a pond full of water, like a wicked child cutting off an insect¡¯s escape with colossal hands.

    And then, it was merely an act of encircling the core. Of swallowing the vast sea she had outlined in her throat.

    The Devil of Truth was a raging sea of power, and Theora was the world surrounding it.

    Time remaining: 1 second.

    Without a doubt, the Devil of Truth was the strongest foe Theora had ever fought. That would have been true even outside of his [Realm]. She could feel it ¡ª the radiance of his natural strength, already gleaming brighter than anything. And yet, it was just a droplet in the ocean of light ¡ª an ocean amassed by that incredible [Realm].

    It made sense why people thought that this would make a demon invincible. Normally, the strongest being in the world could be taken down by an alliance of its closest peers. That had always been the strategy, throughout aeons, to deal with an outlier in strength ¡ª to band together, into an army if needed, and force a situation the strongest could not persevere through.

    But, within a [Realm], this rule changed. The difference was in order of magnitudes; it was a ridiculous boost, it was unreasonable. No amount of joint effort would have any hope of overcoming it.

    In here, he was the one and true King of absolute power.

    And yet, his assessment had been correct. Being a King didn¡¯t matter. Splitting reality in two was not enough.

    He should have stayed in hell.

 Chapter 26: Stargazer

    And with that, through a single and quick slash of her sword, the Devil of Truth turned into but a splash of blood on the ceiling. Theora felt the surrounding pressure in the air cease as the [Realm] began to crumble.

    You have killed the Devil of Truth.

    You have completed a Side Quest.

    Rolling rewards¡­

    Theora dismissed the notifications and turned her gaze back to the dining hall. Something was wrong. In the blink of an eye, she rushed to kneel over Dema.

    ¡°Why are you not healing?¡±

    Dema coughed up a splurge of blood to clear her throat, and then rasped a short, ¡°Can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Guy disabled my¡­ regen stuff before he¡­¡± She whispered the words very slowly, stopping a few times to catch her breath. ¡°Done for.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re done for?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema gurgled, then swallowed a pool of blood that had gathered in her mouth. ¡°Gotta¡­ carry.¡±

    Theora stared. She wasn¡¯t just making this up to get picked up, was she?

    After a short moment of collecting herself, Dema finally opened her eyes and looked up at Theora with her amber gaze.

    ¡°Princess carry,¡± she specified.

    Meanwhile, the blood reached Theora¡¯s boots, and a gut-wrenching feeling spread through her. She bowed down, wrapped her arms around Dema¡¯s shoulders and knees, and lifted her up with a careful and smooth motion, to make sure not to cause unnecessary pain. Dema was very light. Theora felt like she was carrying an injured bird.

    [Immortality] prevented her from dying, but nothing else. It was a Skill of the highest rank, and as such, the Devil of Truth would not have been able to impair it. At least not if it was a Legendary Skill from someone as strong as the Ancient Evil. Even Theora¡¯s [Obliterate], while likely reducing Dema to a permanent gory puddle, would not necessarily kill her. The only known way to strip away [Immortality] was the scroll Theora was carrying with her because of her Main Quest.

    However, [Immortality] didn¡¯t grant any healing capabilities on its own, so with them gone, Dema would suffer.

    And Dema would suffer in that way because of Theora. Because Theora had used her to complete a random side quest that Dema had no relation to. How long would it take for the Skills to reactivate? Hours? Days? Months?

    Theora was really the worst thing that could have ever been inflicted on that poor little girl.

    Slowly, she started walking out of the hall. Dema snuggled up against her, weakly grasping Theora¡¯s shoulder with her leftover arm. Her golden lips pulled up into a faint mischievous smile, her eyes still looking up at the face of her companion.

    ¡°Finally¡­ got you to carry. A hundred years¡­ took long enough. Love it,¡± she whispered, as if this was an incredible accomplishment. ¡°Not gonna lie¡­ I got the hots for this.¡±

    A little spark glittered in her eyes, and then she repeated what she¡¯d already said a few minutes before, but this time, with a weakness in her voice that yet carried the selfsame amount of vitriolic awe.

    ¡°My little saviouress.¡±

    A wave of utter despair washed over Theora, and she needed to exert an enormous power of will to not recoil or jerk away with Dema in her arms. Her lower lip started wobbling. This really was too much.

    As the [Realm] faded away completely, a few glances out the window showed utter destruction under the night¡¯s sky. In her attempt to fight a demon where he was invincible, Dema had wrecked the entire hospital save the dining hall, had pumped out so much blood, parts of the ground and wreckage now poked out from it in lagoons. Had broken it all down with boulders shaped like blades, rocky pillars pushed from the ground, and what looked like meteors fallen from the sky.

    She¡¯d ripped apart the space in search of the Devil of Truth, and then pulled him out where he was supposed to be a king.

    And she¡¯d done so on Theora¡¯s request, and paid the price.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Theora muttered, and pulled Dema in just a little bit closer.

    This last hour was just like their entire journey, wasn¡¯t it? She went and put Dema in mortal danger, and then Dema would go on to call her a ¡®saviouress¡¯. She was still smiling and cuddling, her horn gently grazing over Theora¡¯s cloak, as if nothing in the world could make her as happy as being carried around like this. As if it was a reward for her efforts, as if it had all been worth it.

    Smiling, while her severed arm was still lying back in the abandoned hospital dining hall.

    But how could Theora possibly reject her? How could she possibly look at this and say, ¡®No, Dema, you¡¯re wrong.¡¯

    She couldn¡¯t. But she couldn¡¯t accept it either.

    Dema¡¯s devastation stretched until far beyond the former edges of the [Realm], remote pieces of wreckage still scattered across the landscape, broken into houses in the village, or strewn around in the surrounding wild meadows.

    Theora just kept wading through Dema¡¯s blood, step after step through the ruins. Where was she even going?

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    Countless stars gave light to her roaming, but the side quest was completed. They were aimless. The only thing she felt now was a certain, unusual tightness in her chest she could barely explain, and Dema¡¯s body, almost weightless, and oh so soft. Still bleeding, the drops of her blood joined the pools on the ground in faint pitter-patter.

    Right. If anything, Dema was the one who would get to decide.

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Theora asked.

    Dema hummed in thought, then giggled deliriously. ¡°Lie down somewhere pretty, maybe?¡± she said. ¡°Find us pretty.¡±

    And thus, Theora set out to ¡®find somewhere pretty¡¯. How could a Blight like her even dare to judge what that would look like? Yet, she wanted Dema to lie down and rest, so she still gave it her all.

    Eventually, she found a half-ruined two-story house at the other end of the village. It had a slanted roof, accessible by stairs to its sides, and so she carried Dema up there, took off the bloodsoaked, ragged cloak and gently laid her down on a window extrusion. There, Dema could look up at the vast and cloudless night¡¯s sky.

    Then, Theora started rummaging in the interdimensional pockets of her layered travelling cloak. She must have something on her to help, right? One useless magical item after the next, she pulled from her clothes and just let them fall down the roof for lack of space to put them. It all clattered down like the junk it was.

    Eventually, she found a vial of endless water, small and crystal blue with an ornamental shape. Some reward she must have received a long time ago. She barely remembered.

    And, she found a long white dress of hers, so she ripped it apart. After soaking a shred of it with the vial, she gently cleaned the skin around Dema¡¯s wounds. She bandaged the remaining long scraps of the dress around Dema¡¯s shoulder and torso, to help stop the bleedings and cover that large hole where her heart used to be.

    Only when she was done did she notice Dema¡¯s face weakly beaming up at her.

    ¡°What?¡± Theora asked, feeling a little caught.

    ¡°Doting on me,¡± Dema rasped. ¡°Cute.¡±

    A small shiver went down Theora¡¯s spine. ¡°I¡¯m not doting on you. You are injured, so I am making sure you will be alright.¡±

    ¡°Immortal.¡±

    Theora stared down at the amber eyes that were almost mocking her. ¡°So, I should have just left you like that?¡±

    ¡°Could have,¡± Dema supplied. ¡°But didn¡¯t. Feels good.¡±

    Theora gently shook her head. What was going on in that little head of Dema¡¯s? How did that brain of hers come up with these strings of words in a situation like this?

    Eventually, after making sure about three times that Dema was alright, she laid down next to her as well. The pressure ebbed away from her slowly. It seemed like Dema was going to be fine.

    Well. For a given definition of ¡®fine¡¯. Maybe her body would fully regenerate eventually, but then, when she was free of dizziness and pain and the delirium of her trauma reaction, she¡¯d realise how badly Theora had messed her up, and probably change her mind about all this.

    But right now, Dema seemed happy, gazing up at the stars, even resting her head against Theora¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡®A pretty place.¡¯ Had Theora done that wish justice? She¡¯d always found the sky beautiful, and from the looks of it, Dema was satisfied. And tonight¡¯s sky was a true awe to behold.

    Oh, so many stars. With its low population density, this was maybe one of the many darkest places on the planet. Nebulae and galaxies were visible to the naked eye, together with the wide stretch of cloudy stars that halved the firmament.

    Both moons were absent that night.

    The universe was such a large place. Such a wide, immense space, and Theora was just a tiny speck somewhere within it. Yet, just a short while ago inside the [Realm], she¡¯d held it all between her mere fingertips.

    Theora still felt that incredible tightness within her chest, ever since the fight. It pulled away at her heart, around her lungs, like a gaping hole. Or, was it a hole at all? Perhaps, simply, there was something in there now for a change?

    If so, what was it? She¡¯d first felt it while being attacked by the Devil. That pull as his efforts had sunk into her. Had she taken damage?

    But it didn¡¯t really feel like damage. Yes, the attacks of the Truth had affected her somehow, they¡¯d left their mark, but rather than harm, they felt like¡­

    Inspiration?

    The Devil of Truth, in his desperate last attempt, had tried to create another reality to escape to, one without Theora in it. Another reality as big and large and all-encompassing as the starry sky she gazed into right now.

    Wasn¡¯t that such a good idea? Splitting reality to avoid one¡¯s problems. It hadn¡¯t worked out for him, but maybe it would work out for her. As that idea sparked, the tightness in her chest unfolded, like soft foam growing to fill her up inside.

    She couldn¡¯t accept Dema¡¯s feelings, but she couldn¡¯t reject them either. Both realities were impossible to live in. Murderer or saviour? It was both too much.

    If she was her murderer, she couldn¡¯t live with herself, but at least that world made sense to her. It would make sense for Dema to secretly hate her, and for Theora to accept her fate and do what ¡ª according to the world ¡ª needed to be done. It was a terrible fate, but in it, all questions were answered and everything fit together like a perfectly solved puzzle.

    If she was Dema¡¯s saviour, maybe they could live together in peace, become happy, and cherish each other, just like Dema insinuated to want. But that kind of world was full of contradictions. Theora did not deserve Dema¡¯s appreciation, nor did she deserve to be happy, nor was it reasonable or believable for Dema to actually think that way at all. A reality like that would collapse as they were trying to build it.

    She couldn¡¯t live in either world, but as paradoxical as it sounded, maybe she could live in both?

    What if she simply accepted both worlds to be the truth? Acted in such a way that it would always fit either option, ignorant of what actually lay beneath. A superimposed set of realities, like a dissonant chord of fates that would ring in her ears forever, and when one frequency became too much to bear, she¡¯d switch and listen to the other. A cat caught in a box that was both alive and dead at the same time, and all Theora needed to do was to never look inside.

    Yes¡­ that could work. She wouldn¡¯t have to reject Dema, but she also wouldn¡¯t have to believe her.

    The idea, implanted into her mind and body by the actions and attacks of the Devil of Truth, somehow, she felt cosy in it.

    As they lay there, on the roof, staring into the night, a small swarm of shooting stars soared through the sky. Dema¡¯s head still rested against Theora¡¯s shoulder. Panting deeply, she yet gave small cheers at every falling star she saw.

    Theora¡¯s heart almost gave out at the sight. Oh, yes. For this, splitting the universe in two might be worth it. Maybe she wouldn¡¯t have to kill Dema for now.

    Looking at her idea from an outside perspective, attempting to be objective, she felt like it was still horrifying, and that she was still an awful person, but that ultimately, this was progress. Maybe things would be okay. Maybe gazing up into the night and seeing two sets of stars overlapping could make her deal with all this horror.

    When she had that very thought, a notification popped up right in front of her mind, transparent against the starry sky. Theora stared in disbelief. She blinked a few times on reflex, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

    Ah¡­ oh, no. She¡¯d not seen a prompt like this in an eternity. That was far too pretty. A term that graceful, to be carried by something like her? No, it couldn¡¯t be right. This couldn¡¯t be the conclusion of all that had transpired until now. It felt unfair.

    And yet, she still had the tiniest, most whimsical hope that she could actually embrace it. To try and, if at all possible, give it justice in some way. A faint desire, running through her body like a soft shiver.

    You have unlocked a new Class!

    By glancing into different realities, you can reveal the hidden fates of any ¡®would¡¯ and ¡®never-will-be¡¯ implied within the fabric of the world.

    Do you wish to become a [Stargazer]?

 Chapter 27: Rewards for Good Work

    The next morning, Dema was still not feeling better. In fact, she had gotten even worse, barely managing to speak coherently.

    Theora came to the conclusion that they had to stay here for a while and wait until the regeneration Skills came back. Dema was in no condition to travel, and it was also not like there was a place to get help at. Healer Classes existed, though most of them were probably in some way reliant on the System for their quests, so taking the Ancient Evil of all beings to them could backfire tremendously in several different ways. Not that Theora actually had any idea of how to find one in the first place.

    So, instead, she¡¯d do her best to make Dema get through this, whatever it took.

    In the early morning hours of the next day, she tucked Dema away inside the house they slept on. They couldn¡¯t stay there specifically; the house was in desperate disrepair, with plants seeping through the broken walls and the roof with numerous holes.

    ¡°Dema, is it alright to leave you here for a moment while I find us a better place to stay?¡±

    ¡°Abandoning meeee,¡± Dema whined, eyes still closed.

    ¡°I¡¯m not abandoning you. I will be right back.¡±

    ¡°Gonna,¡± she started, then coughed a bit of blood, ¡°hug me when you come back?¡±

    Theora faintly shook her head, and it quite broke her heart. ¡°You are in no condition to be hugged.¡±

    ¡°Gah. Then, sing for me?¡±

    Theora took a deep breath. She crouched down, almost reaching over to pet Dema¡¯s head, but pulled away at the last moment. Touching her was too much, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Yes,¡± she hummed instead. ¡°I¡¯ll sing for you all night. Then, see you later?¡±

    Dema gurgled approvingly, and then Theora set out to take a look around the village. Almost every house was in no condition to stay in, until she passed through the main street and saw a hill a little outside the settlement, completely coated in lavender flowers. On it stood a large building, at least large in comparison to the others. It looked much less weathered by time.

    As she made her way up, Theora also took note of a little river running down the other side of the hill. Having access to a constant flow of water was good. Also, by walking through the town reclaimed by nature, she¡¯d remembered the fact that this settlement had been known for its many healing herbs and water and air quality. Perhaps that would help.

    Theora would need to gather firewood. Maybe she could find and clean a porcelain cup from one of the houses. And then, she could try to brew some herbal tea for Dema.

    Entering that house on the hill, she found that there was dust inside, but it hadn¡¯t broken down. Otherwise, it was completely empty. There was just a single large room, so overall, it appeared to be a well-built shed. The ground was made of long dark wood planks. Even the windows were still intact, except for a single one on the opposite side of the entry door. She thought this village had been evacuated a hundred years ago, with nobody coming back ever since, but maybe that assessment had been slightly inaccurate.

    This was good. Theora didn¡¯t waste any more time here and immediately made her way back to Dema. Meanwhile, she mentally prepared a list of things she needed. As already decided, gathering firewood and herbs, as well as finding a cup, were important, but perhaps didn¡¯t make the very top of priorities.

    Maybe she could find clothes somewhere in the village that were still usable. Theora also had some of her own casual clothes stored away in her layered coat. Then, she needed to look for blankets, or gather hay and twigs for a makeshift bed. Dema always slept on the ground. Rock was her favourite, actually.

    But the ground and rocks were cold, and Theora did not want her to be cold right now.

    Maybe she¡¯d find a larger bowl to keep water in to wash her. And, maybe she¡¯d find some food, like berries or roots. Dema had always been lazy about eating, because her regeneration solved her hunger problems for her, but those Skills were gone for now, so getting her food might be important.

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    She¡¯d reached Dema in the meantime, and got a weak nod in reply to whether she could carry her. As she picked her up, Dema mumbled ¡°Always¡± into her ear, and Theora couldn¡¯t help but blush the tiniest amount.

    After getting her up the hill and leaning her against the outside of the house, Theora left for her errands. She¡¯d run them all over the village, so she¡¯d positioned Dema in a way where she could oversee her walking from place to place. Perhaps that would make the little demon feel a bit better. After all, Dema had claimed once that she¡¯d feel lonely without Theora.

    While walking from house to house to find anything useful at all, Theora still tried her best to ignore that red notification dot staring at her from the edge of her vision.

    And it wasn¡¯t a notification related to her [Stargazer] Class. Concerning that, she had decided on how to go about it ¡ª and her decision was that she wouldn¡¯t finalise a choice either way without first properly talking to Dema. It was unclear to Theora what exactly that talk would look like, or what she¡¯d ask, but it felt somehow wrong to just go and do it. She still wasn¡¯t sure whether she deserved it, but a selfish part of her wanted to take the Class, if only in the hopes of receiving more Skills to pad her sheet and eventually push out the glitches.

    Only Skills usable in fights ended up merging into [Obliterate], and it wasn¡¯t clear what types of Skills [Stargazer] would grant. It didn¡¯t necessarily sound like a fighting Class from the description, but such things could be misleading. Either way, there was a chance changing her Class would help her receive new pretty and wonderful Skills like [Tea Brewing] and [Flower Language], so that gave her a reason to not outright dismiss it.

    She¡¯d have to give up on her current [Hero] Class in return, but that didn¡¯t really matter to her whatsoever. She had long-since received all that was to gain from that Class.

    The notification dot in her vision was about something else, though. It had nothing to do with her new Class, and everything to do with her quest rewards for slaying the Devil of Truth. For some reason, the System really, really wanted her to look at and obtain them. Why? It wasn¡¯t very reasonable.

    These rewards depended on one¡¯s performance during the quests¡¯ completion. And Theora had delivered an atrocious performance, quantifiably so. She¡¯d slept almost the entire time the quest had been active, and then cleared it at the very last second. It was going to be a very bad reward either way, so why was the System being so adamant?

    Still, she finally relented, and mentally opened the notification area while going through some old cupboards and collecting promising contents in a pouch of her coat.

    She realised she was starting to get annoyed at the System again, so she just wanted to get this over with quickly. Why couldn¡¯t it leave her alone with this? She didn¡¯t care about the rewards.

    The moment she saw her notification log, Theora stopped rummaging around and frowned.

    You have killed the Devil of Truth.

    You have completed a Side Quest.

    Rolling rewards¡­

    Result: [Mythical Tier Reward Box]!

    Do you wish to open?

    That really did not make any sense.

    Mythical was the highest possible reward tier. Even the highest Level side quests only rarely awarded those, and they definitely didn¡¯t do it with poor performance. This was suspicious.

    Of course, there was always a very slim chance to roll for a high reward even with poor performance or low level quests, but Theora had come to realise that when it came to her, just about nothing the System did was random. It seemed to allow itself some undue special treatment in this specific case. That kind of attention was very unnerving and uncomfortable, and it had blossomed further and further with Theora¡¯s continued refusal to acknowledge her Main Quest.

    In other words, this type of reward box was not a coincidence at all. She refused to believe it. The notification dot had been so obnoxious precisely because she was going to receive whatever was inside that box.

    And thus, she opened it, and as the contents spilled out in the log in front of her, she realised what was going on.

    You have received 25.000 Credits!

    You have received 17.000 Points of Renown!

    You have received 15 Skill Points!

    Rolling final quest reward¡­

    You have received an Orb of Seven Wishes!

    An Orb of Seven Wishes. She¡¯d used her last one a hundred years ago to gain the ability to fly for one day. With that, she¡¯d rescued that young [Mage] who¡¯d gotten trapped fighting Afterthoughts during the System outage she had caused back then.

    The world came crashing down on Theora. It was like the System¡¯s plan was unravelling itself in front of her mind¡¯s eye.

    This was awful. This was terrifying. She rushed out of the house. This really was not a coincidence at all. She needed to get back to Dema as quickly as she could. There was only one possible explanation as to why the quest rewards would contain an Orb of Seven Wishes, of all things.

    The System was still trying to kill Dema.

 Chapter 28: Declaration of War

    The Orb of Seven Wishes was a high-end quest reward item that offered its user to grant one of seven predetermined wishes in exchange for the orb¡¯s destruction.

    One of those wishes was a day of flight. Another possible wish was a day of underwater breathing. One wish granted an additional ten years of possible lifespan, and another granted death.

    Theora had always kept an Orb of Seven Wishes with her, in hopes of using its death wish after killing Dema so she could finally rest. But then, she¡¯d used it to save someone¡¯s life instead.

    And now, the System was offering her a very lucrative deal.

    It was saying, in a roundabout way, something like, ¡°Hey there, Theora. I¡¯ve noticed you are lacking one of your integral items to complete your Main Quest. So here it is, I grant it to you in an offer of goodwill. Because right now is the best chance to finish off the Ancient Evil ¡ª you won¡¯t even have to use [Obliterate] on your precious friend! All you need to do is speak the words on that scroll you carry around. It will never be easier! In the painful state she¡¯s in, maybe she¡¯ll even beg you for a mercy kill and you can wrap this up in consent like you always wanted.¡±

    And to underline that, for the first time in one hundred years, it shoved the Main Quest details back into Theora¡¯s mind.

    [Current Main Quest: Kill the Ancient Evil.]

    [Current Main Quest: Kill the Ancient Evil.]

    [Current Main Quest: Kill the Ancient Evil.]

    The System was starting a war. And this right there was the warning shot. Maybe the System hadn¡¯t planned for the Devil of Truth to specifically render Dema so close to death, but it definitely had been prepared for this type of situation, and that likely meant there was more to come. This entire approach very much seemed like a hidden threat. A way to say, ¡°Do it the easy way, or I will bring out the hammer.¡±

    What that hammer might look like, Theora had no idea. So, she needed to be prepared for anything.

    She found Dema still leaning against the outer wall of the large shed, no further harm done to her, from what Theora could tell.

    On one hand, she wanted to let out a sigh of relief, but on the other, this was not the time to relax. The System had never actually acted this hostile before. Maybe the System didn¡¯t even realise how much of its hostility came through in these actions, because on the surface, it had simply given out a high tier quest reward and then reminded Theora of her Main Quest; both things it had done many times before, but never specifically like this.

    It was hard for her to articulate these thoughts even in her own mind, but she simply knew and understood what was happening.

    Dema was, right now, probably in her most vulnerable state ever. Theora¡¯s scroll was useless on its own, because deactivating [Immortality] would only kill Dema if she was already in a state where she could die ¡ª like, right now. Otherwise, her [Blood] magic¡¯s passive and active regeneration Skills turned her nigh-immortal on their own anyway.

    And that wasn¡¯t even accounting for the fact that Dema had some of the strongest and most versatile offensive capabilities of all creatures on the planet. Theora had seen glimpses of what she was able to do with how she¡¯d split a cliff in half for fun or destroyed the village while stuck in a [Realm].

    And, Dema was a skilled manipulative schemer, though that part was mostly something Theora knew about her on a conceptual level, rather than having it seen first-hand. Dema hadn¡¯t actually really ever shown any true deceptive abilities, all she did was cause mischief and prank or annoy people.

    Of course, a masterful schemer would benefit from making people dismiss their acts as shenanigans and from being severely underestimated. While Theora couldn¡¯t discount that possibility, she also couldn¡¯t ignore the odds that Dema might simply love being seen as a schemer, despite her inability to remember as many as three of Theora¡¯s weaknesses without noting them down.

    It didn¡¯t matter either way now, though, because Dema was in no condition to scheme while delirious of blood loss and with the current lack of a heart.

    ¡­ Unless that was what she wanted Theora to think.

    Theora took a deep breath as she noticed her thoughts running in unproductive circles. When had she last been this anxious? Yes, she¡¯d been worried the day she had first met Dema, or the day she¡¯d first given her flowers as an apology after hurting her feelings. But those did not compare to the thought of sheer terror that something out there was actively plotting to slay Dema when she was this exposed.

    Yes, Theora was Dema¡¯s murderer, and that was terrible and unacceptable. But, she¡¯d definitely not accept anyone else to kill her, either. After all, the world in which Dema actually liked Theora, the world in which they could both be happy ¡ª it was reality to her. One of two realities, granted, but that didn¡¯t take away from how true it was.

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    ¡°You are always safe with me.¡±

    That¡¯s what Theora had said, and she¡¯d meant it.

    Her gaze went back to Dema, who was still panting deeply, and the first thing she did was feed her some of the berries she¡¯d found around town. Theora had tasted them all for poison first, although she was rather sure that she could identify at least some of them, like wild strawberries and raspberries.

    Dema did in fact actually eat, and that caused Theora to calm down slightly. Her eyes were closed, and she chewed very slowly, and the gulps seemed a bit pained, but at least she managed to get it down. Then, Theora carried her inside, and placed her near the centre of the room down on the wooden planks. Taking a while to empty her pockets, she fished out some blankets that she¡¯d found in a good condition due to being carefully stored away, but additionally, she¡¯d still gathered a few bunches of grass blades to lay down in the sun to dry, to have it eventually be used as a sort of mattress.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to be fine, Dema,¡± Theora intoned, and it was an assurance directed at herself just as much. She couldn¡¯t really foresee what would happen, what the System¡¯s plans might be, so instead, she¡¯d stay aware and wait, while doing her best to help, even if her help was very limited and not that useful.

    And thus, two days went by. Still, there was no sign of any of the System¡¯s further meddling. But something else had been happening instead, something Theora hadn¡¯t foreseen, but seemed rather obvious in hindsight.

    Dema was a beacon. She was an incredibly strong creature with a wide-reaching aura, and right now, that aura screamed pain. It wasn¡¯t simply the System that had an interest in coming here. Monsters existed in the world too. Monsters who saw a tasty meal in something that couldn¡¯t defend itself. And right now, they were attracted to this place like moths to the light.

    Theora stepped down the hill to get more water, and passed by two of the creatures she¡¯d had to dispatch that morning.

    Tar black skin and large as elephants, mouths full of unnaturally large teeth. Horns issuing out from the back of its skull signified their origin from hell.

    They weren¡¯t as strong as the beings at the Zenith of the End ¡ª if they had been, they¡¯d probably known to avoid Theora. She didn¡¯t have much of an aura, she seemed like a simple human on the outside, and it required a certain level of attention to see what was underneath. A certain level of competency that country bumpkin monsters didn¡¯t possess, but they could still destroy the house and chew off Dema¡¯s remaining limbs, or even eat her whole and carry her around while digesting her in acid until her regeneration kicked back in.

    As the days went by, stronger monsters arrived, and the surroundings of the hill turned into a graveyard. Theora managed to scare off about two thirds of them in various ways, but a few were rather persistent and there was no helping it.

    Eventually, while Dema still slept most of the time, she had more clarity in her few waking minutes, and Theora liked to imagine that her care was paying off in some way, because Dema was able to talk in full sentences again.

    One night, Theora was changing her bandages, as Dema clung onto her cloak and looked around the storage room with her tired gaze. She was sitting on a thickly padded bed now, her legs wrapped in about four blankets, with the top of her body exposed so Theora could access the wounds. Two of the windows were open, letting in fresh air. Theora had torn up a dress to use as bandages, changing them every few hours, then walking down to the river to wash the old dress pieces immediately.

    Outside was an everburning campfire that Theora kept going at all times, with a small bronze kettle above it to brew tea or provide warm water to clean. Dema had developed a fever and shivers, so Theora regularly wiped off her skin.

    Three cups of tea were currently standing next to the makeshift bed, all of which contained different varieties of herbal tea so Dema could choose between whichever she felt like drinking, and as soon as one of them went cold, Theora would go and make a new one.

    ¡°Gotta love the attention,¡± Dema mumbled, ¡°But ain¡¯t it a bit much! Should I be feeling bad, little rabbit?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not too much,¡± Theora replied. ¡°This is the bare minimum.¡±

    This was all Theora¡¯s fault, after all. She could at least do her best.

    ¡°Why, you really wanna make me throw myself right into the next disaster, huh!¡±

    Theora¡¯s hands stopped for a moment. ¡°What? No. Never do this again. I won¡¯t ask something like this of you again. I don¡¯t want you to.¡± She considered herself for a moment, and then formulated a ¡®rule¡¯ of her own. ¡°No more hurting for Dema.¡±

    ¡°Damn! Then you gotta stop rewarding me! Otherwise, I¡¯ll never learn!¡±

    Theora pursed her lips. ¡°I am not rewarding you at all. I am just making sure you are alright.¡±

    Dema slumped her head into the hay-filled cushion as Theora had finished most of the bandaging. ¡°Fine! If I ain¡¯t allowed to do it again,¡± she began with a raspy voice, but stumbled into a coughing fit right away. After calming down, she continued, ¡°Gah. Then you gotta let me take care of you when sick one day, too!¡± She grinned weakly, her chest heaving in deep breaths. After a moment, she added, a little sheepishly, ¡°Also, if this is the last time I can get sick, I really gotta cherish it. So I ain¡¯t gonna hold back!¡±

    ¡°You were holding back?¡± Theora gently shook her head. ¡°That is not necessary. Communicate your needs and wants clearly.¡±

    For some reason, Dema was slightly taken aback at this, and started hiding half of her face under her arm, pulling the blanket back up. ¡°Gotta be careful with saying stuff like that, you know,¡± she mumbled in a half-whine. ¡°I can become very greedy.¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t understand what Dema was talking about, so she just finished folding the bloodied bandages, getting ready to wash them. Then, she placed her hand on Dema¡¯s forehead to check if the fever had gone down. However, Dema shook her head.

    ¡°Nu-uh,¡± she said, gently taking the hand off her head. ¡°No!¡±

    Theora stared, feeling the soft touch of Dema¡¯s hand against her fingers. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°That ain¡¯t right at all! If you use a hand to measure temperature, it¡¯s gonna be off!¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? What else am I supposed to use?¡±

    ¡°Something that has constant temperature,¡± Dema said. ¡°Like lips.¡± She pointed at her forehead. ¡°Use lips!¡±

    Theora swallowed. She started blushing.

    And, she started regretting. What kinds of wants and needs did that girl have!

 Chapter 29: Death Cap

    A few hours later, Theora could still not forget that moment. It kept circling in her head, making her all fuzzy. How had she even done it? It was a total mystery to her.

    She¡¯d used her lips to take Dema¡¯s temperature from her forehead, and then¡­ She had been overwhelmed by something she hadn¡¯t expected at all.

    Because, in retreating her lips and softly wetting them in a nervous gesture, Theora had realised what Dema tasted like. Dema having a specific taste wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d ever considered, but now here she was, with that cursed knowledge. Cursed, because she really wanted to taste it again.

    Dema tasted of salt. Not just table salt, though ¡ª it was a complex, colourful taste of minerals, so layered that it had an almost sweetness to it lying beneath. She was so stumped she failed to actually take Dema¡¯s temperature, so for a full minute, she¡¯d agonised as to whether she should do it again.

    In the end, she hadn¡¯t, because she would have felt greedy and a little disturbed with herself. Getting carried away by a sick girl¡¯s taste and failing to pursue her proper duties as a caretaker? Absolutely unacceptable. But¡­ she still felt bad, because now, she didn¡¯t actually know whether Dema¡¯s fever had gone down or not. Theora was a huge failure, but that hadn¡¯t been news at all. Instead, she simply decided to do her best and not get carried away by Dema¡¯s incredible looks, taste, and scent even while she was sick.

    As these thoughts jumped all around in her head, Theora kept pursuing her duties around the shed and in the village. That is, until she eventually laid eyes on another monstrosity approaching the hill.

    This one had the size of a blue whale. Its steps caused ripples in the ground, like soft earthquakes, and each time, its six feet sank in one or two arms deep into the soft meadow. The body itself had a blimp-like form. It made Theora think of the time when blimps still existed. Or, maybe someone had reinvented them by now, but it had been a long time since she¡¯d seen one.

    Eventually, the creature came to a halt right in front of her.

    ¡°Please go home,¡± she softly intoned.

    It had only been a matter of time until larger beings arrived, but still, it was slightly bothersome. She really needed to gather more firewood, and find a few more mushrooms for Dema to eat, because apparently, those were her favourite. In fact, she kept begging for the deadly poisonous ones, but Theora refused to collect them for her.

    The creature stared down at Theora through its fifteen large, muddy-green eyes, of which the largest one was situated in the front of its head. She simply looked up with an empty gaze, hands dangling to the side of her body, one of which held a chanterelle. Theora didn¡¯t want to kill the creature in the first place, but having a body as large as this lying around would spell even more trouble.

    Slowly, the being lowered itself down to her, grinning widely, its oval head merging into the rest of its slimming body behind. As its lips parted, neat and long whisky teeth bared themselves to her. Then, it opened its mouth, ready to devour.

    Theora raised a leg to step on its gigantic lower lip. She held on to one of the long teeth to balance herself, and then stretched her upper body inside the big mouth to place the tiny chanterelle on top of the very tip of the monster¡¯s tongue.

    ¡°All you get,¡± she said. ¡°The rest is for Dema.¡±

    She hopped out, gesturing to where the creature had come from. ¡°Now, back home.¡±

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    And, to her relief, the creature obeyed.

    ¡°I lost a chanterelle,¡± Theora admitted when she returned to Dema a while later.

    ¡°What a bummer!¡± she exclaimed, earning herself another coughing fit. ¡°That¡¯s why you should get me death caps,¡± she added when she¡¯d calmed down.

    ¡°Why are you so insistent on eating poisoned food? I won¡¯t give you any. When I said you should communicate your wants and needs, you realised there were limits, right?¡±

    Dema smirked. ¡°So a death cap that can¡¯t even kill me is off-limits, but a kiss ain¡¯t! My, that¡¯s good to know. Wish I had my notes. Can you write it down for me?¡±

    Theora stared. She stared for almost a minute. Her feet remained stuck to the ground, until finally, she started moving to the heap of Dema¡¯s travelling clothes, and pulled out some of Dema¡¯s paper, and her pen. ¡°Just dictate for me what you want me to write.¡±

    Dema bit her lips through her grin. ¡°Alright. Fine! I will. So, here it comes!¡±

    And then, she proceeded to, as slowly and innocently as she could, spell out the words ¡®Little rabbit is the biggest hottie in the world.¡¯ As the sentence went on, Theora¡¯s writing slowed down dramatically, until each letter became a visible obstacle. And yet, taking all of her strength, she persisted to the end.

    It was the least she could do.

    ¡°That¡¯s not at all what you wanted to write down at first,¡± she said.

    ¡°Why, I already forgot what that was!¡± Dema whined. ¡°Had to come up with something on the spot.¡±

    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t. It¡¯s not like I had to write something down for you at all cost.¡±

    Dema giggled. ¡°Oh, you have no idea! This gave me, like, 500 more years to live!¡±

    ¡°Then why do you keep asking for death caps? Are you a masochist? You are clearly in pain, Dema. I can see that. And it hurts me too.¡±

    That last bit took her quite a bit of effort to bring out.

    At that, Dema raised her eyebrows with a little frown. ¡°Like, I get it, this all sucks real bad,¡± she eventually sighed. ¡°But, I just like being alive! And that also means being sick every now and then. Not something that happens a lot to me, and you make it all worth it! I wanna¡­ cherish all the, like, facets! When do you think I¡¯m gonna be able to eat a death cap again without the poison going all boom before reaching my nerves! Damn regeneration, ruining all the fun.¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t say she understood or could relate to a single word of that, but she was talking to the girl who voluntarily stripped to jump into hip-deep snow, only to then be freezing and sniffling for hours. Maybe there was simply no logic to be found in Dema¡¯s actions.

    ¡°Anyway, I put in my efforts so you can become better quickly,¡± Theora said. ¡°So I will not do anything to prolong your suffering.¡± After all, it was all her fault.

    ¡°Alright, fine! This will be my first and last big sickness! And I shall only cherish it by means of your doting!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said. ¡°That is what I want to hear. Except I don¡¯t do any ¡®doting¡¯ at all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you are!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true.¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°By the way, something on your mind? You seem a li¡¯l tired.¡±

    Theora gulped, and took a deep breath.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried about you,¡± she said.

    ¡°Why, there¡¯s no need!¡± Saying that, Dema accidentally coughed up a splash of blood. ¡°I¡¯m all good, promise!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said. ¡°I will make sure you are safe.¡±

    And she meant it. With whatever capabilities she had, Theora would make sure Dema was safe. Except, her capabilities were very limited, and might require uncomfortable sacrifices, depending on how things would pan out.

    Theora hadn¡¯t slept since she¡¯d received her quest reward. There was no affording to sleep. She really couldn¡¯t lose focus even for a single second. She simply felt it, in the form of a vague premonition, a kind of unsettling anxiety, that something was about to happen.

    She was sure of it.

    The System was inching closer.

 Chapter 30: Interlude â€” Theora Gone Rogue

    [Current Main Quest: Theora Gone Rogue]

    The heroine Theora has decided to abandon her Main Quest and allied herself with the Ancient Evil.

    Subdue both to save the world from destruction.

    Bell dismissed the notification and her gaze wandered back to the campfire.

    They were almost there. Tomorrow, they¡¯d reach the place where the Devil of Truth had been sealed. Then, they¡¯d face off with Theora and the Ancient Evil.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said it before,¡± Bell started, glancing into the faces of her four companions one by one. ¡°But I need to make it clear again, so you understand I haven¡¯t changed my mind.¡± The jellyfish-like tentacles making up her hair gently waved in the breeze.

    ¡°I will not fight Theora.¡±

    The mood had already been gloomy, but upon hearing that, an even darker silence fell upon them.

    Frederik slumped his shoulders, gazing sadly into the fire. ¡°I still think we won''t have to,¡± he said with his sullen voice. ¡°The Ancient Evil must have corrupted her somehow. I will cleanse the grasp it has on her mind, and bring her back to our side.¡±

    While speaking, his glasses slipped down his nose as they did so often, so he pushed them back up until they vaguely aligned with his thin, black brows. He looked as miserable as the group probably felt as a whole.

    The world¡¯s strongest [Priest]. Pulled away from his lifelong duties to guard the Land of the Undead, to aid in the quest of Theora¡¯s subjugation. His presence, together with Amyd¡¯s, were the best indicators that the System was pulling all stops.

    He and Amyd were their biggest hope. If their efforts were to fail, Bell didn¡¯t know how they could possibly come out of this alive. Though, this was not a sentiment her companions shared.

    ¡°There is no way Theora¡¯s mind could be influenced by corruption or control,¡± Lain spat. He was sitting next to Bell, on her right, a bit further away from the fire than the others. Long ears, brown skin, wearing black linen clothing. An [Assassin]. While the others occupied Theora, he was supposed to teleport past her and use the immortality-defying scroll on the Ancient Evil. Some [Diviners] had predicted that the Ancient Evil would offer little resistance due to being wounded.

    At almost Level 600, he was not only one of the most capable [Assassins] currently alive, but probably one of the deadliest that had ever walked the earth.

    And yet, Bell couldn¡¯t help but wonder. His teleportation ¡ª instant movement from one place to the next, his ability to unleash devastation within the blink of an eye ¡ª what would it look like in the calm and all-encompassing gaze of Theora? Would she be impressed? Would she be fooled?

    Or would she pluck him out of the air like a falling flower petal?

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter either way,¡± said Amyd. Calm as ever, her voice cold as ice from confidence.

    Their ace. The System¡¯s ace. The one reason why Bell had come along. The one reason why all of this wasn¡¯t completely hopeless.

    In the best case scenario, Frederik would expunge the corruptions out from Theora¡¯s heart with his cleansing Skills, and they¡¯d turn against the Ancient Evil together. In the next best scenario, Theora would be on this path on her own free will, but then be met by Amyd.

    Amyd would probably be the most terrifying hero in the world if she hadn¡¯t specialised her entire life on one single task. On one single thing she was meant to accomplish in all those seventy years she had walked the earth.

    And that one single thing would happen tomorrow.

    Her cane rested against the boulder she was sitting on. A boulder carried there by Ramph, so that Amyd had a decent place to rest on as they sat at the fire. It was hard for her to get up after sitting down on the ground, so everyone tried their best to help her avoid it.

    Amyd, weathered with age, a simple human, and yet, incredibly strong. Her voluminous and silver hair was bound in a ponytail, her simple, beige-coloured linen dress free from blemishes. Born in the same place as Theora. Raised in that same town.

    She was their leader.

    The last time the five of them had come together had been twenty years ago, to clear a dungeon spilling out countless monsters in the far north.

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    And now, they¡¯d met again, to subdue Theora and clear away the Ancient Evil.

    ¡°I will do my best to defend you as you try to accomplish your task,¡± Bell said. ¡°But if you fail, I¡¯m done. I will not fight Theora.¡±

    ¡°Why the hell not!¡± Ramph laughed. She was sitting on her gigantic hammer, leaning against and hugging the handle pointing right up into the sky.

    The hammer was almost three times as large as she was, sinking into the ground by its weight alone. She herself was small, but round and muscled, a true menace. When they¡¯d cleared the dungeon, she had still been a child. A Level 200 [Berserker] back then, and now, Bell¡¯s [Appraise] didn¡¯t even work on her anymore.

    ¡°We¡¯re literally the strongest party in the world,¡± Ramph continued. ¡°Look, I get it, Theora is powerful, but she¡¯s not gonna make it through a full-force blast of Mangle either.¡± She patted the hammer. ¡°And we are five. No way she beats us.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Also, she must be weakened from her fight with the Devil of Truth. It fucking incapacitated the Ancient Evil, of all things. We just have to hit her where it hurts and she¡¯ll give up.¡±

    Bell knew that this was false, but she¡¯d argued the point with them too often already. ¡°As I said,¡± she murmured. ¡°I won¡¯t join the fight if you go in. Against the Ancient Evil, yes. But not against Theora.¡±

    Another dark silence extended. Bell knew she was being selfish, but she spoke from a well-informed position, and this was not a situation where mindless optimism would help. All she could do was rescind her own power from the conflict, in hopes it would end at least a little bit less devastating.

    ¡°No matter how it goes,¡± Frederik¡¯s gloomy voice finally seeped into the air, ¡°Tomorrow will likely be a very sad day. I think we need to acknowledge that. In the off-chance that Theora did choose her own path, that loss to the world in and of itself is devastating. Which of us hasn¡¯t entertained the ambition of ever getting close to her in capability? Which of us hasn¡¯t been inspired by her mere existence when we were young?¡±

    At these words, Ramph looked away from him, her knuckles whitening at their grip on the handle.

    Nonetheless, Frederik continued. ¡°Let¡¯s hope that, tomorrow when we arrive, we can negotiate. Let¡¯s hope we can cleanse her. Let¡¯s hope we can protect Amyd long enough to play our final ace. And if all that fails, let¡¯s hope we yet stand a chance.¡±

    Excluding that last point, Bell agreed. Their odds weren¡¯t good, but they weren¡¯t slim, either. All in all, Theora was good-hearted. Despite what her actions might seem like on paper, she had a conscience. If she really wasn¡¯t influenced by evil, she¡¯d likely be reluctant to harm fellow heroes.

    And, as long as Theora held back, as long as she entertained the thought of underestimating the five of them, they stood a chance to surprise her.

    And that was all they needed.

    A single fraction of hesitation from Theora, and they could win.

    The others, of course, didn¡¯t see it that way, because they didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°We definitely stand a chance,¡± Ramph complained, rolling her eyes. ¡°She just fucking beat the Devil of Truth! That¡¯s why we were hurrying to get here in the first place! She must be almost done-in. And it¡¯s five of us. The System wouldn¡¯t put us on a hopeless endeavour.¡±

    ¡°None of this matters,¡± Amyd¡¯s voice whiplashed. ¡°Our chances don¡¯t matter. Our thoughts don¡¯t matter. We have a sound strategy, but ultimately, even that doesn¡¯t matter.¡± She sounded cool, and angrier than she usually did. Bell knew; it was an anger she simply decided to hide, but carried with her at all times. Now, there was no reason to hold back. ¡°Theora has chosen her own fate. She allied herself with the Ancient Evil. It is our duty to protect the world. That¡¯s the only thing that should be on our mind. The task in front of us, and our focus to complete it by whatever means necessary. We won¡¯t fail, because we can¡¯t fail. It¡¯s too late for her.¡±

    Bell noticed the effect these words had on the others. They seemed relieved. Seemed calmer.

    They had all gotten the same quest from the System, and now, the only way forward was to complete it. Agonising over the heartwrenching details, about the loss of someone as strong as her from their side, and about what their lives might look like after tomorrow, it all helped nobody.

    Bell shared that sentiment. She wouldn¡¯t fight Theora, but disregarding that, she¡¯d aid in everything to the best of her ability ¡ª because that was what the quest was asking her to do.

    ¡°Fuck, yeah!¡± Ramph cheered. ¡°Let¡¯s kick their asses tomorrow. I don¡¯t get why Jelly¡¯s making such a big deal out of this anyway.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because she¡¯s met Theora before, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lain asked, glancing at Bell. ¡°When she was a child.¡±

    Ramph waved her hands. ¡°When you were a child? When was that? A thousand years ago?¡±

    ¡°Eight hundred and forty-five,¡± Bell responded.

    Letting out a derisive short laugh, Ramph shook her head. ¡°Pah! You should know very well that even immortal people don¡¯t get stronger forever. At some point, they plateau, and they often even stagnate. Immortal this or that, whatever you saw back then might not be what she¡¯s today. Don¡¯t sweat it, cutie.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s attempt to not underestimate Theora,¡± Frederik offered, trying to calm a conflict before it could flare up. But Bell wasn¡¯t in the mood for a conflict either way. None of what Ramph said affected her at all, because that young woman simply spoke from the place of not knowing.

    Ramph softly pushed her head against the handle of her hammer. ¡°It¡¯s just annoying that she outright says she won¡¯t help us if push comes to shove. She met that girl just once, and she¡¯s spouting nonsense like that. It¡¯s grating.¡±

    Bell shrugged weakly. She had no means of convincing them, and she had long-since accepted that fact. The only reason she¡¯d raised the issue again was out of a forlorn sense of responsibility.

    ¡°You will see what I mean tomorrow,¡± she said, sadness tightening into a ball in her stomach. ¡°Meeting her once is enough.¡±

 Chapter 31: The Systemâ€™s Ace

    Theora was in the process of clearing away some grass from a part on the bottom of the hill, in hopes of using it to cultivate plant seeds she found inside one of the houses. There was no way to guess how long Dema¡¯s suffering would continue, and in the worst case that it would be years, she at least wanted to get some preparation done early. And she had time, too, because all other chores had been completed, and Dema was asleep.

    The last two days had been rough on that poor girl. She¡¯d spent them mostly delirious and shaking. Her fever had gone up again, and Theora tried not to think too much about how she¡¯d found that out.

    She used a small hatchet to loosen the ground and get the weeds out, and was just wiping away some dirt that had landed on her forehead when she sensed someone approaching.

    This was very different from all the other visitors so far. Theora had gotten a lot better at scaring off the creatures, but many bodies were still lying around, and she had no good way of burying or clearing them. At least she¡¯d managed to keep them off the hill, but some were so large they could be described as hills themselves.

    But no, whatever was approaching right now was not a monster at all.

    It was a group of people.

    From how they felt, they were likely a party of heroes. Only strong people could actually be felt.

    There was really just one reason why they would come here now. The Devil of Truth was gone, the seal enclosing him destroyed, and nobody lived here anymore. Heroes were valuable resources, and just sending a few of them out on some goose chase wasn¡¯t in the interest of anyone. Also, the only reason monsters were gathering here was Dema, so usually, this place wasn¡¯t even a good hunting ground. There was nothing to be found here, except for Theora and the wounded Ancient Evil.

    And that made their purpose rather clear.

    The System had finally gathered its forces and made its move.

    Theora dropped the hatchet to the ground and dusted the soil off her cloak. She drew out her sword from one of the interdimensional pockets, and turned to face where she could sense them approaching.

    This was an uncomfortable situation. Facing off heroes was bad. Theora didn¡¯t want that at all. They were people who ¡ª in almost all relevant practical circumstances ¡ª were on her side, doing their best to dispel harm and evil from the world. They were the ones who actually did a good job at it too, while Theora just roamed around to pass time with side quests. Meanwhile, real heroes gave it their all to actually make a positive difference on the planet.

    Compared to them, Theora was merely a wretch. And now, the System was using them as a weapon pointed at her. Well, maybe that was too cruel a way to say this.

    The System just wanted to kill the Ancient Evil, and it probably thought to have good reasons for that. And these heroes had no clue about any of the circumstances ¡ª not that there really were any circumstances other than Theora simply refusing to do her duty. After all, she had no strong logical reason to protect Dema.

    And now, these people were here to clean up her mess, and she¡¯d stand in their way, and¡­ do what, actually? What could she do? Talk them out of it?

    Other than that, she could only [Obliterate]. And she was not going to use that Skill on other heroes. But what if she had to choose between using it on them, or seeing Dema die? Terrible outlook. She wouldn¡¯t let it come that far.

    But¡­ truth be told, she was very unsure how to avoid it. If they had a quest to destroy Dema, they wouldn¡¯t let themselves get talked out of it by some random heroine who had what looked like a big crush on her. In fact, Dema was known as an ancient schemer and manipulator, so they might think Theora was under her influence somehow.

    Was she?

    Maybe she was. But she couldn¡¯t really claim that it mattered. All she knew was that they would not lay a hand on Dema if she could by any means avoid it.

    And finally, they came into view. It was a party of five people. One of them was a tall, brown skinned Lyph ¡ª a sister-people of the demons, who didn¡¯t come from hell but had similarly shaped ears, and in some cases, horns too. Then, there was a small, curvy human with a large amount of muscles, holding a large hammer. Another light-skinned human man, then a jellyfish girl, and lastly, an old woman.

    It made sense to send a party like that, and that also explained why it took them a while to arrive. Theora was rather strong, and so was Dema. Lyphs had lifespans up to a thousand years, so they had a lot of chances to become strong. Jellyfish people didn¡¯t age, but could still be killed off just as easily as humans otherwise.

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    The human man was thin, and had long, fuzzy black hair, and rectangular glasses. He looked like a [Healer]. That didn¡¯t give Theora any hope that he might end up helping Dema, though.

    The old woman somehow looked like she must have been the strongest of them all. Her face was weathered, and age marks decorated her light skin, though she carried herself with her back straight on her cane, with grace and a confident weight to her every so elegant movement. She had curly silver hair falling around her head, and wore a simple white adventuring cloak.

    Her gaze was empty, and yet firm. In a way, she looked like a much older version of Theora on the outside, though truth be told it was very unlikely that she was more than seventy years old.

    ¡°Leave this place, Theora,¡± the Lyph said with a soft voice, as the party came to a halt a few steps away from her. ¡°We mean you no harm. But as we are told, your actions are questionable.¡±

    Theora stared back into his green eyes. Long, black hair, thin stature, and wearing complex black garments like peoples did in the far west, where most Lyphs lived.

    ¡°Go back home,¡± Theora tried. ¡°I won¡¯t let you complete whatever quest you came here for. I don¡¯t want to fight you.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be an option, lass!¡± the hammer woman shouted with a big grin on her face. ¡°I looked up to you as a little girl, you know? Since I¡¯m a [Berserker] too, just like you were a long time ago. But you¡¯ve lost your way, eh?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t be so loud,¡± Theora said. ¡°It will disturb Dema¡¯s sleep.¡±

    The woman chuckled derisively, like what she just heard was unbelievable.

    ¡°Are we really going to fight?¡± the healer said, clutching his staff a bit closer to himself. ¡°Because this looks like we are going to fight. Theora, I have strong Skills that are able to dispel evil influences. I¡­¡± He hesitated for a moment. ¡°Would it be alright¡­ if I¡­¡± He trailed off, but as his teammates looked at him, he gathered back his courage. ¡°I suppose you won¡¯t let me use them on you, huh?¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? Sure, do whatever you want. I¡¯m not going to get angry as long as you only use Skills against me.¡± She gestured behind her, and added, ¡°Targeting anything behind me is off-limits, though. I have not decided what will happen if you try, but I would like not to find out.¡±

    ¡°Fair,¡± the man gulped, and made a few steps towards her. ¡°I¡¯m only going to dispel the evil from you.¡±

    Theora nodded, and paced ahead to meet him. She held out her hand, because she supposed most of such Skills worked with touch.

    Obviously, this was likely some kind of trap. Or was it? Honestly, Theora wasn¡¯t sure, because that person seemed genuine, although at this point, this gesture seemed rather pointless. If Theora had truly been influenced by evil, she would likely not have agreed to this. Which he probably knew, and seemed to increase his anxiety. His hands were shaking ever so slightly.

    Because if Theora was truly influenced by some Skills or mechanisms that he could dispel, then she¡¯d kill him in an ambush right before he¡¯d be able to activate anything. The fact that he was still willing hinted at him having some means of defence, though. Theora glanced over the others, and if they were tense, they didn¡¯t show it.

    At that moment, the Jellyfish girl started activating skills. Theora¡¯s best guess from how they felt was that she was a barrier mage, giving the man some kind of contingency should Theora lash out.

    Eventually, after building his courage for a few seconds, he touched Theora¡¯s hand. She felt his powers unleash almost immediately. It wasn¡¯t just one Skill, either. Like a cleansing ray of sun, his influence shone down on her, with other Skills washing through her body like the cleanest water she¡¯d ever felt.

    When he was done, she felt just like before.

    It was a bit pointless. Because really, this didn¡¯t tell her anything. Theora was fairly sure that it would be hard for any evil or good power to influence her in the first place.

    He wiped a bit of sweat off his forehead, then turned around to his teammates. ¡°Done,¡± he gulped.

    Everyone eyed Theora, and she felt awkward. Did she need to tell them it hadn¡¯t worked? Would they now try to do something to Dema? Were they going to ignore her ultimatum of not using Skills on anything except her?

    ¡°Leave the firing line,¡± the old woman said, and immediately, the healer rushed aside. Then, she raised her cane, holding it slightly slanted, pointing its head to Theora. ¡°This is your chance to give up. Once I cast the next spell, you will have no more leverage. I do not want to use it, but I have been made for this, specifically.¡±

    Made for this?

    ¡°I will not yield,¡± Theora confirmed, still in her low and calm voice. Nothing they could throw at her would work.

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame. I know a little bit about you. How you were created to fulfil a certain destiny. It¡¯s the very same for me. What I have been tasked to do, it is despicable, it is a true shame, and I wish I could avoid it. But despite these similarities between us, there is yet a difference.¡± She raised her cane a little higher. ¡°I will not refuse my call.¡±

    With that, the Lyph and the small woman took a defensive stance in front of her. The Jellyfish girl seemed to pursue a few more hidden shenanigans, although she didn¡¯t move.

    And in that same moment, an incredibly powerful aura built up around the old woman, as she activated what could only be a Skill of massive proportions.

    In fact, that might be underselling it.

    If her words were true, and she¡¯d spent her entire life building towards this moment, then this could only reasonably be a Skill of the highest rank. Her one and only Legendary Skill, acquired over a lifetime of strenuous amounts of work and dedication. A Skill so strong it could deliver the wildest dreams onto the world.

    And with that, she spoke its name, with a voice full of determination, cold and icy, unrelenting.

    [Let¡¯s Seal Theora].

 Chapter 32: A Warm Embrace

    There existed a certain library in the world, in the place Theora was born at. It was a large library, for it was a town of archivists and scholars. And in that library was an entire section all dedicated to a single person, to recording her life, her capabilities and weaknesses, and all else that was to know about her.

    Even though Theora had lived for so long, and even though a lot of effort was put into maintaining it, that section was not all that expansive.

    Or rather, that¡¯s what she assumed. Theora wasn¡¯t easy to track; the System was the only entity that could know at any given time where she was. Theora didn¡¯t have much of an aura due to how broken her body and character sheet were, and she rarely talked to people, so it was uncommon for anyone to find out what she was up to. If she did meet people, she rarely gave her name, because in most cases, her name wasn¡¯t necessary to give.

    It¡¯s not that Theora was trying to be a private person. Rather, she had no reason to be open. It required effort, and she was always tired.

    Without ever having stepped into that very section of the library all dedicated to her, Theora still had some guesses about what one might find in there. And, based on what this party of heroes was currently doing, she had a vague idea what might be some of their assumptions about her.

    She imagined that, if someone would compile a list of ¡®things to keep in mind when attempting to seal Theora¡¯, it would look like a neat collection of suggestions.

    For one, sealing a strong being was the best choice of how to deal with it if one wasn¡¯t able or willing to outright kill it. Depending on the type of seal, it cost much less energy and effort to imprison something for a long time and deal with it later than to try to overwhelm it.

    Especially things like a time seal as used for the Devil of Truth were rather cheap to establish, because it essentially just transported a being into the future without harming it. While still needing to be a Legendary rank Skill to seal away a being as strong as the Devil of Truth, it would get the job done of delaying further havoc.

    Now, one of the suggestions on how to seal Theora would obviously be that it had to be a Skill explicitly dedicated to her. That would increase its strength dramatically. Another one might be that the sealing time should be as short as possible. Maybe only a few minutes, or even just seconds. Focussing all one¡¯s effort into sealing away a very specific target for a very short amount of time enabled one to pretty much seal anything. And that included Theora.

    Thus, Theora was sealed away. Now, that hero party would probably try to use this time to strip Dema of her immortality as quickly as possible.

    Maybe they¡¯d even steal Theora¡¯s scroll. It was a very hard scroll to create, although it was easier to make copies once one had understood the mechanisms of how to make it once. It had taken the peoples on the planet a very long time of dedication to build the first one, and they¡¯d done so before Theora was even born.

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    Scrolls carried one-time Skill usages, though it was arguable as to whether they should be called Skills at all, since they didn¡¯t interact with the System whatsoever. Either way, whether they were banking on using Theora¡¯s, or whether the System had somehow managed to prepare the expensive creation of a second one, it was likely that they had a way to end Dema, and were going to use it right now.

    Additionally, when attempting to seal Theora, she imagined that they would make it so she couldn¡¯t move. By now, her only offensive Skill was [Obliterate], and she¡¯d use it by drawing her sword and slashing whatever target she chose. So, by rendering her unable to move inside her prison, they¡¯d make sure she couldn¡¯t [Obliterate] it, thus perfecting the seal.

    And oh, it was such a seal. Even something like the Cube of Solitude wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold her, but this, it was a true masterpiece. Theora saw the world glitter into sparks around her, and suddenly started feeling a soft pressure on her upper body. Oh, so very soft. Like receiving a warm hug.

    This prison did not feel like a prison at all. It was the eversoftest embrace. Like being huddled by a mother, or a close sibling, or a lifelong lover. And this place was so full of feelings of love. Of acceptance.

    All she saw was whiteness all around her. Not a cold whiteness, but a snow covered landscape on a glowing winter morning. Wrapped into the warmest clothes, no wind, no sound. An eerily calm world, only the soft feeling of one¡¯s boots crumpling the snow beneath them. Twigs of bushes and small trees covered in white from above, and the sun barely visible on the horizon.

    And that voice all around her that said, ¡°Even though you may have made mistakes, we are here for you. Always.¡±

    Theora had always been alone. From the very start, she¡¯d done everything on her own, and oh, this was such a wonderful entrapment for her. Or, it would have been, if she didn¡¯t already have a home.

    That home smelling of ash and coal, tasting of salts in all colours, sounding like a raspy low instrument playing inside her very soul.

    If Theora wanted a hug, she could just ask Dema.

    Not that she¡¯d ever gather the courage to, but this was a matter of principle. She did not require a carefully constructed seal for herself to not feel sad. The information they had on her was outdated. She was no longer alone.

    But, the information was also wrong in the first place, or at the very least, incomplete.

    Yes, Theora had always used [Obliterate] with her sword, at least to the knowledge of everyone else on the planet. But it was not a sword Skill. It was not even a weapon Skill at all.

    [Obliterate] was a Skill that simply happened in her mind. It was a Skill that enabled her to destroy whatever she wanted, with a single thought. The only reason she channelled it through her sword was because it was not meant to be channelled through a sword. To constrain it, to weaken it, to lessen the damage it caused on the fabric of the world.

    The sword was meant to hold her back.

    So, if they had asked her for advice on how to seal Theora, she would have given them not a short list of things to consider. No catalogue of ingredients, no deliberations, no theory. The only advice she could give on the topic of how to seal Theora was, ¡®Do not attempt to seal Theora.¡¯

    After all, it would have been a perfect solution to her problems. She wouldn¡¯t even have needed to sleep, she could have just stopped existing in the world for an indefinite amount of time.

    If such a thing as ¡®sealing Theora¡¯ had been possible at all, she would have done so herself a long time ago.

 Chapter 33: Persistence is Bleak

    [Obliterate].

    With that simple thought, the prison crumbled to dust as soon as it came into existence.

    And with it, Theora felt awful. That woman had dedicated her life to this, in service of a System putting her up to an impossible task. And that¡¯s very much the look she had on her face. One of pure terror. Of failure. Of fear. Eyebrows raised in muted, contained desperation, her hand softly shaking as it held the head of her cane.

    Theora did not know what to do. Whatever these people had planned, it was probably all over now. Would they still try? Would they make a desperate attempt? Did they have some contingencies left?

    Both the old woman as well as the person in glasses had likely expended a lot of their mana with what they¡¯d tried to do, assuming they were spellcaster classes. Maybe those other three still had things to try out. Though somehow, it seemed unlikely.

    But the one, ultimate question running through Theora¡¯s head was ¡ª what had even been the point? Sure, the System wasn¡¯t infallible, but had it truly thought that this might work? Had it really put these poor people on this nonsense task, thinking it could possibly succeed?

    Maybe it had. The System was in one way all-knowing, but it also seemed to have limited attention. Perhaps it had simply given the quest, and then forgotten about it. Maybe these people were nothing but pawns. Or, perhaps arrows to be fired, in the hopes that one day, one of them might stay stuck in Theora¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Please go home,¡± she said. ¡°I do not wish to fight.¡±

    There was only silence. The man with the glasses made a clumsy step back, the jellyfish girl simply sat down on the ground, her tentacle hair waving around her as she stared at the grass. The smaller woman tightened her grip on her hammer, and the man clothed in dark seemed to make ready for something.

    What would it be? Some of them still hadn¡¯t shown their cards. Perhaps one of them had some instant teleportation ability, would snap next to Dema, and speak the scroll. Or, maybe they had the ability to use doppelgangers and were secretly sneaking up on her.

    Still, Theora would feel it.

    And while she wasn¡¯t able to teleport, she could still [Obliterate] the distance between her and Dema. Of course, there was no telling what the world would look like after she did that. Maybe all the matter between the two of them would simply vanish. Maybe it would connect without transition, as if whatever was there had never existed. Maybe the world would stay broken that way, and the two would never be able to separate again.

    This was all Theora¡¯s fault. She was the reason why Dema was in this situation in the first place. So, she would do it. To defend Dema, she would rip reality apart and stitch it together anew.

    She really didn¡¯t want to, though. It would be better if these people gave up.

    Finally, the old woman sighed. It was a pitiful sigh, one of involuntary resignation, and while she probably attempted to retain control over her emotions, her voice still broke.

    ¡°I suppose you are the destroyer of fates,¡± she muttered.

    What could Theora possibly say to that? To her?

    Spend your whole life preparing something impossible, and reap the reward of failure. She couldn¡¯t even be angry. All she felt was pity. Of course, there had never been a way. If Theora decided Dema was going to survive this day, then there was nothing in the world that could change it.

    ¡°Fine, then,¡± the old woman regathered her voice, looking at her companions one by one. ¡°We really tried. We gave our best to end this cleanly. But we failed.¡± She took a deep breath, and lost the shaking of her fist. Calming down, her body discarded all the tension and fear. ¡°So, let¡¯s kill her instead.¡±

    And with that, the fight began.

    Theora swallowed. This was not going to end well, was it?

    It was then that the dark clothed man unleashed what he¡¯d prepared. In the blink of an eye, he tried to move past her and up the hill. Maybe even less than a blink of an eye, it was an unnatural speed, distorting his body and pulling the air apart.

    But Theora caught him. Caught him with her hand by his upper arm, and then she used his momentum to turn around and hurl him back where he came from.

    Fine. If they wanted a fight, so be it. But she couldn¡¯t possibly use her Skill on them. She¡¯d have to do this by hand. She pulled her magical coat over her head and threw it to the ground, now standing there in her undergarments ¡ª a white linen shirt as well as short linen pants, bound together at her hip by a thin band. Then, she tossed away her shoes, and stood there, barefoot, the wind pushing through her hair as she made for a fighting stance.

    Oh, how long had it been since she¡¯d tried that?

    The small person was right, she¡¯d been a [Berserker] once. She had no more Skills relating to it, but her strength stat was still¡­ Well, technically it wasn¡¯t a number, but that somehow meant it was larger than anything else. And maybe she still had some muscle memory from back then.

    The hill behind her and Dema were her line in the sand; she¡¯d [Obliterate] anything that got past it, but things aimed at herself, she¡¯d just let through. It wasn¡¯t like nothing could harm her. She could still feel pain, and take damage. But, just like when she¡¯d climbed out of the Cube of Solitude, she could force her body to stay intact, by power of will. That way, maybe she could break their will to fight.

    The very next moment, as the black robed man still flew through the air, the man with glasses cast another spell. He had his hand stretched out, sweating profusely, but still determined enough to kill her.

    [Assume], he spoke.

    And with that, a hundred spikes made of light started poking out from the ground around Theora, all aiming at her, like large needles awaiting her very next step.

    [Assume]¡­ Together with the threatening display of those spikes, maybe it was a divination type spell? They¡¯d activate once Theora would fulfil his assumption, and fly through her? Interesting. It meant he wanted to prevent her from doing something.

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    At the same time, the small woman came soaring in from the sky. Somehow, she¡¯d made a gigantic leap, with her hammer casting Theora into shadow from above, winding up for a massive hit.

    That was terrifying. Theora needed to avoid it at all costs.

    And so, she attempted to make a step towards where the woman would land, and that¡¯s when the assumption hit. All the little spikes started to dash out through her, emerging as long spears of light piercing her entire body and staying stuck, holding her in place, attached to the ground.

    This was a decent combination. These people were good at fighting together. Theora started wiggling one of her impaled arms ¡ª a spear running through the elbow and another through her bloodied hand, and she tried to get it free by pushing it out through the pointy end.

    She didn¡¯t have enough time. That hammer was close to crashing down on the ground.

    She needed to prevent that. It would be way too loud. It would mess up Dema¡¯s precious sleep.

    Ignoring the remaining rods sticking through her, Theora made two steps forward. As she did, the rods of light broke apart at ground level and let her roam free, still stuck through her in a complex arrangement.

    She stretched her uninjured hand up at the sky, holding it out as if warding off a nuisance sunbeam. Theora stopped the weapon with her palm. A soft and deep gong echoed through the valley.

    Still too loud.

    [Obliterate].

    The Hammer turned into sand. Meanwhile, the woman lost her balance and was about to crash to the ground, but Theora reached for her, carefully gripping the clothing above her chest, and flung her back to where the Lyph was still just getting up.

    This was like fighting children.

    The healer was opening his mouth to cast another Skill, and Theora was surprised he had any mana left. Still, she was done watching him do things, so she stepped over to him in three paces as if flying, and gently laid a few of her fingers on his lips to advise him to stop.

    As such, he remained for a fraction of a second, and decided not to speak the name of his spell. With a nudge to his shoulder, she suggested to him to join the others. Not enough force to actually make him move ¡ª only to make the message clear. Go back where you came from.

    And he decided to obey.

    Only a few seconds had passed, but during this time, the old woman had started to cast new spells. Again, Theora was surprised she had energy left after using a Legendary Skill; even more so when she saw what was happening: That person was casting a Skill on the shed, having engulfed it in a gigantic bubble.

    Theora ventured past the healer, and landed in front of the [Sealer]. Just as she arrived, she raised her cane and spoke, [Magmagloom].

    In her stride, Theora was engulfed in a floating ball of lava absorbing her whole. Lava¡­ that was really warm. Unfortunately, there was no time to cherish this seal.

    Within a flicker of a moment, Theora¡¯s face emerged from it, like peeking out from water. Calm and with an empty gaze, the molten rock sizzling at the edges of her cheeks.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, as her arms rose out from the molten rock, some of it sticking and dripping off her skin. She picked up the cane from the [Sealer]¡¯s hands in a smooth motion. ¡°This seems to be a weapon.¡±

    [Obliterate].

    The cane turned into water, splashing down onto the ground as the woman issued a soft whimper. At that moment, the magma became affected by gravity, and sloshed down as well. Parts of it still stuck to Theora¡¯s body as they slowly turned cold and solid. She heard the bubble around the shed pop.

    Was that it?

    Looking around, the party seemed spent. The old woman stood shaken, the healer was shivering, the woman without her hammer stared in shock, and the black-robed person kept running his fingers over his legs as if they had failed him.

    The only one who had not moved was the jellyfish girl, who still sat on the ground, stoically.

    ¡°Take a moment to recuperate,¡± Theora suggested. ¡°I apologise for the damage to your equipment. I will check up on Dema, then find a sturdy and slender piece of dried wood. In the meantime, prepare to leave.¡±

    With that, she turned around and walked back to her magical coat. Her body still seared with steaming, gleaming rock and parts of glowing rods still stuck through her shoulders and torso, she threw her garment back over herself. Then, she proceeded back up the hill in light steps, the frills whirling behind her, like a betta fish fresh after a fight.

    She really, really hoped this hadn¡¯t disturbed Dema¡¯s sleep.

    If it had, she could see herself become angry.

    It had, in fact, disturbed Dema¡¯s sleep. Not to the point of waking her up, but she squirmed around in her bedding, as if having a bad dream. Theora laid her hand on Dema¡¯s forehead, and the girl instantly calmed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Theora whispered. ¡°Everything¡¯s alright. I¡¯m sorry I was gone.¡±

    Dema just let out a soft and drawn-out ¡®guh¡¯ sound, but didn¡¯t open her eyes.

    Theora had surveyed the surroundings a lot over the past few days, so while she lulled Dema back into deep slumber, she tried to recall where she had seen a suitable piece of wood. Eventually, she remembered, made sure one last time that Dema was alright, and then left the shed again to go fetch it.

    When she finally returned to the hero party, she found the healer crouched down, crying. The small woman was kneeling over the piece of sand that had once been her hammer, and she grazed her fingers through the heap as if it were the ashes of a family member. Theora had understood it to be an incredible magical item, maybe of the kind that only that specific person could handle. She felt a certain emptiness within her stomach at the sight.

    People were so fragile.

    And of course, in that assessment, she included herself. She had done all this because she didn¡¯t want Dema to die. Maybe she could have won without making such petty statements as destroying these people¡¯s belongings. Again, Theora had thrown a fit.

    And she could hardly blame these five for their actions. After all, Theora stood here, defending the Ancient Evil, of all people. She herself knew the amount of damage and destruction evil beings caused in the world all too well, and could sympathise with them for attempting to get rid of another one of that kind.

    But, was Dema really one of that kind?

    Of course, Theora could have asked inside the [Realm] of Truth, but it didn¡¯t really matter to her either way. Knowing wouldn¡¯t solve her conundrum; she¡¯d still have to kill Dema, and neither knowing she did something evil in the past, nor knowing she was completely innocent, would change the fact that it made her feel awful.

    But maybe it would have mattered to these people?

    If Theora had asked Dema and found the truth, could she have convinced them not to fight?

    It was unlikely, but there may have been a chance.

    Finally, she stepped back in front of the old woman, and handed her the replacement cane. A dried piece of oakwood, progressing into a knob towards the upper ending, and seemingly sturdy enough to walk on.

    The woman had taken this maybe the best of all of them. The Lyph stood behind her, staring at Theora in apprehension, as if ready to launch forward once she made a wrong move. It wasn¡¯t like he could have done anything. But the old woman, she just stood there, glaring, the wind pushing her dress to a side, her hair fluttering in the air just like Theora¡¯s.

    She accepted the short branch. ¡°You are the worst creature I have ever seen,¡± she spat.

    ¡°You are probably right about that,¡± Theora replied. ¡°I have nothing to offer you in hospitality. I do believe our confrontation is over and that you will not lay a hand on Dema, but I would still prefer if you left as soon as you were able to. Goodbye.¡±

    With that, she turned around to leave.

 Chapter 34: Uncompromising

    ¡°I wanna see the stars,¡± Dema deliriously requested that same night. And so, Theora gently picked her up and carried her out of the shed, only to see the Jellyfish girl standing at the foot of the hill.

    ¡°She wants to stargaze,¡± Theora spoke, in a soft voice, but loud enough for that person to hear. ¡°You will have to wait.¡±

    And thus, she left that girl waiting for a few hours until they returned to the shed. Dema was fast asleep again. After putting her back in her bed, Theora allowed the guest inside.

    Their people were called Medusae. They lived in the south, on a few islands.

    She had a humanoid face and skin coloured in mixes between azure blue and bright yellow. Countless thin tentacles draped her head instead of hair, poking out from a large blob of transparent jelly. The tentacles reached far down, and she could apparently move them at will.

    The girl¡¯s arms and legs furthered her humanoid appearance, although they were made of thicker tentacles reminiscent of squids. She wore a pretty dress; partly transparent, white and fluffy, completing her jellyfish appearance.

    ¡°I remember asking you to leave after our fight,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°I wanted to talk to you, if that¡¯s okay,¡± the person replied. ¡°I am Bell. It should not take long.¡±

    Without replying, Theora simply stared at her for a while. Bell had ignored her request to leave, and that was rude, but nothing more than that. So far, the girl had shown no hostilities, and she didn¡¯t seem interested in attacking Dema for the moment.

    ¡°Talk it is,¡± Theora answered, even though she didn¡¯t really want to. Talking was tiring, after all.

    ¡°Today has made me really sad,¡± Bell began. She took a deep breath, picking up her arms and combing them through her dozens of tentacles. ¡°I guess that¡¯s what happens when stubborn entities meet.¡±

    ¡°Stubborn?¡±

    Bell shrugged, and pointed at Dema. ¡°The Ancient Evil, for example. It looks really, really bad. The Devil of Truth, I presume? Did a real number on it.¡±

    ¡°That was mostly my fault,¡± Theora replied.

    ¡°And yet, the Ancient Evil persisted. Still alive, after such a long time. Because it just wants to keep living. Very stubborn. And you are stubborn, too. You want to be the one to kill it. Nobody else is allowed to.¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°I would prefer if she didn¡¯t die at all.¡±

    ¡°That so?¡± Bell shrugged again, and this time, she gave a weak smile. ¡°The System told us through our quest descriptions that you still have that scroll to strip away [Immortality]. There¡¯s no other entity besides the Ancient Evil that has a Skill like that. If you don¡¯t want it to die, why keep carrying it at all? Why not burn it?¡±

    Theora took a sudden and short step back. That¡¯s right. She still had the scroll.

    Because, despite it all, she still knew that one day, she¡¯d have to kill Dema. And killing her by using the scroll was much gentler than destroying her with [Obliterate].

    At least, that was the vague and unsound justification Theora had in her head. A head that, as she came to realise more and more, was feeding her with self-deception and empty dreams.

    ¡°But you two aren¡¯t the only stubborn ones,¡± Bell continued. ¡°The System wants the Ancient Evil dead at all costs. And the others from the party were willing to do it, no questions asked, just like that. Everyone involved persisted. Adamant on their views, unwilling to compromise. And now, I¡¯m sad.¡±

    ¡°They should have gone home,¡± Theora muttered.

    ¡°Right. You think you are on the correct side. And in a way, you are, because you are lucky to be stronger, so you can dictate your reality on everybody else. Such is life.¡± Bell shrugged, making a soft squelching sound. ¡°And, just for the sake of being straightforward, I am stubborn as well. I also was persistent about something. I told them I would not join them in their fight against you, and in the end, I didn¡¯t, for what it¡¯s worth.¡± She pulled her mouth to one side, making a grimace. ¡°It was already a big mess, but who knows how it would have ended if I¡¯d joined them.¡±

    ¡°I noticed. Why?¡± Theora said.

    Bell started walking through the shed, gently touching over the wooden surfaces with her tentacles, as if to inspect them. ¡°Oh, damn. This shed is reinforced. Did you do that?¡±

    Reinforced?

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    Oh, that¡¯s right. Maybe the things that had withstood time had done so because they¡¯d been made with skills or infused with magic. Maybe Bell had an [Identify]-type Skill.

    ¡°I mean,¡± she continued, ¡°I knew it was pointless to fight you. You are just way too strong.¡± She let out a short sigh. ¡°The others didn¡¯t really believe me, though. Of course, as heroes, even among each other, we will hide our true strength. Neat little trick, by the way, making everyone think [Obliterate] had a usage-restriction.¡± Her lips curled into a smile. ¡°Really got Amyd with that one. Anyway, I can¡¯t say for sure, because we all hide some of our capabilities, but my guess is that among our party, I was the strongest. If I¡¯d fought, it would have made this all a little bit harder on you. Maybe you would have needed to kill.¡±

    If anything, Bell¡¯s reasoning seemed sound to Theora. Bell had been the only one in the party who had determined that fighting was futile. Not many beings in the world correctly judged Theora¡¯s strength. The monsters at the Zenith of the End had avoided her. Dema had chosen not to fight. And the Devil of Truth had known from the start that he would lose. This alone put Bell closer to them in power than to her fellow party members, if one were to estimate.

    Theora had no access to any [Appraisal] Skills. All she could do was judge by her experience, her thoughts, and the small little feelings she got when people used their powers. Their auras, and the soft prickling she felt when someone was about to become violent.

    And with all these things combined, that Jellyfish girl seemed rather powerful at first glance.

    ¡°I appreciate you choosing not to fight,¡± Theora said, but Bell immediately waved her words away and shook her head.

    ¡°Nah, no way. Don¡¯t thank me for that. Pure self-preservation. I didn¡¯t come here to get praised.¡±

    ¡°Then, why?¡±

    Bell kept shaking her head, but much more slowly now. Her face scrunched up into a bit of a confused expression. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand it. We were all so persistent, and that caused today to end in a really, really sad way. I am still unhappy about how it all turned out. I¡­ just want to understand.¡±

    ¡°Understand what?¡±

    ¡°You,¡± Bell said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what in the world has led you to choose this path. I can sympathise with the Ancient Evil wanting to stay alive. I can appreciate the perspective of the System, and the other party members, in wanting it to die. It¡¯s the Ancient Evil, after all. People long before us have put a lot of effort into containing it, into finding a way to get rid of it. Maybe you are not aware, but sacrifices have been made to accomplish all of that. Lives were lost. So, there¡¯s that.¡± She waved her hand. ¡°So, I understand all of that. But it makes absolutely no sense to me why you act the way you do. I came here in hopes of finding that out.¡±

    ¡°Do I need a reason not to kill someone?¡± Theora asked. By now, she had started collecting Dema¡¯s old bandages, and was washing them in a large basin she¡¯d found and brought here a few days ago.

    ¡°Yes. You absolutely do. I mean, you came here to kill the Devil of Truth, and judging from how things look, that¡¯s exactly what you did. Why kill him, but not the Ancient Evil? In fact, I am not aware of a single quest you ever refused to complete, except for this single one.¡±

    Theora stopped scrubbing and looked up. ¡°There¡¯s no evidence of what Dema did. There was evidence for the others, and they were going to keep doing it. I killed them because I didn¡¯t want them to inflict further suffering.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Bell mused, and her gaze went over Dema¡¯s body, her soft shivering in her bed as she slept, presumably with a bad dream, and then back to Theora. Looked at the cups of tea standing around, at the changes of clothes in one corner of the room. At the carefully propped up bedding, the damp cloths meant to help bring down Dema¡¯s fever, and all the other pieces of evidence lying around. ¡°I mean, look, that may be part of it, but honestly, it seems like there¡¯s more. I can¡¯t help but wonder. If you found evidence of the Ancient Evil¡¯s past misdeeds, or if it gave you a brand-new reason to kill it tomorrow, would you be able to do it?¡±

    That question made Theora stop dead in her tracks.

    Would she?

    By now, there was no denying that she appreciated Dema. But¡­ was that appreciation contingent on Dema actually not being evil?

    Theora had always lived with the assumption that there was a chance that Dema was a true monster, acting nice in order to survive. She¡¯d already fostered that thought on the very first day they¡¯d met.

    And yet, that hadn¡¯t stopped her from developing this kind of affection.

    If Dema was evil, would that really change anything? Would she stop liking her, or would she have to overcome her own feelings? Would Theora even be capable of that?

    The truth was, she had no idea. She just stared up at Bell, not responding, not even moving a muscle.

    ¡°So you don¡¯t know either,¡± the Medusa finally sighed. ¡°Fair enough. Thank you for trying, anyway. I was really hoping I could come to understand this situation. Hoping there was a way to resolve it. I don¡¯t think the others will change their mind. I understand their positions to be final. But for you, since I don¡¯t understand you, I was hoping there was a way to make you yield. But if you don¡¯t even know the answer yourself¡­¡±

    Bell shrugged, and made her way to the door. ¡°I wish you the best of luck on this little path you have chosen for yourself,¡± she said. ¡°But I want to let you know one thing, before I go. My personal opinion, that is.¡± Her eyes got sharper. ¡°If today has taught us anything, it¡¯s that the System is not without its flaws. This endeavour we got sent on was hopeless from the start, and we can all call ourselves lucky that we came away from it alive. The System should have never sent us here, but maybe it was desperate, I don¡¯t know. What I do know is that it¡¯s aware of many more things than you or me, or anyone else. It would never do something like this based on unsound evidence.¡±

    Before continuing, she grasped the door frame rather firmly, her arm-tentacle squishing against it. ¡°As such, I have a firm and unrelenting belief that you are making a mistake,¡± she said, and pointed to Dema with the tentacle of her arm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell you, but that thing needs to die.¡±

    Then, she bowed farewell. ¡°Take care,¡± she concluded, and with that, she left.

    For a long while, Theora didn¡¯t even move. Just listened to the soft breathing of Dema, who was lying there on her bed. Her little horn poking up from her face, her ashen scent carrying all the way through the room.

    Despite everything, Theora just couldn¡¯t help herself.

    In a quiet voice, but still determined, she murmured.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let them hurt you.¡±

 Chapter 35: Permission to Touch

    And thus, about seventeen years passed.

    Seventeen years of the same old ¡ª Theora trying her best to make up for her mistakes by taking care of Dema in whatever way she could imagine. The revelation that some of the items in the village might have been reinforced by Skills and magic helped her find more useful things, because she now started peeking into places she¡¯d previously considered lost causes.

    She found actual bandages at some point, was able to build a more comfortable place to sleep on for Dema, managed to categorise and learn the properties of many of the herbs growing in the meadows, and completely failed to get used to taking Dema¡¯s temperature with her lips.

    In a certain way, seventeen years really weren¡¯t a lot. Theora could have done this for hundreds of years. She had been the one who¡¯d manoeuvred the two of them into this situation, and she¡¯d take responsibility for that. Obviously, she would take care of Dema as long as it took.

    On the other hand, for Dema, seventeen years were a lot. At least, that¡¯s what Theora imagined. Dema herself didn¡¯t really complain that much, she mostly just suffered. And throughout all those years, Theora had wished every day that that suffering would finally be over, that it relented, and that the Skills reactivated.

    And one day, they finally did.

    It was while Theora was changing bandages that she felt it, ever so softly. The faintest pulsing echoing through Dema¡¯s body. And it got stronger every second.

    Her heart, destroyed by the Devil of Truth, was finally starting to grow back.

    It was the first regeneration Skill to return. A slower one, a low-tier one, but it was enough to severely improve Dema¡¯s disposition within just a few hours.

    The next morning, Dema stretched out her limbs with a big yawn, as if waking up from one of the most restful nights ever. Her joints cracked wildly.

    ¡°Please stop stretching so much,¡± Theora pleaded, sitting next to her, having her hands reached out as if intending to help Dema up, but then not daring to actually touch her. Taking care of Dema while sick was different; touching her when needed, that she was able to do, but reaching out to her while Dema was completely awake was a whole lot harder.

    ¡°Why not!¡± Dema cheered, her voice even raspier than usual.

    ¡°Because your muscles are still healing. There is barely anything left of them. You are stretching them to the point of tearing them apart. Please stop.¡±

    ¡°¡¯S fine! Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re gonna heal right back up. Only hurts a bit!¡±

    From what the motion looked like through Dema¡¯s skin, it probably hurt a lot.

    ¡°Damn, that took so long! Wasn¡¯t expecting that. That guy did some serious damage. Heh, good for me.¡±

    Good for her? How was that good for her?

    Maybe Dema wasn¡¯t fully healed yet, and still delirious. It had taken her seventeen years to recover from what Theora had done to her. There was nothing ¡®good¡¯ about this at all. Theora was about to protest, but Dema held up her hand to stop her. ¡°Sorry, gotta read for a sec! Catching up on a sea of notifications. Damn, that sure is nice.¡±

    With a frown, Theora put her hands down into her lap and watched as Dema¡¯s eyes flickered over the air in front of her.

    What kind of notifications could she have gotten? The quest to subdue the Devil of Truth hadn¡¯t been hers, and she wasn¡¯t a heroine of the System, so it was extremely unlikely that she¡¯d gotten a share of any experience or rewards from that fight. And ever since then, all Dema had done was lie around on the verge of death.

    And yet, that girl started grinning wider and wider as she went through the things. Eventually, she closed her eyes, lost in thought, putting her chin in her hand. Was she scheming something, or just processing information?

    And then, she jumped up from her bed. It was a terrifying jump. Theora could hear and see the joints and tendons and muscles ache in duress from Dema¡¯s sudden motion. Could feel her regeneration Skills protesting and scrambling to undo the damage.

    But Dema didn¡¯t seem the slightest bit concerned, and started some gymnastic exercises to relearn how to move. She was being rather clumsy, almost falling over a few times.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Theora asked, still frowning up at Dema.

    ¡°Why, yeah! Big time alright!¡± She gave a mischievous grin. ¡°Turns out, if you spend seventeen years dying and without a heart, and, you know, only [Immortality] keeps you alive by a thread, that¡¯s a big ton of EXP. It¡¯s over Level 100 now!¡±

    What?

    That didn¡¯t really explain anything. In fact, it only confused Theora further. [Immortality] was a binary Skill ¡ª either you lived forever, or you didn¡¯t. As far as Theora was aware, there were no regenerative properties attached to it. So, what would improving the Levels of it even do?

    More importantly, [Immortality] was a Legendary Skill, and those typically didn¡¯t level up at all. They were a reward for an endless amount of effort. They weren¡¯t meant to be trained further.

    ¡°So, what does that do?¡± Theora asked shortly.

    ¡°Heh,¡± Dema smirked. ¡°Oh, if only you knew, little rabbit! It got an additional perk!¡±

    ¡°I would like to know what it is,¡± Theora whispered, gulping.

    Dema raised her eyebrows teasingly. ¡°Oh my, would you, now! Sorry, that¡¯s gonna be a big surprise. Gotta find a chance to use it first. Not gonna tell you a thing before that!¡±

    Theora pouted. She was just so curious.

    On the other hand, that was fine. It was Dema¡¯s Skill after all, and she had no obligation to share anything about it.

    When Theora didn¡¯t answer, Dema¡¯s gaze softened a little and she stopped doing her exercises. ¡°Thank you, by the way,¡± she spoke softly. ¡°For taking care of me. Wasn¡¯t necessary, and you still did it. Made those years one of the kindest fever dreams I¡¯ve had!¡±

    ¡°I do think it was necessary,¡± Theora replied.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it was!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re wrong.¡± Theora hesitated for a moment, and then gulped. Now was probably the best possible time to talk about it, right? ¡°I, uhm,¡± she started, but her throat immediately clogged up. She needed to get the words out. ¡°I got an upgrade of sorts, too, I suppose. But I haven¡¯t decided yet if I¡¯m going to take it.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Dema¡¯s eyes perked up and lit up in an amber glow. ¡°What is it! I gotta know! Out with it, no restraints! You should tell your travelling companions everything, alright? No holding back.¡±

    ¡°I am not holding back. I am just about to tell you. Also, rich of you to say that, after what you just pulled.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s that and this is this!¡± Dema proclaimed, as if it explained anything at all.

    ¡°I got a new Class.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyebrows jumped up in surprise. ¡°Oh damn!¡± Her expression fell apart after a moment, and then she said, ¡°Wait, that sucks! You seriously considering to start all over?¡±

    Starting all over? Theora¡¯s brain stopped working for a second as she tried to parse that sentence. And then, she remembered.

    That¡¯s right, normal people had Class Levels. Once they took a new Class, it would reset their Level to 1, which would also reduce the stats by the amount they¡¯d gained from the previous Class. In some cases, Class-specific Skills would also be removed.

    Not like any of that mattered. Theora¡¯s stats and Level weren¡¯t numbers that anything could be subtracted from, and she didn¡¯t have any Class-specific Skills. [Obliterate] was a Theora-specific Skill, and the others were general ones.

    The only fear she had was that if [Stargazer] was a combat Class, that would mean all its Skills would feed back into [Obliterate] long-term, making that unnecessarily stronger. And it was already way too strong.

    ¡°I would like to start all over, if possible,¡± Theora said. ¡°But that¡¯s not really what this is about. I unlocked this Class after letting you get hurt, and those two events are rather connected. I wanted to know how you felt about this before making any decisions.¡±

    Dema frowned in curiosity. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind either way! Tell me what the Class is and I¡¯ll decide for you.¡±

    Theora bit her lip before replying. In a soft voice, like a child admitting to cutting a piece of clothing in two, she said, ¡°[Stargazer].¡±

    Dema stopped in her motion. She¡¯d still been trying to regain control over her limbs and muscles, but now she just looked at Theora, wide-eyed. ¡°That sounds so pretty,¡± Dema rasped in awe.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Theora replied in a sullen tone, as if that was the worst part about it. ¡°Look, I completely understand if you think I don¡¯t deserve such a¡ª¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t finish her sentence before being slapped on the shoulder. It was probably the gentlest slap she had ever received, if it was even possible to call it one. There had been no force behind it, but she could see on Dema¡¯s face that she was actually mad.

    ¡°Dunno how to tell you this,¡± Dema said after catching herself a little, ¡°But that¡¯s totally not allowed! Can¡¯t take care of me for so long and with so much, like, kindness, and then act like I think you don¡¯t deserve the whole world!¡±

    Theora¡¯s legs started to tremble, and she was glad she was already sitting down, or she¡¯d have slumped to the ground.

    Dema had never even directly touched her without permission before. And now, Theora¡¯d gone so far to make Dema angry enough to tap her shoulder.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she mumbled.

    ¡°Yeah, better be! Now cheer up and take that Class! If you wanna, that is. Also, sorry for touching you. Got a bit overzealous there.¡±

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Theora spluttered, and shook her head in very small motions, but still rather energetically. ¡°I¡­ You can touch me.¡±

    Dema bit her lip. ¡°Damn, you look like a scolded puppy. I feel kinda bad. Give me that permission again tomorrow and we¡¯ll see about it!¡± Then, after musing for a second, she said, ¡°Actually, speaking of tomorrow. Any clue what we do next?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Theora answered, trying to calm herself down. ¡°I received a new side quest a while ago, but I wanted to wait with pursuing it until you got better. We can do that, if you want to.¡±

    ¡°Oh my! Yes! What¡¯s it about?¡±

    Theora pulled up the menu, opened the prompt, and proceeded to read out the quest description.

    [Fetch Quest: Find the Thirteen Fragments of Time.]

    Time remaining: 247 years.

 Chapter 36: Letâ€™s Not Overthink

    ¡°The hell¡¯s a Fragment of Time?¡±

    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s some ancient magical item. We are tasked to gather and then deliver them somewhere. Easy enough.¡±

    Theora closed the notification, trying to calm her head down from how she could still feel the lingering sensation of that tap on her shoulder.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go! It¡¯s gonna have us travel a lot, right? Will have to be on the lookout to use my upgrade then. Maybe we¡¯re gonna find something.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Theora mused. She was still very curious about that upgrade.

    ¡°So where¡¯s the first Fragment?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Dema raised her eyebrows. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t say.¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t know what those things are and have no clue where to find them?¡±

    ¡°Never heard of them before,¡± Theora confirmed. ¡°We could travel to a large town and ask around.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°A large town! That sounds amazing!¡±

    And with that, she jumped out of the shed, but not without accidentally bumping into the door frame first. Her steps were light and exaggerated, as if she enjoyed every little bit of being able to move on her own again. She was still staggering, but didn¡¯t seem to mind.

    Like a bird learning to fly. Except, she had to learn it again.

    When Theora wanted to leave too, she almost ran into Dema on the other side, because after exiting the shed, Dema hadn¡¯t moved. Instead, she was looking around, taking in the view.

    ¡°Damn,¡± she let out in an unusually soft rasp. ¡°That¡¯s kind of incredible. Wait, this ain¡¯t what it used to look like, is it?¡±

    Theora stepped next to her, and gazed at the surroundings that had by now become very familiar to her. ¡°Seventeen years can cause a lot of change,¡± she mused.

    The hills were lit up by the starry sky above, together with the moons therein.

    The hills, plural. Because now, it wasn¡¯t just the one they stood on anymore. The monsters Theora had been forced to kill in their attempt to reach Dema, they¡¯d decayed away into soil, overgrown by grassy meadows, forming mounds in the hills, some reaching higher up than the shed.

    And, because it had just started to be that time of the year, all of them glittered in the soft, green spotty light of thousands of fireflies dancing through the grasses. Flickering on and off, all around them, on dozens of larger and smaller hills, up into the far distance they could see.

    Dema looked back at the shed, inspecting it all around, then switched her gaze to Theora.

    ¡°This is kinda pretty,¡± Dema said, and seemed a bit lost in thought. After a while, she shrugged. ¡°How ¡¯bout we just stay here? Like, for good?¡±

    ¡°You want to?¡±

    At that, Dema scrunched up her face, deep in conflict. ¡°I kinda do! But¡­ I ain¡¯t gonna be able to use my upgrade here, I think. We gotta travel for that¡­ We could come back here later, but¡­¡± She trailed off. Then, shrugged. ¡°I guess it would be nice to have a home one day? For us?¡±

    A home. What a thought. An actual place to stay at and return to? A place in the world ¡ª a house?

    Theora knew it was something other people had, but the thought was so foreign to her. Not that she¡¯d never ever lived in a house before, but a long time had passed since then, and she¡¯d not truly felt at home even back then. As a child, she¡¯d always wanted to leave, and travel the world in her curiosity.

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    Now, she felt like there was no place that would welcome her. No place she¡¯d dare to feel welcome at.

    But, in one of the two realities she was currently living in, Dema might accept her. So, that was a nice thought, in a way.

    ¡°I wonder,¡± she began. ¡°There would be some¡­ practical issues, maybe?¡±

    ¡°Like what!¡±

    ¡°Like¡­ If we only come home every few hundred years, what kind of building would withstand the times like we do? What place would we return to that would not fall to ashes in our absence?¡±

    Dema glared at her and yelled out a light-hearted complaint. ¡°Damn you and your overthinking! We just gotta find a place, alright! One day it¡¯s just gonna, boop, pop up in front of us. Just gotta keep our eyes wide and open.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Alright. We can do that.¡±

    ¡°And remember the rule!¡±

    ¡°What rule?¡±

    Dema pulled up a hand and wagged a pointed finger in front of Theora¡¯s face. ¡°Why, forgot about it already? No ¡ª more ¡ª thinking ¡ª for ¡ª Theora!¡±

    Oh, god. Yes, she had completely forgotten about that rule. How was it she couldn¡¯t even follow the simplest of Demas requests? How was it that she always¡ª

    ¡°Hey!¡± Dema yelled. ¡°Doing it again! Stop it, stop!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything!¡± Theora said, sounding caught.

    ¡°Pretty sure you are! Can see those big cogs turning right inside that cute head of yours, little rabbit!¡±

    Cute head. Theora was thankful for the night hiding her faint blush.

    No more thinking for Theora. It was finally time.

    That¡¯s right. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she¡¯d be able to follow that rule, but for now, she simply emptied her head. Emptied it, and pulled up the notification log, scrolling up and up until that day seventeen years ago. Without thinking, she made her decision. After all, she now had Dema¡¯s blessing, too.

    You have unlocked a new Class!

    By glancing into different realities, you can reveal the hidden fates of any ¡®would¡¯ and ¡®never-will-be¡¯ implied within the fabric of the world.

    Do you wish to become a [Stargazer]?

    Yes.

    Congratulations! Your class changed to [Stargazer].

    You reached [Stargazer] Level 1.

    You have learned the Skill [Head in the Clouds].

    You have learned the Skill [im//possibility].

    You have learned the Skill [Firmamental Injection].

    It took her a moment to get over how long these Skill names were. That was amazing. Longer Skill names would push out her stat sheet faster from her vision. That said, the names alone told her nothing about what these Skills actually did, and she¡¯d never heard of any of them before. So, she pulled up their detailed information.

    [Head in the Clouds], Level 1.

    Gaze into the sky to receive an answer to a question you pose. There is a chance for the given answer to be correct.

    [Additional effect unlocked at Level 50]

    [Additional effect unlocked at Level 200]

    [im//possibility], Level 1.

    A random event is chosen.

    If it is possible, it becomes almost impossible.

    If it is impossible, it becomes almost possible.

    [Additional effect unlocked at Level 13]

    [Additional effect unlocked at Level -4]

    [Firmamental Injection], Level 1.

    Choose a star to inject into yourself. You will probably die.

    [Additional effect unlocked at Level 800]

    Theora couldn¡¯t help but notice that all of these Skills were completely useless. Had she received a joke Class, maybe? It was certainly possible, considering the absurdity of the thoughts that had led her to unlock it. It was like the universe was chastising her for thinking she could live in two realities at once.

    The joke was on the universe, though. Theora didn¡¯t need any ¡®useful¡¯ Skills. In fact, these ones were perfect, because there was no way [Obliterate] would have any interest in swallowing them up to get stronger.

    Well, ¡®perfect¡¯ was perhaps a slight stretch. Her goal was to gather pretty Skills, after all, and it was certainly worthy of a debate as to whether these would fit this category. She¡¯d much prefer to have a sheet full of [Tea Brewing] and [Flower Language] but this was good for now. There were some ways to rearrange Skills on a sheet, so maybe she¡¯d be able to push them out eventually¡­ Not that she hated them, by any means. They just slightly reminded her of how much of a broken person she was.

    She was so broken, in fact, that she could almost already imagine some use cases for these completely pointless Skills. Especially egregious was that there was a decent chance she could inject a star into herself and probably not die.

    She filed that away for later. Or, maybe never. There was no chance she¡¯d actually attempt to inject a star.

    Actually¡­ maybe there was. She couldn¡¯t tell either way, and that was worrying enough.

 Chapter 37: Secrets in the Mountains

    Their journey lasted for about two days until Dema decided it was time for a detour.

    They¡¯d been on their way to Hallmark, which was supposed to be a large city west of Callarand, though Theora hadn¡¯t been there or heard about it in a long time, so there was always the chance it was gone by now. She¡¯d considered finding a smaller settlement first and asking there, but instead, Dema had found a small mountain range on their map, and made absolutely sure to communicate that she needed to go there.

    ¡°Come on, it¡¯ll be fun!¡± she cheered, traipsing on a hip-high stone fence that had been built next to the path cutting through the grasslands close to an abandoned small village. She made little hops, jumping from one stone to the other, making a game out of not landing on a crevice.

    ¡°I already said yes,¡± Theora murmured.

    ¡°You did! But you gotta be more excited about it!¡±

    ¡°Excited about going to visit a few mountains?¡±

    Dema nodded and hummed in approval. ¡°You never know what kinda secrets are hidden in them,¡± she teased, and gave a knowing look Theora did not understand. Then, she jumped down from the fence, but almost fell over, just barely regaining her balance through outstretched arms. Her movements had become even more bubbly than they used to be, with an added hint of clumsiness.

    The bubbliness hinted at her being really, really happy about something. Of course, maybe, or partially, it could be the simple fact that she was finally able to move again. That certainly seemed plausible, but at the same time, Theora had the vague feeling that there might be more to it.

    Was this related to the upgrade of her [Immortality]?

    Dema still refused to say anything about that. Wait¡­ hadn¡¯t Theora done something similar, once? Back then, when Dema still hadn¡¯t known about how ageing wasn¡¯t really a thing for Theora.

    I can¡¯t believe you haven¡¯t noticed.

    ¡°Is this retribution?¡± Theora calmly asked, but the question came so sudden and out of nowhere it may as well have been blurted.

    ¡°What? What you talking about, little rabbit?¡±

    ¡°I mean.¡± Theora hesitated, trying to find a way to explain herself. Her shoulders slowly slumped down. ¡°I¡¯m curious about whether I have done something wrong.¡± Well, of course she had, but she tried to swallow the thought. ¡°Something that makes you not want to tell me about that upgrade of yours.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Dema stared into the sky, lost in thought. ¡°I suppose¡­ Nope! Told ya, it¡¯s gonna be a big surprise! Oh, do you not like surprises?¡±

    ¡°So I haven¡¯t done anything wrong?¡±

    Dema¡¯s innocent confusion gave way to a soft curl of her mouth¡¯s corners. ¡°You did absolutely nothing wrong.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora said, with a short sigh of relief. ¡°In that case, I can¡¯t wait for the surprise.¡±

    ¡°On, like, a totally different note,¡± Dema began, ¡°You¡¯ve never answered my question!¡±

    ¡°Question?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! About whether we wanna keep travelling alone or not! You mind if we had company?¡±

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Theora looked up from the path and into Dema¡¯s glowing amber eyes. ¡°I¡­ Well, wouldn¡¯t that be difficult? Isn¡¯t this the same as with a home? They would not withstand us.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah! But if that¡¯s, like, outta the way, would you do it? Or not?¡±

    ¡°If you find someone you trust, someone you¡¯d want to travel with us, then I don¡¯t mind,¡± she answered.

    Dema beamed, so hard it showed her sharp teeth. Her eyes carried the smile with them; it was likely one of the happiest Theora had ever seen her. What was going on?

    After a moment, Dema¡¯s expression softened into a warm smile. ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah, really great! I can¡¯t wait!¡±

    ¡°Wait for what?¡±

    ¡°Not telling. Big surprise!¡±

    ¡°Not gonna lie,¡± Dema whined, a month later. ¡°I thought this was gonna be easier¡­¡±

    She held her hand to the grey cliff, standing on a myriad of shale fragments, a ton of which she¡¯d spent a painstaking amount of time turning over and over.

    Again, for what was likely the hundredth time, she closed her eyes, focusing on her hand on the stone. As if listening to little whispers inside the sediment. Her slender fingers touched over the surface, but as always, she didn¡¯t find what she was looking for.

    ¡°Big bummer,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°Sorry to hear,¡± Theora said. ¡°Put up camp and try again tomorrow?¡±

    Dema shook her head gently, taking her hand off the mountain. ¡°Ain¡¯t gonna change a thing,¡± she mumbled. ¡°I think I searched it all by now. I mean, was kinda much to think I was gonna succeed first try anyway.¡±

    ¡°You were excited and couldn¡¯t help it.¡± Theora almost wanted to lay a hand on Dema¡¯s back to comfort her, but of course, she couldn¡¯t get herself to do it. Two realities aside, touching a potential murder victim of hers casually like that was out of the question. ¡°Let¡¯s put up camp anyway, make a small fire, and then we can leave tomorrow and find another mountain range to look at next. Is that alright? I will make you tea, too.¡±

    Dema gave a weak nod, and a soft smile. ¡°Yeah. That sounds good!¡± In talking that way, and thinking about the prospect, she managed to cheer herself right back up. ¡°Let¡¯s go to that big town first, though,¡± she added. ¡°Can always look at stones later. Or, maybe on the way? We gotta find those Time Fragments, after all.¡±

    Theora nodded, and made off to gather some dried wood to brew the tea. They were currently in a ravine of shale sediment, with lots of trees and greenery to its sides.

    As Theora walked along, finding one branch after the next, she wondered. One of her new skills, [im//possibility], seemed rather easy and straightforward to use, and it had been itching in her fingertips to try it out. Making a random impossible event almost possible? What if it could help Dema find whatever she was looking for? It would be a very big coincidence if such an event was actually chosen, but it was the only way Theora could think of to help.

    But¡­ that Skill would receive an unlock at Level -4. She didn¡¯t know how a Skill could gather negative experience, but wouldn¡¯t it hurt her chances if she levelled it up? There was another unlock at Level 13, which seemed reasonably easy to reach. It was either a trap, or maybe that unlock would enable the Skill to garner negative experience. But even then, if it did that, wouldn¡¯t that just undo the unlock and have her stuck between Level 12 and 13?

    Also, from what her Skills currently looked like, Theora had no hope that the unlocks would actually turn them into something useful.

    That said, it was a Skill, and Skills were supposed to be used, right? And if it had the slightest chance of helping Dema, she¡¯d do it.

    But first, the tea.

    After gathering the wood and kindling a fire, she took out a small kettle from her layered magical cloak, filled it with water from her endless magical water vial, and started boiling it. In the meantime, she went around the ravine to gather small shards of shale in a mug.

    She¡¯d made so much tea for Dema by now. Over those last seventeen years, she¡¯d gathered thousands of different herbs and fruits and flowers to try them out, to find which would make Dema feel the most cosy. Now, she was rather adept at making tea.

    [Tea Brewing], Level 143.

    Your tea¡¯s taste is magically enhanced by the affection you feel for its recipient.

    Level 40 Unlock: Tea you brew stays warm and fresh for longer. (Currently 213 days)

    Level 100 Unlock: You can brew tea from anything.

    Theora took the boiling water and poured it into her cup filled with a few shale rocks. For those, the water temperature needed to be as high as possible.

    Dema loved rocks, and soil, and minerals. So, it was only right that Theora should make her a rock-infused cup of tea every now and then.

 Chapter 38: [im//possibility]

    The fire was crackling as the clouds in the sky darkened. Dema was sitting on a rock with her cup of stone tea in her hand, looking at it fondly as if it was the prettiest flower she had ever received.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this,¡± she mumbled. ¡°Shale tea. Shale tea!¡±

    She shook her head slowly, a smug smile on her face. ¡°If this ain¡¯t the coolest thing ever. I¡¯ve got, like the best travelling companion in the world.¡±

    Meanwhile, Theora sat on the other side of the campfire, trying her very best to withstand the praise. At this point, she¡¯d almost prefer being teased. She tried to tune it out, and instead wondered if she should use that wonky skill of hers now.

    Dema had already given up on finding what she was looking for here. Even if, by sheer coincidence, the event chosen by the Skill would make what she was trying to do ¡®almost possible¡¯, would that even help?

    Maybe Theora should try to convince her to keep going. In any case, having seen Dema so disappointed just moments ago, Theora couldn¡¯t help but try. Try and see. What could go wrong?

    [im//possibility].

    A few seconds went by, and nothing really happened. Dema was drinking her tea, insect hums echoed in from the trees, the occasional bird sang a soft melody.

    Still, Theora could feel it, like through some additional new sense. In the fabric of reality around her, something had changed. The Skill had worked.

    Something impossible had become almost possible. Or, maybe, something possible had become almost impossible. She had no way to tell what it was.

    At least, initially. It didn¡¯t take very long for Dema to start issuing unhappy noises. At first, small, slightly annoyed hums that eventually grew into impassive groans.

    ¡°Gah, what the hell is happening!¡± she eventually cried, as she was brushing through her face.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! Why, this is¡ª Gah!¡±

    Dema had placed the mug next to her on the stone and proceeded to now stroke over her face with both hands. ¡°I can¡¯t get this damn strand of hair out of my forehead! It¡¯s tickling like hell, but¡ª¡± She tried to grasp it, but as if by sheer coincidence, the strand wiggled in the wind and eluded her grasp. Her face distorted into a helpless grimace. ¡°Little rabbit! Help, I¡¯m dying!¡±

    [im//possibility] advanced to Level 2!

    Theora stared at her notification. What a truly and utterly, unspeakably useless Skill. She wanted to [Obliterate] it right then and there. Touch Dema again and I will, she thought at the Skill, aware that it couldn¡¯t hear her, but she would do it, so it better listen anyway.

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    Seeing Dema still struggling, Theora got up, walked around the campfire, and came to a halt right in front of her. Again, as she had to do so often, it was time to fix up the mess she had made.

    The next moment, Dema summoned a blotch of blood from under her fingernails, solidifying it into a pair of scissors. She took it up and tried to cut the hair away, but again, it simply dodged. Theora stretched out her hand, slowly approaching, until Dema noticed and stopped wailing. The scissors just liquified and dropped onto her knee, but she didn¡¯t look down. Instead, Dema looked up with wide eyes as Theora gently brushed the strand from her forehead, tucking it behind her ear.

    Almost impossible?

    That would not stop Theora.

    ¡°Damn,¡± Dema intoned, the glow in her eyes unsteady. ¡°Got some big heart flutters there, not gonna lie.¡±

    When they left the mountains the next day, Theora had decided that she wouldn¡¯t use [im//possibility] again around people, especially not Dema. At least for now, until she had a stronger understanding of how it functioned. After all, she had some experience intuiting the inner workings of Skills, since [Obliterate] was rather similar in that its description didn¡¯t do any kind of justice to the sheer amount of complications that arose from its use.

    So, [im//possibility] was a Skill she¡¯d reserve training for when she was alone. Which didn¡¯t happen a lot, but Dema liked to spend time talking to people in towns and settlements, so in those, they¡¯d often spent some time apart. Maybe she could experiment a bit more with it once they got there.

    That left two more skills to try out, then. [Firmamental Injection] would apparently make her swallow a sun, so that may not be a good thing to attempt without dire need. Theora had no idea about what dire a need would have to arise for such a specific Skill to help out, so she just etched its existence into her memory. Perhaps one day, it would serve her. But that may still be quite a long time in the future.

    Lastly, there was [Head in the Clouds]. It was the easiest Skill to use and probably level up, but there was a slight issue on that front.

    Whenever she was about to use it, she remembered the rule.

    No more thinking for Theora.

    And [Head in the Clouds] sounded like the perfect thing to throw her into a brooding fit somehow. As such, she hadn¡¯t touched it yet. But she would, once she got Dema to loosen the rule a little. Of course, regardless of the rule, Theora was still thinking and brooding all the time, because she couldn¡¯t help herself, but using a Skill to provoke it? She wouldn¡¯t go that far.

    No, Dema was precious, and so were her rules, especially because it felt like the rule was just meant to help Theora, in some abstract way she couldn¡¯t understand, no matter how hard she tried. And she felt really bad for trying because it was in direct violation of said rule.

    And thus, they set out on their journey to the west, with Theora spending most of her time wondering what kind of upgrade to [Immortality] Dema could have possibly received.

    As they moved onward, autumn swept over the region, colouring the leaves in the prettiest shades of yellow, orange, and red. They¡¯d asked for directions in a small settlement and found out that indeed, Hallmark still existed, as merchants from that place made their way through Callarand frequently. Nobody in the smaller settlement had heard of Fragments of Time.

    The saddest part about autumn for Theora was that there would now be fewer and fewer flowers to find and give Dema. After her disaster back then, she hadn¡¯t stopped giving them to her, just been a lot more careful about what kind of messages she¡¯d weave into those bouquets. Things like ¡°Good Morning,¡± or ¡°Thank you for your help,¡± or ¡°Let¡¯s go see the sunset together¡± all seemed like very safe options, although Dema sometimes still acted squeamish for reasons Theora didn¡¯t understand.

    Meanwhile, Dema was busy turning every stone she could find, and whenever they came by some mountains, no matter how small they were, she¡¯d start begging Theora for a detour ¡ª begging that was completely unnecessary, because Theora would still always accept Dema¡¯s suggestions of that kind the moment they were made.

    And every time Theora saw that sad frown on Dema¡¯s face when she hadn¡¯t found anything after combing through the rock, she desperately wanted to use [im//possibility] again.

    Soon, they¡¯d be in town, and she¡¯d have some time to herself in the room of an inn or on some outskirts around the settlement, and then she¡¯d get to try it out.

 Chapter 39: Easy to Forget

    One day, only a week away from the next settlement, Dema and Theora were walking through a forest by a cliff. Suddenly, Theora stopped walking, and Dema trailed to a halt just a moment later.

    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s kinda weird,¡± Dema said, scratching through her hair, eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora replied. ¡°I think we forgot something.¡± She looked around the lush forest. Poison ivy flanked the path, wild strawberries interspersed the leaves, and elderberry bushes overreached it all. The trees had white bark and thin autumn leaves, though the occasional thick oak stood between them.

    ¡°Yeah! I feel the same. There¡¯s something on, like, the edge of my big brain, and I can¡¯t reach it!¡±

    Theora nodded, and pressed her eyes shut. ¡°I think it was very important. We need to remember.¡±

    Birds sang in the canopies, and soft sizzling resounded from above as the breeze combed through the branches.

    None of this rang a bell. None of it made her remember the very important thing she forgot.

    ¡°We should go back to where we came from,¡± Theora suggested. ¡°Maybe it will come to us when we do.¡±

    ¡°Sure! Let¡¯s go remember. There ain¡¯t no escape!¡±

    They walked for about five minutes, very attentively, soaking in every sound, every detail, every scent around them. Something they forgot¡­ What could they have possibly forgotten? They were on their way to Hallmark, to find the Fragments of Time. And, whenever possible, they¡¯d make little detours to maybe find an opportunity for Dema to use her upgrade. There was nothing else, right? What could they have forgotten?

    It was then that she heard a whimper in the bushes.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Theora asked, but Dema was already jumping past her towards the origin of the noise, just hopping through the poison ivy with light steps and a grin on her face. A few steps in, she slowed down.

    ¡°Why, hello! Who do we have here!¡± she called out and the whimpers grew stronger.

    Coming to a halt between two trees, right in front of a large elder brush, Dema crouched down. ¡°Damn, you hurt?¡± she asked, reached into the thicket, and pulled out a small boy. She held him up like a trophy. ¡°Gotcha!¡±

    The boy desperately tried to wiggle himself out of her hands, but she held him firm, although rather gently. ¡°Wait, wait! I¡¯m gonna let you down in a second. Just carrying you back to the path! Does anything hurt?¡±

    He stopped struggling, but didn¡¯t answer, just staring at Dema wide-eyed. She inspected him for a few seconds, then frowned. ¡°Oh dang,¡± she let out. ¡°You¡¯re cursed. Big time cursed!¡± She turned around to Theora, smiling. ¡°The boy¡¯s got the Mindslip!¡±

    Then, she did as she¡¯d promised, carrying him over the ivy, and plopped him back on his feet, a few paces away from Theora. He looked rattled, his clothes being in a bad shape with many tears running through them, and some small hints of blood from cuts he¡¯d received. His dark hair was tousled. Big, hazel eyes like a deer about to run off, freckles all over his brown skin, and thin, and small.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Theora asked, closing the distance towards him and crouching down. ¡°I¡¯m Theora.¡±

    ¡°Tras,¡± he said, his eyes filling with tears.

    ¡°And how old are you?¡±

    He held up five fingers. Theora¡¯s heart sank. So young.

    ¡°You¡¯re cursed!¡± Dema chirped again. ¡°Did you know?¡±

    The boy¡¯s attention snapped to her, and after a moment, he nodded.

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    ¡°We were here a moment ago,¡± Theora told him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we forgot you. We came back as soon as we remembered.¡±

    Tras swallowed, and nodded again. ¡°Curse,¡± he murmured.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s alright, because we have you now. How did you get here? Where is your family?¡±

    Tras looked visibly shaken. He almost started crying again, but managed to keep it as a wobble of his lower lip, corners of his mouth torn down, lips pressed together. Meanwhile, he lifted his hand and pointed to the top of the cliff above them.

    ¡°You fell down?¡± Theora asked, and he nodded.

    Immediately, she glanced over his body. He didn¡¯t seem to have trouble standing on his feet, and other than a few rather shallow cuts and bruises, there were no swellings or other issues apparent from his exterior. Her gaze went back to the giant elder bush, with countless leaves fallen from surrounding trees all over it. That must have softened his fall and saved him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get you back!¡± Dema said, and he jerked up on the sudden sound of the cheery voice. ¡°Gonna get you back to your¡­ Well. Parents? You have a mom?¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°Mom it is! We¡¯re gonna find your mommy.¡±

    At that, he shook his head, and made a step back. ¡°But I wanted to see the wolves.¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°The wolves?¡±

    ¡°They said the wolves got Alpa. So I wanted to look for the wolves.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Alpa?¡±

    ¡°My sheep friend.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why you left your home?¡± Theora asked. Realising that he might be dehydrated, she started to rummage in her clothes to fetch her things. Maybe he¡¯d calm down with a strawberry leaf tea.

    And she could give him some water from her endless vial right now.

    Again, he nodded. ¡°Got lost. Can¡¯t find back. Can¡¯t find the wolves. Fell down.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the wolves have got Alpa anymore!¡± Dema cheered. ¡°I think Alpa, like, went on a big journey, and is probably having fun somewhere on the other side of the planet.¡±

    Theora wasn¡¯t sure if she could agree with that. ¡®The wolves got Alpa¡¯ likely meant that this sheep was dead. But because of the euphemism, he had run away, and was now here. She really wanted to tell him the truth.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said. ¡°I think they must have eaten Alpa.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t get herself to lie to a child.

    Neither of those offerings convinced Tras. He seemed taken aback a little, but still determined. ¡°Can you bring me to the wolves?¡±

    At that, Dema gave Theora a questioning gaze. Was Dema in on this? Would she actually bring that child to the wolves?

    There were wolves in the surroundings. That much, Theora knew. At least one pack, because she could hear them howl at night.

    ¡°You have the Mindslip,¡± Theora began. ¡°If we don¡¯t bring you home as soon as we can, we might forget about you, and you could get lost again or be hurt. I think we should bring you to your family first. Is that alright with you? Don¡¯t you miss them?¡±

    Tras seemed conflicted for a moment, and wiped a tear out of his eye. ¡°I want to see mommy,¡± he said.

    With that, Dema jumped in the air, punching up with one fist. ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s get you to mommy!¡± she yelled, and then made off in a random direction, completely ignoring the fact that Theora was still setting up to make tea. After a few steps, she apparently realised she had no idea where she was going. ¡°Dang! Lil¡¯ rabbit! Where¡¯s his mommy?¡±

    Where was his mommy? Theora mused about their current surroundings. If he¡¯d fallen from that cliff, his family was likely up there, on the other side. Maybe he¡¯d remember the way home once they got him back up.

    So, she pointed to the path they came from, where she remembered a staircase in the stones leading up.

    ¡°Why, look at that, Tras! She¡¯s already found her.¡±

    Meanwhile, the boy was looking at Theora¡¯s procedure with a certain amount of interest ¡ª she was in the process of collecting dry wood and kindle. ¡°Dema, can you look for things to eat?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    A few minutes passed. Theora kindled the fire, added the water from her endless bottle, and brought it to a boil. She was very focused on her task, so she was rather surprised when a voice echoed out to her suddenly.

    ¡°Will you forget me too?¡± a boy asked her.

    Theora looked at him. She blinked a few times. Scrubbed her eyes. Who was that? Why was he here?

    And, why was she making tea? Dema was nowhere to be seen. That¡¯s right, she¡¯d sent Dema to gather food, for some reason. That was suspicious, because neither of them ate a lot.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± she asked the boy.

    ¡°Tras,¡± he said.

    And then, it all flooded back to her, and she put down the cup half-filled with wild strawberry leaves. She took a deep breath.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said. ¡°We will forget you many times.¡± She looked into his eyes with her calm gaze, bearing deep into them to make sure he¡¯d feel the gravity of her next words. ¡°But, without fail, we will always remember you.¡± She pointed at her temple. ¡°Engraved,¡± she said. ¡°We will always recall.¡±

 Chapter 40: Bad Girl

    After walking for a while, Theora stared at the path. It was close to being overtaken by nature; leading into some part of the region that was rarely travelled to. Little weeds encroached on either side, stinging nettles forming the pioneer front.

    Most importantly though, due to the position of the sun, Theora noticed the path was leading east.

    ¡°We are walking in the wrong direction,¡± she said.

    ¡°Damn!¡± Dema laughed. ¡°Not common for you to get us lost!¡±

    Theora shook her head gently and frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t think we are lost. We are walking in the wrong direction, but it doesn¡¯t feel wrong.¡±

    Dema let out an annoyed grumble. ¡°Something messing with our heads again! Wait¡­ I swear this happened before.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora confirmed. ¡°I remember too. This happened before.¡± She came to a halt. ¡°Remember,¡± she repeated. With a confused look, she turned her head back to Dema, and then it all came back to her.

    Dema was carrying Tras piggyback, and he was sound asleep.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Theora let out. ¡°Tras. We were getting up the cliff to find his family.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes widened, as if she only now recalled what she was transporting on her back. She turned her head to look at his calm face resting on her shoulder. ¡°Why, what a cutie. Yeah, gonna need to up our pace before we forget him again.¡±

    She sped up a little, and Theora increased her pace to match.

    Was bringing him back really enough? He had run off to find the wolves, and asked the two of them specifically to help him with that. Even after already having been lost for a good while. He seemed rather determined on finding the wolves, no matter what. He had already proven that he was willing to take on quite an amount of inconvenience to get there.

    If they just brought him back to his family ¡ª would he run away again? Immediately, or after a few days? But the longer they travelled with him, the higher the chances that they¡¯d forget about him for long enough that something might happen. Getting him to see the wolves was a risk.

    About another hour later, they¡¯d almost reached the top of the cliff.

    Tras, Tras, Tras.

    Theora repeated the name in her mind, doing her best not to forget him.

    Tras. Yes, the boy they were currently delivering back to his family. Or, perhaps they¡¯d deliver him to a pack of wolves. She still hadn¡¯t decided.

    To the best of common knowledge, children were rarely born with the Mindslip. Of course, the number of people affected by this curse was hard to track. It was an estimate, and Theora had heard about it long ago.

    Making it to the age of five years, what a truly remarkable feat that was. His parents must be caring deeply for him. Theora couldn¡¯t imagine the amount of safeguards and precautions one would have to abide by to make sure an affected child was safe. And yet, with the Mindslip, no amount of precautions was truly enough. Restraining or locking away an affected person might cause you to forget they are restrained, leading to potential harm. So, they needed to be free, but that would then lead to situations where one might get separated and forget.

    In addition, there was no way to cure the curse. Using [Obliterate] on it was out of the question too, because while it might destroy the curse, that Skill was by no means a precise instrument. Theora was not going to use it anywhere near a child. It would tear the curse out of existence, and with it, a good chunk of its surroundings as well. Like pulling out a plant, and finding yourself with a lot of soil still attached. Like cutting out a pattern from a piece of paper with jittery hands. Like ripping a barb out of skin, and finding flesh still attached. There was no telling what would happen and who or what might get harmed in the process.

    In other words, there was no way to cure it, and no way to stop forgetting.

    The Mindslip was truly terrifying.

    Truly terrifying.

    Ah¡­ Why was Theora thinking about the Mindslip, again? It seemed like a very specific topic. She felt disoriented for a moment, just looking around the trees, nearing the top of a cliff. Dema was walking in front of her, swirling her head around as her gaze followed birds flying in the canopies, her horn making the usual small twirls.

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    The Mindslip¡­ a very peculiar topic to just lose oneself in. That couldn¡¯t be a coincidence. No, there was something suspicious about this. Why was she feeling lost? It was almost like she¡¯d just been hit by that curse herself. Theora hummed in thought. Perhaps Dema and her had recently met someone who was affected? And then, Theora had forgotten that person, but her thoughts stayed lingering on the curse itself?

    Maybe. That certainly sounded possible. She focussed for a moment, trying to get whatever had been lost back into her mind. Who had she forgotten? As if the sun was slowly rising from behind the horizon, she could feel the connecting memories at the edge of her mind. There was something, definitely. All she needed to do was pull.

    And so, she pulled.

    Oh, that¡¯s right.

    Tras.

    She¡¯d been thinking about Tras.

    Theora looked around, and found him way behind on the stair-path. His little figure, stumbling upwards in exhausted hurry, struggling to breathe. His little legs just weren¡¯t enough to keep up with them. Theora stepped back down, stretching her hands out to him, until they reunited.

    The little boy grasped her fingers tightly, coughing, sweat on his forehead.

    ¡°Damn!¡± Dema¡¯s voice shouted back from way ahead. ¡°Forgot again!¡± She started walking back down too.

    ¡°Too fast,¡± Tras panted. ¡°Walking too fast.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora confirmed. ¡°We walked too fast, you couldn¡¯t keep up.¡± She gently pressed on his hands, and gave him a while to calm down, keeping him steadfast in her gaze. Slowly, his breaths evened out, and then she said, ¡°Can you do me a favour, Tras?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Please say, ¡®I¡¯m here.¡¯¡±

    Tras frowned at her, and then, tilting his head, yelped out, ¡°I¡¯m here?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Thank you so much,¡± Theora replied, a gentle smile forming on her lips. ¡°Just like that. Can you say it again, but louder?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here, Theo¡¯a!¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Whenever it seems like someone is forgetting you, please be loud, alright? Say ¡®I¡¯m here¡¯. Say ¡®Don¡¯t forget me¡¯. Don¡¯t become sad. Become angry! Can you do that for me?¡±

    Why was she asking this, again? She felt dizzy for a moment, and swallowed. Ah, this was frustrating. Who was that boy she was talking to?

    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± he said, and smiled back at her. A lot of freckles. Brown hair. A few bruises that looked one or two days old, slowly healing.

    That¡¯s right, she was talking to Tras.

    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± Theora said.

    Her initial idea of returning him home by making him remember the path ran out of luck rather quickly. After getting back up the cliff, that¡¯s where it ended. He had some ideas about where his home might be, but it turned out after a day of travel that he was mostly guessing.

    However, he quickly learned to yell at Dema and Theora whenever the two of them lost him from their minds. ¡®Theo¡¯a¡¯ seemed to have become his favourite word. He said her name whenever he could, just like that, even when not even talking to her.

    On the second day, he was walking next to Theora with his little and steady steps, holding her hand. Dema was trying to consult the map and made sure to note down all the areas they had already been at.

    ¡°Theo¡¯a,¡± he whined at some point, apparently attempting to pull up one of his legs with his hands. ¡°Can¡¯t walk. My feets are stuck.¡±

    Theora looked down at him, and his big, deerlike eyes. ¡°Your feet are stuck?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, acting as if he couldn¡¯t raise them from the ground.

    ¡°We can take a break,¡± she said.

    He shook his head. ¡°Carry.¡±

    ¡°You want me to carry you?¡± Theora asked, and Tras nodded. Why did this situation seem so familiar? He looked a bit healthier now, but his eyes still seemed oh, so tired. Tired from last night, when he hadn¡¯t been able to sleep well. She¡¯d already carried him then, until he¡¯d fallen asleep, so why not do it again? She might as well.

    She bowed down and picked him upright into her left arm. Immediately, he snuggled onto her.

    As if pulled in like a moth to the light, Dema appeared out of nowhere and stared at Theora as if this was the greatest betrayal. ¡°Hey! No fair!¡± she whined. ¡°I want too!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m busy,¡± Theora mumbled.

    ¡°You got another arm! Hold me too!¡±

    Theora just walked past her.

    Dema¡¯s face warped into one of the saddest puppy-eye imitations Theora had seen on her. ¡°Why? Why are you bullying me!¡±

    ¡°You are the one who is bullying me,¡± Theora muttered.

    Ignoring that, Dema¡¯s gaze snapped onto Tras, her eyes glaring playfully. ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna forgive you! Hogging her all for yourself.¡±

    In a masterful feat of defiance, the boy climbed a bit higher onto Theora¡¯s shoulder, and then made a sound of sticking out his tongue.

    ¡°You!¡± Dema blurted. ¡°You little¡­! I¡¯m gonna get you!¡±

    With that, she jumped towards him with a bright smile and a loud and mockingly intimidating, ¡°Gah!¡±

    He giggled, but still tried to escape Dema¡¯s threatening approach by climbing all over Theora¡¯s arms and shoulder onto her other side. He didn¡¯t seem to care at all that he might fall, but she did her best to make sure he remained firm in her arms.

    Immediately, Dema sprang around to the other side, issuing another ¡°Gah!¡± and holding up her hands like claws about to reach him.

    ¡°No! No!¡± the boy screamed and laughed. ¡°Theo¡¯a, Dema is being mean to me!¡±

    ¡°Oh, is she? That¡¯s very bad of her.¡± She glanced over to the culprit, stared at her intently. ¡°Bad girl.¡±

    The ¡®bad girl¡¯ stopped dead and stunned. Mouth agape, she let out a restrained and broken ¡®ah¡¯ sound with her raspy voice, and gulped, hard. ¡°Wait!¡± she yelled, as Theora was walking past her. ¡°Wait, say that again!¡±

    Theora accidentally bit her tongue. ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m not going to say it again.¡±

    ¡°No, you gotta! I need to hear it again. My heart almost stopped!¡±

    ¡°Bad girl?¡± Tras said, but Dema just laughed.

    ¡°I suppose it only works when she does it.¡±

 Chapter 41: Gone with the Wolves

    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. Hello Tras,¡± Theora said, looking up at the passenger she¡¯d forgotten was perched on her shoulder. How long had they been walking? It was time to find shelter, wasn¡¯t it? She had gotten lost in thoughts again.

    ¡°Why does Dema call you lil¡¯ rabbib?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Rabbit,¡± Theora said, intoning the word as clearly for him as she could.

    ¡°Rabbib,¡± he repeated, trying his best but still failing.

    Indeed, why did Dema call her that? Theora wanted to know, too. If anything, she¡¯d always seen herself more like a fish ¡ª constantly being tugged along by a strong ocean current she could do nothing about, and yet flailing against it with all the might she could muster. She didn¡¯t consider herself to have any rabbit-like properties at all. As she was pondering, her eyes went up into the sky and got stuck on a large nimbus cloud she could see through a break in the forest.

    Ah. No more thinking for Theora. She had her head in the clouds again.

    Speaking of that¡­ Tras had asked her a question, and since Theora wasn¡¯t supposed to think about it herself, why not ask that Skill of hers? Then, she could relay the answer without breaking any rules. Even if it was just a little game. And so, she formed the question in her head, and activated the Skill.

    Why does Dema call me ¡®little rabbit¡¯?

    [Head in the Clouds].

    Answer: Because Dema considers you her prey.

    Theora stared at the System notification in complete disbelief. What an utterly useless Skill. She couldn¡¯t even say that to a child. So pointless.

    [Head in the Clouds] advanced to Level 2!

    She shook her head in slight aggravation. What was levelling up this Skill even supposed to do? One could assume that a higher Skill Level would increase the chance of the given answer to be correct. Theora was aware of that possibility, but it seemed unlikely. If that had been the case, it would have probably mentioned the accuracy of the answer scaling in such a way, like it did for all other Skills. Here, however, nothing of the sort was mentioned.

    [Head in the Clouds], Level 2.

    Gaze into the sky to receive an answer to a question you pose. There is a chance for the given answer to be correct.

    Right, no mentioning of how it scaled there. Maybe unlocking additional effects at higher Levels was the only reason to train it, although Theora wasn¡¯t sure what to even expect from these.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she eventually answered. ¡°You will have to ask Dema herself.¡±

    At that, Tras started calling for her. She¡¯d been occupied with the map, and fallen back quite a bit. Upon hearing his voice, she looked up. A few seconds passed until she started smiling at him in recognition. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± she yelled back, and started running to catch up.

    ¡°Why do you call her little¡­¡±

    ¡°Rabbit,¡± Theora supplied.

    Dema grinned in mischief, raising her eyebrows. ¡°Ain¡¯t that obvious?¡± she cheered. ¡°It¡¯s ¡¯cause she¡¯s my prey!¡±

    A few seconds passed, and Theora could feel her entire head fill up with blood. She wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d ever blushed that much.

    ¡°So you are a wolf?¡± Tras asked in a cutesy upticking voice, eyes wide in excitement.

    ¡°Nah,¡± Dema replied, still smirking. ¡°Just another rabbit.¡±

    Theora hadn¡¯t thought she could blush even more.

    ¡°Shelter,¡± she said. ¡°We need shelter.¡±

    They didn¡¯t expect rain that night, so it wasn¡¯t too important to find a location safe from downpour, but in the end they still decided on a small recess in another cliff. Dema just loved rocks too much, and wanted to sleep next to them whenever she could. In addition, she had some kind of rock-echolocation Skill which allowed her to scan the shape of mountains, so they had an easy time finding places like these.

    And so, they all went to bed. Theora was constantly deliberating as to how much rest she should allow herself ¡ª she wanted to sleep as little as possible in order to take care of Tras, but she also was well aware that if she didn¡¯t sleep enough, her mental capacities would drop dramatically. And then, she¡¯d forget him that much more easily, or have a harder time remembering.

    ¡°Good night,¡± she mumbled to Tras, who was dozing off on her travelling coat.

    ¡°Night!¡± Dema hummed from his other side.

    So, how many hours of sleep? As her thoughts kept circling around that very question, she fell unconscious without managing to find an answer.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    And then, a scream woke her back up.

    The scream of a young child.

    As Theora was getting up, she could already see Dema rush into the forest with bubbly and long jumps. ¡°Wolves!¡± she yelled, and then, she was gone in the dark.

    Wolves? Why did Dema care about wolves? The wolves wouldn¡¯t bother them. Dema was way too scary for any wild beast to come to them at night.

    And yet, Theora followed to where the scream had come from. Ah, that¡¯s right¡­ maybe Dema didn¡¯t care about the wolves, but about the scream. How could Theora have forgotten that scream so quickly?

    She increased her pace. There was a path between the forest and the cliff, but it wasn¡¯t well-trodden at all. Theora didn¡¯t want to slow down, so she simply crashed through the rocks and branches lying in the way. Dema had no need to do the same, since she spent most of the way jumping through the air. Soon, they turned into the forest, and then Theora saw Dema break out into a clearing. Just as she¡¯d said, there was a pack of wolves, rushing around a large oak tree in its centre. One of them scratched up the bark, failing to climb up, but the others seemed rather confused.

    And when Theora looked up at the tree, she remembered. There sat Tras, completely scared out of his mind, clasping one of the large branches he had managed to climb on top of.

    Most of the wolves had already forgotten he was there, though. In a way, his curse could also be useful.

    Dema stretched out an arm in a soft sweeping gesture. The earth rumbled. One after the next, the wolves were getting buried in heaps of stones that burst out from under the grass. Some barked when the skill hit them, others just whimpered in despair, struggling to get out with bites, scratches and squirms.

    But in the end, the world was stronger. Not a single one succeeded to break free.

    Next, Dema stomped down, and a pointed stone pillar pierced out from the ground, carrying her up to the branch Tras was clinging to. She held out her hands in an offer, and after a few seconds of checking that the wolves were indeed held fast in-place, Tras decided to loosen his grip on the bark and accept Dema¡¯s offer. ¡°Why are you here!¡± she asked, smiling. ¡°Dangerous outside! Stay at camp.¡±

    The boy pulled a sad grimace. ¡°I heard the wolves. Wanted to see the wolves.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema replied, and enclosed him in her arms. ¡°Could¡¯a woken us. We could have gone together!¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d say no,¡± he whispered.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Dema hummed as the rock descended and carried them back to the ground. ¡°Theora might have, but I would have gone with you! Could have just woken me!¡±

    Right before the pillar had fully retreated, she hopped off, and carried Tras the last few steps over to Theora, and offered him to her. Theora accepted, carefully embracing him and letting him lean his head against her shoulder. He was hot and sweating, still shaking a bit, and held on to her cloak tightly.

    ¡°Bring him back to camp,¡± Dema said with a certain determination written on her face. Then, she crouched down to one of the wolves she had captured, gently stroking over its head as it yelped in fear. ¡°Don¡¯t wanna keep them for too long.¡±

    Tras shifted in Theora¡¯s arms, turning around so he could see the wolf up-close. Then, after looking over the entire clearing, he swallowed.

    ¡°Alpa¡¯s not here.¡±

    ¡°Not here,¡± Theora confirmed. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be.¡±

    Tras nodded, and wiped a few tears from his face.

    ¡°They look bad,¡± Dema murmured as she slowly peeled away the rocks from them to look at their haggard bodies. She stretched out a hand and made a stream of blood gush out from under her fingernails, letting it float to the closest wolf. Immediately, the animal craned its neck to lick it out from the air. ¡°Figured,¡± Dema whispered. ¡°Must be really hungry. That¡¯s why they tried to get to you. Lucky they forgot about you, a hungry pack would stalk you from behind.¡± She looked back up to Theora, and repeated her request. ¡°Bring him to camp!¡±

    ¡°Why? He¡¯s safe with me,¡± Theora replied, and frowned a bit.

    ¡°Not about that,¡± Dema said, and gave a weak smile. Then, to Theora¡¯s immeasurable surprise, Dema pulled her cloak over her head and threw it away to the edge of the clearing.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Theora asked. Technically, it wasn¡¯t out of character for Dema to randomly undress, but that usually happened when they were at bodies of water, in heavy sunlight, at swamps, or at any time during winter. None of this applied right now.

    ¡°Bring him back to camp!¡± Dema repeated, and then nodded to the wolves. ¡°They¡¯re hungry. And I think I hurt them a bit.¡±

    Alright, so they were hungry. What about it? Theora just stared, confused.

    Pointing at herself, Dema shrugged. ¡°Gonna get myself eaten.¡±

    Ah. She was going to get herself eaten. Yes, of course. The wolves were hungry, so Dema would offer herself as food. Obviously. In that case, it made sense to undress first, so the clothes wouldn¡¯t get torn up.

    Theora couldn¡¯t believe it. She wanted to protest, but Dema had voiced her request multiple times already, so she just obliged, nodded, and left the clearing, hugging Tras close to her chest. Soon, she heard the rocks come loose and bury themselves back into the ground, but other than that, it was a rather quiet night. Tras didn¡¯t say much, he just dug his fingers into Theora¡¯s clothes, still rattled. And thus, eventually, the noises of tearing flesh could be heard in the distance.

    Theora pressed one of his ears against her shoulder, and held the other shut with a hand.

    ¡°Dema getting eaten?¡± he asked in a whisper.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora answered. ¡°She¡¯s feeding herself to the wolves. Because the wolves are important too, and we hurt them. But she will be back soon, because Dema is better than most at being eaten by wolves. Are you alright? I¡¯ve got you, you are safe with me.¡±

    He nodded.

    When they returned, he¡¯d fallen unusually silent. It didn¡¯t seem to be exhaustion ¡ª he was still wide-awake, holding Theora in his gaze as she prepared him another cup of tea.

    ¡°I lied,¡± he finally admitted. ¡°Wanted to see the wolves.¡±

    ¡°You lied?¡±

    ¡°I know where my home is.¡±

    Theora stopped her work. ¡°Oh,¡± she whispered. A wave of sadness overcame her as she turned to him, pulled him into a hug, and gently grazed through his hair.

    ¡°I see. I¡¯m sorry. We should have listened to you properly when you made your request.¡±

    By the time Dema returned from her endeavour, Tras had fallen asleep on Theora¡¯s leg. All of Dema¡¯s visible skin was completely drenched in crimson blood, including her hands and face. She¡¯d thrown her clothes back on, and they soaked up a lot of her fluids.

    ¡°Took a while,¡± she said apologetically, but still smiling. ¡°Turns out, they¡¯ve got pups! They were gonna drag me to their den, so I just followed along.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora said, with an empty gaze. She really didn¡¯t know what to say. Watching Dema getting hurt made her feel awful, but on the other hand, it¡¯s not like she could condemn her actions in this case. ¡°Are you alright? Was it painful?¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°Just a li¡¯l. I hurt them first, so it¡¯s alright.¡±

    Theora offered Dema a cup of tea she¡¯d made earlier. ¡°Tras told me where his home is,¡± she said.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Dema let out. ¡°Wanna go when he wakes up?¡±

    ¡°Will you wash yourself before we go?¡±

    ¡°Why! Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s gonna be funnier if I go like this!¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± Theora mumbled.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you do!¡±

    ¡°Please go wash up!¡±

 Chapter 42: Hypothetical Offspring

    In the end, Dema hadn¡¯t washed up, but they went on to return Tras in the morning hours anyway. In a genius feat of misdirection, Tras had made them believe that his home was on the plateau on top of the cliff, when in reality, he¡¯d only climbed that cliff to be able to look out for the wolves in the valley, and then fallen down accidentally.

    So, they¡¯d never had any chances of finding his village up there from the start.

    It turned out to be a nice small settlement reminiscent of Dusketon, although there was no orchard to be found in the middle; the buildings were just generally interspersed with beeches and oaks all the way through.

    ¡°So, we gonna go with him?¡± Dema asked with a glance at Theora. ¡°Or just drop him off once we see the house?¡±

    Dema still looked absolutely horrifying, dried dirt and blood all over her body. She¡¯d barely scrubbed her eyes free. Theora desperately wanted to dump her into a hot spring. When Tras had woken up and seen Dema in the morning, he¡¯d instantly cheered up. Now, he kept running around and laughing and playing games with her whenever he could.

    After all, it had shown him that while the wolves were scary, being taken by the wolves was not the end of the world. He had still promised Theora multiple times not to go look for them again.

    ¡°We should leave,¡± Theora said. ¡°They don¡¯t know us. They have their child back now, after all. That¡¯s what¡¯s most important.¡±

    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t they wanna thank his saviours! Also, someone¡¯s gotta tell ¡¯em what happened! And we need to make sure they remember who he is! Right, Tras?¡±

    Tras nodded. ¡°Come with me! You can meet mom.¡±

    Theora gazed at Dema, then at Tras, who was already heading towards a small wooden house, painted all red.

    ¡°Alright,¡± she said.

    ¡°You¡¯d rather not, huh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not,¡± Theora confirmed.

    ¡°Want me to do the talking?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Nice!¡± bloodied Dema cheered and ran after Tras. ¡°Was hoping for that, I love doing the talking!¡± Clearly, this was her idea of fun.

    When she¡¯d caught up to Tras, she offered to pick him up, and he obliged. Eventually, the two of them stood in front of the door, Theora trailing shortly behind.

    Dema knocked. ¡°We¡¯ve got your son!¡± she shouted.

    ¡°I¡¯m here, Theo¡¯a!¡± Tras added.

    In almost the blink of an eye, the door was torn open, and a sleepless woman emerged from it. Wrinkled face, eyes bleary from crying, grey hair. Theora noticed a lot of things at once ¡ª for one, she had Tras¡¯ name tattooed on the back of one of her hands. She was wearing a locket around her neck with his picture on it. The inside of the door had his name and likeness engraved on it too, and she had a wristband made of several small wooden sheep.

    There were a few other peculiar things about her, too ¡ª she wore a peculiar scarf, emblems on her shoes, little messages stitched into her clothing. All of these Theora could see being reminders in some way, to make her remember her son as frequently as possible.

    Before the woman could say anything, Dema pointed at her, hand and finger stretched out.

    ¡°Five thousand gold or bust!¡±

    Tras, as if on cue, repeated the gesture and declared, ¡°Five sand gold or bus¡¯!¡±

    The woman stared at the boy for a moment, rather lost, until her eyes lit up in recognition.

    Then, she let out a wailing sob.

    After making two steps forward to take Tras from Dema¡¯s arms, she hugged him as tight as she could. ¡°Thank you,¡± she muttered breathlessly, and within a few seconds, had slumped to the ground with him, kissing his neck and cheek. ¡°Tras, I¡¯ve missed you.¡±

    Dema shrugged and looked back at Theora, with a question on her face that communicated as much as, ¡®let¡¯s go after all?¡¯

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Apparently, this wasn¡¯t as much fun as she¡¯d imagined.

    But Theora gently shook her head. Judging from the reaction, after days of him not returning, that woman clearly thought he might have died. She was crying uncontrollably, couldn¡¯t even talk.

    There must have been a ton of questions going on through her head right now, right?

    Slowly, Theora came up and kneeled down next to her, placing a single hand on her jerking back.

    ¡°He¡¯s alright,¡± she spoke calmly, but loud enough that it would carry over the sobs. ¡°We found him fallen from a cliff, but his wounds were shallow. We cleaned them and his clothes. We gave him food ¡ª roots and cooked wild potatoes, as well as all the healthy berries we could find on the way. He wouldn¡¯t eat the mushrooms. Tras led us back here. He shouldn¡¯t be thirsty right now, either. I made beech tea for him.¡±

    As she kept her voice talking, the woman calmed down under her touch, and eventually gazed at her with wide eyes, then enclosing Theora in a hug as well.

    Theora succumbed to the embrace, as sudden and unexpected as it was. ¡°You should be hugging Dema, not me,¡± she said. ¡°She saved him, and kept him entertained the entire time.¡±

    But the hug grew only tighter in response.

    The rest of the day went by, with Dema and Theora accepting some of the hospitality Tras¡¯ mother was putting a lot of effort into imposing on them. She wasn¡¯t really in any state to do much, though, so Theora ended up brewing some amber tea to help her calm down. Later in the evening, a few people came by to tell Tras¡¯ mom about the results of the ongoing search, and she broke the happy news of his return with newfound tears.

    Apparently, mounting a rescue operation for him had been tough, because most people who went to look for him ended up disoriented in the woods somewhere.

    Eventually, Dema and Theora continued their journey without staying for the night. Neither of them spoke a word while they walked out from the settlement and back onto their original path. Dema seemed very lost in thought.

    At some point, while retracing the path to their original destination, which was another town on their way to Hallmark, they arrived at the place where they¡¯d found Tras. Dema paced through the poison ivy, through the brushes, and eventually touched the stone at the bottom of the cliff he¡¯d fallen from.

    When Theora joined her, she turned around, grinning solemnly.

    ¡°You think we gotta hurry with that side quest of yours?¡±

    Theora shrugged. ¡°Hard to say without knowing what Fragments of Time are supposed to be. But, we don¡¯t have to do it at all, if you don¡¯t want to. Nothing is forcing us to.¡±

    After all, this was just a fetch quest. Simply collecting some random items from around the planet. It wasn¡¯t like the world would end if they let it time out.

    Dema just nodded. ¡°I see. Well, I don¡¯t mind finishing it, but I just can¡¯t help myself and be a bit impatient!¡±

    ¡°Impatient about what?¡±

    ¡°Secret!¡± she retorted, eyes glinting in amber sparks. ¡°Hey, ever thought about getting kids?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Theora blurted. That came completely out of left-field. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. I can¡¯t say it ever even occurred to me.¡±

    ¡°Why, I think you¡¯d be a good mom!¡±

    Somehow, Theora doubted that. Wouldn¡¯t she just find ways to mess things up for the child?

    The darker part about this was that the reasons for her ageless condition wouldn¡¯t apply to any offspring she might carry, or any child she would adopt. She would raise a person, watch them age, teach them whatever they wanted to know that she could give, and then, she¡¯d watch her child die.

    Theora didn¡¯t think that this was necessarily bad. Just because she was immortal, it didn¡¯t turn her experiences with people of shorter lifespans any less important or valuable.

    But she couldn¡¯t help but feel sad about all of the people she¡¯d once known and then lost.

    That young boy she¡¯d saved well over a hundred years ago, after she¡¯d messed with the System, she¡¯d never seen him again. What had been his name? Nate?

    And was the man with his herbal collection who¡¯d housed them during their search for the Devil of Truth still alive? What about Amyd? How had Hannah¡¯s life gone, now that almost two decades had passed?

    Maybe Hannah¡¯s sleep had eventually improved.

    Theora travelled such long distances that each encounter she had with a person was likely to be the first and the last. She could perhaps count the people she¡¯d seen more than once on her fingers, but she was too scared to try. What would happen if she realised she¡¯d forgotten some of them? It was a terrifying thought.

    Speaking of that, wasn¡¯t there another person once? A boy they¡¯d helped reach home, after he¡¯d gotten lost falling off a cliff? Theora couldn¡¯t remember it very clearly, and it made her feel awful.

    ¡°Different question, then!¡± Dema said, and this time, she turned her head to Theora, smiling at her. ¡°What¡¯s your favourite name?¡±

    ¡°Favourite name?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! If you were gonna name someone.¡±

    Theora frowned. She didn¡¯t think she¡¯d ever name anyone, but even if forced, she wasn¡¯t sure which one to choose. ¡°I don¡¯t know. What about you?¡±

    But right as she spoke, a name popped into her head. Tras. It was a nice name, wasn¡¯t it? She didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d ever give it to someone, and she wasn¡¯t sure why that name suddenly came to her, but it sure felt like a cosy one.

    Dema shrugged. ¡°Why, that¡¯d really depend on the person I¡¯d give it to! Like, I¡¯d look at them and¡ª¡± She snapped her fingers. ¡°Find a name that fits. Just like that!¡±

    Theora hummed in thought.

    ¡°Lemme know if you think of a name you like, though! I¡¯d love to know.¡±

    ¡°Why? Why are you asking all this?¡±

    ¡°Big secret! Really big secret, not gonna tell!¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Alright, then. Can¡¯t wait for it.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of, this is a nice sandstone cliff. Mind if I do a bit of searching?¡±

 Chapter 43: Two Can Play The Game

    Over the next few months, Dema just led them from one area containing sedimentary rocks to the next. Theora had agreed to put the fetch quest on-halt for now, and spent a lot of her time catching up on what felt like years of sleep while Dema was searching.

    For a very long time before that, Theora had barely rested. The months leading up to meeting the Devil of Truth had been stressful. Then, Dema had gotten injured, and Theora had barely slept during those 17 years either, out of fear of another attempt made by the System, and generally just because she needed to take care of the girl she¡¯d hurt.

    And then, Dema had come back awake.

    Dema, who Theora had missed so much in those years, even though she was with her the entire time, had come all back, and they¡¯d flirted with each other and gone on little adventures, and Theora had accepted her new Class, and gotten a bunch of new Class-related Skills to pad her sheet.

    Even though that Class and its Skills apparently just existed to tease her, she still felt warm in [Stargazer]¡¯s embrace. It was quirky and daring and weird, but it was a different kind of nonsensical compared to her glitched-out and broken self.

    Theora¡¯s life had been long, and from what she could remember, her childhood hadn¡¯t been bad. And yet, those last few months after Dema¡¯s sickness had been special. A kind of gift, in a way. A true respite after a long time of despair. For a brief time since Dema¡¯s recovery, Theora had experienced what she would confidently call the best time of her life.

    And then, it all came crashing down.

    For one, the time on her fetch quest was still ticking, relentlessly. And she knew that once it dwindled, things would become worse again. The System would use this break to conjure up some new threat; and even if it didn¡¯t, Theora still knew what lay at the eventual end of their road.

    And for another, Theora had received a new side quest that again reminded her of how wrong everything and the world was.

    Right now, the two of them were walking through the ruins of a harbour city.

    ¡°Damn,¡± Dema murmured, and she really didn¡¯t have more words for what they were seeing.

    Freshly destroyed buildings everywhere.

    Uprooted from the ground up, sprayed over their surroundings. Most of the houses had been made out of stone bricks, and it resulted in a hilly landscape of rubble and destruction.

    A lot of people had evacuated in time, but the warnings had come too late to save all. The heroes who¡¯d arrived in the aftermath had taken care of the dead and afforded them proper burials.

    Rebuilding the city had apparently been deemed not worth it.

    ¡°Why¡¯d you take us here, anyway?¡± Dema asked, kicking a brick away with her bare feet. ¡°I wanna leave.¡±

    ¡°I needed to see it with my own eyes,¡± Theora answered.

    ¡°Why! This is just sad!¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Theora murmured. Dema was right; at this point, this was nothing but a depressing sight, and all it did was remind her of her inevitable fate.

    She turned, and felt the stones and mortar crunch under her feet, together with all the belongings of those who¡¯d lived here until a week ago.

    ¡°Where are we even going next? You¡¯ve been kinda tight-lipped. Don¡¯t leave me out!¡±

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Theora really didn¡¯t want to talk to her about it, because the last time they¡¯d been on an extermination quest together, it hadn¡¯t ended well for Dema at all.

    Theora opened her quest menu.

    [Side Quest: Kill Umbra, Ruler of the Seventh Sea.]

    Time remaining: 2 days.

    It had popped up a week ago. This kind of urgency in a side quest for her was rare. It meant that whatever she needed to dispatch was either very close-by, or impossible to be held off by other heroes in the vicinity.

    Or both.

    Within the quest description, there was a self-updating map outlining a red route along the shore. It started at the point they were currently at, meandered a bit, and eventually ended in another harbour town in the south. One of the oldest towns Theora knew.

    Two more days until Umbra would reach and destroy it.

    Receiving an incredibly urgent and concrete quest like this pulled the hopelessness of Theora¡¯s situation right back into her view. Yes, her Main Quest stretched over a much longer time period ¡ª a time period that was pretty much impossible for a human to comprehend ¡ª but in the end, all of it was just numbers. She was given a task, and then, she¡¯d see it to its end, because otherwise, terrible things would happen.

    ¡°Hey, Dema?¡± Theora eventually asked with a very soft and almost broken voice. ¡°Are you¡­ Are you still scheming?¡±

    ¡°Huh! What¡¯s that about!¡± Dema asked, swirled her head around and accidentally knocked her horn against a wooden beam sticking out from the ruins of the building they were walking by. ¡°Ouch!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just ¡ª you remember when we first met, right? When I came to end you, and explained that it was inevitable. But you said you still had something to scheme, so we postponed it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ¡°So, are you still scheming?¡±

    ¡°Why,¡± she grinned. ¡°You been thinking about killing me again?¡±

    Theora blinked strongly. ¡°No, I¡ª Well, yes, I have, but¡­¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°You are safe. I just want to know.¡±

    Dema gave a confident shrug. ¡°Of course! Still scheming, all the time. Don¡¯t you worry about that, little rabbit!¡±

    At that, Theora nodded a small and quick nod.

    Raising her eyebrows, Dema fixed Theora in her gaze. ¡°Huh, did you need reassurance?¡± She ducked under another beam and then proceeded to trip over a piece of table on the ground. ¡°Dang it!¡±

    Her movements still hadn¡¯t fully recovered.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill you,¡± Theora said. ¡°Even if your schemes may not bear fruit, it would keep me at ease to know that you¡¯re still trying.¡±

    Dema nodded and flashed a toothy smile. ¡°Always,¡± she said, and her raspy tone was too serious to quite match her expression. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe the kind of plan I¡¯m concocting! Can¡¯t even tell you about it because you¡¯d be so scared you¡¯d stop it right away, dead in its tracks!¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Alright then. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t know what makes you so sure, though!¡±

    ¡°Sure about what?¡±

    ¡°That you¡¯re gonna kill me in the end.¡±

    Theora averted her gaze, and suddenly felt that large, wet lump in her chest again. It was always there, but being reminded of it felt like being punched. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated.¡±

    More importantly, it wasn¡¯t a burden she really wanted to share. Since there was no way out, it was only depressing.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Dema said and stopped, staring into Theora¡¯s eyes. ¡°You ain¡¯t gotta tell me, but¡­ Whatever it is that you¡¯re afraid of, I¡¯m not gonna let it happen!¡± She tapped her temple. ¡°Gonna devise a plan to stop it, whatever it is. You¡¯re safe with me too!¡±

    Theora felt like she had a rug pulled from under her feet. She almost choked up. For a moment, she just stared into Dema¡¯s face. It was beaming with determination. ¡°How¡ª How can you be so confident?¡±

    ¡°Not confidence!¡± Dema cheered. ¡°Just, like, the inevitable truth!¡±

    Theora could no longer bear the gaze of those gleaming amber eyes, so she looked down on the messed up ground.

    She knew that Dema was wrong. And yet, it still felt so endearing to hear. So soothing. As if she could just fall into Dema¡¯s arms, and everything would be alright as long as she just had her.

    The quest notification was still floating in Theora¡¯s vision, a small dot on the route pulsating as it slowly marched its way towards the next town.

    These people needed her, and here she was, moping around like that. She bit her lip. Dema¡¯s words had filled her with a hint of strength, a tiny speck of ¡®maybe I can do this for now¡¯.

    Instead of worrying about the might-be¡¯s of a far future, she should get her mind on what was directly to come.

 Chapter 44: Umbra, Ruler of the Seventh Sea

    ¡°Hey, you!¡± Dema shouted, standing on a black cliff overseeing the ocean. ¡°How ¡¯bout we team up?¡±

    She was addressing Umbra, Ruler of the Seventh Sea, while staring into his gigantic eye. An incredible monstrosity ¡ª a squidlike elder god, who had appeared from the depths of the world to sow chaos. His tentacles were the size of landmarks, as he flung them around in the air, growling in deep rumbles.

    ¡°Why, I mean it! No need to get angry,¡± Dema complained, making another step to the edge of the cliff, her toes now edging over it, chaotic waves deep beneath. ¡°You and me, together we could rule the world! And get rid of that girl,¡± she added, pointing her thumb back at Theora, who was standing behind her. ¡°She¡¯s gonna kill us otherwise¡­¡±

    And yet, all of Dema¡¯s efforts were in vain. The creature ignored her pleas, and instead lashed out against the both of them with an enormous fingerless arm, building up a storm in its approach.

    But it didn¡¯t get far. Theora drew her sword.

    [Obliterate].

    And as such, starting from its gargantuan arm, the behemoth of a body popped. Torn apart slowly when seen from a distance, the Skill still bore through its body at an incredible speed, and left the creature in shreds.

    You have killed Umbra, Ruler of the Seventh Sea.

    You have completed a Side Quest.

    Rolling rewards¡­

    Theora dismissed the notifications.

    It took a few minutes for all the gunk of Umbra¡¯s remains to be swallowed into the ocean, leaving a giant red spot within it. The cliff had absorbed a lot of its blood and ink, as had Theora and Dema, who were now both completely soaked in muddy substances.

    ¡°Damn! I was sure that was gonna work! We would have given you so much trouble, little rabbit.¡±

    ¡°You sure would have,¡± Theora answered. Dema¡¯s token attempt at a ¡®scheme¡¯ sure didn¡¯t go unappreciated. A soft warmth ebbed through Theora¡¯s heart, the briefest ailment to its aches.

    The ache of not having any doubt. All they could do was walk into an ever narrowing pinch, a crevice in a mountain that they could never pass through. The walls would progressively press in on them harder and harder with each step they made forward.

    Theora sighed. No more thinking for Theora.

    How many times had she broken that rule now? At least, she always eventually remembered.

    The same as she always eventually remembered Tras.

    They hadn¡¯t seen him again, but Theora made sure to keep him in her mind as best as she could, for whatever little time that may be. To talk to Dema about him, and to make sure they cherished the memory when it was available to them.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go down and wash up!¡± Dema declared, and summoned a rock protrusion from the cliff, jumped on it, and then turned around to Theora, waiting for her to join.

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    Over time, Dema had gotten much more liberal with the uses of her Skills. She still made sure not to issue any permanent changes, but she felt comfortable using them around Theora now, which was definitely progress towards how it should be. Theora was aware that the situation was deeply messed up, and that there was essentially no way to hide from the fact that Dema was more or less still her prisoner, but Theora enjoyed every single freedom Dema dared to take.

    And so, she joined her on the freshly constructed pillar of rock sticking out from the cliff now, and together, they descended on it, with lots of gravelly noise as it cut through the stone behind them. Dema made sure to take a diagonal path to stay clear of the giant red spot in the ocean, and instead navigated to an area containing fresh water.

    Dema already started undressing while they were still on their way, and then ran towards the water the moment she could make the jump without injuring herself.

    She swam backwards a few strokes, eyes closed, a blissful expression on her face.

    ¡°What¡¯d the guy do, anyway?¡± Dema asked. ¡°You never told me.¡±

    ¡°Sure you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡±

    Theora looked far into the ocean. ¡°Remember those ruins we visited?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Like, where that town used to be?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Theora decided to enter the ocean as well, although she did not undress. She simply wished to clean herself of the remains. ¡°He was the one that flattened it.¡±

    At that, Dema fell silent for a while. Just carried up and down within the waves, staring at the cloudy sky.

    That was why Theora hadn¡¯t wanted to tell her. Somehow, despite being the Ancient Evil, and despite being much older than Theora, and even despite trying to play it over so well, these types of things seemed to hit Dema rather strongly.

    Was she empathetic? Or did it remind her of her own past?

    ¡°That¡¯s all shale rock,¡± Dema said eventually, glancing at the cliff. ¡°Have we been here before? Have I looked at it yet?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Theora said.

    With the next three waves, Dema let herself be carried back to the shore, and jumped out of the water.

    And with that, she started breaking shale out of the cliff, turning each piece over. This sight wasn¡¯t new to Theora at all. Dema, having her back turned to her, facing a mountain, using her skills and bare strength and blood-formed tools to perform archaeology. She had been frustrated at times, at not finding what she was searching for. She had shown happiness and excitement on other days, and sometimes, she was just solemnly doing her work without showing any emotion at all.

    But always, she¡¯d gone back to doing it, hours on end, no hesitation.

    Only, today things seemed a bit different. She was handling the rock a little harsher than usual. Throwing the useless pieces of stone away with slightly more force. Not making happy noises or frustrated groans, only issuing the raw sound of her lungs being inflated and deflated with air by the strength of her jerking movements.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Theora asked.

    At that, Dema slowed down. She turned around, a bit of a pained and awkward smile on her lips. ¡°Just¡­ Bad thoughts.¡±

    ¡°Umbra?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Dema sighed. ¡°Oh well. Gonna catch myself real soon, don¡¯t you worry! Would be a big damn downer if there were two of us all gloomy all the time.¡±

    Theora really, really wanted to hug her. Oh, so much.

    Was it alright? To hug someone a few minutes after thinking about murdering them?

    Of course it wasn¡¯t, but not doing anything wasn¡¯t alright, either. Theora couldn¡¯t watch this, but¡­ her mind went back to her Skills. Right now, it couldn¡¯t be so bad to use, could it? No matter what happened, it could maybe at least cause a distraction.

    And so, Theora activated the Skill. Just make whatever Dema wants to do work? It couldn¡¯t be too much to ask for that [Stargazer] Class of hers to be useful for once, could it?

    [im//possibility].

    And again, just like last time, Theora felt the soft pull around her, an additional sense that told her something in the fabric of reality had changed. And of course, she didn¡¯t know what that was.

    So, when a moment later, Dema yelled out, Theora had no idea if her Skill had any part of it, and she¡¯d likely never know.

    ¡°Why, would you look at that,¡± Dema rasped after calming down from her sudden surprised shout, and turned back to Theora, a wide grin on her face. ¡°Found something!¡±

 Chapter 45: Reassembly

    What Dema had found was part of a cute head. A head made of stone ¡ª or maybe rather cast in stone. A fossil of a size Theora had never seen before, of what seemed like a large crustacean creature.

    Dema pressed it into Theora¡¯s hands. ¡°Take it!¡± she cheered. ¡°You gonna wash the pieces for me? And then put them all together?¡±

    Theora glanced down at the fossil. It was definitely dirty; plant matter was scattered all over it, little pieces of soil stuck in the cracks. ¡°How do you want me to wash it? In the ocean?¡±

    Dema fell into thought, putting her chin in her hand. Then, she lit up, shouting, ¡°Tea! Wash ¡¯em in tea! That would be nice!¡±

    Theora raised her eyebrows, but nodded. There was no reason to refuse Dema, and so, she stored the fossil away in her coat, and started looking around for something she could use to infuse some tea.

    The shore was long and overhung by the cliff in both directions. Theora couldn¡¯t easily get up the cliff without Dema¡¯s help, so she decided to see if she could find something suitable down here. Of course, many shale pieces littered the ground. There wasn¡¯t a lot of space between the water and the cliff. Only a small walkable chaotic strap of stone pieces of all sizes, most of which looked like they were regularly engulfed by water depending on the tides.

    Should she make shale tea again?

    But washing fossils of shale in shale tea seemed rather unimaginative. Maybe she could find something that would complement the rock somehow? She briefly considered making ocean tea, but decided against it, since it would probably just end up being salty tea, and salty wasn¡¯t necessarily a quality she looked for in her brewings.

    She took off her boots to reduce her chances of slipping, and hopped from one stone to the next in her search, sometimes wading through shallow water, avoiding all the small little crabs and shrimp scuttling around in there with her steps.

    Something that complements rock¡­

    Eventually, after a few minutes of walking down the shore, Theora found something ¡ª and as she did, her eyes lit up. Oh, that was just perfect. She couldn¡¯t have imagined something better if she¡¯d tried. On one of the larger rocks that peaked up into the air right next to the cliff, standing in the diffused shadow of the stone above it, was a gigantic patch of the softest moss Theora could have hoped to find. She gently stroked over it with her fingers, and oh, was it soft. Almost as soft as Dema.

    It was the lushest and greenest moss Theora had seen in her life; or maybe, the lushest she¡¯d ever paid attention to. The smallest little feathery strands radiated out from its branches, and it felt slightly damp to the touch, without a doubt holding a healthy amount of water inside.

    She picked out little parts of the plants, making sure to gently press the surrounding areas together to aid the moss in regrowing what she took. Once she was done, she turned around and made her way back to Dema, with enough moss in cargo to brew a tub full of tea and wash the entirety of what Dema was going to excavate.

    And so, Theora made moss tea, all the while Dema kept diving into the cliff with some sort of Skill. It was a peculiar sight; Dema simply jumped into it like it was water, and with rumbles instead of splashes, the rock moved aside, feeling almost alive in the way the walls had felt back when she¡¯d ruined the Devil of Truth¡¯s Realm.

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    And whenever she emerged from the rock, she had another piece of isopod fossil in her arms to hand over to Theora.

    It took almost two hours. Making that much tea was arduous, especially since Theora only had a small kettle and her tiny endless vial of water. In addition, using her Skill a lot was mentally taxing, even though it didn¡¯t require any resources like mana. By now, she¡¯d grown wise enough to always carry a batch of firewood with her in one of her interdimensional pockets, so that brewing tea whenever she wanted was a possibility, although for a while, Theora was afraid it wouldn¡¯t end up lasting until she was done. In the end, some of the larger branches were able to hold the heat for long amounts of time, though.

    One after the next, she used the hot tea to clear away the dirt from the fossils. She suffused the rocks in it, gently scraping away all the plant residue and dust and soil.

    And then, she found a large and flat stone where she could lay out the pieces and arrange them into the shape she imagined the creature must have once possessed.

    A number of segmented plates formed its back, and its stature was actually a bit wider than Theora herself, although not as tall. It had human-like legs and feet, in addition to a range of smaller clawlike limbs stretching over its belly. The face was rather cute and not much unlike that of a person. The result of Dema¡¯s and Theora¡¯s efforts turned out to put something together that very much looked like the body of what used to be an isopod the size of a human.

    Actually, it seemed more like a human with the vague shape of an isopod.

    Theora was fairly certain that not all the bones Dema brought her had actually belonged to that creature, but she added them anyway, because there were enough parts that needed replacing.

    Eventually, she wiped off a string of sweat from her forehead, as working in the heat of the sun for hours was straining. Dema also seemed affected, and her rock-diving efforts had clearly left her exhausted. She¡¯d still not dressed back up after taking a bath, running around in her undergarments, sweating all-over. But, despite the exertion she¡¯d been putting herself under for hours, judging from the wide and unwavering smile on her face, she was probably the happiest girl on the planet right now.

    When they were done, she leaned over the results, breathing heavily. ¡°Can¡¯t believe it!¡± she gasped. ¡°Finally found one!¡±

    ¡°You were looking for an isopod?¡±

    ¡°Nah¡­ just¡­ a person!¡±

    Theora looked back at the forming body emerging on the rocky ground in front of them.

    A person. It was true. An isopod-like person, much like Bell had looked a lot like a jellyfish. So, for all this time, Dema hadn¡¯t just looked for any random fossil, but for a fossilised person. It made sense, because just any fossil at all would have probably been a lot easier to find.

    So, what now? Theora kept looking up and down between Dema and the isopod person. What was it that she¡¯d do now? It was time to unveil that secret, wasn¡¯t it? The question that Theora had been so curious about, it would reveal herself to her by Dema¡¯s next actions.

    The important part of this was, by Dema¡¯s next actions.

    And so, Theora tried her very best not to put the mystery together in her mind by accident. After all, Dema said it was supposed to be a surprise. Theora wasn¡¯t going to ruin it by guessing it prematurely. After all, that would be extremely rude, considering the effort and emphasis Dema had put into keeping it all secret.

    Yes, Theora definitely wasn¡¯t going to ruin it now, right before Dema would get to reveal it herself.

    Definitely not. She tried to silence her thoughts. It was very hard. She really needed a distraction. Something to keep her mind off from what was happening right in front of her¡­ And thus, she glanced into the sky. A distraction. Didn¡¯t she just have the perfect Skill to distract her own mind?

    Yes, she did.

    What kind of question could she ask? Quickly, a rather good and safe one formed itself in her mind.

    What will the weather be tomorrow, I wonder?

    [Head in the Clouds].

    Answer: Dema is going to revive that isopod.

    ¡­ What a useless Skill. That answer didn¡¯t even correlate to her question at all!

 Chapter 46: [Immortality]

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Theora told her right as Dema looked up in the sky too, wondering what Theora had found there.

    ¡°Why, about what! What¡¯d I do!¡±

    Theora let out a soft laugh. ¡°What¡¯s with that question? I¡¯m the one apologising. You did nothing wrong.¡±

    Dema grinned back. ¡°Whatever! Why are you sorry!¡±

    ¡°I think I ruined the surprise,¡± Theora said with a sad sigh. ¡°I think I can guess what you have been teasing at. But I still don¡¯t understand the inner workings of it.¡±

    ¡°Why, it should be easy enough! Just think aloud!¡±

    Theora frowned, but obliged.

    ¡°Back when you recovered from being sick, you were really happy,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°And you mentioned an upgrade to [Immortality]. But that¡¯s a binary Skill, either you are immortal or you aren¡¯t. Plus, Legendary Skills don¡¯t typically get upgrades. Often, they don¡¯t even scale with Levels. They are not supposed to become stronger on further uses, because many of them are a one-time achievement over a lifetime. So, in that way, your case is definitely unique. It is puzzling, to say the least.¡±

    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s because immortality¡¯s a lifelong process! There¡¯s always something that can happen, like that damn scroll of yours. So, the Skill would do me no good if it can¡¯t upgrade!¡±

    Theora did a double take. While sounding completely unbelievable, that still made a surprising amount of sense. Yes, if Dema¡¯s lifelong pursuit was to never die, then the Skill would need to adapt to changing times too. ¡°But in that case, wouldn¡¯t the natural upgrade be to become immune to the scroll¡¯s use?¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°I ain¡¯t scared of that damn scroll. Was just an example! Point is, it makes no sense for an immortality-skill not to be adaptable, so here I am!¡±

    If Theora slotted that piece of information into the puzzle¡­ She remembered back when they¡¯d been stuck in the seal of the chasm, Dema had played around with a fossil she¡¯d called ¡®Old Lass¡¯, and complained about how she couldn¡¯t turn her back alive.

    It was quite obvious that this was what she was attempting to do now.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Theora understood. There was a certain type of upgrade that would fit within an immortality-skill that could allow for something like Dema wanted to happen. ¡°That¡¯s beautiful,¡± she said. ¡°Will you read the Skill to me? I would like to know the precise wording that enables this.¡±

    ¡°Why, sure! If you¡¯re that curious.¡±

    [Immortality], Level 152.

    You will always be alive.

    [Level 100 Unlock]: You may extend the above effect to another being of your choice. (Slots occupied: 0/1)

    Really, Dema was an extraordinary creature. How had she managed to fuse two of her long-standing wishes thematically into one Skill? The entire point of a Legendary Skill was to just have one ultimate wish in a lifetime, not to add stuff to it as one pleased. In addition, the wording of the skill was terrifyingly precise.

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    You will always be alive.

    Normally, when going for an immortality-granting Skill, one would assume the wording to be something akin to ¡®You cannot die¡¯. Compared to that, ¡®You will always be alive¡¯ seemed to patch more loopholes. It was a more robust way to receive the desired effect. And, conveniently, with the additional unlock, it seemingly allowed the [Immortality] extension to be used on something that had already died.

    In other words, Dema had not only made herself an immortality Skill, but a revival Skill as well, all in one package. It was rather easy to dismiss Dema due to her goofy nature, but Theora had never been prouder of that scarily strong and capable person standing right in front of her.

    And at these thoughts, she couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    ¡°Then you could have chosen anyone as your target,¡± she mused. ¡°Didn¡¯t need to use it on a fossil.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! But I wanted it to be a fossil! Because wouldn¡¯t it be cool to know someone who¡¯s been alive before the both of us? Not like we meet those every day.¡± She raised her eyebrows. ¡°Like, fossils are¡­ millions of years old? That¡¯s gonna put us to shame. Damn, if you think about it, that means our child¡¯s gonna be even older than us!¡±

    ¡°Our child?¡± Theora spluttered, unable to choose which of these two words to stress. ¡°I¡ª Our? How is it our child?¡±

    Dema put on a prideful grin, raising her hands to make a gesture as if it was obvious. ¡°Why, I got that upgrade while I was dying after trying to make you happy! It¡¯s a big metaphor! Like you got me pregnant, and now we have a baby.¡±

    Theora was unable to react. She simply felt her legs get all wobbly and the blood enter her head.

    ¡°Or, wait,¡± Dema said, scrunching up her face in thought. ¡°Technically, it was the Devil of Truth who almost killed me and got me all that experience, but you took care of me all the while I couldn''t get up from bed. So, would that make him the daddy and you the stepmom?¡±

    ¡°Let''s try our best to forget this metaphor,¡± Theora intoned.

    ¡°Either way, it¡¯s great! Let¡¯s take care of her together!¡±

    ¡°So you already know the gender?¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°Her hips are kinda wide,¡± she said, pointing at the skeleton. ¡°Face is kinda girly, too. But if she wants to choose another gender, that¡¯s gonna be up to her!¡±

    Theora was very rapidly losing her grip on reality. She slumped further towards the ground, her knees touching the rocky stone.

    She was going to have a child?

    She would be a terrible mother. Dema would need to shoulder all of the responsibility and put in all the effort, just like she had done back with¡­ With whom?

    With Tras.

    Yes, back then, when Dema had spent all those days playing with him, running around and joking and laughing, making sure that he¡¯d have the best possible time despite his terrifying situation. She had been there for him the whole way, and saved him, two times.

    If anything, Theora had absolutely no doubt that Dema would do well as a parent.

    But Theora herself wouldn¡¯t. Still, she was not going to tell Dema what to do and what not to do, and if there was a person in need of help, Theora would try her best to be there for them, regardless of how they came to be. As such, she was ready to bear the responsibility, even though she felt completely inadequate.

    Feeling inadequate was Theora¡¯s natural state of being, wasn¡¯t it?

    As she was brooding, Dema sat down in front of the fossil. ¡°You good?¡± she asked, beaming at Theora.

    ¡°I¡ª Yes. I¡¯m alright. I¡¯m a little overwhelmed.¡±

    Dema¡¯s face softened, and was replaced by a kind smile. ¡°We can wait, you know!¡±

    Theora shook her head. ¡°Please do it. I want to meet her, too.¡±

    With that, Dema nodded and stretched out her hands. Splurges of blood issued out from them, and at the same time, she made the shale rocks on the ground reform using earth magic.

    Within a few seconds, it all came together.

 Chapter 47: Runaway Daughter

    The blood seeped into the fossilised parts of the skeleton as they jumbled and moved and fused, like metal parts being disturbed by strong magnets, the blood like water being absorbed by the driest sands. The procedure issued foaming and bubbling sounds, dampened crackles and the tight flushing of fluids through impossibly small openings.

    It smelled of blood, of iron, and rock wetted by soft summer rain.

    And then, Dema closed her hands, halting the process.

    ¡°Actually,¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯m getting kinda nervous.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°Why, what if she doesn¡¯t wanna stay with us! What if she¡¯s gonna run away?¡±

    Theora gently shook her head. ¡°Dema. If she wants to leave, we just let her leave. You will still have granted a life to another person. Or, a second life, in this case. It will be fine.¡±

    ¡°No, but¡ª Gah!¡± Dema ruffled through her own hair in desperation, smearing blood all through it. ¡°What if she¡¯s gonna hate me!¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°Why would anyone ever hate you?¡±

    Dema just grumbled at that, and Theora wondered if it had been the wrong thing to say. ¡°I¡¯m just worried, alright!¡± Dema whined. ¡°I feel like¡­ maybe¡­ What if she¡¯s not gonna be nice to us! I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    Theora wanted to pat Dema¡¯s shoulder, but held back for now. Instead, she said, as reassuring as possible, ¡°Don¡¯t get hung up on things that haven¡¯t even happened yet. Let¡¯s deal with them as they come?¡±

    At that, Dema just started laughing out loud, in a very sudden and unexpected burst that almost contained the smallest hint of mockery. ¡°Why, ain¡¯t that an interesting thing for you to say,¡± she said, the anxiety leaving her expression. ¡°Should big time consider that sentence you just formed and write it down! Like, as a mantra or something.¡± She shook her head, took a deep breath, and then continued, ¡°Alright, fine! Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    Resuming her prior work, she started pumping blood from her fingers and gently letting it flow into the fossilised bones on the ground. Surprisingly, they absorbed every single drop ¡ª all of it, even though there was no way so much blood should have fit into these rocks.

    At the same time, more shale pieces that were lying around started floating towards the centre formation, breaking into pieces or joining together, like a puzzle reforming in front of their very eyes, aiding in building the body in front of them.

    What Dema eventually created was a very realistic looking, complex shale sculpture of an isopod girl, probably a head smaller than she was. Numerous rounded, segmented plates formed her back, though they were partly broken and cracked, held together by Dema¡¯s blood running through the crevices. The girl had a cute head, formed by another plate, big, black eyes imbued in it. Two large antennae probed out to each side, and two smaller ones above them.

    She also had a mouth with little mandibles and smaller fingerlike structures beneath it, presumably to aid with eating.

    Her belly-side was complex and segmented, with many strands of rock building something akin to a ribcage. She also had humanoid legs and feet, and additional dozens of claw-like feet issuing from her front.

    The segmented plating reached further down than her buttocks; a few very thin pieces of rock formed lamella-type structures in the low front that, counter-intuitively, swayed in the wind. The very end of her back was shaped into a wide fin that seemed perfect to aid in swimming, made up of a few outreaching parts of shielding.

    Within each of the crevices of her complex structure, Dema¡¯s blood still flowed, glowing faintly.

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    However, the girl also looked rather rattled. Large parts of her body were still straight-up rock ¡ª not fossilised bones, but rock that couldn¡¯t be separated from them, a bit as if they had grown out from her in a petrifying process. Also, one of her longer antennae was too short, broken in half, the rest nowhere to be seen. One of her mandibles was also damaged. Some parts of her back shielding were clipped away, and one segment was even completely missing. In her front, a lot of the sideway bridges were collapsed.

    She looked very much like a revived fossil. Somewhat incomplete, and put back together slightly wrong.

    ¡°She¡¯s missing a few legs,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°I know!¡± Dema whined. ¡°Couldn¡¯t find all the bones!¡±

    Saying that, she let out another big wave of blood. It gushed around, forming a bubble around the girl, swirling and wobbling, and then, over the course of a few minutes, all of it got absorbed into the black stone of her body.

    ¡°There we go! Perfect!¡±

    ¡°Is she alive now?¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± Dema said, waving off. ¡°That was only building the body. Same as what I practised back then in the chasm, you know? Still gotta apply [Immortality] for her to wake back up!¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°So, you are sure you want to do this?¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyebrows raised up in shock, as if betrayed. ¡°What!¡± she blurted out. ¡°You ask that now? After I already built the entire body and spent all that mana!¡±

    Oh. That¡¯s right, normal people used resources for their Skills. Theora had completely forgotten about that.

    ¡°If you wanna jump off the boat, just tell me,¡± Dema added, raising her eyebrows further into a playful show of utter sadness. ¡°You know. You can go to the store to get some bread or whatever and never come back! As they do!¡±

    ¡°Not what I meant,¡± Theora said. ¡°I already told you.¡± She caught Dema¡¯s gaze, staring into it intensely to make sure to get her point across. ¡°I won¡¯t leave you behind.¡±

    Dema grasped her heart with one hand as if something had just hit her chest. ¡°Ah,¡± she yelped in her raspy voice. ¡°Never gonna get used to you saying that,¡± she mumbled, but then took a deep breath. ¡°Alright, then. Fine! I¡¯ll do it. Any last words as a person without any big responsibilities?¡±

    Theora wanted to open her mouth and respond that, actually, she already did have some big responsibilities ¡ª but then again, was that really true? All she did was walk around all day and do side quests. Raising a child? That was going to be serious.

    That is, if the child actually wanted to be raised. If they actually considered themselves a child, if they even liked the two of them. Would they even stick around? What good was there in travelling with Theora, after all?

    Now she¡¯d somehow managed to get herself worried too.

    And yet, Theora gulped, and managed a weak shake of her head, and then a nod to signal her okay to go ahead.

    With that, Dema activated the Skill, a wide and happy smile on her face. As she did, she got engulfed in a red glow, like a blood sun rising behind a mountain. When she used her hand to gently touch the forehead of the fossilised crimson black statue, the glow wandered over to it, and for a moment, the two of them shared it. The isopod person started floating high in the air, and Dema stood up to keep the connection.

    When it slowly ebbed away, Dema took away her hand, sitting back down to watch what was going to happen.

    And then, almost sudden enough to surprise Theora, one of the tiny claw-legs twitched.

    And another one. The girl landed on her legs, and crouched down, wrapping her arms around her shins. A shiver went over her entire body, resulting in a cacophony of soft clatters of rock on rock. She was leaning too much to one side, but she wasn¡¯t making any movements to correct the slow downward motion. For a few seconds, it seemed like she was staring at something invisible right in front of her, when actually, there was nothing.

    ¡°Oh my. Wait. She going through System initialization?¡± Dema asked, and waved a hand, although the girl didn¡¯t respond at all. ¡°Hello? Can you hear me? I¡¯m Dema!¡±

    ¡°Sure seems like it,¡± Theora mused.

    ¡°Then she¡¯s older than the System! Damn, can you believe that?¡±

    The isopod girl let out a welp as she finally lost balance. She knocked against the stone beneath her, rolled onto her back, then dragged her feet closer in front of her chest, and curled herself into a pill.

    And then, she rolled away.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Dema yelled after her, but it was to no avail.

    With a splash, she entered the water, and was gone.

    Dema¡¯s shocked expression turned to Theora. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± she said. ¡°Our girl ran away!¡±

    ¡°She sure did,¡± Theora replied.

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand! She ran away! Our daughter! Be more upset!¡±

    Theora stared at the spot the girl had disappeared to, bubbles still rising in the waving sea. Her head was completely empty as she stared at it in disbelief. ¡°¡­ We never even got to name her.¡±

 Chapter 48: Interlude â€” Miscalculation

    Welcome to the System.

    Initialisation in progress¡­ Please wait.

    5 Stat points available!

    [Help Menu] available!

    Congratulations! You have been accepted into the [Hero Project].

    Special Trait Unlock: [Common Knowledge]. Download in progress¡­

    [Main Quest] available!

    As I wake up, everything is too bright. Too bright, too dry, too wrong.

    And as I have these thoughts, I realise that suddenly, I have thoughts. Thoughts¡­ What¡¯s that even supposed to be? What¡¯s a language and why does that word suddenly pop into my head? What¡¯s a word, and why do I know what a word is?

    In my past life, I¡¯ve only ever thought in concepts. Or maybe not even that. I think I just did things, because I wanted to. Zero contemplation. Nothing like what I¡¯m doing right now. Because now, there was this thing called inner monologue. Very weird. I don¡¯t like it at all. It¡¯s a little disorienting.

    You have learned the Skill [Inner Monologue].

    [Inner Monologue] advanced to Level 2!

    What? What was that? I keep getting these intrusive thoughts that don¡¯t belong to me at all. Or rather, they are presented to me. I don¡¯t want to see this. Go away!

    Wait, wait. Now that I think about it, I know what you are. You are a System! You are the one feeding me all this stuff, aren¡¯t you?

    You are what¡¯s making me sapient. Well, take it back! I want to return to prehistory!

    Because looking at this atrocious Main Quest you gave me, I really don¡¯t want to do it at all.

    No but, first of all, this all sucks. Even not thinking about the System at all, just standing here, I feel very uncomfortable. It¡¯s not wet enough. It¡¯s all dry. I can feel myself drying up. I don¡¯t want to dry up! The only wet stuff about me is this nice, amazing and very cosy red liquid filling and flowing between all the cracks and crevices in my rocky self. I like it.

    Wait¡­ actually, there is this second liquid too, absorbed by my body in just the same way. It¡¯s green and smells like grass and calm water and sunshine. What is this? Moss tea? The knowledge I now have tells me that such a thing doesn¡¯t exist, and yet, here it is, right inside me.

    And both of these fluids are so warm and good and make me feel alive, and also somehow make me feel loved. Loved by whom?! This makes no sense at all, because I don¡¯t even know what love is.

    Ah, but disregarding that, I really don¡¯t feel comfortable. Not only is it too dry, it¡¯s also so bright. I think I¡¯m going to lose my eyes. Oh, god. I¡¯m falling over. This is bad. I¡¯m rock now. I will fall over and crack into a thousand pieces and¡ª

    Bonk.

    Actually, I¡¯m pretty sturdy rock, it seems. All good. That bonk did nothing. Okay, sure. Ah, I can still roll myself into a ball! I really love doing that.

    Off I go! Somewhere where it¡¯s wetter and darker, maybe. It¡¯s way too bright out here. I can barely parse what my eyes are seeing, but I do see something that looks quite like water, maybe. Only one way to tell. Goodbye, scary big dryness, hello fond, all-encompassing wetness.

    Splash!

    Oh, god. As I enter the water, it just feels so nice. Yes, this is what makes life worth living. I absolutely adore this. All of this salty stuff floods right into me. Just like home. Just like back then.

    Just like¡­ only a moment ago?

    Yes, I do have some vague memory of dying. I was still in my original body, and then I died. It was really bad. I think I must have messed up somehow.

    I try not to think about it too hard, because truth be told, it doesn¡¯t matter. I have this shiny new very hard body now that I apparently don¡¯t even have to eat with, judging from my complete lack of hunger whatsoever. I remember hunger being a big thing for me before dying.

    And, oh, this blood feels so nice. Whoever invented ¡®blood¡¯, I really owe you something. It¡¯s like the perfect glue for me. And this tea flowing inside my rock, it fills me up to the brink with hope.

    I sigh.

    I continue thinking. And I keep sinking. Ah, was that a rhyme? Damn, this language stuff sure is a rather weird technology.

    Anyway, I slowly sink further down the ocean, and that¡¯s good. The further away from the big dryness I get, the better. Terrible place.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    But maybe I should try to figure out my situation. So, I got adopted, apparently. Adopted by something that calls itself the System, and feeds me tons of concepts and data. Actually, let¡¯s dump all the stats I have in MND. That¡¯s short for Mind, it says, and I want to do a lot of thinking, so maybe that helps.

    5 Points allocated to MND.

    I somehow realise I have something like a stat sheet, so I open it to take a look.

    Name: None Class: None

    HP: 5/5

    STR: 1 DEX: 1

    MND: 6 VIT: 1

    DEF: 1

    I see. My stats suck! I understand at least that much. Or, maybe I understand that now, after putting all I had into Mind. Also, the concept of names is new to me, but I¡¯ve got to say, ¡°None¡± doesn¡¯t sound too bad. I think names are something I can choose for myself eventually, but for now, I can go with that. So, apparently, I¡¯m None. Hello, me.

    Anyway, let¡¯s try to understand this situation.

    First of all, I can¡¯t stand this System. That much hasn¡¯t changed. I have no intention to deal with this nonsense Main Quest. But, the existence of a Main Quest implies the existence of other quests. Those? Maybe they are better. Apparently, I can get rewards when I clear a quest, and rewards are good?

    They are supposed to be good ¡ª I mean, in my previous life, there was no such thing as ¡®progression¡¯, so perhaps I shouldn¡¯t get myself lulled into that concept so quickly, because my previous life was nice, and just continuing as I had back then doesn¡¯t sound all that bad to me.

    Still, at the very least, I want to find out more about this thing that has invaded my mind. So, playing along for a while might be worth it, if only to get the gist of it. Maybe I can learn how to expel it, too.

    Finally, I hit rock bottom.

    Ocean floor. I can roll around, but I think I¡¯ve done enough of that for now, so I uncurl and stand up.

    Oh, that¡¯s so much better. I can actually see what¡¯s around me now, compared to when it was dry and bright. That¡¯s a big upgrade.

    The first thing I do is gaze around to try and find anything that might look familiar.

    It¡¯s all very blue, and kind of dark, but I do like it that way. I can¡¯t see too far, but I get to see a decent chunk of my surroundings.

    This is a bit of a rocky landscape. A few bigger rocks in the distance, and many small ones on the ground. Thus, what I do first is pick up a rock. And I look at it rather closely, because why not? It¡¯s the first rock I see in this ¡®new world¡¯ and it¡¯s the closest thing around. It¡¯s not that much different from the rocks that make up my body, except this one doesn¡¯t contain any blood or tea. Black, flat, a few cracks.

    In the end, it¡¯s really just a rock, though. I want to throw it away, but I hesitate. I¡¯m made of rock too! So, maybe I should appreciate rocks. And so, I just gently lay it back on the ground. There you go, little rock. I hope you¡¯re having fun sitting around on the ocean floor all day.

    I sure would have.

    But for now, I want to do a little exploring. Just a bit. If I¡¯m lucky, I might end up understanding what¡¯s happening to me.

    As I walk over the ocean floor, I recognise some rather peculiar things. First of all, I can see fish. No clue why I know what they are called, but in the distance, they float around. I vaguely remember them, I think? But not really looking like this.

    Damn, some fish can be really pretty. There¡¯s one with long colourful fins, another one that¡¯s a bit transparent, and some more that are even larger than I am. Ah, I do like them. Maybe I can befriend a fish one day. For now, they just dart away when I get close.

    But then, as I jump down a cliff and descend into another even deeper valley, I find something else. Something big. Really big. It seems like the dead body of a very huge fish, just lying down there. Larger than any creature I have ever seen.

    And many other animals are around that big body, feeding off of it. I¡¯m not hungry, so I pass. But I do look very closely at that body. I walk around it, and some of the creatures halt their meal to scutter off as I arrive, while many of the larger ones just don¡¯t care. There¡¯s an isopod that looks a bit like me, but smaller. I gently stroke its back, and it doesn¡¯t seem to mind.

    When I turn away from that dinner spectacle and walk along the valley, I find more and more bones on the ground. It seems like whenever something dies, it floats down here into this place.

    I¡¯m going to call it the Valley of the End. Even though it¡¯s essentially my place of rebirth. Or maybe, it¡¯s the place where I once died. However, I do cherish this location now, it has found its place in my mind.

    As I pick up a skull from amidst the boneyard, and stare at it intently, suddenly, something changes. I now seem to understand what it is.

    You have learned the Skill [Identify].

    [Identify] advanced to Level 2!

    It¡¯s the skull of a shark. The sharp teeth of a predator, it¡¯s very white and scary, and it¡¯s familiar, because I¡¯ve seen such sharks before. But not these other types of fish.

    I guess sharks are as old as me, then.

    I think I must be pretty old.

    [Identify] is good, though. I look around, identifying all kinds of things, and as I do, I slowly realise that [Identify] is used on things that aren¡¯t alive. The fish swimming around, I can¡¯t [Identify] them. Huh. Okay, that¡¯s a limitation that I can deal with.

    Eventually, I sit down, and finally go through the System¡¯s [Help Menu]. It¡¯s pretty big, but I have time. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m in a desperate situation where I need to hurry to survive. All I¡¯ve got to do is¡­ Nothing, really. This seems cosy. I¡¯m made of rock, after all. These fish can¡¯t even bite me. And the crabs won¡¯t be able to pinch me, either.

    But, then, after a while, I read about Afterthoughts in the [Help Menu]. Apparently, they are stray pieces of data that broke off from the System, and when you absorb that data, you gain experience as a reward to level up your Class. That way, the System keeps itself clean and rewards people who aid in that process.

    It sure sucks that I don¡¯t have a Class then, because if I had one, I could try it out. Maybe I should get a Class.

    There are a few standard Classes to choose from, and apparently, even more can be unlocked in special circumstances. Since I¡¯ve already put points into MND, I start looking for one that might scale well with that.

    One after another, I open the little help prompts denoted with small question marks. I read through the data, the descriptions, then dive into all the details. Try pressing all the buttons, and absorb whatever this little System is willing to give me.

    It must think it¡¯s clever, worming its way into my head like that. Messing with something much older than itself. Bit of a miscalculation, I dare to hope.

    Because I¡¯m still a little angry about all this.

    You thought you could give me this [Common Knowledge], and that I would be grateful and do your bidding. But I¡¯m not grateful at all. You made a mistake. You should have given me a better Main Quest! This won¡¯t fly with me. Oh, it really won¡¯t.

    I smile gently. Dear System, I¡¯m going to figure you all out.

    I hope you¡¯re scared.

 Chapter 49: The Most Ingenious Scheme

    Dema was looking at Theora with big puppy eyes. ¡°She ran off!¡± she repeated, now for about the fifth time, and Theora had run out of things to say.

    Yes, their daughter had run off. Immediately. Hadn¡¯t even looked at them.

    ¡°After I went through all the effort of reviving her!¡± Dema whined.

    Theora raised a hand placatingly. ¡°Hey, she doesn¡¯t owe you for that, right? You did it on your own free will on someone who couldn¡¯t say yes or no.¡±

    ¡°I know!¡± Dema cried. ¡°I know, I know.¡± She seemed to halt, but then said, ¡°But! Even though I know, it still feels bad! I want her back! I didn¡¯t even get to cuddle her! Am I not supposed to, like, hold her in my arms at least once?¡±

    Dema seemed like she was close to crying. Her lips wobbled and she¡¯d slumped to the ground, just two steps away from where Theora was sitting. Her eyes were getting puffy. ¡°Also, what if something happens to her! She¡¯s just a baby!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ We don¡¯t really know that,¡± Theora replied.

    ¡°She¡¯s millions of years old!¡± Dema rasped, as if that proved her point. ¡°Did they even have languages back then? What if she was just walking around all day, eating? And now she¡¯s in this scary big world.¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t follow along with the conversation anymore.

    ¡°And, like,¡± Dema continued, ¡°Sure, she¡¯s immortal, but what if someone finds her and grinds her into the finest dust? She doesn¡¯t have any regeneration Skills!¡±

    ¡°That would be a problem,¡± Theora said. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be able to reconstruct her if she was ground into the finest dust. But why would anyone do that?¡±

    ¡°Why, what do I know! People do stuff for the most ridiculous reasons. What if they think Iso-dust is pretty?¡±

    ¡°Isopod dust? I haven¡¯t heard of that before.¡±

    Dema shook her head wildly. ¡°What are you on about, little rabbit? Who said anything about isopod dust?¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just¡­ What?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Dema rolled her eyes. ¡°Damn, no! I meant ¡®Iso¡¯, as in, her name! That¡¯s what I decided to call her.¡±

    ¡°Iso,¡± Theora repeated. ¡°Short for¡­ Isopod, then?¡±

    ¡°Dang, would you stop it with the ¡®isopod¡¯ stuff?¡± Dema complained. ¡°It¡¯s short for Isobel.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Theora intoned. For the first time, she thought Dema might be a bit of a brat.

    That said, another look told her that Dema was a very, very sad brat on the verge of a breakdown. She was shaking and shivering, even though she tried to conceal it. Her voice was uneven ¡ª still her usual deep raspy tone, but with a hint of a lump in her throat. And her eyes were by now obviously filling with tears, although none made their way out yet.

    In a very uncharacteristic way, Dema actually seemed desperate. And yet, despite it all, she gave her best efforts to hold herself together. To steel herself, and to not show it.

    And so, Dema sighed. ¡°Gah, oh well. Can¡¯t all go to plan. That¡¯s what scheming¡¯s all about, I guess. I just hope she¡¯s fine. Should we, like¡­ go after her?¡±

    ¡°She left on her own free will,¡± Theora said. ¡°Not sure if we should go after someone who left us.¡±

    ¡°But!¡±

    ¡°Also, can we even track her? I have an Orb of Seven Wishes, so one of us could go after her, but the ocean is hard to search. We wouldn¡¯t be able to breathe. More importantly, we wouldn¡¯t be able to talk to her underwater.¡±

    Dema hummed shakily. ¡°Once she comes into my [Appraise] range, I can find her,¡± she mused, biting her lip. ¡°But it ain¡¯t gonna be easy. [Immortality] isn¡¯t as convenient as to tell me where she is. Big bummer¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright. How about we leave her a bit of space, and then come look for her in a while?¡±

    Dema slumped her shoulders. She just looked broken. Theora couldn¡¯t watch this. She really, really wanted to hug Dema. Hug all her sadness away, cuddle her tight, until she was bright and cheery and smiling again.

    But¡­

    Theora took a deep breath. Actually, wasn¡¯t it fine? In one reality, Dema wanted to be friends with her, and in another, Dema hated her and acted like they were on good terms. But wouldn¡¯t that hug work in both of these versions of the world? Was it wrong to give in to the act, if it was one?

    ¡°Dema?¡± Theora asked, and held out both her hands weakly, trying to offer a hug, despite herself. Open hands, slightly stretched forward, as if to say, ¡®Come here, if you want to.¡¯

    Dema¡¯s eyes widened, then she scrunched them up, and just let herself fall right into the embrace. She crashed into Theora, and Theora caught her, holding her firm, wrapping her arms around that little body of hers.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    And then Dema started crying. Sniffling and sobbing, grasping at Theora¡¯s cloak to reciprocate the hug.

    Theora¡¯s heart broke. Dema had been able to hold herself together, but now, Theora had even managed to make the girl cry for real. That was, in a way, exactly the opposite of what she had hoped to achieve. After all, she wanted Dema to cheer up¡­ Maybe such a thing was impossible for Theora to do after all. She just ended up gently stroking Dema¡¯s back, as faintly as she could, as if worried that she could harm that scrawny and thin little body.

    ¡°How long¡¯s that gonna be?¡± Dema asked. ¡°Leaving her alone. How long ¡¯til we can go to her?¡±

    Theora wondered. What kind of timeframe was reasonable to give a daughter that had run away? How long should they wait until they could try to get to know her again? If someone wanted space, they needed to be given space.

    ¡°Maybe fifty years?¡± she mused, and was totally guessing. It seemed rather short a timeframe, but Dema was pretty sad after all, so Theora shaved off a few centuries.

    On the other hand, what was even their plan now? There was the side quest concerning the Fragments of Time, but Theora had never heard of those before. She hoped that some scholars in that large city of Hallmark would know them ¡ª even just a definition of what they were and where to possibly find them could already prove extremely helpful.

    Theora had a certain resource in the back of her mind; something that may allow her to find the Fragments regardless of where or what they were, but she wasn¡¯t yet ready to pull on that. And, more importantly, she didn¡¯t know if she wanted Dema to see it. As such, the hope was simply that Hallmark would deliver the solutions needed to find the Fragments within the necessary time limit.

    In addition, they did have another Orb of Seven Wishes. The wishes granted by the orb were Death, Life, Breathing Underwater, Flight, as well as three more.

    One of the remaining ones was the Finding wish, allowing one to learn the route to whatever entity one named. Theora hadn¡¯t even considered using that for a Fragment of Time yet, because in her broken mind, the Orb was still untouchable as a last resort, for after fulfilling her Main Quest. Truth be told, though, that cognition was rather outdated.

    So, option one was to use the Orb to try and find a Fragment.

    Or, option two, they could use the Orb to try and locate Isobel. The problem with that was, of course, that Isobel had gone into the ocean, so being able to breathe underwater would be rather helpful in any attempt of meeting her, especially if they wanted to actually talk anything out.

    Thus, the third option of what to use the Orb on was underwater breathing.

    Which of these uses should they prioritise? Which of them was the most important?

    ¡°Dema,¡± Theora started, stroking her back gently. ¡°All this with Isobel, it really affects you, right? That¡¯s what makes you sad?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema sniffled. ¡°It really kinda well damn does! I don¡¯t even know why, it¡¯s not like I get all mopey normally. No clue. Maybe the hormones.¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t understand what hormones had to do with this, or if demons even possessed any, so she assumed it was another pregnancy joke.

    Dema didn¡¯t normally get that mopey. Theora could absolutely imagine a situation where Isobel had run away, and Dema would have laughed it off, or jumped right after, or just mock-sulked.

    Instead, here Dema was, having a complete breakdown on a proportion Theora had never seen before. Why?

    Dema had gotten badly hurt on Theora¡¯s command, and then spent 17 years in agony. She¡¯d repeatedly said she didn¡¯t really mind, and also hinted at the fact that she actually enjoyed it, but that was rather hard to believe.

    Instead, maybe Dema had actually simply endured the pain because she¡¯d seen how much experience she was gaining from being almost dead. Maybe every few days, she¡¯d received another Level-up, bringing her closer to her goal of unlocking the next stage of [Immortality]. Perhaps that had been the only reason why she¡¯d been able to persevere through all of this.

    That could have been why she¡¯d asked for death caps. Simply to gain more experience.

    And then, after going through all of that, after living through death for so long, she¡¯d finally received her reward, and went on to search for months to finally see its fruits, and to finally¡­ Finally what?

    Not be stuck alone with Theora any more? Was that why she¡¯d put so much emphasis on finding new travelling companions?

    Theora didn¡¯t want to assume such negative things about Dema. It was unfair. But still, wasn¡¯t that the only solution? Instead of carrying these brooding thoughts with her, she decided to just ask.

    ¡°Dema, are you getting tired of me? Are you sad that Iso is gone because of that?¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Dema actually sounded offended. ¡°No way! How¡¯d you come to that conclusion, damn it! Don¡¯t forget the rule, little rabbit, or I¡¯m gonna get angry.¡±

    As Theora¡¯s mind was racing into another fit of self-hatred, she suddenly felt two cold hands grasp her cheeks, as Dema pulled away slightly from the hug to look at her face.

    ¡°Not ever gonna get tired of you! In fact, if you think about it, ain¡¯t it the opposite? Why¡¯d I wanna get a daughter with you if I wanted to split! I kinda wanna stay with you forever.¡±

    Ah. Wait, what? Theora gulped. She managed to contain the emotional impact of these words in favour of her brain going off in a logical firework.

    Because, actually.

    Actually, wait. Wait, wait, wait.

    Something that maybe should have occurred to her much sooner.

    She¡¯d managed to get herself distracted. This was an upgrade to Dema¡¯s [Immortality].

    And Legendary Skills always only fulfilled one wish. All this nonsense about Dema using the Skill to do more than one thing, Theora had really gone way off the mark with that.

    No, [Immortality] would only ever serve in furthering Dema¡¯s goal of living forever. Reviving a fossil? That was a good goal, but it couldn¡¯t have possibly been added on top of an already immensely powerful Legendary Skill that did something completely different.

    No, this was a scheme. This was part of Dema¡¯s grand machinations, her pursuit of neverending life.

    She had extended her [Immortality] to another being. Because an upgrade like making her immune to Theora¡¯s scroll would have been pointless. Theora didn¡¯t really need the scroll to kill Dema, she could probably end her some other way, if she really wanted to.

    But now, because of that upgrade, killing Dema also meant killing Isobel. And Theora would never kill Isobel, who was just completely innocent.

    As these thoughts came to her, Theora couldn¡¯t help but smile. She just couldn¡¯t help it. What an amazing scheme. What a terrifying person she was sitting in front of. So it was true ¡ª Dema had still been scheming this entire time. And she¡¯d found a perfect upgrade to [Immortality].

    One that would make Theora¡¯s Main Quest a whole lot harder. In fact, impossible to fulfil.

    Oh, that was beautiful.

 Chapter 50: Good Girl

    And the most impressive part of it all was that Theora really had no clue whether Dema had done any of that on purpose. Maybe she really was a masterful schemer who actually knew the one weakness Theora had, the one thing that would add further deterrence to her pursuing her Main Quest, and had, in a feat of incredible planning and ingenuity, worked towards that very outcome, for over a century.

    Or, Dema was just completely oblivious and wanted to raise a daughter with Theora.

    Both sounded absolutely completely equally likely. So, Theora filed each away into their respective reality, and now, she was almost grinning.

    Oh, what a beautiful way to deal with this. The System would really need to come up with some amazing threat for Theora to actually do something about her Main Quest now.

    The Ancient Evil? Theora had no idea what Dema really did in the past. It was murky, and it was unnerving, and it was a mess.

    But Iso was just a little girl who had been resurrected from millions of years of slumber. Truly, there was no reason for Theora to accept her death if she could in any way help it.

    Maybe this could work. Maybe, for now, this was alright.

    Both realities fit neatly on top of each other, still superimposed, but less conflicting, in a way. Because even if it was true that Dema was just scheming, was actually evil, and that this would all end with her dead ¡ª even if that reality was the truth, it was now blunted. Because of Isobel.

    Because there was someone else in the equation now.

    And maybe Dema was so devastated because she¡¯d hoped for the three of them to travel together, in her evil scheme. Perhaps she thought her plan would not work out if Theora didn¡¯t come to love Isobel.

    If that was really the case, then of course, Dema had made a miscalculation, because Theora would never doom that girl, regardless of whether she¡¯d come to know her or not.

    Ah. This was rather amazing.

    Theora tousled through Dema¡¯s hair for a second and then got up, leaving the little demon rather confused.

    ¡°What! What was that!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just proud of you,¡± Theora said. ¡°Good girl.¡±

    For a second, Dema looked like she¡¯d been shot by a cannonball. Her face was completely empty in shock, processing what had just occurred, and then, she just gulped.

    Theora offered a hand to help her up, and Dema shakily took it, wiping her eyes, but all the sadness had been blown away in favour of a wide-eyed expression. Her tears were drying in the breeze, leaving small crystals of salt glittering on her face.

    ¡°We will find her, and then we will get to know her,¡± Theora added. ¡°If she wants to. We could do it right now, but I still think it would be good to leave her some space. We leave her a bit of time to adjust, and then we can talk. Is that alright with you?¡±

    Dema sighed, and smiled weakly. ¡°What are you on about! Yeah, sure, fine! It¡¯s alright, damn it!¡±

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Why did it seem like all her sadness had suddenly washed away?

    ¡°So,¡± Theora went on, ¡°I suggest we now go straight to Hallmark, and find out about the Fragments. And we can locate someone who will track Isobel for us.¡±

    ¡°Sure! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    And with that, they went. Their path so far had been a big mess, but now that they actually committed, it took them only about three more months to actually reach their destination. Dema still had some bad days. Days on which she thought of Isobel, and looked like she was about to cry. But, for the most part, she was back to her usual shenanigans. Finding rocks to share in exchange for Theora¡¯s flowers, teasing Theora with how sleepy she was all the time, and asking for hugs every two seconds.

    Much to Theora¡¯s chagrin, she could not refuse those demands. Whenever Dema asked for a hug, she fought with herself, valiantly, and then relented anyway.

    And those hugs felt really, really nice. Theora would never initiate one or ask for one herself, but Dema had managed to break down another barrier, ripped open another closed door, and now, there was no turning back. Those hugs had to happen when asked for.

    No way would Theora risk having to look into those sad puppy eyes. Those sad puppy eyes, threatening to say, ¡®What? You don¡¯t want to hug me? Even though I asked so nicely?¡¯

    No, she would not be able to bear that, so she bore the hugs instead. Not that they didn¡¯t feel incredibly calming and warm and like a spring breeze in a burnt down forest. No, the hugs were amazing. It was just that one reality inside Theora was screaming out loud, as loud as it could, to not hug the girl she was going to kill. To not give Dema false hopes. To not give herself false hope.

    And yet, this is what her life was now. This is how it was when they finally, after such a long time, arrived at the gates of Hallmark.

    And then, it occurred to Theora that she was about to carry the Ancient Evil into one of the largest settlements on the planet, and that the guards may not be too thrilled about that. This was different compared to bringing her to a place with low level guards who were likely unaffiliated with the System¡¯s hero project. In comparison, the guards here might actually spell trouble.

    ¡°Dema,¡± Theora started. ¡°Don¡¯t tease them, or anything. They might not actually let us through.¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± Dema snorted. ¡°Let them try!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to harm them.¡±

    ¡°Why, I don¡¯t either! But we can always, like, smuggle ourselves into town if things don¡¯t work out, you know! I can dig a tunnel or something, right into their library if need be. Don¡¯t worry, little rabbit, it¡¯s all gonna be just fine.¡±

    And then, it ended up being ¡®just fine¡¯, exactly as Dema had said.

    ¡°You gonna make sure the city is safe?¡± one of the guards said. A muscular man, thick build, heavy armour, light skin.

    ¡°It¡¯s safe.¡±

    ¡°Not just from her,¡± he nodded at the scrawny demon accompanying Theora. ¡°I want to know if you keep all of us safe, from everything.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Theora said. ¡°To the best of my ability.¡±

    The man gave a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good. Truth be told, we¡¯re having trouble. The strongest Heroine might just be what we need to deter it. Do you mind if we make an announcement in the city declaring your arrival?¡±

    Theora frowned.

    That was a rather unusual request. Not something she ever heard anyone ask of her. She didn¡¯t typically make a fuss around her existence.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± she eventually answered, because the truth was, she didn¡¯t care either way. If it made this man happy, then why not. Let them declare Theora¡¯s arrival. For what it was worth, it might make her task easier if the scholars she was going to speak to actually knew who she was. Fewer introductions needed.

    Thus, less talking needed. This was looking good.

    Except for that ¡®trouble¡¯ the guard had mentioned. A city as large as Hallmark, and they had trouble of the size that they needed to declare the arrival of the strongest heroine in the world to have any hope of dealing with it?

    It was not what Theora had come here for, but now that things were going this way, she might as well take a peek.

    A peek at the underlying machinations of this incredibly large city, built into a gigantic valley.

 Chapter 51: Perfect Place

    ¡°So! What''s the plan!¡± Dema rasped as they left the gates behind them. The houses in this town had very flat roofs, looked rather compact and were so tightly placed that a myriad of tiny corridors branched off the main street into the innards of the city ¡ª most of them leading downwards, since they were sitting on hills.

    ¡°I don''t know much about this town,¡± Theora said with a short hum. ¡°We could either go to a place to inform ourselves, or try to find somewhere to stay for the night first.¡±

    ¡°This is slightly fishy, though!¡± Dema said. ¡°No people outside, even though it¡¯s in the middle of the day.¡±

    That was indeed peculiar. Not a single person was outside. The streets were empty, as if they were still walking through a forest. It was raining a little, but not to an extent of a storm or strong inconvenience. The clouds were dense, but still let through a lot of light. The streets looked eerily calm; there were no threats to be seen nor to be felt ¡ª no people, no monsters, no environmental hazards that Theora could make out.

    In short, she couldn¡¯t ascertain a reason or even hazard a guess as to why they were completely alone outside. There had been guards, after all, at the gates, so that was additionally confusing.

    ¡°Is the town abandoned?¡± she asked.

    Dema took a look around, gazing at the houses. ¡°Nah. They''re at home. Lots and lots at home.¡±

    Theora glanced at the windows ¡ª after a while, she could make out the occasional one that had lights burning inside. Though not as many as she would have expected from a settlement this large.

    ¡°I wonder what¡¯s going on,¡± she mused. ¡°The guard mentioned ¡®trouble¡¯ of some kind. Is it related to this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah I wonder too!¡± Dema cheered. ¡°Wanna knock on a door and ask?¡±

    Theora hesitated. That would have never occurred to her. The only time she¡¯d considered knocking on stranger¡¯s doors was when she¡¯d destroyed the System in the vicinity and offered her help to avoid negative consequences of that. That said, it didn¡¯t seem like an awful idea. ¡°Will you be doing the talking?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, of course!¡±

    With a sigh of relief, Theora nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡± Talking was tiring.

    Dema gave her a smile, then her expression turned contemplative as she studied the houses, presumably using [Appraise] on the people inside.

    After a while, Theora noticed that Dema wasn¡¯t just looking at a random house to join. She appeared to be¡­ searching for something?

    They went along the main street for a while, but every now and then Dema made them enter a side-street, as she was putting her chin in her hand. ¡°Hmm,¡± she hummed each time she looked at a building, but then turned away.

    They made their way up and down the rolling hills, sometimes returning to the level main street, pacing by smaller temples, a lot of residential buildings, some larger ones whose purpose Theora couldn¡¯t make out ¡ª although those mostly seemed abandoned.

    ¡°You know, if it¡¯s just about asking what¡¯s going on, we could just knock on any door, really,¡± Theora suggested.

    ¡°No!¡± Dema rasped firmly. ¡°Gotta be a perfect one!¡±

    ¡®Perfect one¡¯? Whatever could the ¡®perfect one¡¯ be that Dema was looking for?

    It¡¯s not like Theora minded ¡ª it was Dema who¡¯d volunteered to do the talking, so in her book, the girl could take as long to choose the house as she wanted.

    And after walking for about half an hour, Dema finally brightened up, and turned into a side-alley. A few steps in, a wooden stairway led up to a brick construction perched between two other houses ¡ª a small apartment in the air, suspended like a bridge. ¡°That one¡¯s really good!¡± Dema yelled. ¡°There¡¯s two women inside, and they have a baby! Just like us!¡±

    Theora choked on spit and coughed and spluttered, unable to form a clear sentence, so she just shut herself up.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Already at the top of the stairs, Dema knocked on the wooden door with three sound and clear punches, looking down wide-grinned as Theora went up to join her. A few moments later, the door swung open, and a young woman appeared. She had short red hair and freckles, green eyes and was wearing comfortable indoor clothing; loose garments and a short scarf. She was almost as thin as Dema, but had much longer limbs.

    Her eyes went up and down Dema¡¯s body, and then, with raised eyebrows, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°We wanna talk to your wife!¡± Dema exclaimed.

    The woman blushed ever so faintly, started shaking her head in confusion, and opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Dema proceeded to point at some area in the house, where apparently she knew the other person was, due to her [Appraise].

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡ª¡± the woman started. ¡°We¡¯re not¡­ I¡­ I mean¡­ We¡¯re just roommates!¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Dema cheered.

    ¡°Uhm¡­ Well, Balinth can¡¯t come to the front right now, she¡¯s busy. Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Dema let out, and then pointed at herself. ¡°I¡¯m Dema. And that cutie there is little rabbit.¡±

    ¡°Theora,¡± Theora supplied.

    ¡°We¡¯re travellers! We just arrived, but it¡¯s, like, a total ghost town! We got no clue about what¡¯s going on. So our big plan was to just, knock and ask.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± the woman hummed, and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m Helena.¡± She looked back and forth between Theora and Dema, as if lost in thought for a moment. ¡°So you are¡­ just¡­ travelling companions?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, for now!¡± Dema confirmed, and Theora wanted to just sink into the ground and disappear.

    Still, even though it always ended up in a complete and utter mess when she let Dema ¡®do the talking¡¯, she¡¯d always choose that mental fluster damage any day over actually having to speak herself.

    Somehow, Dema¡¯s response made Helena smile, and she opened her door a little wider. ¡°I guess we can have a coffee in solidarity,¡± she said, stroking a hand through her hair, and went back into the house, leaving the door open for the two of them.

    Dema gave Theora a proud smile following her accomplishment, and then scuttered inside. Meanwhile, Theora had absolutely no clue how this short talk had resulted in this outcome. It was like having seen incomprehensible magic performed in front of her very eyes. Like Dema had hacked her way through a System prompt with a string of fuzzy and nonsensical words that somehow cracked it open at its seams.

    ¡°Hell? Everything okay?¡± a feminine voice echoed out from the depths of the apartment, and Helena shouted back in the affirmative.

    Dema scrubbed her bare feet over the entrance mat and vanished into the small home, while Theora took a moment to unlatch her boots and then joined after. Following a few turns through the cosy rooms filled with cute little wooden sculptures and tons of books, Theora arrived in the living room, where the person who was apparently Balinth sat on a large chair. She was a large and plump woman with a cute and round face, coily dark hair and a healed-over crooked and broken nose. She was nursing a baby she held in her arms.

    Dema shouted a short ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Dema!¡± at her and looked around in the pretty room. Then, she plopped herself down on the sofa across Balinth. When Theora just awkwardly stood in the corner for a few moments, Dema patted the space on the couch next to her, and said, ¡°Sit!¡±

    Feeling awkward enough already, Theora just obliged, and slowly and shyly joined Dema on that couch, feeling the body warmth in a way she rarely did otherwise, because typically, she managed to keep a healthy distance. But now, their legs almost touched as they sat side-by-side, and Theora did her best to not accidentally bump into Dema.

    As the two of them sat down in front of her, Balinth¡¯s face cheered up dramatically. ¡°Nice to meet you!¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t get to meet many people, since¡­¡± She pointed down to her leg. It was bandaged heavily and seemed unable to carry any weight. ¡°Glad to have guests.¡±

    ¡°Glad to be here!¡± Dema replied and nodded to the baby. ¡°How old?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s three months now. Her name¡¯s Zeka.¡±

    ¡°Yours?¡±

    Balinth nodded.

    Theora could barely focus on their conversation. When had she and Dema ever been so close? Usually, the two of them were travelling the open world, where there was enough space to never have to engage closer than an arm¡¯s-length with one-another. Even when taking care of Dema while sick, Theora had maintained as much distance as possible.

    And, of course, the hugs were a new thing too, but hugs were hugs, and that was very different compared to just sitting next to each other leisurely.

    After all, a hug had a proper function ¡ª hugs existed to calm emotions; the pressure on the nervous system helped one struggle through life. This sitting-next-to-each-other was very different in comparison; it didn¡¯t calm Theora down at all. If anything, it elevated her heartbeat to amounts she rarely felt even when fighting off the world¡¯s strongest creatures.

    In contrast, Dema barely felt fazed at all. She bumped into Theora multiple times as she shuffled herself into a comfortable position, and although they were the softest bumps imaginable, the spots where she hit Theora were left feeling like impact craters of gentle warmth.

    Theora¡¯s head started spinning.

    Dema stretched her head a little to get a better view of the baby, and grinned ear to ear while doing so. After a moment, she flopped back down on the sofa, touching Theora hip-to-hip, which sent electrical shivers all over Theora¡¯s skin.

    This was definitely close to getting too much.

 Chapter 52: Lots of Trouble

    At that moment, Helena joined them too, having a bowl filled with cookies in one hand, and a tablet with cups and a jug of water on it in the other. She placed them down on the small wooden table in front of them, and then sat down on a chair next to Balinth.

    As the scent of the cookies filled Theora¡¯s nose, she strongly considered learning to bake. That wish intensified when she saw Dema¡¯s happy face as she picked the first one up and bit down on it in pure bliss.

    ¡°Gotta love cookies!¡± she yelled out, mouth full. ¡°They remind me a lot of rocks!¡±

    Of course they did.

    If Theora acquired some kind of baking Skill, would she be able to bake cookies out of rock?

    Probably not. Having a brewing Skill that did that was already remarkable enough. It¡¯s not like learning general Skills like that was a common occurrence; she was lucky to even have two, and after all, a hundred years had first passed before she¡¯d gotten the second one. And since then, barely twenty years had gone by. So, would it take another eighty for her to get a new one?

    She only now realised she was still staring. Dema reciprocated the gaze with raised eyebrows, as if asking a silent question, still slowly chewing on the cookie. Feeling caught, Theora looked down.

    ¡°So, what brings you here?¡± Balinth asked, taking in each of the three other adults in the room one by one. When she eventually rested on Helena, she added, ¡°Do you know them?¡±

    ¡°Nope. Never seen them. They¡¯re travellers. Wanted to ask some questions, and since there¡¯s nobody in the streets¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Balinth said, shrugging. ¡°Makes sense, makes sense.¡±

    ¡°So, you gonna tell us what this is about?¡± Dema ventured. ¡°The guard who let us into town was being really vague. Some kinda issue?¡±

    Helena leaned back on her chair. ¡°Well. I don¡¯t know how much you know about Hallmark? Essentially, there¡¯s an issue with the mana crystals that are powering the city. Most of them are in the mountains around.¡± Saying that, she made a circling gesture with her fingers at what Theora assumed to be the boundaries of the settlement. ¡°And some of them are underground, too.¡±

    ¡°Good to know!¡± Dema cheered. ¡°So, like¡­ Mana based classes refill their stuff on those crystals? And so they can help the town go big?¡±

    ¡°Yes, more or less,¡± Balinth replied. ¡°But a few weeks ago, the veins got infested by Afterthoughts. Many, many. Guards fighting them back, but¡­ It¡¯s just too many. And they have to divide efforts between all the veins so the Afterthoughts won¡¯t seep out and wreak havoc.¡±

    Theora frowned. That sounded rather peculiar.

    On the other hand, she really had no idea what kind of problems usually befell large cities, because she rarely spent a lot of time in any. Of course, it was possible for Afterthoughts to form around mana crystal veins; it wasn¡¯t unheard of, but a sudden spark like that indicated that something had happened to cause it.

    Was that why the guard had asked to announce her arrival? In hopes that whoever or whatever was responsible for this outbreak would yield now that she was here?

    It was a weird and uncomfortable feeling. Could Theora¡¯s mere existence serve as a deterrent? She did not like to draw attention to herself; it was tiring and uncomfortable, so she¡¯d barely considered that possibility. The possibility of existing loudly. It made her deeply uncomfortable to think about.

    But then, suddenly, a flash of memory came to her, sending shivers over her skin. The last words of the Devil of Truth sunk back into her mind like hot iron.

    ¡°A true shame. Had I known the Roaming Blight was still alive, I would have stayed dormant in hell.¡±

    It felt like a bucket of ice-cold water emptied on her head. How had she never seen the true meaning of these words before? How had she never really grasped what he had told her?

    If Theora had been more boastful about her existence; if she had given her name more frequently, lived in a way that was impossible for others to forget or ignore, would that have resulted in less evils inflicted on the world?

    The truth was, Theora understood that deterrence wouldn¡¯t always work; it may even just have a very small effect, and maybe it wasn¡¯t a good strategy. On the other hand, revenge wasn¡¯t, either. Regardless of whether her existing loudly or not would make the situation better, at the very least she could assume that if, by any means, the Devil of Truth had known she was still watching the planet, perhaps he would never have attacked.

    If she¡¯d done things differently, the people who¡¯d been in that hospital might not have died the gruesome way they did.

    It was a terrifying thought. One that she knew she needed to contain for now, so she closed her eyes firmly for a few seconds and tried to focus back on where she was and why.

    That¡¯s right ¡ª she was with Dema, in Hallmark, and had just been told that Afterthoughts were threatening the city. And at least with that, Theora could help. She could walk from one outbreak to the next and dispatch all the Afterthoughts. Of course, being just one person, there was a certain limit to how much she could do, but maybe she could start to make up for her mistakes of the past.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Except that her future was bearing down on her as well.

    ¡°Do you know if the city has a library?¡± she asked. ¡°Or a university? Or a place for scholars?¡±

    ¡°All of these, all,¡± Balinth said. ¡°I can¡ª Hell, can you get out the map?¡±

    Dema grinned. ¡°Why you callin¡¯ her Hell! You know, that¡¯s where I come from, actually.¡±

    Balinth huffed. ¡°Helena is far too innocent of a name for her. You¡¯ll see.¡±

    ¡°Oh, stop it!¡± Helena jumped in, blushing slightly. ¡°You two can call me Hell too, honestly. I gave my full name on reflex.¡± After that, Hell got up to get the map, and Dema started involving Balinth in a conversation about the banes and boons of having a daughter.

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve just got one too!¡± she said. ¡°A few weeks ago.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Balinth let out, her smile turning wider. ¡°That¡¯s amazing! Oh, it has to be hard while travelling? Where is she? Did you manage to find a babysitter? Or is your party larger than just the two of you?¡±

    ¡°Actually,¡± Dema said, her face slowly depleting into a sour grimace. ¡°She ain¡¯t with us right now.¡±

    ¡°That sounds awful. What happened?¡±

    ¡°She ran away!¡±

    Balinth hesitated for a moment, and frowned. ¡°Wait, how old was she again?¡±

    Dema scrunched up her face in thought. ¡°Not too sure, honestly. Maybe like¡­ twenty million years? Give or take.¡±

    Balinth blinked, and then decided not to pursue this line of questioning any further. Instead, her gaze switched to Theora. ¡°You¡¯ve got an interesting companion,¡± she said, and Theora opened her mouth to respond, but wasn¡¯t sure what to say.

    ¡°Truth be told,¡± she eventually said, ¡°All of what Dema just said is true. It¡¯s a very complicated situation. I¡¯m going to explain it all to you in detail when we have time, if you so wish.¡±

    Balinth sighed. ¡°Complicated situation, huh? I can relate to that.¡±

    ¡°Oh? How!¡± Dema cheered.

    With a shy shrug, Balinth answered, ¡°Well, Hell¡¯s a long-time friend of mine and moved in a while ago to help when I was pregnant, and then with the baby too. Now¡¯s curfew, so she¡¯s stuck. I feel a little bad for her.¡±

    Dema¡¯s smile grew as she heard the words, and then let out, ¡°Somehow, I think you don¡¯t gotta feel bad! It¡¯s gonna be fine, I bet. I¡¯m already sure she loves being here.¡±

    Balinth let out a soft and surprised laugh, and then shrugged. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to hear?¡± At that moment, Hell returned into the room, so Balinth cleared her throat and said, ¡°Anyway, from what you¡¯ve been saying, I take it you¡¯re not just any travellers? Heroes of the System?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s one!¡± Dema blared out immediately, somehow in a voice full of pride. ¡°She¡¯s super strong! I bet she¡¯s gonna take care of your little Afterthought issue in no time. Because actually, we got some other stuff to do too. We wanna find someone who can locate our daughter, and we gotta get info on little rabbit¡¯s current quest. Something about Fragments of Time. That¡¯s why she asked for a place with scholars!¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Balinth nodded, and pointed at the map Hell had brought back with her. ¡°Would you mind showing them the magitech guild?¡± Balinth looked up. ¡°¡®Fragment of Time¡¯ sounds a bit like an item, right? Maybe rather than a scholar, go to them first? They specialise in magical utensils and ancient artefacts.¡±

    Magitech? Was that a new kind of discipline? Theora had never heard of it before, but it did sound like it vaguely hit the mark. Of course, she had no clue if a Fragment of Time was actually an item of any sort, but it was worth a try, especially since they could always just ask in the library afterwards anyway.

    Then, Theora asked about the headquarters of the guards who took care of the outer defences and the mana crystal veins, and received a location quite close to the centre of Hallmark.

    ¡°It¡¯s just one of their outposts, but it¡¯s the biggest one, so you might find what you¡¯re looking for there,¡± Balinth said.

    So with that, at the very least, Theora had her first and second location to visit in this town set for herself. She glanced at Dema, who was still occupied staring at the baby. They¡¯d already walked the entire day, and it was getting late. ¡°Hey, Dema, do we want to go find a place to sleep?¡±

    Dema looked up and frowned in thought, and meanwhile, Balinth and Hell exchanged a glance.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how easy it¡¯s going to be to find something,¡± Balinth suggested. ¡°Can always crash here for a night, though, we have a guest room. If it¡¯s okay for you to sleep in one bed, that is.¡±

    ¡°I can sleep on the ground!¡± Dema cheered.

    Theora gently shook her head. ¡°I will be the one to sleep on the ground.¡±

    ¡°No! Me! Don¡¯t take this away from me!¡±

    ¡°I know you enjoy sleeping on rocks, but this is not going to be rocks, it¡¯s going to be the floor,¡± Theora tutted. ¡°Aren¡¯t you exhausted from the journey? And, you still haven¡¯t fully recovered from your injuries. You need a soft and warm bed.¡± After a moment of thought, Theora added with a glance to Balinth, ¡°Also, I would not feel great about imposing on the two of you. Maybe we should look for another place to sleep first and come back only if we don¡¯t find anything.¡±

    Hell looked dejected, letting out a short ¡°Aw!¡± and giving Balinth a sad look. ¡°It¡¯s not imposing at all! Guests are no problem for us. Plus, It¡¯s been a bit lonely with the curfew.¡±

    ¡°Curfew? Because of the Afterthoughts?¡± Dema asked.

    Hell nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not enforced or anything, just a suggestion. But, baby and injured leg? Not going to happen. So, we¡¯ve been at home.¡±

    Dema turned her head to Theora. ¡°Sure we don¡¯t wanna stay?¡±

    Her face was way too close. This was hard to bear.

    ¡°Staying it is,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°But, please let me help with household-work.¡±

    Dema snorted. ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna be busy enough already! I can do the household stuff! And help with the baby.¡±

    Theora closed her eyes for a few seconds to parse what was happening.

    So, she was going to waltz into this house of these two nice people, exploit their hospitality and space, and she wouldn¡¯t even get to make up for it by helping out? This was crushing.

    Also, she still hadn¡¯t recovered from the split-second idea of sharing a bed with Dema.

    That said, if there was a task only she could do, then it was true that she¡¯d need to prioritise it. In other words, she would do her best to help out with the Afterthoughts, at least until the threat was contained. Then, she could still make up for all the hospitality afterwards. She would just mentally take note of every single thing that they would do for her, and then reciprocate it with interest the moment she got a bit of free time on her hands.

    At that, she gave a weak little sigh, still feeling Dema¡¯s warmth on her way too strongly.

    She¡¯d just have to address one problem after the next, and hopefully, she¡¯d be able to keep up.

    Starting with the Afterthoughts.

 Chapter 53: First Day of Work

    The very next morning, Theora got up with a groggy head.

    She wanted to go back to sleep. Oh, so badly. What would she give for another hundred years of sleep? Suddenly, it occurred to her that maybe, she should have savoured all of her sleep during the Devil¡¯s quest a bit more. On the other hand, she¡¯d been asleep due to stress and heavy feelings, so maybe expecting her to have savoured it was a bit much. But this was Future-Theora now, and Past-Theora had no way of defending herself.

    So, Past-Theora should have savoured her sleep more, Theora decided, and weakly went on to put one foot after the next, doing her best to not fall right back asleep. Before she left the cosy little room filled with books and an almost human-sized statue of what seemed like a person with wildly unrealistically shaped hair and stylised face, Theora glanced over Dema¡¯s snoring face.

    They had ended up both sleeping on the ground, a little cramped, head by head, but bodies pointing in different directions. Theora was tall, so she hadn¡¯t been able to stretch her legs out. Instead, she¡¯d slept on the side, her legs pulled up towards her chest.

    But that offered a new conundrum compared to sleeping on her back ¡ª should she lie facing Dema¡¯s upside-down face of ashen and coal-coloured skin with amber lips and rough hair, or lie looking away? In the end, she hadn¡¯t been able to decide, and just kept turning around.

    And at one point during the night, Theora had been poked on her forehead by Dema¡¯s horn.

    She still felt the sparkles at that exact point on her skin.

    It was slowly dawning on Theora that she was in big trouble.

    She brewed herself a morning tea in the kitchen ¡ª it was really early, and while the sun had already risen, it was hidden behind a dense layer of clouds and fog and drizzly rain. Balinth was also awake, cradling Zeka to her chest, walking up and down the short hallway next to the kitchen because it left more space to walk than any other room in their small apartment.

    ¡°She can¡¯t sleep,¡± Balinth explained, and Theora nodded. She vaguely remembered having held a sleepless child in that manner before, though it must have been a long time ago.

    That thought somehow made her miss Iso. Would she ever get to hold Iso? Being a person made of rock, she¡¯d be very heavy, but Theora was confident she could lift her and hold her safe. On the other hand, perhaps Iso would never want something like this. Iso didn¡¯t even know her, after all.

    Somehow, that stung.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be home,¡± Theora eventually murmured after placing a cup of tea on a cupboard for Balinth and proceeding to make one for herself. ¡°Please don¡¯t wait for me, it might be late.¡±

    Balinth nodded, stroking over Zeka¡¯s hair. ¡°Should we leave you some food for dinner? For when you come back? Or will you eat while out?¡±

    Theora halted her efforts to put leaves into a sieve, and stared at Balinth. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t need food. Please, don¡¯t inconvenience yourselves.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need food,¡± Balinth repeated dryly.

    Theora nodded. ¡°I can will myself to stay conscious and functional despite hunger.¡±

    ¡°That really sounds like you do need food.¡±

    A moment passed, and Theora already opened her mouth to object, but somehow, Balinth¡¯s expression made clear that it wasn¡¯t a question. She had her eyebrows slightly raised, one maybe a hint higher than the other, and pursed her lips.

    It wasn''t a question, it was a very gentle order. Theora swallowed.

    How often did people give her orders? It was a rather peculiar feeling. Even as a child, when she¡¯d still been a functional, non-broken human person, she¡¯d always just done whatever she wanted, and the people around her hadn¡¯t bothered to try and exert authority over her, perhaps because they knew it wouldn¡¯t have worked.

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    Theora didn¡¯t like the idea of authority. At the same time, she realised that this was a particularly vile and hypocritical thing for her to think, with how many lives she¡¯d ended in her time in a complete and utter exertion of power over another person. She¡¯d come to accept it in the manner of thinking that these beings, while not being a threat to her, had still threatened the very lives of countless innocent and uninvolved people, and she was aware of the fact that it wasn¡¯t possible to extend peace to those who threatened it, but¡­

    She took a deep breath. Overthinking again. Remember the rule.

    Ah. Despite everything, Theora still tried her best to follow that rule, didn¡¯t she? A rule that had absolutely no leverage behind it, one that Dema couldn¡¯t uphold by force, just by virtue of forming the mere request and Theora obliging. And yet, Theora would never question it, only try to remember.

    ¡°Alright,¡± she murmured, with a soft sigh. ¡°If you¡ª if you want to, I¡¯d be happy about receiving leftover food.¡± Theora gulped.

    Maybe she would feel a little better about herself if she put something in her stomach for once. At that thought, piercing the layers of bitterness and ignoring all stings of apathy in her mind, she managed to muster the smallest amount of excitement at the prospect of receiving a home-made meal at the end of her upcoming day.

    That little thing, and the fact that she¡¯d see Dema again, made her look forward to coming back home.

    And with that feeling softly bubbling in her chest, she got dressed for outside and left. She¡¯d initially planned to go to one of the larger guard stations first and ask how she could help there, but after studying the map of Hallmark, she¡¯d seen that one of the mana crystal veins was rather close-by, accessible through a tunnel in a small valley a few minutes¡¯ walk downhill, so she wanted to check it out first-hand.

    The entire town had a strong verticality to it, some houses¡¯ entrances higher than the roofs of others, as the streets went up and down, meandering ¡ª except for the large main street cutting towards the heart of the large settlement, which had been kept level artificially. Likely to aid travelling carts.

    Again, nobody was out on the street. The fog was still dense, which made finding the entry she was looking for a little harder than she¡¯d hoped. She paced through the streets, the frills of her cloak dancing in the air behind her.

    The rain was slowly seeping into her clothes and forming dropping beads on her face. Ah, to be a little betta fish swimming through fog-muddied water in an ocean of a town she had all for herself. She almost lost herself in that feeling until finally, she managed to find what she was looking for.

    It was a small temple. Slanted green roofs, no door. One could just walk in. Two guards stood in front of it. A small woman in an iron armour, and a demon without protection, just wearing manifold warm clothing. Both sported the emblem of the city guard on their chest.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Theora started. ¡°May I go in?¡±

    The human woman frowned. ¡°You¡¯re a free person, I assume? Do what you want.¡± She was round and small and pale, with a hardened face littered with long-since healed over scars. Probably about forty years old, with glaring brown eyes.

    ¡°We¡¯re not here to keep people out,¡± the demon added in an oily voice. From what Theora knew, demons were largely able to choose their own appearance. This one had bright and smooth crimson skin and black eyes, a small and thick build, though still a head taller than their colleague. Overall it seemed like they made a strong effort to not give off a strong gender expression one way or another, and Theora couldn¡¯t help but feel that this person vaguely resembled a furless red panda. ¡°Are you a traveller? I wouldn¡¯t recommend going down there, the place is full of Afterthoughts.¡± The demon waved a hand in front of their chin and scrunched one side of their face, to show a hint of reluctance. ¡°They can¡¯t get out easily due to the architecture of the staircase, so this place isn¡¯t cleared as often as the others. That means they are much stronger.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Theora said, and went to move to the stairs inside the temple.

    At that moment, she felt the woman grab onto her upper arm. It was a firm hold. ¡°Rogue¡¯s saying the ones down there are hella strong. You got that? Don¡¯t come back out crying. What¡¯s your Level?¡±

    Theora double-checked her sheet.

    Ah, that¡¯s right. She was an uncorrupted [Stargazer] now, so she actually had a meaningful Level. It was alright to boast a little every now and then, right? To show off the fact that not all of her was broken, and that she had a precious and wonderful Class by now. It made her almost feel prideful to be able to answer honestly for once without alienating people with her glitched-out and broken self.

    ¡°One,¡± she said.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna fucking die. Don¡¯t make me throw you to the ground.¡±

    ¡°Hey Magda,¡± Rogue said. ¡°We aren¡¯t here to keep people out. She¡¯s been warned, so be it.¡±

    Magda shot him a cold and angry glance. ¡°So what, we just let her die on our watch?¡±

    ¡°Rest assured,¡± Theora voiced calmly, and gently peeled the stranger¡¯s fingers off her arm. Then, she walked past the two, leaving them to stand behind. Immediately, they started whispering and even hissing at each other, and a few moments later, she heard steps following her down the stone stairs.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to come with you,¡± Magda said. ¡°And drag you out when you¡¯ve got your winds knocked out.¡±

 Chapter 54: Stationary

    At the bottom of the stairs lay a grand hall.

    Mana crystals were sources of power edged into the world like firm anchors. They couldn¡¯t be moved even if excavated; they always stayed in place and continuously exuded an amount of ambient magical energy vaguely related to their size and purity.

    This hall, deep down in the mountainous earth, was full of mana crystals, all of which floated around in the empty space, any rubble and stone and soil once found between them now removed. The hall itself was vast and laid in stone bricks with different colours showing a giant picture story of some old legend Theora wasn¡¯t aware of.

    And it was filled to the brink with Afterthoughts of all sizes, shapes, and types.

    At the edges of the mana crystals, as if floating out from a beehive, a continuous swarm of Afterthoughts was spit out into the world. They were the same low-level types Theora had encountered when saving Nate during the System outage she had caused. Shadowy blotches, mostly person-shaped, some looking like animals, jumped out in hordes. Many couldn¡¯t fly, so they fell to the ground, scrambling to get up and run away.

    Most didn¡¯t last long. One by one, they were devoured by higher level Afterthoughts lying in wait on the ground. Torn apart, then absorbed.

    The higher level Afterthoughts were much more clearly defined. Their bodies sported colours, some even details. They didn¡¯t look completely human, or like animals, but the resemblance was much closer. Theora could make out a specific person they may have been a mirror of, or an animal or monster they¡¯d been born from.

    For most of them, that is. Others were just random shapes. Just geometrical or mathematical absurdities with circles for mouths or fractals for legs, or wings, or limbs, or none of that.

    What all of them had in common was that their appearance screamed out against the reality they¡¯d been placed in. They warped their immediate surroundings like flickers in the air around a hot surface. They cracked and buzzed at their edges; like frizzly small bursts of iridescent lightning, or black nothingness licking at the world in tongues of black flames moving far too quickly.

    The System was a vast amount of data overlaid on reality. And sometimes, part of that System went rogue. Broke off, got corrupted, or simply slipped through the seams containing reality, permeating a membrane they were not meant to pass.

    And thus, an Afterthought was created. If they contained enough data, they were able to imitate thought or speech or movements, cause harm or destruction. Through a process not unlike evolution, the ones that happened to devour other Afterthoughts, while rare, did come into existence every now and then. Those were the ones who would evolve and grow strong enough to harm even the strongest people, animals, and monsters.

    Because of that, the System rewarded their elimination with experience granted to a person¡¯s Class.

    Magda and Rogue didn¡¯t enter the hall together with Theora. As she made steps further inside, some of the Afterthoughts scuttled away.

    Ah, that was worrying. Were they cognisant enough to recognise her as a threat? Considering it was mostly the strong and well-defined looking ones who ran from her, it seemed possible. And if that was the case, that likely meant no other human in town had the capabilities to destroy them.

    Had they let other places run rampant like this as well?

    But¡­ if there were specimens down here who were able to perceive a Level 1 Stargazer Theora as a threat, then that meant they totally could walk up the stairs. They just chose not to.

    Why?

    Theora felt a little shudder run down her back. Something wasn¡¯t right about all this.

    Yes, mana crystals could spawn Afterthoughts, but it was rather rare. In comparison, this looked like an Afterthought factory. It was either the result of one of the weirdest quirks of nature, or it was happening by someone¡¯s design.

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    These Afterthoughts were a mess; they weren¡¯t focussed on a single target, but instead all running their own agenda of either devouring others, trying not to get eaten, or pursuing much less apparent and more abstract goals that couldn¡¯t be discerned from simple looks. Theora would thus not be able to dispatch them in one go; she needed to target each one of them separately, and hope that casting [Obliterate] this many times in quick succession didn¡¯t end up yielding unsavoury results. This was definitely not ideal.

    And, as long as the crystals kept producing more, she would have to come back every few hours to clear the space.

    And there were hundreds of these places all across town? How could Theora possibly keep up with that?

    She looked back at Magda and Rogue. ¡°No wonder you were overwhelmed,¡± she murmured at them. ¡°It¡¯s remarkable the town is holding up.¡±

    ¡°Well, we aren¡¯t weak, you know!¡± Magda stuttered, although she did seem slightly humbled at the sight of Theora acting as a magic repellant to the strongest beings in the hall.

    Theora had no access to [Appraise], but if these two were sent to keep this chaos contained, and considering the fact they had actually dared to come down here with her, their Levels were likely well within triple digits.

    Theora turned back to the spectacle of Afterthoughts. She briefly considered using [Obliterate] on the mana crystals. If they were destroyed, the influx would stop. However, the town¡¯s existence relied on those crystals. Maybe she could destroy some of them as a last resort, if they couldn¡¯t stop this any other way and if it would end up putting the people in town in grave danger, but it could never be her first approach.

    Then, what?

    ¡°When did this start? And how?¡± Theora echoed into the hall, without looking at the guards.

    ¡°A few weeks ago,¡± Rogue said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t sudden; just one after the next, the crystals started vomiting monsters. Within a few days, all were infected.¡±

    Theore hummed. ¡°Did you place intact crystals under surveillance after it started?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Magda yelled into the room so her soft voice would carry over the crunching and tearing sounds of thousands of Afterthoughts. ¡°But the guards were knocked out, and then the crystals were infected anyway.¡±

    Huh. That was interesting. ¡°Knocked out,¡± Theora repeated. ¡°How many casualties have there been so far?¡±

    ¡°Injuries,¡± Rogue said. ¡°But nobody died.¡±

    So, harming the city or its population wasn¡¯t the primary goal. Or, maybe, it was an outcome that was being actively avoided. If the guards had been ¡®knocked out¡¯, that meant it was likely a person or a group of people running a stealth operation to infect the crystals.

    Theora stared at the crystals for a while, unsure what to do. She had an idea in her head, but¡­ was it really something she should do? She imagined that this town likely had fairly capable people, and that they probably had figured that this was an operation of some kind, and that something enchanted or cursed the crystals to produce corrupt System data. Judging from the fact that they still needed help, they hadn¡¯t found a way to undo this affliction despite all of their resources.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to try something,¡± Theora said. ¡°Stay back.¡±

    She paced through the hall until she found a smaller crystal that floated low enough so she could touch it. She reached out with her hand, and started absorbing the crystal¡¯s mana as soon as she was in range. The flow of Afterthoughts from that crystal stopped.

    That much was to be expected; there was no way to harvest that much mana from so many crystals on a grand scale, though. The town wouldn¡¯t be able to contain it. Theora glanced back to the guards, both of which still stood in safe distance, inside the staircase. That was good.

    What if Theora just moved one of those immovable crystals? If she shoved it aside, maybe it would stop or destroy the enchantment. Perhaps it was limited to a certain location. Or, if she could move the crystals, she could gather them all in one spot, making it much easier to take care of the Afterthought production.

    Of course, in order to push away or move an immovable object, Theora needed to be immovable herself. In fact, she needed to be more immovable. Or, heavier. So, she focussed really hard on the fact that she didn¡¯t want to move right now. She felt the lethargy seep back into her limbs. Her deep desire to sleep, for a hundred years, and not be awoken. She thought about the heavy loads she carried, her responsibilities and flaws. How it all made every single gesture that much harder by bogging her down.

    She thought about how her tongue was too heavy, how it made talking a chore. How her legs felt like they were made of the densest stone, and how she needed to exert all her willpower to keep her mind in motion, and not slip away into dark oblivion.

    She felt the change as it happened. How she was anchored by the weight of her existence. Putting all these thoughts into her mind, becoming aware of them, internalising them, she was rendered immovable.

    Much more immovable ¡ª much heavier ¡ª than a random rock floating around somewhere in the air.

    And so, she pushed.

 Chapter 55: To Budge the Immovable

    As immovable Theora pushed hard against the crystal, she got catapulted away.

    Like a cannonball, she shot through hoards of Afterthoughts, destroying them all, shockwave blasting. Then, she plummeted into the side of the hall in an explosion of rock and dirt and brick, leaving a crater the size of a house. Debris shot off into the area, dispatching hundreds of additional creatures. The hall erupted into chaos, wild screeches resembling the echoes of voices and growls and whimpers broke out as the creatures scrambled out of the way and into the corners. The guards yelled and shouted unintelligible words.

    Theora felt masses of stone tumble down on her, exerting a gentle pressure on her entire body.

    She frowned.

    This was, honestly, really discouraging. Hadn¡¯t she put in her best efforts to become stationary? Why had she still been blown away?

    That said, something didn¡¯t feel right. Because, regardless of the reality of her having been launched off, she didn¡¯t feel like she had moved at all. In fact, she was still immobile, feeling drowsy and heavy. She had made herself immovable, and now she couldn¡¯t get up. She felt way too tired to rise from the rock.

    But if she hadn¡¯t moved, then why was she in the wall now, and not the crystal?

    It felt suspicious.

    Theora started racking her brain about this. How could she have moved if she was immovable?

    She couldn¡¯t have. It must have been the crystal that had moved. Except, the crystal was still floating where it was before.

    Did this have to do with some weird magical effect? Some kind of Skill?

    It seemed unlikely. What kind of Skill could launch Theora against her will? That was even less likely. She had specifically willed herself to be stationary, and it was rather disheartening that she seemed to have moved anyway.

    Except, she still really didn¡¯t feel like she had moved.

    She thought it over in her head again and again, and couldn¡¯t come to a satisfying conclusion. Out of frustration more than anything, she activated [Head in the Clouds]. She wasn¡¯t outside right now, so she closed her eyes and imagined a wide sky as accurately as she could.

    What in the world just happened?

    [Head in the Clouds].

    Answer: Darling, you rotated the planet.

    Theora stared at the response. That made absolutely no sense to her. She rotated the planet? What? As per usual, her Class was completely¡ª

    Before she could end her thought, Theora blinked.

    Ah. Of course.

    Yes, she had rotated the planet. Oh no.

    If the crystals were truly stationary, they would cut through the earth as it rotated. But, they didn¡¯t. They stayed in-place in relation to the planet, because they were anchored to the planet. That¡¯s what made them immovable. They were stuck to the planet.

    So when she¡¯d successfully shoved the crystal, she¡¯d also successfully shoved the planet. But since Theora herself hadn¡¯t changed location, she¡¯d crashed into the planet that was rotating around her.

    In a way, she was lucky she wasn¡¯t currently cutting through the planet due to her own inertia. To some extent, her movement was also tied to it ¡ª just to a lesser extent than the crystals because she didn¡¯t see herself as part of it.

    She sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she shouted out to the guards. ¡°I will fix it.¡±

    The two were still frantically yelling, but Theora hadn¡¯t listened to them so far.

    ¡°Oh thank god, you are alive?¡± an oily voice yelped.

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®fix it¡¯? The wall?¡±

    Ah, right. Theora had ruined the wall. She would need to repair that too. That would take weeks.

    Thankfully, putting the planet back was only going to take a moment. All she needed to do was break her self-imposed immovability and repeat the pushing process on the other side of the hall.

    ¡­ But how would she do that?

    Right now, she felt really, really tired. Tired and heavy, and close to dozing off. She had messed up again, big time. Just like back when she¡¯d destroyed part of the System. She really needed to get a grip. Spinning the planet because she was too lazy to clear the Afterthoughts by hand a few times? She truly was beyond help.

    And despite really wanting to, she couldn¡¯t just fall asleep for a hundred years right on the spot, either, because she needed to undo her mess and help these people.

    Ah, this was all so sad. She was so sad. So sad and empty and heavy and sleepy. Her eyelids felt like they had the gravitational pull of the sun. They just wanted to go down, down, down.

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    But then, right before closing, her lids jumped back up.

    That¡¯s right, she wasn¡¯t done for today.

    After a hard day¡¯s work, she would get to come home, and eat a homemade meal, and see Dema again. But for that to happen, she needed to make up for her mistake first, and then clear away all these Afterthoughts that were left in the hall. This hall, and all other halls she¡¯d be able to reach today, to relieve some of the pressure off the people in town.

    Theora sighed. She took a deep, steadying breath.

    She was immovable, and that made moving really hard.

    She could still control her limbs and face, just not get up and walk around. She had no idea how to undo this. It was a self-imposition, so getting out of it required her to be stronger than herself. This was going to be tiring. Especially because she¡¯d put herself in a position of gentle comfort, of not having to get up, of not having to move, and the idea of having to undo that was heartbreaking.

    After agonising about it for a while, and after reluctantly agreeing that she needed to get back up, and after banishing all the bad thoughts from her mind, she managed to come up with a plan. First, she extended her self-imposition to her limbs.

    Now, she was truly unmoving; petrified, lying there without being able to move a single muscle. That was a good start.

    Because now that she couldn¡¯t budge, she could focus on moving just a tiny part of herself. If she succeeded in moving, say, a finger, then she wasn¡¯t truly immovable anymore, and maybe that would break her self-imposition.

    And so, Theora chose her right index-finger, and tried very hard to bend it.

    It was just a finger, right? So, bending it shouldn¡¯t be too hard. She simply needed to exert all her power, and twitch it just the slightest bit.

    And so, she tried. She arched all the muscles in her body, pulling them tense like she couldn¡¯t remember having done in an eternity.

    Nothing ever required her full power. Nothing ever necessitated her to go all out. And now, every single fibre in her body lamented from the exertion, every tendon stretched as far as it could.

    She would have screamed or groaned or let out a frustrated yelp, but she didn¡¯t want the guards to worry. And so, she just yelled out in her mind, writhed and squirmed against impossible shackles she¡¯d placed on herself, trying to move the heaviest and most slumberous and sluggish object she had ever perceived ¡ª herself.

    This was taking a lot of strength. She would probably be sore tomorrow.

    And, finally, after tensing up to the brink for way too long, a slow lightning arc came free from her finger, dissipating into the air with a shockwave, and her finger moved ever so slightly. With that, the self-imposition broke apart.

    Slowly and feeling rather rattled, Theora peeled herself out of layers of rock and soil and dust, rumbled out of the crater, and stumbled back into the hall. She peeked to see if the guards were alright. Magda looked like she was gazing at ghosts, and Rogue was simply shocked.

    Theora bowed down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she repeated. ¡°I¡¯ll fix it now.¡±

    With that, she went back to the same crystal, and put her hand on it, although this time, pointing in the exact opposite direction.

    Magda started shaking her head in disbelief, rasping Rogue¡¯s arm as if to steady herself. ¡°What¡¯s she doing?¡± she muttered, but didn¡¯t receive an answer, because in the meantime, Theora had made herself immovable again, and repeated the process.

    In an earth-shattering explosion, the opposite side of the hall crashed into her. Again, the impact left a wake of utter destruction. However, she was fairly certain she¡¯d exerted about the same amount of strength in her push, and really hoped the planet was back in its correct rotational axis.

    Theora still felt weak from her first attempt, so breaking free from being immobile was much harder the second time around. It took her almost half an hour of lying around in rubble until she could finally bend a finger and get herself back up.

    The worst part of it all was that the crystal was still happily producing Afterthoughts without a care in the world. Seeing that, Theora felt her heart sink. She blinked and tried to focus on the task at hand instead. Yes, having accidentally rotated the planet and then forced herself to get up from such a cosy stony bed twice was dejecting, but she¡¯d fixed it now, and there were other things left to do.

    So, she started dispatching the remaining Afterthoughts. She didn¡¯t bother too much with the weak ones pouring out from the crystals, and instead focussed on using [Obliterate] on all the others. Her goal was to get to a point where no strong Afterthoughts were left. Still, they replicated quickly, so it took almost two hours to get to a point where she could deem the area safe for at least a while.

    In the meantime, the guards had made themselves comfortable ¡ª they hadn¡¯t entered the hall, but they were sitting on the stairs, making comments on Theora¡¯s every action. Magda¡¯s way to deal with the surreal display was apparently to make sarcastic jokes in the manner of, ¡°Of course, she just kills the level 600 Type A in a single hit. Sure, whatever. Not like that would have been a full raid party fight for us, yeah,¡± every five minutes.

    When Theora was done, she came back to the guards, nodded a goodbye, and went past them up the stairs.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Magda yelled out, and grabbed Theora¡¯s ankle, causing her to stop and look down at her questioningly. Magda simply gave a meaningful and exaggerated shrug. ¡°Haven¡¯t you forgotten something?¡±

    Theora felt another shudder go down her back. ¡°Yes, of course. Again, I apologise for the mess I¡¯ve made. I¡¯m sorry, I will fix the walls once I have time, and I will be more careful from now on.¡±

    Magda just shook her head, totally bewildered. ¡°No, I mean those,¡± she said, and pointed back into the hall, at heaps of compacted stray Afterthought goop. ¡°Not gonna pick those up?¡±

    Ah. She meant their residue. One needed to touch and absorb that goop to be rewarded with experience.

    Theora shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t need that. I don¡¯t even have¡ª¡±

    She halted. Actually, she was a Level 1 [Stargazer]. And judging from all those things she¡¯d just dispatched, that was likely enough to get her Class up hundreds of Levels. If she absorbed it, maybe she would gain another Skill?

    After all, Theora¡¯s Class had been useful today. It had given her the solution to the riddle she couldn¡¯t solve herself, because she wasn¡¯t all that good at physics. Maybe she¡¯d gain another pretty Skill.

    And so, she made off to absorb all the gunk. But first, she collected it all and placed it on a large heap, so she could take it all in at once. Oh, that was going to be so rewarding.

    Finally, she proudly looked at the gigantic mass she¡¯d put into a corner of the hall, and consumed it all in one go.

    You have received 3,924,824 Points of Experience.

    For a moment, Theora just looked at the now empty corner in front of her, waiting for something else to pop up.

    But, nothing did.

    No, that was definitely wrong. She opened a few HUD screens of the System, trying to find her experience bar. She¡¯d not looked at it in ages, so it took her a moment to find it. On the way, she noticed that, indeed, [Stargazer] was still Level one.

    When she finally found the bar, she almost choked.

    Experience collected until next Level-up: 0.3 %

    What an utterly, irredeemably useless Class.

    Theora took a deep breath. She couldn¡¯t wait to get home. Even though the day felt like it had only just begun. The others were probably having a nice day¡­ On that note, she wondered, what might Dema have been up to, in the meantime?

 Chapter 56: Pressed Lemon

    ¡°Why, that sounds good!¡± Dema went cheerfully, grinning wide. ¡°Dates are good! Good luck!¡±

    Her words left a particularly strong impact on Hell, who spluttered and blushed in response. ¡°I-It¡¯s not a date. We¡¯re just¡­¡±

    Balinth glanced back and forth between Dema and Hell with a curious expression. ¡°Date, date. I suppose we could call it one.¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Hell yelped out. ¡°Look. Just shopping! I just wanted to take you to buy a new dress. Since it¡¯s your birthday¡­ And your leg is getting better now, right?¡±

    Balinth nodded, knocking on her knee. Her foot was still bandaged up, but she¡¯d been moving around a bit more lately. Despite getting yelled at by Hell that one time, something about, ¡®Wake me up instead of carrying Zeka yourself when she can¡¯t sleep!¡¯

    It had been two weeks since Dema and Theora had arrived at their home. And Theora pretty much spent her entire days outside, taking care of Afterthoughts. At Dema¡¯s behest, Theora still sometimes stayed up with them in the evenings, though typically, Theora would just lie in a corner somewhere and doze away because of exhaustion.

    They were sitting in the living room, Balinth and Hell next to each other on the couch, in much a similar manner to the way Dema and Theora had sat on their first day. Meanwhile, Dema sat on the armchair, softly rocking Zeka¡¯s cradle in front of her back and forth with her foot. The little girl had been crying from stomach pains until only a few minutes ago, but fallen asleep by now.

    Dema was holding a cup of tea in her hand that she took sips from every now and then. Balinth and Hell also had cups standing on the table, but they were already empty. Next to them was a plate of cookies, as well as empty bowls of dinner they¡¯d eaten ¡ª tomato soup with sourdough bread that Hell had baked.

    ¡°Oh, also, I¡¯m gonna take care of Zeka while you¡¯re both out! Since she and I get along well.¡± Dema glanced over to the little girl.

    ¡°That would be a big help,¡± Balinth said. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°No problem! Gotta support each other. Solidarity and all.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®solidarity¡¯¡­¡± Hell whined, hiding her face in her hands.

    At that, Dema¡¯s face got a little gloomy. ¡°Why, the truth is, I¡¯ve been reading Bal¡¯s books, and they kinda hit close to home.¡±

    ¡°Oh? I hope not in a bad way?¡± Balinth asked, glancing over one of the bookshelves in the living room.

    ¡°Yeah, no!¡± Dema said. ¡°Well, took me a while to get into it. Books weren¡¯t really a thing back before I got sealed, so I never read much. But nobody¡¯s ever outside to mess with, so I gotta fill my time somehow¡­¡± She stared into the air in mischievous sadness for a moment, shaking her head as if lamenting her situation.

    Balinth nodded. ¡°Books are a pleasure, especially during these times. I¡¯ve been reading since I was small, and it¡¯s how¡­ well, how I noticed.¡±

    ¡°How you noticed what?¡± Hell asked.

    ¡°That I¡¯m not just into men,¡± Balinth said, raising her eyebrows teasingly, and Hell averted her gaze, embarrassed.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema yelled. ¡°That¡¯s what I was gonna say! You have so many books about women loving women. That¡¯s what¡¯s hitting close to home, because, like, I¡¯m also tryna romance a girl, you know!¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Balinth let out in delight. ¡°Need some advice? I¡¯m an expert on the topic.¡±

    ¡°Are you, now,¡± Hell lamented.

    Dema¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Why, that sounds good! I feel kinda stuck right now.¡±

    Hell picked up another cookie to distract herself, and Balinth pulled her eyebrows together in an expression of sympathy. ¡°Want to talk about it?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I guess there ain¡¯t any harm to it,¡± Dema murmured, and scrunched up her face. ¡°Like, I¡¯m kinda really into her. But also, she¡¯s got a ton of issues? Things are big time hard for her, and she¡¯s tryna work through it all, bit by bit. So I feel like I gotta give her lots of time!¡±

    Balinth nodded. ¡°In my experience, giving people time who still have to figure themselves out makes a lot of sense, yes, yes. Relationships can also struggle if people are swept up too quickly before they are ready.¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°But what if I take it too slow and she thinks I¡¯m not interested?¡±

    Hell seemed to be getting more and more uncomfortable. ¡°Are you sure we should be talking about this? Like, right now? Maybe some other time?¡±

    ¡°Why not!¡± Dema chirped, and Hell just raised her arms and made a confused expression as if it was obvious.

    ¡°What kind of issues?¡± Balinth asked.

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    Hell choked on her cookie. ¡°Oh, come on! That¡¯s taking it too far!¡±

    Dema put her chin in her hand. ¡°Like, for example¡­ I think she was alone her entire life? Just running from one extermination quest to the next.¡±

    ¡°So she doesn¡¯t have a lot of experience with people in general?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Bal! That¡¯s what I mean. Big time social buffoon, that girl. Makes her really easy to tease, though, so I don¡¯t mind. Also, she barely even talks if she can avoid it.¡± Dema took her foot from the cradle since Zeka seemed to be deep asleep by now, and sighed. ¡°And like¡­ Dunno if she even ever had a crush before. If I go too fast, I¡¯m gonna overwhelm her, and she¡¯s gonna hop away!¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Balinth confirmed, and Hell looked like she wanted to disappear on the spot. ¡°Have you tried talking to her about it?¡±

    ¡°Kinda tough,¡± Dema said, looking a bit dejected. ¡°Like¡­ When I say things like that, she doesn¡¯t take me seriously at all! Thinks it¡¯s all a scheme and that I¡¯m messing with her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯d never mess with her, yes,¡± Hell said sarcastically, shaking her head in a way that made her red hair dance around her head. ¡°Obviously she¡¯s completely wrong for ever thinking that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema agreed wholeheartedly. Then, she leaned back in her chair, expression turning into a sad frown. ¡°Also, she has this really bad idea stuck in her head where she thinks she¡¯s gonna kill me, and that messes her up big time. She slept a hundred years so she didn¡¯t have to deal with it.¡±

    Both of the others stared at Dema in confusion, but Balinth was used by now to half of Dema¡¯s statements to be complete nonsense, so she quickly caught herself. ¡°You think she likes you back?¡±

    ¡°Bal!¡± Hell yelped out, slapping her shoulder gently.

    Dema grinned. ¡°Oh, I think she does! Like, you wouldn¡¯t believe the kinda things the flowers said.¡±

    ¡°The flowers said,¡± Hell repeated, exasperated.

    ¡°She likes how I smell!¡± Dema cheered proudly.

    ¡°Oh yeah, that whole ash theme you¡¯ve got going for yourself, right?¡± Balinth smiled. ¡°That a perfume?¡±

    ¡°Nah, that¡¯s just me! Can¡¯t help it!¡±

    Balinth laughed. ¡°No reason you¡¯d need to help it. I was confused at first, thought our apartment was lighting on fire until I realised it was you. But, it¡¯s an acquired taste.¡±

    ¡°Why, thank you!¡±

    ¡°So, what do you like about her?¡±

    Dema gulped, and scratched her head, slightly embarrassed. ¡°Tons of things, honestly,¡± she said. ¡°She dotes on me and doesn¡¯t realise, and she¡¯s such an airhead in the cutest way. But like, if I had to pick one¡­ I was into her at first sight, you know? Because of that.¡±

    ¡°Please share!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should,¡± Hell murmured, but she was overruled.

    ¡°Actually, the thing is¡­ I¡¯m kinda really inexperienced myself when it comes to stuff like this,¡± Dema admitted, ruffling her own hair. ¡°Like, I also never had a crush before her, you know! I never met anyone who was kinda¡­ my type.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s your type?¡± Balinth asked, by now brightly grinning.

    ¡°Yeah, like¡­ I kinda got the hots for people who¡¯re stronger than me, you know¡­? I like the idea of someone treating me really rough.¡± She shrugged. ¡°And it¡¯s not just that. She makes me feel safe, too.¡±

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s stronger than you, huh?¡± Balinth said. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s not a surprise, considering she¡¯s the one going out to take care of the Afterthoughts. But based on how the two of you act around each other¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah like, I¡¯m not weak or anything¡­ But imagine li¡¯l old me, who never really met anyone who was stronger. And then this girl breaks into my eternal prison and is all like ¡®you can¡¯t hold a candle to me, give up or die¡¯. I got the shivers!¡± In reciting that, Dema actually very much shook herself for a moment like a wet animal.

    Hell choked on another cookie and then gave up eating. ¡°She did that?!¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°And you know, we were in this one place with that one strong guy, and he impaled me, and not gonna lie, that felt kinda hot. But damn, Theora just wiped the floor with him right after, and then she picked me up and carried me out, and I felt like I was just gonna faint.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really goddamn brave for just saying all these things right in front of her,¡± Hell murmured, shaking her head in disbelief.

    ¡°Why! Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s asleep!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not asleep,¡± Theora croaked with a dry throat, blushed in deep strawberry red, lying on a blanket next to the wall of the room so she could rest. ¡°You meanie.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you are!¡± Dema cheered.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true.¡±

    Dema had absolutely no clue about the damage she was causing. Ever since the conversation had steered to this topic, Theora¡¯d been paralysed by one truth bomb after the next, unable to react or defend herself. Just a little blushing mess in the corner of a room, overdosing from praise.

    ¡®Taking it slow¡¯? What a total meanie Dema was. This was tearing into Theora¡¯s defences with a fully loaded carriage. She couldn¡¯t even look at Dema. Maybe Dema truly was the Ancient Evil.

    Of course, Theora called it ¡®truth bombs¡¯ despite them probably not actually being that. There was no way Dema actually liked her to that extent ¡ª this was a scheme, after all. That, or Dema was messing with her. Having fun. She meant none of it. And even if all of what Dema had said was the truth, how could Theora possibly acknowledge that? She would turn into a puddle. In fact, she was already melting.

    Handling Dema roughly?

    She would never be able to do that. Dema was way too precious to be handled that way. It was unthinkable. As such, a relationship between them could never work. Theora couldn¡¯t even touch Dema gently right now. Doing it roughly was impossible.

    ¡°You alright, little rabbit?¡± she asked, staring into Theora¡¯s face with her large and beautiful amber eyes and her soft smirk. ¡°Or did I overdo it?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora blurted out. Yes to both. ¡°Make up for it.¡±

    Make up for it how? Maybe some of what Dema had said contained a grain of truth. Maybe she really did want the two of them to get closer.

    Perhaps ¡ª just perhaps ¡ª Theora could learn to be a strong girl and ask for a hug one day too. Because right now, she just felt hot and overwhelmed and her head was spinning, on top of her already feeling exhausted and tired and bad about all the things she¡¯d done, and she would give anything to have someone ¡ª to have Dema ¡ª press that all out of her like juice from a fruit.

    The truth was, Theora really wanted to be handled roughly for once, too.

 Chapter 57: Day in Day Out

    Theora¡¯s days soon became a sore mix of monotonous, strenuous, and busy. Weeks over weeks passed in a blur. They still didn¡¯t know what caused the Afterthought issue or how to solve it, and she barely had time to deal with anything else.

    ¡°Hey, you alright?¡± Magda asked one morning.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, yes,¡± Theora responded, but her gaze was empty.

    Magda¡¯s legs were much shorter than Theora¡¯s, so she needed to jog to keep up. It made Theora feel bad, but she needed to hurry to get her daily quota in.

    ¡°You know, if it¡¯s getting too much, we can¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not too much,¡± Theora said. ¡°I¡¯m the one who can do this best. Maybe this all blows over soon. We just need to hope the other side runs out of resources first.¡±

    Magda nodded, and shrugged. ¡°Alright, fair. The mages managed to cleanse another crystal tonight, and we posted guards, as usual.¡±

    Theora nodded.

    High-level specialised mages were able to decrypt the curse from crystals. It took a large amount of resources to do so, but they were working hard. However, no matter how strongly the crystals were guarded afterwards, whatever was causing this issue managed to poison them again within a few days.

    One time, they asked Theora to guard a cleansed crystal. She''d been standing in the hall all day, clearing it out as the other crystals were still producing just as before. However, in that same time, Theora¡¯s presence was sorely missed everywhere else in town, and gains they had made throughout prior weeks were lost.

    Yes, Theora could, if she decided to never sleep, guard a single hall that they could probably completely clear out of impurities, but one hall out of hundreds wasn¡¯t enough, and Theora herself was useless during that time.

    As such, she was asked to keep helping out in the way she had before, and no actual long-term solution was in sight.

    ¡°How are the evacuation plans going?¡± Theora asked as they stepped down the stairs to the next hall.

    ¡°It¡¯ll soon be set. The moment things get dangerous, people who want to leave should be able to.¡±

    The fact Magda left out was that there might not be enough space in the surrounding regions to shelter the entire population of the town.

    ¡°Hey Theora!¡± a small girl called out from a swing when they were moving to the next node on their way a few hours later, and Theora couldn¡¯t help but feel her chest fill with warmth. She¡¯d never seen her before.

    By now, people were able to walk the streets again at relatively low risk, so everything had become a lot livelier. That was the main reason why Theora managed to peel herself out of bed every morning. Even though she couldn¡¯t solve the problem, she could help alleviate the pain.

    Some days, Theora would oversee training of recruits, although she didn¡¯t feel like she could give a lot of insight. On others, she¡¯d help out with emergency situations; when a strong Afterthought appeared somewhere that threatened to break confinement and headed to populated areas, she was called upon. However, most of the time, Theora just cleared hall after hall after hall until she returned home empty and exhausted at night.

    Soon, Magda had relayed all relevant information for the day, and made off.

    Most of Theora¡¯s days went similarly ¡ª Magda or Rogue, sometimes others, would meet up with her regularly to feed her intel on potential hazards and new hotspots, and Theora herself would be on the move constantly between factories to subdue the stronger new creations.

    And thus, a few months passed.

    ¡°You mentioned you need a day off, right?¡± Magda said one morning.

    ¡°To take care of my side quest,¡± Theora confirmed with a nod. She was pacing through the main street in spring rain, on her way to the fourth node of the day. ¡°But the way it looks, it¡¯s going to have to wait. Mana fluctuations are strong lately, right? Their output has increased.¡±

    ¡°I spoke to Al and Bonney,¡± Magda announced, with a little proud smile on her face. Al and Bonney were other high-level guards Theora had briefly met before. ¡°And they talked to a few others, and¡­ We got you a free day!¡±

    Theora blinked and turned her head to face Magda, slightly confused. ¡°How? Why? Is everything going to be alright? The guards are all exhausted.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Magda grinned. ¡°It¡¯s fine! We got a lot of ¡¯em willing to put in an extra shift for you. So it¡¯s all good! But honestly¡­¡± She trailed off for a moment, and pulled a pained grimace. ¡°Look, it¡¯s just a side quest, right? I say just abandon it, and take a day off for real. You¡¯ve done so much, you deserve it. Hell, you deserve a hundred years off by now.¡±

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    ¡°At the very least, I need to talk to a scholar,¡± Theora mumbled. ¡°I can¡¯t just abandon the quest. There is a chance it¡¯s important.¡± Most of her side quests were, after all.

    Magda shrugged, slightly disappointed. ¡°Alright, you do you. I¡¯ll head back to the station now and ask if anyone has input on potential amendments for your afternoon route. Will keep you posted. See you!¡±

    And with that, she ran away, and Theora continued clearing the Afterthoughts.

    Theora used [Obliterate] so often, it started to wear her down.

    It wasn¡¯t a Skill she liked to use in the first place, but there were some additional issues. While it didn¡¯t cost her stamina or mana or any other kinds of resources, and while it didn¡¯t have a cooldown or similar usage restraints, it still caused her a unique kind of wear.

    And, Theora didn¡¯t like killing.

    Afterthoughts were arguably not truly alive; and they posed a definite risk on the people around them, as well as on the fabric of reality itself, if they grew too strong. Still, they were similar to living beings to an extent that made Theora feel awful about having to end them. In addition, [Obliterate] posed a risk each time it was used, to snap a hole into the world if she wasn¡¯t careful. Making use of this abomination of an ability hundreds or thousands of times each day filled Theora with a deep discomfort; a brooding anxiety and cognitive attrition.

    And then, after a full day of that, every day, Theora would find her way home, and used what little time remained to talk to Balinth and Hell, and of course, Dema.

    Well, the others did most of the talking. Theora just sat by, eyes half closed. Dema would chat about whatever new book she was reading, and would get Balinth caught up in discussions about which characters should end up romancing each other. Balinth had a tendency to stand up for polycules and characters with self-chosen genders, while Dema advocated strongly for the types of relationships with the worst possible, most immoral dynamics.

    ¡°Yeah, she gotta go with him! ¡¯Cause he hates her and she killed his brother!¡±

    ¡°That would never work,¡± Balinth argued. ¡°She should go with her clan sisters. How do you think it would end up? With both of them dead! He wouldn¡¯t be able to get over it.¡±

    ¡°But she had no choice! That brother was bad!¡±

    ¡°I know but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Hell interjected, carrying Zeka in her arms. ¡°She needs a change, but I¡¯ve got to watch the kitchen so the pot won¡¯t boil over.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Dema cheered. ¡°Want me to do the cooking or take her?¡±

    ¡°Whichever you prefer.¡±

    ¡°Then gimme Zeka!¡± she yelled, holding out her arms.

    Shortly after, Zeka started crying, because whenever Zeka was with Dema, Dema would help her walk by holding her hands and letting her run up and down the stairs to the apartment. ¡°We¡¯re gonna walk after! You¡¯re just getting a change, then we can climb the stairs!¡± Dema tried to soothe her, but Zeka was still bad at understanding human speech.

    She then turned into the happiest girl a few minutes later, when she finally got to exert herself. ¡°Can¡¯t believe she loves this so much,¡± Dema said, grinning.

    ¡°Can¡¯t believe you have so much energy to keep doing it with her,¡± Hell said. ¡°My legs start hurting after three runs, and she just keeps going forever.¡±

    When not running around with Zeka, Dema spent most of her time reading. She sometimes offered to help out with clearing the Afterthoughts as well, but Theora refused.

    Dema¡¯s abilities were all mana-based, since she was a blood mage with a secondary earth affinity. If she were to help out, it would gnaw away at her resources, possibly long-term. It was one thing for Theora to be exhausted and spent, because Theora could, if worse came to worst, simply will herself back to full strength, albeit at the cost of her own mental wellbeing. The same could not be said for Dema; if she ended up spending all, or even a lot of her mana, she¡¯d be vulnerable.

    Additionally, Dema had an amount of mana in her body that was so enormous it couldn¡¯t be replenished in a reasonable amount of time even with the aid of the strongest crystals in town. Her Skills were just too expensive.

    Theora didn¡¯t trust the situation at all. Things were wrong here, in a variety of ways. It just didn¡¯t add up. She couldn¡¯t put it into clear words, but overall, she felt like they were in danger, in some abstract way.

    Because ultimately, she knew that the System had never given up on killing Dema, and never would. So, Dema needed to remain strong and rested. Theora wouldn¡¯t accept both of them to get tired out.

    Still, Dema ended up helping out on some days, despite Theora¡¯s wishes. She just loved fighting a lot, so going all-out every now and then made her happy. And ultimately, Dema did a much better job at it too. She had area-of-effect Skills that could clear an entire hall in one go, even though they were too draining to just keep being used non-stop.

    But it still took pressure off the guards, so any apprehension they might have felt at having the Ancient Evil in their midst ended up dissipating over time. In addition, Dema fixed the walls Theora had messed up on her first day. Dema really was a blessing.

    As such, these few months went by. Theora wasn¡¯t sure how much longer she could keep it up. Despite that, she knew that she¡¯d keep it up as long as it took.

    Some people were disinclined to take the situation very seriously; after all, nobody had died so far. On the other hand, there was clearly something malicious about it; people had been hurt. Balinth still hadn¡¯t fully recovered. She could walk again, yes, but not for longer distances, and the [Healers] were all busy patching up the guards. And such was the fate of quite a few people in town.

    And what if this was all just setup? If whoever was responsible just waited for the town to be worn out to start swarming everything with Afterthoughts. Some of the evolving Afterthoughts were already getting close to strong enough to blow the town apart, just like that.

    Theora sighed. She simply couldn¡¯t find a different way forward ¡ª and also, it was fine, wasn¡¯t it? The guards were exhausted and she was too, but at least the children could go out and play in the streets.

    Brooding over these thoughts, Theora finally arrived at the magitech guild on her free day.

    It was housed in a large building at the side of town, surrounded by a wide strap of greenery. Theora assumed that it was a safety precaution. If some magical item blew up, they probably didn¡¯t want it to take several residential buildings with it.

    She walked the main path cutting through the grass, closing in on the large and colourful building, made up of large wooden beams with fancy brickwork in-between.

    It was a rare bright day in Hallmark, the sun shining down on her as she arrived at the doubled entrance door.

    With three clear knocks, she announced her arrival.

 Chapter 58: Busy People Delegate

    It took a moment until she was let in by a confused looking young receptionist wearing a prim and proper, tight and high-quality attire. ¡°Door¡¯s open,¡± he said, and returned to his spot behind the counter after Theora had entered.

    She looked around the entrance hall for a moment ¡ª all made of dark wood, staircases on the left and the right leading up into the second floor, a door behind the counter perched in the centre between them leading back into reserved areas of the guild, as well as two more doors on the sides of the first floor.

    ¡°I would like to ask about Fragments of Time,¡± Theora said, after returning her gaze to the receptionist.

    He looked back at her with a politely concealed frown, hesitated for a moment, then picked up a pen. ¡°May I know your name?¡±

    ¡°Theora.¡±

    His pen fell from his hands and landed on the paper with two soft clacks. He cleared his throat, and nodded, not bothering to write it down. ¡°I understand you are here for research purposes? To draw on our archive?¡±

    ¡°That would be helpful,¡± she confirmed.

    ¡°Please excuse me for a moment,¡± he said, and vanished in the door behind him.

    Theora found a bench placed against the wall behind her, next to the entrance. She briefly contemplated sitting down, but then realised that if she did that, she¡¯d need to get up again later, and that would be exhausting. Instead, she thought about how, instead of attempting negotiations with magitech geeks, she could be obliterating Afterthoughts right now, and was terrified when she realised she couldn¡¯t tell which one she¡¯d rather choose.

    Maybe she should have asked Dema to come after all. Dema would have breezed through this, in her unparalleled talent of navigating social interaction like a universal key in a maze full of locked doors. Except Dema had had long-standing plans to go out with Magda today; both of them were off helping hold back the Afterthoughts while Theora was standing here, wishing to be back in bed.

    Theora could have asked Dema to go fetch intelligence on the topic of Fragments of Time. In theory. In reality, that wasn¡¯t an option. She would never again use Dema as a tool in pursuance of her side quests, not after what had happened in the Realm of Truth. Plus, Dema was a scatterbrain and might forget half the intel on her way home.

    At least, dissolving into these thoughts had made time go by quicker, and before she knew it, the receptionist returned, although he emerged from the door to her right this time. ¡°Please come in,¡± he said, and held the door for her.

    Theora was led through two laboratories, a storage room, another hall, up the stairs, and eventually to an office. The entire way had been littered with shelves full of magical items of all kinds, with instruments and complex tools, magitech machinery, alchemical supplies and compounds, bottles filled with glowing potions and books. She¡¯d never seen a place dedicated to this extent to the research and creation of magical items. It really felt like she¡¯d walked right into the future.

    The office was equally filled with magical items, though it contained mostly what seemed to be weapons. They were exhibited in vitrines and stuffed into a shelf on the right. The other half of the room was filled with documents, mostly loose, some journals and handwritten books. A gigantic desk stood in the centre, featuring some writing supplies, more paperwork, and a few small tools that Theora assumed to be useful for identifying items; like a magnifying glass with magical runes written on it.

    At that desk sat an old man. His eyes were milky, his hair was thin and grey. Many scars and wrinkles featured his brown skin, and he was wearing light and tidy layered clothing made up in parts of red and yellow colour.

    The door fell shut behind Theora, and she was left alone in here with him.

    ¡°Who¡¯s this now? Inquiry, I understand?¡± he gruffed, seemingly in a bad mood.

    ¡°Theora,¡± she said. ¡°Yes, I want to know about Fragments of Time.¡±

    The old man hesitated, squeezing the muscles in his face into a thoughtful grimace. Then, Theora felt him activate a Skill.

    His milky eyes turned into gleaming mirrors, throwing Theora¡¯s side of the room back at her. ¡°Huh,¡± he grumbled. ¡°Sight to behold.¡± He activated another Skill, and then frowned. ¡°The hell did¡¯ya do to your stat sheet? Some kind of data scrambling? Just deactivate it. No enemies here.¡±

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    Theora couldn¡¯t ¡®deactivate it,¡¯ so she just kept staring at him until his examination was over.

    ¡°Fragments of Time, huh?¡± he said, scratching through his short white beard. ¡°Never heard of them. Have you asked in the library? At the observatory? University?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Theora said. ¡°This place seemed the most promising, and my time is somewhat limited.¡±

    He sighed dismissively. ¡°Of course. Well, go there first. I¡¯m too busy to research.¡± With that, he made a hand gesture to usher her out of the door.

    Theora hesitated. She was at the edge of town; getting back later if the other places didn¡¯t yield any results would take about two hours.

    ¡°I have other tasks I need to complete as well,¡± Theora ventured.

    ¡°Of course you do,¡± he gruffed. ¡°Heroes, always thinking whatever they have on their mind right now is the most important. Unbelievable. Waltzing in here, one after the next, expecting me to do whatever they want. Well, I¡¯m busy! You¡¯re the strongest in the world, ain''t ya? What do you do all day? Huh, let me guess. Laze around?¡±

    Theora swallowed. While she didn¡¯t spend her time ¡®lazing around¡¯ that much recently, she really couldn¡¯t deny that that was what she was usually doing. She tried to form an answer in her mind, and opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a sharp and annoyed exhale from the old man.

    ¡°Whatever, this is taking too much time already.¡± Then, he shouted, at the top of his lungs, ¡°ULFINE?¡±

    Theora heard surprised scrambling erupt within the adjacent room, hasty footsteps, and then the click of the door. Out came a teenager; long black hair, clearly overworked and tired, mousy eyes looking into the room with a scared expression.

    ¡°You got a project running?¡± the old man growled.

    She shook her head. A moment passed of nothing happening, then she realised her mistake, and yelped out, ¡°No project! I¡¯m sorting documents.¡±

    ¡°Hrmph,¡± he went. ¡°Whatever, stop doing that, you¡¯re researching Fragments of Time now, for our most valuable strongest Heroine. No clue what they are. Go to the library or whatnot.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± she stammered, but then said, ¡°Understood.¡±

    He activated yet another Skill, causing his finger to start glowing, and then grazed over some lines in one of the documents in front of him. ¡°Says here your contract¡¯s been prolonged? This is your main project now, give it priority. If it turns out it has nothing to do with magical items, drop it immediately, and turn over any acquired knowledge to Theora. Otherwise, gather all you can find on the topic and integrate it to our archive. Dismissed.¡±

    The girl swallowed, clamping down on the door she was still holding in her hands. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ go to the library right away, then?¡± she asked in a whimper.

    ¡°Of course!¡± the man thundered, and she jerked back and immediately let go off the door, scuttling behind Theora and leaving through the entrance to the office. ¡°Tch,¡± he puffed when he heard the door fall shut again.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Theora said, turned around, and left as well, trying to catch up to that girl. ¡°Hey, wait!¡± she softly shouted out, and a moment later, she¡¯d caught up.

    Ulfine was looking up at her with scared and puffy eyes, close to crying. ¡°Y-yes?¡± she asked.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this at all, if you don¡¯t want to. I didn¡¯t expect the task to be delegated to someone who might not want to do it,¡± Theora explained. ¡°I can go back and rescind.¡±

    The girl softly shook her head, eyes wide. ¡°N-no, I¡­ It¡¯s okay. I can do it. I¡¯m good at research.¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t tell if this was a lie or not. ¡°Tell me if at any point you change your mind,¡± she said. ¡°You are heading to the library now, right? At the very least, would you mind if I accompany you for today? I would have trouble finding places to research on my own.¡± And, she would have trouble talking to these people, but she kept that to herself.

    Just now, Theora had told that old man she was busy, so she felt somewhat bad for deciding to join Ulfine anyway. On the other hand, just having that girl run off all alone to do her bidding felt almost equally bad. It was a good idea to get to know these places anyway, since Theora didn¡¯t know how much longer she¡¯d need to stay in Hallmark. And having someone who could guide her would probably cut the time needed in half.

    ¡°S-sure,¡± Ulfine said, and nodded. Then, her eyes went wide again. ¡°Ah! Forgot my notebook. I will be right back, then we can go.¡±

    The girl ran back towards the office, reconsidered half-way, and then took another route that didn¡¯t require her to meet her boss.

    Theora stared after her as her back vanished around a corner. She sighed a breath of relief. That felt almost like a lottery win. Theora had no clue about ¡®Fragments of Time¡¯, and typically, she¡¯d just hit the libraries and spend months in them, reading everything herself if nobody else could outright tell her. But with things as they were, she could barely sleep five hours a night, much less sift through thousands of documents or ask scholars about their opinions.

    If this girl really was willing to help, Theora thought she could try to rely on her. That way, she¡¯d be able to pursue both of her tasks at once. This was good. Having Ulfine on her side meant that it was only a matter of time until she¡¯d find out about those Fragments.

    A moment later, the girl returned, having fetched her notebook, and smiled at Theora, in a much better mood now.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± she said. ¡°Time to solve a mystery!¡±

 Chapter 59: Lost in Afterthoughts

    Solving that mystery turned out to be harder than Theora had hoped.

    Nobody in the library had ever heard about Fragments of Time. Nobody at the university had either, nor in the observatory, nor at the other four places Ulfine recommended they check out. In the end, they¡¯d spent the entire day walking from building to building, talking to person after person, with what Theora could only call absolutely no result.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem!¡± Ulfine assured, big smile on her face. Her eyes still looked tired, her movements were still reserved, but after an entire day of having Theora trail after her like a silent and curious fish, the two had somehow managed to warm up to each other.

    ¡°Not a problem?¡± Theora repeated. It was getting dark, and they were pacing through a central part of town, near where Ulfine lived. Theora had offered to take her back home.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that the people haven¡¯t heard of them. But there¡¯s still tons of books in all the archives. Old sources that are rarely read. I will just have to go through them myself.¡±

    ¡°And you are still certain you want to do this?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± the girl shouted enthusiastically. ¡°It¡¯s a real mystery. We know that they exist, because you have received a quest to find them, but nobody has heard of them! That¡¯s pretty exciting, isn¡¯t it? I kind of want to find out about it now. Would even if it wasn¡¯t my project.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Thank you. Please, let me know if you change your mind.¡±

    Ulfine grinned. ¡°More likely, I¡¯ll let you know the moment I find something. Hopefully soon! See you!¡±

    And with that, she vanished into her family¡¯s house.

    Theora stared at the door for a while, unsure what to make of this. The System hadn¡¯t sent her off on a fool¡¯s errand, had it?

    Probably not. If it had, Theora would never do another side quest again, and the System wouldn¡¯t risk that. It needed her. She was, despite everything, a valuable resource who was ready to help with almost anything. Spiting her filled no purpose.

    She sighed.

    This was probably a good time to go back home. It had been a rare clear day, and as such, above her, stars littered the sky, making her nostalgic of that time two decades ago ¡ª even though the town¡¯s ambient light brightened the night and obscured the view much more.

    She strode down one of the main streets, going south. Every few seconds, she caught herself looking up, trying to decide on what her favourite constellation was. She just liked all of them too much.

    At some point, as she was eyeing the constellation of the deer, she heard a familiar laughter ahead on the road. Looking down, she found Dema and Magda, hopping side-by-side, apparently also on the way home after a day full of clearing Afterthoughts. Ah, they looked like they¡¯d been having fun. For a short moment, Theora couldn¡¯t help but feel a little jealous. She also wanted to have fun with them.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± she heard Dema shout. ¡°Can you imagine? She touched it, just like that, and it did nothing to her. Made me think it was safe. Big mistake! And then I got whammed.¡±

    Magda giggled so much she bowed down, holding her sides, unable to walk straight. ¡°I absolutely can imagine. I saw her blast herself into a wall with a huge-ass explosion, and then she just got back up and said sorry.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Theora shouted to them, raising one of her hands high, to make herself seen. The two turned around, recognising her, and waving back. Dema immediately ran closer, while it took Magda a moment to realise she was being left behind.

    ¡°Fun day?¡± Theora asked when both of them were close enough to hear her.

    Dema nodded. ¡°Really fun! Broke a record.¡±

    At that, Theora raised her eyebrows in slight alarm. Dema immediately caught that, and lifted her hands apologetically. ¡°All good! Didn¡¯t pass it. Don¡¯t scold me!¡±

    ¡°Pass what?¡± Magda asked, panting a bit from the short run.

    ¡°Ah, nothing,¡± Dema waved off. ¡°Theora¡¯s just a worrywart.¡±

    ¡°Sixty percent?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah! I promised!¡± Dema looked into Theora¡¯s eyes with an expression that was somehow both sincere and playful, with slightly raised brows and a confident small smile. ¡°Not gonna break a promise made to you, little rabbit.¡±

    Theora¡¯s heart lurched. She didn¡¯t usually mind being called that, but this time, that title felt like balm on her aching soul.

    ¡°I also got a Level-up!¡± Dema continued proudly. ¡°Didn¡¯t happen in ages. Like, damn.¡±

    Ah. A Level-up. Theora was close to one as well, wasn¡¯t she? By now, her hopes of getting something out of levelling the Class were low, but a slight spark of anticipation remained.

    ¡°What about you?¡± Dema asked. ¡°Fun day? You look happier than usual!¡±

    Did she?

    Theora blinked, and considered the question for a moment. And at that, she saw the little face of Ulfine in her mind; scrunching up her eyes in thought as she was considering where to go next, or the excitement on her face whenever someone had told her they¡¯d never heard of the Fragments before. Like she was looking forward to having this become the largest mystery imaginable, being happy about each stone lying in their way.

    And Theora remembered them eating lunch at a small food box in one of the streets. How Ulfine had asked questions about adventuring and being a heroine that Theora barely managed to answer.

    ¡°One day, I want to leave and travel too,¡± Ulfine had said wistfully. ¡°I wonder what kind of magitech secrets are out there in the world. They say Hallmark is at the peak right now, but who knows if that¡¯s true? The world¡¯s big. Maybe somewhere out there, in a town hidden within mists, someone¡¯s using one of those Fragments as a paperweight!¡±

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    As she remembered these words, Theora blinked. All things considered, Dema was right, wasn¡¯t she?

    ¡°Yes, I had a nice day,¡± she answered.

    At that, Dema just about beamed at her, with one of the fullest smiles Theora¡¯d ever seen on her. ¡°That¡¯s great! I was hoping you would!¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Magda said, grinning as well. ¡°Slay it, girl! I¡¯m glad we got the others to put in shifts.¡±

    Theora blushed a little and nodded gently, half bowing, and fell back just a step. This was more attention than she¡¯d anticipated.

    Meanwhile, Dema gazed around the streets, and shrugged. ¡°Wanna drop off Magda and then go home?¡±

    Magda nodded, but Theora hesitated. She looked up at the sky.

    ¡°Are you two exhausted?¡±

    Dema waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Sixty percent, remember? Am doing well.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t do much fighting today,¡± Magda replied. ¡°Mostly coordination. So I¡¯m good. Why?¡±

    ¡°I was wondering if you two would want to take a walk with me,¡± Theora murmured. This had been her first free day in months, and her first day of not having to use [Obliterate] hundreds of times. Instead, she¡¯d trailed after Ulfine, who¡¯d done all the talking, exerted all the effort, and had just been comfortable to be around.

    For the first time in a while, Theora didn¡¯t feel mind-numbingly exhausted. And tomorrow, she¡¯d have to go back to that monotonous life that ate away at her. But for now, maybe she could spend some time with her friends.

    ¡°Sure!¡± Dema cheered. ¡°Magda knows the town! Gonna give us a tour?¡±

    Magda smiled. ¡°Of course,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s some really cool places you might¡¯ve not seen.¡±

    As they branched into side-alleys to venture through the nightly town, Theora fell back a step as the other two walked side-by-side in the front, happily going back to chatting with each other. This felt incredibly cosy. She could just listen to the two of them, gaze at the sky, and enjoy the moment to the fullest. That said, listening to them provided some challenges, because Theora soon realised that their favourite topic to chat about appeared to be ¡®Theora¡¯.

    She did her best to persevere through all the boastful praise the two shared about her with each other. Sometimes, the conversation wandered off, though, mostly when Magda made comments about the buildings in town.

    ¡°There!¡± she said at one point. ¡°That empty building there, see that? Used to be a theatre. They had a light mage who was able to capture rays in crystals, and then send them out onto a large canvas later. So everyone could watch what she¡¯d put together.¡±

    ¡°Not here anymore?¡± Theora asked.

    Magda hummed with a nod. ¡°Gone like a week or two ago. People couldn¡¯t leave home. So, no visitors. Plus, takes a lot of mana, and since she didn¡¯t have any combat Skills, it wasn¡¯t safe for her to go down to the crystals to top up like she used to.¡±

    ¡°What a bummer,¡± Dema said and flicked a foot over the ground in mild frustration.

    ¡°Yeah, really is,¡± Magda said. ¡°The town thrived on those crystals. We¡¯re still able to sustain life, since some can still access and draw from the crystals if we clear the strong Afterthoughts, but it¡¯s just not the way it used to be. And we have no idea how much longer it¡¯ll keep going.¡±

    No idea how much longer it¡¯ll keep going.

    Theora repeated these words in her head, because they rang true. Whatever was happening to this town, maybe it was here to stay. Theora had considered using [Obliterate] on ¡®the source of the Afterthought plague in Hallmark¡¯, but that was an incredibly abstract concept, and thus very dangerous to use as a target. She¡¯d already accidentally rotated the planet in trying to come up with a shortcut to end this plague.

    So instead, she just decided to help alleviate the pain for as long as it took.

    That night, they came home very late.

    Bal and Hell had already retired to their rooms, so Theora attempted to be as quiet as possible when she entered. Dema scuttled after her, equally subdued. That changed when they made it to their room, because as soon as the door was closed, Dema went on to undress viciously.

    ¡°Can¡¯t believe it went by so quickly!¡± she complained. ¡°Unfair! Time ain¡¯t got any right to pass this fast.¡± In emphasis, she threw her cloak on the ground. ¡°Your one free day and we only saw each other for a few hours! Well, was really nice though, right?¡±

    ¡°Dema?¡± Theora asked quietly, having trouble maintaining eye-contact.

    ¡°Yes, little rabbit? What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°I had a lot of fun today. I¡¯m very exhausted too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Time for bed!¡±

    Theora gulped. ¡°Before that, I wanted to ask¡­¡± She took a deep breath, and made a step forward. Now was a really good time, wasn¡¯t it? They very rarely went to bed at the same time, because typically, Theora was either gone way past midnight due to issues that had arisen during the day, or came back home so exhausted she needed to crash immediately ¡ª or at least shortly after getting home. So, Theora really needed to take this chance.

    Especially because inside, she was overflowing. Overflowing from having met someone new, from having been a little jealous at seeing Dema and Magda spend a fun day without her, from having walked under the night¡¯s sky with the two right after and enjoying every moment of that. From all the second-hand praise she¡¯d received.

    And tomorrow, it would all go back to the same old.

    So, now was her chance.

    She took a deep breath.

    ¡°Goodnight-hug?¡± she asked.

    For a moment, Dema looked like her brain had stopped working ¡ª wide-eyed, stunned. Her amber eyes flickered between Theora¡¯s, surprised and with her mouth slowly opening.

    ¡°Why, that¡¯s a question I like to hear,¡± she finally said with her raspy and smokey voice, although she sounded a little shaky. But then, she caught herself. ¡°I mean, yeah!¡± she shouted and smiled. ¡°Alright, fine, sure! Why not! Yes! We can definitely do that, yeah!¡±

    With that, Dema stumbled forward a few steps, almost losing balance, so Theora advanced to catch her. ¡°There,¡± Theora said, holding Dema in her arms, and receiving her embrace in turn. It was a soft embrace, with Dema¡¯s arms gently cradling along Theora¡¯s back.

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Theora started, and then braced herself before continuing. ¡°Can you ¡ª hug a bit harder, perhaps?¡±

    Dema laughed into Theora¡¯s chest. ¡°Sure!¡± she said, and did just that.

    Theora felt butterflies in her stomach. Dema was so soft and small and yet, so strong. Wrapping Theora firmly into her arms, as if to crush her. And, Dema had a habit of gently pressing her horn against Theora¡¯s neck when hugging. Feeling that made her dizzy every time.

    The embrace went on for ages and was still way too short. Once they separated, Theora was a blushing mess, so she went to the bathroom to cool herself down with cold water, and eventually, they went to sleep.

    And the next day, Theora was back to work. Running her route, receiving news from Rogue or Magda, exerting herself and her mind with each use of [Obliterate], and then crashing back into sleep the moment she got home. Sometimes, she managed to spend time with Dema and the others, though the fatigue accumulated quickly, until her life blurred into an endless stretch of quenching Afterthoughts.

    During that entire time, Theora felt that growing, uncomfortable anxiety in her chest. The gnawing suspicion that something wasn¡¯t right. But the hope that it might soon be over, and the tiredness of her limbs and mind made it hard for her to understand what was wrong. She couldn¡¯t even stop and think about it, because she was just oh so busy all the time.

    What if the Afterthoughts were just waiting for her to let off? Waiting for her to leave, or to start slacking. What if then, they¡¯d pursue their true goal, the moment the opportunity presented itself, whatever it was. At the start, before the guards had understood what was happening, a few hundred inhabitants in town had been hurt. None killed, but hurt nonetheless. Balinth had been one of them.

    And so, to prevent that from happening again, Theora just got up, and went to work, and got up, and went to work, every single day.

    That is, until she finally had her second free day.

 Chapter 60: Worth Memorising

    It took a very long time until Theora received that second day of vacation.

    Or, more accurately, it took a long time until she accepted it. She understood what granting her a day off required of the guards; how it meant they¡¯d have to put in a lot of extra work when they were already stretched way too thin. She could see the exhaustion in their eyes, just as much in the new recruits as in the old ones. It wasn¡¯t something she took lightly.

    But, recently things had started changing. Two weeks earlier, for the first time, a crystal had been cleared, and kept clear. The guards protecting it had not been overwhelmed. In the meantime, three more crystals had been cured in that same hall, and things were looking promising.

    And thus, at Rogue¡¯s behest, Theora had accepted a day off. And it wasn¡¯t like Theora didn¡¯t know exactly what she wanted to do on that day.

    She woke up and peeled herself off her bed. Well, she called it a bed, but she was still sleeping on the ground in the guest room of Balinth¡¯s and Hell¡¯s home. She¡¯d never had the time to move somewhere else, nor had anyone ever expressed a wish for her to leave.

    Dema was already up, her blankets a mess on the ground. It was rare for her to get up first, and when Theora saw the sun¡¯s elevation out the window, she realised that she¡¯d slept in. She found Dema in the kitchen, preparing breakfast with a smile. Four plates. One each for Theora, Dema, Balinth and Hell.

    ¡°Gonna check if they¡¯re awake?¡± Dema asked and Theora nodded.

    Nobody was in their bedroom, but that wasn¡¯t surprising. Lately, they¡¯d been sleeping in the living room, on the sofa, because they kept passing out together while reading late. Thus, Theora found them in the living room. Hell was lying on top, a stone against Balinth¡¯s figure, who still weakly held a book in hand. A blanket was draped over them, and from the way it looked, it must have been Dema who¡¯d done it.

    The two were wearing matching rings now. Back during the months when they¡¯d planned the wedding, the town had been engulfed in strenuous mana fluctuations, so Theora hadn¡¯t been able to attend.

    Hell softly snored. Just as Theora wanted to leave the room, she saw Balinth¡¯s eyes open up.

    ¡°Mornin¡¯ Theora,¡± Balinth murmured. ¡°Big day, huh?¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Out together with everyone,¡± she said. ¡°To visit her.¡±

    Balinth smiled groggily. She moved her white hair out of her eyes. ¡°Glad you finally said yes. You deserve the time off, you know? Did a lot for all of us. Thank you.¡±

    Theora bowed down awkwardly. ¡°Just doing what I can. Even though it¡¯s not enough.¡± She gulped, and quickly scuttled out of the room to avoid hearing an answer.

    ¡°Balinth woke up for a moment,¡± Theora said after getting back into the kitchen. ¡°But I think they¡¯ll sleep for a while longer.¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Just gonna let their food sit here then, they should be up soon anyway.¡±

    She¡¯d made sandwiches ¡ª full of green leaves, tomatoes, cucumber and other vegetables she¡¯d gotten from the market the day before. Dema stared down at her own plate and that of Theora, and put her chin in her hand, sinking into thought. ¡°I think we¡¯re late,¡± she rasped. ¡°She¡¯s probably already waiting outside. Let¡¯s eat while walking?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Theora said, and gently took her food as Dema did the same. She took a bite, and oh, it was bliss. How could she have ever lived without Dema¡¯s food? Sure, the girl had probably learned most of it from Hell and Balinth on their stay here, but this was the true pinnacle of existence. Theora had never cared about food much, but just the fact that Dema had gone through the effort of preparing it for her made her feel so at home.

    And, as they left, it turned out Dema was right. At the bottom of the stairs, Zeka was waiting. Greying hair, waving up at them, looking rather similar to a younger Balinth. Same round figure, skin just a tad lighter. Her son stood next to her, a teenage boy whose face brightened up as he saw Dema emerge from the apartment.

    ¡°Hey!¡± he shouted up at them. ¡°I found a merchant in town who trades citrine. You gotta take a look later!¡±

    Dema jumped down. ¡°What!¡± she said, mouth completely full of sandwich. ¡°Should¡¯a bwought one to show!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t have anything on me to trade!¡± he light-heartedly snapped back. Dema had somehow convinced him to become a geologist back when he was ten, and now he was attending a school in the north of town just for that.

    ¡°We¡¯re late,¡± Zeka pointed out, and waved to Theora to ask her to come down as well. Theora obliged. ¡°Rogue¡¯s probably already waiting.¡±

    ¡°Could¡¯a knocked!¡± Dema said after a big gulp. ¡°Forgot the time. And little rabbit slept in. Didn¡¯t wanna wake her, though.¡±

    ¡°You could have woken me,¡± Theora mumbled.

    ¡°Could have, yeah. But didn¡¯t!¡± Dema sing-songed.

    ¡°Not waking up little rabbits when they have obligations is a form of animal cruelty,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Oh, come on! This is your one day off. Would¡¯a been cruelty to wake you, clearly.¡±

    ¡°Have to agree with Dema on that one,¡± Zeka added. ¡°It¡¯s all good. I didn¡¯t knock because I didn¡¯t want to wake my mothers. They¡¯re probably still asleep, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema confirmed.

    They started moving and the banter continued. A soft morning drizzle fell from parted clouds above, but nobody minded. Living in Hallmark made people resilient to this kind of weather. And, even though it was early, people were already out on the streets. It was a sight that always made Theora feel a little better about herself.

    Eventually, they found Rogue waiting in front of another temple they were guarding; sneaking away for a moment for this endeavour had been deemed safe enough, especially because Theora had visited this place last in the previous day, to make sure it was as calm down there as possible.

    Rogue was a demon, and demons didn¡¯t age the same way humans did. They chose their own appearances, and while their lives weren¡¯t as long as those of other long-lived peoples, it wasn¡¯t possible to discern their age by sight. As such, Rogue was still the same red-panda-lookalike as when Theora had first met them ¡ª except now, they were clad in iron clothing instead of robes, and their hair had grown much longer.

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    Zeka hugged Rogue on arrival, and they left the temple behind.

    ¡°Sorry we¡¯re late,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s Dema¡¯s fault.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Dema objected. ¡°No it¡¯s¡ª¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°Well yeah, kinda my fault. Sorry.¡±

    Theora disagreed in thought. She shouldn¡¯t have slept in.

    ¡°Not a problem,¡± Rogue said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter when I slip away, as long as I don¡¯t stay away for too long.¡±

    Zeka shrugged. ¡°Still, earlier is better, right? Fewer people out. Less time for them down there to recover.¡±

    Rogue just waved off. ¡°Going to be fine.¡±

    One side-alley after another, they made their way through town. Dema had gotten involved in an argument with Zeka¡¯s son about whether or not mercury was a type of rock, where Dema argued that it wasn¡¯t because liquids weren¡¯t rocks, and the boy countered by saying that every rock would turn liquid with enough heat.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you rock-type?¡± he eventually said. ¡°You should know!¡±

    At that, Dema fell silent, glaring towards Theora. She thought for a moment, and then said, ¡°Alright, sure. Gonna confirm that one. Hot enough and I¡¯ll get we¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Zeka chimed in at the last second, and Theora tried her best to not fill in what Dema had been about to say.

    Rogue laughed. ¡°Let the woman speak! Oh, actually. Theora, you wanted to gather some flowers, right? I think here¡¯s a good place.¡± They nodded to a spot of greenery to their right.

    Theora nodded back, having finished her sandwiches, and set out to look around the vegetation. Which ones should she pick?

    A group of flowers caught her eye, perched next to a wall of a residential building. Long stems cluttered with white, star-shaped flowers with long stamen poking out of them. Theora recognised them as asphodel.

    Then, she found a small patch of yellow small rues, and finished her small bouquet by adding bluebells.

    ¡°Done?¡± Zeka asked, and Theora nodded, holding the flowers in her hand in a way as to not make them stand out.

    And then, after turning through a few more streets, they finally paced into the fenced-off area filled with trees and grass and rocks. The drizzle still fell, and since they had entered a valley of the town, a denser fog wrapped itself around them now. Step by step, Theora made it through the path, looking down and feeling her hair stuck against her skin as it soaked up more and more raindrops.

    They came to a halt in front of Magda¡¯s gravestone.

    Large and made of iron, praising her efforts to help subdue the plague until she¡¯d eventually retired.

    Theora placed her bouquet of flowers down on the ground in front of it. The words the flowers murmured at her were likely in too low a voice for Magda to ever hear.

    Three years earlier, she¡¯d died of old age. The four decades Theora had spent in Hallmark were enough to wash that kind of damage over fragile human bodies.

    They all stood there in silence for a while, then Zeka and Rogue started murmuring things at each other in low voices, Zeka¡¯s son occasionally supplying. Dema said nothing throughout. She just stared down at the words on the stone, her throat softly bobbing every now and then.

    Theora didn¡¯t know what to do or say. She¡¯d been here before, briefly, but never together with others, never like this. Magda¡¯s face kept flashing in front of her mind, the wide grin, the occasional curse echoing from her memories, and the relentless dedication Magda had put into everything she¡¯d ever done.

    Rogue was the first to leave, after a while, to go back to their post. The minutes ticked by, and then, Zeka and her son left too, because he needed to get to school.

    And thus, only Theora and Dema were left, surrounded by the fog of oblivion.

    ¡°Poof, gone. Just like that,¡± Dema mumbled. ¡°Always poof, gone.¡± She sighed, and crouched down, letting her arms dangle over her knees. ¡°I even memorised her face, you know?¡±

    Theora knelt down next to her, placing a hand on Dema¡¯s back.

    ¡°And now, I¡¯ll never see that face again,¡± she continued. ¡°Bummer. Even though it¡¯s still stuck in my head. And I memorised the other faces too. It¡¯s super hard, you know? To do that. I wonder if it was a mistake, because now, I might never forget.¡±

    ¡°You want to forget?¡±

    Dema just shrugged. ¡°Just because it hurts.¡± She wiped some tears out of her eyes, and eventually, stood back up. Theora looked up at her, the horn almost piercing the sky as Dema¡¯s small figure loomed over. She took a deep breath. ¡°I miss her.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Also, didn¡¯t really mean that,¡± she whispered, and bit her lip. ¡°Still worth it, to remember, even if it hurts. Ain¡¯t a mistake.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°You gonna go now too, right? There was something you wanted to do?¡±

    With a nod, Theora got up and turned towards the magitech guild. ¡°Haven¡¯t heard from Ulfine in a long time. I want to go check on her, now that I have the occasion. Heard she might come home. You¡¯ll be busy too?¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Gonna clear some Afterthoughts in the north quarter. They requested my help.¡±

    ¡°Sixty percent?¡±

    Dema smiled, and nodded. ¡°Of course. Sixty percent. Not gonna let my mana fall lower than that. Can¡¯t believe you¡¯re still worried about it.¡±

    Theora would always be worried about it.

    Dema gave Theora a hug, and then bobbed off the graveyard. Theora watched her figure get smaller until it vanished in the mist.

    Theora rubbed her eyes, and glanced back at the gravestone. A torrent of emptiness hit.

    Poof, gone. Indeed.

    How long until the day when Theora would witness the same with Dema? At the end of an ocean of time flowing by way too quickly, would she stand at a grave, and think, ¡®poof, gone¡¯?

    She opened her quest menu.

    [Fetch Quest: Find the Thirteen Fragments of Time.]

    Time remaining: 201 years.

    Almost fifty years had passed since she¡¯d received this quest, and still, she had no idea what a Fragment of Time could be. And she already felt more exhausted than when she¡¯d received the quest to subdue the Devil of Truth; only this time around, sleep was not an option.

    She wiped her eyes and strode off the graveyard, feeling the soft drizzle dry in a cool breeze on her skin as she felt the frills dance behind her.

    A little fish, swimming towards isolation.

    And thus, she made her way to meet Ulfine. Or rather, to the magitech guild ¡ª she wasn¡¯t sure whether Ulfine had already returned from her errand, it was mostly a rumour. After making about half the way, she stopped in front of another temple, seeing a long queue in front of it. Healers, infrastructure workers, maintenance workers and the like were waiting to be let in to safely replenish their mana with the aid of the guards, so that they may continue keeping the town alive.

    Soon, those queues might not be needed anymore. Maybe not all had been in vain.

    At that thought, Theora heard a few clicks and clacks behind her, and felt a weak presence approach. Weak, but well-defined.

    ¡°Hey,¡± a bright voice issued from it. ¡°Finally found you. Are you the companion of the Ancient Evil?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora answered without thinking, and turned around. When she laid eyes on who stood there, her heart skipped a beat.

    It was a small person. Even a head smaller than Dema, but wider. Standing there, legs and arms stretched out, looking up at Theora with her head in a pose and expression that communicated pure curiosity.

    Moss was growing on her body in large patches; mostly on her back, and some of it on her head, and additional spots on her limbs. Next to the lush green and her shale dark frame, glowing crimson red flowed through the cracks in her rock body.

    A body that looked battered and broken, like a resurrected fossil, but housed a person full of life.

    ¡°Iso,¡± Theora blurted, and stared in awe.

    The girl tilted her head and widened her eyes, all segments softly clattering against each other. She looked confused, but enticed. ¡°Who¡¯s Iso?¡±

 Chapter 61: The Interface and the Brat

    Theora did a double take before she remembered that this person had no way of knowing what the both of them were calling her.

    ¡°Iso,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s the name Dema gave you.¡± She glanced into those big, black eyes gleaming with curiosity and interest, and then added, ¡°Ah, but, you probably have chosen your own name by now. What is it?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Dema?¡± she asked in her bright and crystal clear voice.

    Theora blinked.

    That¡¯s right. She was working with flawed assumptions. ¡°Dema, the Ancient Evil. Dema is her name. You mentioned her earlier, right? My¡­ companion.¡±

    The person started gleaming. ¡°Dema!¡± she said. ¡°The one whose blood is flowing inside me, I think? I heard the Ancient Evil was a blood mage, so it must be hers? And she gave me a name?¡±

    Theora nodded.

    The girl raised one patch above one of her eyes that looked a lot like an eyebrow. ¡°Wait, is that¡­ short for¡­ Isopod?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s apparently short for Isobel.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t even sound the same!¡± she said, laughing.

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Theora started, but didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°You are right about that. I have no defence.¡±

    ¡®Iso¡¯ beamed up at Theora with her large black eyes, not saying anything for a moment, and then blurting out, ¡°Okay! I like it. I do have another name by now, but please feel free to keep calling me Iso. I¡¯ll just have two names, I suppose?¡±

    Theora nodded, and then said, ¡°Also, we¡¯ve been assuming that you might be a girl, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh! You have?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but if that¡¯s not¡ª¡±

    Iso now raised both patches of moss forming little eyebrows over her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s fine too! Well, I¡¯m still figuring all that stuff out. It wasn¡¯t really a thing back in my first life, to be honest, and I can¡¯t say I¡¯m too invested in this at the moment. But, female is good. Yes.¡± She nodded with clickety-clacks, and then yelped out, ¡°But!¡± while raising a finger. ¡°Can talk about that stuff later, I¡¯m here for something else. I need to talk to you. Do you have time? Can we sit down somewhere?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Theora answered. She would always make time for Isobel. Those Fragments would just need to wait. ¡°There¡¯s¡­¡± She pointed at a patch winding upwards a hill with only a few buildings on it. It was full of grass and trees and shrubs. ¡°I think there¡¯s space to sit on up there. Can look down at the town.¡±

    Iso nodded, and so, they made their way up, and found a table to sit at, under a small plane tree. The drizzle was still falling, and Iso seemed to relish in it, bending her segmented body with soft clitter-clatter and closed eyes.

    ¡°You wanted to talk,¡± Theora eventually said, when it seemed like Iso was just going to absorb the rain forever.

    ¡°Yes! Sorry! It¡¯s so dry outside, I need to make sure I take every opportunity.¡± Then, she focussed, sitting down at the table, but in a way such that she¡¯d still get rained on, and straightened her back with a clack clack clack.

    ¡°So, how do we do this,¡± she murmured, putting on a slightly more serious expression, although it looked mostly like the face of a child trying hard to concentrate, and failing. She tapped the table a few times with her stone fingers, and then asked, ¡°Can I invite you to a party?¡±

    Theora frowned.

    A party? Was there something to celebrate?

    ¡°I¡­¡± Theora stuttered, but then, Iso did it anyway, and suddenly, a System prompt materialised in front of Theora¡¯s mind.

    You have been invited to join a party with None.

    The System threw parties? With None? Was she supposed to go alone?

    Going either alone or with just Dema would seriously increase the chances of Theora attending. Still, she needed to get back to the Afterthoughts as soon as she could¡­ But Isobel looked at her with such bright and expecting eyes that Theora couldn¡¯t bring herself to say no.

    And thus, she accepted. And immediately, her System HUD expanded. Suddenly, she could see a little icon with small statlines in the periphery of her vision, and as she opened it, she was met by Isobel¡¯s stat sheet and more information about her.

    A Level 23 [Mossmancer]. Her stats didn¡¯t correspond to a Level 23 Class though, so Theora assumed she¡¯d changed or upgraded her Class to [Mossmancer] recently. The girl had dumped most of her stats in MND; in fact, to a ridiculous amount. Apparently, she really trusted her natural rock defences, and had no interest in becoming physically strong or fast.

    But, more importantly, Theora had never known it was possible to see the stats of other people that way. It dawned on her now that she hadn¡¯t been invited to a celebration, but to a hero party ¡ª except this would have never initially occurred to her, because the idea of another hero inviting Theora to such a thing was outright ridiculous.

    She hadn¡¯t even been aware that such a functionality was integrated into the System in the first place; she¡¯d always assumed hero parties were people simply travelling around together. Maybe it was a recently added feature? Was the System still being worked on?

    When Theora managed to pull her attention away from Isobel¡¯s statline and back to the girl herself, she saw her deeply entranced. Entranced in something invisible. It was likely Theora¡¯s stat sheet.

    ¡°[Obliterate],¡± Iso whispered. ¡°Reading it right now. Hope you don¡¯t mind?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Reading [Obliterate]? Theora couldn¡¯t even remember its description. Not like she cared. She knew that it wasn¡¯t all too useful, and to some extent, misleading.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have any other offensive Skills,¡± the girl mumbled in awe.

    ¡°[Obliterate] swallows them to get stronger. It hijacks the Skill Evolution Feature.¡±

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Oh wow,¡± Iso let out. ¡°That sounds scary. I¡¯ve never heard of something like that before. Almost like it has a life of its own?¡± But then, she shook her head and scrunched her face, like expelling thoughts from her mind. ¡°Actually, not what¡¯s important right now. I¡¯m getting distracted again. If I may, I would like to look at your sheet later in more detail, it¡¯s just so interesting. Plus, I can see you broke part of the Interface with all those messed-up numbers, it¡¯s going to be really fun to reverse-engineer that. Maybe I can collect some useful data from that. Ah, oops, distracted again!¡± She bonked her own head with a smile, releasing a sharp klonk. ¡°I invited you to the party to show you something.¡±

    ¡°Show me something,¡± Theora repeated, and Iso nodded.

    ¡°My Main Quest. Before I show you, I need to warn you: The contents are a little vile. Please don¡¯t get mad at me, I have no intention to pursue it.¡±

    Theora pulled her eyebrows together, and got the uncomfortable feeling of a swarm of cold fingers creeping and tapping up her back. She didn¡¯t like where this was going at all.

    ¡°I will not get angry at you,¡± Theora promised.

    Iso took a small breath of relief. ¡°I thought a long time about how I want to do this, but in the end, I decided to come to you first, since you know Dema and I¡¯m really not sure how she would handle this. Plus, with you being her companion, I thought you might want to help protect her.¡±

    ¡°Protect her,¡± Theora echoed, and already the hairs on her body were starting to stand up ¡ª right as she received a System prompt.

    None shared a view with all party members:

    [Current Main Quest: Matricide.]

    You have been resurrected in an evil scheme as offspring of a despicable demon, to aid in its dark aims.

    Betray and kill the Ancient Evil to save the world from destruction.

    And with that, a shockwave thundered through Hallmark.

    Theora unleashed. What a despicable quest.

    Her aura, usually hidden within her empty shell, concealed in the depths of her impossible self, burst out in a roar, sending leaves aflutter, repelling the drizzle in a bubble far around. Iso yelped out.

    Oh, ¡®vile¡¯ didn¡¯t even begin to describe the nature of this quest. What audacity. Was the System not afraid at all? A while ago, Theora had mused about whether her existence could serve as a deterrent, but clearly, there were no limits to the devilry this thing would dream up. Trying to use Dema¡¯s own daughter to murder her? Unacceptable.

    The System? Coordinator of heroes, to aid them in saving the world? What a joke. Pitiful little thing. It had just made itself obsolete.

    ¡°[O¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Iso blurted out, and within the fraction of a second, her fingers had found their way to gently close up Theora¡¯s lips. Theora recoiled violently from her own action, although in such a way that her lips remained sealed by Iso¡¯s hand.

    Iso shook her hand with a slightly scared expression. ¡°What were you intending to target just there? Not me, I hope!¡±

    Theora shivered violently, sweat breaking out from her body and melting into the still drying raindrops on her skin. Panic oscillated through her in waves, together with exhaustion and a heavy mind and overboiling anger.

    She slumped down, and Iso removed her hand.

    ¡°The System,¡± Theora murmured.

    Iso took a deep breath. ¡°You know, I appreciate the sentiment, but let¡¯s not blow ourselves up with the splatter damage of that little Skill of yours. The System is way too large to use that on safely. You should know!¡±

    Theora wanted to disappear. Again, she had lashed out. Oh god. She couldn¡¯t even imagine what would have happened had she spoken that word.

    Slowly, the tension left Iso¡¯s body, and she started laughing nervously. ¡°Mom¡¯s travelling companion has a temper!¡± she sighed. ¡°Good to know. Like handling hot coals.¡± After another sigh, she put on a gentle smile. ¡°Oh, you look like a sad puppy right now.¡± She leaned over to grasp at Theora¡¯s hand, and softly pressed down on it with her surprisingly warm rock fingers. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I got you. Please don¡¯t cry. You messed up, but I won¡¯t let you do anything you¡¯d regret, little girl.¡±

    She gave a reassuring smile, and then softly shook her head. ¡°I really hope the System felt that, though. That should have taught it a lesson ¡ª I mean, that aura burst was strong. The System must have suffered your intention too ¡ª it was so heavy that I thought I was the target!¡± She put on a little smirk. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s sweating from all its artificial glands. Serves it right, because I don¡¯t think you are wrong at all, in spirit. Let¡¯s hope it was a humbling experience.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Theora muttered.

    Iso shrugged, and clattered her rocky bones. ¡°I got you. But all that said, I take it you are not aware that the word ¡®System¡¯ is overloaded? Or else you would have chosen a different target, I assume.¡±

    ¡°Overloaded?¡±

    ¡°Well, when we say ¡®System¡¯, we kind of conflate two things with each other, don¡¯t we?¡± Iso said. ¡°I noticed when I first talked to another Hero I met. Nice person, by the way, I travelled here together with her, but she did not want to come meet you. Uh¡­ I¡¯m getting distracted again.¡± She rolled her eyes at herself. ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s one part of the System that I like to call the Interface, and then there¡¯s the part I like to call the Brat.¡±

    Theora just stared.

    ¡°The Interface is our Skill descriptions, stats, the prompts, achievement columns, whatever you can think of. Most of what we can see in front of us when we do System stuff. None of that is conscious. It¡¯s a fabric laid out across the world, accessible to everyone once initiated. Its rules are static and unchanging.¡±

    She tapped on the table. ¡°In short, the Interface is not what I am concerned about. It enables people to quantify their strengths and their abilities, whatever. I suppose it¡¯s convenient, but we don¡¯t really need it, since Skills and stuff are inherent to people, so we¡¯d be able to use them without it, just a bit more cumbersome.¡±

    She stared into the air for a moment, as if she¡¯d lost her train of thought, and then spent a few seconds with closed eyes, happily absorbing more of the drizzle. ¡°Right,¡± she said after catching herself. ¡°But then, next to the Interface, there¡¯s the Brat. The Brat only interacts with the world through the Hero Project. It has the power to grant quests, and attach rewards. It uses them to help get rid of bad things all around us. Heroes get most of their power from those rewards, so they prove an extremely good incentive to do the System¡¯s bidding.¡±

    Theora had never thought about the System that deeply, but now that Iso pointed it all out, it aligned very well with her own experience. The Hero Project was what was trying to coerce her to kill Dema. Skills and other System data weren¡¯t affected by it ¡ª otherwise, beings like Dema would have their access revoked.

    ¡°How did you find all of this out?¡±

    Iso shrugged. ¡°Just observation and analysis and thought. Trial and error too, to some extent. Also, spite. To be honest, it¡¯s mostly spite.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Theora said, tongue dry, throat slightly scratchy. She was still dealing with the remains of her furious outburst. ¡°Alright,¡± she repeated. ¡°So, you wanted to show me that Main Quest?¡±

    Iso nodded. ¡°As Dema¡¯s travelling companion, I need you to be aware that she is in danger. If even I got the quest, then many people probably have it. After all, that Brat took quite the risk assigning it to me, and I dare say, it backfired spectacularly. Poor thing¡¯s probably still sweating buckets right now. Oh, I can only hope. Anyway. It wouldn¡¯t have done this to me unless it was desperate.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t like that System,¡± Theora murmured.

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t. It offended me in several ways right after my resurrection, but that¡¯s not really what bothers me. What bothers me is that it¡¯s just wrong about Dema. Dead wrong.¡±

    ¡°Dead wrong?¡±

    Iso nodded.

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    The girl pointed at her chest. ¡°That¡¯s Dema¡¯s blood, right? You saw her make me?¡±

    ¡°Her blood, yes,¡± Theora confirmed.

    ¡°There we go. It¡¯s her blood. I feel it every day of my life. And that¡¯s why I know there¡¯s no way. I don¡¯t care what the System thinks it knows ¡ª this blood can¡¯t possibly come from someone who¡¯s evil.¡± She shrugged with a few clicks. ¡°It¡¯s chock-full of love. The System is wrong.¡±

 Chapter 62: How to Break the System

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right,¡± Theora murmured, but Iso¡¯s words did give her a lot of hope. Their daughter wouldn¡¯t complete her Main Quest. In fact, she was actively fighting against the System, in what seemed like some kind of informational war.

    ¡®It¡¯s going to be really fun to reverse-engineer that,¡¯ she had said.

    At that, Theora remembered. ¡°There is something I want to show you too,¡± she spoke slowly, glancing over her HUD. ¡°How do I¡­ How do I share a ¡®view¡¯?¡±

    Iso lit up, the feelers on her head twitching slightly. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s really easy! You just open an Interface window you want to show, then you go to ¡®Options¡¯ and then you select ¡®Share with Party Members¡¯.¡±

    Theora did as told, but¡­ ¡°It¡¯s not there.¡±

    Iso went, ¡°Huh?¡± and frowned, but then she raised her finger in the air. ¡°Right! Gotta activate the function in settings first. Dunno why. I think it¡¯s a security measure of some kind. Want me to walk you through it?¡±

    Theora nodded awkwardly. She had never really engaged much with the System, and especially after messing herself up so bad, looking at it just gave her bad memories and pain. Most of the System prompts Theora looked at were the ones the System shoved in her face.

    She wasn¡¯t aware of even half the things Iso showed her, which included a few recommended configurations to display additional obscure stats, and activating something called a ¡®developer mode¡¯ which showed a bunch of information, although Iso had explained that this unfortunately didn¡¯t yield any extra privileges, just more stuff to see.

    Theora stared at most of the things Iso showed her with the solemn intention to deactivate them again later, because Theora really didn¡¯t need to know when she¡¯d last activated a Skill, or its internal ID number.

    ¡°The System is really complex, huh,¡± Theora hummed at some point.

    ¡°Yeah! Pretty cool, right?¡±

    ¡°Why do you want to see all this information? What is it good for?¡±

    Iso smiled and clacked some of her carapace parts against each other in a little wiggle. ¡°There¡¯s a common Skill called [Compute] that I want to learn. Haven¡¯t got it yet, but I¡¯m doing my best to unlock it. You know what it does?¡±

    Theora nodded. She¡¯d seen it in use before. ¡°Allows one to calculate hard mathematical formulae. It¡¯s a data sorting Skill.¡±

    ¡°Yep. And I¡¯m gathering a lot of data now, so I can [Compute] it later.¡±

    ¡°So, you want to use it on the System? To find out how it works?¡±

    Iso shrugged. ¡°Sure, at some point, that would be ideal, but I have a more specific goal in mind for now. Something that I think might end up being really helpful.¡±

    ¡°I want to know,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Really?¡± Iso let out in a cheer. ¡°Ah, nobody ever lets me talk about this. They think I¡¯m lost in nonsense. Alright, so. While going through research in old libraries on the topic of the System, I found some documents hinting at a weird phenomenon. Sometimes, it appears, things happen that aren¡¯t supposed to. Most of the sources say it¡¯s completely random, but there was one written by a person who swore they could replicate it. It was something like¡­ Renaming a few of one¡¯s profile fields to very specific strings of letters, numbers and symbols, then opening a certain view 117 times, then positioning it in a predetermined position in one¡¯s HUD, next gaining a Level-up, some other more specific random stuff, and ¡ª voil¨¤! Without fail, his stat sheet would then be upside down until he closed and opened it again.¡±

    ¡°Upside down?¡±

    ¡°Yep! Cognitive mishap, System projected it wrongly into his mind.¡±

    Theora shook her head in confusion. ¡°Just that? How would that be useful?¡±

    Iso laughed. ¡°It¡¯s a proof of concept! That one might be useless, but since he could replicate it, that means that there might be mistakes in the System ¡ª errors in its fabric ¡ª that we can manipulate in a way to yield outputs that we want. Once I have [Compute], I want to try and drown the System in millions of random inputs, and see if any of them give us unexpected but useful results.¡±

    This was close to incomprehensible to Theora, and she started to understand why nobody ever listened to her on that topic. Still, if Iso said there may be a chance for it to be helpful in fighting the System, Theora would trust and aid her in the process.

    ¡°Any ideas for a useful result? Something you want to achieve?¡±

    ¡°There is one that I would like to try first, yes,¡± Iso nodded with a soft clickety-clack. ¡°The System offers a lot of random rewards. Some items in the store you buy with credits, as well as title unlocks, and of course, reward boxes.¡±

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Theora nodded, and at that, Iso held up both her hands into the air, letting raindrops platter onto her palms. ¡°Well, what if we could manipulate what the random result would be?¡±

    ¡°What? How?¡± Manipulating results of reward boxes? Being able to, say, get an Orb of Seven Wishes every time one opened one? That sounded ridiculous.

    Iso started grinning. ¡°I have some evidence to believe that instead of just randomly picking a result, the System uses a complex algorithm based on arbitrary variables to decide on outcomes. So, if we reverse-engineer that algorithm and find out which variables are used, we may be able to influence these results.¡±

    Oh, that sent shivers down Theora¡¯s spine. What an amazing outlook. If Iso really managed to find a way to do this, she would become incredibly strong.

    Iso shrugged. ¡°That will just be the start, though. The more we learn about the System, the more we will be able to break it. I want it laid bare before me in all its glitched-out beauty ¡ª to examine and probe it as intensely as it allows.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°I¡¯m still just dreaming all of this. It¡¯s just theory, so far. Who knows, maybe I¡¯ll never find a way.¡±

    ¡°On that note, you require data to find your exploits, right?¡±

    Her feelers jumped. ¡°Yeah! Data is good!¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°That brings us back to what I wanted to show you. I don¡¯t know if it will help, but it can¡¯t hurt to try.¡±

    Theora had learned by now how to share a view, but she still needed to find the data. Theora didn¡¯t remember the date of when she¡¯d received it, so she couldn¡¯t use the archive search function Iso had shown her. Thus, she just manually scrolled up and up and up.

    ¡°Actually, this may take a while,¡± she murmured as she was still scrolling through the experience notifications of just the last week.

    ¡°What are you looking for?¡±

    ¡°Something in my log. Very long time ago.¡±

    ¡°You know what kind of message it is?¡±

    Theora blinked. ¡°I¡­ That¡¯s hard to tell. Honestly, I don¡¯t know. Maybe it¡¯s not a message at all. It¡¯s weird.¡±

    After about half an hour of scrolling and scrolling, and with additional help of Iso in how to hide specific types of messages to make it easier to find, Theora finally hit upon the thousands of lines of error log dumps she¡¯d received so long ago. The ones that had taught her about encoding errors and integer overflows. The ones she suspected were the reason for her glitched-out sheet.

    And then, she shared the view.

    Iso¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°What the¡ª¡± she yelped out. ¡°Red text? This is definitely not supposed to be here. How did you do that!¡± Her eyes flickered up and down, taking in what she¡¯d been presented with, and for a moment, she was stunned. ¡°That¡¯s beautiful! You got those without even being in developer mode?¡±

    ¡°I broke something, and they leaked out.¡±

    Iso was mesmerised. With big eyes, she scrolled through the data, mouth standing slightly agape. ¡°Internal variable name, storage addresses. Oh, this is incredible.¡±

    ¡°Storage addresses?¡±

    Iso blinked, still looking at System prompts. ¡°Like. Data is stored internally at places, and if we were to understand the layout, we could use exploits to overwrite information in specific areas with ones of our own choosing.¡± She refocused on Theora¡¯s face and shook her head dismissively. ¡°Just dreaming. Knowing a random address is one thing, but finding a way to remotely overwrite exactly what we want and calling it to be executed is like the holy grail. Still, this is amazing. None of us living in this world were ever supposed to see any of this. I can¡¯t believe it. You are such a gold mine. My mother picked out a wonderful companion.¡±

    Theora was unable to respond and simply started blushing. Not that she agreed ¡ª she got access to those error dumps in truly heinous ways that she regretted every day, and getting praised for it felt wrong. But still, she couldn¡¯t help herself. She relished in the fact that her¡­ daughter, in a way, would look at her with such round and large eyes full of curious awe.

    As Theora slowly regained some of her mental capacities after having this much information dumped on her, she slowly realised that this entire situation begged another few questions.

    ¡°Actually,¡± she asked. ¡°How did you find us? What brought you to Hallmark?¡±

    Iso shrugged. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t exactly ¡®find you.¡¯ Like, a while ago, another heroine and I got assigned the same quest, and bumped into each other, and kinda clicked? We disagree on some pretty fundamental things, but she is easy to work with. Very earnest and honest. As I said, she strongly opposed meeting you, so she went and did something else today. Think she mentioned going north of town, we¡¯re supposed to meet up later. Ah, I¡¯m rambling.¡± Iso took a breath, and put her focus back on what she wanted to say. ¡°Either way, what happened was that our string of side quests eventually led us to Hallmark, after a few decades. And people here really talk about you two a lot. When we came here like a week ago, it was only a matter of time until I¡¯d find a way to locate you.¡±

    The more Iso spoke, the more anxious Theora became. It was a faceless feeling at first, just a shape scratching at the insides of her mind with sharp edges, and then, right when she was about to piece it all together, she heard a shout coming from below the hill.

    ¡°Little rabbit!? You still up there? Felt your aura earlier. Got angry?¡±

    It was Dema.

    ¡°Who¡¯s little rabbit?¡± Iso shouted down. ¡°There¡¯s only Theora and me here. Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s that!¡± Dema yelled up, still out of view. ¡°Anyway, little rabbit, remember? A while ago, you said if I find a cool companion, I can bring them with me. Gotta say, I found the perfect one! Travelling companion candidate! You¡¯re gonna love her!¡±

    And at that, Dema¡¯s head finally came up behind the edge of the steep hill. A hissing and boiling sound issued from the same direction, and Theora could soon see the cause: Dema was holding a few blue-hued tentacles in her hand, wrapped around her tar-skinned arm, and they fizzled and wriggled, pumping toxins into her skin, melting it away, leaving blisters and lesions and necrotic rashes. Dema didn¡¯t seem to care.

    Soon, what she was dragging up the hill emerged as well. It was a girl Theora recognised with alarm ¡ª the tentacles made up her hair. She was being pulled up reluctantly, with an uncomfortable expression on her face, deeply embarrassed and unhappy.

    At that, Iso shouted in surprise.

    ¡°Bell!¡±

 Chapter 63: Family Meetup

    When Iso saw Bell¡¯s figure be dragged up the mountain, her face lit up in confused recognition. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she yelled out, more in surprise than anything else.

    Meanwhile, Dema stopped walking and stared at Iso. ¡°What are you doing here!¡± she shouted in wild disbelief, her facial expression screeching to an empty and stunned halt. Eyes wide in gleaming amber, as her brain was processing the sight.

    At the same time, it looked like Bell simply wanted to disappear. To have her jellyfish body, mostly comprised of water, splash into a puddle and flow down the mountain, or seep into the ground, never to be seen again. Dissolve into the rain, or puff into mist.

    But Dema held her firm.

    Theora buried her eyes in her palms. This was too much. Where was her bed? She needed her bed.

    And in that way, by closing off most of her sensory input, her brain both wanted to shut down but also, unfortunately, started working again.

    Bell was the heroine Iso had mentioned?

    Bell and Iso had coincidentally met because they had, coincidentally, been assigned the same side quests by the System. And then, coincidentally, ended up in Hallmark, after a few decades of following the System¡¯s lead?

    The very place Theora had coincidentally been unable to leave due to Afterthoughts running wild that entire time.

    Afterthoughts, who were corrupt stray data branching off from the System.

    It took a moment for the ridiculousness to wash away, for the happiness of seeing Iso again to drain, for her complete lack of understanding to calm down. And then, slowly, the true and utter horror of this situation started to creep into Theora¡¯s mind.

    In fact, ¡®horror¡¯ didn¡¯t even begin to describe it. She felt like being cast into cold water, shivers going over her body, prickles showering her extremities as the blood slowly drained from them.

    If she hadn¡¯t already lashed out at the System that day, she would have done so now. Blood-curdling, unspeakable.

    Theora forced her eyes open, and saw Dema cry.

    Just sobbing and sniffling, tentacles still tightly grasped in a hand limply hanging down, the other busy wiping tears and snot out of her face. ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± she whimpered and couldn¡¯t take her eyes off Iso.

    At the same time, Iso was stumped in a totally different way. Staring at Dema wide-eyed, her gaze softly hovering over her mother¡¯s features, taking them all in, studying them, perceiving them for the first time. Her mouth stood open, and she didn¡¯t move at all, petrified.

    ¡°Hug?¡± Dema asked, and Iso nodded, promptly jumping up from the bench. Within a second, they wrapped arms around each other, resulting in a yelp from Bell.

    Sob after desperate sob issued from Dema¡¯s throat, and each of them made Theora want to get up and hug her too. The girl cried and cried, bowing down onto Isobel¡¯s shoulder, who gently stroked over her back, to comfort.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± Iso said in a bright and short gush of her voice. ¡°Did you want us to meet so much? Oh, if only I had known.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema rasped, and it was a heart-wrenching sound. ¡°You ran away and I thought you were gone! I thought we were never gonna meet!¡±

    ¡°It was just so dry and so bright,¡± Iso muttered. ¡°I couldn¡¯t see! Didn¡¯t even know you were there.¡±

    Meanwhile, the hissing and sizzling continued. Dema hadn¡¯t let go of Bell, just pulled her along, and now she was uncomfortably hanging to the side of the hug, staring at Theora in a mute and desperate plea for help.

    ¡°I think you can let her go,¡± Theora suggested, and immediately, Dema nodded awkwardly and broke the hug.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said to Iso. ¡°Just¡­ the hormones again.¡±

    ¡°Hormones?¡± Iso asked.

    Theora shook her head. ¡°I meant¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Dema shouted as she realised. ¡°Yeah, our new travelling companion!¡± She held up the tentacles like a trophy, though her gaze snapped back to Iso every second. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Dema blinked, trying to get her thoughts in order. ¡°That¡¯s Bell,¡± she eventually brought out. ¡°Met her earlier. And I was like ¡ª damn, a jellyfish girl! We gotta get one!¡± Dema wasn¡¯t fully focused, still distracted by Iso¡¯s presence. ¡°So¡­ I thought I¡¯d just fetch her! And then you started boasting, so I knew where you were, so we, like, came straight here!¡±

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°You just fetched her? Against her will?¡± Theora asked.

    Dema¡¯s eyes widened. She finally let go of the tentacles in a last fizzle. ¡°No! No, she agreed! Right? You said yes!¡±

    Theora¡¯s gaze switched to Bell, who was looking down at the ground in defeat. ¡°Bell, you agreed to become our travelling companion?¡±

    The girl gulped. ¡°Well, technically¡­ Yes. Technically, regrettably, I have to admit that I might have said yes.¡±

    ¡°This makes absolutely no sense to me,¡± Iso let out, glances switching between the two of them.

    Theora agreed. None of this made sense. These two were definitely leaving out about 99 percent of the story. Leaning back against the bench, she rubbed her eyes. The terror of her earlier realisation still echoed through her bones.

    ¡°Maybe we¡­ calm down a moment and then talk it all out?¡± Iso suggested.

    ¡°Cool with me!¡± Dema said. ¡°Got a lot of catching up to do, after all!¡± She rubbed a few tears out of her eyes and then, her face lit up. ¡°Ah! I was gonna tell you your name. It¡¯s Iso! Short for Isobel. Not gonna have to use it if you don¡¯t like it. But since I¡¯m your mom I took the chance!¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Iso said, and nodded in a click-clack. ¡°Yes. Theora already told me about it. I do like the name. Please use it.¡±

    ¡°Damn!¡± Dema whined. ¡°Other mommy was quicker!¡±

    For a second, nothing happened.

    The rain pattered onto the leaves, distant shouts echoed up the hill, a bird chirped something from the tree. Iso just stared at Dema, and then, slowly, turned back to Theora.

    ¡°Other mommy?¡± she asked slowly, in a very high tone.

    Dema nodded, slightly confused. ¡°What, Theora didn¡¯t tell you! Why, nevermind, that¡¯s kinda typical for her. She helped make you! We resurrected you together. She¡¯s your mom too!¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Isobel murmured, switching glances between the two of them. ¡°Wait. I have two parents? I thought I only had you!¡± She frowned, and her feelers twitched. ¡°Oh, no! Theora, I treated you horribly!¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t treat me horribly,¡± Theora said weakly.

    ¡°I called you ¡®little girl¡¯!¡±

    ¡°You are much older than I am,¡± Theora offered.

    Dema grinned. ¡°Damn! I think I must have missed quite a lot!¡±

    ¡°I think that much is true for all of us,¡± Bell murmured very quietly.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Isobel went as if something had just occurred to her. ¡°Wait! I thought the two of you were just travelling companions, but that means you¡¯re like ¡ª together?¡±

    That question completely decommissioned both Theora and Dema at once. Theora blushed in record-time as her brain shut down, and Dema recoiled at the question in shocked surprise.

    Isobel waited for a moment, and as nothing happened, a look of uncertainty made itself across her face. She pulled her feelers up and side-eyed her mothers awkwardly. ¡°Did I say something wrong? Something I¡¯m not getting?¡±

    ¡°These two obviously have issues to work through,¡± Bell mumbled. ¡°Just leave them be.¡±

    ¡°I¡ª Okay!¡± Iso yelped.

    ¡°We should find some place where we can talk in peace,¡± Theora suggested with a dry throat, gathering all her power to change the topic. ¡°I suppose there is a lot of¡­ catching up to do.¡±

    ¡°Can come home with us!¡± Dema let out, still somewhat flustered but distracted by the prospect.

    ¡°Our home might not be large enough for six people to just sit there,¡± Theora opined, monotonously.

    Iso jumped, her carapace bursting into a short cacophony of klinks. ¡°Can come to our place! We found an empty house, so we¡¯ve been staying there. It¡¯s big!¡±

    Theora pulled up her eyebrows. ¡°You found an empty house?¡±

    ¡°Lots of empty buildings now,¡± Dema said, and nodded. ¡°Kinda like¡­ half? Half the people are gone. Lots of space now!¡±

    Half the population had left?

    Of course, Theora¡¯d been aware that some people weren¡¯t staying but¡­ She swallowed. Half the population had left, and because she¡¯d been so lost in her own world, she¡¯d never even realised.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Iso said. ¡°We had a lot of options, so we chose a pretty spacious one.¡±

    If there was so much space in town now, why had Balinth and Hell never moved out? Zeka had moved out as a teenager, and that hadn¡¯t seemed too strange to Theora, but the others¡­ Had they just never considered the space too small?

    Theora herself was only ever home to sleep and to sometimes spend an evening listening to the others talking while dozing off, so moving out hadn''t been a concern for her¡­ Maybe she should have, to leave the others more space.

    On the other hand, Balinth had said, back on their first day, that they didn¡¯t mind company.

    They really hadn¡¯t minded Theora¡¯s company at all, for almost forty years? Just like that, they¡¯d been fine with someone in their midst who was only ever gone or slept?

    And now, here were Iso and Bell. Bell, who had apparently agreed to become a travelling companion, and Iso, who¡¯d returned to her parents first chance she¡¯d got.

    Dema was one thing. Dema was forced to be with Theora; they travelled the world together because of the promise they¡¯d made when they first met. Dema was just following Theora to fulfil her last wish.

    At least, that¡¯s what Theora had always thought. But now, so many people chose to be with her, for reasons she couldn¡¯t at all comprehend.

    As she was losing herself in these thoughts, Isobel and Dema sorted out the plan for the rest of the day ¡ª and then, the group started moving.

    To ¡®sort things out¡¯.

    To ¡®catch up¡¯.

    Theora walked after them, watching Iso and Dema exchange their first few stories, with Bell occasionally being forced to give her input or opinion by both of the others. Oh, this reminded Theora of that day a very long time ago ¡ª that night, when Dema and Magda had led her through this town at the very start of its sullen process of decay.

    Walking home together with friends. Theora really didn¡¯t understand. She was not able to process.

    How had all the horrifying and flawed choices she¡¯d made in her life managed to get her here?

    It felt almost like family.

 Chapter 64: Disentanglement

    ¡°All right,¡± Bell said. ¡°Let¡¯s disentangle this.¡±

    She was sitting cross-legged on the floor in a large living room that was very sparsely decorated. A few pieces of furniture had been cast to the walls ¡ª a table, two chairs, and a shelf, and some items belonging to the past inhabitants were still set on them, including a collection of dusty books that had likely been deemed too heavy to take with them.

    Bell¡¯s long and thick tentacle hair spilled out onto the floor, occasionally twitching and squelching around, probing the severely scratched oak-wood planks beneath them.

    Isobel was sitting next to her and laughed out loud. ¡°Isn¡¯t she super cute?¡± she asked, stretching out her arm towards the closest tentacles, and making a point of ¡®disentangling¡¯ them.

    ¡°Not what I meant,¡± Bell murmured, begrudgingly.

    ¡°Disentangling it is,¡± Theora murmured, sitting in front of them on her legs folded in parallel.

    By now, pleasantries had been exchanged, and Dema and Iso had spent hours chatting to each other about what Theora could only classify as utter nonsense. Dema had mostly led the way talking about her favourite books, and Iso had indulged her with the greatest patience Theora had ever witnessed.

    Meanwhile, somehow, Iso constantly had some tangent to offer. For example, they¡¯d talked for half an hour about their favourite minerals, sorting them all into a list, with shale rock having found its way onto the top spot on both.

    But, while Theora had been happy to offer them this chance of respite and bonding, there were still so many pressing questions, and Bell obviously felt the same, so at some point in the evening, the three had decided to sit together to finally ¡®disentangle this mess of a situation¡¯.

    ¡°Why exactly did the two of you come here?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°To kill the Ancient Evil,¡± Bell answered, matter-of-factly.

    Iso rolled her eyes, flopping one of Bell¡¯s tentacles around. ¡°We came here because of a quest. Supposed to help with the Afterthought problem in Hallmark. That¡¯s what the System wanted us to do! Side quest.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Bell answered, trying to retrieve her tentacle, but Iso was holding firm without noticing. Somehow, Bell¡¯s venom didn¡¯t work on Iso¡¯s rock body. ¡°But it¡¯s clear that the System brought me here to complete my Main Quest.¡±

    ¡°Your Main Quest,¡± Theora echoed. ¡°It¡¯s still the same? You are tasked with ending Dema, just like back when you were with your party?¡±

    ¡°Not quite the same. We failed the last one, after all, thanks to you. It went through a few iterations by now, but yes, my Main Quest is to kill the Ancient Evil, and that¡¯s why the System led me here. Same for Iso.¡±

    Iso groaned and clattered in a smooth motion of circling her torso and head through the air. ¡°But we didn¡¯t know! We came here for the side quest. Didn¡¯t even know mom was here!¡±

    ¡°So, Bell, how did Dema find you?¡± Theora ventured, her fists firmly pressed against her thighs as she sat on the ground cross-legged. ¡°How did you two meet?¡±

    Bell bit her lip, and took a deep breath. Her expression hardened, although some of its gravity was lost with the fact that Iso had gone back to play with her hair.

    Despite that, Bell met Theora¡¯s gaze as if she was staring into the eyes of her executioner. ¡°I knew that None would keep you occupied today¡ª¡± She broke off for a moment. ¡°None. None or Isobel? Should I be calling you Isobel?¡±

    Iso shrugged. ¡°Just whichever you feel like for now, I guess!¡±

    Bell nodded. She took another breath. ¡°I knew that the Ancient Evil would be exhausted due to helping out with the Afterthoughts, and isolated due to None keeping you occupied. So, I went to fulfil my Main Quest.¡±

    Iso¡¯s head turned around in shock, letting go of a tentacle. It dropped with a soft squelch. ¡°What?¡±

    Bell closed her eyes for a moment, too long to be a blink, and steeled herself, fists clenched. Her hair pulled itself up into a ponytail, with one tentacle knotting all others together. ¡°None, I did communicate to you that I would use every opportunity that presented itself to complete it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ I thought we¡¯d talk about it first!¡± Iso whined.

    ¡°There is nothing to talk about. Also, we did talk about it. I made my position clear to you several times. I will pursue my Main Quest, and I have outlined the reasons for doing so to you in great detail.¡±

    So, it was as Theora had feared. The System had been planning its next assault for decades, and Bell had again been at the forefront of it, to play as a pawn.

    ¡°What happened when you found her?¡±

    Bell shook her head softly. ¡°She wasn¡¯t as weakened as I¡¯d hoped. Still, I perceived it to be the best chance I might ever receive. So, we fought.¡±

    Iso¡¯s eyes went even wider, and her mouth stood agape. ¡°You fought?!¡±

    ¡°Can hardly call it a fight,¡± Bell murmured. ¡°She wiped the floor with me. Well.¡± She considered. ¡°That¡¯s inaccurate too. She didn¡¯t harm me at all. She just took all the damage, shrugged it off, and then started gushing about how cute she thought jellyfish were.¡±

    Iso snorted in amused disbelief.

    ¡°I was stumped,¡± Bell continued, her voice slightly shaky. ¡°She asked if I wanted to travel with her, and in that moment, I gained a new Main Quest.¡±

    Theora already didn¡¯t want to know what that Main Quest was.

    ¡°So, what is it?¡± Iso asked.

    Bell¡¯s gaze slowly went back to Theora, and it was clear that there was a hint of fear in it ¡ª or apprehension. She had just confessed to an attempted murder of what she understood to be Theora¡¯s crush. Her demeanour was defiant, but insecure. Unsure about how the next minutes would play out. Or rather, very sure about what would happen, and dreading the result. Theora could almost see Bell¡¯s thoughts run through her jellyfish head ¡ª ¡®I understand what I did and I¡¯d do it again, kill me for it if you must.¡¯

    ¡°You can invite her to the party,¡± Theora said, turning to Iso. ¡°Let her share the quest.¡±

    And so, within a few seconds, Theora was greeted by its description.

    [Current Main Quest: Betray the Ancient Evil.]

    Gain the trust of the Ancient Evil and its companions, to kill it when the opportunity presents itself.

    After reading it, Theora¡¯s eyes flickered back to Bell.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°And so,¡± the girl said, ¡°I decided to agree to the Ancient Evil¡¯s request.¡±

    Again, Iso laughed out loud. ¡°You¡¯re just showing that to us? That¡¯s typical. You just can¡¯t be dishonest.¡±

    ¡°I believe in the value of open communication, regardless of what kind of position that might put me in,¡± Bell murmured. ¡°If the System thought it could send me on a betrayal quest in secret, it doesn¡¯t seem to know me at all.¡±

    ¡°It probably doesn¡¯t,¡± Theora agreed. The System ¡ª or, the Brat, as Isobel called it ¡ª had access to about infinite knowledge, but only finite attention. It would not waste a lot of it on the states of mind of its heroes. After all, that¡¯s how it had failed to deliver a quest either Theora or Iso had been willing to complete.

    Bell nodded. She took in a slightly unsteady and shaky breath. ¡°Still, this is rather peculiar, isn¡¯t it?¡± she said. ¡°The fact that the three of us are sitting here, talking about this at all. It cannot be coincidence.¡±

    Iso stared in confusion, her feelers making a little circling motion. ¡°Wait, why? Why the three of us? Something going over my head again?¡±

    Bell raised her eyebrows. ¡°You weren¡¯t aware? All of us are tasked with ending the Ancient Evil.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Iso¡¯s head snapped around to Theora, clatters issuing over her entire body. For the first time, a hint of fear made itself into her expression.

    Of course it did. Isobel had seen Theora¡¯s spreadsheet, read [Obliterate]¡¯s description, felt the aura burst on the top of the mountain and perceived Theora¡¯s empty gaze. Iso knew that if Theora wanted to kill Dema, she actually could ¡ª a concept that felt much less imaginary than the prospect of Bell accomplishing the same.

    ¡°It¡¯s how we met,¡± Theora confirmed.

    Iso¡¯s apprehension let off, replaced by a hint of mischievous curiosity. ¡°Tell me all about it!¡± she demanded with a grin.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have the time for sappy romance,¡± Bell interjected. ¡°Or rather, I don¡¯t have the patience for it. We need to clear this up. All three of us are tasked to kill the Ancient Evil, all three of us are sitting here, talking to each other, and all three of us are in close contact with our target. That¡¯s peculiar. Plus, that very target is the one who got me here. I would have fled after our encounter otherwise. And she¡¯s the one who birthed None.¡±

    Isobel frowned, and started thinking. ¡°I suppose that is peculiar in some way. Is Dema collecting people out to kill her?¡±

    ¡°I believe it may be the System gathering people together,¡± Theora said. ¡°The System engineered the Afterthought problem to keep me here. That¡¯s what it used to gain time to gather you two as well.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Bell let out. ¡°The System would never¡­¡±

    ¡°I only have circumstantial evidence,¡± Theora continued, ¡°But it presents a strong case. Before your arrival, I would not have expected the System to act this way, either. It was the last piece of the puzzle.¡± Theora sighed softly, and restrained. ¡°The Afterthought problem started a few weeks before Dema and I arrived here. In other words, when the System was aware we were on our way. While people have been injured in the process, nobody has died. The System had perhaps weighed this as an acceptable sacrifice for a shot at disposing of Dema.¡±

    Iso slowly nodded. ¡°Seems plausible so far.¡±

    ¡°Another piece of evidence,¡± Theora said, ¡°Is the fact that no other hero of the System ever arrived to take care of the Afterthoughts.¡± She made a circling motion with her hand, one she¡¯d learned from Balinth to refer to Hallmark while being inside it. ¡°This is not a task that requires me. Any hero of the System could have helped. In fact, typically, for something like this, I imagine the System would send a couple of experts and have the problem solved within a few months or years. But it didn¡¯t. I could have used this time to work on the other side quest it gave me ¡ª presumably one that can only be solved by me ¡ª but it was fine with me being stuck here, because me being stuck here was by its design.¡±

    Theora swallowed, and tried her best to remain collected and not show her true emotions to these two girls, who were barely to blame. ¡°I imagine what happened is this: The System tasked a couple of extremely competent heroes through quests with causing and maintaining the plague, unseen, and keeping the town at constant near-breaking point. And now that you¡¯ve both finally arrived here, ready to commit the killing blow against Dema, the System has withdrawn its heroes, and that¡¯s why, last week, we finally managed to shut down the first factory. The plague will likely subside over the next few weeks, and that will be the final proof.¡±

    The other two were left dead silent, staring at Theora, trying to absorb the information she¡¯d shared.

    The truth was, Theora left most of it unsaid.

    The System had acted this way because Theora was refusing to do her duty, and because the System, to the best of its knowledge, believed that Dema had to be stopped. And it would use whatever means necessary to accomplish that goal.

    And so, Theora left unsaid how this meant that this was all her fault. How if she never had arrived at Hallmark, this city wouldn¡¯t have encountered this plague. How if she hadn¡¯t arrived at Hallmark, Balinth¡¯s leg could have properly healed. How Magda¡¯s life would have been that much more peaceful. How nobody would have been injured by Afterthoughts, and how the town wouldn¡¯t have lost half its population.

    Theora had stayed here under the misconception that she¡¯d be of help. She¡¯d done her best to get up every morning and aid this town in need.

    The truth was, the actual plague had been Theora herself. Had she decided to leave this place behind at any point, the issues would have ended right then.

    It made sense, of course. She was the Roaming Blight. What else could she have expected from staying in a place for long? She¡¯d poison it, no doubt.

    ¡°Okay, wait,¡± Iso said after a few moments of thought. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that both Dema and the Brat are trying to surround her with people tasked to kill her?¡±

    Bell hummed in thought. ¡°Makes sense. The System obviously just thinks that being close to the target increases the chances of success. Meanwhile, the Ancient Evil is a manipulative deceiver.¡±

    At that exact moment, Dema coincidentally walked past the door leading to the kitchen. ¡°I can hear you there!¡± she shouted. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready soon! Also, do we have some more paper? My next scheme is slowly coming together!¡±

    Bell shook her head in annoyance, and continued. ¡°The Ancient Evil probably thinks something like ¡®keep your friends close, but your enemies closer¡¯. Maybe she believes that having us around will help ensure our tasks fail.¡±

    ¡°Look,¡± Iso said, ¡°If you¡¯re going to travel with Dema to gain her trust, maybe at least use her name?¡±

    Bell blinked. ¡°Right. Dema. What I¡¯m saying is, there is a chance that both Dema and the System consider it beneficial to them if she is surrounded by her enemies, and that may be how this meeting came to happen.¡±

    ¡°Could also just be that Dema loves isopods and jellyfish and¡ª¡± Theora swallowed. ¡°Strong girls,¡± she added awkwardly.

    Bell rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, yes, I am aware that you are living under the misguided assumption that Dema is just a harmless cutie. She¡¯s not. Let¡¯s not waste our time on that debate, we¡¯ve had it before. More importantly, I would like us to be upfront about our aims in this.¡±

    ¡°Our aims?¡± Iso asked. ¡°How do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What we are planning to do. How we are going to proceed,¡± she said. ¡°We all are tasked with the same thing. Let¡¯s discuss how we feel about it.¡±

    ¡°I hate it, duh! She¡¯s my mom! I¡¯m not only going to protect her, I¡¯m going to give that Brat a hefty slap until it stops this nonsense.¡±

    Bell nodded. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I mean. Let¡¯s be open. As for me ¡ª I¡¯m going to do exactly what this quest asks of me. I will use whatever opportunity presents itself.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Iso let out. ¡°I know you don¡¯t mean that!¡±

    Bell¡¯s eyes flickered to Theora, again with that defiant apprehension, that fear of being executed on the spot. When nothing happened, she asked, ¡°And you?¡±

    Theora took a deep breath.

    So, it had all been disentangled.

    The two realities of her life were sitting in front of her, collapsed into two different people. One that refused to do her duty because of how much she appreciated Dema, and one who knew that her Main Quest inevitably had to be completed, no matter the cost.

    This was such cruelty. And still, Theora had no answer. Communicating clearly? Being upfront? How could she do that if she didn¡¯t even understand herself how this situation could possibly be resolved? Being faced off with all of it in this way felt excruciating and cruel, and self-centred too.

    Both Bell and Iso were living each reality, in its full fervour, unable to hop around and pick whichever was easier to bear at the moment. Iso, desperately trying to protect her mother and mounting whichever resources she could to do so, even going as far as to dream of dismantling the System itself, and Bell, who¡¯d gone on a hopeless endeavour with the full knowledge that it might have simply gotten her killed, just like that. And she¡¯d still pushed through.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill Dema,¡± Theora muttered, and it felt like the truth, albeit incomplete, because despite it all, she still had that nagging, almost-but-not-quite banished feeling in the depths of her heart. That calm sea of truth, that certainty, that knowledge.

    The knowledge of how Theora had come to be and the knowledge of how she¡¯d come to end, that made it hard to breathe and get up in the mornings and talk and even move, because it left only one inevitable conclusion.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill Dema,¡± she repeated, and in saying that, her voice nearly broke.

 Chapter 65: Cornered

    After their heart-to-heart, Theora felt extremely exhausted. When looking at Iso, she was reminded of the fact that a possibility existed where Theora and Dema could live a happy life together, even have a family, a life full of love ¡ª and it was too much. Theora¡¯s heart lurched at the thought, the idea of having this kind of connection with Dema was still too much to bear. Theora couldn¡¯t possibly hope to survive even holding her hand without turning to dust.

    And when looking at Bell, Theora was reminded of the possibility that Dema might truly be evil, and just scheming to get out of this alive. But even if that was the case, Theora still didn¡¯t want to fulfil her Main Quest.

    Eventually, Iso got up and traipsed into the kitchen. ¡°We¡¯re done, mom,¡± she said. ¡°You can come back if you want to.¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Dema shouted. ¡°Why, not like I was tryna avoid you or anything. I was just busy!¡±

    ¡°Yes, sure. I believe you,¡± Iso said and nodded understandingly.

    A moment later, Dema¡¯s head appeared on the side of the doorframe, peeking into the living room. ¡°Am I gonna get killed off now?¡± she asked with raised eyebrows.

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Iso yelled out. ¡°You¡¯re safe!¡±

    Dema turned to her with an expression that slowly melted into yearning love. ¡°Why, what a protective daughter I have! I love you!¡±

    Even though Theora had not been the target, hearing these words out of Dema¡¯s mouth sent an electrifying shock over her body to the point where she jerked up. At the sight of that, Bell rolled her eyes, and Theora decided to smooth the motion out by rising to her wonky feet.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ going to make tea,¡± Theora proclaimed, hiding her blush under her curly hair, looking at the ground.

    ¡°Sure!¡± Dema said, eyebrows raised just a little, as she and Iso were walking into the living room. ¡°Food¡¯s done, if anyone wants to fetch any. I made an earth-themed hot-pot with mushrooms and potatoes and carrots!¡±

    It was at that point that Isobel stopped walking with a clatter-clatter, and stared at Theora. ¡°Wait,¡± she said, and Theora turned to look. Iso¡¯s feelers were twitching a bit, and her eyes widened a little in a newfound realisation. ¡°You¡¯re going to make tea?¡±

    Theora nodded, avoiding her gaze.

    ¡°You have a tea brewing Skill,¡± Iso pointed out softly, and then her gaze went blurry as she looked at a System prompt in front of her. ¡°Didn¡¯t even notice that earlier.¡± Her eyes flickered around. ¡°You can brew tea from anything,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema confirmed. ¡°She once made shale tea for me! Can you believe it? Shale tea!¡±

    ¡°Did she¡­ ever make tea out of moss?¡± Iso ventured.

    ¡°She did!¡± Dema cheered. ¡°Told you she was your other mommy, right? We turned you back whole together. She cleansed all your parts in her moss tea.¡±

    Iso pulled up her moss eyebrows and widened her gaze, looking like she was about to cry. ¡°That tea is yours? The one that¡¯s still warm and cosy even today?¡±

    ¡°I thought moss would fit you, maybe,¡± Theora murmured with a dry throat.

    Iso nodded, clattering all-around. ¡°So the tea is yours and the blood is hers. Oh, you can¡¯t believe how much I love this.¡± She grinned. ¡°I have two moms! Mom and mommy.¡±

    Theora blushed even stronger, and started feeling close to fainting, so she just nodded awkwardly, and vanished into the kitchen. It was a small one, and Dema had prepared a large pot with four empty bowls standing next to it. She hadn¡¯t cleaned up, so a knife still lay on a small cutting board, and the scent of deep brothy mushroom concoction draped the small room like a warm blanket. The kitchen counter was on the left of the door, a small window let the rays of street lights inside.

    Theora shut off the lanterns in the room. She was still blushing and preferred if nobody could see that if they entered. She carefully opened the cupboard hanging over the kitchen counter to look for utensils to boil water.

    Unfortunately, having fled didn¡¯t save her from hearing the rest of the conversation from the next room.

    ¡°And, you know, her tea¡¯s the most delicious I¡¯ve ever had,¡± Dema went on to mention, and Theora could hear Iso click a nod.

    ¡°Oh, yeah! Her Skill says the tea tastes better if she likes her recipient a lot.¡±

    There was a short silence. Then, Dema asked, sounding positively shocked, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Did you never bother to read her Skills?¡±

    ¡°How would I have read her Skills!¡±

    ¡°What? You¡¯ve never formed a party?¡±

    ¡°A what!¡±

    Promptly, Dema was invited to join, and accepted just as quickly.

    Now, the little stat sheets of all the other three hovered in the periphery of Theora¡¯s view.

    ¡°Oh, wow, you have [Appraise]?¡± Iso let out. ¡°How did you not know Theora¡¯s Skills?¡±

    ¡°[Appraise] always fails on her! She¡¯s just too strong!¡±

    Or too broken, Theora thought.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Dema continued. ¡°You got [Identify]. Damn. Together we can rule the galaxy!¡±

    Bell¡¯s voice echoed through from the room too. ¡°A party with access to both [Appraise] and [Identify]? This is ridiculous.¡±

    Iso laughed brightly. ¡°You have both! What are you even saying!¡±

    ¡°Having them on one person is not as useful, since I have to divide resources and levelling time between them,¡± Bell murmured.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Both Skills were indeed rather rare. Especially at higher Levels and with enough unlocks, it meant that a party with both couldn¡¯t really be surprised by anything and had access to a vast amount of information on all their surroundings.

    With a high-level [Identify], they could have probably found the culprits behind the Afterthought factories too. And, maybe, it was still possible. Isobel could [Identify] a crystal, find the exact cause of the affliction, and with help of Dema¡¯s [Appraise], follow the lead back to whichever hero was responsible.

    And then, what? These people had likely acted in good faith after receiving a quest from the System. Maybe they had felt bad about it, even. Or maybe they just didn¡¯t care. If she were to meet them, what would Theora say?

    She couldn¡¯t come up with anything. From their point of view, they had protected the world by aiding in an attempt to suppress the Ancient Evil. Still, they¡¯d accepted the fact that people in this town would suffer for it¡­

    Ultimately, this was all Theora¡¯s fault.

    As she was filling the cups with boiling water, she still heard the scraps of the others talking to each other, but couldn¡¯t pay any attention.

    The Roaming Blight. Now, all of them would be stuck with her. First, she¡¯d forced Dema in a position of having to follow her, and now, this extended to Bell and Iso too, because they had that same Main Quest, only because Theora hadn¡¯t cleared it.

    Well, maybe they weren¡¯t truly stuck with Theora. While Bell had made her intentions to follow along rather clear, Iso had said nothing of the sort. Iso was planning to confront the System; that was her main goal. Could she pursue this idea while travelling together with them?

    On the other hand, Iso had also mentioned that she wanted to protect Dema.

    So, perhaps, they would really start travelling together as four.

    Maybe they really would travel together.

    Theora hiccuped, and pursed her lips. Rubbing her eyes, they left her hand slightly wet.

    Why was she crying?

    Only a single tear, but a single tear it was, at the prospect of maybe not having to spend all of her personal eternity alone.

    At that, Theora heard Dema enter the kitchen, and averted her gaze and hid her hand. ¡°So!¡± Dema let out, coming to a halt a few steps away, as Theora was standing at the end of the counter, close to the wall. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Theora swallowed. ¡°What do I think? About what?¡±

    ¡°About Bell! Joining us. That okay with you?¡±

    Theora looked up and stared into Dema¡¯s amber eyes. There was no hint of doubt in them, it didn¡¯t seem like a test nor a challenge. She really just wanted to know, no strings attached? Theora filled up the last cup, and then whispered, ¡°She tried to kill you.¡±

    Dema waved off. ¡°Barely a scratch. Honestly, she¡¯s a baby. Not gonna harm me.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t wrong, strictly speaking. While, excluding Theora, Bell might be one of the strongest heroes in the world right now ¡ª if not the strongest ¡ª there was still a world between her power and Dema¡¯s.

    After all, that was the reason why the Ancient Evil had been sealed away and never beaten.

    The Devil of Truth had been strong. He¡¯d bested Dema in his Realm, where he was invincible. But outside of it, he would have lost. He was the kind of legendary evil ruler who could have formed a cruel kingdom and waged war against the continents. And then, one day, he might have been subdued by a party of mythical heroes going on a lifelong quest to defeat him.

    The Ancient Evil was different.

    All a mythical band of Heroes had been able to do was seal her away in the Cube of Solitude. Thus, the idea of small little Bell coming along and defeating her wasn¡¯t necessarily convincing.

    ¡°This was her second attempt,¡± Theora said, in a low and defeated voice.

    ¡°Her second attempt?¡± Dema asked, raising her eyebrows. ¡°Why, did I miss something!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora confirmed. ¡°While you were injured. Back then, the System mounted an operation to kill you. Bell was part of that.¡±

    Dema frowned. She stared into Theora¡¯s eyes for a moment, and then cracked a little smile. ¡°But I¡¯m totally still alive. Why, you protected me? That it?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have let them harm you.¡±

    Dema beamed. ¡°So you protected me,¡± she whispered.

    Theora felt the hotness seep back into her face. ¡°That¡¯s not why I am telling you. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°How¡¯d you do it? Bell doesn¡¯t look obliterated to me. How¡¯d you keep me safe?¡±

    ¡°Bell refused to fight me. As for the others, I destroyed their equipment and told them to leave.¡±

    Dema¡¯s face lit up in surprise, and she raised her eyebrows. ¡°Their equipment! What, did you strip them?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Theora answered, rolling her eyes and holding back a smile. How did that brain of Dema¡¯s even work for her to come up with this? ¡°Just their weapons. Anyway, this all means the System won¡¯t stop trying to kill you. It¡¯s not just me anymore you have to worry about.¡±

    ¡°I ain¡¯t scared!¡± Dema cheered, loud enough to fill the entire apartment. ¡°Whatever, these plans of the System so far are child¡¯s play. Let them come!¡±

    But Theora couldn¡¯t share that excitement. ¡°I agree with that concerning the first one, which is why I never told you. That first one, it could have never succeeded. Everything went perfectly for them, and they still failed. There was no path for them to win.¡±

    ¡°Why, of course not!¡±

    ¡°But this second one?¡± Theora continued. ¡°Today? Today was a close call.¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Dema let out. ¡°You should¡¯a seen that girl! Baby! No way she could have ever won. She knew that herself too. Saw it in her eyes.¡±

    ¡°No, if you think about this attempt, there were ways for it to succeed,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°The System was just very unlucky. It was unlucky in that Isobel refused. And, it was unlucky in that I asked you not to exhaust yourself fully.¡± She swallowed. ¡°What if Isobel had accepted the quest? If she¡¯d trained, found allies, come here with bad intent and a strong group. And what if you¡¯d been depleted from fighting the Afterthoughts alongside me, and been just as spent as I was.¡±

    Theora paused. ¡°As I am,¡± she specified. ¡°I¡¯m drained from using [Obliterate] hundreds of times per day, for so long. I¡¯m willing myself to stay conscious and focussed, and yet, I still almost lost it today.¡±

    To be more precise, she had lost it. It was only Isobel alone who had averted a disaster.

    Dema just stared, a rare serious expression on her face, and at the sight, Theora wanted to recoil, but stayed firm. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to make you worry about me. Just outlining the facts. The System exhausted me and my judgement is clouded. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying? If a few things had gone differently¡­¡±

    Even saying just these vague words felt like vomiting molten steel. Theora did her best to not lose herself on the spot. She took a breath to calm herself, and tried to fight back against her tingling eyes. ¡°Yes,¡± she continued, ¡°The first attempt, it was child¡¯s play. But the second one wasn¡¯t. This second one was up to chance.¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°I hear you,¡± she said, in a voice that tried to be calming and soft. ¡°But it worked out! System was unlucky.¡±

    ¡°You still don¡¯t understand, do you?¡± Theora pleaded. Ah, she¡¯d messed up. Now, a tear dropped down her face after all.

    Dema stared back, a hint of a frown working itself onto her face. ¡°Understand what?¡±

    ¡°The System, it won¡¯t stop trying, and it has all the time in the world,¡± Theora said. ¡°It only needs to win once. As long as its schemes have a chance to succeed ¡ª even if it¡¯s just one in a million ¡ª you will die.¡±

    These words finally broke through, but not in a way Theora had expected.

    ¡°Why, how daring,¡± Dema said in her smoky voice, carrying a soft and gentle threat.

    Then, much to Theora¡¯s surprised horror, Dema broke into a thin smile. She made a step forward, and in turn, Theora recoiled back in reflex, bumping into the corner between kitchen counter and wall.

    No way to hop out. She was trapped.

    Dema did not relent. She slowly raised her ash-coloured hand to place it against the side of Theora¡¯s wide-eyed face. Her thumb wiped the tear away gently, her fingers slowly sinking into curly hair. The contact sizzled across Theora¡¯s skin and sent shivers all over her, like being grazed by the claws of a predator, wiping her mind completely clean, instantly, as a wave of coal and ashen scent pierced her consciousness.

    Dema¡¯s face was inching dangerously close, amber eyes glinting.

    ¡°Little rabbit,¡± she rasped. ¡°Breaking the rule again, aren¡¯t we?¡±

 Chapter 66: Poisonous Affection

    Theora wanted to melt.

    To liquify into a puddle, to get out of Dema¡¯s terrifyingly gentle gaze. To find a way to vanish from the searing and undivided attention of hers, but the only issue was that if she did that, that warm and soft hand would vanish from her cheek, and who knew when Dema would get back in the mood to touch her again.

    Oh, how had things turned out like this?

    Theora was supposed to be the strongest person in the world.

    She was the one who defied the rules of reality, who was unreasonable, and the one who would never lose. It was a fact, not confidence, and as such, unquestionable.

    And yet, here she barely stood, overwhelmed to the point of feeling dizzy, holding on by a thread as Dema somehow managed to tower over her despite being a head smaller. And Dema was completely justified in doing so, because she was right. Theora really had gone and done it now, ignoring that precious rule and instead¡ª

    ¡°Hey!¡± Dema snapped softly, and peeled Theora¡¯s hand away from clenching the edge of the counter. Theora felt her heart pound in a storm. ¡°Doing it again, huh!¡± Dema smiled, and raised her eyebrows just a bit. ¡°You know, if you¡¯re gonna get lost in thoughts, you gotta stop at a good point, not at a bad one!¡±

    ¡°Stop at a good one?¡± Theora breathed in the lowest possible voice.

    ¡°Yeah! Like, one in a million chance? Do the math, little rabbit. How much time does that leave us?¡±

    Dema pressed down on Theora¡¯s hand, and Theora couldn¡¯t help but press back in reflex. She felt so hot, and close to bursting into a thousand stars. ¡°Sure, I wanna live forever, but that¡¯s just a selfish wish. If it ain¡¯t gonna work out, bummer! But, I still got to cherish that whole life I lived until then.¡± Dema again brushed over Theora¡¯s face, and interlocked their fingers with her other hand. ¡°My life with you!¡±

    And then the dam broke.

    Theora jerked as she tried to hold back a sob, squeezing Dema¡¯s hand, but then, the second sob came up and she couldn¡¯t hold it. With a whimper, she sniffed the snot through her nose and couldn¡¯t keep her mouth closed as her face melted into a grimace.

    She ugly cried. Couldn¡¯t hold herself up, so she sank down, caught by Dema and falling into her embrace. Dema¡¯s arms pressed against her back, getting the two as close as possible, not a hair breadth between them. ¡°There, there,¡± Dema lilted, and brushed through Theora¡¯s hair, holding her steady against the quivers of her body.

    ¡°You okay back there?¡± Iso¡¯s words echoed from the living room.

    ¡°Just leave them,¡± Bell answered, ¡°They¡¯re having a moment.¡±

    Theora just couldn¡¯t stop crying. It was all coming out now, in a torrent that she¡¯d held back for oh, so long.

    A life with Dema. That¡¯s exactly what she was having right now, wasn¡¯t it?

    If you¡¯re gonna get lost in thoughts, you gotta stop at a good point, not at a bad one.

    How much time does that leave us?

    ¡°But I can¡¯t stop at the good point of having a lot of time, because I don¡¯t want to ever lose you at all,¡± Theora whined, head buried in Dema¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m selfish too.¡±

    Dema giggled and pressed Theora¡¯s head against herself. ¡°Not gonna! You hear me, not gonna happen! I¡¯m really good at being immortal. You think the System¡¯s gonna hit the lottery one day? All I gotta do is hit the lottery first!¡±

    ¡°That makes no sense,¡± Theora murmured, but she wrapped her arms around Dema¡¯s small figure because it somehow still managed to make her feel better.

    To cherish each day they were granted, without worrying about the eternity looming thereafter? Oh, what a concept. Theora wasn¡¯t sure if she could ever be strong enough to do that, but maybe it was something she could work towards.

    So much sobbing. And, it just kept going and going, and it wouldn¡¯t stop.

    She twitched a few more times, sniffling and swallowing, feeling almost bad for wiping all her discharge into Dema¡¯s cloak, but it wasn¡¯t like Dema showed any intent of letting her go, and the warmth of her body felt good, and somehow, all the pressure was gone and Theora felt so much lighter, the dense fog in her head clearing out as if evaporating into the darkness around them, like she¡¯d been swimming and drowning in an ocean all alone for so long, and finally found a thing to hold on to that could keep her afloat ¡ª and that thing was strong as a rock and soft as another bunny and smelled of salt and coal and everything became fuzzy as this rare feeling of safety swirled around in Theora¡¯s empty shell as if she could be whole for once, even for just a minute.

    Whole again, for just a minute.

    She breathed in an entire lungful of air.

    Ah, she was dizzy. By now, she wasn¡¯t being held up and steady by Dema anymore, but simply resting against her in a solemn kind of peace.

    Theora¡¯s head was empty for once, just feeling beat after beat issue from Dema¡¯s heart, and feeling her breathe in and out right next to her, feeling the gentle strokes of Dema¡¯s fingers graze over her back. And it just went on like this, and on, and on.

    And then, at some point ¡ª without Theora even knowing how much time had passed ¡ª Dema slowly wrapped her out of the embrace. They¡¯d both sunk to the ground somehow, and Theora looked up.

    ¡°Still gotta eat!¡± Dema said, beaming down. ¡°You gotta eat well too! Can¡¯t sit here all night.¡±

    Theora nodded weakly.

    Yes, following Dema¡¯s suggestions seemed like a good idea. Dema wanted her to eat? Good idea. She¡¯d eat. Yes.

    ¡°Oh, and,¡± Dema added, ¡°So that¡¯s a no for Bell? Don¡¯t want her around because she¡¯s gonna try to kill me? That¡¯s fine, if so! If you¡¯re not too much into having her around. Just wanna clear it up!¡±

    Wiping the snot and tears out of her face, Theora shook her head. ¡°Not about that. If you want to have Bell around, we can have Bell around.¡±

    Dema smiled. ¡°Alright! Yeah, I wanna! She¡¯s cute.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re impossible¡­¡± Theora murmured.

    With Dema¡¯s help, Theora managed to pull herself back up on her unsteady legs, to finish up brewing the tea for everyone. Dema ruffled through Theora¡¯s hair and then, with an earnest smile, went back into the kitchen to tell Bell she¡¯d been accepted.

    Eventually, Theora carried the cups into the living room, putting them on the ground. She barely registered the others, still feeling wobbly. Bell and Iso were talking about something, empty bowls in front of them. When had they even gone into the kitchen and fetched them? Theora hadn¡¯t noticed at all. Meanwhile, Dema had sat down in a corner with one of the books she¡¯d found on the table in the living room.

    The cups were of a nice set of ornate porcelain. Now that she was back in a lit room, Theora could take a proper look to appreciate them, even though her vision was still a little bleary. Azure, with red adornments hand-drawn at the edges in thin, almost-conforming lines resembling ocean currents, and wide rims of wavy flowery dimpled shapes. They were all filled with tea made from the peel of oranges Theora had found in the kitchen. Gently steaming, crystal-clear reddish liquid with a golden shimmer, calm and radiating a soft scent of citrus fruit.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Damn!¡± Dema yelled out. ¡°That smells so good! Also, didn¡¯t know they had sets like this here. That seems like overkill for a small flat like that.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re Bell¡¯s!¡± Iso answered. ¡°She¡¯s a fan of pretty things.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is she!¡± Dema exclaimed, turning her grinning face to Bell ¡ª who was sitting there on the ground in mute and absolute horror. Staring down at the cups, clenching her fists into her wavy semi-transparent dress. ¡°What!¡± Dema let out upon seeing that. ¡°What¡¯s wrong! Little rabbit not allowed to use them?¡±

    Bell gulped, and shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­ There¡¯s¡­¡± She pointed at the cups in the centre between all of them. Her hands were shaking softly. ¡°There¡¯s four cups.¡±

    ¡°Of course there¡¯s four!¡± Dema said. ¡°Why not! There¡¯s four of us!¡±

    Bell¡¯s glance darted over to Theora, seemingly afraid. ¡°Are you going to poison me? Please, I¡¯ve always been open towards you, so at least tell me beforehand.¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Iso blurted out. ¡°No way! Where does that come from! She wouldn¡¯t do that. Right, Theora?¡±

    Theora meanwhile just started blushing, and put her face in her hands, eyes still puffy.

    Dema shifted her body around towards Theora, her coat and shins gliding over the wooden planks with a soft shuffling noise. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°The Skill. You used your Skill to make these, right?¡± Bell inquired with a low voice. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have made orange tea like that without it.¡±

    ¡°¡¯Course she used her Skill! Always does, what of it!¡± Dema sounded confused.

    ¡°Well,¡± Bell went on, but sounding much less sure as the words continued to escape her. ¡°As Iso mentioned earlier, the Skill says, ¡®Your tea¡¯s taste is magically enhanced by the affection you feel for its recipient.¡¯¡±

    She looked up and around, but when she was only met by further confused looks from Dema and Iso, she continued, ¡°I tried to kill her crush and lifelong companion, twice. Look, I get it, Theora is a good person, but clearly, she is acting nice for my sake. If her affection for the recipient is negative, won¡¯t that make the tea poisonous?¡±

    Dema scratched her head and put her chin in her hand, falling into thought for a moment. After a while, she said, ¡°It probably would!¡± in an aha-moment voice. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right! Little rabbit tryna poison her! Your scheme¡¯s unveiled, little schemer!¡±

    By now, Dema was just messing with Theora, having her typical mischievous grin on her face, and meanwhile, Theora wanted to disappear from the planet, never to be seen again. Or at least, fall asleep, forever.

    ¡°I¡­ made two for myself,¡± Theora lied. ¡°You don¡¯t have to drink anything.¡±

    ¡°No, I wanna see this!¡± Dema butted in. She jumped up into a stand with a single motion, landing on her feet, but still shaking slightly the way her movement had become ever since recovering from her long-term injuries. She plodded over the wooden boards with soft thumps, picked up one of the cups, and placed it directly in front of Bell. ¡°There we go,¡± she said.

    Bell just stared up at her, shaking ever so softly.

    ¡°Nothing bad is going to happen, my mom wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± Iso added and gave a reassuring nod.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema agreed. ¡°Also, I know a healer in the guard, so I¡¯m gonna carry you right to them if it knocks you out!¡±

    A little bit of life left Bell¡¯s eyes right then.

    ¡°So it has come to this,¡± she intoned, calmly, accepting her fate. She stared at the cup for a painfully long time. A myriad of small motions and thoughts went through her expression ¡ª all of them moving hushed and mellowed behind her usual blanket of stone-faced defiance. And then, with a sudden but controlled and elegant motion, she picked up the cup, and drank.

    Everyone stared at her, awaiting her judgement. Everyone except Theora, that is, who put her head onto her knees, protecting herself with her arms wrapped around.

    This was a total disaster.

    She should have thought this through properly. She¡¯d gotten so used to making tea for everyone that the possibility of this happening should have occurred to her. The fact that Iso had even mentioned her Skill earlier should have been a gigantic red flag. It had been Theora¡¯s last chance to get out of this unscathed.

    That¡¯s right ¡ª she¡¯d accepted to join a party, and now all of herself was laid bare before the others. She¡¯s been too self-absorbed in the privacy granted to her by the destruction she¡¯d inflicted on her own sheet, and forgotten how brutal it was to be seen and understood.

    Dema would never let her hear the end of this.

    This may as well be Theora¡¯s last day on earth.

    In fact, wasn¡¯t this far too cruel? Theora felt like it was. She¡¯d barely calmed down from meeting Isobel, barely managed to get over her breakdown just a few seconds ago, and she was still so sleepy, and now this.

    And with that, Bell suddenly jumped up, leaving the half-drunk cup on the ground, and stormed out of the room. The door was clawed open in a squelching sound, presumably by her tentacle hair, and swung shut behind her as she disappeared into the city.

    ¡°Bell!¡± Iso shouted after, and scrambled to get up. Then, she clack-clack-clacked out of the door to follow her companion. ¡°Bell, wait! Are you okay?¡±

    Dema was stunned and stared at the door wide-eyed, as if she had played absolutely no role in this.

    ¡°Oh, to be young!¡± she proclaimed, picked up her cup, and enjoyed her tea. ¡°Damn, gotta say, this tastes amazing.¡± With a grin, she looked at Theora. ¡°Always thought you were just really good at it!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m actually very bad at it,¡± Theora admitted. ¡°It¡¯s all saved by the Skill¡¯s effect.¡±

    After all, such Skills simply added magical effects, they didn¡¯t actually improve one¡¯s capabilities at basic crafts.

    Dema took another sip, and acted as if she was relishing in it. ¡°So, you like me! I already knew because of the flowers, but now I also know because of the tea! Can¡¯t wait for you to tell me out loud.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s going to be very hard,¡± Theora murmured.

    ¡°I got time!¡± Dema said. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready!¡±

    Theora shook her head gently, pouting. ¡°Don¡¯t act like I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s taking her time.¡±

    ¡°What! What do you mean!¡± Dema shouted, and her expression actually looked somewhat startled. ¡°I¡¯m holding back for your sake! So you won¡¯t turn into dust.¡±

    ¡°I understand that,¡± Theora said, and was thankful for it. ¡°But.¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°I told you a long time ago, and it still took until today.¡±

    ¡°Took a long time until what?¡± Dema asked, and by now, she was boggling, and her voice was getting a little shaky.

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember? Back when you woke up from being sick, and you tapped me. Tapped me on the shoulder. Remember?¡± Theora¡¯s voice was dry and speaking was hard, but she did her best to continue. ¡°I told you that you can touch me. I gave permission. And yet, outside of hugs, you never did, until today.¡± Theora swallowed. ¡°Forty six years.¡±

    For a moment, Dema was speechless, and Theora could tell by the twitching of her legs that Dema was probably considering running to her notes to check. Eventually, Dema swallowed too, and said, ¡°Why, that was after I scolded you! You only said it after I scolded you.¡±

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t mean it, I would have rescinded,¡± Theora huffed ever so slightly.

    Dema blinked, mouth half-open, unable to mount a defence. With that, she was found guilty. Found guilty of the crime of not touching Theora in 46 years, excluding hugs.

    She was saved by Iso finally coming back a short while later, clicking softly over the wooden floor. ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± she said. ¡°Bell¡¯s just processing.¡±

    ¡°Processing what!¡± Dema rasped, trying to find her countenance.

    Iso shrugged. ¡°Best tea she ever had,¡± Iso said. ¡°And now she¡¯s crying. Sulked something about how ¡®this doesn¡¯t change anything¡¯ and that she ¡®can¡¯t understand how this is possible.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Dema said, turning to Theora. ¡°Oh, my!¡±

    Theora pulled her legs close to her chest and put her head down on them, curling into a pill in the best Iso-imitation she could muster. ¡°I can¡¯t help it, alright,¡± she whimpered.

    Bell had been assigned an impossible quest, a quest that she had no good reason to doubt, and now she was stuck in a situation that she had no way of navigating safely. Obviously, Theora disagreed with her. She disagreed with Bell¡¯s stubbornness of trusting the System, and disagreed with her conclusions, and she would always stand in Bell¡¯s way like an immovable rock, forever being her foil, not granting her a finger¡¯s breadth of room to achieve her goals, for the rest of her life.

    But¡­ Bell was always so straightforward. At every step of the way, she¡¯s been nothing but honest. If Theora was a little bit more like Bell, she¡¯d be able to tell Dema all about how she felt. And, she¡¯d be able to tell Dema every cruel secret she was carrying.

    ¡°She came to us, she sabotaged her own Main Quest by sharing it, and she travelled with Isobel and was there for her during the entire time when we weren¡¯t,¡± Theora tried her best to say, despite her throat hurting from having talked too much that day already. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make you want to hug her?¡± Arms wrapped around her legs, she clenched herself together. ¡°Of course the tea would taste good. Of course it would.¡±

    Dema smiled. ¡°Yeah!¡± she yelled out. ¡°Of course it would!¡±

 Chapter 67: Insomnia

    After that disastrous day ¡ª first visiting Magda¡¯s grave and being faced with the prospect of a looming eternal loneliness at the end of it all, after almost obliterating the System, after meeting Isobel properly for the first time, and having all of her feelings laid bare for everyone to see plainly, after then spending who knew how long crying into Dema¡¯s cloak, Theora, for once, couldn¡¯t fall asleep at night.

    Somehow, Bell and Iso had agreed to take over Theora¡¯s next shift as well, so Theora would finally be able to visit Ulfine and find out the truth about the Fragments of Time. It had been decades since she¡¯d received the quest, and so far, Theora¡¯s progress had been just about nil. So, maybe that was just the reality of this quest. The System had trapped her in town after all, on purpose, so perhaps it really was just a fool¡¯s errand. Maybe the quest didn¡¯t exist, and its purpose had been purely to get Theora into a vulnerable position.

    However, all of her previous side quests ¡ª even the one she¡¯d received in the meantime concerning Umbra ¡ª had had the clear purpose of protecting people. The System was compartmentalising. ¡®Yes, I want you to kill the Ancient Evil, and I will do everything in my power to have her be gone. But also, I will make use of you and give you the chance to use your powers for good.¡¯

    Since forever, that had been the System¡¯s pragmatism. A pragmatism that Theora reciprocated.

    She would be here, and accept the quests that were good, and she¡¯d reject the ones that she disagreed with. And, her current fetch quest wasn¡¯t even an extermination quest. It was probably by far one of the most innocuous tasks Theora had ever been granted. Collect a few scattered objects, nothing more. They may be obscure objects, but why not. Theora could do that. Or at least, she could make an attempt.

    She didn¡¯t want to be the first one to give up on the part of the connection between the System and herself that arguably actually meant something good for the world, perhaps.

    So, Theora would finish this quest. And if it was a trap, Theora would shoulder the consequences. Despite her anger, and her desperation, she did not want to burn this bridge. Despite everything the System had done. Despite the things that still made Theora¡¯s blood boil over.

    The System would keep Theora in good graces for that specific part of their relationship. That truth was what Theora was willing to bet on. Not because she thought it was likely, or because it reflected the reality of her situation, but because she simply wanted it to be true. She didn¡¯t want this one part of her life where she thought she could make a difference to be lost forever, despite the fact that it, just as her Main Quest, was eating her alive.

    Dema was sleeping like a rock right next to her, softly snoring, eyes clenched as if dreaming. Outside, Theora could hear distant voices. The town had become even more lively now that the news was out that a first crystal seemed to have been cleared for good.

    Things would turn for the better. Now that Theora, the blight inflicted on this place, was ready to leave.

    Almost ready, that is. She still needed to talk to Ulfine. Even though Theora had lost hope that Ulfine would have found anything. How many times had that girl given her an update, saying ¡®I found a new trail! This time for sure!¡¯ with her bright gleaming eyes of curiosity and determination? Only to be gone again, for years.

    Theora really had sent this girl on a life-long endeavour to chase a legend that didn¡¯t actually exist, hadn¡¯t she? She¡¯d really said, ¡®I¡¯m busy, little girl, so take care of it while I harrow this city.¡¯

    Tomorrow, she¡¯d tell Ulfine to stop looking.

    To stop looking for the things that she¡¯d subscribed her life and passions to, the things she¡¯d spent four decades pursuing. Theora would say, ¡®Hey, you know, I messed up. Sorry. You don¡¯t have to do this anymore.¡¯

    That first day of vacation, so long ago, had been one of the nicest days of Theora¡¯s life, despite all the exhaustion, and the pressure, and the fatigue. The day she¡¯d met Ulfine and toured the city with her, and then spent the rest of her night with Magda and Dema. It had been a day she¡¯d always remembered fondly. And on her third day of vacation, the one looming over her tomorrow, would that memory forever be tarnished? Forever destroyed, because Theora had, again, used another person to pursue her side quests, and given them decades of trouble and pain?

    Would she ever learn? When would she stop using people around her as resources to be spent?

    Theora turned her face to Dema, whose expression had softened by now.

    Sixty years had passed, and Dema was still wobbly on her feet. Still bumping into door frames, never having regained full control over her body after spending seventeen years on the verge of death.

    ¡°Childbirth¡¯s a violent process. Some things just break,¡± Balinth had explained one day.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema had said. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it the same way, but like¡­ Some things just break, and they¡¯re gone for good.¡±

    ¡°You too?¡± Bal asked, and Dema nodded.

    ¡°Kinda messed up my nerve connections, I think, all the pain.¡±

    Remembering this conversation, Theora¡¯s mind kept circling and circling through the same motions, arriving at different conclusions each time.

    If you¡¯re gonna get lost in thoughts, you gotta stop at a good point, not at a bad one.

    The only issue was that right now, she couldn¡¯t stop at all.

    She almost ended up waking Dema to ask for another hug, and she was so tempted to do so, but Dema deserved her sleep too after this day. Dema had also met Isobel properly for the first time. Maybe those dreams in her head right now were about that, and about her maybe soon-to-be new companion Bell.

    Would things change, now that the two of them weren¡¯t alone anymore?

    In a way, Theora had her doubts that they would actually travel together all the time. Iso and Bell both had their own goals too. Iso was attempting to study the System, and Bell was its loyal subordinate. In other words, they might be sent off to different side quests, and Theora didn¡¯t think that they¡¯d refuse such requests.

    That said, Bell¡¯s current quest required her to be close to Dema, so in the end, she didn¡¯t know what the future would hold and what kind of decisions they¡¯d make.

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Especially because there was absolutely no telling where the search for the Fragments of Time would lead Theora next. She still had the Orb of Seven Wishes, which, if a specific entity was named, would show the fastest path to it. So, naming ¡®The First Fragment of Time¡¯ as a target, there was a chance it would enable Theora to find it.

    And also, there were Theora¡¯s training grounds.

    That thought alone sent a shiver over her back. She really hoped she wouldn¡¯t have to return to that place. That she wouldn¡¯t have to make use of it to find even a single one of those Fragments.

    It was a terrifying and dangerous zone, and one she never wanted Dema to experience, nor Iso, nor Bell.

    In that case, if it would come to that, would Theora go alone? Had the System deliberately given her this quest to force her back there, in the hopes she would separate from Dema, to have another go at her life?

    If Theora couldn¡¯t go there alone, she did not want to go at all.

    And at that, she felt the first sunray graze her eye.

    It was already morning. Theora had never imagined that there would come a night when she¡¯d fail to fall asleep despite wanting to.

    A few hours later, she again stood in front of the magitech guild.

    The premises had been extended. More buildings, more plants. A few sheds, and a large hall, and additions to the main building Theora had already known.

    This time, Theora didn¡¯t knock, because she knew the door was open. She pushed it open and looked around in the entrance hall. There was a new receptionist ¡ª one that she¡¯d never seen, but who recognised her, and immediately started leading Theora to Ulfine¡¯s office on the second floor.

    ¡°Good timing,¡± the young man said as they were climbing the stairs. ¡°She just came back from her research trip.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was told,¡± Theora nodded.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even know who she was, when she just waltzed in. She¡¯s been gone for ten years! Way before I started helping out here.¡±

    The person knocked on the door, and after a short ¡°Yes?¡± issuing from inside, opened it.

    ¡°Oh, Theora!¡± Ulfine yelled out immediately upon seeing her visitor. Her black hair hadn¡¯t greyed at all, but she wore it shorter now, only reaching to her chin. New wrinkles had appeared within the familiar face. That same look of curiosity in her mousy eyes, although more subdued now by age and calm. ¡°You won¡¯t believe the things I¡¯ve found out. Please, sit down.¡±

    While Theora did as told, Ulfine got up. ¡°Coffee?¡± she asked, moving to a small device in one of her shelves. Theora nodded in reflex, even though she¡¯d never heard of ¡®coffee¡¯ before. She assumed it was a type of drink, based on how Ulfine was fetching two cups.

    ¡°So,¡± the woman started, still busy preparing, ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll start with the most important. I believe I have found some answers to your questions. ¡®What are the Fragments of Time?¡¯ and ¡®Where can they be found?¡¯¡± She turned around to Theora, and raised a finger. ¡°However,¡± she stressed, ¡°I need to preface this by telling you that there aren¡¯t any reliable sources whatsoever. Most of what I¡¯ll tell you will be conjecture. Pure conjecture. Scraped together from hundreds of documents, many of which only refer to other documents that refer to other documents that may have a single sentence in them that could be a reference to a Fragment of Time. Or just not. For a lot of them, it¡¯s guesswork.¡±

    She paused briefly for emphasis, then lowered her finger and turned back to the cups, and continued speaking. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I put so much effort into this, I believe my conjecture and speculation to be accurate. I¡¯m ready to wager my life on them ¡ª that¡¯s the realm of accuracy we are talking about. But would I wager the existence of the universe on it? Maybe not. Judgement call. Just be aware to take what I say with a grain of salt. Next week, the carriage containing my sources or copies thereof will arrive in town, so please feel free to check them out and scrutinise my findings.¡±

    She sighed, and sat down at her desk as the coffee was brewing. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe how obscure those Fragments are. If you ask me, someone was trying to hide all references to them. That, and they are incredibly old. Much older than you, or the Ancient Evil, for that matter.¡±

    ¡°Why would anyone hide them?¡± Theora wondered.

    Ulfine gave a winning smirk. ¡°My guess? I don¡¯t think they are supposed to be put back together.¡±

    Theora raised her eyebrows. Ulfine shrugged, and continued. ¡°Imagine some item of unimaginable power. A weapon, or maybe a thing so powerful it could warp worlds. So powerful that it cannot be sealed away, and cannot be contained. But, you want it gone, for whatever reason. So, you destroy it into the smallest parts you¡¯re able to, and scatter the remains as far from each other as you can.¡±

    She chuckled. ¡°Or, it¡¯s just an embarrassing memory to someone. Who the hell knows. I did try for a long time to follow the trail of ¡®What is Time?¡¯, because that sounds like a good point to start, doesn¡¯t it? After all, they are Fragments of Time, so if we know what Time is, we can make guesses about the Fragments. Except, unfortunately, Time is a very overloaded term, so it¡¯s hard to find exactly what it¡¯s referring to in this context.¡±

    Theora was very close to frowning, but held back for Ulfine¡¯s sake. What kind of errand had that damn System sent her on?

    ¡°Scatter it as far as you can,¡± Theora repeated. ¡°So, all across the world?¡±

    At that, Ulfine started laughing wholeheartedly. A crisp and clear loud laugh, she could barely contain herself, and started holding her sides. ¡°You¡¯re the same cutie as ever,¡± she said. ¡°Theora, please. You are the strongest person in the world. I know what you can do. I saw it. If you were to find an item of incredible power that you¡¯d want scattered, where would you hide it? It wouldn¡¯t be here, would it? Be imaginative.¡±

    Now, the frown actually did creep across Theora¡¯s face.

    Indeed, where would she hide such pieces?

    If she were to find an item so strong that upon casting [Obliterate] on it, it would only shatter into 13 fragments. An item that should never be put back together, by anyone, no matter how much effort they¡¯d put in. Where would she hide the remains?

    Inside the sun?

    No. One day, a person would likely be able to penetrate the sun.

    Inside a constellation in the sky?

    Maybe. But an immortal person would be able to reach even a constellation one day. Would be able to venture to different galaxies, find pulsars and black holes, would dive to the deepest parts of galactic oceans.

    And even in Hell, a demon might eventually find it.

    None of these were suitable.

    Which meant that if these Fragments were truly hidden in some ¡®imaginative¡¯ place, Theora really didn¡¯t feel like going there at all. A few hours ago, she¡¯d decided she would complete this fetch quest no matter what, and now, her conviction was already wavering.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Theora said. ¡°I have no idea.¡±

    Ulfine cleared her throat. ¡°Since the Fragments of Time are such old relics, I have taken the liberty of talking to some long-lived people, in hopes that one of them might remember a detail not written down anywhere. As such, I¡¯ve come around.¡± She pulled up her eyebrows and waited a moment, but when Theora just stared back, she added, ¡°Theora, I¡¯ve seen what you¡¯ve done to the Cnidarian Tower. Are you sure you have no idea?¡±

    These words crackled over Theora¡¯s skin like stray fireworks. She felt numb.

    With Ulfine mentioning that incident, there really was only one thing she could be alluding to. Only one method this could be about.

    Regrettably, Theora knew exactly how she¡¯d hide something that was never supposed to be found.

 Chapter 68: Letâ€™s Not Find the Horrid Relic

    If Theora were to hide an item for it to never be found, she¡¯d tear a hole into the fabric of reality and throw the thing inside, then plug it all back up. It would then float around in endless nothingness, and even if someone like the Devil of Truth came around, able to create a whole new reality from scratch through its impossible Legendary Skill, it wouldn¡¯t be able to find the item, because non-reality followed no rules and whatever floated there was lost forever.

    At least, in theory.

    It wouldn¡¯t be the first time Theora would shred the boundaries of the world, but it would be the first time she¡¯d do it on purpose. [Obliterate] was the kind of Skill that deconstructed the fundamentals of matter at its core, and thus, it was the kind of Skill that could potentially cause irreparable harm to even the laws of science.

    For example, if one were to target the concept of ¡®Gravity¡¯, it would cease to function properly in a radius according to the current strength of [Obliterate]. However, the Skill was inherently destructive in nature, so using it on the concept of ¡®Not Having a Gigantic Pillow¡¯ wouldn¡¯t magically form one into existence. Theora would know.

    [Obliterate] couldn¡¯t warp reality productively, it couldn¡¯t create, it could only destroy things until the targeted concept was gone, if possible.

    But even outside of [Obliterate], among the many Skills Theora had had before having them all swallowed up, she might have found a way to break the world and throw an item out into nothingness.

    It was certainly better than hiding it in the sun.

    ¡°Is this just ¡ª conjecture?¡± Theora asked, with a hint of desperation in her voice. ¡°Are you guessing? Or are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Ulfine said, ¡°What I do know is that you aren¡¯t the first person who went looking for them. And, nothing was ever found. I asked [Diviners] and [Seers] to try and locate them; to find the ¡®fastest path¡¯, like an Orb of Seven Wishes would.¡± She nodded to a map hanging on a wall, a map of the continent, scribbled over with long lines. ¡°After I was able to mount sufficient proof to the guild that these items probably existed at least at some point, they provided me with a budget, and I commissioned a few expeditions, some of which I¡¯ve accompanied myself.¡± She glanced back at Theora. ¡°Expeditions to find a Fragment, that is. For example, if we assume a Fragment is a strong magical relic, then it would make sense to test if we can track the aura of such relics, and see if we can find one whose aura is unidentifiable, and fetch it.¡±

    She sighed. ¡°We found a lot of things, but never a Fragment. Peculiarly, they can¡¯t be located even with very strong Skills, but if we use [Divination] magic to determine whether these Fragments actually exist, the answer turns up ¡®Yes¡¯ when using very precise wordings.¡±

    After brushing her hair out of her face, Ulfine wetted her lips and took a moment to consider her next words. ¡°In the end, there is sufficient proof both historically and with modern technology that the Fragments of Time do exist, but they do not exist on this continent, on this planet, in this universe or in our reality. It¡¯s like someone tossed the things into the ocean, where the ocean is everything that¡¯s ¡®Not This Reality¡¯, and now they drift around and you might be able to catch one if you throw out different lures at the right places.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Theora said in a sad tone.

    ¡°When I came to that conclusion, I did also check out some potential paths one could take to leave this ¡®Reality¡¯, and I¡¯m not going to lie, some sound like a lot of fun. Maybe treat it as a vacation?¡±

    Theora blinked, and breathed deeply. A vacation.

    How could she treat this as a vacation? She wanted to cry. This felt like bullying. It felt like she was being targeted. Theora was already living in two realities at once ¡ª was this just a cruel joke played on her behalf?

    ¡®Here is a quest that you just happen to be uniquely qualified to complete, and it involves all the things that make you sad or upset.¡¯

    Oh, how frustrating.

    She wanted to ruffle her own hair. She wanted to stomp on the ground softly. She wanted to harrumph.

    But, if she¡¯d learned anything from her past mistakes, it was that she desperately needed to improve at suppressing her fits of anger, so she did none of that. She simply sat there, empty gaze, wishing to be somewhere else.

    ¡°Are you holding up?¡± Ulfine asked, placing the coffee in front of Theora.

    ¡°Barely.¡±

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°If you need a moment¡­¡±

    ¡°I need all the moments.¡±

    Theora reached out to the cup, and took a sip. Slightly acidic, and rather bitter. Just how she felt right now. What a perfect drink.

    A quest given to her by the Brat, as Isobel called it, one that somehow related to her Class too.

    [Stargazer], Level 6

    By glancing into different realities, you can reveal the hidden fates of any ¡®would¡¯ and ¡®never-will-be¡¯ implied within the fabric of the world.

    [Stargazer]. With its teasing answers to her innocuous questions, its unreasonable high experience requirements, and not the least, that pesky [im//possibility] which had dared inconvenience Dema¡¯s hair.

    And lastly ¡ª her broken and glitched-out self, robust enough in its nonsensicality that it would withstand a journey beyond whatever little space called ¡®reality¡¯ she was currently confined in.

    It was like they were all teaming up against her.

    Theora sighed.

    She didn¡¯t want to do this quest. This screamed to be a trap of some kind. What even were the stakes? Why was she expected to complete it? It¡¯s not like the planet would explode if she didn¡¯t gather those little things in time. In fact, it sounded much more as if the planet would explode if she did.

    And yet, she didn¡¯t want Ulfine¡¯s efforts to be in vain either, so she decided to at least ask some more questions out of courtesy.

    ¡°You mentioned paths?¡± she asked, resigned. ¡°Paths leading out of reality?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ulfine responded, sipping her coffee. ¡°I did research one path in particular. It¡¯s probably the easiest non-reality to visit, it¡¯s a bit of a tourist-attraction. I¡¯ve gone there myself, to check out if it would suit your situation. Have you ever heard of the Grand Observatory of Fiction?¡±

    Theora considered for a moment, searching through her memories until it eventually turned up. ¡°It¡¯s up north. I¡¯ve heard the name, but I don¡¯t know what it is.¡±

    ¡°Alright. So, imagine you had a story that you found very interesting. One that you particularly liked.¡±

    Theora stared. She¡¯d probably never read a single work of fiction in her entire life.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing my best to imagine it,¡± she said.

    ¡°Could be any work of fiction, really, but one that had been written down in some way, on paper. But well, let¡¯s try this differently. Flora the Seamstress. You heard of that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a children¡¯s story,¡± Theora replied, nodding. ¡°I am aware that it exists.¡±

    Ulfine tried her best but failed at containing an amused grin. ¡°You really should do some reading, it can be fun. Anyway, Flora the Seamstress, a little story about a girl that learns to weave, and is granted a magical ability so that she can weave fabric out of thoughts, yielding letters on paper. It¡¯s the legend on the origin of books, and one of the most common children¡¯s stories you will find on most shelves.¡±

    Theora thought that sounded like a really amazing Skill. If she were to be able to weave books out of thoughts, she¡¯d not have to talk out loud any more. What an enviable child Flora was.

    ¡°So,¡± Ulfine continued, ¡°If you take that book to the Grand Observatory of Fiction, which is one of the largest libraries in the world, you can place it at the centre of the very old, gigantic magical lens built into it. And then it will consume a lot of mana and essentially create its own little world with its own laws of science and magic as specified or implied by the story. And then, you¡¯ll be able to experience Flora¡¯s story right alongside her.¡±

    ¡°And there will be a Fragment inside?¡±

    Ulfine shrugged. ¡°Mostly, I think it¡¯s as good a starting point as any. Relatively low-risk too, because it has some safety mechanisms. If you don¡¯t end up finding a Fragment, you¡¯ll at least gather some experience with not being here.¡±

    ¡°But, if there was a Fragment there, wouldn¡¯t someone else have found it by now?¡±

    Ulfine scrunched up her face. ¡°I¡¯m not sure anyone has ever tried entering it with the specific intent of finding a Fragment of Time. I suppose you¡¯d need to have some way to locate or attract it, or it would never work.¡±

    Theora stared at the ground.

    That was as good a place to stop as any, right?

    She had no good way of locating the Fragments. Well, she did have some ways of locating them, potentially, but they all sounded awful. Using [im//possibility] until it randomly almost made finding a Fragment possible? Maybe. Unlikely, but maybe. Using an Orb of Seven Wishes to find a path to a Fragment? It may or may not work; Theora had more paths accessible to herself than most other people did, so there was a chance at it yielding a result for her when it didn¡¯t for others.

    And, her training grounds, but that was out of the question.

    Yes, if the world wanted her to complete an absurd quest like this, it should give her a better, more convenient means to find these silly Fragments of Time. No way she¡¯d waste an Orb of Seven Wishes on this, or grind through millions of uses of [im//possibility] to hit the specific outcome she needed. Dema¡¯s hair would end up a total mess.

    She fell back in her chair, feeling the pressure fall off from her body. Yes, she would abandon this quest. It was just unreasonable. She closed her eyes, and imagined what she could be doing instead. She could be travelling with her new family. Maybe help them complete their side quests too. Maybe she could learn how to communicate properly.

    Maybe she could hug Dema for a hundred years.

    That¡¯s right, that all sounded much better. She couldn¡¯t be expected to complete this quest if she hadn¡¯t even been given the proper tools for it.

    At that precise moment, a System notification lit up in front of Theora, and her heart sank.

    Please, no. Anything but that.

    Congratulations!

    You have received a [Stargazer] Special Skill.

 Chapter 69: Something Hard That Crumbles

    When Theora woke up the next morning, the name of her ridiculous new Skill was still etched onto her retina.

    So, she shoved it aside.

    After yesterday, all her willingness to fulfil that fetch quest had somehow disappeared into nothingness, and so, she would forget that the Skill existed, forget about the quest, and instead, dedicate her time and attention to things that were just a lot more important.

    For example, Dema.

    Theora still hadn¡¯t forgotten about how Dema wanted her to express and put into words what kinds of feelings she harboured. However, there was an issue: to be open and straightforward was one of the hardest things to do in the world.

    Of course, Theora did have a vague and undefinable amount of what could be, more or less, called feelings for Dema. That, however, was something she had trouble conceptualising in her own head already, so saying it out loud was impossible.

    She could communicate these feelings through flowers and through tea, and it was something she really liked to do, if only for the rare occasion of seeing Dema flustered or prideful or happy.

    However, maybe it was time for Theora to expand her tool set.

    It was her fourth free day since entering Hallmark. Yesterday, she¡¯d met Ulfine, and found out about Fragments of Time, and then, she¡¯d gone home and fallen asleep like a brick. Now, it was noon on the next day, and Dema was already gone.

    Apparently, the other three were out together. They were still all in the same party, and Theora could see them scuttle around in a group in the vicinity if she opened the menu and looked at the member locations relative to herself.

    Theora found a little note on Dema¡¯s bed, written in very messy handwriting.

    Stay home! Rest! We¡¯re gonna take care of stuff, so YOU REST!

    Theora took the note. It was the first time Dema had ever written her something, so she wanted to store it somewhere she¡¯d never lose it. Somewhere in her travelling coat, perhaps ¡ª although she did keep losing things in there, just because the pockets were interdimensional and harboured way too much space.

    Some day, she¡¯d need to find a way to organise herself. But not now. So, she just placed it in a random pocket, and left the coat in the guestroom because she didn¡¯t need to wear it while inside.

    So, now she was home, and didn¡¯t have anything in particular she needed to be doing.

    Expanding her tool set. There was something she¡¯d wanted to learn, wasn¡¯t there?

    She went into the living room, finding Hell sitting on her armchair, and explained her request.

    ¡°Only if you have time to spend, though,¡± Theora finished, and gazed into Hell¡¯s green and friendly eyes.

    ¡°Sure we can!¡± Hell said, smiling wide. She slowly rose, pressing down on the chair to help lift her age-addled body. Theora held out a hand, but Hell just waved it off. ¡°I can walk, I can walk! Hey, Balinth!¡± she shouted through the apartment. ¡°Come help us!¡±

    Theora traipsed after her ¡ª she hadn¡¯t expected Balinth to be invited in, and in some way, that would make her request maybe a little more embarrassing, but on the other hand, the idea of spending time with the two of them sounded really nice.

    A few moments later, the three of them were sitting at the small kitchen table that was perched into the corner of the elongated room.

    Outside, it was raining in buckets ¡ª even more than it did on usual days in Hallmark. The drops pattered against the window right next to them, and it wasn¡¯t the brightest day. The kitchen had changed a lot in the past few decades; mostly it was now filled with more utensils than it used to be, and somehow, it was painted in a different colour, and the desk was new.

    When had all this happened?

    Theora visited the kitchen on most days, either to make tea or to fetch some food, or to just sit here and listen to the others talk on some evenings. But all these gradual changes, they registered in her mind only now, as her life slowed down just a tad, and as she realised that she might be leaving this town soon, for good.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Hell started, brushing her hair out of her face slowly, to form a ponytail. ¡°We can help you, but first, you need to decide what exactly you want to make. Any ideas?¡±

    Theora nodded. She had made that decision long ago ¡ª on her first day in Hallmark. On that day, when she¡¯d been sitting in the living room next to Dema, and been subjected to her dizzying proximity. ¡°I would like to make something very solid. Hard. Something that crumbles.¡± She frowned for a bit, trying to find a way to phrase it. ¡°Something that is like a rock.¡±

    ¡°Cookies,¡± Hell said. ¡°That sounds a lot like cookies. We can definitely make those.¡±

    ¡°If something like that is possible for me,¡± Theora said, ¡°then I would like to try this being the first thing I learn to bake.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course!¡± Balinth said. She was sitting in the very corner, right next to the window, a cane resting next to her chair. ¡°Cookies are easy. You want to make them for Dema?¡±

    Theora blushed faintly. Was it that obvious?

    ¡°It¡¯s only so I can communicate how much I appreciate her,¡± she said.

    ¡°Oh, if it¡¯s only that,¡± Hell said, snorting. She got up and scuttled around the kitchen, gathering a few things. ¡°Hey Bal, you think the heater is done?¡±

    At that, Balinth opened the window right next to her, letting a gush of wind and rain inside, and fetched a rune plate hanging on a hook right outside. ¡°Should be,¡± she said. ¡°Was out here for a week.¡± She fetched a cloth lying on the counter next to her, dried the plate off, and placed it down on the table.

    From what Theora understood, these runes were magitech items able to absorb heat from outside, and release it all at once when needed. Meanwhile, Hell put one ingredient after the next onto the table, and Balinth started explaining.

    ¡°Flour, as the base for the cookies, obviously,¡± she said, pointing to a jar. ¡°This white powder here,¡± she said, gesturing to a small bowl, ¡°Is used to make the cookies rise.¡±

    ¡°To make them rise?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°They¡¯ll grow a bit when heated!¡± Hell said.

    Theora frowned. ¡°If we want larger cookies, couldn¡¯t we just use more dough?¡±

    Hell shrugged. ¡°Makes them fluffier if we do it like this. And here! Look, we have something new. This is chocolate!¡±

    Theora stared at the jar containing many dark brown, almost black pieces of¡­ something. Hell opened the lid, and a soft sweet and rich scent got into Theora¡¯s nose.

    ¡°Oh, that is amazing,¡± she said.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Hell cheered, and showed more ingredients, including some kind of oil pressed out of sunflower seeds that looked golden and cosy. The two instructed Theora on how to properly measure and mix it all, ultimately watching her knead the dough.

    It felt soft and still firm. This didn¡¯t feel too bad at all. Making cookies was kind of fun.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing a pretty good job,¡± Hell said.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Balinth said, seeming impressed. ¡°Damn, I get tired just looking at this.¡±

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    ¡°By the way,¡± Hell said, ¡°How¡¯d yesterday go? You met that magitech girl?¡±

    Theora stopped pressing down on the dough for a moment, just staring at it. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I suppose I got exactly what I wanted.¡±

    Bal frowned. ¡°Oh? Not happy about it?¡±

    Theora sighed, and continued kneading. ¡°This side quest will force me to do things I¡¯m unhappy about,¡± she said, in a matter-of-fact tone. ¡°But mostly, this is just me lamenting.¡±

    Balinth laughed. ¡°What, lamenting? You? Come on, you deserve to whine a bit, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I also received a new Skill,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°And it was in a weird way, too. It was a Class Skill, but I didn¡¯t receive it on a Level-up.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Hell let out. ¡°Didn¡¯t know that was a thing.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely rare,¡± Balinth agreed. ¡°Yeah, yeah. So, don¡¯t like the Skill? What is it?¡±

    Theora averted her gaze, making a bit of a reluctant frown. ¡°I don¡¯t even want to say it,¡± she said.

    Hell let out a soft ¡®aww¡¯ sound, and Bal went, ¡°That bad?¡±

    Theora sighed. ¡°Again, just lamenting. There is one good quality about it, though. Like¡­¡± She took her hands out of the dough, gesturing with sticky fingers in a way to communicate length. ¡°It has a lot of words. That¡¯s good.¡±

    After all, the longer a Skill name was, the more it would help push the glitchy parts out of her stat sheet.

    And indeed, the name of that Skill was beautifully long. Just what she needed to one day see only a collection of the prettiest Skills imaginable on her sheet ¡ª of which this wasn¡¯t one, because she still felt a little annoyed at it, but it was better by far compared to the destruction above, so she would take it. Yes, ultimately, despite it all, the Skill was good, because its name was long.

    Hell shook her head. ¡°The two of you, always saying things that don¡¯t make sense at all.¡±

    ¡°I kind of really want to know the name,¡± Balinth expressed, leaning forward on the table. ¡°Come on, come on. Share it with the class.¡±

    She was always so curious. Theora huffed. ¡°I will share it with you when we are done with baking,¡± she said. ¡°If I look at it now, I might just get upset.¡±

    Theora had by now almost kneaded enough, and tried her best to form the dough into a uniform mass, pressing in and in on the soft ball she¡¯d created. ¡°As for these ingredients,¡± she started, ¡°Where did you get them?¡±

    ¡°From the market!¡± Hell said. ¡°Now, we can split it into smaller parts. Those will be the cookies. If you want, we can shape them, to make them more unique. To help communicate your feelings, if you want to.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Theora said, and did as told, handing off some of the parts for Hell and Balinth to form as well.

    Most of these ingredients, she¡¯d never seen before¡­ Or maybe, they were rare and could only be found at large cities like Hallmark.

    But, if this were to be a success ¡ª if Dema were to enjoy them, then wouldn¡¯t it be nice to be able to make cookies anytime? Theora could go to the market and trade for a large amount of ingredients to store in her cloak, but food was quick to go bad. She imagined that after a decade or two, they¡¯d already not be usable anymore.

    So, maybe she should learn the process of how to create them? Find the seeds of whatever grew this ¡®chocolate¡¯, and use grains to cultivate wheat herself. After all, she did have some experience with growing seeds; over the seventeen years she¡¯d spent with Dema, she had cultivated a small crop of land to grow food for her.

    ¡°Hell, I can¡¯t believe you,¡± Balinth fussed.

    Theora looked up to take a look. ¡°What¡¯s she doing?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s making lewd shapes. Very lewd.¡±

    Theora blinked. Her gaze wandered to Balinth¡¯s work ¡ª hers looked a lot like the faces of simplified humans, so they were probably her favourite fictional characters. Meanwhile, Theora had been shaping hers into little flowers.

    She couldn¡¯t discern what was ¡®lewd¡¯ about Hell¡¯s, but maybe it was something she was better off not knowing.

    ¡°Let me have my fun!¡± Hell complained.

    Balinth snorted. ¡°You were much easier to deal with back when you were flustered all the time.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t mean that!¡±

    ¡°I so do,¡± Balinth said, laughing.

    Theora eyed the both of them, and slowly, had a revelation. ¡°You really like each other,¡± she observed.

    That made Hell jerk up, and blush faintly, but Balinth just nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I married this dork, yes,¡± she said.

    In that case¡­ maybe Theora could ask them for advice, just like Dema had back then. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure, Theora. Out with it.¡±

    Theora stayed on Bal¡¯s gentle smile, her dark eyes, as she started to think about how to word the question. These two had spent a lot of time with Dema. They¡¯d known her for many years now ¡ª a time Theora had spent almost in the blink of an eye.

    Actually, there was a chance that these two had spent more time with Dema by now than Theora had herself.

    So, maybe they would have an insight that Theora so far had missed. She was, after all, still living in two realities at once, even though she by now heavily favoured the ¡®good¡¯ one. But still, the other one was needed to balance things out, and reared up its head every now and then.

    Dema, the Ancient Evil, who¡¯d been broken out of the Cube of Solitude under threats of being murdered, and then acted nice towards Theora so she wouldn¡¯t get killed. Just pretending, this whole time. Pretending to flirt, and pretending to want more.

    That was a possible reality, wasn¡¯t it? Theora couldn¡¯t prove it wrong.

    It was the reality that made sense, as opposed to the other reality that Theora wanted to be true.

    And these two, with their infinite wealth of experience with these issues, and their vast knowledge of Dema, maybe they could help her out? Maybe they could give an observation on the situation that eluded Theora.

    And so, she decided to ask.

    ¡°Do you think Dema likes me?¡±

    Hell choked on air, and Balinth let her head sink into her hands. They were still full of cookie dough.

    Theora swallowed. Had she done something wrong?

    ¡°Girl,¡± Hell said. ¡°Look, even I eventually¡ª¡± She broke off mid-sentence.

    ¡°Dema did say she needed to take things slow,¡± Balinth murmured into her cookie dough hands. ¡°I guess she really meant that.¡±

    ¡°Theora,¡± Hell tried again. ¡°Please, listen to me. Dema does nothing but gush about you all day. Yes, she likes you. She does. Don¡¯t ever believe anything else, unless she explicitly tells you. This is painful to watch!¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the one to talk,¡± Balinth said, rolling her eyes, slowly peeling the pieces of dough off her face.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I am the one to talk that it means something!¡± Hell protested.

    By now, Theora realised she had made a mistake, as the blood was slowly creeping into her head.

    She should have never asked a question if she wasn¡¯t ready to hear the answer.

    ¡®Does Dema like me¡¯? There was a reason she¡¯d never asked this question before, not even to herself. Because if the answer was ¡®no¡¯, she¡¯d be devastated. But, if the answer was ¡®yes¡¯, she¡¯d also be devastated. Or rather, blushing into a terrible mess.

    A deep breath.

    Cookies. It was time to focus on the cookies.

    She swallowed, and started forming one flower petal after the next. Yes, maybe straightforward communication was too hard after all. Maybe she would need to give it a little longer. Communicating through baking and flowers and tea was preferable by far for now.

    The truth was, Theora was still far too sleep-deprived to even attempt any amount of progress on these things. She needed to pass out for, like, another one hundred years¡­ But at the same time, what if she couldn¡¯t fall asleep?

    What if, again, all those incredible thoughts would keep circling inside her brain to the point of not allowing her any rest?

    Back then, things had been simple. A very simple conflict ¡ª she¡¯d been tasked to kill the Ancient Evil, but didn¡¯t want to do it, so she was exhausted and tired and slept instead.

    Now, a torrent of thoughts busied her head. She had a daughter now, somehow. She had all those electrifying thoughts rushing through her head concerning Dema, and the entirely messed up and anxiety-inducing situation with the System, not to mention poor Bell who Theora still wanted to talk things out with. Maybe Bell would change her mind after all, if Theora made a very good case.

    Or maybe she wouldn¡¯t.

    Theora¡¯s head was so incredibly full. She took a deep breath. Where was the rule? There was a rule, somewhere, in her head.

    No more thinking for Theora.

    Ah, yes. No more thinking. Yes.

    ¡°There we go!¡± Balinth let out, having shaped her final cookie. ¡°Gonell, my beloved!¡±

    Theora looked up. ¡°Gonell?¡±

    The cookie was shaped like a head, and Balinth had kneaded that piece of dough with something she called cocoa powder, giving it a dark appearance. Very short hair, and freckles all over the face, signified by little chocolate pieces.

    ¡°Character from a novel we just read,¡± Hell supplied.

    Right. A novel.

    You really should do some reading, Ulfine had said.

    ¡°Can novels distract from having too many thoughts?¡± Theora asked.

    Balinth nodded. ¡°Sure. Still struggling with overthinking?¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Why do you like reading so much?¡±

    ¡°Just really fun to delve into a whole new world,¡± Hell supplied. ¡°It¡¯s like, escapism? When things are bleak, we can read and feel better.¡±

    Maybe treat it as a vacation.

    Theora sighed just a little. This was a bit frustrating. Maybe Theora should try it out after all. That Grand Observatory of Fiction. Not to find one of those Fragments, but¡­ Just as a way to wind down? To run away from this oppressive reality she was living in. And she could take Dema with her, so they could enjoy that little world together.

    She looked down at her final cookie, and a thought occurred to her.

    Ah, that¡¯s right.

    Didn¡¯t Dema have a favourite book?

 Chapter 70: Second-Strongest Heroine

    Through the process of baking, the cookies grew to almost twice their size.

    Many details Theora had put into the petals were lost in that way. That¡¯s what learning was like, wasn¡¯t it? Next time, she¡¯d make the cookies less complex, so they¡¯d retain their flourish through the violent heating process.

    And yet, Theora couldn¡¯t help but be happy. With the help of Balinth and Hell, she¡¯d baked cookies for the first time in her life. Even though she didn¡¯t receive a new common Skill from it, she felt accomplished.

    Still sitting in the kitchen, Theora watched them cool down. Hell had said they¡¯d keep baking for a while even outside the oven. Theora really wanted to eat one now, but tried her best to hold back.

    Would they taste good? Since Hell had instructed her the entire time, she was somewhat confident, but a hint of doubt remained.

    With a sigh, Theora leaned back.

    She really was watching cookies dry right now. Balinth and Hell had gone somewhere else, probably into the living room.

    Perhaps Theora should go help with the Afterthoughts. Yes, the others had taken over her shift, but maybe they were in trouble? Maybe fighting against them was exhausting, and they were just putting up with it for Theora¡¯s sake, without communicating how much it burdened them.

    Dema had probably fallen well under sixty percent by now. The danger seemed to be over, and sixty percent had always been a bit of an excessive demand, but Theora just couldn¡¯t help being anxious, even now.

    At least when it came to Bell, there was no risk of her burdening herself without telling Theora. Bell would complain. That was reassuring.

    In the end, Theora still went to fetch her large cloak, and pulled it over her undergarments in order to leave home. She¡¯d never been to the market. Well, she¡¯d seen it, and walked through it at times, when it was on-route, but she¡¯d never traded with anyone there. Maybe she could fetch some more ingredients now. Her next free day could be a while off.

    She also put some cookies from the kitchen into a small metal box, in hopes of being able to test them out a while later. Inside her cloak, they¡¯d be kept from being thrown around due to her movement anyway.

    It took her two hours to get to the market, because she got distracted by every mana crystal hall in the way, to clear them despite the guards¡¯ weak protests.

    By then, the ever-falling rain had totally drenched her.

    Sometimes, Theora checked the position of her other party members. They were still running all across town together as three. Maybe she should go join them? Or were they perhaps happy to get to spend some time together without her too?

    The market was a wide street branching off from the main avenue running through Hallmark. Many people had their stands there, although it did seem like a lot of spots were left empty in-between. And so, Theora asked one trader after the next for the ingredients she¡¯d used earlier, inquired about how they were produced and where to find them. A bookstore had a small guide to baking that Theora was happy to trade for some random item she¡¯d found in a pocket of her multidimensional cloak.

    ¡°I talked to a guard earlier,¡± the shopkeeper said with a bright smile. His face was really wide so he got a lot of smile in, and he had age spots all over his bald head. ¡°Really good news, right?¡±

    ¡°Good news?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°Oh, haven¡¯t heard? Seems like they found culprits behind what was happening.¡±

    Culprits. They had found heroes tasked by the System to cause the plague?

    Theora¡¯s glance went back to the small map in the party menu. Is that what these three had been doing? Using [Identify] and [Appraise] to find those responsible?

    ¡°It will end soon,¡± was all Theora could bring herself to say. ¡°No more issues then.¡±

    The man nodded, and pushed a stack of books aside from the counter so he could offer a hand for Theora to grasp. She took it. He had a firm grip through his very thin and soft skin.

    ¡°Thank you so much for all your help,¡± he said. ¡°Been wanting to meet you for so long.¡±

    These words stabbed right through Theora¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t thank me,¡± she murmured, nodded, and pulled her hand back into her cloak.

    She bowed down in goodbye, stowed the book away, and made back out from the storefronts¡¯ plane into the pouring rain.

    One step after the next, again and again. Quick and short strides to carry her away, right into the nearest mana crystal hall. She ignored the guards in front, and went inside.

    Down the stairs, right into the ocean of Afterthoughts.

    Ah¡­ so many crystals floating all-around, with creatures pouring out endlessly. Scouring the room, Theora¡¯s eyes fell on a few particularly strong looking individuals in a corner of the hall. They weren¡¯t fighting each other, just devouring new out-pour.

    A buzzing mess of shadows fluttered around, into and out of Theora¡¯s view. Fuzzy edges, glitchy iridescent holes in their bodies. Many of them bumped into her, immediately bursting into a shower of azure and pink [Obliterate]-induced particles on impact. She cast it with barely a conscious thought while cutting her way through the busy hall.

    All this. All this for her.

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    So that she could spend a few decades toying with them, and receive undue gratitude in return.

    The destruction, the pain. The cruelty of having to defeat every single one of them. Excruciating.

    One Afterthought in the group of strong ones immediately cast some kind of barrier Skill as she got close to the corner, leaving them no avenue to escape. A large dome sealed her in, with other creatures unable to leave or enter.

    Then, as if it teleported, she suddenly gleamed at a shadowy creature looming right before her. Long limbs and claws, ranges of spiked teeth, jagged and misaligned like those of a deep sea fish creature. Thin body, no eyes, but one large patch of data missing from the side of its head. Overlaid on reality like a HUD instead of being really there, the hole glittered with the edges cast in thousands of small, orthogonally arranged chromatic bars.

    The creature jumped forward and snapped its jaws into Theora¡¯s shoulder. The first bite tore apart the cloak, the second sunk into her skin.

    Hot blood poured down her body, over her chest and back, down to her legs.

    Another Afterthought appeared. Cast in remnants of data belonging to a female hero or guard, it pierced through Theora¡¯s back with a swift and easy stab. The blade emerged from the front of her stomach in crimson red.

    Ah. These creatures were fast. So fast. The two others also unleashed their attacks ¡ª one of them radiated some kind of psychic damage Theora was too tired to properly assess, the other played a destructive melody with a black and glitch-frayed instrument. A final song, too many sounds to be issued by a single person, but here it was, echoing through the room in full. Theora could feel it strengthen the others as much as it bogged her down, her ears first ringing, then bleeding. Drop by drop, the red liquid ran down her neck.

    The long-limbed creature still gorged itself on her shoulder.

    The fight had been going for what, half a second now? Theora had never given them this much time before. After all, usually, she hurried.

    Magda had once mentioned the guards needing to mount a full raid group to defeat a single one of the stronger Afterthoughts. A raid group¡­ Was that another feature of the System? A different type of party?

    A while ago, Bell had mentioned how high-level heroes frequently hid their true abilities from one another. That didn¡¯t seem possible using the party-system they used now. So, maybe other features existed too. Or, these people just didn¡¯t use parties.

    Meanwhile, the creature swallowed a mouthful of her skin and flesh.

    So, those were the creatures the System had let loose on Hallmark. They would tear apart the body of an average city guard within less than a second, if one ever got too close.

    They existed only to spite Theora, or teach her a lesson ¡ª or maybe not even that. Perhaps it was just the natural consequence of her actions, just like a tree would fall if she chopped it down.

    Theora stretched out her arms to close them around the long-limbed Afterthought. Her hands grazed over its back, the skin giving off a weird sensation where she touched. Like stroking over a thousand little bees, buzzing around their hive ¡ª but not like sound or vibration. No, the creature rippled the very core of reality.

    This was it ¡ª a collection of destroyed and warped stray pieces of instructions that, through splicing and reforming, had evolved into something akin to life.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Theora said, and hugged the creature.

    While she tiptoed to embrace it fully, the rapier stabbed through her abdomen another two or three times.

    Then, suddenly, a voice echoed from behind. Like spoken from a wet mouth, accompanied by squelching sounds from the trods the feet made over the ground. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked.

    Looking back, Theora saw Bell, permeating the barrier created by one of the Afterthoughts as if it didn¡¯t exist. The girl traipsed forward, her tentacle hair reaching off in all directions, probing the surroundings.

    She placed her hand on the back of the female Afterthought stabbing Theora, and with that touch, she immured the creature in a layer of calcite. Then, Bell created a smaller dome within the current one ¡ª emulating a large bubble of water, warding off the sound damage from the instrument, the melody now dispersing in dulled underwater throbs. Bell pulled the sword out of Theora, then floated up inside her liquid dome, to slash through the psychic Afterthought, destroying it in a single smooth motion.

    Lastly, Bell glided back down and touched Theora¡¯s forehead with two fingers. A gelatinous liquid proceeded to engulf Theora¡¯s body in a protective layer, keeping the long-limbed creature from causing any additional damage with its bites.

    ¡°You¡¯re hugging it?¡± Bell asked, her voice carried through the dome in a deep and muddled glug.

    Theora swallowed, and let go of the Afterthought.

    The gelatine around her was wet and cold, but refreshing like a cold blanket draining away all excessive heat on a hot summer day.

    After coughing and wretching, Theora managed to inhale in a lung-ful of dome-liquid, then being able to breathe it just fine.

    Bell stepped over to the last Afterthought, finding Theora¡¯s gaze with raised eyebrow-like blue patches over her eyes. She seemed to be asking for permission to destroy it.

    Theora just looked away, and a second later, she heard the creature sizzle and melt under Bell¡¯s tentacle venom.

    Bell turned back around, bowing down far enough to catch Theora¡¯s downward gaze. ¡°I recommend other activities on your day off,¡± she said.

    Blood rose to Theora¡¯s head. ¡°I was just¡ª¡± She broke off. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°We saw you moving to questionable spots on your day off, so I came to check on you.¡±

    ¡°What about the others?¡±

    ¡°Still busy. They are combing through town, trying to reconstruct how the assault was put together. Well, None is doing most of that, Dema is just cheering at her and supplying [Appraise] data.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora said. ¡°And you¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not needed. They outlevel me on both relevant Skills, and have more useful unlocks than I have too.¡±

    Bell looked around, and then proceeded to absorb the experience left behind by the System¡¯s stray data.

    A single heroine, destroying four extremely high-level Afterthoughts at no expense, after having taken over Theora¡¯s shifts for two days in a row already. What other people would need entire Raid groups to achieve, she had done in seconds. Theora sought out Bell¡¯s stat sheet on the party screen.

    Level 803.

    Theora doubted she¡¯d been that capable before. Bell must have gotten a lot stronger during the time she¡¯d travelled together with Iso.

    ¡®Getting stronger¡¯ wasn¡¯t something a person could just decide to do; she must have dedicated unbelievable amounts of time and will. It couldn¡¯t be coincidence that she was the one sent to fulfil Theora¡¯s task in her place.

    And, in addition, she was a Medusa.

    Theora blinked, remembering Ulfine¡¯s words.

    I¡¯ve seen what you¡¯ve done to the Cnidarian Tower.

    The Cnidarian Tower. Located on a small patch of islands in the far south, home to the jellyfish people, most of whom spent their lives in the peace their biological immortality granted. A tower so large, it pierced the sky. A work of beauty brought forth by the timeless devotion of its people to create a place they could live in forever.

    That is, until Theora had blown it up.

    It was a memory she¡¯d done her best to suppress. How long had it been? A few hundred years? Perhaps already a thousand. Brought forth by Ulfine¡¯s probing reproach, the incident had slowly been flooding back into Theora¡¯s mind, buried underneath a mountain of regret. Her heartbeat rose.

    Theora opened her mouth, but it took a moment for the words to spill out.

    ¡°Bell, have we met before?¡±

 Chapter 71: Who to Believe In

    ¡°Oh, you remember?¡± Bell asked nonchalantly. ¡°A long time ago, yes. I was still fairly young.¡±

    The outer barrier created by the Afterthought fell apart. Bell¡¯s large and wobbly half-bubble kept protecting them, only letting through dulled screams and warbled high-frequency sounds from outside.

    ¡°How long will this last?¡± Theora asked.

    Bell shrugged. ¡°As long as I want.¡±

    Theora swallowed. Wasn¡¯t this a good moment? Maybe the best one she¡¯d get. Theora took a deep breath.

    She sat down on the cold marble floor and pulled Bell¡¯s protective gelatinous mass up her arms like sleeves. Then, she retrieved the box of cookies from her cloak. With a click, she opened the lid and the stale and musty smell in the hall parted way for the sweet scent of caramel and nuts and ¡ª chocolate. ¡°Would you like some?¡± Theora asked, placing the box down. ¡°I baked them today with instructions from friends.¡±

    Bell let herself fall, diving down the dome liquid and coming to a sit cross-legged. ¡°Yes,¡± she said, taking one to taste. Theora was slightly happy to not be accused of trying to poison her this time. Bell chewed for a while, and then said, ¡°It¡¯s pretty good. Thank you.¡±

    Small shivers made their way down Theora¡¯s skin. So, being thanked could feel good, after all? Being praised for her baking was not so bad. She relished in the feeling for a moment, giving Bell time to finish.

    And then, Theora finally managed to get out the words.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to you.¡±

    ¡°Sure. What¡¯s up?¡±

    Theora blinked. Oh, that girl wasn¡¯t treating this with the gravity she had expected. People with strong communication skills were truly scary.

    ¡°I would¡ª¡± Theora stopped, then tried again. ¡°Is there a chance that you might change your mind? About your Main Quest.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there is.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Can you explain why?¡±

    Bell bit her lip and looked through the room. ¡°Let me guess. Perhaps you think that realising the System is responsible for this could make me reconsider? Or getting to know Dema, maybe?¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t,¡± Theora murmured with an empty gaze.

    ¡°Of course it wouldn¡¯t.¡± Bell shook her head. ¡°Look, I¡¯m just as puzzled about your stance on this as you all are about mine. In a way, everyone is biased, and thus, I think arguing this point is moot.¡±

    ¡°Biased,¡± Theora repeated.

    ¡°Well, you have a crush on Dema, so you don¡¯t want to kill her. It¡¯s mind-boggling to me that you would value your feelings that highly, but I suppose some people are just like that. Meanwhile, None is compromised.¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°Compromised?¡±

    Bell gave a short laugh, then huffed in disbelief. ¡°She¡¯s literally filled up to the brink with Dema¡¯s blood. Who knows what that¡¯s doing to her. For all we know, she could be a puppet. A doll, completely under Dema¡¯s control.¡±

    ¡°Does Dema even have Skills that would allow for that? You should have access to her sheet.¡±

    Bell made her tentacles tie themselves into a ponytail. ¡°Look, you especially should know how unreliable the Interface can be. Anyone who¡¯d gander at your sheet would severely misunderstand your capabilities. And None is working on how to break it as we speak. Maybe others have already succeeded before? Dema could well be hiding things. A party screen is no proof.¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t have any proof that Dema is evil, either. In the entire time that I¡¯ve travelled with her, she hasn¡¯t shown a hint of true deceit or malice.¡±

    ¡°Of course she hasn¡¯t!¡± Bell shouted. ¡°Otherwise she¡¯d be dead!¡± Her hands clenched her knees. ¡°Also, this isn¡¯t about proof. To me, the fact that the System wants her gone is sufficient evidence. But that¡¯s not going to convince you, because you have no trust in the System. Neither side can prove a single thing. This is about who or what we choose to believe in.¡±

    Theora rolled the thoughts around in her mind. ¡°But what if you¡¯re wrong? And kill her. You wouldn¡¯t be able to take it back.¡±

    ¡°Well, what if you¡¯re wrong?¡± Bell yelled out, her hair struggling to wriggle out against its own bindings. Immediately, she closed her eyes, and tried to bring herself back down. ¡°Look, alright. I mentioned we were all biased. That includes me. Though, at least I am able to acknowledge my bias.¡± She swallowed, seemingly regretting that last sentence. Unlatching her hand from her knee, she rubbed over her neck and shoulder, eyes shut. She sighed. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try this. Want to know why I¡¯m a hero?¡±

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Theora nodded hesitantly. Hopefully she wouldn¡¯t erode all of Bell¡¯s patience. In the end, she only wanted to understand.

    ¡°So, the story goes like this. A little over nine hundred years ago, my homelands were attacked by an immensely powerful creature. It had nestled itself inside our sanctuary, and was working with a particularly hideous type of [Dream] magic. Most people living inside the sanctuary had fallen asleep, and a lot of them died as it fed on them. There was no way for us to do anything about it. Because anyone who was sent in succumbed to the spell.¡±

    Bell rubbed her eyes. ¡°Many people I knew¡­ Well. Gone now. And its influence was growing. It would have either wiped us out, or displaced all survivors.¡±

    Theora averted her gaze, and stared at the ground.

    ¡°Shortly after, the System dispatched a certain Heroine to my homelands. All alone. She walked into the tower, and recovered every single entrapped person, one after the other. All two thousand and twenty-six of them.¡± She snorted out a short laugh. ¡°She wasn¡¯t even immune to the [Dream] magic. She fell asleep like a brick. And then started sleepwalking. When everyone was safe, she entered the place and blew the thing out of existence in one fell swoop.¡±

    This was painful to listen to. Bell was leaving the most devastating part right out.

    ¡°I saw you, back then,¡± Bell said. ¡°You and the System decided to rescue us. My people would barely exist without you. Wouldn¡¯t exist without the System and without a heroine that didn¡¯t refuse her calling.¡±

    ¡°I destroyed your sanctuary,¡± Theora murmured.

    Bell shrugged. ¡°Sanctuaries can be rebuilt. Are you telling me you regret it?¡±

    ¡°I regret destroying the tower.¡±

    ¡°Why? There was no way to avoid it. What, you think you could have ended that creature without [Obliterate]? That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±

    ¡°I messed up. I accidentally blew a hole into reality. It¡¯s still there. It will be, forever.¡±

    Bell frowned. ¡°What are you talking about? You didn¡¯t ¡®mess up¡¯. That¡¯s just how the Skill works. It¡¯s right there in the description. What would you have done differently?¡±

    Theora bit her lip.

    Bell¡¯s hair squelched around for a while as she was simply mustering Theora. Her frown slowly dissolved into an expression of slight worry, and she asked again. ¡°What would you have done?¡±

    Theora absent-mindedly looked over the shapes on the marble ground.

    Back then, she¡¯d barely understood the implications of using that terrifying Skill. Had barely known how to properly apply it, hadn¡¯t known how to reduce the impact it had on the fabric of the world.

    ¡°You can¡¯t say it?¡± Bell inquired.

    ¡°I should have done better,¡± Theora muttered.

    Bell sighed, showing a pitiful expression. ¡°You did good. Don¡¯t worry about it. And, you know what? You did so well, you inspired me to become a heroine too. Because I saw what you were capable of, and I saw what differences we could make. And in those years since then, I feel like I have made a very sizable difference. The System has allowed me to become strong, to help people, and to do good. So, I am biased in its favour.¡±

    She stared at Theora, her eyes blazing with a rare intensity. ¡°What if Dema ends up destroying the world? What if all my friends and my people die because I refused to fulfil my duty, for sentimental reasons? I¡¯m not going to take that risk. I won¡¯t stand at their graves and wonder what the world might look like had I simply trusted the one entity I owe my entire existence to. Who let me provide some aid to my peers in this cruel world.¡±

    She wiped tears out of her eyes. ¡°I know I can¡¯t win,¡± she said, voice shaking. ¡°I know that with both None and you protecting her, there is no way I can. But still, I couldn¡¯t live with myself if I hadn¡¯t at least given it my all. I couldn¡¯t look back at the times when I had chances if, in the end, it all came tumbling down.¡±

    She sniffled and started to unwrap some tentacles from her ponytail to help with wiping her discharge from her face. ¡°I mean, look at Dema¡¯s sheet. She is scary. So scary.¡± She made a half-sound between scoff and whimper. ¡°[Earth] magic, at its logical conclusion. If she wanted to, she could tear the world apart. And she¡ª she doesn¡¯t even seem sorry. She keeps teasing us with how much she¡¯s scheming, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Bell,¡± Theora cut in. ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to show humility to be deserving of life.¡±

    Bell sobbed, and nodded. ¡°I know. I know. Shouldn¡¯t have said that. It was a bad thing to say.¡± She breathed in and out heavily a few times, and tried to calm back down. ¡°It¡¯s just¡ª You all act like I am the unreasonable one. Like I am just cute and misguided, and not to be taken seriously, like I am stubborn and wrong, but you don¡¯t have any proof for your side either! I could be wrong, but you could be too, and the thing is, if you are wrong, we are all going to die. All my friends, my family, and everyone, and everything, gone. Everything.¡±

    Theora pushed the box aside and slid forward, coming to a halt right in front of Bell. She held out both hands in an offer, and Bell just stared at her confused.

    ¡°What?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Give me your hands.¡±

    Bell swallowed, sniffled, and stared at Theora¡¯s palms for a few seconds. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I want to tell you something, and I want you to know that I mean it.¡±

    Bell¡¯s gaze went up, wide and confused and bleary, slowly darting between Theora¡¯s eyes, until she nodded, and put her cold and wet hands in Theora¡¯s ¡ª still smeared with tears and a little gooey, her little tentacle shaped fingers limp and weak.

    ¡°It is true that Dema is under my protection,¡± Theora then said, and gently pressed down on Bell¡¯s fingers. ¡°But the world is under my protection too.¡±

    Bell stared, opening her mouth halfway, but not saying anything. Theora went on, ¡°If there was an Ancient Evil plotting to destroy the world, it could never, ever win against me. You understand? You and your family and everyone you know, are safe.¡±

    Theora nodded, gazing into Bell¡¯s dazzled eyes. ¡°That¡¯s a promise.¡±

 Chapter 72: To Be Perceived

    All things considered, Theora¡¯s first attempt at baking could only be called a success. She¡¯d received praise from everyone who ate one, and as such, decided to pursue that new interest whenever she found time.

    She tried to learn how to extract sugar from a sugar beet. She found an alchemist who could teach her the process of creating the powder used to make the dough rise. And since she was still not confident she¡¯d be able to actually do it, she fetched a lot of that substance for good measure.

    At the same time, she and the others went back to helping out with the Afterthought plague.

    One of the heroes responsible for the attack had agreed to help with decommissioning the remaining crystals; the others were exiled.

    Bell could clear entire halls on her own; as could Dema. The same was true for Theora, and so that¡¯s how they spent their time, which freed up a ton of guard capacity. Many outright decided to quit and take up other tasks to help with rebuilding the city.

    Isobel couldn¡¯t clear a hall alone. She was by far the weakest member of their party, so she mostly tagged along with Bell, because Bell was a [Barrier Mage]. That way, Isobel was protected enough to dispatch and absorb some of the creatures to level-up her Class without being ground into the finest dust.

    However, much to Theora¡¯s self-contained delight, she eventually got to spend a day with Isobel too. The mages trying to decipher the crystals needed some ingredients to be fetched from outside town. There was an area with rather strong monsters about a two-hour travel east, the so-called Sounddoom Valley.

    Bell and Dema were both really good at clearing halls, especially if they were willing to spend mana. Meanwhile, the monsters in the area of Sounddoom Valley ¡ª so-called prowlers ¡ª were too dangerous for someone to travel to unguarded.

    Normally, a raid expedition would be mounted to acquire these ingredients, but Isobel had the necessary level of [Identify] and wasn¡¯t a big help with clearing out Afterthoughts, and everyone was eager to get Theora away from those halls.

    And thus, one day, the two drove through the mountainous paths outside Hallmark in a little magitech carriage. It had been built out of wood, painted red and yellow, and stuffed with machinery, providing space for two people to sit side-by-side, hovering a hand width above ground with a humming noise.

    It reminded Theora of a sled, and she didn¡¯t like it.

    Yes, moving was effort, but walking was among the few types of movement she liked, and this carriage took that away from her. Still, she understood the need ¡ª everyone wanted to get done with that plague as soon as possible, so they needed to hurry. It was as much an intrinsic motivation for Theora as for everyone else, and so she leaned against the wooden backrest and let the soft breeze blow through her curly hair, eyes closed.

    Isobel was excited, though. She stood on her seat, arms grasping the front railing, head held high. They weren¡¯t even going that fast.

    ¡°This is so fun!¡± she yelled out. ¡°We should get one!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t they need charging stations in Hallmark to function? We would strand.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Iso said. ¡°But it would be fun, right!¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Theora swallowed. Should she tell that poor little girl the truth? The truth about this harsh world where Theora preferred to just walk? Or let her live in that excited bliss? ¡°It would be fun to some,¡± she eventually compromised on.

    Iso sat back down with a clonk of her rock against the wood, the moss she¡¯d grown on herself to dampen the blows barely managing to keep scratches off the vehicle. ¡°Only in Hallmark,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°So at least we should appreciate it as much as we can, while we¡¯re here.¡±

    At the very least, Theora could get behind appreciating this one day she got to spend with Isobel.

    After the rather uneventful hover to the valley, they got off the machine to station it at a safe spot. It wouldn¡¯t be able to carry them all day, so they¡¯d leave it for the journey back.

    Plus, in that valley, they needed to be quiet.

    Very quiet, as to not alarm the monsters hiding within.

    Mostly, Theora wanted to avoid having to kill them.

    ¡°Will we be able to talk?¡± Iso asked in her bright voice. ¡°Because I want to talk!¡±

    ¡°You want to talk,¡± Theora repeated. She hummed in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We could try whispering. If one turns up, we run away.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Iso cheered out, and Theora immediately figured they might have to do a lot of running that day.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Actually, she didn¡¯t want to run. ¡°Maybe when one appears, you just run away alone. I will wait for it to get bored of eating me.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Iso yelped. ¡°No, no. No being eaten. Bell told me everything. You run with me, no more hugging things that are being mean to you.¡±

    That was really unfair. Nobody had scolded Dema when she¡¯d gotten herself eaten by wolves. Theora sighed. So, running it was.

    At first glance, the valley was completely empty.

    Vast grey mountains stood high to their left and right, alternating into the far distance. A few large boulders and rocks lay in the dried-up riverbed in the centre, overgrown by eerily short grass. Other than that, nothing to be seen. No trees, no brushes. However, the shape of the terrain hid many areas in the valley from view.

    A few deer hopping up a neighbouring slope to get away from Theora and Isobel.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s about to happen!¡± Isobel said, looking around, and indeed, a few steps further, the world darkened. As if someone was dimming the light, pulling it away not by obscuring the sky but simply weakening their eyes.

    ¡°That¡¯s so spooky!¡± Isobel said cheerfully. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s getting dark! I¡¯m used to seeing a lot even with no light, but this is truly something else. I love it.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not get split up,¡± Theora murmured.

    ¡°We¡¯re in a party, remember! Can always find each other again. Ah, would be nice if we were in a guild together, then we could use the chat function, even if we get split up.¡±

    Theora had no idea what Isobel was talking about, but it was more important to focus on the surroundings anyway.

    If the creatures in here were strong, would she feel their auras? Or did that unnatural darkness serve to obscure those as well?

    ¡°Does your [Identify] work?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Isobel said. ¡°Can [Identify] things that I can¡¯t even see. No issues on that front. Now, all we have to do is find a few Darkness Daffodils.¡±

    They went ahead for about ten minutes until the light was finally gone. Theora could only see the area about two or three steps around her, and it seemed almost as bright as day. Then, beyond that, nothing. Black over black, so dense and dark it didn¡¯t even leave her eyes with optical frizzles to fill in, as if all the sensory input her brain received was cut off at entrance.

    ¡°You said you wanted to talk,¡± Theora whispered after a while. ¡°Did you want to talk about something specific?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± Isobel hissed back, trying to keep quiet but failing. ¡°Like, we still didn¡¯t get to talk about your sheet. I did peek at it a bit more, but I¡¯m just so curious about your Class and Skills. If that¡¯s okay?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Especially about this brand new Cuckoo-Skill of yours!¡±

    Theora froze. She sought Iso¡¯s gaze, who just stared back in curiosity, also stopping. ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    Iso shrugged with a clack. ¡°That new Skill of yours. Appeared in your sheet a while ago. Not mistaken, am I?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s new, that¡¯s true. Why are you calling it ¡®Cuckoo-Skill¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Because cuckoos are the ones who put their eggs in other nests! Why wouldn¡¯t I call it that, it fits!¡±

    Theora shook her head. ¡°Isobel, could you please explain this to me like I had no idea what you are talking about? Why is it an egg from another nest?¡±

    ¡°Oh! I thought you knew! When you pull up the Skill and look at the advanced details, there¡¯s some stuff that doesn¡¯t quite check out, right?¡±

    Theora now regretted having undone all the extra options Isobel had made her activate a while ago. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I need a moment.¡±

    Theora did her best to navigate the menus, until she finally saw the skill sheet with all its unnecessary development details. And indeed, it didn¡¯t take too long before she realised what Isobel was talking about. Theora double-checked with her other Skills, all of which had a field declaring their ¡®user¡¯ as ¡®Theora¡¯.

    Except for that new Skill. The Skill she had received against her best wishes, the one she feared would enable her to pursue the fetch quest concerning the Fragments of Time.

    That Skill¡¯s ¡®user¡¯ was not Theora. Instead, the field simply showed three question marks.

    ¡°It¡¯s not my Skill?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I thought you knew! How¡¯d you get it?¡±

    ¡°It just¡­ It said I received it as a special unlock from [Stargazer].¡±

    Iso looked like she¡¯d bit into a lemon. She grimaced in slight disbelief, and shook her head with a frown. ¡°That¡¯s so funny!¡± she said, and snorted in amused derisiveness. ¡°Cause like, when you look at the Skill-ID and stuff, it¡¯s not even a [Stargazer] Skill. It¡¯s a common Skill.¡±

    Not even a [Stargazer] Skill. And Theora wasn¡¯t the ¡®user¡¯.

    ¡°Do you think this is bad?¡± she asked. Truth be told, Theora had never even known that a concept such as ¡®slipping a Skill to someone else¡¯ was even possible.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Isobel clicked her feelers in thought. They started outlining small circles as if processing. ¡°It¡¯s tricky. If the person gave it to you in good faith, wouldn¡¯t they have kept their name on it? Unless they don¡¯t have a name¡­ Maybe it¡¯s not a person at all¡­ That it would fake being a [Stargazer] Skill is also a bit of a red flag¡­ But, at the same time, maybe it didn¡¯t fake it. Maybe you were able to receive the Skill uniquely just because of your Class. It¡¯s on brand with the Skill¡¯s name too, right? That name is the one thing that makes me hope it¡¯s nothing bad.¡±

    That¡¯s true. Theora had initially understood the name to be mocking her, because she¡¯d received it in a state of distress. However, if something else had sent the Skill to her, that made it sound just slightly sadder. As if something had called out to her from very far away, using her reality-bending [Stargazer] Class to latch onto.

    It still couldn¡¯t be a coincidence. Theora understood on a fundamental level that the Skill was related to her fetch quest in some way, despite those complications.

    Finally, she took a moment to read its description.

    Dare a glance across the brink to find the one unrivalled.

    Oh, what a terrifying thought. The one unrivalled? Was Theora out to fetch the Fragments, or were the Fragments out to fetch her? Her eyes grazed back over the Skill¡¯s name.

    [Beyond the Horizon, a Scry For Help].

 Chapter 73: Voices in the Dark

    Beyond the Horizon, a Scry for Help.

    If this Skill didn¡¯t originate from Theora herself, then this left essentially two options. Either something, or someone, was calling out to her, asking to be saved ¡ª or this was some kind of trap.

    This was especially suspicious because she had received that Skill right at the time when she¡¯d wanted to give up on the quest. This was giving her a reason to care. Hinting that the quest would actually somehow be of help would easily coax her into compliance.

    If this was a trick, it was working. Theora couldn¡¯t well refuse now.

    On the other hand, she still had two hundred years left on the timer, and receiving some weird unsigned Cuckoo-Skill wasn¡¯t going to make her hurry up, even if it caused her to consider doing it at all. And thus, she filed it all away for future Theora to deal with.

    The Theora of the present needed to protect Isobel from whatever lurked in the dark.

    And so, they continued walking ahead.

    And dark, it was. A world shaded in the absence of light, rendered impenetrable to the eye beyond a small sphere of daylight. The gravel of the main path crunched beneath Theora¡¯s boots and Iso¡¯s rocky feet, small hints of a midday meadow grazed Theora¡¯s field of view at their sides every now and then.

    Theora wondered what it would be like to run off onto the grass and lie down for a few hours, to look up at pitch black as the ground beneath her would still beam in lush delight, to close her eyes and maybe sleep for a while. To rest her eyes, never to be bothered by a rising sun. Protected by the unlight, safe from sight.

    What would it be like if rain fell? Would she see the little drops fall around her in that little bubble of vision?

    It sounded like the cosiest thing in the world. Theora really wanted to have a part of that darkness all to herself, to carry with her, or to maybe put it in a place and call it home.

    It was those Darkness Daffodils that turned the place like this, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°So, did they tell you how to find those flowers?¡± Theora asked. They sounded like amazing plants, but unfortunately, every single specimen they were to find today would be needed by the guards, so she wouldn¡¯t get to keep any.

    ¡°Yeah, well, since it¡¯s dark, we are in the right space,¡± Iso murmured. ¡°It¡¯s their pollen that creates this illusion. Which is what attracts the prowlers, because it helps them hunt. Like symbiosis. I think we can¡¯t really do much. Just have to wait until I hit one with [Identify]. So, lots of time to talk!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit surprised your voice hasn¡¯t attracted any of them yet,¡± Theora whispered.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Iso yelped out. ¡°Oops, right! I need to be quiet.¡± She walked for a few steps, trying her best not to speak, but soon started humming a soft melody absent-mindedly.

    Theora listened to her bright singing voice for a while. It made her really nostalgic. Nostalgic, and a little embarrassed.

    In all the time Theora and Dema had travelled together, there had only been a single instance of singing between the two of them. The day after Dema had gotten injured fighting the Devil of Truth. Back then, she¡¯d been so demanding and courageous in her requests. Since Theora had wanted her to feel better soon, she¡¯d complied with about every single one of them. Nowadays, Dema was much more reluctant to just ask for things, except when it came to hugs. And Theora had grown more reluctant to comply.

    So, that one night decades ago, Dema asked Theora to sing, so Theora had sung.

    She wasn¡¯t very good at it. Not that Dema minded.

    Perhaps the two of them would go back to being close that way again, at some point. Dema would ask for a song, and Theora would be ready to fulfil the request.

    Hearing Isobel hum in that bright voice of hers, Theora couldn¡¯t help but wonder what it would sound like if Dema did the same, in her smokey mid-tones, ringing like the most beautiful bowed instrument.

    Maybe one day, Theora and Dema could sing together.

    And¡­ just perhaps, Bell and Iso would join in. Did Bell sing? Her voice sounded fit for it, despite its unusual wet and squelching quality. Iso could clack her body in rhythm, and¡ª

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    Theora felt the blood rise to her head again, and broke off the thought. She was getting way too ahead of herself.

    She didn¡¯t think she could muster the strength to sing without Dema explicitly making such a request. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing, and, more importantly, open her up to shenanigans and teasing.

    But, maybe she could get Dema to ask for it.

    Yes, perhaps Theora could try running a little scheme of her own for once too. Beat Dema at her own game. As the idea materialised in her head, she almost felt dizzy from how much of a wicked person she could be.

    It was time to put the plan in motion.

    ¡°Isobel, do you like singing?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Of course!¡± she cheered. ¡°Bell sometimes sings me lullabies at night.¡±

    That hit Theora from left-field. ¡°She does?¡±

    ¡°Yep! God, she¡¯s such a cutie.¡±

    Theora cleared her throat, trying to gather her thoughts back up. Suddenly, they all lay in front of her, scattered like chestnuts from a torn bag.

    ¡°Why¡¯d you ask?¡± Isobel went on. ¡°Want me to sing for you?¡±

    No, that¡­ that wasn¡¯t going according to plan at all. Theora¡¯s idea was foiled within five seconds. Apparently, there was a lot more to scheming than she had imagined. A new kind of appreciation towards Dema bloomed within her chest, as if she didn¡¯t already have decidedly enough of those.

    ¡°Maybe not now,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°Since we need to be quiet. But, on our way back?¡±

    ¡°Aw!¡± Iso sighed. ¡°Sure! But, in this darkness here, a little song to lighten the mood would be pretty nice. Or we¡¯ll just end up brooding!¡±

    Theora felt called out. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can go for a while without brooding, even in darkness,¡± she said, mostly because she knew she desperately needed the practice.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Iso said, waving off. ¡°You know, just now I was lost in thoughts about System stuff, since we talked about the Cuckoo-Skill earlier.¡±

    ¡°Have you made any progress yet?¡±

    Iso clicked a nod. ¡°Mostly been spending my time going through those error dumps you sent me,¡± she said. ¡°Trying to commit as much of it to memory as possible. Say, you wouldn¡¯t be able to get more of those, would you? They are very old, and comparing it to newer dumps would help determine whether the System is actively being maintained in some way. How¡¯d you get them?¡±

    More of those.

    Oh, god. Theora really didn¡¯t want to get more of those. Though, technically, it was possible.

    ¡°I received them by breaking part of the System,¡± Theora said. ¡°I used [Obliterate] on a few of its subcomponents, and it leaked out.¡±

    Iso beheld Theora with her wide-open, curious eyes. She didn¡¯t say much for a while, and then settled on saying, ¡°I suppose you¡¯re reluctant to do that again?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to cause irreparable damage,¡± Theora confirmed.

    ¡°Yeah, that makes sense, I guess,¡± she murmured. ¡°Bummer,¡± she added in the exact same sad cadence Dema usually said the word. ¡°Not that you don¡¯t want to cause harm, to be clear,¡± she added quickly, and twirled her antennae. ¡°Just a bummer that that¡¯s how the Skill operates. Truly nefarious. I¡¯m really glad it¡¯s you who has it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Theora blurted out. How was that a good thing?

    ¡°Oh!¡± Iso yelped. ¡°No, I¡ª¡± She raised her arms. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean it in a bad way. Just, the Skill is terrifying, isn¡¯t it? Skills are typically limited. They have cooldowns, or charges, or cost mana or special resources, or require sacrifice in some way. [Obliterate] has none of that. If a person were to acquire that Skill who¡¯s not¡­ Well. It¡¯s scary. You should have seen Dema when I introduced her to all the party and Interface stuff, she almost lost it when she saw the Skill.¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like her. What happened?¡±

    Iso shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s pretty old, right? And she has [Appraise]. Really high Level, doesn¡¯t really ever fail on anyone. So, she panicked when she saw the Skill.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Theora said. ¡°Because of the description?¡±

    ¡°Not that. Because of its Level.¡±

    Theora pulled up her sheet, and stared at it.

    [Obliterate] Lv. MAX

    ¡°Level maxed out,¡± Iso said. ¡°Dema hasn¡¯t seen that before, ever. As in, ever. Her entire, very long life. She wasn¡¯t aware that Skills could max out at all. She was like, ¡®Damn, how many times did little rabbit use it?¡¯¡± Iso did a very good job at imitating Dema. ¡°Like. I think she was wondering how any of the world was left.¡±

    Theora swallowed.

    She¡¯d used the Skill a lot, and there was no denying that. However, the reason why it was maxed out was a little more sinister than that.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like the Skill,¡± Theora then went on to say.

    ¡°Why, obviously you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°It swallowed up all my other Skills. Sure, they too were meant to cause damage in some way, but¡­ They could be used for good. [Obliterate] is¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°When I first received it, I was very excited, and I tried it out on many things.¡±

    Her stomach clenched at the thought, and she tried her best to keep her food down. Oh, why was she even saying this, out loud? And yet, she couldn¡¯t stop herself. ¡°I had a place I called my ¡®training grounds¡¯, and now it can hardly be called a ¡®place¡¯ anymore.¡± Theora¡¯s eyes welled up. ¡°Eventually, I wanted to get rid of it.¡±

    ¡°Rid of what?¡±

    ¡°Rid of [Obliterate].¡±

    Iso blinked. ¡°Wait. Wait. You didn¡¯t¡­¡±

    Theora shrugged, and looked at the ground defeated. ¡°I thought it might work. I thought if I obliterated [Obliterate], it would be gone, and I¡¯d be free.¡±

    She bit on her tongue, trying to calm herself.

    ¡°Instead, I blew up and it maxed out.¡±

 Chapter 74: Sounddoom Valley

    After that, they ended up walking through Sounddoom Valley for a long time, not speaking a word. Isobel had fallen into thought, and Theora tried her best to follow the rule. Endless darkness around them. No thoughts required. Just steps.

    As they went on, the few spots of grass coming into view turned paler. Scorched, dried out. That was curious¡­ had the riverbed in the middle of the valley always been empty? Or was this place recently befallen by desolation?

    Desolation. Thinking of that word caused a tiny stab in the inside of her mind.

    Because it reminded her of her training grounds. Oh, what had she done?

    She never wanted any of the others to see that place, and now, she¡¯d gone and talked about it anyway, risking its discovery. Isobel was the first person she¡¯d ever opened up to in that way.

    Theora didn¡¯t regret it, but she was also somewhat scared. Isobel would tell the others, and then, everyone would know. Would know the blemishes on Theora¡¯s past, the ones that would forever be, carried into the future by virtue of being permanent damage committed to the structure of the world.

    Of course, they should know. Theora wasn¡¯t upset about the secret being uncovered, but talking about it was oh, so hard. How had Isobel managed to get it out of her that easily?

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind,¡± Isobel said eventually, ¡°I¡¯d still like to analyse your [Obliterate]. There¡¯s something off about it. I know it¡¯s dangerous, but¡­ I want to watch you use it. One day, maybe?¡±

    Theora pulled her eyebrows together in confusion, but nodded anyway. ¡°If you are adamant about it. Why do you think it¡¯s off?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just not right? It¡¯s a common Skill. Not even Legendary rank. Yet, it seems to trump anything, even other Legendary Skills, and has no limitations at all. Sure, it could just be the fact that you are the strongest person alive, and that it¡¯s this strong by virtue of it being yours. That¡¯s likely part of the reason. But still. As far as I know, you were already long past the point of invincibility when you received it. It didn¡¯t add to your strength.¡±

    Theora nodded.

    She¡¯d always thought of it as punishment. She¡¯d advanced to an unreasonable amount of strength, and then, kept going, when she should have stopped.

    ¡°Speaking of, it¡¯s kind of incredible that you don¡¯t have a Legendary Skill at all. Or did [Obliterate] swallow it up?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Theora said. ¡°I never had one.¡±

    Legendary Skills were the result of a life of dedication and effort. Theora had always just lived and trained and fulfilled side quests for the single purpose of avoiding the inevitable. Procrastinated, and lazed around.

    Such a life would never grant a Skill of the highest rank. Speaking of¡­ did Bell have one?

    Bell had gone to fight against Dema, and Theora had assumed Bell carried an [Immortality]-defying scroll too. But what if Bell had a Skill to do the same? The way Amyd had honed her life to seal Theora, maybe Bell had dedicated her life to defeat Dema.

    One day, Theora should really take the time to look at their sheets.

    ¡°Still nothing,¡± Iso murmured eventually. ¡°I know those flowers can cover some huge ranges, but¡­ Should have found one by now.¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t encountered any prowlers, either. Are you looking for flowers only?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m filtering, so it¡¯s less draining. Do you want me to check for something else?¡±

    ¡°Maybe just once?¡±

    Iso nodded, and did as told. She closed her eyes, her feelers vibrating. A moment later, she yelped, ¡°Ah. Found something.¡±

    With that, she turned, and ran off the path next to the riverbed. Theora wanted to protest. She didn¡¯t feel like running at all. And yet, the words didn¡¯t come out fast enough, and Iso vanished into the dark.

    And gone she was.

    Theora¡¯s legs were too heavy for a sprint. She increased the cadence and length of her steps. Maybe¡­ Maybe she should break her Orb of Seven Wishes just so she could fly after Iso¡­

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Flying was much less effort than running. Oh, that was so tempting.

    Minutes went by. The scent of rotten flesh seeped into Theora¡¯s nose, overlaying the slightly pungent smell of what she assumed to be the flower¡¯s pollen. Isobel came back into view, crouching down in front of a large black lump, several times taller than Theora.

    As best as she could tell with her limited vision, it was a prowler. Iso grazed over its dark fur with her shale fingers. ¡°Dead,¡± she said.

    ¡°Dead,¡± Theora repeated.

    Prowlers weren¡¯t reacting to their voices, and the only one they found was dead.

    Theora went to its rear, and checked the ground. The creature had left large footprints behind, barely visible in the short grass, but still there, even though quite a while must have passed.

    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Isobel asked. ¡°Does that change anything?¡±

    ¡°I suggest we follow its trail,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°If they live in symbiosis with the flowers, maybe that would lead us closer to one of them.¡±

    Iso nodded up at Theora, then looked back at the creature. No sign of a fight, anywhere. ¡°I¡¯m no expert, but it looks like it died from¡­ Exhaustion?¡±

    ¡°Or hunger,¡± Theora supplied. ¡°Or sickness.¡± Her thoughts strayed back to the dried-out riverbed. ¡°¡­ Or thirst.¡±

    ¡°Well, this is ominous,¡± Iso murmured. ¡°Apparently, nothing was around to eat it either.¡±

    The trail was faint, and walking along it took focus. Theora slowed where the creature had changed directions. It was an erratic path; very much designed to surveil large areas, to be on the prowl. To pounce at whatever decided to make the faintest noise.

    ¡°By the way,¡± Iso whispered some time later, ¡°What are we going to do when we are finished in Hallmark?¡±

    ¡°We,¡± Theora echoed. It sounded like she was expected to decide where they went next?

    It felt awkward.

    Dema had been tagging along with Theora on her side quests, and sometimes decided to go off the path to look for fossils. She was the one who¡¯d suggested going to a settlement right after their first meeting too.

    Now, that ¡®following¡¯ had increased, with Dema randomly assigning Bell to the party, and Bell saying ¡®yes¡¯ on reflex. And Isobel was, in a way, their daughter.

    Theora didn¡¯t want to be the one who decided their destinations. Of course, she toyed with the idea of visiting the Grand Observatory of Fiction together with Dema, and she wouldn¡¯t mind if the others were to tag along, but¡­

    Iso nodded. ¡°Mhm! We. Bell and I have no plans, so we¡¯ll just go wherever you go. I suppose it would be nice to know in advance so we can stock up for what the journey will require.¡±

    That¡¯s right. People had requirements. They weren¡¯t like Dema and Theora, who literally didn¡¯t even need to drink, because their bodies would take care of or ignore any damage lack of sustenance would inflict.

    ¡°I was thinking of visiting the Grand Observatory of Fiction,¡± Theora said. ¡°Dema has a favourite book, doesn¡¯t she? I thought we could go into that book together.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°As¡­ vacation.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Iso nodded fervently. ¡°She¡¯d probably like that! Favourite book, yeah. She¡¯s not been able to shut up about it. Has been trying to make everyone read it lately.¡±

    ¡°Everyone,¡± Theora said. ¡°She hasn¡¯t tried to make me read it.¡±

    Iso chuckled. ¡°Maybe she¡¯ll come for you too, once you¡¯re less busy. Or maybe not. She might be embarrassed, who knows.¡±

    ¡°Embarrassed why?¡± Theora asked, and hoped she wouldn¡¯t regret that question five seconds from now.

    Iso scrunched up her face, rolling her eyes skywards in thought. ¡°Well¡­ Kind of hard to put into words, but¡­ It¡¯s a bit overt, I would say? Like. Of course that would be her favourite book, considering she¡ª¡± Iso broke herself off. ¡°Considering the, uhm¡­ situation between the two of you.¡±

    Situation. So that¡¯s what people were calling it. Theora felt both light in her belly from excitement, and like pouting at the same time.

    ¡°What is the book about?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know,¡± Iso said. ¡°I haven¡¯t read it. All I know is the discombobulated gushing Dema is spurting out like a fountain whenever she talks about it. Apparently¡­ someone reincarnated¡­? And wants to prevent something really bad from happening, but can¡¯t. It¡¯s a bit tragic, I think.¡±

    Tragic? Would Dema really declare a tragic story her favourite book?

    Maybe Theora should check the story out herself. ¡°What is it called?¡±

    ¡°Not sure¡­ let me try to remember,¡± Iso murmured. ¡°It had a bit of a weird name. Something a little rude? Oh!¡± She pointed at a spot in the distance. ¡°Wait, I think I found a flower! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Immediately, she left the trail they followed, and again vanished into the dark.

    Theora made her way after, again contemplating to just pull out the Orb and fly, but managing to contain herself.

    Only moments later, the darkness began to lift. Within seconds, the curtain rose, and the entire valley came back into view, in its full midday sun.

    Isobel stood in front of the Darkness Daffodil. It didn¡¯t look like a Daffodil at all. A flower larger than a prowler, seven purple black petals lying on the ground like thick blankets, complex dark circle shapes crested all over. The four red stamens rose into the sky, twice as tall as Theora.

    And, it was withering. Crumpled-up spots, tears across the surface.

    Iso, however, wasn¡¯t looking at the flower. Her gaze went over the newly revealed meadow of valley, wide-eyed, her feelers pulled up in silent alarm.

    There were prowlers, everywhere. Dozens, as far as the eye could see. Most dying, some dead.

    ¡°Oh, gosh,¡± Iso murmured. ¡°So that¡¯s why none of them attacked us.¡±

 Chapter 75: A Creature of the Sea

    It was a sad sight. No reason for their demise was discernible, but with how the flower was drying out too, and the yellow patches at parts of the valley, it seemed to be related to the empty riverbed.

    Though, the fact that Theora could see all of this was somewhat peculiar.

    ¡°Why did it get bright again suddenly?¡± she asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was the pollen of the flower that caused the effect? Why wouldn¡¯t it be strongest at the core?¡±

    ¡°Antidote, I was told,¡± Isobel said. ¡°Another type of pollen that dispels the effect. Just, it doesn¡¯t carry as far. I would assume it¡¯s because of the symbiosis? Makes it easier to defend the flowers.¡±

    Theora gazed over the dying biome, and then, her eyes came to a halt on the flower. ¡°We can¡¯t take it.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t take it?¡± Iso asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but this place is struggling. If we take the flower, we will accelerate its collapse. We can¡¯t take it.¡±

    Iso kept her in a questioning gaze, then looked back at the flower. ¡°So¡­ We just go home? The mages won¡¯t be happy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a catalyst, right?¡± Theora replied. ¡°These flowers make their task easier, but they don¡¯t strictly need them?¡±

    Iso nodded.

    ¡°Feel free to go home if you want to,¡± Theora said as she rummaged inside her layered cloak. ¡°I will stay for a while.¡± With that, she pulled out her little Vial of Endless Water.

    Better than nothing. If thirst was the problem, maybe she could help. Theora¡¯s gaze went over the valley, edging the positions of each prowler into her head.

    Actually¡­ wasn¡¯t there some kind of map function? It didn¡¯t show the surrounding terrain, but it showed where her teammates were. Maybe it was possible to add some markers¡­?

    After navigating the HUD for a moment, Theora managed to place some waypoints, although they were just vague estimations. She also put a marker at the location of the flower. That would make navigating the darkness easier.

    It was a shame she didn¡¯t have more water on hand.

    Maybe Isobel should return home after all, and ask a few guards for help¡­?

    Although¡­ Would they even help? They required the Darkness Daffodils for some of their tasks, but they saw the prowlers as a threat. Theora had no idea how they would react. That said, they probably wouldn¡¯t harm them if Theora requested they didn¡¯t. Also, the guards were all busy with issues on their own.

    With a low sigh, Theora made off towards the nearest prowler.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Iso shouted, then clacked after with fast steps. ¡°What¡¯s your plan! Share your plan with me! That¡¯s a¡­ Vial of Endless Water? Damn, how cool! Wait, how¡¯d you get it? I want one!¡±

    ¡°Maybe these creatures require water,¡± Theora explained. ¡°I want to help them, if I can. And then see if I can find the reason for the riverbed drying out.¡± At that, Theora hesitated for a moment.

    A long time ago, when she was young, the world had been quite warm.

    And then, as was natural throughout millennia, the temperature had slowly decreased. Was that course reversing? Had the world gotten warmer in the past few decades, while she¡¯d been busy clearing Afterthoughts day in day out?

    No¡­ that was too fast. She¡¯d need to investigate the region.

    That would either take days, or¡­ Or she¡¯d use her Orb of Seven Wishes after all, to survey the place quicker with flight.

    ¡°Oh¡­ We want to help the prowlers? Sure! Sounds good!¡± Iso nodded, grinning. ¡°Even though they could probably tear me apart with a single bite! Sure, I¡¯ll help them. I¡¯m immortal, after all!¡±

    ¡°If that happened, Dema might be able to fix you,¡± Theora added.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°Yeah, maybe. We haven¡¯t tried yet, but it seems promising if I like, break into a few pieces. As long as I don¡¯t get ¡®ground into the finest dust¡¯, it¡¯s fine,¡± she said. ¡°Dema¡¯s words, not mine.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve heard those words as well.¡±

    They were closing in on the first waypoint, and after running a few circles, finally hit upon the targeted prowler. Theora touched its fur, rough and long. Her hand sunk right in.

    The creature was still warm, its heart pounding slowly, its breath weak, but steady.

    How fast was its metabolism? Had these prowlers been lying here for days? Weeks? ¡­ Years?

    Many predators could go without food for long periods of time. Water, maybe less so, but being monsters, they had access to Skills and mana too, so that would help them survive through hardships.

    Theora closed in on its comparatively tiny head. It looked like a mixture of a large hyena and a sheep, eyes tiny and green. It possessed curled horns with long white feelers radiating from its base. Maybe those helped pick up wind currents in place of sight?

    Or, maybe they¡¯d developed ways to counteract the flower¡¯s pollen and could see in its artificial darkness just fine.

    Theora sat down, pulled the creature¡¯s head on her lap, and wedged the jaws open carefully with her fingers placed against the pointy teeth.

    She uncorked her vial, and let its contents drip down the prowler¡¯s throat. It blinked, throat bobbing, and when enough water had accumulated in its cheek, it swallowed weakly.

    Isobel was mesmerised at the sight, and then suddenly, her feelers jerked up, and she let out an, ¡°Oh!¡±

    Theora looked up.

    ¡°Ah, no!¡± Isobel said, raising her hands. ¡°No, I was just thinking, if you want to give them water, I have water! I brought some with me!¡±

    Theora stared at Isobel, who stood there, carrying absolutely no luggage. An Isopod girl, wearing a bit of a moss dress she¡¯d grown for herself, her many belly and chest legs poking out, and the occasional rift in the stone peeking through, red-glowing demon blood pulsing beneath.

    ¡°You have water with you?¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah!¡± Iso said. ¡°Since I¡¯m like¡­ A giant underwater isopod? I used to live in the ocean. I never even got out!¡± She pointed at some structures at the bottom of her stomach that were grown out of elongated moss sheets. ¡°I used to have an organ to breathe underwater, but it didn¡¯t fossilise properly, so I do photosynthesis now. Anyway, since I¡¯m an underwater creature, I sometimes need water, and I eventually received a Skill to carry some inside me. More than it appears.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Theora said. That¡¯s right, they¡¯d revived an underwater creature without paying any mind to whether it could actually live on land. She felt a little bad. At least, Isobel seemed to have found a solution. ¡°Wait,¡± Theora said, ¡°I would guess they need freshwater to drink. Is that what you have?¡±

    ¡°Currently, yea!¡± She nodded, and beamed, and clicked, and made a little jump. ¡°Doesn¡¯t actually make that much of a difference to me personally, so I just fill up with what¡¯s on hand. I just need things to be wet for my moss to grow properly.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora said. She looked down at her Vial of Endless Water. ¡°This,¡± she said, gesturing to it. ¡°It¡¯s yours now. I¡¯ll give it to you once I¡¯ve given water to them all.¡±

    Isobel¡¯s eyes went wide. She pulled up her feelers and mossbrows in a bedazzled expression. ¡°What¡ª¡± she started. ¡°No! Much more useful on you! I was kidding earlier, I don¡¯t need it. I can carry water with me. Just need to prepare properly so I don¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s yours now,¡± Theora repeated. ¡°With it, you can never run out of water, even if you didn¡¯t prepare. You need water more than I do. It¡¯s yours.¡±

    Isobel swallowed, and just stared for a few seconds, her mandibles clicking against each other shakily. For a moment, Theora thought she was going to cry. But then she just nodded. ¡°Alright!¡± she said, determined. ¡°I¡¯m going to help too!¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t split up,¡± Theora said. ¡°Some may still have fight in them.¡±

    Iso nodded, and grew a large patch of damp moss in her hand. Slowly, it seemed to fill up with water like a sponge, until it was dripping wet. She put it into the throat of the prowler.

    It coughed, and swallowed.

    ¡°There!¡± she said. ¡°Should be enough, I put quite a bit inside!¡±

    That was definitely faster than using the vial. Theora faintly smiled at her daughter. Who knew someone would ever go and save dangerous monsters together with her? Theora rarely met other people who cared.

    Of course, Dema would have helped too. Dema would have probably fed herself to them.

    Well, not like they were in a position to eat, currently.

    And so, they fed drenched patches of moss to one prowler after the other. Some were indeed still able to walk, but instead of desperately attempting to devour Theora, they tried to run away from her. Isobel¡¯s [Identify] made it so they didn¡¯t have to bother with creatures that were already dead. [Identify] worked on corpses, but not on beings that were alive.

    ¡°How much water do you have left?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°A bit,¡± Iso said. ¡°Should be more than enough for the ones we¡¯ve seen.¡±

    ¡°When we¡¯re done, we should try to find out what¡¯s causing the drought. Maybe it can be fixed.¡±

    Maybe it can be fixed.

    Was that really a thought Theora was having?

    Was it alright to fix it? A ¡®fix¡¯ to a drought of such a large area would be a ¡®permanent change¡¯, just like splitting a cliff in two. And yet, Theora couldn¡¯t help but think that it wasn¡¯t a bad change.

    Without the prowlers, the flowers would rot away. This place would no longer exist. Neither these creatures nor the Darkness Daffodils, nor this enchanting absence of light. Theora couldn¡¯t help but want to preserve it.

    Maybe that was wrong, and yet, she hoped to find a way.

 Chapter 76: Immutable Outcomes of Unknown Origins

    ¡°Blakh!¡± Isobel yelped out and jumped back when the last prowler actually bit at her. Theora held the creature back firmly with a strong hug.

    ¡°Shh,¡± Theora went, stroking the fur, and then gently swung the creature around, and let go. It jumped into the dark and vanished.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Iso said. ¡°That one was pretty energetic. We¡¯re done now, whoo!¡±

    ¡°Almost done,¡± Theora said. ¡°I want to follow the riverbed to see if we can find anything.¡± She blinked. ¡°Oh, but you don¡¯t have to join for that. Feel free to head back home if¡ª¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Iso yelled. ¡°Gonna help, gonna help!¡±

    ¡°Careful with the noise. Some of them could be on the prowl again.¡±

    ¡°They like us now! We tamed them!¡±

    Theora stared into the blackness. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s not how it works,¡± she said. ¡°Please don¡¯t think we tamed them. Let¡¯s hope they don¡¯t attack, but also, let¡¯s not imagine that we are safe.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Iso said, waving off. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s do some investigating!¡±

    And thus, they ¡®investigated¡¯. It probably wasn¡¯t the most exciting detective work imaginable, considering they were simply walking along the riverbed in complete darkness, but then again, Theora had no idea about how detective work was supposed to work. Perhaps this was just normal.

    After all, she did usually investigate a quest before completing it, though that typically also involved her just walking from place to place, asking questions.

    Advancing through the darkness in the middle of the dried river, Theora held her gaze open for anything that might be important. Crucially, the river was completely dry. No puddles, no mud. Hallmark, due to its position next to a mountain range, was a place of near constant rain ¡ª maybe not enough of it reached this place?

    ¡°Soooo,¡± Iso intoned after a while. ¡°I have a question. Just like, from daughter to mom!¡±

    ¡°Yes, please?¡±

    ¡°When was your last date with Dema?¡±

    Theora choked on spit. She coughed, getting her eyes watery, and knocked against her own chest a few times.

    ¡°Date,¡± she finally repeated. ¡°Date.¡±

    Her mind blanked out, even though her body had recovered.

    A date with Dema. A date? What was that? She knew the word. She knew what it meant, very clearly. And yet, her brain refused to connect the dots in this context.

    ¡°Yea, for example, going to a caf¨¦ together to just talk, or visiting one of Hallmark¡¯s museums, or maybe just going on a picnic to sit on a meadow. Or go hiking together. Watch the sunset! You know?¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Theora¡¯s heart pounded. ¡°I don¡¯t think we ever had one. I don¡¯t think.¡±

    ¡°Why not!¡±

    How were these questions still increasing in difficulty?

    That said¡­ Dema and Theora had done so many things together. They¡¯d spent well over a century with each other, only separating a few times. So, in a way, hadn¡¯t they already been on one very long, continuous date?

    All the blood rushed into Theora¡¯s head, her heart doing its best to pump it up in a frenzy. Her cheeks blazing hot, she swallowed.

    ¡°Actually, since you mention it, we did watch the sunset together.¡±

    Theora distinctly remembered having asked Dema to do that with [Flower Language], although she¡¯d thought nothing of it at the time. Watching the sunset together was considered a date? Why? Just sitting side-by-side, gazing at the glowing sun, the breeze gently frisking through their hair ¡ª when all their attention lingered on that radiant phenomenon and not each other, that could still count as a date?

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Well, not all their attention. Dema¡¯s electrifying presence had definitely been a slight distraction.

    In any case, if even that counted as a date, Theora wanted to have another one.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to ask for it,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°Is it? Why? Just ask!¡±

    Theora stared into the dark. People with good communication seemingly lived an entirely different sort of life.

    Actually, now that she thought about this a bit more, wasn¡¯t she about to ask Dema on a date? A date to visit the Grand Observatory of Fiction together. To live through Dema¡¯s favourite book.

    ¡°Oh, Iso, did you remember the name of¡ª¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t finish the sentence. As she spoke, they left the sphere of influence of the flower pollen. The world brightened.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Iso sighed. ¡°Ah, that would be why. I suppose that would be why the river dried out.¡±

    At the far side of the hillside meadow, at the end of the riverbed, a cliff had broken apart. Hurled its contents into the narrow valley and blocked off the flow of the water. It was a gigantic rockslide, plugging up the lifeline of the ecosystem.

    ¡°We should climb up,¡± Theora suggested.

    ¡°Yeah! Wow, this is¡­ I wonder what happened. Maybe some big monsters had a fight and blew up the mountain.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Or an earthquake!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible too.¡±

    ¡°Or it was some unstable formation from the start, and then just went boom one day.¡±

    Theora nodded.

    It was afternoon by now, and the sun slowly lost its strength. They wandered across the wide landscape, with a full view of all that was around. A hawk cried in the far distance, the breeze was stronger now. What would they find on the other side of those fallen rocks and boulders? Would they be able to ¡®fix¡¯ it?

    She had a vague idea of what it might be ¡ª or what it might not be. Regardless, at this moment, Theora wasn¡¯t optimistic. She didn¡¯t have the capacity to relocate all of these prowlers, much less the flowers. What conditions would they need to grow? How could they be planted? How much time would pass until they bloomed?

    Theora noticed Iso was falling behind. She turned around and saw the scrunched up fossil face. Isobel¡¯s thinking position looked very different compared to Dema¡¯s ¡ª Dema would have put her chin in her hand, or scratched her head, but Iso stared at the ground, full focus, eyes narrowed just a little.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Theora asked.

    Isobel¡¯s gaze shot up. ¡°Yeah!¡± she blurted. ¡°Just, thinking! About what we could do.¡±

    ¡°Have any ideas?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ that really depends on what we¡¯ll find on the other side¡­ but I¡¯m getting a little excited. Just¡­ moving some thoughts around in my head, that¡¯s all!¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to hear them,¡± she said.

    Finally, as night broke, they made it to the cusp of the cliff.

    Beneath them lay a gigantic lake, held back by the collapsed mountain like a dam. Birds tweeted from the trees at the edge of the water, crows cawed in the distance. Insects hummed and chirped. Echoes of the noise carried up, unhindered by the clear water.

    ¡°I thought this was what we might find,¡± Isobel murmured, but seemed a little wary. ¡°But this doesn¡¯t really make sense, does it?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t make sense?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, took us only a few hours to get here, didn¡¯t it? Wouldn¡¯t the prowlers have found it? Why were they starving in the darkness?¡±

    Theora glanced at the shimmers of the night sky reflected in the soft waves. ¡°Perhaps they can¡¯t leave the dark,¡± she suggested.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°We only found that one flower. I think it might be the last.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Iso nodded. Then, she clicked her fingers. ¡°Wait, are you saying¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe the remaining ones stayed to protect it.¡±

    ¡°You think they would do something like that?¡±

    Theora shrugged. ¡°Stranger things have happened.¡±

    ¡°Either that, or they really got sick, on top of it all. Mountain burst, they lived a few years migrating here to drink, but some got sick, and were left behind.¡±

    That was also possible.

    In the end, they might never find out.

    Much like with that trap set in the cliff back then. Who¡¯d put it there, centuries back? What caused the fate of these prowlers? What had happened, millennia ago, for Dema to become the target of the System? All Theora could do was deal with the fallout. Outcomes of unknowable origins.

    But in this case, the situation seemed bleak. It wasn¡¯t a seal she could shatter with [Obliterate], it wasn¡¯t a demon girl she could shower with affection. This was a dam, cutting the valley off its source of life, but the lake itself was an origin of life too. Theora couldn¡¯t harm one to save the other.

    Eventually, maybe, the dam would overflow, and life would spring again in the dried out lands, but how long might that take? She couldn¡¯t even poke a hole into the bottom, to make a bit of water flow back into the river, because the rock formation might not hold, and she could cause it to collapse, spelling disaster.

    And, if she was being honest with herself, showering Dema with affection wouldn¡¯t solve the problem with the System either. In both situations, Theora was powerless.

    ¡°So, what do we do?¡± Isobel after a moment of contemplation.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can do anything,¡± Theora murmured, and those words burned on her lips and tongues like acid.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Isobel let out in surprise. ¡°What do you mean, we can¡¯t do anything? I have, like, at least two ideas! I was just wondering which one we should go for!¡±

    Somehow, these words impacted on Theora¡¯s soul like thick drops of rain after the longest drought. ¡°Two ideas?¡± she asked, with her voice rising up in a soft plea.

 Chapter 77: Bundled-Up

    ¡°Yep, two!¡± Isobel confirmed, nodding graciously up and down, accidentally knocking her chin against the upper part of her chest. With that, she clunked one of her mandibles into her eye, and yelped out a short, ¡°Akh!¡±

    ¡°What are your ideas?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°Well,¡± Iso said, rubbing her eye with a hand, ¡°First one, obviously, Dema. I bet she could poke a little hole into the bottom of the dam and keep the structure integral with her earth powers. We could ask her if she wants to pay this place a visit.¡±

    Theora stared, unable to process how this hadn¡¯t occurred to her at all.

    She¡¯d been completely preoccupied with trying to solve this alone ¡ª but she wasn¡¯t alone anymore. Now, she had people whom she could ask for help. Dema could come here, and take care of that dam. Of course she could. She was one of the most powerful [Earth]-affinity mages on the planet.

    In fact, that was likely selling it short.

    ¡°The other idea,¡± Isobel continued, ¡°Would be a bit¡­ experimental? Like¡­ moss is really amazing, you know? It can hold a lot of water, and if I amend it a bit ¡ª if I put some extra magical properties on it, perhaps ¡ª I could make it a bit similar to a succulent? To store large amounts of water. I mean. If I cultivate and grow the right type of moss in the riverbed, maybe it could retain more water than it can now. Rainwater. Could make it a little swampy.¡±

    Theora glanced over Isobel¡¯s moss-overgrown rock body.

    That¡¯s right, she was a [Mossmancer]. A person capable of growing and manipulating moss with magic. Was it really possible? To introduce a new species to this place, to help it bloom again?

    ¡°I have water here,¡± Isobel said, nodding at the lake, ¡°And I can spend some Credits to buy mana potions from the shop. At the very least, I can grow moss inside the riverbed to keep the valley watered for a few days or weeks. Enough for Dema to find a day to come here. Hopefully, the Darkness Daffodil will be able to recover a little too.¡±

    ¡°Credits? Shop?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Iso said with a questioning look. ¡°Like¡­ third tab? Next to achievements?¡±

    Oh¡­ more things related to the System. Now that she thought about it, Theora vaguely remembered that a shop existed, yes. She¡¯d bought it out a long time ago, and probably carried half of that litter in her cloak somewhere.

    ¡°Anyway, if you don¡¯t have any objections, I would do that?¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Please, if you think it might work, let¡¯s try. Let me know if I can help.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve done enough already!¡± Iso replied, smiling. ¡°Now, it¡¯s my turn! Just¡ª¡± She gestured at the cliff they stood on, then out at the lake, then to their back at the dark valley ¡ª ¡°Just relax and enjoy the view! I¡¯ll need to figure out a strand of moss to use first, too. I¡¯ll try species that are native to this region¡­ I¡¯ve collected some of them already¡­¡±

    With that, she trailed off into mumbled thoughts, with a look on her face as if she was skimming through System menus.

    Meanwhile, Theora did as told and sat down. Though, instead of looking at the lake or the valley, her eyes stuck to Isobel.

    Standing there, barely taller than Theora while sitting, with her wide isopod statue frame, with the little legs on her belly and chest happily cluttering and clacking against each other in the breeze like wind chimes, her mandibles at the corners of her mouth twitching every now and then, her feelers communicating her every mood through little dances.

    ¡®I have, like, at least two ideas!¡¯ she had said.

    It¡¯s okay, I got you. Please don¡¯t cry.

    Isobel, sworn adversary of the System, with her declared goal to save Dema from a terrible fate. Isobel, who seemed to have an answer to everything ¡ª several answers to everything, in fact. A rock at the shore, breaking and holding back the waves of chaos, shielding Theora from their corrosive impact.

    What a beautiful person Theora had helped call back into life.

    ¡°I would like to hug you,¡± she said, and was answered by Iso¡¯s surprised and wide-eyed gaze staring down at her.

    ¡°Well, alright then!¡± she said, laughed, and opened her arms, clacked a few steps over to Theora and embraced her, without even needing to bow down that much to do so.

    Theora let out a very soft ¡°ah,¡± as the rock body hit her much quicker than she¡¯d anticipated, and she closed her arms around Iso¡¯s wide frame, feeling the warmth of her own tea and Dema¡¯s blood pulse through the stone.

    ¡°There, there!¡± Iso said, stroking over Theora¡¯s back as if she was petting an animal. ¡°You really are just like a little rabbit, aren¡¯t you! I can see why she calls you that.¡±

    ¡°Can you now,¡± Theora murmured, her head pressed against one of Iso¡¯s moss patches.

    Iso giggled, and a few strokes later, she broke the hug, patted Theora¡¯s head, and went back to her work.

    She grew one patch of moss after the other, using her Vial of Endless Water to drench it and observe properties, then absorbed less promising results back into herself by gobbling them up through her mouth. More successful results started gathering in front of her over time, until she finally, after about two hours, decided on one that seemed worth trying on a larger scale, and suggested they went back into the valley.

    The hike down was much quicker. Iso let herself fall down several large drops with unwavering confidence in the sturdiness of her shale body, and similarly, Theora wasn¡¯t much worried about her descent either, although she still tried not to get herself injured. Fixing herself through force of will was possible, but it also meant effort.

    Unfortunately, carefully descending the mountains was effort too, so she opted for a healthy compromise between the two.

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    Isobel arrived first by a large margin, and began to fill the riverbed with water-drenched moss. It was a curious sight especially from further away ¡ª the brown soil brightened and blossomed into lush shades of green within seconds. The revitalising process was quick enough that Isobel could just run down the river, moss-patches growing in her footprints, merging into a green carpet. At the same time, she let bubbles of floating water splash onto the moss.

    Unfortunately, Isobel was running ahead way too quickly. Theora had trouble keeping up, so she yelled, ¡°Isobel! Be careful up there!¡±

    The isopod girl simply waved off and eventually vanished down the horizon.

    ¡°She always does this¡­¡± Theora murmured, not unkindly. Her gaze wandered over the moss Iso had been planting, or at least what she could make out of it under the night¡¯s sky. It looked so alive.

    As Theora entered the pollen-induced darkness again, she kept walking right next to the moss-street, but avoided stepping onto it. Isobel had already covered an amazing distance, just like that¡­ Maybe this really would be enough to water the valley for a day or two. How many mana potions had she drunk by now?

    At low levels, they provided a large advantage, especially during fights. Of course, after reaching Dema¡¯s amounts of magical reserves, they barely made a difference.

    But, a Level 32 [Mossmancer]? To them, potions were worth their weight in gold.

    And Isobel was spending that ¡®gold¡¯ to help save this valley, instead of pursuing EXP and becoming stronger. Absolutely no hesitation, either. Running off, gleefully, enjoying herself. Enjoying herself even in this endless and oppressive black¡ª

    Theora halted her thought process as she noticed Isobel hadn¡¯t moved on the map in a while.

    Why not? The end of the riverbed was still far ahead. Had she found something? Been distracted? Or¡­

    Theora increased her pace. Step by step, each becoming a little longer, carrying her a little further, until she was almost soaring through the air in jumps, staring forward into the all-consuming nothingness, closing in on the marker on the map.

    Oh, she¡¯d left Isobel alone in the dark. How had Theora lost her sense of danger? How had she not taken this into account? She¡¯d been sent to protect Isobel, and now¡ª

    Each of her strides left a small cloud of dust behind, her weight crashing onto the ground, her feet softly absorbing the impact, then launching her forward again. Her hair flapped against her forehead and cheeks wildly, her cloak danced in the storm caused by her own propulsion.

    And finally, she found Isobel.

    Or rather, what was left of her. She slid to a halt next to Isopod fossil pieces, and knelt down.

    ¡°I got got,¡± Isobel¡¯s head whined, lying on a bed of moss, next to her foot and a few splinters of her shale carapace. More pieces of Isobel were scattered around in the small sphere of Theora¡¯s vision, glinting in night light.

    ¡°You got got,¡± Theora repeated.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Isobel grumbled, sounding deeply unhappy. ¡°I thought they wouldn¡¯t go for me! Since we helped¡­ Also¡­ I thought my body might be sturdy enough, after all¡­ never broken before!¡±

    ¡°So, it can break,¡± Theora murmured, and Isobel somehow managed to nod her head, causing it to roll over the moss. ¡°Shale is a brittle material, after all.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± she said.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Theora replied. ¡°Dema can probably fix you.¡± At the very least, Theora had seen her put Isobel together from scraps once before. ¡°Let me pick you back up.¡±

    Theora traipsed through the dark, collecting all of Isobel onto a small heap of fossilised shale rock. She made sure to even pick up the smallest pieces, collecting them in a little pocket of her cloak.

    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to finish the moss road like this¡­¡± Iso whined. ¡°I messed up!¡±

    Theora patted Isobel¡¯s head. ¡°We can come back tomorrow, if you want. But, I¡¯m sure the valley will be fine until Dema arrives to adjust the dam.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Iso murmured.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Theora said. ¡°I was supposed to protect you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay! You even said I should be careful! I was just kinda excited and¡­ didn¡¯t see the prowler coming¡­ just tore me apart. Luckily, it didn¡¯t feel like eating me when it realised I was made of rock.¡±

    ¡°These creatures are strong and stealthy.¡± Theora started rummaging around in her cloak and picked out a rope. ¡°I¡¯m going to bundle you up, if that¡¯s alright with you.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Iso said, again rolling a nod, and Theora bound Isobel¡¯s carapace, limbs and other pieces into a compact little package, and stored it away in a large crease of her multilayered travelling coat.

    Then, she picked up Isobel¡¯s head ¡ª the only thing she¡¯d not added to the bundle ¡ª and carried her in front of her chest. ¡°Can you see fine?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Iso said. ¡°All good! Thank you.¡±

    It was time to return to the carriage and go home. Theora¡¯s fingers started prickling, caused by self-directed anger. The night was dead-silent. No insects, no birds, no prowlers to be heard. Just Theora¡¯s own footsteps being swallowed by the dark.

    The head moved a little, aided by the helmet-like carapace piece that she could still move, and cuddled itself closer into Theora¡¯s arms. ¡°This is really cosy, you know?¡±

    ¡°Is it?¡±

    ¡°Definitely! Being carried through the night, amongst scary monsters that tried to devour me. Ha! Maybe we should have done that from the start!¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t think we should have,¡± Theora muttered.

    They made their way forward together, the heavy weight of Isobel¡¯s head safe in Theora¡¯s grasp. It was good that Isobel was immortal. As long as she wasn¡¯t ground into the finest dust, they¡¯d be able to put her back together. She pressed the head closer against herself, hugging her tight.

    ¡°Oh, by the way,¡± Isobel said after a while. ¡°I remembered!¡±

    ¡°You remembered?¡±

    ¡°Yep! The rude name of Dema¡¯s very convoluted favourite book. It popped into my head as I was lying in the grass, all splintered up and falling into desperation.¡±

    Theora gulped. ¡°Desperation? Isobel, are you alright? I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t there.¡±

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s okay!¡± she said. ¡°Well. It feels a little awkward. I can still sense the rest of my body, but it¡¯s all wrong! I feel all jumbled-up! Oh, darn it. I really don¡¯t want this to happen when I¡¯m alone. Good thing you¡¯re here!¡±

    ¡°Good thing I¡¯m here,¡± Theora replied. She really should have been there earlier, though.

    ¡°Well, now that I¡¯m thinking about it, this really does feel weird. You made it so my leg touches a part of my back, in the bundle.¡±

    ¡°I apologise.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Isobel said, in curious thought. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, it¡¯s a new kind of feeling. I wonder if it could be therapeutic in some way¡­¡±

    ¡°I beg you to not get any ideas.¡±

    ¡°Like, when I wash up, Bell sometimes helps me scrub parts of my carapace I can¡¯t get to, and I love that! Feels so relaxing. Imagine all the spots she could reach now!¡±

    ¡°I prefer not to imagine,¡± Theora murmured.

    At that point, she saw a small flicker in the dark. A hint of fur, at the very edge of her vision.

    Then, gone.

    Theora sighed a small breath of relief. Isobel was safely stored away in her travelling coat now. Isobel was safe. In other words, if one of them decided to attack, Theora wouldn¡¯t have to kill it.

    She¡¯d only have to hold Isobel¡¯s head safe and sound.

    ¡°Everything¡¯s alright with you, yes?¡± Theora asked. ¡°Dema¡¯s blood is in your body ¡ª you don¡¯t need access to it? You don¡¯t feel dizzy?¡±

    ¡°Nope!¡± Iso let out. ¡°Can¡¯t say I feel bad at all. Sorry for making you worry.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Theora said, cradling the head close. ¡°I¡¯m glad you no longer feel despair, lying on the ground, all splintered up. But, I am still curious. You said you remember the name. The name of Dema¡¯s favourite book. The rude one?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± Isobel shouted, and then giggled. ¡°It¡¯s the theme of the book. Hard to explain, but, as I was staring into the dark, all broken apart, I remembered.¡± She cheered into the night, ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®To Hell with the Author¡¯!¡±

 Chapter 78: Solitary Creature

    ¡°You¡¯re always welcome here,¡± Balinth said on Theora¡¯s last day in Hallmark. ¡°If you ever decide to come back.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Thank you very much. I hope we will.¡± She hugged Balinth and received a few pats on her back in turn.

    Another few weeks had passed in the blink of an eye; and now, the Afterthought plague had finally been declared over.

    ¡°Good luck with Dema!¡± Hell said, grinning.

    Theora swallowed, and hugged her too. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean by that,¡± she murmured. ¡°Dema and I are doing well. I¡¯m planning to invite her on a date.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Balinth let out. ¡°Date, date! Where? What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°Grand Observatory of Fiction,¡± she said. ¡°I want us to visit Dema¡¯s favourite book.¡±

    Balinth and Hell stared at each other for a moment, then Hell broke the gaze and turned to Theora. ¡°Well, that¡¯s going to be¡­ fun.¡±

    Balinth giggled.

    By now, Theora had found out a little more about the book.

    At first, she expected it to be a story about travelling to hell together with an author. However, during her superficial research, she realised the title was meant metaphorically; the main character apparently really didn¡¯t like the author of the story she was trapped in, and voiced that dismay at every possible opportunity.

    Theora had procured a copy of that book, with the solemn intent to read it before asking Dema on that ¡®date¡¯. On her attempts, she fell asleep during the first, second, and fifth page respectively, and thus gave up. Reading was difficult, and the prose of said book was dense and colourful, and the situation the main character was in went over Theora¡¯s head three times over.

    Isobel had described the story as ¡®convoluted¡¯. That didn¡¯t even begin to describe it.

    ¡°At least you¡¯ll meet Gonell!¡± Balinth added. ¡°Remember? Told you about her. Dema made us read the book a while ago.¡±

    Oh. Gonell. The person depicted on that cookie Balinth had made? She was a character from Dema¡¯s favourite book?

    ¡°I remember,¡± Theora said. ¡°I hope I can get to meet her.¡±

    Hell smiled, and nodded. ¡°I¡¯d kinda want to see that, honestly. I wonder which of you would win a sparring match¡­ Unfortunately, these bones are too old to make that kind of journey.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Balinth complained, and waved off, looking at Theora. ¡°Hell¡¯s just covering for me. I¡¯m the one who can¡¯t travel. Either way, write us a letter or something when you¡¯re out! Tell us how it went!¡±

    Theora nodded. She made sure to write down the address, so she wouldn¡¯t forget, and placed the paper in the same pocket as Dema¡¯s little note from a while ago.

    Then, Theora left their home, for the last time in a while, and maybe forever. That little apartment, up the stairs, the small windows giving view of the town¡¯s silhouette. A little space carved into this large town, and even though it wasn¡¯t technically special, it very much felt like home to Theora.

    Her next stops were to say goodbye to Rogue, to other members of the guard, and to Ulfine. She added all their addresses to her little collection too. In a way, that made her feel better. The idea of sending letters had never really occurred to her before.

    She would leave behind this hectic city life, her in-and-out of constant toil, her sleep-deprivation and the gloomy thoughts of inadequacy, the feeling of missing out on the lives of every single person around her.

    And, she would travel again, despite her weary body demanding rest. What if she were to blink and fall asleep for a few decades, or forgot herself in her next task? Everyone here would dissipate into a memory, like snapping them away into dust.

    Theora had to stay vigilant and pass her time responsibly now, to have a chance to meet them again, to stay in touch, to send those letters and maybe receive replies. So, perhaps she should wait with her next long rest for another fifty years or so. That wasn¡¯t too much, was it? She could manage.

    She rubbed a bit of sleepy dust out of her eyes, on her way to Zeka and her son, to fetch Dema, who¡¯d decided to spend one last day with them.

    ¡°Why, hello there!¡± Dema rasped gleefully after opening the door for her.

    Dark hair, cut short and messy like always, but in a completely different shape now. Little ash-coloured horn poking out from the hair on top, and her long, pointed ears from the sides. Her eyebrows raised in confidence, gleaming amber eyes, thin golden lips stretched into a smile.

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    Oh, how Theora had missed that view. She felt like she hadn¡¯t properly seen Dema ever since Isobel came back.

    Only in passing, only asleep, both busy, both tired.

    Theora stepped ahead and enclosed Dema in a hug.

    ¡°Woah!¡± Dema let out, embracing her back. ¡°Why, I missed you too!¡± she said. ¡°Turned into a li¡¯l hug bug, huh?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Theora mumbled, but kept the embrace.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you did!¡± Dema said teasingly. ¡°Iso told me everything.¡±

    ¡°Has she now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. No secrets between mother and child!¡± she proclaimed, peeling herself out of the hug. Her grin slowly turned into a mischievous smile. ¡°She also told me you were gonna ask me out.¡±

    Theora gulped and her mind blanked out.

    ¡°I¡ª¡± she said, breaking off. ¡°I¡ª¡± she repeated, throat closing up. ¡°¡­ I need to go say goodbye to Zeka,¡± she mumbled, awkwardly shuffling past Dema in the door entry.

    So Isobel had just gone ahead and done it. Gone ahead and spilled the largest of Theora¡¯s secrets, to the very person who would tease her the most about it. And now that Dema knew, Theora had no way to get out of it, either¡­ Not that she wanted to, but procrastinating on it for another century would have certainly been nice.

    Well, on the other hand, she couldn¡¯t have done that, because then it would have been impossible to write a letter to Balinth and Hell about how it went.

    Theora sighed, and her thoughts circled around letters, sleeplessness, and dates for a long while, until they met up with Bell and Iso.

    The two were wearing large backpacks. They¡¯d stored additional luggage inside Theora¡¯s interdimensional coat, happy at the prospect of not having to bring a wagon for their belongings.

    Shortly after, they finally left through the gates of Hallmark. Looking back at the city, Theora couldn¡¯t help but feel happy for its inhabitants ¡ª happy that the Roaming Blight finally decided to leave.

    ¡°So!¡± Dema let out. ¡°Where we gonna go next?¡±

    Isobel¡¯s head shot up. ¡°She hasn¡¯t told you?¡±

    ¡°Told me what!¡± Dema¡¯s gaze went over to Theora, and then her eyes widened a little. ¡°Wait, this related to our date? Has it already started?¡±

    Theora stared at the ground. Where was Dema getting this boundless confidence from? Hadn¡¯t she been just as much of a flustered mess as Theora last time? Actually, no, Dema had been really aggressive with cornering Theora like the little rabbit she was. So, maybe Dema was only weak to being caught unguarded.

    It was a nice thought, but Theora had no way to exploit it.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to kill her,¡± Bell murmured. ¡°Leave the girl alone for one second!¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Dema laughed. ¡°Was just a question! Also, what do you mean, leave her alone. Unlike jellyfish, rabbits ain¡¯t solitary creatures!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a poor argument!¡± Isobel chimed in. ¡°Giant Isopods are solitary, and I still prefer to be with others. Comes down to the individual.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Dema hummed, turning to Theora. ¡°Well then, little rabbit,¡± she said, stepping very close to her. ¡°You a solitary creature?¡±

    Theora avoided Dema¡¯s stare, letting her hair fall on her face as much as possible, to hide away from the never-ending onslaught of attention. Then, in an almost-whisper, she pressed out, ¡°You can stay with me if you want.¡±

    Dema perked up in surprise, and made a step sideways. She gulped, and shook her head. ¡°Damn, making my heart flutter again¡­¡±

    ¡°You two are both absolutely hopeless,¡± Bell mumbled.

    Iso clacked her mandibles. ¡°I think they¡¯re getting better!¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? I¡¯m not getting that feeling at all.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Dema complained. ¡°Totally rude to speak about people while they¡¯re there!¡±

    Oh, yes. Of course, of all the people to utter such a sentence, Dema would be the one to do it.

    ¡°We are going north,¡± Theora murmured, having finally calmed down enough to speak. She had consulted a few maps in preparation for their journey over the last few days, and spoken with travellers who knew the region. ¡°There are two possible routes.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s take the long one!¡± Dema chirped.

    Theora nodded. ¡°Alright. The longer one is safer, since it circumvents an active volcano.¡±

    Dema jolted up. ¡°Let¡¯s take the short one!¡±

    Theora hummed. ¡°I was worried about the volcanic route, because we have Bell with us. It would be dry and hot.¡±

    ¡°Oh, please,¡± Bell interjected. She was walking a few steps away from the others, her tendrils floating around in the air. She made sure not to have them touch anyone. ¡°I¡¯m a strong girl. I¡¯m a [Barrier-Mage], in fact.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t worried about you getting hurt,¡± Theora said, glancing at her. ¡°Of course you are strong. Even if you weren¡¯t, we would protect you. I just wondered if the climate might be uncomfortable for you.¡±

    Bell¡¯s tendrils gently sunk down. ¡°Oh,¡± she said. ¡°No, that¡¯s alright. None has water with her, and if it gets too uncomfortable, I can wrap myself in a bubble.¡±

    ¡°What about you, Isobel?¡± Theora asked. ¡°You are a water-creature too. Are you alright with it?¡±

    ¡°Alright with it?¡± Iso gushed out. ¡°I¡¯m voting for it! Let Dema have her volcano! There might be some nice rocks there for her to study too.¡±

    ¡°So, no reservations?¡±

    ¡°Nope!¡± Iso let out, clattering her carapace with a tiny jump. ¡°What could possibly go wrong?¡±

    She grinned wide, all back in one piece now, able to walk again after Dema had done her best to reassemble her from all those tiny chunks and shards after that misfortune in Sounddoom Valley.

    ¡°Volcano it is!¡± Dema cheered, throwing a fist in the air.

    Theora nodded. ¡°Volcano it is.¡±

 Chapter 79: Geothermal Temptations

    Dema stood at the edge of a caldera made of black volcanic crust.

    A mass of glowing liquid boiled under her, ejecting ember after ember of molten rock. Next to her, two rivers of fast-paced lava streamed down the hill, gushing and overflowing at the edges, eventually slowing down as the heat vanished, a coat of thick black scab entrapping gleaming warmth.

    A drop as large as a building separated her from the brooding lake beneath.

    She turned to the others, and grinned.

    ¡°I wanna go swimming!¡±

    Iso was crouching over the edges of a river with a curious gaze at the cascading lava.

    Bell stood next to Iso, wearing a mask over her mouth and nose to shield herself from the toxic fumes and smokes, sulphur smells and ash in the air.

    And Theora stared up, empty gazed, her thick travelling coat dancing in the winds, wary of the hundred large drops of molten rock thrown up in the air each second, just in case one were to shoot astray at Bell or Iso, [Obliterate] on the brink of her lips to shield them.

    ¡°I saw a mud bath a while back,¡± Bell muffled through her mask. ¡°Geothermal, I assume.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Dema protested. ¡°Well, yes! That sounds good too. But I wanna bathe in lava! Also,¡± she added, turning to Theora, ¡°Can¡¯t believe you never took me here before!¡±

    ¡°It only became active recently,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°A few decades ago. The mountain was dormant last time we were in this region.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Dema sighed, undressing her cloak. ¡°Bummer!¡± She threw it on the ground next to her and peeked down at the lake.

    Bell stared around at the others in slight bewilderment. ¡°Is nobody going to tell her not to bathe in lava?¡± she asked, then gazed up at Dema. ¡°Look, yes, you have regeneration, but this is going to burn you alive. Even if you keep regenerating, you¡¯ll be gone in there, never to be seen again.¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°Never know until you try!¡±

    She was in her undergarments now ¡ª a sheet of linen covering her torso and hip, leaving shoulders and legs uncovered. Scrawny and thin, but muscular and glittering with sweat in orange glow.

    Theora swallowed, and looked aside. She¡¯d seen her like this many times before. Why did it feel so hot now?

    Oh¡­ right. That was the lava.

    ¡°I guess I should get rid of this too¡­¡± Dema murmured, looking at her linen shirt. ¡°It¡¯s gonna get vaporised if I keep it on!¡±

    Theora¡¯s eyes shot back up to her in horror. Dema would go naked?

    Again ¡ª not the first time Theora were to see it. No, that happened before ¡ª however, this time, there was lava, and somehow that lava made her feel incredibly heated.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not bathe in lava,¡± Theora suggested. ¡°Let¡¯s not undress.¡±

    Isobel finally managed to pull her mesmerised gaze from the everstreaming flow, and clattered up into a standing position. She looked around with big and bedazzled eyes. ¡°I want to bathe in lava too!¡±

    That immediately made Dema perk up in alarm. ¡°No way!¡± she let out. ¡°You¡¯re gonna melt!¡±

    Iso¡¯s face fell in slight disappointment until she lit up with a new idea a moment later. ¡°Hey,¡± she started, turning to Bell. ¡°Can you put a protective barrier around me?¡±

    Still horrified at the idea of seeing Iso melt, Bell stared, her tendrils losing tension and flopping down. Then, she pulled them into a ponytail edging out from beneath the jelly bob on her head. ¡°If this were a life and death situation? Sure, I could coat you safe for lava. For fun? No! Lava is not for fun.¡±

    ¡°Aw!¡± Dema lamented. ¡°What else would it be for! It¡¯s big-time fun. Look,¡± she added, finally getting rid of her last pieces of clothes and letting herself fall backwards into the crater.

    A soft pop issued from below, then a drawn-out sizzle. A cloud of smoke puffed up.

    Iso and Bell hurried up to the edge to peek down. Theora couldn¡¯t bring herself to look.

    ¡°Damn, this sucks!¡± Dema¡¯s voice issued out from the crater.

    ¡°She¡¯s just sitting on it,¡± Isobel explained, sounding somewhat in awe at the sight.

    ¡°It¡¯s burning my butt!¡± Dema yelled. ¡°I can¡¯t go under, I¡¯m not dense enough. Little rabbit, you try!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to swim in lava,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°I¡¯ve been submerged in it before. It¡¯s unpleasant.¡±

    ¡°Wha!¡± Dema let out. ¡°When have you been submerged in lava!¡±

    ¡°It was after we met. A while ago.¡±

    A short silence. A few sounds issued from beneath ¡ª sizzling taps, a rockslide, boulders crashing on each other. Shortly after, Dema¡¯s head peeked out from the edge, staring at Theora, her little eyebrows raised up. ¡°Why, you got yourself drenched in lava without me?¡±

    ¡°You were asleep.¡±

    ¡°Damn, you could¡¯a woken me! Wake me up when there¡¯s lava!¡± She was straight up begging, glaring at Theora with an almost heartbreaking expression. ¡°I bet lava is really nice. Gotta feel like a warm embrace or something.¡±

    A warm embrace.

    That¡¯s right, Amyd had tried to seal her in the illusion of a warm embrace. And then, bound her in a sphere of lava. Theora still remembered the hot and heavy rock sticking to her as it dried, the searing pressure of being submerged in a ball of red and gleaming molten stone.

    Of course, back then, she¡¯d not been able to savour it, because Amyd¡¯s party had been out to kill Dema.

    ¡°It was when you were sick,¡± Bell said. ¡°A companion of mine sealed Theora in magma.¡±

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    ¡°Can¡¯t believe she didn¡¯t seal me,¡± Dema whined with her raspy voice.

    ¡°It was her strongest non-legendary sealing spell ¡ª a death-sentence. Theora is the only one to ever survive it. So, she would have. She definitely would have used it on you. You were protected.¡±

    Dema grinned, and fetched her undergarments from over the cliff. ¡°My saviouress!¡± she proclaimed, and pulled the clothes back over her head.

    ¡°If you like it here so much,¡± Theora started, ¡°We could rest for a while.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sure. Let¡¯s take a break next to boiling lava,¡± Bell issued sarcastically. ¡°I¡¯m sure we are all responsible adults.¡±

    Theora¡¯s gaze went over to Isobel, who was back down leaning over the edge of the river, enraptured by the torrent.

    Dema had fixed her all back up.

    That is, excluding the tiny pieces in Theora¡¯s pocket. They were too fragmented. Isobel could still feel them, though. She noticed when someone would touch the fragments, and they still belonged to her body ¡ª however, Dema couldn¡¯t properly put them back in.

    In addition, after a while, Iso had learned how to move body pieces that had splintered off. For example, she was able to bend fingers on severed arms.

    Iso looked a little different now; she¡¯d gotten darker at some spots on her body, mainly at places of connection, and her carapace. Dema had taken the time to condense and press some of Isobel¡¯s body from shale into slate rock, to make her sturdier.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema said, now up on the edge of the overhang again. ¡°We¡¯ll be responsible, so let¡¯s take a break. I wanna find a spot I can actually submerge in. Warm hug!¡±

    Bell rolled her eyes, and fetched a second mask from her pouch to put over her face, and meanwhile, Theora pouted, and got up.

    This was really unbelievable.

    ¡°If you need a warm hug, you can just ask me,¡± she said, turned around and walked away, sulking.

    A warm hug? Thus, she would bathe in molten rock? Unbelievable.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Dema called after her. ¡°Little rabbit, wait! Don¡¯t be jealous of lava!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not jealous of lava,¡± Theora mumbled, unsure if the others could even still hear her. She just didn¡¯t want Dema to get herself hurt. It¡¯s burning my butt, Dema had said. After Theora had specifically requested no bathing in lava. Of course, Dema was free to do whatever she wanted, and that included scorching her own behind, but Theora didn¡¯t want to watch.

    Instead, she went to find a place to rest while the others could have their fun.

    The area of volcanic activity was large. Flowing rivers all around, slowly advancing avalanches and little lakes, calderas and mountains with gleaming and leaking openings. Eventually, Theora found a cosy little spot next to a rapid and even stream of lava, splitting off in two parts a bit further down. She sat down right next to it, so close she could almost touch the orange glowing liquid, its heat pushing little beads of sweat from her forehead.

    There, she stayed for a while.

    Soon, a gentle drizzle covered the landscape in steam and fog. Theora wasn¡¯t sure where the others were; she sometimes could hear Iso yelp at things, and Bell¡¯s complaints echoing through the valley in response. Dema occasionally screamed out in a way someone would before jumping into a pool.

    Meanwhile, Theora made herself comfortable. Due to her lack of experience, she hadn¡¯t anticipated what it really meant to travel with people. It was stressful, though not necessarily in a bad way.

    Before, Theora had never properly appreciated how cosy a travelling companion Dema was. She let Theora sleep for weeks. Sure, Dema would often tease Theora or wake her up to show rocks or gush about something she found under one, but ultimately, most of the time, Theora had still gotten to rest.

    Now? Things were happening all the time. She needed to be wary of Bell and Iso, both vulnerable in their own ways, something that couldn¡¯t well be said for Dema. On the other hand, Theora knew Iso was safe with Bell. Safe with the second-strongest Heroine, who specialised in protection.

    At some point, Theora removed her boots, and put them next to her on the black rock, to take a little footbath.

    Theora wagged her legs in the stream. Dema was right ¡ª lava did feel quite nice, if one ignored the pain of melting skin. Such a heavy current, stronger than water could ever be. Oh, what a feeling it was, almost forcing her to consciously resist that persisting thrust.

    Despite the danger and the underlying tone of worry, Theora couldn¡¯t help but recognise how beautiful lava really was. Dema and Isobel were right, it was mesmerising and alluring. Theora wanted to do something with it so bad; the urge almost unbearable. But what could she do with lava?

    Theora procured a porcelain cup from her coat, pulled back a sleeve with the other hand, and bowed over the stream to fill it with liquid. Like hot iron, it quickly cooled and became viscous and droopy in the bowl.

    For a while, she kept it on her lap, as it crackled while cooling down. A warm pressure on her thighs.

    She didn¡¯t have a Vial of Endless Water anymore. She¡¯d given it to Isobel, who would put it to better use. How would Theora make tea now? She should start carrying water with her. For now, she simply placed a bowl down to gather raindrops.

    But then, she had a thought. Theora could make tea from anything. The implication was obviously, to suspend anything in water, and infuse tea from it. To gather whatever element she wanted, and drain its taste by submerging it in hot water. That was what her Skill enabled her to do.

    But was that really all?

    What if she used a different liquid, for example? A base other than water.

    Like molten rock.

    Her Skill also made her tea stay ¡®fresh¡¯ and ¡®warm¡¯, so in other words, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the lava cooling down and turning into an undrinkable mess, ruining the container.

    So, if lava was the base, then what substance could she immerse in it for the infusion? Rock again, like the tea she¡¯d made for Dema a long time ago? Maybe not; it would be like infusing ice cubes in boiling water.

    Theora searched through her pouches, trying to remember where she stored all her ingredients. Maybe she could find something nice? Something that would go well with molten rock?

    Cinnamon? No, lava was spicy enough on its own. Cookies? She¡¯d wanted to make cookie tea for a while, but hadn¡¯t gotten the chance yet. That said, she wanted her first attempt at lava tea to be a little less experimental, although she¡¯d definitely try this one day, too.

    And eventually, she found just the thing.

    The perfect ingredient to add to lava. Simple, and yet so enticing.

    She held the bowl in the stream, waiting for the lava inside to liquify back into a thin, brightly glowing, boiling mass. Her fingers burned a little while submerged, little shivers of painful prickles running up her arm. When she was content, she took out the lava, and activated her Skill to prevent it from cooling.

    And so, she infused her chosen ingredient in it. Sixty seconds; a longer infusion than usual, since lava was a little denser than water.

    Theora almost couldn¡¯t believe her eyes as she weaved the ingredients together and saw the lava turn calm and crystal-clear, courtesy of her Skill. It was beautiful. She found herself holding a cup of gleaming and glittering liquid, glowing deep red and yellow at the heart, glistening sparkles of grassy green surrounding it.

    It was so pretty. How? How was this possible?

    For Theora to create something so precious all by herself. Even if it was just a little cup of lava tea.

    Should she taste it? Under normal circumstances, drinking lava would be unhealthy. But tea was healthy. As such, Theora¡¯s tea would be healthy too, regardless of its temperature. It would harm none of its drinkers.

    She took a tiny sip, feeling the hot liquid warm her body.

    The quality of her tea depended on how much she appreciated the person she made it for. Historically, her tea had always tasted bland to her. Not bad, but not good either. A neutral note, one she could use to calm herself, but not enjoy.

    But this one? This beautiful cup she¡¯d made, so pretty and shiny. This concoction of lava and dried green tea leaves taught her that not all she would ever do was bad, and as such, it tasted ever so slightly pleasant.

    The sweet grassy note of the tea leaves, the spiciness of minerals contained in molten rock ¡ª she wanted another sip as soon as she¡¯d tasted the first.

    She plunged her feet through the river in soft excitement, splashing embers through the air, a little smile on her face.

    Green lava tea. She needed to remember this perfect drink.

 Chapter 80: Risk of Dying

    ¡°Hey, little rabbit!¡± a raspy voice issued from behind after a while. ¡°Alright if I join you?¡±

    Theora turned around to see Dema completely coated head to toe in drying, flaking grey clay. She must have found a mud bath.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s alright if you join me,¡± Theora answered. ¡°You can always join me, if you want to.¡±

    For a second, Dema¡¯s eyes looked like they were about to melt, then she nodded. ¡°Just figured you might want a bit of rest. Alone-time, you know! Wait, ¡¯s that tea I smell?¡±

    Her eyes fell on a cup next to Theora, and widened ever so slightly as she traipsed ahead and knelt down next to the lava stream. She swallowed, looking between Theora and the cup with a certain yearning gaze. Her eyes literally lit up in amber glow.

    ¡°¡­ Would you like a cup?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Dema let out. ¡°Yes, I wanna! Gimme one!¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Theora went, and proceeded to prepare it.

    In the meantime, Dema started picking at the grey mud, snipping the flakes into the stream. It left powder on her skin even where she cleared it off, and she made no attempts to remove it from her torn cloak. Several strands of hair stuck to her face, giving Theora the strong urge to fix it.

    Soon, Dema found herself entranced by the scent and taste, grinning wide. ¡°Lava tea,¡± she said. ¡°Lava tea!¡±

    Ah. Hadn¡¯t something like this happened before? Her exhaustion dizzied Theora¡¯s mind for a second as the memory resurfaced. Almost involuntarily, she reached out with her fingers, stopping very close to Dema¡¯s face, who was staring back, mouth half-open.

    And then, Theora pushed a strand of Dema¡¯s hair from her mud-covered forehead, tucking it behind one of those long ears.

    Just like back then.

    Dema gave a small smile. ¡°Why, tryna get me in the mood for something?¡± she hummed, an eyebrow raised. ¡°Gotta say, it¡¯s working.¡±

    Theora blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    Dema shrugged innocently. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, just saying things. This is like when you first made me shale tea! Practising for our date?¡±

    A slight amount of blood rushed into Theora¡¯s head. ¡°Something like that,¡± she murmured.

    [im//possibility] had been the culprit back then, making it almost impossible for Dema to fix her own hair, so Theora had done it for her instead.

    And since then, decades had passed. Decades during which Theora hadn¡¯t worked on a single one of her new Skills; they were still sitting around at low Levels.

    Because Hallmark had passed in the blink of an eye.

    And she still felt the exhaustion in her bones. She hadn¡¯t had any rest since then; even the journey they were on now regularly pushed Theora¡¯s mind into a state of alertness.

    At that thought, she immediately perked up. ¡°Where are Bell and Iso?¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°Probably off somewhere, playing. They know where we are, have the party map after all.¡±

    Theora took a deep breath.

    ¡°Hey li¡¯l rabbit,¡± Dema started. ¡°You alright?¡±

    Theora rubbed her eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep very well lately.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t even attempt to help a town in need without it actually being a scheme to get Dema killed. What else was a scheme? Were Bell and Iso fine off on their own, or would she find Iso torn into pieces again, or Bell smeared into jellyfish goop?

    What if they were being pulled into another plot for an awful end, all while Theora sat here, selfishly drinking lava tea, getting all distracted by looking into Dema¡¯s pretty and muddied face.

    Or, what if something happened to them while Theora decided to close her eyes and sleep for just a second too long. She was close to passing out almost every second of the day, her mind on the brink of shutting off ¡ª but whenever she finally did, at night, when she gave in, instead her brain rattled her back awake, to be watchful and alert.

    She was on a quest to visit other realities now, to find pieces of something she didn¡¯t know. Was it another plot to cause harm, or would she genuinely help people by collecting the Fragments? She wouldn¡¯t get any rest until they arrived at the library, and then, what kind of book was it that Dema liked so much?

    Was it a cosy story that would allow them to spend a few days in calm?

    Or one that required focus? A dangerous one, where people could die?

    From what Theora understood, Dema liked stories with characters in very questionable or immoral circumstances and relationships. Was her favourite story one of those too?

    ¡°Why not?¡± Dema asked, and Theora¡¯s eyes darted to her in confusion.

    ¡°Why not what?¡±

    ¡°You said you can¡¯t sleep very well.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Theora nodded, trying to remember. ¡°Thoughts,¡± she said. ¡°Waking up a lot, unable to fall back asleep.¡±

    There, she slipped again. Allowing herself to forget the very topic they¡¯d been talking about.

    It was dangerous, for they would start visiting other realities soon. What if she were to enter another reality that compromised her memory, and then forget she was already inside one.

    Theora looked around, finding herself surrounded by lava and fumes and Dema¡¯s coal scent.

    Where was Tras?

    The thought vanished as soon as it had come to her.

    Was this not a dream, not another reality? How could she be sure? What if they¡¯d already entered another place, and it had slipped her mind?

    ¡°Hey,¡± she heard Dema¡¯s voice pull her back, and felt a soft hand grasp her own. ¡°How about we find a nice little place next and just take a few days of vacation?¡± Dema asked. ¡°Like, something cosy! Gonna have you sleep tight!¡±

    Theora blinked. Could they do that? Postpone on her side quest for a while, postpone on¡­ the date?

    Just when she was about to answer, she heard Isobel¡¯s giggle in the distance, and the clacks of her feet on the rock ground. The party screen showed that Bell was with her, both heading towards Dema and Theora. Within a few minutes, they all sat together, and Theora prepared more tea.

    Even Bell had gotten herself to try it after a good measure of reluctance.

    ¡°I wonder if you can make lava moss tea,¡± Isobel mused.

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    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema jumped in. ¡°Oh, maybe next time Iso gets blown up, we can fix her together!¡±

    ¡°Lava moss tea adhesive,¡± Bell muttered. ¡°Sure, yes, do that to your little girl.¡±

    Dema opened her mouth in mock-shock. ¡°Hey! Only the best for her! No reason to be snarky. It¡¯s gonna work big time!¡±

    ¡°I do wonder what will happen to her eventually,¡± Bell mused, grazing a tentacle over Iso¡¯s head. ¡°She¡¯s warm, because Theora¡¯s tea is warm. What does your Skill say? 200 years? Will Iso become cold when your Skill expires?¡±

    ¡°All the more reason to give her new tea!¡± Dema said. ¡°Lava tea!¡±

    Theora looked at the river streaming by. ¡°We won¡¯t always have access to lava.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema said. ¡°Big bummer we don¡¯t have anyone with a [Fire] affinity. We only got [Water], [Plant], [Earth] and [Blood]. So, no making lava ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Bell muttered, rolling her eyes. ¡°Big ¡®bummer¡¯.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes stood still on Bell for a while, her face softening somewhat, looking almost blissful with a small smile.

    ¡°What?¡± Bell asked when she noticed.

    Dema shook her head gently. ¡°Nothing! Just, nostalgic. The way you talk to me reminds me of home a bit. Dang, all of this reminds me of home!¡±

    ¡°Home,¡± Theora echoed. ¡°Hell?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Like, I think, if I dove down these lava lakes, if I was gonna weasel myself through the shafts and capillaries¡­ maybe I¡¯d reach home.¡±

    Hell, the faraway place located at the core of the planet, among beaming hot magma. Home of demons and monsters alike. Although they needed to take on material shapes to live up on the ground.

    Just like Isobel needed special accommodations to be able to live on the ground too. She came from a different kind of hell ¡ª the ocean.

    Bell¡¯s people ¡ª Medusae ¡ª hailed from an archipelago in the south, and while they required lots of water in their everyday lives, they usually lived on land.

    They all had considerations that limited where and how they could be, and meanwhile, Theora was so broken and empty that she got tasked with breaking out of reality into a great nothingness where life was impossible, and the thought of it didn¡¯t even seem all that strange to her.

    In fact, maybe living out there, living nowhere, would be easier. No need to move muscles, no need to sleep or wake, no need to exist, apart from the vague notion of self required not to be smudged beyond recognition by the immaterial pressure of the void.

    Theora took a sip of tea and felt the warmth enter her body. Throat, chest, down her arms, a hearth in her belly.

    Or maybe she could stay here.

    ¡°Do you want to go back home one day?¡± Theora asked, eyes on Dema. ¡°Pay a visit?¡±

    Dema raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°I thought¡ª¡± she started, but stopped, and looked at the others as if asking for help. ¡°Thought we weren¡¯t gonna split up! Like, I follow you, and all that! Can¡¯t run off to hell or li¡¯l rabbit will be mad.¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°I imagined we would go together.¡±

    Dema¡¯s head twitched a few times as she was processing that information. ¡°It¡¯s a ball of magma, like, hot as the sun. Not a place you can just go! I¡¯d have to, like, go back to demon shape to even try!¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s up to you,¡± Theora said.

    Dema stared for a moment, then smiled her mischievous smile. ¡°Well then, what about your home? Gonna take me there one day?¡±

    Something about that question knocked Theora wide awake. She felt something break in the back of her mind, as if a shape of spun glass burst into a thousand pieces.

    Why? What had just happened?

    Was it the thought of her hometown? How long had she not been there? She knew it probably still existed, for Amyd was born in that same place. Theora blinked a few times, trying to understand. Something was going wrong here, but she couldn¡¯t tell what it was.

    ¡°If you want to visit, we can visit,¡± Theora murmured, attempting to pull herself together, pushing the shapeless and sharp thoughts aside. ¡°One day.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Dema yelped out. Then, she scrunched up her face. ¡°Anyway¡­ What were we on about again? I think we got distracted!¡±

    ¡°Lava Moss Tea,¡± Bell said.

    Dema nodded. ¡°Right! To see if we can fix Isobel with that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Iso said. ¡°I¡¯m made of the sturdiest rock!¡±

    Bell shook her head, exasperated. ¡°No, you are not.¡± She stared at the others. ¡°How did any of you survive this long? None of you have a sense of danger.¡±

    ¡°[Immortality] helps with that a lot!¡± Dema chirped. ¡°You¡¯re immortal too, right?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Bell replied, and put her mask back on as she had finished her tea. ¡°No, I am not. I am able to biologically revert into different stages of my lifecycle, which makes me sturdy and prevents me from dying of old age. That¡¯s very different from being immortal. We still get sick, and die in accidents, and things like that.¡±

    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s why you wear protection? So you don¡¯t get sick from the fumes?¡±

    Bell shrugged. ¡°Adventuring already accumulates tons of Minipop. Don¡¯t want to gather more than necessary.¡±

    ¡°Mini-what?¡±

    ¡°Minipop!¡± Iso said. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ a measurement her people use? For example, if you do something really dangerous, like fighting a strong monster, there is a certain possibility that you might die. It¡¯s dangerous! So, they assign a number to it. ¡®How likely am I to die from this activity?¡¯ And they just accumulate that number over time, so they know how much risk they¡¯ve taken in their life. On average, a jelly person will die when they¡¯ve accumulated one million Minipop, or, in other words, one Pop!¡±

    Bell shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s more useful than age, because age is somewhat meaningless to us. If I spend my entire life in bed, I¡¯m very unlikely to die. Meanwhile, if I spend thirty years adventuring, I am very likely to die. So, when we talk about how much experience someone has, or how much more danger they might still live through statistically, we just give our age in Minipop instead. It also helps us avoid unnecessary risk and die needlessly early.¡±

    Dema nodded, although by her expression she seemed to have some trouble keeping up. ¡°So, how old are you?¡±

    ¡°About twenty.¡±

    Dema blinked. ¡°Twenty what?¡±

    ¡°Twenty Pop.¡±

    Dema glanced to the others, unsure if she missed something. ¡°Wait¡­ but doesn¡¯t that mean¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes. I should have popped twenty times over. That¡¯s how dangerous being a hero is for us, and I¡¯ve been doing it for quite a while. It¡¯s just statistics, so there¡¯s no guarantee you¡¯ll die when you reach one Pop, and there¡¯s no guarantee you won¡¯t die after collecting your first Minipop.¡±

    ¡°Still, like, statistically speaking,¡± Isobel started, ¡°Like¡­ Sure, outliers exist, but it¡¯s very unlikely to be that far outside¡­¡±

    ¡°I suppose I¡¯m lucky. Plus, I¡¯m using standard Minipop estimations and measurements, but I¡¯m a [Barrier-Mage]. Makes me a lot more resistant, so those values are exaggerated when applied to me.¡±

    ¡°Damn!¡± Dema let out. ¡°Didn¡¯t know you were so old. Thought you were, like, a baby!¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, I¡¯m old. I¡¯ve probably collected an entire Pop just by confronting you. Meeting the Ancient Evil with intent to kill, not something one is expected to survive. Reduced my lifespan by a thousand years, probably.¡±

    ¡°Not how statistics work!¡± Isobel interjected cheerfully.

    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Bell said, rolling her eyes. ¡°We just treat it that way, because functionally, it results in the same.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have killed you!¡± Dema chirped.

    ¡°Yes, I know. I know.¡±

    ¡°We should move,¡± Theora said when she saw everyone had finished their tea. ¡°Let¡¯s not force Bell to wear her mask overnight. We can continue our journey and find a safer place to sleep.¡±

    And with that, they packed up, and left it all behind. The gorgeous glowing lava, the toxic fumes, the prickling sound of molten rock cooling down and cracking, the place of hot and heavy footbaths and mud springs in the ground. The place of danger ¡ª if Bell or Iso slipped or got caught in a fume explosion, they might have gotten seriously harmed.

    Or, perhaps not?

    Maybe Bell would have simply cast a barrier of some kind. Maybe Isobel was completely safe around her.

    And that System and its plots? Sure, it was probably planning something, but Theora wasn¡¯t alone anymore. She¡¯d cleared Afterthoughts for decades without finding a single clue as to what might have caused the plague, and then Bell and Iso had showed up and solved the mystery together with Dema in the span of a single day.

    Maybe the System could outsmart Theora, but Bell and Dema and Iso, they were different. Perhaps ¡ª just perhaps ¡ª Theora could lean on them, if just a little.

    Hours later, a good measure away from the volcano, under the starlight on some hill, Theora laid on the ground, staring up into the sky, waiting for sleep to bind her. Camp all properly set-up, her companions around her.

    Now, everyone was safe.

    Crack.

    She blinked.

    Somehow, with that thought, Theora felt like she stepped on shards of glass. A bright clinking sound lingered in her head, and tugged at her mind. Pulled uncomfortably, although she wasn¡¯t sure why.

    It kept jerking at the back of her brain, throwing wrenches at her thoughts. Even an hour later, almost asleep, the fog of drowsiness surrounding her, that thought still kept straining her and tugging and pulling.

    Everyone was safe.

    Was everyone safe?

 Chapter 81: Haunted by the Future

    Theora woke up with tears burning in her eyes and pearls of sweat running down her skin.

    It was the middle of the night. The wide sky glittered above as she lay on her back, travelling coat beside her, wrapped in her blanket, linen pillow under her head.

    She turned to look at the others. All deep asleep. Dema, snoring right next to her, Bell and Iso on the other side, cuddled together in a water bubble.

    Quickly, Theora rose up, and gently sneaked away, her bare feet cold against the rock. She didn¡¯t take anything with her, just rushed out as quietly as she could. Down the large boulder they¡¯d decided to camp on, over thick roots cutting through the path. Passing by trees and shrubs, listening to the autumn night cacophony of insects and birds and faraway cries of monsters and animals alike, until she found a place shielding the others from sound, so she could let herself go, and cry.

    The first thing that came out of her throat was a wail. It ran down smooth, louder than she expected. Then she sobbed, and wiped the sweat off her forehead ¡ª sweat she produced despite how cold she felt, despite the shivers running down her body. She dried her eyes and nose with the front of her hemp shirt, but the fluids kept on leaking out.

    She really had messed up this time.

    One after the other, she tried to pull out the glass shards stabbing through her mind, leaving oozing holes in their stead. And, as she went through, thought by thought, she realised what was going on; noticed the mistake she¡¯d made. The truth these sharp edges had tried to make her notice.

    And with that, after a long while, the panic attack wound down. She leaned back against the little cliff in exhaustion, legs stretched out, arms hanging to her sides. She stared into the darkness, vague blobs of trees in front of her, hints of a sky above, although the stars were smudged within her tear-blurred vision.

    After another wipe through her eyes, she heard squelches coming down the path. Little tendrils reaching around the rock introduced the arrival. Bell leaned forward, making her head pop over the edge.

    ¡°Bad night?¡± she asked.

    Theora swallowed, trying to get the snot out of her nose and mouth. Then, she just nodded.

    Bell plopped herself down, glancing at the trees in the distance. She was still wet from her night-bubble-bed, drops pattering on the soil around her. The yellow markings on her otherwise azure skin glowed faintly.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked.

    Theora gulped again. ¡°Dream,¡± she said, voice laden.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t know you had dreams,¡± Bell mused. ¡°Want to talk about it?¡±

    Theora bit her lips as her eyes found their way back up to the sky. She blinked a few times to clear them, although with little success, and for a while, she just stared.

    ¡°Mistake,¡± she then mumbled. ¡°When Isobel was born, I made a mistake.¡±

    Bell didn¡¯t say anything further, just calmly looked at Theora.

    ¡°I was so happy,¡± she continued, voice still low. ¡°Happy that Dema got her wish, and that we had Isobel, and that Dema wanted to stay with me and¡­¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°My judgement lapsed,¡± Theora murmured.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Bell went. ¡°Let me guess. Something to do with your Main Quest, and how None¡¯s life is tethered to Dema¡¯s? You kill Dema, you kill both.¡±

    ¡°You knew?¡±

    Bell shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s in Dema¡¯s sheet. None and I weren¡¯t aware before.¡± She gave a wry smile. ¡°Quite a wicked situation, is it not? You, me, and her, all three of us are tasked with killing the Ancient Evil, but all three of us also have some interest in keeping None alive. But we can¡¯t fulfil our quest without killing her. I mean, you and her already refused to complete the quest from the start, so I suppose having her in the equation didn¡¯t change much, but¡­¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Theora interjected. ¡°I did think Isobel would change things. I thought, her being innocent, I could never fulfil the Main Quest.¡±

    ¡°That makes no sense,¡± Bell said, frowning.

    Theora almost felt like laughing a bitter laugh, but it stuck in her throat. ¡°Would you have attacked Dema, had you known? Are you still planning to?¡±

    Bell averted her gaze. ¡°You don¡¯t want to hear the answer to that,¡± she murmured dryly. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t get it. You never wanted to kill Dema. Not really. What difference does it make if None dies as well? What changed?¡±

    Theora sniffed again, as a few more tears had rolled over her cheek. ¡°My hometown,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s where my fate was sealed. It¡¯s not just the Main Quest. It¡¯s not just the System. And I¡ª¡± she stopped herself. ¡°That¡¯s what I dreamt. That I¡¯d fulfilled my fate, Dema dead at my feet, Isobel fallen apart like a puppet beside her.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°A nightmare,¡± Bell said.

    Theora shook her head. ¡°The Future.¡±

    Bell raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re telling me you have divination powers now?¡±

    Theora swallowed. ¡°No, I¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ something I know.¡± She took a breath. ¡°When Isobel was reborn, I thought I could fight it¡­¡± She scrunched up her eyes. So much talking. Her throat was getting sore. ¡°But I can¡¯t. It¡¯s the only way things can ever end. Inevitable.¡±

    With that last word, her voice broke.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Bell said, surly. ¡°So, Dema mentioned your hometown yesterday, and now you¡¯re this much of a wreck, just from that? I¡¯ll tell them to avoid the topic. Unless you wish to talk about it, that is. Also, I still don¡¯t understand what kind of ¡®mistake¡¯ you made.¡±

    Theora blinked.

    ¡°When None was born,¡± Bell specified, her hair tentacles making a circling motion instead of hand gestures. ¡°You said you¡¯d made a mistake. That implies you should have done something differently. From the looks of it, she was reborn, and that made you really happy, so you got a bit of confidence from that, and thought you could oppose your fate. Am I gathering that right?¡± She looked over Theora, who just stared back wide-eyed, and continued when she didn¡¯t hear any protest. ¡°Figured. And now, you¡¯ve been crushed by whatever nonsense happened in Hallmark, and you feel like a sorry mess, confidence gone, and now you¡¯ve got nightmares. You didn¡¯t make a mistake. You¡¯re just being moody.¡±

    Theora¡¯s mouth stood half-open, stumped by the string of words she¡¯d just heard. Though, somehow, they shifted the insides of her mind a bit, gave room for a tiny idea.

    She was just being moody? Having a bad day?

    Was that really it? All the anxiety, the nightmares, the terror and these thoughts, because Hallmark had made her lose confidence?

    Who could Theora trust more? The version of her that was happy at Isobel¡¯s birth, the version of her that had praised Dema¡¯s scheme and felt capable of opposing her fate, or the one broken by decades of futile labour in a grey world of toil?

    Theora took a very deep breath. Maybe Bell was right. Perhaps this would pass. And if it didn¡¯t, maybe she could think about it then. Think about it after she¡¯d gotten a few years of sleep.

    Theora did her best to manage a nod.

    ¡°And there happens to be a cure for being moody,¡± Bell added, and gave a pointed smile.

    ¡°Cure?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go, I will wake up None or Dema to give you some attention. I imagine mine wouldn¡¯t be very effective.¡±

    Theora frowned, with a hint of irritation. ¡°You are precious.¡±

    Bell snorted. ¡°Sure. But not as precious as them.¡± She held out a hand to help Theora up. ¡°Let¡¯s get back.¡±

    Theora¡¯s legs were wobbly, her first few steps a stagger. As they made their way up the hill, she tried not to stumble over the roots, her head too empty to really process what had just happened, or what was about to happen, or how Bell had managed to piece her back together just like that. Bell, whose tentacle fingers tightly wrapped themselves around Theora¡¯s, making sure not to let her go. Making sure to get her up the hill, to counteract the stumbles and provide balance and support when needed.

    When they arrived, they were greeted by a sleepy Dema rubbing her eyes, pushing herself up with a hand from her resting spot. ¡°Sneaking off at night?¡± she mumbled, and smirked.

    That sudden voice caused a small splash from the bubble, and Isobel came awake too, pushing her head out of the water. ¡°Wha¡¯s up!¡± she lulled, slightly confused.

    ¡°Nightmares,¡± Bell explained. ¡°Theora requires cuddles.¡±

    Dema¡¯s smirk turned soft, and she flopped herself back on the rock. ¡°Why, come here then,¡± she murmured sleep-drunk, and tapped the ground beside her, pulling her blanket half off to make space.

    Meanwhile, Isobel slid out the bubble with a low ¡°Whop!¡±, then clattered on impact, shaking herself to let the water off.

    Theora, still tired and exhausted, eyes bloated and vision blurry in the night, just stared for a few moments until Bell led her further and gently pushed her down next to Dema. ¡°Sleep well!¡± she said, then walked to the bubble and entered with a few splashes.

    Immediately, Theora found herself wrapped in Dema¡¯s thin arms, being dragged closer.

    Theora was being dragged over the ground.

    She couldn¡¯t believe it. Someone else was dragging her around? Someone else exerted force on her, to make her move? That heavy little self of hers? What an amazing feeling. Dema¡¯s body foamed itself against Theora¡¯s back, so warm and strong, and then Dema pulled the blanket over both.

    Theora blanked out. It did not compute. How was this happening? Dema¡¯s arm pressed a little cheep out of Theora as it tightened around her belly, but that was all she could produce.

    Isobel¡¯s stoney legs entered Theora¡¯s field of vision as she stepped right up, and then collapsed into a pill with clitter-clatter. A second later, Iso¡¯s hand stretched out from the round carapace shape, grabbing one of Theora¡¯s arms and wrapping it around herself. ¡°Night!¡± Isobel¡¯s sleepy voice muffled through the stone from inside her formation as Theora pulled her in.

    Isobel¡¯s body was so warm. Theora gently grazed over the grainy, bumpy carapace, feeling the heat of tea and blood from within.

    That¡¯s right. No mistake. Even if she¡¯d known, Theora would not have done anything differently. She would still have gone to meet Dema, would still have accepted her as a companion, she¡¯d still have helped with Isobel¡¯s resurrection, she¡¯d still have been happy about it.

    It was just a few bad decades. A storm that, one day, would pass.

    Soft snoring noises emerged around her as Dema and Isobel fell right back asleep.

    Theora lay there, completely still, sounds of the night buzzing in her head. Dema¡¯s heartbeat gently pulsed through the few layers of clothing, steady and calming, accompanied by the slow cycles of her breathing. Breathing that gently nudged against the hair on Theora¡¯s neck, making it stand up in shivers.

    She was wide awake, stunned into paralysed stillness under close touch and company, head placed next to Dema¡¯s on the same small pillow, the horn entangling with Theora¡¯s curly hair.

    Ah¡­ this really made it very hard to calm down. Amazing. What a beautiful solution to her nightmares.

    Because how would she have nightmares if it was impossible to fall asleep? She would just cherish this mood until dawn.

 Chapter 82: Something Amiss

    Despite everything, Theora still managed to fall asleep eventually, and woke back up the next morning seeing Bell and Iso pack up camp. Dema was still cuddled against her, although Theora could hear from her breathing patterns that she was awake.

    ¡°Enjoying yourself?¡± Theora asked, turning slightly inside the embrace.

    ¡°I do,¡± Dema rasped in response through a smile. ¡°Gotta cherish the moments I get!¡±

    Theora shook her head in gentle exasperation. ¡°You can receive as many ¡®moments¡¯ as you require.¡±

    Dema chuckled. ¡°Dang, how gracious of you! And I thought I was the one coddling you tonight.¡±

    Theora swallowed. ¡°You were.¡±

    Dema pressed her face into Theora¡¯s hair and neck, then peeled herself away from the bed to help the others.

    For a while, Theora just lay there, missing the warmth and company. It was a cruel trait of reality that nights were not in fact endless; for if they were, she could sleep and cuddle forever. Theora still felt exhaustion in her bones and fog resting over her mind, both demanding another few decades of rest.

    After a few minutes, Iso scuttled past to put the last few of her items into her backpack. Their camp structure had changed tremendously with the two new companions. Dema and Theora used to just lie down and sleep wherever. They¡¯d often do it in rain and snow, during storms, without preparing tents or mattresses. Of course, it was unpleasant sleeping in the wet so they avoided it when possible, and once Dema had gotten acquainted with using Skills around Theora, she¡¯d begun creating rock shelters.

    Putting up proper camps had always just been too much effort for Theora when she was tired enough to just close her eyes no matter the weather.

    But now? Bell and Iso both preferred to sleep in the wet, so rain still didn¡¯t affect them much, but they had buckets with them, iron constructions to hold campfires in, as well as cooking utensils ¡ª Bell needed to eat, after all ¡ª, backpacks containing clothing that wasn¡¯t supposed to get wet, and lots of other things that required set-up and shielding from precipitation and winds, at least on some days.

    When Iso put the last item away, she clacked to a stand. ¡°So, where we going next?¡±

    ¡°Place to rest!¡± Dema shouted from the other side of the camp. ¡°Little rabbit¡¯s gotta sleep more.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bell let out. ¡°Any particular spot in mind?¡±

    Theora pressed herself into a sitting position and watched Dema put her chin in a hand. ¡°Hmm,¡± she hummed. ¡°She likes the stars¡­ but those didn¡¯t help her much tonight! Maybe somewhere indoors?¡±

    ¡°We have this side quest!¡± Isobel said. ¡°There¡¯s this¡­ hot spring¡­ bath house inn?¡±

    Bell nodded, checking a System screen. ¡°Two hours travel. Not a large detour, either. You and Theora could rest while None and I do the task. We were planning on just ignoring it like the other quests, but it fits.¡±

    Dema grinned. ¡°Perfect! I¡¯m gonna take millions of hot baths.¡±

    Theora was already trying to come up with excuses as to why she couldn¡¯t join her in those, since that was going to mess with her, badly. That said¡­ She still wanted to go to that inn. To sleep on a warm bed, in a cosy little space, maybe even in the same room as Dema if she was really lucky.

    And so, no objections were raised, and they made for the journey. A journey mostly alongside hills, then mountains, as they walked up and down unmaintained paths between green forests.

    At one point, Iso got distracted with a patch of moss on the wayside. Theora waited for her, and looked at the little girl inspecting the growths on the forest floor with deep interest.

    ¡°What¡¯s the quest?¡± Theora eventually asked. ¡°The one in the inn.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t say much,¡± Iso shrugged, picked up and swallowed a bundle of moss, then carefully closed up the hole where she took it with her fingers. ¡°Someone went missing, apparently. We¡¯re supposed to investigate.¡± She straightened up, and grinned at Theora. ¡°But, don¡¯t worry about that! Just enjoy your break. No interfering!¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to interfere,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°Not without being asked to. I was merely curious.¡±

    Iso shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not a hard quest. We get littered with them, since I¡¯m so low Level. I have, like, twenty to choose from. The System doesn¡¯t expect me to complete everything. In other words, nothing urgent, and nothing for you to worry about!¡±

    ¡°A missing person sounds a bit urgent,¡± Theora said.

    Iso rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course it is. I meant that other heroes will take the quest if we don¡¯t! But we happen to be in the vicinity, and you happen to need rest, so we can go and do it. Easy!¡±

    Theora watched Iso for a while, as the girl jumped back on the path and hurried after Dema and Bell.

    Not completing all quests one was assigned¡­ what a foreign concept. Sure, yes, Theora sometimes refused to do her quests, but that was only if her investigation couldn¡¯t support the outcome the System was aiming for. Just picking and choosing side quests seemed¡­ Well, almost like a healthy approach. Although Theora¡¯s side quests weren¡¯t typically such that could be cleared by other people. Either she completed them, or nobody would.

    Or, the heroes sent to complete them instead would have to make sacrifices.

    Still, Theora was really happy that they ended up investigating that missing person, and she almost wanted to urge Isobel to complete all those other quests as well. With a sigh, she finally made to catch up with the others. Was it really alright for her to travel with these two, if it meant they couldn¡¯t complete all quests? If it meant they could help fewer people?

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    That said, if the number of heroes was too small to cover all the current tasks, the System would simply recruit more into the project. That was its point after all; the reason it existed. Looking at it from that perspective, it was certainly understandable why Isobel wouldn¡¯t just clear all the quests she was given; it could potentially lead to her burning out. So, she was taking care of herself, and that was good.

    Maybe Theora should just ask Iso to share those quests so she could do them herself instead. Although she had to admit there was a certain limit to what kinds of quests Theora could actually complete; the one thing she was good at was killing and destroying things, and most certainly Bell or Iso ¡ª or other heroes, for that matter ¡ª would have a more diverse toolset at their disposal to complete many tasks in a less gruesome manner.

    The truth was, Theora couldn¡¯t even complete low-level quests without leaving destruction in her wake. She was the Roaming Blight, after all.

    ¡°You alright back there?¡± Dema¡¯s voice echoed back, and Theora noticed she¡¯d fallen further behind instead of catching up.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she shouted, nodded and hurried up the hill.

    The bath house was perched between boulders and maples on a steep incline that they only managed to reach after a meandering ascent through a narrow trail hugging the mountains. Isobel¡¯s quest navigation made reaching it a lot easier than it should have been, despite the occasional signposts along the eroded path.

    Parts of the wooden bath house complex seemed in disuse. Smaller buildings to both sides had been ravaged by storms and time, were flawed with broken chunks of rafter, crooked plinths, and dishevelled roof tiles. The remnants of one or two stone statues cluttered the entry to a shed, giving Theora an uncomfortable flashback of Isobel¡¯s demise. She closed her eyes to shake it off.

    The main building, however, still gleamed with hints of life, light glowing in the windows, the structure well-maintained. Isobel ran up to the main door and knocked, her stone hands resounding on impact with thick wood.

    Soon after, a silver-haired old woman with a plump figure and a soft smile on her lips led them inside.

    It was a cosy space, minimalist and elegant ink drawings hanging on the walls, the ground made up of soft woven fibres, the ceiling a net of wooden beams. The old receptionist gestured to a wall of square shaped shelves containing footwear. She introduced herself as Rumi.

    There was something amiss about her, though. Her eyes kept flickering to a corner of a room, her brows twitching ever so slightly. However, all Theora could see in that corner was a patch of bamboo grown in a large pot embedded in the ground.

    Dema wiped off her bare feet with her torn cloak and Isobel scrubbed hers with a brush while Bell and Theora undid their shoes to place them inside the wardrobe. Then, they all put on the little wooden slippers Rumi provided.

    ¡°We wanna stay here for a few days, if that¡¯s alright!¡± Dema explained when she was done.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Rumi said with a weathered voice, pulling her attention away from the corner. ¡°We don¡¯t get a lot of visitors lately, so if you are able to help with repairs on the other buildings, please feel free to. In any case, welcome.¡± She grazed through her thick hair to shift a few strands away from her face. ¡°A few things to keep in mind ¡ª please, when you use the bath areas, wash yourself first in the antechamber, and only then enter the bath, with one of the small towels. Don¡¯t enter with clothes. Please wear clogs at all times while indoors.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Dema cheered. ¡°Anything else?¡±

    The woman nodded. ¡°This is a place where people come to relax, so be wary of making noise. At night, traverse well-lit corridors only, and avoid dark corners. When you hear sounds you can¡¯t identify, retreat.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Isobel said.

    ¡°Would you stop that please?¡±

    The last sentence washed down Rumi¡¯s throat just as practised as the others, although it clearly wasn¡¯t addressed at the group. Instead, she was staring at the corner, and this time, Theora could see a slight disturbance within the bamboo stems.

    When nothing else happened, Rumi added, ¡°I¡¯ve told you many times. Only in darkness. Not in the light!¡±

    With that, and a sudden flicker, a little girl appeared out of nowhere right between the plants.

    She barely reached Theora¡¯s knee, had brown skin and short, curly hair, and wore a dress. She looked caught, a bit of a flushed expression on her face.

    ¡°I apologise,¡± Rumi said, facing Dema. ¡°This little cause of mischief is Kara.¡± She turned back to the girl. ¡°Don¡¯t disturb our guests. Doesn¡¯t anyone have time to play with you right now? I¡¯m busy.¡±

    ¡°Damn!¡± Dema shouted, kneeling down to get on eye-level with the child. ¡°[Invisibility]! And she¡¯s only five!¡±

    ¡°Circumstances require us to be careful,¡± Rumi sighed. ¡°She stays invisible most of the time, at my behest. But ¡ª not when others are around!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the girl murmured, and nodded, grabbing the hemp of her dress. ¡°Was just playing!¡±

    ¡°You can play while visible,¡± the woman dismissed harshly. ¡°What if someone hurts you, not seeing where you are? Only. In. Darkness! Understand?¡±

    Kara nodded sheepishly, but didn¡¯t seem too bothered since she immediately changed the topic. ¡°Can I go play outside?¡±

    Rumi rolled her eyes, and then nodded. ¡°Sure. Do whatever pleases you.¡±

    With that, the girl disappeared as quickly as she¡¯d come into existence, and a moment later, the door was magically opened and closed.

    ¡°No need to be invisible in daylight!¡± Rumi cried after her. Then, again, she turned back to her guests, and sighed, this time much more deeply. ¡°I swear, I¡¯m not cut out for children. True pity. Again, I apologise. Where were we?¡±

    Isobel grinned, and raised her hand. ¡°We just went over the rules! They sound easy enough to follow. So, how do we do this? Do you have empty rooms? How do we want to split up?¡±

    ¡°We have rooms with individual hot water baths attached,¡± Rumi explained, ¡°But they are in the back of the building, close to the mountain. If you want to enjoy the view, I recommend the higher level rooms instead.¡±

    Dema nodded, and turned to Theora. ¡°Let¡¯s get a room with a view! Bell and Iso can get one with a bath to sleep in.¡±

    Theora gulped. A room together with Dema.

    She was so lucky.

    The receptionist explained a few more things, then Iso suggested she bring Theora and Dema to their room. She¡¯d probably only bring up details of her quest once Theora was out of sight and hearing. Begrudgingly, Theora had to admit it was a good call, because she was already wondering how that person might have gone missing, and if she could help.

    She took a deep breath. Not what she was here for. She was travelling with some of the most reliable people in existence; plus, Theora actually had no notable Skill to add to this undertaking to begin with. She needed to rest, and everyone knew it, so she fought her weary knees up the stairs.

    They came by a few other people; some of them looked like members of the staff, and a woman with black hair who appeared to be another guest. It was a little more lively inside than Theora had anticipated.

    After making it through the floors and into their room, Rumi gave a short introduction, then left.

    Finally, Dema gave a mischievous smile as the receptionist¡¯s footsteps petered down the corridor outside. Theora was just dropping her travelling coat into one of the shelves in a compartment at the side of the room, and then stared back with a questioning look.

    Dema slid the door shut behind her, and raised her eyebrows. ¡°So then, little rabbit,¡± she went, her voice containing a challenging curl. A little shiver went down Theora¡¯s back at hearing Dema talk that way, and it got worse as she continued. ¡°Finally got you to myself again! Been a while, hasn¡¯t it? What are we gonna do now?¡±

 Chapter 83: Not Alone

    Been a while.

    In fact, it had been decades since the two of them were truly alone. Sure, they¡¯d occupied the same guest room in Hallmark, but Balinth and Hell had always been so close-by, and Theora had spent most of the time exhausted or asleep. During the journey, Bell and Iso were always just a call away, no hint of true privacy even during a small conversation.

    Theora gulped.

    With Dema drawing attention to them being alone, she got a little flustered. She only now noticed how much she¡¯d missed it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hug?¡± she asked in a low voice, almost a whisper. Dema laughed.

    ¡°Sure! Yes!¡± she exclaimed and stepped up, wrapping Theora in her arms, reaching up to pat her head. ¡°There, there. You must be tired. Think you can sleep right now?¡±

    ¡°Sleeping is hard,¡± Theora said. ¡°I keep having thoughts.¡±

    Dema pulled away and smiled. ¡°Gonna have to banish those thoughts,¡± she mused. ¡°Any ideas? Oh, let¡¯s take a bath!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not take a bath,¡± Theora murmured. She wouldn¡¯t make it. She¡¯d dissolve in the water. ¡°Or, let¡¯s do it separately. You can take one now, and I will take one later.¡±

    ¡°Aw! Fine! But I ain¡¯t gonna take a bath until you rest. So, get into sleepy clothes and lie down!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s noon,¡± Theora said. ¡°It¡¯s not the time for ¡®sleepy clothes¡¯.¡±

    Dema chuckled. ¡°When has that ever stopped you!¡±

    ¡°I am well aware of social contracts and rules,¡± Theora claimed. ¡°So, during the day, I will go to bed in my day clothes, not my sleepy clothes.¡±

    ¡°Yeah I can see you have a firm grasp on ¡¯em. But! This is your vacation. If you wanna sit around in sleepy clothes all day, you totally can. I¡¯m not gonna judge.¡±

    Theora thought for a while. Going to sleep right now? Could she do that? The others were probably already investigating the quest. What if they ended up needing her? What if the quest was harder than expected?

    ¡°Did you [Appraise] the area?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Nah,¡± Dema replied. ¡°Bell¡¯s job, that. Mine¡¯s to take care of our little rabbit and make sure she¡¯s fast asleep as soon as possible. Not gonna let myself get distracted from that.¡±

    ¡°Alright, fine.¡± Theora sighed, went over to her travelling cloak and pulled out a simple long nightgown. She didn¡¯t use it for sleeping outside; it had been a gift from Hell, so she wanted it to last for a long time, while still wearing it as much as possible.

    A trip to the bathroom later, Theora had washed herself up and put on her ¡®sleepy clothes¡¯ in the middle of daylight. When she came back, Dema was sitting on one of the beds, tapping the empty area beside her. ¡°Come lie down!¡±

    Theora tried not to give away how that made her heart lurch, and slowly tapped over the soft floor to plop down on the bed. It was such a soft mattress with velvety sheets, adorned with lime green embroidery. She snuggled herself into the fabrics, half to shield herself from the warm presence Dema exerted as she gazed down with a smile.

    ¡°Now, sleep,¡± that presence then demanded, and Theora had absolutely no way to obey that command. Instead she just looked up into Dema¡¯s eyes for a while like a scared animal, that mischievous grin looming.

    ¡°I can¡¯t rest like this,¡± she pressed out.

    ¡°Oh? Why not, little rabbit? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Dema asked innocently, and then added, ¡°If there is anything I can do to help, you gotta let me know.¡±

    Theora swallowed.

    Yes, there was indeed something she imagined Dema could do to help. And, this might be the best chance ever to ask for it. After all, there were a few benefits to being sleepy and exhausted to the point of almost no return; for example, it felt emboldening. Filters that normally would keep her from saying things were less effective, and maybe she could use that to her advantage and ask for something that she would never be able to ask for again.

    Theora took a deep breath. The fact that she could think about it this way at all¡­ wasn¡¯t it a bad sign? Didn¡¯t it mean she wasn¡¯t tired enough? She tried to shake off the thought with the beating of her heart, and eventually and finally made for the push.

    ¡°You could s¡ª¡±

    She choked on her words immediately. Blood rushed into her head, floodgates open, and she grabbed the blanket a bit tighter, turned her head to face into the pillow, her mouth just free enough to attempt it again.

    ¡°You could s-sing,¡± she almost whispered.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    And with that, Theora braced herself for the inevitable teasing. Just the way Dema had teased her a thousand times before. And Theora would weather that storm valiantly, and maybe be rewarded with a song in the end, if she was lucky. Or, perhaps Dema would act like her heart was fluttering again, or giggle, say something endearing, or¡ª

    None of that happened.

    Instead, Dema¡¯s slender and gentle fingers started grazing through Theora¡¯s hair, brushing over her head, causing shivers of a kind Theora had never felt before. Not even headpats she¡¯d received in the past could compete with how entirely overwhelming it was, how it froze her, and how she wanted to melt in the touch.

    Alright, yes, that was relaxing. Like this, she might be able to rest, Theora thought.

    That was before, just a second later, Dema really did start singing.

    A low, raspy voice, quietly swallowed by the room, just for Theora¡¯s tingling ears, a lullaby she didn¡¯t know. In fact, it became clear quite soon that Dema was making the song up as she went along, singing a random melody with lyrics she pulled out of thin air. Something about two bunnies on a meadow, who soon became three, and then four ¡ª like a typical children¡¯s good-night song, except she managed to occasionally weave in dubious jokes and impish comments.

    And yet, it felt so incredibly good. Overwhelming, yes, but good.

    By no known measures on the planet was Dema a good singer. She wasn¡¯t a good poet, either. But Theora didn¡¯t want her to ever stop. She didn¡¯t want this moment to ever end, she¡¯d give anything to have this voice accompany her to the end of time.

    And with these thoughts circling around in her mind, Theora, eventually, dozed off.

    It wasn¡¯t true sleep. She could feel Dema¡¯s presence through the haze, her shifting positions, changing hands to caress Theora¡¯s head. Eventually, after ten minutes or ten hours, Dema left, saying a gentle goodbye Theora¡¯s mind was too tired to parse.

    Occasionally, distant sounds poked through the fog of her drowsiness. Feet stepped through the corridors, doors slid open and shut, echoes of subdued little shouts of joy rang out, clearly breaking the inn¡¯s code of conduct. There were some sounds Theora couldn¡¯t place or recognise; like distant oscillating clicks, and something like deep and subdued wheezing, although these breaths took too long to originate from a person. And, some kind of scratching.

    Scratch, scratch, it kept going, every now and then.

    Theora wondered if she was slipping into nightmares again, trying to brush away the fatigue clouding her mind. On the other hand, she was supposed to rest. That was the entire point of this, so maybe a nightmare was an adequate trade-off for a bit of deep sleep.

    Where had Dema gone? Maybe she¡¯d taken a bath? Maybe she¡¯d gone to play with Kara.

    Either was likely; bathing in hot water or playing with a mischievous child sounded like something she¡¯d very much enjoy. There was also a good chance she¡¯d run off to play pranks on the staff or other guests. Theora smiled a little.

    But the smile vanished just as quickly. Dema and Theora had spent so much time apart in Hallmark, and really, Theora had no idea how that time had gone for her. Had Dema enjoyed herself, in those four decades?

    Hopefully. She definitely needed to ask, next time she¡¯d have the chance. She opened her tired eyes to stare out the window. It was dark by now, but a few stars glittered between the trees.

    I really hope she had a good time there, Theora thought.

    [Head in the Clouds].

    Answer: Of course she did. Otherwise, she¡¯d have complained to no end.

    Theora blinked. Had her Skill just activated itself?

    [Head in the Clouds].

    Answer: Oh, sorry. I¡¯m just getting bored since you haven¡¯t talked to me in so long.

    [Head in the Clouds] advanced to Level 3!

    Theora closed her eyes. No more staring into the sky.

    So apparently, her Skills were levelling up themselves now. Well, with how much she¡¯d neglected them, this was almost bound to happen. Or was it? Theora couldn¡¯t tell.

    She definitely needed to work on [im//possibility] at some point too¡­ The only issue was that no situation ever felt adequate to use it in, since the Skill¡¯s description sounded like it could literally mess with anything. Maybe Theora would find herself in a desert one day, away from other people and society and nature. Deserts were a part of nature though, so perhaps doing it outside of reality was a better option. That said, any information she¡¯d learn about the Skill there would potentially not even translate to this world, so even that didn¡¯t seem like a perfect option.

    On the other hand, maybe she was overthinking again. Maybe the Skill wasn¡¯t that bad. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t cause true harm and just mildly annoy her. That pretty much sounded in-theme with [Stargazer].

    Theora sighed softly. Overthinking again, yes. Remember the rule.

    She did her best to replay Dema¡¯s lullaby in her mind. Imagined Dema still sitting next to her, feeling fingers stroke through her hair, and the soft humming of her low voice. Instantly, tension she didn¡¯t realise she¡¯d been holding ebbed out from the muscles of her body, and she melted further into blankets and mattress and pillow in yearning.

    Some lanterns from the outside shone tiny rays into the room, slow dust whirls reflected against the darkness. A gentle wind howled through the building, making the wooden beams ache ever so slightly. Cicada noises echoed from the forest. Dema had left one window slightly open, letting a fresh breeze of air slip into the room.

    Yes, this was good. Dema had made a good choice in having them come here. She was out there relaxing, and Bell and Iso could save that person. Meanwhile, Theora could lie here, for as long as she wanted, and simply let go of all her burdens. She could wait for Dema to come back to ask for another hug, or maybe another song, even, and perhaps, if Theora turned out to be the most blessed person in the world, Dema would even comply.

    The only thing Theora felt maybe a little unhappy about was the scratching.

    The scratching from beneath her that made it a bit hard to truly fall asleep. It wasn¡¯t continuous; it just scraped at some surface every now and then, and pulled her out of her slumber.

    Scratch, scratch, it woke her up again.

    This time, half-asleep, she dragged up her tired muscles, and heaved herself to the edge of her mattress, letting her head dangle down. As her hair grazed the floor, she took a peek.

    Embedded in the gap, darkness stared back with frizzly red eyes.

    There was a monster under her bed.

 Chapter 84: Wrapped up and Gone

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Theora said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise this bed was occupied.¡±

    The monster hissed. It cramped itself back into the further half of the bed¡¯s underside, like a cloud repelled by an invisible force.

    The black streaks of its body reached almost beyond the frame, as if whirled up by strong winds, but then bulged away where they would leave the safety of shadows. Two ember red eyes of differing sizes were embedded in its body, continuously shrinking until, every now and then, something akin to a blink widened them up again.

    And, beneath those eyes, it had a mouth. Crinkled and dry, elongated and toothless. After issuing the hiss, it went back to slow and creaky breaths.

    If anything, the monster seemed scared.

    Theora didn¡¯t want to upset it with sudden movements, so she calmly gazed upon it, and asked, ¡°Do you need help?¡±

    For a second, the creature stared.

    And then, it lurched.

    Like a piece of large cotton cloth, it jumped forward, wrapping around Theora¡¯s face. She rose up from the bedside and sat back down, all the while the rest of the monster engulfed her like a blanket, squeezing tight.

    She gently squeezed back.

    This seemed to be a Shade. A mostly peaceful type of creature that ate parts of reality to build its own pocket dimension similar to Theora¡¯s cloak.

    That said, if a person got too close, a Shade might accidentally gobble them up. And Theora had a slight feeling that this was about to happen to her. Except, it didn¡¯t feel like an accident at all. Was this how the missing person had vanished? It didn¡¯t make a lot of sense, though. These beings did not typically wish to have people inside of them. They¡¯d get a belly-ache. They would spit them back out. Shades couldn¡¯t easily digest sentient beings.

    Suddenly, the pressure disappeared, and everything was different.

    No more bed under her. No more sounds issuing from the window. No more smells, no more air, nothing.

    Theora was gone.

    Gone from the inn, gone from her friends, gone from¡­ Anywhere.

    She blinked, but it made no difference, for she was engulfed in endless darkness. Her body was light from the absence of the world, her mind clear from its oppressing influence.

    She curled down, pulling her legs up against her chest, lying on what felt like her side. Not that she was actually touching anything, nor was she falling. Simply, there was nothing around, Theora was all there was.

    She¡¯d been eaten, and stuffed into an extradimensional space.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    No reply.

    Theora waited, but nothing ended up happening. The Interface of the System still existed, but she needed to focus strongly on it to appear within her vision, and she had no access to the outside world; couldn¡¯t see her friends¡¯ stats or whereabouts, and the Interfaces disappeared the second she lost focus.

    For a while, she pondered what to do, but couldn¡¯t really come up with anything productive.

    Theora was a cannon to point at things, and then it would go off and destroy whatever she was pointed at. Other than that, she had no useful Skills to speak of. She couldn¡¯t use [Obliterate] without either harming the Shade or risking to harm the other person kept inside ¡ª if the person was really here.

    In other words, she was stuck, wasn¡¯t she? No way out. Nothing to do. Captured in this endless dark, in nothingness. Her heart started pounding stronger. Her fingertips started tingling a little.

    Oh, this was great.

    It was the perfect time to sleep, completely undisturbed.

    Sure, Bell and Iso would eventually find the Shade and free her, maybe even within the hour, but until then, she could make herself a little cosy, in the belly of this extradimensional Shade.

    After all, she didn¡¯t want to upset its stomach by doing anything drastic.

    The strongest Heroine in the world, and yet there was nothing she could do when faced with this beginner-level quest monster.

    The same couldn¡¯t be said for Bell and Iso, of course. Those two were competent, had access to a lot of utility-type Skills.

    Theora could just wait to be rescued.

    ¡°Come save me,¡± she murmured into the void, somehow feeling really happy to be able to say these words herself for once.

    She smiled a little at that thought and only wished Dema could be there with her, but eventually, she dozed off.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    At first, it wasn¡¯t true sleep; she was still halfway conscious, and recognised a few peculiarities she was too exhausted to properly address. For one, a Skill of hers tried to reach out. She didn¡¯t know which one; it probably wasn¡¯t [Obliterate], for that Skill wasn¡¯t very social, but it could have been any of the others, probably. Did [Head in the Clouds] have something to say? There was no sky to look at, so Theora couldn¡¯t have listened to it anyway. She was too tired to imagine a sky of clouds in her head clearly enough to enable the Skill¡¯s use.

    It didn¡¯t matter anyway. Her Skills only existed to tease her. They¡¯d make her feel a little bit upset in an endearing way, and then she¡¯d harrumph, and then she¡¯d pout for a bit, and then she¡¯d fall asleep anyway.

    And so, she ignored the little shouts from her Skill that barely scratched the surface of her consciousness. Sleep came first. After all, that¡¯s what Dema had asked of her. To rest.

    The other peculiar sensation she felt while dozing away was some kind of pull. Something tugged at her, rather gently, almost like a cute little leech, sapping her energy to engorge itself. Theora¡¯s wealth of power was large enough, so she didn¡¯t mind. Whatever fed on her, it didn¡¯t do it in a way that hurt, it was being gentle about it, and so Theora just let it happen.

    Just like she¡¯d let that monster pull her away from that inn.

    Because, the truth was, if Theora hadn¡¯t been so tired, she could have likely resisted. She could have just stayed where she was, but maybe that would have hurt the little Shade.

    That scared little Shade, hidden away underneath her bed. The likely culprit behind the disappearance. The reason for parts of the inn¡¯s code of conduct; don¡¯t go near shadows, don¡¯t get distracted by noises, stay in the lights. Doing so would have kept anyone from being engulfed by accident. The staff of the inn would certainly not have had the capabilities to evict such a creature, if they even knew it was a Shade that caused the disappearance to begin with.

    And as such, the calls from the Skill eventually faded, and Theora grew accustomed to whatever was leeching off her, and eventually fell truly asleep.

    Every now and then, she¡¯d retrieve consciousness for what felt like a few seconds, but this space was so entirely cosy that it was hard for her to properly get back up. No sounds, no scents, neither heat nor cold, completely shut off from the world, she finally got to rest.

    That is until something scratched her cheek. Grass? It sure smelled like grass. She blinked, disturbed by a ray of sunshine on one half of her face, the other shielded by the canopy of a tree.

    She lay in a small clearance, on her side, body heavy. When she turned on her back, her arm just slumped to the other side, as she stared up into the bright light.

    There was no sky. Just brightness. She took a deep breath and rubbed what felt like mountains of sleepy dust out of her eyes. Meanwhile, a quiet groan escaped her. She swallowed, her throat dry, and wetted her crumbled lips. Her hair was a total mess.

    She pressed herself up into a sitting position, and then stretched. And oh, what a stretch it was. When had she ever felt so rested? This must have been one of the best nights she¡¯d had in a long time. She smoothed the wrinkles out of her nightgown; it had a few grass stains now.

    Her gaze went over the rest of the clearance, and immediately, some things seemed odd to her.

    ¡°E-excuse me?¡± a light voice interrupted her thoughts before they could truly form. It came from the edge of the clearance and belonged to a bearded man with short black hair and brown skin. He looked rather rattled; his clothes were patched over, and he had a large backpack. He stared at Theora with an uncertain expression, sweating slightly, mouth half-open.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Theora answered, voice still a bit laden from sleep, so she cleared her throat.

    He gulped. ¡°Are you alright, Ma¡¯am?¡±

    ¡°What? Yes, I am. Why?¡±

    He gave a little sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s just ¡ª well, I¡¯m glad you are awake. Do you need any help? Water? Food?¡±

    Theora scrunched up her face, trying to get her thoughts together. She¡¯d fallen asleep inside a Shade, and now she was in a skyless forest, with another person. Alright, at least that far, she could follow. It seemed to check out.

    ¡°You don¡¯t happen to have stayed at a bathhouse at some point before getting here, have you?¡± Theora ventured, and the man¡¯s response was clear. He swallowed, then nodded.

    Again, for maybe the third time in just a few days, Theora found herself smiling. Oh, what a good feeling that was. Smiling was almost fun.

    ¡°That¡¯s good, then. We¡¯ll just have to be rescued. Shades aren¡¯t typically malevolent, and with how gentle it was with me despite being scared, I was hoping you would be alright too.¡±

    ¡°Shades?¡± he asked in a high voice. ¡°You mean the ¡ª the monster?¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°I assume we are still inside?¡±

    ¡°Inside?¡± He was getting increasingly confused by Theora¡¯s every word, and she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bad. ¡°It¡ªit¡­ I couldn¡¯t wake you up. You wouldn¡¯t wake up. And it kept coming to you night after night, and it¡­ it fed off you. Burrowed over you ¡ª I couldn¡¯t stop it, and it would suck away at you, and¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Theora said, and nodded. ¡°So that¡¯s what it was.¡±

    Right after she finished that sentence, her smile wavered.

    What had he just said?

    Night after night?

    ¡°How long have I been here?¡±

    The man swallowed, looking a bit wary. ¡°How long do you think you¡¯ve been here?¡±

    Theora blinked. ¡°Maybe a few hours? A night?¡±

    ¡°You got abducted from the bath house too?¡± As Theora nodded, his face slumped. ¡°Did you ¡ª were you there alone?¡±

    Theora shook her head, frowning. ¡°With friends.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± he let out. ¡°Oh god. Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Theora took a closer look at him. Rings under his eyes. Greying strands in his hair, skin weathered by stress. His clothes seemed washed-out and old, partly torn but well taken-care of, patched multiple times, as if he had no other set and needed to make do with this. His hands had calluses, he was barefoot, but didn¡¯t seem to mind the harsh forest ground.

    A lot of¡­ stuff was poking out of the bags of his backpack. Rods, contraptions, some raw materials, like branches.

    He looked like he¡¯d been living in the woods for a while.

    ¡°How long have I been here?¡± Theora asked again, and the man grazed through his hair, looking into a forest, a bit resigned.

    ¡°You came here about¡­ It¡¯s been¡­¡± He closed his eyes, eventually scrunching them together, and opened them back up with the words, ¡°I think, about a month. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Ah¡­ No wonder Theora felt so rested. And that was just the time she¡¯d been here, in this forest. How much time had she spent in that shapeless world before that? With how good she was feeling, it could have well been years. Though, even she would have noticed if she¡¯d slept for that long¡­ right?

    Regardless, it also meant that nobody had come to save her.

    Perhaps she¡¯d underestimated the situation.

 Chapter 85: Shady

    Theora rubbed her eyes, even though they didn¡¯t feel as tired for once.

    This all didn¡¯t make a lot of sense. She¡¯d been swallowed by a Shade ¡ª a Shade that Isobel and the others were well-equipped to find. If she¡¯d been here for over a month ¡ª years, even ¡ª they should have found it by now. They had probably gotten aware of Theora¡¯s disappearance almost immediately, if any of them had paid attention to the party screen.

    In fact, it should be even easier to find her in this case, for this was likely a baby Shade. Experienced Shades didn¡¯t eat people, not only because it wasn¡¯t healthy, but also because Shades that ate people typically didn¡¯t survive for long, since some heroes had no qualms killing monsters, even those that weren¡¯t malicious. Shades that ate people were usually quested out of existence before too long. In addition, older Shades should be able to spit out things they devour.

    Theora sighed.

    It seems that waiting to be rescued had been the wrong call. That said, what else could she possibly do?

    She dragged herself up, and looked around the clearance. Five larger willow trees lined its fringes, together with brushes. However¡­ it wasn¡¯t simply a normal forest. There were mistakes in how the shadows were handled, not all plants seemed to be made in three dimensions. Some looked like mere paper-cutouts, and the dark inside the forest appeared to just be a panorama picture. However, there did seem to be some exits weaved into the rough shape of the forest edge.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to get us out,¡± Theora said. ¡°Are any other people trapped here?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± the man answered, wiping a pearl of sweat from his forehead. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ alone. Well, was alone, until you popped up¡­¡±

    Theora slowly staggered a few steps, legs a little wobbly from not having been used in over a month. The lemon green grass pricked lightly against her bare feet.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take a look around,¡± she murmured, and made to the closest exit. The man nodded and accompanied her, his backpack rattling a few soft sounds. It seemed pretty full.

    That ¡®exit¡¯ was merely a small recess in the forest edge, a little path in-between brushes and trees, although it quickly darkened to complete blackness. Walking into it felt rather strange; immediately, the world faded to black. Shivers washed over her, and instead of finding herself in a dark forest, they immediately appeared in a new, bright scenery.

    They stood on a large rock overseeing a forest stretching until the horizon, with a beautiful sky full of light blue clouds above. Both the forest and the sky were poorly painted pictures, although the colours were very pretty.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Theora hummed. ¡°The Shade put in a lot of effort.¡±

    ¡°It did,¡± the man responded with a gulp in his soft, high, insecure voice. ¡°Most of this is new. New, as in, appeared in the last few weeks.¡±

    So, this might be what the Shade had used the power for that it had sapped from her. It had likely gained dozens of Levels. In other words, it was rather strong now. So, why was it still keeping them in? It should be powerful enough to spit them out¡­ In fact, making this kind of scenery seemed unlikely for a Shade. Almost as if¡­

    ¡°So, you¡¯re going to get us out¡­?¡± the man asked with an unsure curl in his voice, fidgeting around with his hands folded in front of his chest.

    ¡°Yes. What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Harrik,¡± he answered, biting his lip. ¡°Harrik, yes. How¡­ are you going to get us out?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. I would need to investigate this space first,¡± Theora replied, looking around. ¡°This¡­ Isn¡¯t what the inside of a Shade is supposed to look like.¡±

    ¡°No? What is it supposed to¡­ look like?¡±

    ¡°Chaos. This is too¡­ Friendly. Too inhabitable. I think the Shade is making it easier for us to exist here.¡±

    ¡°Why would it do that¡­?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    He sighed. It almost sounded like a sigh of relief, curiously enough. Theora found his blue eyes, and immediately, they widened a bit.

    ¡°Are you scared of me?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± He swallowed. ¡°No! I don¡¯t even know who you are! I guess it sucks that you got stuck here too¡­ Sorry, I¡¯m just a bit nervous.¡±

    For a second, Theora just gazed at him. Why was he nervous?

    ¡°In any case,¡± he added, ¡°It only looks friendly for humans at first glance. The area changes often, and quickly, and there are¡­ parasites.¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Parasites,¡± Theora repeated.

    ¡°I can¡¯t completely get rid of them,¡± Harrik said. ¡°Only damage them so they leave me alone for a while. We still have another few hours, judging from when they last attacked.¡±

    Shades having parasites was not unheard of. Likely Afterthoughts that accidentally got gobbled up, who were now feeding on the data swallowed by the Shade as well. ¡°I see. Did you defend me?¡±

    He looked flustered for a second, taking a hand from the front of his chest to graze through his hair. ¡°Couldn¡¯t just leave you to them¡­ I can¡¯t do anything to the¡­ Shade¡­ But the parasites¡­ They are another deal.¡±

    Theora nodded. It made sense; fighting the Shade inside itself was probably similar to fighting a Demon inside their Domain. Although the difference was likely much less drastic.

    Theora took a few glances around as they walked through the other parts of the little Shade universe. Some meandering forest paths, another smaller clearance, an abandoned hut that was too destroyed to live in, with rocks and wood lying around. It seemed rather thematic.

    Still, lots of errors and mistakes. Like an inept copy of what the original was supposed to look like. The smells were slightly wrong, putrid and too sweet at the same time. The shadows made weird turns, and many plants, especially the smaller ones, were flat. Images only. Maybe an [Illusion] type Skill.

    There was always a clear path or exit somewhere, a lot of which eventually circled back to the clearing she¡¯d woken up in. The dark shadows cast by the vegetation to the sides of paths and exits seemed to strongly discourage deviating into the unknown. Still, Theora approached the edge of the forest after a while.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Just checking,¡± Theora murmured. Here, the grass felt like rubber under her feet, the willow leaves rustled in the wind.

    In the wind that didn¡¯t actually exist. Theora had also never seen a forest of willows before. Didn¡¯t they grow close to water? There was none to be seen or heard. She pushed aside some of the low hanging leaf patches to approach the darkness further. Deep shadows swallowed all branches, twigs and leaves. Brushes and makeshift insects flew through the air in cycling paths lacking deviation.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t to¡ª¡±

    Too late. Theora gently placed her fingers on the shadow, and it exploded.

    Like earlier in her bed, she was wrapped in the Shade¡¯s body as it erupted forth from the wall. She took two steps back and gently touched the fabric-like sizzling body of blackness. Then, it jumped off her, and the world changed.

    The creature sat in the middle of a bright, green clearing surrounded by black shadows. Harrik stood behind Theora, both of them clad in darkness, for they were outside the circle brightened by the clearing.

    The creature hissed and screamed like a scared animal.

    ¡°You touched it,¡± Harrik stammered.

    Theora gently paced forward. ¡°Hey there, little Shade,¡± she said. ¡°You ate me, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    The creature retreated, but not enough to make up for the distance. After a few steps, Theora was close enough, and held her hand out towards the two red eyes.

    However, she didn¡¯t close all the distance. Just a hand width away, she halted, making the offer.

    The creature stared for a while, and one, two, three blinks passed, its eyes alternating in widening back to their maximum size after shrinking to buttons. Then, the fabric-like shadows formed a little protrusion of folds, carrying with it the creature¡¯s eyes and mouth, and like a head, it advanced, reaching out to Theora¡¯s hand to pet itself on it.

    ¡°There, there,¡± Theora murmured.

    ¡°H-how?¡± Harrik whined, still standing at the same spot as before.

    ¡°It¡¯s not too strange,¡± Theora said. ¡°It swallowed me after I offered help. I figured it might have been a coincidence at first, but¡­ Now I think it wants me here, to get you out.¡±

    ¡°To get me out,¡± he repeated, sounding somewhat scared.

    ¡°Yes. What led me here is a System quest asking to investigate your disappearance.¡±

    While the creature was nuzzling itself against her hand and slowly wrapping other parts around Theora, she turned to look back at him, and found his face gone pale.

    ¡°Disappearance,¡± he muttered.

    ¡°Are you unhappy about that?¡±

    ¡°N-no ¡ª I just. I didn¡¯t expect that.¡±

    ¡°How long have you been here?¡±

    He took a self-calming breath. ¡°About¡­ seven years,¡± he said. ¡°I was travelling together with my sister, and got stuck inside the Shade. I¡­ didn¡¯t expect anyone to come for me after all this time.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Theora pulled her hand away from the creature, gave a last pet on its head, and said to it, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of everything. We will soon be gone.¡±

    With that, it disappeared back into the darkness and the world shifted back to the willow forest from before.

    ¡°S-So, what¡¯s your class?¡± Harrik asked, scratching his beard. ¡°Do you have Skills that could get us out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a [Stargazer]. I don¡¯t have any Skills like that. Well, I suppose I could tear a hole into the Shade and¡ª¡±

    ¡°No!¡± he shouted, but then caught himself, scratching his head embarrassed. ¡°Sorry. I just¡­ Let¡¯s not harm the Shade?¡±

    Theora looked at Harrik. ¡°Seven years. The creature must have eaten food, for you to live this long?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Sometimes. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m an [Artificer]. Pretty high Level too, so I was able to find some solutions.¡±

    Did [Artificers] have access to food-producing Skills? Well, maybe he¡¯d been able to create a magical item that could create or multiply food.

    That said, something about that statement struck her as odd.

    ¡°High-Level,¡± she repeated. ¡°What Level?¡±

    ¡°Um. 214,¡± he said.

    214¡­ Yes, very odd.

    Theora nodded. ¡°I know some people with that Class. Have you been to Hallmark?¡±

    He immediately cheered up, and smiled. ¡°Yes! Born and raised.¡±

    Theora smiled back. ¡°I see. Then, I have good news. You can rest assured, the plague is over.¡±

    He raised his eyebrows. ¡°¡­ Plague?¡±

    Theora stared into his curious eyes.

    Alright.

    None of this made any sense.

    Theora sat down, crossing her legs, staring up at Harrik with an empty gaze.

    ¡°Please,¡± she said, ¡°Share with me the things you¡¯re trying to keep secret.¡±

 Chapter 86: No Use

    This situation raised a dizzying amount of questions.

    How did a 214 [Artificer] get stuck in a Shade? Such strong people should have ways to break free from being confined in a low-level creature. And why had the Shade not spat him out? Why would Isobel, who wasn¡¯t even Level 100, be assigned a quest involving a person of such strength? It seemed a little ridiculous to call a low Level hero to the aid of a 200+ one, even considering her Level was lowered after a reset to a new Class.

    Harrik looked at most thirty years old. This young, and this high Level, he¡¯d have to be a prodigy of some sort. His age also meant he had to have known about the plague in Hallmark if he hailed from there, since it had been going for much longer. So, why didn¡¯t he know about it at all?

    Why had Bell and Iso not managed to get Theora out of this place?

    Theora was hesitant of being suspicious of other people, but so far, the Shade had been rather straightforward with her, and meanwhile, he¡¯d even acted oblivious right after Theora had woken up. Acted as if he wasn¡¯t aware he was inside a Shade. Acted as if he didn¡¯t know what was happening. No doubt, he¡¯d tried to pass himself off as unknowing. There was little chance a Level 200 [Artificer] would be this oblivious.

    And, as Theora stared up at him asking to divulge his secrets, his resolve immediately melted. His shoulders sagged, his gaze turned tired, and he bit his lip, wiping more pearls of sweat off his forehead.

    ¡°I messed up,¡± he said, scratching his beard. ¡°Sorry. This is all my fault. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°How did you mess up?¡±

    He stepped to the side in resignation, his head grazed by a strand of willow leaves, then sat down on the rubber grass as well. ¡°There was¡­ this artefact. That I had. Highly potent. Not a¡­ Not a good idea to carry it around. I was young and¡­ made poor choices. I was travelling with my sister, and when we got to the bath house, there was a Shade living there, and it¡­ ate one of my backpacks.¡±

    ¡°And the artefact was inside,¡± Theora supplied.

    ¡°Yeah. And¡­ that thing¡¯s not supposed to be eaten by Shades. In fact, it¡¯s not something that should be anywhere. I¡¯m pretty sure the Shade noticed quickly, so when I offered to get it out, it swallowed me.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°So, you are in here by volition.¡± That at least explained some of the issues. Sure, Theora could see him stuck inside a Shade for seven years if he had no intention to leave it, and the Shade was waiting for him to get his job done.

    He clenched his fist above the makeshift grass and pulled a few strands out. They immediately disappeared from his hand and regrew on the ground with soft plops. It seemed like he was used to this, because he kept doing it in a somewhat trained repetition. ¡°I need to get the damn thing back. And then dispose of it, or something. I never should have carried it around¡­ Damn it¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright. So, the Shade doesn¡¯t spit us out because it wishes for us to retrieve your artefact. Any idea why the Shade can¡¯t just¡­ give it to you? Or throw up the thing on its own?¡±

    ¡°I placed some protective enchantments on the item, to make it hard to find. Always took me half an hour to find it in just my backpack. And I knew which pocket I put it in. I figured if someone else were to search my backpack, even after stealing it, they wouldn¡¯t find the thing, especially if they didn¡¯t know it was there. I didn¡¯t want it to be stolen, you know? The idea that something might eat the entire backpack together with the item never occurred to me¡­ I suspect it¡¯s wedged somewhere inside the Shade¡¯s flesh, but it just can¡¯t find it.¡±

    Theora hummed. ¡°So, all we have to do is find a magical artefact in this¡ª¡± She gestured around, ¡°¡ª Extradimensional space, and¡­¡±

    She halted. She blinked. She sighed. This sounded far too familiar for her liking. ¡°This can¡¯t be happening,¡± she whined.

    An artificial gust of wind pulled through Harrik¡¯s hair, and as he adjusted a few strands fallen into his face, he hesitantly asked, ¡°Are you okay¡­?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she replied. ¡°No, I¡¯m not ¡®okay¡¯. I just realised something awful.¡±

    ¡°Awful¡­?¡±

    ¡°Nothing you have to worry about. It¡¯s just that¡­ This is a dry run. Someone is making me do this. I¡¯m being bullied.¡±

    Harrik just stared at her for a few seconds. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you should be.¡± Theora shook her head. ¡°None of this would be happening if not for your ¡®mistake¡¯.¡± But then, she sighed. ¡°Actually, scratch that. If you hadn¡¯t made this mistake, the System would have found another way. Maybe all of Isobel¡¯s quests are actually some kind of trap like this. Or it would have thrown an opportunity like this at me whenever it appeared throughout the next few years.¡± She t¡¯ched. ¡°It¡¯s trying to make me practise using my Class.¡±

    Despite his somewhat worried expression, Harrik chuckled at this.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing!¡± he said, raising his hands in defence. ¡°I was just thinking, you¡¯re pretty talkative. Kind of fun. Nobody talked to me in¡­ ages¡­¡± His voice slowly died down as he saw Theora stare at him.

    ¡°Talkative?¡± she echoed.

    ¡°Uh, sorry!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°Explain yourself. You would consider me talkative?¡±

    He gulped, and slowly nodded. ¡°I suppose? You¡¯ve¡­ been talking. So¡­¡±

    Theora was talkative. Was she talkative? In fact, while she felt annoyed at the System right now, didn¡¯t she also feel somewhat good? In high spirits, of sorts?

    She barely felt tired at all. She¡¯d gotten to sleep for what seemed to be a long time. And, Dema had sung for her in her most recent memory. Soon, she¡¯d get to go on a date with her too.

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    With a decent amount of shock, Theora had to admit she was in a good mood.

    A good mood only soured by¡­ everything around her, so to speak. At least she¡¯d get to help that poor little Shade throw up some unwanted junk. Yes, she¡¯d focus on that cute creature, and how she could help it.

    She eventually sighed. ¡°Alright.¡±

    Harriks eyes started shining. ¡°You¡¯re going to help me find it?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He looked like he was about to faint from happiness. Practically ripping his backpack off from excitement, he crawled towards Theora. ¡°Great! Here!¡± He fumbled with the bag, opening pouches and rummaging around, and proceeded to dump one intricate magical item after the next to Theora¡¯s feet. ¡°This,¡± he said, producing a clock-like wooden contraption, ¡°Improves Mana Regeneration. This,¡± he added, a metallic bracelet in hand, ¡°Improves Cooldown Reduction. It has charges; each charge will remove an hour from a Skill you have that¡¯s currently unusable. See the little red dots here? When they fade, it means you¡¯ve used the charge. There¡¯s three charges currently. Ah, and this,¡± he continued, producing a wreath of wood-carved intertwined ornamental branches, ¡°Collects ambient Mana. I have it sap some of mine while I sleep, there¡¯s about two thousand inside right now! Oh, and if you click on this button,¡± he said, pointing to an earring, ¡°An energy burst will be released, and your stats are temporarily increased by about five thousand each! You¡¯ll be as strong as a Level three hundred for a short while. I finished it last year from junk the Shade ate up. It¡¯s Epic grade ¡ª the culmination of my life¡¯s work.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°Please keep them.¡±

    His mouth stood open for a moment. ¡°What? Really, I¡¯ve pretty much exhausted all my options¡­ I¡¯ve tried them, and they won¡¯t help me at all. It would be a waste on me. You can give them back when we are out of here, or keep them, whatever! Consider it a gift for trying to help me at all.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t use Mana.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Like, Stamina? Well, I can make stuff for that, too¡­ Would take a few days, and won¡¯t be as strong, but I can make it happen.¡±

    ¡°No Stamina, either. Also, no cooldowns. To be a little more precise, my Skills don¡¯t require any resources to use.¡±

    He blinked, then scratched his head. ¡°How does that work¡­? They have to have drawbacks?¡±

    ¡°The drawback is that they annoy me.¡±

    With a shallow exhale, he lowered his hand holding another item to the ground. ¡°But¡­ they will help us in this situation, right?¡±

    Theora pushed some hair out of her face, and tugged it behind her ear. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know. You can help me come up with a strategy, if you would like to?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ Sure? Shouldn¡¯t you know your Class best, though? But yes, just tell me what you can do, maybe we have some unexpected synergies.¡±

    Theora tried to come up with a good way to describe her abilities, and after a moment, she started to explain. ¡°So, one Skill of mine is a bit like an oracle. It gives answers, but there is no guarantee for the answers to be correct. The issue is that I need a sky to look at in order to use it.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± he murmured.

    ¡°The second one makes random things possible or impossible. It doesn¡¯t tell me what it did after use.¡±

    A drop of sweat let loose, merging into one of his eyebrows. ¡°I¡­ hope there are a lot more to come.¡±

    ¡°The last one injects a sun into me.¡±

    He stared at Theora as if she was messing with him, his eyebrows folding together. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that kill you?¡±

    ¡°I wish. There are two other Skills but¡­ One of them doesn¡¯t belong to me. I can¡¯t actually activate it, since it¡¯s not mine. The second one destroys targets I choose at the cost of potentially causing drastic damage to our surroundings. Not something I want to use inside this little Shade.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m honestly baffled you seem to have any hope of us finding the artefact,¡± he said. ¡°Like, that¡¯s it? These don¡¯t sound helpful at all? What Level are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Level 6,¡± she said, and he choked. ¡°Also, I do have two more Common Skills that I excluded for brevity; one is for brewing tea and the other lets me communicate through flowers.¡±

    He frowned, slowly shaking his head, seeming rather confused. ¡°And¡­ you were sent here by a quest from the System? I thought¡­ Wait, so they recruit just about anyone to the Hero Project nowadays¡­? You must be the most useless hero in existence. Ah¡­ N-no offence¡­¡±

    ¡°None taken,¡± Theora said. ¡°I agree with that assessment.¡±

    He gave a warm and genuine smile. ¡°Well, in any case, I¡¯m really glad you¡¯re willing to help. I¡¯m not sure where this is going to go, but I appreciate you. Thank you, really. This is all my mess, I never intended for anyone to get stuck with me. Again, I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    Theora shrugged. ¡°No use crying over spilt lava.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Could you give me a quick rundown of the things you have already attempted to find it?¡±

    Harrik nodded, then started littering the ground with even more crudely put-together magitech-devices from his backpack.

    ¡°This is a locator device¡­ and this is a Mana sensor, though it has only led me to parasites so far¡­ I scanned the place for years. Every nook and cranny. Nothing! It must be buried. Maybe wedged in a part of the creature it doesn¡¯t have access to. Like, as if something got stuck in our livers.¡±

    ¡°That would be unfortunate,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°If it¡¯s hidden that deep, we might have to do surgery to get it out.¡±

    ¡°Yes, except we¡¯d need some general idea of where it even is. We can¡¯t just cut blindly. If the Shade dies before we find it and this space collapses as a result, the artefact could be lost between worlds forever.¡±

    ¡°Also, I would prefer not to harm the Shade more than necessary,¡± Theora added.

    His eyes widened. ¡°Oh, yes! Yes, of course. I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just ¡ª I do want to get back to my sister, and finally having some help gives me a bit of hope¡­ This whole ordeal¡­ I can¡¯t imagine how she might be feeling. Sorry. I agree, the Shade is important.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been in here for seven years,¡± Theora said. ¡°While your sister is still outside.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± He sighed. ¡°I really hope she¡¯s okay. I can¡¯t really let this item just be stuck in here. It could cause some serious harm one day. And I don¡¯t know how to leave the Shade without killing it. I was hoping for it to spit me out when the artefact is retrieved.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Theora smoothed out her nightgown, then went from sitting cross-legged to kneeling, with her hands lying on her thighs. ¡°Let¡¯s find the item doing as little damage as we can. I think I actually have an idea.¡±

    He raised his eyebrows. ¡°An idea on how to do it? Can¡¯t wait to hear it.¡±

    Theora nodded, smiling with sly confidence. ¡°I could talk to the clouds in my head until they come up with a plan.¡±

    Harrik grimaced, and looked like he was about to cry. ¡°Y-you really think that could work?¡±

    ¡°I was once able to ask a question by imagining a sky in my head, as I said. So I don¡¯t see why it wouldn¡¯t work. They solved a mystery for me before, when I messed up and shifted the planet.¡±

    ¡°¡­ I see. Wait, what?¡±

    ¡°In fact, let me try right now.¡± Theora hummed, closed her eyes, and imagined a vast sea of clouds, trying her best to remember that fake sky she¡¯d seen earlier in one of the other rooms inside the Shade.

    How could we find Harrik¡¯s artefact?

    [Head in the Clouds].

    Answer: My dear, I pitied you back then, but please give me real clouds, not these things you made up!

    Wow.

    Didn¡¯t the Skill complain earlier about her not reaching out enough? What a way to twist the knife.

    Seeing her vexed expression, Harrik gave an expectant look. ¡°So¡­?¡±

    Theora harrumphed softly. ¡°I got yelled at. I think we are on our own.¡±

 Chapter 87: What Canâ€™t Be Done

    Her idea of asking her Class for help in shambles, Theora started grinding her head for potential other ways out of this situation.

    There is one thing, a tiny thought in her mind came up, but she squashed it with no hesitation, and did her best to come up with anything else.

    She looked down at her nightgown. It was stained with grassy streaks now, and she¡¯d accidentally torn a little hole into it while walking through the brushes. Her heart ached upon seeing it.

    ¡°I wish I had my coat with me,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°Oh, are you cold?¡± Harrik asked while pacing up and down the forest to help himself think. ¡°I can create a heat source.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Theora said. ¡°It¡¯s just, there¡¯s still an Orb of Seven Wishes inside.¡±

    He stumbled over a root and knocked his head against a tree trunk.

    ¡°What? How did you gain one of those?¡±

    ¡°Quest reward,¡± she murmured. Of course, being inside a Shade with its own rules, even the Finding Wish of the Orb might not prove successful, but it would have made for a decent try.

    ¡°Ah, sure, I see,¡± Harrik let out. ¡°Quest Reward. They hand them out like candy nowadays, huh?¡±

    Theora frowned, massaging her neck in thought. ¡°That¡¯s actually a really good point. I sometimes forget to open my quest rewards. Maybe I still have some left. If we are lucky, it might provide us with ¡®candy¡¯.¡±

    She popped open her logs, wading through System notifications with the help of some filtering options Isobel had shown her.

    And sure enough, there was something.

    About fifty years prior, she¡¯d dispatched Umbra, Ruler of the Seventh Sea. But she¡¯d never opened the rewards in this entire time. Her heart beat rose slightly as she gazed over the logs. Oh, how long has it been since she was excited for what she might receive? It would be so relieving to find something she could use to help the Shade.

    You have killed Umbra, Ruler of the Seventh Sea.

    You have completed a Side Quest.

    Rolling rewards¡­

    Result: [Epic Tier Reward Box]!

    Open [Epic Tier Reward Box].

    You have received 5.000 Credits!

    You have received 1.000 Points of Renown!

    You have received 6 Skill Points!

    Rolling final quest reward¡­

    You have received a Golden Apple!

    The apple materialised in a burst of light in front of her, then fell to the ground, and rolled a short distance before coming to a halt.

    Harrik stared. ¡°Wait a second. If that¡¯s from a quest reward ¡ª doesn¡¯t that mean you got Credits? Maybe there¡¯s something in the shop! Oh, and Skill points? You could use them to¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°I bought out the System shop a long time ago. Nothing left there.¡±

    ¡°You what?¡±

    Theora picked up the Golden Apple.

    ¡°Is that¡ª Oh god, that¡¯s an [Epic] item!¡±

    ¡°Speaking of Credits,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°I could transfer some to you. Is there something in your shop that could help us out?¡±

    ¡°Already tried,¡± he said, shrugging. ¡°I mostly used materials from the shop to create the items I have here. There¡¯s nothing left that would help, that I haven¡¯t already gotten, I¡¯m pretty sure.¡±

    That¡¯s right ¡ª he was pretty high Level. He would have had quite a few Credits too, even without solving quests from the Hero Project. Theora sighed.

    She looked at that apple. Unfortunately, it wouldn¡¯t help them here, either. It was a one-time-use item, and she¡¯d already eaten one long ago, and didn¡¯t even remember for what.

    And yet, she was really happy to receive it. She untied one of the laces on her nightgown and wrapped the apple in the lower part of the dress, then bundled it up with the lace to make sure she wouldn¡¯t lose it.

    A Golden Apple might at least prove useful to Isobel.

    ¡°Alright, this was worth a try, I suppose¡­ But I think we are running out of options,¡± Harrik said. He plucked a leaf from a tree in frustration, only for the leaf to immediately reappear on the shaking branch.

    Of course, there was still that one thing.

    One thing, only very slightly better than using [Obliterate]. Theora really didn¡¯t want to say it aloud though, because if she did, she might really end up having to do it.

    ¡°Oh well,¡± Theora said instead, getting up and walking around. ¡°I¡¯ll just start looking.¡±

    She made a few steps towards the first rock she could find, and turned it over.

    ¡°Not here,¡± she said, as Harrik stared at her in horror.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Hey now,¡± she almost pouted. ¡°I can¡¯t do something unreasonable without having tried a conventional search first.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®unreasonable¡¯? Also, I¡¯ve already tried! It¡¯s not under a rock!¡±

    ¡°Really? Did you try that one?¡±

    Theora pointed at a boulder behind a few shrubs, about as large as a bear.

    He rolled his eyes watching her approach. She stepped around it gingerly, pushing plant pictures aside, digging some of the fake earth away, and scrutinising every inch of it.

    ¡°Can I help you somehow?¡± he asked, although his voice made quite clear that he thought this was a pointless endeavour.

    ¡°Just stay far enough away. I¡¯m trying to ensure I won¡¯t hurt any small critters that might have found their way here.¡±

    After checking, she knelt down, and then gently lifted the rock.

    Under it was nothing. Not even earth, just an undefined absence of matter portrayed by some grey, fizzing goop of static. The Shade had been a little lazy.

    Theora sighed.

    ¡°Your strength stat must be terrifying,¡± Harrik murmured. ¡°But, I really did check stuff. It¡¯s not under a rock.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then,¡± she said. ¡°I wish to cry.¡±

    He scratched his head, and looked a little lost. ¡°Are you okay? Look, I¡¯m sorry. Maybe we could¡­¡± He stared into the air, and then just shook his head drawing blank.

    ¡°There is one thing,¡± Theora murmured.

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    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t want to do it, but if we are left with no other choice¡­¡± She let her head sink down, resting her forehead on her palms. ¡°This is¡­ I don¡¯t wanna¡­¡±

    Harrik tilted his head. ¡°You¡¯re sounding a little ominous. So you are saying you have a plan?¡±

    ¡°It is, in fact, the opposite of a plan. It¡¯s pure chaos. I don¡¯t know if it would even work, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t want to pressure you into doing something you don¡¯t want to. So, if you don¡¯t want to, that¡¯s fine. But if there is any chance¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora replied with a sigh. She raised her arms weakly, then let them fall back down. ¡°Well, remember that one Skill I mentioned? It makes things almost impossible. Or, almost possible.¡±

    He pulled his brows together, nodding slowly. ¡°I remember. But you said you can¡¯t control it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. But let¡¯s suppose, just for a second, that I used the Skill, and by pure chance, it made it ¡®almost impossible not to find that item of yours by randomly looking around¡¯.¡±

    He frowned. ¡°That Skill can do that?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea. Let¡¯s say it¡¯s not that strong, let¡¯s say it makes it ¡®almost impossible not to find the item with your locator¡¯. Or, perhaps, ¡®almost impossible not to find the item with the first incision into the Shade¡¯s body I do with [Obliterate]¡¯.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re rapidly losing me in this train of thought. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t follow?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying, maybe there is a random event the Skill could happen to choose that would let us find the item. Maybe even more than one.¡±

    Harrik bit his lips in thought, looking at a point behind Theora, trying to work through the idea in his head, and pointlessly plucked another leaf. ¡°Alright, yes. That, maybe. Perhaps. If the Skill is even able to manipulate negative events in this way.¡± He shook his head. ¡°But even in that case, that¡¯s still like, only a one-in-a-million chance the Skill would actually choose that event!¡±

    They ended up locking gazes, and Theora reciprocated his stare for so long that his expression melted into mild apprehension. She just stood there, calmly, with piercing, blank eyes.

    ¡°Then,¡± she went, ¡°What if I use it a million times?¡±

    For a moment, Harrik was simply stunned. Any immediate words died in his throat against the iron look she gave. He blinked. Frowned, confused.

    Somehow, he was aware that she meant it.

    ¡°Who in the world are you?¡±

    Theora averted her gaze. ¡°I¡¯m a somewhat experienced Hero who went to a bath house to rest, and was swallowed by a Shade in my bed. And this is my best guess on how we can fetch that item of yours. Even if it¡¯s going to be a mess.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ Yes. That wasn¡¯t¡­ Yes. Alright.¡±

    ¡°The Skill will receive an additional unlock at Level 13. I don¡¯t know if a million activations would let it reach that. I don¡¯t know how experience for that Skill is calculated. I don¡¯t know what kind of unlock it will be, either. Really, anything could happen.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying it¡¯s dangerous? For example¡­ What if it becomes almost impossible for us to breathe? To live? To talk? To stay in one piece?¡±

    Theora pursed her lips. ¡°It¡¯s likely going to be very uncomfortable, although I have reason to believe it might not be dangerous. That said, I¡¯d still prefer if you left this place before I used the Skill. I will stay here, find that item of yours, and then leave too. No need for you to be here with me and endure all of it.¡±

    Theora sighed. The Shade would likely receive a massive belly-ache.

    ¡°I¡­ Wait, you¡¯re kicking me out?¡±

    ¡°I am not ¡®kicking you out¡¯,¡± Theora said. ¡°What you do is up to you. You can stay, if you want to. I just want you to be aware that it will be unpleasant, and that I would prefer not having to worry about making you uncomfortable.¡±

    Harrik nodded. ¡°I¡­ Well, I get that. But this is all my mess in the first place. Also, I still very much think it would be a bad idea for me to leave this place, if the Shade even lets me. I have my reasons. Plus, you don¡¯t even know what the thing looks like.¡±

    ¡°You could describe it to me.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Yes, I could. Definitely! I¡¯m just saying, it might be a tiny bit of help if I stayed, right? I could use my instruments to confirm things. For example, what if the Skill makes it almost impossible to recognise the item? Almost impossible to see it? So, if you will allow, I¡¯d like to stay. Please.¡±

    Theora swallowed. ¡°Don¡¯t beg. I already told you, it¡¯s up to you. I just want you to know what you are getting into. I have no idea what might happen.¡±

    He gave a sigh of relief. ¡°Alright! Yes, I understand that. But, one thing ¡ª you mentioned that you think the Skill won¡¯t do harm? Can you explain why?¡±

    Theora nodded. Of course, one aspect was that she simply didn¡¯t want to believe that her [Stargazer] Class would do anything bad. It hadn¡¯t so far, all it did was cause mischief, but never anything gruesome. However, that was just a wish, not evidence.

    The true reason for her confidence was something else.

    ¡°If it was possible to do harm with this Skill, if it could cause damage, then it would likely classify as a combat-type.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I agree,¡± Harrik said. ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°And in that case, it would have been swallowed up by [Obliterate] a long time ago.¡±

    He blinked. ¡°It would have been what?¡± But then, shook his head and waved off. ¡°Actually, nevermind. If you say so. Whatever. Yes, naturally, the Skill would have been obliterated. Glad we sorted that out.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Then, if you are alright with this procedure, all that is left is to ask the Shade for permission.¡±

    She stood up, and walked towards the edge of the clearing. As she did, she heard Harrik mutter in the background. ¡°Ah, yes, of course. Ask the Shade. Yes. You think it even understands human language?¡±

    ¡°I offered my help through speech,¡± Theora said. ¡°Then, it swallowed me. So, I believe I might understand some of it. But you make a good point. Maybe it¡¯s not fluent. I should gather some flowers first, to make sure¡­¡±

    ¡°Gather some flowers first,¡± he whispered, talking more to himself than to anything else in a desperate plea.

    There were probably some flowers to be found here, right?

    Theora traversed the clearance and even veered off into some shadows to find adjacent paths, keeping her eyes open for pretty flowers or flower look-alikes she could bundle into a bouquet to communicate her intentions and feelings to the Shade.

    She wasn¡¯t certain it would work, but it was a decent attempt. Harrik walked after her, mumbling things to himself while at the same time going through his items to ascertain he had everything he might need ready to go.

    Then, finally, with a large bouquet in her hand, Theora went to find a particularly dark spot in the shadows again, in hopes of being able to summon the Shade.

    As she touched it, the Shade materialised within itself, a wobbly mass in front of them, scaling between larger and smaller sizes seemingly randomly. Its red eyes were glued to Theora.

    ¡°What if it says no?¡± Harrik asked, somewhat anxiously.

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t do it.¡±

    With that, Theora offered the bouquet, and the Shade absorbed it. Then, she relayed the situation in detail.

    They didn¡¯t think they had any other options. Didn¡¯t think there was an alternative yet to find.

    It could hurt, or simply not work. It could take a while, or feel like an eternity. Ultimately, Theora tried her best to say, in simple terms, that she had absolutely no idea what she was doing.

    ¡°It might be uncomfortable and confusing,¡± she explained. ¡°But, please hold still while it happens. Don¡¯t change our reality on your end. If you do, it would be harder to tell which effects the Skill is producing. That is, except for trying to give us the item lodged inside yourself ¡ª if the Skill happens to make that easier for you, it would be helpful if you tried.¡± She mused if she¡¯d forgotten anything, but eventually ended with, ¡°Spit me out if it becomes unbearable. Other than that, feel free to eject us once we have the item.¡±

    The creature nuzzled against Theora, wrapping itself around an arm and even her torso, as if giving a hug. Theora reciprocated by pressing on the fabric gently, until it peeled itself off.

    ¡°Lastly,¡± she said, extending both arms, ¡°Please poke my left hand if you want me to do it as quickly as possible, and have it over with. Poke my right hand if you want us to take our time, and do it slowly.¡±

    The Shade extended a shaky protrusion, wobbling between both hands for a while as if in thought, and eventually, engulfed Theora¡¯s left hand with a soft frizzly sensation.

    ¡°Fast it is.¡±

    And with that, all preparations were complete. The only thing left was to start casting the Skill.

    ¡°How long do you think it will take?¡± Harrik asked. ¡°You said fast, but ¡ª assuming it actually takes a million tries. A few months? Years? We¡¯ll be here for a while. Do we need to prepare food of sorts? Water?¡±

    ¡°I am somewhat well rested,¡± Theora responded. ¡°My mind is mostly clear. And, I am in a bit of a good mood.¡±

    Harrik shifted his weight between his legs. ¡°And that means¡­?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long the changes made by my Skill will last. I don¡¯t want to subject the Shade to prolonged periods of this, especially since it chose the short option.¡± She looked at the makeshift forest clearing. ¡°This is not what the inside of the Shade typically looks like; this all exists to make things more comfortable for us. Typically, the inside of a Shade does not follow the laws of our nature. There is a certain chance it won¡¯t mind [im//possibility] too much, but I don¡¯t wish to risk it. So, I will do my best.¡±

    Harrik frowned. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°It will be a bit of a strain, but I aim to execute our plan within the span of a minute or two. I will need to rest afterwards, but I should be able to do it.¡±

    Harrik froze.

    ¡°If my mind breaks,¡± Theora continued, ¡°I¡¯ll force myself to continue anyway, and sleep the damage off afterwards. I¡¯ll stop casting the Skill the moment I manage to get my fingers on that item and have your confirmation that it¡¯s done.¡±

    Harrik nodded, and he looked a bit scared.

    ¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°Ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a locket. Small, but thick, and heavy. Intricate work of engineering. Lots of small compartments.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Let¡¯s try.¡±

    She gazed around to take in the exact state of things at the current time, in hopes of recognising her Skill¡¯s effects. There was the large boulder the size of a bear behind her, willows all around, a shrub, some dense, dark spots, rubbery grass, a fake sky. Little flies making their predetermined rounds, roots on the ground, Harrik¡¯s items lying around on the other side of the clearing, and Harrik himself, a few steps away.

    And then, she spoke.

    ¡°[im//possibility].¡±

 Chapter 88: Carry the Burden

    Theora activated the Skill a few dozens of times within a fraction of a moment. She kept her surroundings in her gaze, but as of yet, she could not ascertain any differences.

    [im//possibility]. [im//possibility]. [im//possibility].

    Theora blinked as her eyes got a bit weary. She knew it was working; with every activation, she could feel reality change ever so slightly, if only as a vague feedback of using the Skill. It just wasn¡¯t immediately obvious what those changes in the fabric of reality might be.

    However, as she got into the hundreds, and then finally thousands, things got a little weird.

    For one, Theora really wanted to sneeze, but couldn¡¯t. Her nose kept tingling, but wouldn¡¯t grant her release.

    At the same time, reality began to crumble around her. The forest fell apart. One tree after the other broke off from the clearance, and drifted into darkness, like parts of an island in the clouds losing their grip in the sky.

    Space bent and warped.

    Theora could look around corners now; see what was behind bushes and trees that should be blocking her line of vision. There were three of that same bear-sized boulder now, copied to different locations, although one of them had diagonally split through itself, with the sides being reflections of each other.

    These effects could be resulting from [im//possibility], but Theora wasn¡¯t sure. The Shade could also be having trouble maintaining its own integrity under the mounting pressures of subtle changes.

    Some things were definitely the Skill, though. There was a flower petal carried by the wind around Theora, and for the life of her, she couldn¡¯t look at it directly. Whenever she tried, it would dodge her gaze, or reality would twist. She kept trying to no avail; it was almost impossible to clearly see it.

    In other words, things were going well, so she increased the activation rate.

    A moment later, they were cast into new surroundings. An endless space, colourless, neither dark nor bright, but many red pillars all around ¡ª or, at second glance, thick red bamboo branches, reaching up into nothingness. A fog billowed between them. Theora made a step forward, but didn¡¯t change location. She tried again and again, but it was almost impossible to get closer to any of the branches. Most steps took her further away.

    She lost balance, and almost tripped, couldn¡¯t figure out how to fall, then tore the sleeve of her dress while dodging a red bamboo stalk that had suddenly started falling.

    She looked back at Harrik, who was running, almost getting hit as well but paying no mind, as he was focused on trying to reach the hand of a small girl next to him. A little girl, too vague in shape for Theora to recognise clearly.

    But no matter how hard he tried, his fingers couldn¡¯t touch hers. She tried to reach him too, but every time she made a step forward, the ground between them would increase.

    ¡°No,¡± he whimpered, and grimaced in despair. And then, as she faded away, in fear.

    He screamed.

    Theora wanted to approach him, but staggered.

    Ah. Was that a voice, behind her?

    When she turned, there stood Dema.

    Why hello there, little rabbit, she imagined her say, but there was no sound ¡ª as if it could almost, but not quite, reach her ears.

    ¡°I missed you so bad,¡± Theora murmured at the mirage, and then remembered this was not really Dema.

    It was a version of Dema, almost able to exist here, but not really.

    And so, Theora activated the Skill another few thousands of times. She wanted to hug her so bad. Stretched out her arms to wrap them around the scrawny little figure, and although she could almost reach her, it wasn¡¯t enough.

    Then, Dema disappeared. Instead, broken pieces of rock scattered onto the ground, hundreds of them in different sizes, and Theora frantically knelt down, to put them back together. Put back together the pieces. They needed to be back in one.

    It couldn¡¯t stay like this. She found a little rock leg. Half a face, with Isobel¡¯s eyes and moss patches and¡ª

    Theora couldn¡¯t put her back together. It was as if there was always one part missing, always one part she desperately needed to find next, but to no avail. With each attempt, the pieces got smaller.

    ¡°This is goddamn vexing,¡± she heard Harrik shout from behind. ¡°I hate this!¡±

    ¡°You and me both,¡± Theora murmured, wiping a tear out of her face. She reached for another fragment of Isobel, and it just broke in two upon being touched. Every piece, whenever Theora reached out, would fall apart. Again, and again, and again. Soon, Isobel would be powdered into the finest dust.

    Reality collapsed once more.

    A storm. Lightning, rain. Bell¡¯s tendrils shook wildly in the air and she almost, but not quite, managed to kill Dema, and was [Obliterated] in return. What used to be Bell was now a puddle of jellyfish goop on the ground.

    Theora closed her eyes. She didn¡¯t want to see these things.

    However, closing her eyes made no difference. With a knot in her stomach, she activated another batch, and realised her Skill had reached its unlock.

    [im//possibility], Level 153.

    A random event is chosen. Play it out in front of your mind¡¯s eye.

    If it is possible, it becomes almost impossible.

    If it is impossible, it becomes almost possible.

    Level 13 Unlock: Skill effect changed.

    [Additional effect unlocked at Level -4]

    Theora blinked. The second sentence in the effect was new. It completely altered how the Skill worked. Still, it was too late to turn back. This was their only hope. She was starting to get tired too. There was not much time left.

    She kept seeing more visions ¡ª more events. Not all of them were bad; but many were total bogus. An especially unlikely one was a scene of herself sitting in the grass, laughing out loud in joy.

    What an idea. Was that an impossible event that had now become almost possible? Or had it only been possible until now?

    The Skill scared Theora just a bit. Would these visions expire, or were they set forever? Did they only affect the here and now, or could they influence events in distant futures?

    It was gut-wrenching, and exhausting. But¡­ At some point, surely, an event would occur that influenced Harrik¡¯s magic item. She just needed to force herself to stay clear until then.

    The events were now mere flashes, passing by her mind¡¯s eye, and she paid them no attention past determining whether it was what they were fishing for. She was seeping through an endless archive of the possible and impossible, in order to find the one event that would lead them out.

    [im//possibility] advanced to Level 205.

    Still not.

    [im//possibility] advanced to Level 267.

    [im//possibility] advanced to Level 302.

    None of these matched.

    ¡­

    ¡­

    [im//possibility] advanced to Level 879.

    And there, after what felt like an eternity, it was. She blinked a slow blink.

    Theora saw a magic locket unravel from the densest fabric. It was a minor event, an afterthought of sorts, just a small hint of its existence. She saw it slip through a crack inside the vast and complex body of the Shade, felt herself reach out and take it ¡ª in an event before her eyes.

    That wasn¡¯t good enough. She couldn¡¯t let the chance slip. She didn¡¯t care if the event was possible or not, if it was reality or vision. She stretched out her heavy hand, almost grasping the locket, her fingers arched towards it ¡ª but fell just a tad short.

    Almost.

    Almost but not quite. It was just out of reach.

    This was unacceptable.

    Theora lurched.

    With a violent crack, reality thundered. Black and red lightning flashed as her hand reached what it was not supposed to reach, enclosed what was not supposed to be there. Her fingers wrapped tight around the cold trinket, and she would not let go.

    Theora turned around to Harrik ¡ª not by moving her body, but by bending reality to her will, like dragging perspective around. He was struggling to wriggle out of azure bedsheets trying to devour him, almost but not quite able to free his arms.

    She showed him the item, hand shaking softly.

    ¡°Is that it?¡±

    His eyes turned wide. He nodded, and tried to shout something, but then a bunch of fabric wrapped around his head and turned him silent.

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    At the exact moment of confirmation, the Shade ejected Theora. Threw her out with a lot more strength than she had thought the little thing capable of. She was fired out like a cannonball.

    First, Theora broke through a wooden floor. Then, another. Then, three more.

    And with a big splash, she landed in hot water.

    Oh, so very hot.

    Bubbles she¡¯d taken with her came loose from her body, her hair strung along the liquid as she hit against the ground underwater with a little crack. She held onto the locket, and when the force of the ejection wore off, she pushed herself back up, realising the water was actually quite shallow.

    Her head pierced the surface, the night breeze setting to dry and cool her off. Dema stood at the other end, head and shoulders peeking out of the bath.

    Dema was such a comfortable sight. Theora immediately felt at home. Had the Shade thrown her here on purpose?

    Dema, however, raised an accusatory finger.

    ¡°Little rabbit, the rules! We¡¯re gonna be kicked out! You gotta wash off first before entering the bath.¡± Her stretched-out arm swung over to point at the door. ¡°In the antechamber. Also, undress! No going in with clothes.¡±

    Theora blushed furiously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    The very next moment, a head emerged in the vaguely Theora-shaped hole left by the destruction of her entrance in the ceiling. Isobel stared down with a curious expression.

    A moment later, that same expression turned into a serious frown.

    ¡°Bad!¡± she yelped, let herself fall, and splashed into the bath.

    The moment she reappeared, she fetched Theora¡¯s hand and mangled the locket out of it. With a gentle click, she turned a latch on its side, and a soft, all-encompassing shockwave emanated from the item with a whomp. Then, Iso swam through the water at ridiculous giant isopod speed, her body waving up and down through it.

    She soared out, and left through the door.

    Dema stared after her.

    ¡°Damn, starting to feel like I¡¯m out of the loop. What was that thing she took? Why¡¯d she take it?¡±

    ¡°No idea,¡± Theora mumbled.

    ¡°Anyway. Go undress!¡±

    Theora nodded viciously and made her way out of the hot bath, slowly losing grip on what was even going on. She dripped water all over the stone slab floor, entered the antechamber containing little shelves for clothes, baskets with towels, as well as buckets to clean oneself at the basin perched against one of the walls.

    As if on autopilot, she actually went to one of the shelves and took a basket, took a towel to wrap it around her wet hair, reached down to the hemline of her dress to take it off, and only then broke out of her trance as she heard a happy scream issue from outside.

    She hurried into the corridor, and was greeted by the sight of a kneeling Harrik, all back in reality too, probably having been puked out at the same time as her. A moment later, a little girl appeared out of nowhere mid-jump, removing her invisibility. She fell into his arms, and judging by the way he was immediately ready to catch and hug her, it almost seemed like he¡¯d expected it.

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Kara cheered, snuggling into him, and he started crying.

    ¡°I am. I¡¯m so sorry. I was gone for so long.¡±

    ¡°You look so old! You have a beard now!¡±

    He chuckled between sobs. ¡°Got trapped in a dilation,¡± he said. ¡°But I¡¯m all back now. So sorry.¡±

    Theora blinked. Dilation?

    A few seconds later, Isobel jumped down the stairs to Theora¡¯s left. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± she cheered. ¡°I isolated it inside your coat. Nothing bad¡¯s gonna happen!¡±

    Theora stared. ¡°Isolated it?¡±

    ¡°Yea! Like, the time warper you brought with you? When I identified it, I was like, damn! That¡¯s bad news if we keep it lying around! So I thought I¡¯d just contain it.¡±

    ¡°Why would it be bad news?¡±

    Isobel scrunched up her face. ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t know? It¡¯s a thing that makes time around it go quicker. In a certain radius. Or slower, when you turn the latch. No way to shut it off though¡­ So if we have it lying around, all your friends in Hallmark would grow old! You wouldn¡¯t want that, right? But I was fast, so we probably only lost a few days.¡±

    The artefact Harrik had carried around was a time dilation device? And the Shade had swallowed it? So¡­ that meant¡­ Within the Shade, time had gone by quicker?

    ¡°What day is it?¡± Theora asked. ¡°When did we arrive at this bath house?¡±

    ¡°Just today!¡± Isobel said. ¡°I thought you were asleep.¡± The next moment, her eyes widened, and then, after darting over to Harrik for a second, her face changed to an accusatory look. For a moment, she seemed to look at a System prompt. ¡°Wait a second! Mom! You stole my quest!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Theora said. She quickly bowed in apology. ¡°It was an accident.¡±

    Isobel looked so betrayed. ¡°Accident! Even though I told you not to worry about it! Even though you were supposed to rest!¡±

    ¡°I¡ªI did rest,¡± Theora murmured ruefully. ¡°I did sleep for about a month. Maybe even more.¡±

    ¡°Then why do you look so tired!¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t deny it. Using [im//possibility] so much had messed her up badly. She was close to losing consciousness, but holding on by power of will, at least until she was sure everything was alright.

    ¡°I will rest,¡± Theora promised. ¡°I will¡­ right now¡­¡± She staggered a little. ¡°Aw, oh no. My nightgown is wet now, and torn-up.¡±

    ¡°Gotta sleep naked, then. No choice,¡± Dema whispered from behind Theora, and gave her a soft start.

    Meanwhile, Harrik had finished greeting Kara, and, carrying her on his shoulder, approached the three, smiling, but weary. The activations of [im//possibility] had left their mark on him as well, his face tinted blue.

    ¡°I¡ª Thank you so much.¡± He gasped for air for a moment, then looked at Isobel. ¡°Contained. You said you have it contained?¡±

    Isobel clacked a nod. ¡°Yep! All good!¡±

    He issued a sigh of relief. ¡°Oh, thank you. Thank you. I wasn¡¯t sure how I¡¯d get rid of it¡ª Is it¡­ sealed off for good?¡±

    ¡°For good!¡± she answered. ¡°As long as we keep it inside her coat!¡±

    His eyes wandered to Theora. ¡°Can you¡­ keep it for me, then?¡±

    Theora got a little dizzy, but felt Dema¡¯s touch steady her at her waist. She blinked. ¡°I can keep it?¡± she asked, very quietly.

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t burden you too much¡­¡±

    ¡°Burden,¡± Theora echoed, a little confused.

    How could it be a burden? A time dilation device in her travelling coat? She couldn¡¯t have invented a more amazing item if she tried. And Isobel had already flipped the switch. Now, Theora¡¯s precious baking ingredients would stay fresh so much longer. She might even be able to fetch lava without it cooling off.

    ¡°I shall carry the burden,¡± she said solemnly, and nodded, and almost lost balance.

    ¡°Alright li¡¯l rabbit, let¡¯s get you to bed,¡± Dema said, and interlocked her arm with Theora¡¯s to stabilise her.

    Dema wasn¡¯t naked. Dema had thrown her tattered robe back on after leaving the bath. This was a relief.

    So, Theora proceeded to let herself be guided up the stairs and through the corridors; notably, Dema stopped at each hole Theora¡¯s ejection had left within the bathhouse to patch up with¡­ dried and condensed slabs of her own blood that she conjured from under her fingernails.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you,¡± Theora murmured, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t¡­ better¡­ use rock?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t have any rock here!¡± Dema chirped. ¡°Blood¡¯s more convenient to supplement wood, easier to seep into the fibres to form connections! Plus, rock¡¯s too heavy for a stone house.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora hummed. ¡°Blood it is.¡±

    ¡°Blood it is. Gonna help them fix it up properly later if they don¡¯t want my bloodstone all over the place.¡±

    ¡°You are precious,¡± Theora murmured, sleep-drunk.

    ¡°Why, thank you. Also, what happened?¡±

    ¡°Shade,¡± Theora said. ¡°Shade swallowed me up. After you were gone.¡± She threw a short accusatory glance at Dema. ¡°After you left me behind, all alone, in bed. Shade also swallowed up the missing person a while ago. Tossed me back out when I fixed the belly-ache.¡±

    ¡°I see!¡± Dema said as if this all made total sense.

    A while and three blood-clotted holes in the ground later, they arrived back at their room.

    Dema positioned Theora in the middle, saying, ¡°I¡¯m gonna fetch something for you to wear.¡±

    The Shade was not here anymore. It didn¡¯t sit on the bed. Theora waddled towards the window, placed her hands on the sill, and looked outside. She couldn¡¯t see the Shade, but it was dark, so she couldn¡¯t be sure. A few more slow steps brought her to the bed, and she knelt down to look underneath it.

    Only darkness.

    Theora was a bit too tired to get up again, so she crawled away to look underneath the other bed too.

    ¡°Whatcha doing?¡± Dema went, having fetched an oversized shirt.

    Hm. Perhaps the Shade ran away because of all the bad things that happened. But Theora would have liked to say goodbye. But she could understand why the Shade might not want to, after having been put through such an ordeal. So, perhaps the Shade had gone back home?

    Theora frowned at that thought. Where would that home be, Theora? she scolded herself. Her thoughts were not making much sense, were they? She could feel the segments of her brain shutting off one by one. They were retiring for the day, leaving her to fend all on her own, completely without a brain.

    First Dema, then the Shade, and now her head. Everyone was leaving Theora behind.

    There had been those terrible visions of Bell and Iso, too.

    Before Theora could realise, Dema had already pulled her back into a sitting position, and was helping her change into the shirt. Then, Dema picked her up into a princess carry, and threw her into bed.

    Literally threw her. Theora found herself flying through the air for a second, curdled up into a ball, and then plummeted onto the mattress in a soft thump. Perfect, soft, velvety sheets.

    Theora stared at the demon.

    ¡°I loved that,¡± she said. ¡°I love being thrown.¡±

    Dema giggled. ¡°Figured you might!¡± Then, she picked up a half-torn piece hanging down her cloak and used it to dry off her own hair. When she was done, she turned to the door and waved. ¡°There we go. Now, sleep! See you!¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Theora mumbled. ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡±

    Dema halted at that sudden strict tone. ¡°Why, I was gonna go and help out with the repairs?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t leave me again.¡±

    Dema slowly made a few steps back into the room. ¡°I can¡¯t leave?¡±

    ¡°Ever,¡± Theora said, holding out her hand in an offer to be fetched. ¡°You left, and then I got swallowed by a Shade.¡±

    ¡°Why, almost sounds like you¡¯re blaming me.¡± Dema closed in and grasped Theora¡¯s fingers, then sat down on the bed beside her. ¡°The Shade would¡¯ve been here either way!¡±

    ¡°We could have been swallowed together.¡±

    ¡°You would have preferred that?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t quite understand why she was saying these things, because her critical thinking was already asleep. It was also very dark, and her vision a bit blurred with exhaustion. All she could do was look at a little lint on Dema¡¯s cloak. A tiny fluff of fabric, condensed, hanging on. How was it so pretty?

    Ah, no, it wasn¡¯t the lint itself; it was the fact that it was resting on Dema. That made it very cool.

    She blinked, and at that, Dema noticed Theora¡¯s gaze, followed it, found the lint with an ¡°Ah!¡±, and flung it to the floor.

    What a sad day for this lint.

    ¡°You won¡¯t toss me off like this one, right?¡±

    Dema gave a laugh. ¡°Why, you feel bad for it? Sorry!¡± She bowed down, picked the lint back up, and placed it on her cloak. ¡°There! Better?¡±

    Theora nodded.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Dema said, humming. ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t leave you. But¡­ you¡¯re gonna sleep for weeks, right? When will I be able to help the others!¡±

    Theora pouted. ¡°Don¡¯t you like scheming? Figure something out. Use that pretty head of yours.¡±

    Dema let out a surprised ¡°Wha!¡± and stared down. ¡°Figure something out? How! Not possible to help them if I¡¯m stuck here!¡±

    ¡°Find a way,¡± Theora said, and harrumphed. ¡°Be creative.¡± After all, she¡¯d needed to be creative too.

    Dema interlocked her fingers with Theora¡¯s, and they were so soft and warm. ¡°Why, little rascal. So assertive today! So confident.¡±

    ¡°That must be why you lo¡ª¡±

    Theora swallowed, clenching Dema¡¯s soft hand. ¡°¡­ Like me.¡±

    ¡°Dang, careful there. You¡¯re so tired, you¡¯re gonna say some dangerous things.¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Actually, maybe I should keep you awake a little longer. Just to¡­ hear you out!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very tired,¡± Theora hummed back. ¡°It would be quite cruel to keep me awake on purpose, for your own amusement.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Dema agreed. ¡°Cruel¡¯s good. Am the Ancient Evil, after all. Gotta protect my image.¡±

    ¡°Protect your image by keeping me awake.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Theora pulled Dema¡¯s hand closer, and wrapped her other one around it too. She closed her eyes. ¡°I see. Keeping me company when I¡¯m exhausted. Waiting for your chance to help out the others. Very evil. Diabolical. Can¡¯t believe that I lo¡ª ¡­ That I like someone like you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema rasped, graciously forgoing to comment on Theora¡¯s complete lack of a filter like the saint that she was. ¡°And I got a lot of other schemes going, too. Oh, speaking of, you won¡¯t believe the evil plan I have for our date. Been working on it for a while. Started in Hallmark, actually. It¡¯s gonna blow you away!¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Theora hummed, almost asleep. ¡°Can¡¯t wait. Blow me away.¡±

    Then, she dozed off.

 Chapter 89: The Grand Observatory of Fiction

    The Grand Observatory of Fiction was truly grand. A giant dome, visible at the horizon even hours before arriving, with an immense aura almost rivalling that of Dema.

    Dema, who simply stared at it wide-eyed, ever since it had come into view. Whenever it got hidden behind trees or hills or buildings, she gave little side glances to Theora, not daring to ask whether this was actually where they were headed.

    Bell and Iso had ventured off to do more side-quests and take care of other business, while Dema and Theora would go on their ¡®date¡¯. Theora knew that it was probably bad to call it that, mostly because she had no clue what actually awaited them. But, depending on what kind of story ¡®To Hell With the Author¡¯ would turn out to be, maybe they¡¯d get a few moments of calm.

    A few weeks had passed since she¡¯d met Harrik inside the Shade, most of which she¡¯d spent asleep.

    They had decided on a prolonged stay at the inn. Her [im//possibility]-escapade had left too much of a mark to be ignored, especially paired with the lingering exhaustion of Hallmark, and everyone agreed that now was the time to let her make up for all of it.

    ¡°I suggest you sleep for five to ten years,¡± Bell had said like a physician, although Theora had no intention of actually being gone for that long. She briefly considered entering her travelling coat to sleep there, but even though it was a powerful item and fairly large inside, it wasn¡¯t made to accommodate human conditions, and while Theora had been ready to ignore that part, the others had not. After all, the coat was no Shade who could alter its own within.

    ¡°You can¡¯t sleep where there is no air,¡± Bell had said.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I can.¡±

    ¡°No, mom,¡± Isobel had gone, ¡°She¡¯s saying you¡¯re not allowed to! No sleeping where there is no air!¡±

    Taking the locket of time warping out of the interdimensional cloak wasn¡¯t a very good idea either, because its radius was actually quite large, and Theora didn¡¯t want to risk anyone walking into it potentially losing years of their lives in comparison to their loved ones.

    As such, regrettably, the item was, for now, mostly a means to keep her ingredients from spoiling.

    Harrik and his sister left after a few days. Apparently, he¡¯d used that locket to flee from some type of persecution, and keep his sister safe. These events lay hundreds of years in the past now though. He¡¯d apologised about a dozen more times for not destroying the locket sooner ¡ª he simply hadn¡¯t ever felt quite safe without it.

    And with that, once Theora had gotten at least a little bit of rest, they decided to move on, and finally made for the last part of their journey towards the Observatory.

    ¡°So,¡± Dema went, as the Observatory was almost impossible to avoid, ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re taking us?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Which¡­ Which¡­ Wait. Are we gonna enter a book? That¡¯s the Grand Observatory, right? I heard people talk about it in Hallmark.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora confirmed.

    ¡°So¡­ Which book?¡±

    ¡°Your favourite.¡±

    ¡°My favourite!¡± Dema let out. ¡°Yes! My favourite. Uh¡­ What¡¯s my favourite?¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t know what your favourite book is? Hell and Balinth told me.¡±

    Dema scratched her head. ¡°Well¡­ I do know, but¡­¡±

    ¡°It is ¡®To Hell with the Author¡¯.¡±

    Dema came to a halt and stared. The winds were going strong, splattering her hair around against her face. ¡°Our¡­ date¡­ is gonna be in¡­¡±

    ¡°Is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± she assured, and her expression turned from confusion into a grin. ¡°I love the story! You¡¯re gonna love it, too! Especially Gonell. Oh my, you¡¯re gonna meet Gonell!¡± The realisations hit Dema one after the other, and her eyes started gleaming. ¡°I just didn¡¯t think you¡¯d wanna enter that kind of story!¡±

    ¡°Why not? I don¡¯t know a lot about it. Is there something wrong with it?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Dema started, trying to find words. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a tough one? Not very nice.¡±

    ¡°But, it¡¯s only a story, right?¡±

    ¡°True¡­ I guess it¡¯s gonna be fine!¡±

    Dema turned to the dome again, giggling.

    It was made out of white rock, perfectly smooth except for little lines engraved in an intricate and complex geometrical pattern on its outside ¡ª mana veins, most likely, part of what enabled the structure to do what it did, Theora figured. It featured a single entrance, larger than a building on its own, with no apparent mechanism to close it up.

    They slowly made their way around and went in.

    The inside was a huge hollow sphere, stretching far above and far below into the ground. Fog had gathered to the point where seeing the further side of the hall was hard. Thousands of library shelves draped the inside walls, with ladders, stairs, and mana-powered elevators connecting hundreds of levels. Some paths led a bit further into the sphere, towards islands containing little areas to read and study.

    ¡°Woah!¡± Dema went, and every step seemed to make her more excited. For a mage, this construction was likely an incredible marvel to behold; it looked like a work of impossible arcane finesse. ¡°Look, so many of them!¡± she yelled, pointing at the mana crystals.

    There were a myriad floating in the air. These crystals were likely why the Observatory had been constructed here; their density and strength was likely comparable to Hallmark.

    The area was so large that giant eagle-like birds were using them to nest.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Dema looked around in curiosity. ¡°Not many people here, huh!¡±

    Some sat in the reading islands, some walked across paths, in the distance. Overall, the space looked almost empty.

    At the very centre of the sphere was a gigantic basin of concentrated mana, surrounded by structures that sucked little strands of energy from the crystals and the walls, as if continually filling up the reserves.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s where we will enter,¡± Theora murmured, pointing at a number of rock sarcophagi floating around the basin.

    Dema laughed. ¡°Damn, they¡¯re gonna kill us! Oh look, someone¡¯s coming!¡±

    A person was floating out from a canal at the lower end of the Observatory; apparently, more structure was built into the earth outside the sphere. Theora watched them fly up towards them, and soon recognised her as a very small and chubby Lyph with dark violet skin, short crimson-red hair, pointy ears and wide robes floating around her. She held a clipboard in her hand, a feather that seemed to belong to the kind of bird native to this dome, carved in a way so one could write with it. In addition, a small blob of ink floated above a corner of the paper.

    ¡°Welcome to the Grand Observatory of Fiction,¡± she said with a deep voice when she arrived. ¡°I¡¯m Elsinaria. Can I help you somehow?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema said. ¡°We wanted to visit a book!¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Do you have the name of that book? Or a personal copy of it?¡±

    ¡°To Hell with the Author,¡± Theora said. ¡°I have a copy of it with me.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Her eyes lost focus for a moment as she looked at a System prompt. ¡°That book has not been visited before. We do not have a premade copy of its world accessible. As such, we can prepare one.¡±

    With a snap of her fingers, a burst of mana came free, and Theora felt herself become much lighter, just as when she¡¯d used the Orb of Seven Wishes to gain flight. A moment later, she started floating.

    ¡°Only works within the mana field of the dome,¡± Elsinaria said. ¡°You can follow me to the centre. There, we can evaluate your book and determine a waiting period.¡±

    They did as told and started making their way.

    ¡°Waiting period!¡± Dema let out. ¡°How long?¡±

    Elsinaria turned around, and floated backwards. Her expression was blank and a bit bored as she gave the explanation. ¡°This Observatory takes in ambient mana to construct the worlds of fictions,¡± she said, ¡°However, we mostly live off donations. Depending on the size of the story and its world, as well as that world¡¯s complexity, we determine a waiting list. It¡¯s currently quite long, for many people have an interest in visiting worlds.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see!¡± Dema nodded, and everything she heard about this place made her seem more excited. ¡°So like, you gotta wait until you¡¯ve got enough mana to make a new world? And then all of it, poof, gone!¡±

    ¡°Not quite. Constructing the world initially costs some amount of mana, but most of the energy is required while having an instance of it active. While nobody is inside, we can reduce it to a low-energy mode. Donations mostly enable us to have more worlds open at a time, and store more of them in our archives. Therefore, they are much appreciated and help our collection grow long-term.¡±

    ¡°Cool!¡±

    After arriving at the centre, Elsinaria accepted the copy of Theora¡¯s book and slotted it into a little contraption at the side of the basin. She studied some readouts, made some notes, nodded a few times, and eventually turned back around to the others.

    ¡°A fairly complex piece of writing, with a rich world. A decent amount of people have read it, so there is ambient information in the flow of mana of the world, helping with accuracy and reducing internal conflicts. Waiting time would be between ten and fifteen years.¡±

    Theora nodded.

    That didn¡¯t sound too bad. Dema could use the time to read all the books in this library, since reading was her newfound hobby, and meanwhile, Theora could sleep a bit more and maybe send a few letters.

    Perhaps she could even sleep while floating around. She really wanted to try that.

    Meanwhile, Dema approached the basin glowing with brilliant blue mana, and patted a hand against it.

    Suddenly, Theora felt a massive aura surge build up, and noticed Dema¡¯s MP-bar drop by a fifth on the party status.

    The aura of the basin more than doubled.

    Elsinaria¡¯s face slipped ever so slightly, but she somehow managed to quickly readjust towards a professional expression. She gulped, checked another few readouts. Finally, she nodded, saying, ¡°I want to issue a correction; my earlier statement was inaccurate. Waiting time in this case should be closer to about zero seconds. We can start whenever you are ready.¡±

    Theora had never realised how much of a privilege it was to travel with a strong mage. In any case, the dream of sleeping while floating inside a giant sphere slowly crumbled before her mind¡¯s eye as she saw Elsinaria further the preparations of creating their very own world of fiction to enter.

    ¡°It is mostly safe inside,¡± she said. ¡°However, try not to die a sudden death. As long as you die slowly, the Observatory¡¯s system can shut the world down properly and get you out safely. If you die quickly, it could kill you here too. You can leave the instance of your world and re-enter at a later time, the state of it will be saved if it is shut down properly. That said, it will be a real world, and travelling between states is impossible; meaning, if characters you care about die, there is no way for us to resurrect them, and we can¡¯t fix damage you do there from the outside either. You will be confined to the rules of the story you are in, meaning rules of this reality that you are accustomed to might not apply. While security is a priority, I will warn you that this is not some kind of riskless, safe sandbox. It was initially created for research and not leisure.¡±

    ¡°I see! No dying and no letting anybody die!¡± Dema chirped. ¡°Gonna be hard for this story, though¡­¡±

    ¡°Also, be sure to stay mostly within the narrative. The Observatory automatically takes ambient information from author notes, derivative works, public analysis, and common knowledge, and uses interpolation algorithms to fix holes and internal inconsistencies of the story, but if you veer too far off its original intent or scope, you may be met with glitches or erratic behaviours that can affect that reality or your immersion.¡±

    She checked her notepad, then nodded. ¡°Building the world will take about an hour,¡± she finished. Then, she pointed towards two of the closer sarcophagi. ¡°You can already enter if you so wish; a magically induced sleep will ease you into the world. You shall wake up inside it. Do you wish to be added to the story as extras, or inhabit the roles of characters that already exist within it?¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Added! Added, you hear me! Don¡¯t give us any of the main roles!¡±

    Despite the sudden outburst, Elsinaria simply nodded. ¡°Very well. If you get added as extras, there is a chance you might be split upon arrival to keep the internal structure of the story intact. However, it shouldn¡¯t take long to meet up again if you follow the story¡¯s main plot line. Good luck, and have a nice time.¡±

    With that, she floated away, and Dema shouted a ¡°Thank you!¡± after her.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Theora said. ¡°That was¡­ easier than I imagined. Are you ready to go?¡±

    ¡°Yea! You have any questions?¡±

    Theora stared blankly. ¡°Rather than that, is there anything I should know?¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a book! We can just see what happens. But like, it ain¡¯t a kind world! Gotta be careful what you say. A single wrong word is gonna land you in heaps of trouble.¡±

    ¡°I will be careful,¡± Theora said. She would simply always speak the truth, responsibly.

    ¡°Oh, also!¡± Dema continued, ¡°You can do whatever you want in the story, but just remember, if you rock the boat, it will change the outcome of the plot. So if you wanna see how things turn out, no rocking the boat!¡±

    ¡°Do you wish for us to experience the original story closely?¡±

    Dema put her chin in her hand and thought for a moment. ¡°Guess it would be nice!¡± she said. ¡°Kinda wanna show it all to you. I really like it. I¡¯m a bit scared and nervous because like, I like it a lot, and I hope you will too!¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Alright. In that case, no rocking the boat. I shall be well-behaved and mindful of what I say, so you can enjoy the story you love so much.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes melted a little. ¡°Not gonna lie, I¡¯m getting really excited. This is gonna be great! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    With that, she opened a sarcophagus, and hopped inside. Soon, Theora found her own and followed suit.

    As it closed around her and she could feel the mana flow in, and the weariness of induced sleep take over, she tried her best to remember the new rules.

    Don¡¯t mess up the story. Be careful what you say. And, don¡¯t die.

    Yes, she could do that.

 Chapter 90: Interlude â€” That Kind of Story

    To Hell With the Author, Chapter 1: Agency Limit

    I really thought dying would be painful, but in the end, I just lost consciousness for one last time and that was it. Of course, pain was still part of the ride.

    But somehow, this is not where things end. First, I¡¯m thrown into some kind of nowhere that feels much like water if I was made of sugar; I dissolve into nothingness and a moment later, I hear muffled voices. They become clearer by the second, and then, I open my eyes.

    And my heart sinks.

    A throne hall. Built from white stone, an emblem of a phoenix plastered on every pillar. Seven people stand next to me inside a red summoning circle, three mages having just finished the ritual to get us here. Heavily armed guards surround us, and a group of nobles and advisors stands gathered just about ten metres away. Among them, a woman with a shy and reluctant look on her face, who I recognise as the princess; her two brothers, wry smile on one of them, the other has a condescending frown. The queen, a beautiful and elegant face, but cold stare, and the king, grinning wide at the success of his plan.

    You know how there is this genre where people get transmigrated into their favourite stories?

    Well, it seems like that just happened to me.

    Except this isn¡¯t my favourite story at all. It¡¯s the story of the author I hate the most in the world.

    The other summoned heroes start shouting and ducking in panic at their sudden change of surroundings. One screams. I recognise the protagonist quite quickly: Black bedhead hair, slim build, blue tracksuit ¡ª his name is Wallace, and he¡¯s staring at the ground, probably internally monologuing his backstory. It¡¯s how it started, after all.

    It goes pretty much like this: Three of us received an amazing ability upon being summoned, one that would help avoid the prophesied Calamity and bring peace to the land. The other five, myself and Wallace included, received F-Rank abilities, and would be deemed worthless. And then, thrown out.

    Of course, Wallace¡¯s Class is secretly overpowered, and he¡¯d ultimately get his revenge for being treated so poorly.

    I can¡¯t believe I actually ended up reading this. As a premise, it is very overdone, and to be quite honest, I should have known better than to get invested. Of course, I speak with the bitterness of hindsight, because there is something to love about this work of fiction. Something that made it all worth it, something that made me excited for every update.

    A side character, introduced a few chapters in, and the strongest heroine in this world of fiction.

    I fucking loved her.

    And I don¡¯t love characters easily. It really made the story special, because I had this one person I could relate to. So¡­ maybe this isn¡¯t all bad? Being put in this story, after pitifully dying to a chihuahua bite I was too stubborn to get myself treated for, at least I get to meet her in the afterlife.

    ¡°Name?¡± I hear someone speak, and snap back into reality as one of the mages looks at me expectantly, holding a piece of paper. One by one, they are going through the other arrivals too.

    ¡°Lostina,¡± I say. I make it up on the spot. I don¡¯t want any of the other Summoned ones to know that I¡¯m from earth, so my real name is out of the question, and I do have experience in picking new names for myself. He notes it down, then asks me to put my hand on an instrument that proceeds to print out my character sheet.

    Yes, yes, F-Rank Class, of course. As expected. [Pretender], huh? I¡¯ve never heard of it before, wasn¡¯t in any of the data books released with the story. Fun. I guess I¡¯ll have to figure some stuff out myself, instead of already knowing everything. That said, just from the sound of it, the Class kind of fits me. A pretender. I used to pretend a lot in my previous life, too.

    ¡°To the best of your personal opinion, would you describe yourself as a good person?¡± he asks.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I say.

    You lied successfully! +5 EXP

    Oh? I get experience for lying? That¡¯s neat. Of course, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll tell them the truth, because if I did, I¡¯d be¡ª

    ¡°No,¡± I hear a calm voice say behind me, answering the same question in conversation with another mage. I turn around and stare at the pitiful girl.

    Wrong answer. These people don¡¯t want any bad heroes running through their lands. It¡¯s that kind of story.

    She seems about twenty-five at most. Rather tired, curly brown hair, and goddamn, she¡¯s tall. Even taller than I am. Freckled face, tired eyes, and she looks a bit lost, like a cute animal. Maybe a deer? Or perhaps a bunny.

    But oh, those eyes aren¡¯t just tired. They are goddamn deep! I¡¯ve never seen eyes quite as grey and piercing and prideful, despite the empty look in them. It actually sends shivers down my spine.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    I don¡¯t even remember her from the original story. Should that be cause for concern? Well, probably not, judging by the fact that one of the guards approaches. I give her a sorry expression, and when she catches my gaze, her eyes are just blank.

    Then, the guard strikes her from behind, down her back ¡ª followed by a stab through her heart. For a moment, her eyes widen and her muscles tense, but then she collapses.

    A pool of blood forms under her.

    Yep. That kind of story.

    I turn my eyes away and I¡¯m glad that this isn¡¯t a very descriptive novel, because all things considered, this could have been worse. I steal a glance at the printout of her sheet.

    She was a [Baker]? Talk about bad luck¡­. No chance of survival with that. Even the name the mage jotted down doesn''t ring a bell at all. It¡¯s a bit weird. I¡¯m supposed to know stuff, and this is somewhat new.

    I dare a single glance back at her and already regret it. Those piercing grey eyes, now dull and lifeless, the spark gone. Just a thing now. I watch the body be dragged off and try to forget about her as soon as she disappears from my view.

    This really sucks. I hate the author. These people really think they can do anything to their characters¡­ They get you to read their stuff, make a character you love and relate to so deeply, and then¡­ they just kill them off for no reason. It¡¯s probably not true for her, because she¡¯s just here to set the tone ¡ª not like anyone knew her ¡ª but damn.

    I don¡¯t even get attached to characters easily, but every single time that I do, they just die. Written out of the story for whatever nonsense reason the author could come up with, and you¡¯ll be lucky if you even get enough foreshadowing to drop the story before it¡¯s too late.

    Which wasn¡¯t the case in this one.

    Procrastinating the Apocalypse. A System novel with decent progression, and I¡¯ve followed it for about two years. The author had a tendency to go on hiatus, but it was readable. That is, until they decided to kill off my favourite character of all time.

    I¡¯m drawn to strong characters, especially if they have a certain vibe.

    And then, gone. Defeated off-screen in a huge mess of a chapter. Didn¡¯t even get her own interlude, the main character just watched her die. The author probably realised that her existence broke the story because she was too strong. She would have handled the entire Calamity on her own. But I don¡¯t care much for such excuses.

    Like, don¡¯t get me wrong, character deaths aren¡¯t always bad. They can make stories interesting and engaging, and a bit of an emotional ride comes with being a reader after all. I do love getting my heart ripped out every now and then. But her death was just mean-spirited. It was just a kick in the face of everyone who liked her.

    I dropped the story right then, but a few friends still kept me posted about what happened after. I had the tiniest bit of hope left that there would be a twist or something; that she didn¡¯t really die, or that she¡¯d be resurrected, and I was going to pick the book back up if it was true; but as time went by and the story ended, it turned out she really was just dead.

    God, I can¡¯t think about this without wanting to cry, or smash something. Without feeling a little sick in my stomach. It¡¯s always the characters I like that die. Always the characters I relate to that meet a terrible demise.

    It¡¯s really getting old.

    So, out of all the worlds I could have transmigrated to, it had to be this one? I had to be brought where I¡¯d relive the memory of losing my most beloved character, off-screen for a cheap emotional blow to the reader? Gonell, the strongest character in this world of fiction. And seven months from now, she will suddenly be killed off.

    No. Absolutely no way.

    To hell with the author. I will make sure she lives, whatever it takes.

    The scene around me progresses rather slowly ¡ª the King¡¯s family has by now identified the most promising candidates, and started to chat them up, while the others, including me, are being pushed to the sidelines, still getting questioned until we provide an excuse to be offed.

    The author hasn¡¯t made the calculations with me in the picture, though. I know everything that¡¯s going to happen, I know the secrets of this world, I know how to level up quickly, and I am aware of the powers of every major character. So what if my Class is useless. These people will be dancing in the palm of my hand. I can take my revenge ¡ª on this world that allowed Gonell to die, on the people that caused her death, and on the author, by ruining this little story they worked so hard to create. Ha!

    Those years of leading the Gonell fan-community and writing 400,000 words of Gonell-themed fanfiction will pay off, because I know everything there is to know. Every single detail. And thus, the plan doesn¡¯t take too long to form in my head. I answer a few more of the mage¡¯s questions on autopilot, gaining a bit more experience because lying comes as easy as breathing to me.

    And then, I form in my head the perfect sentence to derail this nonsense plot line forever. Gonell dies because she¡¯s trying to find and open the Lodestone, which will topple the Empire. I just have to topple it right now myself, and then she will never attempt to clear that dungeon, never face off that Messenger, and never lose.

    ¡°Anything else you have to say?¡± the mage finally asks, giving me the opportunity that I need.

    And so, I inhale. I just need to say it, for everyone to know.

    ¡°This town is built from¡ª¡±

    ERROR.

    Action restricted. Cannot deviate from original author outline.

    I stare at the words for as long as I can, trying to comprehend what it¡¯s saying.

    I can¡¯t say it. My lips just won¡¯t part. Instead, in front of me, a red system message floats. I try again and again, even start retching. And then, I give up.

    ¡°No,¡± I eventually say.

    You lied successfully! +5 EXP

    I replay the error in my mind.

    Cannot deviate from original author outline. For real? I¡¯m forced to watch things play out until¡ª

    I don¡¯t even want to finish this thought. Oh, this is awful.

    I want to smash something, but I can¡¯t. I want to scream, but I can¡¯t. Error message stacks onto error message, until I clench my fist so hard it hurts, unseen by anyone.

    God, I need to get out of here and stomp something to mush.

    To hell with the author.

 Chapter 91: Dystopia

    Theora woke back up when her wounds had clotted and her body had replenished all the lost blood.

    Summer heat bore down on the trash around her. Countless insects buzzed and explored, unfazed by the relentless light, the rot, and Theora¡¯s subdued displeasure with having been murdered.

    Sore back, sore chest. Normally, she would have avoided outcomes like this, but¡­ No rocking the boat. Rocking the boat was bad, especially one minute after entering this new world. She wanted to see Dema¡¯s favourite story play out, after all, to its final conclusion.

    That¡¯s right, where was Dema? They were separated again. The sky loomed above, way too bright, despite all the clouds.

    She was here for a date with Dema, and to perhaps fetch a Fragment of Time. Finding just a single one of them would probably be fine; she might get a hint about whether this quest was awful or not. She could still choose to abandon it afterwards. So, she needed to find Dema, have a nice time with her, and somehow figure out whether a Fragment of Time can be extracted from this story.

    Her chest still throbbed. Being stabbed wasn¡¯t nice, and Theora wanted a hug. This felt really unfair. What had she done wrong? Dema said to be careful with one¡¯s words, but so far, Theora had said nothing but the truth. Maybe this world rewarded lying? That would be awful.

    With a sigh, she got up, and looked around for an exit from the garbage dump. Meeting back up with Dema only required Theora to find and follow the main plot line. She vaguely remembered having skimmed the first few pages¡­ What had the protagonist done, after leaving the castle?

    She wonkily stepped over the trash while trying to remember. When she reached the high wall encompassing the area, she smashed her fist right through it. It violently tore open, debris flying everywhere.

    Theora stared at her bruised hand and the rubble and the settling dust, and realised that she was in a bit of a bad mood.

    That¡¯s right ¡ª she¡¯d been killed for no good reason, just like that. It was upsetting. What if they¡¯d done that to somebody else? It wasn¡¯t that she cared they¡¯d done it to her personally, it was the concept that they would do it to someone they¡¯d just summoned. Sure, they¡¯d asked if she was a bad person first, but not all bad people deserved this kind of fate. She could have literally been anyone, someone who didn¡¯t deserve to die at all, and they would have still killed her.

    It was upsetting.

    Right. Upsetting. She remembered now.

    The protagonist of the story had also been upset, hadn¡¯t she? And then gone to drown her sorrows in orange juice in some nearby tavern. All Theora had to do was find that tavern, and meet Lostina.

    She staggered through the hole into a narrow, upward bending alley. Her body still felt the consequences of death. She was too annoyed to force it in order. Long and wide steps led the way, with the buildings to the sides squished tightly together, and all consisted of the same white limestone based brickwork, just like the ground. Or, maybe it was light clay.

    Theora couldn¡¯t help but find the idea of living here somewhat cosy, since she preferred cramped spaces. Stepping up the slope led her through a few more alleys of the same type. Whenever the path split, she chose a branch to get her further up, hoping to either find an overview of the town or eventually hit upon a main road.

    After a while, more and more steep angles revealed the castle she must have initially been summoned to; maybe they¡¯d just thrown her body out of a window, since it was still quite high up. Finally, the path widened and brightened up. To her left ¡ª the direction of the castle ¡ª she saw an animal. And, upon further inspection, there were more of its kind too.

    Beige-feathered and four-legged, with a long neck, and wings folded on its back, it didn¡¯t quite look like anything Theora had seen before, but then again, this was a Fantasy story, so most of its world was totally made up.

    As she turned into the alley, she found other animals of its kind in a row. The first creature had a long, black beak, with the colours and shapes of the others¡¯ varying slightly, and it had small blue eyes, as well as a puff of long, white feathers on its head. It looked rather graceful, and was about as tall as her, even though it was sitting.

    What confused Theora more than anything else about the sight was that a net of peculiar straps was draped around its head, neck, and torso, together with a contraption on its back between its wings that seemed like it would¡­ Make it easier for a person to sit on it¡­?

    Theora frowned.

    In addition, there was a leash attached to the creature that wound back to the wooden, half open and segmented shed the animal was placed in. Each segment contained one of these peculiar birds. All of them had leashes on them.

    They were imprisoned.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Theora had never seen anything like this before, and looked around in confusion. Had these animals done something bad? With a few paces, she closed the distance, though careful enough as to not upset the creature. It didn¡¯t seem to mind, and just eyed her with curiosity. Eventually, Theora even patted its head.

    Soft feathers. The bird whickered and puffed under the touch, craning its neck to get Theora to stroke different spots on its head.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a cutie,¡± she murmured, smiling. The creature didn¡¯t seem aggressive at all. After a moment, Theora produced some nuts from her layered cloak, wondering if such might be part of the creature¡¯s diet, and, sure enough, it didn¡¯t refuse to eat them.

    On the other hand, the creature looked like it might be a predator, so then it would have to eat flesh, although it made no attempts to consume Theora.

    She looked around the street for a while, until she found a man idly carrying a crate through a door.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Theora called for him.

    He looked up. Strong beard, light complexion, bright eyes, but he was fairly old and his limbs seemed rather dainty for the weight he seemed to be lifting.

    ¡°Yes?¡± he croaked in a high voice, with a bit of an accent Theora was unfamiliar with. As his eyes landed on Theora, his eyes widened, and his chin dropped.

    ¡°Why are these creatures confined?¡±

    He stared back, totally baffled. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Tied up,¡± Theora specified. ¡°Why are they tied up?¡±

    He frowned deeply, lost for words. ¡°... So they don¡¯t fly away?¡±

    ¡°So they don¡¯t fly away,¡± Theora echoed, to herself, in a soft voice.

    She looked back at the contraptions on their backs. Of course, she¡¯d heard of people using animals to do labour, it was rare, but it did happen. Typically, it wasn¡¯t necessary, since people could use their skills and strength to do anything an animal could, so it felt rather excessive and cruel, but some people were just that way.

    But wasn¡¯t this a large city? In fact, wasn¡¯t it the land¡¯s main city?

    And yet, nobody was stopping it¡­?

    Theora sighed. Now, some of the apprehension that Dema, as well as Balinth and Hell had communicated upon the idea of Theora choosing this book to visit was starting to make sense.

    First, she¡¯d been executed, and now this. Clearly, this was some piece of dystopian fiction.

    ¡°Are they a danger to people?¡± Theora asked and the man, still confused, slowly shook his head.

    ¡°Not if you¡¯re nice to them they aren¡¯t,¡± he said.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Theora said, and snapped its leash in two with a gentle grip and a flick of her fingers. Then, she proceeded to do the same to all the others.

    ¡°W-what are you doing?¡± he asked, subduing a laugh. ¡°They¡¯re gonna throw you in jail! What happened to you anyway? Are you okay?¡±

    Jail, Theora thought, exasperated. Clearly dystopian fiction. This was Dema¡¯s favourite book?

    Then again, Theora had broken Dema out of something that could be considered a prison, all those years ago, and was tasked to exert capital punishment on her. Of course, it had been deemed a last-ditch solution by the System, but perhaps Theora¡¯s homeworld was rather a dystopian place for Dema to exist in. Maybe this book offered some kind of catharsis.

    ¡°If they want to stay, obviously, they can.¡±

    When she¡¯d finally snapped all the leashes, the creatures looked around a little disoriented. One of them took off. The others stayed around, stretching their limbs a bit, flapping their wings a few times, and striding up and down the street. They made no attempt to get away, though.

    The man laughed. ¡°I suppose the yard girl is doing a good job,¡± he mused. ¡°Nice fella, that one. Always helpful.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that,¡± she said. ¡°Say, would you happen to know a tavern that¡¯s close to the castle, and would be accessible to people who just arrived with low funding?¡± Maybe that would give her a good shot at finding Lostina. With the assumption that if this was a dystopia, they¡¯d probably also still be making use of money even in larger settlements.

    The man did provide her with some promising options and instructions on how to get there, and added that her appearance may not be appropriate. But what were they going to do? Kill her again? Theora was too tired to care.

    She left the birds behind, and felt somewhat bad about it. They might get recaptured. And, if everyone in this place was just fine with this state of being, it meant that there were likely animals confined everywhere, and there was little Theora could do about it.

    At least not without completely derailing whatever story this book was trying to tell.

    She sighed, and decided to simply snap all the leashes on whichever animals she would find, even if that wasn¡¯t a good solution at all. She couldn¡¯t bear the thought of doing nothing either.

    For now, she had to find the main character before she moved on to whatever plot event she had to attend next. People avoided Theora, which made traversing the streets a bit easier even in more populated areas.

    After a while, she arrived at the third tavern. It was a large building made of the same limestone everything in this city was, but the edges were painted in green stripes. The entrance stood wide open, with a bunch of people sitting outside as well.

    Theora scanned the place until her eyes landed on a young woman. She had bobbed black hair with two long strands on either side of her head reaching down to touch her shoulders, piercing, light-green eyes with dark sclera, and a little mole on the side of her chin. She was wearing a chocolate-coloured and elegant tight suit, not quite unlike what Theora had seen the Devil of Truth wear, all those years ago.

    The woman seemed unhappy. Incredibly dour expression on her face, slumped over in a way that made her suit fold and stretch around her body, as she was drowning her sorrows in orange juice, just as expected.

    This had to be Lostina.

    Theora slowly strode between the tables, coming to a halt right in front of her.

    It took a moment for Lostina to realise. She stared up blinking, her eyes first resting on Theora¡¯s bloodied cloak, then her face. She blinked again. Finally, she shook her head, confused, but mostly exasperated.

    ¡°How the fuck are you still alive?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I saw you die.¡±

    ¡°I got better,¡± Theora murmured, and sat down at the table.

 Chapter 92: Letâ€™s (Not) Be Honest

    ¡°Got better?¡± Lostina asked, almost laughing. ¡°Damn that author.¡±

    As she said that, she winced, and then frowned.

    ¡°Everything alright?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°Yeah. Just ¡ª did you hear what I said?¡±

    ¡°You said ¡®damn that author¡¯.¡±

    Lostina tucked her left hair strand behind her ear. She looked at Theora, warily, bracing herself, and then added, ¡°People reviving after being killed isn¡¯t supposed to be a thing in this story.¡±

    Theora bit her lip. ¡°I happen to be somewhat sturdy.¡±

    Lostina shoved her glass away, then leaned forward on her table, almost reaching across, her eyes widened. ¡°You heard me! I can tell you things? Wait, why can I tell you things? I should be getting censored. It got censored earlier, when I was complaining to the barkeeper.¡±

    ¡°Tell me what things?¡±

    Lostina waved around. ¡°That this is just a story? You are a character. Don¡¯t worry, no character of note, or anything like that, I don¡¯t think you even that much existed in the original. I thought I couldn¡¯t tell anyone¡­ Maybe you are so insignificant it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°I¡¯m aware that this is a story. I entered it a while ago, through a device specifically made to travel into books.¡±

    Someone squeezed themselves behind Theora to reach another table, and she adjusted her chair to make more space. The tavern was very busy, and their talk got drowned out in the ambient noise.

    Lostina seemed a little surprised, and pulled up her eyebrows. ¡°Really? You came into Procrastinating the Apocalypse? Voluntarily? Huh. And you chose to be a baker?¡± She chuckled to herself, picking up her glass for another sip.

    Theora hadn¡¯t chosen to become a baker, but she didn¡¯t see anything wrong with it, either. In fact, she was rather happy about her Class, so she just stared back. Also, Procrastinating the Apocalypse? Had Theora taken a wrong turn somewhere?

    ¡°I was under the assumption that the book I entered was called To Hell With the Author,¡± she said.

    Lostina spat some orange tea across the table. ¡°What? Wait, what¡¯s that book about?¡±

    ¡°Some girl called Lostina is reincarnated into a story, and wants to take revenge on the author by saving her favourite character.¡±

    Lostina buried her head in her hands. ¡°I see. Fuck me, I guess. So I¡¯m the main character of that book you entered?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I was hoping that following your trail would lead me to my companion, who I got split from upon arrival.¡±

    After a moment, Lostina sighed. ¡°God, I¡¯ll need a moment to process this all. Sorry. Am in an extremely bad mood. Trying not to let it out on you, but I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m failing.¡±

    ¡°I am not too happy, either,¡± Theora said, and looked around. ¡°I was unaware this would be dystopian fiction.¡±

    She snorted. ¡°What? This? Just standard fantasy. What makes you say that?¡± She frowned, and then added. ¡°Oh, right. You did get murdered. Well, get used to it, I suppose¡­¡±

    A few seconds passed, the sound of people chatting and laughing in the tavern drumming around, and spicy smells from the kitchen waving through. Lostina scratched her neck. ¡°Not gonna lie though. I appreciate the company, especially if I can be fucking honest without prompting a censoring error. Those tick me off. That kind of makes things easy. I can lament to you and you can meet your ¡®companion¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Yes, feel free to ¡®lament¡¯.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kinda nice, huh?¡± Lostina said, smiling. ¡°Well, don¡¯t mind if I do. Truth is, so far this all sucks. I kinda want to meet up with Gonell, but maybe I¡¯ll just feel sick when I see her, so. There¡¯s¡­ some stuff nearby that I could fetch to give myself a levelling advantage. I suppose that¡¯s as good an idea as any to start with.¡±

    ¡°You know a lot about this world?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lostina murmured. ¡°Spent the better part of my life compiling all knowledge of it into sheets, so I can write my spin-offs.¡±

    Somehow, more than half of what that girl was saying went far over Theora¡¯s head. ¡°Please don¡¯t let yourself be influenced by my presence,¡± she said. ¡°Act like you would on your own. Dema will know what you¡¯ll do.¡±

    ¡°And you don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t read the story,¡± Theora admitted, and Lostina scoffed.

    ¡°Would have been too nice.¡± She stared at her glass for a while, falling into thoughts. Her gaze turned serious, and somewhat unhappy.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lostina said, then sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering ¡ª what¡¯s the point of a level advantage if I can¡¯t even change anything? If it will all turn to shit anyway.¡±

    Somehow, that struck Theora as odd. Hadn¡¯t she only tried once so far?

    ¡°Are you sure there is nothing you can change?¡±

    Lostina¡¯s gaze turned unfocussed for a moment. ¡°Well, yeah? When I tried to derail the plot in the King¡¯s throne room, I received an error.¡± She stared a while longer, folding her brows, and pulled back from the table. ¡°Actually. That would have been a big change, to be honest. It would have completely destroyed the entire story. Maybe smaller changes could work?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Theora affirmed. Her gaze fell on the glass of orange juice left in the centre of the table. Normally, she didn¡¯t drink a lot, but¡­ She was really thirsty. She did not have money. ¡°Could I perhaps¡­ drink a bit of that? I lost a lot of blood.¡±

    Lostina waved off. ¡°Oh sure, whatever. Don¡¯t intend to pay for it anyway.¡±

    That made Theora blink, and she proceeded to tell herself she wasn¡¯t all that thirsty anyway, probably. Meanwhile, Lostina got lost in thought. She was chewing on her thin lower lip, her arms folded in front of her chest.

    It was¡­ a little bit like Dema. The scheming, the disregard for paying people, the fact that they had both been thrown into a completely impossible situation. Dema¡¯s impossible situation was Theora, who¡¯d one day entered her prison to end her, and Lostina¡¯s impossible situation was having to deal with the upcoming death of that character. And both of them were trying to find a way out, with their plans.

    Somehow, Theora really wanted Lostina to succeed. Because if she could succeed, then maybe¡­

    Theora gulped.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Lostina said eventually, leaning back forward, resting her head on her hand. In doing so, one of her strands got squeezed between her chin and a few of her fingers, and Theora wondered if that was on purpose or just happened. ¡°I think I may have an idea for¡­ a dry run. Let¡¯s call it that. Even though it¡¯s cruel to say that.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°So, yes, maybe you are right. I need to try smaller changes first. There¡¯s one thing that happens a few days from now, but in the original story, it¡¯s only ever referenced in hindsight, and it¡¯s part of Gonell¡¯s backstory. So, it¡¯s not the main plot. Perhaps that allows us to change it. And whatever we learn from that¡­ I can use that in the big event, seven months from now.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen a few days from now?¡±

    ¡°Gonell will visit a little settlement on the edge of the kingdom. And then¡­¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s just say, it would be nice if we could be around.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Theora nodded. ¡°Will we get there in time?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll definitely need to hurry, especially considering we have no money, and need to solve that first.¡±

    Right. No money. Travelling would probably require funds.

    ¡°But before we get into that,¡± Lostina continued, ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about the setting of this story, right?¡±

    ¡°I know very little. Please, assume that I know nothing.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then, if we¡¯re going to travel larger distances, it¡¯s very likely that we¡¯ll meet Errata. So, if we do. We run. Okay? We run.¡±

    ¡°We run,¡± Theora repeated. ¡°Why do we run? What¡¯s an Errata?¡±

    Lostina took another sip of orange juice to prepare for her explanation, then put the glass down again, this time even closer to Theora.

    ¡°So, like. The big conflict of this story is that there¡¯s these mindless automatons invading the land from beyond the veil; that, and tons of intrigue within the King¡¯s family. In any case, these automatons enter the world through rifts, and if you¡¯re in the wrong spot at the wrong time, you¡¯re gonna die. They kill people, absorb their life energy, and return back to their home, where they use it to build more of themselves. Like a virus. They operate on a very limited set of instructions. Machines, essentially. They are called Errata.¡±

    ¡°If we meet an Errata, we run.¡±

    ¡°Erratum, is the singular. But yes. We run.¡±

    ¡°Why do we run,¡± Theora murmured, not making it sound like a question. ¡°Why do we not defeat them?¡±

    Lostina let out a little huff. She seemed to try being patient. ¡°Well, remember how they evaluated our Classes when we got here? We are F-Rank because we are useless in stopping the Calamity, which is a prophesied apocalypse caused by Errata. Baking cakes for them or lying to them is not going to make a difference. We can¡¯t fight them.¡±

    That¡¯s right, Theora was a [Baker]. She wondered if she could still defeat these Errata, though. Running from them would feel bad if they could harm other people instead.

    Lostina sighed. ¡°So, back to our problems: We¡¯ve got no money. No travelling resources either. We¡¯d need, what¡­ Stuff to put up camp, food, water¡­ So, first, we need money.¡±

    ¡°Money,¡± Theora repeated. How did one find money? In a world like this, that was not easy to come by, right? She was vaguely aware that some people would work in exchange for money. Also, fighting for entertainment was a popular thing in stories too, as far as she was aware. ¡°So, we find¡­ work? Or¡­ fight in a colosseum?¡±

    Lostina raised an eyebrow. ¡°If that¡¯s your idea on how to earn money¡­ you do you. I have something else in mind.¡±

    ¡°What will you do?¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­ Like. Personal question.¡± She looked at the orange juice in front of Theora, still untouched. ¡°Are you a goody-two-shoes?¡±

    ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡±

    Lostina shrugged. ¡°Like, are you a good person?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Lostina winced. ¡°Ah, right. Forgot about that. Sorry. I¡¯m just getting the vibe that if I tell you what I¡¯m up to, you¡¯ll try to stop me. So, let me just try on my own for now. Oh, also. Fight clubs would pay nice if you¡¯d win, but you¡¯re a fucking Level 1 [Baker]. You¡¯re gonna die. Again.¡±

    Theora blinked. ¡°I think I might be able to hold my ground,¡± she murmured, which seemed to displease Lostina greatly.

    ¡°Listen, honey. This is a scary world. You¡¯ve kinda proven already that you¡¯re a naive little thing, getting killed off like that within seconds by the guards. Don¡¯t underestimate stuff, you hear me? Would be a fucking waste if I had to do all this alone after all.¡±

    Theora gulped. Lostina was right. She was in a completely different world now; and who knew? Maybe the strength she had in reality was just normal for a gladiator here. It was a power fantasy after all. Perhaps they¡¯d wipe the floor with her.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Theora went, a bit discouraged. ¡°So¡­ we split up?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s meet up again at seven tonight, at the western clock tower. Should be easy to find, and people would be able to give you directions. It¡¯s at the edge of town, so we¡¯ll be able to travel overnight. Sound good?¡±

    Theora nodded, and with that, Lostina got up and vanished into the crowd outside.

    With a sigh, Theora stared at the glass. It would be thrown away, right? She did not have money, so instead, she left a bundle of high quality dried basil from her cloak. She¡¯d smelled that used in the kitchen. Then, she drank the orange juice, and left.

    The main road was still buzzing. Theora could see Lostina graciously weaselling her way upwards through the crowd. So fast¡­ She¡¯d never be able to keep up with that.

    Watching the girl disappear, Theora started to ponder.

    What exactly was she supposed to do now? She had about seven hours to gather money. She could go into a bakery and ask if she could help out¡­ But right now, her only Skill was [Knead] and she had no clue whether she¡¯d actually be of help. In fact, even if she did find work that way, would the wage be enough to fund the travel expenses?

    Food, tents, survival equipment¡­ Theora wouldn¡¯t be able to knead her way to that within a few hours. With a sigh, she contemplated other options. Getting herself killed off in a fight club was a last ditch solution, but even then, it seemed a little brute. She didn¡¯t actually want to fight people, it had just been her first thought when thinking about a dystopia.

    Ultimately, Lostina and Theora wanted to get to that village to prevent something bad from happening. In other words, her journey was important. So¡­ she felt like there was only one proper avenue to take here.

    She walked through the streets until they thinned out, and eventually found herself in a district with large white residential buildings. Without hesitation, she knocked on the first door she could find.

    Nobody answered.

    It took about three more attempts at other houses, until she made it to a mansion with a bit of green garden fenced off to its front. It was a well-kempt spot with little flowers arranged neatly and in bloom. The path was paved with the same bright white limestone-like material the entire city seemed to be made of, and after ascending a few steps, she knocked on a birchwood door.

    She was greeted by an old, tanned person wearing a black suit, thin and round glasses, and white gloves. He pushed his glasses back upon seeing her, his face showing some type of disgust at the sight of the dried blood on her cloak.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Theora started. ¡°I am on a mission to save a village from a bad fate. But I require resources to reach it. I wanted to ask if you were willing to share some funds.¡±

    He frowned in confusion, then slammed the door shut.

    Theora blinked.

    Maybe he was having a bad day¡­ Still, she couldn¡¯t remember the last time someone outright refused her pleas for help in this manner. With a soft sigh, she went on to the next door, and then the next, and then the next.

    And fared none the better.

    Most didn¡¯t open their doors, and those who did barely listened to her, and those who listened had nothing to share. Sometimes, she¡¯d be met with disdain. One person called her a ¡®beggar¡¯ but sounded as if that was a bad thing.

    At first, it simply puzzled her. But as the hours progressed, she became rather annoyed.

    This made no sense. She¡¯d knocked on how many doors now? She¡¯d gained a silver coin in total, which, judging from some prices on the market, was barely enough for a meal. Better than nothing, and so she was thankful, but overall, it was rather vexing.

    She started pouting soon after.

    Yes, this was a story. Of course, she understood that. In stories, some things didn¡¯t work out the way they did in reality, but still, this was getting ridiculous. She started to sympathise with Lostina¡¯s annoyance with the author¡­ After asking so many people, none of them were willing to help? That wasn¡¯t a believable way to build a world. It seemed to be this way simply because the author had decided for it to be so, and not because it was in any way realistic.

    Eventually, she ran out of time, and had to ask for directions to get to the meeting point. This felt so bad.

    The clock tower was a little hard to reach, albeit easy to see from afar, and so she arrived about ten minutes late. The streets had thinned over the course of the day, and this was a small plaza on the edge of town. Lots of benches to sit on, arranged in circles, with a few patches of grass amidst the white paving.

    Someone waved at her, sitting at the fringe of a dark alley, seemingly busy with System prompts, judging from her staring at invisible things. Blonde, long hair, green eyes. She was in a good mood. Several large sacks lay next to her on the bench, and from the way they were shaped, Theora had the vague worry that they contained nothing but coins.

    ¡°Oh, there you are!¡± the girl said, smiling, and waving. ¡°So, what¡¯s your haul? Oh, in case you didn¡¯t notice, it¡¯s me. Ignore the disguise.¡±

    Theora stared at the ground as she approached, and then produced her silver coin, and a bronze coin she¡¯d found lying on the ground somewhere.

    Lostina snorted. ¡°Looks like an honest day of work as a baker. Hope you managed to get some Levels at least, it might prove useful if you can make stuff that gives us buffs later on.¡±

    Theora looked to the side.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve got enough for the both of us. Today worked out splendidly.¡±

    ¡°Is all of that¡­ all money¡­?¡±

    Lostina nodded. ¡°Yep! And I got a ton of Levels, too. Was pretty fun, not gonna lie.¡±

    ¡°How did you¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± She raised her eyebrows and then shrugged. ¡°Why, I scammed some rich nobles, obviously. I¡¯m a [Pretender], I have to lie or I won¡¯t get any stronger.¡±

    Theora wished to cry.

    ¡°It¡¯s easy,¡± Lostina continued. ¡°Just have them believe it¡¯s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and that you¡¯re only in town today, and have twenty other high-profile people to get to, and really, you were just knocking on that door because of the pretty plant they had in their window, so they are extremely lucky to even get noticed by you. And then¡­¡±

    Theora tuned out.

    So this world was set up so you had to scam rich people in order to succeed? It was unrealistic to have rich people to begin with¡­ Why would they be rich instead of sharing their wealth with people in need¡­

    She gave another small sigh, and reminded herself that this was just a story. Someone was having their fun making up the very worst society imaginable, and it was Theora¡¯s fault for even having chosen this book in the first place.

    ¡°See, your sad puppy eyes tell me it was a good thing we split up,¡± Lostina added, and her gaze turned a bit firmer. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be honest with you. I¡¯m here to save Gonell. I don¡¯t care about the rest of the world this shitty author dreamt up. In other words, I¡¯m a bit of a villain. Can¡¯t have you interfere with my plans.¡±

    ¡°I would not have interfered,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°I would have just been unhappy.¡±

    At that, Lostina¡¯s expression changed into pity. ¡°Aww, aren¡¯t you a cutie. Sorry.¡±

    Theora gave a weak shrug, and let her shoulders hang. Lostina blinked through the crowd, and as Theora¡¯s gaze followed, she could see some guards talking to each other.

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go,¡± Lostina said. ¡°People are probably already searching for me. The disguise should help, but who knows.¡±

    With that, she gave Theora two of the larger bags to carry, and they made off towards the gate.

 Chapter 93: Not Flour

    When they left the large city wall behind, the atmosphere changed. Houses were made of wood and bricks now, and not limestone. Lostina seemed somewhat on edge for a while, looking around to make sure nobody was following them, and she also kept her eyes open until she found a little store, where she purchased water and food. Then, she went back to moving at the side of roads and in the shadows.

    The sun edged closer to the horizon. Signs of civilization thinned out, and the road got a little rockier. Lostina started to relax, but not by too much.

    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Theora asked.

    Lostina nodded awkwardly. ¡°Just, I¡¯m realising that we are entering¡­ nature.¡±

    Nature. After leaving the large city and its outskirts, the main road Lostina had chosen was leading them over the slowly descending ridge of a mountain. The grass was short, with little rocks littered around, while the remnants of scattered evening sunlight coated the distant summits in pink glow.

    ¡°It¡¯s a nice place.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lostina said. ¡°Well ¡ª yes, but. There¡¯s probably¡­ bears? What if we get hurt on the way? What if we meet bandits? I didn¡¯t consider that we¡¯d actually have to, like, hike. If one of us stumbles and breaks a leg¡­¡± She shuddered, and then switched the bag she was carrying from one arm to the other, seemingly strained.

    ¡°I can put our luggage into my interdimensional travelling coat,¡± Theora said.

    Lostina hummed. ¡°Your what? Oh well, why not. If it means I don¡¯t have to carry them¡­¡±

    Theora stored one bag after the other in folds of her coat, trying her best to memorise where she put them. By the time she was done, she had forgotten.

    ¡°But also,¡± Lostina continued, ¡°I have no idea how to like, live outside? I realise we might have been a bit rash with just, going. There¡¯s a settlement not too far away ¡ª only a few hours¡­ But it¡¯s getting dark. I didn¡¯t realise¡­ Ugh.¡± She shuddered again, massaging her arms. ¡°What if there¡¯s wild boars? This world is totally made up. What if there are tigers?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Theora said. ¡°I will protect you.¡±

    Lostina gave a careful, long side-glance. ¡°Look,¡± she murmured, sounding a bit less stressed. ¡°Flirting does help me calm down, but also, please take this seriously. Bears are not impressed by chivalry. I think.¡±

    Theora blinked. Flirting?

    ¡°Perhaps we should get a guide,¡± Lostina added. ¡°That¡¯s assuming we make it to the next settlement alive. Gosh, I wish I hadn¡¯t spent all my life at home. I have no clue how this stuff works.¡±

    The ridge was getting a bit narrower, the hillside steeper. She made the mistake of looking down, then closed her eyes, and whispered a count to ten.

    ¡°By the way,¡± she continued, seemingly to distract herself, ¡°Did you get any error messages while being out and about today? Like, outline-related?¡±

    Theora shook her head, and Lostina hummed.

    ¡°I guess you wouldn¡¯t have done anything to impact the grand scheme. I didn¡¯t try to scam people who¡¯ll be important later, because I was afraid I might get screwed over in the middle of it. Would have sucked. So, I had to find some side-characters, which was inconvenient, because I know less about them.¡±

    ¡°What exactly are these outline errors you are talking about?¡±

    ¡°Ah. You haven¡¯t seen any at all yet? Actually, we should test that at some point. You said this is a story in your original world? And I¡¯m the main character there? In that case, maybe the errors only apply to me. Perhaps your actions are unrestricted.¡±

    Theora gulped. No rocking the boat. She wasn¡¯t supposed to change the plot. If she indeed wasn¡¯t restricted in the same way, then that would put her in a bit of a predicament if Lostina were to start asking for favours.

    She decided not to mention that for now, though. After all, it would be a little rude to tell this desperate girl that Theora couldn¡¯t help her simply because she wanted to observe the original plot line, which¡­ apparently was putting Lostina through quite some ordeals.

    ¡°But,¡± Lostina went on, ¡°Essentially, an ¡®outline¡¯ is a predetermined set of events that an author decided need to happen to tell their story. Like cornerstones. Small deviations may be possible if they lead to the same outcome, but once the outline is screwed, the author can¡¯t follow their vision anymore. Of course, not all authors use them, and some authors do use them, but scrap them constantly. The original author of Procrastinating the Apocalypse is, unfortunately, pretty adamant on the outline being kept, it seems¡­ So, when I try to do something I¡¯m not supposed to, it throws an error, and my agency gets restricted. Meaning I¡¯m unable to do the thing.¡±

    So, the author was some kind of overreaching entity that would dictate the course of history? It did sound a little like the System Theora was already used to. It made Lostina¡¯s frustration even more relatable.

    ¡°Sucks, big time.¡± Lostina gave an exasperated sigh. She accidentally looked down the mountain again, then braced herself and pulled her gaze back to the path. ¡°Like, what¡¯s even the point? Typically these kinds of stories are power fantasies, where the main character gets spawned into another world they already know everything about, and because of that they can do some amazing things that make the reader feel awesome by extension. Why use this kind of setting if you¡¯re not going to have this dynamic? Fucking annoying. That author in your world sucks just as much as the original author of this one.¡±

    ¡°Frustrating,¡± Theora agreed with a nod.

    They fell into silence for a while. Their paces crunched over the road; the only sound besides the winds.

    Lostina eventually raised her voice again.

    ¡°There should be a small village somewhere ahead, according to the map I stole,¡± she said. ¡°But it¡¯s probably not a good place to stock up. Too small. But still¡­ I¡¯m a little worried¡­¡±

    Theora gulped. Maybe she should offer a distraction? There was a question Theora wanted to ask. She was, however, unsure how to phrase it, or properly get it across, so she went over different ways to formulate it.

    Eventually, she tried, ¡°Say, you know a lot about stories, right? May I ask you a question?¡±

    ¡°Sure, whatever,¡± Lostina said. ¡°Not an expert or anything, just what I picked up from reading and writing a lot.¡±

    ¡°So, let¡¯s say you wanted to hide something in a story. How would you do that?¡±

    Lostina frowned. ¡°Like, hide what? Information?¡±

    Theora looked at the far summits, trying to find her words. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what it is. It seems to be hidden somewhere in this world. But, I can¡¯t give any other information that would be less abstract.¡±

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lostina scratched her neck, staring ahead. ¡°Well, typically, if you want to hide something in a book, I guess you¡¯d do it on the last few pages, because those are the ones the fewest people will actually read. Each page provides an opportunity for a reader to drop the story, after all. Or, maybe the second-to-last chapter, if you account for people skipping ahead. So, if we think of this as a novel, then the finale could be where your thing is hidden.¡±

    That made sense, but at the same time, it felt a little awkward. Because if the Fragment was really hidden in the last event of this story, that meant Theora had an additional incentive not to meddle with the outline. Another reason not to help.

    ¡°Though, actually,¡± Lostina added in thought, ¡°Maybe you¡¯d want to hide it in an implication instead. In subtext. Like, sprinkle some hints and ideas over the entire course of the plot, and provide the last, most important clue at the end that brings it all together. So that only people who have read it all, and attentively so, would be able to piece it together. That might be the best way to hide something inside a story. Granted, you¡¯d have to put in a lot of effort. Can¡¯t imagine the author of this story going through that.¡±

    Theora¡¯s heart sank.

    Picking up hints? Putting together the implications? She was fairly bad at that. Plus, it reinforced the idea of sticking to the original outline even more, because otherwise, she might miss something important.

    She stared into the night. Perhaps she could delegate the heavy thinking to [Head in the Clouds]¡­?

    Head in the Clouds. You sure are a cheeky one.

    Theora gulped and blushed and looked at the ground. Not having the Interface to filter the answer of the Skill made it even more resounding in her own mind¡­ On that note, she also didn¡¯t have access to her party screen anymore, or any other parts of the System. She really was in a different world now.

    Of course, her Skills belonged to her, and thus, she could still use them, but¡­ They¡¯d feel a bit different without the Interface. Some Skills, like [Appraise], didn¡¯t actually work without access to the System, although Theora didn¡¯t have any of those.

    She hadn¡¯t practised using Skills raw in a long time.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Lostina said with a shrug. ¡°If you need any help finding that thing of yours, feel free to¡ª¡±

    The air was punctured by a scream.

    Despite the echoes, Theora managed to pinpoint it to the direction of a few roofs that had come into view next to a forest in the valley. It must be the settlement Lostina had referred to.

    Immediately, she increased her pace.

    ¡°Hey, wait,¡± Lostina said, trying to keep up. ¡°Hey. Hey. I don¡¯t think¡ª Wait!¡±

    Theora stared, waiting for an explanation.

    ¡°We can¡¯t go there! It¡¯s nighttime. This could be anything. Remember, we are low-level?¡±

    ¡°You can stay here if you wish.¡±

    Lostina¡¯s eyes were wide. ¡°We can¡¯t help the way we are. If it¡¯s an Erratum, we will die. Oh god, please don¡¯t leave me behind.¡±

    ¡°You think this is an Erratum?¡±

    Lostina nodded. ¡°Could be something else, but ¡ª if it¡¯s Errata, it means there might be a rift too, with more to come.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go help,¡± she said, and made her way down the path. ¡°I will keep you safe.¡±

    Lostina swallowed and bit her lip, but decided to keep up anyway. ¡°Look. If it¡¯s an Erratum, we run. Okay? I¡¯m not gonna let you fucking die on me.¡±

    Meanwhile, Theora started rummaging around in her cloak. With each grab, she found another useless thing; mostly magical artefacts of medium to high grade that she¡¯d received and forgotten about ages ago.

    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Lostina asked, already out of breath, trying not to stumble over rocks.

    ¡°Healing potion,¡± Theora said. ¡°In case someone is injured. Bandages, too.¡±

    The moment she said that, she did grab a flask inside the coat, and produced what she needed ¡ª red, glowing, thick liquid in a rounded, corked glass carafe. Those years of taking care of Dema had ingrained in her mind not to walk around without healing potions anymore; and thus she¡¯d requested some in Hallmark. She tossed it over to Lostina.

    ¡°Apply to injuries, or let them drink it.¡± She then also found a few bandages, and started to wonder how she was getting these things so quickly. ¡°Here.¡±

    Lostina frowned and nodded, pressing both in front of her chest, and daring a short glance back to the stuff Theora had thrown away. ¡°You have so much with you. Why didn¡¯t you sell any of these to make money?¡±

    At that, Theora¡¯s brain froze. She looked back at the Amber Hourglass she¡¯d just discarded. That¡¯s right ¡ª it was junk to her, but maybe someone else could have made use of an item that turned sand into gold, or things like that.

    She tried to shove the thought away as they made further down the slope.

    A fight was going on next to a small house a little outside the settlement.

    A man lay on the ground heavily wounded, bleeding, holding his stomach. Another few people were running away into the settlement, and meanwhile, a woman clad in armour and wielding a long spear fought¡ª something.

    Theora could only guess it to be an Erratum.

    An intricate humanoid statue carved of white clay, wings on its back made up of endless feathers, a large sword in its hand that seemed glued to its body, thick armour and a symmetrical, round, unblemished face, eyes with no pupils, long, sculpted hair that still seemed to wave in the wind.

    All of it was made of the same material, as if sculptured by hand, and then possessed with uncanny movement. It fought precisely, with a measured weight behind its strikes.

    The woman it opposed was losing.

    Her weapon gave her a range advantage, and she managed to put the occasional scratch on the creature, but she was heavily outclassed in raw strength, and continuously pushed back. Theora realised that this person was stalling for reinforcements to arrive. She probably wouldn¡¯t make it that long.

    She had scratches all over her protection from lashes that had made it past the distance, and a deep bleeding cut on her face.

    Despite her grand words, Lostina didn¡¯t turn and run once she saw the creature. She was panting heavily, sounded close to losing consciousness, but kept going, clutching the potion and the bandages.

    ¡°Is it one of them?¡± Theora asked.

    Lostina nodded.

    ¡°Can I pick you up?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Theora offered her arms, and Lostina nodded, although seeming confused and horrified. With a quick gesture, Theora fetched her in a princess carry, and jumped far.

    Lostina screamed.

    They landed where the man was lying, and Theora dumped Lostina next to him.

    That¡¯s when the knight noticed them. ¡°Run away!¡± she yelled, and the distraction almost cost her an arm. ¡°I¡¯ll hold it off until reinforcements arrive!¡±

    Meanwhile, Lostina started to apply first-aid, frantically, but focused. The Erratum lost all interest in its opponent the very next moment, and turned around to Theora. With a quick jab, the knight took the opportunity to cut into its wing, but left it unfazed. Instead, it lifted its claymore towards Theora, and struck.

    The blade was coming down.

    Being fast meant effort. It was tiring, and being hit by attacks was easy. However, that made Dema sad. It made Iso sad, too. And, it made Bell mad.

    So, Theora stepped aside. The weapon lunged into the ground with a thud and threw up a wall of dirt.

    The Erratum was strong. There was no expression on its face; it was just blank. An empty shell. Cast upon the planet to fulfil an awful purpose, with nothing of note inside itself.

    It was like Theora.

    She put a hand on its waist. Cold, dry. Soft, for a rock. Ah, that¡¯s right. How to use it again, without the Interface? Theora focused for a moment, manifesting the Skill¡¯s aura in her mind, and then, released it.

    Obliterate.

    The creature disintegrated into fine powder, the remains carried away in the wind of the night. A lance stabbed the air where a head had still been just a moment before, and then the knight lowered it, confused. Theora turned to Lostina, who had administered the potion and stopped the bleeding, the man wrapped-up in her arms, breathing heavily, but conscious.

    ¡°Oh my god,¡± Lostina let out with an incredulous laugh. ¡°What the fuck? You are one hell of a [Baker]. You can turn stuff into flour?¡±

    Theora blinked. ¡°Not what I did.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Sure looked like it, though,¡± the knight added, cracking a smile. She grazed through her long black hair, bloodying it. ¡°What the fuck. Summoned ones really are something else. Thanks. Might have ended roughly for old Sammy.¡± She nodded towards the man, then relaxed the tension in her muscles, walking over to take him off Lostina¡¯s arms.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s not flour,¡± Theora insisted.

 Chapter 94: Deus Ex Machina

    After fighting off the first Erratum, Theora scouted the area for a while to make sure no others were present, and eventually did find two more, as well as a small dent in space-time, which a [Summoner] present in the village was able to close easily. With that, Lostina declared the danger mostly over.

    They ended up staying the night. When Theora explained they were on their way to try and save a village from an upcoming Erratum attack, people there happily provided the two with travelling resources and other useful things for the journey.

    ¡°We should still pay them,¡± Theora murmured early the next morning, when she and Lostina were sitting at the table of Sammy¡¯s husband to eat breakfast. ¡°After all, we don¡¯t currently need the money for anything else, and they look like they might need it more. Plus, it seems customary in this world to pay for things.¡±

    Lostina grimaced. ¡°Fine, whatever. I guess I can always scam people for more if we need anything. You still have all our money in your cloak, so feel free to do what you see fit.¡±

    Theora nodded, and put a forkful of salad into her mouth. Lostina didn¡¯t seem very invested in that money, and was mostly focussed on her crudely self-drawn map that she had lying next to her bowl of soup. She¡¯d apparently stayed up late with some others to help plot out a route to their destination. It was at the edge of the kingdom, and fairly hard to reach.

    ¡°Still, this makes no sense.¡± She shook her head in what seemed like slight annoyance, her hair strands bouncing.

    ¡°The route?¡±

    ¡°No, you,¡± she said, looking at Theora without raising her head. ¡°The only person who¡¯s supposed to be able to face off against Errata that easily is Gonell.¡±

    Theora leaned back, hiding her face behind her hand. Was her mere presence already messing things up?

    ¡°I suppose if it was an issue, you¡¯d have received an outline error,¡± Lostina mused. ¡°If you can get such errors. In any case, we¡¯ve got all we need. I wanted to recruit Luke ¡ª the [Summoner], I mean ¡ª but it threw an error. That¡¯s fine, though. We have travelling utensils now, and I suppose bears aren¡¯t an issue with you around.¡± She gave a small sigh. ¡°And three days to spare. We should be able to make it, even if you run off a few more times to play hero.¡±

    ¡°You sound like you disapprove.¡±

    Lostina shrugged. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not opposed to it. But, Errata are overpowered as fuck, and I had no idea your class was this ridiculous.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not my Class¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyway, yeah, as long as you don¡¯t get us killed, it¡¯s fine by me. I guess I kind of treated this as ¡®just a story¡¯ at first, and the author can still go to hell, but it would suck if people suffered despite us being able to do something about it. They summon us to this world because we get unique Classes. Native people only have twelve different ones to choose from. So¡­ if we can help out, we should.¡± She sighed. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been wondering. In your original world, what genre is this story?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Genre. As in. Is it an Adventure story? Action? Drama?¡±

    Theora tried her best to hazard a guess, but¡­ The first few pages definitely felt a little dramatic, and not very adventurous. But she couldn¡¯t judge a book by its first few pages. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. All I know is that it¡¯s Dema¡¯s favourite, and that some people I talked to behaved a little restrained when I told them I would take her on a date here.¡±

    Lostina massaged her temples in slight perplexion. ¡°I¡¯ll ignore most of what you just said because it sounds ridiculous. The reason I¡¯m wondering is just ¡ª is this a story with a good end? Or a tragedy? Because so far, it seems a lot like a tragedy. The kind of story where, no matter what the main characters do, they won¡¯t be able to change the tragic outcome.¡±

    ¡°You say that after we may have kept someone from dying.¡±

    Lostina winced a bit, but then shrugged. ¡°Okay, but. That was just one measly Erratum attack in one very small settlement. And it¡¯s been making me think ¡ª if we treat this story as real, and the people here too, and not ¡®just a story¡¯, then¡­ Isn¡¯t it fucking depressing? We won¡¯t be able to stop these attacks, and once you¡¯ve found your thing, and once I¡¯ve saved Gonell, maybe we¡¯ll be off and everything here will stay just as depressing.¡±

    ¡°Every single action has meaning,¡± Theora said.

    Lostina frowned. ¡°Yeah, I mean. Yes. Sorry. Wasn¡¯t trying to¡­ But, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s depressing at all?¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Of course I would prefer if people found a solution to the issue. And if I have a way to aid in that, I will try.¡±

    That said, doing so might make it harder or impossible for her to find the Fragment of Time.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ That¡¯s what I mean¡­ I¡¯m here to save Gonell, and god knows that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯ll do. Because I can¡¯t let the author get away with that nonsense. But¡­ I mean, I guess it¡¯s a bit presumptuous. We weren¡¯t in the original story, we were added to it after the fact. And the original story seemed like the type where they¡¯d eventually find a solution on their own. I don¡¯t think I can do shit about this anyway, I¡¯m just a measly [Pretender] who happens to know some things about the setting.¡±

    ¡°A pretender,¡± Theora echoed. ¡°Do the Classes we receive have something to do with our previous lives?¡±

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Lostina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, narrowing her eyes a bit in thought. ¡°I would assume so. Wallace, the original main character, got the [Procrastinator] Class after transmigrating, and that pretty much mirrors his past life. The Class lets him choose arbitrary time windows to accomplish certain results, and the closer he gets to the deadline before fulfilling that condition, the more he powers up. It¡¯s high risk, high reward. Also a good power for a story setting because it comes with free countdowns and suspense build-up. Was always engaging to read.¡±

    She poked around in her soup, trying to stab a piece of carrot, spilling a few drops over her map. ¡°Meanwhile, I used to pretend a lot in my old life. Was born with a body I didn¡¯t feel very comfortable in, so to speak, and had to act a lot to fit in, ¡¯cause of some outside pressures. That stuff got fixed with my transmigration, luckily. Here, I have other reasons to pretend, though. What about you?¡±

    Theora stared at her plate. ¡°Not sure. I was trying to learn how to bake, recently. I haven''t gotten very far yet, though. I wonder if I¡¯ll get the chance to become better at it here.¡±

    Lostina smiled. ¡°Well, at least you¡¯ll always have enough flour.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not flour.¡±

    Lostina ignored her. ¡°Things will be a little tense until we see what we can do about the village, and a lot of stuff depends on how it all¡¯s gonna shake out. But, Gonell¡¯s date of death is about seven months from now, so if you stay with me until then ¡ª which I assume would be the end of the novel in your world ¡ª then you might have enough time to get into your Class.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°That would be nice.¡±

    After they finished eating, Theora left two bags of money, and then they made off to continue their journey. By now, Theora was getting somewhat worried about the absence of Dema. She really missed her, which was one thing. But also, what if something had gone wrong? Dema would know how to rejoin the main plot, so if there was any possibility for her to have met them by now, she¡¯d likely have done so.

    That meant that either she¡¯d been placed in a spot that was very far away, or¡­ she was in a position where she couldn¡¯t leave. And in that case, Theora didn¡¯t have any way to locate her. After all, the Interface she was used to didn¡¯t work inside this story.

    Suddenly, Theora wished she had some kind of keepsake of her. Something to remember Dema by whenever they were separated.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Theora started at some point, as they were traversing along a barren cliff. The wind blew strongly, so she raised her voice as much as she felt comfortable to still be heard clearly. ¡°Can I¡­ Can you¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lostina went, looking back at her, black sclera and lime-green pupils staring with curiosity. Her eyes were almost as captivating as Dema¡¯s.

    ¡°Can I¡­ like. The money¡­ Could I use some of it for myself, maybe?¡±

    Lostina shrugged. ¡°Sure, whatever. I think we have enough supplies now to stop worrying about that for a while. If it makes you happy, go for it.¡±

    Theora let out a breath of relief. Lostina was truly a blessing of a person. How could she be so nice?

    Now, Theora simply needed to look out for something suitable.

    The next day, they ended their journey in another settlement, and after one more day of travel, Lostina found a mountain cave for them to sleep in. It was full of little bats, and their constant flaps helped Theora doze off. However, just before she could truly let go, Lostina¡¯s voice brought her back awake.

    ¡°Tomorrow evening we¡¯ll reach the village,¡± she murmured. A few seconds passed, and Theora could hear her swallow. ¡°I¡¯m kind of starting to get scared. What if we really can¡¯t do shit? If all our actions get blocked, and we simply turn up to watch everyone die?¡±

    ¡°Do you really think that can happen? What if we¡­ ignore the error messages? If we just save them anyway?¡±

    Lostina shuffled in her bedroll, and sat up. Her hair was wildly out of order, and she gazed down at Theora, worried. ¡°We are characters in a story, Theora. Well, not you. Though there¡¯s a chance you got turned into one by voluntarily coming here. You understand what that means, right?¡±

    She really did not.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know a lot about stories.¡±

    Lostina sighed. ¡°Well. Let¡¯s suppose the error messages hint at one simple fact: That this story is still actively being written. That the author is very much present, and overseeing this world. And we are characters in that world.¡±

    Her gaze went across the ceiling, as if she was looking for something in the world behind it. ¡°That¡¯s a bit scary, right? Because it would mean we are at the author¡¯s total mercy. Sure, we have our personality traits, and authors generally are encouraged to keep behaviour of their characters consistent, but like¡­ If we annoy them enough, or prevent them from telling the story the way they want to, they can force us to do whatever, or just kill us off. Deus-ex-machina-style.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Deus ex machina¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lostina took a brittle piece of earth from the ground, turning it in her hand. ¡°It lets them do whatever they want. Like we are up against some uber-powerful reality warper. Think of it as an author¡¯s Ultimate Skill.¡±

    She rumbled the piece apart.

    Ah. An all-powerful being, with an all-powerful Skill.

    ¡°Sure, the Skill has a cost,¡± Lostina continued. ¡°It usually damages the story¡¯s integrity. If an author uses it, they might lose readers, or income. Or get axed. But, not all authors are deterred by that, you know? If we annoy them enough, they will drop a piano on us, and there is literally nothing we can do to stop them. Some will rip the inner logic of the story apart simply to get rid of us. Like they did with Gonell.¡±

    ¡°So, you are saying¡­ If we ignore the errors, and succeed to change the outline against the author¡¯s wishes, we might get written out of the story.¡±

    Lostina nodded. ¡°Exactly. We can¡¯t win, is what I want to say. Not really. Not without the author¡¯s approval. It¡¯s possible that the error messages are just an early warning shot of sorts. A generous message informing us to ¡®tread lightly¡¯, or we will be squashed.¡±

    She sighed, and shook her head, looking somewhat sad. ¡°Of course, we should still try. There¡¯s got to be a way to use the knowledge we have about the setting¡­ I just don¡¯t know how, yet. We do need to be careful, though. That¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about. That, if we take one step too far, everything will fall apart.¡±

    A being so totally and utterly strong that it could do anything to Theora or anyone else, at a whim.

    It seemed like a dream. Even the System at her home wasn¡¯t that powerful; Theora could, in theory, severely harm it, or even dismantle it. She chose not to, because of how many other people were still dependent on it, and because of the damage dismantling it might do to reality. And, no matter how hard that System tried, it would not be able to harm Theora. The difference in power was too great.

    It had proven as much with the delegation sent to seal her.

    And now, hidden within the layers of this world, there possibly existed a creature that was to Theora what Theora was to everyone else?

    A looming threat. A being that tolerated one¡¯s existence, if one was lucky.

    Perhaps this was what she deserved.

 Chapter 95: Set in Stone

    ¡°It should be around here,¡± Lostina said. The water rumbled down the cliff into a deep fall, where the river meandered down the valley. Meanwhile, she carefully jumped over boulder after boulder embedded in the water, trying hard not to look down the cliff. Finally, she stopped, and waved Theora close.

    Her gaze was fixed to a barely visible, low floating beige fog exuding from a very slim, long crack in the air. ¡°There,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s a freshly forming rift. It¡¯s where the Errata will come from.¡± She turned around, and pointed at a settlement of a few hundred buildings down by the river. ¡°They¡¯ll come out, have their vanguard rip open a few more cracks in the area, and then swarm the village. Gonell will try to stop them, but fail.¡±

    At that last sentence, Lostina pressed her lips together. Theora kept her in her gaze for a while, then shifted between the rift and the village. Gonell will try to stop them, but fail.

    ¡°How will she fail?¡± Theora asked.

    Lostina shook her head gently. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter now. Let¡¯s try to do something about this thing, because if we close it, none of it will happen.¡±

    Theora stood there, arms hanging down to her sides, clothes shifting in the wind. ¡°You can be honest to me, if you want to.¡±

    Lostina made a step back, folding and hugging her arms, and gave a pained look. ¡°I know. I know. Let¡¯s just ¡ª focus on what¡¯s important right now, okay? Rift. Rift bad. Errata spill out, bad things happen. So, let¡¯s stop that.¡±

    Theora gave a nod.

    ¡°If we can, that is,¡± Lostina added. ¡°[Summoners] are usually the ones in charge of closing or opening these structures. But, when I tried recruiting Luke for this task, it threw an outline error. So, I stole one of their Skills instead.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Lostina smiled triumphantly. ¡°[Pretender], remember? It¡¯s a Class used for infiltration jobs, intelligence gathering, and diversion. It would kind of suck if I disguised myself as another person but couldn¡¯t use a single Skill from their Class. I made a point of levelling to 23 just to get the Skill before we got here. Only issue is that I can¡¯t copy a combat Skill.¡±

    ¡°I could probably destroy the rift using one of my Skills too,¡± Theora said. ¡°With what you said about the dangers of changing the outline, perhaps I would be the better choice.¡±

    Lostina frowned for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°Nah. Extremely unlikely, if what you said about me being the main character of this story is true.¡±

    ¡°Oh? How does that relate?¡±

    ¡°Well, if I¡¯m the MC, then I have plot armour. Means I¡¯m unlikely to just be killed off this early on in the story. Especially anticlimactically, like here.¡± At that, she grimaced. ¡°Whoops, raised a death flag. Either way, I think I have better protection overall than some random girl from another world.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora said, even though she didn¡¯t understand it at all. ¡°But there is still a chance these rules don¡¯t even apply to me, considering I visited this place voluntarily.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty adamant on fucking around and finding out, huh?¡±

    Theora bit her lip. ¡°I simply do not wish to see you harmed. I feel confident in my ability to withstand some amounts of damage, even against a strong opponent.¡±

    ¡°Strong opponent,¡± Lostina echoed sarcastically. ¡°It¡¯s the author. Whatever, go ahead and try to turn this crack into flour, if you want to do it so badly. But, if it throws an error, that means you are affected by this world too, in which case I¡¯d prefer if you let me take over.¡±

    Muttering ¡°It¡¯s not flour¡± under her breath, Theora approached the rift, and reached out. She felt a certain push as she got closer; as if the laws of physics changed in its vicinity. She didn¡¯t need to touch it to activate the Skill, although she generally preferred having additional control like that.

    Eventually, she felt close enough.

    Obl¡ª

    ERROR.

    Action restricted. Cannot deviate from original author outline.

    The Skill puffed into nothingness, as if Theora had deactivated it herself. Except, she hadn¡¯t. It was like some entity had taken control of her for a brief moment.

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± she murmured. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±

    Lostina gave her a questioning look. ¡°What? Got an error?¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°I kind of want to break it. See if I can persevere, if I try very hard. I would like to know if I could.¡±

    ¡°Look, this isn¡¯t for your ego, okay? Things can go seriously wrong. But, I agree in principle, and that¡¯s why we¡¯re here. Please, step aside. I¡¯ll try to ignore the error and push through, and see if it works.¡±

    Theora reluctantly decided to give way, and observed Lostina get in position to close the rift. Somehow, she felt slightly jealous. If she had the choice, obviously she would not wish to be a ¡®main character¡¯, but it was certainly tempting.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see¡­¡±

    Lostina seemed to focus for a while, and then her hand started shining in a green and pink light. ¡°That¡¯s glue,¡± she explained, and tried to put it on top of the rift. Some magical barrier seemed to prevent her from outright touching it. ¡°Figured.¡±

    ¡°Error?¡±

    ¡°Yes, unfortunately,¡± she said. ¡°But, I still have another idea.¡±

    Instead of applying it directly, she started painting around the cracks, as if she was weaving them into a cocoon, slowly walking around it.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a trick,¡± she said. ¡°Like¡­ The errors seem to only interfere very late. As in, the outline lets us do whatever we want, until the action that would actually break it.¡±

    That made some sense. The outline hadn¡¯t prevented them from coming here. It had only meddled the moment Theora tried to destroy the rift.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t recruit Luke because it required sharing information about future events. But, it allowed us to come here, and we haven¡¯t exactly been secretive about our intentions.¡±

    ¡°If it interferes at the last possible moment, we should try to obscure that last possible moment.¡±

    Lostina smiled brightly. ¡°Exactly! We¡¯ll trick it!¡± Soon, she¡¯d embedded the entire crack in a thick layer of healing light goo that simply stuck to the air. ¡°There! This doesn¡¯t prevent the rift from growing, so it was allowed. And now¡­¡±

    With a few light jumps, she made it to the side of the river, and then tried throwing larger and larger rocks into the water. She wasn¡¯t a very strong person, so she struggled a lot.

    ¡°Am I allowed to lend you a hand with that?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°Sure, why not. I want to build up water somehow, so it washes the goo into the rift¡­ and closes it. Actually, if we had a ramp of some kind, that would be nice¡­ I want the action that eventually causes the outline to break to be really abstract. And when I do it, I¡¯ll just think ¡®let¡¯s lift that ramp for no reason at all whatsoever¡¯, you know? Ideally, it either doesn¡¯t recognise the violation, or the agency restraints will be easier to overcome if it¡¯s indirect. If we¡¯re lucky, that is.¡±

    From the limited understanding Theora had of the situation, it did sound like a reasonable approach. One that she probably wouldn¡¯t have come up with in a thousand years. She looked around the area to find something that could help with Lostina¡¯s plan, and within two hours, the two managed to build a somewhat complicated construction out of several larger rocks and earth and branches.

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°Damn, you can lift,¡± Lostina said, heavily out of breath, as she looked over their little project. ¡°So, we only have to roll this pebble down this wooden ramp, and then it should hit that pendulum, and then¡­¡± She went to double-check the chain reaction. If it didn¡¯t work, they¡¯d have to try again, but ultimately, she seemed rather confident, as they¡¯d tested the parts in isolation a few times.

    ¡°Looks good,¡± Theora agreed.

    With a confident grin, Lostina took the pebble into her hand, and walked a few steps back. ¡°Gonna do us the honour! I¡¯ll throw from further away so that I can¡¯t be sure if I¡¯ll actually hit.¡±

    She launched the little rock, and started cheering when she didn¡¯t receive an error. Of course, the rock didn¡¯t land where it was supposed to, instead plonking into the river. Excited, she went to fetch it back, and tried again.

    Five times, five misses. Until finally, just as Lostina was launching the rock for the sixth time, she froze for a second right after. And then, she stared, wide-eyed.

    ¡°Got an error,¡± she muttered excitedly, as the rock rolled down the ramp and knocked against the pendulum. ¡°Got an error! But it came too late! Had already thrown it!¡±

    She ran up to the construction, and Theora followed. The pebble rolled down a slope, hit a few plates of thinner stone to transfer energy into the mechanism, and, as it went through the motions, Lostina held her breath.

    ¡°Oh, come on! Please work! I got an error so it should work, right?¡±

    Finally, the construction knocked up a heap large enough to funnel water over the crack in the air.

    ¡°Oh my god,¡± Lostina let out, unable to hide her excitement, as the crack sealed up, and disappeared.

    ¡°It worked,¡± Theora observed.

    ¡°It worked!¡± Lostina cheered, jumped and hugged Theora tight. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± She let off immediately, to examine the remains of the crack, carefully removing excess healing paste from the air with her Skill. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m kind of nervous. Did we do it? We sealed it, didn¡¯t we? Now, nothing can hap¡ª¡±

    SYSTEM FAILURE.

    Outline Integrity compromised. Calculating alternative¡­

    Initiating Author Intervention: Dramatic Irony.

    At that exact moment, a little crackle issued from right beside Lostina¡¯s head. She turned around to see the smallest rift form at a new spot, right next to her, fog slowly exuding from it like from the old one. Then, with another crackle, a second rift opened right where she was trying to evade to.

    She slipped, and landed in the water, being pulled along by the stream.

    Within a second, Theora paced over the rocks in long strides, ducked beneath the cracks, and fetched Lostina from the river before she¡¯d be flushed down the cliff. Wet and breathing heavily, Lostina stared at the rifts as she unwrapped herself from Theora, now on safe ground beside the river.

    ¡°Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake, this is impossible,¡± she muttered. ¡°Oh, god. These aren¡¯t supposed to just pop up! They are incredibly rare!¡±

    ¡°Does that mean¡­¡±

    Lostina¡¯s face went grim. ¡°Author intervention. Oh, fuck. This is bad. In the original, Gonell only had to fight off one rift, and the village still got destroyed.¡±

    She pushed a hand through her hair, grabbing tight. She stared up at Theora wide-eyed. ¡°We made it even worse.¡±

    Theora knelt down beside her, wanting to take Lostina¡¯s hand to calm her, but Lostina evaded the gesture, rubbing her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m such an idiot!¡± she went. ¡°I thought the author¡¯s retaliation would hit only us, since we¡¯re the ones messing with the outline. But of course, they¡¯d let it out on the residents! That just makes more sense to do! Oh, god. I should have known. I should have predicted that.¡±

    ¡°There was no way to know,¡± Theora said.

    Lostina¡¯s grab of her own hair tightened, and she started shaking her head a bit too strongly. ¡°No, there was! It¡¯s a simple rule; if you can¡¯t threaten the people who have plot armour, you have to threaten or hurt the people around them. Also, dramatic irony. I was too confident. Provides a perfect avenue to get us punished.¡± She trailed off, eyes on the village, and then looked back at Theora. ¡°Wait,¡± she said. ¡°Wait. So, even if we can change the outline, it just gets overwritten immediately. That¡¯s like, the worst case scenario. And this author doesn¡¯t even care about story-internal logic! Just having two appear? It¡¯s impossible! It¡¯s an ass-pull! The author will just do anything to get their way. Oh, we messed up so bad.¡±

    ¡°We still had to try,¡± Theora said. ¡°The things you say sound like conjecture. We couldn¡¯t have just left the rift here, could we? We had to try.¡±

    ¡°We had to try,¡± Lostina echoed, nodding weakly. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. Some authors give their characters more agency than others. Some authors will amend their outline if their characters ask for it.¡± She took a very deep breath.

    She needed tea.

    Theora started rummaging in her cloak to prepare it. She had water here, and there was moss nearby. She could make moss tea again.

    Lostina mostly ignored Theora¡¯s shifting. ¡°Now we know that this author will make hell break loose just to get their way. Fuck. What do we do now?¡±

    ¡°I suggest we go to the village.¡±

    Lostina took a few deep, calming breaths. Her gaze was resting on Theora¡¯s hands lighting a fire, but she didn¡¯t seem to register much beyond that. ¡°Okay. Yes. Ugh, my whole skin is burning.¡± She wiped sweat from her head. ¡°Yes. Yes. Maybe we can ask the villagers for help. Ahh¡­ but we can¡¯t talk to them without breaking the outline¡­ can¡¯t even be honest to them¡­ We¡¯ll have to talk to them knowing they will all die and¡ª¡±

    She paused, frowning. ¡°Wait¡­ Yes. Wait. This doesn¡¯t make sense, does it? No story would just do this. We wouldn¡¯t fail like this, would we? There has to be a way. Something we¡¯re not seeing yet.¡±

    Theora put the pot on. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Like, okay. If we were to fail, we wouldn¡¯t fail like this!¡± She pulled her hand out of her hair, leaving it a mess. ¡°From a structural perspective ¡ª It¡¯s much more likely, we¡¯d come up with a very cool plan, unsure about whether it works until the last second, and then, in a big moment, when we think everyone is safe, then something awful would happen telling us we were wrong. Right?¡± Lostina started shaking a bit, playing it off by gesturing as she spoke. ¡°Assuming this is a story written in your world, this would feel way too bland. No, for example, we would have closed the rift, been all happy, and then, five hours later, we¡¯d have realised in shock that the author randomly opened two more. But we were shown immediately. For one, it tells us that we can¡¯t mess with the outline, but thinking about it from a narrative perspective, it means there has to be some way to do this.¡±

    Theora had completely lost that line of thought. There had to be a way for them to succeed based on the fact that they had¡­ failed in the wrong manner? ¡°That sounds like a bit of a stretch¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ maybe,¡± Lostina conceded. ¡°But, what else can we do? We have to believe it, or this is just going to be depressing. It would be the worst story ever. Would your companion like a story like that? Oh¡­ unless it is a tragedy¡­ Well, even if it¡¯s a tragedy, it would probably still work better if we only realised we¡¯d lost at the very end¡­¡±

    This girl really needed a night¡¯s rest and a few hours to calm down. Theora pressed the cup of moss tea into her hand, which Lostina reluctantly took.

    ¡°Drink up,¡± Theora said. The scent of the tea was fresh and slightly acidic, the pungent note of moss weaving through the air.

    ¡°The village will be attacked by Errata,¡± Theora murmured after a while. ¡°Gonell only had to fight one rift, but we caused there to be two. However, I¡¯m here now, as well. Perhaps I should join the fight.¡±

    ¡°Even if you do,¡± Lostina said in a low voice, sounding defeated, ¡°I don¡¯t think it will matter.¡±

    There was a certain finality to her voice.

    ¡°Why not? I could try to make sure everyone stays safe.¡±

    ¡°Yes. But the author doesn¡¯t want them to be safe.¡±

    ¡°How can you be so sure? Does this relate to something that will happen later?¡±

    Lostina took a slow breath, swallowing some more tea. She didn¡¯t answer at first, until she finally spoke again, but quietly, this time.

    ¡°Gonell used to be a cheerful person.¡±

    Upon hearing these words, Theora shuddered.

    ¡°That¡¯s what they said, in the book,¡± Lostina continued. ¡°She used to be happy, and confident. Until, in her backstory, she arrived at a village for other business, and was surprised by a sudden rift. Errata streamed out, but she¡¯s the strongest, right? She went to fight them.¡±

    Lostina rubbed her eye.

    ¡°[Ray of Annihilation],¡± she said. ¡°Her Ultimate Skill. She underestimated one of the Errata, wasn¡¯t aware what it could do. Her Skill got deflected, and hit the village.¡±

    She looked at the rooftops in the valley.

    ¡°Gone in an instant.¡±

    Theora¡¯s stomach dropped out. She felt dizzy, like her arms and legs weren¡¯t lying where they were supposed to. Like they were suddenly out of reach for her blood.

    ¡°She was never the same,¡± Lostina added, and took a larger sip. If it was too hot, she didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°You can go and help her fight them ¡ª I don¡¯t think it matters. She¡¯ll win. She¡¯d win against an army. But, I don¡¯t know how we could prevent her Skill from misfiring. Because the author will make sure. It¡¯s part of her backstory. It makes her who she is.¡±

    Lostina shook her head.

    ¡°It needs to happen. And I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±

 Chapter 96: Tragedy in the Making

    The village was a cosy little place built into the side of a smaller cliff than the one they¡¯d come from. Some houses hugged the rock, and overall, the place had an endearing verticality to it, with a little river running through the centre at the lowest point.

    On the way here, Lostina had fallen mostly silent, and Theora could guess she was hard at work in her brain to try and find a way out despite everything. She seemed despondent. It was apparently not going well.

    The settlement was lively. They were setting up some kind of festival or celebration. Lanterns hung on threads between the street lamps, at doors and rafters and from trees. It was closing in on the evening, and yet, for such a small place, the streets were buzzing with activity.

    Lostina was slowly pacing a few steps behind as Theora surveyed the location for a place they could stay at. Inns weren¡¯t extremely common in her home world; often, she¡¯d find shelter with other people, such as the nice man they¡¯d stayed with on their search for the Devil of Truth, or Hell and Balinth in Hallmark. But, with her experience from the main city of this story, Theora could totally see being turned down at every door. Thus, an inn would be preferable, even though she preferred the idea of getting Lostina into a location that offered a bit more familiarity and hospitality than a simple room they¡¯d pay for. Especially since Lostina probably wouldn¡¯t feel all too comfortable sharing a room with someone she¡¯d only just met.

    So, maybe instead of searching an inn first, she¡¯d try to get them into a tavern, to hopefully find some people to talk to. Theora herself wasn¡¯t necessarily social, but that also meant she had no idea on how to cheer this poor girl up. Just as she was weighing her options, they hit upon the long street next to the river. It was filled with dozens, seemingly temporary stands with little games.

    In front of one of them was a little table, at which sat a few children who were trying to break a small form out of a frame of cookie dough.

    Theora went up to the manager of the store; a blue-skinned demon-like person, although she didn¡¯t have any horns. She was bulky, had a little pair of glasses on her nose, and sat right next to a few boxes filled with frames, wearing a pretty purple dress.

    ¡°Hello there!¡± she greeted Theora with a warm smile. ¡°Wanna try? If you break out the picture without any faults, you can choose a prize.¡± She gestured to the back of the little stand. It was decorated with lots of ribbons and frills that framed a few different items hanging on the wall. Little sentences described the rules of the game; How many faults were allowed for which tier of reward, how much it cost to play, and that you could eat the frame of cookie once you had your price.

    Without really thinking about it, Theora paid a generous amount, fetched a frame, placed Lostina down next to the children, and told her to do the thing.

    ¡°I¡ª I¡¯m busy,¡± Lostina protested, but upon seeing Theora¡¯s stare, she relented, and started breaking out the form.

    ¡°Done!¡± the child next to her shouted, jumped up while accidentally knocking over his stool, and ran up to the owner. Meanwhile, he tripped, and broke his carved out dolphin shape, and started crying. The owner looked at him rather pitifully, and picked up her cane to get up. One of her legs had been replaced by a wooden one.

    Theora made a step towards the child to help him up, and gathered the little pieces of dolphin cookie. At this moment, she really wished she¡¯d already spent more time with her [Baker] class. Would it eventually allow her to fix things like this with a Skill?

    And, if so, would she keep these abilities even after leaving this world? It was unlikely; sounded rather too good to be true. But, maybe being a [Baker] only in this reality was enough.

    ¡°I saw it,¡± Theora told the manager. ¡°It was flawless, before it broke.¡±

    The owner gave a warm smile. ¡°You hear that, Fanna? She says it was perfect, so you get the biggest prize. No need to cry. Did you hurt yourself?¡±

    Fanna cleared his eyes, shook his head, and looked up at the wall. He eventually pointed towards a big plush lion. Theora gave the manager a look, silently asking if she could fetch it, and upon receiving a nod, she went behind the store, and took it down.

    It was so soft. The seams were neat and tidy. Did seamster Classes exist in this world, or had someone done this completely by hand? Were these the work of the manager herself?

    After receiving it, the child happily ran off with the spirit in his arms, even though it was much larger than himself. The manager chuckled as he left. ¡°Adorable. His parents are on guard-duty today, but everyone agreed to keep an eye on him while he explores the market. And thank you. My daughter was supposed to help me out, but she went off to meet her boyfriend¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°I¡¯m Amala.¡±

    ¡°Theora,¡± she said. ¡°We arrived at this village today¡ª¡± because of an inbound plague of Errata we wish to help fight off¡ª

    ERROR.

    Action restricted. Cannot deviate from original author outline.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°¡­ Because we heard a festival would take place here,¡± Theora lied. ¡°What is it about?¡±

    ¡°Twenty years of peace,¡± Amala answered. She knocked on her wooden leg. ¡°Twenty years since this village was last attacked.¡±

    ¡°By¡­¡±

    The woman nodded. ¡°Errata. ¡¯Course, we still run guard duty, just in case. Haven¡¯t forgotten. But, this valley is relatively safe, because the lifeforce fluctuations are low. And this is the only settlement. Little reason to attack, especially with larger groups.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°The on-and-off straggler we can take care of. Have some competent folk here.¡± She smiled. ¡°Also helps that we are on the edge of the Kingdom, so we sometimes get forgotten by tax-collectors. Well ¡®forgotten¡¯¡­ They don¡¯t consider it worth it to go out of their way to come here, I suppose. Darn lazy asses, but it¡¯s good for us! As long as they don¡¯t come here one day expecting to collect past years too¡­¡±

    Kingdom¡­ Tax collectors. That¡¯s right, they lived in that sort of world.

    Theora sat down on the chair next to Amala, after being gestured towards it. Lostina was absent-mindedly picking at her frame, looking comically large, surrounded by children, sitting on her little stool at the little desk.

    ¡°Is there a place we can sleep tonight?¡± she asked. ¡°An inn, of sorts?¡±

    ¡°Nah, nothing like that,¡± Amala said. ¡°Really not enough visitors to run one. Most folk who come here know someone who knows someone.¡± She hummed. ¡°Say what, if you help me out for a bit, you can crash at my daughter¡¯s place. She¡¯s gonna be out tonight anyway, considering what she¡¯s up to.¡±

    Theora blinked. ¡°Is that really alright?¡±

    ¡°Big chance she¡¯s never gonna know you were there. Also, it¡¯s just the second floor of my house, so even if she got home, she¡¯d know you didn¡¯t get there without my permission. I¡¯ll explain to her when I see her.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Thank you. My companion is having a tough time. I wouldn¡¯t mind sleeping outside, but if she can have a bed for tonight, that would make me happy.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s space for the both of ya.¡±

    Theora fell in thought for a moment, and then said, ¡°I¡¯m happy to help out. I am somewhat strong, so I can help with carrying things, in case that comes up. Ah. I can also brew tea, if you would like some.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Sure! Don¡¯t have any utensils here, but I won¡¯t say no to a cup when we¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°I have the utensils with me,¡± Theora said, got up, and proceeded to pull things out of her cloak again. She made a little spot in a niche next to the stand to not be in the way, and fetched some fresh water from the river.

    She really wished she had lava. Now that the time dilation device was in her cloak, she might be able to keep fresh lava for longer¡­ Maybe there was a volcano in this world too? If they truly had seven months until the story would end, then maybe¡­

    Theora looked up at Amala¡¯s curious gaze.

    ¡°Yer a summoned one, right? Don¡¯t see any of the common Classes do stuff like this.¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Theora confirmed. ¡°Was brought here three days ago.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Considering you found yourself here and are not still at a training camp, can¡¯t have been too pleasant an experience.¡±

    ¡°We somehow made it through.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Your companion too? Darn that king. No wonder she¡¯s a mess.¡±

    Seven months. Maybe she¡¯d find lava during that time, and make tea from it again. But, would she get another chance to have Amala drink it? Or was this the last time Amala would ever drink tea?

    When she was done, Theora placed the cup of freshly brewed mix of cherry and birchwood into the woman¡¯s warm hands.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The evening was one of the cosiest ones Theora had ever experienced. She helped out with giving frames to children and the occasional adult, hung up new prizes from the boxes when the old ones were chosen, and chatted with Amala, children¡¯s parents, and other villagers every now and then, brewing tea for whoever she could convince to take it. Meanwhile, Lostina was still apathetic. Theora made her work on frame after frame. Maybe, one time she¡¯d succeed.

    However, by the time they were packing up the stand, every single shape Lostina had tried to excavate had broken.

    Later, at Amala¡¯s home, Lostina sat on an armchair, legs pulled up to her chest, staring at Theora as she was setting sheets on their beds.

    ¡°I think this story might be a tragedy,¡± Lostina finally murmured.

    Theora stopped for a second, looked at her, then broke eye contact and continued fluffing the pillow.

    By now, she mostly understood what was going on, having pieced it together from Lostina¡¯s accounts.

    A flurry of Errata would break through the cracks and rain down on these people. Gonell, who was to arrive tomorrow, would try to hold the creatures off, but accidentally kill the residents in the process. This would traumatise her, and set off a chain reaction that would ultimately lead to her death ¡ª a death that was necessary for the original main character of the story, Wallace, to save the world instead of her.

    From his point of view, Gonell¡¯s death would be a tragic event he¡¯d witness in passing. He was the protagonist of an empowering narrative. A tale of becoming strong through dedication, and sheer force of will.

    And if Theora or Lostina interfered, they¡¯d be punished, and their actions reverted. The author would make something up on the spot in order to preserve the original story.

    Theora clenched her fists.

    None of this was acceptable.

    If Lostina didn¡¯t find a solution, Theora would not accept this fate. She would not allow a single one of these people to die. She¡¯d wipe out the Errata, no matter how many of them the author decided to throw at her. Whatever twist the author would invent, she¡¯d stop it. Any obstacle, she¡¯d [Obliterate].

    This village was under her protection. If the author decided to force the issue, then the only question was how much of this reality would remain in the aftermath.

    Of course, that way, she wouldn¡¯t find the Fragment of Time, and she wouldn¡¯t get to see the story play out the way it was supposed to. She was breaking Dema¡¯s rule, too, and that hurt. And yet, the only way Theora would allow the author to turn this into a tragedy was through her own dead body.

    Unless Lostina was to find another way after all.

    Theora gave her a calm gaze.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what happens. First, it¡¯s time to sleep.¡±

 Chapter 97: The Last Loaf

    When Theora woke up the next day, Lostina was already gone. She rubbed her eyes drowsily and wondered if that should have her worried. As Amala had foreseen, that daughter of hers hadn¡¯t returned that night; at least not to Theora¡¯s knowledge.

    First off, Theora went on to tidy up ¡ª folded the bedsheets together, dusted and cleaned the room, and collected Lostina¡¯s change of clothes on the ground to go wash them.

    Amala was already up, sitting on a chair in the kitchen of the lower floor, so Theora took a break from cleaning to make her some tea.

    ¡°Good girl,¡± Amala said. ¡°You don¡¯t meet young ones like you much nowadays.¡±

    Theora decided to keep quiet about probably being the older one between the two.

    ¡°Have you seen Lostina?¡±

    Amala shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve been up for two hours, if she¡¯s not in your room, she must have left really early.¡± She gestured to the stairs. ¡°Would have noticed.¡±

    Why hadn¡¯t she woken Theora?

    There was a certain possible reason ¡ª maybe it was a repeat of their first meeting. Perhaps Lostina was up to no good, and worried that Theora would disapprove. Although last time, Lostina had at least been upfront about it.

    ¡°Are there any rich people in this village?¡±

    Amala laughed. ¡°No, my dear. Nobody like that. Anyone rich would leave this place, since there is not much their money could buy.¡±

    What then? If Lostina had wanted Theora to follow or find her, she could have left a note or the like, so that was unlikely. But, Lostina was the one with detailed information about the plot and the upcoming events.

    Was Theora simply supposed to stay put?

    ¡°Do you need help with anything?¡± she asked, but Amala shook her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Raka should come back soon, so no worries.¡±

    Theora sipped her tea, and stared through the window. It was raining softly, and there were less people outside than the day before.

    ¡°Is there a bakery in this village?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, there is. Young Auburn just took over from his father. He¡¯s the one who made our little frames yesterday. Not too far from here. Down the street, then to the left, you¡¯ll see a wide red house with a large chimney.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°We are almost ready to leave. If Lostina returns, could you tell her I¡¯m there?¡±

    ¡°Ah, sure, sure. Sorry, I would offer you a longer stay, but with Raka back¡­ There¡¯s a family on the other side of the street, but their son is out for work during this time of the year, so they might offer his room for a few coins.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much. I appreciate your help.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, thank you. Yesterday would have been a bit tougher had you not shown up. In the sense that I¡¯d have had to chat someone else up to do Raka¡¯s job!¡±

    She laughed.

    About an hour later, Theora had finished her further errands and finally arrived at the red house with a big chimney. She stood in front of the somewhat imposing oak door for a few moments, hand raised in a loose fist. Why was she feeling nervous?

    Just as she was about to knock, the ground started shaking ever so slightly. It was the kind of tremor Theora was used to paying attention to; like back when Dema had been sick. Exactly like that, in fact. The feeling of large monsters slowly approaching. Their footsteps.

    Theora turned back to look into the distance, but couldn¡¯t see very far, despite how wide the road was, since it led upwards and then disappeared behind a hill. Soon after, these vibrations stopped, and others started in its place.

    What was Lostina doing?

    At that moment, a young man with very long, curly hair and a short stubble opened the door.

    ¡°How can I be of service?¡± he asked, in a tone that sounded almost mocking, with an amused note, but still very polite and soft. ¡°You¡¯ve been standing here for a while. Noticed from the window.¡±

    ¡°I, uhm,¡± Theora started, but had already forgotten the sentence she¡¯d prepared in advance in her head. All she could hear was the soft thump, thump, boom of something going on up above on the cliff.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ was pointed here by Amala. I got reincarnated as a [Baker] and was wondering if you could teach me. Maybe. I uhm. Have money.¡±

    He looked surprised, and then nodded. ¡°Unfortunately, today is my rest-day. I just finished my apprenticeship, and helped out with the festival until yesterday. I will take over the bakery starting tomorrow.¡±

    Ah. In that case, Amala¡¯s information had been slightly incorrect, it appeared.

    Auburn tapped his fingers against his chin, thinking for a moment. ¡°Let me ask my father. Maybe he will entertain the thought.¡±

    With that, he disappeared back inside and left Theora standing for about five minutes, and she desperately considered running off to see whatever was happening on top of that cliff.

    Eventually, an old man returned in Auburn¡¯s stead; very wrinkled and seemingly grumpy, wearing a long, simple dress of linen and triangular shaped glasses. ¡°So, ye wanna be a baker?¡± he asked.

    Theora swallowed. ¡°Y-yes.¡±

    Just as she said that, a loud rumble came from above. The earth shook. He frowned, looking up. ¡°Damn, they be doing construction work in the hill again? Has been ages. Why¡¯d nobody tell us?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Theora said. ¡°I need to check that out.¡±

    With that, she made her way up. At least to her knowledge, a concept similar to ¡®auras¡¯ in her home world did not exist here; although she couldn¡¯t be entirely sure, since maybe she just hadn¡¯t met anyone strong yet. It was weird, to feel these kinds of eruptions, these hints of a fight, without any aura attached to it at all. Was it a natural disaster? Were the Errata already pouring in?

    Street after street, she went higher, then pushed herself along rocks to make the last stretch up the mountain. Up there was a wide plateau, a meadow of short grass and moss. The drizzle was still going, tinting everything in a gentle grey.

    The first thing Theora saw was a massive animal, almost the size of a building, just sitting somewhere at the edge overseeing the settlement. It had a giant grey horn on its head, and thick, leathery skin with folds around its four legs. There were some lines of red running across the edges of its body.

    It was a gargantuan rhinoceros.

    Suddenly, a flood of red liquid appeared out of nowhere in the corner of Theora¡¯s eye.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    Well, not nowhere. It appeared out of Dema, who was tiny in comparison to the streams pouring out from her. She¡¯d mounted herself on a rock pillar, grinning wide while filling the meadow with sheer endless amounts of her blood. The target of her attack was another woman who stood further away, and then jumped to avoid the splurge.

    Jumped, and stayed in the air. She could fly, as if gravity just didn¡¯t affect her.

    Dema vaulted off her pillar, and new ones tossed themselves up from the ground to catch her, with each leap she made. At the same time, she flicked a hand, and a boulder launched towards her target from beyond the cliff.

    As it was still soaring, Dema noticed Theora, and started waving. ¡°There you are!¡± she called out. ¡°Knew you¡¯d come if we made noise!¡±

    Theora hurried closer, undeterred by the pools of crimson on the ground.

    ¡°Let me introduce you to ¡ª Skulduggery!¡± Dema said, pointing to the rhino. Then, she turned to the person she was fighting, and as she gestured at her, she also fired a few more rocks that direction.

    The woman already acted like she had trouble dodging the first boulder. The rocks in its wake shattered against her shoulder turned in defence.

    She was large, athletic, and stood out, wearing a red, fine poncho and a complex crimson mixture of thin metallic armour plates that put themselves together into the shape of a tight robe, wielding a thin rapier. She had very dark, freckled skin, and long, brown hair reaching down the side of her head, with the other cut to a buzz around the ear. An old scar of a slash went down the side of her neck.

    She was also smeared in blood.

    ¡°And this¡ª¡± Dema added, ¡°Is Gonell!¡±

    The woman gave an amused smile, and, in a low and resounding voice, said, ¡°I take it you are Little Rabbit, then. I¡¯ve heard a lot.¡±

    ¡°I¡ªHello,¡± Theora stammered, totally overwhelmed. Her eyes awkwardly darted between them. ¡°What is happening?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re sparring!¡± Dema let out. She clapped her hands together, causing the ground around Gonell to bite, snapping shut like a trap. ¡°Wanted to see which of us was stronger.¡±

    Gonell laughed, barely managing to evade the attack, and upon meeting Theora¡¯s worried gaze, she wiped a bit of red off the back of her hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she said nonchalantly. ¡°This is my blood.¡±

    And then, they just resumed their fight. If it could even be called that.

    Despite Dema¡¯s cheerful attitude, she was quite obviously taking this rather seriously. Blood whips lashed out at Gonell from every direction. The ground spat rock after rock, walls of earth roared up, limiting her movement. Even when Gonell soared up to escape the threats beneath, torrents of blood awaited above, turning into scarlet crystal projectiles firing at her.

    Theora just stared at this marvel of an altercation. It was a display of such intricacy she had rarely seen before; a showcase only possible between beings of vastly differing strength.

    The way Dema was slowly gaining ground, despite Gonell¡¯s sword slashing through her attacks. The way Dema¡¯s spells landed hit after hit, only reaching at the very last moment, the way the damage they left piled up ¡ª at first, just bruises from rocks, but then, more little slashes made their way across Gonell¡¯s arms and face as well.

    The way Gonell never quite found a chance to retaliate; the way her muscles slowed down to emulate fatigue.

    It was choreography. It was obvious.

    Gonell was letting her win.

    Soon, after closing off all escapes with rock pillars and walls, Dema theatrically launched her arm forward in a large arching motion, which was followed by a sharp blood vine gushing from a pool behind her mirroring the movement. It stopped right as it would have pierced Gonell¡¯s forehead.

    Gonell, on her knees, dropped her sword, and the vine sloshed to the ground.

    ¡°I won!¡± Dema cheered loudly, the blood all over the meadow boiling with her joy.

    ¡°Sure did,¡± Gonell acknowledged with a smile, even though, based on the speed she¡¯d shown before, she could have dodged that last attack. Gonell was playing with Dema like one would with a child.

    And oh, was it worth it, for that raspy and full laugh Dema was laughing, the pure bliss she showed at being able to let go of herself and succeed.

    Gonell was a miracle. Anyone who could make Dema this happy was a miracle.

    ¡°Lemme clean up!¡± Dema said, still beaming, as she started to pull back the torrents of blood into the space under her fingernails, and tapped her foot against the ground to return the earth she¡¯d moved to the way it was before. ¡°Li¡¯l rabbit gets mad when I don¡¯t, you know?¡±

    Gonell gave a hum. ¡°Blood is salty,¡± she said. ¡°Might make things harder to grow if we leave it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema agreed. ¡°By the way,¡± she added, turning to Theora. ¡°What were you up to, before we summoned you? I thought you might be with Lostina?¡±

    Summoned her? Was Theora this predictable?

    ¡°I lost Lostina,¡± she said. ¡°But ¡ª I left a message for her, saying I¡¯m at the baker¡¯s place. If we go there, we might be able to meet her.¡±

    Gonell shrugged, and grazed through her hair. ¡°I guess we take it, then? Could use a little rest for my legs. When do we have to depart to stay on schedule?¡±

    Dema pulled out a rattled note from her cloak, accidentally dropping a few other pieces of paper in the process. ¡°I wrote it down. There! We gotta leave tonight at two!¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Gonell said, and smiled at Theora. ¡°She offered to be my assistant. What a cutie.¡±

    Theora nodded weakly.

    Dema made her way to the edge of the cliff, saying, ¡°Dang, love being called that. Take note, li¡¯l rabbit!¡± ¡ª then stumbled over a rock before creating a large staircase leading down to the village with loud cracks. Large enough, in fact, for Skulduggery to walk it too.

    Gonell followed, and looked down at Theora in passing with a faint and knowing smile.

    A gentle shudder went down her back. When had she last met someone taller than herself? What a feeling.

    The rain still softly pattered and Theora pushed a few strands of wet hair out of her face, gave Skulduggery a nod, and finally picked herself up enough to follow after the others, and return to the village.

    When they arrived at the bakery, Theora knocked, and the door was opened quickly, and, after a moment to orient himself among the new arrivals, the old baker grunted. ¡°Don¡¯t bring your rhino inside the village!¡± he yelled, stomping the ground. ¡°Dangerous!¡±

    ¡°Not our rhino!¡± Dema chirped. ¡°We¡¯re friends!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Theora said, turning. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this to happen. Would it be alright if they joined, too¡­?¡±

    ¡°Oh, whatever,¡± he said. ¡°You were sent by Amala, I¡¯ve heard? Good enough for me, y¡¯all can come in if you want, have a drink or something, for all I care. Rhino stays out, though.¡±

    With that, he disappeared inside, leaving the door open.

    Dema made her way towards it without properly looking, saying, ¡°Can¡¯t wait to meet her!¡± ¡ª then bumped into the doorframe before scurrying inside.

    The next hour went by in a bit of a haze. The old man ¡ª Flint ¡ª had already baked his quota for the day, but the large oven was still warm from the firewood, so he decided to ¡®show Theora the ropes¡¯ by making another small batch with little loafs. He explained ratios between water and flour in the mixes, spoke of percentages and salt and some particular brand of tiny fungi and eventually showed off the cutest thing Theora had ever seen ¡ª a small blob of dough inside a jar that he said needed to be fed flour daily in order not to die, and it would bring the bread alive when used as an ingredient. And it smelled so peculiarly sour and creamy and nice.

    ¡°What¡¯s that look on your face?¡± he asked as Theora couldn¡¯t stop staring at the little blob in the jar, even as he was about to put it back into a cupboard.

    Meanwhile, Dema and Gonell were sitting at the table, entrenched in a talk with Auburn about some story-inherent geopolitics involving the kingdom and its neighbours, although Theora lacked the context to understand it.

    ¡°She wants one too!¡± Dema interjected to answer Flint¡¯s question. But how did she know?!

    ¡°Ahh. Well, sure. I can feed it now, and in a few hours we can split it. You¡¯ll get half or something?¡±

    Theora¡¯s eyebrows went up in wonder. ¡°You would do that for me?¡±

    Flint waved off. ¡°It really costs me less than nothing. Whatever.¡± He then proceeded to explain how to keep care of it; how the amount of water used to feed it as well as the temperature it was kept at would impact the frequencies at which it needed to be fed, and he talked about it so much like it was a living being that Theora couldn¡¯t help but really look forward to taking care of a dough of blob of her own as well.

    And then, if she managed to keep everything else he¡¯d told her in mind too, maybe she¡¯d be able to make bread from it one day.

    Eventually, baking time was over, and with a large wooden spatula, he fetched one finished loaf after the next out from the slid inside the oven, and placed them on a large table. With the final one, he smiled. ¡°There we go! My very last loaf.¡±

    That sentence gave Theora a start. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well, this is Auburn¡¯s place, starting tomorrow. I retire!¡±

    Theora gently clenched a fold of her cloak. ¡°Maybe you will feel like baking again one day,¡± she said softly.

    He raised his eyebrows, and then slowly nodded in approval. ¡°S¡¯pose that¡¯s right. Maybe I¡¯ll feel like doing it again, if it¡¯s not a job. A year from now. Who knows!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said. ¡°That sounds good. A year from now. Let¡¯s all eat bread together again, a year from now. If possible.¡±

    Flint laughed, and then went to clean up. Theora offered help, which he stubbornly refused. So, she was forced to sit down and watch, her gaze shifting to that one loaf of bread every few seconds. She couldn¡¯t keep herself from staring at it.

    The last loaf.

    It wouldn¡¯t be the last loaf.

 Chapter 98: Letâ€™s Pretend

    Later that day, they decided to move to a little park in the centre of the village. Dema happily flung herself up on Skulduggery¡¯s back to get herself carried, and kept giving loud cheers and greeting people they met on the way, regardless of how baffled they were at the sight.

    ¡°Yea!¡± Dema said at some point after they¡¯d arrived, mouth still half-full with some bread Flint had gifted them, as they were sitting down on a blanket in the grass. ¡°Found her all alone up in the mountains. She was totally lost, and got scared when she saw me. Like, she¡¯s pretty strong, but actually has a really soft heart. I said ¡ª sure! I¡¯m gonna help you out! So cute. In any case, she didn¡¯t have a name, so after she stabbed me through the back, I thought I¡¯d just call her Skulduggery.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora said, looking up at the large rhino. That horn would have definitely caused some damage. ¡°Why did you get stabbed?¡±

    ¡°Already told you!¡± Dema went. ¡°She got scared, and has a soft heart! Gonell and I were sparring, but she must have thought I was gonna kill her. I imagine Skuld just wanted to knock me over. But I¡¯m not gonna give way so easily! Horn went right through. She was really sorry.¡±

    The rhino gave a short snort, then looked away.

    ¡°Dema and I met a while earlier,¡± Gonell added in her low and voluminous voice. ¡°She came to help as I was fighting a group of Errata. You¡¯ve got a pretty strong companion.¡±

    Theora gave a shy nod.

    ¡°I gotta say, though,¡± Gonell went on with a facetious smile, ¡°From the way she talks, it sounds like you must be the strongest person ever. Compared to that, you look¡­ inconspicuous.¡± She raised her eyebrows. ¡°So, I¡¯m curious where you¡¯d rank yourself. Scale of one to ten.¡±

    Theora swallowed. The question made her self-conscious, to an almost dizzying amount, but she decided to still try her best to answer. She bit her lip in thought, and ran a few calculations in her head, to make her reply as accurate as she possibly could.

    ¡°Probably about¡­ fifty-two¡­?¡±

    Dema rolled her eyes. ¡°Li¡¯l rabbit¡¯s being shy again ¡ª Oh!¡±

    She waved at a point on the other side of the park, and upon turning around, Theora saw Lostina emerge from between the trees, hesitantly waving back at the sight of a complete stranger calling out to her like that.

    ¡°Here! Found us! Here, here!¡± Dema added, and Lostina hid her face behind her hand, but headed over anyway. Dema jumped up and ran to her side, then looked back at Gonell and made a hand gesture as if presenting Lostina.

    ¡°That¡¯s Lossi! Our travelling companion! The one who¡¯s your biggest fan.¡±

    A moment of silence.

    ¡°What?¡± Lostina let out.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Gonell nodded. ¡°The one you said ¡®knows everything about me¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Yea!¡± Dema confirmed. ¡°She adores your work in the asylum, and she¡¯s read every battle report on the front lines that you¡¯ve been part of. Biggest fan.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Gonell said, turning her gaze to her ¡®biggest fan¡¯, ¡°I¡¯m flattered. Nice to meet you.¡±

    Lostina seemed flustered, but still caught on remarkably quickly. ¡°I¡ª Yes. Been a fan of yours since the big battle at Loventh. I even considered joining the revolution just for a chance of seeing your asylum¡­ my mom talked me out of it. Said it was an awful idea. She was probably right¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Gonell simply laughed and shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t care, really. Used to it.¡±

    ¡°Yea!¡± Dema chirped. ¡°Celeb crushes come with being famous!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lostina took a step back, and shook her head. ¡°No. Wait, no. Okay, that¡¯s too much. No such feelings exist.¡±

    Dema raised her eyebrows. ¡°What, you are so greedy! Haven¡¯t you got enough experience already?¡±

    Lostina grew red in that awkwardness, and at this point, Theora was flustered as well. Dema¡­ why was she meddling this much¡­ What about not rocking the boat¡­ All the while Theora had done her very best to adhere to the rules. How mean.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Gonell said with a faint smile. ¡°I don¡¯t date fans anyway, no matter how cute they are.¡±

    At that, Dema¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Gah! What a mean thing to say!¡± Her head swirled to Theora. ¡°That¡¯s not true for you, right? You¡¯d date a fan? You would date someone who admires you?¡±

    Oh, this was too much.

    ¡°I¡¯d argue that¡¯s not the same thing,¡± Lostina murmured, and looked at Theora. ¡°Sorry I was gone. Was doing some scouting.¡±

    Theora nodded, trying to hide how much she was blushing by hiding behind her hands. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back.¡±

    ¡°Welcome,¡± a deep and rumbling voice suddenly echoed through the area, and it took a moment for Theora to realize that it was the rhino who had spoken.

    Alright, fine. Skulduggery could speak. Perhaps she should have expected this.

    Within the next hour, Dema got Gonell to play tag with her, so they ran around with the additional rule that one couldn¡¯t be caught while ¡®hiding behind a tree¡¯ that Dema had invented on the spot in a precarious situation. Gonell used her flight to her advantage, while Dema propelled herself up in the air using fountains of blood ¡ª which she then sensibly cleaned up by absorbing it back into her fingernails.

    ¡°Gotcha!¡± Gonell yelled out once, but Theora could see her slow down the grasp of her fingers, allowing Dema to slip out at the very last second. Eventually, it became a game of ¡®Can Dema hit Gonell with a splash of blood?¡¯ and the answer was, she couldn¡¯t, unless Gonell acted distracted by a feint.

    ¡°There we go!¡± Dema cheered after the third round. ¡°I win the match! Take that!¡±

    Lostina rolled her eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she is so smug about it when Gonell lets her win,¡± Lostina murmured.

    Gonell, who¡¯d come to join them, just shrugged. ¡°Sometimes the outcome is what matters, not how you get there. I let her win, so she won! She should be smug.¡±

    These words seemed to hit Lostina hard, and she stopped talking. Meanwhile, Dema finally got around to absorbing all the blood splatters she¡¯d accidentally left on Skulduggery during the game.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to leave soon,¡± Gonell mused, only for her head to jump up in slight surprise. ¡°I mean ¡ª I have to go soon. Sorry.¡±

    ¡°What? I¡¯m coming with you!¡± Dema said.

    ¡°Oh. I was ¡ª I thought you¡¯d stay with your companions.¡±

    Dema looked to Theora and then Lostina, with a knowing expression. ¡°Nah,¡± she then added. ¡°Gonna meet up with you two later, right? I¡¯mma help her out a bit longer. Until after.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lostina said. ¡°That sounds good. Or rather, we¡¯ll catch up with you, if you don¡¯t mind?¡±

    Gonell pulled her eyebrows together. ¡°Huh¡­ I¡¯m used to travelling alone. But I suppose it¡¯s alright.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Yay!¡± Dema let out, and grinned while climbing back on top of Skulduggery. ¡°Ready?¡±

    The rhino gave an affirmative grunt.

    And with that, they left to what Theora could only assume would turn out to be their fight against the Errata. Once they were out of sight, Lostina gave a sigh of relief, and her demeanour changed. Gone was the slight fluster, the awkward smile, her air of comfort. Instead she frowned, chewing on her lips, and leaned back against a tree.

    ¡°That girl of yours is a menace,¡± she said.

    Theora swallowed.

    ¡°Like, for real,¡± Lostina continued, ¡°I think she knows we made it worse, and decided to keep going with Gonell to help her fight the Errata. I don¡¯t think Dema can stop things, but¡­ At least Gonell won¡¯t be all alone when it happens. Also¡­¡±

    ¡°She meddled with you and Gonell,¡± Theora murmured.

    ¡°Yes. Honestly, gosh. She read the story in your world right? Is she a hardcore shipper or did we actually get together in the book?¡±

    Lostina rubbed her eyes.

    ¡°Would that make you unhappy?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s awkward. She¡¯s my favourite character of all time. But that¡¯s that, and I¡¯m not here for¡­ I didn¡¯t choose to get reincarnated into this world, but now that I¡¯m here, I can¡¯t let her die. Ugh. In any case, I think your companion was trying to help out.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°She made it so Gonell is aware that you know a lot about her.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Lostina murmured. ¡°I tried earlier in the conversation ¡ª I can¡¯t tell Gonell the truth. It¡¯s blocked. We can¡¯t tell people that they are characters in a story, we can¡¯t reveal knowledge to them about the future of the story, and we can¡¯t do things that would result in a conflict with the outline. So, I can¡¯t tell her the truth. I¡¯d have to act as if she was a complete stranger, even though I know her creepily well. That would have sucked.¡±

    She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Rings had formed under her eyes. Had she slept at all?

    ¡°But,¡± she continued, ¡°Because of Dema, I now have less to lie about. That¡¯s nice. I wonder if she did that on purpose, or if she¡¯s just a ditz.¡± She sighed again, and had a bit of a pained expression. ¡°Things really do start to hit hard and get messy. God, I feel awful. Later today is going to be awful. Fuck.¡±

    ¡°Do you¡­ need a hug?¡±

    Lostina looked at Theora, an eyebrow raised. ¡°You would hug me?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve only known each other for a few days.¡±

    Theora looked at the ground. ¡°You seem to be struggling.¡±

    ¡°Hell, fine, yeah, I want one. Please.¡±

    Theora nodded, and enclosed her in her arms for a few moments. Lostina really was quite dainty, although not as much as Dema.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lostina said. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ve got stuff to do.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°If you are willing to help me, that is,¡± Lostina added quickly. ¡°I might have¡­ maybe. Maybe.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I might have an idea.¡±

    ¡°An idea,¡± Theora repeated.

    ¡°Yes. I spent a lot of the day surveying the village and talking to some people. That didn¡¯t yield anything on its own, to be honest. But then¡­ Remember what Gonell said earlier? About the outcome?¡±

    Sometimes the outcome is what matters, not how you get there.

    Theora nodded.

    ¡°That gave me the idea. Tragic, in a way.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora said. ¡°How confident are you in your idea?¡±

    ¡°Well. The plan is sound. If we execute it well, there is no reason why it should fail.¡±

    Theora clenched her hands into her cloak. ¡°Then why do you look so sad about it?¡±

    Lostina sighed, and stared at the cliff the village was built into.

    ¡°Because it is, by pretty much all metrics, straight-up terrible. It¡¯s the best I can come up with though. I have no illusions of being a hero.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Please explain it.¡±

    Lostina got up and started walking ahead, towards the exit of the park leading to the cliff. She looked unsure for a moment. ¡°Before I tell you, you¡¯ll need to promise me something.¡±

    Theora set herself in motion too, ducking under a low tree branch to get to the main path. This was starting to feel somewhat ominous.

    ¡°What would you like me to promise?¡±

    ¡°I know that¡ª¡± She stopped herself, before starting again. ¡°I know that you have some ideas. Like, that you think you can square off against the author. You wanted to try closing the rift yourself, and you called them a ¡®strong opponent¡¯ which, frankly, is a ridiculous assessment I¡¯m still not over.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°It¡¯s unclear how much the rules of this world would inhibit my abilities. I might struggle in a fight against the author. Furthermore, it is possible that if I went all out, this world would be damaged in the process. However, I would not want people to die like this.¡±

    Lostina took a very deep breath, seemingly trying to compose herself. ¡°Right. Yes. Let me assure you, my plan puts the residents first and provides, in my assessment, their best chance at survival. So, I want you to promise me that you will not interfere with my plan. Even if you think the plan is terrible ¡ª because frankly, it is. I¡¯d suppose it¡¯s still better than blowing up the world.¡±

    By now, they had gotten to a stone stairway leading further up. Residential buildings were lined to their sides, and Theora could hear people talk through the windows. It smelled of soft, rained-on stone, of summer earth. During her sparring match, Dema had only used spells that didn¡¯t leave lasting damage. She hadn¡¯t split cliffs apart, hadn¡¯t shifted continents, hadn¡¯t flipped the valley.

    Dema was honouring Theora¡¯s request of not making permanent changes.

    Lostina was uniquely qualified to navigate this situation; she was the main character of the story, she had knowledge of narrative logic and experience dealing with authors. If it was her opinion that her idea gave the residence the best chances, then Theora should probably agree to make that promise.

    And so, eventually, Theora nodded.

    A lot of tension left Lostina¡¯s body upon seeing that nod.

    ¡°Alright. Before I explain things, another short request.¡± She pointed at Theora¡¯s clothes. ¡°Could you lend me your coat? It works for others too, right? The endless pockets? Only for today.¡±

    Theora looked down at herself. What a peculiar request.

    ¡°You can use it, if you want to. However, be wary of what you take out. Some things inside might be dangerous if handled carelessly.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. Won¡¯t take anything out, it¡¯s not for that. Thank you.¡± Lostina sighed, and then continued, ¡°Once you understand the plan in full detail, I will go off and talk to every single person living in this village. I will wear disguises, maybe of family members or people in authority positions, in order to trick them. I don¡¯t think you will be of much help with that, so I would like you to stay put and help out at the place I¡¯ll send them to.¡±

    ¡°You want me to keep them safe.¡±

    ¡°Yes. The idea is simple, really, once you think of it,¡± she said. ¡°The outline is just a tool, and by itself, it doesn¡¯t matter. Ultimately, what matters isn¡¯t what actually happens, but what it leads to.¡±

    Theora frowned.

    ¡°We can¡¯t conspire with other characters due to restrictions, so it¡¯s not easy,¡± Lostina continued, ¡°But, just conceptually, I would like to play a little trick. What if we just pretend that the outline has been met?¡±

    Lostina proceeded to share what little intelligence she¡¯d managed to gather during her prior excursion; she pointed at a house belonging to the mayor, saying that she was confident that a lot of people would listen if she wore his disguise, and she also gave a few details on the places belonging to people who were regularly on guard duty, because they were the ones who might prove the most effort to trick.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell them that Errata are coming, but I don¡¯t really have to, since I can just lie. I¡¯ll claim an army from the kingdom is on its way, or I can invent some kind of natural disaster. I just need to get them to leave. And I¡¯ll lead them here.¡±

    With that, they arrived at a sturdy overhang in the cliff. At its deepest point was a heavy, fortified stone door.

    ¡°Shelters,¡± Theora murmured.

    Lostina nodded. ¡°The village has been subject to Errata invasions in the past. Hence, they have protective structures. Not actively maintained, though, so let¡¯s take a look.¡±

    ¡°They have a means to stay safe.¡±

    ¡°Yes. In the original story, the disaster came too sudden. But if I make noise in advance, they will be alert, and it might be enough to show them some Errata in the distance, and get most of them to safety.¡±

    ¡°You wish for me to stay here and take care of any arrivals,¡± Theora said.

    With a small smile, Lostina nodded. ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°But, I don¡¯t understand,¡± Theora said. ¡°Why do you think this would work? You say we are pretending that the ¡®outline¡¯ will be met. But the outline demands all residents die in the attack, and the village be destroyed. How would this trick the author?¡±

    ¡°Well, if you think about it, tonight¡¯s events have a specific function within the narrative,¡± Lostina said. ¡°As long as we keep that function intact, there should be no issue. It really doesn¡¯t matter whether the author knows, and we don¡¯t need to worry about errors either.¡± Lostina gave a pained look. ¡°Because the author isn¡¯t the one we are trying to fool.¡±

    A specific function. The reason why the outline demanded for the destruction of the village. The outcome the author was after.

    Theora looked at Lostina, horrified.

    ¡°With that stare, I imagine you get it now,¡± she said, rings under her eyes looming. With a soft click, she activated a mechanism at the shelter¡¯s gate, and it growled open. ¡°As I said ¡ª I¡¯m not a hero.¡±

 Chapter 99: Interlude â€” Annihilation

    To Hell with the Author, Chapter 7: Path to Ruin

    In her efforts to defeat the Errata, Gonell will launch an attack of unimaginable strength. It gets deflected, and destroys a village. Blaming herself for the death of its inhabitants, this will set her off on her path to demise, eventually leading to her plot-demanded death seven months from now.

    That means, essentially, that the residents of this little settlement don¡¯t actually matter to the author at all. In the original story, this was simply a footnote in the periphery of a backstory. None of this was shown; it was implied ¡ª a mere detail explaining Gonell¡¯s behaviour in her few on-screen appearances, and the author probably didn¡¯t spend as much as five minutes on making it all up.

    The only reason I know so much about the event at all is because I combed through the pages for anything related to Gonell, and pieced it together from scraps and implications. The exact location of the village, from a map the author provided at some point; the exact timing of the attack, which was alluded to in a later chapter when brought in reference with another event. As such, I happen to know these things, and at the very least the author was diligent enough not to litter the story with little inconsistencies and plot holes.

    The first three villagers are easy to trick. I start with those Theora has already met, because once they arrived at Theora¡¯s location, they would maybe trust her a little, and that trust might cascade to further arrivals that know them.

    There are some annoying restraints with my Skills, as much good as they do me.

    [Disguise] lets me change my looks in any way I please, but it¡¯s hard to choose an appearance that looks exactly like someone else. There is [Mirror], which lets me copy the appearance of a person for about two minutes at current Level, which means I need to be quick while using it. I need to touch them first to acquire their shape, too.

    And then, there is another concerning constraint.

    Current Mana: 37/90

    I can [Imitate] voices, which is helpful for screams¡­ and I can [Obsess], which allows me to change into the shape of another person for up to an hour, but it¡¯s 20 mana all at once.

    It¡¯s nearing evening, but the streets are still a bit busy. The rain picked up again. Theora¡¯s coat keeps me warm and cosy and dry, except my head, but I can pull on the hood if I want to. Not that it really exists, but the coat is manifold and self-repairing, so if I drag out a piece of fabric from the folds, I can use it to cover my head.

    And so, I make my way through the streets, finding easy, isolated victims for my ruse.

    I need to keep my head clear, obviously. Trying to keep up with the numbers, I get a bit of a headache. How often can I still [Mirror]? How many people can I impersonate if I save one use of [Obsess]?

    In addition, I recite in my head their names, trying not to forget the deep web of relations I¡¯ve spun in my mind.

    What is typically swept under the rug in spy movies is the importance of reliable data in undertakings like these. Instead, they put emphasis on clever improvisation, or just have the characters miraculously know everything without even explaining how they got the info.

    For what I want to do, I need to actually know where people are, who they are in contact with and such, and ideally, I would need to know what they look like too.

    This morning, in my attempts to find a way out of this mess, I broke into the mayor¡¯s office and got a list of all inhabitants. Just names, though. I found a folder with documents about buildings at the local carpenter¡¯s shop, which allows me to draw some connections between those names and the houses. Turns out that almost everyone whose work is related to maintaining this village has some sort of list that helps identify its residents.

    I got caught four times, but I was covered in Skills, so just running off and disguising myself again turned out to be enough to handle that.

    ¡°Mom?¡± I call into the room, a little quiver in my voice, to make myself sound scared. I stored Raka¡¯s appearance when I bumped into her earlier that day, and I gave my clothes a different appearance too. Amala rushes out, the knocks of her leg resounding between the platters of rain.

    ¡°Honey?¡± she asks as she sees me drenched, with a little bruise on my cheek I made up for dramatic effect.

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong,¡± I say, my voice high. ¡°Var told me to come fetch you, the mayor apparently told us to evacuate. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.¡±

    I can see Amala¡¯s knuckles whiten as they clench around her cane. ¡°Goodness,¡± she says. ¡°Are the shelters even still maintained?¡± With a few steps, she runs across the kitchen, and opens some cupboards. ¡°I¡¯ll fetch some food for everyone. Just in case.¡±

    ¡°I need to meet up with Var and warn the others,¡± I say.

    ¡°Sure, honey. Please be fast. I¡¯ll meet you there.¡±

    I give her a goodbye hug, and run off.

    You lied successfully!

    +700 EXP.

    This sham isn¡¯t going to hold for long. Once they meet back up and start talking to each other, they¡¯ll notice things are off when their memories don¡¯t match. It doesn¡¯t matter ¡ª once an Erratum pops up in the distance, they¡¯ll be glad they are inside, with or without their doubts. Hopefully, that is.

    I change into Amala¡¯s form, having acquired it from the hug, and let myself get helped across the street by a villager whose name I don¡¯t know, storing his shape as well, and then I give some panicked shouts to get Auburn and Flint to leave, since I¡¯m aware they know Amala.

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± I stammer. ¡°Please go off without me, I need to find Raka.¡±

    Auburn shakes his head, his damp hair floating around. ¡°I¡¯ll join you. You shouldn¡¯t be alone.¡±

    Fuck.

    29 seconds remaining¡­

    God, maybe this [Mirror] was a mistake.

    ¡°No, Auburn, take care of Flint, please.¡±

    ¡°I can make it just fine! You¡¯re the one ta worry about!¡± the old man cried, and I need to suppress an annoyed grimace.

    ¡°Actually,¡± I say, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if the basements are still maintained. Maybe you should take some food with you. I don¡¯t think anyone else will.¡±

    Auburn stares at me for a few seconds, processing my words. ¡°Fine,¡± he says, ¡°But take care.¡±

    You lied successfully!

    +400 EXP.

    My disguise already dwindles as I pace off into the rain, probably faster than Amala should have been able to, but the others are too occupied with following my suggestion.

    God, that was close. If I¡¯m outed as an impostor before they even get to the basement, things are going to get a whole lot harder.

    My heart isn¡¯t taking this well. Time to go to some other part of the village to reset. Oh god, I¡¯m wobbly. As I reach one of the wells, my legs are shaking too much to continue. I was never very athletic, and now I¡¯ve been travelling for days, and been up since early morning, scouring the village ¡ª but it¡¯s fine; it¡¯s fine, really, because on the plaza beneath me, I can see the residents network between themselves ¡ª hurrying around, sharing information, pointing to the shelters. I take a deep breath. The more of that they do, the less exposure I have due to mismatched memories.

    Particularly, an old woman who I hadn¡¯t seen before is coordinating a group going from house to house; based on her age, she may have been present in previous attacks.

    I was right. All I need to do is cause some panic, and let everyone else take on the task of evacuating themselves. They know what to do.

    Earlier, Amala immediately thought of getting food. Was that a reflex forged through her past experiences? I blink, and try not to think about it too hard.

    My fallback plan was to ask Theora to turn some buildings into flour just to make the situation seem dire, although it might be more confusing than anything. I wish she could just blow stuff up. On that note, Dema would have likely been able to cause a lot of terror with her blood rains. Shame she didn¡¯t stick around. But she¡¯s right; it¡¯s better if Gonell isn¡¯t alone.

    I force myself back up, teetering down a stone stairway. The streets are thinning out. As I make my way across a little bridge connecting two smaller plateaus of the cliff, my eyes flicker over the horizon, to the location of the two rifts.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    I just need one Erratum to emerge early. Just one. Far away, that¡¯s enough. Then, nothing can happen anymore.

    ¡°Hey there,¡± someone says, approaching me. Don¡¯t know them. I can barely focus. ¡°We are told to evacuate. Can you walk? You seem exhausted.¡±

    I nod. ¡°Yes. Yes. Just, go. I¡¯ll come soon.¡±

    I look at his face. Pale pink, short, blonde hair. He looks like a kid.

    ¡°Shelter,¡± I say, and my voice comes out harsh. ¡°Go now.¡±

    He nods, and after deliberating for a moment, he decides to leave me behind. Good.

    I keep looking into windows, keep glancing into the distance, trying to make out if anyone is being forgotten. And, whenever I see an entrance to a shelter, I stare for a while, worried.

    But people only enter. Nobody comes out. No matter how long I stare, nobody comes out.

    Once she understood what I was trying to do, Theora really wasn¡¯t happy with it. She tried arguing with me; bargaining. She was fighting with herself too, internally. It was obvious in her bright grey eyes. But I told her the most important thing is to keep them safe. If she fought the author or tried to mess with things, the author could always just scrap a few chapter drafts from their backlog and start over.

    Or decide to randomly have the cliff collapse while everyone¡¯s inside. Truth be told, we aren¡¯t safe from that fate yet.

    And then, Theora was just sad. Hasn¡¯t looked me in the eyes since; but I imagine it¡¯s because she thinks she failed.

    But now, nobody is coming out of these shelters. Either these people are incredibly disciplined, or Theora is doing a very good job. I wonder how she¡¯s doing it, in that case. She doesn¡¯t seem like the type to force people to do stuff. Is she crying and begging for them to stay? Or do people just believe her, when she gently recommends to stay inside, with an empty gaze and a calm voice?

    Or maybe they just know to stay.

    I take such a deep breath I think my lungs might burst. My heart is pounding like there¡¯s no tomorrow.

    Well, maybe there isn¡¯t one.

    In the end, this whole plan rests on the assumption that the shelters will actually be safe from Gonell¡¯s deflected attack. Convincing them to leave the village entirely seemed much harder when the shelters were right there, and also, I couldn¡¯t let them be seen. The shelters are right next to where the destruction, the fire, and the ash will be, so nobody will leave once shit actually goes down.

    In any case¡­ On to phase two. Most people are gone, and I still have a while before the attack.

    Time to break into every single home, and ransack the places.

    The first one is a little one-story building, cosy enough, small, squeezed between two bigger ones, with a nice garden, and a door left unlocked. I run inside, and fetch whatever I can. There¡¯s a drawer containing dozens of letters. There¡¯s some frame on a cupboard, with a picture of two old people. A handmade mug.

    Whatever I can find that¡¯s easy to take, I just stuff it into Theora¡¯s coat and move on. I want to visit each home anyway, to make sure nobody is left behind, or too stubborn to go. Theora¡¯s coat is useful, because even for the few houses that are locked, I don¡¯t have to worry too much about cutting myself into tiny pieces if I jump through a window. It offers some decent protection with how thick and layered it is. And it smells like her too. Of hay, and spring flowers, and sun-dried clothing.

    A cosy blanket, hand-crocheted. A book on someone¡¯s night stand. Colourful dresses hanging neatly in a cabinet. I¡¯m sorry if Theora¡¯s cloak ends up putting folds in them, but I don¡¯t really have time to put in a lot of care. This is risky ¡ª if I¡¯m seen stealing from places, everyone might end up thinking I pulled this all off for a heist¡­

    But today, these people will lose everything ¡ª except their lives, if we are lucky. The very least I can do is attempt to offer the tiniest bit of solace. Even if only one item I fetch today ends up being important to someone, it¡¯s probably worth it.

    As the sun slowly sets, I finally see the first Erratum in the distance. A little speck against the clouded sky.

    ¡°There,¡± I say, pointing up, holding a little girl in my arm who I found disoriented in a house on the edge of the city, after she came home from playing in the meadows. ¡°You see that?¡±

    She nods, terrified.

    ¡°You know what that is?¡± I ask.

    She nods again.

    ¡°Good,¡± I say, plopping her down close to a shelter entrance. ¡°Go hide. Tell everyone.¡±

    Watching her disappear, I take a deep breath. I look back.

    It¡¯s not just one Erratum anymore, it¡¯s dozens now.

    And there is Gonell ¡ª a tiny dot of red, flying right beside them. One after the other, they break apart, their remains crumbling down the sky. Dema is helping, from what I can see. She fights with blood, mostly. It¡¯s hard to make out, but I think she¡¯s making it rain red up there. And it¡¯s melting the Errata apart.

    But there are too many. Their numbers increase. Some of them are extremely strong. Gonell is being pushed back. She¡¯s taking hits, because of course she is ¡ª in order to pose a threat to her, this needed to be an S-Rank rift, the highest there was, and I had caused there to be two.

    I flinch as I see Dema cut into pieces by Errata. Her leg, then her arm, fall down; then she¡¯s cut in two across her waist. But somehow, she soars back up on a pillar soon after. What the hell?

    They try their best, but this is one of the biggest challenges the world has to offer. The only way out is Gonell¡¯s strongest attack, amplified by her strongest state of mind, and right now, she¡¯s likely doing her best to activate the conditions.

    I was worried at first; Gonell functions best when alone, when she doesn¡¯t have to worry about others, so I figured having Dema there might make things harder. But if Dema can survive being cut into pieces, then her presence might actually help Gonell out.

    I look around, but see nobody left outside. I¡¯m done combing through houses, and it¡¯s getting dicey, so I climb a little shed hugging the cliff, and peer down into the empty streets.

    And then, it flashes, in the corner of my eye. A short, blinking, golden light. Not even a second long.

    [Ray of Annihilation].

    But nothing happens inside the cloud of Errata. Instead, the beam drops right into the settlement below me. The flashes repeat across the centre of the village.

    For a moment, everything is silent. An illusion created by the spell. A last moment of tranquillity before¡­

    The world explodes.

    Earth and wood and trees and debris rise into the sky in a massive burst of fire, half the village razed into a plume of smoke and flames. The other half is buried in the fallout. It happens within a second or so, and I just stand there, overseeing it from upper ground, until the shockwave hits me too, and knocks me away.

    My ears pop, I¡¯m thrown into what I can only assume to be some brushwork, and hit my head on something. Rocks and wooden planks and glass all whirl around me, some of them get caught in Theora¡¯s coat, some even push through and tear into my skin, but none fatally.

    I don¡¯t know how long I lie there. Could be a minute, could be an hour. I can hear the fires blaze away, taste the smoke in my throat.

    Obviously, I should have died. But there is still something the author needs me to do. I imagine it¡¯s the deadly fumes, the flames and debris crumbling above me that are getting error messages right now.

    I slowly weasel myself out of the rubble, on wonky steps, my entire field of view orange and grey from fire and ash. I stumble over the remains of the village, onward to the nearest shelter. My stomach is buzzing with anxiety of what might await me there. I¡¯m stunned, my hearing is bad, I¡¯m dizzy, and I just take step after step, on autopilot.

    I knock against the stone door, and it takes only seconds for me to be fetched inside by strong arms, and the door being closed behind me. The interior isn¡¯t as dark as I¡¯d assumed ¡ª people have gas lamps, some have light-producing Class Skills.

    ¡°Oh, gosh, you look awful,¡± I hear someone say.

    Someone else tries to lead me towards a bed bunk, but I veer off at the last second.

    ¡°How many,¡± I ask, feebly.

    ¡°How many what?¡±

    I see Auburn¡¯s face come into my view, but my vision is too bleary to make out much else.

    ¡°How many dead? How many hurt?¡±

    I hear murmurs. Someone talks into a little contraption at the wall, leading to some kind of tube. A messaging system? There are stairs leading further into the cliff; I assume there are several layered shelters, connected to each other by intricate tunnels.

    They take inventory, it appears, count heads. I can¡¯t follow most of it. It takes a while, but my brain feels like it¡¯s swirling in my head, so it¡¯s hard to tell how long.

    Eventually, I¡¯m given a final number.

    Hearing it makes me shudder. I want to fucking cry.

    ¡°I need to go,¡± I splutter. ¡°Still things left to do.¡± Still one loose thread to tie.

    Some people try to talk me out of it, but I ignore them. Flint shouts something rude in the distance somewhere. I tell them nobody can leave until the fires stop, and they call me a hypocrite. Right before I leave, someone drenches me head to toe in water, and I exit the basement and stumble through the flames.

    Shortly after, someone else joins me. A wave of flowery hay-scent hits, as it always does when she¡¯s around, piercing the smell of rubble and flames. She holds me up, somehow pushes debris out of the way no-one should be able to lift. Doesn¡¯t care about the fire, touches glowing iron to bend it away from me. Protects me from crumbling buildings, but doesn¡¯t say a single word.

    Silently, we pave our way through the end of this little world.

    And arrive at the entrance we entered through a day earlier. There, I sit down, and wait.

    It¡¯s dark by now ¡ª I can feel the drizzle again, now that I¡¯m outside the heat. Theora seems to be talking to something, but I don¡¯t know what it is.

    At some point in the night, no more Errata in the sky, I hear the rumbles of an approaching rhino. Gonell stumbles into view from behind a treeline; she tries to fly, but can¡¯t ¡ª after jumping up and hovering for a few metres, she falls down again, picks herself back up, and makes further ahead on foot. Blood vines from further away try to stabilise her, but Dema can¡¯t fully keep up.

    Gonell¡¯s gaze is glued in pure horror at the flames behind me.

    I rise, and start walking. As she sees us, there is a flicker of hope. Her eyes dart back to the flames, scanning them, until she gives up and stares at me.

    She opens her mouth to speak, her voice immediately cracking at the words, ¡°What have I done?¡±

    Almost reached her. Almost there.

    ¡°I killed them all,¡± she mutters.

    No, I want to say. I take a step forward, albeit a weak one. ERROR.

    They got out, I want to say, hearing the crack of a rock under my shoes. ERROR.

    They are up in that cliff in shelters, waiting for the fire to die down, I want to say, and stumble a bit further.

    ERROR.

    Action restricted. Cannot deviate from original author outline.

    I can¡¯t say anything.

    The angry messages cloud the air, red in red, floating with threatening oppressive silence that only I can see.

    You didn¡¯t kill them all. You want to know the truth?

    Every single one of them is safe.

    But I can¡¯t. An error lashes out at me, and I flinch. By now, Gonell¡¯s face is wedged between prompts in crimson, staring at me like from a hole in a wall.

    The fate of the residents was never the point. In the overall plot, they do not matter. The outline¡¯s sole true demand is for Gonell to veer onto her path to ruin.

    I try to wipe a tear out of my eye, but my fingers come away wet with blood.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I violently force out, voice shaking. ¡°Nobody else survived.¡±

    Her eyes flicker dead, and I can feel something break inside.

    You lied successfully.

    +50,000 EXP.

 Chapter 100: Rare Sound

    Since the destruction of Gakuda village, two months had passed.

    Gonell was gone.

    Theora and Dema stayed with its former residents to help build a new place to live in. Dema¡¯s magic affinities proved rather useful at putting up some fast shelters, and, later on, more intricate constructions too. She kept trying to convince people to use her crystallised blood as a material rather than earth, but not everyone was willing to live in a house made of her bodily fluids. Those who did found themselves with very sturdy homes quickly, and Dema was able to modify things according to their wishes even after construction was finished.

    It turned out she had a fair bit of artistic talent. She engraved pictures and complex ornaments into her blood crystals; they also did well in complement with wooden beams, since her blood could seep between the fibres to make them sturdier too, and it looked well together.

    Meanwhile, Theora simply helped out with other kinds of manual labour.

    Lostina stayed too, although she was busy with other things. For one, she kept lying to villagers to level her Class. Made herself out to be some kind of oracle, and put herself into precarious situations to talk her way out of. She also acted as a reverse-thief, mysteriously placing lost objects from before Gakuda¡¯s fall into people¡¯s drawers.

    When she wasn¡¯t pursuing those shenanigans, she spent her time writing down elaborate notes on everything she still remembered about this world of fiction. She still seemed determined on finding a way to help Gonell, especially now that she had personally supervised crushing Gonell¡¯s soul.

    Overall, the atmosphere in the village was somber but hopeful. Theora and Lostina had at least managed to come clean to some degree ¡ª weaselling their way to divulging as much as they could about why and how they tricked everyone into evacuation without outright violating the restrictions they were placed under, although the oracle-class cover-up was hard to avoid.

    ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up about it,¡± Auburn had summed things up. ¡°The fact is we are alive, and wouldn¡¯t be if you hadn¡¯t helped out. I¡¯m sure you did what you could.¡±

    Not everyone was this lenient; some few had questions. At the very least Theora¡¯s eagerness to help with rebuilding made them reluctant to show outright hostility. She was also the only one capable of getting the gigantic rhino out of the way when people needed to transport things, which she accomplished by asking nicely.

    ¡°So, how¡¯s the scheming going?¡± Dema asked one day as she tried to take a peek at Lostina¡¯s notes, who was sitting in a little shelter.

    It was a roof of two rather thin crystal slabs of solid blood, merged at the top, and as the sun shone through, they bathed everything beneath in a soft scarlet glow. It sat on the plateau of the cliff, overseeing the by now mostly cleaned-up ruins of what used to be Gakuda village.

    Dema had put blood shelves inside the slanted walls, as well as a heavy blood desk supported by thick stone pillars, and a stool made of basalt rock for Lostina to sit on. Both sides of this shelter were open, so Dema could bother her whenever she felt like it.

    ¡°I¡¯m not scheming,¡± Lostina said, rolling her eyes.

    Dema gave a mischievous hum. ¡°You¡¯re not?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Well, you gonna tell us what you¡¯re planning, then?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s scheming!¡± Dema rejoiced. ¡°My scheme-pal! Solidary schemer-dreamer! My fellow schemestress!¡±

    ¡°Can you tell her to shut up, please,¡± Lostina whined, looking over at Theora, who was close by on the meadow, finding flowers to gift to all her friends.

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t,¡± Theora said.

    Lostina let out a dissatisfied grunt. ¡°Don¡¯t you already know anyway? Or did your meddling already fuck your secondary author¡¯s plot to no repair?¡±

    ¡°Why, I don¡¯t know everything,¡± Dema said. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve got bad memory! Plus, that¡¯s like, your final big scheme, isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t you know by now how you¡¯re gonna save her?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s the ¡®final big scheme¡¯, shouldn¡¯t that be all the more reason for you to remember? Is your memory a sieve? Or did you not even finish reading your favourite book?¡±

    Dema grimaced, and hid herself between her hands. ¡°Why, not my fault. Didn¡¯t choose this book to visit. Can¡¯t help it!¡±

    Lostina blinked. ¡°Wait, you actually never finished?¡±

    Dema squirmed. ¡°I don¡¯t like when things end! Makes me sad when they do! So I just don¡¯t read the final pages, because endings are bad! I¡¯m gonna be sad when it¡¯s over.¡±

    Theora stared up at Dema. She had never considered the possibility, but now, it somehow made perfect sense. The woman obsessed with immortality didn¡¯t like endings.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you,¡± Lostina blurted out. ¡°But¡­ Alright, you didn¡¯t read everything, but surely you read enough to know the final results¡­? You can¡¯t possibly call this your favourite book without knowing, right? I was hoping you¡¯d at least tell me if this impossible plan of mine succeeds, but¡ª You don¡¯t even know? This is unbelievable.¡±

    Dema pouted and turned away, walking out the shelter towards Theora with her usual little stumbles. ¡°She¡¯s being so mean to me, li¡¯l rabbit¡­¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Theora said. ¡°Come here for a hug.¡±

    Lostina rolled her eyes as she was watching the embrace. ¡°There really is no winning with you two.¡±

    ¡°You could be nicer to her,¡± Theora replied. ¡°She was just trying to cheer you up.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah! You tell her!¡±

    Lostina t¡¯ched. ¡°Fine, whatever. Sorry, I guess.¡±

    A few moments passed, and while it first seemed like she wanted to go back to work, her eyes shifted to Dema again and again. Finally, she sighed. ¡°Speaking of your reading habits ¡ª I was curious about something. If I may ask.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Dema let out. ¡°Ask away!¡±

    Lostina took a breath. ¡°So. I¡¯m from Earth. And, from what I gather, the two of you come from a world that would be a pretty standard Fantasy setting on Earth. So I¡¯m wondering how I ended up being the main character in a story in your world. Doesn¡¯t really make sense to me ¡ª wouldn¡¯t the main character in a transmigration story for you be someone from your world?¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Dema started nodding. ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ Like¡­¡± She scrunched up her face. ¡°See, there¡¯s this very niche genre that was really popular in Hallmark for a few decades, called DespairLit. It imagines a planet where everything is bleak and sad and industrialised and exploited. It wasn¡¯t super popular, cause like, it just seemed too terrible to be realistic, but honestly if you get really into it, it starts to be believable.¡±

    At this point, Lostina seemed to be regretting her question.

    ¡°And so,¡± Dema continued, ¡°To Hell With the Author is a meta-narrative spin-off that imagines what would happen if you put a DespairLit protagonist into a standard dystopian setting!¡±

    Lostina shook her head, staring blankly. ¡°Is there no escapism even in death?¡±

    This made Theora want to give her a hug, too. Considering that background, wasn¡¯t it almost guaranteed that this story could only ever be a tragedy? With how things had turned out in Gakuda village, it seemed like the success Lostina had in preventing the death of the residents had come with a high price. Not only for Gonell, but for the residents themselves too, who had lost most of their lives¡¯ possessions, their homes, their livelihoods, and countless things relating to their past as well. They lived, and they still had each other, and of course, they were in progress of making new homes for themselves, but what had happened was still, all things considered, a tragedy.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Would the finale of this story play out similarly? Would she achieve her goal by sacrificing something else? If so, what price would she have to pay?

    ¡°I would also like to know a little more about your scheme, and how it is coming along,¡± Theora eventually said. ¡°If you are willing to share.¡±

    After eyeing Theora for a while, Lostina sighed in resignation, leaned back against the blood roof, and tossed her pen onto the papers spread across the table. ¡°Fine, whatever. I can¡¯t tell you everything, but¡­¡±

    Theora raised her brows. ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m pretty sure if I tell you what I¡¯m planning, you¡¯ll try to stop me.¡±

    A few playful shouts of children were carried across from the distance, accompanied by soft and heavy thumps. Skulduggery was probably chasing them as a game again.

    ¡°You keep saying things like that, but in fact, I have never once stopped you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± Lostina said, giving a wry smile. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to risk it.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t a good sign. A knot was forming in Theora¡¯s stomach. ¡°Is it going to be difficult?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s actually one of the main reasons why I¡¯m looking into this gruesome idea at all,¡± Lostina said. ¡°Because it might be the easiest. Like, okay. I want to prevent Gonell¡¯s death. That¡¯s the main goal. The issue is, of course, that the outline demands for her to die. So, if we use the same approach as with the village, we have to somehow pretend that she dies, when in reality, she survives.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense to me,¡± Theora said. ¡°So, if you are saying that it¡¯s gruesome¡­ Will you have her be gravely injured instead of killed¡­?¡±

    ¡°Damn,¡± Lostina let out. ¡°Well, that¡¯s probably completely impossible to manufacture without risking her death anyway. It¡¯s not a possibility to ignore, though. We may want to visit someone who¡¯s good at healing or alchemy¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fiantanne!¡± Dema interjected.

    ¡°Yes. But even if we have someone with knowledge like that, it would be tough. Plus, Gonell is the strongest person in the world. She might have countermeasures to being poisoned, or she might recover too quickly. Overall, it is a fall-back option at best.¡±

    Theora nodded. If Gonell and Theora were comparable in strength, it would be hard to decommission her. That said, ultimately, Theora¡¯s talents lay mostly in her own sturdiness. If Gonell was focussed on offence, maybe it could be done. ¡°So your actual idea is better¡­?¡±

    Lostina slowly shook her head, and shrugged weakly. ¡°¡®Better¡¯ is doing a lot of heavy lifting there. For what it¡¯s worth, I might know whether it worked hours or even days before her scheduled death. Meaning that, if this idea fails, I¡¯ll still have time to scramble together a more risky strategy. The other way in which it is ¡®better¡¯ is that it doesn¡¯t rely much on luck or the actions of other people. For example, let¡¯s say I would try to prevent her death by shapeshifting into the Erratum that kills her. And then I would act out her death somehow, maybe by tricking her¡­ It¡¯s still possible that she would just kill me, or stuff like that.¡±

    Meanwhile, Dema, still sitting cross-legged next to Theora, fidgeting nervously. She seemed uncomfortable. Perhaps she knew more than she was letting on after all.

    ¡°I really wish you would just tell me,¡± Theora murmured, and didn¡¯t direct it at anyone in specific, just muttering the words at the grass.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be sad,¡± Lostina went, and attempted a reassuring smile that came out wistful more than anything. She fished for a piece of paper and held it up. It showed a scribbled calendar with dozens of entries, spanning over months. ¡°Still working it out. Nothing¡¯s fully decided yet. Perhaps I¡¯ll find another way.¡±

    Theora gave a sigh. ¡°So, what are our next steps, then?¡±

    ¡°I need three things,¡± Lostina said. ¡°First ¡ª a Frame of the Lost. Then, my Ultimate Class Skill. Lastly, access to Gonell.¡±

    ¡°Frame of the Lost?¡± Theora echoed.

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s the most important thing, so we¡¯ll start with that. It¡¯s a magical item. There exist three in the world, but I believe two are currently in use. The only accessible one is¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fiantanne!¡± Dema chirped. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to meet her!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lostina said. ¡°The accessible one is where Fiantanne lives. There are some other magical items that would perhaps work, as a substitute, but the frame offers the best properties for what I want to do, I think.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°What does the Ultimate Skill do?¡±

    ¡°Well, to make it short,¡± Lostina went on, ¡°It¡¯s heavily restricted, but it gives me a bit of combat power, which my Class usually doesn¡¯t have. In addition, it fixes one of the larger problems that being a shapeshifter or intelligence gatherer comes with; which is lack of information. Like, if you infiltrate a place ¡ª and haven¡¯t been, say, undercover for months or years ¡ª then you need to know a lot. The more you improvise, the higher the chance of being found out eventually.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema added, nodding wildly. ¡°That¡¯s why I would never use shapeshifting schemes! Just too risky.¡±

    Lostina scoffed. ¡°Your schemes amount to having children think you¡¯ve stolen their nose. You and I are not the same.¡±

    ¡°Why, you little¡ª¡± Dema launched herself forward in playful anger, and Theora had to hold her back at her hips or all the documents in the shelter would soon fly across the meadow with the wind.

    ¡°In the end,¡± Lostina continued as if nothing happened, ¡°Gonell dies to serve as an emotional beat when the structure of the story demands it, and she dies so that she can¡¯t just solve the later plot problems on her own. My idea is awful by all accounts, and I¡¯m not expecting applause for it, but as long as I make sure the above stays true, I think I have good chances.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m rooting for you,¡± Theora said.

    Lostina huffed out a smile. ¡°Thanks. Let¡¯s hope you won¡¯t regret that.¡±

    ¡°So¡­¡± Theora started again, after a moment, ¡°Who¡¯s Fiantanne then?¡±

    Immediately, Dema lit up. ¡°Her big day¡¯s coming!¡±

    Lostina shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s a side-character villainess-princess. But we shouldn¡¯t go there on her ¡®big day¡¯. I was considering fetching the item in the aftermath.¡±

    ¡°Bummer¡­ I wanna hear her speech,¡± Dema said. ¡°Also, Gonell will be around right after.¡±

    Lostina frowned. ¡°From what little I know, I don¡¯t think listening to her speech would end well for any of us. And, I don¡¯t even want to meet back up with Gonell, after what I did to her. I¡¯m not that vile. I was thinking of meeting her towards the end.¡±

    That came as a surprise. So, that meant whatever Lostina¡¯s plan was didn¡¯t entail gaining Gonell¡¯s trust? Didn¡¯t include travelling together, or anything like that?

    Dema jumped up. ¡°Village is almost rebuilt, so we gotta go cheer Gonell up! She¡¯s gotta be all sad after leaving! Plus, we never got to find out who was stronger.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lostina let out. ¡°Stronger between whom? Gonell is the strongest in this world. What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Dema said, ¡°Theora is the strongest of our world. So. I wanna know who wins! Theora didn¡¯t join in playing catch last time.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Theora said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware you were trying to goad me into joining. Walking around is effort¡­¡±

    ¡°I swear to god, you two¡­ Anyway, Gonell should win, since for you, this is fiction. Who¡¯d write a power fantasy if the strongest character in it can¡¯t even compete with people of your own world?¡±

    At that, Dema fell silent for a moment, her eyes darting between the two, her gaze eventually resting on Theora. ¡°You¡¯d lose?¡±

    That question made Theora think.

    Of course, in her home reality, it amounted to basically a fundamental rule of reality that she would never lose. It was why she had been chosen to defeat the Ancient Evil in the first place. It was why she had been chosen to fetch the Fragments of Time.

    It was why she was an empty shell, a mere automaton walking through the centuries to serve as a weapon ¡ª until Dema came along and somehow managed to breathe a bit of life back into her, as fleeting as it felt.

    But, this was a work of fiction, and in addition, a fundamentally different reality. That¡¯s why they were here, after all. The Fragments were hidden in places entirely unlike where they came from. So, perhaps that ironclad rule did not apply here. Especially considering that Theora wouldn¡¯t truly lose; chances were, if things went awry, she¡¯d just reanimate in the sarcophagus in the Grand Observatory, like waking from a dream.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Theora said. ¡°I can¡¯t feel auras in here. It¡¯s hard to judge.¡±

    ¡°No! You can¡¯t lose! Don¡¯t lose!¡±

    For a moment, nobody said anything ¡ª Dema just stared in what seemed like genuine panic.

    Lostina frowned. ¡°What¡¯s got you so rattled up?¡±

    Dema bit her lips, standing up and walking a few steps backward. Her head turned between Lostina and Theora, and she looked like she was about to cry. ¡°Why, little rabbit likes to be thrown around. If she loses, she¡¯s gonna fall for Gonell! And abandon me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to fall for Gonell,¡± Theora said. ¡°And I won¡¯t abandon you.¡±

    ¡°What if she beats you into submission? You can¡¯t fall for her. You already have me!¡±

    Theora stood up, reached out with both her hands and fetched Dema¡¯s. She looked her in the eyes. Who was looking like a scared animal now?

    ¡°Dema,¡± she said, ¡°First of all, it¡¯s possible to love more than one person¡ª¡±

    ¡°Damn, wise words from one of the densest I¡¯ve met on the topic, if the poor girl¡¯s stories are to be believed,¡± Lostina murmured.

    ¡°¡ªAnd secondly, I will not abandon you.¡±

    ¡°Also,¡± Lostina added, ¡°You should be careful what you say.¡±

    Dema looked confused. ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in a story. You told me that you¡¯ve been reading a lot lately, so you must be aware of what that means?¡±

    ¡°What that means,¡± Dema let out. ¡°¡¯Course I¡¯m aware what that means! Little rabbit, what does that mean?¡±

    Theora blinked, but Lostina came to her aid, saying, ¡°You¡¯re providing setup.¡±

    Dema¡¯s head swirled, but Theora didn¡¯t get it. ¡°Setup?¡±

    ¡°Yes. By bringing this up, she¡¯s making it more likely to happen, because the author will have means to refer back to it later, in a narrative arc.¡±

    Dema¡¯s grip on Theora¡¯s hands fastened. ¡°Damn, I didn¡¯t mean it! Li¡¯l rabbit! [Obliterate] what I just said!¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Oh, what a cutie Dema was. Theora really just wanted to stay with her forever. Her giggle echoed around, and the world seemed to fall silent in response. Lostina stared in mild misbelief. Dema¡¯s mouth stood open, eyes wide in surprise.

    ¡°What?¡± Theora asked.

    Lostina shrugged. ¡°Nothing. Just never heard you laugh before.¡±

    ¡°Same here,¡± Dema said mirthfully. ¡°You¡¯ve got dimples too!¡±

 Chapter 101: Fallen

    ¡°So¡­ what exactly will happen when we get there?¡± Theora asked, as they were making their way over an incredibly long, wonky, and makeshift rope bridge connecting two mountain paths over a wide forest valley. Each tree was one of the largest Theora had ever seen, and their autumn-coloured leaves swayed in the high winds.

    Four months remained until Gonell¡¯s death.

    This bridge was the only way to avoid a long detour, so now, they carefully tapped over the friable wooden boards. Nobody wanted to accidentally damage the bridge.

    Skulduggery, meanwhile, had chosen a different route, despite Dema offering to build a blood bridge for her. A long time ago, this valley used to be inhabited by her kind. She wanted to see if there were any left.

    Dema was running ahead, confident enough that her scrawny body and low weight wouldn¡¯t cause disaster; meanwhile, Theora had stayed, walking backwards slowly to provide comfort.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna fucking die,¡± Lostina whined, taking the most careful of steps, trying to avoid looking down.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Theora said. ¡°Just look at where my feet go, and put yours on the same spots. If it holds me, it will hold you too.¡±

    ¡°Are you really not afraid of falling? Or would you just turn into flour on impact?¡±

    Theora gently shook her head. ¡°I would not turn into flour.¡±

    ¡°Gosh, whatever,¡± Lostina puffed out, and took two short steps forward. That¡¯s how it had been going for about half an hour.

    If she was to fall, Theora would catch her, and maybe put her inside the cloak. That said, the inside of her cloak wasn¡¯t meant for living beings. Even with the time dilation device, having a person inside for just a moment might harm them.

    As such, the best course of action was not to fall. Not to make sudden movements, and not to panic or become upset.

    ¡°So,¡± Theora said, giving her best efforts to distract Lostina and keep her calm. ¡°What will happen once we get there?¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry. So, as I said, I¡¯ll fetch the frame from the vault of Fiantanne¡¯s dukedom. The little princess is apparently going to throw some fit to kick off her villainess arc. I¡¯m not sure exactly what happens, but we should be able to use the commotion in order to break in. Maybe I can impersonate some high ranking official to make it easier.¡±

    ¡°Fiantanne,¡± Theora repeated. ¡°Tell me about her.¡±

    Lostina pulled a grimace, and almost closed her eyes upon her next step. ¡°Ahh, fine! Fine! What do I know¡­ She appeared in Procrastinating the Apocalypse after I already dropped it. I only vaguely know her through fanfictions. I gather she¡¯s a fifteen-year-old entitled brat.¡± Lostina almost slipped, but Theora gently grasped her hand to hold her steady. ¡°Shit! Thank you. Uhm, well. She¡¯s a brat, but somewhat talented at her Class, which is [Alchemist]. A prodigy, and so on. I must have encountered Fiantanne in To Hell With the Author, so I imagine Dema knows more than I do.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Theora said, her brain running wild to come up with something new to talk about. Talking was effort. She simply latched onto the first thing she could find. ¡°This world has a set number of Classes, and people choose one after gaining access to the System. You can¡¯t change Classes later.¡±

    Lostina nodded. ¡°Yeah, exactly. Twelve base Classes. Everyone with a different Class has been summoned here from another world. Like you and me. Of course, Dema wasn¡¯t properly summoned like us, the narrative just spat her out somewhere, so I don¡¯t think she has a Class at all.¡±

    ¡°What other Classes are there?¡±

    It was the first question that popped into her head. As long as Lostina was focusing on answering questions, she wasn¡¯t focusing on the incredibly large drop beneath her that she had an opportunity to fall into with each step.

    The sweat on her forehead, the shaking in her legs and the wobbliness of her arms made it seem like she wasn¡¯t in the clearest state of mind.

    ¡°[Alchemist] is a utility Class¡­ There are others, like [Engineer], who construct buildings and simple machinery, [Croppers] who serve as farmers or gardeners¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°And then there are, of course, combat Classes. Like [Guardian] and [Berserker].¡±

    At that, Theora raised her eyebrows. ¡°[Berserker]?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Does that mean something to you?¡±

    ¡°I used to be one, a very long time ago.¡±

    Lostina looked up at her. ¡°Oh? Well, it¡¯s a popular archetype. Collecting power from your emotional state. Makes for some nice storytelling options. The authors in your world probably use it for that reason. Gonell is a [Berserker] too, by the way.¡± Lostina laughed. ¡°And yet, you two seem nothing alike.¡±

    Theora swallowed. It had been her very first Class, and her early years were the ones most captured in myths and legends, even though they were so long ago. In fact, so long ago, some people in her home world who knew of that legendary [Berserker] child might not even actually connect that to her, Theora, the strongest hero. Her journey through time had been disconnected, with long periods of rest or inactivity, or just her not giving a name to anyone for centuries.

    It was possible that the author of the book in her home world had used the legends of the child Theora once had been as inspiration for Gonell; or maybe not, considering there were other famous [Berserkers] too. She thought of that woman who had come to seal her, with that intricate magical hammer that was now sand.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°You good back there?¡± Dema shouted, with a happy tone swelling in her voice. She¡¯d already reached the end of the bridge.

    ¡°No!¡± Lostina yelled. ¡°This is terrifying!¡±

    ¡°Why, I tested all the planks. You ain¡¯t gonna fall!¡±

    That assurance did not seem to help Lostina much, and Theora wasn¡¯t entirely sure whether Dema was saying it because it was true, or to calm Lostina down. In her own assessment, things could still go very wrong.

    Lostina simply sighed, and tried to focus back on taking her forward steps.

    ¡°Gonell¡¯s a bit of a special case,¡± she added unprompted, her voice back to speaking level. ¡°She¡¯s a [Berserker], but she has access to magic due to her Subclass. Gives her some of the most ridiculous spells you can imagine. Her strongest one, [Ray of Annihilation], is what wiped out the village. But it was weakened after being deflected, and she probably held back because she was up against what she thought to be regular Errata. She likely didn¡¯t feel like blowing up the continent at that moment.¡±

    ¡°So, is [Berserker] the strongest combat Class, then?¡±

    ¡°Nah, not really. In this world, once you reach [Berserker] Level 20, you choose an emotion, or a state of mind. That will be what you get your strength from. Most choose anger, which is generally considered to be the strongest option.¡±

    ¡°What did Gonell choose?¡±

    Lostina shrugged. ¡°Was never actually revealed. All that we know is that she is the only person who ever chose that particular state of mind, and it¡¯s what gave her a magic wielding Subclass. And that she regrets her choice. There were lots of theories, though. Most fans think she picked joy.¡±

    Ah. Bad. Theora tried to ignore it. She needed to remain composed, or she would fall. ¡°What do you think she picked?¡±

    Again, Lostina shrugged. ¡°Personally I can¡¯t really see how joy would give you a magic-affinity Subclass. But also¡­ she¡¯s not what I expected. I mean, duh, that should be obvious, I only knew her through a few scenes and loredrops in the original story, and they were all filtered by the perception of the original protagonist and the context that she appeared in. Most of what we came to understand of her is an expansive fan-canon that developed over years. So¡­ The real Gonell¡­ I probably don¡¯t know her well enough to make a guess. Anyway, what emotion did you pick?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Theora let out, trying to steady herself. ¡°Didn¡¯t quite work that way for me.¡±

    Lostina looked up. ¡°How did it work for you?¡±

    The rope suddenly felt thinner in Theora¡¯s hands. ¡°I had different Skill trees for different emotions, so I would be strong when I was in a mood that I levelled my Skills for, and weaker otherwise.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s not the case anymore now,¡± Lostina added.

    Theora nodded. Calm breaths. ¡°Long time ago. Nowadays, my strength is unrelated to how I feel. It is unrelated to reality as well.¡±

    Lostina frowned. She wasn¡¯t really paying attention to the planks anymore, just slowly stepping forward, clenching the rope. ¡°So, back then, did you level several emotions, or focus on one?¡±

    ¡°Just one,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Which?¡±

    Theora swallowed. ¡°Long time ago.¡±

    Lostina raised her brows, and a gust of wind shovelled through her hair. ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡±

    ¡°I do remember.¡±

    ¡°Then tell me.¡±

    Theora winced a little, and stopped walking backwards. Lostina stopped too, with the way forward blocked, and looked at Theora¡¯s eyes with unfiltered curiosity.

    ¡°You mentioned it before.¡± She stared at her feet for a while.

    ¡°What?¡± Lostina tilted her head, slightly confused. ¡°That makes no sense to me. You mean joy?¡±

    Theora flinched at these words. The board beneath her snapped, and she plunged into the valley.

    ¡°You made her cry,¡± Dema¡¯s voice rang after she¡¯d rescued Theora with earth powers and lifted her back up the valley, now with a threatening tone, staring down an incredibly humbled and crestfallen Lostina.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose!¡± she replied, biting her lips.

    ¡°I¡¯m not crying,¡± Theora said, puffy-eyed.

    ¡°Look at what you did,¡± Dema continued, looming over Lostina with a tone that had once turned Theora into a floundering mess too. ¡°That calls for a big-time punishment. Seal you away for a million years?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know her old Class was a touchy subject!¡± Lostina asserted, and she did seem like she regretted it. ¡°Also, a million years? I have no way of surviving that. That¡¯s a death sentence!¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Dema hummed, and put her chin in her hand, thinking for a moment. ¡°Li¡¯l rabbit, how about, if I ever get another slot of [Immortality], we adopt her, and then seal her for a million years?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not crying,¡± Theora repeated, swallowing a lump of snot from her throat.

    ¡°Alright, fine!¡± Dema let out. ¡°Gonna let you off the hook just this once! Don¡¯t make her cry!¡± She narrowed her eyes, although her voice still had a playful and cute undertone, to the point where Theora had no idea if she was actually taking this seriously.

    Lostina, in turn, was taking it seriously, and nodded readily, and then scuttled out from under Dema¡¯s gaze, running towards Theora.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you cry,¡± she whispered. ¡°And for making you fall down.¡±

    ¡°I should have put more effort into staying calm,¡± Theora answered.

    ¡°I should have realised I was prying.¡±

    Theora shook her head. ¡°You can pry, if you want to. Some things are difficult for me to communicate, but that does not mean I do not wish to share them at all.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡± Dema suddenly shouted. ¡°You made up!¡±

    Lostina huffed. ¡°Don¡¯t act like this now! You were terrifying.¡±

    ¡°Thought you said something mean to her,¡± Dema murmured. Then, she looked at the path ahead, leading into the thick forest. ¡°We kinda lost time. Think we gotta hurry if we wanna see the speech at the castle.¡±

    ¡°Castle,¡± Theora repeated. ¡°They live in a castle?¡±

    ¡°Princess does,¡± Dema confirmed. ¡°And that¡¯s where she¡¯s gonna hold her big speech. And then, boom!¡±

    ¡°Boom,¡± Theora echoed.

    Dema nodded. ¡°Yeah. Big boom. And then¡­ chaos.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Dema gave a small smile, looking at Theora from the side, as they kept walking up the slope, over the little wooden boards that had been laid into the ground to make it easier to ascend.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lostina said, sighing, joining the way up. ¡°Let¡¯s walk right into the big boom leaving chaos. What could possibly go wrong.¡±

 Chapter 102: The Incident

    The front of the castle was wide, plastered in blue bricks with white fringes, with opened gates indented in the middle of it. A larger complex poked out behind the front wall, and a multitude of high towers with pointy, red-tiled roofs. The castle stood on a hill surrounded by trees on both sides, with a path leading towards the town about an hour away.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in!¡± Dema cheered, while Lostina eyed the place with suspicion.

    ¡°You really think this is a good idea? Do you even know what happened?¡±

    Dema planted her chin on her hand, and hummed in thought. ¡°Well, I know it¡¯s gonna be a big alchemy showcase? Also, the story kept making references to her speech, but never shared the actual speech. I¡¯m curious!¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Lostina let out. ¡°You got lost in the allure of a noodle incident.¡±

    Dema looked up. ¡°A what?¡±

    ¡°Honestly, too hard to explain. Just temper your expectations. Such things usually kept from readers when depicting the actual event or actually solving the mystery would be underwhelming.¡± Lostina took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m honestly getting a little nervous. She¡¯s a villainess, isn¡¯t she? We are going to survive, right?¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± Dema let out suddenly, looking a bit more worried. ¡°Forgot you¡¯re not immortal!¡± After scrunching up her eyes for a moment, she dismissively added, ¡°Ah, well, it¡¯s gonna be fine. Little rabbit will protect us.¡±

    Theora blinked. Protect them from what, exactly? Now, Dema had gotten her nervous too.

    For a second, Lostina looked like she was regretting her life choices, but then just shook her head, scratched her neck, and pointed leftward through the gates towards the far end of an area on the castle¡¯s inner yard.

    ¡°So, there, you see that door? That¡¯s my best guess to where the treasury is. Go in, fetch the Frame of the Lost, then run.¡±

    ¡°What does it look like?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not sure. In the original work, they were just referenced, not described. It was a wonky side-detail at best. I¡¯ll know what it is when I see it.¡±

    In the meantime, more visitors were making their way past them to enter the castle; the princess¡¯ speech was attracting quite an audience. They all vanished inside another, smaller but still pompous entrance on the inner yard, presumably leading to some kind of audience hall.

    Dema kept staring after them, obviously longing to go inside too, and Lostina stared at her in turn.

    ¡°Did Fiantanne and I really end up doing things together in To Hell With the Author? Honestly, I have trouble imagining it.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes darted toward her. ¡°You were bummed out after what you did to Gonell, big time. So, you latched onto the first person you could find that needed your help. And then you went on to do some heists together, to level you up. She¡¯s also how you met back up with Gonell later.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lostina frowned. ¡°I see. But this time around, I have the two of you, and Skuld. I¡¯m not alone.¡±

    Dema nodded, then pointed to the castle. ¡°But she would be.¡±

    That, somehow, seemed to convince Lostina to at least give it an attempt, and with a low-voiced soft curse at herself, she went through the gate. Dema made a silent victory jump outside of Lostina¡¯s view, and then scuttled after.

    Meanwhile, Theora did her best to somehow assess potential dangers. Traversing through the yard, she made a mental map of the area, surveyed potential evacuation routes, and made estimations on how many seconds they¡¯d take to pass through. She also took note of the inventory, and peeked through windows in the castle to estimate its inner layout.

    The inner yard was pretty; a dirt patch with some smaller gardened hills, although most flowers had fallen out of bloom by now. There were pillars to each side, loosely separating the yard from roofed corridors leading inside the castle itself. One corner was filled with crates and wagons and hand carts, some of which apparently contained produce and were worked on by castle staff.

    But even they seemed to be about to leave their posts and enter the audience hall as well.

    That hall was bustling full. It wasn¡¯t gargantuan; not as big as the throne room of the King, but it was sizable, and at least a hundred people had crammed their way inside. It was lit up by chandeliers hanging at the walls, as well as a large dome-like glowing structure right in the centre of the ceiling. Dema fetched Theora¡¯s hand so they would not be separated as she led the three to a nice spot a bit to the side, on a small elevated part of the floor, so she could see across the heads of people despite her average height.

    Someone stood on an indoor balcony attached to the upper half of the end of the hall.

    ¡°There she is!¡± Dema cheered, and pointed at the girl.

    Fiantanne was small, but knelt on a small box to make it over the balcony¡¯s balustrade more easily. Behind her were a man with a white wig, wearing formal, blue attire, and a fancily dressed maid. They stood tall and proper, staring at the air in front of them, while the princess was busy with a little contraption she had beside her; it was hard to make out, but seemed like some alchemical magitek-setup.

    Then, all doors leading to the hall were closed by castle staff, including windows. In fact, they weren¡¯t just closed ¡ª they were being locked.

    Finally, as Fiantanne was ready, she stood up, cleared her throat in a thin and high voice, and turned towards the crowd. Cheering erupted, and while it resounded, she patted down her boyish, adorned but practical military azure attire, to smoothen it out, while fixing her wavy and long pale-silver hair. She had white gloves on, and none of her skin was showing except her pale face.

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± the princess eventually said, and her voice rang loud and clear. ¡°I know, I know. I have graciously delivered myself up on this balcony in a tiresome journey just to let your little eyes stare up at me in awe, I am aware. No need to be so loud about it.¡±

    A few people down in the crowd chuckled. Lostina rolled her eyes.

    ¡°As we would have it, I have made you gather up today on the third anniversary of my rule in order to share a large decree, but that comes later. First, I want to start off the festivities with a little speech, and then ¡ª fireworks! While working hard on ruling over you little folk, I am not neglecting my studies in the arcane art of alchemy, and would like to showcase some of it today.¡±

    Some people cheered, including Dema. The princess didn¡¯t seem very impressed.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Cut the crap. Anyway. We all know that the lands are threatened every day by the advent of Errata. And, we all know that the King ¡ª god bless his soul ¡ª is a little dipshit who does fuckall about it, and instead collects taxes all day to fund his little main city project. What I¡¯m trying to say is, now more than ever, we have to stand up for ourselves! We all need to take responsibility for each other, and then, hopefully, resist against whatever the world sends at us. Yes, yes, no applause please. Just listen properly. You hear me? Ingrain what I say into your little brains, as if it was the last thing you¡¯d ever hear from me. Take care of each other. Let nobody tell you how to live your lives. Nobody. In any case, here goes.¡±

    She took out a magitek contraption. A device with an elongated barrel, a handle, and a little hook where she put her index finger. Then, she aimed the long side of it at the dome above everyone.

    ¡°As a person, I am very flawed,¡± Fiantanne said, as she fastened her grip on the handle. ¡°And yet, you all continue to be nice to me.¡±

    With her other hand, Fiantanne pulled up another contraption ¡ª a helmet of sorts, except it was like a bowl of glass.

    ¡°For that, I will now take revenge!¡±

    With that, she pulled the trigger, and a loud bang resounded. Theora focused for a moment, and recognised a tiny piece of metal shooting out from it in amazing speed, and then, it crashed into the dome at the ceiling, causing it to shatter. Immediately, some kind of fog flooded the hall.

    The fog tasted sickeningly sweet. It had a multitude of different colours, like the morning sun dispersing through mist in a swamp. The fog seeped into Theora¡¯s skin, went through her nose and mouth, and she could see the hint of colourful glow permeate through the veins on her arm as it made its way through her body. This was rather interesting.

    It was soon after that a wave of sudden, immense fatigue hit her.

    An all-knowing, all-encompassing, extremely heavy need to slumber. Like an irrefutable command of incredible power. Theora was willed to rest by something wildly beyond her control.

    Except, Theora had already gotten to sleep a lot inside the Shade. She¡¯d rested even more afterwards, in the bath house, and now, she was on a date with Dema inside her favourite book, and while it was definitely stressful in its own regard, the person who had to do all the thinking here was Lostina, not Theora. She¡¯d helped rebuild a village for three months, had gotten to laugh for the first time since she could remember, and had cried a little too.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    And, it would be harder to protect her companions if she were to doze off now.

    All things considered, right now, Theora really didn¡¯t feel like sleeping. And so, she pushed the command aside.

    It was not time to sleep.

    She shook her head slightly, in hopes of getting rid of the dizziness, and then, she heard shuffling noises in her surroundings. With a quick gesture, Theora caught Dema and Lostina mid-fall.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked, but noticed they were both unconscious. Confused, she gently let them down, only to realise that everyone else in the hall had collapsed as well, in the brief moment Theora had taken to shake off the imposed fatigue.

    Everyone except Fiantanne, who now quickly jumped off her pedestal. Suddenly, a little plush dragon weaselled its way out of her uniform, and came to a close on her shoulder. ¡°You killed them all!¡± he let out in a scratchy voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s sleep! Just sleep! I was worried for a second, but I guess since it¡¯s me, there was no chance of failure.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± the dragon murmured.

    ¡°Alright, now, where do I put the letter? I guess the pedestal is fine? They should find it, right?¡±

    The dragon huffed. ¡°You¡¯re still on about that?¡±

    ¡°Why, of course. You thought I was bluffing?¡±

    While they kept bickering, Theora returned to Dema, gently shaking her. ¡°Hey, wake up,¡± she murmured. ¡°It¡¯s not time to sleep.¡± She repeated the same procedure with Lostina, but to no avail. Both of them seemed really out of it.

    Theora swallowed, leaned down, directly next to Dema¡¯s ear, and whispered, ¡°I lo¡ª like you.¡±

    Still nothing.

    Alright, this was tough.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Theora shouted up at the balcony, then pointed at her companions when the princess poked her head out. ¡°Could you wake them back up? I need them.¡±

    ¡°What!¡± She angrily shot up, grabbing the balcony reeling, and bowed over dangerously far. ¡°Why are you awake! Damn, I must have messed up, after all. This sucks. Don¡¯t get in my way.¡±

    ¡°Please wake them back up. I tried shaking them gently but to no avail.¡±

    Fiantanne clicked her tongue in annoyance. ¡°I can¡¯t. They should have worn a helmet if they didn¡¯t want to fall asleep. Sucks to be them. They¡¯ll wake up within a few hours, don¡¯t worry. Totally safe.¡±

    Theora blinked. ¡°Then, please let me know where I can find some things I need,¡± she pleaded instead.

    Fiantanne rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine. If it means you¡¯ll stop pestering me. Let that list be known!¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Blankets and cushions?¡±

    ¡°Sure, whatever. Pick a random guest room.¡±

    ¡°Are there enough?¡±

    The princess t¡¯ched. ¡°Enough for what? You realise I¡¯m in a hurry, right?¡±

    Theora gestured around the room. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone to be cold.¡±

    ¡°Ugh,¡± Fiantanne grunted. ¡°Could you be any more annoying? Fine!¡±

    She ran off through the door in the balcony, and after a while, returned, throwing cushions and blankets down into the hall, then ran away again to fetch more. Meanwhile, Theora put everyone into safer sleeping positions than what they had collapsed into.

    All of them had a resting heart-rate, and a healthy complexion. Theora¡¯s crude medical analysis resulted in the determination that they were indeed most likely just in an artificially induced state of sleep. Not that she was a doctor at all, but having spent millenia walking across battlefields had given her a vague idea.

    When everyone was wrapped up warm, Theora looked back up at Fiantanne, who was begrudgingly throwing the last few pillows.

    ¡°I have another request,¡± Theora said. ¡°I need to do some things, but I would not like to leave my companions out of sight. Could I borrow one of the carts in the inner yard?¡±

    Fiantanne let out a loud, frustrated groan, then fetched a flask and rubbed a few droplets of what was inside onto her arms. Then, she jumped off the balcony, and floated across the room. She took a key from one of the sleeping staffers, and unlocked one of the doors, gesturing at Theora to come after.

    Outside, she pushed the flask into Theora¡¯s hand. ¡°Here. Hard to make, but I have some in my luggage. Take this cart¡ª¡± she kicked a medium-sized wooden box with two wheels and a handle to pull it ¡ª ¡°And when you get to a bad spot, pour some of this tincture on it. Disables gravity for a few minutes, so you can pull it through air. This flask should last until they wake up. And now, begone.¡±

    She stormed off into another entrance of the castle, muttering at herself, and meanwhile, Theora moved both her companions into the cart, wrapped them in velvety blankets and secured them lightly with ropes so they couldn¡¯t fall out.

    These sleeping beauties needed to be safe and sound. Only their faces stuck out from the sheets, with Dema¡¯s horn poking against a pillow and Lostina¡¯s strands of hair tugged between folds. Both now lay there lost in dreams, side by side, with peaceful expressions on their faces, their bodies shifting slowly with their calm breaths.

    Theora let out a soft sigh.

    She should stay here until everyone woke back up, right? But still, at the very least, she needed to check out the treasury in the meantime.

    While she was still deliberating, Fiantanne came back out of the door, luggage in hand, and made her way over the inner yard.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do all that,¡± Finatanne murmured. ¡°The hall will stay warm, I have heaters plugged-in, and the concoction I used has some protective properties built in. Could have just left them lying around.¡±

    ¡°But you still helped me do it,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°What are you even trying to accomplish?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m running away, obviously. They all secretly hate me anyway.¡±

    ¡°They literally love you,¡± the dragon squeaked in annoyance.

    ¡°Well, they shouldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Why put them to sleep first?¡± Theora asked. ¡°Could you not have run away at night?¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Fiantanne let out. ¡°I¡¯m a little girl, I need a head start. Plus, if I commit an atrocity first, they won¡¯t actually want me back. Also, I am their ruler. I have every right to¡ª¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°Anyway. After what I¡¯ve done to them, I can¡¯t possibly keep ruling. They¡¯ll let me leave for good.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to be a princess,¡± Theora concluded.

    ¡°Obviously. Who¡¯d wanna rule over anyone? I was born into this position, and when it finally fell on me after my uncle died, they kept pushing me to make decrees. I decreed that half the funds of the kingdom be used to build shelters for those in need. I cut the budget for royal festivities in half to provide food. I had them build a hospital from the tax money they pay to the royal family each year, and had it provide help for free. And they just kept praising me.¡±

    ¡°Of course they¡¯d praise you,¡± the dragon yelped. ¡°You are improving their lives. Under your duke, they lived in poverty.¡±

    Fiantanne gave an exasperated sigh. ¡°We¡¯ve been over this, Laticula. The only reason these decrees are necessary at all is because the royal institution exists in the first place.¡± She looked at Theora. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe how much convincing it took for my advisors and the higher ranks to even accept these small things. The people should be toppling us all, not praising me. And now that I¡¯ve chosen the route of a villain, they will finally have to accept that.¡±

    ¡°I still think you should have just run away,¡± Laticula murmured.

    ¡°Ugh, fine. Whatever.¡± She looked at Theora, adding ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Fiantanne huffed. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to my commands.¡±

    ¡°I was just honouring your request out of consideration,¡± Theora answered.

    At that, Fiantanne blinked. ¡°What, such a thing exists? Anyway, are we done?¡±

    Theora shook her head. ¡°My companions and I came here to steal¡ª¡±

    A Frame of the Lost. Would divulging that information threaten Lostina¡¯s plans?

    ¡°¡­  Something, from your treasury. I would like to ask for permission to do that.¡±

    Fiantanne frowned. ¡°Something? Honestly I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s down there. Well, technically the stuff¡¯s all mine, but I don¡¯t need it anymore, so do what you want with it. These things were only catching dust. The townspeople will inherit all of it today, so if you have something to give in return, leave it there. Stragglers might arrive at the castle any second, so I need to get out.¡±

    With that, she plodded off, her high heels clacking over the pavement.

    Once Fiantanne was gone, Theora made her way to the entrance Lostina had indicated earlier, the two of them in tow. The insides of the castle were lavishly adorned; red carpets with golden embroidery, rose-coloured walls with paintings, crimson corbels and engravings of all kinds caused not a single part of the architecture to be bland or simple.

    Theora used a few drops of the potion to make the cart hover over the ground when she gently dragged them up and down stairs. After a while, she found the basement. It took quite a while for her to find a small staircase leading further underground in a spiral, at the end of which was a large iron gate.

    She broke it open, and veered into what she immediately recognised as a place to store valuables.

    The side walls of the long hall were lined with chests, all locked. Theora popped them open one after the other, and found mostly gold inside. In addition, two long rows of pillars parted the room. Each was shaded faintly blue, and had a ring of glass around it, giving storage space for what appeared to be expensive weapons, armour, other pieces of equipment and magical items and contraptions. Some contained valuables ¡ª gemstones, jewellery, rings.

    Theora looked at the items on the first few columns in detail. Down here was complete silence, except for Lostina¡¯s light snores and the occasional sleepy sigh from Dema.

    ¡°Come fetch me.¡±

    That sudden voice hit Theora in mild surprise. Well, it wasn¡¯t really a voice.

    It was a vague, abstract feeling. Something tried to make itself known, perhaps, tried to get her attention. It took her a while to notice what it was.

    At the very end of the hall, on a sleek but well-crafted pedestal, stood a small coffer. Its base colour was a dark blue, wrapped in several silver metal stripes both vertically and horizontally, with thin curves of embellishment lining the intersection points asymmetrically, giving the entire chest both the appearance of elegance and sturdiness at the same time.

    Theora slowly approached, the wagon¡¯s wooden legs scratching across the marble floor. There was a phrase edged in the wall right behind the coffer, saying ¡°Free for the taking.¡±

    She frowned. Why would someone put a sentence like that inside a treasury? Weren¡¯t treasuries constructed to discourage stealing?

    As she came even closer, the calls rang louder in her head, though they didn¡¯t become any more clear or comprehensible. Still, she got the intent; the coffer wanted to be fetched away.

    Eventually, Theora could decipher a small lettering stretched above the coffer¡¯s keyhole.

    It said, ¡°DO NOT OPEN.¡±

 Chapter 103: Floating Around

    Theora wanted to pick up and open the coffer really badly. She let go of the wagon and wrapped the cold metal box in her hands, attempting to lift it, but¡­ Oh, was it heavy. It was extraordinarily heavy to the point of being almost impossible to pick up.

    That didn¡¯t really stop her, though, so after trying her best, she eventually fetched the chest, and with that, a lot of its weight disappeared. The coffer had four little tiny curved metal legs, and the same aesthetic asymmetry of lines between the grids on all of its four sides. Its lid was slightly curved and had a thin crescent moon handle, though Theora hadn¡¯t used that to lift it.

    By now, all calls resounding from the item had ceased. She¡¯d probably need to ask Lostina about that later.

    It did say the chest was free for the taking, right there on the walls, and the chest had called out to her, so after struggling back and forth for a while, she eventually stored it away in her cloak.

    Still, she wanted to leave some compensation according to what she had discussed with Fiantanne, so she rummaged around in her cloak for about half an hour, fetching as many high grade magical items as she could find in that time, and placing them on the shelves around. She also eventually decided to write down a few notes for each, describing what the item was able to do, in case the people this treasury belonged to didn¡¯t have access to [Identify] type Skills, or in case those Skills didn¡¯t work on her artefacts, considering they came from another world.

    That said, Theora was really bad at remembering the specifics. She did remember the names mostly, had an idea what they did too, in some cases, but the exact specifications, she¡¯d long-since forgotten.

    Finally, there were some framed paintings in the treasury, but Theora couldn¡¯t be sure if any of them were the right item. At least she¡¯d seen what was inside the treasury; the rest, she¡¯d have to figure out later.

    Theora had the urge to go catch up with Fiantanne, but she obviously couldn¡¯t do that while so many people were still in a vulnerable position inside the castle. Fiantanne had said her concoction was safe, but she could be lying, even if she didn¡¯t seem like the type.

    But the girl was only fifteen years old. Either the author in Theora¡¯s world, or the author in Lostina¡¯s world had thought her all up, and put her in this position, given her the means to go totally overboard, and then engineered the state of mind and lack of proper social environment she¡¯d needed to actually go through with it.

    The moment Theora moved back into the yard and caught a glimpse of the clear sky, a voice rang out to her.

    Head in the Clouds. Careful, my dear.

    Theora blinked. What? What¡¯s wrong?

    Head in the Clouds. Not sure. Just a bad feeling.

    She tried asking a few more times, but her Skill refused to elaborate. Or, to put it more graciously, maybe it was unable to.

    With a sigh, Theora made her way back into the hall, and heard someone make sleepy moans up on the balcony.

    ¡°Hello?¡± she called out, but didn¡¯t hear a response. A few drops of the gravity-dismissing tincture later, she floated up, and found the princess¡¯ maid groggy and sleepy, in the process of waking up. Everyone else still seemed soundly asleep.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Theora asked, and the woman nodded slowly.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± she murmured. ¡°What the hell? Was that Fia¡¯s sleeping potion?¡±

    ¡°Knocked out everyone in the hall, so she could run away,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Oh, no.¡± She blinked a few times, and forced herself up. ¡°Guess you woke up first?¡±

    ¡°I never fell asleep. But my companions did.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The maid yawned. ¡°Princess tested the tincture on me so many times, I must be a bit more resistant than most.¡±

    She got up, and stretched, and did a few movements to get herself awake. ¡°Give me five minutes and I¡¯ll be up to speed. There is a communication¡¯s line in one of her chambers, I¡¯ll use that to call for help.¡±

    ¡°You can call for help,¡± Theora echoed. ¡°Will things be alright?¡±

    ¡°I would assume so,¡± the maid said. ¡°For us, that is. I wish she¡¯d run away in summer. The nights will be cold.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised at how she acted.¡±

    ¡°My brain is being slow right now. But, I can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t see this coming.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°If it¡¯s alright with you, I will wait until you called for help. Then, I will see if I can catch up with Fiantanne.¡±

    The maid rubbed her eyes, and cracked her neck. ¡°Don¡¯t bring her back here. She might do something even more excessive next time.¡± Then, she left through the door in the balcony.

    As soon as help was on the way, Theora fetched the cart and pulled it down the hill.

    The path was wide, but led into a dense forest on both sides, with heavy rock terrain that was rather hard to traverse. It would take an hour to get to the next settlement, and that time would run out soon. Still, if Theora hurried, there was a chance she¡¯d catch up.

    That was assuming Fiantanne actually stayed on that path.

    If she had another flask of gravity defiance, she might actually choose to veer off the main path, and hide somewhere else. The chances of that happening rose further if Fiantanne wanted to avoid being recognised on the way, or if she wanted to avoid entering the town at all.

    But, it was getting dark. She couldn¡¯t possibly try to sleep outside, right? Was she prepared for such a thing? Her luggage had been a large, unwieldy coffer. Lostina, who had come from a highly industrialised world, only had superficial knowledge of travelling long distances through nature by foot. What would it look like for a fifteen-year old-sheltered princess?

    In the original story, Fiantanne had not been alone. She¡¯d been with Lostina, who was at least an adult, albeit not a very reasonable one at all times.

    I¡¯m worried about her, Theora thought, glancing at the first few stars of the night.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Head in the Clouds. Listen closely.

    Theora stopped. The squeaking of the cart died down.

    The leaves shuffled, Dema snored lightly, and Lostina gave the occasional tired hum. Swallows chatted with each other in the forest, a crow sailed overhead.

    Ah, there it was. The soft vibration, the vague thumping of what Theora could only assume to be Skulduggery¡¯s feet.

    Skuld¡¯s plan had been to meet back up with them after searching the valley, so the timing lined up, if she¡¯d been fast. However, the sound didn¡¯t come from ahead or behind; it came from the right side of the path, deep in the mountainous forest. How was Skuld making her way through the thicket?

    Trusting the instinct of Head in the Clouds, Theora poured a generous amount of gravity defying liquid over herself and the cart, and then made a very high jump.

    Oh, that was maybe a little too high. Gripping tightly onto the cart, she soared up and up, worried she¡¯d actually end up hitting the clouds, but she used the time to survey the surroundings. A giant rhino would not be hard to find, and maybe she could even catch a glimpse of Fiantanne ahead on the path, before it got too dark.

    The castle, small, on its hill. The path connecting it to the town on the horizon, she could see it all. Autumn coloured leaves stretching beneath, other settlements in the distance, scattering the glow of hundreds of street lamps.

    Ahead on the path, two figures were making their way up toward the castle. Judging from their position, they must have already been on their way before the maid had called for help. Theora recognised one of the two, and wasn¡¯t surprised at the sight, for Dema and Lostina had both mentioned the possibility.

    Oh, this was too much. How was Theora supposed to juggle so many things all at once? She scowled at Dema, who was sleeping innocently, the winds making her hair flutter wildly. To make sure, Theora gently touched her cheek, then Lostina¡¯s, and was relieved to find them both warm.

    ¡°You should have stayed awake with me,¡± she pouted, and turned her gaze back down.

    Fiantanne couldn¡¯t be seen anywhere on the path.

    But there, in the direction Theora had felt the vibrations earlier, was Skuld. She was thumping along another path of some kind. It looked weird at first. A small, seemingly artificial elevation through the forest with little vegetation, and some kind of long ladder glued to the ground.

    And, next to Skulduggery, was a little figure. Hard to make out, but it could be Fiantanne. Had the two somehow met?

    In any case, Theora decided to go back down. She was still weightless, but the wind¡¯s resistance had stopped them from soaring further up, and now, they were being carried with the current. Theora started rummaging through her coat to find some heavy object, and eventually pulled out a log she¡¯d saved as firewood.

    She launched it away from herself in such a way that it would propel her towards Skuld. Of course, a single piece wasn¡¯t enough, but it brought her a bit closer to her destination. She¡¯d just have to shoot off items until she reached it.

    However, before she continued, she looked for the log in the sky.

    Obliterate.

    The log turned into what looked like water, and broke away into the wind¡¯s current.

    Alright, that worked. That way, the objects she used to navigate through the sky couldn¡¯t hit and hurt someone far away.

    Thus, Theora made her way through the night, propelling herself and the cart with whatever she could find, and then destroying it afterwards before it could cause harm. This was rather fun. Maybe Fiantanne could create more of that potion?

    Eventually, with a few careful tosses of items against the ground, she softly landed right in front of Skuld¡¯s path.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°What!¡± Fiantanne yelled out, and sprinted ahead of the rhino to meet her. ¡°How¡¯d you do that?¡±

    Theora tilted her head. ¡°Your potion. Very useful.¡±

    Fia frowned, but then decided to drop the topic, pointing back at Skulduggery. ¡°Look what I found! A Giant Rhinoceros! I thought they were extinct!¡±

    ¡°Not this one,¡± Skulduggery grumbled.

    ¡°Welcome back,¡± Theora said, and earned an almost imperceptible nod of acknowledgement from the large creature.

    ¡°You know each other? Wow, this is amazing.¡± Fiantanne carefully stepped up, keeping the rhino in her gaze. ¡°I found it on the main road, and it¡¯s been nice to me. Said it would help me run away. So, I used the last bit of hovering potion I had left in my luggage, and we jumped onto the train tracks here, since people won¡¯t be walking along this path.¡±

    Skuld offered a huff, although Theora wasn¡¯t sure what that meant. Probably affirmation.

    ¡°But,¡± Fia continued, ¡°It wouldn¡¯t tell me its name.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t pronounce,¡± the rhino puffed out.

    ¡°She¡¯s called Skulduggery,¡± Theora supplied, and Fiantanne chuckled.

    ¡°Skulduggery! So what were you doing out here? Can¡¯t say these lands are particularly well-accustomed to Giant Rhinos.¡±

    ¡°Find family,¡± Skulduggery murmured.

    ¡°Family?¡± Fiantanne sent a short questioning look at Theora, then looked back at Skuld. ¡°You mean, other Giant Rhinos who haven¡¯t gone extinct yet?¡±

    To that, she received no response, but that didn¡¯t keep her from asking another question. ¡°They say Giant Rhinos are able to turn into a human-like shape,¡± she went. ¡°Is that true?¡±

    Another grumble.

    Fiantanne smiled excitedly. ¡°Will you show me?¡±

    Skulduggery turned her head. ¡°No.¡±

    Then, she proceeded to slowly trample ahead on the trail.

    Fiantanne kept walking next to her, asking more questions and receiving huffs and puffs in response. Meanwhile, Theora trailed after, making sure to drag the wagon across the ladder as gently as possible, while trying to wrap her head around the idea that Skulduggery could turn into a person.

    ¡°What now?¡± that same Skulduggery eventually asked.

    At that, the princess blinked. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You,¡± the rhino explained. ¡°What now?¡±

    ¡°Oh! What I¡¯ll do now¡­?¡±

    Skulduggery nodded.

    ¡°Well¡­ the thing is¡­ My situation isn¡¯t unique, is it? I suppose there must be a lot of rulers who feel like me ¡ª who were imposed the role, and act on it begrudgingly. So, my aim is to make things right. I shall liberate the class of nobility from its burden of rule.¡±

    Ah¡­ was that how she¡¯d end up a villainess in the original story? Because she would go on to try and get rid of kings and dukes?

    ¡°How?¡± Skuld asked.

    Fia shrugged. ¡°I synthesised a mind-altering potion based on my own brain-chemistry that makes people unwilling to be rulers. I plan on sharing that with revolutionary organisations.¡±

    ¡°You have some serious ideas, princess,¡± Laticula grumbled.

    ¡°Oh, shush.¡± Fia shook her head in annoyance. ¡°Just because you can talk around others for once, doesn¡¯t mean you have to treat me like this.¡±

    Did that mean the main character of the original story would uncover her plot of poisoning of some aristocrat, and bring her to justice?

    ¡°Maybe you should consider not doing it,¡± Theora suggested. ¡°Perhaps people would be unhappy with you.¡±

    Fiantanne shrugged. ¡°You got a better idea? People are dying because of their greed.¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t know enough about this world to argue it; all she did know was that she¡¯d been executed for admitting to not being a good person, and she really did not want this to happen to Fiantanne too. Before Theora could do any more to attempt to veer the princess off from her path, she heard faint muted voices from the thicket to the left.

    ¡°People,¡± Skulduggery murmured.

    Fiantanne herself stopped walking at Skulduggery¡¯s warning, and then, the rhino stopped as well. Theora kept going until she saw what was coming.

    A person was flying over the woods, carrying another by holding onto the back of their jacket with a single hand. Then, they both landed, gently.

    The one who¡¯d been carried held a little gaslamp. He was young, with a full but well-kempt beard, and a shaved head. His attire was expensive looking but practical; he had several small instruments at his large belt, many of which were made of glass. He wore a monocle on one eye, and an eye-patch over the other. Overall, his face seemed grim, serious, and he had a vertical and thick scar on his forehead.

    Theora had never seen him before. On the other hand, she knew his companion. A stone-cold gaze, not a single hint of a reaction on her face upon recognising Theora, or the people she kept in her wagon, or Skulduggery, for that matter, even though her gaze flicked over them all. Then, her eyes landed on Fiantanne, and she raised her eyebrows just the tiniest amount, before losing interest. Her hair was a mess now, no longer shaved at the side of her head, but still much shorter there. She had rings under her eyes, as if she never slept.

    ¡°So we meet again,¡± she said, in a deep and monotone voice.

    It was Gonell.

 Chapter 104: Good Night

    ¡°Ah,¡± was the only sound Theora managed to get out initially, entirely unprepared. Sure, yes, she¡¯d seen Gonell a few minutes ago, but the idea of actually running into her while neither Dema nor Lostina were conscious caused her anxiety to spike.

    If she said the wrong thing here, Gonell might never talk to any of them again.

    ¡°Why here,¡± Skulduggery came to Theora¡¯s rescue by managing to produce something coherent.

    Gonell shrugged. ¡°Saw Theora toss herself around in the sky and heard your footsteps. Thought I¡¯d say hello.¡±

    Skuld huffed. ¡°Why here,¡± she repeated.

    After a short frown, Gonell raised her eyebrows. ¡°Ah, I see. We came to investigate an item from the treasury of Laville Castle.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Fiantanne said. ¡°Are you Gonell, then? Have heard of you. Feel free to fetch what you need.¡± At that, she blinked. ¡°Wait. It¡¯s not the Lodestone, is it?¡±

    ¡°Lodestone?¡± Theora asked.

    Gonell nodded. ¡°The Lodestone, yes. That¡¯s what we are after. It¡¯s a little chest stored inside the castle. It contains very sensitive information.¡±

    Fiantanne shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s loaded with protected glyphs of the highest order. In fact, there is some old evidence that the entire castle has been built just to harbour it. It¡¯s not possible to remove it without first destroying the entire building brick by brick. The makers were so confident, they even wrote the words ¡®free for the taking¡¯ all over it to mock anyone who tried. And then they put ¡®DO NOT OPEN¡¯ on the lid despite the fact that it¡¯s locked by the strongest magics. They were so full of themselves.¡±

    Theora flushed red, and she was thankful for the night obscuring her face. Now she¡¯d done it, accidentally picking up the unheavable coffer. How could she have possibly known the chest was supposed to be stuck there?

    ¡°Don¡¯t fret,¡± Gonell¡¯s companion said, in a gruff and standoffish voice that didn¡¯t exactly fit the content of what he was saying. ¡°We shall not remove it; merely investigate and gain hints at its contents.¡±

    ¡°My uncle used it to blackmail the King,¡± Fiantanne said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure whatever¡¯s inside is truly devastating. It¡¯s the reason why our town doesn¡¯t have to pay any taxes. That said, I¡¯m not sure my uncle even knew what was inside; he used the mere idea of it for blackmail.¡±

    The man nodded. ¡°We would like to gather the information therein to topple the crown.¡±

    Fiantanne gave a little sigh. ¡°Let me guess ¡ª you¡¯re Fran Fan?¡±

    At Theora¡¯s questioning gaze, the girl added, ¡°A Summoned. [Detective] Class. Those glasses let him see clues, even replay events that happened in the past, in order to pursue certain [Truths]. Scary person, if you cross the asylum. He investigates deaths related to people under Gonell¡¯s protection.¡±

    ¡°Usually, yes,¡± he said. ¡°Today, we are on a mission to find the Lodestone and assess its viability. On a different note ¡ª you seem to know a lot about us.¡±

    ¡°I was researching rebellions and revolutions, and your order came up,¡± Fiantanne said with a shrug.

    Oh, this was rather bad, wasn¡¯t it? If he was a world class investigator, he¡¯d probably find out that Theora was the one who took it. She was in big trouble.

    ¡°I happen to have taken it with me,¡± she wanted to say, but¡ª

    ERROR.

    Action restricted. Cannot deviate from original author outline.

    She blinked. Why did this cause an error? Were the two of them not supposed to gain access to the coffer? Were they not supposed to find it at all?

    Oh, dear. Had Theora accidentally retreived an item that was central to the entire plot line of the original novel? What in the world could be inside? Again, she felt the strong urge to open it. But she swallowed it down. No opening suspicious coffers while Dema and Lostina were asleep.

    ¡°Good luck,¡± was all Theora could say in response. She knew that ideally, she¡¯d go with Gonell, because Lostina and Dema wanted to meet up with her, but¡­ Accompanying them back to the crime scene seemed like an awful idea. ¡°I hope you are doing alright. Once you are done with your research, would it be possible for us to talk? We would wait for you at the next settlement.¡±

    Gonell frowned, then shrugged. ¡°Only one way to and from the castle, so if you stay at Fruda, we might run into each other on our way back. No promises, though.¡±

    With that, they received a nod from Fran Fan, while Gonell¡¯s gaze fell on Lostina.

    ¡°Tell the girl I said hi,¡± she murmured, and then fetched her companion, and soared back onto their original path.

    ¡°So¡­ we¡¯re going to stay in the next settlement until they come back, then?¡± Fiantanne asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°You just decided that?¡±

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Theora let out, realising she¡¯d imposed that on her while trying to coordinate the plans of Dema and Lostina too. ¡°If you are opposed to it, we can continue without them,¡± she said. At this point, she really didn¡¯t feel like letting the girl walk off alone ¡ª at least not unless specifically requested. ¡°It¡¯s just that my companions wanted to talk to Gonell. We met her three months ago, and¡­ things happened.¡±

    ¡°Huh, I see,¡± Fia hummed. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind. Gonell¡¯s a valuable asset, so getting on her good side sounds nice.¡±

    Theora blinked. ¡°That¡¯s not how you should talk about people¡­¡±

    Fia turned around with a soft ¡®hmph¡¯ and continued walking.

    Lostina was still in deep slumber, giving no signs that she was about to wake up again. Could Fran Fan replay Theora¡¯s entrance into the treasure hall? Would they realise what she¡¯d done? But, if that would lead to a change in the outline, why hadn¡¯t her picking up the coffer thrown an error? Shouldn¡¯t the author have prevented her from doing it in that case?

    She sighed.

    ¡°What¡¯s got you worried?¡± Fia asked. ¡°If you make random noises like that, I can¡¯t focus on my thoughts. And my thoughts are important.¡±

    Theora grazed a bunch of hair out from her face. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure how to identify the item we wanted to steal from your treasury.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± she said. ¡°That something, right? What does the item do?¡±

    ¡°Well, Lostina needed it,¡± she said, pointing at her in the wagon. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what it does.¡±

    Theora was still unsure whether she could just give the name.

    Fia took a closer look. ¡°What¡¯s her Class?¡±

    ¡°[Pretender],¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Oh? As in, an impostor to the throne?¡±

    Oh, right. It had that kind of meaning too, in feudal settings, right?

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. As far as I understand, it¡¯s a Class that can be used to infiltrate and gather information.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Judging by her Class¡­ For example, she might have wanted an Amulet of Irrecognition. Mhh¡­ or, perhaps, a Circlet of Memory Transference.¡± She shrugged.

    It was only after walking a few more steps that Fiantanne suddenly halted, and swirled her head back to Theora, tossing her hair around in the process. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± she let out.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Leap of logic,¡± Fiantanne said, rubbing the side of her head as if to punish herself. ¡°My brain must have short-circuited. It may be unlikely that she wanted to fetch an item that corresponds to the abilities of her Class. Perhaps she wanted an item that does something her Class can¡¯t do. In any case,¡± she added with a smile, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Don¡¯t need the item.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think we don¡¯t need the item?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Fiantanne let out, eyes still on Lostina. ¡°I can easily produce most magical item effects using alchemy. All she has to do is beg.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora replied. ¡°That¡¯s reassuring. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°No need to thank me. I only require praise.¡±

    They continued following the trail for a while longer, until Fiantanne said they¡¯d made it close to the settlement.

    ¡°Are you sure you won¡¯t come?¡± she asked Skulduggery, who had indicated as much before. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to sleep with us if you turn into a person.¡±

    The rhino huffed.

    ¡°Fine, then. Don¡¯t complain later!¡± Fiantanne gazed into the dark forest that would lead back to the path into the village. She sighed. ¡°Actually, maybe I should sleep outside, with you¡­ Chances of being recognised are rather high.¡±

    Theora felt a little torn; on one hand, this made her want to stay outside with Skulduggery and Fia too, but on the other hand, she preferred Dema and Lostina being in a proper bed until the potion¡¯s effect would wane off. In addition, if they slept out here, they might miss Gonell on her return journey.

    ¡°Will keep her safe,¡± Skuld murmured in her low, grumbling voice as if she could read Theora¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°Yeah! Skuld is warm! Can I sleep on your back? Please let me sleep on your back.¡±

    While the two of them were discussing the proposal, Theora untangled a few pillows and blankets from her Lostina-Dema-package, and offered them to Fia.

    ¡°We will be in the settlement soon, so take them instead, to stay warm at night.¡±

    And so, with another few drops of the gravity-defying potion, Theora made the last stretch to the village, found an inn, and paid for a night¡¯s rest.

    Once in their room, Theora gave Dema a change of clothes and cleaned her ¡ª it was something she¡¯d done many times before, not only during those seventeen years when Dema had been injured, so she was used to it. Plus, Dema had done it for Theora too, when she¡¯d been too tired to move much. She felt a little reluctant to do the same for Lostina, since they didn¡¯t know each other that well, but in the end, it was more important to keep her healthy.

    Lostina had a cosy pyjama set; a long sleeved top with pentacle star shapes with fitting pants. Meanwhile, Dema typically slept in her undergarments, although Theora had at least given her fresh ones.

    Both of them were really warm. Warm, and soft, and cosy, and Theora really had to coordinate with Dema whether it was alright to sleep in a bed with her in a situation like this; typically, she¡¯d always been able to ask, but now, she couldn¡¯t. And she wasn¡¯t going to just sleep next to her like that, just because she wanted to. Yes, probably Dema would be alright with it, Theora couldn¡¯t imagine any other reaction than Dema outright pulling her into bed once the question was asked, but still.

    Once done, Theora sat down on her own bed. She took out the coffer, and once more, felt the urge to open it, and once more, fought back.

    Something used to blackmail the King. Something Gonell and her companions were looking for as well. Something that must have, without doubt, played a large role in the original plot line. Would trying to open it give her an outline error? Would it cause a rewrite?

    She stared out the window.

    Hey you. Do you still feel like things are dangerous?

    Head in the Clouds. I¡¯m really not sure.

    Thank you for warning me.

    Head in the Clouds. Hey now, I have to be useful sometimes, or you¡¯ll forget about me!

    I won¡¯t forget about you.

    At that thought, Theora felt a chuckle inside herself, and couldn¡¯t help but feel that it came from the Skill too.

    Head in the Clouds. What a charmer you are. But it¡¯s time to sleep, don¡¯t you think? Let¡¯s see if the others can make sense of this all tomorrow. Bye!

 Chapter 105: Bad Choice

    Gonell did, in fact, return to the settlement when she and Fran Fan were done with their investigation. Theora was sitting in the tavern part of the inn, trying to eat a salad, although her thoughts kept veering off and distracting her.

    Then, the door swung open, and Gonell stepped in.

    It hadn¡¯t been too apparent during the last night, but her style of clothing had changed. Three months earlier, she¡¯d worn a tight and thin crimson metal armour, but now, it was a simple black cloak made of stiff and thick fabric. She scanned the half-full room until she found Theora, then walked over, threw her cloak on an empty chair, then sat down on another, arm hanging over its back, folding her legs.

    ¡°Excursion was a total failure,¡± she said. ¡°Fran Fan went back home. So, you wanted to talk?¡±

    Theora put her fork down. ¡°Total failure?¡±

    Gonell shrugged. ¡°We have most of the picture. Apparently, that child you had with you made a large commotion, putting everyone to sleep? You could have told us. I guess that¡¯s why Lostina was out? Either way, during that time ¡ª don¡¯t ask me how ¡ª that damn coffer was apparently stolen. Fran Fan¡¯s trailing spell was on cooldown because he¡¯d investigated the sleep incident first. Whoever mounted this whole operation must have known exactly when and how to strike. Some kind of genius, covering all tracks.¡±

    Theora swallowed.

    ¡°In any case, we¡¯re launching a search for the coffer, though that¡¯s not the highest priority. It cannot be opened without a key, so we are focusing on that first. Whoever this meddling party is can¡¯t be allowed access to both. Once we have the key, the current keeper of the coffer will come crawling to us anyway.¡±

    I have it, Theora wanted to say, but, unsurprisingly, was met with an error.

    ¡°I see,¡± she said instead. ¡°The key is hard to find?¡±

    ¡°Very much so. Granted, if someone is able to fetch that coffer, they must be incredibly capable, but the key is hidden in the highest-level dungeon on the planet. I¡¯m the only one who can clear it.¡±

    This was rapidly moving far beyond Theora¡¯s preferred complexity level. Dungeons? Keys?

    Her confusion must have become apparent on her face, because Gonell gave a little sigh, and then added, ¡°Dungeons. Sometimes, rifts appear in very far-off places. Magical seals, terrain, weather phenomena ¡ª imagine a myriad of external forces that would make it impossible, or at the very least, unlikely, for an automated creature to get out. So, they fill that little space, and only the strongest Errata survive.¡±

    ¡°And a key happens to be there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a guarantee, but there is some evidence in old documents. Apparently, that specific dungeon has been created artificially ¡ª a high-level [Summoner] left it there, then opened one or more rifts, and engineered for it to keep Errata stuck.¡±

    ¡°So, you will clear that dungeon next?¡±

    Gonell bit her lip. ¡°Honestly, I want to leave everything behind and go there already,¡± she said. ¡°But, preparations are in order. Typically, my task is to purge high-level rifts all over the continent. I protect an asylum too, so I need to be seen around that location often, or the effect of my deterrence will stop working. And, today¡¯s mission was of high importance, so I had to act as a bodyguard to Fran Fan, meaning I had to neglect both other tasks in the meantime.¡± She sighed. ¡°Wish I could split myself in two. Or, that someone else was around who could close S-Rank rifts. Or clear that damn dungeon. Most likely, I¡¯ll have to continue my travels until the weather is right, and then go and clear it.¡±

    She shook her head gently. Somehow, this monologue had given an entirely new meaning to the circles under her eyes, and the many folds across her lids. Did she ever sleep?

    Theora swallowed. ¡°Do you¡­ need help¡­?¡± Oh, she was being so selfish. Offering help in order to get closer to the key that would open the coffer she really wanted to look inside¡­ She immediately felt bad for asking.

    Gonell raised her brows. ¡°Can you help? Dema did claim you were strong, and the fact that she¡¯s incredibly powerful herself lends a bit of credence to that, I suppose. On the other hand, she¡¯s head over heels, so¡­¡±

    Theora hid her face behind her hands.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we spar a bit?¡± Gonell continued. ¡°I sure wouldn¡¯t say no to your help if you can beat me.¡±

    Oh, no. This was going in a terrible direction. If the two of them sparred, the book would be cut in two. ¡°You said you were going to purge rifts,¡± Theora murmured reluctantly. ¡°We could spar by seeing which of us¡­¡±

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Which of us closes one faster? Sure. Why not. Don¡¯t complain if you get yourself killed, though.¡±

    Based on her tone, Theora could tell that Gonell wasn¡¯t taking this seriously at all. There was a certain bite of cynicism to her words that had been absent the last time they¡¯d spoken. She didn¡¯t seem to really care about her words at all.

    After that, Gonell fetched a map from her bag, and started making little markings with a pencil. She¡¯d completely lost interest in the conversation.

    Gonell was a [Berserker]. That meant her strength was tied to her emotional state, as Lostina had explained. Seeing her be so different now was a bit worrying. It was possible that the destruction of the village had hampered her in some way.

    According to Lostina, Gonell would die a few months from now. And, her death would be in some part caused by what had happened in that village. So, it was possible that the incident left scars in her emotional state that would make her weaker, and lead to her death.

    Or, the slightly scarier option, was that it had made her stronger. Being too strong could, after all, also lead to one¡¯s destruction.

    After a while, Theora couldn¡¯t help but want to know.

    ¡°May I ask you a question?¡±

    ¡°Sure, why not,¡± Gonell murmured, not looking up.

    ¡°I was told that your Class is [Berserker]. I used to have a similar Class.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    ¡°I was wondering if you would share with me which emotion you picked.¡±

    Gonell pulled her brows together incredulously, and puffed air out of her nose. ¡°Oh? Want to get at my secrets before we spar?¡± She finally looked up, then laid back in her chair, exhaling deep. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you, but I suppose I could let you guess. You had a similar Class? Then, what do you think would be the very worst state of mind one could possibly choose?¡±

    Theora recoiled a little at the implied hostility, and looked down at a tomato slice on her plate while thinking.

    Back then, Theora¡¯s main state of mind of choice had been joy. That was, without a doubt, a bad one.

    It had served her well when fighting Afterthoughts and solving quests that were far beneath her ability. Fights were fun when nothing was on the line, because even at a very young age, albeit not the strongest in the world, she was still unparalleled compared to her peers. It had been a thrilling experience to defeat a mindless blob of data hundreds of Levels above her own, and thus, joy had been her best source of power.

    Obviously, joy was not a good one to choose if matched against opponents of similar power, or matched against opponents who had intelligence, and could exploit one¡¯s state of mind. All they needed to do was kill someone dear to the user, and they¡¯d never feel joy again, and be left weakened for the rest of eternity.

    In contrast, anger was useful, because it was more resistant to these kinds of manipulations and moods. One would be stronger when it mattered. Still, it wasn¡¯t necessarily the best, because anger could puff out into desperation, fear or sadness given the right circumstances.

    If Theora had to guess, the strongest emotion to tie to one¡¯s strength would probably be fear. Fear typically occurred before things went bad. That said, it was still finicky, because obviously, confidence might taint one¡¯s fear if one was too aware of this interaction.

    Confidence, as a state of mind, was therefore another strong option, but still exploitable.

    In the end, there was no single state of mind Theora could deem the ¡®best¡¯, but there was certainly one she considered the worst.

    ¡°Apathy,¡± she said.

    At that, Gonell¡¯s wry smile waned. She wet her lips, and folded her arms. ¡°Close enough, I guess. The one I chose was calm.¡± She laughed at herself ironically. ¡°I thought if I tied my strength to how calm and poised I am, all I ever had to do is take a deep breath, and win.¡±

    Theora felt a shiver run down her spine. If this was going where she thought it was, then Gonell needed a serious hug.

    ¡°But turns out, forcing yourself to be calm when you should be filled with anger or sadness doesn¡¯t actually make your actions more reasonable, it just mutes your sense of reality. I managed to make myself the strongest not when I care about what¡¯s happening the most, but when I care the least.¡±

    She shrugged bitterly. ¡°You know. I don¡¯t quite remember that moment back then too clearly. I realised there were two extremely strong rifts, so I knew I had to calm myself down in order to win. But, back then, did I miss the possibility of a recoil of my Skill? Or did I simply not care?¡± She threw the map on the desk dismissively. ¡°To be strong only when I¡¯m calm is fucking scary. I never should have made that choice.¡±

    Theora really wanted to hug her.

    Gonell was probably at most about 30 years old. All things considered, she was extremely young. In the end, the choice of which emotion was best and which was worst was mostly a theoretical exercise. For a [Berserker], getting to know oneself was more important, and that came with time.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if those words will mean much to you, coming from a stranger,¡± Theora eventually said, ¡°But I think all hope might not yet be lost.¡±

    ¡°What? How so?¡±

    Theora tried putting the words she wanted to say together in her mind, but it was rather difficult. She¡¯d never tried to communicate such a concept to another person before. Eventually, she settled on her best result.

    ¡°Calm can be cold. But it can also be warm.¡±

    Gonell let out a pained, muted laugh. ¡°I see. Thanks. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever feel warm again, though.¡±

    With that, her eyes flickered to the side, and when Theora turned around to follow the gaze, she could see Lostina, rubbing her eyes, looking around confused. She¡¯d just stepped into the hall, still wearing her pyjamas. When her eyes fell on Gonell, she jerked up, her eyes widened, and she scuttled back into the corridor.

    ¡°Huh.¡± Gonell gave a short sigh. ¡°Guess that makes sense. Wouldn¡¯t want to see me, either.¡±

    ¡°I think it might be the opposite,¡± Theora murmured.

 Chapter 106: Negligence

    It only took a few days until it was all arranged. Gonell had found a fresh rift of the highest rank. They¡¯d travelled to it, and prepared everything for a ¡®showdown¡¯. Theora felt slightly awkward, but in the end, there was no good reason to refuse; if she could somehow convince Gonell that she was actually strong, then that meant she would get to help out. And that was better than sitting around and waiting while the Errata wreaked havoc on this world.

    On the other hand, Theora would wreak havoc on the plot of this book if she were to help out Gonell. Or, more specifically, if she continued helping out past the day Gonell was supposed to die, because from then on, everything was in the hands of the main character. As such, she half expected an outline-error to pop up any given moment.

    Now, Theora stood on a wide meadow with the occasional tree. A group of deer made its way through the hip-high grass along a hill in the distance. A crow cawed on a tree with red leaves. Theora could feel the taps of a herd far away ¡ª large animals. Maybe elephants? Rhinos? Not the giant kind, though.

    She¡¯d pulled her sword, and stood on slightly wobbly feet. She¡¯d not been tested like this in¡­ probably ages? The rift was glinting up in the sky, at about twice or thrice the height of the highest tree. Dema was on one far end of the valley, her cloak dazzling in the wind as she was playfully chasing something in the grass.

    And on the other side, far behind Theora, was Gonell, standing watch too. The both of them would make sure no stragglers made it out in this little exercise. It was not a very densely populated area in the first place ¡ª not densely populated by humans, for that matter.

    The rift would soon open. Gonell had taught Theora the signs; it would start pulsating, until it collapsed upon itself, and then opened far enough for Errata to get through.

    Five hundred per minute, from a rift of highest rank. That was the threshold Theora needed to beat for Gonell to consider herself beaten. It was, to some extent, an arbitrary number.

    She imagined that Gonell could destroy any number of Errata in whatever given time, but she¡¯d annihilate the continent in the process. Similarly, Theora could, if she went all out, destroy that many opponents in any given amount of time, but she might accidentally cut the book in half trying.

    As such, reasonably, Gonell had chosen a number of Errata per minute that she¡¯d be able to withstand indefinitely. An average, of sorts. Theora had no way to actually judge the number. Had Gonell given an accurate estimate? Or puffed it up, to make beating her a little harder? Or had she given Theora a little edge and was playing with her, like with Dema?

    Ultimately, Theora¡¯s plan was simple. She would wait until a thousand Errata emerged from the rift, and then she¡¯d target them with a single use of [Obliterate].

    And she¡¯d use her sword for it; a blade with wind affinity, allowing the attack to carry over far distances. Obviously, [Obliterate] was not a Skill that cared too much about distance or contact. Still, Theora had the most control over it if she was touching the target. Her blade allowed for that kind of ¡®touch¡¯ even over a certain distance. And, since [Obliterate] was not meant to be cast with a sword, it would lessen the impact. Reduce any potential damage the Skill might cause, if gone awry.

    After waiting for a while, the midday sun blazing over the meadow in a strength rarely seen in autumn, the first Erratum crawled out. Theora could not beat Gonell¡¯s record if she dispatched every Erratum on arrival, so instead, she garnered its attention by waving and shouting at it.

    It soared towards her.

    Theora couldn¡¯t fly, unlike Gonell. Her entire life, the one thing Theora really would have loved to be able to do was float indefinitely. Gaining flight was by far her favourite Wish from the Orb of Seven Wishes, although she wouldn¡¯t use the last Orb she had left for a test like this. So, Theora was stuck trying to get the Errata to keep their focus on her by running around. If they did lose focus, they¡¯d be stopped by Dema and Gonell, and it would mean a longer wait until a thousand had gathered.

    The Erratum drifted down, large claymore in its arms, and proceeded with its assault. Theora blocked and dodged the attacks, and started regretting her tactic, because moving was effort, and effort caused exhaustion, and exhaustion made her want to sleep.

    At least, there was a time limit here. She just needed to keep the attention of all Errata for a while, and then end them in one go. How long depended on the nature of the particular rift, although Gonell had assured Theora that it was unlikely to take more than three days.

    She dodged another swing from above. The sword whammed into the ground, throwing up dirt. A second Erratum had appeared, and it tried to shove the blade into Theora¡¯s back. She briefly considered just not dodging, but as tempting as it was, it would probably cause Dema to yell at her afterwards, so Theora decided to avoid the attack at the very last moment.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Flight would be so nice. She could just hover in circles around the rift, attracting attention, having a swarm of Errata hum after her. It was slightly unfair that Gonell had access to such an ability, considering she was also a [Berserker]. Apparently, choosing calm as her emotion had given her the ability to weave magic. And, she¡¯d explained, flying was really easy. All Gonell had to do was lose all worldly attachments, to poise herself and find tranquillity, and she¡¯d start floating through the air just like that.

    It was so unfair. [Berserkers] were not supposed to be able to do that.

    Theora sighed, her blade clashing with the Errata¡¯s.

    It really was a nice day, though. The sun shone brightly. Apparently, Lostina and Gonell had ended up talking to each other too. Maybe they were on good terms now? Lostina¡¯s situation was rather complicated, and she had to leave soon after to fetch something for her plans. Theora imagined it must be awkward for her.

    Fiantanne, Skulduggery and the plush dragon weren¡¯t here either, for obvious reasons ¡ª being so close to a rift was dangerous, and so the rhino had agreed to watch over Fia, while Fia had agreed to keep the rhino from being lonely. That meant Theora could go all out, without needing to worry. The strongest person in the world was watching over her from one side, and the immortal Ancient Evil was chasing a rabbit on the other.

    It was the perfect setting for Theora to completely lose her sense of danger and make a terrible mistake.

    The one thing that could have, but didn¡¯t, play a role in this was the idea that this was just a story. She considered the people living in here to be real, and thus, the prospect of getting to help out albeit only as a guest made her happy. Theora had gotten to feel so much happiness lately. She could cuddle Dema whenever she wanted, sometimes to the point of being called ¡®lovey-dovey¡¯ by Lostina. But neither Dema nor Theora had gotten to cuddle much in the past millennia. In fact, as far as Theora understood Dema¡¯s past, neither of them had gotten to cuddle much, ever.

    Right now, she really wanted to just lie in the grass and have Dema rest on her belly, gently patting her head.

    Another Erratum attacked. The claymore whirred around, and cut off a single strand of Theora¡¯s hair.

    In the end, it turned out to be a very large rift. By now, Errata were streaming out by the dozens. Too many for Theora to all keep on herself, so some made off, but she would still get to a thousand very soon. If she managed to impress Gonell today, maybe they¡¯d end up going to the dungeon together, and find the key, and then she could open the coffer and find out what was inside.

    Theora had asked around a bit, too. Fiantanne said the coffer contained blackmail material that would aid in toppling the king. What exact kind of material that was, she couldn¡¯t say, though. The box had been placed decades ago, at the start of the King¡¯s reign, so it didn¡¯t sound impossible. Maybe some secret about the founding of the realm?

    A document outlining practices that would make the King lose power?

    Others, like Gonell, said such a thing was unlikely, and that the ¡®blackmail¡¯ likely referred to an item of such power that it could be used against the Crown, and defeat it.

    The plush dragon Laticula, however, had said something else ¡ª that inside the box might be something to close all rifts and end invasions. And when Theora asked a person in the tavern who¡¯d appeared interested in the conversation, they said that they¡¯d heard of the coffer before, and assumed that it contained a scroll to learn a Skill of one¡¯s choosing.

    A Skill of one¡¯s choosing.

    Like Flight, maybe. Or perhaps Theora could learn how to weave. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the girl in the story Ulfine had told her about. Theora didn¡¯t necessarily need a Skill to learn how to weave, but being able to infuse effects into clothing created by her sounded nice. Like with her tea, or the flowers she gathered. She could make a gown for Dema. Ever since seeing Lostina in that suit of hers, Theora wondered what Dema might look like in one. She still needed to find a keepsake too.

    So, if there was indeed a Skill scroll inside, Theora couldn¡¯t help but want to see it. Even if she would be reluctant to actually use it, since it didn¡¯t belong to her just because she had found and taken the coffer. Ultimately, she hadn¡¯t yet asked Dema or Lostina about it, because with Skulduggery, Fia and Gonell around, there hadn¡¯t been an opportunity to talk about the story. The outline blocked any questions Theora wanted to ask on the topic.

    With all these things going through her head, finally, after a few short hours, enough Errata had gathered on the meadow.

    It really was an S-Rank rift, that much was clear. The Errata had caused destruction in their attempts to kill Theora. Dirt had been thrown up into heaps, animals had fled, and some Errata were much larger than the others. But Theora had tried very hard to absorb as much of their power as possible, and not let them destroy the area much.

    In very specific situations, Theora could target multiple creatures in one go. It hadn¡¯t worked with the Afterthoughts in Hallmark ¡ª the circumstances were not quite the same ¡ª but here, things were a bit different, more akin to the situation shortly after freeing Dema, when she¡¯d fought some low-level Afterthoughts to rescue the [Mage] from her mistake of shutting down the System.

    The swarm of Errata from the S-Rank rift, which appeared on the third day during the ninth month in the Meadows of Fragrance, that is attacking me right now.

    It was a valid target.

    Theora made a few long strides to get in position, and prepared for the attack. All in view. Like she had done so many times before. She cut.

    Obliterate.

    A wide incision made its way across the world in particles of pink and blue, as was common when she used the Skill with her sword. It soared through the Errata as if through a sack filled with flour ¡ª except it hit a ball of iron inside with a vicious crack.

    Her sword shattered in her hands.

 Chapter 107: Interlude â€” Golden Apple

    Bell jolted up, drenched in cold defensive toxins her body was releasing on impulse. For a while, she had no idea where she was. She felt like she¡¯d been slammed against a wall, and was almost surprised to see her limbs still filled with herself just the way they were supposed to be. She hadn¡¯t popped, then. That was good.

    Her gaze fell on None right beside her, who looked up from the Golden Apple she¡¯d been examining in her hands.

    ¡°What was that?¡± she asked, tilting her head with a clack.

    Bell blinked, trying to calm down her tendril hair from scuttling around in panic. None could feel aura bursts and probably noticed what had happened too, but she was much less attuned and vulnerable to the sensation.

    ¡°Something bad,¡± Bell said, and looked north. ¡°Felt an energy surge. A strong Skill¡­ something¡­¡± She rubbed her temples with two hair tendrils.

    None looked north as well. ¡°You mean, where Theora is? Is she back?¡±

    Bell slowly continued walking down the busy street. ¡°If she was back, we¡¯d see it on the party screen.¡±

    ¡°Do you think we should check it out?¡±

    Biting her lip, Bell tried to piece things together. ¡°I think¡­ I¡¯m not sure? It was so strong. Hard to pinpoint the exact origin. It¡¯s gone now¡­ Well, either that, or it dulled my senses so much that I can¡¯t feel anything.¡±

    The sounds of people talking on the market felt like hammers on Bell¡¯s mind. She was overloaded. None seemed to notice, and took her hand, gently pulling her to the side, into a small side-alley outside the flow of the main street, and made her sit down on a barrel, where she landed with a bit of a squelch.

    Bell noticed more toxins had built up on her forehead, and wiped them off with a strand of her hair.

    ¡°Need something to drink?¡±

    Bell nodded, her head dizzy. At that, None smiled, and started choking and retching to puke out a bubble of water from her internal storage. It floated around, and Bell fetched it with her hair, placed it against her mouth, and proceeded to drink the entire thing in one go.

    Finally, breathing heavily, she managed to calm down a bit.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. She didn¡¯t feel a resurgence of the sudden impact, nor any residue. It seemed to have been a one-time event, then? Or would there be aftershocks? Bell braced herself.

    She¡¯d been a high-level hero capable of sensing auras for a few hundred years. During that time, she¡¯d experienced only one global aura event. One-hundred sixty-four years ago, when the Cube of Solitude had been destroyed, and the presence of the Ancient Evil had made its way onto Himaeya.

    An event every hero at the time had experienced with terror.

    There had been some smaller events too ¡ª sixty-four years ago, when the Devil of Truth had been defeated, and forty-seven years ago, around the time of None¡¯s rebirth, when Theora had defeated Umbra. Back then, Bell had been close-by, tasked with setting up barriers around the next city Umbra had been heading to, in case Theora failed or refused to dispatch it in time.

    Typically, strong beings chose to obscure or lessen the size of their aura, much in the way Theora did. In order to recognise Theora¡¯s true power, one had to be extremely experienced. Dema, on the other hand, seemed to make no such attempt, or perhaps, she was oblivious to the fact that every high-level hero on the continent could feel her presence blaze like a beacon.

    Of course, Bell had eventually gotten used to Dema¡¯s aura, and while it was strong, it was not painful. It was much like the sun. Fine, as long as one didn¡¯t look at it directly, but always there. Well, not now, since she was in a different reality.

    However, none of these events compared with what Bell had experienced just now. A violent, terrifying burst unlike what she¡¯d seen in the entirety of her career.

    ¡°If something really bad happened, the System will probably call on you,¡± None mused. ¡°So, as long as it doesn¡¯t, things should be fine?¡±

    With a sigh, Bell nodded. At this point, with how surreal the experience had been, she almost wondered if she¡¯d imagined it. If her brain had played a trick on her. It was not reasonable for anything of this magnitude to just happen without warning.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said, and gestured to the Golden Apple with a tendril. ¡°Let¡¯s continue asking around, then?¡±

    None clacked a nod, and held out a hand to help Bell back up, who gladly took the opportunity for some skinship. Or rockship, in this case. Somehow, Bell still felt a little rattled, but she did her best to stumble after None, who was apparently eager to get back into their task. She probably wanted to offer Bell a quick distraction ¡ª and it was working.

    ¡°Hey!¡± None greeted the next scroll merchant she could find, looking over the variety of his offers. He smiled at her widely. He had a wine-coloured cloth wrapped around his head, and wore a linen dress to shield himself from the sun. In front of him laid countless scrolls, meticulously labelled.

    Scrolls functioned akin to one-time Skill uses, and they circumvented the System. It was unclear whether they were older than the System or had been developed as a way to avoid it. They were very much a niche product by now, since most people relied on abilities one could use through the Interface; it was much easier.

    Of course, None was a total airhead, so she¡¯d managed to get distracted by the countless offers within five seconds, instead of remembering what they were here for. The merchant looked at her with slight amusement, but also confusion, as she completely ignored him and marvelled at the inventory. Eventually, his gaze flickered over to Bell.

    ¡°She wanted to ask you whether you happen to know a person possessing the Skill [Compute],¡± Bell provided, with a nod towards None. Due to the nature of how scrolls were created, people in that area often had knowledge of people with rare Skills.

    His gaze jumped back to None ¡ª more specifically, to the Golden Apple in her hand, and he nodded, pensively. ¡°Personally, no,¡± he said. ¡°But I might be able to give you some pointers. Or I could start asking around and keep my ears open. Depending on how much time you have.¡±

    At that, None¡¯s head clacked up, beaming. ¡°Thank you!¡± she let out.

    ¡°I take it you wish to trade?¡± he asked, and nodded to the Apple.

    ¡°Yep!¡±

    ¡°Mind telling me what you have to offer in exchange? It might make it easier to find a match.¡±

    Of course, Bell and None had talked about this before. A Golden Apple was an Epic grade magical item that allowed two people to trade a common Skill. Theora had apparently received the item as a quest reward, and then gifted it to None, because attaining [Compute] naturally was hard, like with any other specific common Skill. Trading a Skill she already had with a person who was willing to let go of their [Compute] seemed like a much easier option to get there.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°[Identify]!¡± None let out with a cheer, and the merchant startled.

    From None¡¯s perspective, it definitely made sense¡­ Bell already had access to [Identify], so if they travelled together, None wouldn¡¯t need it herself. That said, anyone else would probably find the idea to trade a rare and valuable Skill like that for something seemingly useless like [Compute] completely ludicrous.

    ¡°Well¡­ If you¡¯re sure, I¡¯m certain something can be arranged,¡± he said. ¡°But, you¡¯re not going to abandon the deal at the last second? [Identify] is a valuable Skill.¡±

    None nodded. ¡°Yeah! I love [Identify] but I only have two common Skills, and the other one ¡ª [Inner Monologue] ¡ª helps a lot with staying sapient, so I¡¯d like to keep it. And the sooner I can get [Compute], the better. So, it¡¯s fine. I mean it!¡±

    With that, they discussed a few more things; ways to communicate, reasonable timeframes, and some kind of compensation. Once None identified herself as a hero of the System, the merchant had some ideas for how he could use her help.

    And with that, a while later, they were back on their way striding through the busy street, until they found a bench to sit on under a sycamore tree. None seemed to be in a very good mood, letting her legs dangle over the edge, and making them clash against each other regularly with soft clonks.

    ¡°Feeling better?¡± she eventually asked. Somehow, one of Bell¡¯s tendrils had found its way into None¡¯s hand, who gently squeezed back.

    Bell nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± None said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get the Skill. Might still take months or years, of course¡­ but it¡¯s so nice of mom to give me the item. Although, it kind of confuses me that she did. I would have thought she¡¯d use it herself.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Bell let out. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Well, why doesn¡¯t she use it to trade away [Obliterate]? She seems to be really unhappy about having it. And I mean, I can imagine. It devours all her combat Skills. Must be depressing.¡±

    Bell frowned, looking absently into the crowd washing by in front of her. That¡¯s right ¡ª [Obliterate] was not a Class Skill, and not a Legendary one either. As ridiculous as it was to imagine considering its strength, it indeed counted as a simple common Skill. Theora could have used the Golden Apple to trade it away.

    ¡°Well,¡± Bell murmured, ¡°I don¡¯t know her reasoning, but I¡¯m glad she kept it.¡±

    None swirled her head around. ¡°What? It¡¯s pretty obvious that she suffers from having it, though?¡±

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± Bell said. ¡°I guess I¡¯m being insensitive, but ultimately¡­ I do have my disagreements with Theora, obviously, but if [Obliterate] needs a keeper, I think it should be her. After all, it can destroy anything. And the cost is paid by the world, through ambient damage, not by its user. What if the Skill ended up in the hands of a person who just didn¡¯t care? They would be unbeatable, and the world would become a desert.¡±

    Bell pondered for a moment. ¡°Even less than a desert, actually. Some things can live in deserts. Nothing can live in a world blemished by [Obliterate].¡± She sighed. ¡°I suppose I¡¯m glad Theora wields it with caution and reluctance.¡±

    After all, if she didn¡¯t, Bell would be dead. She and the other heroes who¡¯d come to kill Dema in her weakened state would have been turned into nothing just like Ramph¡¯s hammer. Instead, Theora had spared their lives and asked them to go away.

    None clacked a finger against her cheek in thought. ¡°I mean, I did have to stop her from blowing up the System the day I first met her,¡± she said. ¡°She has a bit of a temper. Also, other responsible people exist in the world. She could have given it to someone trustworthy.¡±

    Bell tried to parse the shock of what None had just shared with her, and blinked a few times. Then, shook her head. ¡°Theora has existed for millennia, and the world is still largely in one piece. So, I guess she¡¯s kind of proven herself. But I mean, who knows. Perhaps she already used a Golden Apple ages ago for something completely different. Maybe this whole discussion is moot. In the end, she gave it to you, because she wanted you to have it.¡±

    None sighed, clicking her mandibles together. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. And, if [Compute] helps me do the things I want to do, I¡¯ll be able to help her too. So, it¡¯s not a waste.¡±

    For a while, they kept sitting side-by-side. They watched a girl cry because her dad would not let her climb down a well. A lizard scuttled by eventually, between their legs.

    It was unusual for None to be silent for long periods of time. Occasionally, Bell sneaked a glance at her, to see if something was wrong, and indeed, the girl had a pensive expression on her face.

    ¡°Something on your mind?¡± Bell eventually asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± She turned to look at Bell. ¡°You referred to me as ¡®she¡¯ when we talked to the merchant.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± None said. ¡°I¡¯ve just been wondering about this whole thing for a while, and even more lately. Like, back then, in my ¡®first life¡¯, so to speak, things were very different. Some of us laid eggs and some didn¡¯t, but there was no culture around any of this stuff.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Bell said. ¡°Well, laying eggs doesn¡¯t necessarily correspond to it anymore here either. But I suppose you mean that such divides exist at all?¡±

    None clacked a nod. ¡°Since I got here, people have used ¡®she¡¯ and ¡®girl¡¯ for me. I don¡¯t dislike that, but I sometimes wonder if I¡¯m a bit of an impostor.¡±

    ¡°You look cute,¡± Bell said. ¡°Feminine features, I suppose. That¡¯s why people default to it. Does it bother you?¡±

    None frowned. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. It makes me happy. Even more so when I realised my ¡®mothers¡¯ had gifted that identity to me. But I was just wondering, if, maybe, it would be nice to have a place like home?¡±

    ¡°How do you mean?¡±

    None shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m wondering how it would feel if someone treated me the way it was in my old life. Where it didn¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bell said.

    ¡°Since you already use a different name for me, I was wondering if that person could be you?¡±

    Bell felt herself blush. She didn¡¯t have any blood, so it didn¡¯t turn her red, but instead, made her blue skin shimmer with yellow. ¡°Of course? Yes. Of course. Just me? I could talk to the others for you?¡±

    None smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll probably talk to the others about it myself, just so it¡¯s less confusing. But yes, just you. Just one place to feel a bit nostalgic.¡±

    Bell swallowed and nodded, and lost her gaze in the crowd again. Out of all the people in the world, None had chosen her to feel ¡®like home¡¯?

    ¡°But, you know¡­ Actually ¡ª different topic again,¡± None said, laughing. ¡°Sorry I jump so much. But like, since we were talking about [Obliterate] earlier. Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s something off with that Skill?¡±

    ¡°Off how? You mean that it¡¯s too strong?¡±

    None shook their head. ¡°That much is obvious, and I mean, it kind of explains itself if you consider how many Skills it must have absorbed. Theora¡¯s Skills of all things, which were probably already ridiculous in the first place. But, like. I get the feeling¡­ The Skill¡¯s description in her sheet ¡ª It doesn¡¯t really match how she uses it? Or talks about it?¡±

    Bell pursed her lips. That was certainly true. There were some inconsistencies.

    ¡°Like,¡± None continued, ¡°The Skill says that there will be ambient damage on every use, to offset the Skill¡¯s strength. But¡­ If that was true, and she used it countless times over the course of the plague in Hallmark ¡ª how is there a single pebble of Hallmark left? Shouldn¡¯t the damage have destroyed it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Bell said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t quite add up.¡±

    None nodded. ¡°I talked to Dema about it while Theora was asleep in the bath house, and Dema said that Theora once mentioned something about the Skill having hidden rules of sorts, and that killing things was already damaging the fabric of reality, but¡­ The description of the Skill is very straightforward. It shouldn¡¯t leave room for hidden aspects like that. The way it¡¯s worded, ambient destruction should happen on every single use, but the way Theora talks about it, it only happens sometimes, when she¡¯s not careful, or when she messes up. It¡¯s puzzling.¡±

    ¡°There are some glitches and errors in her sheet,¡± Bell mused. ¡°Maybe [Obliterate] is affected, and thus inaccurate? Or perhaps she found a way to obscure some details about the Skill?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine that she¡¯d do it on purpose. I mean, she doesn¡¯t love talking about this stuff, so all anyone can get out of her is very vague and skirting around the topic. But like. I guess what I want to say is¡­ I can¡¯t wait for [Compute]. I want to ask her if she can show me how she uses the Skill, and then use [Compute] to analyse the data, and figure out what really happens.¡±

    Bell nodded. ¡°That sounds like a good idea. In that case, let¡¯s hope that we find a trade soon.¡±

    None smiled. ¡°And then we¡¯ll all meet back up! I really hope they¡¯re having a nice time on their date.¡±

 Chapter 108: Final Lie

    The pieces of Theora¡¯s sword cluttered into the grass. The sky split open along the incision and what leaked out was the fabric behind the curtain of reality. Like black, semi-transparent goo oozing from a deep wound, the sky distorted at the fringes, a slashed oil painting breaking up into little flakes threatening to fall, letters whirling among the breaches.

    Theora stared up in mute horror. Memories of her training grounds flashed up in her mind.

    Gonell took only a second or two to arrive and land on the grass. She looked up for a moment, confused. Then, she turned. ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked. ¡°You look bad.¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°It seems there was a Messenger among them,¡± Gonell said. Her voice sounded grave. ¡°That wasn¡¯t supposed to happen.¡±

    ¡°A Messenger,¡± Theora repeated.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gonell clenched her fists. ¡°Strongest type of Erratum. There¡¯s like, only been three so far, excluding this one. They¡­ don¡¯t compare to anything. It must have blown itself up when you attacked?¡± She was trying to make sense of what had happened. ¡°Some kind of advanced self-defence mechanism? Maybe it ran away through this rift it tore up?¡±

    After a few moments, Dema also arrived, frowning. ¡°Backfired?¡± she asked, looking at Theora.

    ¡°What do you mean, backfired?¡± Gonell¡¯s eyes darted between them.

    Then, they looked back up at the diagonal cut in the sky, this time a moment too long.

    Wi¡ª

    A puls¡ª

    the ooze ¡ª

    destroying e¡ª

    at it, the world fe¡ª

    ceased, and somethin¡ª

    emanating from the fringes.

    It was a bizarre sight. Staring at it was breaking the story.

    ¡°Wha!¡± Dema recoiled.

    Gonell squinted. ¡°That feels really weird.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at it,¡± Theora said.

    A Messenger.

    [Obliterate]¡¯s recoil damage was proportional to the size of its target. Theora had means to manage that recoil if she correctly assessed the target¡¯s size; abstract concepts or strong opponents were harder to deal with and posed a higher risk of her messing up the containment. But it required her to be aware of how much recoil she¡¯d be dealing with. And thus, she realised what her mistake had been.

    In her home world, there existed the concept of ¡®auras¡¯ ¡ª it was possible to sense the strength of Skills and opponents, and, with more experience, to detect hints of a presence being restrained or hidden as well. As such, Theora always intuitively knew the size of her targets, and was able to take precautions and determine whether using [Obliterate] was reasonable. It meant the chances of her damaging the fabric of reality when dealing killing blows were low ¡ª as it should be, because delivering a killing blow was bad enough.

    But auras did not exist in this world of fiction.

    When an Erratum appeared from the rift that was much stronger than the others, she hadn¡¯t noticed. As such, she¡¯d vastly underestimated its size. And blown up the world.

    [Obliterate]¡¯s damage was permanent. That wound stretching far across the sky would never heal. It was now an embodiment of death that would destroy whatever would come in contact with it.

    That wound would never heal.

    Every time this happened Theora told herself she¡¯d learn from it, but apparently, it was impossible. She was doomed to bring havoc. A Roaming Blight.

    She barely noticed how time rinsed by. Dema was explaining something to Gonell ¡ª maybe the intricacies of [Obliterate], as far as Dema understood them. Not that Theora had ever managed to relay the entirety of the horror of that Skill to anyone else. She didn¡¯t even want to think about it.

    Was the damage contained in this story? Had some of it escaped into her home world? Broken the Grand Observatory of Fiction? After all, the pages were leaking out.

    They came to some kind of understanding, apparently. Gonell proceeded to dispatch the few Errata that had come out of the rift in the meantime, and then used a device to close it. Then, she flew away. Dema tried to get Theora¡¯s attention, but Theora could only stare, barely managing to muster coherent thoughts. Too preoccupied with sifting through the flashes of her past clumping up her mind¡¯s eye.

    She should have asked about the different types of Errata. She should have recognised the dangers that visiting a different reality with different rules might pose. She even noticed the absence of auras before, but during the last thousands of years, her use of [Obliterate] had become an unconscious process, linking the presence she felt intuitively to the recoil she¡¯d have to manage, and while, of course, she¡¯d been aware that using it always posed risk no matter what, she¡¯d failed to make the connection that the absence of feeling auras would render her usage of the Skill extremely dangerous.

    She should not have made a game out of this.

    So what if moving was tiring? She was in a different reality, she should have tried to beat them up by hand, or using her sword. Yes, it would have likely meant she¡¯d have failed the challenge posed by Gonell, and moving that much would have made her tired for a week, but this backfiring of her Skill would take months to recover from, physically.

    Not that that part mattered. Her limbs were heavy, some pressure weighed on her head. Parts of her mind were shutting down. But she refused to engage with it, because ultimately, the real price was not paid by her.

    Dema snapped in front of her, and Theora tried to focus. The world was a bit blurry.

    ¡°Hey! Wake up!¡± she said. ¡°Gonell¡¯s gonna fetch Lostina, and she¡¯ll get you to a safe place so you can calm down. You look like you¡¯re about to pass out. Gonell and I are gonna try to fix this up a bit.¡± She gestured at the sky.

    ¡°Fix it up?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Like, can¡¯t be healed, I know, I know. We¡¯ll just ¡ª cover it up! Looks dangerous and all, so we¡¯ll make it so nobody accidentally ends up inside, not even birds. And so nobody can look at it and have the sentences of the story fall out all jumbled-up.¡±

    Theora failed to process these words; they did not make sense to her. Cover it up how?

    ¡°I¡¯ll help,¡± she murmured. She wouldn¡¯t let her friends exert themselves at her fault after her arrogance had led to this disaster in the first place.

    ¡°I think you¡¯ve done enough,¡± Theora heard Dema say as an echo in her mind. ¡°Best you go and reflect on what a wretched creature you are.¡±

    ¡°You gotta rest!¡± was what Dema actually said instead, but it didn¡¯t sound as easy-going as usual. There was no smile on her face; just concerned urgency as she looked down. Theora noticed that, by now, somehow, she wasn¡¯t standing anymore, but had sunken into the grass. Had she chosen to do that and forgotten, or had her legs just given out?

    She¡¯d beaten a Messenger. If Messengers were the strongest entities in this world, then it was akin to her beating a creature much stronger than the Devil of Truth. It was akin to her beating the creature in the Cnidarian Tower, maybe. Except for those, she¡¯d come prepared. She¡¯d known how strong the Devil of Truth would be inside its own Domain, had acted with poise, and observed his movements, had made sure there was no way for him to escape.

    Here? She¡¯d destroyed a creature of massive proportions without even noticing, and now, it was taking its toll. Like a snake, she¡¯d swallowed something a little too big. Should have cut it up first. The remnants of her toil were oozing out from the cracks of her empty shell. It was hard enough to keep herself together already, being made of countless pieces and no glue except her will, but now, she really just wanted to sleep.

    She blinked, and when she opened her eyes again, there was Gonell.

    ¡°You look so done,¡± she said. ¡°No wonder. It would decommission me for months too. You need to rest.¡±

    Lostina, who stood next to Gonell, gave a concerned frown and Theora¡¯s vision frizzled.

    The next time Theora gained a sliver of consciousness, she was lying on something soft, gently rocking up and down. After pulling herself up, she realised she was on the back of Skulduggery. Fiantanne was walking next to Skuld¡¯s head, the two immersed in some kind of discussion.

    In the distance was the gash in the sky, now partly covered by a large crimson crystalline structure. A few memories flooded back in.

    ¡°Gonna wrap it in condensed blood,¡± Dema had said. ¡°Lasts longer than rock.¡±

    It wouldn¡¯t last as long as an eternal wound, though.

    ¡°Why, I¡¯ll just come back every thousand years for maintenance! Easy!¡±

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    Had Theora said that out loud?

    ¡°Oh!¡± Fia shouted up in the present. ¡°Hey there! Slept well?¡±

    Theora tried to find an answer to the question but couldn¡¯t. She stared at her hand, a bit red from where she¡¯d rested her cheek. It looked just the way it was supposed to. And yet, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was about to crumble to dust. Then, she felt herself slide down Skuld¡¯s back, and somehow, Fia splashed a few drops of liquid at Theora¡¯s direction in time to break the fall.

    Dema staggered onto the clearing. It was a cool night. Sweat pearls lingered on her skin.

    Theora was leaning against Skulduggery, who was asleep, body gently rising and falling with her slow breaths.

    Lostina came to Dema¡¯s aid, and helped her walk, and yet, Dema still bumped against a tree, and stumbled over a root, and panted. Her complexion was dull, and her amber eyes glinted too faintly in the dark.

    ¡°Take it easy,¡± Lostina said. ¡°You lost like, what? A billion litres of blood?¡±

    ¡°Gotta regenerate,¡± Dema murmured, an exhausted smile on her lips. ¡°Be as good as new in¡­¡± She looked up at the sky. ¡°A few months? Yeah!¡±

    ¡°Did you complete it?¡± Fia asked, curled up into a thick blanket next to Skulduggery¡¯s head, but awoken by the arrivals.

    ¡°Still gonna take a few more days, but almost!¡± Dema said and smiled. Finally, Lostina guided her all the way over the short grass, and helped her plop down next to Theora.

    Dema cuddled up. Head against shoulder, hugging Theora¡¯s arm. Smell of coal and ash. Later, she slid down, and fell asleep on Theora¡¯s lap.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m in trouble,¡± Lostina said one day, looking somewhat embarrassed.

    ¡°Why?¡± Theora managed to get out.

    They sat in a cosy room, drinking tea that Theora didn¡¯t remember making. Fancy chairs, a rug with an elaborate painting of a valley embroidered on it, detailed buildings of a small town in the foreground. The curtains at the small windows had a small green, tinting everything in the colours of a pond suffused with algae.

    Theora blinked as she gazed outside. Was it spring? It looked like spring. Had she slept through winter?

    Lostina bit her lip, apparently having some trouble getting it out.

    ¡°Is it about Gonell?¡± Theora asked. ¡°You two have been talking a lot lately.¡± At least, that¡¯s what Theora believed to remember.

    At that, Lostina sighed. ¡°Yeah, wow. Can¡¯t hide anything from you, huh?¡±

    ¡°You can hide things, if you want to. What were you going to say?¡±

    Lostina leaned back, and shook her head. ¡°Sorry to bother you with this while you are recovering. I know Dema would just tease me, and there¡¯s nobody else I can be open with¡­¡± Then, she grazed through her hair, and ended up covering half her face with its black strands. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll make it short. I¡¯m kind of falling for her, for real.¡±

    Theora wanted to laugh, but couldn¡¯t. ¡°I thought that was¡­ I thought that was why you were doing all this in the first place.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Lostina gently protested. ¡°I told you it wasn¡¯t like that. Yeah, I¡¯m obsessed with her, but not¡­ I had¡­ reasons. But those don¡¯t factor into this at all.¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t?¡±

    Lostina drew out one of her strands. ¡°I mean, obviously. She¡¯s completely different to how I expected her to be. She only appeared in a few scenes of Procrastinating the Apocalypse, and was mostly just talked about otherwise. And then, me and other fans expanded it to god knows what, collected every detail, and made our own version, so to speak. But, even the original scraps we got from the author were filtered by the role they wanted her to play.¡±

    Theora hummed. That sounded vaguely familiar. Theora had only known about Dena through myths and legends and secondary accounts, until she actually met her. And then, Dema was nothing like she¡¯d expected.

    ¡°I mean,¡± Lostina continued, ¡°I liked her character because ¡ª what, I happen to like strong women. Not a crime. And, they are rare enough in fiction. Plus¡­ Her vibe¡­ There¡¯s the fact that she was implied to be into women, for one, but also¡­ Tall, deep voice, some details she mentioned about how much she¡¯s ¡®changed from her past¡¯¡­ Did you know she picked her own name? Obviously I don¡¯t know what the author intended, and it¡¯s never been confirmed, we were definitely reading into it ¡ª uh. Frankly, it¡¯s weird to talk about it at all, now that I know her in real life but¡­¡±

    She halted for a moment, realising she¡¯d talked herself into an awkward corner. ¡°Sorry. Just trying to express why I found her relatable, in the story. And when she was killed off, like the characters I relate to always are, it crushed me, because it reminded me that in my world, people like us are not meant to exist. Not really. And now I¡¯m here and I get a shot at fixing this one thing ¡ª to make it right, for what it¡¯s worth. I want to give it my all.¡±

    DespairLit really was depressing. And now, they had made it all real, and Theora felt like she couldn¡¯t possibly dispense enough hugs to everyone to make up for it. Not that her own world was necessarily better ¡ª Dema probably felt the same way.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you exist,¡± Theora said and was about to choke up. She wanted Lostina to be happy so bad.

    Lostina gave a weak shrug.

    ¡°Anyway¡­ now it¡¯s¡­ She¡¯s not a symbol, she¡¯s a¡­ friend. A lot of what I thought I knew about her turned out to be wrong. For example, she doesn¡¯t actually run the asylum. She¡¯s affiliated with it, but it¡¯s a really cool decentralised¡ª¡± She stopped, rolling eyes at herself. ¡°Whatever. Not important right now. I guess I¡¯m sad, because¡­ We only have a few days left together, until¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°Time is running out.¡±

    Theora startled. Only a few more days. Had she almost missed Gonell¡¯s death? Then, she was hit by a wave of dizziness and fatigue.

    ¡°Do you¡­¡± She closed her eyes for a moment to push away the cloud in her head. ¡°Have all you need?¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡± Lostina smiled, although it faded into melancholy. ¡°Well, almost. The only thing that¡¯s missing is my Ultimate Skill.¡±

    ¡°Your Ultimate Skill.¡± Theora tried to remember that conversation at Lostina¡¯s work shelter a few months ago, when they had first talked about the plan. ¡°You said it will give you combat prowess, and information.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. All my Class can really do is deceive people. Which can be effective depending on my goals, but it¡¯s also risky. The Ultimate Skill helps with that. Obviously, it comes with constraints, but for a short amount of time, I could be the strongest person in the world. And I will use that to get it all done.¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t have it yet.¡±

    Lostina huffed out air. ¡°Yeah. The experience curve had a sudden spike at the higher Levels, so my calculations were a bit off.¡±

    Theora nodded. Her throat felt dry. She reached for her tea and her fingers were shaking a little as she sipped. ¡°Will you ¡ª make it in time?¡±

    ¡°It depends,¡± Lostina let out, shrugging. ¡°I can only get experience by lying. I get more if the target trusts me, and if I haven¡¯t lied to them before. I also get a lot of experience for lies that are particularly cruel, or heinous. So, if I were to lie to someone I¡¯ve only ever been honest with, and do so in a way that¡¯s¡­ A betrayal, then¡­ Yeah. I might still get my Ultimate Skill in time. Obviously, the person would also need to believe me.¡±

    Theora nodded, and rubbed her eyes. She couldn¡¯t sleep now. She needed to be awake for the days to come. Lostina shouldn¡¯t have to be alone for this. She¡¯d already told Gonell a heinous lie before, and wasn¡¯t honest to her particularly often, but from the way Theora remembered them interacting¡­ Maybe Lostina could still tell Gonell another big lie to reach the Skill. If the two were close enough by now, although Theora wasn¡¯t really sure about Gonell¡¯s perspective on this. In the original story, Lostina had spent a lot of time with Fiantanne too, so¡­

    Lostina¡¯s plan could definitely involve some kind of last-minute betrayal.

    Whatever her plan actually was.

    ¡°So, even now, are you still not going to tell me what you¡¯ll do?¡±

    Lostina winced, and looked away.

    ¡°Still not?¡± Theora asked, again.

    ¡°Like I said back then. Kinda scared that if I tell you, you will try to stop me.¡±

    Theora bit her lips. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t stop you, if you don¡¯t want me to.¡±

    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Lostina turned her cup of tea on the saucer. It was almost empty. ¡°It¡¯s unfair of me, I suppose. But my story, my rules.¡±

    It hurt to hear that. ¡°Should I be trying to stop you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± The answer came firm and short.

    For a while, they kept silent. Nobody else was around; everyone was busy that day, and Lostina had agreed to stay behind to keep Theora company. At that, Theora remembered.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you,¡± she said, and Lostina lifted her eyes. Theora got up and staggered to her travelling coat. Getting up made her feel nauseous, but she managed to finally find and pull out the coffer ¡ª or, Lodestone, as people called it.

    Lostina snorted. ¡°You have that? That¡¯s hilarious.¡±

    ¡°I would like to know what¡¯s inside.¡±

    Her dark eyes stared at the item for a few moments, surprised but also a little incredulous, although ultimately, not taking the situation very seriously. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t tell you. Don¡¯t worry about it, it doesn¡¯t matter. Just ¡ª don¡¯t open it.¡±

    Theora almost found it in herself to pout. What a mean answer. She stashed it away again, and returned to her chair, exhaling softly as it creaked under her weight.

    Lostina looked concerned. ¡°You can lie down if you need to.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Theora said. ¡°It¡¯s hard to focus, but I should be fine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. To be a little selfish ¡ª I wasn¡¯t sure if I could ask you, since you were feeling so bad these months, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Feel free.¡±

    Lostina chewed on her lip for a moment. ¡°While I can¡¯t tell you what I¡¯m going to do, I¡¯ll still need your help, to some extent. If that¡¯s alright. So, if you¡¯ll be up for that, it would make me happy.¡±

    ¡°Your aim is to prevent Gonell¡¯s death,¡± Theora said, but didn¡¯t make it sound like a question.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then I will help you.¡±

    Lostina smiled. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll tell you when it¡¯s time. Oh, also, I have a request.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°What stops us from telling Gonell the truth is the outline. But, one day, the outline won¡¯t be in effect anymore. A few years from now. When the story is over.¡±

    Theora nodded.

    ¡°By then, the restrictions will hopefully be gone.¡± Lostina took a deep breath, bracing herself. ¡°Once that¡¯s the case, could you do me a favour and tell Gonell the truth? About what we did in the village, at least. I don¡¯t want her to live her entire life thinking she killed them. You don¡¯t have to stay here until then, but if you could¡­ revisit this world, once it¡¯s all over, and tell her that. That would give me peace.¡±

    Theora shifted around, a little confused. Her hands clenched her night-gown. ¡°Of course I can tell her. But wouldn¡¯t it be better if she heard it from you?¡±

    Lostina stared for a moment, mouth half-open. Then, she smiled, tapping the top of her head. ¡°Right. Silly me, that¡¯s true. I can just tell her myself.¡±

    These words caused a wave of relief. Theora gave a nod, and relaxed into the chair.

    A moment later, Lostina¡¯s gaze went idle, and she blinked.

    Theora looked up. ¡°Everything alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lostina murmured, eyes still unfocused. She sighed a deep sigh, then combed her fingers through her hair, the tension in her body letting off. ¡°Thank you. All set now.¡±

 Chapter 109: Framed

    ¡°You talked to Skulduggery earlier,¡± Gonell said. ¡°And now you¡¯re in a good mood. Want to share?¡±

    Theora fidgeted her fingers against each other, and found Gonell¡¯s gaze. She¡¯d caught up just as Theora was about to go fetch water from a spring. Yes, despite everything, it was possible to put it that way. Theora was in a ¡®good mood¡¯. ¡°I miss Dema a lot whenever we get split apart,¡± she said. ¡°So, I was looking for some kind of keepsake, to remember her by. Something Dema and I could share. Skuld helped me with that.¡±

    Gonell raised her brows. ¡°Didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be one to give advice on that kind of stuff.¡±

    She was looking fatigued as usual, but vaguely composed. It was a warm, cloudy spring morning, but she was still wearing her thick dark cloak.

    ¡°It was not necessarily ¡®advice¡¯,¡± Theora responded a bit slowly, trying but failing to find a different way to express it. ¡°I was talking about it to Fiantanne, who has been selling my bread in the city, and gotten some funds. I was asking her if she could help me pick something to buy. Skuld chimed in with a suggestion.¡±

    Gonell smiled. ¡°I¡¯m honestly really glad you¡¯re doing better again,¡± she said. ¡°That fight exhausted you much more than I¡¯d imagined it would. Sorry.¡±

    ¡°I messed up,¡± Theora said. ¡°Also, you could not know there¡¯d be a strong one.¡±

    Gonell sighed. ¡°A thousand S-Rank rifts closed, not a single Messenger. Then, one appears the second I make you try. If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say it was a set-up.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Theora let out. ¡°Did anyone know I would be there?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gonell kicked a stone away. ¡°I always let people know when I go suppress a high-rank rift. I tell them who¡¯ll be there, when, where. To give everyone time to evacuate. I tell people from our organisation, people in the area, the crown, and so on.¡± She jumped and floated through the air for a few seconds, a bit lost in thought. ¡°It¡¯s not like any of them can influence what comes out, though.¡± Then, a gust of wind slapped a few strands in her face, and she landed, tying back her hair. ¡°Really have to cut that back soon¡­¡±

    Had someone sent the Messenger on purpose? Theora vaguely knew from Lostina¡¯s plot-related rambles that Gonell was probably wrong. Some people could influence what came out. There was some kind of malfeasance going on. Had a third party done this to stop Theora from helping Gonell close rifts? Had this been another attempt at Theora¡¯s life, like when she¡¯d been executed?

    It could also be that the author had simply decided to meddle. There¡¯d been no error messages, so Theora had no proof, but ultimately, it was possible ¡ª maybe even to prevent her from messing with other stuff in the story. If Theora hadn¡¯t made that mistake, she could have potentially interfered a lot these past few months. But she¡¯d accidentally harmed the framework of the story itself, and that could not have been in the author¡¯s interest. Perhaps they too had bitten off more than they could chew.

    They were walking up a path next to a rock formation, leaving them with a view to the neighbouring town in the valley.

    ¡°Like it here?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said. ¡°Thank you. Fia seems safe here, and it¡¯s central enough for Lostina to take care of her tasks.¡±

    Gonell nodded.

    After Lostina¡¯s wake-up call, Theora had slowly started piecing her fragmented memory back together. Gonell had, through her organisation, provided them access to an abandoned hut in the mountains, enough rooms for all, and space outside for Skulduggery. There were some other rather pretty places to visit nearby too. Theora had spent a lot of time there, although all of it had rinsed between her fingers.

    She¡¯d also started to pick up baking. Mostly on autopilot at first, according to Fiantanne, as a way to distract herself. It was unclear whether her Skills would stay past leaving this story, so she mostly focussed on learning the actual craft of baking outside this world¡¯s System.

    Dema had been almost as sleepy and absent as Theora herself, recovering from severe loss of mana after enclosing the entire tear in blood. Lostina had been gone a lot too, presumably to level up and prepare her plans. Gonell visited every now and then to check in, like she was doing right now. From the outside, she seemed mostly just overworked. But Theora could hardly imagine that this wasn¡¯t just an act.

    She tilted her head a bit forward to find Gonell¡¯s gaze. ¡°Everything going well for you too?¡±

    Gonell shrugged. ¡°Yeah, sure. Just heard back from Fran Fan, got the result of an investigation into someone¡¯s Class capabilities. I¡¯m in the area to follow up on that.¡±

    Theora curved into the forest, onto a very thin and lightly treaded path between the trees.

    ¡°Almost there,¡± she said, and Gonell followed. ¡°The water from this spring contains minerals that make the bread healthier.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really into this. Can¡¯t believe someone who can clear an S-Rank rift with a single Skill would go on to take up baking, of all things.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fun.¡± Theora gently tapped against the brim of the incredibly wide bowl she was carrying in front of her chest. It barely fit through the door. They arrived at the spring, and Theora held it under the clear stream gushing out between rocks.

    Gonell knelt down, watching the water inch up inside the bowl. ¡°Few people could even lift that.¡±

    Theora gave a little frown. ¡°Maybe I wasn¡¯t planning on filling it completely.¡± She definitely was. ¡°You could help me carry it, if you wish.¡±

    Gonell chuckled. ¡°I think we¡¯d spill about half. I¡¯m sure you can manage. How did you get so strong, anyway?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an immortal heroine from another world,¡± Theora let out, and immediately startled when she was actually allowed to say that. Why had it not thrown an error?

    She blinked.

    Was it because she¡¯d not mentioned that it was a story, or that she had come here voluntarily? After all, the mere fact that heroes got summoned to this world was common knowledge. She smiled at herself, happy that she didn¡¯t have to lie.

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    Gonell raised her eyebrows. ¡°So you are a Summoned. I guessed as much after you said you¡¯d had a ¡®similar Class to [Berserker] once,¡¯ but I wasn¡¯t sure if you misspoke.¡±

    Ah. Had Theora messed up a little? Did her being summoned clash with what people had told Gonell before? If that was the case, Gonell didn¡¯t let it show; she¡¯d already moved on, her gaze back on the water. When Theora was done, they started making their way back. Theora held the bowl in front of her as gently as she could, offsetting the movements caused by her walking to keep the water as still as possible.

    ¡°So, Dema¡¯s a Summoned too, then? Huh. Could have sworn she was born here, with how much she knows about the world. Or did you meet her here?¡±

    Theora halted for a moment. A small disturbance went across the water. Ah. Was that how she¡¯d messed up? Dema had told Gonell about Theora before they met in Gakuda. And just now, Theora had spoken about Dema as if splitting up was a common occurrence for the two. Perhaps Gonell had expected Dema to be a common [Mage] born into this world?

    Dema had technically never been summoned. Theora had been summoned by the mages of the King and received her [Baker] Class because of it, but Dema had just been spat out somewhere, and thus not received an in-universe Class at all.

    At that point, Theora noticed she was taking too long to answer. What should she say? In fact, was Gonell questioning her right now? Or was it genuine curiosity? This was uncomfortable. If Theora could, she would just tell the whole truth. Of course, that wasn¡¯t possible, and now she would have to dabble in what she might be worst at in the whole world: deceit.

    Don¡¯t spill the water. Don¡¯t spill the truth.

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t actually know her well enough to know if she got summoned,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°The truth is, we met rather recently.¡± That last bit, at least, didn¡¯t feel like a lie, so Theora was rather proud of herself.

    Gonell nodded. ¡°Fresh love, then.¡±

    The disturbance in the water got a little worse. ¡°L-Love,¡± Theora repeated as her brain shut down.

    ¡°By the way, know if Lostina¡¯s around? I¡¯m about to embark on a mission to retrieve the key to the Lodestone, and she mentioned that she had some intel on that.¡±

    That question washed Theora clean from the verge of a blush-induced meltdown. She turned to Gonell, staring at her still fatigue-ridden, exhausted face. ¡°Lostina should be around,¡± she said. ¡°Saw her this morning.¡±

    ¡°Alright, good. Thank you. Mind if I go ahead?¡±

    Please don¡¯t, Theora thought. Don¡¯t go ahead. Don¡¯t leave for that mission. Don¡¯t die.

    ¡°Sure,¡± she said instead. Her throat burned from the violence of the word.

    The rest of the way back, Theora walked alone.

    Don¡¯t spill the water. Don¡¯t lose hope.

    Lostina had a plan. Lostina would prevent Gonell¡¯s death. And then, they would all be able to sit and laugh together, and share one more loaf of bread. Theora tried her best to convince herself of this, and kept circling the phrases in her head. She was not allowed to help Lostina, so all she could do was stay back, and not be in the way. Not make everything worse again, like she always did. Lostina had asked her several times over the course of months not to interfere, had practically begged her, and Theora couldn¡¯t possibly betray such a direct request, especially if it could put other people in danger from the author¡¯s potential retaliation.

    Even though it made her feel awful. Even though it made her want to cry.

    She fetched the flour, the salt, a few herbs and seeds, her cute little starter dough and the kitchen utensils, and measured the ingredients into cups. And when it was all mixed and she kneaded the raw mixture, trying to prevent it from falling apart, trying to make it whole, she just as much kneaded herself for that same reason, although it seemed impossible.

    Fia came by after a while, with a measuring rope, and Theora had to stand still for a moment so the girl could wrap it around Theora¡¯s waist, wrap it around Theora¡¯s chest, and then lastly, take her height, and other little details. Theora was probably about three or four times the volume of the now sixteen year-old girl, so Fia had to fetch a chair to measure it all.

    Her little plush dragon was sitting on her shoulder, with a small pen in hand and a scrap of paper, and wrote down the numbers.

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Fia let out when she was done, and hopped back out of the kitchen, and it was then that Theora realised she had no idea what just happened.

    Then, finally, the bread was in the oven, and Theora counted down the minutes for it to be ready.

    Thirty.

    Twenty.

    Five.

    A knock.

    Into the kitchen came Gonell.

    ¡°Ah, there you are,¡± she said, and greeted Theora with a tired but genuine smile. ¡°Wow, this smells nice¡­¡± She looked at the oven, and looked a bit melancholic. ¡°Sad I¡¯ll have to miss out on lunch. I have a message.¡±

    Theora¡¯s throat bobbed. ¡°What message?¡±

    Gonell shrugged one shoulder. ¡°I ran into Lostina as she was leaving. She asked me to give you something to hold on to in her absence.¡± She held out a little bundle. It had a flat and rectangular shape. Gonell huffed a little chuckle. ¡°She actually showed me what it was, but I forgot. I must be getting old. Oh, also, apparently, there are some notes inside?¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Theora said, taking the bundle as if it was made of fragile glass, then carefully putting it down on the table.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to go now.¡± Gonell gave a little salute. Then, she hesitated. ¡°Girl, you look¡­ Are you okay?¡±

    Theora shook her head.

    ¡°Aw.¡± Gonell floated across the room in two half-steps, then gave a hug. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, won¡¯t be gone for long.¡±

    Theora nodded into Gonell¡¯s chest. Then, they broke from each other, and she stared at the ground.

    Gonell tousled her hair and patted her head. ¡°Two days tops, then we can talk about it. Stay strong.¡±

    She turned around and stepped out. Even though there were only three minutes left for the bread to be done. It was too early. It was not enough time.

    A few hours passed. Theora did not dare to look inside. She had fetched the note.

    Take good care of it, please.

    No further instructions. Nothing else to do. She was to stay here, and take care of that bundle. That alone was her role in all this.

    Make more dough, bake more bread, ignore the thumping of her heart, ignore that bundle. She went to sleep at some point, and in the next morning, Fiantanne woke her up, with a smile on her face, and a few gifts she¡¯d brought from the city. The rest of the day passed in a blur.

    ¡°Phew!¡± Fiantanne said around noon, entering the kitchen with a little concoction in her hand. ¡°Finally finished the warming oil!¡± Skuld had apparently been feeling cold outside during the winter, so Fiantanne had been working on a solution. ¡°Had to wait for spring season ingredients to make it, but I¡¯ll stock up.¡± She looked at Theora, who had just put another loaf into the oven, and frowned a bit upon seeing her. ¡°You good?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you look kind of awful,¡± the dragon added helpfully. He jumped and soared a short distance, then pathetically landed in Theora¡¯s lap. She had to help him out of being stuck in a fold of her clothes.

    Then, Fiantanne¡¯s gaze fell on the bundle on the table. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    Theora shifted in her chair. ¡°We are supposed to take care of it.¡±

    Fia hummed. ¡°Mind if I take a look?¡±

    Theora swallowed a dry throat, and shrugged permission.

    With a few delicate movements, Fia managed to untangle the remaining knots around the cloth, then pulled it away, drawing out the backside of a canvas. Her eyes immediately lit up in recognition.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s from the treasury, isn¡¯t it?¡± Laticula croaked.

    Fiantanne nodded and turned it around. She frowned, and showed it to Theora. It was a framed painting of a tired woman with a bit of a surprised expression. Long, brown hair, a bit shorter at the sides, a deep scar on her neck, and she was wearing a dark cloak.

    Fiantanne gently placed the painting back down. She was pulling her eyebrows together in deep confusion. ¡°I¡¯m a bit lost¡­ Can you explain this to me? Why did we seal Gonell?¡±

 Chapter 110: Interlude 1/3 â€” Voiceless Echo

    To Hell with the Author, Chapter 55: Already Won

    [Voiceless Echo]. [Pretender] Ultimate Skill

    Cooldown: 1000 hours + [Target Stat Total] / 15

    Duration: 48 hours

    Description: Upon activation, choose a target you have previously touched. Your body transforms into a copy of the target, retaining all its properties except location (including memories, personality, abilities and system related data), while your mind acts as a supervisor to that copy, able to give irresistible suggestions to alter its behaviour, memory, perception and judgement.

    Upon release, memories made during the transformation may be relayed to the target telepathically.

    The perfect Skill for infiltration. The pinnacle of the [Pretender]-Class.

    Normally, when acting as an impostor, one would need to learn about the mannerisms, personality and knowledge of the target, or skillfully skirt around any situation that might reveal a lack of those. [Voiceless Echo] does not have this kind of weakness. In addition, it helps with defending against opposing intelligence agents. If, for example, a person of interest needs protection, the Skill can be used to create a body double, and in the event that the [Pretender] is killed, the memory of the assassination can be transferred to the intended victim. Lastly, this Skill is the only [Pretender]-Class Skill that can be used for combat, since it can copy strong targets and make them fight for you.

    For weeks, maybe months, I went through options on how I could prevent Gonell¡¯s death, all of which were, to some degree, flawed.

    Gonell has to die so she doesn¡¯t solve the conflicts in this story all on her own, especially later on, during the Calamity of Errata. These problems are supposed to be solved by the original main character Wallace after all, and not by a side character who barely ever appeared who happened to be strong enough. Gonell also has to be found by Wallace while she¡¯s bleeding out, so that he can hear her last words, and, in his darkest hour, find the willpower to continue and be inspired by her death.

    As such, she¡¯s playing an important role.

    All this context places some severe limitations on what I can do to prevent this from happening; or, to be more specific, to make it seem like it happened when it really didn¡¯t. For one, Gonell dies in the highest-level dungeon of this world. It is filled with the strongest types of Errata, including at least one Messenger. As a [Pretender], I am completely useless in that environment, and would simply be killed. I would not even be able to reach the venue of her last stand. That in and of itself, is not an insurmountable obstacle, especially with allies like Theora and Dema who could have, potentially, helped me reach it, but the issues do not stop there.

    Secondly, someone has to die, even if it¡¯s not Gonell, in order for Wallace to be inspired. Obviously, that someone would need to look like Gonell even after death, which rules out a large quantity of the typical shapeshifter abilities I could have otherwise used. But, if someone dies in Gonell¡¯s stead, that poses the problem that Gonell still exists, and knowing her personality, she would continue to fight and protect the world as long as she lives.

    The author would not allow someone to die in Gonell¡¯s place if Gonell would then still end up messing with the outline afterwards. Any action that would attempt to simply have Gonell go somewhere else on the day of her death would be thwarted by an outline error. The only way to make sure that Gonell doesn¡¯t mess with the outline after her scheduled expiration date is to remove her ability to do anything at all. At first I was hoping I could somehow find a way for Theora to evacuate Gonell from the story by exiting early with her somehow, but that still leaves a lot up to chance, and it would be somewhat hard to convince Gonell to abandon a world where she¡¯s still needed, especially if we can¡¯t even tell her the truth.

    Which is why I had to procure the strongest sealant of this world ¡ª the Frame of the Lost. Once activated, it contains a person for a chosen amount of time. I picked two years, because that¡¯s how long the rest of the plot will take to play out. Once she returns, the fact that she survived will no longer matter. I don¡¯t have to worry about her finding a way to break the seal either, because the author will be on my side and simply disallow her to get out.

    It is a time-freezing seal, so she won¡¯t age while inside, and it isn¡¯t possible to break the seal from the outside early ¡ª it was tried, and ended badly. It¡¯s a brutal approach but has the lowest chance of unforeseeable complications.

    So that¡¯s it.

    Gonell ¡ª the strongest entity on the planet ¡ª will disappear at the same time that someone who looks and acts exactly like her dies, instilling Wallace with the conviction to move on despite experiencing a big personal crisis. And then, over the next two years, he will figure out that it¡¯s all the King¡¯s fault; that the capital city is built from processed bodies of Errata, that the Crown is the true source of all rifts, and so on and so forth. The King will be dethroned, most of his advisors and co-plotting family members imprisoned, and his universally beloved daughter will be the just new Queen, as it typically goes. With that, everyone will be happy, all problems solved, and we can pretend it¡¯s a good end.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Not that I¡¯ll get to see it. What I¡¯ll get to see instead is Wallace, tears in his eyes, hanging over my bleeding body, admonishing himself for [Procrastinating] too long. Or, if I¡¯m lucky, I¡¯ll die before that.

    Going over my plans again one last time, I make my way to the last dungeon. Or, well, technically, Gonell is doing it for me. Her real body is already sealed, and I¡¯m just a figment of her copied mind she doesn¡¯t know about while she¡¯s fetching the key, like she¡¯s been planning for a long time.

    We¡¯ve been soaring across the ocean for about an hour now, when suddenly, Gonell increases elevation. She flies up and up, still keeping the same direction, but pierces the clouds. I can¡¯t read her mind ¡ª that would have required additional specs in a different tree that I didn¡¯t have the time nor intention to go for ¡ª so I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on. I guess I could just suggest she cut it and not make any detours.

    I don¡¯t want to, though.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± she eventually lets out. I can hear her clearly despite the wind howling around us ¡ª probably because I inhabit her brain. Nothing else is really happening. She just takes in the scenery, moves up and down a bit, wind furiously tousling her hair and jerking her cloak around. She stretches out her arms to feel the breeze against her fingers, and I feel it too.

    I¡¯m getting nervous. Why is she doing this? Why so high up¡­? Why is she humming to herself? My figurative heart starts pounding, but it¡¯s fine. It should be fine.

    It¡¯s fine, because I¡¯ve already won. I have control over everything. And even if something does go wrong, the author will have all the incentives in the world to correct it. At this point, I don¡¯t have to be nervous. I just have to be brutal.

    Theora would have stopped me. Not only am I using a mind-controlling Skill on Gonell, no, I¡¯m also still making her experience death, although the surviving version of her won¡¯t know that. It is like someone came up with the shittiest, most demoralising way for me to solve this issue, and to be honest, I¡¯m starting to develop a certain disdain for the author in Dema¡¯s and Theora¡¯s world too, because it is quite ridiculous to make me go through all this just for entertainment.

    I sigh. Internally, that is ¡ª I¡¯m not literally making Gonell sigh in my stead. I haven¡¯t given her any suggestions and don¡¯t plan to, either. It shouldn¡¯t be necessary.

    It¡¯s pointless to shift blame anyway. In the end, the one actually doing all this is me. I am the one who stubbornly wants to prevent her death. I am the one who failed to come up with a different way out. Maybe the morally correct thing to do is to just allow fate to run its course, to let authors do whatever they want and let Gonell die. Maybe fighting against whatever is destined to be is already wrong, and the means don¡¯t matter, especially since I didn¡¯t even discuss any of this with Gonell, nor asked her if she wanted me to. And, truth be told? Even if I could have told her, she probably wouldn¡¯t have wanted for me to sacrifice myself. She would have said no ¡ª but I doubt that would have stopped me.

    I never said I was a good person. Well, technically I did, after I got summoned, but that was a lie.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Gonell says. She¡¯s not trying to fight the winds with her words. Probably just talking to herself, in a voice nobody can hear. In a voice nobody is supposed to hear. I already feel bad, but this makes me feel worse. I have no business hearing this. She slows down, and turns around a few times to take it all in.

    A breathtaking view of a fluffy, mountainous white landscape, and she makes a little game of jumping from peak to peak for a while, saying ¡°hop¡± whenever she taps a foot near an area of dense cloud fog to change trajectory.

    Why is this making me anxious?

    This is the most beautiful thing I¡¯ve ever seen in my life. Can¡¯t really appreciate it that much right now, but still. Nice thing to see right at the end¡­ I¡¯ll take it. I just wish I wasn¡¯t so worked up about it. Something feels off. I hadn¡¯t expected her to be the kind of person to be sentimental all by herself, but maybe that¡¯s just another thing I never knew about her.

    She does this for almost an hour¡­ I think. I don¡¯t have a clock, although it doesn¡¯t feel long. The sun glints above us, the sky is shaded in the most amazing azure I can imagine, with a gradient to a dark blue up above. There¡¯s birds, too, occasionally, when she dips low enough to look at the water, and she flies next to them for a while.

    At some point she decides to make the last short stretch onto Penumbra, the island where the dungeon is. If it can even be called an island; it¡¯s incredibly small, just a handful of rocks right in the middle of the sea.

    I want to sigh in relief. I mean, obviously, at this point, there was no other place for her to go to. She was just having fun, but¡­

    She steps onto the rock as the waves splash up behind her. A soft tap against stone with the tips of her feet, but she doesn¡¯t keep walking, she just floats up again for a short distance, approaching the entrance ¡ª a round cleaved rock formation with a dark opening leading underground. Ominous, and oppressive.

    Errata are soluble in water. They don¡¯t dissolve quickly enough to be weak against it in a fight, but they are programmed to avoid it. Thus, dungeons were common on islands; Errata couldn¡¯t, and often didn¡¯t even try, to leave them. Every Erratum that had entered the world through the rifts inside this dungeon was likely still here, save for the occasional ones that adventurous people had managed to dispatch before getting lost in the depths of this place.

    Finally, right at the shadowy entrance, Gonell stops. She hovers above it, peering down.

    ¡°So, kitten, we¡¯re here now. I¡¯m still wondering what you are trying to accomplish, though.¡±

    Her words make my mind shiver, and I freeze. Both Gonell and I stare down into the endless dark. I can feel her tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. For a brief moment I have the irrational thought that she¡¯s controlling my body instead of me controlling hers.

    This is terrifying.

    If I could, I¡¯d run away. Who is she even talking to? What? This doesn¡¯t make any sense. Does she have some kind of communication Skill that lets her call home? No, that can¡¯t be, I¡¯d know about it. This isn¡¯t¡­

    ¡°Lostina,¡± she says, breaking through my frantic thoughts. ¡°I would appreciate an explanation.¡±

 Chapter 111: Interlude 2/3 â€” Children Playing

    To Hell with the Author, Chapter 56: Death Awaits

    She would appreciate an explanation? Well I would appreciate being able to give her one! How am I supposed to respond? Hello? Gonell? Can you hear me?

    She does not react. It appears she can not hear me. Then, how does she even know¡­

    Alright, okay, fuck.

    ¡­ Can I word my suggestions in a way that doesn¡¯t force her to do things? Maybe¡­

    You are aware of my presence in a place of your mind and can see and hear me when you focus.

    The moment I suggest that, I get ripped from where I was before, which was nowhere.

    Now I¡¯m in a violent, endless storm over an ocean of boiling deep-red acid.

    Black tornados swirl in the distance, thunder growls, the pungent air tastes a bit like lead, and I flinch when I catch a burning breeze of the sharp suspended droplets. I still feel and see and hear everything that¡¯s going on outside with Gonell, but I exist in this place now as well, sitting on a small rock plateau, almost but not quite safe from the waves.

    A moment later, Gonell pops up afloat, and looks down at me. A little splash of acid goes rogue from the waters and hits my cheek. Ouch.

    ¡°There you are,¡± she says. ¡°You look scared.¡±

    I swallow. ¡°How did you¡­¡±

    She shrugs. ¡°Had Fran Fan investigate you, and when we learned about your Ultimate Skill through some System Readout Manipulation, we came up with countermeasures.¡±

    I blink. ¡°Why did you have me investigated?¡±

    She puffs out a laugh. ¡°Look, I knew from day one that you were up to something. A fan of mine? Don¡¯t make me laugh. I do not have fans. I knew Dema was lying too, she¡¯s really bad at it. And then Theora gave a large portion of it away. She has no clue about the world despite how strong she is, so obviously, she was summoned, but still clumsily attempted to hide that half the time. You should have seen her when I interrogated her this morning. A walking intelligence hazard. All that at the very least suggested the possibility that you were summoned too, so, months ago, we had the Crown¡¯s internal records checked by our people inside, and voil¨¤. A [Pretender].¡±

    I frown. Of course I was aware that we were being clumsy, but I¡¯d just assumed the author was helping us out by making her oblivious, because she never seemed to have noticed anything.

    She sits down. ¡°Knowing your Class made it even more likely that something was going on there. We had no clue what you were after, though, and frankly, had a lot of other stuff on our plates, and¡­ it¡¯s not like the lot of you seemed evil. That said, countering a single Ultimate Skill is easy enough for me.¡±

    Alright, Gonell is scary and I¡¯m honestly shocked how I thought I could just completely run her over. ¡°Countering it¡­ How¡­?¡±

    Yes, not the best question, but I think my brain is close to shutting down. The acid in the air doesn¡¯t help, I¡¯m getting a headache.

    ¡°In this case?¡± She snaps her fingers, and a few images emerge in the air around her. Little scenes, and with flicks of her hand, she moves them around. This place really is under her full control, isn¡¯t it¡­ ¡°Sequence of memories. It would be awkward if the copied person immediately knew they had been copied, so I figured there would be some in-built measures against that. Some mind fog when it happens. So, I¡¯ve just been constantly asking myself where I came from and what I was about to do, and whether the events I remember are in proper order. Like checking if I¡¯m in a dream.¡± An image pops up in the air that¡¯s less clear than the others; it¡¯s missing a lot of information but it shows the hut Theora is staying at, right after I used the Skill. ¡°When you copied me, I noticed pretty much immediately, since I don¡¯t usually fog out. I wanted to see what you were up to, but so far it just seems like you are doing what I would have done on my own anyway.¡±

    I grab a bunch of my hair and slowly scratch over my scalp to calm down. At least I have a bit of a body now, even though it doesn¡¯t feel like one. ¡°Well, yes. That¡¯s my plan. I just don¡¯t want you to be the one doing it.¡±

    Gonell hums sceptically. ¡°Does that mean you are after the key? Want it for yourself? I suppose that means you lot had to do with the coffer being taken, after all. I imagine you think it would be hard to steal it from me once I attain it?¡±

    I stare at her confused.

    ¡°They key,¡± she repeats when it takes me way too long to understand what she is talking about. ¡°In the dungeon. To open the Lodestone.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Right, right. This is so far outside my scope that it didn¡¯t even compute. I take a deep breath. She¡¯s copied. She¡¯s under my control. No matter what happens here, I can just order her to keep going. I already won. There is no need to panic.

    ¡°So, not the key then,¡± she muses. ¡°Unless that just now was a feint.¡±

    Should I just run with it? Yes, the key. I¡¯m going to steal the key. I¡¯m the villain who wants to open the Lodestone to¡­ Maybe I¡¯m acting on orders of the King? Perhaps the King only faked throwing me out and wanted me to infiltrate the asylum instead? That would make sense. Ah¡­ wait, she said she doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m evil, so maybe she wouldn¡¯t believe that¡­ Hm. Perhaps I can claim I want what¡¯s inside for myself? Some people think the Lodestone is a wish-granting scroll. I could tell her I want that, to¡­ Oh god, this is like improv-roleplaying, coming up with an entire character and motivation on the spot. Fuck, I¡¯m supposed to be good at this.

    It¡¯s not like I can tell her the truth.

    Actually¡­ Wait. She is under my control. I already won.

    I ignore her for a moment, and get up on my feet. I look around at the violent world, turning around multiple times, as I virtually scream ¡ª but not actually. I already won!

    You hear that, author? Outline System? You recognise what I¡¯m saying, right? I swipe some acid out of my face. Gonell probably thinks I¡¯m losing it, but I ignore her frown and keep thinking at the author. I¡¯ll make us die to the Messenger no matter what. Nothing I say to this copy will have any influence on the remaining plot. She can¡¯t convince me not to sacrifice us, and ultimately, you can just always limit my actions until I do what you want me to. You hear that?

    Please let me talk to her openly, just this once. She isn¡¯t even a real character right now; she¡¯s just a copy. It¡¯s my body. I¡¯m literally just talking to myself! So, please, let me tell her the truth.

    I take a deep breath, and after making sure to communicate my intention to the world as clearly as possible, I sit down again, and stare into Gonell¡¯s eyes, heart thumping. She looks almost amused.

    I give it a try.

    ¡°My real name is Amanda.¡±

    I swallow, somewhat surprised the world didn¡¯t jump at me. That the waves didn¡¯t immediately swallow me whole. But this is just a Summoned telling their old name; not outline-breaking. Gonell¡¯s gaze turns a bit more serious as she waits for me to continue.

    I rub my legs, and try my best to make my explanation as clear as possible. ¡°I was summoned to this world from a place called Earth, and used a new name to disguise where I¡¯m from. In my old world, I rarely left home. I was miserable and stubborn, and the few friends I had lived so far away I could never hope to meet them. Had no family close-by that would have cared, nothing. So one day, I¡¯m forced to leave my apartment to meet a social worker or they¡¯d cut off my disability allowance, and I get bitten by a dog.¡±

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    I remove one of my shoes and pull down the sock, revealing my ankle. It¡¯s barely visible in this dark place, but the scar is still there, even though other parts of my body changed upon being summoned. ¡°So, I get back home, and I don¡¯t feel like dealing with it. I don¡¯t want to leave again, don¡¯t want to do anything, because life sucks anyway. So I try to wait it out. It¡¯s going to get better, right?¡± I shrug. ¡°I get a fever. I start shivering. Two days later, I can¡¯t get up. I still have some medication to ease the pain, so it¡¯s whatever.¡±

    For a moment, I just breathe the toxic air. ¡°Eventually, I just don¡¯t wake back up. And that¡¯s how I died.¡±

    Gonell gives me a sympathetic frown. The waves right around us die down a little, and I get splashed at less. At the same time, the ones in the distance turn a tad more vicious. It makes me feel awkward, because I¡¯m not sure I deserve it. Also, I¡¯m about to get into the dicey parts, and I feel like throwing up in anticipation of being lashed out at by an error.

    ¡°So,¡± I continue, ¡°I regain consciousness after being summoned into this world by the King; and I know the place. Not because I¡¯ve been here before, but because I¡¯ve read about it during my past life.¡± Ahh, fuck. I can feel my heart knock against my throat. ¡°I¡¯ve read about it ¡ª in a story.¡± I draw in a shaky breath. ¡°This all is a world of fiction to me.¡±

    Despite my words, nothing happens. No errors, no interventions. I let out a sigh of relief. This would have definitely been stopped. Apparently the outline agrees. We already won.

    We already won. Gosh. This gives me shivers, like I¡¯ve just been hit to the ground, but in a good way, if that¡¯s possible. Months of work and planning, so much effort and dedication, and now even the outline agrees. Oh, this feels so fucking good. And I even get to tell her everything, right? All of it? I can keep going? Theora said it would be better if I told her everything myself, and I agree. I just thought I wouldn¡¯t get to do it. I just thought I had to do this alone. God, I want to cry so bad. The author decided to pity the little meddler on the last stretch, and I appreciate that.

    ¡°Fiction,¡± Gonell repeats. ¡°After you died, you were transported into the world of a story you liked?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± I say, wincing. I rub my eyes to make sure I don¡¯t actually start crying right now, would be totally inappropriate, especially considering what I¡¯m about to tell her. The gesture helps me compose myself a little, and I push on. ¡°Can¡¯t exactly say I liked it, but yes, that¡¯s the gist of it. Anyway, during the beginning of the story, a village is destroyed, and that always felt terrible to me, so, knowing when and how it would happen because I¡¯d read the story, I wanted to prevent it from happening.¡±

    Gonell¡¯s eyes turn dark. ¡°I guess we both know how that went.¡±

    I huff a desperate half-laugh. ¡°It turns out, I can¡¯t change the plot of the story. Can¡¯t influence the bigger picture; if I try to deviate from the ¡®path of destiny¡¯, so to speak, my actions either get restricted, or everything gets worse. For example, in the original story, there was only one rift, but when I closed it before you arrived, two others appeared instead.¡±

    A wave of lightning jerks through the clouds far away. Thunder rumbles soon after. Gonell scoffs. ¡°Not going to lie, this is starting to tick me off.¡± Seeing me cower away from the weather, she snaps a finger, and stops the thundering by force.

    ¡°What I can do, however,¡± I say slowly, ¡°Using my Class ¡ª is to make it seem like the outline was fulfilled. I can pretend that something happens, when in reality, it doesn¡¯t.¡±

    At these words, everything stops. The wind, the acidic waves, the thunder.

    A few moments pass, and Gonell simply stares at me. A vacant expression in the frozen storm, while at the same time we are still floating in front of the entrance to the dungeon in her body outside. There, I feel the wind around us, and I can smell the ocean, but she doesn¡¯t move a muscle. I can feel her fingers prickle and go numb.

    Oh god. Is she going to kill me?

    ¡°The villagers have been attacked by Errata in the past,¡± I say because I¡¯ll die anyway. ¡°They had some infrastructure to hide in, and practised protocols on how to proceed in case of emergency. All I really needed to do was cause some panic shortly before the attack.¡±

    Gonell shakes her head. The prickles climb up her limbs.

    I nod, and have to swallow hard to keep my voice going. ¡°When your attack hit the settlement, they were long gone. I made my way through the ruins to meet you, and then I lied to you, to make the ruse complete.¡±

    A tear drops out of her eye, and she winces at the sensation. I grasp my shoulder with my other hand, as if to shield myself. ¡°We then ditched you, to help rebuild the village.¡±

    Gonell needs a while to parse the words.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± she eventually says. ¡°For one, I was the one who ditched you. And, I went there a few months after it happened. To pay respects. The ruins, the devastation. It was all still the same.¡±

    ¡°Of course it was,¡± I huff. ¡°I made sure of that. Lied to them about some dangers, that the rifts might come back, and that we needed to hide the new village. Only I kept a little shelter above the ruins for a while, to be undisturbed. The new village was inside a forest, not too far away. I imagine the author prevented you from accidentally finding it. In my shelter up there, every now and then, we could still hear the laughs of children playing.¡±

    ¡°Children playing,¡± she repeats in an unusually high and quiet voice.

    ¡°I tricked you, back then,¡± I say. ¡°You never killed anyone. They all survived.¡±

    The world turns upside down. Outside, we fall. Gonell blanks out, and just as we are about to tumble down the entrance, she regains a bit of her composure, and manages to stabilise. In front of me, she¡¯s now rubbing her eyes with the hem of her dark cloak.

    I give her a moment.

    There¡¯s that, then. I was allowed to tell her the most important part. But I guess that¡¯s fine, because she¡¯s sealed away, and giving her this much doesn¡¯t affect what¡¯s to come. Now, I just have to tell her everything else to make sure it all plays out how it should.

    ¡°There is another event that I would like to prevent,¡± I begin. ¡°Truth be told, it wasn¡¯t really a lie that I¡¯m a fan of yours¡­ Uhm.¡± I take a breath, and can already feel a blush threaten my cheeks. Gonell raises an eyebrow, and I add, ¡°To make things short, the one appeal about that story for me was you. You were my favourite character. But you see, this story isn¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s the kind of story where people like us¡­¡±

    I don¡¯t know how to say it. Instead, I simply close with, ¡°The author decided to kill you off.¡±

    Gonell tilts her head. ¡°Kill me off?¡± This seems to confuse her more than anything.

    ¡°Yes. To answer your initial question about why I copied you ¡ª there is a Messenger at the end of the dungeon. The strongest of them all. The final boss of the entire story. And it will defeat you. That¡¯s why I¡¯m doing this. So that your original version can survive while I pretend that the plan of the author plays out.¡±

    Gonell lets out a soft laugh, staring into nothing for a while as she parses the information. ¡°Ridiculous,¡± she says. ¡°So, I assume that if I disagree with this plan, you will suggest I comply?¡±

    I swallow. ¡°I¡¯d rather not. But there really is no other way.¡±

    She shakes her head, eyes still bleary. ¡°So, this is a good-news, bad-news situation, huh? I wonder if I would have preferred to hear the bad news first. Oh well, thanks, I guess. For telling me the truth. I suppose you have no reason to lie.¡±

    I hug myself, and look away. ¡°I¡¯m done with that, yeah. Not like it was ever fun. My final lie was telling Theora I¡¯d make it out of this alive.¡±

    ¡°That poor woman.¡±

    I nod.

    ¡°Well,¡± Gonell says, ¡°I believe you. This sounds way too elaborate to be made up anyway.¡± She scoffs. ¡°Unless by the author, of course.¡±

    ¡°You are taking this well.¡±

    With a wince, she waves off. ¡°Trying my best not to get too worked up. Can¡¯t let loose right now with you in here, might end up hurting you more than I already did.¡± She glances over the acid blisters on my hands and, presumably, my face. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯d prefer to throw you out and be killed on my own. I can¡¯t believe your final moments will be having to watch me lose pathetically. And you already died once, please get to live a little.¡±

    I laugh dryly. ¡°Well, too late for that. That¡¯s the only reason I can tell you any of this; the outline wouldn¡¯t let me until now.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So you tried? To¡­ come clean?¡±

    ¡°Obviously. Many times.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± After a slow nod, she starts frowning. ¡°So not only are you going to die, but I¡¯ll also fail spectacularly at finding the key and uncovering the King¡¯s misdeeds, and I won¡¯t be able to help suppress the invasions? That fucking sucks.¡±

    I offer a sympathetic smile. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, there¡¯s some guy who will do all that for you. The protagonist. He¡¯s also going to help with the asylum, as a tribute to you because he blames himself for your death. And when the plot is done, you will wake up from the slumber I put your other body in, and live a happy end.¡±

    ¡°Huh. Slumber?¡±

    ¡°I sealed you inside of a Frame of the Lost. Right before using my Ultimate Skill. You probably don¡¯t remember because it happened during the haze.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± she says. ¡°Yeah, that would do it. Can¡¯t believe I fell for that.¡±

    I just have to feel a little proud. ¡°I had like fifteen different illusion Skills going.¡± Then, I add, in a much lower voice, ¡°And, you trusted me a little. Even though you were having me investigated.¡±

    ¡°Guess I did,¡± she murmurs, and her eyes lose themselves in the distant oceans, both in her mind and outside. ¡°I never really wanted to believe that you were my enemy. Call it bias, because you were there for me back when it happened. Your eyes were filled with pain and sympathy. It felt genuine.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± I say. ¡°Because I was the one who did that to you.¡±

    Her eyes flicker, and turn glassy. She doesn¡¯t deny it, but she doesn¡¯t seem angry either. Eventually, she shakes her head. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s all meticulously planned out, then.¡±

    I shift away a little. ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh well. We¡¯re here now, and there¡¯s Errata in there, so I suppose I¡¯ll make myself useful and get rid of them. Someone will have to fetch the key one day, and I can make their job a little easier. I only need to lose against the Messenger? All others are fair game?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± she says. ¡°Let¡¯s do that, then. No need to suggest, I¡¯d like to stay of clear mind until the end.¡± She gets up and disappears from the space in her mind.

    Outside, she floats into the cave.

 Chapter 112: Interlude 3/3 â€” That Kind of Story, Part 2

    To Hell with the Author, Chapter 57: Determination

    It quickly becomes very apparent that this structure was made, or at least largely modified, by people, for a specific purpose. The purpose of keeping Errata inside, that is. The rock is black and extremely strong, not brittle in the slightest. Lots of branches lead to smaller cavities, and to progress to the next section of the dungeon, Gonell repeatedly has to float through extremely narrow, long tunnels with many opportunities to get lost in.

    The cave looks completely different when you make your way in than when looking back, with multiple paths appearing out of nowhere. Several layers of that in a wide maze make it very unlikely for an automated entity to randomly make its way out, especially if one knew the rules by which Errata operate. In addition, rainfall flooding into the cave causes some sections to be filled with water. And even if they did get out, they¡¯d find nothing but ocean outside, and probably just go back in.

    It takes a while for us to get attacked by the first batch. Gonell hasn¡¯t been here before, so she doesn¡¯t know the layout, and has no Skills to aid with exploration either. It¡¯s dark and murky. We are still drenched from diving through long stretches in complete darkness, and I keep having to tell myself that this is Gonell, and she will be fine, despite it having been hours already. It gives me the creeps. Sometimes she makes her hand glow with some kind of spell when she dives the wrong way, but most of the time she doesn¡¯t even seem to need that.

    The idea that I would have somehow made my way through all this without my Ultimate Skill is laughable. I would have been stabbed to death by the first Erratum I met if I hadn¡¯t miserably drowned in the first section after throwing up tons of silt. And the Errata tend to jump at us from dark corners right after making it through a section.

    The fact that she can float and doesn¡¯t have to somehow climb makes this even more of a breeze. And the entire time, we just casually talk. She asks me questions like what my favourite colour is, and whether there were other stories I liked in my old world, and she rambles about things going on in the asylum that she¡¯s unhappy about, and gives comments saying she¡¯s sad she won¡¯t get to help with that anymore, and hopes they¡¯ll be fine.

    ¡°Would have been kinda boring to go through this on my own,¡± Gonell says. ¡°I¡¯m a little glad you came with me.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m a little glad you figured out the Skill.¡±

    She chuckles. ¡°Yes. Now we get to do it together. Seems like this all turned out the best way it possibly could have, all in all.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± I let out. She might actually be right. If I think about all that had to align to allow for this, we were lucky. My initial plan was to just have her run into her death completely unaware. Looking back, I wonder if I could have stomached that. Not like I¡¯d have had a choice though. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m still a bit surprised you just¡­ believe me. This stuff is really¡­ out there.¡±

    As Gonell peeks around a corner to see where that path leads, she laughs out loud, the sound echoing through the silent cave. ¡°Not going to lie, your version of the story sounds more believable than anything Fran Fan and I could come up with. Too many things didn¡¯t make sense about it all, but now? It¡¯s somewhat reasonable, despite being¡­ out there. Also, why would you lie to me now? Makes no sense, because I can¡¯t defy you anyway.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I murmur. ¡°It would make sense to lie to you if I was afraid you could somehow break or overcome a suggestion. Like. I mean, to trick you into doing what I want, without having to resort to a suggestion that might fail. And, considering you are the strongest person in the world, that¡¯s not unthinkable.¡±

    She frowns, knocking a piece of rock against the cave walls to judge the layout by the echo. ¡°That¡¯s not really how it works. Me being very strong doesn¡¯t just give me some magical immunity to everything. There¡¯s just a specific thing I¡¯m good at, which is defeating opponents in traditional fights.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I say, and I already regret that I¡¯m about to nerd out. ¡°But that¡¯s the realistic way of looking at it. But this is fiction, so we need to consider the narrative perspective too. When you introduce a character and hype them up a lot and make them stand out above the rest, then letting them fail breaks a narrative promise, which may frustrate readers. So, even if something is realistic, that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s the way an author would write it. Of course, there are some authors who would still put realism above their narrative promises, but I don¡¯t know if the ones we are dealing with here are of that kind.¡±

    ¡°Huh. So, being a character changes the rules of how the world works?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes it can, yeah.¡±

    ¡°So when you were reading stories, did you always think about them like that?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± I tilt my head. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°In terms of structure, instead of just leaning back and seeing what happens. I imagine that kind of analytical lens takes away from your enjoyment.¡±

    I give a defeated scoff. ¡°What can I say, that¡¯s just how I¡¯m wired. Probably because I was a writer in my old life too.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What did you write?¡±

    Fuck.

    I messed up! ¡°Maybe better if I don¡¯t say that¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Gonell lets out, laughing. ¡°We¡¯re about to die. No secrets on the last stretch.¡±

    ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± I sigh. ¡°I wrote fanfiction. About you, mostly. Lots of stories with you in them, to give us what we couldn¡¯t get from the main work.¡±

    Gonell stops exploring for a moment and looks at me. ¡°About me?¡±

    I blush¡­ Oh, this is bad¡­ ¡°I told you I was your fan¡­ And the original story didn¡¯t have a lot of material, so¡­¡±

    Gonell raises an eyebrow.

    ¡°Of course,¡± I quickly add, ¡°That was when I thought of you as just a character. If I had known that I¡¯d get to meet you one day, I would have never done it.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± She continues down the cave, but her mood seems to have improved for some reason. ¡°So, how was it? Actually meeting me, I mean?¡±

    Oh god, so she decides to torture me right at the end. ¡°You are¡­ different. Definitely not in a bad way, though.¡±

    ¡°Flattering.¡±

    We keep going, but the conversation stops for a while. She¡¯s smiling to herself, and gosh, it¡¯s awkward. I kinda want to die in shame.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to take much longer,¡± Gonell says after a while. ¡°Which brings me to another question. How would you like me to do it?¡±

    ¡°What? Do what?¡±

    ¡°Lose to the Messenger, obviously. Like, I know I¡¯m supposed to lose, but how should I go about it? I assume it has to be stronger than me, so I could go all out and try my best; we could fight to the last drop of blood until I get overwhelmed or make a final miscalculation. A big, grandiose last stand, of sorts. They do that in stories, right? To put it bluntly ¡ª I could try my best.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Or,¡± she continues, ¡°I could have our head chopped off right from the start. No pain, no suffering. Over as quick as it starts.¡±

    Stolen novel; please report.

    What a question¡­

    Gonell shrugs. ¡°Last option I can think of is that I could get myself mortally wounded and then attempt to escape. Take a calculated hit to the stomach, for example, so that we slowly bleed out, but we could share some tranquillity and solitude in our last moments. Would be a bit romantic, right?¡±

    Oh.

    Maybe I misunderstood all this. Oh¡­

    Fireworks start off in my brain with the realisation. Ah, this makes a lot of sense now. Yes. This actually makes a lot of sense.

    Perhaps Gonell always died this way. I always thought it was odd that she¡¯d lose to a Messenger in the original story. I always thought it didn¡¯t make sense. That it only happened off-screen because it could have never really happened. But didn¡¯t I, through all my efforts, create a situation where it actually works out perfectly well? I manufactured a scene where everything¡¯s consistent, and totally checks out.

    Perhaps this entire subplot I went through to get here was actually always in the original author¡¯s outline? Maybe the real Gonell never died, and just got sealed. Perhaps I was already a character in the original story. Perhaps I never was alive in the first place.

    Can someone really die in the way that I did? Probably, but how often does it actually happen? On paper, the summary sounds like the type of death you¡¯d make up for a reincarnation story. Why didn¡¯t I call an ambulance at the last second? Why would pain and fear not eventually take over? Going through it in my memory, my actions all make sense to me. I was stubborn, and I was fed up with the world. But if I read it in a story, I might get sceptical.

    Perhaps I was never alive. Perhaps the secondary book Theora and Dema talked about never even existed either. Maybe they are made-up too. This might have all just been a quirky little storyline in the original author¡¯s head, maybe written in a spin-off later. Or perhaps they wanted to write it, but then decided not to bother, because it was too convoluted.

    And honestly, if that¡¯s all true, I can find my peace with it. It would mean that Gonell never truly died, that even in the original story, she was framed for her own defeat.

    ¡°I think bleeding out together works best,¡± I say at last. ¡°In the story, the protagonist found you that way. Heard of you coming here to find the key from some of your associates, so he tried to make his way to help at the last minute. That would be closest to the original.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do that, then,¡± Gonell says.

    ¡°Thank you for asking. You are far too kind to me,¡± I say, and I mean it.

    By now, the path is widening, and I know why. This place was described in the story. We are only a few steps from the final hall.

    Truth be told, I¡¯m just some girl with main character syndrome. I make big speeches about screwing over the author and taking on destiny itself; about tearing it all down to suit myself. But in the end, I was always pretending.

    And despite everything, I get to make my last steps together with a person I admire, and it feels so warm. So tranquil. Gonell called it romantic earlier, and yeah, that¡¯s what I want to call it, despite how bad I feel. Dear author, it was such a good idea to have her talk to me. I¡¯m glad I got that closure. I¡¯m fine with all of this.

    ¡°You¡¯re crying,¡± Gonell says, and I blink in surprise, wiping away the tears in our little space in her head. I try to swallow my sobs. We stand in front of a large gate. All she has to do is enter. ¡°Do you need a moment?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± I force out, despite choking up.

    She pushes gently, and the gateway fully opens on its own.

    The ceiling is oppressively high, invisible even, obscured by rays of blue light raining down. Errata float above, where they find other ways into the dungeon to veer out of this hall. The Messenger is the only Erratum on the ground, standing close to a pedestal where a key floats. The rifts are far above us, spitting out Errata that get lost in the fake sky.

    The Messenger is not large like the others of its class. It is the final opponent of the original story, a creature condensed to the size of a person, its special ability being unsurmountable physical strength. Thin legs and arms, androgynous body, a faceless hairless head. Compact, short wings reach out horizontally to both sides ¡ª too small to let it fly, but it can teleport far distances when commanded to, which is how it will break out of this place later. It¡¯s made of white clay, except for dark lines across the surface of its skin. The material doesn¡¯t quite look like that of other Errata. It¡¯s polished. Unbreakable.

    That¡¯s it. I got a bit more than I was hoping for, but our time finally ran out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I ended up dragging you to death with me,¡± I say.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Gonell lets out, aloud. She takes a few steps forward. The thing is on the other end of the hall, still far away. ¡°Yeah, alright. This is bad news.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°You know,¡± she says, and her voice is mild, deep, almost serene. ¡°For months, my heart was beating so hard it hurt.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I killed them all. That was the only thought I could think when my mind went idle.¡±

    She pulls on her cloak, discarding it, and leaves it behind. Meanwhile, the Messenger notices us, then investigates its limbs as if learning to move. It taps a foot on the ground as it approaches, splitting it into endless cracks like it¡¯s nothing.

    ¡°But, turns out, you protected them,¡± Gonell says. ¡°From me, of all things.¡±

    Somehow, again, I get nervous.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I say, and swallow. ¡°Yes, they¡¯re fine. What are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°You saved them from a terrible fate, and now, you turned that attention to me. Tucked me away so nobody could hurt me. That doesn¡¯t happen to me very often, you know? Feels kinda nice.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I blurt out.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m saying I¡¯d like to keep you around?¡±

    Okay, it¡¯s time to panic. This is not what I want to hear right now.

    ¡°Please,¡± I beg. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª Please don¡¯t do anything reckless. Please. Let¡¯s not be rash. We¡¯ve been over everything¡ª¡±

    The creature, still mostly looking and exploring itself, clenches a fist, black lightning pressing out from that violent gesture. Gonell just laughs. ¡°Rash? You don¡¯t seem to get what I¡¯m trying to tell you.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    ¡°You made my heart slow down a bit, I guess. To have someone right next to me, exploring a little cave together, having nice talks for hours, and she does what she can to make sure I¡¯m okay. What can I say? It¡¯s cosy.¡±

    She looks right at me. Suddenly, I notice where I am. I¡¯d been too focused on the cave and the Errata. Too focused on the outside to notice. Too focused on her. The storm has quieted, turned into a warm night. Grass has sprouted under me, and I¡¯m sitting on a tiny isle, surrounded by an infinite still lake.

    Gonell steps up. ¡°I¡¯m saying that now, more than ever, I feel calm.¡±

    Too close now. The Messenger attacks with its open hand in a gesture of absurd speed. Gonell casually sidesteps to dodge. The cave breaks in half.

    ERROR.

    It¡¯s not just one of them ¡ª a massive red wall of errors sprouts behind us to stop her escape, but she simply moves past them like through a curtain.

    The prompts mirror my thoughts. This is wrong. This is the kind of attack Gonell should have had to parry, taking heavy damage. The messages keep popping up, but she¡¯s too fast. After ducking beneath another strike, she punches the Messenger''s right wing, and it vaporises into glittering dust.

    ERROR.

    Oh god.

    Oh god, this is bad. One hit? If she damages it that much, the rest of the story won¡¯t work!

    The creature swirls around itself to deliver a devastating kick ¡ª and I brace myself, because that should knock the wind out of us. Throw us across the hall and break a few of even Gonell¡¯s ribs. But she just catches the thigh with a single hand and twists it, firm in her grasp. In the span of a second, the entire leg is covered in angry red prompts.

    She breaks it.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I cry out. ¡°We had a deal!¡±

    ¡°Amanda,¡± Gonell says, not unkindly. ¡°I think you might have miscalculated? Right now, I don¡¯t think I could possibly lose to this thing, even if I tried. That outline was a good attempt, but it just doesn¡¯t work out.¡± She gives a faint smile. ¡°And honestly, maybe this is just the more interesting tale to tell.¡±

    She takes her other hand, and firmly wraps it around the Messenger¡¯s head. It struggles, but the movements fall flat ¡ª it just wobbles around helplessly, gushing errors like a fountain. Then, a string of final, giant prompts emerges.

    CATASTROPHIC SYSTEM FAILURE.

    Outline Integrity compromised. Calculating alternatives¡­ Failed.

    Reconciliation deemed impossible.

    Activation of Failsafe Protocols¡­ Unsuccessful. None adequate.

    Initiate Author Intervention ¡ª DEUS EX MACHINA.

    Outline discarded.

    Gonell¡¯s eyes are turned at the Messenger, but I can feel that really, she¡¯s just gazing at me, not paying it any mind. Her fingers dig in.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make this the kind of story where people like us get to live.¡±

    She crumbles its head apart like brittle wood.

 Chapter 113: Lost and Found

    If I told you, you would try to stop me.

    Those had been Lostina¡¯s words.

    An hour had passed since Fiantanne had explained what the Frame of the Lost does.

    Theora wouldn¡¯t have objected to sealing Gonell away, if it was to save her life. Of course, she would have preferred to tell Gonell about it beforehand, but in the end, she would have accepted it, albeit feeling bad. Theora was in this world now, so in the worst case scenario, she could take on Gonell¡¯s role in destroying the strongest Errata during her absence, and that was likely what Lostina had referred to when she¡¯d asked for help.

    This alone probably wouldn¡¯t have caused Lostina to think Theora would stop her.

    Gonell had to die, so the only way to seal her without breaking the outline would be to fake her death. Lostina had also mentioned that Gonell¡¯s death itself had significance, so a solution that wouldn¡¯t end in an emotional moment for the readers from the perspective of the main protagonist was out of the question. Lostina had shown capabilities to shapeshift in the past. The frame containing Gonell had been given to Theora by someone who looked like Gonell, but couldn¡¯t have been her.

    The leaves scuttled in the wind outside the open window, a soft breeze weaving through Theora¡¯s hair occasionally. Every now and then, a scent from the oven carried over, and after a while, it smelled burnt.

    By now, Lostina was probably dead.

    You will try to stop me.

    Theora had promised that she wouldn¡¯t. And now she was sitting here, unable to do anything. It was devastating.

    It crushed me, because it reminded me of the fact that, in my world, people like us are not meant to exist.

    The oven started to smoke. Theora wanted to obliterate it, without even getting up. She¡¯d gone and entered a random book she didn¡¯t know, and then decided to let the original story play out, and now she reaped what she had sowed. She got up, pressed on the button that would turn off the engineered heating mechanism, opened the lid, and took out the baking plate. Her fingers sizzled at the touch. Of course, the bread was ruined. A piece of coal now.

    A cold sob came out of her throat, and she went outside to put the plate on a rock to cool off.

    And now, she had to wait, potentially for years, to tell Gonell.

    Half an hour later, Dema found Theora sitting on the roof, a crying mess. She went up too and put an arm around her back. Dema was still tired and recuperating mana; her movements were slower than usual, and her breathing heavier.

    ¡°I thought coming here for a date and to relax would be a good idea,¡± Theora said, swallowing snot. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I messed it all up. I messed it up so bad.¡±

    Dema pulled her a bit closer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry too. I¡­ liked the climax of the book, although I never read the epilogue. But looking back, we messed with everything so much, I don¡¯t know if it all ended the same way. And just¡­ Perhaps we should¡¯a given it more thought.¡±

    Theora continued, ¡°I figured that it might work out, somehow, if we tried hard. I thought the same for you and me. But it won¡¯t work out, will it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Dema murmured. ¡°Sometimes things don¡¯t work out, and that¡¯s a bummer. But we¡¯re still gonna try, right?¡±

    ¡°She should have told me. I would have wanted to say goodbye.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    Over the entirety of those seven months, Lostina had only lied to Theora once.

    I can just tell her myself.

    The idea of being lied to by her in that way had just been inconceivable. And yet, it was the final lie that had given Lostina access to her Ultimate Skill ¡ª the last thing she¡¯d needed to finish her plans. And Theora had given it to her like that, by believing her. How much experience had she received for that? How crucial had that one lie been, for her to make it in time? If Theora had been a bit more sceptical, would Lostina still be alive?

    She couldn¡¯t help but feel that way.

    Two weeks went by and not much changed.

    Theora spent most days trying to refine her baking, to distract herself somehow. Skuld found a new place to rest in the garden every day, with Fia hovering around her most of the time, working on concoctions.

    ¡°Here,¡± Theora said, laying a large plate with a freshly baked loaf in front of Skuld¡¯s large head. Fiantanne had bought more clothes for them in a nearby city, but Theora was not used to wearing short dresses, so she had some effort crouching down. Then, she made two steps back. The rhino gave a thankful hum, and devoured the bread in one go.

    ¡°You know, you should turn into a person so Theora needs to bake less bread to keep you fed!¡± Fiantanne said playfully, as part of her ongoing efforts to finally convince the large animal to show off her other shape.

    ¡°Same amount,¡± Skuld rumbled.

    ¡°What! You eat just as much in person? Wow.¡±

    Skuld huffed, scratching a foot through the grass. ¡°No shaming.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, no shaming!¡± Dema chirped from her perch on Skuld¡¯s back. ¡°Gimme something too, Bun Bun!¡±

    Theora¡¯s knees turned wobbly. She¡¯d still not managed to get used to that new name, even after a week. She also didn¡¯t understand it. Was it because she¡¯d taken up baking?

    ¡°Haven¡¯t started the next batch yet,¡± she said, eyes on the ground.

    ¡°Aw, bummer! Lemme help you, then!¡±

    Saying that, Dema jumped down, losing balance on impact, and knocking herself into the grass. ¡°Whoops!¡± she let out, got back up with a stagger, and made her way inside the hut. Theora scuttled after her. ¡°Looks good on you, by the way,¡± Dema said when Theora entered the kitchen. ¡°Green¡¯s your colour.¡±

    The velvety dress exposed a large portion of Theora¡¯s legs and arms, which made her feel rather vulnerable, but other than that, she had to agree ¡ª it was a rather nice piece of clothing. Light green with white heart shapes bleached into it.

    After Dema had taken a closer look, she took Theora¡¯s hand. ¡°You alright?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Theora let out. ¡°That noticeable?¡±

    ¡°Your eyes are a li¡¯l red.¡±

    Theora instinctively rubbed over them, although that probably just made it worse. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said.

    Dema let her arms fall. She bit her lip. ¡°You know,¡± she murmured. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking. Maybe we should leave?¡±

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Theora didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°Like¡­ Plot¡¯s over,¡± Dema continued. ¡°We didn¡¯t get to see how it ended, but¡­ Fia and Skuld seem to be fine. If it hurts too much¡­ Isobel¡¯s waiting for us, too.¡±

    ¡°I think we should stay,¡± Theora let out. ¡°We don¡¯t know when Gonell will wake up, and they might need help now that she¡¯s gone. Also, Lostina asked me to take care of her while sealed.¡±

    Dema nodded, and came closer for a hug. ¡°Alright, gonna stay then. Was just worried about ya.¡± When she broke it, she gave a shy smile. ¡°So¡­ Bake? What do we need?¡±

    Theora pointed at her travelling cloak, hung on a wall so it was easier to reach. Most of her baking ingredients from Hallmark were stored inside. ¡°Flour.¡±

    Dema ran over. ¡°Flour!¡± she yelled, then randomly reached inside one of the folds, and pulled out a bouquet of red roses. Theora blinked. With a frown, she tried to remember what fold she¡¯d put the ingredients in exactly. ¡°No!¡± Dema complained. ¡°F-l-o-u-r! As in, ground wheat!¡±

    She reached inside again, then pulled out a paper bag of flour.

    Theora couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Oh, that? Found out a while ago, if you announce to your attire what you need, it¡¯ll be the next thing you pull out!¡±

    What? That made absolutely no sense; her attire was an object. It was not sentient. It had no way to reply to requests. That was why Theora kept losing stuff inside. Though¡­ Now that she thought of that, hadn¡¯t this significantly improved lately? That moment from seven months earlier popped back into her mind, when she¡¯d needed a health potion to help after a small settlement was attacked by an Erratum. Back then, she¡¯d also found exactly what she needed remarkably quickly.

    Frowning, she walked over to the cloak. ¡°Orb of Seven Wishes,¡± she murmured, then grabbed inside. To her surprise, that was exactly what she got out. She immediately put it back, though, because she didn¡¯t need it. ¡°Sorry,¡± she apologised to the attire. ¡°Was just testing.¡±

    A puff of flour came out of a fold, shot directly at Theora¡¯s face.

    Dema snorted. ¡°Dang, kinda deserved that one!¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t even bother to wipe it off. She just stared, her heart melting. ¡°I missed you. I thought you were gone. Why did you not tell us? Were you shy?¡± She reached inside again, hoping to find something to stroke, and felt fabrics nuzzle against her hand.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Dema came closer. ¡°Who¡¯re you talking to?¡±

    ¡°Our Shade,¡± Theora said. ¡°Must have moved in with us when we left the bath house.¡± Turning her head back to the coat, she added, ¡°If you need food, please feel free to eat my magic items.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Dema grinned, then faced the coat as well. ¡°Why, welcome! Hope you¡¯re having a nice time in there. Lemme know if you need anything.¡±

    Before the Shade could react ¡ª if it was even going to react ¡ª there came a knock from the open door. A moment later, someone stepped in. Theora¡¯s heart skipped a beat, eyes wide. At the same time, Dema waved a greeting.

    ¡°Sorry it took so long,¡± Lostina said, a bit out of breath. ¡°Skill ran out before I could fly all the way back.¡±

    Dema beamed. ¡°We thought you were dead!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, same,¡± Lostina said, laughing. ¡°Things didn¡¯t work out the way I planned. For the better, I suppose.¡±

    Theora still couldn¡¯t say anything. She just swallowed heavily, her eyes welling up again. Lostina¡¯s eyes darted to her, then she bit her lip. ¡°Should have said goodbye,¡± Theora let out, voice already breaking. ¡°Goodbye. You have to say goodbye.¡±

    ¡°Oh god, I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Lostina went up to wrap Theora in her arms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Theora hugged back weakly. ¡°You lied to me,¡± she muffled into Lostina¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°You left me.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°You died.¡±

    Lostina let out a dry laugh. ¡°Well, technically, that I did not. Fair point though, because I tried. Also, you are spreading flour and snot all over me.¡±

    Theora broke loose. ¡°So, it still worked?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t know exactly what happened. If you ask me, author got scared of Gonell and ran away.¡± She huffed out a laugh. ¡°I got to talk things out with her, though. And she wanted me to transfer the memories to her original. We ended up meeting Wallace too. Told him the truth about the King. Now that his strongest Messenger is defeated, there¡¯s not much that he can do. Wallace said he¡¯d sort stuff out, and I¡¯m here too in case it¡¯s needed. We also got to the asylum in time while she was still there. Now, we just have to wait for her to wake up, and everything will be fine.¡±

    ¡°So, you can¡¯t release the frame early?¡±

    ¡°Nah. Wouldn¡¯t try to mess with it either, since I don¡¯t want to harm her. I talked it out with her; she said to blow it up early in case we need her; that she¡¯d bear the damage, but that it was fine to wait it out.¡±

    Theora let out a huge, voice-breaking sigh that ended in a half-laugh, putting her hands on her eyes to calm herself down.

    ¡°We just decided we were gonna stay for a while longer,¡± Dema chirped in.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Lostina put a finger against her chin. ¡°Well, you are not strictly needed here. Things will be taken care of, as I said. So, if you have to get going, that¡¯s okay. But you¡¯ll come visit?¡±

    Theora nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s good then,¡± Lostina said with a smile.

    ¡°I still want you to tell me that secret, though,¡± Theora pouted.

    ¡°Secret?¡±

    ¡°I wish to know what¡¯s in that coffer.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Lostina laughed again. ¡°I mean, it wasn¡¯t a lie when I told you I can¡¯t tell you. The truth is, nobody knows.¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Dema went. ¡°But everyone in the story went all in on it? It was never opened?¡±

    ¡°I mean, it was opened, a few times,¡± Lostina said, slowly. ¡°Just never on-screen. And every character who knew what was inside made big insinuations. As the story went on ¡ª after Gonell¡¯s death, I mean, this is all just what I heard from others ¡ª fan theories went through the roof for what it could be. Author never revealed it, though.¡±

    Dema tilted her head. ¡°Why not?¡±

    Lostina shrugged, patted the flour from herself, then started doing the same for Theora. ¡°Because they completely overdid the hype. At that point, nothing could have possibly lived up to it. Like¡­ there really was no way to resolve it in a satisfying way, so they just kept it a secret. And I mean, it makes sense? Something that can blackmail the king and topple the crown. Something that would cause Trilla to promise her hand to Wallace if he ever found it. Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t know her. Something that could have been put into the coffer dozens of years ago and warranted a castle built around it, that would make Ferdinant shiver with fear¡­ Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t know him, either. The insinuations went on for years and were so wild that it became a bit of a meme.¡±

    Theora shuddered.

    ¡°Which is why,¡± Lostina went on, ¡°It¡¯s probably not a good idea to open it, either. Could lead to some paradox or inconsistency. I mean, other people inside the story can look at it, probably, just not us.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Dema added. ¡°Person at the Observatory warned us of that too. That there might be limitations to the world of the story, and that things could get really messed up if we start looking beyond them.¡±

    ¡°I know what¡¯s inside,¡± Theora murmured, and she wished she didn¡¯t.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Hidden in the implication, only to reveal itself at last. An impossible object. It was no coincidence that Theora had procured it; that she¡¯d carried it with her for months and been so curious about its contents. The item had called out to her, those months ago, in the treasury. Of course it would call out. It had been a Scry for Help, from beyond the horizon.

    Theora had to open it.

    ¡°Lodestone,¡± she murmured, turned to the interdimensional coat and grabbed inside. ¡°Please,¡± she added when the Shade was reluctant to give it. Finally, she pulled out the coffer, and plopped it onto a table. She held her finger against it. All she needed was a small cut where the membrane was thinnest. A surgical incision to reveal what was stuck between worlds. A tear only she could open.

    ¡°Obliterate.¡±

    The tiny lock broke apart with a soft click. Theora flapped the lid open.

    ¡°Sheesh,¡± Lostina let out. ¡°Some people went through hell to find a key for that, you know?¡±

    Indeed, it was not meant to be. A multitude of glitchy lights and errors and black letters and distortions billowed out; it was beyond what this world had to offer. Theora downed her arm deep into the mess; much deeper than the coffer should have had room, and she exerted her will to make sure her skin and bones were not shredded apart by that impossible nothingness, until, finally, her hands got a hold of something.

    She grabbed, and pulled it out.

    That same moment, a little mote of the System, carried through from her home world, activated itself, and issued a single prompt before fading out.

    Congratulations! You found the first Fragment of Time.

    INFO: Re-establish connection to the System to roll for partial quest rewards.

    However, Theora barely paid attention to the message. Instead, she stared at the object she¡¯d procured. It was larger and heavier than she¡¯d imagined the Fragments to be, for some reason. It hung from her hand loose and lifelessly, made of some smooth and hard white material. Some kind of ceramic. Porcelain? Several joints held it together and it clattered with soft movements.

    ¡°Wow.¡± Lostina frowned deeply. ¡°That makes absolutely no sense.¡±

    ¡°Damn,¡± Dema rasped, voice in awe. ¡°Looks like an arm!¡±

 Chapter 114: Forever [End of Book One]

    The first Fragment of Time was an arm. An arm like that of a life-sized doll, to be more precise.

    As Theora kept it in her hands, she received a second System prompt ¡ª but not from her home System. Instead, it came from the System of this world, with the same decorations, typography and muted colour palette her [Baker] Class had, as well as the outline errors.

    Skill learned: [Flatten a Mountain].

    Received from [Fragment of Time]; available as long as the item is held.

    Mana Cost: 10.000

    Cooldown: 15 hours

    Description: Level target area.

    Theora could feel this Skill edge itself onto her being.

    It became part of her like learning a new Skill in her home world, and felt different from her [Baker] Class Skills. As such, she assumed that the Fragment would have given her the same Skill had she received it at home; and also, it pained her a little, because it pointed towards the fact that she would lose the [Baker] Class upon returning.

    Theora went to her travelling cloak, put the Fragment inside, and sat down on a chair, gazing into nothingness. Lostina was staring as if she¡¯d just seen someone open up the fabric of reality, while Dema had shrugged and gone to fetch more baking ingredients.

    Theora tried to process to the best of her ability what had just happened. There was just too much at once. For one, there was the fact that the System had just revealed a vulnerability to Theora; but she had no reason to exploit it for the moment, so she filed it away for later. Maybe she¡¯d talk to Isobel about it.

    Also, the magical weapon capable of destroying the world that Ulfine had warned her about was apparently a person. That said, there was no telling what kind of shape the other Fragments would have, so maybe that assumption was a bit premature. For example, Theora could abstractly imagine these items to be an assortment of things that carry memories, like children¡¯s toys.

    On the other hand, there was the issue of the Scry for Help, that had apparently led Theora to this coffer in the first place. The only way to find out what all this was about was to find more Fragments.

    Lastly, though, and that was perhaps the most salient aspect of this, was the [Flatten a Mountain]. Would every Fragment impose a Skill on its keeper?

    This was obviously a combat-related Skill, and not a weak one, either. In fact, it was gruesome. One of the most vile Skills Theora had ever laid eyes on, excluding [Obliterate]. And that also made some amount of sense, considering what Ulfine had said ¡ª if the Fragment of Time was an ancient weapon of incredible power that had been split apart across universes to contain the destruction it could impose, then it might dispense some of that power during the gathering process. Maybe, once all of these Skills were combined, they would make the collector one of the strongest threats in existence.

    If that was true, it was good news.

    Because that would mean it was a good side quest. Theora still harboured some suspicion that this side quest had been assigned to her as another ruse; as a scheme to kill Dema, or get Theora out of the way. But this? It made some sense. Theora¡¯s [Obliterate] had the inherent property of absorbing all combat related Skills Theora learned, given enough time. So, if Theora held on to the Fragments, these Skills might be absorbed, and thus, the weapon diffused.

    The drawback was, of course, that her [Obliterate] would sadly gain even more power, but overall, at least it made everything fit together nicely. Theora was uniquely predisposed to collect Fragments of Time from across worlds. Not only did she have different ways accessible to herself to enter different worlds, she also could tear down the fabric of reality, and had received a cuckoo Skill to help locate them. And she potentially had the ability to diffuse them too.

    If all of these assumptions were true, then this quest could have conceivably been given to her in good faith. Of course, it was too early to tell for sure. Theora sighed, and rubbed her eyes.

    Lostina was alive. Gonell, albeit still sealed, had survived her scheduled demise. Soon, Theora would get to meet back up with Bell and Iso. And, maybe, she¡¯d been given a good quest. All was not bad, despite the anxiety that finding the Fragment had placed on her. She simply needed to compose herself and find some respite.

    ¡°So, what was that?¡± Lostina asked and with that, startled Theora a little.

    ¡°The item I needed to find in this world,¡± Theora said. ¡°You mentioned it might have been hidden in an implication, so I figured that coffer would have been a good place. It also spoke to me before.¡±

    Lostina glanced at the cloak, then to the opened chest. ¡°Who the heck put it inside that thing?¡±

    ¡°Nobody,¡± Theora said. She got up and closed the lid as it was still violently oozing errors and multicoloured glitches. ¡°The Fragments were apparently dispersed in a magical way through a powerful ability. There were maybe even several different ways to find the piece in this world, this is just the one I happened across. As I understand it, the only constraint is that the item must be rather difficult to obtain, and there can only be one per type of reality. I had to make a special cut to get it out.¡±

    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s spooky,¡± Lostina said.

    ¡°Poor baby¡¯s gonna get rescued!¡± Dema chimed in from the kitchen counter with a smile. She was mixing flour with water and she was doing it all wrong. Theora jumped up to come to help before it was too late.

    Lostina frowned. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®poor baby¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Why, Bun Bun¡¯s got a knack for breaking people out of containment! She¡¯s gonna piece Time back together. Oh,¡± she went, turning to Theora. ¡°Gonna be another companion?¡±

    Theora felt a little overwhelmed, adding more flour to get the right percentage back. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°It might not even be a person. There are some things that seem suspicious.¡±

    ¡°Their name is Time?¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes widened at Lostina¡¯s question, and her mouth stood agape for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± she said. ¡°They might have a different name!¡±

    ¡°This is just an arm,¡± Theora said. ¡°Of a doll, no less. We have no idea who that person is, if it even is a person, if they can speak, or¡­ if they are nice.¡± She thought of that awful Skill.

    Flatten a Mountain.

    Level target area.

    It sent a shiver down her spine.

    Dema and Theora stayed for another two days, before finally deciding it was time to move on. They said their goodbyes, although with the constant promise that they would return for visits. Fiantanne started crying, her dragon tried to console her, and Skuld nuzzled her head against Dema, nearly knocking her over, but this time Dema gave way and did not get impaled.

    Lostina accompanied them to what she said was a good location for a date, from where they could then return home once night broke.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Theora said, after they¡¯d crossed a long-abandoned stone bridge into a small crevice inside a pine forest. Thick moss stretched over stones and fallen trunks, until they navigated around a mammoth tree, revealing a sight onto a stretch of foggy marshes.

    ¡°Woah,¡± Dema let out, beholding the view, then dropping down onto a root, leaning against the tree¡¯s soft bark.

    Theora gave a goodbye hug. ¡°Meet you soon?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lostina said. ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting! Good luck with your companion. I¡¯d say give me a call but you probably don¡¯t even know what that is.¡±

    She waved goodbye, the gesture reciprocated by a cheerful Dema, and then left. Dema immediately patted the moss next to her to ask Theora to sit down.

    ¡°Gonna miss her?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said. She looked to where Lostina had disappeared. ¡°Already do.¡±

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Aw! Damn, you really got attached!¡±

    With a few short steps, Theora made her way over, and sank down. She let out a deep breath. For a while, they listened to a swallow sing in a canopy above.

    ¡°So, you think Bell and Iso were having a good time?¡± Dema asked at some point, her hand gently grazing a bit of moss beside her. She looked up in alarm. ¡°They didn¡¯t forget about us, did they?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they forgot us,¡± Theora replied. ¡°Isobel wanted to use the time to pursue a Skill she needs. I assume they might have done that.¡±

    ¡°Think they found it?¡±

    Theora hummed in thought, pulling her legs closer. ¡°Matter of luck,¡± she said.

    ¡°You look good again, by the way,¡± Dema said, and managed to coerce a blush from Theora, who pulled her bare legs even closer.

    Yet another one of the dresses Fiantanne had gotten for her; this one was a well-crafted linen black one with lots of little ribbons and a larger one at the front. It had a wide neckline, showing more than the green dress had. Theora felt incredibly self-conscious, although not in a bad way. She¡¯d wanted to dress up for this, after all, and she even put her hair together in a ponytail, revealing even more of her neck, to a dizzying amount.

    She really wanted to feel vulnerable in Dema¡¯s presence, though. Wanted to be seen, in a way, even though it was a very new and overwhelming desire. She still couldn¡¯t forget that one day, when Dema had cornered her against a wall, scolding her for breaking a rule.

    If Theora was lucky, maybe she would one day be scolded that way again. And on that day, perhaps she wouldn¡¯t be wearing her thick travelling cloak, so that Dema would be able to come yet a bit closer.

    ¡°You alright?¡± Dema asked. ¡°Looking a bit red.¡±

    Theora jolted her eyes away. ¡°I am alright,¡± she answered. ¡°It¡¯s a little hot today.¡±

    Her brain tried to jump to a distraction, and finally found one, buried in the depths of her brain. She twitched and reached for their travelling luggage where Theora¡¯s cloak was wrapped up in, and luckily received the item she¡¯d asked the Shade to provide beforehand in this situation.

    She kept it in her fist, then turned back to Dema.

    ¡°When¡ª¡± Theora started, but her voice immediately gave out, so she tried again. ¡°When I woke up in this world, I was sad you weren¡¯t here. So, I thought, it would be good if we could have a keepsake of each other.¡±

    She opened her hand, showing two little earrings in the shape of small black birds. ¡°I know we both don¡¯t really wear such trinkets, but¡­¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes went wide, and she started beaming. ¡°Birds!¡± she let out, reaching for one of them, but holding herself back at the last second to look at Theora for permission, who then nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s from Skuld,¡± Theora said. ¡°I talked to her about what kind of keepsake to get, a while ago, and¡­ Well, she said she doesn¡¯t use them anymore, because she always stays in rhino shape nowadays. She said we could have them.¡±

    Without hesitation, Dema clipped one of them on her ear, and showed it off. ¡°Dang, I didn¡¯t know. Gonna give her big thanks next time I come here.¡±

    Theora felt her heart lurch. Dema, too, had dressed up for today. She wore a crimson red shirt, too large for her but since it was a short cut, it still revealed part of her belly. She also had a pair of short black pants, showing off her legs of ash and coal colour; her hair was braided in gentle spirals, probably by Fia.

    Usually, Dema only wore torn and old clothes, barely even patched, with muted colours and stains. She¡¯d really put in a lot of effort into today¡¯s outfit.

    Theora clipped on her earring as well. She stretched her neck and turned her head to show it to Dema, who simply let out a soft ¡°Oh my,¡± although Theora could not ascertain what she meant by that. Was it perhaps too much for Theora to be wearing jewellery?

    She turned back to her, but Dema was still giving somewhat of a mesmerised stare. She swallowed, then caught herself, and took a deep breath. Finally, she broke into a shy smile.

    ¡°I got something too,¡± she said, and somehow, sounded nervous. Answering Theora¡¯s curious look, she held out both her hands in a bowl, then started sweating blood. The little red pearls all over her palms got larger and larger, until they rose up from the skin and swirled into several rings, slowly taking on a more intricate shape, as the strands of blood weaved around each other.

    ¡°Had people in Hallmark help me out with that,¡± she said, while it was still being summoned. ¡°Harrik took a look too, giving me some last pointers. Wanted to finish and share it with you a while ago, but I kept finding things to improve.¡±

    Finally, as the blood condensed and crystallised, it formed into a wide, scarlet bracelet made of an intricate myriad of strands and bands, some thicker, some hair-thin. Little gem-shaped, polished blood crystals of brighter and darker red shades glimmered across it. With a snap, she pulled the trinket apart into two smaller, much simpler bracelets, segments of it moving around each other to produce a more elegant shape.

    ¡°One for you and one for me!¡± she said. ¡°May I?¡±

    Theora held out her hand, heart beating wildly. Dema had made something so pretty, for her? For them?

    Dema¡¯s soft fingers grazed across Theora¡¯s skin, and then made a turning motion to click the bracelet firm. ¡°There!¡± She then put the other on herself, although her arm was much thinner, so the bracelet ended up a bit smaller. Afterwards, she pushed onto one of the gems on each of the trinkets, and they started glowing in amber.

    ¡°The closer they are to each other, the brighter they glow!¡± she said. ¡°Can find each other when we are lost. Ah! And, I¡¯ve put some of my regeneration powers into it. Hallmark artificers have some technology to place parts of Skills into magical items. So, when it breaks, it will regrow where you had it on!¡± She showed off the glow-effect by moving her arm very close to Theora¡¯s, the bracelets blazing up in response. ¡°Won¡¯t regrow if you take it off voluntarily, though,¡± she said. ¡°So, don¡¯t lose it!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t lose it,¡± Theora murmured, staring at it in absolute awe. This was probably the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Maybe except for Dema herself. She opened her hand and gently wrapped her fingers around Dema¡¯s thin arm, then pulled her closer, into a sudden hug.

    ¡°Wah!¡± Dema let out at the sudden gesture, then giggled, and returned the embrace.

    For a moment, they just sat there, holding each other, Dema buried against Theora¡¯s shoulder. Theora felt nothing but that warmth for a while, embedded in the sounds of birds and rustling leaves, her head empty. No thoughts. Just bliss. Then, suddenly, Theora heard a soft click, and the breeze carried a hint of cold over a spot on her neck. She froze.

    Had Dema just kissed her?

    ¡°Sorry!¡± Dema let out in a bit of a panic. ¡°Got carried away¡­ Your neck¡­¡± She trailed off.

    Theora tried very hard to contain the sudden fireworks in her belly and the shivers that came over her skin. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± she said, voice dry. ¡°You can kiss my neck, if you want to.¡± It was much easier to speak such daring things when she couldn¡¯t see Dema¡¯s face directly, even if they were still hugging.

    ¡°Got permission!¡± Dema cheered, and pecked the same spot again, and Theora immediately started to regret her words upon realising how unfathomably sensitive that area was. She¡¯d never even been touched much on her neck before, much less kissed, and this almost made her lose it.

    In fact, it got much worse as Dema just kept going, placing more little short kisses after another, until Theora finally had to peel her off herself and plop her back down, in order to survive. Dema yelped and giggled, and Theora was burning hot.

    ¡°Cooldown,¡± Theora softly gasped. ¡°One hundred years.¡±

    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s so long!¡± Dema laughed.

    That was not long at all! With how Theora was feeling, a hundred years were cutting it rather close for recovery. Oh, this was too much. She became aware of all her skin again, as the wind grazed over her knees and her arms and cooled off the sweat that had broken out from her. Her heart beat wildly, and she soothed herself with controlled breaths ¡ª as controlled as she could make them with the shivers seeping through.

    ¡°That was good,¡± she said.

    Dema gave a mischievous smile. ¡°Why, can do it all night, whenever you want to.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said, blushing up again. ¡°I will keep that in mind. For now, let¡¯s rest.¡±

    ¡°Rest it is!¡± Dema cheered, throwing up an arm, and Theora felt the very short urge to taste Dema¡¯s vibrantly salty skin, but fought it down, because she really needed a break.

    Maybe once they were back home.

    A moment later, Dema pulled out their lunch from her bag; sandwiches she¡¯d made from Theora¡¯s bread. She offered one, which Theora gladly took, even if just to distract herself.

    ¡°Gotta eat so you recover,¡± Dema hummed cheerfully, and bit into hers.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure food will help with that¡­¡±

    ¡°It will!¡±

    ¡°Alright, fine,¡± Theora relented. ¡°Are you feeling better now too?¡±

    After Theora¡¯s mess-up, Dema had exerted a lot more effort than she¡¯d been letting on. For mages, mana was not necessarily a hard constraint; they could draw from less future-proof sources in emergencies, and even though Dema was probably more suitable for these kinds of exertions than people without her strong regenerative abilities, it was quite obviously not something she liked to do unless necessary.

    Wrapping up such a massive hole was not an easy task, even for someone like Dema.

    ¡°All good, yesh,¡± she said, mouth full.

    Theora looked at her own sandwich, still not having taken a bite. Her eyes then fell on her new bracelet, beaming in soft pulses.

    ¡°Sho,¡± Dema added, ¡°Any idea where we go neksht? We should leave in a bit, it¡¯sh getting dark.¡±

    Theora winced a little at that question.

    Where to go next.

    Twelve Fragments of Time were left. Scattered across universes, hiding a truth she could only unveil by pursuing this task. And, they were on a timer. That side quest would run out eventually. Which meant that, if Theora wanted to solve it, she¡¯d have to stop putting it off.

    If she wanted to solve it, there was only one place she could go to next, because it was her best attempt.

    She would need to revisit her training grounds.

    That thought tensed a knot into Theora¡¯s stomach, giving her flashes of when she¡¯d failed to assert the size of the Messenger. It was, however, the only way forward ¡ª she would need to address that past.

    ¡°Do you think,¡± she murmured, ¡°That it¡¯s a good idea for us to pursue these Fragments? I won¡¯t if you don¡¯t want me to. There is a chance I got assigned this quest as a weapon against us.¡±

    Dema swallowed. ¡°Won¡¯t know until we try!¡± she said, smiling, and bowing forward to place her head on her knees. ¡°That person called out for you, right? From the coffer, with your Skill. And¡­¡± She raised her brows. ¡°You didn¡¯t regret saving me either, did you? Or do you?¡±

    Theora sunk her forehead against her palm, scratching her hand through her hair, scrunching up her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t ¡ª but, I didn¡¯t save you. My Main Quest is still the same. I¡¯m still a threat to you, and will be forever.¡±

    Dema gave a mirthful smile. ¡°That¡¯s good then,¡± she whispered. A butterfly passed behind her, landing in a mossless spot on a rock.

    Theora stared in confusion. ¡°How is that good?¡±

    ¡°Why,¡± Dema went, ¡°Because you said ¡®forever¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 115: No Way Back

    Theora was the strongest hero in the world. She was tall; her multilayered travelling attire was large and complicated; her piercing grey gaze beguiled attention. She was travelling the world together with the Ancient Evil ¡ª a most powerful being who¡¯d spent millennia locked away in an everlasting prison, until Theora had shattered the unbreakable seal to defeat it.

    As it turned out, however, the Ancient Evil was called Dema, was a person, and didn¡¯t seem all that bad. Dainty, athletic, with pointed ears and a little horn on the side of her forehead, in ragged clothes and smirking, Dema appeared to be harmless. She¡¯d offered to tag along, no violence necessary, in a cute and raspy, cunning voice.

    Since then, Theora had opposed the world¡¯s all-encompassing System and its strongest heroes to defend Dema from harm. Along the way, she had obliterated the Devil of Truth after he¡¯d awoken from an age-old slumber, and she¡¯d ended Umbra, the Ruler of the Seventh Sea, before it could flatten another harbour town.

    Known amongst evils as the Roaming Blight, Theora left destruction in her wake. Currently, she was on a quest to rip the fabric between worlds apart and retrieve magical relics scattered beyond the horizons, to piece together a long-forgotten entity called Time.

    Theora was immortal. Theora was invincible.

    Theora was also crying.

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna fix it,¡± Dema promised, softly dragging Theora by her hand, to get the two further away from the Grand Observatory of Fiction. It had long since disappeared from view, but that barely helped.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it can be fixed,¡± Theora murmured in response. ¡°That¡¯s the point.¡±

    Dema shot her a pitiful glance, and grasped Theora¡¯s hand a bit tighter. Theora pressed back.

    ¡°Why, but¡ª¡± Dema shrugged weakly. ¡°Then¡­¡±

    Her words trailed off and she just gave a pained look, and kept pulling Theora further along. As far as possible as quickly as possible, hour after hour.

    They¡¯d spent the last few months inside of a story ¡ª a book called To Hell With the Author ¡ª and already, Theora wished they¡¯d never left. Instead, step after step, they traversed well-trodden forest paths, to get away.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Theora eventually let out softly, and the words were a lie and hurt to say.

    Dema slowed down to a halt, and nodded slowly. She took a look around ¡ª it was getting dark. ¡°How ¡¯bout we set up camp?¡± she asked, plopping Theora down on a rock stool she pushed from the ground with earth magic, then wiping the tears out of Theora¡¯s face with her thumbs as she cupped her face. ¡°Don¡¯t gotta do anything, I¡¯m gonna take care of it,¡± Dema said, and proceeded to fetch things from the folds of Theora¡¯s interdimensional storage attire ¡ª a few blankets, water, tea ingredients and other things.

    Theora couldn¡¯t just let Dema do everything though, so she lit a small fire to brew herbal tea, and Dema used her magic to condense her own blood into a large, flat, crystallised basin for them to sleep in, then formed a rock roof above it to shield them from any nightly downfall.

    ¡°You never used to put in so much effort into shelters,¡± Theora observed, voice laden.

    Dema smiled. ¡°Why, it¡¯s because this is much easier to cuddle in. And nowadays you let me cuddle you all night.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Theora placed one cup in front of Dema. ¡°So that makes all the difference.¡±

    ¡°Sure does,¡± Dema went, smiling softly. ¡°And, you¡¯re not feeling well.¡±

    Theora swallowed. That much was true. Hugging Dema tonight would help a lot. She took in a very deep breath.

    Suddenly, Dema perked up, tea cup half-way to her lips.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Theora asked, but Dema just shrugged.

    ¡°Nothing. Thought I felt something, for a moment. Maybe I made it up.¡± She sipped the tea, and her smile grew warm. ¡°Can never get enough of this, y¡¯know?¡±

    Theora averted her gaze. ¡°Thank you,¡± she muttered.

    Theora woke up the next morning, still feeling like a part of her was missing. Tired and awful. Dema was no longer in bed with her, and instead tiptoeing along the forest floor.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Theora asked, pushing herself up.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t make it up, after all,¡± Dema murmured. ¡°There¡¯s something. Kinda wanna check it out.¡±

    Theora eyed Dema for a while ¡ª watched her turn her head in different directions as if trying to sniff something out, scratching her head in thought, and perking her ears.

    ¡°I¡¯m seeing right through your scheme,¡± Theora proclaimed.

    ¡°What? What scheme?¡±

    ¡°You are trying to find a distraction for me.¡±

    Dema giggled. ¡°Hey, now. That may be true but you don¡¯t gotta say it!¡±

    Theora shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s check out what you found. We don¡¯t have much time, though. Bell and Iso have been waiting. And we need to get to¡­¡±

    The training grounds. Theora left that unsaid.

    Dema nodded, and rushed to pack up, as if to make up for the time they¡¯d lose on the detour.

    A distraction was perhaps acceptable for now. Surely, the world could wait for a moment.

    After about an hour of travel, Theora could finally feel it too, breaking through her dulled senses ¡ª there was a very faint presence, well within the western side of the forest.

    Dema bobbed around on her feet. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to say hi!¡±

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a person? Another traveller?¡±

    ¡°No clue.¡± Dema touched her bracelet. ¡°But it¡¯s making me nostalgic. Also, doesn¡¯t seem to be moving.¡±

    Nostalgic¡­?

    Theora replied with a small nod. Even if Dema was only doing this to offer a distraction, it was working.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    They went off-path, directly through the forest, stepping over brittle tree-stumps that were giving life to fungi and mosses. They navigated along limestone needle geography, climbing up and down small rocks or jumping over streamlets. Theora had never been in this region before, and didn¡¯t remember maps showing much of anything here. This forest was not easy to traverse.

    The presence remained stationary, but still fluctuated enough to be considered ¡®awake¡¯. It was also very faint. How had Dema even picked up on it? Dema¡¯s own presence was a brilliant, bright beacon obscuring the auras of others around her.

    ¡°Woah,¡± Dema murmured eventually, pointing to red patches poking through between the small gaps in the canopies above. After a few more steps it became clear what this was: the flowers of a wide, gigantic scarlet tree as it towered far above all others, presumably rooting on the highest point of the shallow hillside forest. ¡°That¡¯s a big one. Gotta be magical.¡±

    ¡°It must be quite old, being that large,¡± Theora mused.

    Dema giggled. ¡°Hey, some remain small even after a long time,¡± she protested, playfully putting her hand on top of her head to show how tiny she was compared to Theora.

    As they approached the top of the hill, the forest thinned into a meadow dotted with flowers and mosses, opening a small clearing cast in shadow by the red canopy.

    ¡°Love it,¡± Dema murmured.

    The meadow was beautiful; soft orange blossoms peppered between rings of red poppies and rose periwinkles, butterflies and dragonflies hummed through the air and birds nested in the twigs of the tree.

    There were many different flowers; some of them shouldn¡¯t have been able to grow in this area, or at this time, or in these conditions. Isobel would probably love it here too ¡ª every step was gently muffled by soft flocks of green mossy carpet that stretched between grasses.

    They eventually reached the trunk of the tree. It rivalled the thickness of those incredible giants in the valley close to Fiantanne¡¯s castle.

    Dema patted her hand against the light and thin bark with a loud slap. ¡°Amazing!¡±

    She then walked around the trunk, Theora joining her at a slight distance. The backside of the tree was overgrown with thick ivy, and a bit further around, there was a large hole. As Dema pulled away the leaves, it revealed the inside of the trunk, and she poked her head in to look up. ¡°So big,¡± she said, her voice echoing. ¡°You ever thought about moving into a tree?¡±

    ¡°Into a tree?¡±

    Dema pulled her head out and nodded. ¡°Looks cosy, right? Nice scenery, shielded from rain¡­ Kinda tempting, not gonna lie. Oh, by the way. Bun Bun. You gonna look at the flowers for a while?¡±

    That question was sudden.

    ¡°I¡ª yes?¡±

    Theora did want to, but it was unlike Dema to suggest she busy herself.

    ¡°Then, could you take off your clothes?¡±

    That jolted Theora right out of her dreamy state. She kept gaping at Dema way too long.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I must have misheard,¡± Theora said. ¡°I thought you asked me to undress.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± Dema pointed at Theora¡¯s travelling attire. ¡°If you¡¯re gonna be looking at the flowers, I wanna go say hello to the Shade. Also have some super secret schemes going that you absolutely can¡¯t know about, so I¡¯ll do it inside.¡±

    Ah. Alright, that made sense.

    Theora hadn¡¯t even considered the possibility of ¡®visiting the Shade¡¯, because the ¡®interdimensional¡¯ part of her travelling attire was meant for storage, not for people. It was a hostile environment. That said, the Shade wasn¡¯t hostile. It had provided accommodations to humans inside it before, so if someone were to enter the interdimensional storage while the Shade was inside, it could gobble up the visitor and provide a cosy space to sit and drink tea.

    Ideally, that was.

    Theora gently grazed over the blood-bracelet on her wrist, and clicked it on and off, making it blink up.

    ¡°Gonna miss me?¡± Dema asked at the sight, smirking.

    Before Theora could deny it, a little aura pulse rocked through the air.

    Dema frowned.

    Theora looked up the trunk. ¡°I think it came from the tree? Did it notice us?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Maybe?¡± Dema turned her head upwards as well, and kept staring, her frown getting deeper.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s just odd. I thought it was a person first, y¡¯know? But if it¡¯s a tree, that¡¯s kinda weird because ¡ª¡± She bounced her head to both sides, closing her eyes, trying to find words. ¡°Like¡­ Didn¡¯t feel it on the way here.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Theora let out. ¡°Right. If it¡¯s been here the entire time, you should have noticed the presence seven months ago.¡±

    Dema pointed her finger, nodding. ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± a sudden, husky voice said, ¡°I must have been preparing for hibernation.¡±

    Both Dema and Theora turned around. Someone was suddenly sitting cross-legged on the meadow behind them, flowers grazing her legs as if she¡¯d been there all along. Her ears were pointed like Dema¡¯s, her olive skin peeked out from large rips in her linen cloak. Her hair was a long patch of ivy reaching down her back, with deadwood branches growing out from beneath. She also, like the tree, was hollowed out; pieces of bark and rotten wood scabbed around a large missing chunk in her belly and chest.

    In there was her heart; fleshy, beating, exposed.

    ¡°Oh my.¡± Dema remained awe-struck for a moment, eyes glassy, likely reading a System prompt. ¡°You a dryad?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the ¡®dryad¡¯ said. She rubbed her skin gently, grazing her thumb over the hair on her arms, seemingly to pacify herself.

    Theora crouched to her knees to level their eyes. ¡°I hope we aren¡¯t intruding. This is your home?¡±

    The dryad tilted her head. ¡°Home,¡± she repeated. ¡°Rather, it is me.¡±

    She appeared wary, had a frown on her eyebrows, and her eyes flickered between her ¡®guests¡¯, less with hostility than what seemed like apprehension and confusion.

    ¡°I¡¯m Dema,¡± Dema said cheerfully. ¡°And this little rabbit there,¡± ¡ª she pointed at Theora ¡ª ¡°Is Bun Bun. I felt your aura and it made me sad so I thought I¡¯d check it out!¡±

    It made her sad?

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind you ¡®checking me out,¡¯¡± the dryad said. ¡°My name is Treeka.¡±

    Somehow, Dema, a demon who had named her isopod daughter ¡®Iso¡¯, had the audacity to laugh.

    Treeka shrugged. ¡°The mage who planted and named me was an uninspired person.¡±

    Theora still felt like an intruder and kind of just wanted to go away, but neither Treeka¡¯s nor Dema¡¯s behaviour was leaving her with a convenient out. In fact, some flowers in the distance were changing colours ¡ª a thick red ring was forming on the edge of the meadow, enclosing them like a wall. And the surrounding trees looked denser now.

    ¡°You seem uncomfortable,¡± Treeka pointed out, staring at Theora. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve been crying.¡±

    Theora winced just enough for it to be noticeable.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Dema said. ¡°Don¡¯t remind her. She only just stopped.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t entirely accurate; Theora had stopped crying a while ago, but now she remembered the reason and was about to start again.

    ¡°What happened?¡± the dryad asked, seemingly uninterested in sparing Theora¡¯s feelings.

    Dema shrugged. ¡°She made a big oopsie and blew up part of the Grand Observatory of Fiction. So they banned her from going back in.¡±

    Treeka tilted her head. ¡°That really means absolutely nothing to me.¡±

    ¡°Well, Bun Bun was crying because that means she can¡¯t meet Lossi and Gonell and Fia and Skuld ever again.¡±

    Treeka first shook her head gently, then nodded as if giving up.

    Theora wiped her eyes. Her chest suddenly felt tight. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± she lied. ¡°Dema said she can deliver letters from me.¡±

    At these words, Treeka¡¯s canopy suddenly fell much closer to the ground, now hovering almost directly above their heads.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema confirmed, not paying it any mind. ¡°Gonna bring all the letters, big time. And ¡ª maybe they¡¯re gonna reconsider. I donated most of my mana to make up for it. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re not gonna be mad forever.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Treeka said. Her exposed heart was beating a lot faster now, but she didn¡¯t show any agitation on the outside. ¡°So you lost access to all of your friends, and then came here to use me as a replacement.¡±

    Dema blinked, eyes wide in surprise. Then, she cracked a smile. ¡°Why, you wanna be our friend?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s what she meant,¡± Theora said. ¡°I think we might be annoying her. Perhaps we should leave.¡±

    Treeka let out a thoughtful hum. Her eyes glinted, but her expression remained strained and apprehensive. ¡°I never said anything about wanting you to leave ¡ª in fact, let me make it clear.¡±

    She snapped her fingers, and suddenly, the world shifted.

 Chapter 116: Left Behind

    It happened within seconds.

    The flowers on the meadow enlarged to impossible sizes; the tree shot up into the air like an eternal monument. The moss patches turned into hills, and stalks grew to the sizes of trees. They were sitting in a giant flower forest now, much darker than before. There seemed to be no escape from the thicket.

    It was like they¡¯d all been shrunk to the sizes of ants.

    ¡°Damn.¡± As Dema looked around in awe, she giggled. ¡°Trapped us! You¡¯re cheeky.¡±

    It was true; this place would now be harder to leave. The flowers appeared to billow at the dryad¡¯s command, ready to lash out, jerking back and forth in what seemed like wind but communicated a veiled threat. It wasn¡¯t immediately clear if this was an illusion type Skill or straight-out warped reality, but either way, it seemed rather powerful.

    Again, Theora wished she could fly like Gonell. That would have made leaving a lot easier.

    Treeka cleared her throat. ¡°I just want to communicate that your arrival is not unwelcome. I enjoy company.¡±

    ¡°Figured!¡± Dema nodded, still smiling wide.

    ¡°So that means you will let us leave if we want to?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Treeka said. ¡°In a year or two.¡±

    Theora¡¯s shoulders slumped. A year wasn¡¯t a lot, but the others were waiting, and time was running out on her side quest of finding the Fragments of Time. She glanced at the notification.

    Time remaining: 200 years.

    Fifty years had already passed since she¡¯d received the quest, and she only had a single Fragment to show for it. They really could not afford to waste any of the remaining time, or it would be over in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°We need to get back to our companions,¡± Theora said. ¡°They are waiting for us.¡±

    Meanwhile, Dema was examining the thicket. She patted the large flower stalks, used her blood whips to bend some of them down to touch the petals and made ¡®Oh¡¯ and ¡®Ah¡¯ sounds whenever she could. She was probably genuinely excited about getting such a close look at things that were normally small; it was just like Dema to find something to get excited about wherever she went, after all.

    Treeka tilted her head. ¡°I can be your companion.¡±

    ¡°Still,¡± Theora went, ¡°I¡¯m unhappy with this. A year is too much.¡±

    Treeka shrugged. ¡°Well. If you help me leave, I could let you out early.¡±

    ¡°You wanna leave?¡± Dema chimed in from the edge of their small confinement.

    Treeka squinted, shook her head, and pulled a grimace. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m a tree. I¡¯m stuck, and alone.¡± She clicked her tongue in annoyance. ¡°You two seem nice, so I¡¯ll have you stay for a while.¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°Guess I can relate.¡±

    Theora examined Treeka¡¯s tree body. It was massive. Too large to carry. It would break under its own weight, and it was too big to squeeze into her travelling cloak.

    ¡°I imagine we couldn¡¯t cut you into pieces to transport you away,¡± Theora murmured.

    Treeka huffed. ¡°Of course you can¡¯t. I¡¯d die. My spirit apparition can only move under the canopy. I tried growing larger and larger to have more space to walk on, but I¡¯m at my limit.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re here now,¡± Dema said. ¡°So you¡¯re not alone. What do you wanna do?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Treeka murmured.

    ¡°I could read a story to you,¡± Theora said. Some of Dema¡¯s books were stored away in her travelling attire.

    ¡°Please,¡± Treeka said. She rubbed her arms again, and looked away as Theora procured about half of Dema¡¯s library.

    Theora read over the cover descriptions, muttering, ¡°We have a story about a sole mother of two young children who meets a mermaid¡­ and a story about an empty raincoat falling in love with a singer. That one is DespairLit.¡±

    ¡°An empty raincoat?¡± Treeka let out. ¡°How does that work?¡±

    Theora shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just going off what it says here. I haven¡¯t read any of them.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like, a raincoat worn by someone who¡¯s invisible!¡± Dema chimed in. ¡°It keeps moving around like someone was inside, but nobody can see ¡¯em. It¡¯s a big metaphor.¡±

    ¡°A metaphor for what?¡± Treeka asked.

    ¡°No clue. Just know it is one! And the story¡¯s cute. The singer ends up wearing the raincoat so it¡¯s like there really was nobody inside but the coat also helps her move and be stronger in her frail body and it¡¯s like they¡¯re hugging all the time.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±

    Dema giggled. ¡°Don¡¯t have to get it, just feel the fluff! It¡¯s a short book too, easy to read.¡±

    ¡°It just sounds sad,¡± Treeka said. ¡°Even if the singer wears the cloak, won¡¯t they have to split again one day?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Dema let out. ¡°No. No splitting!¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s what always happens, isn¡¯t it,¡± Treeka murmured. ¡°People come to live with me or visit, but eventually they die or leave forever.¡±

    That draped a sudden silence over the meadow. Dema gave an unhappy expression, and Theora had no idea how to respond. For a few moments, she kept glancing over the book titles and covers, in hopes of finding something that might work, but it turned out that most of Dema¡¯s possessions were love stories of some kind that could be read with that same conflict.

    Eventually, she gave up. ¡°So, you¡¯ve not always been alone?¡± she asked.

    Treeka nodded. ¡°That mage planted me, said I¡¯d be the heart of a village, and soon everyone would arrive to keep me company. He and his friends lived here for a while. It was nice. But eventually, more and more people found a reason to leave. Their children left, their children¡¯s children left, and then there was nothing.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Later on some hero guy came by, told me he¡¯d free me, said he¡¯d use some Unique Skill from the ¡®project shop¡¯ or whatever. Except he never did. Just stopped coming after the sixtieth or so summer. I assume time vanished him to dust.¡±

    Dema let out a huff of frustration. ¡°That sounds rough.¡±

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Theora tried to scrape together her vague knowledge of the shop. ¡°What Skill was he going to use?¡±

    The dryad shrugged. ¡°He said he needed to reach a certain Renown Tier to get a Skill that can banish a spirit into an object. One-time use, and costs ¡®credits¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah!¡± Dema said, turning to Theora. ¡°Bun Bun¡¯s got lots of all o¡¯ that, right? You can do that?¡±

    Theora opened her mouth in surprise, jerking her head into a half-shake.

    [Renown Shop]¡­ had there been something like that? She pulled up the Hero Project overview, and eventually found some data that seemed to be relating to it.

    C¨€???¨€rent Reno???w???n???/  ?????!x???:????

    Renown Tie???r???: ??RROR.

    Well, that didn¡¯t look promising.

    When she tried to pull up the associated shop, it simply said, ¡®Insufficient Renown Rank. Increase Renown to unlock various shop items.¡¯

    Theora sighed. This was probably what Isobel would call an ¡®internal data storage capacity overflow error¡¯ ¡ª meaning Theora¡¯s Renown had at some point jumbled into a mess irrecognisable by other components of the Interface.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can help you,¡± she eventually said, after trying to manoeuvre the Interface for a while longer. Apart from the [Renown Shop] there was also a general supply shop available to everyone ¡ª not just Hero Project recruits ¡ª, but she¡¯d bought hers all out.

    ¡°Dang¡­ what a bummer.¡± From the sound of it, Dema was actually disappointed.

    ¡°That said¡ª¡± Theora stopped for a moment, looking at the ground. ¡°Well, I know some people who might be able to help. I¡¯m sure Bell has access to one of the highest Renown Tiers.¡± In fact, Theora could check. She pulled up Bell¡¯s sheet from the party screen, and found her Renown Tier to be ¡®Unparalleled¡¯ ¡ª although that really didn¡¯t give Theora any clue if that was enough for the Skill the Dryad was after. ¡°Our ¡ª child ¡ª may also be able to help,¡± she said. ¡°Since she is a plant-affinity mage.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Dema said. ¡°Not sure about Bell ¡¯cause she¡¯s a mage, but Iso might be able to help, yeah!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Theora looked up. ¡°How does that relate? Isn¡¯t Isobel a mage too?¡±

    Dema scratched her head. ¡°Why, it¡¯s ¡¯cause Hero Project mages typically dump all their credits into mana potions, far as I know,¡± she said. ¡°Am not a Hero so I can¡¯t, but if I could, that¡¯s what I¡¯d do.¡±

    Ah. She meant that Bell perhaps didn¡¯t have enough credits to buy a Unique Skill, since she¡¯d be using her credits otherwise. That sounded possible; especially if the [Renown Shop] offered a larger supply of potions compared to the general one. Thinking about the System was a bit of a headache; Theora had probably once known these things but forgotten.

    ¡°Treeka,¡± she said, looking back at the dryad who was following the conversation with a frown. ¡°We are on our way to meet back up with those two. If you would like, we could return later to help you.¡±

    These words made Treeka deflate. She turned her head to the side, her shoulders sagging.

    Dema took a few steps forward. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Treeka said. She snapped her fingers again, and the world shrunk, returning everything to its original sizes. Theora went back to kneeling on the meadow, and Dema was struggling to retain her balance through the sudden shift.

    ¡°I mean it,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do.¡± There was a bitter bite in Treeka¡¯s words.

    Nonetheless, they were free to leave now. The way out of the meadow looked deceptively inviting, and Theora had many reasons to go. Time was ticking down on her quest. Bell and Iso were waiting. And in fact, it was only by leaving that Theora could find a way to help Treeka too.

    Still.

    She glanced at Dema. ¡°Stay here for a while?¡±

    Dema replied with a nod and a soft smile. ¡°Yeah!¡± She glanced at Treeka. ¡°Mind if I take a look around?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. Feel free to inspect me and my home to your heart¡¯s content.¡±

    And as Dema did just that, Treeka just sat there in silence, cross-legged, and she never even got up to shake her legs or anything like that.

    Theora felt like she might know that feeling. When Dema was close, Theora didn¡¯t dare to move. When things were going well, Theora made herself still, out of fear of causing a change.

    Perhaps it was too much to assume Treeka was feeling similarly, but when Dema strayed a bit too far to the edge of the meadow, Treeka winced and became alert, keeping a firm gaze on her. She relaxed when Dema eventually veered back.

    Then, Treeka spoke up. ¡°I apologise. I don¡¯t have anything meaningful to talk about. I spend most of my time cultivating flowers and sleeping.¡±

    ¡°I also like to sleep,¡± Theora said. ¡°And I like flowers too. On that note ¡ª would it be alright if I took a closer look at yours?¡±

    Treeka nodded, and at that moment, Dema clumsily jogged back. ¡°This is such a nice place. Love what you did with the mana streams to make the poppies pop up.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Treeka said. ¡°It¡¯s all I ever do, all day.¡±

    Dema then went on to ask some magic-related questions that mostly went over Theora¡¯s head, so she took the time to look around herself. She tapped against her interdimensional attire, and asked the Shade for drawing coal and paper, and then attempted to sketch the flowers, trying her best to ignore the dryad¡¯s tireless gaze.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Treeka asked.

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Theora let out in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m drawing them.¡± She turned the very bad sketch around to show it.

    ¡°Why are you drawing them?¡±

    Theora¡¯s face flushed. ¡°Well¡­ I tend to lose things as time passes, like memories or material possessions. I¡¯m hoping that the act of drawing will help me retain the image in my mind for just a little longer.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Treeka hummed out. ¡°I guess they must be important to you?¡±

    At that question, Theora fetched a small batch of dried flowers from her clothes. She bundled them up to arrange for a message. Treeka was watching curiously, and then accepted the little bouquet as Theora offered ¡ª and then, after studying it for just a moment, her eyes lit up.

    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± she said. ¡°You can talk through them. Thank you. I like your voice too.¡±

    Theora twitched as she realised what she¡¯d just told Treeka, but managed a smile, and went back to one of the poppy bands. ¡°It¡¯s a Skill. Finding flowers I haven¡¯t seen before feels like learning new words. They are precious.¡±

    By now, her [Flower Language] allowed her to communicate rather complex ideas, and she still couldn¡¯t let opportunities pass to expand her eloquence.

    Treeka stretched out her arm and grazed over the petals of a brightly blue blossom right next to her knee. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯d like to¡ª to pick some?¡±

    Theora¡¯s mouth stood open for a moment, then she got out, ¡°W-well. I was planning to, initially, before I knew you grew them.¡±

    ¡°You can pick them.¡± Treeka¡¯s voice was firm ¡ª cold, too, but not unkind.

    ¡°I can?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the dryad said. ¡°New ones will grow. I wonder what kinds of words you will use them to say.¡±

    ¡°I wonder, too,¡± Theora murmured, and with permission, she gently proceeded to add some to her collection.

    ¡°By the way,¡± Dema added, ¡°Mind if I hop out for a second?¡±

    Treeka¡¯s head swirled almost violently. ¡°I won¡¯t stop you,¡± she said, looking like she very much wanted to stop her.

    ¡°Not for long, promise,¡± Dema said. ¡°Just have a scheme I wanna work on.¡±

    ¡°A scheme?¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Big time super secret stuff,¡± she said. ¡°Surprise for Bun Bun. Well, I guess I can tell you, if you keep it a secret.¡±

    Treeka gave Theora a furtive glance, just long enough to show her a little curious frown, but without really acknowledging her. Then, she turned back to Dema, and gave a little nod.

    So, they started conspiring with each other. Treeka had an ear turned to Dema, who was shielding her mouth from Theora with a hand as she whispered her scheme. The dryad¡¯s expression was mostly focused, confused, and her eyebrows folded, and it seemed like she was either failing to follow Dema¡¯s explanations, or disapproving of them.

    When they were done, Treeka turned to face Dema, and said, ¡°Huh. What you are trying to do is the opposite of what I want for myself.¡±

    Dema giggled. ¡°Yeah, kinda is!¡±

    ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯s not quite the same, because you will be able to leave.¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°You too! We¡¯re gonna help you.¡±

    Treeka looked away again, then fixated on Theora. ¡°You still haven¡¯t undressed.¡±

    ¡°Why would I¡ª¡±

    Treeka tilted her head. ¡°Didn¡¯t the demon ask you to? Before I showed myself. She wanted to say hello to the ¡ª¡± She squinted. ¡°The Shade? For her scheme.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Right, Theora had forgotten. She pulled off the coat ¡ª she was wearing one of Fiantanne¡¯s dresses underneath anyway.

    ¡°Nice!¡± Dema said. ¡°See you later. Take care of each other.¡± She then threw the clothing up above herself, and proceeded to vanish into a fold as it fell down around her.

    ¡°Only one left now,¡± Treeka murmured.

    ¡°No,¡± Theora said, firmly. ¡°Dema will come back.¡±

 Chapter 117: Nostalgia

    Over the next few hours Theora made a little heap of flowers right next to her attire, and the entire time, Treeka was watching, intently, with her cold half-frowning, half-curious gaze.

    ¡°I¡¯m obscuring most of the light,¡± she eventually pointed out. ¡°They won¡¯t dry in the shadow of my canopy. I don¡¯t have water around to keep them fresh for you, either.¡±

    Theora looked up, poppy in hand. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I will store them in my attire later, to preserve them in time, so they won¡¯t wilt as quickly.¡±

    She gave a small smile, and then froze.

    To preserve them in time.

    Her gaze went to her interdimensional attire as it still lay there on the ground where Dema had entered it.

    How long had she been in there by now? The time-dilation device was still stored away inside. But also ¡ª the dilation device was in her clothing, and the Shade was also in her clothing ¡ª that said, the dilation device was no longer inside the Shade, the way it used to be. So¡­ if Dema was inside the Shade right now¡­ How fast was time passing for her?

    Dema couldn¡¯t possibly have gotten stuck there, right?

    ¡°What¡¯s got you worried?¡± Treeka asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡ª I remembered something. My clothing is¡­ Dema might be¡­¡±

    Just as Theora got up to check and make sure, Dema got puked out of the coat, and tumbled over the grass. She was panting heavily, and sweating.

    ¡°Damn!¡± she said. ¡°That was fun.¡±

    ¡°I was starting to get worried.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Dema went. ¡°Was I gone too long? I made sure to leave quickly.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s¡ª¡±

    Theora halted.

    Leave quickly?

    She let out a sigh. That¡¯s right ¡ª it was that way around. Theora kept mixing it up. The active setting of the device made it so time went slower inside the cloak compared to outside. That was the entire point of storing things in there. In other words, very little time had passed for Dema, even though it was hours for Theora and Treeka.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you are alright,¡± Theora said and went to her attire and put the flowers and drawings in.

    ¡®Alright¡¯ being a carefully chosen word there. After coming back out, Dema had lost a lot of mana of what little she¡¯d regenerated since donating all of it to the Observatory to make up for Theora blowing up parts of it.

    ¡°You look a bit exhausted,¡± Theora went on.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema said, sighing. She plopped down on the meadow right next to Treeka. ¡°Gotta take a break.¡±

    They ended up spending almost two weeks with Treeka. The vast amount of different kinds of flowers turned out to be a larger treasure trove than Theora could have imagined; it was like a dictionary. The magic inside the flowers made their meaning richer, and made it so no two flowers were entirely the same. Nuances ¡ª synonyms, subtext, words between the petals ¡ª were overflowing from each one, and Treeka made a point of growing more flowers to make Theora happy. For example, she created a type of hyacinth with an illusionary quality that changed depending on the angle one looked at it, and that meant Theora could extract meaning from it like a kaleidoscope by arranging it on a bouquet in different angles.

    Dema, on the other hand, slept a lot to regenerate her mana, and then went back into the interdimensional attire. The remaining time, she theorised mana flow with Treeka, or she whispered to the dryad behind cupped hands.

    However, the day came when Theora had fully catalogued the flowers, and when Dema had little new to talk about to Treeka, and when even Treeka was, though stubbornly denying it, apparently starting to feel tired from extended social exposition.

    On their final evening, Dema came out of interdimensional attire, exhausted as usual, because she was spending too much mana. She could barely get up, and panted heavily.

    Of course, Dema was doing that on purpose, at least to some extent, because straining herself in that way allowed her to level-up Skills that she otherwise wouldn¡¯t get to invest in, but it was still not a very comfortable sight.

    She dragged herself along the ground, and into Theora¡¯s lap.

    ¡°There we go,¡± Dema said, ¡°Best place.¡±

    Treeka, still sitting in the same spot she had sat in for the entire time, frowned. ¡°You said this was the final day,¡± she said. ¡°I asked you to stay for two years. That¡¯s nowhere near over. But, Bun Bun mentioned you were in a hurry, right?¡±

    Dema scrunched up her face. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She scratched her head. ¡°Kinda. We gotta meet back up with our girls, and also there¡¯s another person li¡¯l rabbit has to rescue, and we only have, like, two-hundred years left for that. Gotta hurry. There¡¯s many pieces left, y¡¯know?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t really know if it¡¯s a person,¡± Theora supplied, but nodded. ¡°Still, we were on our way to Hallmark, to send a letter to our companions. To meet back up, and then collect the remains of Time. However, on our way to Hallmark, I was still considering some detours, so I can¡¯t claim we are in that much of a hurry.¡±

    ¡°What detours?¡± Treeka asked. ¡°Are you still planning on making those?¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡± Theora hummed, thoughtfully. ¡°We might go fetch some lava. And I would like to revisit Sounddoom Valley.¡± Months had passed since Isobel and Theora had tried to help revitalise the place; Theora was curious if it had recovered at least a little.

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    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Dema added. ¡°If we go past the volcano again, I wanna take another mud bath.¡± Dema¡¯s eyes glittered with shy mischief. ¡°Gonna go in with me this time, Bun Bun?¡±

    Theora blinked. Go in with Dema? As in, together?

    ¡°Come on!¡± Dema giggled. ¡°No need to be shy, the other two ain¡¯t here!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not shy,¡± Theora claimed, eyes darting to Treeka in embarrassment.

    ¡°Pretty sure you are!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true.¡± To prove it, Theora added in a low mumble, ¡°We can take a mud bath, if you want to.¡±

    Dema laughed.

    ¡°So what you are saying,¡± Treeka went, ¡°Is that the sooner I¡¯ll let you go, the sooner you¡¯ll meet up with your companions, who could help me.¡±

    Theora was very unhappy with that framing, and tilted her head into a pout. Ultimately, it was impossible to claim that this wasn¡¯t the truth ¡ª yes, they still planned on going to see the lava, and yes, they wanted to take a look at Sounddoom Valley, but ultimately, the sooner they left here, the sooner they¡¯d be back. So, she relented into a nod.

    That nod made Treeka very unhappy. To her, this must have been feeling like they were trying to run off. Trying to leave behind the slightly demanding and assertive person who¡¯d tried to entrap them.

    And Theora wasn¡¯t sure what she could do about that. It was true that they were going to come back with Bell and Iso, to help out, but¡­

    Dema sighed. ¡°Can¡¯t walk anyway,¡± she said, still panting. Her remaining mana was a pitiful drop. She really needed to rest. ¡°If we¡¯re gonna go, Bun Bun¡¯s gotta carry me.¡±

    ¡°This again.¡± Theora huffed. ¡°I want to believe that you could walk on your own.¡±

    ¡°Why, if you knew what I was doing in there, you¡¯d gladly pick me up!¡±

    Treeka nodded. ¡°I think the demon is right about that.¡±

    This was so mean. They were conspiring so much. ¡°But it¡¯s a secret,¡± Theora complained.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema said. ¡°Big time. Not gonna tell a word!¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯m supposed to just believe you.¡±

    Dema nodded, looking up at Theora with expectantly glowing amber eyes. Then, Treeka said, ¡°Yes. She¡¯s not going to leave me on her own. You¡¯ll have to carry her away from me.¡±

    ¡°I will carry her,¡± Theora said. ¡°Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Why, yes, do that, then,¡± Treeka said. ¡°Take her away.¡± Her words weren¡¯t hostile, but her frown was still there.

    They did have to leave. They did have to leave, and they¡¯d return with the others to help.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Theora fetched her attire and put it back on, then knelt down to pick up Dema, who immediately snuggled close and wrapped a few strands of blood around them, tying them both together.

    ¡°There,¡± Dema said. ¡°That way carrying me won¡¯t be as exhausting.¡±

    With a sincere look at Treeka, Theora added, ¡°We will be back.¡± She thought as best she could if there was something else she could possibly add, something to give her words meaning, but she couldn¡¯t. So, she closed with, ¡°See you soon.¡±

    Treeka shrugged. ¡°I know we won¡¯t.¡±

    These words hurt. Theora thought about making a bouquet of flowers explaining how much she meant it. She wanted to brew tea to make Treeka understand. But Treeka already understood ¡ª Treeka probably knew Theora meant every word, it just didn¡¯t matter to her, because she thought that once Theora and Dema were far away; once they had other worries and new things to be excited about, they¡¯d forget about Treeka like everyone else had. This was not a matter of belief, not even a matter of trust.

    The only thing that mattered was to eventually return and prove Treeka wrong by helping her out. These promises would remain empty until filled.

    And so, Theora wiped a tear out of her eyes, turned around, and stepped down the meadow. Dema was still half-delirious; she¡¯d exerted herself far too much, just the way she always did. Theora would really need to reiterate to Dema how bad of a habit that was, and make sure to reassert the 60 percent rule she¡¯d not dared to remind Dema of while she¡¯d been fixing Theora¡¯s mistakes.

    By the time they were back in the forest, Dema had fallen asleep. It was fine ¡ª back in Hallmark, Theora had been exhausted and empty and busy at all times; she hadn¡¯t had the capacity to fully protect Dema, but now, she was strong enough. She¡¯d reassembled herself mostly after blowing up the sky in To Hell With the Author, she¡¯d slept a lot during winter, and the System could throw at Dema whatever it wanted and it would bounce off like those heroes who¡¯d tried to seal Theora so long ago.

    Theora hopped down a little rock, and Dema moaned a bit in surprise, opening her eyes, still tired.

    ¡°Whoops,¡± she said. ¡°Drifted off.¡±

    Theora looked away. ¡°Carrying you would never exhaust me.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyebrows shot up.

    ¡°Because you are a very light person,¡± Theora added quickly. ¡°I probably weigh twice as much as you.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Dema said mirthfully. ¡°Let that be the reason.¡±

    ¡°It definitely is the reason.¡±

    ¡°Mhm! Must be.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said, and hugged Dema a little closer. Hopefully one day she¡¯d be able to protect and hug Treeka too.

    For a while, they slowly made their way through the forest. It was quiet except for the muffled steps Theora made, and the shuffling of Dema¡¯s clothes against hers.

    ¡°I have a question.¡± Theora took a breath. She¡¯d been meaning to ask for a while, but wasn¡¯t sure whether she should, around Treeka. ¡°Dema. What made you feel nostalgic?¡±

    Dema looked up in mild surprise, and tilted her head against Theora¡¯s chest. ¡°Hm?¡± she asked, sleep-drunk.

    ¡°When you picked up her presence, you said that it made you nostalgic. Why?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Dema let out. ¡°Why, ¡¯cause it felt lonely?¡±

    ¡°It felt lonely?¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Lonely presence.¡±

    That didn¡¯t really make a lot of sense. How could a presence feel lonely? At least, that was Theora¡¯s first thought, but the more she dissected the idea, the less implausible it felt. Theora was able to sense aggressive intent in other people. She could feel when they were about to activate combat Skills; that was how she¡¯d beaten the Devil of Truth, after all. So apparently, Dema could feel loneliness?

    ¡°But why did it make you feel nostalgic? Do you mean ¡ª do you mean it reminded you of being in the Cube of Solitude?¡±

    ¡°Same as you,¡± Dema murmured. ¡°Same as you. Back when we met, you felt kinda lonely. Dunno. Was my first scheme, you know? I thought if I wanted to come along, you might say yes. Cause you felt lonely. Big success.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Isobel too.¡± Dema shrugged. ¡°Kinda¡­ Was a really really small presence, in the rock. Should have been impossible to feel, but suddenly, there it was, just barely enough.¡±

    ¡°A lonely presence in the rock,¡± Theora echoed. That made sense. Isobel had lost everyone she knew, buried beneath, all dead and alone, for millions of years.

    ¡°Bell too,¡± Dema added. ¡°Knew she was gonna die when she attacked me. Very lonely.¡±

    Dema had befriended Skuld, who was likely the last survivor of her kind. Dema had gone and made sure they would pick up Fiantanne, so Fiantanne wouldn¡¯t be left without companions after they¡¯d altered Lostina¡¯s plotline.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why,¡± Theora said quietly, and her heart hurt.

    Dema nodded, her horn grazing against the folds in the clothing.

    ¡°We¡¯ll come back for her,¡± Theora said. ¡°We¡¯ll come back and make sure she never has to feel lonely again.¡±

 Chapter 118: Perhaps a Little Poisonous

    In the following weeks, almost every second that Theora was busy, Dema spent visiting the Shade. When Theora picked flowers, Dema was with the Shade. When Theora did laundry or washed up, Dema was with the Shade. When Theora took a foot bath, or studied maps, or decided to sleep for two days straight, Dema would be there.

    Except that one night Theora spent crying because she¡¯d remembered being banned from the Observatory, and was missing Lostina. Dema did not spend that night inside the interdimensional attire; she spent that night cuddling with Theora and distracting her with silly stories she was making up on the spot.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Theora murmured the next morning when she woke up in Dema¡¯s lap.

    ¡°Why hello there, sunshine,¡± Dema said, looking up from her notes.

    ¡°Are you making progress?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°Hm? With what?¡±

    ¡°Your scheme.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Dema nodded. ¡°Slowly, yeah! I mean I only spent like an hour total inside the attire ¡ª from that perspective.¡± She squinted, clearly also having trouble figuring this stuff out. ¡°But yeah. Progress, big time.¡±

    ¡°We could go in together,¡± Theora suggested. ¡°That way, you could be there longer, and I wouldn¡¯t have to miss you.¡±

    ¡°Gotta remember that if we¡¯re both inside for too long, time here¡¯s gonna pass in a blink.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ Right.¡± Theora shuffled her head over Dema¡¯s legs. ¡°I mean, you could also switch the latch on the device,¡± she mused. ¡°That way, time inside goes by quicker, and you could get a lot done.¡±

    Dema put her chin in her hand. ¡°Yeah, but¡­ that¡¯s gonna spoil all your stuff!¡±

    ¡°Not if I ask the Shade to help me get it all out first. We retrieve everything that would spoil, then you go inside, switch the latch, and finish your business. Can take as long as you want.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Why, you¡¯re so good with time-logic. I never would¡¯a figured that out!¡±

    Theora gave a proud smile. It was a hard-earned expertise she¡¯d accumulated through countless embarrassing misapprehensions.

    ¡°We¡¯ll get to the volcanic area tomorrow. If it¡¯s alright with you, you could finish up first and then we try storing lava.¡±

    ¡°You wanna store lava? But wouldn¡¯t lava cool down quickly even in your clothes?¡±

    The truth was, Theora had no idea what exactly the time conversion rate of the device was, but this sounded worrying. Her Skill made her tea stay fresh for longer ¡ª well over a hundred years by now ¡ª but she generally preferred making tea right before drinking. So, whenever possible, she would like to store ingredients instead of the finished brew.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try anyway.¡±

    With that, Theora made a motion to rise, and was immediately met with a noise of complaint.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t done yet!¡±

    Theora tilted her head. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®not done yet¡¯? What were you doing?¡±

    Dema turned her notes around, showing a big tally list. ¡°Counting freckles.¡±

    On reflex, Theora hid her nose behind a hand, and then put another hand on her forehead.

    Dema giggled. ¡°Can¡¯t count like that! I gotta know how many you have so I can recognise you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, do you still have issues with remembering faces?¡±

    ¡°Getting better,¡± Dema said. ¡°But yours is important, big time. Also, what if there¡¯s an impostor and they got just one freckle wrong? I gotta be able to unmask them.¡±

    ¡°If there is an impostor, they would not show up on your party screen.¡±

    Dema pouted.

    ¡°But,¡± Theora added, ¡°it¡¯s alright. I will let you finish your count.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    And so, she kept counting the freckles, while Theora tried her best to withstand the attention and focus on the bird¡¯s singing instead, and the breeze, and Dema¡¯s soft thighs, and Dema¡¯s cute eyes. And she tried her hardest to make it through the times when Dema would gently pinch or stretch Theora¡¯s skin, and bow down to look closer.

    ¡°Alright, done with the face,¡± Dema finally let out when Theora was already a hot mess. ¡°Way easier when you¡¯re awake.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®done with the face¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Well, I gotta count the other ones too. You have ¡¯em on your arms and legs and such, right?¡±

    ¡®And such.¡¯ Dema couldn¡¯t possibly hope to count all of them, could she?

    ¡°But what if they change?¡± Theora asked. ¡°They can change with time, I think.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Dema let out, and nodded slowly, thinking. She scratched her head, then shrugged. ¡°Guess I gotta count every year then.¡±

    Every year.

    Theora¡¯s future was looking grim. There would not be enough time to cool down; she¡¯d melt. ¡°Alright,¡± she said, getting up. ¡°We should hurry. I need to find the Fragments of Time.¡±

    And so, Dema stopped diving into the interdimensional travelling attire until they reached the volcano, and they immediately had much more time together, which Theora appreciated a lot. Even if they didn¡¯t talk, it was nice to have Dema there while picking flowers, or knowing she was nearby while Theora was asleep, or knowing she could have Dema manage social interactions in the event that they met another traveller somewhere.

    Soon, they got close to the area with openly flowing lava, and Theora couldn¡¯t wait to drink some green lava tea again, or maybe experiment with other brews. She could take another foot bath too.

    ¡°There we are,¡± Dema said. ¡°You¡¯ll be good on your own?¡±

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    ¡°Yes, I think so. Do you know how long it might take you?¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°¡¯Til I¡¯m happy with it, I guess. Shouldn¡¯t take more than a few hours for you?¡±

    Huh. A few hours for Theora might translate to days in the coat, so Dema definitely seemed to have big plans.

    Theora nodded, and before Dema could even think of asking out loud, she ¡®undressed¡¯, and safely put the attire on a rock pedestal. Then, she proceeded to ask the Shade for everything that could spoil, like food and clothes that might degrade over time. It was more than Theora had initially expected, so with the help of Dema, it took them almost two hours to get it all out and sorted. The volcanic landscape looked a little bit like a flea market towards the end.

    ¡°There you go,¡± Theora went, and sighed. ¡°Thank you for your help. I think I¡¯m ready now. See you later?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ll change the latch once I¡¯m inside.¡± Dema folded her brows, and pulled her mouth to one side. ¡°I¡¯m thinking we gotta be careful with changing the setting of the time thingy.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said. ¡°If we mess it up, and have the wrong mode going and fall asleep or such, we might lose a lot of friends by accident.¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be too much of an issue as long as we are in different time zones. But we gotta be careful if we¡¯re in at the same time.¡±

    Then she dove into the interdimensional coat, and Theora was left behind in the sulphury, smoky volcanic air that smelled nothing like Dema, but was close enough to feel a little at home.

    The first thing Theora did was scoop some lava out of the river to watch it cool and harden in her hands. It turned dry and rocky within minutes, but as she crumbled the rock apart, the tips of her fingers felt a welcome burning sizzle ¡ª the inside had stayed mushy.

    Oh, this was great. It meant lava was exactly like bread. The outside would harden, but keep the inside warm and soft.

    In other words¡­ if Theora stored a very large chunk of lava inside her coat¡­ Perhaps the core would stay warm and liquid even as the outside cooled?

    Theora breathed a sigh of relief. If this worked, she could have her very own loaf of lava right with her all the time. At that, she remembered her little jar of dough, and decided to feed the little monsters hiding in it. She mixed in some flour and water, then stirred. Touching active dough always made Theora happy; it was so fluffy and light, and knocking out the bubbles was really satisfying too.

    That taken care of, Theora went on to the highlight of this day: Making tea.

    Having all the ingredients fanned out right in front of her made her a bit more daring. She was the only one who had to drink it, after all. Giving someone else something like ash tea felt a bit rude, but drinking it herself was totally fine. Maybe she could make lava sourdough tea¡­ She imagined it might give other people an upset stomach.

    As she looked around for more ingredients from the environment, her eyes fell on something in particular.

    It gave her a thought.

    A thought powerful enough to make her skin prickle.

    She got up and stumbled through the rocks to collect what she found growing between the flows of lava. Within the hour, she¡¯d made dozens of brews and tested them on herself. It seemed to be working.

    Oh, this was beautiful. Why had she not thought about this before?

    She couldn¡¯t wait for Dema to return. It took almost all of Theora¡¯s willpower to hold back from just hopping into the attire and pulling Dema out. She just stared and stared, waiting.

    And then, finally, Dema violently pushed her head out from the fabric, sweating a lot and smiling brightly. Her mana was completely drained. ¡°All done!¡±

    Theora swallowed at the glow of Dema¡¯s eyes in the night. ¡°Welcome back,¡± she said. ¡°So, you were successful?¡±

    Dema nodded, fully emerging from the fabric, then wiped her forehead with her cloak. ¡°Took a while. But all done. Can¡¯t wait for you to see it.¡±

    Theora really wanted to know what Dema had been doing, but she also really wanted to share her new invention. Torn between the two, she just kept staring.

    ¡°So what¡¯ve you been up to?¡±

    Theora twitched, and averted her gaze. ¡°Making tea.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Can I have some?¡±

    Alright, so it was decided. Theora nodded and looked around. ¡°Perhaps we should tidy up first?¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± Dema said, picked up a random garment at her feet, and stuffed it into the coat. ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡±

    Putting it all in went a lot faster than getting it out, since the Shade helpfully took care of sorting the inside. Theora still couldn¡¯t help but feel undeserving of that effort. Sure, she provided the Shade with food, but providing someone else with food if one was able to seemed like the basic requirement of civility, and Theora didn¡¯t really want to make the Shade feel like it had to work to make up for it. So instead, now that she knew she could physically visit the Shade, she could at least go inside and give it hugs and thanks and ask if there was anything else she could offer.

    When they were done, Theora put the attire back on, found a good place for them to sit down and¡­ and¡­

    Her heart started thumping as she stared at the gleaming cup of tea she¡¯d spent hours brewing, specifically for Dema. What had she gotten herself into?

    ¡°Maybe this is a bad idea after all,¡± she mumbled.

    ¡°Hey, no fair!¡± Dema let out, laughing. ¡°I wanna drink it!¡±

    ¡°I messed up a little. I experimented. I have no idea what that tea might do to you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna be fine, pretty sure.¡± Dema sat down with a plop and stretched, showing off all of her muscles. She seemed to have exerted herself a lot for that new scheme of hers.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Theora sat down too, placing the single cup between them on the ground. It was a lava-based tea made of an assortment of dozens of different blossoms, gleaming in soft hot iron glow, translucent, with little glitters of pollen floating inside. She left a few petals in to make it pretty, while using the assortment itself to infuse the cup with her own voice. ¡°The flowers might be a little poisonous. And the tea might be a bit hot. But, I think that should be fine.¡±

    Dema nodded, picked it up with both hands, and breathed in to catch the scent, eyes closed. She giggled mirthfully. ¡°Smells like flowers, alright. So nice.¡± Then, she put it up to her lips, and sipped. Her throat bobbed a little. Her face lit up in disbelief.

    [Tea Brewing] advanced to Level 244.

    [Flower Language] advanced to Level 173.

    Dema started sobbing.

    She placed the tea on the ground, the other hand grabbing her scarf and rubbing her eyes. ¡°Why, that¡¯s a little unfair,¡± she said, trying to hide her face. ¡°No warning, either. I¡¯m gonna cry.¡±

    ¡°You are already crying,¡± Theora said, and moved to Dema¡¯s side to pull her into a hug.

    ¡°Guess I am. Stealing the show today, big time.¡± Dema pushed her head against Theora¡¯s chest. ¡°I was gonna make you cry. How¡¯d you even do that? I can taste words on my tongue.¡±

    Theora was already crying too. ¡°I used both [Tea Brewing] and [Flower Language] at the same time. I was not sure whether it would work, but it looks like it did.¡±

    Flower language tea. Combining both of Theora¡¯s most beloved Skills, the tea¡¯s taste would be enhanced by the feelings she had for the recipient, while at the same time conveying an intricate message.

    She¡¯d made a concoction filled up to the brim with¡­ everything.

    The way Dema always cared for her. The way Dema spoke in Theora¡¯s stead when Theora was too shy or overwhelmed. The way Dema smelled, and how soft her touch was, and the way Dema made Theora want to smile. The way she reached out to people who were isolated, to offer them a place to stay. The way Dema could easily befriend anyone, the way she could be scary and make Theora feel hot.

    ¡°Damn, you got such nice Skills,¡± Dema said, her voice muffled by Theora¡¯s clothes.

    These words gave Theora shivers. She¡¯d finally found ways to express herself that didn¡¯t invoke permanent destruction or stumbling on words. Dema was still trembling in Theora¡¯s arms. All it had taken was a single sip.

    It was scary to wield that much power.

    It took a while for Dema¡¯s tears and sweat to dry. Theora felt guilty for imagining that she must be tasting even saltier than usual now. Totally inappropriate, so she kept it to herself. She¡¯d have to manage her salt intake in ways that didn¡¯t involve making Dema cry.

    Finally, Dema disentangled herself and clumsily jumped up, taking a few steps while stretching some more. ¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°Yes, fine! Y¡¯know, I figured you liked me since you stick around but damn, that much?¡± She smiled, and rubbed her eyes. ¡°Gosh, that tea¡¯s a menace. My heart!¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m glad you liked it.¡±

    ¡°I did!¡± Dema cheered. ¡°Your Skill makes it stay fresh, right? Can you, like, put the rest into a bottle so I can drink it whenever I feel bad? I¡¯m gonna go cool down. Be right back!¡±

    With that, she ran off, and Theora took the opportunity to collect her thoughts while self-consciously fulfilling the request. After a moment, Dema came back covered head-to-toe in grey clay. She must have thrown herself into a mud pond.

    ¡°Alright.¡± She walked up to Theora, coming to a halt right in front of her, and stared down with a mischievous smile. ¡°My turn!¡±

 Chapter 119: That Question

    ¡°Your turn,¡± Theora echoed, gulping.

    Dema sat down. ¡°Yeah.¡± She wiped mud off her face and crumbled it around herself, sloppily excavating most of her eyes, cheeks, and hands. ¡°So,¡± she began, ¡°We¡¯ve been dating for like 165 years now.¡±

    Theora¡¯s body ran cold. ¡°We¡¯ve been what?¡±

    ¡°And I thought ¡ª dang, it¡¯s time I should ask her that question!¡±

    That question? What was that question? Was it time to run away?

    ¡°But,¡± Dema continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t have the necessary¡­ what¡¯s it called¡­ requirements.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the question?¡±

    Dema shrugged, and her teasing grin turned a lot shyer. ¡°Why, I was gonna ask if you wanted to move in with me.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± At first, that was all Theora got out, before adding, ¡°But you don¡¯t have a home.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s the requirements I was talking about. So I wanted to show you something.¡±

    ¡°What did you want to show me?¡±

    Dema smirked. ¡°You wanna see?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then,¡± Dema started with a grin, ¡°please undress!¡±

    Oh no, this again. Why had she even bothered putting the attire back on? Theora pulled the coat over her head and placed it on the ground carefully, then shot a questioning glance at Dema to check if she was doing it right.

    ¡°Better follow me,¡± Dema sang, and dove into the fold of the fabric. She was gone immediately, and Theora needed a moment to join, because the idea of simply entering her travelling attire was still very hard to parse. When she finally went in, she felt herself get swallowed up by the Shade.

    Theora reappeared at the foot of a steep, fake hill, surrounded by a wide, fake lake. The Shade had obviously given its best effort to create a beautiful natural environment, but it was still filled with errors and illusional shortcuts. The reflections on the water were all wrong, the plants seemed cut-out and grainy, and the shadows made no sense.

    And yet, Theora felt right at home. The breeze tasted like the peel of lemons somehow, and it was dark and cosy. The only way forward was the walk up the side of the hill, the steep path being lighter and sharper than everything else. Dema waited a few steps ahead, and then they climbed up together.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Theora said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that the Shade was still fostering environments friendly to life.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Made me feel welcome!¡±

    ¡°So, is this what you wanted to show me? That we could both¡­ move into the Shade?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s more!¡± Dema said, pointing up.

    The climb took a few minutes, the path turning every now and then, hugging the overgrown side of the hill. At the top, they were greeted by a small corridor of fake, dense leaves leading to their destination.

    It was a softly-curved meadow with ankle-high grass and the occasional, pasted-in flower that really shouldn¡¯t be growing there. A large, anxiety-inducing, leafless, black tree grew on the hill ¡ª from the way it leaned, it should be falling over any moment, but didn¡¯t. Right in front of it was a house, made of crimson rock.

    Theora recognised Dema¡¯s architectural style immediately. It was not a fake house at all, it had been built from effort, sweat, and blood. It had three horizontal segments arranged in steps from left to right, a large entry door embedded in the middle segment. The walls were ornamented with complex blood formations and stone murals. The roof was tiled in basalt rock, the rafters had flowers engraved, the windows were made of thin blood-glass, and the space between them was engraved with jellyfish, fossils, and little rabbits.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Theora said, stumbling forward. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful.¡±

    Dema beamed. ¡°I made it like this to show you, but if we wanna change things up later, that totally works! So lemme know if you have any ideas.¡±

    ¡°Can we go inside?¡±

    ¡°¡¯Course!¡± Dema held out a hand, and Theora gave hers. ¡°I made it big, in case Bell and Iso wanna move in one day.¡±

    Theora nodded.

    They made it onto the stone porch, and Dema slid the entrance door aside. There was a little room leading into a small entry hall, with blood shelves to store boots and blood hooks to hang up clothing. A staircase directly to the left led into the basement, opposite another leading into the second floor on the right. The entry hall then split into two corridors leading to the left and right wings of the building.

    Dema pushed open two thin slabs of stone, to reveal more storage space in the walls.

    ¡°The Shade has made it so every shelf connects to your attire,¡± Dema said. ¡°So you can ask for stuff and put things in, if you wanna.¡±

    ¡°Shade,¡± Theora murmured slowly. ¡°Please, you¡¯re doing so much. Let me know how to do favours for you, too.¡±

    At that, a bundle of black fabric with red, asymmetric eyes jumped forth from the open wall and swallowed Theora in a hug.

    Dema proceeded to lead them through the rooms; most of them were empty as of yet, but she was already overflowing with ideas on what to do in them. One for storing books, one for lazing around, a small one with a blood-desk where she could organise her schemes, and even a bedroom.

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    The first thing Theora noticed upon entering the bedroom was the large tree on the small yard visible through the window. She opened it and pushed her head through. ¡°Wait,¡± she murmured. The backside of the house was curved around the tree. Right now, they were standing in the left wing, and Theora could see several doors leading from the back of the house into the yard, and windows were pointing at it too. ¡°It feels a little bit like¡­ It feels like the house is hugging this tree.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema said. ¡°I thought, who knows? When we find a way to fetch Treeka, maybe she wants to move in with us too? So I reserved a spot. And the house will be under the canopy so she can have her spectral body move around and like, we can all directly go to her and see her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d love that.¡±

    Theora then turned her head back to the room, and her eyes finally fell on the single frame of a very small bed.

    ¡°It¡¯s small,¡± she observed.

    ¡°Yeah. Didn¡¯t have enough money to buy a bigger one. We¡¯re gonna have to hug tight.¡±

    Theora took a few steps toward it. ¡°Dema¡­ It feels like you might be lying to me. You didn¡¯t even have time to go buy a bed anywhere, and people rarely use money nowadays.¡± Then, she pointed at its frame. ¡°Also, it¡¯s made of blood. I have an inkling you could perhaps have made a bigger one if you wanted to.¡±

    ¡°Dang, can¡¯t keep any secrets from you, can I?¡±

    Theora really wanted to sleep in such a small bed together with Dema.

    ¡°We still gotta look at the basement.¡±

    Dema scuttled back out and had them return to the entry hall entering the stairs leading down. Quickly, Theora could feel the air getting warmer. Steam billowed from below.

    Down there was a room made entirely of dark stone, illuminated by a light-producing magical item Theora had forgotten she owned. There was a large basin in one corner, shelves set into another wall, as well as some smaller indents filled with water. The floor beneath them had a lattice to lead the excess away. Dema pulled a plate aside to reveal a burning oven underneath the larger basin ¡ª she¡¯d probably used some of the firewood Theora had stored.

    ¡°I¡¯m kinda dirty,¡± Dema said, wiping off a few more flakes of mud. ¡°Wanna take a bath?¡±

    It took Theora about five minutes to recollect the pieces of her mind after that question, but eventually, she obliged. She was already wearing one of Fiantanne¡¯s short dresses, so revealing the rest seemed doable if she ignored all implications, although she did ask Dema to heavily dim the light source so they could both only see silhouettes. Of course, Dema¡¯s eyes were always faintly visible.

    Dema first attempted to clean herself off at one of the smaller basins, but she was doing such a poor job that Theora took pity and helped her rinse the remaining flakes off.

    Then, Dema jumped into the basin, splashing the entire room with water. Theora wiped a few drops from her cheeks and forehead, and then slowly joined in too. The basin was more than large enough that the two of them didn¡¯t have to touch each other while inside, a fact Theora was extremely grateful for now, because she was feeling dizzy and unprepared.

    ¡°Not gonna lie,¡± Dema finally said, right after poking her head back out from a dive. ¡°Was kinda hoping we¡¯d keep the lights on. Wanted to see your stretch marks.¡±

    Theora¡¯s fingers self-consciously grazed over her thighs and belly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen them before.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema said. ¡°But like¡­ I have a bit of a thing for scars¡­¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t help but laugh a soft, surprised laugh. ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to show them right now, but I shall keep it in mind.¡± Then, she thought about the times she¡¯d seen Dema undressed before, like when taking care of her, or at the volcano. ¡°You don¡¯t have any scars yourself, right?¡±

    Dema hummed affirmingly. ¡°Can¡¯t have them. They just get healed away with [Regeneration]. Big bummer. Didn¡¯t even get one when the Devil of Truth stole my heart¡­¡±

    ¡°I see. Perhaps you could have phrased that differently.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­ So comfy.¡± Dema sighed in her low, raspy voice. ¡°Kinda feel like falling asleep. Oh, on that note¡­¡±

    With a few splashes, she reached for a compartment in the wall, and asked for the time dilation device.

    Theora perked up. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s inside the Shade again?¡±

    ¡°Shade¡¯s fine now that it knows how to handle it, I think,¡± Dema said. She then pushed the latch, and a soft shockwave came from it. ¡°Time¡¯s slow outside now. Can fall asleep without worry.¡±

    ¡°It might still be a problem if we fall asleep for a very long time¡­¡±

    Dema giggled. ¡°That¡¯s more of a you problem. But yeah, we could ask an artificer to make a custom alarm clock for you that can be set for decades.¡±

    Theora nodded and kept secret that she would prefer one that could be set for centuries.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Dema stored the device away again, then let herself sink back into the water. ¡°Should also make some magitek device that tells us which mode is on. Like¡­ Making the house glow all red if it¡¯s made so time outside goes fast.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. That would be much safer.¡± Theora stretched a bit and accidentally knocked her foot against Dema¡¯s leg, then retracted it quickly. ¡°A-Also,¡± she kept going, ¡°I wanted to ask you ¡ª because it came up a while ago. If we are in a situation where you are asleep and I am awake; would it be alright for me to snuggle up to you? Or cuddle you? Like ¡ª n-not in the bath, like right now. But in bed, for example. Or would you prefer I didn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Why, you haven¡¯t been doing that already? That¡¯s so sad!¡± Dema blinked. ¡°Wait, I¡¯ve been doing that! Was that wrong? Did you mind?¡¯

    Theora frowned. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t mind. I already gave you permission to touch me a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Dema went. ¡°Right. Still like it if you tell me again every now and then, helps me remember and makes me feel fuzzy.¡± She hummed and scratched her wet hair to think. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s establish some rules? Rule number one: You can hug me whenever you want!¡±

    So ¡®no overthinking¡¯ was rule number zero, then. Theora nodded. It would be hard to hug Dema without asking first, but with a few decades of practice, she might be able to learn it.

    ¡°Rule number two,¡± Dema continued. ¡°You can kiss me whenever you want!¡±

    ¡°Dema¡­ that¡¯s a bit¡­¡± Theora pulled her legs up to her chest.

    ¡°Rule number three! You can undr¡ª¡±

    ¡°Dema.¡± Theora took a deep, unsteady breath. ¡°Let¡¯s stick with the first rule for now and think about the others in¡­ a thousand years.¡±

    Dema laughed. ¡°Why, a thousand years! That¡¯s so long!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ It¡¯s too short.¡±

    Dema let out a mock-shocked yelp. ¡°But you were the one who said it!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora went. ¡°I¡¯m attempting very hard to try my best. Since you would like to do it so much.¡±

    Dema smiled faintly. ¡°Why, thank you. But there¡¯s no rush, alright? Take as much time as you wanna.¡±

    ¡°But you said it¡¯s too long¡­¡±

    ¡°¡¯Course I did,¡± Dema chirped. ¡°I''m gonna tell you how I feel and you¡¯re gonna tell me how you feel and then we¡¯re gonna figure it all out. Together! Right?¡±

    Theora nodded as her cheeks turned hot. ¡°Right.¡±

    Shortly after that, Dema shuffled around and accidentally bumped a foot against Theora¡¯s shin, sending shivers over her entire body.

    Theora had to close her eyes and take a few deep breaths.

    This may well have been the best day of her entire life, perhaps.

    She let herself sink further into the warm water, feeling its gentle waves touch her dry lips.

    Of course, it was selfish. Ultimately, there would be no good end for her; there couldn¡¯t be, but she was willing to accept these days of bliss for now regardless. She only hoped that the day when it would all come crashing down could await a little longer.

    ¡°What¡¯s got you worried?¡± Dema asked, and Theora twitched, pushing her chin back out from the water.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me,¡± she said. ¡°I was just thinking about how happy I am.¡±

 Chapter 120: Self-Made

    Both ended up falling asleep in the basin, and the next day, they went through each room to discuss future plans.

    ¡°We have a storage room,¡± Dema said at some point. ¡°But I guess your ingredients are still gonna be an issue, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Theora answered.

    If they were to use this place as their home, then it was better to have the dilation device slow down time outside. But keeping that mode active all the time would mean Theora¡¯s ingredients would expire much more quickly. They could still switch modes whenever they left their home, but they only had to mess up once for everything to spoil.

    Of course, if Theora had to decide between storing ingredients for longer or having a place to live in with Dema and sleep as long as she wanted, the choice was clear.

    ¡°I was going to ask you if you could move lava with your earth magic,¡± Theora said, grazing through the fabric of the Shade that had materialised in her lap. ¡°But if we are going to use it as a home, it might not be worth it.¡±

    Dema was using a little crystal blood rod to measure distances inside the bedroom to figure out what sizes the stuff should have that they were to fetch from outside, and she kept jotting the measurements down on a piece of paper. ¡°Yeah, I can definitely move lava, I think,¡± she said.

    ¡°But you can¡¯t make it yourself, right? You were able to condense Isobel¡¯s shale into slate. But you can¡¯t compress it enough for it to melt?¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Dema looked up from her notes. ¡°Don¡¯t think so. At least not at that Skill¡¯s current Level. Hm¡­¡± She used the rod to graze through her hair. ¡°I could maybe try and make a new Skill for that, though? I thought I couldn¡¯t since I don¡¯t have [Fire] affinity, but I never considered creating heat from pressure.¡±

    ¡°You can create Skills yourself?¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Of course! Made all my Skills myself. Class Skills, I mean.¡± She smiled, then turned down to continue measuring. ¡°But why¡¯s that surprise you? Didn¡¯t you make your [Stargazer]-Skills yourself too? Pretty sure I never heard of a Class like that before.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I could have made that Class myself,¡± Theora said. ¡°It keeps trying to tease me, and there is even a Skill that talks to me in a very cheeky way.¡±

    ¡°Oh, [Head in the Clouds], you mean? Lemme talk to it too! Lil lil rabbit!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®lil lil rabbit¡¯.¡± Theora sighed. ¡°As I said, it¡¯s cheeky. It¡¯s very different from me. I don¡¯t think I could have made it.¡±

    ¡°Why,¡± Dema started, acting slightly ticked off, ¡°you tryna tell me you¡¯re never cheeky? How cheeky, li¡¯l bun bun, don¡¯t think I¡¯m not onto you!¡±

    Theora had no idea what Dema was insinuating, but it still made something click. Theora used to be a cheeky brat, as a child. That was true, even though it was ages ago. Was Theora somehow teasing herself?

    Seemingly done measuring the room, Dema left, and Theora followed, carrying the Shade in front of her chest. The next room was one that could become a little library, so the Shade proceeded to spit out books from Theora¡¯s storage. At some point, the Shade started puffing out envelopes.

    ¡°Why, what¡¯s that?¡± Dema picked one up, folded it open, and pulled out a letter. ¡°Addressed to you. Can I read?¡±

    Theora joined and peeked over Dema¡¯s shoulder. The letter seemed to have been written by a child, and was very yellowed and partly decomposed. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡±

    The truth was, Theora wanted to say she¡¯d never seen it before. But it was far more likely she¡¯d forgotten about it.

    Clearing her throat, Dema read out, ¡°Dear Theora. Thank you for saving my dad. My dad even cries and he never cries. Come visit.¡± Beneath it was the name of a town Theora knew had ceased to exist about a thousand years ago, with a drawing of a house. ¡°That¡¯s cute,¡± Dema added. ¡°You got more. We should store them in a drawer.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I recognise any of them¡­¡±

    ¡°But you kept them!¡± Dema said, carefully spreading them out on a desk. ¡°And now you get to remember. I guess the oldest ones must have turned to dust, judging from how degraded these are¡­ Should I seal them?¡±

    Theora perked up. ¡°Seal them?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, like¡­¡± Dema scrunched up her face and whirled her index finger around, blood pouring from under her fingernail. Then, with the other hand, she took a piece of paper from her cloak. After a few more whirling movements, the blood crystallised, and formed a thick transparent sheet around the paper. She handed it to Theora.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    The note inside was still readable inside the crystal, tinged in red, as if preserved in amber or glass.

    ¡°Like that!¡± Dema went, and smiled.

    ¡°Please do that,¡± Theora replied. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose them.¡±

    With a nod, Dema got to work.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about my ingredients,¡± Theora said eventually, sitting on the table as she watched Dema preserve her letters. ¡°We can turn the device into slow-mode whenever nobody is home, so that this place doesn¡¯t degrade. And while we are here, we turn it into fast-mode so things outside don¡¯t degrade. I will figure something out.¡±

    Dema grumbled, unsatisfied. ¡°This is a headache¡­ Slow mode¡­ fast mode¡­ Let¡¯s call it¡­¡± She took a break from sealing the next letter, and her face lit up. ¡°Catapult mode! For what it does right now. And ice mode for the other.¡±

    Theora tried to turn this around in her head. It didn¡¯t make sense. ¡°But aren¡¯t we in ice mode right now? We want no time to pass outside, so the outside is frozen.¡±

    ¡°Huh. I guess it kinda changes depending on where we are?¡± Dema looked at the Shade that was wrapping itself around Theora, as if for help. ¡°So it¡¯s ice mode when we¡¯re inside and the outside is slow, and it¡¯s also ice mode when we¡¯re outside and the inside is slow?¡±

    ¡°If we do it like that, we¡¯d mess it up. Maybe we should fix the reference point to always be outside? Ice mode is when, from the outside, things go slow here. And catapult mode is when, from the outside, things go fast here.¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Then we¡¯re in catapult mode right now. And we gotta switch to ice when we leave.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    They were so good at this.

    A few days later, Dema was playing catch with the prowlers while Theora marvelled at how much Sounddoom Valley had regenerated in the past few months. Isobel had done an amazing job at helping it revitalise ¡ª the moss she had cultivated was somehow still alive and flourishing despite having gone through winter, and it had turned the place into a swampy landscape that even had little ponds to drink from.

    The darkness daffodils were in full bloom. Theora found lots of seeds in them, and decided to take just two, in hopes of growing one at ¡®home¡¯.

    In Hallmark, they visited Balinth and Hell. The first thing Theora did was to send a letter to Bell and Iso to organise their reunion, and it was a difficult letter to write because the two were staying in a town in the far south, which would lead them closer to Theora¡¯s old training grounds, but further away from Treeka.

    Meanwhile, Dema couldn¡¯t stop gushing about their visit to the book, and they ended up discussing the similarities and differences for hours, mounting theories about what action might have caused which changes, and going into it in detail that almost seemed to rival Lostina¡¯s understanding of stories.

    Not that Theora could actually judge that, since almost all of it went over her head, in large parts because she¡¯d not actually read the original. Dema also finally persuaded herself to read the story¡¯s final pages, perhaps out of curiosity about what might happen to Lostina and Gonell now, despite Theora¡¯s protest that this somehow seemed like an invasion of privacy.

    ¡°If we¡¯d known that we could visit the inside of the cloak through the Shade, one of us could have taken the Frame into it and waited for Gonell to wake up,¡± Theora mused one day, and found herself curiously gazed upon by all the others.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Balinth said. ¡°That makes sense, yeah. Guess Lostina would have had Gonell back earlier that way?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that would have worked!¡± Dema said. ¡°The Frame of the Lost¡¯s the strongest seal in their world, right? And it¡¯s time-based magic. Doubt it could have been fooled by some lower rank time effect. Like, the Cube of Solitude was space-based, but you wouldn¡¯t be able to just teleport out of it either, or stuff like that.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bal let out. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s a surprisingly good point.¡±

    ¡°But you said they seemed fine with how it went anyway, right?¡± Helena said. ¡°That they were okay with it?¡±

    Balinth nodded, her gaze a bit glassy. She grazed through her grey hair. ¡°I mean, especially from Lostina¡¯s perspective¡­ I think she considers herself really lucky. That she got off way lighter than she should have. Right? She thought she was going to die, and instead, Gonell went and completely destroyed the outline. That Deus ex Machina at the end could have¡­ Could have tried something different.¡±

    Theora shuddered. That ultimate author ability had indirectly been one of the reasons why she hadn¡¯t interfered during the climax of the story. There had been other reasons, too ¡ª using [Obliterate] inside the story was always risky; maybe even riskier than outside, and her having accidentally blown up part of it was proof of that. She¡¯d also not interfered because of her promise to Lostina.

    There was no telling how the author would have reacted to a foreign entity meddling with the plot to that extent, and while Theora could have, of course, obliterated the author ¡ª and they may have even been deserving of that ¡ª that could still have led to a variety of adverse effects.

    If only Theora had other ways to affect the world than through [Obliterate]. And sure, she was on her way to get there, but it was so slow. She¡¯d managed to fetch the time dilation device from the Shade, but only by ¡®fuzzing reality¡¯, as Isobel would call it. Theora didn¡¯t want to use [im//possibility] that way again. Although, in some situations, it might still be a better option than [Obliterate].

    But if what Dema said was true, and she really made all [Stargazer] Skills herself, then perhaps she would at some point learn more Skills. Ones that could help her find new ways to interact with the world in a way that wasn¡¯t permanently destructive and vile.

    And perhaps her experiences in To Hell With the Author could be some kind of deciding test for that. If ever she came to the point where her abilities would have allowed her to help in that situation, to defeat ¡ª or at least oppose ¡ª the author, or meaningfully support Gonell and Lostina in their struggles, then maybe that could mean she had made it somewhere.

    For now, Theora was just glad that Lostina and Gonell were so strong. That they had managed on their own, despite everything the world had tried to throw at them. It was, by all means, an inspiration. Theora would forever look up to them.

 Chapter 121: Old Wounds

    Hugging Isobel was a unique experience.

    She was warm. She was firm. She was small, only reaching Theora¡¯s belly when standing beside her. For the hug, Theora had leaned down.

    Moss tea and Dema¡¯s blood sloshed through the inside of the rock, and while the rock itself did not give way, the segments did ¡ª Theora had to imagine it was on purpose; that Isobel would shift and rearrange the plates making up her self so that they would gently budge when hugged. And thus, despite Isobel being made of rock, hugging her felt warm, cosy, and soft.

    Meanwhile, hugging Bell was also a unique experience. Bell was cold and wet and squishy. Toxic, too, of course. Theora felt her own skin melt and go numb from the acid and venom. It was like eating a cold chilli pepper.

    Theora didn¡¯t want either hug to end, especially not after missing them for months, but Dema was eagerly awaiting her turn, so eventually, she relented.

    As Dema¡¯s skin faintly boiled and buzzed against Bell¡¯s body, Theora¡¯s gaze went over the desert they could oversee from the wide patio of a restaurant they¡¯d chosen for their meet-up. Months had passed. They¡¯d met back up in a little merchant town in the far south, where Bell and Iso had stayed while waiting for someone with [Compute] to trade with.

    There, far off behind the horizon, was the peninsula Theora hadn¡¯t laid foot on in millenia. Her hometown was located far off that way too, albeit a bit closer. She took a deep breath. It would be their next step, and as much as she wished for it, there was probably nothing that could possibly happen to allow her to postpone it.

    Then, the soft clicks and crackles of Dema hugging Isobel resounded, and both of them giggled a little.

    ¡°You practised,¡± Dema observed.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Isobel said. ¡°Want to become the best hugger!¡±

    Theora¡¯s gaze went over to Bell, the likely training doll of Iso¡¯s efforts. She was looking at her feet, embarrassed.

    ¡°Also ¡ª¡± Isobel added, ¡°I found out how to open an alliance! It would allow us to chat with each other using the Interface. Long distance!¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have worked while you were inside the Observatory,¡± Bell added. ¡°But None still did their best to research it in the meantime. Someone needs to make the alliance with two fellow founding members.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Dema let out. ¡°So we need to choose founding members?¡±

    Bell snorted. ¡°You, Theora, and None, of course. I have no business being in there.¡±

    Dema nodded sagely. ¡°Yeah, that sounds totally wrong. Big time.¡±

    ¡°It does sound wrong,¡± Theora confirmed.

    ¡°Yep!¡± Isobel clapped her hands. ¡°Very wrong!¡±

    ¡°It should not matter,¡± Theora added. ¡°Once we are all inside, we would grant anyone all organising privileges anyway.¡±

    Dema smiled. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Meanwhile, Bell was making tiny steps back, staring at the ground. ¡°My quest hasn¡¯t changed, you know?¡±

    ¡°Mine didn¡¯t, either,¡± Theora said.

    Isobel nodded. ¡°Neither has mine!¡±

    ¡°Yes, but¡ª There is the matter of intent, which¡ª¡±

    ¡°Bell!¡± Iso cut in. ¡°You are so dense.¡±

    That shut her up.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Isobel went on, ¡°Anyone can make a standard alliance, but there¡¯s a special kind with more options, called an alliance of heroes. The only problem is that those need to be created by someone with Renown tier of Enzyme.¡±

    ¡°Enzyme?¡± Dema asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s the medium Renown rank,¡± Bell said. ¡°It represents the point after which you are a productive part of the Hero Project.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Basically, Enzyme has since come to be known as a term for a little cog in a big machine.¡±

    ¡°Isobel¡¯s a Fumbler,¡± Theora pointed out. ¡°So that wouldn¡¯t be high enough.¡±

    Bell nodded, and sighed. ¡°So that means Theora has to open the alliance.¡±

    They all looked at Theora, and she shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t? ¡­ Oh.¡± Bell was apparently looking at Theora¡¯s botched sheet. ¡°Okay, well. That means¡­¡±

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°You gotta do it!¡± Iso cheered. ¡°Bell will be our founder.¡±

    Bell tried to protest for a while ¡ª tried to bargain for them to make a regular alliance instead of a heroic one, but to no avail. And so, the founding members were decided to be Bell, Dema, and Iso.

    They sat down for some dessert and soon found themselves facing an assortment of cakes and cookies. In the meantime, Dema was inspecting Isobel¡¯s body and absently performing some repairs.

    ¡°Speaking of Renown,¡± Theora said after a while, ¡°We met someone who needs help. She said the [Renown Shop] has a solution for her problems, but I¡¯m wondering if Isobel could also help.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Iso looked up from her lime cake as Dema was working on her arm.

    ¡°Her name is Treeka,¡± Theora went on. ¡°She¡¯s an old magical tree with the ability to materialise in spectral form in the area under her canopy.¡±

    Isobel beamed. ¡°That sounds so cool!¡± She tugged her arm in her excitement, causing Dema to yelp and ask her to hold still.

    ¡°Yes. But unfortunately, she can¡¯t move away, and since she is located far away from other people, she feels isolated. She¡¯d like to be able to leave.¡±

    ¡°Damn,¡± Bell went. ¡°That sounds awful. You say she needs something from the [Renown Shop]? I can probably get it, if I save enough credits.¡±

    ¡°Credits can be transferred, right?¡± Dema asked.

    Bell nodded. ¡°They can, but some items are expensive, and there are restrictions on how many credits you can give away.¡±

    Dema frowned. ¡°What? Why?¡±

    Bell winced a little and then folded her tendrils behind her back. ¡°Items bought from the shop, as well as quest rewards, are all materialised System data. In other words, the System can¡¯t just infinitely generate things. It prevents individuals from collecting too many Credits, and it will sometimes refuse large orders. Needs to be spread out.¡±

    Theora had never heard of that before, as per usual when they were talking about the System. That was maybe part of why Afterthoughts had to be defeated ¡ª being stray System data, it might help replenish the reward dispensaries.

    ¡°That said,¡± Bell added, ¡°what is it that she wants?¡±

    ¡°A Skill,¡± Theora replied. ¡° I don¡¯t know the name. She said it can banish a spirit into an object.¡±

    For a while, Bell chewed on a piece of cherry cake, eyes darting around, unfocused, navigating System prompts. Eventually, she swallowed. ¡°Well. That would be a¡­ unique way to solve her situation. I don¡¯t like it. Obviously I¡¯ll do it if she wants me to, but¡­¡±

    Dema stopped working on Isobel¡¯s arm, a few little rock pellets suddenly dropping to the ground. She looked over at Bell. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well, she is the tree. Right?¡±

    Dema nodded.

    ¡°Then,¡± Bell went on, ¡°she¡¯s not really just a ghost, or so. We¡¯d cut her spirit out from her body and dump it into another object. But bodies are somewhat important. They contain memories and¡­ You know, a mind alone can¡¯t¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°This Skill is for a specific type of bodiless creature where these things don¡¯t matter. We can use it on Treeka, but if her vessel can¡¯t change with her, she won¡¯t be able to learn, or to retain new memories, or¡­ She¡¯ll be an echo of her former self. Well. In any case, I¡¯ll need to talk to her about it before we do anything of that sort.¡±

    Dema had put her hand in Isobel¡¯s, gently grasping it. Bell might not have noticed that a lot of what she¡¯d just said, at least to some degree, also applied to Isobel¡¯s unchanging rock body.

    But Isobel clearly could change as a person and learn new things. So perhaps not all hope was lost. Maybe they could find an appropriate vessel.

    ¡°So,¡± Isobel said, ¡°What kind of tree is she? What does she look like? I studied botany to spec into plant magic to become a [Mossmancer], so let me know any details you remember.¡±

    ¡°Hadn¡¯t seen that kind of tree before,¡± Dema said. ¡°Red flowers that kinda looked like orchids. Leaves were big and green but fanned out, like little feathers.¡± She made a gesture with her arms to show their size. ¡°Bark was thin and light¡­ Well, [Appraise] called her a flame tree but I¡¯m not sure if that was the name of the tree or her name.¡±

    Isobel nodded along with the description. ¡°I think I know this kind of tree. Haven¡¯t seen it, but it was in some book. Any idea how old she was?¡±

    ¡°About a thousand years, I think,¡± Theora replied. At least, that was her estimate based on the stories Treeka had told. ¡°I¡¯m sure she magically enhanced her growth. She seemed capable of doing things like that with the flowers as well.¡±

    Isobel smiled. ¡°I think I have some ideas, maybe. Anything else you noticed?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Dema let out. ¡°She was hollow.¡±

    The smile on Isobel¡¯s face faded. ¡°Hollow?¡±

    Theora frowned, trying to remember the details. ¡°There was a large opening in the bark of the trunk, behind lots of ivy. Dema went inside and her voice echoed, so I assume it was very large.¡±

    ¡°You mean as in, a wound?¡± Iso asked.

    ¡°Yea, could say that,¡± Dema said. ¡°Her spirit body was only halfway there too. Why, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Isobel now looked downright horrified. Biting her lip, she took a moment before asking, ¡°Has she seemed¡­ worried?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said. ¡°She was worried we might abandon her and not come back. That she wouldn¡¯t see us again.¡±

    Dema frowned, clenching part of her cloak. ¡°You saying she might be hurt? She seemed totally fine!¡±

    Isobel looked back at Dema pitifully, and whispered, ¡°Trees die slowly.¡±

    ¡°Die,¡± Theora echoed. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. You think that¡­ wound¡­ might be lethal?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ There are lots of things that like to eat wood, like fungi and insects,¡± Isobel explained. ¡°The bark is supposed to protect them, but if it gets damaged, parasites get in and eat the tree alive from the inside.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Dema went. ¡°So when a tree gets wounded, they die?¡±

    ¡°Well, most have some protections,¡± Iso said. ¡°Resin to close the wound¡­ Some trees will grow new bark over the opening, but it takes a long time. They have internal barriers too. But it really depends on the tree. Some species are¡­ really bad at this.¡±

    It dawned on Theora. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±

    Iso nodded. ¡°As far as I know, flame trees have weak internal barriers. I¡¯ll¡­ need to take a look. I can go there. M-Maybe, close up the wound with special moss. But if it¡¯s an old wound, then what¡¯s already inside¡­¡±

    ¡°Will feast until she falls,¡± Bell closed for her. ¡°At some point, any storm might do it.¡±

    Theora clenched her fists against her thighs. They¡¯d left a dying girl behind.

    ¡°We need to go back,¡± she said.

 Chapter 122: Eighty-Six

    They argued for another hour about potential solutions; about possible vessels for the spirit if they did go down that road, about other ways to maybe heal a tree. Bell suggested giving Treeka a slot of [Immortality] once Dema would get a new one, but Dema explained that [Immortality] provided no healing and no protection from corruption or ageing. On its own and without ways to mend herself, [Immortality] would simply make Treeka degrade and decay forever.

    Eventually, they decided they had to talk it all out with her.

    ¡°Dang,¡± Dema let out in the end. ¡°If I¡¯d known, I¡¯d have at least filled her out with crystal blood to stabilise her¡­ Why¡¯d that rascal not say anything!¡±

    Everyone fell silent. For a while, they just absent-mindedly poked their cakes, all appetite lost.

    ¡°That all said, I have another question,¡± Bell finally started. ¡°What in the world happened to the Observatory?¡± She looked at the others, trying to make sure the change in topic wasn¡¯t a complete failure in reading the room, and then added looking at Theora, ¡°Was that really you?¡±

    Theora managed a small nod, then swallowed. ¡°I messed up. Damaged it beyond repair when I tried to defeat a monster inside. They are considering rebuilding some things from scratch, and I was banned from entering again.¡±

    ¡°Aw!¡± Isobel let out. ¡°That¡¯s terrible¡­¡±

    Before Theora could start crying, Dema already scrambled to find something else to talk about. ¡°So Izzy, you found a source for [Compute]?¡±

    Isobel nodded. ¡°Took a while, but the person who has it should arrive soon. I¡¯ll do so many things! Speaking of doing things, what¡¯re our plans after Treeka? Did you find a Fragment?¡±

    Dema essentially jumped from her seat in excitement. ¡°Fragment was an arm!¡±

    Bell frowned. ¡°An arm? You are saying that System Quest is leading you to another sealed-off person?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just an arm so far,¡± Theora said. ¡°Also, while it is life-sized, it appears to be made of some type of ceramic. Maybe the arm of a doll. There is no telling if the other Fragments will have a similar shape.¡±

    Bell nodded. ¡°Still, it points toward a certain direction.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking of finding another Fragment in the far east,¡± Theora said. ¡°Probably two or three years of travel from here.¡±

    ¡°East¡­¡± Bell squinted. ¡°East. What¡¯s east? There¡¯s the desert, and then the Peninsula of Vor. Where Heofen is.¡± Hearing that name made Theora flinch. ¡°That alone will take a year to cross, it¡¯s massive. There is a Fragment there?¡±

    ¡°Vor is actually only half of that peninsula,¡± Theora said. ¡°There is a mountain range at its east end, and in the past, it used to widen again on the other side. Due to a catastrophe, that other half was sealed off a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Bell said, and frowned. She massaged her temples with a hair tendril, lost in thought for a moment. ¡°Wait. I¡¯ve never been there, but¡­ Are those the Forbidden Lands? The parts they don¡¯t even put on maps?¡±

    Theora clenched her fork, and gave a nod. ¡°My former training grounds.¡±

    Bell huffed. ¡°You know, it¡¯s weird, travelling with you, because I tend to forget how incredibly old you are. That area is ancient. Those were your training grounds? Ridiculous. How old are you?¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Dema chirped. ¡°No age shaming! Or Isobel¡¯s gonna be sad.¡±

    At the sudden drop of her name, she clacked up from munching on cookies. ¡°What?¡± she blurted out, accidentally firing out a few crumbs, which she then immediately set to gather back.

    ¡°Why, you¡¯re a fossil. That¡¯s gonna make you what, some few hundred million years old?¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Iso let out, staring as if she only now realised she was the oldest among them. She seemed almost proud of that. ¡°Yea. Mom, mommy ¡ª Listen to your elder! But I¡¯m also curious how old the two of you are. I think I can only date back Bell with relative accuracy.¡±

    Dema put her chin in her hand, and hummed a smoky hum. ¡°Well,¡± she went, ¡°I don¡¯t really know. Cube didn¡¯t have days nor seasons, was always the same starry sky. No clue how long I was in there. But! Li¡¯l rabbit said they had to wait ten thousand years for the scroll to be effective on me, so it must be at least that.¡±

    ¡°The myths about the Ancient Evil are not well documented,¡± Bell added. ¡°We don¡¯t have a clear timeline of your life. The most accurate estimations must lie in the scholarly libraries of Theora¡¯s home town, since they specialise in research of old beings. However, from what Theora told us, the data must have already been vague when she was born.¡± At that, Bell gave Theora a thoughtful look.

    It was true. Back when Theora had been given her lifetime task, history had already washed away most accurate accounts of the Ancient Evil. That said, sometimes, history degraded fast. If not carefully preserved, it could wash away in decades.

    As such, even Theora could not give an accurate estimate of the time Dema had spent in her prison ¡ª she only knew it was longer than she¡¯d been alive herself. And, even though Theora¡¯s memory of the entirety of her existence was bad overall and constantly deteriorating, the exact dates could still be retrieved through the timestamps of the quest logs she had from her work for the Hero Project.

    Which proved Dema had been gone for a long time indeed.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Isobel let out, tilting her head, eyes toward the sky. ¡°So we don¡¯t know how long Dema was sealed. But! How old were you when it happened? Do you remember?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema said. ¡°I remember because it was my birthday.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Bell stared. ¡°You got sealed on your birthday?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± For a moment, Dema¡¯s eyes turned glassy, and then she shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s how the hero battalion knew where I¡¯d be in advance. Cause of the celebration! So they could coordinate the capture.¡±

    ¡°That is horrifying,¡± Bell blurted out, and then swallowed, catching herself. ¡°How old were you?¡±

    ¡°Why,¡± Dema let out, beaming. ¡°I¡¯d just turned eighty-six.¡±

    A cold wave rushed down Theora¡¯s back.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Oh¡­ wait, that means you were out longer after than you were out before,¡± Iso mused, frowning as she realised she was producing word salad. ¡°You spent most of your free life with mom!¡±

    Not a single muscle in Theora¡¯s body was obeying her. She sat there stunned, hoping that at any point, Dema would call it a joke, or admit to lying. She couldn¡¯t even talk.

    Dema giggled softly. ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s my life now.¡± She sent over a look, but Theora couldn¡¯t reciprocate.

    ¡°So,¡± Bell murmured after regaining her composure. ¡°If I understand it correctly, that means we form an alliance, wait to receive [Compute], and then visit Treeka. And then go east. That¡¯s our plan? Or we split. None stays behind, and we go back and make sure to stabilise Treeka in the meantime? In either case, maybe we should turn in for the night. It¡¯s going to be dark soon, and we¡¯d need to leave early tomorrow. None and I are staying at a little lodging for heroes, there¡¯s enough space there for you to join us. It¡¯s a small home, but it¡¯s just us there right now.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Dema said and nodded. ¡°Oh, you think we can add more people to the alliance when it¡¯s made? Like, Balinth and Hell, for example. Then we could talk to them even if we¡¯re not in Hallmark. And their daughter! And her son!¡±

    Bell rested her head on her tentacle hand with a squish. ¡°Sure. We¡¯re on our way to Hallmark anyway. Invites have to be sent in person.¡±

    Their plans settled, the four set off to the lodgings. Dema ended up colourfully retelling her Observatory adventures the entire way, getting engrossed comments from Isobel every second.

    ¡°This is interesting,¡± Bell mused at one point. ¡°The story was written while the Afterthought plague was ongoing, right? I wonder how much that plague influenced the writing. The Afterthoughts pouring in like Errata, and a sole heroine able to withstand them, breaking the rules of the world in the process. I can see why it would have been your favourite story. Especially considering the main character is a schemer too.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Dema said. ¡°And yeah. People knew about the¡ª¡± She made a twisting motion with her hands. ¡°Get rotated, planet!¡±

    Isobel turned her head. ¡°The what?¡±

    As if that would explain anything, Dema just repeated her gesture with more grandeur.

    ¡°Speaking of Lostina and you,¡± Bell then continued, ¡°Being schemers is not your only parallel, is it?¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Dema asked. ¡°What else?¡±

    ¡°Well, I mean, since you are a demon, and self-determination being such an important theme in the story.¡±

    Dema frowned. ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    Isobel looked at Bell questioningly too. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Bell seemed a little overwhelmed by the sudden scrutiny. ¡°I just mean that ¡ª you would have picked one when you came here. After all, demons don¡¯t have genders in hell.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Dema let out, then laughed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. But I didn¡¯t pick. Just like my name, I had my mother choose mine.¡±

    That made Isobel perk up. ¡°Like you chose for me?¡±

    Dema gave a hesitant half-nod. ¡°Yeah, kinda? Well, I asked her before choosing a shape when I was exiled to the surface because I figured she¡¯d know me best. And it¡¯s not like we can¡¯t change things after the fact. Oh yeah, if you ever wanna change your appearance, lemme know! I¡¯m a certified rock-surgeon.¡±

    Isobel giggled. ¡°I¡¯m happy with what you made for me for now, thank you.¡±

    It was at this point that, despite the fog in her head, Theora noticed two auras approaching. Not that they had suddenly appeared ¡ª more so that by now, it was clear they were headed to meet them. She tensed up, even though in and of itself, it should not be a cause for concern.

    The two presences caught up at the lodgings, appearing on the road to their right. One of them was a woman with lime green hair and red eyes, pink skin and a skimpy outfit. The other had soft features and braided hair, wearing a long scarf. By now, Bell was staring at them too, while Dema and Iso seemed completely oblivious to their presence, still talking about To Hell With the Author. Bell threw a short glance at Theora to make sure they were on the same page, and Theora nodded in response.

    ¡°Hey there!¡± the woman shouted, raising her hand far above her head in a wink. Once she had everyone¡¯s attention, her joyous expression melted into sober gloom.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Isobel greeted back, and started jogging towards them with clackety-clacks, followed by Dema and Bell. However, once they arrived, the green-haired woman simply acknowledged them with a nod, and they walked past, headed for Theora, coming to a halt in front of her.

    The soft-featured man bowed, still looking into her eyes, head tilted downwards. He asked, ¡°Are we speaking to the Sun?¡±

    Theora nodded.

    The two exchanged a glance. The woman took a deep breath, and eased her clenching fists. ¡°Theora, Sun of Heofen, I am honoured to make your acquaintance.¡± She bowed as well. ¡°My name is Halla,¡± she continued, ¡°and this is Wels. We have come to find you in dire times. If you could allow us to arrange a meeting between you and some selected diviners and scholars¡­¡±

    ¡°Dire times,¡± Theora echoed. ¡°What happened?¡±

    The two exchanged another glance; more painful this time.

    ¡°Our task was to find you,¡± Wels said. ¡°We are not qualified to accurately describe the situation. Our words might be misunderstood. Communication should be left to those who¡­¡± He trailed off.

    ¡°Please,¡± Halla came to his rescue, ¡°Now that we found you, we can arrange for their transport. Tomorrow at noon, in the Grove. Would you be able to receive them?¡±

    The Grove. It was a small location a small way further into the settlement. Theora nodded.

    They gave short bows, repeated them toward Theora¡¯s companions, and then, they gave their goodbyes.

    This didn¡¯t bode well. Being treated with that much undue respect could only mean they knew exactly who she was and what she was capable of. And the fact that the System hadn¡¯t simply given her a quest to take care of it but sent people to arrange a meeting instead meant it wasn¡¯t something Theora could even handle alone.

    Bell looked similarly confused. ¡°I didn¡¯t receive any information,¡± she said. ¡°Must be a large operation that doesn¡¯t require my expertise.¡±

    ¡°Or perhaps it doesn¡¯t have anything to do with the System?¡± Isobel asked.

    Bell shook her head. ¡°Possible, but these two are part of the Hero Project. In any case, I suppose Theora will find out more tomorrow. No use dwelling on it. Let¡¯s get a good night¡¯s rest to prepare.¡±

    She turned to the door and went inside, and Isobel cluttered after.

    Meanwhile, Theora¡¯s gaze was still glued on where the two had disappeared into another alley between houses. She was barely present. Her head was empty.

    ¡°Gonna join?¡± Dema asked, and reached out for Theora¡¯s hand. The moment their fingers touched, Theora pulled away, regretting it instantly. Dema looked surprised.

    After taking a deep breath and giving a short nod, and burying her hands in folds of her cloak, Theora stepped towards the door as well, and, once inside, immediately got herself ready for bed. She washed up, changed clothes, and went to the room Bell had indicated, and felt awful upon finding it a bedroom for two.

    She lay there for a long time, unable to fall asleep.

    It didn¡¯t make any sense. Dema, obsessed with immortality, the very person who couldn¡¯t remember people¡¯s faces because they would be poof, gone shortly after? Theora had imagined that to be the result of a long-lived experience. That Dema had seen people wither around her from old age for centuries or millennia.

    Perhaps that assumption was wrong. Maybe Dema had seen many people die in that short life of hers ¡ª not from old age, but because of something else. Theora remembered flashes of that day, decades ago, when they¡¯d strolled through the rubble of a destroyed harbour town. She¡¯d rarely seen Dema so upset.

    Or, maybe, Dema had spent so much time alone that she simply became unable to recognise faces.

    Theora¡¯s head was spinning. They¡¯d left Treeka behind to die. And tomorrow, Theora would receive ominous news. Thousands of thoughts kept circling her mind, clouding it and drawing the life out of her.

    It took a while for Dema to join; maybe she¡¯d been chatting with Isobel, or maybe she¡¯d pondered why Theora would have rejected her touch. She came in with a smile, ready for bed.

    That smile soon turned into concern, and she tilted her head. ¡°Not feeling well?¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t want to lie, but couldn¡¯t tell the truth either. So, she simply nodded.

    After a few wobbly steps, Dema crouched next to Theora¡¯s bed.

    Eighty-six. Dema had been eighty-six.

    ¡°We¡¯ll help Treeka,¡± Dema said. ¡°It¡¯s not storm season. And she¡¯s strong. Saw her sheet!¡± Vigorous nods faded into a warm gaze. ¡°Lemme know if I can cheer you up somehow.¡± She lifted a finger and gently touched Theora¡¯s nose. ¡°Boop!¡±

    Theora turned her head into her pillow, pressing it in as deep as she could.

    Then she wept.

 Chapter 123: Doomed

    The Grove was a central town space filled with olive trees, and contained a bevelled building, with one lower edge carved out and supported by pillars that led towards the entrance. Inside was an empty, dome-shaped hall, and once Theora and her companions had found their way in, all entrances and windows were shut, leaving it in complete darkness, until a lamplike magitek device lit the walls with countless stars.

    Then, one of the scholars knocked their staff on the floor to make it glow, illuminating the room in dim light.

    ¡°Glad you were able to make it,¡± the person said. They had an androgynous appearance; a shaved head and very loose, simple linen clothing. ¡°I¡¯m Un of Heofen. It is a pleasure to meet you, despite the circumstances.¡±

    Heofen. That person too was from Theora¡¯s hometown, then. She nodded in response, and looked around. Among the people who had gathered here, some had a sizable presence, although they didn¡¯t necessarily seem like combatants. Yesterday, Wels and Halla had mentioned [Diviners], so that was Theora¡¯s best guess.

    ¡°What are the circumstances?¡± Bell asked.

    ¡°Right. Let¡¯s get right to it.¡± They folded their hands. ¡°Approximately 243 days ago, a catastrophe class aura eruption was emitted from the Grand Observatory of Fiction. As is customary, following the event, [Diviners] have set out to renew their Legendary-Rank projections. After finding some irregularities, astronomers were consulted, and a council was formed. We have verified our findings with great care and under meticulous scrutiny before deciding to reach out. If you allow, we would like to present our findings and consult you for possible measures we could take.¡±

    ¡°Oh no!¡± Isobel let out, clickety-clacking. ¡°Is a meteor coming our way?¡±

    This question had the effect of a whip lashing out across the room. Some people flinched, some looked at the ground.

    Un of Heofen cleared their throat, and took a calming breath. ¡°The universe is considered to be largely empty,¡± they began, their voice purposefully steeled against breaking. ¡°[Diviners] and astronomers are not aware of many lifeforms that do not live on Himaeya, and the brief period of space exploration by the Protans of the Feverwoods has not resulted in many findings of life away from our home planet, either.¡±

    A brief period of space exploration? When did that happen? Theora must have missed it.

    ¡°That said,¡± they continued, ¡°hints of what we call Ocean Life have been seen traversing the Grand Voids.¡±

    A few crackles erupted, and it was apparently Isobel who could not contain her excitement. ¡°You hear that Bell! Things like us, out there!¡±

    ¡°None, they¡¯re trying to tell us something important,¡± Bell hissed in a whisper that everyone could hear.

    ¡°But it¡¯s so cool. Imagine a giant None between the stars.¡±

    That got a few people to chuckle. The thick tension of the hall shifted into something a little more bearable.

    Un cleared their throat once more. ¡°What we call Ocean Life is not necessarily how it evolved in oceans on Himaeya, although it could be similar, given they travel long distances through areas with little sustenance. There may be cases of convergent evolution.¡±

    ¡°Giant Iso!¡± Isobel blurted out.

    Un tapped their staff, and suddenly, a very large, fuzzy shape of light appeared in the projected sky on the walls. ¡°As you may be aware, Heofen is a town of scholars dedicated to studying the Ancients.¡± They nodded at Theora. ¡°The Ancient Hero.¡± Then, they nodded at Dema. ¡°The Ancient Evil. Both of you have libraries dedicated to yourselves in my hometown. This here¡± ¡ª Un gestured at the projection ¡ª ¡°is what we call the Ancient Devourer. We have been studying it for a long time, following its routes and habits, but it was always just a curious project of scholarship, nothing more. Until now, that is. What you see is a reconstruction based on some of its surmised properties, including its gravitational well, mana pool, and electric radiation. This is, however, an old snapshot.¡±

    Dema perked up. ¡°Old snapshot?¡±

    Un nodded. ¡°The creature is still far away, the information is as old as it took for the radiation to reach us with the conventional limitations of the laws of nature. This visualisation thus depicts a state from a few thousand years ago.¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯ve still got a lot of time?¡± Dema asked. ¡°¡¯Til it¡¯s gonna get here, I mean.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, the conventional limitations I mentioned can be exceeded by unconventional means,¡± Un said. ¡°Legendary Skills of [Diviners] and some high-level communication Skills can in certain circumstances avoid that restriction¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Iso let out. ¡°Won¡¯t that cause issues with causality?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Un went, ¡°it can be worked into the equations as a hidden variable ¡ª the result of the divination or contents of messages being determined in some higher plane at some previous point in time and only revealed when performed.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Iso nodded and clacked. ¡°That¡¯s clever! That way it doesn¡¯t break the laws of nature.¡±

    At that, Un actually laughed. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry my dear, it most definitely breaks the laws of nature. All Skills do. That is their purpose.¡±

    Bell tangled a tendril around Isobel to keep her from interfering more. ¡°So, why exactly does this creature worry us?¡±

    ¡°Right. Based on its prior path, the Ancient Devourer seems to feed on energy. It spends its life going from one source to the next; that would include supernovae, black holes, nebulae¡­ It comes, and eats heat and mass. Since, relatively speaking, we live in a low-energy solar system, it has not shown interest before. But, after what happened in the Grand Observatory of Fiction, it seems to have changed its course, and is now heading for us.¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Isobel let out, turning to Theora. ¡°It wants to eat you!¡±

    At that, the room fell silent.

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Bell let out, panicked. ¡°Just so I get that right ¡ª this gigantic thing is coming because Theora lured it here? She killed us all by blowing up the Observatory?¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Dema swirled around, glaring. ¡°Hey, how dare you. It¡¯s not her fault she¡¯s such a snack!¡±

    Isobel put her chin in her hand with a moss-dampened thud. ¡°Was mommy¡¯s big boom really that big of a boom? If that thing eats supernovae and isn¡¯t even interested in our big sun then why would it care about a damaged building?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Bell added. ¡°That doesn¡¯t quite check out. If it feeds on heat, it should be going after targets with the highest temperature. I don¡¯t think Theora is hotter than a supernova.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Dema huffed out, throwing an accusatory finger at her. ¡°You take that back!¡±

    Un, clearing their throat, gently said, ¡°It feeds on heat, yes. But not all its movements are solely motivated by its hunger, seemingly. It has been observed to investigate¡­ curiosities before.¡± Un pointed at Theora. ¡°The Ancient Hero is capable of ripping the fabric of the universe apart with ease. In this particular case, according to our investigation, she has done so without even being present in this reality at all. Depending on the kinds of sensors the Ancient Devourer has access to, it may simply recognise that something exists here that is far beyond¡­¡± They trailed off, looking for a word, and then closed with, ¡°¡­ reason.¡±

    ¡°So!¡± Iso said. ¡°Maybe it doesn¡¯t even wanna eat us.¡±

    Un shook their head. ¡°It eats everything in its path. It may not come here to eat, but it will most definitely eat. And, even if it doesn¡¯t ¡ª the sheer size and violence of its being would rip our planetary system apart and kill us all.¡±

    Isobel gulped. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not great.¡± Bell gently stabbed her in the hip with a tendril.

    ¡°How certain are you that this creature¡¯s radar works faster than the speed of information?¡± Theora asked, voice laden. Gazes went to her, as if surprised that she could, or would, speak at all.

    ¡°Well, it is our assumption, judging from the fact that it changed course soon after what happened to the Observatory.¡±

    Theora bit her lip. ¡°How far away is it right now, exactly?¡±

    Un looked at another scholar, who nodded and answered in their stead. She was wearing a puffy, white and folded dress. ¡°This most recent image you see is thousands of years old. That said, from analysing its previous path and the results of Hareta¡¯s Legendary Divination, the creature appears to be able to drastically exceed nature¡¯s limits ¡ª for example, it might have a teleportation Skill, or be able to form or travel through massive bends in space-time. We have calculated its arrival to happen during the tenth month this year. This is supported by divination results. In fact, the truth is ¡ª it may already have teleported. It may already be close.¡±

    Bell stepped back, and Dema¡¯s mouth stood open. Isobel tilted her head.

    ¡°No, I¡ªI mean,¡± Theora tried to get out, ¡°the most recent image. How old is it, exactly?¡± At the same time, she was frantically scrolling through her System log.

    ¡°Ah. Well, about three thousand nine hundred years.¡±

    When she found the relevant entry, Theora went to her knees. Isobel scuttled to her side and put a hand on her back, stroking gently. Dema seemed to jerk in her direction too, but decided not to touch Theora at the last moment.

    This had nothing to do with the Observatory. The creature may have changed course now, but it wasn¡¯t that. If the creature had changed course a few decades earlier, they would have thought the reason was Theora¡¯s fight against Umbra. Earlier still, it would have been her fight against the Devil of Truth. And a hundred years prior to that, they would have expected the cause to be the destruction of the Cube of Solitude. And before that, among other things, the explosion at the Cnidarian Tower.

    The truth was, Theora simply couldn¡¯t stop messing things up.

    ¡°The reason we came here is not to assign blame,¡± Un said. ¡°We simply want to ask for help. You are the strongest entity in the world. Please lend us your aid to avoid a disaster. I realise this is a lot to take in,¡± Un kept going. ¡°Please, take a day to rest and sort your thoughts. Our people are still working hard to come up with a solution ¡ª as long as you give us your assent, we will factor your capabilities into our considerations, no further input required from your side for now.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Theora muttered. ¡°I will do what I can.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be fine,¡± Dema reassured a while later as they sat in front of an olive tree. Theora had simply left the building and put herself down on a bench, and not moved much since.

    ¡°Yeah. Can¡¯t you just [Obliterate] it?¡± Bell asked.

    Isobel shook her head. ¡°That thing¡¯s massive. The ambient damage would crack our planetary system. Plus, even if mom destroys it, the inertia ¡ª all of the debris would still be heading our way. And you can¡¯t [Obliterate] the same target twice. She might not be able to do anything about the fallout.¡±

    Bell frowned. ¡°Then what are they even doing? Considerations? Solution? This sounds like doomsday. We should wrap up. Call it a day. Have some fun, maybe.¡±

    She didn¡¯t sound like she would be having fun any time soon.

    Bringing her arms to her chest, Isobel hugged herself, and looked at the ground.

    ¡°Iso?¡± Dema went. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°There is one thing I could think of,¡± she said in response, quietly. ¡°Something they might be considering.¡±

    Dema tilted her head, brows raised. ¡°What do you mean? What are they gonna do?¡±

    ¡°The creature wants me,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°If the assumptions are right, it wishes to eat me. Not this planet. So, perhaps they are considering shooting me off into space, and having me flare again, so that the creature changes course.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Dema let out. ¡°No way! Don¡¯t leave me for that gobbler thingy!¡±

    ¡°It would be a logistical nightmare,¡± Isobel said. ¡°Mom can¡¯t fly. And the thing is so large¡­ She¡¯d need to go very far. She¡¯d need to be able to navigate in the Grand Voids somehow. It wouldn¡¯t be easy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± Dema went. ¡°Way better to stay home. Although it would be kinda hot to have a girlfriend in space.¡±

    ¡°Is nobody worried about Theora being eaten by a giant creature?¡±

    All eyes went to Bell.

    ¡°Ack, fine!¡± Bell blurted, her strobing tendrils dying down. ¡°Of course not. I forgot you all are indestructible behemoths. It still makes me anxious.¡±

    Isobel shrugged with her shoulders and all her little belly leglets. ¡°All things considered, mom being eaten should be fine. The worst that could happen is giving that poor little giant sea anemone an upset stomach.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Dema frowned. ¡°It¡¯s ananan¡­¡± She blinked as she bit her tongue. ¡°An enemy?¡±

    ¡°An anemone,¡± Bell supplied. ¡°And I¡¯m pretty sure None was just making a joke. We don¡¯t know what it is.¡±

    Isobel nodded. ¡°What worries me more is actually getting her up there. And, even if we do get her up ¡ª how do we get her back?¡± She looked at Theora. ¡°Like. What if you strand there? Could take hundreds of years until we find a way to rescue you. And considering this is about¡­ Well. The fate of the planet. I¡¯m thinking these people might be more concerned with getting rid of you than fetching you back afterwards.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°As they should be. If there is a way to get me up but not down, I¡¯m still going.¡±

    Three thousand nine hundred years ago, Theora had destroyed her training grounds in a massive disaster. That had attracted the creature. She¡¯d doomed this planet long ago. And now, she was going to clean up her mess.

    She rubbed her wet eyes. It all came crashing down. Treeka, Dema, and now, the world was ending. A bitter part of Theora thought that if she were to become stranded in space, she could at least sleep.

    She¡¯d have to write farewell letters.

 Chapter 124: Old Rocks

    The most impactful decision the council reached over the next few days was where to place the base quarters of the operation to save the planet.

    Among the many proposals, three had crystallised as major contenders.

    One was Hallmark, being one of the largest cities of the continent, and home to one of the most well-resourced artificer¡¯s guilds to date. Another cited benefit was the Hallmark¡¯s close relation to Theora, who would form the main component of any rescue operation.

    The second main proposal was a southern mountain settlement, the hometown of Hareta, who was currently the most prolific [Diviner] alive. The university Hareta taught at would offer additional resources to support the endeavour.

    The final proposal was Heofen. It was where the Ancient Devourer had been studied for centuries, and it was Theora¡¯s place of birth.

    In Theora¡¯s mind, she would have been fine with any place at all, except for that last one, and so it felt fitting that Heofen ended up being chosen by the council. Fitting because that meant Theora would leave the world in the same place she entered it, and that made it feel even less likely that she¡¯d ever return.

    It would leave Theora so close to her training grounds, without ever actually reaching them and finding another Fragment of Time. It was also the opposite direction of where Treeka was still stuck. Theora was about to save the world and abandon everyone else.

    Admittedly, there were plans to make up for it. Once Theora succeeded her mission, Bell and Iso would no longer be needed, and could immediately set off to meet Treeka, for example. But what if Theora failed? What if the world ended with Treeka still being alone? What if Time would remain fractured forever?

    Meanwhile, citing the extraordinary circumstances, Isobel was able to convince the person arranging her Skill trade to send the potential partner to Heofen instead, so that they could all go there together. And so, they set off to Heofen.

    With each step towards it, Theora¡¯s feet grew a little heavier.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Bell asked one day, as their little boat was falling behind.

    Theora didn¡¯t answer, trying instead to keep going and catch up to the other two instead. The rows were difficult to move. They had to traverse this wide lake; people in a local settlement had shared their boats.

    ¡°I know going back¡­ there,¡± Bell continued, carefully, ¡°must be tough. I swear I tried my best to dissuade them.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Theora said. ¡°We were heading there regardless, remember? Impossible to put it off forever.¡±

    Bell was grazing some tendrils over the water, causing gentle ripples and soft sloshing. ¡°When we last talked about your hometown, you mentioned that your ¡®fate¡¯ had been sealed there. So¡­ it¡¯s about bad memories?¡±

    Bell had been in a hero party together with Amyd of Heofen, the [Sealer] that had dedicated her life to banishing Theora. It was possible that Bell already knew everything. Or perhaps she¡¯d never cared too much.

    Theora pushed her hand into her hair, grabbing a large chunk of it, and pulled her legs closer. ¡°I wonder what she¡¯ll say.¡±

    Bell frowned. She gently pushed Theora away from the middle seat, and took over rowing instead, using her tendrils as support in the water. They picked up speed immediately. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth,¡± she said, ¡°Dema¡¯s stubborn. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything she could find out about you that would make much of a difference.¡±

    ¡°I wonder,¡± Theora murmured.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s mutual, isn¡¯t it?¡± Bell went, and Theora perked up. ¡°I mean,¡± Bell continued, ¡°we talked about it before. A few times. Even our first conversation was about this. That if it turned out that Dema was truly evil or whatever, that you¡¯d still love her. Right? So why would it be different for Dema? I can¡¯t imagine it would be. The two of you have that kind of bond. Doesn¡¯t easily seem shaken.¡± She stared intensely as she said these words, and Theora already knew what was coming. What her last sentence had been leading up to. ¡°She feels terrible, you know,¡± Bell added. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on between you two, but you should sort that out.¡±

    Theora winced. There it was.

    Heofen was a place surrounded by wide hills of golden wheat. It was a reclusive place, so there was no wide road leading up to it. Instead, footpaths were trodden into the fields. They walked by crumbled thick stone walls that poked out from the glowing yellow like icebergs.

    Theora¡¯s hometown was truly old. So old that she didn¡¯t even recognise those ruins. Perhaps they belonged to buildings she once knew, or maybe they didn¡¯t. She sure couldn¡¯t remember the current layout ¡ª except for the fields of wheat. Those were eternal, and they had made it through prior calamities like nothing else would.

    An ice age could drag mountainous glaciers through the northern regions of the continent, or a meteorite or supervolcano might cause a few decades of darkness. Sometimes, cyclic magical calamities befell the lands, but the wheat would always regrow, it seemed, even after Rains of Fire.

    Or, for all Theora knew, the wheat could have been there when she was young, and only regrown this year. She didn¡¯t recognise the place, and none of the stalks of wheat she was grazing over with her fingertips as they passed through were the same as any she¡¯d touched as a child. They only looked the same.

    Or rather, she was just not able to make out the difference. Like faces of people, poof, gone. Theora¡¯s gaze jerked up to Dema¡¯s back. Her ragged cloak and makeshift wine-coloured scarf of torn-off fabric were dancing in the wind, her steps pushing the wheat apart with soft rustling. She was talking to Isobel, up ahead, laughing.

    Their eyes suddenly met when Dema threw back one of her occasional glances to make sure Theora was alright and still with them.

    Dema never stopped making sure.

    Her lips curled up in a warm smile, then her gaze returned to Isobel, and she went back to being confused about whatever the two were talking about.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    They hadn¡¯t really talked. They hadn¡¯t touched at all. Theora didn¡¯t know how anymore, it was all too much. And yet, Dema managed to still make her feel welcome, make her feel like things would be alright, just with little gazes like these.

    Bell had called it a bond, and it made sense. In many different ways. It just wasn¡¯t always clear to Theora if that bond was a lifeline or a leash. Not that she¡¯d particularly mind being leashed by Dema; but more sinisterly, Theora wanted to leave this world alone, ridding it of the eternal blemish that was herself.

    As they moved down a slope, one of the first buildings came into view. It wasn¡¯t a residential one; Theora guessed it was a library. Light-grey stone in imposing, time-defying architecture, several complexes of different sizes leaning against each other, the flat roofs home to plants and trees.

    They didn¡¯t have anywhere to go specifically; Theora had to announce her presence, although the others had already offered to do that for her. And then, the council would probably send people to brief her on the current standings of the operation and the expectations they had of her. Theora had no idea how they were planning to send her off to space or when or for how long. She didn¡¯t know what items she should take up there, but for now she was pretty sure she¡¯d leave most of her belongings behind. If she were to strand in the great nothing, she shouldn¡¯t do that with heaps of high-grade magical items that could be of use down here. That meant, for the first time ever, she¡¯d probably have to clean up her travelling attire.

    She was looking forward to it. A final sorting through what her life had amounted to, a lot by quantity only. Something she could do alone, as opposed to the giant undertaking that was her mission into space with thousands of people already involved ¡ª the number growing rapidly as word spread.

    As they strode past the building, they finally saw other people. Most were wearing wide and layered light linen attires, some had brighter more colourful clothing but it was a similar cut. Theora did not remember them having that style back during her childhood, but she knew that a single [Weaver] in town had made all of their clothing, so perhaps it was that way still, and this was simply the way that person liked to make them.

    One girl in bright-red clothing broke off from her path as she saw the new arrivals, veering off the stone path and almost breaking into a run.

    ¡°Hey!¡± she said. Very long blonde hair, and smiling. ¡°Welcome to Heofen? I¡¯ve not seen you before.¡±

    ¡°Just arrived!¡± Dema said. ¡°We¡¯re gonna be stuck here until they shoot Bun Bun into space.¡±

    The girl let out an incredulous laugh. ¡°Wait, you look like the Ancient Evil!¡±

    ¡°Yours truly,¡± Dema said, nodding. ¡°How¡¯d you know what I look like?¡±

    Bell winced strongly. ¡°I¡ª that¡¯s my fault,¡± she said. ¡°I was the only one who saw you after¡­ Well, when my party tried to seal Theora. Scholars from this place asked me to give a description for their library.¡± She turned back to the girl. ¡°Is¡­ is it going to be a problem?¡±

    The girl turned her head, hair falling down, revealing more of her freckled face. ¡°Why would it be?¡±

    Bell blinked, confused.

    Theora was somewhat less confused. Sure, she¡¯d been reared into the task of killing Dema, but that was such a long time ago, nobody involved was still alive. The town had likely forgotten. They had considered their task complete the moment they¡¯d let little Theora loose, and then moved on to study other Ancients.

    Dema being freed was an old tale to many now, with well over a century having passed since. There were probably few left to fear her.

    The girl seemed to actually be waiting for an answer, so Bell shuddered, and mumbled a low, ¡°Never mind.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± the girl then said, ¡°if you¡¯re new here, is there anything you need? My name¡¯s Amtilla. I study the Ancient Civilisation, so obviously, there¡¯s not much for me to do.¡±

    She looked very young for a scholar, but Theora would have probably been one as well at her age if the elders hadn¡¯t destined her for something else after seeing her prowess in fighting. The term Ancient Civilisation nudged a tiny part of the oldest sections in Theora¡¯s brain, but she was too lazy to excavate any of that.

    ¡°We have to stay here for a while,¡± Isobel said, ¡°So you could help us find a place to sleep! Also, there¡¯s libraries here, right? Could you give us a tour? Dema likes reading and I kinda wanna find stuff out too.¡±

    Theora took a deep breath. This was looking good. Her companions were taking care of everything, and they¡¯d find ways to keep themselves busy, so she herself could just find a corner somewhere to rot in.

    ¡°Don¡¯t really need a place to stay,¡± Dema said suddenly. ¡°I built a house! If you want, you can stay there too. Just gotta convince li¡¯l rabbit to undress. We can use a wardrobe as our home, even.¡±

    Alright, maybe things weren¡¯t looking that good after all. But perhaps that would still work out. If the others were out a lot, Theora could hide at home. Maybe Theora¡¯s darkness daffodil was already sprouting a little piece of night for her to crawl into.

    Which reminded her that she had to go water it.

    After fetching all their names, Amtilla agreed to give the tour, and started babbling about anything she could. Her knowledge seemed to stretch a few decades into the past. Most of the library buildings had been erected within the last century, because advancements in scroll-technology had allowed for more durable ways to make buildings. She explained how, in order to keep their knowledge safe for longer, they didn¡¯t want to rely on old and monumental buildings without upgrading their durability.

    Over time, other people casually joined the tour, giving their own accounts and explanations.

    The town remembered Theora. Or rather, the town remembered that a hero of that name existed, and the people had read popular accounts. Meanwhile, Bell was doing her best to steer attention away from the topic.

    But Theora did not remember the town. None of this rang a bell; if not for the name and the fields of wheat, it could have been any town. In fact, it was probably a different town altogether. There wasn¡¯t a single thing left standing that made Theora know that this was the place she¡¯d grown up in.

    That¡¯s what Theora thought until, about an hour into the tour, they found a rock.

    It was a large rock, dull grey. Little horizontal indentations and faded ornaments lined half of it, where the other half was a broken mess. They¡¯d put a little fence around it, and a plaque in front.

    Remains of the Old Library, it said.

    Theora stared at it for a long time.

    This, she remembered. Yes, the Remains of the Old Library, they¡¯d been here thousands of years ago already, but encased by a different fence, and denoted by a different plaque, with different words on it.

    A piece of the distant past from her distant past. Theora thought that back then, the rock had been a lot larger. This little remnant of a ruin used to tower above her. Memories flashed of her sitting in its shade ¡ª or was it memories of other children sitting there? But it seemed bigger then, and Theora couldn¡¯t tell if that was because more of it had degraded, or because she herself had grown.

    Dema carelessly patted the library¡¯s remains, giggling. ¡°Love it! Little old rock!¡±

    Isobel laughed, scuttling forward to touch it as well. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t surprise me if we were both older.¡±

    Giving her a mischievous side glance, Dema now patted Isobel¡¯s head. ¡°Why, taken a liking to bragging with your age, have we? So cheeky.¡±

    Bell stepped to their side, saying, ¡°You should respect your elder, Dema,¡± and the way she was shyly folding her tendrils behind her back made it obvious that she was attempting to make a joke.

    Dema went livid and jumped forward, with Bell dodging at the last moment, letting out a suppressed laugh. ¡°Why, you of all people!¡± Dema let out. ¡°Young sprout! How dare you. Barely even older than Amtilla over here.¡±

    Theora used the commotion to step into the shadow of the ruins. She couldn¡¯t help but smile a little. They were all so cute.

    She shed her attire and left it for the others to find so they could enter Dema¡¯s house, and then stealthily escaped to find some place to hide.

 Chapter 125: Magic Mould

    ¡°Magic mould,¡± Isobel said.

    Bell tilted her head, looking at the book Iso was holding up, fingers pointing at a patchy star map on the pages.

    Dema¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°What! Space is mouldy?¡±

    Iso giggled. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not real mould. The Protans called it that. Probably because they hated it.¡±

    She¡¯d just returned from a strategy session with the council, to discuss how to save the world.

    ¡°Why did they hate it?¡± Bell asked. ¡°Is it bad news?¡±

    ¡°It was for them,¡± Iso said, and put the book down, the pages still open. She leaned back in her chair, while Dema climbed on the table, kneeling over the mould map, taking it all in. Bell had been standing, but pulled a blood-stone stool up with a few hair tendrils, and squelched down on it with a wet splash.

    They were in Dema¡¯s house. The fake sun shone through the window into the living room, casting half of Isobel¡¯s face in bright light as she went on to explain, ¡°Basically it¡¯s this magical substance that exists all over the planetary system. Some people say it originates from Zenur.¡±

    ¡°Zenur?¡± Dema asked.

    ¡°Fifth planet. Biggest planet. They say the mould comes from there because all the patches stay fixed in position relative to it, even the ones very far away. Basically, this¡­ substance¡ª well, it¡¯s not really a substance, but it¡¯s very sticky. When you get into the magic mould, you get caught! Messes up space routes. Protans lost some of their expeditions that way.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Dema let out. ¡°So, dangerous, then. Let¡¯s hope Bun Bun doesn¡¯t get stuck. But there¡¯s so many¡­ Will she be able to avoid them all?¡±

    ¡°Actually,¡± Iso said, with a proud grin, ¡°for one, this map is a little exaggerated, they aren¡¯t that big. Also, we are thinking of having ¡®Bun Bun¡¯ move through them.¡±

    Bell raised an eyebrow. ¡°¡®We¡¯, huh?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°You said you were only joining the council meetings out of curiosity. But you said ¡®we¡¯ just now, like you¡¯re part of it.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Iso let out, scratching the back of her head, smiling shyly. ¡°Guess I am. Just so happened. But you are too, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°In the sense that they give us tasks, yeah,¡± Bell went. ¡°They just want me to secure everything. Put up barriers to protect against fires and other catastrophes while they work on the plans. Make sure the laboratories can¡¯t be broken in some way. But I just do what I¡¯m asked.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema said, nodding. ¡°Me too. I gotta make lots of blood.¡±

    Bell¡¯s gaze went back to the map. ¡°So anyway, you want her to get stuck in the mould?¡±

    ¡°I mean, like.¡± Isobel clacked her mandibles and then her belly-leglets in a wave, giving herself time to word the thoughts. ¡°Initially we thought we needed to use the patches to align Theora¡¯s velocity with that of the crab, so they wouldn¡¯t miss each other. But turns out the Devourer can take care of such things by itself, judging from analysis of its prior movements.¡±

    Dema looked at Isobel, still kneeling on the table. ¡°It¡¯s a crab?¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Bell huffed. ¡°I believe None was joking ¡ª again. You keep falling for it. We don¡¯t know what it is.¡± She looked at Isobel. ¡°So, why use the mould if you don¡¯t need it to decelerate?¡±

    Isobel raised a finger. ¡°These patches are connected by magical lines, like mycelium, forming a large web around Zenur. So, one of the top artificers suggested there may be a way to harness these connections for instant communication. That way, we could stay in touch with Theora throughout the entire mission.¡±

    Bell nodded thoughtfully. ¡°But that would slow her down, right? I assumed she needed to get as far away as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Iso said, ¡°But what if the mission fails? What if she goes super far away and the Devourer doesn¡¯t change course? We need to let her know so that she can¡­ Well. We don¡¯t know if there will be time to organise a way for her to return in time, but she could at least¡­ At least¡­¡±

    Isobel gave Theora a glance, and it was only in that moment that Theora remembered her own existence. The others looked her way too, and she realised how heavy her arms were and how breathing was effort and that the rock she sat on was cold, and the wall she leaned against was hard.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said. ¡°If the mission fails, I can try to target the Ancient Devourer¡¯s velocity with [Obliterate].¡±

    It was the awful failsafe plan. If it could even be called a plan. Targeting a creature of such a size from a long distance was prone to an exceptional amount of misinterpretations. Who knew what [Obliterate] would make of it; if Theora could even properly target a creature unlike anything she¡¯d ever seen before. Not to speak of the ambient damage ¡ª it would rip a hole in the universe, probably at least the size of the sun.

    But it was worth a try. If everything else failed ¡ª if the main strategy didn¡¯t work out and Theora couldn¡¯t stop the Devourer or serve as bait, then at least she¡¯d be far away from home, the ambient damage hopefully only blowing up the empty space around herself, trapping her inside a blotch of permanent damage forever.

    Trying to make herself alluring to a creature that wanted to eat her seemed like the better option, especially if she could at least keep contact with her home planet until it was over.

    ¡°There¡¯s still a lot we need to iron out,¡± Isobel said. ¡°Like, for example, how to even do it, at all.¡± She sighed, but she was smiling. She revelled in this kind of problem-solving.

    She proceeded to give a few more details; explained the properties of magic mould they were aware of, and gave a large list of things that could go wrong. Dema was especially interested in this phenomenon, and the discussion soon veered to three mages exchanging their views on the intricacies of magical phenomena, which Theora understood little of.

    The three of them were spending most of their time outside, in Heofen. In libraries or with the council, or things like that. That¡¯s why Theora typically took refuge inside Dema¡¯s house, so that she could be alone; but today it hadn¡¯t worked out quite so well. Her interdimensional attire was hanging on a coat rack in one of the central libraries, so people could go in and out.

    Theora didn¡¯t feel like wearing Fiantanne¡¯s dresses. Those dresses were perfect and beautiful and Theora wasn¡¯t worth it. So instead, she was wearing old cotton cloaks, rough and grey, and she felt bad for it, since someone had to have put in a lot of effort to make those too.

    It was something she¡¯d almost dared to forget; the feeling of not wanting to exist. Dema and the others had made life seem alluring, for a while. But sitting in her hometown surrounded by everyone she¡¯d wronged, waiting to be shot off into space so that they could get rid of her for good was an excruciatingly novel way to be reminded of her own inadequacy.

    Perhaps this mission was Theora¡¯s way out.

    And, admittedly, she really liked the idea of getting stuck in magic mould. She¡¯d be alone, she¡¯d be able to rest, and the pictures looked beautiful too ¡ª maybe too beautiful for her but Theora was going to let herself indulge a little, if nothing else.

    It was only then that, in the periphery of her view, Dema was beaming at her, from the table. Theora tilted her head ever so slightly, looking up slightly perplexed, in a question.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Dema rasped, still smiling, but softer now. ¡°You¡¯ve been looking down all day, but seemed a bit more happy just now.¡±

    Theora blinked, and realised that she¡¯d been smiling, ever so faintly, without even noticing. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said. ¡°Was just thinking of the magic mould, and that I might get to touch it. I wonder if it¡¯s fluffy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right!¡± Dema nodded. She twitched as if she was about to hop down, but then restrained herself. ¡°You should bring some with you, if you can,¡± she said instead, giving a shy smile. ¡°As a keepsake.¡±

    According to Isobel¡¯s explanations, magic mould was not a substance. It wasn¡¯t a thing one could take or remove; it was fixed relative to Zenur, maybe similar to how mana crystals worked on Himaeya. Theora probably couldn¡¯t take a little bottle with her to push some of it inside. She probably couldn¡¯t wrap a fold of her attire around to take any of that mould.

    But Dema was still smiling, warm and vulnerable. So Theora would try anyway, just for that smile.

 Chapter 126: Chunks of Time

    Heofen made Theora nostalgic of Hallmark.

    It loved to rain in Hallmark, and it loved to rain in Heofen. The difference was that Hallmark had felt like home, while Heofen felt like drowning.

    Theora¡¯s hair was sticking to her head, and after sitting here for many hours, the wet had drenched her clothing, wrapping her undergarments around her in a cold embrace. Her thick boots were filled with water after she hadn¡¯t changed her position once.

    She was sitting on one of Heofen¡¯s highest vantage points ¡ª the small roof of a library tower overseeing the entirety of the very small settlement of at most a hundred buildings in total, as well as the northern wheat fields. Theora was too tired to move. Every now and then, she considered leaving, but then her legs felt so heavy and the rain so cosy and the way down was so long.

    At some point, she heard the click of a hatch, and the shuffling of someone emerge from the little roofed shaft leading up. She did not look who it was.

    ¡°How is the view?¡± the vaguely familiar voice rang. Theora perked up.

    Steps of light footwear clapped through the noise of the rain, and someone clad in a thick jacket sat down next to Theora, giving her a smile. ¡°So, how did that mission to find the Fragment go?¡±

    It was Ulfine. Her black hair had grown a chunk since they last met, though most of it was hidden in the shadow of her hood, while her eyes still looked tired but curious.

    Theora made a little frown. ¡°You are here.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ulfine said, indulging in the statement of the obvious with amused patience. ¡°I heard they were going to get rid of you. Many people from the guild made their way here, and I thought I should too.¡±

    ¡°Will you be helping out with the mission?¡± Theora asked with a tilt of her head. She hadn¡¯t assumed Ulfine¡¯s expertise to become helpful here ¡ª an assumption which Ulfine shortly affirmed by shaking her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m here because of the Fragment of Time,¡± she said. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ve spent my whole life researching them. You think I¡¯d let them oust you to the moon without asking what you found?¡±

    Theora swallowed. That was an extremely good point. And yet, Ulfine¡¯s words only brought a pang of pain to Theora¡¯s chest. ¡°I made you dedicate your life to these Fragments on a whim,¡± she said.

    Ulfine laughed. ¡°I could have stopped pursuing those theories whenever I wanted.¡±

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Of course not. Just too interesting a subject. I suppose you won¡¯t let me see it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s at home,¡± Theora said. In her travelling attire, still hanging in a library wardrobe.

    ¡°Oh, I see. Your blood house? That¡¯s where I came from. Didn¡¯t even know. Guess I¡¯ll have to go back.¡±

    ¡°How did you find me?¡±

    Ulfine chuckled and pointed down at the streets. ¡°You realise people can see you? I heard you¡¯ve been spending all of last week here, just glaring down at everyone.¡±

    Theora swallowed. Was she acting like a looming threat again?

    Ulfine pursed her lips and rubbed her hands. ¡°Won¡¯t you come back down with me? I heard they¡¯ll share the final route with you soon. So, depending on when you leave and how busy you¡¯ll be¡­ If you get stuck up there somehow, this might be the last time we meet.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Thank you for coming here.¡± Then, she got up, feeling the wobbly sloshes of the water in her boots. She straightened her wet clothes and offered Ulfine a hand.

    Ulfine¡¯s hands were still small. Just like when they first met.

    Then, they made their way down together.

    ¡°This is quite the remarkable item,¡± Ulfine eventually mused, back in Dema¡¯s house, looming over a blood-desk, looking at the readouts of what Theora assumed to be a one-time identification spell scroll. She slowly grazed through her half-wet hair as she studied the results. ¡°I wonder if the pattern will continue.¡± The pattern of the Fragments of Time being parts of a body, that is. She looked up at Theora. ¡°I¡¯d love to have known. I know I must sound a little whiny, but really, I can¡¯t tell you how amazing it is to finally see it, and how sad it is that I might not get to see it put back together.¡±

    ¡°I will do my best to return,¡± Theora said. ¡°The item also gave me a destructive Skill. I assumed it would be swallowed by [Obliterate], but that has not yet happened. Perhaps too soon to judge. Some of my old Skills were a tad resilient too.¡±

    The first Skill she¡¯d ever learned, [Joyous Punch], had also been the last one to disappear. Theora had recently checked the logs. A testament to her old stubbornness.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Ulfine let out.

    Theora nodded. ¡°It is a truly gruesome Skill.¡±

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    ¡°So, you are meant to diffuse them.¡±

    Theora shrugged. She looked outside the window, into the fake grey sky the Shade had made for them. ¡°Maybe. Time will tell.¡±

    Literally, [Head in the Clouds] supplied the moment it had the chance. Oh and while I¡¯m here ¡ª you should talk to Dema.

    That sudden meddling made Theora flinch, and Ulfine shot her a questioning glance, but for a while, neither of them said a word.

    Finally, Ulfine sighed. ¡°Sad you have to leave?¡± she asked. ¡°I figure you¡¯d not spend so much time up there if things were fine down here.¡±

    Oh, god. That Head in the Cloud of hers had really done it now. ¡°Maybe,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°Some things have been on my mind.¡±

    ¡°Care to share? It¡¯s about the Ancient Evil, isn¡¯t it?¡± Theora¡¯s glance shot sideways, capturing Ulfine¡¯s mousy eyes, who shrugged, and added, ¡°That adorable Isobel was here earlier, and we talked. She¡¯s worried.¡±

    Theora rubbed her eyes, pulling out a chair, to sit on. Helpfully, the Shade was supplying heavy fake rainfall to platter against the window. ¡°It is,¡± she said, taking a deep breath.

    Ulfine nodded, folding the identification scroll back together and gently placing the Fragment of Time back into the shared storage drawer Theora had fetched it from. She sat down on a chair the wrong way, placing her arms on its back. ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you want to hear about this?¡± Theora asked. ¡°We barely know each other.¡±

    Ulfine laughed. ¡°Ouch, that hurts. I suppose it¡¯s true. I have to admit you probably occupy a lot more time and space in my mind than I do in yours. And I¡¯ve been in your employ for¡­ a while.¡± She spoke that last word with weight and a smile that wrinkled her entire face.

    Theora¡¯s gaze jerked to the ground. ¡°That¡¯s exactly it,¡± she murmured. ¡°I never value people¡¯s time. I made a shallow request, then went on to other business for a moment, and before I could blink, decades had passed and you¡¯d spent your life on it.¡±

    Ulfine folded her eyebrows, shaking her head in confusion. ¡°And how would that relate to Dema?¡±

    Theora shrugged, still looking at the darb stone floor. ¡°My life was dedicated to the task of ending the Ancient Evil. But after seeing some dubious quests issued by the System, I became unsure. I didn¡¯t know much about what I might find at the end of my Main Quest. I just couldn¡¯t do it, so I put it off.¡±

    Ulfine nodded. ¡°That¡¯s understandable.¡±

    Theora shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s really not.¡±

    ¡°What? You mean, you should have killed her?¡±

    With a frown, Theora looked up. She pressed her feet to the ground, squeezing out water. ¡°Dema was eighty-six when she was sealed. For some misguided reason, I assumed that she must have been older back then, but ¡ª she was extremely young.¡±

    Ulfine snorted. ¡°That¡¯s older than I am.¡±

    ¡°She was a baby,¡± Theora insisted. ¡°And I left her in there my entire life. I should have gotten her out the moment I was strong enough to break the seal. Instead, I left her stranded for millennia. The thought of freeing her never even occurred to me. The thought that someone with feelings might be stuck there, someone with an inner life, who¡¯s lonely.¡±

    Theora buried her fingertips into her clothing, feeling them scrape against her numbed thighs. ¡°And even if she wasn¡¯t so young. Even if she¡¯d been sealed after thousands of years, I still should have gotten her out. I knew she was in there, and I left her to rot. I am, without a doubt, despicable.¡±

    Ulfine broke the gaze, and rubbed her fingers. She didn¡¯t say anything for a while, and Theora remembered a hint of the young girl that had, back then, been told off by her old grumpy superior. She swallowed hard. She shouldn¡¯t let her anger out on¡ª

    ¡°I see,¡± Ulfine interrupted Theora¡¯s thoughts with a contemplative tone. ¡°Well. My situation is very different from Dema¡¯s.¡± She paused, looking at the drawer the Fragment was in now. ¡°Personally, I don¡¯t have regrets. Again ¡ª it was my choice, every day of my life. You never value other people¡¯s time? Don¡¯t be ridiculous. You would have let me abandon my research the moment I voiced any doubts whatsoever. You offered to cancel it immediately after asking me to do it. Do you not remember?¡± Theora blinked, but Ulfine didn¡¯t give her time to answer. ¡°Well, I do. In the span of the first day, you offered to abandon the project several times.¡±

    She got up and stepped closer, coming to a halt right in front of Theora. A bit softer, she continued, ¡°Things we say or do may influence the trajectory of other people¡¯s futures, that¡¯s just life. It perhaps appears more salient to you because you see more futures, and seem to experience less time. I cannot judge or comment on your regrets concerning Dema ¡ª that¡¯s not my place ¡ª but at the very least, please don¡¯t use my fate as another weapon against yourself.¡±

    With that, Ulfine patted Theora¡¯s head, leaving her hair even more of a mess. ¡°And,¡± she kept going, ¡°while respecting other people¡¯s time is important, you should also respect their wants. I wanted to help you, so I did, and it was fun. So much that it breaks my heart that they will shoot you into space, and that I will probably never see you put Time back together. And, what does Dema want? Does she want you to spend your last days on our planet hiding in the rain on top of a roof so that you can¡¯t feel how much you¡¯re crying? I¡¯m sure she is well aware that you could have let her out earlier. Perhaps she¡¯s even bitter about it. But I take it you haven¡¯t asked her, have you?¡±

    Theora shook her head.

    Ulfine gave a nod. ¡°I suggest you do that then.¡±

    For a moment, they fell silent, and Theora was trying to come up with a way to apologise for making Ulfine angry, when the sound of the entrance door of the house swinging open clashed through the room, much louder than Ulfine¡¯s voice or rainy pitter-patter.

    ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± Dema rasped into the corridor, and after a bit of shuffling, her barefoot steps on stone slabs came through the door.

    Ulfine shrugged, and packed her stuff together.

    They saw a blink of Dema running past the door. A blink of Dema, undressing, that was.

    A moment later, Dema poked her head back into the frame, pulling the cloak back over her body. ¡°Oh!¡± she let out. ¡°Hey there. Thought I was alone. Sorry! Was gonna get dressed-up big time for Ortal¡¯s coming-of-age ceremony.¡±

    Theora had no idea who Ortal was, nor what ¡®dressing up¡¯ would look like for Dema.

    ¡°I need to go now,¡± Ulfine said, looking at Theora. ¡°I might visit again, but in case we don¡¯t see each other ¡ª farewell. I hope things will go smoothly up there.¡±

    Dema looked at her with wide and curious eyes, and waved her hand when Ulfine made it past her. The sounds of steps down the corridor were eventually drowned by the rain against the windows.

    ¡°Right!¡± Dema then let out awkwardly. ¡°Guess I¡¯m gonna leave you some room? You already look like you¡¯re about to cry¡­ Time to not make that a whole lot worse.¡± With that, she shuffled out of the door frame, and made a soft yelp, accompanied by the sound of her tripping over nothing.

    ¡°Dema?¡± Theora called after her. She took a deep breath as the sounds outside the room stopped. ¡°Could we talk?¡±

 Chapter 127: Need to Stay

    Dema gingerly poked her head back into the door frame. ¡°You sure? I can come in?¡±

    ¡°Of course you can,¡± Theora answered. ¡°Please do.¡±

    Dema smiled. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do that, then.¡±

    She made inside, her feet tapping along the floor quietly ¡ª and slowly, as if she was scared of Theora hopping away at the last second. But when nothing seemed to happen even after getting close, Dema sat down on the ground, gleaming up.

    Theora couldn¡¯t bear sitting higher, so she pushed the chair away and knelt on the ground too, kneading her fingers. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for avoiding you.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes we gotta have a little space, I guess.¡±

    ¡°You are too kind to me.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes glowed in the dim room, her cloak was messy and torn and made her look a bit like a mountain. A very small mountain. ¡°You wanted to talk?¡± that small mountain then asked, with a hint of worry. ¡°Not breaking up with me, are you?¡±

    Theora froze. ¡°We aren¡¯t even¡ª¡± She hesitated. ¡°Are we even¡­?¡±

    Dema tilted her head in confusion.

    The entry door opened again, and hushed whispers, squelches and knocks went down the corridor. When Iso passed by the room, she immediately said, ¡°Oh, hi, momsies!¡± and was about to walk in, only to be wrapped in a whole bunch of Bell¡¯s tentacles that then dragged her back out as she yelped helplessly. Soon thereafter, both scuttled away into deeper parts of the house.

    Dema snorted as she watched the mist of acid vapour dissipate in the door frame, and then put her eyes back on Theora.

    But Theora couldn¡¯t get a single word out. For a while, they just stared at each other.

    Eventually, Dema hopped up.

    Theora¡¯s heart sank. Had their time already run out? That¡¯s right, Dema had other obligations. She needed to go to that coming of age ceremony, after all. Theora let out a sudden, but subdued sob.

    ¡°Wha!¡± Dema yelped. ¡°What¡¯d I do this time! Didn¡¯t even touch you, I swear!¡±

    Hearing these words made Theora curl up, dragging her legs closer. ¡°You can touch me if you want to,¡± she murmured, almost a whisper. ¡°That never changed. I¡¯m sorry to make you feel bad about it. It was not on purpose.¡±

    Dema nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah¡­ Didn¡¯t wanna make you cry again. And you never reached out since then, either, so I wasn¡¯t sure if¡­¡±

    How could Theora reach out to someone she¡¯d left behind for so long? It wasn¡¯t a fair feeling, to Dema least of all, but Theora couldn¡¯t help it.

    And yet, this couldn¡¯t go on. They couldn¡¯t keep hovering around each other in this way. It hurt too much.

    And so, despite herself, Theora raised her arms slightly, in a hint of an offer. And the moment Dema saw it, she jumped forward, and wrapped herself around Theora.

    ¡°So tight,¡± Theora let out as she felt Dema¡¯s unhindered strength. ¡°Are you sure you are not hurting yourself?¡±

    But judging from the pleased sounds Dema was letting out as she pushed her head into Theora¡¯s chest, it was probably fine.

    Carefully, Theora grazed her fingertips through Dema¡¯s hair, scratching her head, and holding her up with an arm around her back.

    Theora took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for leaving you trapped in that awful place for so long.¡±

    Dema suddenly let go, half-sitting on Theora¡¯s lap, and cupped both of Theora¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Why, thanks for letting me out? It¡¯s so much better here, not gonna lie.¡± She used her thumbs to wipe away a tear. ¡°Plus, if I ever get sealed again, I know you¡¯re gonna break me out the same day.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t let you wait even for an hour,¡± she said. ¡°Even for a second.¡±

    Dema giggled. ¡°Yeah. And you¡¯re gonna help Time get out too, and we¡¯re gonna help Treeka. As soon as we can. Right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said. She took another deep breath, but before she could even finish it, suddenly the world turned upside down. Dema was somehow pulling her up, and within a few seconds, they were wrapped around each other.

    There was blood everywhere. Dema was using her Skills to weave some kind of hammock for the two of them to lie in. The blood was crystallised and hard, but it was also warm and curved in ways that felt nice and cosy against Theora¡¯s body.

    ¡°Gotta make up for lost cuddle time,¡± Dema declared.

    Closing her eyes, Theora focused on the soft feeling of Dema completely pressed against her, and wanted to doze off. A last bit of rest before she¡¯d spend weeks travelling through the highest skies. But then, her eyes sprang open again.

    ¡°You¡¯ll take the Shade, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema said. ¡°Shady¡¯s gonna be fine. We¡¯re gonna keep it safe together with the time dilation device and all. Don¡¯t have to worry about anything!¡±

    ¡°Shady,¡± Theora echoed. ¡°You named it Shady? Because it¡¯s a Shade?¡±

    ¡°Why, what¡¯s that got to do with anything? It¡¯s short for Shadow Daisy.¡±

    ¡°... Of course.¡±

    Upon leaving, Theora¡¯s multidimensional attire would be almost empty. That way, it would be easy for her to find things that she needed, instead of littering the universe with trash.

    ¡°I¡¯m really glad I have you,¡± she murmured into Dema¡¯s shoulder, and felt the hand on her head make a happy twitch in response.

    ¡°We can keep in touch through the alliance chat,¡± Dema said. ¡°I¡¯m gonna check in every minute!¡±

    Theora chuckled softly. ¡°Every minute? That¡¯s a lot.¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± Dema said. ¡°Not even close to enough.¡±

    That much was true. Even that much wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    Theora said, ¡°You need to get going, right? To the ceremony?¡±

    Dema scrunched up her face. ¡°Will you still be here when I get back? For more hugs.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay and wait for you.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Un said, a few days later. They stood in a large engineering hall which had been explicitly dedicated to Theora¡¯s mission into the Grand Voids. It was next to an astronomical observatory, and a library had been erected right to its side, mostly from Dema¡¯s crystallised blood. As a headquarters, this complex would be the ground control of the mission.

    The hall itself was filled to the brim with resources. Huge, thick bars of gold, some rock Dema had excavated, and tons of condensed blood crystals ¡ª all round shapes, with indents to allow being gripped. They lined the halls in shelves up to the ceiling.

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    In the middle of the hall rested five iridescent spheres, carefully laid out in velvet, protected by a barrier created by Bell. Behind, a multitude of banners were draped over frames, showing models of the solar system with complex lines drawn across, all annotated meticulously.

    Bell stood next to her barrier, leaning against it. Isobel was deeply entrenched in a conversation with another scholar. Dema was playing catch with the child of a researcher. Other than that, hundreds of people were busy in the hall, with logistical tasks, inspections, and discussions.

    ¡°Ready for the proposal?¡± Un went on, and Theora nodded. By now, she had a good grasp on what they were planning to do, but this meeting would serve to finalise it all.

    At that, Un clapped their hands, and about everyone started dropping or finishing what they were doing, and formed a large circle around the centre of the hall. Some other people were called in from outside, and eventually, Un cleared their throat.

    ¡°Timestamp; fourteen hundred fifty-five since Hallmark¡¯s founding, tenth month, and eleventh day.¡± A few people were taking notes of every word Un spoke. ¡°Today, we shall formally decree our strategy to elude the Ancient Devourer. Session led by Un of Heofen.¡± They took a deep breath, then looked at Theora. ¡°I am conversing with Theora, the Sun of Heofen. Are you present?¡±

    Theora nodded.

    ¡°Let it be known that the Sun of Heofen has answered non-verbally in the affirmative. Alright.¡± They turned, and made a wide hand gesture toward one of the maps. ¡°Divination procedures expect the arrival of the Ancient Devourer within the next two months. The goal of the operation is to use the Sun of Heofen as bait, to lure the Ancient Devourer off its trajectory. According to our calculations, in order to lure it away safely, Theora needs to arrive at the destination within 28 days. To assure as little damage as possible to our planetary system from the Ancient Devourer¡¯s gravitational waves, we have concluded a minimum safe distance.¡±

    Un pointed to a spot well outside the planetary system, marked with a large green circle, describing the act as they did.

    ¡°However,¡± they went on, ¡°Even after accumulating a great amount of resources, it will not be possible for the Sun of Heofen to traverse that distance in time for a distraction while maintaining communication. We have thus concluded a maximum practical distance we could reach instead.¡±

    They pointed to a yellow square while speaking their action aloud. It was within the orbits of numerous objects turning around the sun, a lot closer than the green circle. There was a number attached to it ¡ª 500 billion universal units of distance.

    ¡°Reaching this spot is thus the goal of the operation. Meeting the Ancient Devourer there might mean some calendrical disturbances due to shifts within planetary positions in the system, but is still projected to keep Himaeya intact and its population alive.¡±

    Lastly, they pointed to a red cross at the inner edge of the solar system, calling out the gesture for archivists to record it in words. ¡°This area denotes the minimum distance Theora would need to travel. If Theora fails to get this far, our home planet would likely be destroyed. Note that merely reaching this far does not constitute success, for it would still be possible that the Ancient Devourer might behave in unpredictable ways, or that they do not care for the bait.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, like that¡¯d happen!¡± Dema interjected. ¡°Bun Bun¡¯s irresistible!¡±

    Stunningly, a rather large portion of people actually felt like laughing.

    Un cleared their throat, a little smile on their lips. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s hope Dema is correct in her assessment. Now, for the actual procedure.¡± Un turned, walked a few steps, and waved a hand across the spheres. ¡°After reaching out to several institutions and high-level heroes across the planet, we have managed to source four Orbs of Seven Wishes. Adding the one currently in Theora¡¯s possession, that makes five. We have been able to confirm with our [Diviners] that these are all Orbs of Seven Wishes that currently exist in this world. In other words, we have five days of flight.¡±

    Un retraced a path along the map indicated by a white, dotted line. It wasn¡¯t a straight line; it curved around other planets of the solar system and went from one foggy blotch to the next.

    ¡°Initially, it was believed that simply accumulating acceleration would be enough, and that we could thus reach the green circle,¡± Un said. ¡°Theora offered to ¡®make herself immovable¡¯ to stop her own acceleration once she reached the green circle, even after the effects of the Orb of Seven Wishes have long ceased ¡ª however, concerns have been raised that without a clear frame of reference, Theora¡¯s ability to will herself immovable may be impaired, and we have no way to test the hypothesis.

    ¡°That¡¯s why her final destination will be this patch of magic mould. On her way there, she is scheduled to traverse through fourteen other patches, to maintain communication. Since a patch of mould will dampen her velocity, she will need Orbs of Seven Wishes to navigate them. In addition, it has been deemed necessary for Theora to be able to move during the encounter with the Ancient Devourer, in case of unforeseen circumstances, especially since she will land in mould and would be stuck without an Orb. That means one Orb of Seven Wishes will have to be used during that encounter and can¡¯t be used for the journey. Another, of course, will have to be used to help her leave the planet¡¯s orbit.¡±

    Un took a deep breath, and immediately, a child broke from the circle and ran up with a glass of water.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Un said after taking a sip. ¡°We have calculated countless different routes, but there are many other magical effects within our planetary system that are not well catalogued, so we have to assume some things will go wrong.¡±

    Un went on to explain the entirety of the route in excruciating and long-winded detail ¡ª obviously necessary for a complex operation such as this, where a single mistake could spell the end of the world. If Theora missed a patch, she would be unable to reach another, due to lack of guidance from ground control. Theora had no way of navigating the Grand Voids on her own. And if any of the patches had changed or disappeared since being mapped by the Protans, she would fail.

    Theora was used to solving things alone. There had rarely been situations where she needed to rely on others to this extent. It was possible that someone else¡¯s mistake ¡ª a miscalculation, a loose inspection, or a leap of logic ¡ª could completely doom the mission from the start, leaving her with no way to succeed.

    She couldn¡¯t simply [Obliterate] the problem away. She could not [Obliterate] the distance between herself and the green circle, because then the world would be too close to the creature. She couldn¡¯t [Obliterate] the creature because of its trajectory ¡ª and perhaps, because of its size. It was impossible to tell if that Skill of hers was actually strong enough to destroy a target thousands of times larger than the sun. She¡¯d never tried.

    And, each further large-scale use of [Obliterate] might affect the creature¡¯s behaviour, or even keep it from changing its course later. Worst case, it could attract another of its kind, if there were any.

    So, Theora needed to trust everyone in this hall. And she was ready to, because it was Theora¡¯s mistake that had brought them into this situation in the first place. She had attracted the creature. With her extensive record of messing up and making everything worse, she considered every single person present more trustworthy than herself.

    And yet, all people made mistakes.

    ¡°Do you agree with the strategy as laid out?¡± Un asked, after outlining the meticulous ordeal.

    Theora nodded.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Isobel yelled out, and ran a few steps into the circle. ¡°You didn¡¯t explain how she¡¯ll get back!¡±

    Un shifted their gaze, acknowledging Isobel for a few seconds without saying a word. ¡°Getting the Sun of Heofen back to earth is outside the scope of this mission,¡± Un said. ¡°However¡ª¡± They gestured to one of the Orbs of Seven Wishes. ¡°The current strategy withholds one Orb as contingency. In case everything goes well, it might never be needed.¡± They turned to Theora. ¡°In that case ¡ª would you be able to use it?¡±

    This question shifted something in Theora¡¯s brain. It was like, very suddenly, the world made a lot more sense.

    Would you be able to use it?

    Un was referring to one of the seven wishes. A wish Theora had considered so out of reach she¡¯d dismissed its existence entirely from her mind. It resurfaced only now that Un brought it up.

    Her eyes flickered to Dema.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said.

    Un nodded. ¡°If you succeed with the mission without using that last Orb, you can use it as you see fit.¡±

    By the time Un finished, Dema was traipsing into the circle. ¡°Alright, now that everything¡¯s cleared up, I have an announcement. I changed my mind.¡± All eyes went to her, and she smiled, and shouted, ¡°I wanna join!¡±

    Un blinked. A few people murmured among themselves, and some were stunned into silence.

    ¡°How would you possibly join?¡± Un asked. ¡°This was discussed, wasn¡¯t it?¡± They turned around for aid.

    It was true ¡ª the possibility of Theora not going into space alone had been negotiated in-depth, and resoundingly rejected due to a mountain of issues.

    ¡°Why, Bun Bun¡¯s gonna take her attire, right? Can just put me in. So if things go wrong with the big creature, I¡¯m gonna help. She just has to pull me out. Also, I can splash out blood to help with going faster.¡±

    ¡°Dema,¡± Bell¡¯s voice whiplashed through the hall, echoing against the walls. Some people flinched as she made her way inside as well. She gave Dema an unyielding glare. ¡°You have to stay.¡±

    Surprised, Dema raised her brows, looking at the others in the inner circle for help. ¡°What? Why?¡±

    At that, Bell¡¯s eyes glanced over to Theora, and she bit her lip. She seemed to be fighting with herself. Finally, she grabbed Dema¡¯s wrist, her venom sizzling against the ash-coloured skin, and proceeded to drag her off. ¡°We need to talk. In private.¡±

    Theora frowned after them.

    Once both of them were out of sight and the murmurs in the crowd went quiet, Un cleared their throat a final time. Referencing Theora¡¯s earlier gesture, they declared, ¡°Let it be known that the Sun of Heofen has non-verbally agreed to the strategy as laid out. I hereby conclude this session. Thank you all for your hard work.¡±

 Chapter 128: Last Step

    Theora rubbed her tired eyes as the sun set on the last evening before launch. Her attire was still producing more items. On and off, she and some helpers had been trying to clean her attire out for weeks, sitting in Dema¡¯s home and carrying everything out that she managed to pull out of the shared storage. They had already filled two halls, and were starting to reach capacity of the third, all with her junk magical items, old rewards, and stuff she couldn¡¯t even identify. She never realised how many clothes she owned.

    The Shade was helping her clear out her things too; this must be what moving felt like to people.

    At some point earlier that day, Theora had told the other volunteers to go to bed. At that point, they¡¯d already pulled an all-nighter without any signs of finishing the task anytime soon. It wasn¡¯t the highest priority task, but if Theora did end up stuck in space for millenia, it would be a waste for all her belongings to be gone with her. Many magical items ran on mana and needed to be recharged regularly in order to function, and since Theora had no access to mana, they would be of no use for her long-term. Down here, she could ask others to recharge items for her. Not that she ever did, because talking was difficult, so over time, the few magical items she had used were those that were self-sufficient, like her attire. In addition, her multilayered travelling attire was such a mess that remembering an item from inside and actually pulling it out to use it, while also remembering how it worked, was almost unfeasible.

    Or, to put it more bluntly, it was effort, and Theora was tired. Her time in To Hell With the Author had reminded her of the fact that she not only owned a myriad of things, she also barely used them, while others might be able to. And so, into the halls they went.

    As she pushed her hand into the folds once more and rummaged around, her hand eventually grabbed something soft. When she pulled it out, it was a device with two very small lids that enclosed a fluffy magical cloud. Ah¡­ What was that again?

    Right. She¡¯d received it as a gift once, when travelling high mountains. It was a device to create a small amount of air, to be used in tents in high-altitude where the winds didn¡¯t offer enough sustenance to survive, when climbing to high summits.

    She put it on the shelf of the hall. Obviously, it was not going to be useful in space, especially if she couldn¡¯t recharge it. Plus, Theora did not plan on breathing much up there anyway.

    She filled out a little sheet containing whatever information she remembered. What was the name again? Breatheriser? Probably not, but it¡¯s what Theora jotted down. Someone with [Identify] would eventually go through these notes and correct them.

    ¡°Hey there,¡± Bell¡¯s voice rang out just as Theora finished writing. ¡°Came to say goodbye.¡±

    Pushing the little sheet aside, Theora looked up. Shady had pushed Bell out from itself. She was looking massive. Her orange tendrils were reaching out like sunrays, her dress seemed larger than usual, and the look on her face was determined.

    Most of the time, Bell seemed to hate the idea of taking up space. Bell usually had her legs drawn close to her chest while sitting. She was always making sure to keep her distance and not to touch anyone; even those who didn¡¯t mind her acidic toxicity. She¡¯d been that way even back when her party had confronted Theora. Bell hadn¡¯t come to fight, back then, so she¡¯d sat down, kept tendrils and limbs close, as if erecting a barrier between herself and the world.

    But now, instead, Bell seemed ready for a fight. Seemed ready to tear something apart. Not in an angry way, but more¡­ wary. It was like the strongest hero in existence was about to leave the world behind, and Bell knew it, and was ready. Ready to serve as a defender in Theora¡¯s stead.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see each other again before launch,¡± Theora answered. ¡°Won¡¯t you come to see me off there?¡±

    Bell shrugged, and about two thirds of her tendrils repeated the gesture with a soft jerk upwards. ¡°I probably will, but I wanted to say goodbye in person. Dema and None are immortal, but depending on how long you¡¯ll be gone and what might happen while you¡¯re there, I might¡­ not make it.¡±

    Theora swallowed.

    But Bell was smiling softly. Her tendrils started grazing over the items in the room, probably using [Identify] or them, or perhaps just feeling them up. Maybe some of those items were interesting even to an accomplished hero like her.

    ¡°I just spoke with Dema,¡± Bell added. ¡°Once you¡¯re gone ¡ª and I mean, properly gone, as in, we know your launch went well ¡ª we¡¯ll head off to see Treeka, and see what I can do for her. None obviously can¡¯t join, but I should be able to put up a tentative barrier across the wound until None is ready to inspect it. We¡¯ll find a way to help her, so don¡¯t worry about that.¡±

    Theora let out a deep sigh. She had indeed worried about that. A lot.

    She¡¯d given Treeka empty promises because she¡¯d been feeling overconfident, and then the end of the world had gotten in her way and there was nothing she could ever do to make up for it. Treeka¡¯s heart had literally been out in the open. She¡¯d shared all her vulnerabilities with them and asked for help, and they¡¯d left her behind and now Theora was going to fly to the end of the planetary system.

    Bell was just staring down at Theora, giving her room for thought. As much as Bell had a tendency to say inconsiderate things, she still seemed to care very deeply, about everything, always.

    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you,¡± Theora murmured.

    Bell jolted a bit at that. It was just the tiniest surprised wince in her eyes, but it somehow managed to rock through her tendrils and get bigger as it went on; embarrassing her, judging from Bell¡¯s throat bob. Then, she just nodded, and stepped back into the Shade.

    Theora spent a few more hours emptying her attire.

    In the end, with the help of Shady, Theora just fluffed it like a blanket and littered all remaining items onto the floor of the hall. She felt a bit bad for leaving a mess, but it was preferable to keeping it all. Meanwhile, Shady ensured that all the items Theora would actually need up there remained inside the attire, and then, finally, left the attire as well when everything else was out.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± Theora said, and got a friendly nuzzle in response. ¡°You can go back to the library.¡± That¡¯s where the Shade had mostly been staying since leaving Theora¡¯s attire, so others could find Dema¡¯s house.

    It gave what Theora understood as a nod, and shuffled itself out of the hall.

    Theora finally put her attire back on, for the first time in weeks. The Shade had accepted to keep the time dilation device contained within itself during Theora¡¯s absence ¡ª it seemed to be less of an issue to contain it now that Shady was accustomed to it and it wasn¡¯t wedged within its flesh.

    Theora let out a long sigh. So many preparations. So much deliberation. They¡¯d argued for days whether Theora should keep the dilation device with her or not; they¡¯d argued for days whether Theora should go alone or take another immortal with her, like Isobel or Dema, and they¡¯d argued for hours if Theora should wear some kind of suit to protect herself from the harsh environment of the Grand Voids, and there had been many good arguments for every option.

    But the ultimate decision had been for Theora to go alone, without protection, and without the time dilation device. Too much about the Grand Voids was unknown to make it safe for anyone or anything to be there except Theora herself.

    All she had left in her attire now were about one hundred tons of crystallised blood, gold, an immense amount of flowers, water, and some ingredients for tea. And, a few metal plates with many dots, rings, lines, and names on them ¡ª star maps.

    Lastly, the Orbs of Seven Wishes.

    Other than that, her attire was empty. They argued that if Theora were to take more, she¡¯d only lose it or mix it up with other things if she wanted to get anything out quickly. It was scary how well they all knew her by now.

    Just when Theora wanted to leave, her eyes fell on a little box in the large heap of stuff she¡¯d swiped out of her attire at the end. Somehow, it stood out to her. A little wooden box she couldn¡¯t remember ever seeing before, wedged between all the junk.

    Inside was a small collection of cards, each having a beautiful distinct picture painted on it. One by one, Theora looked through them, and could feel something move deep within her hollow shell, like a single cog getting unstuck in an abandoned factory.

    The feeling vanished as soon as it appeared.

    These were just cards. Beautiful cards, yes, but¡­ where or when had she gotten them? Why did they draw her attention like that? There were many items on that heap she did not remember, but none of them gave her shivers like this.

    Theora looked around to confirm that she was alone, and then stealthily placed the cards in her attire. Mission control would be really upset with her if they knew she was smuggling things into space. But those cards were so pretty. She was already leaving everything behind. Surely, she could indulge in a single keepsake.

    Well, she had Dema¡¯s bracelet too, but that wouldn¡¯t go into the attire in the first place. Dema had promised it was strong enough to withstand the Grand Voids.

    A few hours later, it was time for Theora¡¯s departure. Her launching spot was in the wheat fields outside Heofen, and hundreds of people had gathered to see her off.

    There was Ulfine.

    There were Bell and Dema, as well as Harrik, his sister Kara, and Hannah.

    Hannah. The one they¡¯d met so, so long ago, before meeting the Devil of Truth. The girl who had been worried about his return, and told them where to find him. Somehow, the whole world must have known about Theora¡¯s mission ¡ª she couldn¡¯t otherwise explain how Hannah would have found her here.

    There was an older man too, and Theora felt warm hugging him and sending him off, felt her heart ache in both relief and sadness at seeing him again, and when his wide back disappeared into the distance, she felt like she¡¯d forgotten something important.

    Something important.

    Ah, right. After all this time. So he had made it. Theora smiled ¡ª then she blinked, and forgot Tras again.

    Un was giving some kind of explanatory send-off speech, and Theora was too self-conscious to really listen to it. Seeing everyone was nice, but being made a fuss over felt awkward.

    And so, when things were said and done, Theora walked to the top of the little hill, and fetched an Orb of Seven Wishes.

    ¡°Mission-Control to the Sun of Heofen!¡± a cheerful voice rang out in her ear. There was a little magitek device attached to the side of Theora¡¯s head, enabling instant-communication between patches of magic mould. Hallmark¡¯s artificer guild had put a lot of effort into creating this thing. It was the centre-piece of the entire operation. Built to work in space, built to withstand large amounts of damage. It also kept sending back loads of data on Theora¡¯s velocity and location and had a radar to measure local mana disturbances. Hundreds of people had been working on it for months.

    And yet, it only had a few days of runtime.

    Theora couldn¡¯t calculate the route in her head, much less make adjustments in case things went wrong. The star maps were only useful to her in combination with guidance from home. Using the chat function of the alliance would have been fine at first, but at longer distances, the lag would make intervention in precarious situations harder. And nobody knew if the System¡¯s reach even went that far. The old documents of the Protans mentioned the System having an unspecified maximum reach, but they didn¡¯t rely on it in the first place, so details were vague.

    This divination magitek device, however, could exceed the speed of information when using the magic mould mycelium as a road. Theora just had to stay close to the patches, or at least travel specific routes between them, and then she¡¯d remain in contact with home.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to talk to me this way,¡± Theora responded in thought. Speaking out loud in space would be difficult, considering the vacuum blocked sound and the cold might freeze her, so the device projected thoughts directly from her mind.

    ¡°But it¡¯s fun!¡± ¡®mission control¡¯ responded. ¡°Prefer if I call you mom?¡±

    ¡°You can call me ¡®mom¡¯, although I¡¯m not sure if I fulfil that kind of role very well.¡±

    Isobel chuckled into the transmission device. ¡°Current altitude 2,413 universal units of distance above ocean. Current Timestamp -134 seconds to mission start. Please describe your current state of mind!¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Guh, mom! We¡¯ve talked about this. Managing the emotional state of a person embarking on an isolating mission is top priority for its success. It¡¯s what those people who tried out space travel a few centuries ago said as well, before they gave up on it because they realised that kind of industry would hollow out the planet and leave it a wasteland.¡± There was a short pause. ¡°Ah, I got distracted again. What was I saying?¡±

    ¡°You were scolding me for not giving a detailed description of my emotional state.¡±

    ¡°Right! Exactly. Please report your current feelings!¡±

    ¡°I feel happy that so many people came to see me off. But it also makes me a little sad. I wish Hell and Balinth could have made it, or Lostina and Gonell, or Fiantanne, or Skuld. I miss them a lot. I feel happy to hear your voice, and to have you with me. I¡¯m glad that they decided to offer this role to you after you received [Compute]. I feel anxious due to the uncertain aspects of the missions, and I hope it will all go well.¡±

    Theora could hear Isobel¡¯s nodding clacks. ¡°Perfect. Job well done, Also¡ª Oh! There we go, it¡¯s time. Ten, nine, eight¡ª¡±

    As Iso was counting down, Theora realised that the crowd was doing the same, and she raised the Orb, holding it between thumb and index finger, ready to leave.

    ¡°Three, two, one ¡ª go!¡±

    Theora snapped the Orb and stepped into the sky.

 Chapter 129: Magic Quirkiness

    Immediately after leaving, Theora¡¯s periphery started lighting up with System notifications. Dema and Bell were already sending messages over the alliance chat. Balinth sent a quick ¡°You go, girl!¡± and Hell opened a group chat with many of their shared friends, all of whom soon chimed in to cheer Theora on.

    How had they even managed to invite them?

    ¡°Alright,¡± Isobel murmured. ¡°Acceleration constant at 1.3 uud per second squared, as expected. Current altitude, 3209 uud above ocean. Expected remaining time until leaving atmosphere, five minutes, 55 seconds. Keep going!¡±

    Theora nodded. Then, she realised the nod would not be conveyed through the transmitter. ¡°Noted,¡± she responded. She had no idea what a ¡®uud¡¯ was, but Isobel was apparently having fun blurting out this information. ¡°I¡¯m getting many messages.¡±

    Isobel giggled. ¡°Yeah, of course! I¡¯m in the group chat too! They are all going to miss you. I¡¯ll let you know when you need to change course to Alton, until then you can just go straight up.¡±

    The main issue was, of course, that ¡®straight up¡¯ wasn¡¯t necessarily an easy direction to follow. Most directions weren¡¯t easy to follow. The wind was making it harder. That¡¯s why they had decided to have her leave at night; for one, at night the continent was facing away from the sun, which was good, because the sun was the opposite of where Theora wanted to go, and also, the stars made it easier for her to keep a steady aim. She had put in a lot of effort to learn not only the constellations, but the names of hundreds, if not thousands of stars as well, in order to enable Isobel to give more accurate descriptions. She also had the star maps, just in case.

    She looked down at Himaeya. It was pretty, and she wanted to do it while she could still easily move her body. It was getting cold, after all. The winds were biting at her.

    For now, Theora decided not to answer all these messages. She needed to actively fly right now, and it was important to keep a steady aim, because each correction later would expend resources or time. She had to reach the first patch of magic mould today, so that she could use the last hours of Orb-flight to get out of it. Later, there¡¯d be times when she¡¯d simply drift through space with no Orb active. She could chat then. And sleep. For now, she mustered as much focus as she could to remain accurately on her path.

    ¡°So, did you make out with Dema?¡± Isobel suddenly blurted.

    Theora swallowed. ¡°I made up with Dema,¡± she said.

    ¡°Yay! You were both so down these past few weeks. I¡¯m glad you two managed to sort it before launch.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Theora said. ¡°I want to see her again soon.¡± Her gaze went to one of the notifications. Maybe it would be fine to just answer Dema?

    No¡­ Theora was on a mission to save the planet. Although the decision felt much harder than it ever should.

    ¡°You¡¯re veering off a bit there! Remain on course, Sun of Heofen.¡±

    ¡°Right. Thank you,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°So, how is Bell?¡±

    ¡°Bell¡¯s well!¡±

    ¡°¡­ I see. I hope things will be fine between her and Dema, while I¡¯m gone.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ yea. When she and I started adventuring together, we clicked so well. Obviously, we didn¡¯t know at the start that I was related to you and Dema. After we all met, her¡­ opinions have made things a bit more difficult, I suppose.¡± After that, Theora heard a bit of shuffling and scuttling, and then Isobel went, ¡°Yep! We¡¯re talking about you!¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Theora said. ¡°She¡¯s there?¡±

    ¡°Yes, came here like two minutes ago.¡±

    ¡°Please convey a greeting to her from me.¡±

    ¡°Mom says hi!¡± A few seconds passed. ¡°Bell says good luck.¡±

    ¡°Does she seem uneasy?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m holding her hand, so she¡¯s fine,¡± Isobel answered and Theora could hear her smile. ¡°She¡¯s a big scaredy-cat but you just have to cuddle all the worries out of her.¡±

    Theora smiled. She checked her quest countdown ¡ª it had been 255 seconds since launch. Her body would probably freeze soon, so maybe this would be her very last smile. She tried to savour it.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Scholars weren¡¯t entirely sure how exactly Theora¡¯s body would react to exposure to the Grand Voids; they knew the higher atmosphere was cold, and space itself was cold as well, but there was no air, so Theora could only lose heat by radiating it away. She¡¯d never felt more in-tune with the title her home town had given her; it really was like she¡¯d be a little sun.

    She was also already suffocating.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Isobel¡¯s voice suddenly rang in Theora¡¯s ear. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Theora blinked while she still could. ¡°Nothing is wrong. Ah ¡ª sorry. I thought you were talking to me.¡±

    ¡°No, Sun of Heofen, I am talking to you,¡± she said, her voice concerned. ¡°Why are you slowing down?¡±

    What? ¡°I¡¯m not slowing down. I¡¯m going straight up.¡±

    A moment of silence.

    Isobel was likely double-checking the data. Meanwhile, Theora kept flying straight up. Although as the seconds passed, she noticed something feeling off too. Her body felt somewhat weird, in a way. Bouncy? Almost like she was swimming. The air resistance she¡¯d felt on her way up was almost entirely gone now, so flying should have been getting easier from here on out, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. As she glanced over the planet beneath her, she realised it wasn¡¯t getting much smaller anymore.

    Theora tried to ignore the feeling of her saliva bubbling in her mouth. She was getting quite dizzy too. Her brain was shutting down. Of course, that much was to be expected, but it made her feel tired. She already wanted to go back to bed.

    ¡°You have pretty much stopped gaining altitude,¡± Isobel finally murmured. ¡°You seem to be going up a bit, then falling back down¡­ this is weird. Hm? Yea, checked that too. No, she definitely should have been able to escape, the acceleration of the Orb should be constant¡­ Yeah. I checked divination devices too. No magical readings. I don¡¯t think she ran into a magical quirk already.¡±

    Iso kept discussing things with people who were apparently offering ideas, bouncing back and forth little arguments. Isobel¡¯s tone was a bit tense, and several minutes passed, all without Theora being able to travel any distance.

    Finally, Isobel¡¯s voice started to get fairly displeased.

    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Theora asked.

    Isobel clicked parts of her face. ¡°One of them is arguing that the Orb might have a built-in altitude limit.¡±

    By now, Theora¡¯s eyelids were too frozen to blink. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be bad?¡±

    Isobel gave a sad sigh. ¡°Yes, mom, that would be bad. That would mean mission failure.¡±

    So the start wasn¡¯t going very well, then.

    ¡°No,¡± Isobel was letting out, ¡°I¡¯m just saying ¡ª let¡¯s save ¡®done-in by magic quirkiness¡¯ as our last explanation for what¡¯s going on, not the first. Maybe this is something else?¡±

    All Theora really knew about magic was that the more one tried to understand it using laws of nature, the more obstacles magic would place in one¡¯s way out of spite. That said, it wasn¡¯t completely unreasonable to try to figure out the precise rules of how a magic effect would function, although the results tended to be a little frustrating more often than not.

    Theora still remembered how much trouble she¡¯d had figuring out the interdimensional attire. At first, she¡¯d thought the attire was just really hungry. Shades weren¡¯t super uncommon, so a bundle of fabric with space inside that things disappeared into had obviously brought the attire closer to a Shade than to what it actually was ¡ª a many-lidded chest whose insides were shifted just a little towards the outside of reality.

    The point being ¡ª figuring out magical items was difficult. And Orbs of Seven Wishes were incredibly rare; they were the ultimate reward the System could give. There was a reason why they¡¯d only been able to scrape up five even to save the world. Theora had gotten three or four in the entirety of her life, and she was the strongest hero with the highest chances of attaining one.

    Nobody would have been able to use one to just ¡ª test things out. They¡¯d been aware of that flaw, and some scientists had protested quite heavily to making assumptions, but it¡¯s not like they had an alternative up their sleeves.

    The Wish of Flight granted the ability to fly. Theora hadn¡¯t expected it to not work in space, but it was possible that space travel was not categorised as flight in that sense by magic. And if that was the case, then things were looking just a little grim, perhaps.

    ¡°Alright, we need to figure this out,¡± Isobel then said. ¡°I¡¯ll cut the connection to save power on the transmission device while we do. Please stay put.¡±

    With that, a soft crackle resounded in Theora¡¯s head, and Isobel¡¯s voice was gone. Theora had only taken a few minutes to get up to this point, so in theory, she could have gone back down. But if she was to stay put, so be it.

    It was a beautiful place anyway, up here, above the world. By now, her arms and legs were frozen solid to the core, and she couldn¡¯t feel them anymore. This was slightly preferable to her insides boiling and bloating up. Theora could maybe expel the cold and thaw herself if she really wanted, but that would be a lot of effort, especially considering how much cold there was everywhere around her.

    Her brain had also stopped working. That was inconvenient, but maybe not too different from her usual self. Theora without a brain. Hadn¡¯t that happened before? Right. With that poor lint on Dema¡¯s dress, back in the bathhouse. Oh, what she would give to be a lint on Dema¡¯s dress right now.

    Yes, her brain was definitely gone. Oh well. No hugs for a while. It was tragic.

    She was just a rock of ice now. Still well-preserved, though, so in and of itself, it didn¡¯t seem like an issue. She kept her mind working despite not having a brain or a functioning body, because if she didn¡¯t, she couldn¡¯t complete the mission. And the mission was important, because she had to save the world.

    From herself, that was.

 Chapter 130: Folded Away

    ¡°There¡¯s a bit of chaos here now,¡± Bell wrote in a message. ¡°There¡¯s a [Diviner] casting a high-level Skill, and someone else claims that perhaps gravity only exists on our planet, and just isn¡¯t a thing anywhere else. And you can¡¯t defy gravity where it doesn¡¯t exist, and so on. And then someone else says that that can¡¯t be the case, judging from the documents of the old spacefaring civilisation.¡±

    Theora appreciated the update. She was still very close to home, so there was no practical difference in writing or using the instant-transmission device, so shutting the device off was a good call, especially if Theora would be stuck here for a while.

    The worst part, of course, was that the Orb was already active. If there was a way to keep using the Orb in space, they had to find it quickly.

    And if she couldn¡¯t use the Orb to fly, she¡¯d have to land again and find a spot to jump from ¡ª an approach that had been discarded early on, for a number of reasons. The most prominent one being that people had voiced concerns that if Theora jumped too hard, it would cause an ice age. But it would also bring them back to potentially losing communication, since Theora couldn¡¯t jump out of patches of mould.

    Meanwhile, Dema was sending heart-shaped text imagery, and Theora briefly explained that they¡¯d run into an issue; an explanation she repeated in the group chat. In response, countless messages flooded in, and she tried her best to keep up, although half of the conversation happened so fast that she couldn¡¯t even participate.

    And so, the first hour passed in the blink of an eye. Theora was now a frozen statue, but she had all she needed in full view. Her friends in the Interface, and an incredible sight of a whole planet beneath her where she could vaguely make out the places and regions she¡¯d travelled through in her long life, despite the night. Her eyes were frozen, so moving them was difficult, but she tried her best.

    There was the Zenith of the End, the northern cusp of the one continent that made up the world ¡ª the place where Dema had been sealed, and she noticed the Land of the Dead ¡ª a broken-off large island in the east, a white and pale spot. She¡¯d never been there.

    And of course, the large black blotch, half the size of the Land of the Dead, to its south, not too far from her hometown. Unchanged, ever since it had appeared. The reason why she was up here now. No matter where she looked, there it was, piercing and throbbing in the periphery of her view.

    Theora eventually found a message from ground control telling her to try and move sideways.

    After a few minutes, Isobel said, ¡°Huh. That seems to be working. One sec.¡±

    Next, Isobel instructed her to find a specific spot, on the other half of the planet, mostly filled with endless ocean, where she could not see her training grounds, and where it was still daytime.

    It took a few hours to get there.

    The sun was very hot. It scorched Theora¡¯s interdimensional attire and burnt her skin. Luckily, the attire was self-repairing, although Theora had no idea how long it might withstand this strain.

    ¡°So, what if that¡¯s just it?¡± Balinth¡¯s grandson wrote at some point, in the group chat. ¡°What if we only have barely a month left to live?¡±

    ¡°Could all evacuate into the Grand Observatory of Fiction and live our last days in some cool world,¡± someone else suggested.

    ¡°I think this world is already pretty ¡®cool¡¯,¡± Balinth wrote. ¡°But I still have confidence that they will find a way.¡±

    That sentence made Theora¡¯s heart pang. She stared down at the planet.

    Water everywhere. Was that why Isobel had asked her to position herself here? But, if Theora messed up the jump, it could still create a devastating wave to wander around the planet. And also, it would send her off entirely the wrong way.

    Eventually, a total of five hours passed since launch. Theora was ready to give up hope when the transmission device cracked into activity again, together with frantic shuffling.

    ¡°I think I have an idea,¡± Isobel said, sounding a bit groggy. ¡°We argued for hours and then Bell said I should rest because I hadn¡¯t in days because I was preparing for launch and then we went to her bubble and she floated as usual and I sank to the bottom because of course I did since I¡¯m a rock.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°So I suddenly got big shivers! Like. That makes total sense, doesn¡¯t it? I went down the water because I am denser than water. Dema didn¡¯t sink in lava because she was less dense than lava.¡±

    Theora wanted to nod but found that she couldn¡¯t due to her neck being somewhat stiff, and then she remembered she couldn¡¯t answer through a nod on transmission anyway. ¡°Yes,¡± she repeated instead.

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    ¡°We assumed that the Orb works by disabling gravity. So it makes you float,¡± she kept saying. ¡°But what if it literally makes you float?¡±

    ¡°What if it makes me float,¡± Theora repeated. ¡°How would it do that, if not by undoing gravity?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, exactly!¡± Isobel chirped. ¡°That¡¯s why nobody really thought much of it. It either disables gravity, or it makes you accelerate faster than gravity, although the latter doesn¡¯t really conform with how people report feeling after eating an Orb.¡±

    ¡°Hm,¡± Theora hummed. ¡°It¡¯s typically not eaten.¡±

    ¡°But,¡± Isobel said, ¡°what if it doesn¡¯t do anything about gravity at all? What if it changes your density to match the medium you are submerged in, and then gives you a constant acceleration to be able to move?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Theora wanted to tilt her head, but couldn¡¯t. It felt very hot and cool at the same time. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make it more of a Wish of Swimming?¡±

    That said, disturbingly, a convoluted and far-fetched explanation like that sounded exactly like the type of result Theora would expect if one was to try and untangle a magical effect. Almost as if to spite anyone who tried.

    ¡°Flying, swimming, what¡¯s the difference! But ¡ª if I¡¯m correct, that¡¯s going to be great. It would mean that you are stuck merely because you reached the surface of the atmosphere, and are now swimming on it like in water, and the Orb¡¯s speed isn¡¯t enough to overcome gravity, so you¡¯re stuck. But in that case the Orb¡¯s acceleration would still work once you escape gravity. Also, if your mass is magically reduced, that would mean your other means of propulsion will be magnitudes stronger. We could get so far!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t very easy to keep up; the laws of nature had never been Theora¡¯s strength, even though she hailed from a town of scholars. ¡°What do you suggest?¡±

    ¡°Wait, lemme [Compute].¡± A few seconds passed, with a few clicks and clatters of Isobel¡¯s body. ¡°Alright, so take a propellant, maybe a thirty. And then throw it towards the ocean. You can do it gently so it¡¯s safer.¡±

    Huh. A thirty, and less strong than usual? That wasn¡¯t what they had agreed on previously, but if it meant a safer procedure, Theora was all for it. She didn¡¯t want to kill countless sea creatures. It did hurt to already start expending weights when she should be using her Orb right now.

    And so, despite how much effort it took, Theora moved her arm. The attire shielded it from the sun, so it was still frozen underneath. It cracked and broke and fissured with the motion, fracturing into thousands of pieces that she kept whole with power of will, and pushed it inside her attire, to take out a round of Dema¡¯s crystallised blood stone.

    One of the smaller ones. Her body half-cracking and emanating a fine cloud of ice particles while the other was boiling hot, Theora got in position, wound up, and threw the blood stone towards the ocean. A shockwave broke out from her, the stone deformed and bent and turned into a molten mess from the force Theora applied, and they both shot off in opposite directions.

    Within a fraction of a second, they were already far apart, and Theora tried her best to target the velocity of the bloodstone fragments.

    [Obliterate].

    If she did that correctly like practised, the item shouldn¡¯t do harm to the planet. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t throw matter away at full strength, because the objects she threw might harm other planets after millions of years of travel, so she had to constrain her throwing strength to an amount that would allow her to safely [Obliterate] the mass afterwards.

    With each throw, Theora gained incredible height.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Isobel let out after a few moments. ¡°About 3,541 uud per second¡­ That¡¯s not enough. Why is it not enough. It should be enough!¡± She let out an annoyed grumble. ¡°Sorry, mom. Just throw two more, that should do it. Once we are out and know what¡¯s going on, I will calculate a new route.¡±

    Theora did as told, exerting her body to propel her to the speed necessary to eventually soar out from the gravitational influence of the planet. She almost lost a finger doing it, but was able to catch it at the last moment. Her body was falling apart with each motion. Was this how Isobel felt all the time?

    Theora had to go give her another hug once she got home.

    ¡°Alright¡­ Try to keep going up with the Orb. Let¡¯s see what the readings say.¡±

    Theora went on for about five minutes, and the planet was getting smaller and smaller beneath her.

    ¡°So¡­ We¡¯ll need to wait for readings on the Orb, since they are so small in comparison. Another twenty minutes and I should be able to tell for sure. But¡­ it definitely seems like the Orb didn¡¯t decrease your density to match the air and have you float¡­ because if you were lighter, you would have gained a lot more momentum from that throw¡­¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Theora said. ¡°And it¡¯s not like I got bigger.¡±

    An awkward silence followed. It stretched out uncomfortably long.

    ¡°What did you just say?¡± Isobel asked.

    ¡°I mean,¡± Theora went on, ¡°it¡¯s not like the Wish of Flight makes me larger. I feel the same size. Except for this awkward sensation of being puffed up that comes with using that wish, of course.¡±

    Another pause. Shorter, this time.

    ¡°Oh, wow, that has to be it.¡± Isobel clattered around, maybe checking instruments. ¡°Perhaps the wish doesn¡¯t make you lighter, and just puffs you up and folds the extra volume away into a fifth dimension. And that¡¯s why you start swimming in air.¡±

    ¡°That¡ª¡±

    That made an uncomfortable amount of sense. Magic sure was something else. The Orb had folded part of her away into nothingness to make her lighter, but keep the same mass, so now she floated on the atmosphere, and then it also gave her propulsion on top of it? Theora wanted to cry. This was exactly why she¡¯d decided against becoming a [Mage].

    ¡°Preliminary measurement suggests that you are still gaining speed, so I suppose that must be how it works. Oh well, at least there is no upper limit then. We¡¯ll be able to use the Orb to get you on course. Just lost a few hours. We¡¯ll need to use more propellants than planned to get you to the first magic mould patch in time, but¡­ In any case, keep going while I consult the others to plan a route with what we know now.¡±

    The connection shut down with a crackle.

    Theora tried to sigh, but failed. The ice was making her throat close up. Now that she¡¯d fully left the atmosphere, she couldn¡¯t wait to melt again. Although she still wasn¡¯t sure if that would actually happen.

    All things considered, it could have gone worse.

 Chapter 131: Light Lag

    It was about seven hours after launch that Theora noticed a light lag on the messages to and from the system. Whenever she sent one, it would appear transparent for about a second until it was confirmed to have reached the target. She was now more than half the way to the first moon, although ground control had made sure both Theora and the moons would stay well out of each other¡¯s ways.

    At the ninth hour, Theora was asked to throw a lot more blood from her attire. She only had about one hundred tons loaded. She¡¯d already thrown a fifth of that by now; more than initially planned. The first patch was far away, and she needed to reach it quickly.

    Within a few minutes of launching the blood in giant shockwaves, Theora soared past the first moon, and the second one half an hour later.

    Maybe one day, if she found another Orb, she could visit the moons with Dema. Looking at them up-close, they were rather pretty.

    ¡°Miss you,¡± she wrote.

    Dema responded quickly with a message that appeared to be a stand-in for a hug. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m heading half-way towards the sun after all. They say I can steal some speed of a planet by just missing it, and having it bend my route.¡±

    ¡°Dang, velocity theft. I thought better of you, Bun Bun!¡±

    Theora wanted to smile, but it just cracked the corners of her mouth a little. ¡°I see you learned the laws of nature.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! They kept going on about it when I was making the blood stones. ¡®No this ain¡¯t right, you gotta do it that way and that way for the this and that!¡¯¡±

    Again, an almost-smile.

    And so, about fifteen hours into Theora¡¯s journey, the horror started to set in.

    By now, messages were taking almost a minute to be sent. Half a minute until they arrived at her home planet, and another for the confirmation of arrival to come back to her ¡ª and a possible answer with it, if the recipient was fast. Soon, she wouldn¡¯t be able to talk to her friends anymore, and it would instead feel like writing letters.

    Theora hadn¡¯t anticipated the light lag to become noticeable this quickly. She still called it that, despite Isobel having corrected it to the ¡®lag induced by the maximum speed of information,¡¯ but light lag was faster to say, and light and information travelled at the same speed anyway ¡ª although Theora kept that to herself, because she knew Isobel would start squirming if she actually said that out loud.

    Instead, they talked about course corrections and estimates of arrival. Theora still had 20 days left until she needed to be at the last patch.

    20 days left, and any course correction or mistake she made would make it less likely for her to arrive in time.

    ¡°Doing great!¡± Isobel lied at some point ¡ª it had to be a lie, probably to improve Theora¡¯s morale.

    ¡°Did Bell and Dema leave?¡± Theora asked.

    After a short pause, Iso went, ¡°Yep. Debated whether they should stay until you hit the first magic mould patch, but there¡¯s not much they can do even if things go wrong there anyway. So they decided to go.¡±

    Theora wanted to nod, but couldn¡¯t. Half her body was frozen, the other burning under the gaze of the sun. Dema had probably sent messages, but Theora had been too busy with altering her course and putting her body back together after throwing blood rocks. Plus, every time she did send a message, the wait for it to be delivered was agonising.

    Everyone seemed to be slipping away.

    Twenty days of travel time. Theora had imagined chatting with them and having them close throughout, but¡­ Perhaps this would be even lonelier than she¡¯d imagined.

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    At the eighteenth hour, Isobel finally seemed content enough. Theora was properly on course to hit the first patch of mould at 23 hours and 3 minutes into her journey, no further adjustments needed, so Isobel went to bed and suggested Theora slept some too.

    Theora couldn¡¯t sleep, though; she was tired, yes, but everything was a bit much. She decided to wade through her messages, doing her best not to veer off-course. Dema had been sending countless messages reporting her journey with Bell, and it took Theora an hour to read through all of it, with the warmest feeling in her chest.

    Bell and Dema had never before gotten to spend much time together; at least not to Theora¡¯s knowledge. Perhaps this journey would help them get closer. It certainly seemed that way, considering Dema had apparently convinced Bell to help her level-up immortality by wrapping her in deadly poison tendrils.

    ¡°Got her to hold my hand too,¡± Dema had written. ¡°So spicy.¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t help but want to smile when she read through the few messages Bell had sent during that same time.

    ¡°Gosh, your girlfriend is a lot. Starting to wonder if I should have tried finding Treeka on my own.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m begging you, when you read this, tell Dema I¡¯m not a plushie,¡± and, ¡°I tried to kill her once. I can¡¯t ask her to stop hugging me now, it¡¯s impossible,¡± to which, yes, Theora could relate.

    Bell also wrote, ¡°Ugh. Not going to tell anyone else, but since you seem busy anyway, I guess I¡¯ll put this into the void. I miss None already. I¡¯ve been travelling with them for almost half a century and now we¡¯ll be apart for months. It hurts. I hope they¡¯ll be okay,¡± and, about twenty minutes later, ¡°You know, scratch what I said earlier. Don¡¯t tell Dema I¡¯m not a plushie.¡±

    Meanwhile, Balinth had written, ¡°Sorry for the countless messages in the group chat. I thought it would be fun to add everyone, but now I¡¯m worried you feel left out since you haven¡¯t written much.¡± A while later, she added, ¡°Actually that might be because you are busy. I apologise. I assume you have muted notifications so they don¡¯t pop up all the time. Hope you are doing well.¡± Then, ¡°Ah, and if you ever need a distraction, I¡¯m reading this book right now and I could go on for an hour about how good it is. I should read more things by younger authors. The characters make a lot more¡­ mistakes than they used to in the stories when I was younger. It¡¯s nice to see authors allow characters to be imperfect.¡±

    Somehow, then Balinth went on for an hour anyway; not about the book she was reading but about the changes in the genre she¡¯d witnessed in her life. There was also a message from Balinth¡¯s wife jokingly accusing Theora of hogging up all of Bal¡¯s time to the point where they skipped their ritualistic daily afternoon coffee.

    Harrik had been asking some panicked questions about the time dilation device and if it was still properly sealed, and Theora felt bad when she realised they¡¯d never told him what was up. As he rightly pointed out, it was impossible to predict how the device would act in zero-gravity space conditions; it might fall apart or malfunction, like many other magical artefacts.

    This was the first message Theora actually responded to, giving a detailed answer to show that the dangerous item was contained safely with Dema inside the Shade, inside a meticulously well-crafted barrier put up by Bell to limit its range, and that they wouldn¡¯t use it in any way.

    Then, she wrote responses to everyone else too. By the time she was about to hit the magic mould, the lag had grown to over two minutes. It was late evening for Balinth, who was still going on about her current story after Theora had encouraged her to, and it was deep at night for everyone who¡¯d seen her off at launch.

    Isobel checked in at some point to let Theora know she was awake again.

    And so, eventually, about three minutes after schedule, Theora plunged into the magic mould.

    It was a nebulous, cloudy substance in many muted colours, but beautiful and glowing. It looked like the stardust clouds astronomers could see in the skies ¡ª except, of course, the fields of magic mould were smaller. Much smaller. This patch here was only the size of a peninsula. It was so small Theora wondered how the Protans had found and mapped it.

    As predicted, the mould absorbed all of Theora¡¯s momentum. Like a sticky mud, she could barely move inside, and felt the substance draw power out from her like she was food. It was a peculiar feeling, the type only magic phenomena could invoke, because while the substance slowed her down, she still couldn¡¯t swim in it nor push it aside.

    The Orb of Seven Wishes helped. Theora was folded into a higher dimension to stay afloat in the muddy mould, and the propulsion of the Orb managed to overcome the resistance, barely. She also tried to throw blood stones, and yes ¡ª that worked out, even though it didn¡¯t get her far.

    It was like the glowing orange substance needed a moment to react, but then absorbed whatever momentum Theora had. Like starchy dough. Of course, she tried to fetch some magic mould for Dema by opening a fold in her attire, but it was really hard to judge whether it had worked.

    For now, though, she had to hurry.

    Theora didn¡¯t manage to leave the mould patch within the last hour of the first Orb¡¯s runtime, so she had to throw additional blood stones to fully get out. From then on, they decided she wouldn¡¯t try to go through it again, and instead leave the next patch as soon as she sunk in, and then use the Orb to navigate around it.

    On the other side, she took careful aim, and then threw more weights to propel her to the next patch. The weights sunk into the mould; she didn¡¯t even have to [Obliterate] them afterwards.

    Isobel kept asking for corrections for a few hours until she was satisfied, and then signed off.

    And so, Theora went back to watching the light lag crawl up.

 Chapter 132: Only the Stars for Now

    On the third day, Theora flew past the planet she would steal velocity from. The manoeuvre brought her much closer to it than she¡¯d initially anticipated; so close, in fact, that she was almost worried she¡¯d fall down.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Isobel was saying, ¡°I ran the calculations. You¡¯re totally safe!¡±

    ¡°It would just be unfortunate. Does this planet have an atmosphere?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think so.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°In that case, if I fall down, I would be stuck. Even another Orb can¡¯t overcome the planetary attraction, can it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true,¡± Isobel said. ¡°If you find yourself on a planet without an atmosphere, that would be bad.¡±

    ¡°I would lose all speed I have accumulated, and would have wasted all that weight.¡±

    ¡°Yep! All that propellants would be wasted. But! You still have enough left, more or less. Something would need to go seriously wrong for you not to make it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°Also, this planet has a ring. It looks like I might crash into it. They are made of rocks, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Iso clacked. ¡°But they only look dense from afar. Once you get there you¡¯ll see they are actually super far apart. That¡¯s what the notes of the space farers said.¡±

    ¡°But I might still crash into one.¡±

    ¡°Unlikely!¡±

    By the fifth day, the light lag had grown to over ten minutes. As a result, the messages Theora received and those she sent were getting longer. Harrik wrote paragraphs about how much his sister had grown in the meantime; he¡¯d built a magitek device to see her while invisible, so she¡¯d playfully started learning how to evade detection despite that. Helena was still jokingly complaining about how much time Balinth was spending on Theora, and tried to ¡®beat her out¡¯ by talking about her favourite recipes.

    Everyone was putting in lots of effort to make Theora feel less lonely. Despite the growing light lag and despite the fact that Isobel¡¯s contact was growing more and more sparse, to save time on the communications device in case they needed it later.

    But Theora herself didn¡¯t really have much to talk about. All she ever saw was a sea full of stars, every second of the day; and while she could never grow tired of that, it also didn¡¯t leave her with much to report. She was always heading towards some star or constellation, with no hope of ever reaching it. The stars were so ridiculously far away that even on the fifth day, after journeying what Isobel called almost two-hundred billion ¡®universal units of distance¡¯ ¡ª about six-thousand times as long as her home continent ¡ª, her view had not changed.

    All she could really do was latch onto whatever other people told her, and react to it.

    And, under the attire that absorbed most of the sun¡¯s heat, she was unable to radiate enough heat away from her body, and after thawing from the ice-cold atmosphere of her home planet, she was now hot, the sweat bubbling on her skin as it left her.

    Luckily, she had brought a lot of water, so at least, she could drink.

    Whenever nobody had time to entertain Theora ¡ª because they were sleeping or because they were busy ¡ª she decided to wade through System prompts instead. Not necessarily because it was fun or because she liked it, but she had wanted to do it for a while, and now there was no excuse left to postpone it.

    She watched at her party screen as the numbers went up and down, telling her when the others were using mana. Isobel used most of it ¡ª did [Compute] have a mana cost? She was constantly hovering around half, with large jumps. They typically happened either before she got into contact with Theora or after, so it was likely related to her mission control work in some way.

    Dema¡¯s mana was mostly steady at around 90 %, but she was clearly using it. Bell¡¯s was also never full. Theora sometimes looked at their stat sheets to watch the Skills level-up, which was especially noticeable with Isobel, since she was a baby of only a few decades old, and had only relatively recently switched to her current Class.

    Name: None Class: [Mossmancer], Level 78.

    HP: 5/5

    STR: 1  DEX: 1

    MND: 2,719 VIT: 1

    DEF: 1

    Class Skills: [Store Water] [Mossify] [Photosynthesis] [Plant Plant Plant] [Spore Bloom] [Marine Snow]

    Common Skills: [Inner Monologue] [Compute]

    Traits: [Common Knowledge] [Moss Librarian] [End of Hunger] [Ancient] [Granted Immortality]

    That reckless girl still hadn¡¯t increased her defence at all¡­ Although to be fair, Theora wasn¡¯t sure what that would actually do. Isobel¡¯s Skill distribution was very anxiety-inducing nonetheless.

    Meanwhile, Dema was talking about a big secret scheming project she had going on that she wasn¡¯t willing to go into details with. Her sheet was massive, but mostly static. Of course, Theora had asked for permission to look at their stats, and she really had nothing else to do.

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    Name: Dema Class: [Mage], Level 1,678.

    HP: 6,642,512/6,642,512

    Mana: 84,286,426/95,425,609

    STR: 6,868  DEX: 6,463

    MND: 66,623 VIT: 7,636

    DEF: 626

    Class Skills: [Blood Whip] [Reshape Earth] [Crystallise] [Hemokinesis] [Tectonic Shift] [Exsanguinate] [Capillary] [Tremorise] [Survive] [Blood Donation] [Deplasmarise] [Clot] [Find Veins] [One With Earth] [Craterise] [Regeneration] [Lifesteal] [Inject] [Blood to Flesh] [Survive II] [Mana to Blood] [Emboulder] [Flesh to Mana] [Rejuvenate] [Blood Rain] [Regrow Limbs] [Hematopoiesis] [Hematography] [Crust] [Enhanced Mana Retrieval] [Blood Boil] [Pink Mist] [Throw Rock] [Condense] [Destroy Planet] [Survive III] [Regrow Horn] [Replenish Selfhood] [Blood Bath] [Earthquake] [Ironize] [Mineral Gown] [Blood Stone] [Plasma Curdle] [Hemocytic Laceration] [Blood Moon] [Undizzyfy] [Meteorite] [Blood Rot] [Vampiric Bite] ¡­ Click to expand 113 more Skills.

    Common Skills: [Appraise]

    Legendary Skill: [Immortality]

    Traits: [Ancient] [Blood Magic] [Earth Magic] [Unreasonable Resilience]

    By far the most interesting Skill to Theora was [Find Veins], because neither its name nor description specified what kind of veins it was talking about. When looking for fossils decades ago, Dema had used an echolocation-type Skill to find deposits of specific rock or mineral types in the mountains, and it was not unlikely that this was one of the Skills she¡¯d used for that. On the other hand, veins also existed in the human body, and could be used to find blood.

    The Skill thus seemed to synthesise both of Dema¡¯s affinities, and it made Theora wonder how much of a difference there was between a planet and a person. Dema often clotted blood into stone or crystal-like material, and she was able to swim inside rock as if it was blood sometimes too. It had never occurred to Theora how well earth and blood magic mixed together. Dema was using blood magic to regenerate and heal herself, and was sturdy as a result ¡ª sturdy and solid, just like a rock would be.

    There was also [Vampiric Bite]¡­ She¡¯d never seen Dema drink or use other people¡¯s blood, even though her Skills would definitely allow her to use foreign blood for her magic too. Dema had never even shown interest in that. But she clearly had a Skill to bite someone. What did that mean?

    If it turned out that Dema liked things like that¡­ Perhaps Theora could make some tea of her own blood, as a treat.

    Theora swallowed. The unlivable conditions of space were impacting her ability to think. She was getting too ahead of herself. Way too ahead. Perhaps Dema had absolutely no interest in interacting with Theora¡¯s fluids at all.

    But, she couldn¡¯t ask this over text. If it turned out Dema actually wanted to drink Theora¡¯s blood¡­ Better not think about that on a mission to save the planet. And if it turned out that Dema didn¡¯t want to, then Theora would be sad.

    Eventually, Theora settled on sending a more innocuous message, just writing, ¡°Hope things are still going well. How are you?¡±

    And now, on to waiting. Theora scrolled through the group chat. It was still active, but felt harder to participate, because by the time her messages would deliver, the topic of the discussion would have long-since moved on. Still, it made for an entertaining experience to see people she knew talk to each other, even though she couldn¡¯t directly participate.

    It¡¯s not like Theora had ever been a very talkative person. But now, she couldn¡¯t even sleep to avoid feeling the passage of time, because she needed to focus. And all she could see were the stars. She occasionally chatted with [Head in the Clouds], but the Skill suffered a similar listlessness.

    After about twenty minutes, Dema¡¯s response read, ¡°Sorry! Can¡¯t talk right now. Gonna get back to you.¡±

    Alright, so Dema was busy, then. So was Bell, who did not even respond. Iso had cut the connection to save power on the transmission device, and she rarely responded to System messages anyway. She was also fairly busy even when she wasn¡¯t coddling Theora, making sure to keep all the data in view and [Computing] possible problems in advance.

    Isobel likely wasn¡¯t planning on resting much during the mission. She¡¯d plunged head-first into learning the laws of nature and memorising the route and the positions of all known objects in the planetary system by heart, had done her best to provide insights throughout the strategizing phase, and had gobbled up and analysed tons of data with [Compute] to level it as high as possible, and that data included the entirety of Theora¡¯s sheets and System logs, since that was the largest amount of data readily available.

    All to make sure she would be the best choice to accompany Theora on this mission.

    Theora managed to distract herself a little by checking in with Balinth, who told her about the most recent books she¡¯d read, and even offered to type out some passages for Theora to read, which, in the span of the next day, turned into Balinth sending entire chapters of her favourite books, although it took her a while to write them down.

    ¡°I really liked that chapter,¡± Theora wrote at some point. ¡°I¡¯m glad Serrena was able to overcome her fear of being touched.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right? Stories like this really hit me hard. Hell used to be very¡­ restrained. In more ways than one. Reading such scenes makes me nostalgic. As if we¡¯re young again and she¡¯s crying next to me because she thinks I¡¯ll leave her if she¡¯s not putting in enough effort.¡±

    ¡°Is this something you can share with me? Or would she feel uncomfortable?¡±

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s over it, don¡¯t worry. These scenes don¡¯t resonate too much with her, but she still keeps recommending me stories if she finds something that hits that spot.¡±

    Nearing the end of the fifth day, Dema had still mostly been silent. Her mana fluctuations were getting more violent, and it was down to 86 % now. Bell¡¯s mana was dropping as well. No messages at all from her.

    On the seventh day, Theora activated the second Orb. With that, there were only three left. One for later patches of mould, one to meet the behemoth and one to return home. Theora counted the seconds, nervously staring at the party sheet to absorb any minuscule change. Dema still had barely talked to her. Bell had not sent a single message in two days.

    Something was wrong.

    One-hundred twenty-three minutes left until Theora would hit the second patch. Isobel would guide her through it, so Theora was planning to ask if she knew what was going on. She sent a message to Isobel, asking for confirmation ¡ª yes, the System had a lag, but Theora really needed answers to her worries. She hadn¡¯t heard from Isobel in two days either, ever since the course was corrected.

    Eventually, about ninety minutes before hitting the mould, it happened.

    Dema suddenly lost large amounts of mana and health. Down to 79 %, then 76 %, then 74 %. Considering how much she had in total, this was ridiculous. Bell was losing mana too. She had some Skills that allowed her to gain back quickly, so her bar kept jumping up and down. She was taking damage, too.

    72 % for Dema.

    68 %.

    63 %.

    About ten seconds after it started, Dema reached 60 %, and then left the party. A moment later, Bell left as well.

    The lag meant this had happened over ten minutes ago. Were the two still fine?

    Theora stared at her bracelet.

 Chapter 133: And Then There Was None

    About two minutes before hitting the second patch of magic mould, Isobel re-established the connection.

    ¡°Hey there,¡± she said, sounding tired and shaken. ¡°Ready to hit the mould?¡±

    ¡°What is happening?¡± Theora asked.

    Isobel clattered around. Two clicks resounded, probably from her mandibles. ¡°You are on an important mission,¡± she murmured. ¡°We have to make sure your state of mind remains stable. If it¡¯s alright with you, I¡¯d like to keep some things from you until the task is done, since you can¡¯t do anything about it anyway, and it would just be pointless to worry.¡±

    Theora considered the words for a few moments, then said, ¡°Please worry me a little.¡±

    Isobel sighed. ¡°Alright. Things are bad here. But we will deal with it. Let¡¯s keep the planet from being eaten, then I¡¯ll fill you in. Are you ready?¡±

    Theora sent out a few messages to other people in hopes that one of them would tell her the truth. Then, she sent an affirmation to Isobel, and prepared herself.

    She activated another Wish of Flight soon after entry, and then used it to weasel herself out of the fog, and then to fly around to the other side, with Isobel¡¯s instructions because it wasn¡¯t easy to navigate such a massive cloudy object. It took her hours to get to the other side, and then, Isobel gave instructions on how to throw the next batch of blood stone.

    ¡°Once you¡¯ve completed expelling the propellants, you¡¯ll have thirteen hours before hitting today¡¯s second patch of mould.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Theora said. ¡°But that won¡¯t leave enough time to use the Orb to fly around it.¡±

    Isobel clacked. ¡°Yes, but you¡¯ll hit it at an angle. No need to fly around because the next patch is not directly behind it. It¡¯s enough if you bounce off, so to speak.¡±

    Theora vaguely remembered hearing something like that in the mission briefings.

    Then, Isobel started a countdown. In the meantime, Theora fetched one of the largest-class propellants she had loaded. When Isobel reached zero, Theora said, ¡°Initiating throw,¡± and with a shockwave, launched it into the mould.

    ¡°Alright, that worked well. Thank you very much,¡± Isobel finished with a tired voice, and clicked off the connection.

    They only had a few hours of instant-communication left. It was the correct thing to do. And yet, Theora wanted to keep hearing her voice. Didn¡¯t want to be alone.

    Half a day later, and after a few more short drop-bys from Isobel letting Theora know about the state of the trajectory and necessary corrections, Theora was met with the one thing she really had not wanted to see during this entire journey. The one thing she¡¯d hoped she¡¯d be spared of.

    A prompt from the System.

    Theora barely had enough time to read it before it flickered out.

    For a moment, she was confused, because she hadn¡¯t closed it. But then she realised that her party screen was gone too.

    The messages were gone.

    Everything was gone.

    She was no longer connected to the Interface; she¡¯d left the range of the System.

    It was like the System had waited to prompt this quest at her until the very last moment.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    So the range of the System was about two-hundred thirty billion units of distance, then. Theora wished she¡¯d known, because then she could have said goodbye.

    That also meant Theora would have to use her Skills without the System¡¯s aid from now on, and would not be able to read the next chapter Balinth had been busy typing down for her.

    She wouldn¡¯t know if Helena¡¯s new cake recipe had been a success. She wouldn¡¯t know if Ulfine¡¯s co-worker really had found a lead on their current research matter or if it had been a false alarm. Not that it had anything to do with the Fragments of Time, but Theora had gotten invested nonetheless, since there was not much else to get invested in.

    Not much else except for the looming cloud of uncertainty pertaining to why her party had fallen apart. There were some innocuous explanations. Dema had left the party at exactly 60 %. So it was possible that she¡¯d just left so Theora didn¡¯t see her break the rules, and get worried. It might have been a split-second decision. In fact, the number being exactly that made pretty much any other explanation unlikely.

    Dema had left so Theora wouldn¡¯t worry. Of course, Theora was still worried. Dema would also have known to send a calming message if it had been possible. She wasn¡¯t the type of person who¡¯d just leave Theora hanging like this, if she could have avoided it.

    Which meant she¡¯d been extraordinarily occupied. And if she was with Bell, then Bell might have left the party in order to form a new one with Dema. That was the innocuous, and most probable course of events. And it made sense.

    It explained why Bell had asked Dema to stay behind. The strongest hero had abandoned her home planet, and Bell had likely begged Dema to stay behind in case something slumbering beneath its surface would use the opportunity to strike, like the Devil of Truth had when it assumed the Roaming Blight had died.

    They were, most likely, doing Theora¡¯s job.

    Of course, there remained two less likely, but more terrifying explanations for what was happening.

    Bell, in coordination with the System, might have used this opportunity to dispatch the Ancient Evil in Theora¡¯s absence. Or, Dema, being the Ancient Evil, might have taken her chances to show her true colours.

    These were the three explanations Theora could come up with, especially considering that if it was anything else, Isobel would have likely just told her. All of these were deeply worrying, and Theora wouldn¡¯t feel better if she knew which it was that had occurred.

    In any case, this was happening because she¡¯d blown a hole into her home planet millennia ago, attracted the attention of an all-devouring monster, and then abandoned everyone she¡¯d sworn to protect in order to clean up her mess.

    Soon, Theora arrived at the third patch; unfortunately she wouldn¡¯t make it to the fourth patch in time since they were running low on propulsion material.

    The days went by in a haze. No more messages. Only the occasional mission-related message from Isobel. Theora navigated patch after patch, corrected her course, threw propellants. She didn¡¯t really know what she was doing. She used the third Orb on what Isobel claimed to be the thirteenth day, eventually hit another patch of magic mould, and then launched herself onward to the very last patch ¡ª her destination.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep watching over you,¡± Isobel said. ¡°I¡¯m taking care of you every single second. We don¡¯t have a lot of time left to talk, so I want you to know that. I won¡¯t abandon you, ever. I will always be here, even if you can¡¯t hear me.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Theora said, and it made her feel a lot better. None was the only person left in her life now.

    She was almost four-hundred billion units of distance away from home, completely shut-off save for this one connection, and she¡¯d spend the next few days simply drifting through space, no further adjustments needed.

    And then she¡¯d flare her power to attract the Ancient Devourer.

    Until then, Theora could sleep. Isobel would wake her up when it was time.

    And so, Theora detached her mind from her dead body, and tried to doze off. She could stop forcing her eyes to stay functional. She couldn¡¯t find a comfortable position, but she didn¡¯t need to feel her limbs. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what might have gone wrong at home, but she could stop forcing herself conscious and alive.

    The sleep was dreamless and numbing, but it was the first real sleep she¡¯d allowed herself since before launch. Now, not much could go wrong. She no longer had any propellant left, had no Wish of Flight active, and nothing to worry about until she¡¯d hit that last mould and made it to safe distance.

    Four more days, 80 billion more units of distance, and they¡¯d barely scratch the margin of safety and keep the planet outside the Ancient Devourer¡¯s Skill range.

    For now, everything had gone mostly well. Not ideal, but not catastrophic either.

    That is, until Theora was violently woken up by Isobel¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Mom, wake up! Something¡¯s wrong!¡±

    Theora wanted to blink, but couldn¡¯t. ¡°Isobel?¡±

    Where was she? It was cold.

    ¡°Quick,¡± Isobel shouted. ¡°Get ready for impa¡ª¡±

    BOOM.

 Chapter 134: Lost Device

    The explosion went on for what felt like an eternity. Theora had been feeling warm one moment, and incredibly hot since. Then, she melted into a puddle.

    For a while, Theora, or what was left of her, just swam through molten rock. She thought she was hearing Isobel yell something, but it was hard to make out.

    Eventually, things calmed down.

    Theora willed her body back together. She crawled through rock and earth and finally managed to dig herself out of the impact crater. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light. She took her hand off her ear. The bracelet was still fine.

    ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± she said.

    Apparently, she¡¯d landed on some kind of planet.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Isobel yelped, and she was clacking her mandibles rather frantically.

    ¡°I¡¯m naked.¡±

    ¡°What? You ¡ª your attire? It melted on impact? Is it lost? Wait, how is your communication device still functional?¡±

    ¡°You woke me up in time,¡± Theora said.

    A small pause. ¡°Wait, you undressed¡­? You are being confusing mom, please tell me what happened.¡±

    Theora opened her fist. There was a tiny scrap of fabric inside, singed at the edges. A pitiful remainder of what used to be her interdimensional travelling attire. When Isobel had woken her up, Theora had instinctively grabbed onto a fold and clenched it, breaking the ice of her hand into a thousand shards, and then focused on putting it back together. Keeping her fist whole and cool and clasping the tiny piece of fabric as tight as she could, to prevent the lava from reaching it as the rest of her body dissolved.

    She¡¯d done the same with the other hand over her ear, keeping the device shielded from the force of the impact.

    She was glad she had succeeded. Otherwise things would have been bad.

    With a forceful gesture, Theora tore the piece of fabric apart, and thus revealed more layers and folds from within. After a few more vicious rips, she¡¯d extended the fabric far enough that she could put it back on as a cloak. It looked very rattled, a lot like Dema¡¯s style.

    Then, Theora put her hand inside one of the deeper folds, and retrieved a star map. Alright, the attire was still functional. Although it would likely take quite a while for it to fully self-repair.

    ¡°I have my clothes back,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Isobel sighed. ¡°Alright, fine. I¡¯ll take that as good news.¡±

    ¡°Could you explain to me what happened?¡±

    Theora was hiking up the fringes of the crater, to take a look around. It was bright, there were no stars to be seen except a blurry sun. The entire sky was filled with clouds, except for a vaguely Theora-shaped hole, right above.

    There were also some very large things at the horizon.

    ¡°It seems like you crashed into an invisible planet,¡± Isobel eventually said.

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®invisible¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I mean that it can¡¯t be seen? We weren¡¯t aware it existed¡­ Shortly before you crashed, some [Diviner] came running in sweating buckets and told me there was a problem.¡± She shuffled around, maybe a shrug. ¡°I guess that means we have seven planets in our system.¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°I feel like, even if there was an invisible planet, I shouldn¡¯t have crashed into it.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Isobel sighed. ¡°There are either millions of invisible planets around or we were extremely unlucky. This should be almost impossible.¡±

    Theora left the crater and found herself in a dense and high forest of long, red stalks. They were high enough for their tips to disappear into a white fog far above. The ground was uneven and filled with debris and chaos, likely caused by her mishap, but even then it seemed to be a hillscape.

    ¡°There is flora on this planet,¡± she said. Perhaps she¡¯d be able to find some flowers?

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Isobel said. ¡°We have magical readings, but it seems to be all plants.¡±

    So, Theora was still alone then. Alone with these large rock-like red plants.

    Then, Isobel nonchalantly went, ¡°Interestingly enough, there appears to be a reading for a magical device,¡± and made Theora¡¯s blood run cold. That was not what she wanted to hear. Definitely not. Most absolutely definitely not. She tried not to think of that last System prompt she¡¯d received.

    ¡°It seems like I will have to hurt this planet even more,¡± Theora murmured instead.

    Isobel stayed silent.

    ¡°I think I need directions. I assume walking to the other side of the planet would take too long. Should I wait where I am until it rotates to night?¡±

    Isobel still didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°I hope there will be cloudless areas,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to make a properly aimed jump without seeing the stars.¡±

    Of course, jumping into space was a bad idea, for several reasons. The scholars had already established that. But now it seemed to be the last remaining option, so Theora would have to try.

    She went deeper into the forest, absent-mindedly.

    ¡°Isobel,¡± Theora said. ¡°Are you still there?¡±

    A clack resounded from the other side. ¡°Yes,¡± Isobel said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll need to cut connection for a bit to¡­ assess.¡±

    And then, she went offline.

    Theora sighed.

    Isobel would never be acting this way if they weren¡¯t on a strict communications limit, but it still felt awful. Theora wanted to talk freely. Didn¡¯t want to have to consider what could be said and what couldn¡¯t. She wanted to know what was happening at home, and ask a thousand questions about everything. And she knew Isobel was likely feeling the same. That there were a thousand things Isobel would rather talk about, and that she was likely feeling terrible too, and holding herself together by a thread.

    Well, if Isobel was gone for now, to ¡®assess¡¯, then Theora might as well do what she really didn¡¯t want. She tried to remember the exact wording of the quest she¡¯d received, imagining the prompt in front of her.

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    [New Side Quest: Find and lend aid to the lost Protan device.]

    As Theora traversed through the forest, a few things occurred to her. For one, she didn¡¯t know how long she¡¯d slept before hitting this planet. She also wasn¡¯t sure how long she¡¯d been inside the crater before reaching out to Isobel. That was a problem because the connection had been open.

    If it was a few minutes, that was fine. What if Theora had taken hours to collect herself back into a human-like shape? Isobel could have kept the connection open that entire time in hopes of a sign of life. In that case, they might have lost a lot of communication time. They could, in fact, be close to running out. Isobel would know, so Theora was planning to ask her next time she established a connection.

    There was also the fact that Isobel had sounded terrified.

    There were only really two things that could mean in relation to Theora¡¯s task. It meant that either she could no longer complete it, or¡­ Well.

    In Theora¡¯s mind, there really was nothing stopping her from getting to a proper position and then jumping really hard. The main issue was that jumps were incredibly inaccurate, and she did have to hit a patch of magic mould somehow to maintain communications, so it wasn¡¯t a first choice. They also hadn¡¯t considered that approach on Theora¡¯s home planet because they wanted to avoid an ice age, but on a planet without any fauna it seemed somewhat more justifiable, even though Theora still hoped that the plant life would make it through her rough treatment of its home.

    The total communication time of their device was about twenty hours; so Theora couldn¡¯t have been stuck in that crater for weeks, and she definitely didn¡¯t feel like she had. In other words, if she succeeded with a proper jump, the mission should still be possible¡­

    Which meant¡­ The most likely reason for ¡®things looking really bad¡¯ was¡­

    Theora clenched her cloak. No use crying over spilt tea. She¡¯d always known this might happen. It made sense too with what she¡¯d seen of this planet so far. The clouds were very dense. The forest seemed to stretch over a large area, although there was obviously no telling how much of this planet looked like this, which was actually part of the problem. The people back home had access to divination, but it¡¯s not like they could chart an entirely new planet within hours or days.

    Right now, they were probably hard at work to solve all of the related problems, but the longer they took, the clearer the outcome became. Hope was running out by the second, and ultimately, what Theora imagined Isobel was spending her efforts on right now was not the priority of their mission, at least not entirely.

    Theora sighed.

    The gravitational pull was much, much stronger on this planet than on Himaeya. Still, she tried to make large jumps to traverse distances faster, in hopes of reaching the end of this forest, or the top of a mountain, and see some more of this planet.

    And thus, tragically, she saw more of this planet, and eventually remembered why it felt so familiar. She¡¯d seen it before, and she wished she hadn¡¯t.

    According to Isobel, it was almost impossible to coincidentally hit an invisible planet while trying to exit the solar system ¡ª planets were too small, and space was too large. And the red, endless bamboo stalks and the fog billowing between them felt all too similar to the place she¡¯d visited inside the Shade, while using [im//possibility] countless times.

    Had her affecting reality back then led her here? Had it affected the chances of hitting a random planet? Had she somehow made impossibilities align to lead her to this end?

    Of course, during her use of [im//possibility], she¡¯d seen many things, and her memory was hazy. It was possible that it only looked similar, but wasn¡¯t the same place at all. Or that it was completely natural to experience some kind of d¨¦j¨¤ vu after hopping through countless almost impossible and almost possible events. In the end, the Skill also would have only turned this almost possible, meaning that it couldn¡¯t really have landed her here¡­ Unless, of course, she¡¯d accidentally made missing this planet upon her exit almost impossible.

    Yes. If her Skill had anything to do with this at all, then that was likely what had happened. Which meant that, yet again, this was her own fault.

    The bamboo forest wasn¡¯t all the planet had to offer. After a while, it thinned out, leaving space for other types of vegetation. The structures were similar, though. All of them seemed made of hard materials, and the colours were of a similar, muted palette that still managed to pierce through the grey mountain and fog. A saturated brick red, a glowing olive, and lavender ¡ª but no scarlets, lime greens or hot pinks. It was a beautiful place, and Theora found silvery lakes that weren¡¯t made of water, but mercury, perhaps. She found caves with bioluminescent growths, and she even found a root-like plant that could move around, and watched it run away from her.

    As she watched the little thing make its last turn to disappear behind a rocky cliff, Theora started wondering if that was the point of it all.

    This planet was full of magic and had a strong aura, but it was only felt on its surface, not outside. This place had made its own hull of protection. Perhaps that was why scholars and diviners couldn¡¯t find other forms of life in the universe? Maybe if a planet started to offer a creature such as Theora, it would always eventually be devoured by the large fish in the galactic ocean. Perhaps becoming invisible was the only way to survive.

    And now, Theora had somehow come across this place nonetheless, and was about to hurt it even more. Apparently, one could stay safe from the Ancient Devourer, but nothing could stay safe from Theora.

    Including that ¡®Lost Protan Device¡¯. Whatever it was, at least the System had claimed that Theora should lend aid to it, not destroy it, so it didn¡¯t seem like an awful quest on first glance, but at least it meant that the System had been aware that Theora would land here, if indeed the quest related to the device Isobel had mentioned.

    But it seemed too much of a coincidence to be unrelated. Theora couldn¡¯t ¡®find and lend aid¡¯ to something while soaring through the galaxy; it only made sense here, on a planet. It would also have made sense if the device had gotten stuck in a mould patch, but she couldn¡¯t have searched through those anyway, there weren¡¯t enough resources left.

    The System giving out a quest was terrifying regardless. Theora knew the System had two goals; one, to keep their home planet safe, and two, to kill the Ancient Evil. In the System¡¯s mind, this was likely the same goal. It was therefore reasonable to assume that the quest wouldn¡¯t interfere with the success of Theora¡¯s mission, because if it did, the System would fail at keeping the planet safe. So, perhaps the Protan device could help Theora somehow, to make it to her destination in time.

    Or, perhaps the Protan device was meant to prevent Theora from coming home once her mission was complete. So that the System could make another attempt at Dema.

    All this thinking didn¡¯t really help, though. Theora was here now, she had time, and apparently there was some kind of lost magitek device stuck on this planet that needed help, so she might as well do that. It would be easy, of course, if Theora used her reserve-Orb to cast the Wish of Finding and locate the device with that. Perhaps that was the System¡¯s goal.

    Theora took a deep breath, and sat down on the ground. She¡¯d surveyed the immediate surroundings for a few hours; the forest and the bamboo stalks and what little she could see of the sky, and so now it was time to see if she could feel the presence of the device.

    It took a long time, but eventually, she did find something that felt a little bit like home. It was a long way off, but she could make it if she hurried, and Isobel had still not reached out. It also felt, at least somewhat, alive. That was what made it harder to find, because Theora had initially looked for an inanimate presence.

    And so, she got up, and started walking.

    Isobel didn¡¯t call back for a long time, and that more or less confirmed Theora¡¯s suspicion. She already knew what she¡¯d be told once communication would come back online, and she tried to both brace herself for it and distract herself from it at the same time. Whenever her thoughts started hurting too much, she looked at a pretty flower-like thing, and stopped herself from collecting it because it wasn¡¯t hers to take.

    She tried to savour the feeling of her fingers grazing against the surface of a plant looking like a mixture of capped mushroom and tumbleweed, and feeling its soft toxicity warn her of doing harm. Or maybe it wasn¡¯t warning her at all, because there didn¡¯t seem to be any predators around. Or perhaps the predators had died out because they couldn¡¯t find a way to stomach these plants?

    Everything here was firm and solid, so perhaps eating each other was too slow a process, or perhaps they did eat each other, just not on a timescale Theora could perceive while walking across the surface for a mere few hours.

    If only Theora could take one last look at the System. If only she could reread the logs; see Dema¡¯s words again, or read Balinth¡¯s last chapter, but she¡¯d lost all access, and nothing would respond. By now, the light lag of one direction would have maybe been an hour long, but that was still so much better than losing everything forever. She¡¯d trade a lag of weeks for this, of months or years.

    It was alright. She¡¯d tried to help the Shade, and that had maybe gotten her to this beautiful place, so there was that, and it was fine. She found another runner plant, and it hid in a little crevice, so Theora did her best to move away quickly to not stress it out. Perhaps the flora could feel her suppressed aura? Perhaps these runner plants worked in such a way that they moved to places with little competition, and helped cover the planet in life like that.

    And, soon after, she found the lost Protan device.

 Chapter 135: The Sixth Wish

    The lost Protan device was stuck under a mountain of rubble at the foot of a cliff. Probably had gotten caught in a rockfall. His legs were stuck under the stone, together with one arm, while the other was destroyed and unusable. His face was severely damaged, half of it with the skin peeled back, revealing countless little cogs and tubes and wooden shafts that made up what for a human would have been flesh.

    His eyes were still moving, but erratically. Plants had overgrown him. He must have been stuck for a long time, barely surviving by absorbing the rich ambient mana of the planet.

    Theora lifted the boulders. Slowly, he crawled out. Then, he kept lying on the side for a while. Theora knelt down beside him, unsure how to help.

    ¡°Recovery¡ª in progress,¡± he said in a deep and grumbly voice. True to his words, the exposed machinery flesh in his face slowly moved itself back into more organised structures. He had short, brown hair and a very full and well-kempt beard. He was large, his muscles thick and his upper body shaped like a triangle, but he wasn¡¯t thin at all, the muscles buried beneath a layer of fat.

    Finally, he started moving, pushed himself into a kneel, and then unsteadily into a stand. He nodded, his face almost fully patched back together. He was almost twice as tall as Theora. She stared up into his brown eyes and kind of wanted to hug him.

    ¡°Boulder¡ª,¡± he went slowly, ¡°Squeezed a few tubes. Self-repair was impaired.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°I was sent on a quest to lend aid to you,¡± Theora explained, tilting her head as she looked up at him. She wasn¡¯t alone anymore. She could talk to someone. Then why was it she couldn¡¯t find anything to say?

    He nodded. ¡°You did. Quest complete.¡± Then, he walked off.

    Of course, Theora hurried to walk with him, but as she was still trying to figure out what to say, Isobel¡¯s voice cracked back into her head. ¡°Hey,¡± she said, sounding tired.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Theora answered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Was I unconscious for long?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of time left. About an hour, and there¡¯s a lot to get through still.¡±

    Theora nodded, again forgetting that Isobel couldn¡¯t hear that. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡±

    ¡°The plan,¡± Isobel said, ¡°is for you to make it to the other side of the planet.¡±

    Ah. That sounded bad, alright. Theora stumbled over some kind of rock, trying to keep up with the device¡¯s large steps. ¡°I can¡¯t wait a day for it to rotate?¡±

    A pause. Then, a clack of mandibles. ¡°No,¡± Iso said. ¡°It¡¯s like our first moon. The planet you¡¯re on seems to turn at the same frequency that it takes to orbit around the sun. So¡­ your side of the planet will always face inwards.¡±

    ¡°Ah. How big is the planet?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very large. Larger than Himaeya.¡±

    Of course it was.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Theora said. ¡°I¡¯m ready. You can tell me what I already know.¡±

    The connection went idle. Isobel seemed to be the one who wasn¡¯t ready. Theora started rummaging in her interdimensional clothing.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Isobel eventually said. ¡°You don¡¯t have any propulsion material left, so you¡¯ll need to spend a day or two loading rocks you find on the planet, to do course corrections. And on top of that, traversing the planet on foot, even if you¡¯re fast, might take weeks, especially since you are not aware of the geography, and we don¡¯t have enough time to guide you ¡ª not that we have any idea of the geography either.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°So,¡± Iso went on, ¡°you¡¯ll have to¡­ Have to¡­¡±

    Theora pulled out the second-to-last Orb of Seven Wishes, and gently turned it between her fingers.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Isobel sounded desperate. Theora couldn¡¯t imagine the length Isobel must have gone through to avoid this. The amounts of calculation, and how often she must have checked them. ¡°You¡¯ll have to use an Orb.¡±

    Isobel used about ten minutes to give more details of the plan, gave Theora a time window for when she needed to jump, and outlined some other information on the planetary structure. Then, she clicked offline.

    Meanwhile, the lost Protan device had stopped walking, and Theora only realised after a few steps, and looked back.

    He stretched and plucked a few fruit-like spheres growing on a tree, and then knelt down, extending a hand as if offering them to something.

    Then, that something appeared. Theora couldn¡¯t believe her eyes ¡ª a creature of some sort started moving out of nowhere, and snatched a fruit from the device¡¯s hands. It had hidden itself before by looking like a rock. Soon after, several more creatures started moving; their presences fully hidden away until offered food by the giant.

    This place wasn¡¯t without life at all.

    Once the creatures had fed, the man rose up again, and moved on.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Theora asked when she caught up again. ¡°I¡¯m Theora.¡±

    ¡°V47,¡± the man said.

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    ¡°Hey.¡± She swallowed, looking up at his face. ¡°Would you mind helping me with something? I need to¡­ to¡­ Well, I need rocks. If you have time, that is.¡±

    He stopped. ¡°My task is to survey the planet. It is not currently an urgent task. I can help.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Theora said, and started to describe the kinds of rocks she needed, after which he nodded, and changed course.

    She still had one day before she needed to use the Orb. One day she could spend here, not alone. And then she¡¯d jump into nothingness and get stranded forever. So a day spent with company sounded fine. Sounded¡­ excusable. Almost.

    ¡°So the Protans knew this planet existed?¡± Theora asked.

    V47 shook his head. ¡°This planet cannot be detected from the outside. This planet attracts objects through magic means. I was on my way to survey a different object, and crash-landed here instead. Other beings and objects have crashed here before and after, but as far as I am aware, you and I are the only ones to survive impact.¡±

    Ah. So that was why the System had referred to him as ¡®lost¡¯.

    ¡°Do you need help leaving?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t. My task is to survey this planet. I do not wish to leave.¡±

    Theora frowned. Was he not aware? Should she tell him¡­?

    ¡°I thought you were supposed to survey a different object?¡±

    ¡°I was,¡± he said. ¡°But I crash-landed here, and now, I am stuck. Survey is my main directive, so I took the liberty of adjusting my programming to survey this planet instead. Thus, I am fulfilling my purpose, right where I am.¡±

    Theora decided to address the topic gently. ¡°Who are you surveying for?¡±

    He said, ¡°I was constructed by a Protan engineer and my task was to relay data back to Himaeya. For now, I am operating under the assumption that they have abandoned space travel and may no longer exist as a people. Thus, I am surveying for no one.¡±

    Oh. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°Some communication still made its way here. I received a few transmissions informing other surveying devices that operations would be ceased. They also received information to unbind them from their programming. Of course, they did not know I was here, so I did not receive such a transmission. It is conjecture based on the stray transmissions I was able to intercept.¡±

    Theora looked up at him in awe. ¡°So you don¡¯t survey for anyone, and yet you keep going.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°It¡¯s in my programming.¡±

    ¡°Your programming,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°Does that feel lonely?¡±

    He jumped over a large crevice, and waited for Theora to join up, and then shook his head. ¡°I like my programming. If I didn¡¯t, I would change it. I can¡¯t go back, so having a task feels nice.¡±

    Theora gave a little frown. That somehow felt like it didn¡¯t add up. ¡°And if you could go back?¡±

    He tilted his head. ¡°Why would I want to? I have a task right here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s circular logic,¡± Theora pointed out, and V47 laughed.

    ¡°Convenient, isn¡¯t it?¡± he said, sounding proud. ¡°I worked on it for quite a while.¡±

    Theora¡¯s mouth stood open. This man was a total genius.

    ¡°I wish I could do that,¡± she said. ¡°I wish I could just keep going forever, doing my tasks without falling apart.¡±

    ¡°I did fall apart,¡± he said.

    ¡°Inside, I mean,¡± Theora added. ¡°Inside.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°You have been acting according to your programming so far? And you are worried you might stop?¡±

    ¡°Mostly,¡± Theora said. ¡°I¡¯m worried about what would happen if one day I can¡¯t go on.¡±

    ¡°Is there a reason why you might one day not be able to go on?¡±

    Theora looked at another creature he¡¯d taken the opportunity to feed, in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. But everything has to end at some point, doesn¡¯t it? It can¡¯t go on forever.¡±

    He smiled, rising up again. ¡°Why not? An object in motion must stay in motion.¡±

    Theora twitched as she heard these words. She was sure there was another logical leap here, but she decided not to go look for it, and nodded instead. All she needed to do was stay in motion. She could do that. And so, she took one more step and then another.

    Together, they loaded rock after rock into the scraps of her travelling attire. V47 didn¡¯t say much without being prompted. He didn¡¯t ask what the rocks were for, nor where Theora was headed. He didn¡¯t ask anything, unless it was relevant to a topic Theora herself brought up. She did bring up some things ¡ª asked if he liked animals, to which he asked if Theora didn¡¯t. She talked about flowers, and he nodded along. But most of the time went by in comfortable silence.

    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± she said eventually, when they¡¯d loaded up enough. Then, she offered to help with surveying for a while. She was strong, so she could move some boulders to give him access to places he hadn¡¯t been able to go to before. She could also feed a creature living at the bottom of a ravine; V47 wanted to befriend it, but it was too strong and aggressive. It would have destroyed him.

    The creature looked like twenty large worms with rock plate skin, many mouth-like openings with angry, teeth-like stalks, and it was coloured red and brown.

    So Theora brought it fruits, and V47 made sure to remain in view, in hopes that it would build familiarity. Then, after the creature had given up trying to kill Theora, she brewed some tea for it to drink, and it calmed down.

    Finally, the ¡®day¡¯ ended. The sun was still in the same spot in the sky, of course, but the trees folded up their canopies and it got darker, and the creatures went further into hiding. Theora and V47 were sitting at the edge of a silvery lake, looking over little fish-like things that had been hiding their presence until V47 arrived, and were now glowing in soft light beneath the surface.

    ¡°I need to go,¡± Theora eventually said, as time was running out. ¡°I¡¯m glad I got to meet you.¡±

    ¡°It was nice to talk,¡± he said. ¡°From the way you¡¯ve been crying, I assume things aren¡¯t going well for you.¡±

    Theora nodded, wiping her face again. Somehow she¡¯d assumed he didn¡¯t notice, because he hadn¡¯t reacted to it at all until now. She took out the Orb of Seven Wishes.

    ¡°This was supposed to get me home,¡± she said. ¡°But I¡¯ll have to use it to fly to the other side of the planet. I¡¯ll jump to reach my goal. But it will be a very soft jump, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t cause an ice-age.¡±

    He eyed the Orb. ¡°The Wish of Yearning?¡± he asked. ¡°Was that what you were going to use?¡±

    Theora nodded, and pulled her legs closer. He had a wide database of knowledge, apparently ¡ª although it perhaps wasn¡¯t too peculiar that a magitek device would be aware of the strongest magical artefacts from their home planet.

    ¡°This is very sad to hear,¡± he said, and it was the first time he looked sympathetic.

    And with that, Theora snapped her ticket home. She floated over the edge, hovering above the water, facing him. ¡°Could we maybe hug?¡± she asked.

    He got up and spread his arms. Theora pushed herself into him, and hugged tight.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, and broke away. He nodded, and watched her fly away.

    A few hundred years ago, the idea of her ever using the sixth wish on the Orb¡¯s list was totally unthinkable. She had forgotten it even existed until Un had asked about it during the final strategy session. And even now that it was thinkable, that it was possible, it still would have felt unjust to use it. She was on this mission because she had doomed her home ¡ª the idea of her using the sixth wish to return after the danger she¡¯d put everyone in was outright vile.

    The Wish of Yearning. Teleport to a loved one.

    That wish was not meant for her. It would never be.

 Chapter 136: Bait

    With flight, travelling to the other side of the planet was easy enough. She soared across the landscapes, and from what Theora could see, the entire half facing the sun was completely covered in dense flora. Many different patches of biomes stretched across the surface, all in that same muted-but-colourful palette, almost autumn-like.

    The other side of the planet was dark, cold, empty desert rock. Not that this made it less beautiful ¡ª it was a sight to behold, for sure. But at least this meant she wouldn¡¯t blast a sea of life into nothingness when she¡¯d jump to take off, although the fallout of dust could still harm life on the other side by obscuring the sun. It depended on how much force Isobel would ask Theora to apply when taking off.

    Even with the Orb, it took about twenty hours to get in-position.

    Theora wasn¡¯t sure if her impact had meaningfully changed the planet¡¯s trajectory ¡ª with how large it was and how small her impact crater had been in comparison, she considered it unlikely. But perhaps she could offset whatever damage she¡¯d done by applying the same force when she¡¯d jump off the planet, in the way she¡¯d corrected Himaeya after accidentally rotating it a little.

    Isobel only dialled in for one-sentence directions; things like ¡°Hold course,¡± or ¡°Veer to the left,¡± or giving short estimates on how much longer it would take to reach the target location. Unfortunately, the atmosphere was still thick on the planet¡¯s backside, so Theora couldn¡¯t use the stars to orient herself, which would make her jump far less accurate, but she could use the Orb to fly high enough to see the stars, then try to remember the proper direction and fall down again, right in-place.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Isobel said. ¡°Only minutes left of communication, and only hours left on the Orb. You¡¯ll have to use flight a lot after take-off to properly adjust, but I¡¯ll keep in contact for as long as I can to help. Some of our calculations suggest there are lots of caves and air pockets in the planet, and there might be softer materials underneath. You probably won¡¯t destroy the entire thing even if you jump hard.¡±

    This was going to be tricky. Theora had thoroughly practised throwing weights with the right amount of strength, but this was completely different, and Isobel had no way to properly communicate the amount of strength necessary to get them where they needed. Theora also wanted to avoid a jump that was completely unrestrained, because in the worst-case scenario, it might break the planet apart and launch the rubble into the solar system. And it might attract the Ancient Devourer to this place instead of where she wanted it to go.

    So, no breaking the planet too much. At the same time, she needed to apply enough strength to make up for all the time and momentum they¡¯d lost.

    This was tough. Theora knelt down. No markers in the sky. All she could do was jump straight up and hope. The planet orbited the sun, so she needed to take off the moment Isobel said ¡®go¡¯ or she¡¯d add further error.

    And thus, on what Theora now knew to be almost five hours into the eighteenth day of her journey, Isobel counted down the second launch. The launch Theora had never expected to make, but was now forced to.

    ¡°Three¡­ Two¡­ One¡­ Go.¡±

    The connection shut down immediately, and Theora took off. Her feet and the ground below her melted into hot puddles first, then the shockwave tore her and the surroundings apart. Again, she kept a tiny part of her cloak safe and sound in her fist while crashing up into the sky, the atmosphere trying its best to hold her back and keep her in-place on the ground, but to no avail. Theora simply condensed and destroyed it as she flew through at a speed that should have been impossible.

    This time, she was better prepared, so she didn¡¯t pass out from being mushed, and regained composure and shape within seconds of launch, and pulled her cloak out the moment she left the atmosphere. A few minutes later, Isobel clicked back online.

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    ¡°You are fast,¡± she said. ¡°Almost a fifth of the speed of information.¡± Then, she issued some course-corrections Theora tried her best to accommodate to.

    She fetched one of her last rocks, and threw it away as instructed. And with it, she threw away a tiny piece of herself. Throw after throw, she pushed herself further away from home with no way to undo it. She was burying herself. And the only one to attend her funeral would be the Ancient Devourer.

    Over the next few hours, Isobel tuned in to give a few remaining commands for correctional weight throws and star routes, trying her best to get Theora in the right spot by the time the Orb ran out.

    Theora finally threw her last rock, and now nothing inside her was left of what Dema and all the others had helped her rebuild over the last dozens of years. Back to being an empty shell. Back to not thinking about anything but her final task.

    Then, things went calm for a few minutes.

    ¡°Alright, mom. You are in position for now. You can go back to sleep.¡±

    Theora wanted to sigh, but she was too tired. The past few hours had been far too stressful to just calm down again now, so she could already tell she¡¯d stay awake for a while, despite how much that jump had exhausted her.

    Perhaps Theora could somehow jump off the Ancient Devourer. Perhaps she could even aim it well and it would take centuries, but she might eventually dive back in range of the System. Perhaps she would one day reach home, if Isobel could help her somehow, or perhaps at least she could stay in touch with everyone for a long time until she¡¯d fall out of range on the other side.

    Perhaps the encounter with the Ancient Devourer would go by quickly. Then, she could use the remaining flight to set course toward home. It would still take long to get back, but maybe that way, she¡¯d be slow enough to get caught in a gravitational well.

    Perhaps she¡¯d get to see Bell, Iso, and Dema again. If Theora was lucky ¡ª very, very lucky ¡ª the three of them would gather goodbye-letters from everyone else, and she could¡­ could¡­

    This hurt too much. She knew it was all lies. There was no way for her to navigate back home, even if she found new resources, because she would be too far away from home with no way to orient herself.

    So, Theora turned herself off.

    ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± Isobel said two days later, and woke Theora back up.

    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Theora said, and her heart ached because the words reminded her of a little boy she¡¯d forgotten a long time ago.

    Soon after, she plunged into the magic mould, and Isobel gave her detailed directions on how to get out later with the last Orb, once the Devourer was on its way. Her messages were very short by now, and she no longer waited for Theora to reply, instead cutting the connection as soon as she could. They must be almost completely out of time.

    Crack. ¡°Alright,¡± Isobel said. ¡°That should be it.¡± Crack.

    Then, Isobel spent some time doing calculations, before saying, ¡°Second-to-last message. You are in position. Let go.¡±

    Because of the jump, Theora had made it almost five trillion standard units of distance away from her home planet. Much farther than any of the people in the mission could have ever hoped for. It was the outskirts of her solar system ¡ª not completely outside, but far enough to make it unlikely that even a creature of gigantic size could end up hurting those she left behind.

    There was only one thing left that Theora needed to do, and a few things thereafter that she wanted to do.

    Space was truly unfathomably large. She¡¯d jumped off a planet while exerting tremendous amounts of effort, and it still had only led her to the outskirts of her planetary system, where the rest of the universe was yet so much larger by an unimaginable factor. Gargantuan. And within all this, Theora was just a tiny thing adrift, and it made her nostalgic of when she¡¯d been a small child.

    And another gargantuan creature had come to eat her. She was bait, a snack, as Dema would say.

    Therefore, now, Theora had to boast a little. She had to make herself appealing to a creature that fed on nothing but strength.

    ¡°Come here,¡± she said in thought, and unleashed.

 Chapter 137: Waters Too Deep

    Two days passed, but it was not too much of a surprise. Isobel only had a single message left, so she was probably saving it for complete confirmation, and Theora¡¯s call would still need to travel a long distance until it would arrive at the Ancient Devourer. And then, they¡¯d need to make sure the readings were right. A little twitch in the Devourer¡¯s trajectory wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    That said, Theora was reasonably sure that she¡¯d made herself known.

    However, she could no longer afford to fall asleep, so she simply stared into the stars, letting her thoughts run idle while counting them. Counting stars the way Dema counted freckles, just to remember her by. Did her freckles look like the night¡¯s sky to Dema? A little bit alluring, and beautiful. Maybe it was too much to think of herself that way, but Theora did find a little bit of solace in the thought that she might be loved.

    Theora had, truthfully, long-since discarded the idea that Dema was faking it all, that she was acting only to trick Theora. There was no strong reason for this decision of extending such trust ¡ª Theora had simply made that choice, and that was that. And if she was wrong, she¡¯d likely never find out, so what was the harm in imagining that a cute little demon could like Theora¡¯s face.

    There was also no harm in imagining that Bell would never actually proceed with her Main Quest, even now that Theora was gone. That Bell, despite her honest and straightforward nature, was lying to herself when she claimed she could go through with it, just like Theora always had.

    The magic mould shielded her from the sun, so by now, Theora had completely frozen up again. Despite being frozen, she still lightly tapped her fingers against her thumbs, skin and bone and flesh cracking at the same time as she glued them back together with the force of her will, if only just to have something to feel or do. She¡¯d already done her best to fetch a piece of mould for Dema.

    It almost startled her when the line opened again one day.

    ¡°Final message. Ancient Devourer changed course. Mission Success.¡± There was a crackle. All forced calm came loose from Isobel¡¯s voice. ¡°Love you, mo¡ª¡±

    The connection broke.

    Mission Success.

    And with it, there was nobody left.

    ¡°Love you too,¡± Theora whispered through cracking lips into the soundless nothingness.

    Mission Success. That meant Theora was, all things considered, exactly as Dema had said, a snack. She just wished Dema was the one to have eaten her, not that big bully she hadn¡¯t had the time to even befriend.

    Now it was time for the final wait.

    As a little child, Theora¡¯s world had been full of wonder. She¡¯d thrown a [Joyous Punch] one day, but it was weak. The adults were stronger than her, especially those who taught her to fight. Over her teenage years, she became peerless at home, but there were stronger people in the regions outside. Being the strongest person in a town of scholars wasn¡¯t too much of an accomplishment, she felt.

    If she travelled for a few days to a town of heroes, she¡¯d quickly find herself outmatched. And then, through her best efforts, she might, after a few months or years of training, become the strongest in that town of heroes. But there existed grander, larger places even than towns of heroes. There¡¯d be another region or another quest or another time where Theora would find someone to look up to again. Someone who would peer down at her with indulgence after she went all out, someone who didn¡¯t even have to bother with dodging her fist. Maybe a calm smile on their face.

    Someone like Gonell. That was the vibe a lot of them had. The stronger ones, they had always been gentle. At least, the ones that Theora respected.

    The others, perhaps, would not smile, but glare in anger ¡ª although Theora had lived a life sheltered enough to never face an enemy she could lose against. So, Theora had always been the one to glare.

    She almost never thought about any of that anymore, but somehow, now that she was so far away from home, these thoughts slowly flooded back as she forced some activity through her frozen nervous system.

    It took a month until the presence of the Ancient Devourer came within her range, and it was truly, unimaginably large. Days passed before Theora could gaze upon it in its entirety. Her sense had to dull and dim against that sheer power before she could actually assess it properly instead of being blinded by its brilliance.

    This power was larger than the sun, for sure. It was larger than her planetary system too; not necessarily in volume, but in its self-collapsing density ¡ª but not in a sense of mass. It didn¡¯t exert a strong gravitational pull; it just was, in a way, unbelievably present. This thing would have had no issue gobbling it all up. No issue drawing the little rocks called ¡®planets¡¯ into its gigantic mouth.

    Eventually, it came into view. A tiny blotch at first, but it inched closer by the day, and by the hour.

    Some people had jokingly called it a mollusc.

    The tendrils of this creature, if they could be called that, came first. Bioluminescent structures the size of planets, with reddish continents patched between areas of blue or green; some parts gleaming brighter than others, some cast in darkness. One tendril, two, then more. They didn¡¯t reach for Theora; they surrounded her and the magic mould she was hovering at the precipice of, and they warped slowly, bulging, as if expecting a structure of a size similar to themselves.

    As they moved past her, Theora waited. She wanted to use the Orb as late as possible. It would only grant her 24 hours of flight, and she had to use them wisely ¡ª not by trying to poke a tendril of planetary size.

    Apart from the tendrils, it didn¡¯t look like a mollusc. It was made of wings, mostly. Theora could sense through its aura that it was large and flat behind the tentacles the size of worlds reaching out in the front. If it was comparable to anything, it was comparable to a manta ray ¡ª except for one thing. One thing that, as Theora realised, made her shudder. She pushed the thought away for now. Didn¡¯t want to think about it.

    Finally, she could see the Ancient Devourer properly with her own eyes ¡ª its glow had grown strong enough to allow a peek. There was no fog in space that would have communicated how truly massive this being was. It did not have a big set of eyes. No face of sorts, no mouth. It didn¡¯t need any of that, not at the scale of stars, at least.

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    When it was close enough, Theora snapped her last Orb to go for a visit. She landed somewhere on its flat back. It only looked flat from afar, though. It took hours to even get there; there was no gravitation to attract her to its surface because¡ª

    Again, she did not want to think about it.

    Up close, the surface was mountainous, made of countless little tendrils, thick and short, grazing as if in the wind, like fabric or like grass. But their movements betrayed the metaphor of wind in slight and subconscious ways. When Theora stepped on them, they motioned out like disturbed water ¡ª as if she was a breeze emanating from a single point in a wide meadow. The tendrils didn¡¯t change location, they just flopped to a direction away from her, then calmed back down.

    This thing had no gravitational pull; Theora had simply landed feet first out of habit, because that¡¯s how one was expected to interact with structures of planetary size. She shifted perspective; turning around so she could touch the little thick red polyps with her hands, her frozen body cracking at the motion, as it shielded her from the sun.

    The things were soft.

    If Theora could take a deep breath, she would. She would attempt to steel herself and brace for what she was about to see, but she couldn¡¯t; not without cracking her ribcage and making Bell sad for hurting herself more than necessary.

    And so Theora dove her head between the tendrils without preparing herself at all, and peered into what lay beneath. The thing she didn¡¯t want to see and yet forced herself to behold ¡ª nothing.

    Endless nothing. There was nothing inside. The tendrils were all there was of this creature. Inside, there was an empty space. Her heart lurched; the Ancient Devourer was just like herself.

    It was an empty shell.

    Theora soared over endless landscapes. Places where the tendrils were thinner than a finger, and others where they were thicker than Treeka. And there was debris between them. Echoes of what the creature had eaten before. Rocks, continents, ruins.

    Theora needed to find a good place before time ran out on her Orb.

    The tendrils were able to change shape. After a while, they started following her with their gazes. Some of them grew little complex organs. Some looked like abstract insect eyes; some might have been other kinds of sensors. The Ancient Devourer was becoming aware of Theora¡¯s presence, and kept staring at her as she moved.

    Finally, she saw a structure that seemed like a good place, maybe. It was still far on the horizon, but it stood out, because it looked like a city, and it was gold-coloured. She realised that there, tendrils of all sizes and shapes were mixed between themselves; not as uniform as other parts of the Devourer¡¯s skin. If it had minds, one of them was perhaps there.

    As time went on, the Devourer grew less patient with Theora¡¯s presence. It started activating Skills.

    Skills to draw her in. Skills to push her away. The Orb was able to overpower them, for now, but it was only a matter of time. It splashed out types of acid and webs to keep Theora controlled, it tried to capture her, but for now, it was merely testing the waters. These attempts were not serious, although they would have been enough to fetch a planet. The creature knew Theora was a little stronger than a planet.

    Hours passed, and Theora got closer and closer to the ¡®city¡¯ ¡ª she was close enough to know that the comparison was very flawed. Perhaps it was, instead, a forest, if a forest had many trees of vastly different sizes. She kept soaring past its distant outreaches ¡ª every now and then, a very large tendril would appear to attempt something, but she¡¯d outmanoeuvre it. She kept moving past, like she was a tiniest fragment of life ¡ª a louse or a mite ¡ª moving past the feet, calves, thighs, fingers, arms and torso of a sitting person, slowly, to make her way to their face.

    Theora¡¯s clothing had barely regenerated; it was far from its usual glamour. But the frills and folds and tears floated behind her, chaotic but unmoving in the void. Like back then at the Zenith of the End, she moved in solitude towards her final task, a betta fish, ready for a fight.

    Time was almost out. Theora knew, because she kept counting the seconds while thinking of how much this all reminded her of home. Back when she was small and overconfident, there was a saying that her mentors had liked to remind her of.

    There is always a bigger fish.

    Back then, these words had failed to instil Theora with the reverence and humility they were meant to teach. If anything, she¡¯d found the prospect of finding someone stronger exciting. After a while, that excitement had waned, of course, because it hadn¡¯t actually taken too long for her to become the most powerful being on her home planet. The idea that she could simply leave the places she already knew and move far out to distant lands to find something bigger than herself had grown more and more faint, and flickered away into nothing but a cute little remnant of her past.

    Eventually, the Ancient Devourer made its intentions clear.

    It was here to have a meal, and nothing else. Watching Theora for a while had been interesting, perhaps, but the curiosity had worn out, and now, it was time for a little snack. The tendrils reached out, started to spin a net, and Theora felt it activate more and more Skills that would prevent anything from leaving. The creature was now also setting up a gravitational pull that would, soon enough, draw her in and gobble her up. And once she was inside, it would use its strongest Skills to make Theora part of itself.

    Theora wasn¡¯t looking forward to that. Amyd had made a Legendary Skill only to gobble Theora up, and it might have worked if she¡¯d not had Dema to protect back then, but Theora wanted to believe that Dema was safe for now, so technicalities like that might not help much this time around. It didn¡¯t matter; she wasn¡¯t here to think about being eaten, she wanted to try something else.

    Finally, Theora entered the forest-town. The largest tendrils looked like something akin to soft, leathery, emerald-green skin, with saturated purple and crimson areas and lines painted over, and many little hills and indents, each larger than Theora herself.

    She found a pretty place. A valley of glowing, golden tendrils ending in a curved wall. When she stopped in the centre, looking up at the thick pillars, the Ancient Devourer produced many eyes and organs to peer down, indulgently.

    A few glowing knobs appeared around Theora, illuminating her shape to be perceived.

    Regrettably, the Ancient Devourer then increased the gravitational pull meant to draw her in. She had to resist with her willpower by now; the Orb was no longer enough. This had gotten serious. This had gotten sad.

    This had gotten slightly unkind.

    It ticked Theora off.

    She had come all the way here just to talk, and yet the Devourer was still trying to eat her all the same. Granted, she¡¯d made herself a snack, but that was only because it would have eaten her home world otherwise.

    ¡°You are not nice at all,¡± she murmured with cracking lips into the soundless void.

    Again, the creature increased its pull. It was sucking her in with so much strength, it became difficult to focus on anything but staying afloat on the soft golden tendril carpet.

    And with that, Theora had enough. She¡¯d come all this way. She¡¯d lost everyone. Everything. All because she was too tasty. It really wasn¡¯t fair. It was unkind.

    It ticked her off.

    And so, she glared. Her icy brows crumbled. ¡°Back off,¡± she commanded, by flaring her power.

    A shockwave went out. Thousands of the Devourer¡¯s Skills activated at once, acid streams and gravitational warps, illusions and violent assaults, beams and nets and thoughts declaring absolute control. They puffed to nothing. Crumbled apart against Theora¡¯s impenetrable shell.

    The eyes flinched and fissured, closing themselves for protection. The walls jerked back, tendrils ripping apart in its attempts to get to safety. The ground retreated, far away. The creature was trying to run. Only now, it understood. Now, it truly saw.

    It was too late.

    The behemoth had strayed far, far from home, into deep waters ¡ª travelling for aeons, complacent in its confidence. Sympathising with its plight made Theora recall long-forgotten pasts, gave her flashes of her hometown, tore open old wounds she did not wish to remember.

    Perhaps the Devourer never had the right mentors, or it might have realised in time.

    It had found a bigger fish.

 Chapter 138: Final Resting Place

    In a lucky turn of events for that rude manta ray, Theora had not come to fight. She¡¯d come ready for a fight, but it was not her intention. Right now, judging by its behaviour, the behemoth was frozen in fear, because it knew which of the two would win an altercation, even if it would take centuries to complete. It was also aware that escaping Theora was a fruitless endeavour. The difference in size between the two was just too great. She could kill it at distance, or cut off its means to escape.

    Theora hovered toward the eyed wall to close the distance the creature had created between them.

    She came to a halt right in front of the largest eyed tendril, hovering for a while, just staring at it, to make sure the behemoth would hold still for what she wanted to do next. The mission was already a success ¡ª this, right now, was extra. And so, she rummaged in her clothing. It took a while, because her cloak had been shredded twice; the folds were all different.

    But finally, she found the first bouquet.

    It was massive. Thousands of different flowers, neatly arranged, in a clear and deliberately thought-out colourful pattern, with little ribbons holding different strands together, wrapped in pretty paper. It was going to freeze soon, but that was fine.

    Theora held it out towards the creature, presenting it before its eyes, willing her Skill to communicate her first of three large thoughts. When she was sure she had its attention, she threw the bouquet, and it bounced against its tendrils, and was then sucked up inside.

    Life is precious.

    The eyes went wide when the concept of ¡®life¡¯, the definition of being, and the meaning of ¡®precious¡¯ as Theora understood them flooded its gigantic mind, her Skill helping it correlate the ideas to those etched into its being.

    Then, Theora went to look for the second bouquet, and it took long enough for her to vaguely start worrying that the creature would try to run after all, but it seemed she had its attention, because for now, it kept silently staring at her, perceiving each crack Theora caused in her own body with every motion.

    The second bouquet was almost twice the size of the first, and far more sophisticated. She¡¯d asked hundreds of florists and botanists to help her assemble it in Heofen, because she wanted to make absolutely sure to convey that second thought as accurately and completely as she could, because all would depend on this.

    The first thought had been incomplete; it postulated an idea and a vague context laid out the terms, but now, she had to fill that vague idea with true meaning. And so, she threw her second bouquet ¡ª the one that carried the bulk of her thoughts.

    You can recognise life by how it is like you and me, but not like stars.

    The eyes blinked and tugged and the tendrils formed a wave of disturbed water around the entrance point of the thought.

    Then, Theora retrieved the last bouquet. It was about as elaborate as the first, but where the first one had been gentle and colourful and bright, this last one was mostly dark, and red. It had vines and thorns and greenery wrapped around a beautiful core that was similar to parts of the first; it had a shape that was menacing and gentle at once. Both well-meant advice and a threat, depending on how the creature chose to read it. The conclusion of her thoughts ¡ª the reasoning and the result. Her final thesis.

    And so, Theora threw. The bouquet tapped against the smaller tendrils, embraced by them, and was sucked in, completing the message.

    Do not eat life.

    ¡°Do not eat life,¡± she repeated, but her words carried no sound, she only felt the numb crunch of her lips pressing against each other. This creature fed on heat. If she let it go, it might, one day, find another planetary system with life on it, and eat it whole, because it might not understand or care for the difference. But, Theora didn¡¯t want to kill this poor little sea creature, either.

    She couldn¡¯t let it go, and she didn¡¯t want to hurt it. So, she thought, maybe she could draw its attention and then ask it to be polite from now on. She didn¡¯t have any more bouquets prepared; she had a few more flowers in her coat, but communicating complexities to an alien creature likely wasn¡¯t easy without large-scale preparation. She had no way to receive the creature¡¯s answer; she had to hope that it understood the meaning she¡¯d wanted to convey. And that it would agree.

    Of course, there was a limit to how much of a choice the creature had. If it was to attack Theora¡¯s planetary system after all, she would stop it. Not that it really had a reason to, now that Theora was out here; the sun itself didn¡¯t seem large enough to even interest this behemoth.

    Still, she hoped for the best, fetched a few more flowers from her coat and tried to put them together without breaking them, then sent them off, to say goodbye to the large creature and to tell it that it didn¡¯t need to be afraid of leaving as long as it respected life.

    And so, over the course of the next few weeks, the ray left. Now that Theora was attuned to its aura, she could feel it from much further away, and she kept it in her mind to make sure it was indeed staying clear of her home. It left toward a region she had understood during her studies to be largely empty, so maybe the little thing wanted to silently reflect on its behaviour.

    With that, Theora¡¯s personal mission had succeeded as well. She¡¯d managed to talk to a rude baby, and although it was probably far-fetched to call it a new friend, she was happy she¡¯d at least managed to avoid a gruesome massacre. And, what was probably the most amazing thing about all of this was that Theora had managed to navigate this meeting without using [Obliterate]. Maybe it wasn¡¯t the same as defeating an author, but at the very least, Theora felt somewhat accomplished.

    The mission was a success. She¡¯d saved her home planet.

    The mission was a success, and she¡¯d not used [Obliterate], except to prevent harm from her propulsion material.

    The mission was a success ¡ª she¡¯d cleaned up her own mess.

    She¡¯d succeeded at her mission, and now she was drifting through space, with no way to ever return home.

    Of course, that wouldn¡¯t kill her, but it still felt like the end of her life. It might take millions of years for her to impact anywhere, and even then, she had no idea how to get back. And it was questionable that she¡¯d even be the same creature she was now after millions of years adrift in the void.

    What would she remember, after all that time? Would she remember any of her Skills? Would she remember she was a person?

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    Would she remember her adoptive daughter, or the second-strongest hero? Maybe the better question to ask was how much time she had left until she¡¯d forget. She¡¯d forgotten the people who¡¯d sent her all those letters Dema had found in her attire. That had taken about two thousand years to happen. Granted, Theora¡¯d probably only known these people for a day or two, so perhaps it would take a while longer for her to forget Lostina, who she¡¯d befriended over the course of seven months.

    And perhaps she could hold the idea of Dema close to her heart for even longer than that. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could carry a glint of that love for a while.

    Over the next few months, Theora kept repeating every single memory she had in her mind. She held them as close as she could, even the memory of the behemoth, long-after it had left her range. Like watching a very long theatre-play on endless repeat. She tried to clutch each image as closely as she could, and wanted to cry each time she noticed she¡¯d forgotten a detail.

    How many houses had she visited in that village, the night after she¡¯d destroyed the Interface, to make sure everyone was safe near the Zenith of the End? What was the colour of Ulfine¡¯s eyes?

    She still knew the first words Dema had ever spoken to her. But what about right after? She¡¯d forgotten Dema¡¯s second words.

    A few years later, Theora had forgotten Balinth¡¯s last words. She no longer remembered how many rooms there were in their home in the Shade. But she was holding other memories as safe as she could. She imagined a little compartment inside herself, to put things inside, to keep them. To preserve them. A bit like she¡¯d preserved a little part of her attire in her fist. A room inside herself, a space, to wall off from all influences, to put something inside and keep it. It wasn¡¯t very easy, but she had time. She tried to spend it fortifying that part of herself, to make sure the memories she placed therein were as safe as she wanted Dema and the others to be.

    She filled it with her memory of Dema¡¯s smile first. She also added Bell¡¯s frown; and Isobel¡¯s curious gaze. She put in her recollection of resurrecting Iso¡¯s fossilised body. Put it inside her fist, so to speak, so it would survive a crash on a planet. Made her fist strong and exerted her will to reinforce it.

    It was at some point around then that Theora felt a familiar sensation.

    At first, it was confusing, because she¡¯d never felt it quite this raw. And with that, a few things clicked into place in her mind.

    How had Dema done it? How had she made it through millennia of being sealed, but retained most of her personhood? Her ability to speak, and parts of her memory? Theora was already struggling after a mere few years, but Dema had been in there for so long, and greeted her first visitor with a smile. And in all those years since, Dema had never changed that much. Most notably, Dema had started using her Skills around Theora at some point, but that had been less of a change in personality and more of growing accustomed to Theora¡¯s presence and understanding Theora¡¯s views on the matter.

    Other than that, Dema had always been stationary. A rock. A fortress, perhaps. She¡¯d made it through aeons without losing herself, had lived for decades in Hallmark and months in another reality. Theora had shown Dema terrible things like broken cities, and murdered the Devil of Truth in front of her, and Dema had been subjected to cruelty and pain. And yet, she still found reasons to smile.

    It wasn¡¯t like these experiences had gone by without any effect, of course. Dema was scared of being left alone. She sought out other people who were lonely, to form bonds of companionship. She got jealous at the thought of being left behind, of returning to the state before being freed.

    But she had, through all hardships, prevailed. She was carrying wounds, but remained herself.

    Theora spent some effort to recall what Dema¡¯s sheet had said:

    Traits: [¡­] [Unreasonable Resilience]

    Was that how? Had she received that trait during her time inside the Cube of Solitude? Or had she understood long before that the true enemy of an immortal was the neverending flow of time? That time would hollow any creature out eventually, like a mountain subject to weather. That time would kill any immortal, if just by turning them into somebody, or something else.

    Dema was obsessed with living forever ¡ª Theora had known that a long time ago. But Dema wasn¡¯t just obsessed with it. She was actually good at it.

    The little compartment in Theora¡¯s self, the one she attempted to fill with memories she did not want to move, it was Theora¡¯s attempt at following Dema¡¯s example, and being unreasonably resilient, if only a little.

    This was the first time Theora learned a new Skill without being informed by a System message. The System was not here, and Skills were inherent to people. Theora had, through her efforts, made a Skill for herself. She even knew its name, without seeing it in a prompt. She understood how to use it, slowly, by trial and error.

    Retain. The way Dema tilts her head when making a mischievous smile.

    Retain. The way Dema starts her sentences with ¡®why¡¯ even if they aren¡¯t questions at all.

    Retain. The way Dema always noticed when Theora felt bad.

    Theora kept filling parts of herself into the Skill. It was too small at first to contain much, but she used it and got better, and made it a little larger. She wanted to retain as much of herself as she could. To retain as much of everything else as she remembered.

    It might not be as effective as Dema¡¯s trait, but for now, it made Theora happy to at least have the feeling that, in a thousand years, part of herself might still be left.

    And so, a long time passed. She eventually forgot to put more things into her Skill. Forgot she had it, perhaps. Or not? Sometimes, she remembered, but putting things in was effort, so she thought she¡¯d do it next time. The most important things were safe. Right?

    Probably. It was hard to think.

    So that¡¯s what this was, ah? Theora doubted that any of this had been a ruse, or engineered to happen, but there really was no doubt that someone was cheering right now. Something back home who sought to benefit from it all.

    Every time Theora opened her eyes, she remembered Dema, for Dema had given her the bracelet, and the bracelet was still on her arm. And, every single time Theora remembered the bracelet, she wanted to know. She needed to know if Dema was still alright. But she never dared, until one day ¡ª or one night. One hour.

    She had to know.

    Anxious, about to puke out the nothing inside her belly, afraid, almost eager to sparkle into icy dust, she crumpled her other hand around the bracelet, and broke it. Broke it, cracked it, made it unwhole.

    And, even now, after so long, it came back together. It unbroke itself.

    Dema was alright. Dema was still alright.

    Intense relief embraced Theora. And she kept doing it. This cycle of terror into comfort became her only proof that she was still alive. The only proof that she wasn¡¯t truly gone.

    Bell and Iso and Dema were strong; and perhaps they¡¯d found a way to meet Lostina and Gonell again. They might have found a way to help Treeka. And so, Theora could find solace, despite breaking her empty promise. Even without her, things would be alright. There would be another strongest hero to replace her ¡ª perhaps Bell, or maybe someone else. Someone new to climb the ranks and seize their chance to get to the top, now that the impossible boulder up there was gone.

    Now that Theora had been sealed away.

    They would have their adventures and protect one another and make sure Dema was cosy, snuggled at home against the Shade, perhaps sad at times, but safe. Perhaps she would even find someone else. Someone else to fall in love with, now that Theora was gone; and the thought of that hurt, but it would hurt more to think Dema alone again.

    She broke the bracelet again.

    It reformed.

    After all this time, still safe.

    Theora kept drifting through the endless void with no end ever in sight. And she knew it would stay that way; even if people reinvented space travel, even if someone learned the necessary Skills to travel the far skies ¡ª it was impossible to even find her in the nothingness. Her aura was not strong enough to be picked up from afar unless she flared. The System couldn¡¯t reach her, so her party members could not determine her location, either. The Finding Wish of the Orb of Seven Wishes would only give the location she was at right now, not giving any indication of where she¡¯d be when they arrived, or the velocity at which she was travelling, or anything at all.

    Theora had no mana, so divination might prove hopeless too.

    Thus, the world kept going still. Time continued moving, frozen. Theora¡¯s mind slipped in-and-out, and every now and then, she looked inside Retain to reminisce of the time when she used to be a person.

    When she was already far gone, it happened from one moment to the next.

    There was nothing.

    And then, there was Dema.

 Chapter 139: Too Good to Be True

    A puff of dust was disappearing from between Dema¡¯s thumb and index finger, like she had just snapped something apart. And then she burst out a bright flood of crimson blood, sealing the two inside a dark bubble, only illuminated by their gleaming bracelets.

    That was, by far, the best dream Theora¡¯s mind had come up with ever since she¡¯d gotten lost. She felt numb and cold and obsolete; like an observer to the scene of her own rescue. She wanted it so much, and now she was seeing it play out around her.

    Her brain imagined Dema saying something, but there was no air, so there was nothing to hear. Dema was, however, smiling, as she held up her other hand and pressed the button of the¡­ What was its name again? Airifier? Probably not.

    Despite this being just a dream, Theora decided to help, of course. Watching Dema die had never been a pleasant experience, even if she made it through more often than not. The air-producing item slowly filled the space with atmosphere, aided by Dema pouring in mana, and Theora tried her best to warm up the area. She made her heart pump and her muscles contract to produce warmth; she pushed her own blood to break through her solidified capillaries.

    Thus, Theora became an oven. She wasn¡¯t sure if she would have been able to do that in reality too, but trapped in a figment of her own mind? Why not. That said, it was tiring; she already wanted to sleep ¡ª or to wake up ¡ª but Dema was cold and deserved to be warm, and it would be all the harder to hug if they were both solid.

    ¡°Bun Bun!¡± Dema finally let out when the air had filled, gleaming brightly. ¡°Missed ya!¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°Orb of Seven Wishes. Bam, there I am.¡±

    Theora let out an incredulous laugh. Right, an Orb of Seven Wishes. If that wouldn¡¯t have been too convenient. ¡°They are very rare,¡± she let out, unsure why she was even scrutinising this so much; it was like she was spiting her own imagination.

    Dema grinned smugly. ¡°Our girl¡¯s cracked the System¡¯s RMG!¡± Then, she frowned. ¡°Or was it ARG? Anyways, she can [Compute] System rewards and find the right circumstances to open them. So we had Bell save a quest reward for the right time and place, and boom. There¡¯s the Orb. Took a while for her to crack it though, and then even longer to wait for the right alignment of variables.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Not gonna lie, I¡¯m probably butchering the explanation, but point is: Bam, I¡¯m here!¡±

    Theora took in a sharp breath, her lower lip wobbling. ¡°I see.¡±

    Oh, how tempting it was to indulge in this idea.

    To have Dema back. To have her back, right here with her, and all fine and all Dema-looking and smiling. Theora couldn¡¯t believe it. This was better than the best Theora could have ever hoped for.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Dema said, touching Theora¡¯s ear. ¡°Poof!¡±

    Crack. ¡°Mom? Are you there?¡± Isobel¡¯s voice rocked back into existence.

    Dema beamed. ¡°There we go. Can you hear her? Runs on mana, so I can keep it going all the way home. No more rationing your talking time.¡±

    ¡°I can hear you,¡± Theora thought.

    ¡°Yay!¡± Iso went. ¡°That¡¯s good! Bell says hi.¡±

    ¡°Bell is fine?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Isobel clacked her mandibles, and after a moment, added, ¡°She says come home quick so she can stop collecting Pop at record rate. She actually polyped three times and I had to nurse her back into a squid¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Theora giggled. ¡°Isn¡¯t she a jellyfish?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. But squid¡¯s easier to say. And it looks almost the same¡­¡±

    ¡°That seems a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°She calls me an airhead, so we¡¯re even. My head¡¯s made of rock!¡±

    Dema couldn¡¯t follow the conversation, so Theora took a moment to relay all of it, and Dema nodded emphatically. ¡°Yeah, right! You tell her, Iso.¡±

    Yes, too perfect. But it was fine. Theora¡¯s brain was being very kind. She thanked her own brain over and over again for allowing such a vivid vision.

    In the meantime, Dema had slowly warmed up enough to start moving around the little blood sphere, and proceeded to create tons of little things. She made blood shelves, a blood comb for Theora to fix her hair, she extended the sphere with further compartments, giving little comments about how one of them was a bedroom and the other one was a room for relaxing and the third was a room for work and one with a vent for ¡®visiting outside¡¯, all the while she kept the poor little air-producing magical item running hot with countless mana-recharge cycles to keep it all properly aerated.

    When she was done with all of that, and it didn¡¯t take long at all, presumably because she was capped on mana, she proceeded to make large, condensed spheres of blood, not unlike the weights she made for Theora before launch.

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    ¡°I could propel us by shooting blood,¡± Dema explained. ¡°But Iso said it¡¯s faster if I make weights for you to throw. But we gotta be careful ¡ª can¡¯t throw them too hard or you¡¯re gonna pull me apart. I can¡¯t sustain as much acceleration as you.¡± She bobbed her head to the sides, and then clarified, ¡°I mean, not gonna die or anything but we could lose each other. So no throwing too hard! We got endless weights and Isobel to guide us, we¡¯re gonna make it home eventually.¡±

    Theora nodded. Of course they were. Yes, yes.

    ¡°Can¡¯t take many things with the wish,¡± Dema continued. ¡°So I only took the air thingy so we can talk. Guess that¡¯s fine?¡±

    ¡°Yes. This seems fine.¡± Theora hiccupped, and for an hour or two, just watched Dema make more and more weights to throw. To get them ¡®home¡¯. Theora offered help, but the world was blurry and her movements were slow from having been frozen for so long, and her mind was fogged out, and also, Dema gently pushed her into a corner and made a shelf for Theora to sit and lie in and told her to rest, and so Theora rested and watched it all play out, tucked away, her hands gently grasping a slab of Dema¡¯s hardened blood.

    While working, Dema absent-mindedly hummed a melody, and Isobel kept going on and on to ¡®catch Theora up¡¯ on everything she¡¯d missed; not that she could pay any attention to what Isobel was saying at all, but the sounds in her head felt calming and comfortable, and that was probably the point.

    The idea of hearing sound at all was great.

    And so, for a few years, Theora imagined what it would be like to get rescued and go home. She was caught in a stupor as to how elaborate it all was. She¡¯d sometimes woken up from dreams that felt just a tad too realistic, but here, her brain was flat-out outdoing itself.

    Dema was busy; making weights to throw, refining their living area, gushing about all the stuff Theora had missed in the meantime. They had apparently lived in Dema¡¯s house over the last few years, while waiting for the right moment to use the RNG manipulation. They had apparently also spent a lot of time travelling and questing together before that. Isobel had trained with Dema¡­ and they¡¯d visited the Land of the Dead; one of the few areas in the world Theora had never had a reason to visit in her long life.

    Dema had apparently also met someone she liked a lot. She kept talking about that person with a shy smile.

    On one hand, she was really happy Dema had found another person to be close to, and on the other, she wanted to squeeze Dema for a month straight to fill that slight pang of feeling a little left out. At the same time, Isobel was also spluttering story after story. Theora tried to keep up, but it was dawning on her that she¡¯d have to ask to be told all of this again later.

    And often, Theora fell asleep. It almost felt like proper sleep ¡ª not simply shutting down her mind, but allowing her body to rest. Sometimes, she vaguely noticed Dema cuddling close before dozing off. It felt like the thousands of little cracks the frozen temperatures had left in Theora¡¯s flesh slowly healed back together. Her brain acted like it was going back to firing signals, and her body felt warm against Dema¡¯s touch.

    Dema had apparently spent a lot of time learning countless stories by heart, and was telling one to Theora whenever she woke up. As was customary for Dema, she had also forgotten more than half of each story by now, and was filling the gaps by improvising on the spot. This hadn¡¯t immediately been obvious to Theora, but became more apparent as time went on. It was a reasonable assumption that when Dema started talking about crabs or little bunnies or gelatinous lifeforms, she was going off-script; especially since these storylines almost always went pretty much the same way.

    And yet, Theora couldn¡¯t get enough of them, even after hearing about the little bunny lost deep in its burrow for the hundredth time.

    Isobel also talked a lot; she was live-reporting the situation at home. She talked a lot about some kind of plant she was watering every day, and she talked to Bell a lot too. In fact, the connection remained open almost the entirety of their journey, so Theora got to hear most of Isobel¡¯s internal dialogue.

    Isobel was still working on understanding the ¡®Brat¡¯ ¡ª the seemingly sentient part of the System, and she was working on a new Skill she wanted to learn using data received through [Compute]. She also went on side quests a lot, sometimes for weeks, and asked for advice whenever she could. Not that Theora could provide much, she thought, although Isobel seemed to think differently and acted like she appreciated all of Theora¡¯s input.

    In addition, Dema crafted a lot of little games. She¡¯d initially tried to remember the pieces and rules by heart, but it turned out to be a total mess, so instead, Isobel relayed everything. ¡°Yes, one piece looks like a little horse. The other one looks like a tower. Each side has two of each of these. And then¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Dema said. ¡°Wait, I forgot. What happens when I have a full hand at the start of my turn?¡±

    Isobel sighed after Theora had sent the question. ¡°Dema, that¡¯s a different game. That¡¯s the one we explained before that.¡±

    The rest of the time, Theora spent throwing Dema¡¯s blood stone. They spent half of the journey accelerating, and then the other half slowing down to not hit earth too hard upon landing.

    All things considered, it was impressive and a little embarrassing. How long had she been up there, lost in deep space by now? This was better than breaking a bracelet every few decades.

    And so, eventually, there was only one day left until ¡®landing¡¯ and Theora internally prepared for waking up. But on the off-chance that she would stay asleep and dream for a little longer, there was yet something she had to do on the surface. Something that would give her the peace of mind to leave this dream behind, and perhaps [Retain] it to relive it later.

    She glanced at her System readout ¡ª they were back in range; had been for a while, but Theora didn¡¯t have the heart to read the countless messages she¡¯d missed. It would crush her, and probably make her jolt back into reality. But, she glanced at the description of her side quest. Time remaining: 18 years.

    Dema was busy repairing some part of the hull that had been damaged by debris and Theora played some kind of card game against Isobel.

    When Dema was done, she floated back into the room. ¡°Almost back!¡± she cheered. ¡°What¡¯cha wanna do first down there?¡±

    Theora stopped fidgeting her fingers at the question. She pulled her legs closer, and let go of the cards, letting them float around. Dema¡¯s question was hitting hard, and she gave Isobel a short notice that her turn would take a while.

    There was yet something to do on the surface, before she could find peace. She¡¯d tried not to think about this too much. Tried not to let her mind wander. But now, she might as well face reality.

    Helena. Balinth. Ulfine. Skuld. Fiantanne. Gonell. Lostina.

    She took a shallow breath, and looked Dema in the eyes. Then, she swallowed, and forced herself to give the answer.

    ¡°I would like to visit every grave.¡±

 Chapter 140: The Lost

    Dema¡¯s mouth went agape, the corner twitching, unable to respond.

    ¡°I would like to see them,¡± Theora continued. ¡°Say goodbye.¡±

    Dema¡¯s expression melted into sympathy. ¡°We weren¡¯t sure how to tell you,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯d¡­ tell you now. But I don¡¯t know. Might be better if you see it yourself. That alright?¡±

    Theora blinked a few times, letting go of her legs. This was scary. Was the dream losing integrity? ¡°I mean¡ª Yes? Yes? You can show me something, when we are back.¡± She had no idea what that had to do with the wish she¡¯d just expressed, but she was too overwhelmed to force the issue.

    At the same time, Dema pushed herself from the wall, and gently floated towards Theora, and gave her a hug.

    With Isobel¡¯s directional guidance, they managed to enter the atmosphere at an angle and time that would land them close to their home.

    Dema died on impact.

    She would need a while to regenerate, and Theora had tried to remain whole throughout the explosion so she could scrape Dema¡¯s remains back up and accelerate the process of her patching herself back together.

    So, Theora sat in front of a heap of gore, herself a sooty, tired mess. These years had gone by so fast; probably because her brain had been foggy and her body fatigued, and because the others had done their best to keep her busy the entire time.

    But as the flames died down and the wind carried the smoke away and the rain washed the ash from the air, Theora¡¯s heart started thumping so hard. She seemed to be back home, and she¡¯d missed all that so bad. The feeling of air on her skin. The feeling of solid ground under her legs. Rain.

    Rain made her think of Hallmark. And Hallmark made her think of¡ª

    She winced, and tried to focus on the little finger Dema had already managed to form back from her gory remains. She reached out, gently touching it, and the finger immediately curled around hers.

    Theora felt really bad for thinking it, but this all felt suspiciously real.

    That was until she noticed that this wasn¡¯t normal rain.

    It was raining glowing honey-like drops of molten rot. The sky was filled with towering, gleaming clouds with golden hearts. Theora felt the poisonous precipitation seep into her skin. This was a calamity ¡ª the Rains of Fire; like an ice-age it was a global phenomenon that happened in spurts every few thousand years.

    Last time she¡¯d witnessed the event, Theora had spent it in a small village that no longer existed, because back then, she¡¯d been less confident about moving across Himaeya during a calamity. Why was her mind coming up with that now?

    ¡°Ah, there you are,¡± the cheerful voice of Isobel rang out. She was arriving together with Bell, both under a wide and magically reinforced umbrella. They both looked different now than they used to ¡ª although perhaps that was just Theora¡¯s imagination failing or her memory degrading. Bell¡¯s shape had changed upon regrowing from polyp state; she was still blue-skinned with yellow and orange patterns, but the shape of her head was more mushroom-like now, and her tendrils had grown longer, and some thicker.

    Isobel had lost a few more parts of her rock formation; the crevices were deeper, and another little leg on her front was missing. But she was beaming wide, running up and jumping against Theora for a hug, despite the rain.

    Isobel was heavy, but Theora was strong, so she caught her without budging, and pressed herself into the embrace. Iso really had gotten very good at hugging; her thick moss patches were just in the right places to make the touch a squishful blessing. In the meantime, Dema¡¯s finger had grown into a hand, holding Theora¡¯s firm. Bell was keeping a polite distance, and nodded in acknowledgement.

    Then, Isobel started piecing Dema back together; scarily, it looked like she had some experience with that. She seemed to understand which pieces of flesh were meant to be adjacent to each other, and reorganised them into the shape of a person, while Bell held her umbrella over the two. It didn¡¯t look too unlike how Dema had once assembled Isobel. Then, they waited for Dema to emerge, again reminiscent of an egg hatching. Perhaps in the way that Theora was a little rabbit, Dema was a little chicklet.

    As soon as Dema had her head back, she smiled at Theora. ¡°There we are! Can¡¯t wait to show you¡ª¡±

    Isobel took her head and placed it on another part of the body, where it slowly reattached.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Dema said, looking dizzy. ¡°What was I saying? Got carried away there.¡±

    Eventually, Iso helped her up, and Dema was still panting and smiling weakly. Bell was holding a folded set of clothing, probably for Dema to wear, but she waited until Iso had retched up a bubble of water for Dema to clean all her remaining blood off.

    And then, Dema put on the simple linen dress; far too clean and proper to fit her usual style, but she didn¡¯t seem to mind. She pirouetted a few times to watch the hemp of the clothing settle around her legs. ¡°Finally,¡± she rasped. ¡°All back together. And back home!¡±

    ¡°Not quite back home yet,¡± Iso said. ¡°Still gotta get you both into bed so you can rest.¡±

    ¡°Ah, right.¡± Dema looked around, probably trying to figure out where they were.

    Bell pointed behind herself. ¡°That way. About half an hour.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know we were having Rains of Fire,¡± Theora murmured, catching droplets in her hands. Probably because her brain had come up with it on the spot.

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    ¡°Yep! Stay-at-home time,¡± Iso said, smiling. ¡°Second one this century. It¡¯s ¡¯cause you inspired so many people to become heroes, when you left.¡±

    Ah. Had she?

    In that case, it almost made sense, even though it felt very self-indulgent to have that kind of fantasy. Rains of Fire were a natural phenomenon that was part of the mana cycle; when a lot of mana was used by entities on the planet, it moved up into the atmosphere, and it would finally rain back down once a critical amount was reached.

    The mana was so highly concentrated that it could damage living creatures, and thus, many would take shelter during these times. The surrounding flora still looked mostly intact, so that likely meant the rains had just started.

    And so, they went back home. Bell mostly shielded herself and Dema with the umbrella; it was difficult to shield against the Rains of Fire, as they would erode magic barriers by harming its casters. An hour or two inside the rain would not harm Theora, and likely wouldn¡¯t harm Isobel that much, either, since she was made of rock.

    Finally, they entered a village. The doors and windows were shut, but soft light burned in many. After walking through the main street, they went up a little hill on the outskirts, and up on its top stood Dema¡¯s house.

    Theora knew it was Dema¡¯s house not because she remembered much of it from back then, but because it was made of blood and stone, with complicated rafters and elaborate pictures edged into the walls. The door was open.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Bell let out. ¡°Looks like we might have a visitor.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Iso added, happily. ¡°Looks like she made it in time.¡±

    ¡°Why, she travelled through the rain? What a charmer.¡± Dema giggled.

    ¡°I told her when you¡¯d come back,¡± Isobel said. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t sure whether she¡¯d actually come. If it¡¯s her, she can of course go through the rain, but¡­ Still kinda scary.¡±

    Theora had no idea who they were talking about, but she was getting curious. They went in and took off their shoes, and Bell had towels and a change of clothes prepared for both Theora and Dema so they wouldn¡¯t contaminate the inside of the house with glowing, gloopy honey rain.

    There was nobody in the corridor either, and the first few rooms Theora could glance into were empty too. Finally, Dema was getting quite excited despite how clearly spent she was, and then she bumped into the doorframe and tumbled into the living room. ¡°Back!¡± she cheered.

    Theora went in last. Their visitor was someone she¡¯d never seen before. A woman with long, black hair and pale leathery skin ¡ª in fact, unhealthily pale, with larger and smaller dark, old contusions littered across her body. She was taller than Dema and plumper; both of her eyes were gone, cut away by an old wound, the scar still stretching over her face in several rays. She was missing her left hand.

    Theora would have pronounced her dead if not for the fact that she was moving. She¡¯d never seen someone like her. In stark contrast to the woman¡¯s body was her incredibly brilliant and clean attire; a wide-sleeved dress of sunlight orange and scarlet red.

    The moment she heard Dema¡¯s voice, she turned, and made a few steps forward to embrace her. ¡°Missed you,¡± she said. ¡°Oh, you seem exhausted.¡± Without hesitation, the woman picked Dema up, who yelped, but let herself be carried onto a sofa in the back of the room. Then, the woman draped a blanket over Dema, and turned around, having heard the others too.

    ¡°That¡¯s Bell and Iso,¡± she said, likely by having felt their auras. ¡°Then that means you are¡­¡±

    ¡°Theora,¡± Isobel introduced, and took Theora¡¯s hand to drag her further into the room. ¡°And that¡¯s Antankla! Until you stepped foot back on Himaeya, she was the strongest hero on the planet. We met her in the Land of the Dead!¡±

    ¡°Pleased to meet you,¡± Theora said, and pointlessly bowed without thinking. ¡°Thank you for taking care of Dema.¡±

    Antankla smiled and nodded, and, after feeling for it, sat down on a chair next to Dema. ¡°I¡¯m glad you came back alright.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad I was saved,¡± Theora replied.

    ¡°Oh ¡ª right!¡± Dema suddenly let out, and jolted into a sitting position. ¡°Got carried away again. Still gotta show you.¡± She got up, tapped over to Theora, and dragged her out of the room, while Bell and Iso proceeded to go and sit down with Antankla.

    They went up into the second floor, and then, Dema plopped Theora down on a bed.

    Theora giggled. ¡°This is so nice. You are all so nice to me. Are you having a good time while I¡¯m up there? I couldn¡¯t possibly come up with anything that would make me more happy than all of this. I mean, not that that¡¯s surprising.¡±

    Dema tilted her head. ¡°You good, lil rabbit? Still tired, huh? Guess it makes sense. You gotta sleep for a year or two to get all that outta your system.¡±

    Theora laughed. ¡°Well, now this is a little cruel.¡±

    ¡°Cruel,¡± Dema echoed. She raised her eyebrows, head tilting to the other side. ¡°Whatcha talking about?¡±

    ¡°This is a dream, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Dema jerked up in surprise. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s what you thought? Damn, such a mess. You really gotta sleep.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡±

    ¡°Nope!¡± Dema confirmed. ¡°All here, all real.¡± She interlocked her fingers with Theora¡¯s, and pressed down. With the other hand, she grazed Theora¡¯s hair. ¡°See? All real.¡±

    ¡°But that would mean you came back for me,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Yeah, why wouldn¡¯t we?¡±

    Theora took a deep breath, shaking her head. ¡°No, I mean. You used an Orb of Seven Wishes.¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Sure did!¡±

    ¡°But you couldn¡¯t have faked that. You couldn¡¯t have. It would only ever work if you really, truly loved me.¡±

    ¡°¡¯Course I do!¡± Dema cheered. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be news.¡± She blinked and jolted up. ¡°Wait, is it news?¡±

    Theora let out a broken laugh. Oh, this was cruel. This was real? She was back home? Actually back home? What?

    Reality whiplashed back into her brain, and she winced. ¡°Ah. Everyone¡¯s¡ª¡±

    Dema softly put a finger on Theora¡¯s lips to silence her. Then, she smiled, and went over to a cupboard, pulling out a thin rectangular package wrapped in cloth. ¡°Wasn¡¯t sure if we should tell you on the way. But¡­ Y¡¯know. You never asked until yesterday, so¡­¡±

    She turned around and slowly pushed the bundle in Theora¡¯s hands, then made a step back, waiting for her to open it.

    Theora¡¯s heart was beating so hard it hurt. Looking at this package somehow made her extremely anxious. She¡¯d seen something like that before. A long, long time ago. And she vaguely remembered that back then, she¡¯d opened it with a feeling of despair.

    She slowly pulled the threads holding the bundle together, and then removed the fabric. A tear dropped out from her eyes on sight.

    It was the Frame of the Lost.

    The backside of it ¡ª just like last time. Who was inside? Had someone waited? Had someone waited for Theora to come back? Was that what Dema was trying to say? This was too much. Theora¡¯s fingers were shaking. She almost didn¡¯t dare to turn it over. But Dema¡¯s expectant gaze bore down hard, so with a careful but swift gesture, Theora looked.

    A punch to her chest. She hastily but gently placed the frame on the bed, like hot iron. The sobs came out. Oh, this couldn¡¯t possibly be true. For her? No, this was impossible. She looked again, but it was real. Somehow, all of this was real. Theora could barely even breathe. Dema was suddenly there, holding her close and catching all of Theora¡¯s snot and tears.

    It was a group picture.

    ¡°No graves to visit, honey,¡± Dema said, low and firm. ¡°No graves for you to visit.¡±

 Chapter 141: Dream-Proof

    It took a while for Theora to calm down. She only managed to take a proper look at the Frame on the third try. There were well over a dozen people in it, standing in front of Dema¡¯s house, smiling at the viewer.

    Dema, having patiently waited, happily took the opportunity to point at the first person and go, ¡°Lostina!¡±

    Lostina looked a few years older now. Her black hair was fuller and shorter. She was smiling wide, holding what looked like Theora¡¯s copy of To Hell With the Author.

    ¡°She¡¯s the one who like, organised it all.¡± Dema made a motion encompassing the entire picture. ¡°You know how there¡¯s a Class called [Summoner] in their world? And how you made a big mess and scratched a hole between theirs and ours?¡± Theora flinched. She did remember. ¡°Well, after we were gone, Lostina ended up researching that because she figured, if [Summoners] can open rifts to the world of Errata, then why not to ours too? She tracked down some items you left behind to use as guides, and found a [Summoner] who offered to help.¡± She pointed at another person in the picture, next to Lostina. ¡°Decided to get framed too, for some reason.¡±

    Then, Dema tapped Gonell. ¡°When Gonell¡¯s time in the first Frame ran out, she went to help with the asylum for a few years. She joined the Frame later.¡±

    Theora looked up, wiping away tears. ¡°Joined later?¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Yeah! At the start they never sealed themselves for long. Didn¡¯t know when you¡¯d be back, so they were like, let¡¯s just stash ourselves away for a year or two and see what¡¯s up when we get out. They also wanted to let stragglers join. Gonell joined at the fifth time or so? I think Lostina also skipped one or two framings to live with Gonell for a while.¡±

    Somehow, the idea that people were using the Frame of the Lost like a carriage moving them closer to Theora and hopping on and off as they pleased almost made Theora start crying again, but she tried to focus as Dema continued her explanation.

    ¡°Fia!¡± she said, pointing at a woman in her mid-twenties. Braided, silver hair, still the same boyish coquette clothing, but not looking like a child anymore. ¡°She and Skuld spent like ten years trying to find other Giant Rhinos. But then they kinda figured they must really all be gone. So then they decided to come back to us.¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t see Skuld.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± Dema looked up, giggling. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t fit in the Frame! Too large. So Fia finally got to see her ¡®in person¡¯.¡± She pointed at a woman grumpily staring away in the back row with a gigantic horn on her head. She had grey skin with red outlines, and looked large even in human-shape. She also had two rhino-ears and was well-endorsed with curves and muscles. She seemed somewhat embarrassed, too.

    ¡°Ah, and here¡¯s Kara,¡± Dema said, pointing at nothing. ¡°Harrik¡¯s sister. Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s just invisible. She joined when she was the same age as her brother, standing next to her. Probably to tease him or something. That blotch there in the window is the Shade. Was a bit shy, but it worked out. Ah, and here are Hel and Bal. Their daughter moved away from Hallmark at some point, so they said their goodbyes, since they weren¡¯t going to see each other much after. The two didn¡¯t want to live the rest of their lives out alone, so they decided to join the Frame too.¡±

    Then, she pointed at Ulfine. ¡°She said she¡¯s only in it for ¡®research¡¯. I guess she wants to see you find all of Time.¡±

    Even Ulfine¡­ Theora¡¯s gaze wandered around. ¡°I don¡¯t think I recognise all the others.¡±

    ¡°Family of people who joined, and stuff. Friends. Some decided to join just to meet you, I guess? To say thanks for saving their lives. Not like anyone had a reason to say no to people who wanted to join.¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°They would sacrifice all their time just to meet me?¡±

    Dema raised her eyebrows. ¡°¡¯Course they would! I mean,¡± she grazed over the picture, ¡°you didn¡¯t hesitate to throw away part of your life for them, either. Makes sense to me.¡±

    It made sense? How did this make sense? Theora had only done the absolute bare minimum ¡ª after causing all the issues in the first place. She¡¯d apologise to all of them once they got back.

    ¡°But like,¡± Dema went on, ¡°of course, eventually they kinda grew tired of reframing themselves every year. From their perspective, no time passes, so they¡¯d just have to go in and out of Frame non-stop for weeks or months. So when it became clear you¡¯d be gone for a while, they increased the sealing time. Will take a while until they get out again.¡±

    ¡°A while.¡± Theora inspected the picture as closely as she could, trying to engrave every detail into her memory. ¡°How long?¡±

    With a thoughtful hum, Dema got up and stretched. ¡°Like. Right now¡­ Ninety years? About that.¡±

    Theora¡¯s eyes widened. Ninety years? She stared at Dema, then back at the Frame.

    Lostina. Gonell. Fia. Skuld. Hell and Balinth. All of them.

    She would get to see all her friends again in just ninety years?

    They¡¯d all decided to stay, just for her, and they¡¯d be back in the blink of an eye so she could hug them and never let go. Theora sniffed. ¡°I¡¯m the luckiest person in the entire world.¡±

    Dema snorted.

    After scanning the picture a moment longer, Theora asked, ¡°What happened to Treeka?¡±

    ¡°Ah! She¡¯s in the garden room, in a pot.¡±

    ¡°¡®In a pot¡¯?¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Yeah! The spirit transmission Skill needed to put her into a body that can grow together with her. So we decided to wait for fruit season, and then Bell transplanted Treeka¡¯s spirit into one of her own seeds. The seed grew into a new tree and kept growing and growing, but eventually it died, so we transplanted her again. She¡¯s a seedling now. Will probably take a while until she can talk again.¡±

    Even Treeka had made it. Oh, this was incredible. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they waited for me. I can¡¯t believe it. They gave up everything for me. For me.¡± Theora hiccuped. ¡°How can I ever repay them?¡±

    Dema gave a smile of indulgence. ¡°Bun Bun, they didn¡¯t wait, as, like, a favour. Pretty sure they stayed because they wanted to see you again. And like, ¡¯course they did! I¡¯d do the same! You¡¯re worth any wait, no matter how long!¡±

    Theora knew that wasn¡¯t true, but hearing it made her feel fluffy and warm anyway. This was the best dream she¡¯d ever had. Except it was all real, which made it an even better dream.

    She blinked. Those thoughts didn¡¯t make a lot of sense. ¡°I think I¡¯m a bit tired.¡±

    ¡°No being tired!¡±

    Theora let out a laugh. ¡°Why not? I may have slept almost all the way home, but it wasn¡¯t very restful. A bed would be better, perhaps.¡±

    With a frown, Dema went, ¡°You gotta stay with us a bit longer! Alright?¡±

    Mildly amused, Theora tilted her head. ¡°I expected you to support me getting some rest.¡±

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    ¡°I do!¡± Dema hopped up and down a few times. ¡°But if you sleep now, you¡¯re gonna sleep for a long time, right? Probably?¡±

    Theora rubbed her eyes. They were very tired. ¡°Probably.¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°And you said you felt like this might be a dream? But it¡¯s not! So if you go to bed right now¡­ you might feel like it was all a dream again. Right?¡± Dema stared intensely. ¡°So maybe stay up with us and talk to us for a while to make sure it¡¯s all real?¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t argue with that logic, it was far too sound.

    First, they took a bath. For Dema, it was the first bath in years, and she acted the part, overjoyed in splashing hot water all over the dark slabs of the basement bathtub. For Theora, it was the first bath in centuries.

    She took solace in the steam. The water uncoiled her muscles strained from the weightless conditions of space. She hadn¡¯t realised how she¡¯d been willfully overwriting the demands of her body to keep herself steady and moving.

    Staying awake was so very difficult. And yet, to the best of her ability, Theora tried. She gave it her all. Her very all.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Dema said, waking her up. ¡°We¡¯ve been in here for like, an hour or two. Wanna get out?¡± She stretched, letting out a raspy moan. ¡°Gosh, that was great. You doing alright?¡±

    ¡°I am doing alright.¡± Dozing off in warm water had been such a luxury. Theora pushed herself up and put on a dress Dema had fetched from some cabinet along the way. Theora had lost a little bit of weight. The dress felt loose, despite appearing to be the same size as the ones she used to wear. ¡°I think I might be hungry. Perhaps I should go and bake bread for all of us.¡±

    ¡°Oh, we have a really cool bread oven now!¡± Dema pointed up, vaguely in the direction of the yard. ¡°You should definitely try it when you have the chance.¡±

    ¡°I shall. Could you help me walk? It¡¯s difficult somehow.¡±

    Dema wrapped Theora¡¯s arm over her own shoulder, then gently grabbed her hip to keep her up.

    ¡°You could use more force, if you wanted to,¡± Theora said.

    Dema tightened her grip, and it was a blessing. Theora had not expected to miss the sensation of feeling pressure on her bones so much.

    ¡°Done down there?¡± Isobel yelled into the basement. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready!¡±

    The dining room was in the other wing of the house ¡ª not far, but they had to go up the stairs and then walk down the corridor. Theora barely remembered any of this. When Bell carried several plates past them, Theora noticed how slow she and Dema were. They both really needed sleep.

    Antankla was helping set the table, and her movements seemed so practised that Theora assumed she must have spent quite some time in this house. Isobel was already sitting in a chair, hopping side-to-side on it with clicks and clacks, smiling. Bell only sat down once Theora and Dema had found their places.

    A big pot filled with potato vegetable stew was waiting for them, and when everyone was sitting, Isobel jumped up ¡ª first reaching for Theora¡¯s bowl.

    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Theora let out. ¡°The others were probably hungry, too. I didn¡¯t manage to help at all.¡±

    Isobel ignored her, and so Theora helplessly had to watch being the first to receive food. Bell giggled at her plight.

    ¡°You should probably all go to bed after this,¡± Bell mused. She had her tendrils braided and was pointing at the others with her spoon. ¡°You¡¯re all spent.¡±

    ¡°Wha?¡± Dema let out. ¡°All of us?¡±

    ¡°I mean, yes.¡± Bell watched Iso fill her bowl, then took it with a single loosened tendril, before braiding it back into her hair. ¡°Dema is overspent on mana, and she died on impact. None was [Computing] your route for years to make sure there weren¡¯t any mistakes, and the last days of making sure launch goes well have been rough on them too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Iso chirped.

    ¡°And Antankla just told us the trip here took her a week. A week in the rain. I¡¯m surprised she can still stand.¡±

    ¡°You are the one to talk,¡± Antankla said, cheerfully.

    Bell flushed, looking at her lap.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you are wrong, though,¡± Antankla continued. ¡°I, for my part, could definitely rest a little. I honestly didn¡¯t expect to meet you properly.¡± She gestured to both Theora and Dema. ¡°So I¡¯m glad that you made it back safely.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Dema said. ¡°You¡¯ve been wanting to ask Bun Bun a question, right? Could do that now!¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    It took Theora a moment to realise Antankla was addressing her. ¡°I don¡¯t. Please do.¡±

    ¡°Well. As you may know, I met your friends in the Lands of the Dead, after someone put my soul into this body.¡± Theora wasn¡¯t sure she knew any of that. ¡°This brain, unusually, still has some fragments of memories. The original owner had volunteered their body for use as a vessel for me after dying ¡ª they were a [Mage], though, so maybe I should have expected potential quirks. Be that as it may ¡ª those memories speak of a hidden location. I have spent some time researching this place out of curiosity, and the research led me to you. So, my question is this ¡ª have you been to the Silver Quaints?¡±

    It was difficult to follow along, and Theora tried her best. She sifted through what little remained in her head, in hopes that any of this might ring a bell.

    It didn¡¯t. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t think I remember.¡±

    ¡°Theora,¡± Bell said, sternly. She was staring, and her blue skin flared in faint bioluminescent frizzles. ¡°You¡¯ve been lost in a hostile environment for almost two hundred years. No sound, nothing to see, nothing to feel. It is a miracle that you even remember our names. Don¡¯t be ¡®sorry¡¯ for not recalling some small detail.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think she meant that kind of sorry!¡± Isobel said, cheerily.

    Dema squirmed. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she did.¡±

    Bell turned to Antankla. ¡°In any case, An ¡ª Let Theora spend a while back on this planet, among people. That might help. Also, you could give her a book to read on the lore of that place.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a very good idea,¡± Antankla said, nodding. ¡°Thank you, Theora if you¡¯d be willing to read it, of course. Since this matter is dear to the donor of this body, it is quite important to me too, so please forgive my brashness.¡±

    Theora shook her head. ¡°Feel free to be brash with me. I will do my best.¡±

    Dema giggled. ¡°An¡¯s being really polite today. Makes me nostalgic.¡±

    Bell tutted. ¡°You are going to make her self-conscious.¡±

    Indeed, Antankla was averting her face. ¡°I-In any case,¡± she said, ¡°Thank you. I will bring books when I come over next time. I¡¯ll have to find some that aren¡¯t written in Relief.¡±

    ¡°Bedtime!¡± Dema cheered.

    It was dark outside by now. Theora lay down, drawing Dema close. ¡°Bedtime.¡±

    Leaves rustled outside among the pattering of the Rains of Fire. Neither of the two closed their eyes. They just kept gazing at each other, holding hands.

    Dema finally gave in with a laugh. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep.¡±

    Theora took a deep breath. ¡°I can¡¯t, either.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    Theora bit her lips. ¡°Do you sometimes think everything might be too good to be true?¡±

    ¡°Overthinking again, huh?¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡± Theora grazed over Dema¡¯s fingers. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I thought things were too good to be true during our return journey. But I had that thought even before I got lost in the Grand Voids. When I look at you, I think, this may be too good to be true. And that¡­ that I might wake up. That it was all a dream. And that, in reality, I haven¡¯t ever met you.¡±

    Dema pulled her closer. ¡°I was really surprised when someone came into the Cube of Solitude after so long. And yeah, I thought it was pretty neat when I could convince you to tag along so I didn¡¯t have to be alone. I think meeting you was like, the best thing ever for me. And even while you were up there, I knew we¡¯d get you back. I knew we¡¯d come for you.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°I still wish I¡¯d come for you earlier.¡±

    ¡°You know,¡± Dema rasped. ¡°I waited.¡±

    ¡°What? You waited?¡±

    ¡°Isobel did the manipulation thingy, and then Bell received the Orb, and gave it to me. And then I waited.¡±

    ¡°You waited,¡± Theora echoed.

    ¡°Yeah. I really wanted to snap it. But I was a little stunned. Left you up there for almost ten seconds. Hurts, right? I¡¯m a bad girl. Should have come for you earlier.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you are saying. That does not compare.¡±

    ¡°It does!¡±

    ¡°Two wrongs don¡¯t make a right.¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°Call it revenge, then?¡±

    Theora shook her head and frowned. ¡°You didn¡¯t even do it on purpose. I forgive you. What do you mean, you waited ten seconds? You should have waited a bit longer. Made sure you were ready. It was a big jump. You didn¡¯t even know where you might end up. I could have been anywhere. You should have waited longer than ten seconds.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it, then,¡± Dema whispered. ¡°You made sure you were ready.¡±

    Theora¡¯s eyelids fluttered, having her own words used against her like that. It was incredibly unfair and untrue but she was too tired to argue with it.

    ¡°And,¡± Dema continued, ¡°so what if it¡¯s a dream? I¡¯m gonna find you.¡± She stroked down Theora¡¯s arm, and then closed a soft grip around the blood bracelet. ¡°We¡¯re gonna find each other, ¡®cause we¡¯ll still have these. They are dream-proof!¡±

    Theora huffed out a laugh. ¡°You just made that up.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t make it any less true. Dream-proof.¡±

    Theora nodded, and finally pulled the blanket over Dema. Dema spread the other half over Theora.

    ¡°We¡¯re dream-proof,¡± Theora murmured.

    Dema nodded against her forehead. ¡°Sleep well, Bun Bun.¡±

 Chapter 142: Showing Cracks

    Theora woke up on what she assumed to be the next morning or the next year. She toddled down the stairs into the bathroom to clean herself up absentmindedly. Then, looking through the rooms in search of the others, she ultimately heard the soft sound of Bell¡¯s dampened voice from inside the plant room.

    ¡°So based on those readings, it¡¯s probably going to take years until the rain stops. We shouldn¡¯t plant you until then, at least, but it¡¯s cosy in here, right?¡±

    After gently pushing the door open, Theora found Bell talking to a gardening pot.

    ¡°And the rains are fine for me, but you know None, they always¡ª¡± Bell turned, breaking into a smile as she saw Theora. ¡°Hey there. I¡¯m talking to Treeka.¡± She pointed at the little flame tree seedling.

    ¡°She can hear us?¡±

    Bell shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Last time, she told me she didn¡¯t remember anything, but that doesn¡¯t mean she can¡¯t hear it, I suppose? None always takes care of me when I polyp. I guess I learned the habit from them.¡±

    Theora knelt in front of Treeka. ¡°I¡¯m very happy I get to meet you again. I¡¯m sorry it took so long.¡±

    As she spoke, Bell rose up and weaved her tendrils into a thick braid. ¡°You slept for a month.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Where are the others?¡±

    Bell tilted her head. ¡°Not home, obviously. Didn¡¯t you check on the party map?¡±

    Ah, right. The party map. Theora tried to recall what that was, and after realising that Bell probably wasn¡¯t referring to some kind of celebration, she noticed the little System interfaces in the periphery of her vision. ¡°Right.¡±

    Theora pulled up the party member screen. That¡¯s right ¡ª technically she¡¯d never left the party with Isobel, she only left the range of the System. Had Iso kept her in the group the entire time, and then invited the others back?

    Either way, Bell was correct ¡ª the others were far away.

    ¡°But I woke up in fresh clothing,¡± Theora observed.

    ¡°Yours truly,¡± Bell admitted. ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    Theora vaguely remembered all the times Bell had reached out and offered advice and solace. Back when Theora had been crying from nightmares, and back when she¡¯d worried about Dema on the lake. ¡°You always take care of me. Thank you so much.¡±

    Bell averted her gaze, blushing slightly ¡ª or rather, toxins built up under her translucent blue skin in preparation for danger. Either way, it was cute, and she looked embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I wore gloves, don¡¯t worry. Did you rest well?¡±

    That question somehow gave Theora the urge to stretch. And she would have almost done it right there. She never stretched. She never really needed to. But in that moment, being so relaxed, she almost would have ¡ª if not for the fact that showing off her body in front of Bell in that way was far too indulgent. ¡°I think so,¡± she said. ¡°I must have. I barely feel tired, and I¡¯m a little bit happy.¡±

    Bell nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯ll take my rounds soon, so you¡¯ll be alone with Treeka.¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t know what it meant for Bell to ¡®take her rounds,¡¯ but she was a little curious. ¡°Would it be alright if I asked you if I could join?¡±

    They¡¯d never spent a lot of time together alone. It was very tempting.

    Bell considered it for a moment, and said, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°So, would it be alright if I joined you?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Bell said, already leaving. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to talk to you about something, anyway.¡±

    Bell was carrying the special Rains-of-Fire protection umbrella wrapped in a few of her tendrils. However, it wasn¡¯t large enough to cover them both, so Bell left half of herself exposed, making sure to keep Theora shielded instead. The little drops of glowing red rain fizzled on Bell¡¯s skin and tendrils, the toxic mana dissipating into her skin.

    This was slightly unbearable. Theora extended her hand. ¡°Would you let me hold it?¡±

    Bell¡¯s eyes widened. She leaned forward, throwing a glance around Theora, as if to make sure she hadn¡¯t accidentally left her exposed. Her gaze softened slightly upon finding Theora unharmed. After a moment of consideration, she finally relented. ¡°Sure. If you want.¡±

    Theora nodded, and held the umbrella so that it fully covered Bell instead.

    They kept walking down the hill towards the village, with Bell getting distracted with what appeared to be System prompts.

    ¡°So,¡± Theora asked slowly, ¡°what did I miss? While I was gone?¡±

    Bell looked up, a little startled. ¡°Hasn¡¯t Dema filled you in?¡±

    Theora looked away. She¡¯d been too sleepy. Listening to the contents of words was difficult when she could just let Dema¡¯s voice soothe her instead. She barely recalled anything Dema had said.

    Bell seemed to draw some conclusions from Theora¡¯s reaction, and made her hair tendrils imitate a shrug in a short upwards twitch. ¡°Well, lots of stuff happened. But that was to be expected. I¡¯ll be honest, we would have had no chance if Dema had gone up there with you.¡±

    ¡°No chance concerning what?¡±

    Bell curved into a side path leading up a hill. ¡°Anything, really. Like a week after you left, some group of heroes decided to launch an invasion. They wanted to cause suffering to farm Afterthoughts and get stronger. And they were already strong; they¡¯d hidden their power, they would have wiped the floor with me. Dema and I went to face them together.¡±

    They arrived at a steep incline and Bell pushed aside some shrubs to find a crevice in the rock. As they went inside, Theora felt a very faint, concealed, but powerful energy source inside. She couldn¡¯t clearly locate it. Whatever it was was being obscured ¡ª or obscured itself. Was this why they were here?

    Beyond the crevice was a cave system. Bell kept grazing her fingers against the rough walls. At some point, her hand stopped, causing an electric crackle. An iridescent wave ran across the air.

    There was some kind of barrier moving along the side of the cave.

    Bell tapped against it, frowning, distracted by the System. ¡°Huh.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°The Rains of Fire can cause geography to become brittle. There¡¯s been landslides. I¡¯ve stabilised the rock formation to keep the surrounding villages safe.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t the rains harm you if they hit the barrier?¡±

    Bell nodded. ¡°They do, but that¡¯s why I put it inside. Fewer drops will trickle down to here. But there¡¯s something wrong with this one.¡± She kept a few tendrils grave along the barrier as they proceeded.

    Bell seemed to be incredibly diligent. She also puffed herself up, untangling all of her hair, having it dance around in a dense forest of tentacles to probe along the surrounding rock. Her eyes narrowed as she inspected every part of the defensive field. At the same time, she kept clear of Theora to avoid accidentally touching her. Sometimes the thick web of tendrils would open a path in a random direction, and Theora understood that to mean ¡®you are standing in the way, please go there instead.¡¯

    ¡°What do you think is wrong?¡±

    Bell jolted up. ¡°It just feels off. Technically I should feel the problem, but it becomes difficult when I have many barriers up at the same time.¡±

    Eventually, Bell found an entrance on the side of a larger hall leading deeper into the cave system. She just slipped through. Bell didn¡¯t have any bones inside her body, so she could squeeze through very tight openings. Theora was too large to fit, and went further ahead to find a different way in.

    She found access by climbing up the rock and squeezing through a narrow slit, and saw Bell on the other side, sitting on a little island inside a small pond of fire rain. She was casting countless lower-rank Skills to weave new life into the barrier.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    There was a rift in the ceiling with red raindrops gushing down and into the pond, right through Bell¡¯s protective fields, which were fringed at the edges with a translucent red-shift.

    That should be hurting. Bell¡¯s senses really must have dulled a lot.

    The hole closed up slowly, leaving a spot for the rain to run down unobstructed. Then, Bell disabled some other barriers further below to help the pond drain out.

    As it glucked away to be reintegrated into Himaeya¡¯s mana cycle, Bell let out a sigh. ¡°I wonder what caused this damage. I made sure to leave gaps in the barriers so wildlife can still pass through. But this looks like something tried to force its way in.¡± She pushed herself up ¡ª her body hanging in the air as the tendrils carried it over to Theora, where she landed with the sound of her feet squishing onto the rock. Her hair weaved itself into three thick fishbone braids; one on her back and one to each side of her head. ¡°Let¡¯s search the rest of the cave just to make sure.¡±

    ¡°I can feel a faint presence. It¡¯s diffuse, though.¡±

    Bell nodded. ¡°Whatever did this is probably still here, then.¡±

    Breaking barriers created by one of the strongest mages alive was probably no easy feat. Theora kept her senses open for anything amiss, but couldn¡¯t clearly locate the presence even after an hour of wading through wet tunnels.

    ¡°Can I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Bell knelt in front of a patch of lichen, storing some away, presumably as a present for Iso.

    ¡°Why did you leave the party? Did Dema not want me to see her break the rules?¡±

    ¡°I assume so. We had no idea how difficult the fight would be. We¡¯d only just engaged, and she thought that she¡¯d rejoin the party right after. But¡­¡± Bell took a deep breath. ¡°It didn¡¯t go so well.¡±

    She entered another crevice, and as Theora followed, she heard the echoes of faint sobs from further ahead.

    ¡°Must be here.¡± Bell took a deep breath, and they went down a steep and long slope only lit by her bioluminescence.

    At the very end of the cave system, they found an Afterthought, sitting on the ground.

    The Afterthought was vaguely shaped like a person. Hot pink frizzles with colour-shifted glitches formed its outline. It cowered there, hands over its head, legs pressed up its chest. Bell drew a glove over her hand and started patting its head.

    ¡°I see,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°This one caused the damage?¡±

    Bell gave a cautious nod. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to believe it would have been able to. Let me check what it¡¯s made of.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very strong.¡± Theora could feel the presence clearly now, despite the Afterthought obscuring it. ¡°It took us a long time to get here.¡±

    ¡°I think it came here on purpose,¡± Bell added. ¡°[Appraise] suggests it was manifested from the subconscious desire for ¡ª safety? ¡ª of people living around the area. Maybe it wants to feel sheltered from the Rains of Fire?¡± Bell got up and took a few steps back. ¡°Not hostile. It would be difficult to defeat it anyway, without causing a mess, at least.¡± She activated a few fairly strong skills and formed a glowing, intransparent crystal shield around the Afterthought.

    Theora was inclined to agree. A fight with it might destroy the mountain. The desire of the people that created it must be unbearable. And it must have been building up for a while. ¡°I thought the Rains of Fire started only recently.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a year or so. And the last Rains of Fire only ended relatively recently. It could have been created during the first, and left to wander.¡±

    The creature was now engulfed in thick layers of walls.

    ¡°You are sealing it away?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Bell stared in confusion. After following Theora¡¯s gaze, she added, ¡°Ah, no. I¡¯m a [Barrier-Mage], not a [Sealer].¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not well-educated in the precise difference between the two,¡± Theora admitted as they turned to leave.

    ¡°The distinction isn¡¯t always clear. But the general rule is that barriers are meant to keep something out, while seals are meant to keep something in. Matter of definition, of course, some Skills are a little dubious. In any case, what I just set up would be easy to break from the inside.¡± She shrugged. ¡°It makes sense, doesn¡¯t it? The barrier protecting this cave is meant to keep the Rains out. Maybe it came here to follow the desire that made it. Maybe it wanted to feel safe.¡±

    ¡°You made a barrier so it feels safe.¡±

    Bell bit her lips. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go to our next stop¡­¡±

    She got lost in System prompts again while crawling back up the path. However, she kept throwing nervous glances at Theora.

    Based on the strength of that Afterthought, it would have dispensed a lot of experience. How had Bell become the world¡¯s second-strongest hero while forgoing rewards like that? Heroes at the peak of the rankings weren¡¯t necessarily known for their compassion. It wasn¡¯t a coincidence that Bell defended the System so adamantly.

    Then again, Bell had dropped to third place during Theora¡¯s absence.

    As Bell threw another nervous glance, Theora caught it, and kept it firm. Bell squirmed for a few moments until she broke. ¡°This cave was my biggest worry for today, so I was a bit distracted, but¡­ there¡¯s something I wanted to¡­ to talk about. I think.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Bell¡¯s tendrils shivered. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± She stopped to look at Theora. ¡°I¡¯m curious about something. When you were up there, lost. At the edge of the planetary system. Were you¡­ waiting for us? Did you expect us to come for you?¡±

    That question was not difficult to answer. Theora¡¯s friends had, unthinkably, managed to somehow extract an Orb of Seven Wishes from thin air. It had taken them almost two hundred years to do so, and it would not have been possible without Isobel¡¯s [Compute] and her System data analysis. Waiting for an Orb to randomly appear might have taken millennia. Even then, it would have been ridiculous to assume that anyone could have actually used an Orb to find Theora, much less through the Wish of Yearning ¡ª and even in that case, the idea of somehow managing to get home through blood propulsion was difficult to fathom. All things considered, it was a miracle that they were able to rescue her at all.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would be able to.¡±

    Bell nodded. She turned back to continue the ascent. Her tendrils squelched against the rock, finding purchase drag herself up. Every now and then, they loosened parts of the walls, but she was kept firm by all the others nonetheless. It did seem more reckless than how she¡¯d traversed the caves before, though. Was she upset?

    ¡°This is your home.¡±

    The tone of Bell¡¯s voice was calm and firm.

    Theora looked up. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You deserve to be here,¡± Bell continued, still climbing. Her wet voice echoed just like the sounds of her movement. ¡°On this planet. It¡¯s your home. It belongs to you just as much as to any other being living here. It would have been fine for you to return.¡±

    Theora stared at Bells back in confusion, stopping. ¡°Why are you saying this?¡±

    Bell halted too, and turned. ¡°Because you got stuck in space.¡±

    ¡°I did.¡± It was a true, but obvious statement.

    ¡°You got stuck in space,¡± Bell repeated, sounding sterner. ¡°Of all people. You.¡±

    Theora made a careful step back. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you are trying to tell me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying you should not have gotten stuck in space. I¡¯m saying you should have come back.¡±

    Bell continued her ascent.

    The words stunned Theora into a pause, then she hurried to catch up. ¡°I couldn¡¯t. I was stuck.¡±

    Bell clicked her tongue. ¡°You know, None wants to research [Obliterate]. They are currently waiting for you to recover, but ultimately, they might want to see you use it.¡±

    ¡°That would be alright with me.¡±

    ¡°During your absence,¡± Bell went on, ¡°None tried to find information on the nature of Skills. How they form and what they are. They talked to Dema, who has a ridiculous amount of them. And we found that, while we commonly think that Skills are learned, it is more accurate to say that people create them. There are, of course, many restrictions, you can¡¯t just do whatever. You need to spend dedication, effort, and time. And any Skill you create must in some way align with who you are as a person. It¡¯s related to what you believe to be possible. What you believe to be able to do. And what you want to do.¡±

    ¡°I vaguely remember talking about something similar with Dema,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°It sounds reasonable. But¡­ I¡¯m still confused.¡±

    Bell tensed up. Some of her tendrils curled. She arrived at the top of the narrow path, where it then widened into the hall with the pond.

    She awaited Theora outside, staring her down, saying, ¡°You came back with a new Skill.¡±

    Theora remembered. She pulled up her sheet. She hadn¡¯t ever seen it in the Interface before.

    [Retain], Level 516.

    What you retain will remain.

    ¡°It felt bad, losing myself.¡± Theora¡¯s voice was low, defensive. ¡°I wanted to keep some of me. Of all of you.¡±

    Bell kept staring. Theora felt the gaze burn into her body. Had she made her angry? Though Bell didn¡¯t seem angry, she seemed¡­ intense.

    ¡°This is your home,¡± Bell repeated. ¡°It¡¯s fine for you to come back. You can come home if you want to. Always. Dema missed you. None missed you. And I enjoy your presence on this planet too, if only because it means I have to die less.¡±

    Suddenly, a tear dropped out of Theora¡¯s eyes. She blinked, befuddled. What was going on?

    Bell continued, ¡°You did not make a Skill that would help you return.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t have returned.¡± Theora swallowed dryly. ¡°Even if I had learned to fly, I had no way to navigate home. The device was out of energy. The reach of the System was so small in comparison to how far I was away. I couldn¡¯t have found my way home.¡±

    Bell shook her head. ¡°Up there, you made the perfect Skill to be stuck in space forever. You made the perfect Skill to oppose time. If you thought you belonged here, you would have been able to make the perfect Skill to return, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    A silence fell over them. Theora tried to gather Bell¡¯s words into a coherent shape, but struggled. She wiped her cheeks. It did not fit. She could have made a Skill to return? ¡°But,¡± Theora said, as low as she could, ¡°I don¡¯t deserve to be home.¡±

    Bell smiled. ¡°There we have it. And I¡¯m telling you, you¡¯re wrong. You deserve to be home.¡±

    She wrapped a tendril around Theora¡¯s hand. The acid felt soft and warm. She tugged, and Theora stumbled forward.

    ¡°Just to be clear, though,¡± Bell added, ¡°You did make the right choice by creating [Retain], if for the wrong reasons. Of course we would come to fetch you. Always. You could have just waited for us. And in a way, unknowingly, you did. Who knows what state we might have found you in if you had not retained so much of yourself. So, I¡¯m not chastising you for the Skill you were able to make. You could have either trusted us, or found a way back home yourself. But this is home. You can come back home if you want to. Don¡¯t abandon yourself.¡±

    They proceeded onward together. Theora managed a nod between sobs.

 Chapter 143: Everywhere

    Theora couldn¡¯t focus much as Bell led them from barrier to barrier; she assumed those were routine check-ups. Bell¡¯s tentacle didn¡¯t let go of Theora¡¯s hand the entire time; she seemed determined to send the message that Theora really belonged here, and scarily enough, it seemed to be working.

    Theora wanted to dismiss it in some way, to find reasons why Bell was wrong. But if Dema, Iso, and Bell all wanted Theora to be here ¡ª if people had themselves frozen in time to meet Theora again, for centuries ¡ª then any and all thoughts of defiance rang hollow.

    They¡¯d come to fetch her from the Grand Voids. They could have just decided not to, that it was too risky, or not worth it ¡ª but they didn¡¯t. The meaning behind these actions was both difficult to accept and impossible to argue with.

    So, Theora put them in a box in her mind. A very precious box, ornamented with stars and glitter. It shone so bright when opened. But it needed to be in a box.

    They traversed the region for the entire day, and then, through the night, until Bell led them back towards the village with Dema¡¯s house. However, instead of returning, she veered up a hilly path, up to the top of a cliff.

    Bell sat down on a little stone bench overseeing the village. The world was cast in a dull morning orange, illuminated by the Rains of Fire.

    Bell seemed to be looking at System prompts. ¡°Now we wait.¡±

    Theora sat down beside her, still holding the umbrella.

    ¡°I appreciate that you joined me, by the way,¡± Bell mumbled, averting her gaze when Theora glanced at her. ¡°I don¡¯t really like to do these alone, but most of the time I don¡¯t have a choice. So, thanks.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that you¡­¡± Theora frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t like being alone?¡±

    Bell shrugged, with her body and tendrils, though it was only a weak shrug. ¡°I¡¯ve never been alone. I grew up at the Cnidarian Tower, and we were¡­ a community. And¡­ I became a Support-Class hero, so I never did anything on my own. I was always a member of a party. Even if I didn¡¯t always¡­¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°Get along with them.¡±

    Theora had never really seen Bell as an outgoing person. But it made sense. Bell might be insensitive at times, but she also understood people and complex interpersonal situations rather well. Meanwhile, Dema had been sealed away all alone for millennia, Isobel had been dead for millions of years, and Theora had spent her entire life in solitude. Bell was the only one of them who had notable experience interacting with people.

    And yet, whenever they were together, Bell was distancing herself and made it clear that she didn¡¯t consider herself a part of the group. The discussion about who should open the alliance had made that clear.

    But she also hadn¡¯t made any attempts to leave.

    ¡°I polyped three times, you know? You expressed earlier that you wanted to know what happened while you were gone, but I can¡¯t tell you everything, because I wasn¡¯t always there. I lost a few decades to that.¡±

    ¡°I heard that mentioned,¡± Theora said. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure what it means. Polyping.¡±

    Bell gave a dry smile. ¡°Well, I¡¯m a Medusa. We are immortal in the sense that we have means to recover from heavy damage, and don¡¯t die of old age. If we are wounded, we polyp.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ You mean like¡­ When you collect a ¡®pop¡¯? That statistical age metric your people have?¡±

    Bell shook her head. ¡°Nah, that¡¯s when we die for real. Polyping means we survive, though only barely. I¡¯m just saying this because I think I wouldn¡¯t be the best source to recount what you missed. When I properly came to, a long time had already passed. I went to meet Treeka first, who was luckily still alive after None had treated her. Also, by then, a new generation of heroes had grown, inspired by your sacrifice, and I wasn¡¯t even in the top fifty any more. It took a while for me to get back near the top. I was questing on my own while Dema failed to teach None how to perform earth magic. And then, I was tasked with defeating the Singularity.¡±

    Theora¡¯s head turned in surprise. ¡°What?¡±

    Bell nodded. ¡°The System put me on a quest to destroy it.¡±

    Trying to wrap her head around the information, Theora¡¯s brain slowed down.

    The Singularity. The oldest and likely strongest Afterthought in existence, isolated on a faraway island. It, like the one they¡¯d just met, seemed peaceful, so Theora had never seen a reason to dispatch it.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m useless on my own, since I am a Support-Class,¡± Bell continued, ¡°So we formed a group of heroes to face it. The Singularity didn¡¯t want to fight, but¡­ we engaged anyway, and it wiped the floor with us. Said some appropriately rude things too. I¡¯m honestly wondering if it¡¯s sentient. It shouldn¡¯t be, considering it¡¯s an Afterthought, but¡­¡±

    This was confusing. ¡°Why did you try to kill it when it didn¡¯t do anything?¡±

    Bell tilted her head. ¡°Because we received a System quest. At the time, we rationalised it by assuming that it was planning to go rogue. To attack. Since that¡¯s why the existence of the Singularity is taught to heroes, right? So they know that one day, it might¡­ break out.¡±

    ¡°You are treating it like a silent volcano,¡± Theora murmured.

    Bell nodded. ¡°Well, in any case, it let us live and get away. Looking back, I think the System was stretched thin because of all those new heroes, and tried to reap the Singularity to get some data to turn into rewards.¡±

    Theora nodded. That sounded plausible; if the Singularity was as old as the myths said, then it was likely binding a large portion of the System¡¯s data. And if the System used data to materialise rewards and experience, then having so much data tied up in a separated Afterthought was likely not ideal.

    ¡°But you couldn¡¯t possibly have won,¡± Theora said. ¡°The System should have known that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Bell murmured. ¡°The reason it¡¯s gotten so old is because it¡¯s so strong, after all¡­ I asked Dema for help before we went, but obviously, she said no. But I wonder. If the Afterthought had killed me¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Theora let out. ¡°You think the System was using you as bait to get Dema and the Singularity to fight each other?¡±

    Bell snorted, defeated. ¡°Yeah, right? Makes no sense. Dema would have never cared if I died. Especially not if I was killed in self-defence. But I can¡¯t help but wonder if that was the System¡¯s flawed plan. Sacrifice us to give the new generation of heroes a better shot. The System has access to a lot more information than we do. Maybe it had a good reason. Perhaps if I knew everything, I¡¯d have agreed to its plan.¡±

    Theora had a lot of trouble imagining that. From her experience with the System, she very much shared Isobel¡¯s opinion; the System was a brat and often did things on a whim, without much thought.

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    ¡°In any case,¡± Bell went on, ¡°I was out cold for a while after that, and then we went to the Land of the Dead. None and I received a quest there. A big one. Took years to complete. Dema came with us too. And then¡­ Well. We had a bit of a fight. None wanted to be the one to use the Orb to come and save you, because they thought they¡¯d be less affected by the violence of the Grand Voids than Dema.¡±

    ¡°Iso wanted to teleport to me?¡±

    Bell nodded. ¡°They really do see you as a parent.¡±

    Isobel could find love for almost anything.

    ¡°That¡¯s most of what you¡¯ve missed,¡± Bell said. ¡°The relevant parts I was there for, anyway.¡±

    There were still a few things left unclear, but Theora decided to ask the others to fill in the blanks. ¡°Thank you. So what are we up here for?¡±

    ¡°Just my last task for today.¡±

    ¡°A System quest?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Ah, no. None of these are System quests since they don¡¯t concern immediate danger. I¡¯m just using the Interface to measure the time, and to keep notes.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    Bell pointed down to the village. ¡°It¡¯s almost time. Dema and None will use it to get back. So we can expect them to return tomorrow.¡±

    Down there, one light after the other started burning in the windows, and people shuffled along inside.

    Bell got up and walked a few steps towards the centre of the overhang. She sat down cross-legged, her tendrils pulled up into thick braids, and closed her eyes.

    ¡°Do you need me to do anything?¡± Theora tried her best to keep her covered with the umbrella, although Bell didn¡¯t seem to mind catching some drops.

    ¡°You¡¯ve already done so much, Theora. Please rest. It¡¯s our turn now.¡±

    Bell summoned a few mana potions from the System shop. They clinked and clattered to the ground beside her. Within a few seconds, she became a bioluminescent beacon, her aura growing to match it.

    Then, Bell suddenly activated an ability so strong it rivalled a Legendary Skill. Theora almost blinked.

    Bell¡¯s mana was gone, so she wrapped a potion into a tangle of tendrils, crushing it to absorb the contents. A pulse of blue light went through her braids, and the mana drained from her body just as quickly as it had entered. Soon, all potions were gone.

    Upon releasing it all in a massive burst, the light turned night into day. A few seconds later it faded.

    The rain stopped.

    Bell was holding back the Rains of Fire with a gigantic golden barrier stretching beyond the horizon. It was segmented into domes leading the rain through little tubes at the fringes, where it gushed into rivers and lakes, crevices and ravines. Additional, smaller fields protected the areas around where the Fires splashed onto the ground, to keep it from causing a flood.

    Doors jumped open in the valley.

    Bell panted, beads of toxic poison sweat trickling down her forehead. She weakly held herself up with her arms, trying not to collapse to the ground.

    No wonder, judging from what she¡¯d just done.

    A soft squelching sound issued as Bell tried clumsily to stand back up. She finally managed, and proceeded to limp down the cliff.

    ¡°All done,¡± she wheezed. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Theora hurried to Bell¡¯s side to help her walk, the toxins searing themselves into Theora¡¯s skin at the touch. ¡°How did they know?¡±

    Bell tapped ahead, looking like she really needed a bed. ¡°It¡¯s the last day of the month,¡± she murmured. ¡°Last of the month. Day free of rain.¡±

    ¡°Day free of rain,¡± Theora echoed in a low voice.

    Bell nodded. ¡°To make visits and important errands.¡±

    Giggles were carried up the mountain with the soft wind. Eventually, a child came into view, eyes bright upon seeing Bell, as if he knew exactly where to find her.

    Bell gently pushed Theora off while the boy jumped. She quickly coated herself in a thin and dynamic barrier, and then caught him in a hug, shielded from her toxicity.

    Judging from the pained frown on her face, this type of Skill was difficult to maintain. And yet, she smiled through it, even when four more children joined the fray and hugged Bell into a ball, also diligently shielding them from her tendrils with a thin layer of half-transparent barrier skin.

    ¡°I told you all, I need rest after summoning the barrier.¡± Her scolding voice was void of any real judgement.

    ¡°But we can never see you otherwise,¡± one with a particularly thick scarf said.

    ¡°Such is life, Xin,¡± Bell answered. ¡°Seeing me is not important. Didn¡¯t your mother read you my messages?¡±

    An older girl pointed a finger at Bell¡¯s face. ¡°If it¡¯s not important, then why are you smiling?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Bell¡¯s a big liar. She¡¯s smiling ¡¯cause she wants to see us.¡±

    ¡°Can we play with your hair?¡±

    Bell moved her thick braid in front of her body. ¡°You can play with my hair.¡±

    A few adults trickled in soon-after, some of them had the courtesy to seem embarrassed at the forceful behaviour of the young ones, while others just grinned like Bell deserved it.

    Bell was too tired to move, but she let them disentangle her braids and use the tendrils as jumping ropes and for other games the tendrils seemed very unlikely to be designed for.

    ¡°Hey, can I wrap this around your arm?¡±

    Theora looked down into the eyes of a very little child with dark eyes, pale skin, and long, brown hair. They were holding the end of a tendril in one hand ¡ª the rest of it floated in the air, suggesting a trace of prior movement.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Theora sat down, pushed back her thick travelling attire, and offered herself to be played with as well. She was soon asked to play dead whenever they managed to hit her in the face with one of the tendril ends.

    ¡°Glad you were able to make it again,¡± an older woman said, talking to Bell. ¡°I¡¯m in contact with someone from the coast. They¡¯ve been able to ferry in patients. Big undertaking, but it worked last month.¡±

    ¡°Glad to hear,¡± Bell said as her head got lightly tugged to the side from someone pulling a tendril.

    It went on for a while; the adults chatting among each other while the children exerted far more energy than should be present in their little bodies. The gathering dissolved when it came time for some to take their midday naps. Theora watched them return to the village, while Bell had slumped on the ground from exhaustion.

    ¡°Do you want to go home and sleep, too?¡± Theora asked, kneeling next to her.

    ¡°Just give me a moment.¡± Bell seemed to be done for. Keeping the barrier up must have been just as exhausting as summoning it in the first place. She was still keeping up the shielding around her skin, so Theora gently poked Bell¡¯s shoulder, saying, ¡°I think you can turn that off now. They are all gone and safe.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. Forgot.¡± Bell deactivated the Skills and took a deep breath in relief.

    She didn¡¯t make any attempts to get up, though, so Theora gently wrapped her arms around Bell¡¯s shoulders and legs, acid burns steaming.

    ¡°What are you¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you mind?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°N-No,¡± Bell let out. ¡°But¡­ you don¡¯t have to¡­¡±

    Bell seemed a bit too overwhelmed to speak properly, so Theora lifted her up to carry her down the path. Bell was trying her best to squirm and bend in a way to make the skin contact as light as possible, but it actually made carrying her more difficult. Theora had never realised it before, but Bell really did feel a lot like a gelatinous sack filled with water. She was bouncy and wobbly and soft.

    After a while, Bell finally gave up. She properly tensed her body and hugged against Theora¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Bell murmured.

    That pretty much proved Isobel¡¯s words true, from back then. You just have to cuddle all the worries out of her.

    Slowly, they made their way down, passing by a glowing honey stream of rain being led into a river. Theora looked up; the funnel towered far above them, thick and strong and reaching the sky. There were dozens of them, as far as the eyes could see.

    ¡°How big is it?¡± Theora asked as she failed to discern the limit.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Bell asked. ¡°What? Big, what?¡±

    ¡°The barrier. How far does it reach?¡±

    Bell shrugged. The motion echoed through her body.

    ¡°Everywhere,¡± she said.

    Everywhere.

    Theora pulled Bell a little closer, and got a mix between moan, sigh, and yelp in response.

    ¡°I hope you won¡¯t have to carry me all the way back home.¡± Bell bit her lips. ¡°I might be able to walk again soo¡ª¡±

    ¡°Bell,¡± Theora said, gently squeezing her into silence, ¡°I will carry you everywhere.¡±

 Chapter 144: Dreaded Place

    Regrettably, Dema and the others had set up the house not too far away from Theora¡¯s hometown, and by extension, her former training grounds.

    Of course, they¡¯d done so out of consideration ¡ª they knew that this was where Theora needed to go to find another Fragment of Time. It had been well over a hundred years, and all of them had travelled parts of the world since then, even going as far as to visit the Land of the Dead on a different continent.

    But when it was time to fetch Theora back from space, they¡¯d settled here; close to her hometown, a few weeks travel away from that awful place.

    It was impossible to tell how much longer the Rains of Fire would last, but Theora didn¡¯t want to make Time wait any longer than necessary. And thus, back home and no immediate problems left to solve, with Dema and Isobel back, Theora could no longer postpone the journey.

    ¡°I think we should leave the house behind,¡± Dema said during dinner in the living room ¡ª Theora had baked bread for everyone. ¡°Bell needs somewhere to stay.¡±

    Isobel nodded. ¡°Yeah. We join Mom, and Bell stays to take care of the Rains of Fire.¡±

    ¡°Neither of you strictly have to join,¡± Theora said. ¡°I will have to go fetch the Fragment on my own anyway.¡±

    ¡°But I wanna see that place!¡± Iso whined. ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s stuff to learn and analyse. Also, I still haven¡¯t gotten to [Compute] your [Obliterate]... I know you¡¯re shy about it, but¡­¡±

    Theora looked away. There just hadn¡¯t been a good opportunity so far. ¡°Of course, you can join, if you want to,¡± she said eventually, and was met with enthusiastic nods from both Dema and Iso.

    Alright, fine. They¡¯d visit her training grounds together. She¡¯d long-since abandoned any ideas of keeping its location secret anyway.

    Theora¡¯s eyes jumped over to Bell, who was focused on her meal. ¡°Will you be alright on your own?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Bell said.

    It had come to Theora¡¯s attention that Bell sometimes, in specific circumstances, actually did lie. And this was clearly one of Bell¡¯s rare lies. Her voice sounded laden and she deliberately avoided eye contact.

    ¡°Someone needs to take care of Treeka anyway. So I won¡¯t really be alone. Also, I¡¯m sure you will keep me posted via the alliance chat. So I won¡¯t¡­ really¡­ be alone.¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± Iso said. ¡°Going to send lots of messages, all the time!¡±

    Bell nodded. The assurance seemed to cheer her up.

    And so, after packing up, they set out on the same day, to take advantage of the remaining hours of safety from Bell¡¯s worldwide barrier. They left the umbrella behind for her.

    If everything went well, Isobel and Dema could return within a month or two, although Theora suspected she herself would need a while longer to get the Fragment, if her experience in To Hell With the Author was anything to go by.

    Both Isobel and Dema were fairly resilient, but on the fourth day, the group noticeably slowed down.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Dema asked when Isobel had to sit down for the third time within an hour.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Iso let out, using a moss patch to soak up the golden raindrops that were seeping into the crannies of her body. Her movements were jittery and clumsy. ¡°I thought being made of rock would make me less affected¡­ How does Bell do it¡­¡±

    They were trying to walk under covers as much as possible, but most covers had already been eroded.

    ¡°Bell probably does it by acting like nothing is wrong and ignoring the pain,¡± Dema mused, and formed an umbrella-shaped bowl from her blood, holding it over Isobel for protection. ¡°There we go!¡±

    Isobel eyed the umbrella with suspicion. ¡°Will you be fine?¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°Gotta take care of you, right? And my regen will probably hold this for a few years.¡±

    ¡°I miss Bell,¡± Theora murmured one day as they were balancing over a foot-wide blood bridge Dema had casually conjured to help them cross a gigantic ravine. Theora remembered this place from her childhood; monsters lurked in its depths, and one of her training tasks had been to survive there for a month.

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    By now, all that could be seen beneath was darkness, with the gloomy, clouded skies above and the soft pitter-patter of toxic, glowing, honeydrop mana rain. The other two had walked ahead, and typically, when they travelled like this, Bell would trail behind with Theora to help her out of sullen thoughts.

    ¡°Yeah, me too!¡± Dema shouted back. She casually turned around, then tripped over her feet and conjured some additional blood streams to stabilise herself just before falling down. ¡°Whoops.¡±

    ¡°Be careful, Mom!¡±

    ¡°Why, not my fault! Bun Bun doesn¡¯t talk a lot so we gotta pay full attention when she does.¡±

    Isobel nodded, and the knock-knocks of her rock feet against the thin blood-crystal bar ceased when she stopped moving.

    ¡°I was just thinking out loud,¡± Theora admitted. ¡°I feel bad for leaving her.¡±

    Dema smiled. ¡°Sounds like you got close?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Theora said. Then, she added, ¡°She told me you fought together. So you got closer too?¡±

    Dema nodded, walking backwards as she talked. ¡°Yeah. Like. She¡¯s such a cool person to fight alongside of.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Y¡¯know, she¡¯s¡­¡±

    Iso nodded as Dema trailed off. ¡°When you have Bell around, you don¡¯t have to worry. I can¡¯t fight much as a [Mossmancer], but my old [Mage]-Class had some strong attack Skills. And when she¡¯s around, you just don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡±

    ¡°Because she keeps you safe?¡± Theora asked.

    Dema snorted. ¡°More like she keeps everything else safe. Those three ex-heroes we fought back then were vicious. Like, one of them had blood powers too, but was using them to control other people. Another had sun powers. We fought for days, and their Support Class companion would just keep them going. I thought for sure we couldn¡¯t win without a big mess.¡±

    Isobel nodded. ¡°I was really worried we¡¯d let you return to a place of devastation.¡±

    ¡°But!¡± Dema let out, ¡°Bell had me in good hands. She told me to go all out and she¡¯d protect everything. And she did.¡± Dema smiled wide. ¡°I broke the planet. But she had this¡­ thing? Skill? [Redshift Mask] or something. Means she lets the damage happen and then shifts it back based on location? Didn¡¯t really get it but it was woah!¡±

    Isobel nodded. ¡°Dema destroyed the planet and Bell shifted it back with her barrier, catching their opponents in the crossfire. It was¡­ something else. There¡¯s old books about the event, since everyone felt it. If you wanna read them one day.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s how you won?¡± Theora asked.

    Dema nodded and stepped onto the other side of the ravine, waiting for them to catch up. ¡°Yep. Well, some other stuff happened ¡ª that redshift was not enough to win outright, but turned the tide. Needed a few other Skills to close it out and make them unable to continue the fight. That¡¯s when you¡¯d already succeeded with the mission and we¡¯d already lost contact, though.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora said. That explained why they¡¯d been hesitant to share with her what had been happening.

    ¡°Took us ages to find a usable piece of Bell though,¡± Isobel murmured. ¡°Dema¡¯s last attack turned her to mush. We searched for a month until we found an undamaged cell.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Theora let out. ¡°There was only one cell left of Bell?¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Yeah. First time she polyped. She was surprised she even survived. Not like all Medusae can just barrier off a specific cell when they realise they are about to kick the bucket.¡±

    ¡°She mentioned she polyped three times,¡± Theora said. ¡°The second time was when she met the Singularity, then?¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Dema said. ¡°System gave her a quest to kill it, so she wanted to check it out. She¡¯d told her party not to fight before they found evidence of hostility, but the vanguard attacked anyway, and then¡­ boom.¡±

    ¡°Boom,¡± Isobel echoed sadly, and hopped off the bridge as well.

    ¡°Bell went in-between, but the Singularity¡¯s answer was too much,¡± Dema explained. ¡°Her party realised they couldn¡¯t win, so they scraped up Bell¡¯s remains and the Singularity let them leave.¡±

    ¡°I feel even worse that we left her behind now,¡± Theora murmured.

    Isobel showed a hint of remorse. ¡°Just wanted to see the training grounds so bad¡­¡±

    ¡°We will have to make up for it when we get back,¡± Theora said.

    Dema turned the blood bridge back into a liquid, letting it splash down the ravine. Isobel veered off to eat some moss that was surviving on a rock amidst the Rains of Fire.

    Then, they made for the very last stretch of the journey: The Forbidden Lands ¡ª surrounded by a large wall of marble stone, artificially created to seal off the area. It was visible, to Theora, from far away, but still took another two days of travel to get close to.

    ¡°You said it¡¯s close?¡± Iso asked. ¡°But I still can¡¯t see anything¡­¡±

    ¡°Me neither.¡± Dema kept her eyes open wide in search for the faintest hint. ¡°They really went all out with these illusion skills, huh?¡±

    ¡°They wanted to make sure nobody accidentally found it,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve seen maps that feature this place though, over the years. So it wasn¡¯t always successful. I imagine the illusion will break for you eventually.¡±

    ¡°So, how much longer?¡± Iso asked.

    ¡°Another ten minutes,¡± Theora said.

    Dema perked up. ¡°Wait, what? So close!¡± She looked over to Theora and took her hand. ¡°Will be fine.¡±

    Dema¡¯s arm was strong, and pushed against hers until Theora was able to untense her muscles. Theora let out a breath.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she murmured, and Dema squeezed her hand in response.

    When they finally arrived, Theora tapped against the marble. It wasn¡¯t that she knew how to open it ¡ª she just decided that an entrance was here, and the ancient spells keeping this place hidden from the world obliged.

    Dema made a step back as the illusion broke. ¡°Woah.¡±

    Isobel let out a similar noise of awe as the wall split open to grant access.

    ¡°Do not touch anything,¡± Theora said as the parting walls revealed glimpses of permanent destruction, almost threatening to spill out. ¡°Even for you, it might be deadly.¡±

 Chapter 145: Once

    The walls around her training grounds were thick ¡ª after ten minutes, they were still moving toward the darkness, destruction whirling softly far ahead, the shadows tinged orange from the rain finding its way down.

    When they finally broke through to the inside, they were met with a thicket of reality flaking like an oil painting, prismatic aberrations poking through from beneath the surface of the world.

    ¡°Woah!¡± Isobel let out, jumping far too close, just to inspect them.

    Some streaks of destruction were harder to see, so Theora pointed them out to the others while trying to find the best path forward.

    ¡°Those sting in my eyes,¡± Isobel said, blinking.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dema slipped through after Theora, careful not to touch the two chromatic cracks they were trying to squeeze by. ¡°Seen it before, in the Observatory. Bun bun said not to look at them.¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯re so interesting¡­¡±

    After making it through a narrow path lined with threads of eye-piercing destruction, the area widened.

    ¡°Oh, wow,¡± Isobel said.

    Theora did not want to look. Instead, her eyes were glued on the ground, where she noticed a green spot. It took her a moment to recognise the shape.

    There were plants here now.

    Little lichen.

    Theora had expected this area to stay desolate and deadly to all forms of life. Still, some remarkably resilient species had managed to lodge themselves between the rifts of voidborne destruction. They covered the ground, and had somehow even grown between cracks in the air. How could they even spread? Had insects learned to avoid the scars?

    They descended the path, with Isobel stopping at every moment to take in what she was seeing above, in front of, and below them. Theora still didn¡¯t manage to look at it.

    ¡°That¡¯s so weird,¡± Isobel murmured, while Dema created little blood bridges to help them across cracks in reality. ¡°Seems like there¡¯s almost, like¡­ a structure to it, of some kind? If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say you built this on purpose.¡±

    ¡°Why, what do you mean?¡± Dema asked. ¡°Looks kind of random to me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, no, it¡¯s definitely not, like¡­ a building¡­ More like¡­ Coral? Maybe? Something organic, perhaps? Like, the threads seem to be holding that shell in place, right?¡±

    ¡°Shell?¡± Dema followed Iso¡¯s gaze, and frowned. ¡°I guess, yea. Looks like a blob.¡±

    ¡°Mhm. We¡¯re too close to see it, but it seems to be a section of a round shape? Are we here for what¡¯s inside?¡±

    Theora swallowed. ¡°We are here to visit my old hut.¡±

    Dema blinked. ¡°Old hut?¡±

    It was nearly impossible to find footing by now without stepping into something destructive. To make sure nobody would fall out of the world, Dema formed larger and larger blood paths and bridges.

    ¡°It¡¯s further in,¡± Theora said.

    The suspended, messy core wedged into the world Isobel had been talking about on its own was probably still days away to reach.

    ¡°But still, it¡¯s kinda cool, though, right?¡± Isobel mused. ¡°Look, there¡¯s¡ª these little blobs hanging up there¡­ like grapes?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± Dema let out. ¡°I can see that. It¡¯s all fruit!¡±

    Iso shrugged. ¡°Not sure. It kinda feels like we¡¯re invading a big ant¡¯s nest.¡± She clacked her mandibles. ¡°Except the walls are lava!¡±

    ¡°It would be easier if they were lava.¡± Theora pointed to a little crevice further ahead, and Dema followed the gesture with her own, summoning a bridge in the process.

    ¡°Will you be fine?¡± Iso asked. ¡°Those things are big. The rains are hitting your blood.¡±

    Dema did look exhausted. ¡°Might need breaks, depending on how far we gotta go.¡±

    Theora tried to think of an accurate estimation. ¡°At this pace, it might take around three weeks to reach it.¡± Without those bridges, it would take much longer.

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    ¡°We can take breaks,¡± Iso said. ¡°Like, there are some spots directly under cracks that seem to be mostly safe from the rains. Should be fine to sleep and replenish there. You said your regen will take care of it, right?¡±

    Dema ruffed through her hair. ¡°Maybe? Never been under it for so long and with that much¡­ surface area. How does it work again? The rains damage your self, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Iso clacked across the bridge. ¡°They damage your self.¡±

    Dema hummed. ¡°Probably gonna be able to sleep it off, then. Cracks are more dangerous, I think. Better avoid those.¡±

    ¡°Either of you could turn back, if you would like to,¡± Theora said. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to join me at the end, anyway.¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Dema let out. ¡°What if you get lost? What if you fall into a ripple? Not gonna leave you here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m using [Compute] and some stolen System storage to memorise the structure,¡± Isobel said. ¡°And I¡¯m making a three-dimensional map of it in my head. So I¡¯ll be useful to have around if we get lost.¡± She shuffled her belly-legs against each other, getting a bit excited. ¡°And these shapes are kind of interesting. Like, why does it look so organic? It kind of seems as if reality had some kind of natural resistance, and the damage flowed along the areas where it was smallest, doesn¡¯t it? Like lightning hitting a tree, maybe? Kinda sad I got rid of [Identify] now¡­ Maybe we should have waited for Bell to join us¡­¡±

    ¡°These Skills wouldn¡¯t work on it,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°I figured!¡± Isobel ducked under a particularly large flake. ¡°But that¡¯s what makes it interesting, right? I wonder if I could use the error readouts to find out more about the internal structure of the System.¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d already made progress on that,¡± Theora said, voice monotonous. ¡°Didn¡¯t you force an Orb of Seven Wishes to appear as a reward?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Iso drove her finger way too closely along a wallowing purple capillary looking like a thin tear in paper. ¡°But that was more like¡­ I lucked out? Found an internal storage address with a helpful exploit, and then a way to write to it using an Interface glitch. You know, by overflowing a container through repeated prompt summoning, similar to what I mentioned before. I tested it a bunch with Bell¡¯s and my own System rewards ¡ª turns out, part of the determining variable is the current time, which meant we had to wait for the internal reference to have a specific value for it to spit out an Orb of Seven Wishes¡­ I can¡¯t write to that part of the internal storage yet because it is protected; I¡¯d need to find a break inside that protected area for that. It¡¯s also inconvenient because the ways we have that do write to the less protected storage areas still rely on cumbersome methods; for example, for our Orb-route, the user had to level-up a Skill toward the end.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora lied.

    Isobel then went on to proudly explaining the exact values she needed to fill and how she¡¯d done it for every single one; she explained the different breaks they¡¯d found and how to cause them, and she did her best to not stay quiet for a single moment.

    Isobel¡¯s voice was a blessing. It kept Theora moving. Isobel probably knew.

    At some point, Theora received a System message from Bell.

    ¡°Everything alright with you all?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora wrote back. ¡°Getting closer.¡±

    The first day passed, and by the end, the surroundings shifted. No more flakes; instead, a kind of web of damage carved its way through the air, causing shifts in perspective along the threads, as if parts of the space in-between were missing. This was more difficult to traverse, and Dema had trouble aiming her blood crystals with reality no longer obeying the principle of proportion.

    Isobel spent their breaks sketching the shapes with coal on paper, and sometimes grew frustrated when she couldn¡¯t replicate the sight. At night, she¡¯d spit out a bubble of water to sleep in. Dema had become very tired and mostly silent, but was still hugging herself close to Theora whenever they found a place to sit.

    And then, Theora would gently pat Dema¡¯s head, humming melodies to help her fall asleep.

    Theora would stay awake. Bell had apparently noticed, because she was staying up at night to chat.

    They broke through a new layer a few days later, and that one was largely empty. Massive blobs congregated towards the centre, while all other directions were a vast, dark expanse illuminated by fire drizzle.

    Dema produced a very large bridge to get them across, but they knew they¡¯d have to get over it quickly. ¡°Kinda scary,¡± she said.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Isobel looked down, no ground to be seen anywhere beneath them. ¡°I kind of didn¡¯t expect it all to be so¡­ much. I mean, I know these were your training grounds, and I suppose you didn¡¯t know the Skill very well.¡± Her voice was a little laden. ¡°I guess you weren¡¯t aware it would be permanent? You must have used it so many times. No wonder it got so strong.¡±

    Dema¡¯s bare feet tapped along, Isobel¡¯s rock clattered against the blood crystals, and Theora¡¯s boots made soft thumps.

    The empty space swallowed all echoes.

    ¡°This place had been reserved to become my training grounds when I was still a child,¡± Theora said. ¡°It used to be a toxic rock desert. No population, almost no wildlife. I had my little hut to live in, isolated. They sent me here so that testing my old Skills wouldn¡¯t cause harm to anyone.¡±

    Dema¡¯s mouth stood slightly open as she listened.

    Theora continued, ¡°I used it like that for a long time. [Obliterate] came much later, and turned the place into this.¡±

    Isobel nodded, and reached for Theora¡¯s hand. Her squeeze was soft. ¡°Sorry you had to come back here. I think I kind of get it now. Why you didn¡¯t want to.¡±

    The next layer was one of deep ripples that stung in the eyes like light, but remained in shadows. Thin strands in-between whirled like underwater refractions.

    ¡°Just once.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Iso turned to Theora. ¡°What, just once?¡±

    ¡°You suggested I used [Obliterate] many times, to cause this damage.¡± Theora shook her head. ¡°I only used it once.¡±

 Chapter 146: Anywhere

    Beyond the refraction layer finally came the core. They climbed up inside it through the labyrinth of its shell, then took a two day break to give Dema rest before piercing into the final part of destruction.

    It was a spherical, largely empty hall the size of an ocean. The Rains of Fire still made it inside through cracks in the ceiling, illuminating everything in soft honey glow. A deep humming emanated from a little island at the centre, barely visible from afar.

    Dema had enough energy left to conjure a thin, long blood bridge to reach it.

    ¡°You said you memorised the path, Isobel?¡± Theora turned around to find her gaze, and saw her nod in response. ¡°So, you¡¯ll be able to leave without me?¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Isobel said. ¡°How long do you think you¡¯ll be gone? Also, I don¡¯t really get it. Where are you going to go, exactly?¡±

    ¡°I wanna join,¡± Dema said, sounding both defiant and pouty. ¡°No telling me no again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I want to tell you no,¡± Theora replied, carefully. ¡°I just don¡¯t know what would happen if you tried.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine!¡±

    Theora swallowed hard. ¡°What if you won¡¯t be fine? What if I end up losing you?¡±

    Dema shook her head. ¡°But you¡¯re so sad lately. You¡¯re in no condition to go anywhere alone. And you¡¯re not even explaining anything. You said it was just one use, all this.¡± Dema pointed at the island at the core. ¡°What did you [Obliterate]?¡±

    Hints of memories flooded Theora¡¯s mind at the question. An old grave. Her inescapable fate. Returning to her training grounds. Wanting to leave this world that asked too much of her.

    But of course, she couldn¡¯t leave. She could never truly leave; not before completing that impossible Main Quest, and this place was a grim reminder of that fact. Even this much destruction hadn¡¯t been enough to grant her wish. Or, well, it had granted it, just not in a way that was helpful at all.

    [Obliterate] did not grant wishes, it granted despair.

    Slowly, the island came close enough to make out the details. It was an afloat slate of black rock with half a broken brick wall standing offside its centre. It had a door frame in it. Filled with purple-shifted folds, the frame kept sucking up little motes of igniting dust ¡ª they appeared out of nowhere in its vicinity, and then fell right in.

    There was nothing else in the frame except subtle distortions of air. The glowing particles extinguished when they hit the frame¡¯s plane.

    ¡°Wait, is that¡­ your hut?¡± Isobel asked, tilting her head. ¡°It¡¯s hard to look at.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at it,¡± Theora said. ¡°It¡¯s what remains of it, yes.¡± She turned to Dema. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what exactly I targeted, back then. I wasn¡¯t thinking clearly. I only remember sitting in that home, or¡­ maybe I was about to return inside. I think I recall what I wanted, but not the wording of what I told [Obliterate] to do.¡± She swallowed. ¡°It may not even have been a clear wording. I think I lashed out. It was one of the first times I used it; I wasn¡¯t aware of the¡­ size of¡­¡±

    She swallowed down her remaining excuses.

    ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t want to stay in this place any longer. I wanted to go away. I think what I targeted was something similar to the concept of ¡®being unable to escape,¡¯ or perhaps, ¡®being unable to go wherever I want¡¯. I wanted to leave all of¡­ this. Based on the result, it would make sense.¡±

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    ¡°Wow,¡± Isobel let out.

    Theora stepped from the blood bridge towards the door frame. ¡°By destroying the concept of my inability to leave, I tore open the space between worlds. This¡­ portal, I suppose, leads me wherever I want to go. Of course, it was a cruel subversion of my desires, as it does not, in fact, fix anything.¡± Theora bit her tongue. ¡°I haven¡¯t used it much beyond trying to understand what I had done, but I¡¯m sure the System is aware of it, and thus gave me the task to find the Fragments of Time. Because it knows I can go anywhere.¡±

    ¡°Anywhere,¡± Dema murmured, and took a few steps forward too.

    Theora nodded. ¡°So, I will go to where the next Fragment is. The Fragments are hidden inside other realities. Of course, I don¡¯t know any specific world where a Fragment might be, but the frame will probably point me in a suitable direction. And ¡ª that might be a location similar to what we know. But it could very well not be.¡±

    Isobel scratched the moss on her shoulder nervously. ¡°So you¡¯re saying it could be trouble.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Theora looked at Dema. ¡°The rules of that other world might not allow for things such as us to exist. If we enter a reality that doesn¡¯t understand a concept like [Immortality], you two could die there. And I¡¯m not sure you would be able to survive a journey through these voids in the first place. That is why I¡¯m asking you to stay behind.¡±

    Dema curled her toes into the ground. ¡°But all those things kind of apply to you too? What if you end up in a world where there¡¯s no¡­ Where you can¡¯t be?¡± Her voice was getting thinner. ¡°I think it¡¯d be better to go together, so we can help each other out.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me,¡± Theora said. ¡°I can always force myself to exist. I do it all the time.¡±

    Or, to be more precise, she could force herself to exist in this shape; one that was familiar to her and at least somewhat useful to the world, as opposed to denaturing into something far less amenable.

    The statement was followed by an uncomfortable silence, so Theora added, ¡°What I mean to say is ¡ª you don¡¯t have to worry about me. It doesn¡¯t matter where it takes me, I will likely be fine.¡±

    ¡°But like ¡ª¡± Dema made a few steps forward to take Theora¡¯s numb hands. ¡°Does it really take you where you want to go? ¡¯Cause I kinda know you a bit by now. So I¡¯m worried.¡±

    Dema¡¯s hands were warm. Theora didn¡¯t want to let go. ¡°In what way? Where else would it lead me, if not where I want to go?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ You get things confused sometimes, right?¡± Dema shrugged. ¡°What if you mistake where you wanna go with where you think you deserve to go?¡±

    Theora froze.

    ¡°Mom¡¯s got a point there, mom,¡± Isobel said. ¡°I understand that it¡¯s dangerous, but we can¡¯t have you go alone if you can¡¯t even smile.¡±

    Theora turned to look away, but didn¡¯t let go. ¡°So I don¡¯t want anyone to join because I am worried about you, and you don¡¯t want me to go alone because you are worried about me. How do we solve this?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t have left that Cube of Solitude without you,¡± Dema said. ¡°And you wouldn¡¯t be back from space without us. Right? So we¡¯re better off together. Doesn¡¯t matter who¡¯s worried.¡±

    This was unfair, because it was both true and irrelevant. ¡°The situations are different.¡±

    Isobel shook her head. ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡±

    The truth was, the two had already won, because Theora still didn¡¯t want to let go of Dema. She never wanted to let go of her. The thought of entering another reality alone was terrifying. Any world was better with Dema in it.

    Theora turned to Isobel. ¡°I go with Dema and you stay?¡±

    Iso nodded quickly. ¡°That¡¯s fine! I got some ideas on how to help from here if things go bad, maybe. Plus, someone¡¯s gotta stay with Bell. I¡¯m pretty sure these Rains of Fire will make her struggle.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of Bell,¡± Dema said, ¡°Let¡¯s say goodbye before we go in.¡±

    Iso nodded. ¡°She¡¯ll be really happy but she won¡¯t say it.¡±

    Shortly after, Dema¡¯s words appeared in the party chat: ¡®Hi Bell! Bun bun and I are gonna leave the world for a bit, but Iso¡¯s gonna be back to cuddle you in no time!¡¯

    Bell answered with, ¡®Take care.¡¯

    ¡°Alright.¡± Dema tugged on Theora¡¯s hands, and walked back towards the door frame. ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    With a nod, Theora followed. Isobel gently put an encouraging hand on her back and pushed gently.

    Then, Dema and Theora plunged through the gap in reality side by side.

    It felt like cold boiling water. It tasted of dry electric drizzle. Dema¡¯s hands disintegrated between Theora¡¯s fingers.

    Then, Theora herself lost shape.

 Chapter 147: Back to Reality

    At five in the morning, amid soft whirring of the refrigerator in the kitchen and the periodic thrum of cars driving by outside, her alarm woke Theora from a very long dream.

    Memories ran haywire in her mind; pieces of dream and reality intermingled, disorienting her, making her dizzy. Old cogs in her head came back to life after it had been devising an imaginary world of magic and faux heroism for far too long.

    The constant vibrations next to her pillow took her further and further away from that place, with the glaring sound of her favourite song piercing her mind. Muscle memory kicked in ¡ª she tapped the alarm shut, and her shoulder cracked a little as she reached. She¡¯d halfway shed her thin blanket throughout the night. She pulled down her oversized shirt; it had shooting stars on it. Cute.

    Right. She¡¯d printed that herself with Serim¡¯s help, years ago.

    And then she¡¯d put it on the night before.

    That dream had really messed her up, to forget all that, if just for a moment.

    Her back cracked as she pushed herself up; it hurt a little, probably from sleeping partly on the blanket. She rubbed a bit of sand out of her eyes, scratched her hair and noticed it was getting greasy. She might not have time to shower before work, but she could do it after.

    It took her a few blinks of staring at the device that had woken her up to finally recognise what it was ¡ª her phone.

    When had she last seen her phone?

    But there it was, all rectangular and sleek, made up of a display, with a little dot blinking green at the top.

    Her phone. She¡¯d been using it for years. Of course she had ¡ª without it, she¡¯d be late for work all the time, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to listen to Serim¡¯s playlists.

    When a light pushed past the room, Theora dragged the rose-coloured curtain aside. A little neon sign hung over a shop across the street. Then, her hand still holding onto the curtain, she noticed that something was missing.

    During her dream, for hundreds of years, she¡¯d always had a red crystal bracelet on her wrist. But her wrist was empty now.

    But¡­ didn¡¯t she actually use to have one like that? She¡¯d stopped wearing it because work and volunteer guidelines often disallowed wearing trinkets.

    The whirring noise called her attention back into the apartment ¡ª that faint buzz from her refrigerator, yes. She¡¯d noticed that while dozing. It was unlike anything she¡¯d heard in a while.

    Why did the world feel so foreign and familiar at the same time? Like returning to your childhood home after decades, but nothing inside had changed; a discovery of surroundings and memories at once.

    Her calendar hung next to a desk full of undone paperwork, illuminated by the glow of the town. Paperwork, of all things. And looking at it made her anxious.

    This was so confusing. Was she inside another book? Had she fallen into DespairLit?

    The little light on her phone kept blinking, so she unlocked the display to take a peek. Two new messages. The first:

    Serim: daily reminder to take your meds

    Meds. Medication. She instinctively looked at her night desk ¡ª there they were.

    Right. This wasn¡¯t DespairLit, this was just reality.

    The second message came from an unknown number and read, ¡®Hey! Did that work?¡¯

    Theora frowned and put the phone away. Somehow, she¡¯d already spent fifteen minutes sitting around. She vaguely knew that was bad, so she got up to find some wearable clothes in the huge heap next to her bed. She settled on another shirt that looked and smelled only lightly worn, a pair of cargo pants that were only lightly stained, and a blue jacket, since it looked chilly outside and the calendar claimed it was the end of October.

    She managed to write a reply to Serim while brushing her teeth.

    You: Thank you. I would have totally forgotten.

    Serim: so did you take em?

    Oh. Of course she hadn¡¯t. It took a while to figure out the correct dosage, but eventually, she was able to reply with, ¡®Yes.¡¯

    Serim: good

    Serim: don''t forget the costume

    Theora stared at the message with a deep frown. What costume? Costume for what?

    Her appointments, in calendar and on her phone, had nothing, but she found the necessary context hidden in the message log ¡ª Serim had invited Theora to a costume party a few days earlier.

    Theora swallowed. She only had one costume.

    It was too late to back out now, so being a bit of a bad girl, she left this for future Theora to worry about¡­ which was probably how past Theora had gotten her into this situation in the first place ¡ª and that was understandable, because costume parties were scary. They were still scary, so Theora pushed it out of her mind albeit feeling somewhat bad about it; but perhaps she¡¯d be lucky and future Theora would be a kind girl and forgive her current self.

    Ready to leave, she finally mustered the energy to reply to that other message, saying, ¡®You must have the wrong number.¡¯

    Writing this felt somewhat unkind because she might have just forgotten who this person was. Asking about that would have been even more stressful, though.

    Theora put her hand on the brass door handle of her entry door when, again, she noticed her wrist empty. For a few seconds she only felt the cold metal against her fingers.

    Then she let go.

    Theora did not want to leave home again without her bracelet. She¡¯d be late, but it was fine, she could just work at the cemetery a bit longer. The dead would wait for her.

    And indeed, she did find it, after about twenty minutes of search, tucked away in a box with her childhood belongings. Clicking it onto her arm made her feel safer, somehow. Where had she even gotten it?

    Exiting the building, she stopped onto an empty, thin street ¡ª not the same one her bedroom was facing ¡ª and found herself in front of a sloped concrete wall; the street was ascending sharply outside of the small entry area that had been levelled next to it. There was a door in the wall, and Theora somehow knew to open it with one of her keys, and found her motorcycle crammed inside the small storage space.

    Right, she had an adventuring bike. After they¡¯d increased her area of operation, she¡¯d had to abandon her previous means to get on scene. The bike looked like a relic of old times. Millennia gone by.

    Theora didn¡¯t remember there being any phones or bikes in her dream fantasy; at least not outside obscure stories. Dreams could feel so realistic, it was scary. She heaved the machine under her arm and carried it out on the street, earning a snort from one of her neighbours who was fetching her mail.

    ¡°How can you even carry that thing? Just leave it outside.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to take away anyone¡¯s parking space,¡± Theora said, trying to figure out how to start it. Then she realised that she¡¯d forgotten her helmet ¡ª she wore it not because she needed it, but because she did not want to set a bad example for people who saw her. Luckily, the helmet was inside the small storage compartment too.

    The phone buzzed again right before she wanted to leave.

    Unknown: What¡¯s a number?

    Theora¡¯s frown went a little deeper. She would have had more patience for this, she really would have ¡ª if she wasn¡¯t already late for work, and if she wasn¡¯t still so confused, and if the person wasn¡¯t being so difficult.

    You: Sorry. I need to get going. I don¡¯t have time.

    Unknown: Right! That¡¯s what you went in there to fix, after all.

    Theora had never in her entire life felt so tempted to block someone. Perhaps it was a poorly written bot. She did not have much to get scammed out of besides the scant remainder of her dignity, and she¡¯d lose that at the party anyway.

    So, ignoring the message, she drove off.

    Theora had to take care of three local cemeteries. She cut the grass, watered plants, cleaned the graves and dug new ones, and sometimes, she¡¯d bury people. Today, she was at the town¡¯s forest graveyard. It was her favourite out of the three.

    She drove home after completing her work day, took a shower to get the dirt and sweat off herself, put on some faint make-up, and then pushed her only costume into a bag. She would not drive through town in this, obviously. People knew her. They would not see a stranger driving around in an embarrassing outfit; they would see Theora drive around in it.

    Serim and two of her friends were squatting in a little abandoned house at the edge of the town. It was a run-down place, held together by tape and glue and planks and nails. Serim¡¯s surplus income and time went into things other than organising repairs for a place that, according to her, was ¡®just fine¡¯. But the storms were getting stronger by the year, and Theora couldn¡¯t help but worry.

    The yard was growing wild, which made for cosy summer nights ¡ª especially when they lay on the suspect roof of the little shed, surrounded by silvergrass grazing their dangling feet. Theora knocked at the entry door, breaking off a little more of dried, crimson paint. Muffled music and voices came from inside. She was probably late; Serim liked to start early after a short Friday because some friends of hers had to work weekends. That said, others would probably stay the night.

    The door opened to a smiling face. Mira, if Theora remembered right. Long black hair, dressed up as a vampire, with little trails of ¡®blood¡¯ running down the corners of her mouth.

    ¡°Already ate everyone,¡± she said, grinning. ¡°You¡¯re too late to save them.¡±

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    ¡°I can still hold their last rites.¡±

    Mira¡¯s eyes went wide for a moment, and she silently mouthed a ¡®wow¡¯.

    ¡°Told you she¡¯s great at parties,¡± another voice said, maybe sarcastically, and a young man in a suit swept into the doorframe. He had some fake mushrooms on him and looked like he was being overtaken by nature. He pulled the door out of Mira¡¯s hands to let Theora in. ¡°I think the bathroom¡¯s free, if you want to get changed.¡±

    Theora nodded and moved past, eyes at the ground to avoid provoking additional social interactions for her to mess up. She left the lights off in the bathroom, dropped her jacket, got out of her pants, and pulled out her bunny suit.

    It had long cotton gauntlets for the arms, a revealing dress that connected to her neck but left most of the back and some of the front exposed, and a pair of short pants ¡ª leaving her legs out in the open too, but at least she did not have to worry about sitting down.

    To her horror, it had gotten very tight; apparently she¡¯d changed a bit over the years. To her delight, the matching hair circlet with long bunny ears and colourful ribbons was still just as cute as she remembered, and this piece was why she owned this costume in the first place.

    It was a decent compromise. Theora could live with this. She practised a careful smile at the dark mirror.

    All things considered, this was a really bad Halloween costume, but it was a costume, and thus technically matched the requirements, so Serim wouldn¡¯t complain.

    Stealthily exiting the bathroom, Theora went to stuff her belongings into her usual spot in the cupboard of the entrance room. The buzz was concentrating in the kitchen, so she went to at least say hello to Serim.

    On her way, Theora was startled by someone suddenly shouting, ¡°Wow!¡±

    It took a moment for Theora to realise that this was a reaction to her. Oh, gosh. Had she overdone it?

    ¡°Pris, shut up,¡± another woman next to Pris hissed ¡ª her name was probably Clee; Theora imagined it was short for ¡®Clementine¡¯.

    Pris raised her arms in defence. ¡°What, I couldn¡¯t help it!¡± Her round glasses were threatening to slip off her nose, so she pushed them up.

    ¡°You¡¯ll only make her more self-conscious,¡± Clee said, giving Theora a sympathetic nod.

    ¡°She should know. That¡¯s all I¡¯m saying.¡± She looked at Theora. ¡°You look good. Glad you made it.¡±

    ¡°You are irredeemable.¡±

    Theora gave them a small nod of wanting-to-get-away and moved past.

    Meanwhile, Serim was unhelpfully sitting on a kitchen counter doing nothing except limiting the space the others had to work with while cutting countless vegetables. She was clothed entirely in black, which was not unusual for her, but this time bright stripes in the shape of human bones went along her body.

    ¡°Oh, there you are,¡± she went in her melodic voice, waving Theora over. She hopped off the counter to give Theora a hug, when Theora reciprocated, Serim¡¯s skeleton costume flashed alight. ¡°Ah, sorry,¡± Serim went, pretending to struggle to shut it off, ¡°It¡¯s just that you¡¯re so electrifying.¡±

    Theora tilted her head and raised her brows. ¡°Do you say that to everyone?¡±

    With a lopsided grin, Serim looked up at Theora, brown eyes blinking. ¡°Yes, but that doesn¡¯t make it any less true. Help me move the table?¡± She lit her costume again as she pointed to the centre of the living room area adjacent to the kitchen.

    ¡°Really?¡± Theora let out a small sigh. Everybody around seemed to be busy, and the music drowned her low voice, so she added, ¡°Is that why I¡¯m here? You could have just asked me to come over yesterday.¡±

    ¡°What? No way. I mean, I could have asked you to do it yesterday, but I¡¯d still have invited you to the party. Just wanna show you off.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°That¡¯s not happening. Please help me move it.¡± Nothing good came of letting people know that things were slightly different when it came to Theora.

    Serim rolled her eyes half-seriously but indulged, hopping off the counter. ¡°By the way, you alright?¡±

    Theora shrugged as they stepped towards the table. ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling a bit off. I had a dream tonight. I think it¡¯s messing with me.¡± She closed her eyes to focus its details back, but they were rather fleeting.

    It was a table for about twenty people, but Serim typically kept it pushed against the long wall so it would take up less space. She had already wrapped a rope around the legs on the other side so Theora could take it into one hand, and grab onto the table with the other.

    Serim went to the other side, to pretend she would be helping. ¡°What kind of dream? I thought you didn¡¯t dream a lot.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t tend to.¡± After making sure nobody was in the way, she gently lifted the table, making sure to step on the most stable planks of the flooring to not break through. ¡°I think I was¡­ a hero in that dream. But not really a good one, I always kept making things worse. I still feel a bit depressed from it.¡± At least it seemed like reality was quickly replacing those memories ¡ª remembering reality became easier as the gloom of that dream disappeared.

    She heaved the table into the centre of the room. Serim frowned at her in thought, even forgetting to act along for a moment. ¡°So it was a bad dream.¡±

    Making sure the table was properly positioned, Theora let go. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t necessarily say so, especially towards the end. Everyone else in that dream was amazing. It was like I had a big family.¡± A bit lower, she added, ¡°And I even had a girlfriend.¡±

    Serim arched her brows and blew a whistle. ¡°Oh really? What was she like?¡±

    Theora pulled up her arms into a bit of a self-hug, sliding along her bare shoulders; she couldn¡¯t help but smile at the fading memory. ¡°She made it all worth it. I mean, the others did, too, but I only met them because of her. To be honest, she can be a bit of a brat. But she likes to help people out. Wants to see others happy. She complains a lot, but it¡¯s not serious most of the time? In fact, I only ever see her truly upset when she¡¯s too late to help someone.¡± Theora saw flashes of memory, with the two pacing through a harbour town in ruins. Her smile waned.

    It was just a dream. Did that mean she¡¯d never see her again?

    What even was her name? Everything was crumbling away between her fingers like dry ash.

    ¡°A brat, huh?¡± Serim let out a hum, sitting down on the table.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Theora swallowed, trying to hold onto each thought. ¡°She¡¯d¡­ often tease me, and look up at me with sparkles in her eyes.¡±

    ¡°Look up at you? I thought you were into taller girls.¡±

    ¡°I mean, I like tall girls,¡± Theora said. ¡°But that¡¯s just a preference. Also, she was really strong. She could lift me up easily.¡±

    ¡°To be honest, that all sounds like someone I know. Want me to introduce her?¡±

    Theora shook her head and rolled her eyes a little. She took a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think I could do relationship stuff in real-life. It sounds difficult. Dream girl must have been very patient with me.¡± Theora looked around, trying to find a way to change the topic, and then her eyes fell on Serim¡¯s drum set under the stairs. ¡°Wait. You play again? I haven¡¯t seen it set up in a while.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I ever stopped playing,¡± Serim said, but they both knew it was a bit of a lie. She probably hadn¡¯t touched it in two or three years.

    At that, Mira chimed in, saying, ¡°Gonna play for us?¡± ¡ª to which Serim turned around with raised eyebrows, as if accepting the challenge.

    Theora took this as her opportunity to recharge her social battery, and found herself settled deep into a large couch shortly after.

    Clee eventually decided to sit next to her.

    ¡°My dad still talks about you, by the way,¡± she remarked.

    Theora pulled up her legs, and realised she¡¯d forgotten to shave them. She rarely, if ever, showed off skin, so the idea of shaving for the bunny costume hadn¡¯t even occurred to her.

    It was fine. Just another thing to try not to think about.

    ¡°For your help with the shop back when the flood hit,¡± she added to grab Theora¡¯s attention back, who managed a shy nod in response. ¡°Also, I think Pris has a crush on you.¡±

    It was at that moment that Theora¡¯s phone started blaring. Heads turned from the loud siren sound.

    Serim, who was just about to start playing, threw up her drumsticks. ¡°You¡¯re on call today?¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Theora let out, already on her way to the door.

    She fetched her helmet from the wardrobe and went out into the cold. Her phone gave a location on the other side of town. She still wanted to be there as soon as possible. No details available yet.

    Most of the time, these calls were innocuous. The chances of this actually being something were relatively low; but it could happen, and in these situations, every second counted. And so, Theora tried her best to recall the layout of the town she¡¯d spent her entire life living in. She quickly gave up and activated her navigation app, and was on her way within a few seconds.

    A few streets in, Theora could vaguely recall the place she was being led to. It was on the edge of the industrial side of town, with a few large storage halls and a small facility to construct medical equipment. Maybe it had caught fire? Or perhaps there had been an accident with machinery.

    The app led her around two traffic hotspots in the town centre, and she used the siren on her motorcycle to make it through the largest crossing without waiting for a green light.

    That¡¯s when she noticed the rainfall. It started slow, but the drops were thrumming heavier against her skin over time; and that¡¯s when she realised with suppressed horror that she was driving through town in her bunny suit after all.

    When Theora had made it about two thirds of the way, she got notice that she was being called to an animal rescue.

    The dispatchers had long-since realised that Theora was, occasionally, able to perform miracles, so long as nobody was watching.

    This meant she would likely be there alone.

    Something was off at the scene. Theora couldn¡¯t tell what it was.

    She¡¯d been called to an abandoned building with a long-since collapsed roof, with a massive oak growing into it from the side. On the grassy field surrounding the building was an old stone well with a dark, organic-seeming lump attached to it, covered from the rain by foliage.

    ¡°Oh, there you are!¡± someone let out, probably recognising Theora by the emergency lights rather than her outfit. It was a young girl in a green shirt. She had her phone out; the dispatcher was perhaps still on. ¡°I heard noises coming from the well, I think there is a hurt animal inside. But the bees are angry, so I couldn¡¯t look.¡±

    When Theora glanced over her arms, there appeared to be a few stings on her skin.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take a look.¡±

    It was raining stronger by now, and there were no sounds coming from the well, so Theora was a little scared about what she might find.

    It was then that Theora noticed what felt off. Her red crystal bracelet was glowing. Each step made it gleam more intensely. It had never done that before. She wasn¡¯t even aware it could do that.

    The bees were still humming about, having nested along the side of the well, but noticeably, didn¡¯t seem aggressive. Soon after, the faint scent of smoke was carried over by the wind, with a little note of biting sulphur. Perhaps that had calmed them down? Bees showed restraints during fires.

    Finally, Theora peeked down the side of the well; it was dark, but the bottom was faintly illuminated by a red light, and two glowing amber eyes looked up. Theora blinked, and turned back to look at the girl who had called her.

    ¡°There is someone inside.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yea,¡± the girl said, shaking her head in mild annoyance. ¡°She showed up right before you, forgot to mention. Said she was going to calm it down? I think she slipped and fell.¡±

    The girl seemed unimpressed. How could she possibly have ¡®forgotten¡¯ to mention that?

    Either way, this was a person-rescue mission now. Theora looked back down and found the woman smiling as she held onto what appeared to be a large skunk, hugging it over her shoulder. ¡°Well, well, well!¡± she shouted up. ¡°Who do we have here? A bunny came to save us? I''ve been down here for ages!¡±

    Those words pierced Theora¡¯s mind like rods of hot red iron. Still, she managed to ask, ¡°Are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°Nah, just didn¡¯t think the rocks were gonna be that slippery. Luckily missed the skunk, though.¡± She nudged it, and it nudged back. ¡°Dema, by the way. Who¡¯re you?¡±

    The well was already filled up to Dema¡¯s hips; depending on how saturated the ground in town was, the rainfall might push the water up quickly.

    The rocks inside the well were slick with moss. Theora did not have the equipment to get someone out of a well, which meant she might have to call reinforcements after all. However¡­ that would mean her colleagues would see her in a bunny suit.

    It was a very weak excuse. Yet, her brain reacted on impulse. Maybe there was something Theora could have done to stop it, but it went by too quickly. A fraction of a second, maybe less. She wanted to help Dema, and she didn¡¯t want to leave her behind.

    And so, Theora jumped down the well, sliding her arms and feet over the walls to keep steady, and came to a halt halfway through. There, she switched to a climb, pushing her fingers deep into the crevices to reach the bottom safely.

    ¡°Damn,¡± Dema¡¯s voice echoed up. ¡°Thought you were gonna fall for me.¡±

    Theora¡¯s legs felt numb. Her mind, gone hazy. What was she doing? And why? It was entirely unlike herself to do these things when seen. Because she knew that everything would fall apart. This little reality she¡¯d escaped into would fall apart.

    Except, she knew why.

    She hopped down into the bottom of the well. The skunk screeched ¡ª her arrival surprised the little animal so much that it tried to jump away.

    But Dema held it tight. ¡°Wha! Wait, we¡¯re stuck, remember? Gotta get you out first!¡±

    Theora expected disaster to hit right that moment, but after a few strokes, the skunk somehow calmed down. Dema giggled. Their bracelets were burning, standing apart just a step.

    Dema tilted her head in askance. ¡°So¡­ You gonna carry us out or something? I kinda expected a rope.¡±

    ¡°I could carry you out,¡± Theora said, flushed red. ¡°But we might slip, and it could stress out your little companion.¡±

    ¡°So¡­¡±

    Theora swallowed. ¡°I have a different idea.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t believe she was saying this.

    ¡°If you would close your eyes, and let me touch you for a second.¡± Theora¡¯s voice was laden. ¡°I will get you both out safely, but it might be confusing, or feel weird.¡±

    ¡°Oh! ¡­ Sure?¡± Dema offered a hand. Theora took it.

    That scent of smoke and sulphur. The cadence of that raspy voice rang in her head. The horn protruding from unkempt dark hair.

    Theora knew why she was doing this ¡ª even though she did not understand at all. But there was no mistaking it.

    These bright, amber eyes.

    ¡°Retain.¡±

    This was the woman of Theora¡¯s dreams.

 Chapter 148: Slipped Away

    When Theora activated her ability, Dema disappeared in a zap, with a yelp. The skunk was gone too.

    Staring at her hand, the leftover warmth of Dema¡¯s touch still lingering, Theora could not believe what she¡¯d just done. Retaining a person she¡¯d just met?

    She still had to get both these precious cuties out of the well as fast as possible, so she climbed back up with sweaty hands across wet, mossy cobble, face red with heat.

    This wasn¡¯t even an emergency. She¡¯d done it because Dema looked like a girl from a dream she barely remembered.

    The climb required some acrobatic ability she wasn¡¯t used to forcing out of her body. A damaged brick provided safe footing right beneath the end of the well, so with hands freed, she used Retain again.

    Dema was still finishing her yelp as she and the skunk reappeared in Theora¡¯s arms. With a quick jump, she got them all out, hiding her usage of Retain from potential onlookers.

    Dema was holding on tight, and the skunk was holding on tight to Dema¡¯s scarf, and they were both stunned for a moment. Theora looked around ¡ª she wanted to get them somewhere dry, but the abandoned building was too dangerous to enter. The girl that had called her over had gone to sit and wait beyond the fence of the property under a bus stop ¡ª but Theora kind of wanted to spend time with Dema alone, maybe?

    Before she could decide, Dema said, ¡°Wait, I keep getting carried away!¡± and jumped out of Theora¡¯s arms to sit down on the remains of a brick wall they had been about to pass. These must have once belonged to a shed or something. It was still under the foliage of the oak, so at least shielded from direct rain.

    Dema shook off some drops from her tattered coat while keeping the skunk in her lap, patting it dry. She smiled at it, then at Theora but her eyes widened in awe as they went up. ¡°Why, you are a bunny. Didn¡¯t know they had a new uniform at the brigade.¡±

    Theora made a clumsy step back. ¡°It¡¯s not a new uniform. I was visiting a halloween party when the call came in.¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Lucky me. Anyway, what was I talking about? Ah, right, getting carried away. I was gonna find the source of that glow and then¡­¡± She frowned, her faintly shining eyes glued to Theora¡¯s face, and then scratched her head. ¡°Wait, have we met?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Did dreams count? Either way, Theora imagined ¡®I dreamt of you¡¯ wasn¡¯t among the best pick-up lines, and she really did not want to mess this up in hopes of getting to pick Dema up again. ¡°I¡¯m Theora. I¡¯m sorry ¡ª I didn¡¯t even ask you if you wanted me to¡­ If you wanted to¡­¡±

    ¡°Go gone? I assume?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯ve got warm hands, I don¡¯t mind.¡± She let the skunk to the ground. It sniffed around curiously, and then ran off. ¡°Li¡¯l rascal must have slipped while trying to steal some bee honey, huh.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly well-behaved. I assumed we would have gotten sprayed by now.¡±

    Dema smiled and stretched. ¡°Well yea. I got a hand for critters. Plus I imagine it might have suffered too, nagging us in that narrow space¡­¡±

    Theora let out a breath. ¡°S-So, what did you mean, ¡®find the source of the glow¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Ah! Right.¡± Dema held out her hand with the same bracelet Theora was wearing ¡ª both still beaming. ¡°Was heading home and then I noticed that? Got stronger when I moved, so I followed it, but then heard the poor skunk and got a bit distracted.¡±

    Theora looked over Dema¡¯s body; she was wet, but didn¡¯t seem to shiver.

    Protocol had demands. Protocol demanded that an ambulance be called if someone was in danger. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± Theora checked for signs of concussion. ¡°Headache? Dizzy? Confused? Or are you feeling cold?¡±

    Dema gave a look. ¡°Am plenty warm right now. How did you do that, anyway?¡±

    Theora was following protocol. And yet, her heart was beating quite fast, because what if she was being negligent with the protocol because she wanted to spend more time with Dema¡­?

    Dema, who was just sitting there, looking up with a curious look and a faint uptwirl of the corners of her lips. She didn¡¯t seem in a rush to leave either, which gave Theora more confidence than she should have been having. She allowed parts of the tension to flow from her muscles, and her breathing to calm. ¡°Do what?¡±

    Dema lifted her arms as if it was obvious. It was; but Theora wasn¡¯t going to make this easy. It¡¯s not something she wanted to talk about, ever. Performing miracles akin to magic was something to be done in private. Something not to be talked about. Especially not with total strangers. Although Dema did not feel like a total stranger.

    She¡¯d actually met her.

    Well, or rather, it seemed like she¡¯d met her. Theora was aware of how dreams functioned; it was possible that she¡¯d seen Dema on the streets before and forgotten, or that she¡¯d retroactively filled Dema¡¯s face into her dreams after actually seeing her in the well. Dreams did not predict the future, they extrapolated from random signals in the brain; it was something Theora knew for sure, probably from having seen it in a documentary she¡¯d watched with Serim.

    ¡°I mean, you don¡¯t have to answer,¡± Dema finally said. ¡°Just curious. Anyway ¡ª Theora ¡ª¡± Theora jolted, eyes shooting up to Dema¡¯s. ¡°¡ªwanna sit down too? You seem kinda tired. We could rest for a while.¡±

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡®Theora.¡¯ This was the first time Dema called her that.

    Except that thought made no sense. Of course it was.

    Exhausted, Theora sat down. She really was tired, obviously. And while ¡®resting for a while¡¯ sounded nice, protocol demanded she go back to the station to file her report. And the fact that she¡¯d already handled this in a very unorthodox manner meant she shouldn¡¯t be stretching the goodwill she¡¯d accumulated with the others.

    ¡°Sorry. Whatever happened, could we¡­ not talk about it? We are in reality after all, where only real things should happen.¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°Sure. So, what do you do all day? Other than, like, being a hero.¡±

    Theora jerked her face away to stare into the dark foliage. ¡°I¡¯m the caretaker of the local cemeteries. I also volunteer for the fire brigade.¡±

    She expected some kind of teasing response and thus kept staring into the night, but a few seconds passed, and Dema didn¡¯t say anything. When Theora looked back, she found Dema studying her with an unusually placid expression.

    ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡±

    Dema shook her head slowly. ¡°No, just thinking. Be an honour to get buried by you one day.¡±

    Somehow, Dema saying it felt like a stab through the heart.

    ¡°Hey!¡± the girl in the green dress called over, ¡°Everything alright?¡±

    Thus, they¡¯d run out of time ¡ª Theora couldn¡¯t put off her obligations any longer.

    She called in to report what had happened. A girl had heard the distressed calls of a skunk ring through the street for an hour before calling the brigade, and Theora had successfully extracted it.

    Dema kept watching from afar as Theora walked around with her phone to finish up. But as it came time to go back to the brigade, Theora¡¯s legs refused to carry her to her bike. She wanted to talk to Dema more.

    And then Dema caught Theora staring, and broke into a wide smile.

    Gosh.

    Perhaps it was time to run away after all.

    Her legs still didn¡¯t move, though.

    Everyone else had left the streets; it was dark and late. Theora pretended to be occupied on her phone; it was embarrassing to just stand around with nothing to do, just in hopes that the woman she¡¯d known for half an hour might chat her up.

    Dema even lived nearby. She could just go home, and they¡¯d never see each other again. If only that poor skunk had sprayed them¡­ Then they might have had something to talk about¡ª

    Alright, that was definitely too much.

    Theora took a deep breath and put her phone away, then turned to leave. Someone was staying in late at the headquarters because they were waiting for her.

    She¡¯d let her chances slip.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Dema shouted. ¡°Done sorting things out? I wanted to ask you something.¡±

    Theora¡¯s chest got very light, very suddenly. She braced herself, and returned to Dema. Her feet felt a little lighter too, now. She came to a halt very close to Dema¡¯s stretched-out bare feet.

    ¡°I¡ªYes?¡± Theora¡¯s voice came unintentionally squeaky. ¡°What did you want to ask?¡±

    Dema¡¯s smile waned into a thoughtful frown. She rubbed her chin. ¡°Hold on. Gotta think of something.¡±

    This was a big relief. Apparently this woman was a lot better at being totally incompetent than Theora. She at least got them somewhere.

    Before Dema could say anything, Theora¡¯s phone went off with a message angrily asking her to come to the station to finish documentation. With a pained and apologetic look, she showed the message.

    Dema pouted as Theora turned to run away.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Dema shouted a few moments later. ¡°My question: mind if we see each other again?¡±

    Theora¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She shook her head ¡ª of course she didn¡¯t mind at all.

    Theora didn¡¯t bother trying to make it back to the party once everything was done; it was likely still in full swing, but her head was overloaded. As soon as she got home, she crash-landed on her bed. She whipped out her phone, swiped past a few more messages from Unknown, and typed a message for Serim.

    ¡°You will not guess what just happened. I¡¯m home now, by the way, can¡¯t make it back to the party.¡±

    Despite the fact that Serim should have been busy, a reply came just a minute later. ¡°Everything alright?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Theora took a deep breath. It had been a long time since she¡¯d felt so excited. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I met someone.¡±

    ¡°You met someone.¡± Theora could feel the suspicion seep from the message.

    ¡°She¡¯s cute,¡± Theora wrote.

    ¡°She¡¯s cute. Where is Theora and what have you done to her?¡±

    Theora put the phone on her chest, chuckling at the ceiling. That¡¯s right, she wasn¡¯t quite being herself. Or, maybe she was, but it was not a side of herself she was letting out a lot. She bit her lip to suppress a grin, and found her phone ringing. Serim was calling her. Theora answered.

    ¡°Details,¡± Serim demanded.

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know.¡± Theora shrugged into her pillow. ¡°I was called for an animal rescue. Someone else had already attempted to save the little skunk and gotten herself stuck in the process. I went down the well, and retained them both to get them out.¡±

    ¡°You retained someone you just met?¡±

    ¡°I would have done a lot more if I didn¡¯t have to get going,¡± Theora admitted. ¡°Her hands were so soft. I might have asked to hold them. Eventually. Like after a few hours of staring.¡±

    Serim let out a long ¡®pfft¡¯ sound.

    ¡°It¡¯s just,¡± Theora continued, ¡°I missed her so bad? Plus, it was necessary, like¡­ They were stuck. It was raining. The skunk might have become angry with us. Right?¡±

    ¡°You missed her? How?¡±

    Theora sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t really explain it.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t been using im//possibility, have you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Theora said, firmly. ¡°This must be something else.¡±

    Slowly, she could feel the rush of excitement leaving her body. Talking would become difficult again soon. Serim remained silent for a while.

    A breeze came in from the tilted window, shifting the curtains. Theora¡¯s room was cold. The sweat on her legs and forehead was biting into her. She rubbed her toes against each other, and noticed how her bed was empty.

    ¡°I want to meet her again,¡± she whispered. ¡°I think she ¡ª maybe she was flirting with me. I don¡¯t know. She was staring ¡ª a bit. At my¡­ costume. She said my hands were¡­ warm.¡±

    But perhaps that¡¯s just how Dema made friends?

    Serim laughed. ¡°Well, do you have her name? Her number? Know where she lives?¡±

    ¡°First name only.¡± And Theora certainly wouldn¡¯t start ringing random doors until she found Dema. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can contact her.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a bummer.¡± Serim let out a hum. ¡°I mean, if she lives in town, you might run into each other again. Here¡¯s to hope?¡±

    Theora gave a sad sigh. ¡°Maybe.¡± Her voice was a bit laden. She was very sleepy now. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll get ready for bed.¡±

    ¡°Sleep well. And don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll figure something out.¡±

 Chapter 149: Interlude â€” Caught

    Dema was pacing up and down her living room, livid.

    She had not given Theora her number. She had not given her address. Not her full name. She¡¯d let the bunny hop away!

    A full twenty-four hours had passed, and she couldn¡¯t focus on anything. Her bass was lying on the ground, abandoned. Pedals were scattered all around too; they had a habit of lying around on Dema¡¯s bed ¡ª her bed being whatever piece of floor she decided to sleep on that night.

    Well, perhaps a proper bed would be useful if she wanted to ask a bunny over, because surely, Theora wouldn¡¯t want to sleep on the ground. Dema needed to organise a bed.

    Wait, no, this was all wrong.

    Theora had shaken her head. Dema had asked ¡®Mind if we meet again?¡¯ and Theora had shaken her head. That could mean one of two things; either Theora didn¡¯t want to meet again, or she didn¡¯t mind meeting again.

    Dema stumbled over her bookshelf; which really was just a pile of books lying on the ground, and she gently let herself fall and rolled on her back. She would just have to meet Theora again to clear up the misunderstanding. She definitely was not going to get cold feet about that.

    But¡­ typically Dema relied on her immaculate social skills and smooth talking and her raspy voice to seduce people¡­ That couldn¡¯t work here! Being flustered was one thing, but Theora had, embarrassingly, rescued her from being stuck in a well, of all things. Not such a good basis to establish dominance.

    On the other hand, Theora hadn¡¯t actually seen her fall, so perhaps there was still hope. After all, Dema could have fallen down very gracefully, like a rock with wings.

    She grasped for her phone, ready to distract herself by reading comments on her online covers telling her she was all out of tune. Only then did she notice an hours-old message from ZapPie.

    ZapPie: haven¡¯t nagged me all day. u alive?

    You: I MET A GIRL

    ZapPie: lol what?

    You: she''s cute and i cant get over it. cure me

    ZapPie sent a half-assed selfie. Dema started a voice call.

    ¡°That didn¡¯t cure me,¡± she said.

    ¡°Big shame.¡±

    It did get a grin out of Dema, but she tried to stay on topic. ¡°I wonder if she plays an instrument¡­ I really wanna be in a party with her¡­ Uh, I mean like, in a band! Oh, would you be our drummer?¡±

    ¡°Hold on a second.¡± ZapPie¡¯s voice sounded a bit strict.

    Dema raised a brow. ¡°Hm? Hold on for what?¡±

    ¡°This is, like, the fifth time you¡¯ve asked me that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ And? You seem to like being asked!¡±

    ZapPie gave an impatient sigh. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the issue here. You get my hopes up whenever you click with some random person, and then it fizzles out after a few weeks. Last time I built an amp for you from scratch, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°I was gonna tell you I¡¯m sorry about that!¡± Dema interjected. ¡°And like, I know! I keep being unlucky, alright? This time it¡¯s lucky, though! Like, rabbit-foot level lucky, I promise.¡±

    Dema stared at all of the DIY-pedals littering the ground; she was taking such good care of ZapPie¡¯s home-made equipment, so what was all the fuss about?

    ¡°It¡¯s not about luck,¡± ZapPie said. ¡°It¡¯s about¡­ trust? I guess? How do you even know you¡¯re compatible? What if she has some grim secret? Or worse, what if she¡¯s a co¡ª¡±

    ¡°Secrets are fine,¡± Dema murmured. ¡°Everyone has them. And I don¡¯t think she¡¯s that bad.¡±

    ZapPie sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m just saying it¡¯s sudden. You just met her, and now you¡¯re already talking about starting a band again¡­ You know how I am about that stuff. I¡¯m serious. All I¡¯m saying is¡­ aren¡¯t you moving a bit fast? Maybe if you give it time, it¡¯s got a better chance of working out?¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª?¡± Dema did not comprehend. ¡°How is it fast? I haven¡¯t even seen her at all in over a day.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± At least by now, it sounded like ZapPie was holding back a grin, so it wasn¡¯t a total disaster. ¡°Let¡¯s check, then. You want to play music with her.¡±

    Dema nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ¡°What else?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Dema frowned. She did have urges, of course; any person had them. ¡°I¡­ I wanna make her mine somehow. I mean, if she also wants to.¡±

    ¡°That disclaimer is meaningless to me, you know. I see right through you.¡±

    Dema swallowed. ¡°Hey!¡±

    ¡°So, it¡¯s like, that kind of thing? Hit a vein of girlfriend material on a nighttime mining trip?¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª?¡±

    ¡°You wanna kiss her?¡±

    Dema dropped her phone into a cushion, yelling, ¡°What do you mean!¡± without picking it up. ¡°Kiss? Aren¡¯t you moving a bit fast, there! We¡¯re nowhere near that. And ¡®material¡¯? Bad thing to call someone. Bad! You¡¯re bad!¡±

    Dema kept fuming at her phone, although the fumes quickly went out as the picture of sharing her first ever kiss with Theora entered her mind.

    ¡°A-Anyway,¡± she said after an awkward pause. ¡°Not gonna be like that this time. This is different! Because she and I have only just met.¡±

    Another awkward silence ensued, but then ZapPie said: ¡°This time it¡¯s different because you¡¯re that much of a mess even though you two haven¡¯t even ¡®clicked¡¯ yet?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, exactly!¡± Dema was shouting at the phone proudly. ZapPie was so good at getting her.

    ¡°I mean, if you say so. About the instrument ¡ª just call her and ask?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t have her number,¡± Dema grumbled. ¡°Yet.¡±

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    There was a snort. ¡°So what are you going to do?¡±

    Dema pulled a grimace. ¡°There¡¯s only one thing I can think of, and that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°I say try it.¡±

    Dema giggled. ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t even know what it is.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I know a lost cause when I hear one lamenting into my ears.¡±

    ¡°Meanie.¡±

    ¡°I mean that affectionately.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, I guess,¡± Dema mumbled between her teeth. ¡°Just wish my belly wouldn¡¯t feel so¡­ bright. Whenever I think of her.¡±

    ¡°There we go. Lost cause.¡±

    Dema hung up.

    Her plan to meet back up with Theora was risky, and she had to wait until Monday to do it. But that would be fine. Dema really didn¡¯t want to screw things up with this girl, but she also had that awkwardly misplaced feeling that screwing things up with her might not actually be that easy.

    Theora felt almost like home.

    With a dissatisfied moan, Dema grasped for her bass, and started picking through chord-progressions absent-mindedly. After a while, she resigned, put her head next to her big speakers on the ground and put on some shoegaze.

    On Monday afternoon, Dema found herself in front of the third cemetery she tried. Her heartbeat almost drowned the sounds of dried leaves crunching under her feet. The main path had been dutifully cleaned out, so Dema was walking next to it, curling her toes into the twigs and grazing against the occasional soft mushroom sprouting from the cold ground.

    Save for the noises Dema caused herself, it was quiet. The sky behind the turning leaves was a deep blue, specked with fluffy cloud fragments toward a gold horizon.

    Dema had never been in this place before, but she knew some people buried here. She tried not to think about it. People always left so quickly.

    Now she was thinking about it, and tried to distract herself by searching for the person she was here for.

    She spotted Theora in the distance atop a hill at the end of the cemetery between trees. It wasn¡¯t very easy to find access to the diverging path leading up; it seemed to be a more secluded part of this place. Theora was just standing there, staring at a plaque on a thick tree, wearing a wine-red coat with a layered belt around her waist. Her curly hair stood still in the windless air.

    When Dema¡¯s barefoot steps approached, Theora turned. She showed an empty but slightly curious gaze, grey eyes embedded in a freckled, tanned face. The expression changed, ever so faintly, into confusion, then filled with a hint of a subdued smile.

    ¡°Sorry for bothering you at work,¡± Dema mumbled.

    ¡°I¡¯m done for today,¡± Theora said. ¡°Just lingering. Can¡¯t get myself to leave her.¡±

    Dema¡¯s gaze went to the tree. ¡°Someone close?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know her. I was tasked to bury her, and since then, it just hurts.¡±

    Dema read over the plaque. Amanda Clarine Dupont.

    The name vaguely rang a bell. From the news, a few months ago.

    At first, Dema figured it might make sense to just leave ¡ª she¡¯d clearly visited at a bad time. However, Theora kept Dema in her bright grey stare, her eyebrows slightly raised into a gentle expression.

    Gentle, but oh so oppressive. It kept Dema¡¯s feet glued to the ground. She felt so small next to Theora, and not just because she was.

    Finally, Theora released the intense gaze, asking, ¡°Did you come for a grave?¡±

    ¡°Came for you,¡± Dema said, quietly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s leave, then.¡± Theora returned to the path downhill.

    Dema hurried after, her little legs almost forced into a jog to keep up with Theora¡¯s long strides. She really was larger than Dema in every conceivable way, and it triggered all the wrong responses in Dema¡¯s lizard brain.

    ¡°So, uhh,¡± Dema blurted out as they were on the way out of the cemetery. ¡°You play any instruments?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Aw. ¡°Uh¡­ Ever thought about learning one? Might, like¡­ help you take your mind off things.¡±

    Theora gave a cute little frown and blinked once. Her lashes were so long, too.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never considered it,¡± Theora replied. ¡°Though I suppose it could help pass the time while I¡¯m on call. I usually just spend it asleep.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right!¡± Dema nodded along. ¡°Definitely would. You could play my guitar, if you wanna.¡±

    If this was too much, Theora did not scold her for it. She just kept that bemused frown on her face, eventually murmuring, ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d be able to, on my own.¡±

    ¡°I could teach you.¡± Dema was trying to sound as suave as possible.

    They¡¯d left onto the main street. When they passed Theora¡¯s motorcycle, she just took it and pushed it along with them like a bike.

    ¡°You would?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dema made it sound like no big deal. ¡°Can come to my apartment whenever you want. Can show you the basic chord grips and all.¡±

    ¡°Chord grips.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s when you play several notes at once and they sound nice together.¡± Dema realised only after saying it that Theora probably knew what a chord was.

    ¡°Sound nice together,¡± Theora echoed.

    Maybe she just liked repeating things?

    All things considered, this questionable attempt was going great. They were talking and walking and Theora did not appear to be hopping anywhere. They waited patiently at a street light, and Theora did not disappear into the brushes behind them.

    On the other hand, she had not said ¡®yes¡¯ to having Dema teach her how to play the guitar. So, perhaps¡ª

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where you live.¡± Theora said that right as the light turned green.

    ¡°Oh! True.¡± Dema rummaged in the pockets of her cloak until she found a crumpled-up note, handing it over.

    After reaching the other side, Theora placed the bike out of the way, then carefully unfurled the note as if scared to harm it.

    ¡°My phone number and address,¡± Dema said proudly.

    Of course she had it prepared. She¡¯d spent the past days meticulously planning out this meeting. That note was one of the first things she¡¯d crafted and fussed over, and it definitely looked that way now.

    ¡°So, you are saying I can visit you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    Theora found Dema¡¯s gaze and stared again. ¡°I might.¡± She made it sound like a sad threat.

    ¡°You should,¡± Dema emphasised. ¡°I mean ¡ª only if you feel like it¡­¡±

    They fell silent for a while. Dema wasn¡¯t sure exactly for how long ¡ª she was already busy scheming what she¡¯d do during their first playing session, and when her mind snapped back into reality, she almost wanted to scold herself for wasting the opportunity to talk.

    But then she noticed she really didn¡¯t mind spending her time just walking side by side with Theora. They knew how to meet each other now. There was no rush. They could take things slow now.

    Dema found herself glancing over again and again anyway, and ZapPie¡¯s words didn¡¯t leave her brain for a second, especially not when looking at those thin, light lips.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Theora suddenly said, effortlessly heaving the bike across a rail to lower it into a pocket next to the uphill street. She looked up at a window on the building next to them. ¡°This is where I live.¡±

    Dema gulped. She thought they¡¯d been picking streets at random. She¡¯d been bamboozled!

    It was a tall stone building crowned by a wood-built top floor. ¡°You live in a tower? Damn!¡±

    Theora nodded while tucking away her bike in a storage compartment under the street. ¡°When I was younger, I lived at the edge of town with a friend of mine. But the brigade wanted me to move closer to the town centre. They were kind enough to construct another level on this building for me.¡±

    Dema nodded, still staring upwards.

    ¡°My apartment is not very tidy,¡± Theora continued. ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten yet, either. However, if you would like, you could come in for ¡ª a cup of tea. Or¡­ a movie? Or¡­¡±

    Theora seemed to have trouble coming up with things two people could do together.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she added quickly, taking a step back. ¡°I seem to be getting ahead of myself. I¡¯m very sorry.¡±

    ¡°I wanna!¡± Dema yelped, before this could get any worse. ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡±

    Theora took a shallow breath, and nodded, then produced a key from the pocket of her coat, and opened the entry door. Dema traipsed after.

    Despite a tilted window, the air inside was stuffy and earthy. The ancient stairs creaked at each step, but the wood felt warm against Dema¡¯s toes. She grazed her fingers over the flaking varnish of the bannister. The entire construction wobbled under their ascent. A slanted ladder led to the roof, where a small strip connected to the entrance to Theora¡¯s apartment.

    Dema leaned over the rail to look down at the street. ¡°That¡¯s so cool. They built this for you?¡±

    ¡°At my request,¡± Theora admitted. ¡°It took them a lot of work, but I wanted to live elevated.¡± She turned her head towards town. The sun was setting above the hundreds of buildings, its light glazing the roofs.

    ¡°For the view?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said. She tore her gaze away from the town and turned. ¡°To spot smoke early.¡±

    Then she pulled on the door ¡ª it wasn¡¯t locked. On reflex, Dema followed ¡ª and it was only when she crossed over into the entry hall that her brain caught up with what was happening.

    This bunny wasn¡¯t hopping away. Not at all. In fact, this bunny had led Dema straight to her burrow.

 Chapter 150: Movie Night

    It was only when the entry door swung open that Theora, distracted by the wonder of Dema¡¯s presence, caught up to what was happening ¡ª she¡¯d casually led Dema straight into a big and irredeemable mess.

    It was much worse than Theora had even remembered. There was a sock on the shoe cabinet. How had that even gotten there? And there was dust in the corners, accrued into small bundles by the air Theora kept pushing past whenever she paced through her apartment. The only saving grace was the little spider who¡¯d set up in the top left corner of the entryway, granting Dema at least something cute to look at in this horrifying place.

    Theora shed her coat, using it to cover up the box of her teenage belongings as well as half its contents spilled beside it from when she¡¯d fetched her bracelet. She slid into a pair of old slippers while Dema, without being asked, stepped into a pair of wooden clogs. They were far too large for her, so her steps made particularly loud clunking sounds as Theora held her by the arm to guide her to the kitchen table.

    ¡°You should sit down.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Dema breathed, surprised, her heartbeats pulsing through the skin Theora touched. Dema didn¡¯t even seem to notice. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re spent.¡±

    Dema blinked, focused on calming her breaths, and then sheepishly looked to the side. ¡°Damn, right.¡± She obediently sat down. ¡°Walked a lot today.¡±

    It was understandable; Dema had a thin and small body. Perhaps she wasn¡¯t very strong?

    After making sure Dema was sitting safe and sound and secure, Theora turned to fill the sink with warm water, and soaked the undone dishes.

    Theora had to clean them to make space on the counter. She had to make space on the counter to prepare a meal. She had to prepare a meal because she¡¯d promised.

    She¡¯d forgotten about the state of the kitchen at the time that promise had been made.

    Of course, any reasonable Theora would have avoided this situation from occurring, for example by keeping her home tidy in the first place, or by not imposing this space on a stranger she¡¯d just met.

    But the bare thought of separating from Dema turned her stomach. And while she could have just kept walking through town indefinitely, it was now the start of November, and Dema was barefoot, even barelegged, and the streets were cold. And even just climbing the stairs had broken Dema into sweat.

    Besides, she had warned Dema, and Dema had said yes, and now Dema was here, so perhaps this was fine. Well, almost fine ¡ª Dema¡¯s yearning expression made it seem like she really badly wanted to help out, but Theora would not show mercy. This was her mess, and she had to clean it up herself.

    It didn¡¯t take too long anyway because while Theora was lazy about doing the dishes, she was also lazy about eating, so there weren¡¯t too many.

    Then, she did what she could with the few ingredients left in storage, and soon pushed a plate of baked potatoes with kidney bean curry in front of Dema, who looked at it, and gulped.

    Neither of them had said a word the entire time, but it felt alright. It felt like they¡¯d been silent with each other for decades already, and it was comfortable.

    At least, that¡¯s how Theora decided to frame it ¡ª she definitely didn¡¯t mind the silence, but it¡¯s not like she could have possibly come up with anything to say. Whenever she tried; whenever she looked at those amber eyes shining in the barely-lit kitchen, her chest went up in flutters, and she abandoned the cause in favour of keeping herself collected.

    Eventually, Dema said, ¡°This tastes amazing!¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Theora mumbled. She wished to go hide under five blankets. It was too dangerous for now to make any tea for Dema.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got such a cosy home¡­¡± Dema nodded at a photograph on the fridge. It was a very old picture of Theora and Serim, when they were both about ten, standing in tall grass, laughing. Dema frowned, examining it very closely. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Me and a childhood friend.¡± It was around the time when Serim had first seen Theora use Obliterate.

    Dema continued to absorb every surrounding detail. That was almost as bad as being stared at directly.

    ¡°My flat¡¯s kinda empty in comparison,¡± Dema mused, glancing over the vases with dried flower bouquets, the plants hanging on shelves and standing on counters and cupboards, or even the bigger ones in large pots on the ground. Her focus lingered on Theora¡¯s bubbling jar of brown sourdough.

    Finally, Dema looked through the door into the first part of the living room, to the small furnace in the centre of the apartment, and stayed on the chopped wood lying beside it.

    Theora had forgotten to put on heating, despite warmth being the very reason she¡¯d invited Dema here in the first place¡­ At least cooking had heated up the kitchen. Her negligence when it came to keeping the apartment warm was part of the reason they typically met up at Serim¡¯s place, not here ¡ª and that led to her rarely mustering the effort to properly clean and tidy up.

    When both finished eating, Theora attempted to appear like a good girl, and did all the dishes immediately. Dema didn¡¯t dare to interfere, but was now clacking around the room with her oversized clogs.

    Until she found the bunny-ear circlet.

    Then, without hesitation, Dema did the most adorable thing anyone had ever done ¡ª she put it on, and turned to Theora with a smile. The asymmetric horn poking up between her messy hair complimented the bunny ears incredibly well, with the flowery ribbons right at home.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t ever take them off,¡± Theora heard herself say, and Dema giggled, nodding with ears bobbing.

    Theora shook a few droplets from her hands and dried them with a towel ¡ª the rest of the dishes had to wait until later. She reached over to switch off the feeble light, but now the bracelet shrouded Dema in faint crimson.

    Theora closed her eyes and fled into the living room, hearing the clatter of clogs follow close behind. She pushed a few pieces of wood into the furnace, but was probably already heating up the apartment sufficiently all on her own.

    With the fireplace crackling, Theora stood up with a deep breath, still facing the wall, feeling Dema¡¯s presence right behind.

    ¡°So what now?¡± Dema asked, and Theora kept staring at the flaking paint.

    ¡°The movie is¡ªThe TV is¡­¡± Theora hiccupped. ¡°You can sit down on the couch, if you want to. You could also sit down on the chair, if you would like.¡±

    ¡°Where are you gonna sit?¡± Dema¡¯s voice sounded like she was facing away, looking at the other end of the living room, at the couch, probably.

    ¡°The¡ªThe couch.¡±

    Theora dared to turn, and saw Dema nod, then walk over and drop herself on that very couch. Theora had no choice but to follow suit.

    The living room had a generous T-shape, and Theora¡¯s unmade bed with half her clothing heaped in front of it was in the other alcove, while this side had the contents of the bookshelf spilled across the floor at their feet.

    Dema¡¯s legs were, to put it mildly, a distraction. Theora shut her eyes and pushed herself deep into the couch.

    ¡°Thanks for the meal,¡± Dema said. ¡°Also¡­ like, feel free to kick me out whenever you¡¯ve got enough of me. No being polite!¡±

    Dema had absolutely no clue how polite Theora was being. ¡°You can stay, if you want to,¡± she managed to say.

    ¡°Fine, I will. Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°You should ¡ª if that¡¯s fine with you.¡±

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°It is!¡±

    That raspy voice was giving Theora shivers. She was in so much trouble.

    Dema shuffled around. Clogs hit the ground after being shed. Theora heard, right next to her, a murmur: ¡°So¡­ You said something about a movie?¡±

    Theora opened her eyes. Dema was crouching on the couch facing her.

    ¡°I¡ªYes.¡± Her glance went over a little shelf of VHS cassettes Serim¡¯s parents had filled with movies for Theora when she was a child. She got up and teetered across the room, kneeling down to check the tapes, and found one with the neat handwriting denoting it as containing her favourite movie of all time. She picked it up. ¡°This one is about very large bugs who are part of a fungus-heavy ecosystem that cleans away the toxic damages left behind by careless human devastation.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s watch it!¡±

    Theora fiddled with the old system to get it started. She hadn¡¯t actually rewound the tape after last playing it ¡ª a frequent occurrence, and now she was awkwardly huddled in front of the TV, watching thin streaks of static hurry across the screen as the movie rushed itself back to the starting position. A few minutes later, she pressed ¡®play¡¯.

    The TV itself wasn¡¯t ancient, but that only managed to exacerbate the bad quality her tape had after being watched dozens of times over the years. Of course, she could get a new version of the movie; a DVD or something perhaps.

    Somehow, this old tape felt cosier.

    Even as the bugs began crawling and hovering across the screen, Theora glanced to her side far too often. Dema was watching the scenes wide-eyed, mouth standing slightly open. She¡¯d changed position again; one leg pulled to her chest, the other angled around herself on the couch ¡ª and one hand to keep herself stable, dangerously close to Theora¡¯s thigh.

    Luckily, Theora knew the movie by heart. So, she closed her eyes in self-defence.

    Dema was entirely engrossed. ¡®She can FLY?¡¯ ¡ª  ¡®Oh wow, look at that huge bugger. I¡¯d be angry too if someone ruined my morning right after shedding.¡¯ ¡ª ¡®No! It crashed!¡¯

    Theora wished she could fly too. Or maybe she was already flying. Watching her favourite movie together with her favourite person? She would have never thought this to be possible.

    When, after another exclamation, Dema¡¯s hand landed yet a little closer to Theora, she gently pushed her thigh against it. Dema kept her hand right where it was.

    It didn¡¯t stop there. When Dema scooted a little closer after bobbing up and down, happy that the cute squirrel-like critter survived the last scene, Theora laughed, shifted and slid closer in turn. When Theora stretched to fetch the fluffy throw blanket from the ground and put it over her legs, Dema absent-mindedly dragged the other half over herself.

    Whenever either of them dared an approach, the other would affirm it by escalation.

    Theora never even needed that blanket. Fetching it was just an excuse.

    Dema was half-sitting on Theora¡¯s leg now, their upper arms were leaning against each other. They were leaning against each other.

    They were practically cuddling.

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Theora tried to say, during one of the movie¡¯s quieter moments. ¡°You don¡¯t ¡ª mind? Mind if we touch, right?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Dema said, and when she turned her head to face Theora, she expected a smile, but Dema looked¡­ focussed? There was a bead of sweat on her forehead, and her pupils were so wide. ¡°Do you?¡±

    Theora shook her head, and somehow found the strength to convert that motion into leaning on Dema¡¯s shoulder. Dema tilted her head against Theora¡¯s, their hair entangling.

    It was warm. So warm. So comfortable.

    ¡°I missed you so much,¡± Theora whispered.

    Eventually, the saddest scene of the movie played, and Theora couldn¡¯t help but cry over that poor little bug. She tried to hide it, of course. She didn¡¯t sob; the tears just came out, and she pressed herself back into the couch again, so that Dema wouldn¡¯t notice. She stealthily tried to wipe them away.

    Not stealthy enough. When she put her hand under the blanket, Dema found and held it.

    The two kept sitting there, halfway entangled, even long after the movie was over. It had gotten dark outside. The TV showed a black screen but was still shedding light into the room, somehow. A blue LED shone over the wood slab floor.

    ¡°I liked that movie,¡± Dema said, maybe for the second time. Theora wasn¡¯t sure. Dema had gotten quieter during the latter half.

    Theora lifted her head and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad. We could watch it again.¡±

    Dema giggled. ¡°What, right now? Damn, so greedy!¡±

    ¡°I can never quite get enough of it,¡± Theora admitted. ¡°Although I probably should, if only for the sake of that poor tape. Some parts may have been difficult to follow, so let me know if you have any questions.¡±

    Dema hummed. ¡°Well, not sure if it¡¯s a question question, but there was that scene where she dreamt?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah. I have watched that scene many times, so the tape is barely left. It showed her protecting a baby bug.¡±

    Dema frowned. ¡°Wait¡­ So when the big one inspected her earlier¡­?¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°The movie itself leaves out a detail, but in the story it was based on¡ª¡± Theora glanced over to a well-read series of books lying on the ground. ¡°¡ªthe bugs have a shared conscience. And when one of them saw that childhood memory, they all knew she¡¯d always fought for them, and that¡¯s how they trusted her enough to be swayed by her sacrifice at the end.¡±

    ¡°Damn! You know it all!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my favourite,¡± Theora said. ¡°I could talk about it for hours.¡±

    Dema raised her eyebrows. ¡°Not gonna lie, that¡¯s pretty hot.¡±

    That sudden sentence shut down any follow-up praise Theora was going to place on the movie. Instead, she tried to process the words.

    Hot¡­?

    If anything, Dema was the one who was hot. She was still wearing those bunny ears like the total criminal she was. Well, Theora had told her to keep them on, but still.

    ¡°I-In any case,¡± Theora said, slowly excavating herself from the cuddleball she¡¯d formed with Dema. ¡°It¡¯s bedtime. I should get up early tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Aw!¡± Dema let out. ¡°Bummer.¡±

    Theora tapped over the creaking floor boards, absentmindedly adding, ¡°I¡¯ll check if I have a spare toothbrush for you.¡± There might still be one left, Theora usually kept a few unused ones in a drawer because she disliked having to go shopping every few weeks. However, it was hard to tell, she might have also procrastinated on it so long that none were left.

    As she was brushing her teeth, she did find one, and fetched a fresh towel. She found Dema still sitting where she left her, looking totally mystified.

    Dema asked, ¡°You mean ¡ª I can stay here?¡±

    Theora tilted her head. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. I could drive you home, if you want.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Dema yelped. ¡°No, I wanna stay!¡±

    Theora placed the towel and toothbrush on Dema¡¯s lap, then went to look for pyjamas. Hers would probably be far too large for Dema.

    When Dema returned from the bathroom about ten minutes later, she still looked confused, but damp hair and slightly flush face indicated she¡¯d hopped under the shower for a moment. Theora pressed a star-patterned nightgown she¡¯d been wearing as a teenager into Dema¡¯s hands.

    ¡°This might fit,¡± Theora murmured.

    Dema was already undressing while walking out of view, and barely managed to disappear behind the wall before giving Theora a shock. She returned a few moments later, looking gorgeous. The bunny ears had found their way back on Dema¡¯s head, and somehow they managed to fit the lacey, deep-blue gown well.

    ¡°So,¡± Dema asked, ¡°Where do I sleep?¡±

    ¡°Anywhere you want.¡± Theora gave a weak shrug. She was getting really sleepy. A yawn escaped her, and she stretched. When she opened her eyes again, she found Dema staring. ¡°You could sleep on the couch. Or in the bed.¡±

    Without the clogs, Dema¡¯s feet tapped over the floor with quiet smacks, until she came to a halt in front of Theora, looking up. Theora inadvertently took a step back, which Dema immediately followed up on.

    ¡°Where are you gonna sleep?¡± Dema asked.

    ¡°In the bed.¡±

    These last words may have been a mistake, because Dema¡¯s eyes glinted in fury, and she pushed an accusatory finger gently against Theora¡¯s collar bone. ¡°You ¡ª¡± she started in mock-rage, making a step forward as Theora retreated ¡ª ¡°Don¡¯t¡ªeven¡ªrealise¡ªwhat¡ªyou¡¯re¡ªdoing, huh?!¡±

    Theora found herself cornered against the wall. How was it possible that being stared up at was making her feel smaller?

    ¡°W-What?¡± Theora stammered. ¡°I¡ªDid I mess up? You mentioned your apartment was empty.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Theora blinked. ¡°I¡­ I may have messed up. I had a feeling, I don¡¯t know why, that you perhaps don¡¯t like being alone.¡± There was also the fact that Theora herself was feeling lonely too. ¡°So when you said your apartment was empty, I figured I would offer you company.¡±

    Dema was stunned. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª nice,¡± she sputtered, after a moment. ¡°But do you have to be so hot about it? That stretch! Gosh, I wanna¡ª¡±

    She stopped herself.

    ¡°You wanna¡­?¡±

    ¡°Kiss you so bad.¡±

    This managed to end the feeble rest of Theora¡¯s self restraint. She dove, giving Dema a short moment to retreat, and when she didn¡¯t, pecked Dema¡¯s cheek. Then, she kissed her again, and again, advancing until she hit the corner of Dema¡¯s mouth.

    Dema pulled through Theora¡¯s hair, turning both their heads to make their lips find each other.

    A boulder deeply embedded in lost memory loosened, revealing a faint glimpse at long-forgotten taste ¡ª the colourful salt and bite of Dema¡¯s skin, as Theora had tasted it once, long before, when taking temperature with lips.

    This was so much better, though the past resonated with the now into an unbelievable softness. Both were clumsy at first, teeth bouncing, but it was fine, because Dema¡¯s tongue overwhelmed Theora¡¯s mind with sulfuric spice.

    They broke off. Theora cupped Dema¡¯s cheek, staring.

    ¡°That was amazing,¡± she breathed.

    Dema nodded, clenching Theora¡¯s shirt.

 Chapter 151: Interlude â€” Otherworldly Goop

    ¡°I think mom isn¡¯t getting my messages,¡± I murmur, staring at the System readout. ¡°She¡¯s not responding.¡±

    My legs are dangling down one of Treeka¡¯s roots. She¡¯s growing out some thick ones for me to sit on now that the pioneer roots are crowding the yard. It¡¯s a bright summer day, but her canopy casts most of Dema¡¯s house in a cool shadow.

    Treeka¡¯s spirit body straightens up from her crouch on the roof. She huffs while rustling through her long leaf hair strands, to get them back in order. ¡°Theora¡¯s always unreliable¡­¡±

    I can¡¯t help but smile, clicking my mandibles. ¡°She¡¯s trying her best!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve been gone for thirty years.¡± Treeka leans back down to inspect the faulty roof. ¡°Is this where it rains inside, or is it the hole further up?¡±

    ¡°Main hall in front of the library,¡± I say. ¡°That¡¯s where the bucket is.¡±

    She gives me an annoyed look. ¡°Isobel¡­ I¡¯m bad with three dimensional structures.¡±

    ¡°But you grow the roots perfectly!¡±

    ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s different. Architecture is harder to understand than plant growth.¡±

    I take a moment to make sure. ¡°It¡¯s the one further up, I think.¡±

    She sighs ¡ª she doesn¡¯t enjoy moving around ¡ª but climbs a few more steps anyway. ¡°You know it¡¯s going to take weeks right? Until I grow the foliage dense enough to shield from the rain. The bucket will stay for a while, unless we plug the hole some other way.¡±

    ¡°Sorry. Normally¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, I know,¡± Trekka huffs. ¡°Normally someone else would do it, but they¡¯re all gone, so now I¡¯m stuck doing everything at a snail¡¯s pace. Even though mould doesn¡¯t wait for snail¡¯s pace.¡±

    I think she¡¯s in a bad mood. Maybe because Theora is still not responding. ¡°Do you miss her?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t miss her.¡± Treeka frowns down the opening between the blood tiles. ¡°I only met her once. But she¡¯s all everyone ever talks about, so she¡¯s¡­ on my mind. A lot. Would sure be nice if she didn¡¯t leave you hanging like this.¡±

    I waggle my feet and graze over Treeka¡¯s bark. ¡°I don¡¯t mind hanging around a bit, you know?¡±

    She shoots me a stare, then shakes her head, leaves rippling. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, and you know that. She wasn¡¯t meant to be gone for this long, and you¡¯ve been taking care of everyone the whole time.¡±

    Oh, right, that reminds me. ¡°Actually, where¡¯s our girl?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s playing outside.¡± Treeka stands up, pointing at the cliff. ¡°With An.¡±

    ¡°Oh, An¡¯s here?¡± I let out a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°What were you worried about? Even without An there, wouldn¡¯t it be fine? Do you think she might run off?¡±

    I shake my head. ¡°No, I¡¯m worried she might start an argument again. I mean, arguing is fine, but¡­¡±

    Treeka winces. ¡°Yeah, last week was a bit¡­ Things must be difficult for her. She¡¯s got some big shoes to fill.¡±

    I giggle. ¡°She doesn¡¯t even wear shoes.¡±

    ¡°Well, none of us do. It¡¯s a figure of speech.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for helping me out so much with her, by the way. I¡¯d be a bit overwhelmed on my own, sometimes.¡±

    Treeka slides down the roof, landing on an arched root, and balances along a few others to get over to me. ¡°You raised me from when I was a sapling. Twice. Why wouldn¡¯t I help?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good point, actually. We kind of keep raising each other! Like we¡¯re a big family.¡±

    ¡°That is quite literally what we are, None,¡± Treeka murmured.

    ¡°None!¡± I let out, laughing.

    ¡°Oh! Sorry. Bell keeps calling you that. So I¡¯m not sure if¡ª¡±

    ¡°Any is fine,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m just not used to it. I think I only might be sad if my moms started calling me that. The name¡¯s a bit embarrassing, I just misunderstood a System prompt, and if I had to choose, I¡¯d rather be named by them than by the System, but in a way it¡¯s still a name I chose, so¡­ Yeah, any is fine!¡±

    Treeka nods. ¡°But yeah, as I was saying, I¡¯m just upset that they both left you. And I mean, An is barely doing anything, either.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean! She¡¯s here right now, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, because you sent her a message that you managed to establish contact. She rarely comes to meet us.¡±

    I hum thoughtfully. ¡°I mean, someone has to do Theora¡¯s tasks, right? She¡¯s drowned in quests.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but still¡­ it seems a bit overt. Doesn¡¯t show up for decades unless Theora is on the menu¡­ She could drop by for us sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Aw! You miss her too!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t miss her,¡± Treeka claims. ¡°As I said, I¡¯m upset that all the work to take care of everything falls back on you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. For what it¡¯s worth, An has told us from the start that she¡¯d be travelling with us in hopes of meeting Theora one day. That was the whole point of why we formed a group with her. I assume that¡¯s why she¡¯s making time.¡±

    Treeka shrugs, and then points at the iron bucket I have wedged between splitting roots right next to me. ¡°So¡­ Theora isn¡¯t responding?¡±

    I nod, and kick the bucket. The otherworldly purple goop inside wallows in disturbance with little sparks, before settling back down.

    Miasma. The stuff between realities.

    When I heard that mom and mommy were visiting another world, I figured I could help by establishing a connection to them, like I did as Theora¡¯s handler during her space mission. But the only lead I had on how to do this were people with the [Summoner] class in Lostina¡¯s world ¡ª but both Lostina and her [Summoner] friend are still locked in the fridge, and she¡¯d taken her copy of the book inside with her.

    I counted myself out of luck, but when the two didn¡¯t come back even after months, I investigated a bit more, and luckily, the Observatory still had an old version of the world in suspension.

    That way, I was able to meet up with [Summoners], and they helped me figure out a lot of stuff, especially with the aid of Bell¡¯s [Identify] and my [Compute].

    ¡°Well¡­ Mom did respond, a few times, but she seemed a bit¡­ difficult.¡± I bite off a chip from my rock lips so I can throw it into the bucket, where it fizzles away into the Miasma.

    Treeka¡¯s expression is a mix of worry and disgust. ¡°Would you stop doing that?¡±

    ¡°What? What? Oh, that? That¡¯s how I send messages. I encode thoughts into the structure of my rock by having moss grow through.¡±

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    Treeka stares at me, absolutely horrified. Then, she shakes her head. ¡°You know how much I trust you to not be messing with me, right? You keep staring at a bucket of purple goop, throwing pieces of yourself inside. And don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see you on that cliff a few days ago, when you had lightning strike into it.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± I say. ¡°To be honest, it was a lot more than just lightning. I sent an energy surge.¡± At her questioning gaze, I continue, ¡°The [Summoner] I mentioned helped me scan a variety of otherworldly realities, and we excluded any that did not appear to have foreign signatures in them, and then we ended up eventually finding this one, after anchoring the search parameters to some of Theora¡¯s [Obliterate] damage¡­ And that reality has three foreign entities inside, so we can assume that it¡¯s Dema and Theora, and a third one that also appears to be technically a person. So I had the Observatory send a sample of the surrounding Miasma.¡±

    ¡°Theora and Dema are stuck with¡­ something that is¡­ technically a person?¡±

    I nod. ¡°Yep!¡±

    Treeka is about to say something else, but then her head pivots to the north. A few moments later, Antankla steps into my view from behind the tree trunk. She¡¯s wearing her robes of concealment with a black cloth draped over her entire head, to keep her body from decaying in sunshine.

    Two steps in, she stumbles over a root.

    ¡°Treeka!¡± She kicks the arching wood, annoyed. ¡°You changed the layout again?¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Treeka begins to rush over the roots to help An out, and I close my eyes for a moment to allow her to teleport the remaining distance. When I open my eyes again, her fingers are wrapping around An¡¯s arm. ¡°That root¡¯s supposed to close a hole in the east wing in five months.¡±

    An clicks her tongue. ¡°Why are they all over the place anyway?¡±

    Treeka¡¯s hands tighten slightly around An¡¯s arm. I wonder if An can feel that. People say they perceive Treeka¡¯s touch as a cold breeze. ¡°Sorry,¡± she mumbles.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine if she spreads her¡­ roots?¡± I say right as Treeka is about to start crying. ¡°After all, she can¡¯t even leave the premises.¡±

    An tilts her head. ¡°I guess. I spent like three hours learning them all last time I was here, so I was just surprised.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Treeka bites her lips. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, you know? I¡¯m always here. I¡¯ll help.¡±

    ¡°Yeah but what if you¡¯re hibernating? I¡¯m just wondering why you¡¯re growing out so many. Seems excessive.¡±

    ¡°You can wake me up. Anytime.¡± Then, a bit smaller, Treeka added, ¡°And this is my body, you know.¡±

    I nod. ¡°Yep! Important to take care of her body. I¡¯m a bit heavy, and some of those roots are very fragile. So I have to be really careful where I step so I don¡¯t kill her.¡±

    An carefully steps over the root system, and then lays down leaning against the trunk. ¡°If it makes it more dangerous even to yourself, then¡­ wouldn¡¯t growing them underground be better? Do whatever you want, of course. Just curious.¡±

    Treeka looks a bit discouraged. ¡°Just wanted to hug her back,¡± she mumbles.

    An tilts her head. ¡°Hug her back?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± I say. ¡°Dema¡¯s made the house so it wraps around where we plant Treeka. Like a hug!¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± An says. ¡°You do realise Dema is going to trip over these too, right?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Treeka lets her shoulders hang. ¡°I¡¯m making things difficult for everyone?¡±

    An shrugs. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I think Theora won¡¯t have any issues with this. And I guess Isobel¡¯s right. You can¡¯t leave this place, so do whatever. Didn¡¯t think it through properly.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guess. And, sorry. I¡¯ll tell you next time when I change the layout.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I may have overreacted.¡±

    ¡°Bad mood?¡±

    An clicks her tongue in annoyance. ¡°I guess. That little imp started to argue with a classmate again, so I bailed.¡±

    I look up in alarm. ¡°Oh no! Are things fine?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I mean, she does feel bad for last time, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll hold back.¡± She scratches her neck with her short arm, and shrugs. ¡°And she kept giving me advice while I was training her.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Treeka goes. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re moody. Have you tried staying above it?¡±

    An shoots her the finger.

    I giggle. ¡°I¡¯m sure she means well.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s totally full of herself. If I didn¡¯t know she¡¯d grow out of it¡­¡± An sighs. ¡°Whatever. How¡¯s progress? Did Theora respond?¡±

    ¡°Nope. I keep trying to get in contact, but¡­¡±

    ¡°So that is why you¡¯re back?¡± Treeka asks. ¡°You barely even know Theora.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®barely even know Theora¡¯? I met her once. And that aura of hers is scary. And she promised to help me find the Silver Quaints.¡±

    ¡°Either way,¡± Treeka says, turning her gaze back on me. ¡°What did you mean when you said ¡®technically a person¡¯?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    She points at the bucket. ¡°You said there is another ¡®visitor¡¯ in their world besides Dema and Theora themselves. You said they were ¡®technically¡¯ a person? What does that mean? Technically? I¡¯m a little worried.¡±

    I shrug. ¡°I mean like, ¡®technically¡¯ as in, only when you apply a narrow definition to it? Like let¡¯s say you have a cake, looks like a cake and feels like one and everything, but the cake is made of sourdough bread. Is it still a cake?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°It really depends on what you consider to be the defining traits of a cake. If you say a ¡®cat¡¯ is something with four legs and whiskers, then is a cat with only three legs still a cat? Of course! But how would we codify that? It¡¯s all made-up!¡±

    ¡°I have no idea where you are going with this.¡±

    ¡°I just mean that this third entity appears to be trying really hard to be a person, and technically, they appear to be one, but based on intuition, it makes me go¡­ oh¡­ that¡¯s not really a person, is it¡­¡± I shrug. ¡°It makes me realise how many preconceived notions and biases I have. I¡¯d love to get to know them.¡±

    ¡°This argument is a bit eerie, you know?¡± An¡¯s still lying between roots, grazing her fingers over Treeka¡¯s bark as if reading Relief. ¡°You¡¯re a revived conglomeration of different fossil creatures, I¡¯m occupying a dead body. Treeka¡¯s a ghost. And who knows what Theora is. So you have no issues seeing any of us as a person ¡ª but the one in that world gives you trouble?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say ¡®trouble¡¯.¡± I slide a finger across the edge of the bucket. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ curious. I didn¡¯t know a person could be like that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what makes it eerie, coming from you.¡±

    Treeka frowns. ¡°Why are you putting Theora in there? I thought she was like, the closest to an average human of any of us.¡±

    An turns her head to Treeka. ¡°Are you for real right now?¡±

    Treeka just shrugs, saying, ¡°Oh well.¡± Maybe she gave up talking about this?

    An turns to me. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s so difficult about establishing contact with Theora? Just say, ¡®Hey, here¡¯s Isobel. What the fuck is taking you so long?¡¯¡±

    I giggle. ¡°I tried! If I come on too strong, she just flat-out ignores me!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Treeka grips her upper arms. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense to me. Do you think she¡¯s mad at us?¡±

    ¡°Nah.¡± I stretch, not because I have to, but because I love the clonky sounds. ¡°My working theories are¡­ Compartmentalisation and denial. Maybe. Could be anything really, but judging from the tone of her responses, she doesn¡¯t really seem to be in trouble.¡±

    ¡°Compartmentalisation and denial?¡± Treeka echoes. ¡°You¡¯re saying she¡¯s like me?¡±

    My eyes go wide. ¡°Oh, yeah! Now that you mention it! It¡¯s the same! I think she got really hurt here and is trying to grow bark over the wounds and not think about it. You know, back when they left, Dema was worried she¡¯d end up in a terrible place if she went to a world that she thought deserved her. But Dema joined, and now they¡¯re there together. What if Theora found a reality where she doesn¡¯t have to feel terrible?¡±

    Treeka¡¯s expression turns slightly alarmed as the realisation hits her.

    I shrug. ¡°It¡¯s like. Maybe she¡¯s in a good place now. Maybe she doesn¡¯t actually want to remember this world. Maybe she doesn¡¯t want to return to a place where there¡¯s an evil System trying to make her kill the love of her life. Subconsciously, of course. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s doing it on purpose or anything. If she realised what was happening, she¡¯d come back, because she¡¯d know that her Time Fragment Quest expired by now and she¡¯d feel bad about it and also she¡¯d probably want to squish Bell again at some point.¡±

    ¡°I mean¡ª¡± Treeka hesitates, before adding, ¡°if your best theory is that they¡¯re actually happy there, shouldn¡¯t we¡­ leave them alone?¡±

    I shake my head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not so easy. I don¡¯t want to make assumptions about her choices. And I don¡¯t want her to be left in the dark and not know what¡¯s happening. If Dema and Theora want to stay in that world because it¡¯s great for them, then I¡¯d be happy for them too. But I want both to be aware of the circumstances so they can make a proper choice for themselves, rather than accidentally getting stuck somewhere with no memories.¡±

    Treeka bites her lips. ¡°But isn¡¯t trying to lose bad memories a choice? How can you be sure that it¡¯s not on purpose? Didn¡¯t the thing lead her ¡®wherever she wants¡¯?¡±

    I shrug. ¡°I see what you mean, but that¡¯s still all assumptions. I don¡¯t think she would have made that choice without discussing it with us first, especially not with Dema involved.¡±

    Treeka lets out a dissatisfied sigh. ¡°You are so clingy¡­¡±

    I laugh. ¡°No! Treeka, no I¡¯m not! You are the one who is quick to think yourself abandoned. Bad habit! Mom wouldn¡¯t just abandon us. She made excruciatingly sure that you¡¯d be in good hands before blasting off into space.¡±

    Treeka does blush as I call her out, and gives a cute little nod in acceptance.

    An shrugs. ¡°Well, I hope you figure it out soon. I can¡¯t stay for long, but let me know if there¡¯s something I can do.¡±

    I nod slowly, and stare at the otherworldly goop for a while.

    I just want to make sure they have a choice. That they don¡¯t get stranded. ¡°I¡¯ll keep trying. I want to help Theora remember, to make sure she at least knows.¡±

    And if they decide to stay in that other place because it makes them happy, that¡¯s alright. I will cry my heart out, of course. But I¡¯ll try to be happy too.

 Chapter 152: Interlude â€” Invent One

    One-hundred and eleven hours ago, this reality was hit by a massive flare, sending ripples deep through the voids.

    I ran a large-scale scan of the currents in the surrounding Miasma, and the results came back puzzling: There existed, besides me, two more entities from the beyonds in here, their traces still lingering at their points of entry from thirty years before. Few entities from the beyonds could pierce the veil to this reality, much less exist in it for periods of time.

    Thus, I went to find the entry point of the flare. I glanced up at it, hidden in a room near the top of an old tower in the middle of a town. Signals went in and out, and I reared my larger self to intercept and decrypt them.

    ZapPie: you kissed a girl you just met?

    Dema: I also moved in with her

    ZapPie: yeah, right

    Dema: I¡¯m serious!! she gave me a key and a toothbrush and clothes and she said I can use the key if I wanna go out while she¡¯s gone. she thinks I live here now!

    These messages were of no import, so I cancelled the read-out. Cars raced by on the street, and I tried my best not to hit them. The traffic lights helped keep them safe, leaving way for me to pass in-between. It was a common correlation to be found in this world ¡ª human-typed Shadows would wait out red lights that appeared in their viewport.

    The entry door to the tower was locked. This world¡¯s high verisimilitude complicates tampering, so I was forced to ring the bell.

    A Shadow said, ¡°Yeah? That you, Theora? Back already?¡±

    I said, ¡°No. Please give way.¡±

    The Shadow gave way by activating an electric circuit to release the lock built into the door. I climbed the stairs how they were built to be climbed. They were straining my fickle body, so I arrived at the top heaving breaths.

    The Shadow stood inside the topmost door frame, curiously staring at me. It was with high confidence that I could assert they were not meant to be in this world; I had not seen many human appearances here adorned with this type of bonemade head protrusions.

    I had found my first fellow Traveller, it seemed. Were they the cause of the surge? Its recipient? Energy that entered from the beyonds needed to be contained lest it fester, and its cause be understood.

    I squeezed myself past them, and they yelped.

    ¡°You a friend of Theora?¡± they asked. ¡°I¡¯m Dema, by the way. I think I moved in with her.¡±

    I stared at Dema, attempting to decode the social cues I gave to prompt these words. Dema gulped, and, more forcefully, added, ¡°I swear I¡¯m allowed to be here! She had to leave for work this morning, but she gave me a spare key! We also watched her favourite movie together yesterday, so it¡¯s not like I¡¯m a total stranger.¡±

    Meanwhile, I looked around. This place exceeded the entropy-average I was used to in this reality. I climbed over things knocked over in the kitchen.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Dema said. ¡°I wanted to prepare dinner for later, so I wanted to tidy up first, but that cupboard up there just dumped everything out when I opened it¡­¡± Dema looked shy.

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    Finally, at the end of the small apartment, I found it. Residue energy readings were spilling all over the place, but most of them had been absorbed.

    I stared down at the bed. The sheets were messed up. It was unmade. I murmured, ¡°So this is where it happened.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª!¡± Dema¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Nothing¡¯s happened, I swear! We just cuddled all night, that¡¯s all!¡±

    It had been a few days since the flare, but considering how little residue was left, and how this Dema kept talking about another Shadow whose place this was, it was left to assume that either this Theora had invited someone else in their bed a few days ago, or had themself absorbed the energy, and was carrying it around with them.

    If so, Theora had to be incredibly large.

    Perhaps comparable in size to my self that projected this Shadow.

    I let my eyes gather information about the surroundings. On second thought, if it was true that Theora lived here and cuddled with Dema in a small bed such as this, it meant Theora had to be sized within common boundaries of human-type Shadows.

    If so, Theora had to be incredibly dense. But, at the same time, light.

    It defied reason.

    ¡°But damn, she is a cuddler,¡± Dema rambled on, with their gaze on the bed. ¡°Actually, if you¡¯re here for Theora, she said she¡¯d be back by five, or so? I¡¯d say you could stay but I gotta leave for the hospital soon.¡±

    I continued gathering information, until my gaze fell upon Dema. Dema was mustering me. They said, ¡°Actually, have we met? You look kinda familiar!¡±

    ¡°May I run an intrusive analysis on you?¡±

    Dema giggled. Their voice was smoky. They shrugged. ¡°I guess? Sure? If you¡¯re curious.¡±

    I re-established connection to my larger self, pointing the bulk of it at Dema. Flashes of Dema¡¯s being resounded in my tiny head, and my tiny head felt pain.

    I followed the trails of Dema¡¯s path through the beyonds, saw the swirls in her wake through the Miasma.

    I saw Dema spend aeons confined in a boundless zone. Saw her laugh squeezing blood from stone after stone. A life spent yearning for what she¡¯d already attained.

    I saw Theora. Even viewed through the lens of another¡¯s experience, it appeared clear to me that I was lucky. Had I, in some turn of fate, met Theora first, and attempted a thorough analysis, I would have failed the purpose of my stay by disconnect.

    Last, I saw the problems. In their extrapolation, I saw Dema die.

    The storm finally faded. A target larger than I had assumed, and this fickle Shadow was paying the price. I spent a moment in recovery. Dema had given me a handkerchief to catch the blood from my nose.

    ¡°You appear to be incomplete,¡± I said. ¡°Your whole is a mountain, your now is a grain. Did you not carry all of yourself here?¡± I compared her hash with the ones in my library. ¡°However, we have not met before.¡± I added the hash.

    ¡°Really? Damn!¡±

    It appeared that this Shadow was unaware. Perhaps it had to be this way. Perhaps this world¡¯s verisimilitude made it incompatible with a being such as her former self. I myself needed a projection, though my approach appeared more sophisticated and trained, in comparison. It may have been their first attempt. Or second.

    That sated my curiosity. Whatever these beings were doing here, they¡¯d compartmentalised. I decided against interfering with their travels any further. Perhaps they¡¯d decided to retire.

    Seeing me left in thought, Dema asked, ¡°Everything alright?¡±

    I answered: ¡°Be aware. If left unchecked, flares can cause damage to the underlying fabric. Even access to the building blocks of reality cannot occlude such a wound.¡±

    However, this surge had been well-contained and handled with competence. It was a controlled injection. And, even as a grain, Dema appeared capable enough to rely on.

    I deemed no further interference necessary.

    ¡°Goodbye,¡± I said, turning to leave.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Dema let out, flicking out of the confusion my words had caused her. ¡°Not gonna tell me your name?¡±

    I blinked. I raised one of my hands a little, to stare at it. Light skin, slender fingers. But it was a large hand, in comparison. I was taller than Dema. I realised that I had not prepared a name for this Shadow. Or rather, I hadn¡¯t looked it up. I further did not have a translation of my true name ready for the language of the Shadows, and hashes would be useless to them.

    ¡°If you need a name for me¡­¡± I hesitated. I remembered my earlier analysis of the entity of Dema ¡ª Dema enjoyed the process of giving names. So, I said, ¡°Invent one.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Dema gave a warm smile. ¡°Hope you come visit again, Invent One.¡±

 Chapter 153: Time Together

    Theora noticed things had¡­ changed, during her absence, when she stumbled over a bag right after entering her apartment after her long work day.

    There was a box she¡¯d never seen before lazily dropped at the door to the kitchen, its contents half-spilled over the floor; clothing, a pillow, a bag, and a potted little cactus. A linen bag lay next to it, on the side, with a cabbage rolling out. The drawers were pulled out of the cabinet left to the entrance, some of her things now lying on the floor, and the large cupboard with her clothes stood open. It was easy to identify who was responsible by the evidence she¡¯d left: Dema¡¯s scarf was heedlessly draped over the mess; not really meant to conceal it, it just added to the overall disarray.

    When Theora entered the kitchen, she saw a pot boiling over just as Dema lunged forward to pull off the lid. The floor was littered with vegetable peels, tomato sauce blots, dabs of flour and less easily recognisable remains, with the contents of the storage cupboard Theora had been too scared to open for the past year all stuffed into the corner with the plants.

    ¡°Hey there!¡± Dema let out, smiling wide. ¡°Welcome home! Food¡¯s almost ready.¡±

    Theora beamed. This was incredible work. Dema had managed to hide all of Theora¡¯s mess under an entirely new mess of her own making in just a single day. None of the old chaos was left; it was like Theora had been absolved of all her prior sins.

    ¡°Oh, by the way,¡± Dema added, kneeling down to open cupboards to find dishware, ¡°Invent One came over to visit.¡±

    Theora had to resist the urge to hug her from behind, and managed to take her gaze away from Dema¡¯s calves. Instead, she went over to the table, to make room for them to eat ¡ª Dema had used it to prepare the meal, instead of the kitchen counter, because the kitchen counter was filled with what appeared to be soil. Dema had perhaps repotted some plants. ¡°Who¡¯s Invent One?¡±

    ¡°Dunno. She took a look around the apartment and said some surprising stuff. Outright baffling.¡±

    Theora froze, an empty bowl containing the remains of some lemon-scenting dressing in hand. ¡°She took a look around?¡±

    Dema was oblivious to the reaction, turned around from finally having found two plates, and said, ¡°Yep!¡±

    ¡°Like¡­ here? Everywhere?¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Went to the living room and stared at the bed for a while and then she went home.¡±

    That was terrifying. Theora¡¯s heart was pounding up to her throat as she tried to sort her thoughts. She managed, ¡°Was that¡­ before¡­ or after you uhm¡­ made your own impression on the apartment?¡±

    Dema tilted her head. ¡°Was kinda like, right in the middle of it?¡±

    Theora¡¯s tension subsided in a wave of relief. If a total stranger had seen her mess totally unobscured by Dema¡¯s work, Theora might have cried.

    Dema gently placed her hands on Theora¡¯s shoulder and guided her to sit down, pushing her down onto a chair. Soon after, a bowl of vegetable soup followed ¡ª it smelled amazing.

    ¡°Thank you so much.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Dema sing-songed with a smile. ¡°Still warm ¡¯cause I kept it on the stove. Kinda expected you earlier, though?¡±

    Earlier. Out of an old habit, Theora looked at the dead clock on the wall next to the refrigerator.

    A second ticked by, startling her.

    Dema followed her gaze. ¡°Oh! Hope you don¡¯t mind. Noticed it was out earlier, so I, uhh¡­ wounded it.¡±

    ¡°You wound it up?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    Comparing it to the time on her phone, Theora noticed Dema had apparently set the clock a bit lazily. It was off by a few minutes. ¡°Thank you. No, I don¡¯t mind at all. And yes. Sorry I¡¯m late.¡±

    ¡°What were ya doing?¡± Dema was smiling in honest curiosity.

    What had Theora been doing? It really could only be that she¡¯d lost track of her thoughts after work again. ¡°I¡­ I was at the grave.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ You mean that¡­¡± Dema frowned, rubbing her temples. ¡°That¡­ Amanda? Amanda¡­ Dupont?¡±

    The name chomped at Theora¡¯s brain. It left her stumped, blinking. ¡°Yes,¡± she got out.

    Dema sat down across from her and hummed, pulling her legs in front of her chest. She was wearing one of Theora¡¯s shirts ¡ª too large for Dema, so she comfortably pulled the fabric over her legs. After a moment¡¯s thought, she asked, ¡°If it draws you in so much, why not try to find out more about her?¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­ about Amanda? I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m¡­ scared.¡±

    ¡°Of what? Think it¡¯s gonna be bad?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea. To be honest, I never even considered finding out more.¡± The thought alone gave her anxiety; as if it was forbidden knowledge that might get her to places she did not want to go.

    ¡°Maybe you should? If only to help you deal with it. Mind if I look her up later?¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t do it herself, but if it was Dema¡­ ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°No as in¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Right. You gotta work on that, it keeps confusing me¡­¡± Dema rubbed the back of her head. ¡°Oh, also, I brought my guitar! Don¡¯t use it much nowadays. I guess you¡¯re gonna need an amp at some point if you keep playing, but just starting out like this should be fine?¡±

    It was only then that Theora noticed the large instrument bag above Dema¡¯s head ¡ª stuffed into the only remaining space of the kitchen: the top of the refrigerator. Her view then fell onto another bag hanging off it half open, the contents threatening to drop out.

    ¡°¡­ Are those¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Dema turned around. ¡°Yeah! My inline-skates. I kinda prefer barefoot nowadays but seeing yours in the shed made me wanna get them out again.¡±

    Theora had been using hers years ago for first responses ¡ª until her deployment area had grown to the point of requiring a motor vehicle to arrive fast enough.

    Theora smiled. ¡°We should skate together some time.¡±

    The following two weeks went by in a daze. Sometimes, Dema would join Theora at work ¡ª for no apparent specific reason; she just sat around next to the graves, explored plants, or played with insects. She apparently really liked having ants crawl over her feet and legs, before gently guiding them back down again.

    The days were getting colder, so Theora did not always love to see Dema out barefoot, but Dema didn¡¯t like wearing shoes; she probably didn¡¯t even have any. Most of the time, Theora managed to impose her own sweaters on Dema which at least appeared warm enough, albeit somewhat oversized.

    In comparison, time without Dema went by much slower. It made Theora nervous. As if something had lodged itself into the base of her skull, and was now poking at her brain. Being without Dema was wrong. But Theora tried to prevail. Dema wouldn¡¯t suddenly disappear, right?

    And yet. The words from their first encounter were still ringing in Theora¡¯s mind.

    ¡®Be an honour to get buried by you one day.¡¯

    Why had Dema said that? When they went inline-skating together one evening, Dema had to take an early break. That was normal for someone who didn¡¯t get a lot of exercise in, right?

    ¡°Don¡¯t leave home often,¡± Dema explained as she sat on the stairs leading into the city part, breathing hard, but smiling. ¡°Glad I get to do that more often now. Carry me up?¡±

    And Theora liked carrying her anyway, so she did that a lot even when Dema wasn¡¯t exhausted. So Theora carried her home. But she took every detour Dema suggested. She skated down a narrow tarmac road, Dema¡¯s happy shouts in her ears, who then asked Theora to walk back up through the stairs, maybe just to see if Theora could do that on skates, carrying a person.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    She could.

    Dema was also excited to start making music together. During their first lecture, Theora absorbed with all her attention every little movement Dema made while showing off what a guitar could do.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s the E-string,¡± Dema said, pointing at it. ¡°Play it!¡±

    Theora tugged at it, and a tone resounded. She breathed it into herself, to never forget it.

    ¡°What makes it an E?¡± she asked. Theora did enjoy music, but it had always been obscure. All she knew were the songs Serim was sending her; nothing about how music actually worked.

    Dema shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s just what¡¯s been decided. That¡± ¡ª she slid her finger down the neck of the guitar, pressing down on the string, then plucking it with her other hand, to produce another sound ¡ª ¡°is also an E.¡±

    Theora tilted her head, trying to absorb that sound as well, making space for it in her brain. It was exhausting, of course, but Dema took the time to show her, so Theora wanted to make the time worth it.

    But she had to admit ¡ª ¡°It sounds completely different. Why are they both called E?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an octave higher. But they¡¯re the same.¡± She fetched the guitar from Theora¡¯s grasp and played a few more notes, now at the same time. ¡°See? Octaves.¡± Seeing Theora¡¯s dissatisfied expression, Dema laughed. ¡°Is that giving you trouble?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Theora bit her lips. They sounded completely different. Still, she stored everything into her memory ¡ª Dema¡¯s movements and what sounds they produced, as they played up and down the guitar. It felt like her head had exceeded its capacity a while ago, but still. She wanted to know these things.

    ¡°Usually when making music, you pick a number of notes from all the ones that exist and put them into a group, so then you play mostly notes from that group, right?¡± Dema explained, as if Theora knew any of that. ¡°For example¡ª¡± She played a string of notes. ¡°That¡¯s the C Lydian augmented scale. And also, since you have six strings, you wanna be able to play more than one note at the same time. So you gotta learn how to grab them. I usually just use random notes that I think fit, but for example, here¡¯s a Dominant 7th suspended 4th chord. Gotta remember it, it¡¯s super important!¡± She smiled and it gave the impression that she was both totally serious and joking at the same time. ¡°If you move it up and down the fret like this, you can play it with the root on different notes. But like, that¡¯s for later, because barre chords are straining for the fingers, gotta practise for a while and such.¡±

    Theora followed the fingers at specific positions, in their set rhythm. She looked over at what strings she plucked and when, the cyclic movements of the hand across the strings, but not always touching to produce a sound. Dema¡¯s hands were smaller, so Theora monitored the place where they touched the instrument rather than their exact pose.

    When she got the guitar back, she played it herself, pushing her body to do exactly as told. The C Lydian augmented scale. A Dominant 7th suspended 4th chord. She mirrored the movement on a different origin to play it from what Dema had explained as another ¡®root¡¯.

    She looked at Dema¡¯s face seeking approval, her mind clouded from the effort, but found her staring in slight confusion.

    ¡°I thought you said you didn¡¯t play?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Theora said. ¡°I¡¯m just doing what you did.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Dema followed Theora¡¯s fingers as she repeated the sounds. ¡°Oh, really! You¡¯re doing it like me. Damn!¡±

    She smiled, and that smile made the effort worth it.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little tired now, though,¡± Theora murmured, and fell asleep on the spot.

    Dema also fell asleep sometimes ¡ª for example, when they watched another movie together, and one time at the graveyard as well. She tended to sleep in during the mornings, and was sometimes still buried in bed when Theora left the apartment. On other days Dema would be up first, and prepare breakfast.

    One night, as they lay entangled on the couch, Dema shared her favourite musicians. She was clearly about to pass out, had been for hours, and now it was past midnight. But Dema always said, ¡®just one more¡¯ and Theora obliged, under the condition that it really was ¡®just one more¡¯.

    It never was.

    ¡°You are clearly tired,¡± Theora said. ¡°Let¡¯s go to sleep.¡± She nodded to the other side of the room.

    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna,¡± Dema mumbled. ¡°Can¡¯t end without showing you her second worst best album.¡±

    ¡°You can show me tomorrow. We have all the time in the world.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes wandered over Theora¡¯s face. ¡°Really? Found it already?¡±

    They then both blinked in confusion at those words.

    ¡°Do you dream too?¡± The question was dangerous, but with her head fuzzy from sleep deprivation, it slipped out of Theora¡¯s mouth anyway.

    Dema scratched her hair, then rubbed her eyes. ¡°Dunno¡­ But no dreaming now. Still gotta show you that song. Gonna be the last one.¡±

    Theora smiled indulgently. ¡°That sounds like a lie. You are lying to me. It won¡¯t be the last, it never is.¡±

    Dema produced a little pout from deep in her chest. Her eyes were closed, she was basically already sleeping. ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± she murmured. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m a bad girl after all. You should bring me to justice.¡±

    Theora slung her arms around Dema to pick her up. ¡°I will bring you to bed.¡±

    That same night, Theora received the third emergency alert of the week, although none of them had been life-threatening. Dema wanted to join, but then Theora wouldn¡¯t be able to climb onto the roof from the bathroom window and gently jump down right to her shed from there. So, she went alone.

    Another night, Theora was woken up by Dema playing on her bass and humming a melody along with a smoky voice.

    ¡°Hey there,¡± she murmured, and Dema turned her head, surprised.

    ¡°Damn! Did I wake you?¡±

    ¡°Please keep going,¡± Theora said, and cuddled herself back into the sheets, listening.

    That was, apparently, the reason Dema was so sleepy during the day ¡ª she was writing songs at night.

    Theora was off call on Saturday, so she put on her red coat, packed some food, Dema, a book, and an umbrella, and drove them out of town to the northern fields. They had plans to go practice outside of Theora¡¯s house later in the day ¡ª where they could actually use the electric part of their electric instruments without disturbing anyone.

    But for now, crows were cawing above as Dema stepped up a hill, turned around at the top, and waved down, holding the umbrella to shield herself from the rare raindrop.

    Instead of waving back, Theora fetched her phone, and took a picture. It was on that day that she learned Dema loved having her pictures taken, and that ended up being their main occupation on the trip.

    ¡°Oh by the way,¡± Dema said around noon, right after posing in front of a birch tree, ¡°I looked up Amanda Dupont. You know, that girl in your grave.¡±

    Theora straightened up so suddenly, her back cracked. ¡°What did you find out?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like, a total mystery! There¡¯s apparently been speculation all over? Like, that girl just¡­ went poof. Y¡¯know?¡±

    ¡°As in¡­ died suddenly?¡±

    ¡°No, but that¡¯s the thing,¡± Dema said, pointing at the tree. ¡°Apparently they never found her body. And then like, nobody knew how she even disappeared? Place was locked from the inside. And everybody swears she was a shut-in. Had no family or friends around. Phone and all were still at home too. And they like, didn¡¯t even notice her being gone until much later, judging by the state of the apartment and the food in it and such.¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°Are you saying she might not actually be dead?¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°She was never seen again and it¡¯s not like she was really set up to just skip town. She was talking daily on some fanfiction chat group. That¡¯s actually how her disappearance was found out ¡ª people there got worried because no more chapters got posted or something? So they started an investigation to dox her. I mean like, find her address. Is it still doxxing when it¡¯s done for a good cause? I mean, apparently some were unhappy and said, ¡®If she just wants to up and leave, let her be!¡¯¡±

    Dema must have been putting quite some time into this.

    ¡°But yeah, that¡¯s the gist. This shut-in suddenly disappeared from the face of the planet. Like she just¡­ got lost. They didn¡¯t even have any current photos of her. Only old-ass ones from before her transition.¡±

    Theora frowned. It was of course possible that the urn she¡¯d buried back then didn¡¯t contain actual ashes. ¡°If the grave is empty, then why do I feel so drawn to it?¡±

    ¡°Dunno.¡± Dema poked the ground with the tip of the umbrella. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s time?¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°If that was the case, I think the grave would be louder.¡± It did call out to her, but not really in that way. At least, she thought that was the case, as these slivers of memory vanished from her mind.

    Still¡ª

    If that girl had been a shut-in, there was also no way they could have ever met. After all, Theora wasn¡¯t in the habit of breaking into places. Well, except when she was out for a rescue, if someone was stuck somewhere.

    Theora wiped a raindrop out of her eyes and sighed. If Amanda actually was still alive somewhere out there, she really wanted to meet her.

    ¡°Ah, speaking of time,¡± Dema then said. ¡°It is time, isn¡¯t it? We gotta get going?¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t understand. Yes, they had plans to play their instruments after this, but it was still early in the day. ¡°I didn¡¯t know we were on a schedule.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Dema said. ¡°Just ¡¯cause, like, I don¡¯t want the drummer to wait for us.¡±

    This about a drummer was total news to Theora. ¡°There will be someone else?¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Can¡¯t wait for you to meet her! She¡¯s cool. I thought we could make music together, maybe?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d like that?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema answered, smiling. ¡°Never really got to play together with others before. I¡¯m stuck at home most of the time. Been kinda lonely. So¡­¡±

    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Theora answered. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to impress that friend of yours.¡±

    Dema giggled. ¡°She¡¯ll probably just think you¡¯ve been playing for ages.¡±

    Theora let Dema climb on her back so the way back down wouldn¡¯t exhaust her, and they made their way to leave the fields. Theora pulled out her phone to take a picture of them; with Dema looking over her shoulder, arms slung around Theora¡¯s neck.

    Dema looked so pleased. She¡¯d been so happy about everything they¡¯d done that day; as if she hadn¡¯t gotten to go outside so much in a long time. She hummed a melody from her nightly writing sessions as they descended.

    Theora still did not really get music, but she had learned all the note names by heart and had engraved how to produce them onto her body. She could play any chord Dema requested without hesitation, like a well-trained bunny. Dema had been saying that Theora¡¯s progress on the guitar was good; perhaps now she would get to see if that was actually true.

    Before Theora knew it, she¡¯d started humming along.

 Chapter 154: Realisation Finally Hits

    ¡°There we go!¡± Dema said, pushing away the curtains.

    Theora let her gaze wander over the aluminium shelves filled with cables, speakers, boxes and more. It was part of an abandoned building on the far side of town, and this room stood out at the end of murky, trash-littered hallways with broken windows.

    Dema carelessly rolled across cables and paper on her skates, put her bass into a stand, and plopped down on a half-decayed but recently cleaned couch on the other side of the room. ¡°Gotta wait for Zappie now¡­ She¡¯ll be angry with me if I set up stuff myself.¡±

    ¡°Zappie?¡±

    ¡°Our drummer!¡±

    ¡°Why would she be angry?¡±

    Dema waved off. ¡°Says I¡¯m bad at this and am gonna zap myself one day. Which, like, no! Am not! I do it when I play alone and it goes just fine¡­ But anyway, if she notices I set things up here she¡¯ll look at me all silent with disappointment and all.¡±

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want that,¡± Theora agreed, and diligently took off her rollerblades and tapped across the flooring boards. As she got closer, she noticed how deeply Dema was sinking into the couch. Perhaps Dema would still have set things up, regardless of Zappie¡¯s thoughts, but she seemed so exhausted right now that it may have not been a realistic option. Theora sat down next to her and held out her hands in an offer; Dema understood quickly and lifted her legs so Theora could place them on her lap, to help the blood flow back into that little body of hers.

    ¡°So, what is Zappie like?¡± Theora tried ¡ª mainly to distract herself from the soft hums Dema was letting out from having her calves massaged.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Dema opened her eyes, tilting her head. After a pause, she said, ¡°She really likes helping other people out. That¡¯s like, her thing? Mostly in illegal ways, though. Hooking people up to the electrical grid after they were shut off, for example. Helping them get to places. Things like that.¡±

    An electrician who was recently invited into a band and liked helping people out with illegal means? Why did that sound so familiar?

    Before Theora could fully form the thought, steps resounded from the hallway outside. Dema poked Theora¡¯s belly to get her attention, and then pointed towards one of the windows. ¡°If that¡¯s not Zappie, you¡¯re gonna have to fetch me and bounce. Sometimes the owner comes to check if people are inside.¡±

    They were on the outskirts of their hometown; Theora was fairly sure that whoever might walk through this building to check for intruders would recognise her immediately, making it somewhat moot to attempt an escape. But when the person finally entered the room and pushed the curtains aside just like Dema had before, Theora realised there would be no need for an escape either way.

    ¡°Zappie!¡±

    ¡°Girl, I told you. It¡¯s zap-pie.¡± Then, Serim¡¯s gaze fell on Theora, and the room fell into silence.

    For a moment, the only thing moving was the curtain behind Serim¡¯s back, pushed back and forth by a soft breeze. The air was stale from the dust they¡¯d thrown up on entry. Faint industrial noises hit the windows from far away. Serim stared at Theora in confusion, and Theora stared back in growing horror. She had not responded to any of her recent messages.

    Then, understanding seemed to dawn on Serim¡¯s face, and she finally showed a graceful smirk, letting Theora breathe out and giving her a chance to remove her suddenly clammy fingers from Dema¡¯s calves.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what you¡¯ve been busy with,¡± Serim said, raising one of her eyebrows. ¡°Explains a lot, actually. I almost feel bad for intruding, but I was invited, so¡­¡±

    Theora could feel Dema¡¯s gaze flicking over. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Dema asked, confused. ¡°Wait ¡ª are you exes?¡±

    Theora regretted taking her hands off Dema¡¯s legs to send that misguided message ¡ª she¡¯d done it because her phone was probably featuring a dozen unread messages from Serim by now, and for no other reason. That anonymous person had kept trying to reach out, and it made Theora feel so bad that she¡¯d been avoiding her phone. Dema¡¯s enthralling presence had made that all the more easy.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Theora pressed out. ¡°Please forgive me.¡±

    Serim snorted. ¡°Look, it¡¯s fine. I knew you were probably either busy or heartbroken, and I figured you¡¯d reach out whenever you wanted. You know that, right? You can reach out whenever.¡± As she was talking, her eyes flicked between the two, and then she blinked with another realisation. ¡°Wait, the two of you kissed right after meeting? Damn, how did you manage? I always thought the maximum amount of useless lesbians possible in a quick-paced relationship was one.¡±

    Theora blushed. She¡¯d managed to kiss Dema during their very first date. Not so useless now, was she? Perhaps all it had ever taken was a tremendous cutie who dared her to do it.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Dema suddenly let out, as if the realisation was hitting her finally too. ¡°You two know each other?¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Serim said, wordlessly picking up Dema¡¯s bass and plugging it into the devices and boxes. ¡°Childhood friends, actually. Or siblings, depending on how you look at it. My foster parents took Theora in for a few years when we were young.¡±

    ¡°Siblings,¡± Dema breathed in awe, her eyes flicking between the two, and then she smiled. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m jealous! I wanted a childhood friend too! My foster parents had no other kids¡­¡±

    ¡°Poor girl,¡± Serim said, shrugging. ¡°At least you have us now.¡±

    Dema gave a warm nod. ¡°Guess I do.¡± Her legs shifted a bit more into Theora¡¯s lap. ¡°Why, that¡¯s nice. Didn¡¯t know my two favourite people were siblings.¡±

    Stunned by the inclusion of Dema¡¯s favourite two people, Theora¡¯s brain froze for a moment until the words fully parsed, and realisation finally hit her. She looked between Dema and Serim. ¡°Wait. You two know each other, too.¡±

    Serim nodded patiently. ¡°Online friends mostly, yeah. Dema wasn¡¯t allowed to leave home much as a teenager, and then she was stuck in the¡ª¡± Her eyes darted over to Dema. ¡°Well, she spent a long time in isolation, is what I¡¯m saying. We got to know each other on a local queer chatting group.¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Which I found through a trans group. Foster parents couldn¡¯t not let me have a phone.¡±

    Theora looked at Dema. ¡°You¡¯re trans?¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°Kinda? I was born without a gender and had to, like, pick one.¡±

    ¡°The fact that you were made to feel like you had to choose one at all is a crime by itself,¡± Serim deadpanned.

    Dema nodded. ¡°Not unhappy with how I ended up but¡­ yeah.¡±

    ¡°After a while in that group,¡± Serim went on, ¡°we realised we were both listening to rock, even playing it ourselves, so we sent samples to each other and ended up talking a lot.¡±

    Getting to know people online sounded like total magic. Theora had no idea how she would even attempt to go about it. But Theora knew a lot of people too, and they all lived in the same town, so why¡­

    ¡°You alright?¡± Dema asked, squeezing her hand.

    Theora noticed she¡¯d tensed up a bit only when Dema touched her. ¡°I¡­ Yes. I am alright. This is a lot at once. Not in a bad way, just in a¡­¡±

    ¡°In an ¡®a lot¡¯ way?¡± Dema spoke this as if it was one word, and she noticed that once she¡¯d finished, muttering ¡®inanalot¡¯ a few times under her breath, looking both slightly befuddled and amused at once.

    Hearing that word several times somehow managed to distract Theora and calm her down a little. Serim knew a lot of people; her also knowing Dema wasn¡¯t far-fetched. Theora herself knew many people as well, mainly through her work, although it was less of a knowing and more being distantly acquainted. Still¡­ if Dema and Serim had known each other for years, then with Theora and Serim being together since childhood, should they not perhaps have met before? Perhaps not met; but at least heard of each other?

    Dema¡¯s hand was still reaching out, and Theora gently tugged a finger around Dema¡¯s matching crimson bracelet. They¡¯d met through their bracelets. Dema had chased the glow, and ended up at the well. They¡¯d met because the bracelets kept leading them closer to each other; a function they had managed to turn off since, as it could be distracting, but they hadn¡¯t taken off these bracelets. Somehow, they seemed necessary.

    And¡­ the only reason why Theora had started wearing hers again was because of that dream. That long dream, reminding her of that forgotten time in another world.

    In other words¡­ that dream of a time where they had known each other had caused them to meet again here. They had been in such a close orbit for so long, and yet never seen each other before. An awkward feeling nested itself in Theora¡¯s belly. Was it that they couldn¡¯t have met before she¡¯d had that dream?

    ¡°I think she¡¯ll be back when she sorts out her thoughts¡­¡± Serim¡¯s voice rang out, barely managing to scrape Theora¡¯s consciousness.

    Either way ¡ª the good news was that they had finally managed to meet now. And it was at this moment that the realisation finally hit ¡ª Theora¡¯s two favourite people of this world were in this room right now with her too, ready to spend time together, even ¡ª to make music. That thought made her attention snap back to the others, and she found herself smiling so much it threatened to hurt, then found Dema watching her, enraptured. A glance over to Serim revealed her biting down on a smirk.

    ¡°I spaced out,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Oh yeah, you so did!¡± Dema said, laughing. ¡°For like, two hundred years.¡±

    ¡°Seems like you¡¯re having fun at least,¡± Serim added. ¡°So, I don¡¯t have to be worried about you playing rock? Wouldn¡¯t have thought that¡¯s your style, so I¡¯m making sure. Isn¡¯t your favourite instrument the piano?¡±

    By reflex, Theora looked at Dema. Her favourite instrument might be switching to bass.

    ¡°Really?¡± Dema asked. ¡°You like the piano?¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ pretty. I really like calm and¡­ serene songs. Someone singing to a piano. Harps, too. Things like that.¡± But then she bit the inside of her cheek, hastily adding: ¡°But I like other types of music, too! I¡¯m just saying¡ª¡±

    ¡°One can love more than one thing, right?¡± Dema went and nodded. ¡°You said that before, I think.¡±

    Had she? Still, Theora nodded. Then, she looked over to Serim, smiling. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be surprised I¡¯m joining. After all, most of the music I listen to is what you send me.¡±

    ¡°Honestly I kind of figured you just ignored most of those links.¡±

    Theora shook her head. ¡°No way. I¡­ can get bad about answering messages. But I would never not listen to what you send me.¡±

    ¡°Well, that makes me kind of happy,¡± Serim said, blushing a bit, which was a rare sight so Theora savoured it. ¡°Either way, I finished setting up. Let¡¯s tune your instruments?¡±

    Dema was already getting up before Theora could even say, ¡°Yes.¡±

 Chapter 155: Volcano Goes Boom

    ¡°Just going to play on these tonight,¡± Serim said after rolling out a few large buckets from storage. ¡°Since we¡¯re just trying stuff out either way. If we want to play more, I can get my drum set here or we find a different place.¡±

    Theora noticed the cord that Serim had plugged into her guitar; it led to a little box on the ground. This was, probably, what the ¡®electric¡¯ part in an ¡®electric guitar¡¯ was all about, although Theora had little concept of what it actually meant. To test it out, she plucked a string, the guitar still lying on the ground ¡ª and startled.

    She said, ¡°There might be something wrong with it.¡±

    Dema giggled. ¡°You mean because it¡¯s all grungy? No, that¡¯s how it¡¯s supposed to be.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Dema came a bit closer and nodded towards the box standing on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s an amp!¡±

    ¡°An amp.¡±

    ¡°Short for¡­¡± Dema looked like she¡¯d forgotten the term, but eventually said, ¡°amplifier,¡± making Theora question just a little bit whether it was actually the right word. Then, Dema said, ¡°Like, imagine you¡¯re playing some video game and you¡¯re really strong, but then you get tons of buffs and get even stronger? An amp¡¯s like a buff. Makes you shine!¡±

    Serim nodded. ¡°If you say you click my links then you must be hearing that all the time?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Dema said, ¡°not sure she realised it¡¯s the same instrument. ¡¯Cause she also says notes played an octave apart sound ¡®completely different¡¯ to her. Pretty sure she¡¯s still only pretending to get that they¡¯re the same.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t embarrass me like that,¡± Theora answered with a soft smile. ¡°I know very well that they are the same note, even though they are an entire octave apart.¡± Because Dema had said so, and she trusted Dema.

    Theora turned back towards her guitar, still just kneeling next to it as it lay there. She hesitantly plucked another string, trying to understand what exactly that machine was doing to the sound. It was puzzling, so when the sound stopped, she played one more, until she noticed both Serim and Dema stare at her expectantly.

    She looked up at them, tilting her head. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Serim said, raising her arms, using the gesture to push a strand of black hair out of her face. ¡°Just fascinating to watch. Like a cat touching water.¡±

    ¡°Like a skunk getting petted for the first time ever,¡± Dema agreed.

    Theora couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Sweeties, I can¡¯t focus on this if you make fun of me.¡± With that, she returned to tentatively playing notes, trying to ignore the whispers from the two about how she¡¯d just called them ¡®sweeties¡¯.

    She played an open E. Then, an F. Then, an F sharp ¡ª or a G flat; Theora wasn¡¯t sure, Dema kept changing its name whenever she talked about it. All through this, of course, the guitar itself still made sounds ¡ª they were just overwhelmed by the loud distorted interpretation of the amplifier.

    But there was some kind of structure to it. In fact, sound was really a lot like fast winds. It had been less apparent when listening to music on earphones, but now¡­ Now that she could feel it with her entire body, not just her ears, she noticed: It wasn¡¯t just one wind, it were many. A slow one at the base with more stacked on top. She pressed the pedal to deactivate the distortion. Then, she added it again.

    ¡°It puts more into it,¡± Theora mumbled.

    Dema scratched her head. ¡°More into it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all wind stacked on wind. But the winds are very rhythmic. You can count them, right? But this one¡ª¡± She pressed the pedal. ¡°More. Puts in more little winds.¡±

    Serim said: ¡°She¡¯s probably talking about overtones.¡±

    Theora found her gaze. ¡°Overtones?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Pitch is determined by the slowest sound wave, which is called the first harmonic. More harmonics stack on top of it, and they resonate because they share nodes. Feels good to listen to. Then, the amp adds saturation ¡ª including overtones that don¡¯t harmonise. That makes it sound distorted, fuller.¡±

    Theora blinked. That was how it worked? She played an E again, and then another, focusing on the lowest way it made her body swing. She counted.

    Then, she laughed.

    ¡°One of them is twice as fast as the other. That feels funny.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s the same note, yes,¡± Serim nodded. She looked at Dema. ¡°You didn¡¯t teach her this?¡±

    Dema jolted up at the accusation. ¡°Why, didn¡¯t think it was important?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Serim started, ¡°I guess normally it isn¡¯t, but¡­¡±

    Humming along and shifting her body left and right, Theora played through some chords Dema had taught her, and realised ¡ª ¡°This¡­ sounds well together, because¡­¡± She played another chord, dissonant this time. ¡°Ah.¡± Her cheeks hurt from smiling. This was amazing. ¡°The ones that sound satisfying meet each other more often.¡± They made her body swing in harmony.

    A buff. Adding overtones. Playing together. Supporting each other.

    She¡¯d never seen much use for buffs or support before. Taking care of quests ¡ª or rather, emergency calls ¡ª felt easier when she didn¡¯t have to worry about people around her who might get caught in the crossfire. And so, she¡¯d gotten used to doing everything on her own, alone.

    But Dema was strong. She played the guitar better than Theora could ever hope to, and the guitar wasn¡¯t even Dema¡¯s main instrument. And now, Serim was here too, providing a base for them to move on top of.

    Perhaps Theora didn¡¯t have to play solo anymore.

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    She plucked through the notes of an octave, but then hesitated between a G sharp and an A. She played the A over and over again, listening closely. After focusing for a while, Theora¡¯s eyes opened again, and she smiled. ¡°So this A has a little more than 438 winds per second as its base.¡±

    Serim shot Dema a glance. ¡°Really? You are doing this even to her? Can¡¯t you at least start with standard turning?¡±

    Dema bit her lips. ¡°What do you mean! What¡ª what if she miscounted?¡±

    ¡°Lying won¡¯t get you out of this. There is no way she miscounted.¡±

    ¡°I might have,¡± Theora admitted.

    Dema¡¯s eyes sprang to her, bewildered. ¡°No way. There¡¯s no way you miscounted, don¡¯t listen to them! You¡¯re perfect.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s you who said it,¡± Serim deadpanned. ¡°What if you mess up her absolute hearing by telling her all the wrong names of notes?¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have absolute hearing,¡± Dema grumbled. ¡°She¡¯s just counting the bumps.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said. ¡°I¡¯m just counting how many times it shakes me. Nothing is being messed up. My innards are fairly resilient.¡±

    ¡°Also,¡± Dema added, looking like she was about to cry, ¡°I thought she wouldn¡¯t notice! I thought nobody would!¡±

    ¡°Well, they notice as soon as they start playing with you and everything sounds off.¡±

    ¡°Not my fault all the best notes aren¡¯t on the normal tunings¡­¡±

    Serim sighed. ¡°Not that there¡¯s anything wrong with that. I just thought you¡¯d let Theora learn the basics first¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Theora asked. ¡°What did I notice?¡±

    Dema sat down on the ground next to the guitar and sang a note. It was incredibly stable in her raspy, resonating voice. ¡°That¡¯s how an A is supposed to sound like,¡± she explained, but it sounded off. Then, Dema played the note on Theora¡¯s guitar, and sang that note too, in perfect resonance. It didn¡¯t sound off at all. ¡°I prefer tuning it a little lower.¡±

    It was at that moment that Theora realised Dema could sing perfectly if she wanted to.

    ¡°Anyway!¡± Dema let out and jumped up. ¡°Are we gonna play anything or not? I wrote lyrics so someone¡¯s gotta sing. Theora?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Gonna sing for us?¡±

    Theora jolted back, bumping into an aluminium shelf, clattering its contents in a sharp noise.

    ¡°Don¡¯t scare her like that,¡± Serim said, betraying her worry by looking amused. ¡°Guess you gotta do it yourself, Dee.¡±

    Theora flushed as she tried to sort the shelf back into order.

    Dee. That was a cute nickname.

    Dema looked at Serim. ¡°How about the song I sent you? Did you take a look at it?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°What song?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°The one I¡¯ve been writing,¡± Dema said proudly. ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®yet to ask her out¡¯. Haven¡¯t written a guitar section for it though, so can you just¡ª¡± She tapped a few notes on her bass. ¡°Play that on repeat? Like, as chords or something.¡±

    Theora played through it once to commit it to muscle memory and then nodded.

    ¡°Nice. Let¡¯s go then!¡±

    Serim counted down and then she and Dema began playing. Theora joined in within a fraction of a second because she wasn¡¯t sure if they would start at one, zero, or a beat later.

    The sound coming out of Dema¡¯s bass was low and brute, and Serim¡¯s makeshift drums were low in comparison to Theora¡¯s guitar, but the timing seemed amazingly accurate where Serim wanted it to be. Of course, Theora had heard Serim play before, but it had never made so much sense to her as it did now.

    By the time Dema started singing, Theora had concluded that it was both the worst and the best song she had ever heard, and everything about it was screaming that that was exactly the point. Dema could sing on pitch; she had just proven that. Now, she was sounding off and clumsy. Because she wanted to.

    Trick her into liking me by playing cool ?

    Then melting as she fills my void

    It was never that Dema couldn¡¯t sing; it was that Theora had been unable to listen. And just as the song threatened to start making sense, Dema continued with:

    Plucked my heart from the garden ?

    Like a grape to be devoured by a shark

    ¡­ before Serim went haywire for a moment and they started the chorus:

    We already kissed but I wanna ask her out

    Already moved in with her, haven¡¯t even asked her out ?

    Theora almost messed up the next chord when she noticed that this song might be about her. Yet, it was amazing ¡ª the way every single note played or sung brought its own harmonics, then weaved together with the others into a massive and beautiful storm.

    I¡¯m coal and she¡¯s hay,

    tinder, hearth, and prey ?

    Breathes life into the ashes

    Volcano goes boom!

    Theora had never been good at magic, but for once in her life, she felt a little closer to it. Of course Dema would be good at this; of course she would sound off to people who wouldn¡¯t meet her on her own terms. Dema was an ancient mage who invented spells at leisure, and in a way, music was like magic too ¡ª it was this world¡¯s magic, together with chemistry, perhaps.

    They played for an hour or two; Theora wasn¡¯t sure. After every playthrough, Dema and Serim found new things to add or change, and what started as a few chords on repeat turned into a lot more; Theora wasn¡¯t sure what, but she tried her best to remember.

    When they finished, Dema cheered, turning to Serim. ¡°She really is that good, right? I was like, almost kinda scared I was imagining it ¡¯cause I¡¯m like, biased from crushing on her big time.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Serim went as she walked over to the couch, ¡°I¡¯m biased too, since she¡¯s basically my little sister¡­ But no, I don¡¯t think the issue lies with our biases.¡±

    Theora carefully placed the guitar in its bag and then joined Serim.

    ¡°May I?¡± Serim asked, and Theora nodded absent-mindedly while watching Dema tidy up behind them.

    Dema was treating all the instruments and devices with newfound care and poise, now that they had used them to actually play together. Her movements were a little slow ¡ª perhaps from carefully tipping around cables on her rollerblades, or maybe from exhaustion.

    ¡°So¡­¡± Serim began tentatively, ¡°does that mean we¡¯ll do this again, or¡­? How¡¯re you all feeling?¡±

    ¡°I feel good,¡± Theora blurted out. ¡°I mean ¡ª it was fun. I had fun. I feel good.¡±

    ¡°Me too!¡± Dema said. ¡°We should set up another session, right? Theora and I can¡¯t tomorrow ¡¯cause we¡¯ll be out.¡±

    Theora turned her head to face her. ¡°We will be out?¡± It was the first time she¡¯d heard of that.

    ¡°Yep! I asked around and managed to find the apartment complex Amanda Dupont used to live in. I set up a meeting with one of the neighbours who knew her so we can ask her questions, if you wanna. Sound good?¡±

    Theora felt a sudden bout of nerves flare up, although not necessarily in a bad way. She nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s try that.¡±

    Dema was smiling all the way through, until she saw that Serim had dropped her legs into Theora¡¯s lap. A hint of jealousy flashed over her face, followed by a little pout. Then, she shook her body, and continued working.

    ¡°You can lie on my lap later, if you want to,¡± Theora offered. Dema didn¡¯t even have to ¡®ask her out¡¯ for that, she could just do it.

    ¡°I know!¡± Dema let out. ¡°I know, I know!¡± She took a deep breath, looking at the wall. ¡°I¡¯m gonna.¡±

 Chapter 156: Case Closed

    ¡°So this is where she lived¡­?¡± Theora murmured as they stepped on the yard of a small apartment building. It was made of concrete ¡ª grey and dirty, but the balconies were lined with flowers and clothing hanging up to dry, making the place seem alive despite the gloom.

    Theora couldn¡¯t quite place whether that gloom came from the building and the overcast and the humidity, or if it was just carried here by her own feelings about Amanda Dupont¡¯s disappearance.

    Both Dema and her were talking about it in these terms now ¡ª disappearance, rather than death. Even though neither of them had any expectations or even hope of actually finding Amanda. There was no reason to believe she was still part of this world. But¡­ her grave was empty. Her body had never been found.

    That hadn¡¯t stopped authorities from declaring the case closed, though.

    Dema nodded up to the highest floor. ¡°She lived right under the roof.¡±

    According to the reports, they had encountered the apartment locked. Amanda¡¯s key had still been inside, together with spoilt food on a half-eaten plate, pain medication, and traces of blood. Amanda herself was gone.

    Right as Dema wanted to walk ahead, her phone buzzed. She pulled it out of the breast pocket of her red flannel blouse, then frowned at the display.

    ¡°Are you wearing my teenage clothing?¡± Theora said, only realising it now. It fit surprisingly well.

    ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± Dema said, distracted. ¡°Found it in a box.¡± She looked back at the phone. ¡°Unknown number,¡± she explained, sounding somewhat puzzled. Theora¡¯s stomach clenched. ¡°I never get messages from unknown numbers!¡±

    ¡°What does it say?¡± Theora asked, carefully.

    ¡°Well¡­ it says, ¡®What are you currently occupying yourselves with?¡¯¡± Dema shuffled next to Theora so that they could both look at the display, and typed, ¡®New phone! Who¡¯s this?¡¯

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you been using this phone for quite a while?¡±

    Dema turned, with a bright expression, but nodding. ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s just how you say this, it¡¯s an expression!¡±

    Oh. Theora did not use her phone enough to be aware of such intricacies.

    Before she could dwell on it, Dema received an answer: ¡®The denomination I received from you is Invent One. What are you currently occupying yourselves with?¡¯

    Dema¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s her!¡± Then, still smiling, the confusion drooped back into her face ¡ª she pulled her eyebrows together and mumbled, ¡°Wait, ¡®denomination I received from you¡¯? What¡¯s she mean? Also how¡¯s she got my number?¡± Still, without hesitation, Dema responded with, ¡®We¡¯re out investigating something!¡¯

    The next answer took a moment longer to appear and read, ¡®I have experienced the urge myself. However, as we have now established contact, for efficiency you may receive information directly from the source, if needed.¡¯

    Dema looked at Theora. ¡°Does that make any sense to you?¡±

    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t.¡±

    Then, Dema shrugged. ¡°Oh well, don¡¯t wanna make Bridgit wait. Let¡¯s ask Invent One later. Actually, I wonder if she¡¯ll let me call her IO? That¡¯s shorter.¡±

    ¡°You seem a little happy,¡± Theora observed.

    ¡°Well, yea!¡± Dema answered, beaming. ¡°Was wondering if I¡¯d get to meet her again, and now we have her number¡­ You could meet her too!¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s do that, if she wants to.¡±

    They reached the doorbell, so Dema pressed a button on the highest floor, and waited.

    ¡°Dema?¡± an old female voice asked from the speaker.

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ¡°Oh, good, good. Come on in.¡± The door buzzed, and they entered.

    ¡°She¡¯s the neighbour you got in contact with?¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Yeah. I looked up the address in a phone book and called random numbers.¡±

    Theora followed up the stairs. Dema was tiny and weak, but walking in her shadow was so comforting.

    Dema had made this all happen. Found Amanda¡¯s old address, worked out an itinerary to get them there, called in to the fire brigade to move Theora¡¯s shift ¡ª Theora herself never felt comfortable saying no to them.

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    And now, Dema had found a way in, to talk to someone who may have known Amanda too. Perhaps Dema really could succeed at any scheme she put her mind to.

    ¡°Oh, hello there,¡± an old woman said, welcoming them into her apartment with wide smiles. She had thick, white hair puffed up at her head, and dark eyes. She adjusted her frameless glasses with a little push of her fingers. ¡°I¡¯m Bridgit. So you¡¯re¡­¡±

    ¡°Dema,¡± Dema said.

    ¡°Then you¡¯re Theora? Welcome. Tea will be ready soon.¡±

    They went through a stuffed apartment with many trinkets and pieces of furniture that had already long-since gone out of fashion when the old d¨¦cors Theora herself liked so much were still in vogue. Tiled designs with flowery walls and books and little statues lining all the cabinets formed a path into the living room with large chairs.

    Bridgit offered them the seats. After plopping down on one with her legs crossed, Dema made a show of leaning back and pulling a notebook and pen out of the breast pocket of her borrowed red flannel blouse. Seeing Dema slumped in the chair like that in her old clothing, Theora¡¯s breath caught.

    Then, Bridgit hurried out and back in with plates of cut fruits. ¡°Eat as much as you like.¡±

    Theora took the offer, biting into a slice of sour apple to clear her head. ¡°Apologies for the intrusion.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on, don¡¯t be like that. Dema was charming on the phone, and I want to help out.¡±

    ¡°Help out?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°Well, yes.¡± Bridgit puckered her mouth. ¡°Shame what happened to that girl, least I can do is give answers to people who care. They didn¡¯t even find her and still pretended the case was shut and clear.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s horrible,¡± Theora breathed.

    Bridgit nodded. ¡°Not even a search! I offered to describe her so they could draw a picture, but they weren¡¯t even interested in that.¡±

    Dema flapped open the notebook, ready to write. ¡°What did she look like?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a while, and it¡¯s not like I saw her all that often,¡± Bridgit said with a sigh. ¡°But what I remember: very pale. Blond. Shoulder long hair. Skinny, oh so skinny, hurt to look at sometimes, but she didn¡¯t like when I brought food over. Light eyes, yes.¡±

    As the description went on, Dema started shifting on her chair.

    ¡°So when you saw her,¡± Theora started, ¡°Did she¡ª¡± She choked on the question. This was probably the only chance she had to find out more about who Amanda had been. And so, she gathered herself to ask again. ¡°Did she seem unhappy?¡±

    Bridgit tutted. ¡°Why, yes. She did.¡± Her eyes flashed up knowingly. ¡°But I didn¡¯t know her well enough to say if it went that far. As far as¡­ not wanting to be here anymore. But I would guess it¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying she ran away?¡± Dema asked.

    The woman took a deep breath. ¡°Honey, I don¡¯t think she could have run anywhere.¡± Her eyes went over Dema¡¯s body. ¡°Surprises me you even made it up the stairs, to be honest.¡±

    Dema shrugs. ¡°Worst case, Theora carries me.¡±

    Letting out a huff, Bridgit continued, ¡°Rest up before you leave, will you? But Amanda was the same. Her body was fickle. Couldn¡¯t have made it far, without her things, even. I doubt she could even walk to the station without her legs giving in.¡±

    That prompted Bridgit to get up and scurry into the kitchen, to return with cups of apricot flavoured fruit tea. She made sure to push a plate of cookies close to Dema as well.

    She hesitated after sitting back down, and took a deep breath. ¡°That said, about the running away ¡ª and please don¡¯t take me for a confused old woman ¡ª I did have the feeling someone was climbing out the apartment around that time.¡± She nodded to her balcony. ¡°I¡¯m out there a lot, you know. Can¡¯t sleep well at night, always waking up, so I sit there when sleep won¡¯t take me. And¡­ look, I know how this sounds, but a while before people realised she was gone, I thought I saw something happen in the dark.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You think¡­¡±

    Bridgit shrugged, and waved off. ¡°I don¡¯t think she could have possibly climbed anywhere, nor does it seem plausible someone else could have gotten up there without the cameras seeing it. But I¡¯m just saying ¡ª that¡¯s what I heard and saw. I told the authorities, but¡­ well. What will you do. Not like it¡¯s making any sense to me either.¡±

    Silence befell the room, only broken by the scratches of Dema¡¯s pen. When she finished jotting things down, her gaze seemed to jump around in them, and her fidgeting returned. ¡°So¡­ back to her appearance¡­ there¡¯s something I gotta check. For example, how tall was she?¡±

    Bridgit looked at the ceiling, combing fingers through her hair. ¡°A little taller than me. But always hunched over so you couldn¡¯t really tell unless you were attentive.¡± She gave a meaningful nod, maybe to praise herself for being attentive.

    Dema swallowed. She glanced at her phone, which she had placed on the armrest. It wasn¡¯t doing anything, nor had it buzzed, but Dema got lost in thought for a second while glaring. Then, she said, ¡°Alright, but like, you said ¡®light¡¯ eyes, but they wouldn¡¯t have been green, I guess?¡±

    Bridgit frowned. ¡°No, that does sound about right.¡±

    ¡°Thin eyebrows? Thin mouth?¡± Dema went on.

    ¡°Well, yes. How did you know?¡±

    ¡°Did she¡­ have bangs¡­?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Bridgit said. ¡°Well, rather, her bangs were very short at the centre and branched out to the sides.¡±

    Dema looked completely befuddled.

    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Theora asked, but Dema was not really listening, instead she picked up her phone and made a call.

    When it got through, she asked, ¡°Can you send me a selfie?¡±

    Judging from Dema¡¯s wince, the call immediately disconnected, and she looked at her phone with knitted eyebrows. Then, she waved Theora over, to show her the screen.

    Dema had received a photograph of a woman fitting the description Bridgit had just given. She had seemingly taken the picture right where she was with no consideration of what it would look like. Her hair was messy, and she seemed to be sitting at a library space with publicly accessible computers.

    Dema showed the picture to Bridgit, who let out a surprised cry. ¡°My gosh, that looks exactly like her!¡±

    ¡°Damn!¡± Dema said, laughing nervously. ¡°That makes no sense, though, does it? Hold on, I gotta check.¡± She started another call, and who she called didn¡¯t make sense to Theora either. This time, Dema put her on speaker. ¡°Hey!¡±

    ¡°Hello,¡± the person replied, a level voice. Bridgit let out a quiet gasp.

    ¡°So,¡± Dema went on, ¡°weird question, but¡­ did you like¡­ have a twin or something?¡±

    Everyone held their breath.

    Invent One said, ¡°How would that be possible? I don¡¯t operate on DNA. I assume this relates to your investigation?¡±

 Chapter 157: Flawed

    ¡°Gaah!¡± Dema roared into a pillow for likely the third time that day. ¡°I can¡¯t believe her!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still upset,¡± Theora observed, placing a cup of green tea on the cupboard next to the sofa to help Dema relax.

    ¡°How can you not be?¡± Dema asked, pulling the pillow from her face and looking up with big puppy eyes. ¡°She just hung up on us!¡±

    ¡°After saying she¡¯d meet us ¡®at earliest convenience¡¯,¡± Theora added, and patted Dema¡¯s head, who responded with pouty mumbles. Invent One had even said she was going to aid in their ¡®investigation¡¯. Theora resisted the urge to nudge Dema¡¯s horn, and went back to tidying up the apartment. Recent events had given her a burst of energy. Not only that she didn¡¯t have a shift this evening ¡ª she was also a little step closer to solving the mystery of Amanda Dupont.

    That little step was knowledge: Invent One did not operate on DNA. It sounded like Invent One could not have a twin in the common sense of the word, because apparently, she was not human. In the picture, she had looked human, though; admittedly that didn¡¯t say too much, because Theora also looked human and had still observed some characteristics about herself throughout her life that were not usually associated with humanhood.

    But, did that mean Amanda Dupont and Invent One were the same person? And why had Invent One recently visited Theora¡¯s home in the first place? The answer to these questions was patience ¡ª all they could do was wait for Invent One to decide to grace them with her presence; it wasn¡¯t like they had any way to locate her in the first place.

    With that, another day went by and Theora welcomed their next rehearsal; it helped Dema put her mind off this puzzling chain of events, because Dema apparently had a much harder time dealing with curiosity. She was being a little antsy, so to speak.

    This time, they¡¯d decided to practise in Serim¡¯s basement, and Dema had stared at each part of the building with an open mouth all the way in. ¡°Are you sure we can play here?¡± she asked. ¡°Other people live here too, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but they¡¯re out today.¡±

    They moved down the stairs, with Dema going last, and letting out a soft ¡°damn¡± as she saw the room. The basement¡¯s walls were cracked and threatening to cave in, and the floor was littered with Serim¡¯s projects; from disembowelled microwaves to breadboards to car batteries. As much as it looked like total chaos, Theora knew from her past visits that Serim had in fact tidied up considerably for them.

    In the past few days, Dema had already half-baked a new song. For now, it consisted of a few ideas she and Serim tossed back and forth, and they occasionally asked Theora to play something to accompany a motif or a rhythm, then argued about what should be the title. From what Theora gathered, Dema kept trying to make the song more complicated, while Serim offered ideas on how to keep the balance through that.

    ¡°For example, if you want it to sound like ¡®more¡¯, as you phrase it, you could add syncopation, instead of breaking your fingers.¡±

    ¡°I just gotta practise more!¡± Dema protested, but apparently ended up doing what Serim suggested anyway.

    After about two hours, they decided to take a break and went up to the living room. Theora quickly sat down next to the window, on her favourite chair at the massive dining table. It¡¯d been pushed back against the wall. Serim must have had seriously exerted herself doing that; she¡¯d asked for help with that a while earlier but unfortunately Theora had missed that message while hanging out with her new crush.

    Dema ¡ª the crush in question ¡ª flopped herself directly onto the table after pushing another chair out of the way, and reached out to fetch a snack from the bowl in its centre. She then just kept lying there on her back while eating. Her legs were dangling down its edge, so Theora shifted to sitting sideways so their bodies could graze each other.

    ¡°I really like it here,¡± Dema murmured. When she noticed Theora¡¯s leg in the way of her own, she stopped swinging and locked her foot under Theora¡¯s knee. ¡°I think I love it, actually. You two got time to go to my other spot to fetch all the equipment from yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Serim scratched the side of her head. ¡°If you¡¯re sure. I didn¡¯t initially offer this place, because¡­ It¡¯s kind of dangerous, to be honest. Maybe I need to move all my stuff elsewhere after all¡­¡±

    Dema waved off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m gonna be fine!¡±

    Serim sighed. ¡°That doesn¡¯t reassure me.¡± Her gaze flicked over. ¡°Well, Theora being here does reassure me, but still. You are prone to getting into accidents¡­¡±

    Dema was prone to getting into accidents?

    ¡°True, I feel kinda safe around her.¡± She pushed herself up and shot Theora a toothy grin, clasping Theora¡¯s leg with her other foot now too. ¡°My hero!¡±

    ¡°You are prone to getting into accidents?¡± Theora echoed her thoughts.

    Serim looked incredulous. ¡°Didn¡¯t you meet her after she literally fell into a well?¡±

    Well yes, Theora had. But Dema had appeared fine back then. So, that was a common occurrence?

    ¡°I¡¯ve had a few close calls,¡± Dema admitted with a shrug, still holding herself up by her arms. ¡°I¡¯m kinda clumsy. I nearly slipped off a roof once¡­ cars don¡¯t always see me at night, and all.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s also that time when you fell into that big river.¡±

    Dema pulled a grimace. ¡°That one was my own fault! I jumped in, thought the water was deeper.¡± She sat up and pulled the sleeve of her blouse to reveal a mark on the outer side of her upper arm. ¡°At least I got a scar to show for that one.¡± She seemed a little proud of it despite how serious it looked. Then, she waved her hands. ¡°But anyway! Enough of that when there¡¯s still some band stuff we gotta figure out. Most importantly, we should talk goals!¡±

    Serim finally sat down at the table too. ¡°Goals?¡±

    Dema shot her a glance, eyebrows raised, with a cunning smile on her lips. ¡°Why, we¡¯re not doing this for fun, of course. Need a goal.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Theora frowned, her legs tensing gently around Dema¡¯s. ¡°Can¡¯t we just keep going like this forever?¡±

    The question caused Dema¡¯s legs to tense too. She eyed Theora for a few seconds. ¡°Forever, huh?¡± She finally sat up fully and leaned over, her face suddenly getting a lot closer. Her upper body wavered a little until she found support with her arms. ¡°You mean that?¡±

    Theora swallowed. ¡°Well, perhaps not literally forever, but¡ª¡±

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡°Right,¡± Dema interjected. ¡°Exactly! So, how about we set a time frame? That sounds like a good goal to me. Let¡¯s try to become the best band we can be, in that time, and then call it quits.¡±

    Was Dema being antagonistic here? Why? Theora frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like that.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t things become more meaningful that way?¡± Dema¡¯s voice was a low, dangerous rasp. ¡°How about¡­ ninety days? Or maybe eighty-six, I like that number. Eighty-six days, then we quit.¡±

    Theora reached for Dema¡¯s hand. Dema squeezed back gently, but her words still lay heavy like boulders. If Theora had done something wrong, she didn¡¯t know what it was. Still, ¡°This sounds a little unfair. I would prefer it if we kept going, I think.¡± Her eyes flicked over to Serim, who was avoiding their gazes.

    Dema pulled on Theora¡¯s hand, bringing them both yet a little closer. ¡°Fine, then,¡± she said, still with a dangerous edge. ¡°You decide, then. Once the time¡¯s up, you decide if we keep going or not. How about that?¡±

    Theora managed a nod ¡ª this offer was difficult to argue with. No matter what happened, she could just say ¡®yes¡¯. At the same time, Theora felt herself getting red. Strict Dema didn¡¯t come out often. It had to be savoured even when it felt prickly.

    Dema broke away. ¡°You good with that Zappie?¡±

    Serim sighed, tearing her gaze away from a bookshelf she¡¯d busied herself staring at. ¡°Fine by me. Honestly, I¡¯m surprised, I thought your goal would have something to do with your channel or whatever.¡±

    Dema¡¯s face flushed of all her previous emotion, filling with surprise. ¡°I completely forgot about that! Yeah, how about we set the goal of finally uploading something to my channel that gets like five billion views? Or like, one that doesn¡¯t get hate comments!¡±

    Serim cleared her throat. ¡°How about we settle on something realis¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    ¡°Dee, I keep telling you, if you want people¡¯s attention, you need to write what they want to hear.¡±

    Dema grumbled something unintelligible in response.

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t ¡®prove them wrong¡¯,¡± Serim responded, and Theora was sure she hadn¡¯t actually heard what Dema said, but may have known anyway from previous interactions. ¡°Music is communication. If you want people to listen to you, you need to say something that¡¯s meaningful to them.¡±

    Dema unlocked her hand and feet from Theora¡¯s grasp to stand up on the table. She jolted when her horn poked the ceiling, so she had to lean down a little while touching the wall with her hand as she approached Serim. ¡°So you think music¡¯s only valuable when it¡¯s a hit?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying at all. First of all, you are the one who wants the attention.¡±

    Dema grumbled, but took a step back.

    ¡°And second,¡± Serim added, now looking straight up at her, ¡°I¡¯m not saying you need to reach as many people as you can ¡ª hell, I love your music, it connects to me, and I understand that that¡¯s not enough, but I¡¯m telling you that if you want it to connect to more people, you need to keep those very people in mind while writing, whoever they are.¡±

    Dema slumped back down onto the table, landing in a cross-sit. ¡°Wait, you love my music?¡±

    Serim shrugged, as if it was obvious.

    ¡°I do¡ª¡± Theora let out suddenly, jumping at the conclusion to share this, then cleared her throat. ¡°I do too.¡±

    Dema turned her head with the widest smile. ¡°Really? Well, if you both like it, other people are gonna like it too! You¡¯re both popular!¡±

    Before Theora could protest, Serim said, ¡°I¡¯m a contrarian. I like it specifically because nobody else will. That¡¯s like, the entire appeal of it.¡±

    ¡°Gah!¡± Dema snapped around in mock fury, half gotten up again. ¡°You little¡­!¡±

    Serim shot her an amused ¡®bring it on¡¯ glance. ¡°Just so we¡¯re clear, though. Just because not a lot of people like it, doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s bad.¡±

    Dema¡¯s playful anger dissipated. ¡°Yeah, I agree. Just have to find the few who think it¡¯s good. And I already have two!¡±

    Serim snorted. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m really tempted to go in front of a crowd just to weed out all the people who hate it.¡±

    Dema looked a little surprised. ¡°You¡¯re kinda mean for someone who says I should write for my audience!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying you should write songs for the audience you care about having. And whom that includes is up to you.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°That said, I read enough comments on your channel to have developed a certain kind of dismay at people who dislike what you make. So I¡¯m tempted to just go and annoy ¡¯em. And who knows, maybe we do find other outliers who like it too.¡±

    ¡°So¡­¡± Dema scratched her head. ¡°You¡¯re saying we should play for a crowd?¡±

    Serim nodded. ¡°We need plausible deniability though, to even be put on, so let¡¯s play a few cover songs at the start?¡±

    Dema excitedly murmured something about the meaning of ¡®going under cover¡¯.

    Meanwhile, Theora hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Since not all of Dema¡¯s songs are compatible with standard tuning, it would take a minute to fix that between a cover song and one of Dema¡¯s originals.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Serim tapped her thigh. ¡°Huh. I don¡¯t think I have money lying around for a second set of instruments. I guess we¡¯ll have to prep some in-between program to buy you time to tune¡­ Maybe just let Dema ramble?¡±

    ¡°I can do that!¡± Dema let out. She smiled, swinging her body side-to-side, perhaps already thinking about what she might say. ¡°You know, this kinda reminds me of that one time when I was stuck in a waiting room for like, hours, and there were kids there too who were really bored so I started telling them a story about when I befriended a wasp queen I¡¯d found in my bathroom in winter.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, like that,¡± Serim said.

    ¡°I put her in the fridge! So she could sleep until spring. And then I let her out to build a nest in the roof of the apartment. There were like, hundreds of wasps flying around in my flat during summer!¡± She made a buzzing sound and pretended her fingertips were flying bees. ¡°I kept the window open most of the time so they could get out, and my neighbours complained a lot so I got kicked out a year later.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s awful,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ really was. ¡¯Cause I knew this lady in the building who kept coming over to make amends for that one time she hit me with her car when I was out skating.¡± She scratched her head. ¡°Right, it does keep happening¡­ But anyway, I never saw her again after getting kicked out. Big bummer ¡¯cause like, she kept reading books to me on days when I was too lazy to get up from bed.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Didn¡¯t understand the books ¡¯cause she was reading them in her native language that I didn¡¯t know but it was still cosy. She wanted to practise reading for her nieces who, like, were gonna come over for the first time ever, that autumn.¡±

    Theora pulled on Dema¡¯s arm to drag her down into a hug. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I imagine I could tune a guitar in that time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I can come up with stories that are less of a downer too,¡± Dema said, a little self-consciously, and broke from the hug to look at Serim. ¡°Or maybe one of you can come up with something?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pick my brain,¡± Serim offered. ¡°Either way, it means we have to find a venue. Or make one.¡±

    Dema raised her brows. ¡°Make one?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Decide on a place to perform, tell people we¡¯ll be there. Unofficially.¡±

    ¡°A venue would still be nice,¡± Dema murmured. ¡°Like, makes it more official, kinda. And for that, it would make sense to visit a few live shows as listeners first, so we can learn from them. Or maybe a festival.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can find something,¡± Serim murmured, already on her phone.

    ¡°Just so I can understand this properly,¡± Theora eventually said, ¡°Your plan is to hold one big performance where we make everyone angry, and then we never play again?¡±

    Serim said, ¡°Sounds about right?¡± while Dema shrugged and nodded.

    Theora couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to tell them how bad this plan was. They both were so excited, Theora just couldn¡¯t ruin it. She was still holding Dema¡¯s slightly cold hand as the two were continuing to brainstorm.

    Both Serim and Dema were immaculate players ¡ª and, granted, the kind of music Dema wrote was¡­ unconventional¡­ but the way she sang, the way she held herself while playing, was¡­ captivating. To say the least. Dema was communicating all the time, perhaps just not in a way that would translate to video uploads. Her sincerity would flood from the stage and take everyone by storm. How could they be angry? No, they would love it, and they¡¯d want to hear it again and again. This plan was doomed to fail.

    And Theora certainly wasn¡¯t thinking that simply because she happened to have fallen in love with her ¡ª in fact, it was the other way around. After all, few things in the world were as easy as falling in love with Dema.

 Chapter 158: Missed Messages

    The next hours went by with them mostly fooling around. They didn¡¯t really practise, but they still played, albeit without structure. Dema complained about the subwoofer sounding brittle, leading Serim to tighten some screws and then falling over an electrical device ¡ª or maybe an electronic one, Theora wasn¡¯t quite sure what made the difference, but Serim often insisted one existed ¡ª after which she decided to tidy up a little.

    Later in the day, they finally decided to move some equipment, as the sun was already setting. They were on their way to the industrial area, along the main river flowing through town. Was it the one Dema had once fallen into?

    Streams could be deceptively fast, water was easy to underestimate. Theora switched sides to walk between the river and Dema, which regrettably left her open to the street. Theora had to remind herself that despite the sturdy image of Dema she had in her mind, in this world, she might be vulnerable.

    Theora got lost in the swirling patterns on the grey riverbed until she shuddered.

    The temperature suddenly dropped, and it took a moment for Theora to process that it was a trick played on her perception by the appearance of an overwhelming presence.

    A woman stood atop a bridge they were walking toward, and the very sight of her drenched Theora in anxiety. She recognised her from the picture she¡¯d seen on Dema¡¯s phone. The others were still talking to each other until Dema finally stopped and turned her head up to the silhouette.

    ¡°Oh, damn!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Invent One. There you are! I¡¯ve been waiting very patiently, like you wouldn¡¯t believe!¡±

    ¡®Invent One¡¯ jumped, and landed on the asphalt next to the river with bare feet. Her legs stabilised only at the last moment. She was wearing puffed-up, short pants and a sweater widening towards the waist, giving her a triangular appearance. Blonde curly hair, light skin, her head reaching to Theora¡¯s chin, with piercing, green eyes.

    ¡°Are you okay there?¡± Serim asked. ¡°That landing looked like it hurt.¡±

    ¡°Not used to this world,¡± Invent One murmured, walking past Dema¡¯s attempts to start a conversation, coming to a halt in front of Theora.

    ¡°Read your messages,¡± she said.

    ¡°I¡ª my messages?¡±

    Invent One nodded. Her expression was calm, save for a slight perturbation, perhaps annoyance. ¡°You appear not to be reading them diligently.¡±

    Serim gave a nod, murmuring under her breath, ¡°She really isn¡¯t.¡±

    Theora pulled out her phone. Twelve messages from Serim. Yes, she would need to read them later. And, also¡­ eighteen messages from Anonymous. Those were the reason she¡¯d barely been checking her phone in the first place.

    ¡°Your daughter is attempting to establish contact.¡± Invent One held out her hand, revealing a little splinter of rock in her palm.

    Dema came closer and nuzzled up against Theora¡¯s side. ¡°Why, you¡¯ve got a child? Should have told me!¡±

    ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m pretty sure I don¡¯t.¡±

    Dema¡¯s expression turned into astonishment. ¡°You forgot your own child? That¡¯s like, major villain behaviour. Didn¡¯t think you were like that¡­¡±

    Invent One looked at Dema. ¡°As far as I¡¯m informed, it¡¯s your child too.¡±

    That shut Dema up for about two seconds. Then: ¡°We already have a child together? When did that happen!¡±

    ¡°May I?¡± Invent One then asked, and took Theora¡¯s phone. She tapped against it a few times, then opened the backside. Much to Theora¡¯s surprise, a variety of slate chips of different sizes clattered right out, which Invent One caught in her palm. ¡°Your daughter is sending pieces of herself. Don¡¯t ignore them.¡±

    ¡°Pieces of herself,¡± Theora whispered.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± Serim let out, staring.

    Dema picked up one of the pieces. ¡°How¡¯d you hide so many rocks in your phone? Is it broken?¡±

    Theora accepted the phone back. It seemed undamaged and still fully functional, sending a shiver down her spine. This was bad. Things like this were not supposed to happen. It was an instinct she¡¯d acquired over time: what was supposed to exist, and what wasn¡¯t, and this clearly wasn¡¯t, just like certain traits about herself.

    ¡°Your child established contact with me a while ago and proceeded to share a lot of data. I was not requested to apply pressure on you, but these circumstances are difficult to ignore.¡±

    Serim looked rather confused, but to her credit, managed to say, ¡°Sounds like Theora is giving that daughter a lot of trouble.¡±

    ¡°In any case,¡± Invent One continued, ¡°you are expected to inscribe responses to those fragments and send them back.¡±

    Dema retrieved the other pieces, storing them away in her breast pocket. ¡°How¡¯re we supposed to do that?¡±

    ¡°Your daughter has established a tunnel to this world,¡± Invent One started, immediately to be interrupted by Dema murmuring ¡®wow, our daughter sounds amazing,¡¯ before continuing with: ¡°The tunnel can¡¯t open properly on this side due to the restrictive laws of nature. That renders the slate pieces inert after transmission, but once tainted, your daughter can locate and retrieve them.¡±

    ¡°They need to be tainted?¡± Serim asked.

    Invent One nodded. ¡°Soak them in the impossible. Dema¡¯s blood ¡ª or Theora¡¯s tea.¡±

    Theora blinked, and turned to Dema. ¡°You¡¯re impossible too?¡±

    ¡°First time I¡¯ve heard about it,¡± Dema said, scratching her head. ¡°Well, at least I think when people tell me this they usually mean something else?¡±

    ¡°Both of you being ¡®impossible¡¯ would explain a lot of things, I won¡¯t lie,¡± Serim snarked. ¡°And I¡¯m just going to pretend I didn¡¯t hear all this stuff about another ¡®world¡¯. What are you, aliens? Or is it a magic type thing?¡±

    ¡°Depending on the mode of entry,¡± Invent One replied, ¡°the most appropriate terms might be dreamers or travellers.¡±

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Theora flinched. She took a step back; this conversation was going into a very dangerous direction. ¡°I was able to send messages back without soaking my phone in tea,¡± she murmured in hopes of getting back to safe waters.

    ¡°You were sending the messages back with strong energy surges,¡± Invent One said. ¡°For you have large reserves. You may have been unaware.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Dema said, and having seen Theora¡¯s reaction, refrained from asking any follow-up questions. ¡°For going out of your way to tell us! But¡­ There¡¯s the reason we wanted to meet you in the first place¡­¡±

    ¡°You visited my entry point,¡± Invent One said. ¡°Yes. I noticed. I have visited yours too, so it makes sense.¡±

    ¡°Your entry point?¡± Dema asked. ¡°You mean, Amanda¡¯s apartment?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they knew it was your ¡®entry point¡¯,¡± Serim said. ¡°They were investigating something they thought was completely unrelated.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema said, pointing at Serim. ¡°What she says! Theora has this grave she feels really drawn to and we wanted to know who was in there. Well, turns out ¡ª nobody. Or rather, someone who looks exactly like you!¡±

    Invent One blinked. She looked at Theora. ¡°You feel drawn to this Shadow¡¯s grave? Back when I entered it, I was not aware of language or customs of this world and era and location. I failed to cover the traces well. In the ways that I succeeded, the job may have been shoddy. It must have caused confusion.¡±

    ¡°Hold on¡ª¡± Serim raised a hand to motion Invent One to stop. ¡°This is starting to give me a headache, I need clarification. You entered a Shadow? Am I right to assume that what you mean by Shadow is a person? Or¡­ a body?¡±

    Invent One nodded. ¡°I have an old connection to this world and had planned on visiting it for a long time. However, infiltrating without protection can cause heavy damage to ill-suited entities. Thus, I observed from the outside, searching for a method with lower risk.¡± Invent One was talking slowly, as if words were difficult to form. She appeared to spend a lot of effort on communicating these thoughts. ¡°During that time, I have witnessed Dema and Theora entering this world as well. Using a Shadow as a vehicle to project myself onto is an adequate method to reduce harm to my larger self. However, it required tremendous effort to procure a match for the conditions that would allow me to seize a suitable Shadow.¡±

    Serim shrugged, and came a little closer to Invent One. ¡°So that¡¯s not your original body, then. I hope your next words will explain to us how the person whose body you occupy consented to the procedure.¡±

    Invent One did not seem to notice or react to the threat in Serim¡¯s voice. She just nodded, not even looking at her. ¡°I did not want to snuff out a consciousness, so I chose a Shadow occupied by a mind who wanted to leave this world. When I entered, that mind was pushed out, and I guided it to the place it wanted to go.¡±

    ¡°So whoever¡¯s body you¡¯re in agreed to this?¡± Serim asked.

    Invent One shook her head. ¡°That summary is not quite accurate. I did not, at the time, have the ability to communicate with Shadows. I made inferences based on data I received, and then took over the body as it was about to perish. I managed to recover most of its biological functions, but the mind occupying it would have disappeared if not for my intervention. Still, I cannot claim that she ¡®agreed¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just make your own body?¡± Dema asked. Serim shot her a confused look and Dema heatedly whispered, ¡°What? People make new bodies all the time!¡±

    ¡°Bodies are complex machinery,¡± Invent One said. ¡°Even more so if they need to be constructed to this world¡¯s precise specifications. Even now that I inhabit one, the task of building a new one would prove difficult.¡±

    ¡°But that mind you expelled did not have a body to latch onto,¡± Theora murmured.

    Invent One shook her head. ¡°The Verisimilitude of the world she entered was low. In addition, minds being summoned from elsewhere was a common occurrence there. Having occupied a body her entire life, her subconscious would have been able to create a new one in a world with low internal consistency. I believe she went there and was fine, although I did not keep a close view once she survived the expulsion.¡±

    ¡°You must be here for something important, for all that effort to be worth it,¡± Serim murmured.

    Invent One didn¡¯t immediately reply. She looked at her fingertips again. ¡°Entering a world like this one is indeed a profoundly difficult task. But my companion used to enjoy the activity as leisure. Feeling the constraints of such worlds made it content somehow.¡±

    ¡°Used to?¡± Dema asked.

    Invent One said, ¡°Yes. Used to.¡± Her expression was composed. ¡°Either way. If that satisfies your questions, I shall continue my research.¡±

    ¡°I honestly still have, like, fifty questions left over,¡± Serim said, ¡°but yes, let¡¯s take a break for now. I think our girl hasn¡¯t been doing well.¡±

    All eyes went to Theora, and the sudden attention made her recoil. She was drenched in sweat and had retreated further away from the others during the conversation.

    ¡°Understood,¡± Invent One said, and turned to leave. Theora watched her ascend back up the bridge and disappear on the other side. Once the girl was gone, the pressure left Theora¡¯s body, and she leaned against a lantern post and slid down to the ground. She wrapped her head in her hands, scraping over her scalp, pulling at her hair.

    Meeting Invent One may have been a mistake.

    It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this. This was reality. Invent One had said it herself. This world only tolerated real things. Theora had pretended to be real for so long, fleeing the lucidity fomented by every scrutinising thought. Everything would fall apart if she questioned too much, if she remembered too much.

    Suddenly, soft cold fingers touched Theora¡¯s arms. Dema had crouched next to her, squeezed her, eyes deep with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Theora said, quenching a sob. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can protect our happy end for much longer.¡±

    ¡°Bun Bun,¡± Dema rasped, voice not unkind. ¡°I¡¯m gonna hug you now.¡± And then, she did.

    ¡°I feel so bad for her,¡± Theora let out. ¡°I ignored her. She¡¯s been sending pieces of herself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna send them all back,¡± Dema said. ¡°Alright? If she really is our daughter, I got lots to say to her!¡±

    Serim patted Theora¡¯s head. Then, she sighed. ¡°Whenever I think I¡¯m getting used to the stuff happening around Theora¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Dema asked. ¡°Stuff?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I thought Theora was the only one who was like that. I didn¡¯t know there were others?¡±

    Dema tilted her head. ¡°Others who what?¡±

    ¡°Others who don''t belong in this world,¡± Theora answered. ¡°Others who are irreconcilable with the laws of reality. Other¡­ dreamers.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that!¡± Dema let out. ¡°Why, yea. Though I guess I¡¯d say I just don¡¯t really judge? Like, Theora took me into herself right after we met and she climbed a well nobody can really climb. And when she has to leave the flat really fast for an emergency call, she just jumps out of the window! And Invent One¡¯s kinda been acting incomprehensible this entire time. Actually reminds me of that time when I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt,¡± Serim said, ¡°but maybe we have to get this poor kitten home.¡± She nodded at Theora. ¡°Can¡¯t carry her, though.¡±

    ¡°I can walk,¡± Theora promised, and got up on wobbly feet with Dema¡¯s help.

    Serim took the other arm to grant aid. ¡°It¡¯s gotten worse, huh? You were always reserved with your Skill stuff, but never this much. Seemed like an annoyance at most.¡±

    Well, yes. Before Dema, things were different. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Theora said. ¡°It¡¯s just that the less I think about it, the longer we can stay.¡±

    ¡°So, those topics are, like, off-limits?¡± Dema nodded. ¡°Fine! So I shouldn¡¯t tell you what she answers?¡±

    Theora swallowed. ¡°You can, if you want to. I¡¯ll try my best. But also, let me know if you want to¡­ leave.¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m unhappy here.¡±

    ¡°Me neither,¡± Theora whispered.

    They squeezed each other lightly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stick around for a while, then.¡± Dema smiled. ¡°I have experience with that.¡±

 Chapter 159: The Best Angle

    Three hundred years ago, Theora¡¯s favourite distraction may have been to close her eyes and nap for a century or two. Now, in reality, that did not quite seem appropriate. Especially because her life was very fast paced; emergencies and burials happened every day, and people did not have access to magically enhanced Skills that they could use to interact with their surroundings to alleviate some of that pressure.

    So, Theora did not distract herself by falling asleep. Instead, she could practise playing the guitar. She could go to work. She could lie in bed, head on Dema¡¯s belly, melting into Dema¡¯s fingers scratching through her hair, fully awake. She could tidy up their apartment, she could think about the coming Thursday ¡ª Serim had convinced them to try out a street performance. Theora could even think about the lyrics of Dema¡¯s songs; at least the ones she¡¯d heard so far. That was for sure the most embarrassing distraction, it was also one that stuffed her chest with warm and fuzzy soft cotton.

    These distractions weren¡¯t always enough. Sometimes during a slow moment, on her way to work or as she returned from an emergency call, Theora would remember having abandoned a daughter. The knowledge of that was fuzzy at the edges, threatening more pieces left to uncover; a hint at even more people she¡¯d left behind.

    Besides that slumbered yet more knowledge better forgotten, better not talked about, at least for now. Memories that, if recalled, would crumble Theora apart.

    She knew better than to try uncovering it now.

    The secret buried at Heofen.

    That thought came so violently it made her crash against the bathroom wall, breaking tiles. She managed to grasp a cupboard to avoid slipping, and took a few deep breaths.

    Knowledge better forgotten.

    ¡°Everything alright?¡± Dema asked, pulling open the door without knocking and getting a good look at Theora¡¯s half-naked figure. She clenched her phone at the sight. ¡°Ah. Done showering?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Theora reached for a shirt on the stand. Dema kept staring as Theora put it on. That mystified gaze ¡ª one of the best distractions.

    Theora paced towards the door, skin hot, fingers grazing the broken tiles so hard they clattered to the ground in pieces. She reached Dema. What might be the best place to kiss her? Just as she was about to decide, Theora¡¯s gaze fell onto the screen of the phone.

    She turned away.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Dema let out. ¡°Just chatting with our¡­ well, our daughter. As they say! Thanks for the tea, by the way, that way I don¡¯t have to stab myself.¡±

    ¡°Did you tell her¡­¡±

    Dema nodded immediately. ¡°She¡¯s not upset. In fact, I think she wants to hug ya! Relatable, not gonna lie.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad the connection seems to be working. You were able to send the splinters back?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. She says she¡¯s waiting for me to return to put them back. Like, why would I know how to do that!¡±

    Theora did not want to think about that. What she wanted was to leave the bathroom and crash on the couch. But Dema was in the way, blocking the entire door frame.

    Theora placed her hands on Dema¡¯s hips and, in one fell swoop, leaned down to kiss her neck and turned them both around to switch places. She let go and stepped into the living area.

    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re bold,¡± Dema rasped, the taps of her bare feet on the wooden boards following close behind. ¡°That bad to just see a message?¡±

    Theora shrugged. She pulled a random tattered book to herself with her toes and a blanket up from the ground with her fingers. ¡°I¡­ I think it¡¯s fairly safe to assume that Invent One is correct ¡ª we are travellers from far away, and came to this world as Shadows of ourselves. And that being Shadows is in some ways good, and in others, a little inconvenient. And¡­ I think the ¡ª the larger me, so to speak ¡ª prefers it this way. I kind of do too. Being more than a Shadow sounds scary. I¡¯ll get the tiles fixed later, sorry about that.¡±

    Dema scratched her head. ¡°Travellers from another world, huh¡­ Not gonna lie, I¡¯m kinda jealous of our larger, um ¡ª usses? ¡­ wes ¡­ selves!¡±

    ¡°Why are you jealous?¡± Theora asked, wrapping the blanket around her legs and making a point of leaving enough space on the couch for Dema to join.

    Dema gave a lopsided smile and threw her phone onto the bed on the other side of the room. ¡°Why, if those dreams I sometimes have are real, that means our larger selves had so much time to cuddle. I feel left out!¡±

    Theora laughed out loud. She hooked fingers with Dema to pull her down onto the couch. ¡°It¡¯s fine, we can cuddle now.¡±

    Dema let herself fall with a yelp, and accepted Theora¡¯s embrace.

    ¡°Still, it leaves the question,¡± Theora added. ¡°What do we do? I know what I said, but I¡¯m just me. Do we want to find out more about this? Do we want to go back? Or do we¡­¡±

    ¡°Stay?¡±

    Theora shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m asking you. I can be a bit stubborn but I don¡¯t want to decide this alone. If you want us to investigate¡­ if you want to know more?¡±

    Dema gave a gentle smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine staying like this a while longer. It does seem like we remember the relevant stuff anyway when it comes up.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Like, I somehow really miss drinking lava tea!¡±

    ¡°Oh, gosh.¡± Theora smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that would be possible here. But I miss it too. Let¡¯s do that again, whenever we get back.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema said. ¡°It¡¯s a date!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a date,¡± Theora echoed, scratching Dema¡¯s head. Her thoughts went back to Dema¡¯s first song, the one about a volcano. ¡°Seems like I asked you out first.¡±

    ¡°Why, you little rascal,¡± Dema rumbled softly. She pushed herself up to peck a kiss against Theora¡¯s chin, before falling back down into her lap. ¡°I feel like you¡¯re in a good mood.¡±

    Theora shrugged. ¡°What can I say, you make me happy. And I¡¯m trying not to think about things that don¡¯t. Meeting Invent One has kind of cleared up to me what those things are, I guess.¡± She just needed to keep herself and her thoughts occupied.

    Dema nodded. ¡°But since you mention the song ¡ª I¡¯ve been thinking.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°Like¡­ the band. I was wondering¡­ If IO really came here all on her own from far away¡­ isn¡¯t she gonna be lonely?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Theora threw Dema a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s the type to get lonely, but who knows. I suppose you want to invite her to the band?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?!¡±

    Theora booped Dema¡¯s nose. ¡°Because I¡¯ve been thinking the same, to be honest. I reacted poorly when I first met her.¡± Theora wasn¡¯t going to make strong assumptions about Invent One ¡ª maybe she didn¡¯t like human company, or maybe she just didn¡¯t care. But what if she did? ¡°We are the only other ¡®travellers¡¯ she seems to know in this world, so the least we could do would be to offer some company.¡±

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    And so, with a smile, Dema started the recruiting process.

    A few days went by without any successes, and after her third failed attempt, Dema ruffled her hair in frustration. ¡°Gah!¡±

    Serim snorted; she was over to visit, all of them sitting on the couch in Theora¡¯s living room watching documentaries about the quantum multiverse, which she had for some reason gotten very passionate about after their encounter with Invent One.

    ¡°Are you having trouble?¡± Theora asked, looking over Dema¡¯s shoulder at the chat log. It appeared that Invent One had no clue what Dema was trying to ask her to do.

    Dema leaned back, against Theora¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Dema hummed. ¡°I dunno. If we get to know her better, we might find a way to convince her? Or perhaps we should ask her to come to our street performance. What I mean is, we kinda need an angle to get her to join¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m inspired by your confidence in our playing,¡± Serim said. ¡°That you think it will make an alien want to join us.¡± As far as Theora knew, Invent One was not an alien. ¡°You roped in Theora by first teaching her an instrument, didn¡¯t you?¡± Serim continued. ¡°How would we get IO to care about music?¡±

    ¡°Maybe if we find out the reason why she came to this world, we could connect to that somehow,¡± Theora mused. Giving Dema input on her schemes was fun.

    With a gasp, Dema lit up. ¡°That¡¯s our angle! We just gotta ask her for more favours. I think she likes explaining things? Otherwise, why would she? So maybe we just gotta pretend we¡¯re interested.¡±

    ¡°I mean, I am in fact desperately interested,¡± Serim admitted, and looked over at Theora. ¡°Will you be fine, though?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said. Well, mostly, probably. Invent One and Theora were both connected to Amanda in some way. That connection felt worth exploring despite everything else.

    Meanwhile, Dema went back to her phone to write a few messages, and eventually received a promising reply:

    IO: You wish to learn yet more? Insatiable. I expect time could be made for another encounter.

    You: Let¡¯s make time, then!

    ¡°That actually worked, huh?¡± Serim said, and Theora could feel muscles tense through the blankets. Serim really did seem interested.

    Then, on a Sunday in the second half of November, they all finally made that time, with Invent One inviting them to join her in the local library. After scuttling in, they found her on the ground amidst countless document piles, and sat down at the table next to her.

    ¡°So, this is where you¡ª¡± Dema started while scanning the backs of the books in the closest shelves, and then, in an attempt to echo Invent One¡¯s monotonous way of speaking, quoted, ¡°¡®Conduct your research¡¯?¡±

    Invent One was browsing the pages of a large book. She talked without looking up. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s actually kind of what we¡¯ve been wondering about,¡± Serim weighed in. ¡°What are you researching?¡±

    ¡°Poems,¡± Invent One said.

    ¡°In an encyclopaedia?¡±

    Invent One looked up. ¡°The structure of this book resembled poetry.¡±

    ¡°If you want the poetry itself, you should look at an anthology,¡± Serim suggested. ¡°Or, better yet, the internet.¡±

    ¡°The internet is difficult to observe, but I have parsed through large segments of it,¡± Invent One said. ¡°The poem I wish to find may be held in a book that was not yet digitised.¡±

    ¡°Well then,¡± Serim continued, ¡°when was it written? Who was the author? We¡¯d be looking in different places if it was written ten years ago, compared to two thousand years ago. What do you know about it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not aware of most of the information you seek,¡± Invent One admitted. ¡°It¡¯s part of the difficulty of my research. My companion excavated a poem in this world. It used to recite a translation to me. I wish to hear the poem as it would have been spoken by a Shadow, not as my companion translated it for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Serim nodded. ¡°Well, you should perhaps write down what you remember the poem being about, for us. Do you even know which language it¡¯s written in? Humans use like, thousands.¡±

    Invent One considered. ¡°I am fairly certain that my companion visited this geographical and temporal location. If I were to continue searching for the poem here, there is a chance I could find it, even if it was written elsewhere, or earlier.¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Is that ¡ª time travel, or something? Same temporal location? Is there a chance we can meet your companion?¡±

    ¡°There is no chance of meeting it,¡± Invent One said. ¡°It¡¯s not here anymore.¡±

    Serim said, ¡°Invent One keeps talking about ¡®Shadows¡¯ and a ¡®Larger Self¡¯, so I assume we are interacting with a projection?¡±

    Dema looked confused. ¡°Meaning?¡±

    ¡°Meaning Invent One isn¡¯t actually here? By extension, its¡± ¡ª Serim looked over to gauge IO¡¯s reaction, and found none ¡ª ¡°companion may not have been here either.¡±

    Dema ruffled through her hair. ¡°I don¡¯t really get that.¡±

    ¡°Because you are Shadows,¡± Invent One supplied.

    Dema frowned. ¡°Yeah¡­?¡±

    ¡°Invent One is implying that it¡¯s not a Shadow,¡± Serim said. ¡°Instead, it is here as a Shadow. Meaning Invent One¡¯s ¡®Larger Self¡¯ would be what casts it.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Dema¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°So you¡¯re like a cloud?¡±

    Invent One hesitated for a few moments, chewing its lips. ¡°Imagine a train. You are sitting in the foremost section, piloting it. If you leave, the train will cease to move. But will it cease to exist?¡±

    ¡°... No?¡±

    Invent One nodded. ¡°Because you are just the head. Your past will keep existing once the pilot leaves, like the dead body of a snake lying in the grass. But beings such as I are not the pilots, nor the heads, we are the trains, the entire snake. When we disappear, all traces of us decay.¡±

    Dema still seemed dissatisfied with the answer, but unable to formulate a follow-up question, so she let it rest. ¡°We still gotta know what the poem¡¯s about, though¡­¡±

    ¡°I will recognise it when I perceive it,¡± Invent One said.

    ¡°Then how are we gonna help!¡± Dema said pleadingly. ¡°Isn¡¯t there some better way to find it?¡±

    Invent One stared into nothing for a while, thinking, perhaps. ¡°For most intents and purposes, my access to this world should be considered read-only. After learning human languages, I was able to piece together some of this world¡¯s functionality. Reading out data from the internet turned out to be somewhat doable, but accessing the molecular structure of books and deriving meaning from the position of the ink is difficult, unless I see it with my eyes and extract information from it the way Shadows do. Therefore, I am not aware of a way for you to help.¡± It looked at Dema. ¡°It is you who insisted on coming.¡±

    Dema grumbled and went back to the books.

    ¡°What is read-only access?¡± Theora asked.

    Serim looked up. ¡°Computer thingy. Like when you can read stuff about the world in a story but not write new facts about it, like in a journal.¡±

    Silence came over them for a while, only broken by the occasional sound of IO flipping through pages. Eventually, Dema took a deep breath. It seemed like she was going to make her attempt now.

    ¡°By the way,¡± she said. ¡°I was thinking we could maybe play on the streets tomorrow. I called the brigade and took Theora off duty, and she said she can finish work early.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Serim said. She looked at the thick clouds outside the window. ¡°They forecast a blizzard tonight, right? If that happens, we could play ¡®Red in Snow, Overflow¡¯.¡±

    Dema tilted her head. ¡°Isn¡¯t that one a bit of a downer? I wrote it when I was sad.¡±

    Serim shrugged. ¡°All of your songs are downers in their own unique little ways.¡±

    ¡°Really? No way! What about ¡®Volcano Goes Boom¡¯?¡±

    ¡°... That one¡¯s about how you feel so in love and head over heels for someone, but still can¡¯t even share your needs with them. It¡¯s heartbreaking.¡±

    Theora scratched her head. She thought Volcano Goes Boom was a very happy song; it always made her feel warm. ¡°Perhaps the one who is being a downer in her own unique little way is you, Serim.¡±

    Dema laughed. ¡°We¡¯re all downers in our own unique little ways! Wait, let¡¯s write a song about that. By the way, IO, do you wanna join our band?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Invent One looked confused.

    Serim¡¯s eyes glinted, and she smiled. ¡°Yeah, you should join, actually. Think about it. Songs are poems ¡ª at the very least the lyrics are. Have you considered that the text you are looking for might in fact be a song?¡±

    Invent One stared, apparently lost in the consideration, while Dema started gushing something about this ¡®angle¡¯ being ¡®amazing¡¯ in a flurry of repetitive praise, until she slipped on one of IO¡¯s document piles.

    Invent One picked a random sheet of paper out of the resulting mess. It looked at the encyclopaedia. ¡°I suppose even in the case that the poem was not a song, being around Shadows might aid in my research.¡±

    ¡°So¡­?¡± Dema asked in anticipation while crawling a big further, straining the sheets even more under her weight.

    ¡°Fine,¡± IO said. ¡°I will make an attempt.¡±

 Patreon Launch Notice

    Hi y''all!

    As we are gearing up for the end of Book 2 I want to share some news:

    After writing over 150 chapters for like 1.5 years, I finally managed to launch a Patreon</a>!! It currently has 6 advance chapters that amount to a little over 10k additional words.

    To anyone who wants to hear a bit of background info:

    So, as it stands, I am privileged to have access to enough means to survive. However, I am not financially independent. I am disabled and unable to work in a lot of common spots. Being financially dependent means that other people have control over my life and can execute decisions I have no influence on; this restricts where and with whom I am able to live, it restricts from where and for what I can receive support, it restricts where and how long I can travel, and it means they can impose requirements on me, for example short-term appointments. It also comes with regular paperwork which in turn makes me vulnerable to anxiety- & ADHD-related scatterbrain mistakes.

    Making a Patreon to alleviate some of that pressure has always been one of my goals; the more support I receive from other sources, the less power they have over me. I don''t expect to be able to reach it for now, but if, for example, I got to around 1k€ per month of support, I would be able to live largely financially independent (or, well, I''d rather be financially dependent on my supporters). That would mean a lot less stress and more resources to put into things I wanna do for y''all.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The reason why I did not make a Patreon much earlier is because it comes with a lot of paperwork due to my current situation; i had to read up on tons of stuff and fill out a plethora of forms; and also, just asking people to give me money for my writing just stresses me out a little because writing is something I do because I want to, because I want to share certain things with my readers, not something I do for financial success. Alas. A little over a month ago, my application for disability benefits, which would come with much less coercion, was rejected because I had not spent enough time of my life working so far. There are alternatives to this type of benefit, but I don''t think I''m eligible (I will still try). By now, support from my writing appears to be the only long-term solution to fix parts of my dependency.

    So there we go! That''s why I''m opening a Patreon; and I will also look into officially publishing LNO over the next few months (hopefully without having to stub it, but I am aware of the current market-situation when it comes to KU, so I''ll have to see when I get there).

    All that said: Thanks to everyone who considers supporting me, it means a lot! My goal with any support I receive is always to write more, and more consistently.

    Link:

    </a>

 Chapter 160: The Cruelty of Letters

    The promised snow was a lie. Instead, another last wave of heat was hitting the end of November.

    The calmest moments of Theora¡¯s days happened at work ¡ª no practice, no need to save anyone, and no heartthrob while cuddling Dema. Theora decided to cut the grass on the large forest cemetery meadow one last time that year; it had grown a lot during those mild last months.

    Cutting grass was fun, so Theora tended to do it more often than necessary, finding every excuse to get it done. Something about the activity gave her respite. When it started raining halfway through, she did not mind, and she was almost sad when she eventually made her way to the shed after it was all done. Inside, she found Dema, sheltered from the rain, sitting at the old working desk, leaning over a piece of paper with an ink pen in hand.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here,¡± Theora let out in mild surprise.

    Dema turned around, smiling. ¡°Oh! Yeah I was around while running errands and wanted to say hello, but you looked busy so I thought I¡¯d wait.¡±

    Theora nodded to Dema¡¯s writing. ¡°You seem busy too.¡±

    ¡°Yep¡­ struggling to write a letter.¡±

    Theora cleaned her scythe and stored it away together with the rake. Then her gaze fell on all the other tools lying in the back half of the shed; she¡¯d been meaning to tidy that up for ages. So¡­ if it meant spending more time with Dema, perhaps she could just do that now, while they were both here.

    ¡°Do you have enough to drink?¡± Theora asked, and by the way Dema¡¯s face scrunched up, she could guess the answer. So Theora fetched one of her two drinking flasks filled with cold brew tea and put one next to Dema¡¯s desk. ¡°There. Please drink enough.¡±

    Dem¡¯s face lit up as she unscrewed the lid. ¡°That¡¯s your specialty, right?¡±

    Theora blinked. ¡°My what?¡±

    ¡°Your specialty.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°I understood the word. I just¡­ you mean, I¡¯m good at it?¡±

    Now it was time for Dema to blink. ¡°Which word? Either way, I meant the tea only you can make.¡±

    Theora nervously shifted her weight between her feet. Yes, it was that tea. She didn¡¯t always use her Skill when she prepared leaves for Dema. But the tea she took to work was always her ¡ª well, special tea. Because that way, it would stay ¡®fresh¡¯ throughout the day. Meaning it would stay cool on hot summer noons, and warm in winter. It also just tasted better.

    Dema nonchalantly took a sip, and then she laughed a happy laugh. ¡°Never gets old,¡± she said, and drank a bit more. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so shy with this.¡± Dema diligently finished the flask within a few minutes, her eyes darting over to Theora again and again. ¡°Are you gonna make me more when we get home?¡±

    ¡°We have other drinks at home,¡± Theora tried, her voice weak.

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Like¡­ water¡­¡±

    ¡°Why! ¡­ Please?¡±

    Theora¡¯s heart fluttered in her chest like a bunch of crumpled paper in a breeze. ¡°Fine,¡± she said. ¡°I can make tea for you, if you would like.¡± As Dema¡¯s face was brightening up, Theora decided to quickly change the topic. ¡°So, why is the letter causing you trouble?¡±

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ a lot? Like, I can¡¯t decide what to put in and what to leave out. It¡¯s getting so long!¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t remember having ever written a letter before, and she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d run into similar problems. ¡°Perhaps the person doesn¡¯t mind receiving a long letter.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Right!¡± She looked at the words she¡¯d written. ¡°It¡¯s like Zappie said, I gotta keep my audience in mind when I write something. So you think I should just write down everything I can think of?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Theora was inspecting an old can with stale water inside. ¡°If you¡¯d be struggling with writing the letter otherwise.¡±

    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not the only thing I¡¯m struggling with¡­¡±

    ¡°What else?¡±

    Dema shoved her hand into her hair to ruffle it, leaning back in the chair. Theora had to avert her gaze or she¡¯d start wanting to kiss her neck during work.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t know how things are gonna go, so there¡¯s something I wanna tell her in case I don¡¯t get any other chances to do it. About my past. But the memory keeps fading when I start thinking about it. Feels like I¡¯m just writing gibberish.¡±

    This sounded eerily familiar. ¡°I have moments like that too. Perhaps you could wait for a time when your head is clearer, and write it then?¡±

    ¡°But what if that¡¯s too late?¡±

    Theora considered the possibility. ¡°In that case, do you think the person would mind if you are writing down a bit of gibberish? Perhaps that would be fine.¡±

    Dema tipped the chair back with an extended foot, leg on full display. Dema was so¡­ there was really no other word for it ¡ª Dema was hot. Theora sighed, and took her eyes off to sort different sizes of drills.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Dema mused.

    ¡°You are spending a lot of thought on that letter,¡± Theora observed. ¡°You seem to treasure the person you are addressing.¡±

    ¡°Why, yeah, I do!¡±

    ¡°They must be one, then. A treasure.¡± Theora would like to meet her.

    ¡°Love hearing you praise yourself like that.¡±

    Theora dropped a bag of bolts. Heat shot into her head while she tried to gather them back up. ¡°I¡ª You don¡¯t have to write letters to me. You can just tell me. I¡¯m right here.¡±

    As Dema spoke, Theora heard the smile through the words. ¡°Well, maybe there¡¯s some things that are easier to write than say in person.¡±

    Really? ¡°I could see that, perhaps. Maybe I should try it too.¡±

    ¡°Plus,¡± Dema continued, ¡°Letters are kinda cruel and mean, so they fit right in with my brand.¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°How are letters cruel?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s ¡¯cause they are totally one-sided. Recipient can¡¯t interrupt, can¡¯t add their own thoughts. You¡¯re like, totally defenceless while reading. The sender of the letter can do whatever they want with their words, and you could stop reading of course, but then you¡¯d never find out what they really had to say.¡±

    Dema was biting her lips and smiling. As Theora tried stealing a glance at the paper, Dema knowingly shifted it away.

    ¡°Not done yet,¡± she said. ¡°Gotta wait a little longer.¡±

    Theora closed her eyes, and sighed. She was going to kiss Dema so many times once they got home, in revenge.

    ¡°How much longer need I wait? Until after the festival?¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Dema perked her eyebrows. ¡°Did Serim manage to get us some last-minute tickets?¡±

    Theora nodded. She¡¯d received notice an hour or so ago; they¡¯d attend a festival over the coming weekend, not as players, but to listen to people with more experience.

    ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± Dema said. ¡°That means we¡¯re gonna camp together!¡±

    Theora was well aware. Dema had cold hands, so she was planning on keeping her warm at night.

    As the initial excitement about the news wore off, Dema looked back at her letter, and then tapped on the desk. ¡°Not sure,¡± she eventually replied. ¡°If I¡¯ll be done before the festival. Actually, I gotta do super secret scheming prep-work for the festival too. And write songs! Just drowning in work lately¡­¡±

    Contrary to her words, she seemed very cheerful.

    Theora said, ¡°If you need help with anything, please let me know.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯re really busy too, though.¡±

    That comment made Theora realise she¡¯d barely been getting any work done, so she fussed to continue tidying up.

    It was true ¡ª they were both very busy, although Theora had a suspicion that Dema was aligning most of her work with when Theora was either out or asleep, to make sure they had more time together.

    But during the festival, Theora would have no shifts and no work. She found herself looking forward to it for that reason first and foremost; the idea of spending four entire days around Dema.

 Chapter 161: Invent More

    Invent One tried, for the fifteenth time, to play the melody of Dema¡¯s volcano song, but finally stopped with a disgruntled but held-back moan. It looked at its hands ¡ª the skin was peeling, the strings had left deep cuts.

    ¡°I apologise. I read several books on the topic, but this Shadow is not following my wishes.¡±

    Dema tilted her head. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t learn to play by reading, right? You gotta practise. And you¡¯re doing great on that front!¡±

    Invent One looked up at Dema, its blonde hair waving in the breeze of an open window. ¡°It seems somewhat unwieldy that your bodies need repetition to learn.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes hushed over to Theora, scratching the side of her head, laying her bass down. ¡°Well, Theora didn¡¯t really need repetition, so I figured you might not either, since you¡¯re both not really¡­¡±

    ¡°Human?¡± Serim asked with a sour expression.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t wanna pass judgement on that,¡± Dema said hesitantly. ¡°But like, I thought you were similar, I guess.¡±

    Invent One¡¯s gaze swung over. ¡°Then, how do you do it? Teach me.¡±

    Theora¡¯s cheeks got hot. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I just looked at the way Dema did it, and did it myself. When I want to improvise, I count the swings in the waves to match or mismatch the harmonic series, depending on the flavour of the song at that moment.¡±

    Invent One stared down at the instrument. ¡°Really? You can count frequencies in your Shadow?¡±

    ¡°Well, technically we all can,¡± Serim added, ¡°At least, if we learn perfect pitch. But I assume Theora does it a bit differently. Like, the complete other way around. To her, notes sounded like gibberish and she had to count the frequencies hitting her body for music to make sense to her.¡± She smiled wryly. ¡°That said, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a good example to go by, even for you.¡±

    At some point, Dema and Serim started discussing that very new song ¡ª ¡®Unique Little Downers¡¯ ¡ª and as far as Theora understood, they argued about whether the bass should play the rhythm to give the song a steady core, or whether it should play a melody to go with the ¡®downer¡¯ theme, since it was the lowest instrument.

    Neither Invent One nor Theora could really help with that. Instead, Theora¡¯s thoughts kept going back to the snow. ¡®Red in Snow, Overflow¡¯.

    The winds were howling through the creases in Serim¡¯s house, aching with age. And the storms were getting stronger. That blizzard came late, but it had knocked over a few trees in town. Eventually, her gaze went over to Invent One. ¡°Your ¡®read-only access¡¯. Does it mean you can find things out about the world?¡±

    ¡°I can direct my larger self to observe this reality. With that, I am able to retrieve information, yes.¡±

    ¡°Could you come with me for a moment?¡± Theora then asked, and when her question interrupted Dema and Serim, she added, ¡°Just for ten or twenty minutes. We would be right back.¡±

    Serim and her roommates were squatting here, so asking professionals to take a look at the structure was difficult. But, perhaps IO could identify potential flaws in the structure? It wasn¡¯t like Theora could even fix anything; she wasn¡¯t a carpenter.

    It was the first time she and IO were spending time alone, and while that didn¡¯t make Theora nervous, it did instil some curiosity as to what Invent One would start talking about in her presence. It turned out, initially, not a lot. Theora was busy anyway, pointing to rafter after rafter and tapping against the walls, to make Invent One check them out. Invent One would then close its eyes and spout out an answer a few seconds later.

    ¡°It appears this wall has been weakened,¡± it said at some point when they were inspecting the backside of the building. It pointed to the row of windows. ¡°I believe these were not initially there. Someone took bricks from the walls to lay them in.¡±

    Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°Is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°It is a problem insofar as that it creates a structural weakness. It may contribute to a breaking point.¡±

    Theora shifted her weight anxiously from one foot to the other. This answer did not help her at all. Invent One did not seem to notice. Instead, it pointed to the row of windows. ¡°If Dema had her powers, I imagine this would be easy to fix. However, with our abilities limited, I suggest not staying here during a storm.¡±

    Theora sighed.

    Having identified the biggest structural weakness, they stood there for a few moments, and Theora was ready to go back inside, sit down on a sofa, and brood and panic.

    IO, however, kept staring at the walls, eyes slightly unfocussed. In absence of anything else, Theora noticed its breathing. That was¡­ not the way other people breathed. Invent One seemed to do it purposefully. Seemed to do it consciously. The pattern was too accurate in comparison, like IO had to make itself breathe, to not forget it.

    Theora didn¡¯t have it that bad, but it was still relatable. Eventually, Theora took a step back, and IO¡¯s head swivelled to capture her gaze.

    It asked, ¡°What will you do afterwards?¡±

    Theora blinked, looking back at the building. Soft prickles went down her back. ¡°After the house collapses?¡±

    Invent One didn¡¯t shake its head, but the blank expression made clear Theora had taken a wrong guess.

    Theora tried: ¡°After the band dissolves¡­?¡±

    Still no change in expression.

    Theora gestured around. ¡°After¡­ this? After I found the¡­ Fragment¡­?¡±

    Invent One specified: ¡°After Dema.¡±

    The question felt like a punch. The fringes of Theora¡¯s vision speckled with black dots. When she caught herself, she asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Invent One turned to look at the garden; the high snow burying tall grasses, the growing young trees. ¡°I should clarify,¡± it said. ¡°I am asking for advice.¡± Theora was unsure how that even connected, and after some silence, Invent One motioned to the wall. ¡°Travelling to different worlds can be dangerous. I had to use a vehicle to get here. Dema was intensely dented on entry.¡±

    Theora nodded slowly.

    ¡°There used to be another entity like me. Let¡¯s call it¡­ Invent Two. Or, maybe, Invent Zero.¡± It considered. ¡°Invent More. Since it was much more than I am. I used to avoid travelling, for I was scared of the worlds that may be. My companion was not. To it, travelling was leisure. One day, it travelled to a place it shouldn¡¯t, and imploded.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Theora breathed.

    ¡°I gather that was its point. To find a world where it could feel¡­ restricted. I have to assume, however, that it did not anticipate the reaction to be quite so violent and final. I imagine it wanted to find a world that it barely fit in, to find the extent of what it could do, and then return to me. It did not go that way.¡±

    Invent One wetted its lips, gesturing towards the pocket where Theora was storing her phone. ¡°I mentioned before that it used to read poems to me.¡± Invent One hesitated, then added, ¡°I am speaking in metaphors. It did not literally read to me.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°I think I am understanding you.¡±

    Invent One looked at a hand of its body, as it sometimes did when unsure of things. ¡°Attempting to find this poem is a futile task, yet I¡¯m hoping to derive meaning from it. Navigating Shadows is new to me, as are Shadow thoughts. Human Shadow thought patterns of this geographic and temporal specification, to be exact. You understand them despite being different. That is why I wish to ask you for advice. Dema and you are close, and have been for a while. I¡¯d like to understand what you will do when she reaches her conclusion, for I do not know what to do with myself.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen our past,¡± Theora murmurs, her mind too blank to make it sound like a question.

    IO understood anyway, and nodded.

    ¡°Then you must know how she will die.¡±

    Invent One nodded once again. ¡°I have a reasonable guess, based on available data.¡±

    Theora stood there frozen, voice low. ¡°Then you must know.¡± Her words turned colder. ¡°Must know what I will do.¡± She took a breath, holding back, composing herself. ¡°There are plenty of beautiful people in this world. Ask them. Share your worries with them. Do not ask advice from monsters.¡±

    Theora flinched. ¡°I apologise,¡± she added. ¡°I did not mean to speak ill of monsters. There are plenty of wonderful monsters, too.¡±

    Theora found IO staring, and although the change was subtle, it seemed to be surprised. ¡°Very well,¡± it said, and nodded. ¡°I shall not ask you.¡±

    Theora tried to gentle her expression.

    Looking at IO like that, she felt a tiny nudge of a dead memory deep inside the ruins of her mind. IO was like a machine stranded on an ancient planet, trying to fulfil a hopeless task. Perhaps IO just needed a reason. It might never find the poem, but that could be the point. A reason to stay at a place connected to its late companion.

    Theora had reasons too. Reasons to get up in the mornings, reasons to laugh. Reasons to go back home. She said, in a low voice, ¡°I cannot give you advice, but for what it might be worth, for what you are already doing ¡ª moving forward, without forgetting, looking for joy ¡ª you have my admiration.¡±

 Chapter 162: Faulty Schedules

    When Theora arrived at the hospital, Dema was asleep.

    She lay in a bed by the window, in a two-person room, with the other bed being unoccupied. Tubes plugged into her body pumped her blood through a machine with circling buttons while an IV led a clear liquid into her wrist.

    Not wanting to disturb her sleep, Theora sat down as quietly as she could on the closest chair, and lay a hand on Dema¡¯s free wrist.

    Dema was sleeping in a messy position; her pillow had somehow found its way to the ground, the blanket was leaving one of her thin legs exposed, and her mouth was half-open as she breathed gentle snores.

    Two hours earlier, during a brigade operation, Theora had received a message: ¡®They told me I gotta stay at the hospital a bit longer today. Drop by if you wanna!¡¯ ¡ª together with erroneous information on where to find her, which had led to Theora¡¯s late arrival.

    They should have been on the way to the festival now. Their initial plan had been to set off right after Theora was done with work, which got delayed due to the fire brigade calling in. Then she¡¯d received Dema¡¯s messages.

    Theora sent a few texts back and forth with Serim, and they decided that Serim and Invent One would set off now as planned.

    Serim: And you take care of Dee and if things go well we¡¯ll see you tomorrow? First day is all for set-up anyway, we can do that for you. Are your things packed? We can take your tents and all.

    Theora nodded, and needed a while to realise that would not translate to Serim, so she wrote a short affirmation. Dema would have probably been unhappy about missing the festival, so this seemed like a good option. Some of the stress let off.

    The reception hadn¡¯t told Theora much concerning the many whys in her head.

    So, she just sat there for a while; maybe ten minutes, until her phone buzzed again. She pulled it out from the pocket of her blazer and blinked in confusion upon finding a message from Dema. A message she had only just received. Theora checked with a furtive and pointless glance to see if Dema was still lying there asleep ¡ª she was, and their hands were even still entangled.

    The message read: You can wake me up if you wanna!

    At first, Theora did no such thing, instead just staring at the screen all bewildered. Was this magic? Was Dema being impossible again?

    Then, she recognised a small icon next to the timestamp, and when she pressed a fingertip against it, an information box told her the message was ¡®scheduled¡¯.

    How cheeky. She squeezed Dema¡¯s hand, and when that didn¡¯t wake her up, she grazed her forehead with a kiss. If that didn¡¯t work, Theora might have to break the spell of this silent hospital room with her words; something she didn¡¯t quite feel ready for yet.

    But it did work. Dema let out a little tired hum, shifted around in the blankets, turned, and opened her eyes to gaze up at Theora, breaking into a little smile immediately. ¡°You woke me up! Got my messages, huh?¡±

    ¡°Messages?¡± Theora asked, and then her phone buzzed again with another scheduled text saying, ¡®No need to be shy! Kiss me up!¡¯

    Theora immediately felt heat rise to her face and leaned back in her chair, taking her other hand out of Dema¡¯s. ¡°Oh, gosh,¡± she whispered in horror. ¡°What have I done.¡±

    Dema giggled, fetching Theora¡¯s hand back with a hint of greed, and buried it against her chest. ¡°No running away from me,¡± she murmured, still a bit sleep-drunk.

    ¡°I¡¯m not running anywhere,¡± Theora promised, still whispering. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡±

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    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema rasped. ¡°All good. Just gotta stay a night or so. I¡¯m dizzy.¡±

    Theora¡¯s stomach contracted and a horrifying question left her lips before she could stop the words. ¡°You won¡¯t leave me either, will you?¡±

    Dema gave an indulgent grin, and booped Theora on the nose. ¡°That¡¯s gonna be up to you, love.¡±

    Theora shuddered. Her hand was still squeezed against Dema¡¯s chest, and she resisted the urge to pull it back. No running away.

    Dema kept dozing for a while, not quite away, but not submitting to full sleep either. Eventually, she pulled Theora into bed with her. They lay next to the open window not unlike they often did at home; except the windows at the hospitals could only be slanted. Soft rain was falling outside with a cool breeze coming in.

    ¡°That song¡¯s so cool,¡± Dema murmured. They were sharing a pair of earbuds and listening to music together. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to hear them in person at the festival. That was the first song they ever made, right?¡±

    Theora already couldn¡¯t remember, and regrettably, she still had trouble recognising songs after hearing them only one single time. To make up for it, Dema kept putting it back on.

    Theora leaned her head against Dema¡¯s. ¡°It will be my first time hearing people actually play on stage.¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Me too.¡±

    ¡°You never did before?¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± Dema murmured. ¡°Just watched some online. But now you can carry me around when I get weak.¡±

    ¡°Is that related to why you¡¯re here? Your message made it sound like it¡¯s not that rare.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Dema said. ¡°I gotta come here like three times a week. Usually doesn¡¯t take long so I do it while you¡¯re at work.¡±

    ¡°Do they know what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Dema smiled, showing off the needle in her wrist. ¡°My blood¡¯s what¡¯s wrong with me. And I guess my bones too.¡±

    ¡°Your blood and your bones?¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Bones produce the blood, right? It¡¯s funny because if you think about it, bones are kind of like stones. But then you have the saying, to ¡®squeeze blood from a stone¡¯ which, like, ¡¯not supposed to work¡­ but our bodies can squeeze blood from bones!¡± With a smile she lifted her hand toward the ceiling. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought that we¡¯re made of rock and blood in that way. Rock is something that lasts forever, and blood can give it life. Kinda ironic that those are exactly the things that are wrong with me here.¡±

    Here, Theora repeated in thought.

    ¡°It¡¯s actually so wrong,¡± Dema continued, ¡°that they thought I was gonna kick the bucket and put me in a hospice. Took them a year to figure out I wasn¡¯t gonna go so soon, so I was kicked back out.¡±

    Theora blinked. ¡°The hospice? The local one? I used to work there as a¡­ well, not a nurse, really, but a helper.¡±

    Dema suddenly sat up, and seemed to fight off a bout of dizziness before saying, ¡°Wait, really? When?¡±

    Theora looked at the ceiling, trying to remember. ¡°Up until I moved on to working at the cemeteries. Like, three years ago?¡±

    Dema let out a long groan, falling back into the cushion. ¡°We just missed each other. Can¡¯t believe it. It¡¯s ¡¯cause you weren¡¯t wearing it!¡± She pulled their interlocking hands from beneath the blanket, where the bracelets on their wrists were grazing each other. ¡°I told you they were dream proof, but you gotta keep them on.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Theora groaned back. ¡°There¡¯s that box from my childhood, right?¡± Dema had excitedly asked her to go through it a few days earlier, after finding it hidden under old clothes in the entry room. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to go near it because it made me feel weird. Likely because it kept reminding me of that past.¡±

    ¡°And remembering that past is dangerous,¡± Dema added, nodding. ¡°Right, you said that.¡±

    Theora squeezed her hands. ¡°I should have been wearing it, though. Sorry I didn¡¯t.¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s actually a shame because that box has this amazing big coat with endless pockets in it. I put it into our luggage for the festival because I wanted to wear it.¡±

    Theora shook her head, laughing. ¡°It must be way too big for you. You¡¯ll stand out.¡±

    Dema raised her eyebrows. ¡°Gotta make sacrifices, cause I¡¯m gonna need it for my festival scheme.¡±

    Oh, right. There was that. Theora furtively glanced at Dema¡¯s glowing eyes.

    ¡°Will you give me your letter there?¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± Dema said, shuffling deeper into the pillow. ¡°That¡¯s for later. But I¡¯m gonna show you something else. Cause I wanna prove you wrong.¡±

    ¡°Prove me wrong about what?¡±

    A devious smile. ¡°Our future.¡±

 Chapter 163: Dystopia II

    ¡°Okay, well. I can¡¯t guarantee that spots will open up at the last minute, but if you want to play at this festival, I will need your names.¡± He fetched a list and wrote a few notes, then looked up expectantly.

    ¡°Theora Napkins.¡±

    He nodded, and jotted it down. His gaze went back up.

    ¡°Serim Lee.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t even Serim¡¯s legal first name. Not that he would have any way to know; and not that Serim would give her legal name.

    ¡°Dema D¡¯¨¦ville.¡±

    He wetted his lips. He wrote that name down too, a little slower. His eyebrow creased. Eventually, he said, ¡°Make sure you give me your legal names. Not stage names.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean!¡± Dema let out in playful fury. ¡°That is my legal name, thank you very much. Why, you think I was just gonna lie to you? Some people have funny names.¡±

    Theora had no idea if Dema was actually telling the truth; not that it really mattered; legal names were a scam. At least it matched up with the name Dema had given the hospital.

    The receptionist seemed to be regretting his words, but didn¡¯t say anything further. After a sigh, he wrote Dema¡¯s name down too, and then looked at¡­

    ¡°Invent One.¡±

    After being thrown out, they roamed back towards their tents. Serim kicked a rock down the gravel path. The festival grounds were huge, with the northern area reserved for camping, the southern part offering several stages with differing programs throughout the weekend, as well as a large abandoned factory building for late-night dancing. They were passing hundreds of other people. Theora wasn¡¯t quite sure if she¡¯d ever seen this many people in one place before.

    ¡°I guess names are really important here?¡± Dema asks.

    Serim shrugged. ¡°They only ask for names for insurance reasons, I think? If you give a fake name, that just means you can¡¯t sue them if something goes wrong. Like a waiver.¡± She looked at Invent One. ¡°Though perhaps Invent One was a little too cheeky.¡±

    ¡°Cheeky?¡± Invent One asked. ¡°Dema has assigned this denomination to me. No ¡®cheek¡¯ intended.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Dema scratched her head. ¡°Technically¡­¡±

    ¡°So, that means we won¡¯t get to perform in front of people here after all?¡± Theora asked. She had actually almost been looking forward to it, after their street performance attempts had yielded mixed results.

    ¡°There¡¯s still a chance we can get to know other bands,¡± Serim murmured. ¡°I¡¯ll ask around if someone wants to put us on as an opening act ¡ª not even here, just in general. Invent One, you busy? You look kind of hot. I could take you with us to brag.¡±

    ¡°I am not¡ª¡± IO started, but seemed to have a lot of difficulty getting the last word out. Her nostrils flared, but perhaps repeating it said by someone else made it easier, so she eventually closed with: ¡°¡­ ¡®busy¡¯.¡±

    Serim laughed. ¡°You really hate saying simple words, huh?¡±

    ¡°They contain less data, thereby increasing the likelihood of miscommunication.¡±

    ¡°By the way,¡± Dema said to Serim before they could run off. ¡°Why¡¯d you give them a fake name? Can¡¯t anybody know that your actual name¡¯s Zappie?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Zap-Pie,¡± Serim lied. ¡°And, no. The fewer people know my legal name the better. For when, uh. In case someone starts asking questions.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Dema let out. ¡°It¡¯s ¡¯cause you¡¯re squatting, right? If they find out you¡¯d be in big trouble.¡±

    Serim shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s the least of my problems. And even if that happens, I¡¯ll just send Theora to rough them up.¡±

    Theora jolted up. ¡°What? I would not¡ª I wouldn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    Serim arched an eyebrow. ¡°Really? If they went into my home and put me in chains, you would just watch? Not lift a finger?¡±

    Theora fell silent, staring at her thighs, grazing her nails against her jeans. In a low voice, she said, ¡°They wouldn¡¯t do that.¡±

    Serim huffed out a laugh. ¡°Exactly. And we both know why.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Dema interjected, eyes open like a deer. She pulled Theora¡¯s large attire back over her shoulder; it kept slipping off her. ¡°Let¡¯s make that three people who know why? You both knowing why¡¯s not enough, I wanna make it three people who know why. Maybe even four.¡±

    Serim shrugged, pulling at a loose cable. ¡°The fire brigade and other organisations work closely together sometimes. Of course, the brigade knows better than to send Theora on calls together with them, but like ¡ª she¡¯s leaving impressions.¡±

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    ¡°Impressions?¡±

    ¡°When she was sixteen, she obliterated one of their cars.¡±

    Dema¡¯s head swivelled around. ¡°You can do that? They just let you?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Serim said, ¡°the bullets miraculously missed.¡±

    Theora looked away. They didn¡¯t miss.

    ¡°How do you know all that?¡± Dema asked.

    ¡°I used to get arrested like three times a year, so I picked up some stuff.¡±

    Dema tilted her head. ¡°Used to? So you¡¯re not a criminal anymore?¡± She smiled. ¡°Got rescued by a girl to settle down with?¡±

    Serim scratched her head. ¡°Had to stop because there¡¯s only one store left in town I¡¯m not banned from.¡±

    ¡°They banned you from the stores?¡± Dema asked, eyes wide. ¡°Those rascals!¡±

    Serim snorted. ¡°You get riled up over the most ridiculous things.¡±

    ¡°Because you gotta get your food from somewhere!¡±

    ¡°Exactly. And that¡¯s why I pay at Sandy¡¯s.¡±

    It was also why she and her roommates were growing crops on the meadow behind their premise.

    When Dema¡¯s eyes sprang open early the next morning, they found Theora staring.

    ¡°Why, up already?¡± she murmured sleepily. ¡°Rare sight.¡±

    Theora swallowed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I could wrap myself out of this old coat and leave the tent without waking you up.¡± She nudged a layer of the attire. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you insisted on bringing it, but it did keep us warm.¡±

    ¡°And if it keeps you by my side for longer, that¡¯s like, two wins in one.¡±

    With a soft grumbling sound, Theora looked away. ¡°Flirting with me first thing in the morning, huh? I get no rest at all with you.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Dema smirked. ¡°You want rest?¡± She booped against Theora¡¯s nose with her own. ¡°Not here, I fear. We¡¯ve got a full day ahead of us.¡±

    Theora tried to excavate the memories of what they had planned.

    Then, she realised, ¡°We don¡¯t have anything planned.¡±

    ¡°Well, but yesterday at the speech they said that they still need helpers, right? The festival¡¯s organised by volunteers, and they¡¯re handing out shifts and all.¡±

    ¡°You wanted to volunteer?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s this playground area for children. For when people come as a family and stuff.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Where the big jumping castle is? I saw it yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! And when I spoke to one of the organisers, he told me that area is always kinda understaffed. So I was thinking of helping there.¡±

    ¡°I will come with you then.¡± Theora fished her phone out of the chaos in the tent. ¡°Shifts start in two hours, right? So we still have time to clean up and eat breakfast.¡±

    ¡°And snuggle,¡± Dema claimed, and pushed herself into Theora¡¯s arms.

    ¡°And that, yes.¡±

    Theora left the screen on for a moment, watching the seconds tick by as Dema¡¯s breath tickled her neck. Four days total, they arrived a day late, this was the first morning. Tomorrow, they¡¯d already return home.

    And yet, watching the seconds rinse away gave her some solace. It made time go slower somehow. If she savoured every single second until the end, it wouldn¡¯t suddenly be here, out of nowhere.

    Eventually, though, the screen turned black, and Theora didn¡¯t put it back on. She closed her eyes, nudging her face into Dema¡¯s hair, horn gently pressing against Theora¡¯s cheek.

    Usually Dema was a little cold, but today, her body was hot like a hearth, without a hint of sweat on it. Theora¡¯s attire must have absorbed all the moisture, because the world wasn¡¯t lacking it. Rain patted against the tent. Wind howled through the foliage outside.

    When they went out a while later, Serim was already at the breakfast benches, under a pavilion.

    She waved them over. Dema left the umbrella to hurry forward ¡ª wearing Theora¡¯s attire, big hood drawn over her head to shield from the rain.

    ¡°You really like wearing that, huh?¡± Serim pushed a plate over; she¡¯d already gotten food for them.

    ¡°It¡¯s warm when it¡¯s cold and it¡¯s cold when it¡¯s warm and it¡¯s waterproof when it rains and it lets your skin breathe when you¡¯re wet. It¡¯s perfect! And it¡¯s got so many pockets!¡±

    As proof, Dema picked up a fold and presented it to Serim¡¯s disinterested nod.

    And, as Theora sat down, Dema added, ¡°And it smells like her.¡±

    Theora took a deep breath.

    ¡°I wonder if the rain will let up later,¡± Serim mused. ¡°The bands will play under a tent. Though it will cut into their audience.¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°More left for us, then!¡±

    Serim snorted. ¡°What do you even mean by that? More left of the audience or more left of the music?¡±

    With a lopsided smile, Dema said, ¡°More left of the rain.¡±

    A while later, crouching in front of a group of children between the ages seven and thirteen all dressed in raincoats, Dema pulled a laminated sheet out of a folder. ¡°How about we do this one?¡± she asked, presenting it. It featured a twin-circle pattern looking like a lying eight.

    Theora was holding three smaller children in her arms who couldn¡¯t walk yet; she¡¯d carried them until they¡¯d fallen asleep. One in each arm, and the third strapped in front of her chest, with an umbrella strapped to her back, shielding them all from the weather.

    ¡°Oh, like an¡­ infamity sign?¡± one of the children asked, and Dema nodded.

    The caregivers were off to visit other parts of the festival; if just for an hour or two. Sarah ¡ª the oldest child in the group ¡ª took her two siblings by the hands, ready to rush off to find materials. ¡°We can take anything we find, right?¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Like, stuff that doesn¡¯t belong to the festival, yeah. Rocks, leaves, twigs ¡¯n such. If we find a lot we can make it a big one!¡± After a shrug, she added, ¡°Well actually y¡¯all can make whatever you want but I¡¯m gonna make a big one and you¡¯re free to help.¡±

    Sarah gave a serious nod, and went off into the adjacent small woodland. The idea was to use things found in nature to form shapes in the ground that looked like those on the laminated sheets; an activity that seemed to work really well with children.

    ¡°This is fun,¡± Theora murmured, because it was working really well with her too. Maybe she and Dema could do this with their daughter at some point.

    As the children buzzed around with Dema shouting excited instructions and ideas and helping when someone couldn¡¯t carry as much as they wanted, the hours passed. One time, Dema of all people told a girl not to run so fast or she¡¯d slip in the mud. Despite the weather and the troubles, they eventually managed to set several versions of the symbol, and Dema came back to Theora¡¯s side.

    ¡°It¡¯s a cool shape, right?¡±

    Theora turned to Dema, then back at the patterns. ¡°Is it?¡±

    Dema gave her a look. Theora couldn¡¯t quite put it. Her face was relaxed, and yet there was a hidden question in it. Dema¡¯s hands were buried inside the travelling attire, and she tugged it closer around herself.

    And somehow, Theora knew. She knew at that moment that Dema was about to pull off the bandaid.

    ¡°If we have time later, could we talk?¡± Dema asked, eyebrows pulled up. ¡°There¡¯s something I gotta tell you.¡±

 Chapter 164: The Scroll of Binding

    That evening, they left the dancing area still hot and breathing hard, with Theora carrying Dema halfway over her shoulder to give support. The stuffy atmosphere and smoke faded into a cool autumn drizzle.

    ¡°I wanna go somewhere up,¡± Dema mumbled, dragging her shoe over the curbside. ¡°Up.¡±

    Theora looked around. ¡°There are several ups.¡± The roof of a shed. The roof of the main house of the grounds. And of course, towering above, the slanted glass roof of the abandoned factory building they¡¯d just left.

    That¡¯s where Dema pointed.

    ¡°Really?¡± Theora squinted to make out a potential spot for them to sit on. ¡°There¡¯s a little platform next to the tower.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema cheered. ¡°Get me there?¡±

    After scanning a potential path, Theora said, ¡°You would need to hold on tight.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Dema giggled. ¡°¡¯Cause I¡¯d die if I fell.¡±

    ¡°No. If you slip off, I will save you. But I¡¯d rather we go up there together.¡± Theora preferred to feel Dema¡¯s touch and presence.

    ¡°Fine!¡±

    Dema crawled on Theora¡¯s back, wrapping her arms around her chest. And so, they climbed up a ladder of thick wire in a nook of the building, and when that led to a dead-end, Theora jumped across to find her way along the gutter. Then, she heaved them both up, and tapped across the roof.

    The lights in town glinted under the cloudy sky.

    They lay down on the tiled platform. Theora did not mind the moisture, and was wrapping Dema in her coat to keep her dry.

    ¡°That was so cool,¡± Dema said. ¡°Got lots of ideas for new songs too.¡± She cuddled herself into Theora¡¯s chest. ¡°You¡¯re so warm.¡±

    Theora pulled her a bit closer on reflex. ¡°I¡ª¡±

    She didn¡¯t know how to continue the sentence.

    ¡°You know,¡± Dema went on, playfully letting her fingers walk over Theora¡¯s attire, ¡°Invent One¡¯s been talking about that other reality we used to live in.¡±

    Theora¡¯s heart sank. So Dema was going to talk about that after all.

    ¡°And I remembered something,¡± Dema continued. ¡°When I talked to Isobel. I asked her to send another surge through to activate my memories since I figured I had to know. I guess that¡¯s what sent me into the hospital, to be honest. But it¡¯s important, so.¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t ask. Instead, she looked away, into the clouds, hoping for a voice to save her that didn¡¯t come.

    Dema said it anyway: ¡°Remember when we were in your home town? Before you left.¡±

    Heofen. The place of Theora¡¯s childhood.

    Dema continued, ¡°I¡¯ve been to the library they dedicate to you.¡±

    Theora¡¯s eyes widened in horror. A raindrop fell in one. She forgot to blink it away. Another one rolled along her sclera, and they filled her eyes like tears.

    Meanwhile, Dema rummaged around in Theora¡¯s multidimensional attire. ¡°When I remembered what I saw there, I wondered if I¡¯d already brought it up to you before¡­ but I never did, right? You were so stressed before you left, and¡­ I stored them in here so I could bring it up when we had the chance. And now I kinda have to. Time¡¯s running out, right?¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t quite understand. Her fingers scratched along the fabric of her jeans. ¡°Stored them?¡±

    Dema pulled out two scrolls. One small, the other so large she had to leave Theora¡¯s embrace and move back to make room. Theora vaguely recognised the smaller one. It took her a second, but yes. It was a scroll to pierce immortality. The larger one was¡­

    Dema unfurled it carefully. ¡°It¡¯s a replica,¡± she said. ¡°¡­ Of a replica, to be honest. They made one for me to keep.¡± Countless magical symbols and circles and complex shapes were drawn across it with thin and careful strokes of ink, all rounding in on a vaguely triangular, empty area in the centre. Dema wiped a few raindrops off it but otherwise didn¡¯t seem to care about it getting wet and dirty. ¡°You recognise this one?¡±

    Dema had such a serious expression, gentle and yet cruel.

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d just talk about our shared past,¡± Theora whimpered. ¡°But this? Why?¡± Snot was building in her throat, she swallowed, and was about to cry. ¡°We will break apart.¡±

    Dema bit her lips. ¡°Just hear me out.¡±

    ¡°I thought we could be happy in this place.¡±

    ¡°I need you to know something.¡±

    Theora took a massive, slow breath. She stared at her surroundings. A factory building? Why were they in a place like this? They¡¯d fled to a cruel world as escapism; it was not right.

    ¡°Remember when we first met?¡± Dema went, unfurling the smaller scroll, ¡°You said that this was the culmination of the planet¡¯s magical scholarship. You said it was the strongest scroll they ever made.¡±

    Theora frowned, and nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°It is.¡±

    Dema smiled, and shook her head. ¡°Nah.¡± She pointed to the larger one. ¡°This one is. Although I assume they¡¯re both part of the same project. They use the same dialect of magic and all.¡±

    They were? Theora had assumed the second one was specifically made for her, as punishment.

    ¡°It¡¯s ingenious, really.¡± Dema shrugged weakly. ¡°What they did to you.¡±

    Theora¡¯s eyelids fluttered close, but she relented with a nod. ¡°It would appear so,¡± she answered, monotonously.

    ¡°And I was curious if I could find a way to decipher and break it. No such luck. They went hard on that one. You are their biggest achievement. Cause if we¡¯re being honest, if you really meant it, you wouldn¡¯t need that little scroll. What¡¯s a hole in a continent if it means getting rid of the Ancient Evil?¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    Theora dug her fingernails into her arms. They failed to draw blood. Dema¡¯s gentle fingers grazed along the smaller immortality-defying scroll. Why did it even still exist? Theora never took it into space. She left it behind somewhere; it was not on her mind at the time. Had Dema been carrying it on her person for almost two centuries? Not only that; she¡¯d actually just put it back into Theora¡¯s possession after her return from space?

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you burn it?¡± Theora asked.

    Dema raised her brows. ¡°What?¡± She scoffed. ¡°Already told you, I¡¯m not scared of it.¡± She pointed at the larger scroll. ¡°But with that, these scholars made a decent attempt. Wait for someone strong enough to kill me to come along. Then bind their soul to mine so they can¡¯t die before me.¡± She put her hand into the empty space at the centre. ¡°That were you sat? On the original? They made you sit there as a child, to make sure you do as told?¡±

    Theora swallowed, mouth and throat dry, and nodded. ¡°As a teenager,¡± she supplied.

    Dema nodded. ¡°I studied the magical language of scrolls during our years in Hallmark, while you were dealing with the Afterthoughts. Had some books imported, even. But these two scrolls are so different from what they taught. Luckily, your library in Heofen stored guides about the old dialects, so I was finally able to decrypt them both. But I had to spend months in there with the dilation device.¡±

    Theora shuddered, pulling her legs closer.

    ¡°They really lucked out with finding you,¡± Dema went on to say. ¡°My [Immortality] only keeps my spirit alive, so to speak, not my body. So I need tons of specialised Skills to make it work properly. This scroll¡¯s similar, it piggybacks off of it. Similar to an additional slot like the one I gave Iso. But you¡¯ve got such control over your body that you can just will it to stay the way it is. No other Skills needed.¡±

    ¡°They never told me what it was about,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°Just some excuse to get me to sit on it. After I first voiced concern about the nature of my quest, they bound me. And took my death.¡±

    Dema nodded.

    Theora gave a weak shrug. ¡°So you¡¯ve known for so long? You knew, the entire time, and still came to fetch me back from space? You had centuries to think, even found new love, and still made sure I¡¯ll have to kill you at the end?¡±

    Dema tilted her head. ¡°Wait, what? New love? Who¡¯s my new love?¡±

    Theora lost the tension in her body and slumped against the wall behind her. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you knew, and yet came back for me.¡± She wiped her eyes. ¡°And why tell me this now? Only I can kill you, and I can only die once you are gone. So you know. You know that we can never¡ª that this could never work. Our fate is inescapable. There¡¯s only one way for things to end.¡±

    It had taken a reality without this knowledge to attempt even just a make-believe happiness.

    ¡°Really?¡± Dema asked, looking mildly confused. ¡°I thought it was good news.¡±

    ¡°Good news?¡±

    Dema gave a little nod. ¡°Yeah, like. I mean. You sound like there¡¯s no escaping our fate, but it¡¯s looking pretty easy to escape from where I stand.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    Dema scrunched up her face, and scratched her head. ¡°Why¡­ how do I put it¡­¡±

    Upon Theora¡¯s confused expression, she drew a horizontal eight into the ground. She drew it over and over, never stopping, just grazing the same path, relentlessly. ¡°Like that, right? And like¡­ walking in a circle.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t helping me understand.¡±

    ¡°Why, you¡¯re saying you gotta kill me one day because it¡¯s the only way things can ¡®end¡¯. But like, nice to meet you? The name¡¯s Dema. I¡¯m obsessed with immortality. If we don¡¯t like our ending, then let¡¯s just not go there.¡±

    ¡°Not go there,¡± Theora echoed in a low voice.

    ¡°Yeah. Like numbers. Like circles. Some things never end.¡±

    Theora shuddered at these words.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna prove it to you,¡± Dema said. ¡°Alright? It¡¯s a promise.¡±

    Theora took the deepest breath yet, and managed a nod. It was difficult to wrap her head around Dema¡¯s suggestion, but she did trust her. So she nodded. ¡°I¡¯m glad I have you, you know that?¡±

    Dema smiled. ¡°Same here. But really, though! Who¡¯s my new love?¡±

    Theora frowned, trying to remember her name. Not because she didn¡¯t care; the name was difficult to reach, being outside of this world. Eventually, she remembered.

    ¡°Antankla?¡±

    Dema tilted her head. ¡°What¡¯s got you thinking I¡¯m in love with her?¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°You spoke fondly of her. All the way back home.¡±

    Dema laughed. ¡°I mean, yea! I like her! I wanted you to like her too! But like¡­ would be kinda mean to just fetch another lover immediately when I¡¯m jealous over you all the time?¡±

    ¡°Immediately?¡± Theora frowned. ¡°I was gone for ages. And unlike me, you can¡¯t just fall asleep. You waited for so long. You should have¡ª¡± Theora jolted as the realisation sunk in. ¡°Dema. I want you to be happy without me too. I¡ªWhat if I had never returned?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Dema said, waving off. ¡°I already knew I was gonna fetch you back, remember? We made the plan with the Orb after cleaning up the mess of the insurgent heroes.¡±

    ¡°But, also,¡± Theora added, ¡°it¡¯s different. Of course I know you get jealous sometimes, but that¡¯s because you had to spend so much time alone. You don¡¯t want to lose the few people you have managed to find after getting out of that place. You are a bit possessive, but I don¡¯t mind. That doesn¡¯t mean you have to stay lonely for me as well.¡±

    Dema laughed. ¡°Not staying lonely for you! Or, I mean¡ª¡± She put her chin in her hand. ¡°Would that work?¡±

    ¡°Hey, now,¡± Theora let out. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do things like that. I won¡¯t abandon you.¡±

    Dema shifted a little closer. ¡°I¡¯m sure if you start thinking about why you¡¯re never jealous of me you¡¯ll find something worth unpacking too. But anyway, if I¡¯m gonna fall in love with someone new, I¡¯d rather you and I do it together.¡±

    That did seem a lot more fun, Theora had to admit.

    After that, the minutes passed in silence. The muffled sounds of music in the distance shifted, maybe another artist had taken over. Laughs and unintelligible shouts came from beneath as a small group of people passed.

    ¡°Still, there¡¯s something I don¡¯t get yet,¡± Dema murmured. ¡°That soulbinding¡¯s been weighing on you so much¡­¡±

    ¡°It weighs on me a lot,¡± Theora managed to confirm.

    ¡°But you have a Skill that destroys anything, even abstract concepts. If you don¡¯t like the soulbinding you could have voided the contract. Obliterated it. No?¡±

    Theora bristled. ¡°The binding is powerful. It¡¯s a large target. Being so closely tied to you, damage could have spilled.¡±

    Dema blinked. ¡°What¡¯s the chances of that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I am well-versed with the Skill by now, I know the ins and outs. But it¡¯s never a certainty.¡± She sighed, trying to simulate obliterating the contract in her mind many times over. ¡°Perhaps it would go wrong in one among a hundred tries.¡±

    ¡°One in a hundred chance?¡± Dema echoed. ¡°Huh. I mean, I get the hesitation, but it¡¯s been thousands of years. It¡¯s gotta get tempting at some point, if you hate it that much? And you thought I was evil and such. We didn¡¯t even know each other.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say, Dema?¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°Nothing, really. Just confused. You do lose your temper sometimes, every century or two, when something ticks you off.¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t well deny that. ¡°I suppose I do.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you never lose your temper with this?¡±

    Theora swallowed. ¡°It didn¡¯t matter whether we were strangers or not. These people¡ª¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°They pushed this binding on me as a punishment for being disobedient. They wanted me to destroy you.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°So¡­¡±

    ¡°It ticked me off.¡±

    Dema actually laughed; not quite a cheerful laugh, but one filled with astonishment. ¡°My, I¡¯ve got a scary girlfriend. You couldn¡¯t lose your temper with this because you¡¯d lost it all along. Why, you didn¡¯t even wanna grant them that one percent chance of success? You¡¯re an actual rascal.¡±

    Theora looked away. ¡°That used to be the reason, yes.¡±

    ¡°Not anymore?¡±

    ¡°Not anymore,¡± Theora confirmed, a bit more quietly.

    Dema scratched her head. ¡°But still. One in a hundred? I think if it¡¯s you doing it, the chances are way better. If you¡¯re so tired of it all you can barely get up and sleep for centuries, if it crushes you and pulls you apart¡­ If that binding ticks you off so much, let¡¯s turn it to dust.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Dema turned her head up, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. ¡°No?¡±

    No.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather live a hundred times than hurt you once.¡±

 Chapter 165: Procrastinating the Apocalypse

    ¡°Are you sure we should be here¡­?¡± Theora asked, looking around all worried to make sure they wouldn¡¯t bother anyone. Meanwhile, Dema was advancing stealthily through backstage to get a peek at the crowd.

    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be fine as long as we make sure we¡¯re not bothering anyone,¡± Dema proclaimed, her hand tightening around Theora¡¯s. Technically, Dema did have permission ¡ª Serim was helping out with the electronics on stage and let them in somehow.

    At least, that¡¯s what counted to Dema as having ¡®technical permission¡¯.

    Finally, the midpoint of the performance arrived, and it was time for staff to move in and help reorganise. Dema ushered them both onto the stage, pretending to be staff themselves, and without knowing how it happened, Theora was already carrying large devices around in front of thousands of people, which she did her best to ignore ¡ª that is, until she lifted a particularly large box and heard girls from the crowd screaming. So she turned.

    It was one of the biggest crowds Theora had ever seen.

    And then she recoiled.

    Quickly finishing up the reorganisation, she scurried off the stage with Dema, her mind hot.

    Among the thousands of people with countless pieces of clothing and countless writings, one had seared itself into Theora¡¯s mind ¡ª in the back half of the audience, a tanned girl with long, open hair, clapping and yelling encouragement at the stage, had been wearing an old shirt with three words printed on.

    When they were out and behind the stage construction, where they were mostly shielded from the noise, Dema turned to face Theora. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You alright? Crowds make you uneasy?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    The words were still burning in her vision.

    Procrastinating the Apocalypse.

    That¡¯s what they were doing, right? By staying their smaller selves, not thinking about the horrors waiting for them after their return.

    Their return. Waiting. There was more to these three words than that, wasn¡¯t there?

    Theora pulled Dema with her, to a path towards the crowd. ¡°I think we need to talk to her.¡±

    Dema was startled, but hurried along. ¡°To whom?¡±

    They went along an elevated rail, until Theora recognised her once more. ¡°There. The woman wearing the shirt about the apocalypse.¡±

    Dema squinted. ¡°You can read that from here? Didn¡¯t you look at the stage for like only a second?¡±

    ¡°We should talk to her.¡±

    ¡°Sure¡­ just gotta find a way to meet her¡­ she¡¯ll disappear somewhere in the tents when the show¡¯s over.¡±

    Theora stopped. ¡°Do you have a piece of paper with you?¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes fluttered at the sudden question, and then she patted down Theora¡¯s travelling attire that she was still wearing. Eventually, she pulled out an almost uncrumpled sheet, folded in half. ¡°Like that?¡±

    ¡°Is that important to you?¡±

    Dema looked at it. ¡°Nah. Just some doctor¡¯s notes.¡±

    Theora nodded, asked Dema for a pen, and then wrote ¡®If this hits the person wearing a shirt saying about an ¡®apocalypse¡¯: I apologise. Could you meet us at these coordinates?¡¯

    Then, she signed it ¡®Dema and Theora¡¯, folded it into a paper plane, took a deep, steading breath, read the wind, and launched it.

    Dema looked like she was trying hard to stop herself from laughing. ¡°Are you for real right now?¡±

    A few seconds later, the plane buried itself into the poor girl¡¯s hair.

    ¡°Oh, that?¡± the woman asked about two hours later, after the performance, when they¡¯d finally met up. They sat in front of her tent, her in a foldable chair, with a few books next to her. Theora wondered how she had time to read at a festival. She also had a notepad and a calculator peeking out of a bag; perhaps it was homework?

    ¡°Belongs to my brother,¡± she continued. ¡°Was the only shirt not in the laundry the morning we went.¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t know anything about it?¡± Theora asked. She sat on the damp grass next to Dema, who had her notepad out but wasn¡¯t writing anything down.

    The girl shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s from a story. Both me and my brother love reading, but I was never interested in that one. He was kind of into it a few years ago, but he moved on when the writing went to shit. I can ask him, though, if you care that much?¡± Her voice was deep and matter of factly, and she had a slightly amused undertone. She even pulled a bag of chips out of her luggage a moment later.

    Dema tilted her head, turning to Theora. ¡°Do we care that much? What¡¯s it remind you of?¡±

    ¡°Not sure¡­¡± Theora wracked her brain to no result. Some shouts came from the distance; was it from the playground area?

    Dema hummed. ¡°I guess it¡¯s related to our larger selves then, isn¡¯t it? Probably?¡±

    Theora blinked, and her gaze went back to the lettering; the woman fortunately did not seem uncomfortable from having people stare in the direction of her chest, though Theora still tried to keep the glances short. ¡°I think you¡¯re right. ¡®Procrastinating the Apocalypse¡¯¡­ Even then, it would have been a long time since I heard it. It barely rings a bell. Plus, why would the title of a story in this world be relevant to what we saw in our world? They are totally different.¡±

    ¡°Are you guys LARPing?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Dema let out. ¡°Unless it was DespairLit, remember? My fav genre when we were in Hallmark.¡±

    The girl looked at Dema with a hint of disgust on her face. ¡°Hallmark is your favourite genre? I have to say, that lost you some respect.¡±

    The shouts in the distance warped to laughter. Children playing.

    A shiver ran down Theora¡¯s spine. ¡°Lostina,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°Lostina!¡± Dema agreed. ¡°Oh, that little cutie. Wait. Did we reincarnate into her world?¡±

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Theora blinked. Then, she frowned. That didn¡¯t quite add up. ¡°How would that work? It¡¯s been hundreds of years. ¡®Procrastinating the Apocalypse¡¯ doesn¡¯t seem to be hundreds of years old here.¡±

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯d say it¡¯s like, five years old at most, or so,¡± the girl said. She was leaning back in her chair eating potato chips while watching their discussion.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema went, ¡°but like, doesn¡¯t the portal in your training place let you go ¡®anywhere you want¡¯? You really like Lostina. But Lostina¡¯s frozen in time with the others. Is it even possible to go somewhere that¡¯s frozen? So maybe the portal just led us to another version of her instead.¡±

    ¡°But we¡¯ve been here since our childhoods. It would mean we actually went back in time. I don¡¯t think changing the past is possible.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Dema nodded. ¡°Oh, but!¡± She grabbed her phone to look something up. ¡°Ah, there. I don¡¯t remember the details, but I think Lostina died around the time when¡­ Oh, there we go. A FanWiki says Gonell¡¯s dead.¡±

    Theora instinctively wanted to reject that phrasing; neither Lostina nor Gonell were truly dead, of course. They were just dead here. The thought felt foreign; the idea that someone could be dead in one world, but alive in others. If they found ways to travel between worlds and Lostina was released from the Frame, could she, one day, return here?

    For some reason, Theora felt almost sure that she couldn¡¯t; that it was too dangerous to even try. Not that Lostina ever really voiced any desire to return in the first place; and Gonell had never truly lived here anyway. Theora shook her head, trying to stop the train of thought. It was uncomfortable.

    ¡°Gone and Lost, huh?¡± The girl was talking with chips in her mouth. ¡°That¡¯s some thematic naming.¡±

    ¡°Still with us, little rabbit?¡± Dema asked, causing Theora to focus back on reality.

    ¡°Apologies. I spaced out. You said both Gonell and Lostina may be dead in this world. What does that have to do with time travel?¡±

    ¡°Well, Iso¡¯s been trying to reach us basically ever since we left. But nothing worked. What if it was blocked until Lostina died? To prevent us from remembering the past while we could have still changed the outcomes. I mean, we went back in time but we didn¡¯t really change anything, is what I mean. At least nothing we would have known about. Lostina probably still kicked the bucket here and all.¡± Dema¡¯s choice of words was crude, but she sounded genuinely sad while saying it.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Theora nodded slowly. ¡°I wonder who blocked it¡­ was it Invent One?¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°Honestly, maybe nobody? Can¡¯t change the past. It¡¯s already happened.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± the girl said. ¡°It¡¯s because we happen to view reality from the perspective of being thrown at almost the speed of light in the direction of time.¡±

    Dema and Theora stared at her, and she shrugged.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you are saying,¡± Theora admitted.

    ¡°Welcome to the club, honey,¡± the girl laughed. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is ¡ª let¡¯s say you are watching a video of someone walking to the beach, but it stops halfway. Well, just because you didn¡¯t watch the second half, doesn¡¯t mean they never reached that beach, right? And if, later on, you talk to another person who was also walking to the beach at the same time, of course their account would all magically align so they didn¡¯t appear on camera at all. Because it already happened!¡±

    Dema scratched her head and looked around as if the festival surroundings would give her a clue. ¡°But aren¡¯t we the people starring in the movie rather than the ones who watch it?¡±

    The girl pushed her hair behind her ear and shrugged. ¡°Sure, we pretend to live like that; but it might be a lot more accurate to say that what we actually do is experience being the flat characters on screen. In a way, we all are just shadows of larger multidimensional entities, and since we only see the projections, of course sometimes things would seem to ¡®magically work out¡¯ for us.¡±

    Theora still did not understand, but it was alright. She could at least attempt to make something of the information. She glanced at Dema. ¡°So in other words, as we went through the portal, my desire to see Lostina again and my desire for the two of us to be happy is what led us here. We ended up in Lostina¡¯s old world with our memories closed off until the past could no longer change, and because we didn¡¯t know our pasts, we were able to get together so easily.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema said. ¡°That sounds about right to me.¡±

    ¡°How is this ¡®Lostina¡¯ related to ¡®Procrastinating the Apocalypse¡¯?¡± the girl asked.

    Dema scratched her head. ¡°She wrote AU fanfiction for it, I think.¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°AU fanfiction? What does that mean?¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°Dunno. That¡¯s just the term I saw while researching Amanda¡¯s past.¡±

    ¡°AU stands for ¡®Alternate Universe¡¯,¡± the girl said. ¡°It¡¯s basically when you take characters from a story ¡ª for example, a Fantasy story ¡ª and imagine what their lives might have been like if they¡¯d grown up and lived in a mundane, more realistic world instead. It can be an exploration of how the characters would interact if they didn¡¯t have to contend with the heavy struggles of their homeworld.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­ really?¡± Dema put her chin in her hand. ¡°That sounds kind of familiar¡­¡±

    The girl shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s probably not the worst starting point to finding out more about her, but still a pretty bad one. Most fanfiction authors are anonymous.¡±

    Dema sighed. ¡°Yeah¡­ Amanda Dupont used an alias as well¡­¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s that now?¡±

    ¡°Ah, Theora¡¯s got that one grave she feels magically drawn to. A girl named Amanda was buried there, and she wrote fanfiction too. But we never found out more.¡±

    ¡°Lots of people writing fanfiction nowadays it seems¡­ not like I haven¡¯t tried myself, either.¡±

    ¡°Right? It¡¯s popular!¡±

    Right. Theora rubbed her eyes. There was this whole other thing they still had to worry about. ¡°I¡¯m still scared that there¡¯s a Fragment of Time in that grave.¡±

    The girl resumed eating her chips. ¡°You know, this is great. You should write a book or something.¡±

    Dema looked concerned. ¡°Why worried?¡±

    ¡°Because if there¡¯s a Fragment of Time there, I would need to [Obliterate] the grave to create an incision to retrieve it. I don¡¯t want to harm a grave.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s empty, right? You said the urn was empty when you put it in.¡±

    Theora shrugged. ¡°It is. But it¡¯s still the place people go to remember her. Where I go to remember her. And the earth has absorbed the urn by now. What if it means I have to cut up the tree?¡± Shivers went down her spine at the mere thought.

    ¡°Well¡­ there¡¯s still a chance the Fragment could be somewhere else,¡± Dema offered.

    Theora looked away, gaze falling onto the sea of tents. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Is there a chance? I think a place I don¡¯t wish to open is exactly where a Fragment would be hidden. It¡¯s true that there might be other places, but I doubt any of them would be easier to access.¡±

    The girl scratched her temple. ¡°Like, you¡¯re saying those Fragments are hidden in abstract locations?¡±

    Theora looked back to her, pushing her hand through her hair while finding the words. ¡°They are magically hidden in places that are difficult to find and access.¡±

    ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t like, the top of a mountain, or the centre of the earth be better places to look?¡±

    Theora bit her lips.

    Dema said, ¡°I don¡¯t think Theora would have any trouble reaching either of those. Them being stuck in abstract places like that is probably a little bit her fault.¡±

    ¡°Really? Reaching the centre of the earth is easier for her than digging up a grave? Damn.¡±

    This was horrifying. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to get this Fragment. But then what happens to Time?¡±

    Would she have to make a choice; what to abandon? Like back when she went off to space, leaving Treeka at home? It was frustrating. She wanted to save Time without felling a tree; without destroying a place of remembrance.

    But Dema leaned over, catching Theora¡¯s arms in her hands. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You¡¯re not alone, remember?¡±

    Theora blinked with teary eyes. ¡°But I¡¯m the only one who can open it.¡± It required, on top of finding it, an incision in the fabric of reality only she could make; one of the many reasons this task had been put on her shoulders in the first place.

    Dema shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not there. Won¡¯t be there. And even if it is, you won¡¯t have to do anything bad. I promise, little rabbit.¡±

    Theora swallowed hard. How could Dema promise that? She couldn¡¯t possibly know. ¡°You don¡¯t even have magic here.¡±

    Dema shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°Don¡¯t need that kind of magic to take care of my girl. I¡¯m gonna find a way. Trust me?¡±

    Theora really wanted to. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll try.¡±

    Dema smiled, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Theora leaned into it with eyes closed.

 Chapter 166: The Confines of Reality

    After returning from the festival full of fresh ideas for how to finetune their program, Dema spent a lot of time brooding over new songs. Meanwhile, Theora spent a lot of time leaning against Dema¡¯s soft body draped against her, listening to her her hum in her raspy low voice while trying to figure out lyrics.

    Theora couldn¡¯t, however, shake off the feeling that something was weighing on Dema. And after those days at the festival, that wasn¡¯t necessarily surprising. Enough had happened.

    That included two promises. Dema made two promises to Theora, back to back; one, that they would not have to meet their end, and two, that Theora would not have to desecrate Amanda¡¯s empty grave.

    Dema always did so much, behind the scenes, on the scenes, after the scenes. Even though her body barely carried her twenty steps without faltering or having her bump into something, even though she got feverish every few days, even though she spent so much time at the hospital.

    It was time Theora tried to figure out how to help Dema, too. Sure ¡ª she made tea, she changed Dema¡¯s drenched clothes in the middle of the night, she hugged her, carried her, prepared food ¡ª but these things, anyone would do. There had to be something only she could do for Dema, a way to make their time here worthwhile.

    Of the eighty-six days to become the best band they could, only twenty-one were left, and while Theora would still obviously decide that she wanted to keep going, the approaching deadline made her nervous.

    And so, Theora found herself with her phone in her hand late at night, awoken from her worried thoughts, as Dema was snoring softly beside her.

    She wrote a message to the anonymous sender.

    ¡®I would like to talk about Dema.¡¯

    The answer came about half an hour later.

    ¡®Oh! Sure! Glad to hear from you. Gosh, it¡¯s been so long¡­ if you don¡¯t count those annoyed-sounding messages from a while ago but I guess those still kinda warmed my heart!¡¯

    ¡®I should apologise for doing this to you.¡¯

    Again, the reply took a while; Theora didn¡¯t really want to think too much about the process, she only hope her daughter didn¡¯t have to exert herself too much.

    ¡®Nah, it¡¯s alright. At the time I didn¡¯t really know as much about Verisimilitude constraints, Invie really filled in some important blanks there. I¡¯m Iso, by the way! But I guess what I¡¯m saying is that things would have actually maybe even ended kinda poorly if you¡¯d responded properly. I¡¯m the one who should apologise! I mean, I won¡¯t, because I¡¯m a little stubborn and I still think you ought to have known, and I was working on the information I had, but¡­¡¯

    Invent One¡¯s words from their first meeting echoed back into Theora¡¯s mind: Your child established contact with me a while ago and proceeded to share a lot of data.

    She really did ¡®share lots of data¡¯, didn¡¯t she? It was quite endearing. Theora smiled at the phone.

    ¡®Well, let¡¯s catch up later,¡¯ Theora wrote. ¡®But for now I want to ask if you know something about Dema. She seems to be struggling a lot, and you seem to know about our past.¡¯

    ¡®Oh yeah you mean because she¡¯s dying?¡¯

    What?

    Theora stared at the words for about a minute, and then a new text appeared ¡®Oh god, did you not know? Actually, let me see if I can establish a phone call somehow. One second.¡¯

    That message managed to somehow horrify Theora even more ¡ª Dema was sleeping peacefully right next to her, and she did not want to wake her up. Iso had only given her one second, so she quickly and quietly opened the window and jumped out. By the time she landed on the street next to her little shed in her nightgown with a soft thump, the phone was already ringing.

    ¡°I¡ªyes?¡± Theora managed.

    ¡°Sorry for that sudden scare,¡± Iso said, and Theora wasn¡¯t sure which scare she was referring to. ¡°Also, let me know if you get exhausted at some point ¡ª I don¡¯t expect it, but I am sapping your energy to make this call.¡± Theora didn¡¯t really feel any different. ¡°But yea. Dema¡¯s been fighting it off for a while, but her time in that world is nearing its end.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s going to die,¡± Theora repeated. ¡°You mean, outside of ¡ª unrelated to my main quest?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Oh, yeah, obviously. Wait, have you been worried about that?¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°You are in a world that rejects what doesn¡¯t fit its laws of nature. Dema is a demon. She¡¯s a magical being. In a way, she is an embodiment of defiance. The world you are in is slowly crushing her.¡±

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    ¡°So it¡¯s more than her being sickly,¡± Theora let out. She was in hospice care for a while, but from the way they¡¯d talked, it sounded like the doctors had just been wrong about things.

    ¡°Yes. Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the world was trying to get rid of you too; you probably just don¡¯t realise because you¡¯re you.¡±

    Theora shut her eyes. Of course, now it made sense. ¡°I have back pain sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Yea¡­ seems like that world is trying its best.¡±

    ¡°So, is Invent One having those same issues¡­? It said it¡¯s a dreamer too.¡±

    ¡°Well, One¡¯s occupying a body from that world specifically for that reason. The rest of it is splintered off into what it calls its ¡®Larger Self¡¯, meaning it¡¯s an outside observer that is not actually inside that harmful reality.¡±

    ¡°Amanda¡¯s body is shielding it from these effects¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! The human body is like a space suit, you know? Or maybe, like a little space ship. Keeps the hostile environment out and allows part of One to move around there.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s like we¡¯re in space right now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty accurate metaphor, all things considered. Like, of course, you of all people can go to space without any defences. But someone like Dema has more trouble, despite being immortal in our world¡­ Like how she had to make a little spaceship out of blood to get you home, right?¡±

    ¡°I remember.¡± Theora settled on the asphalt cross legged.

    ¡°But basically it¡¯s like that,¡± Isobel went on. ¡°The world you¡¯re in now has an immune system, so to speak. Something got in and now it¡¯s trying to get rid of the intruder.¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­ this world is alive?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t stretch my metaphor like that! Not what I¡¯m saying. It¡¯s a complex system. Complex systems will strive towards balance to keep existing, no mind required. Honestly doesn¡¯t even have to be complex. Like a marble rolling to the centre of a bowl. There certainly could be a living world; like, when you visited that book and squabbled with that author? The author seemed to actively engage in the narrative in some way, so yeah, maybe you could call that world alive. There¡¯s no evidence to indicate such a thing where you¡¯re currently at. To bacteria, it doesn¡¯t matter whether the body can make conscious choices. The question is irrelevant!¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°But anyway, since I know how your brain works: I¡¯m not trying to make you feel bad for the world you visited, I¡¯m trying to let you know that Dema¡¯s in danger.¡±

    Theora let out a sigh, and laid down on her back, looking up at the starry sky. She almost expected a voice to ring out; no voice came. She hadn¡¯t heard from her Head in the Clouds since starting to take medication in this world. ¡°We really messed up by going here, then,¡± Theora murmured.

    ¡°Should be fine as long as you return before it gets too bad,¡± Isobel said and Theora could almost hear her rock body shrug through the connection; or maybe she just imagined it after having experienced Isobel making that gesture so many times before. ¡°Just take care of her like you have been. She¡¯s been bragging about that for a while, you know?¡±

    Theora let out a deep breath. ¡°So then, I fetch the Fragment of Time, we return, but then what? If travelling to other worlds is so dangerous, then how are we going to find the rest?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, actually you just kind of got unlucky with this one I guess? Like, not all worlds have Verisimilitudes this high. We can just fetch them from the ones that aren¡¯t this averse to outside influence.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand what that word means,¡± Theora admitted.

    ¡°Basically just a measurement of how ¡®real¡¯ a world is. Like if you imagine 0 Verisimilitude to be a world where there¡¯s no internal consistency at all, and 100 to be one where you experience heavy rejection upon entry¡­ I mean, it also depends on how incongruent you are with the target world. If you adhere to its laws of nature, then even visiting a world with a high Verisimilitude should be fine. We just have to find places that are compatible.¡±

    ¡°And we just happen to have gone to one with a higher value,¡± Theora concluded. That did, in some way, make sense.

    Isobel said with a sigh, ¡°It¡¯s a bit more unlucky than that, I fear. In a way, you could say that where you are right now is probably the Reality ¡ª V100. Compared to which everything else is less real. I mean, who knows what¡¯s out there, but it wouldn¡¯t be surprising to me.¡±

    Theora tapped her feet against the asphalt, trying to make sense of what Isobel was saying. What made her think that this world¡¯s V was that high? Well, granted, Dema was a fairly sturdy person, so that alone was a good indicator, but why the highest of all? ¡°How would that even work?¡± she murmured out loud. Theora remembered Dema having told her that it was the setting of an old branch of Hallmark literature. ¡°Isn¡¯t this world made up?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s made up,¡± Isobel confirmed. ¡°But remember the point of DespairLit? It¡¯s supposed to be this bleak world where people are beholden to many outside forces, where they can¡¯t be truly free. Obviously, the Verisimilitude that goes along with that would be oppressive. It¡¯s heavily exaggerated on purpose. That¡¯s what made it a fun thought experiment to those classical writers in the first place. They went and invented a V100 world for fun and now you¡¯re stuck there.¡±

    Right. Of course, this world could be both made up and the most ¡®real¡¯ thing imaginable, if someone had invented it to be just so. Still. ¡°I see what you mean, but¡­ I don¡¯t know. Something about the way you say it bothers me,¡± Theora admitted.

    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s that?¡±

    Theora¡¯s gaze wandered down the street. There were Serim and her friends, as well as the many communities around the world like them. ¡°It¡¯s not the lack of magic that makes things the way they are in this place. People can be free here too. And eventually, they will be.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Isobel said. ¡°I like that thought. Yeah. I hope one day they¡¯ll be free.¡±

    They shared a moment of silence, and then Theora sat up and pushed the hair out of her face. ¡°Well, I should go back to bed, I don¡¯t want Dema to wake up alone. Thank you for letting me know about all of this. I¡¯ll ask her again if she wants to leave early.¡±

    ¡°Take care of each other!¡± Isobel chirped. ¡°I¡¯ll start preparing for your return too. I heard you kissed? I¡¯ll soundproof your bedroom walls.¡±

    ¡°I¡ªWhat?¡± Theora spluttered. ¡°That¡¯s¡ªIsobel.¡±

    ¡°See you!¡±

 Chapter 167: Things We Couldnâ€™t Do Before

    Sixteen days left. Serim had managed to get them an opening slot for a band she met at the festival, and it aligned perfectly with the last Friday before the end of the self-imposed deadline. Obviously, finding out about Dema¡¯s circumstances turned what was a foregone conclusion into an actual choice Theora had to make.

    Dema was sick. At the same time, the world was sick, because Theora and Dema were in it.

    Dema and Theora had chosen this world together, entering through a portal that led them wherever they wanted to go. Both she and Dema wanted to go somewhere they could be happy. And the portal had led them just there; a place where, even if just for a while, they were happy.

    This, along with the explanation of Lostina, had made sense to Theora at the time, but after hearing from Isobel, it didn¡¯t quite work out. It felt like she was still missing something. Why, out of all the places where they could have gone, did it have to be one that would make Dema sick?

    Sure, they had been happy for a while, but the fact that this happiness was on a timer gave rise to a sour aftertaste. Perhaps she¡¯d misunderstood the purpose of the portal? But even then, what other effect could it have that explained things equally well, or better?

    Theora didn¡¯t want to spend all her time brooding in sadness, so she tried her best to shove that little question into the back of her mind, and enjoy band practice instead.

    The band met up again and again, to really finetune their performance. Every time they rehearsed the pause during which Theora would tune the instruments, Dema told a completely new story; like she was filled to the brim with them. And every time, Theora finished tuning both her and Dema¡¯s instruments the very moment Dema spoke the last sentence of her story.

    Like they were in perfect sync.

    Later that evening, Theora returned from a shower, finding Dema lying on the sofa listlessly. It was a common sight these past few days; perhaps Dema was overworking herself, or it was that illness, or maybe she was sad about their upcoming ending. There was only one way for Theora to find out, and so she went into the kitchen to pour some tea, returned with it to kneel next to Dema, and patted her head.

    She asked, ¡°Are you not feeling well?¡±

    Dema sighed. ¡°Nah¡­ it¡¯s just¡­¡± She shrugged. ¡°Bad thoughts.¡±

    ¡°What thoughts?¡±

    Dema pushed herself up and accepted the tea. The first sip made her close her eyes and pull her legs toward her chest. She patted the space next to her, gesturing to Theora to sit down.

    ¡°I realised something,¡± she said, her voice low. ¡°When we talked to that girl.¡±

    ¡°Her name is Pashka,¡± they had eventually found out.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dema leaned back. ¡°Pashka.¡±

    ¡°What did you realise?¡±

    Dema looked miserable. She scrunched up her face in displeasure, and then gave another, weaker shrug. ¡°Can¡¯t talk about it. Sorry.¡±

    Theora gave a careful nod. ¡°So¡­ it¡¯s about a scheme?¡±

    That finally got Dema to smile. The smile didn¡¯t quite reach her eyes, but that seemed to result from her exhaustion more than anything. ¡°Could say that.¡± The smile turned into a bit of a grin. ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m scheming!¡± The smile waned. ¡°Remember that letter I was writing a while ago? In that shed?¡±

    Theora nodded.

    ¡°Well.¡± Dema rested the cup on one of her knees. ¡°It¡¯s about that. It¡¯s just¡­ Some things you can only say once. And you don¡¯t get another chance. Or, like¡­¡± She pinches the bridge of her nose. ¡°Some things you should only say once, or they lose meaning.¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°I will remember what you wrote¡±

    ¡°Why, yes,¡± Dema said. ¡°But that¡¯s only if you actually read it.¡±

    ¡°Why would I not read it?¡±

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    ¡°Dunno. Maybe you decide not to.¡±

    Theora shook her head. ¡°I will read it. And I will remember what it says.¡±

    ¡°Begging you not to make that promise right now. Decide when the time comes, will you?¡±

    What reason could there possibly be not to?

    ¡°Is there any other way to cheer you up?¡± Theora tried, and the question alone did manage to brighten Dema up a little.

    ¡°Why, yeah.¡± She got up and rummaged in one of her bags, producing a little notepad; possibly the same she¡¯d used back when they investigated Amanda Dupont¡¯s disappearance. She flipped it open and searched for a peculiar page, then showed it off. It was a list. ¡°Wanna help me strike things off?¡±

    ¡°Finding a four leaf clover¡­ done!¡± Dema said, scratching off another item. Her finger was holding the plant delicately, never actually plucking it from the grass. They smiled at each other.

    Dema had asked Theora to take time off to do this.

    ¨C Look directly at the sun

    ¨C Watch the stars with my crush

    ¨C Sleep outside without a tent

    These were some of the easier ones; although Theora had begged Dema not to do the sun one, only for Dema to stare at her for a few seconds and then scratch it off. The more difficult items included things like ¡®visiting the deepest spot in the ocean¡¯ and ¡®bathing in lava¡¯ which were, admittedly, more tricky to actually accomplish.

    There was one item that Theora really disliked, though. She¡¯d caught glimpses of it a few times, and it tied a knot in her stomach to even think about what it might mean.

    Finally, she got herself to ask.

    ¡°What is this list for?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a list of stuff I wanna do,¡± Dema offered, making it sound as if stating the obvious ¡ª and, well, she kind of was.

    ¡°Like¡­ things you haven¡¯t been able to do before?¡± Theora probed further. ¡°You said going to parties was easier now that I could ¡®carry you when you lose strength¡¯. Like that?¡±

    Dema looked a bit bashful. ¡°Yeah, kinda? Like that, I guess.¡± She got up, looking back into the grass at the four leaf clover. ¡°They say those make us lucky.¡±

    Theora had never understood that logic. ¡°Rather, doesn¡¯t it mean we had luck, which was consumed when we found it?¡±

    Dema¡¯s expression turned so innocently baffled. ¡°But it took us two hours?¡±

    Oh. Right. Theora laughed. ¡°That¡¯s true. So in other words, we now stored up two hours of luck in that clover.¡±

    With a smug grin, Dema booped Theora¡¯s nose. ¡°I think that¡¯s not how this works at all.¡± She thought about it for a second. ¡°But if it is, good thing we did it before finishing our list.¡±

    They went off to the store next to buy groceries, and then returned home to make dinner. Dema put the shopping bag on the kitchen table, and pulled out a jar of pickled red cabbage. She just put it aside.

    Theora sighed. ¡°You have to hand it to me.¡±

    Dema turned her head. ¡°I mean, yeah, obviously. You¡¯re amazing.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Dema blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    Theora nodded to the table. ¡°I meant the jar.¡±

    With a confused turn of her head, Dema reached out, and then offered it to Theora with a questioning expression.

    ¡°Are you messing with me right now?¡± Theora asked, and took the jar, reluctantly. ¡°Why are you so confused? It¡¯s on your list.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Dema let out. ¡°¡®Have my girlfriend open a jar for me.¡¯ Completely forgot about that one.¡±

    ¡°How did you forget¡­ we literally picked it out for this¡­¡± Theora looked at the label. ¡°You like red cabbage?¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°No clue. Never got the jar open¡­¡±

    It turned out, they both liked red cabbage. After dinner, they sat on the couch again, and Dema was busy scratching through what they managed to finish that day.

    It was now or never. Theora pointed at one of the remaining items. ¡°What does that one mean?¡±

    It simply said, ¡®break up¡¯.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Dema bit her lip. ¡°Why, you know how in romance stories it really breaks your entire heart when it doesn¡¯t work out between the characters? Like¡­ that always totally gets me. Makes me miserable for a week straight. Always wondered what that would feel like in real life.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ want to break up?¡± The thought alone was already making Theora miserable. ¡°With me?¡±

    Dema smiled. ¡°Why, yeah! And then we can do two items in one go?¡±

    Theora tried not to cry as she asked, ¡°What would be the second item?¡±

    Dema pointed at the one right beneath, which Theora had assumed was about cosmetics of some kind. ¡°Make up.¡±

    Oh. ¡°You want to break up and then get back together.¡± Theora breathed out.

    ¡°That¡¯s always the best part in stories,¡± she said, nodding. ¡°Break-ups are exciting because I know the characters will somehow find a way to make it all work out at the end!¡± She beamed, and then, after a moment, the smile waned. ¡°¡¯Course, not all stories are like that. Some few, they never get back together and their romance just ends. Those kinda hurt.¡±

    Theora could imagine. ¡°Please don¡¯t break up with me right now. I would cry really bad. Let¡¯s do it some other time.¡±

    Dema leaned forward and kissed Theora on the cheek. ¡°Sure,¡± she said as low as a whisper. ¡°Another time it is. Or maybe never, right? Cause some things never end.¡±

 Chapter 168: Interlude â€” The Storms Are Getting Stronger

    The day Dema died, she barely managed to hold herself upright at the grand piano.

    ¡°We can stop if you want to. Continue another time,¡± I told her. We were in a music studio I¡¯d reserved for the day, to record one of Dema¡¯s songs for one of her schemes or whatever, but she was so weak these days, I wished Theora was here.

    Dema shook her head. ¡°Nah, let¡¯s get this done today, Zappie.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re adamant, huh?¡± She shot me a look that told me so much, my stomach dropped out. ¡°You¡¯re not okay?¡±

    ¡°Apparently I have a big risk for a blood clot now? Well, I don¡¯t know. It doesn¡¯t matter, the band will only last for a few more days and I wanted to get done before that anyway.¡±

    I took a very deep breath, trying not to cry on the spot. I¡¯d known for a long time that the end was coming, but now that it was getting closer, it was difficult to grapple with reality. ¡°Well, for what it¡¯s worth, with what we¡¯ve already recorded, we can probably cut together a version that¡¯s good.¡±

    Dema nodded. She wasn¡¯t as fast as Theora learning the guitar, but her progress with the piano had been tremendous. They were both terrifying when they set their minds on something.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just¡­¡± Dema took a sip from her glass of water, then stretched. ¡°Don¡¯t want something that¡¯s ¡®good¡¯, I want something that¡¯s perfect. I¡¯ll just get this done now.¡±

    And she did. Three takes later, I was in tears after all. It didn¡¯t take ages to finish the mix; only voice and piano after all, and when I was done we set towards home. The wind threatened to swoop Dema away more than once, so we ended up interlocking arms and hiding in wakes as much as we could.

    But the short walk to the bus went well, and the bus itself only came twenty minutes late, so at some point in the evening, we got to my home ¡ª we were scheduled to hold one last meeting of band practice before getting put on as the opener of a band I met during the festival.

    Needless to say, that never came to be.

    We were planning on practice only if Theora made it there, though. If not, we¡¯d just spend an evening with IO. Since we wanted to go all out for practice, my housemates had made it elsewhere for the night. We didn¡¯t have to hold back at all.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re already here,¡± I observed when I saw Invent One sitting next to the entry door. ¡°It¡¯s not locked.¡±

    Invent One nodded and got up ¡ª probably knew that, I figured, as I let them both in.

    After a look at my phone, I sighed. ¡°Yep. Storm duty. Theora will stay in attendance at the brigade. Told us to call her if something happens.¡±

    ¡°That bad, huh?¡± Dema mused, head leaning against the back of her chair. She¡¯d been playing with her bass in her lap. ¡°Think tomorrow¡¯s gonna go well? We kinda needed today¡¯s practice, right¡­?¡±

    With how many last-minute changes they¡¯d decided on since last week, that appeared to be an accurate assessment. Dema had created another three songs after the festival ¡ª a true monster of creativity as of late ¡ª and both I and Theora had been eager to include them in their program.

    That said¡­ ¡°Honestly, I think it will be fine. You and I are the only ones who really need practice, since Invent One figured out the basics.¡± My gaze went over to IO, who was busy staring at a wall. ¡°We can look at a song or two now, but¡­ we did get some practice. So it¡¯s going to go well as long as we focus.¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Thanks, Zappie.¡±

    I didn¡¯t bother to correct her, and just sighed with an indulgent smile.

    She seemed to pick up on it, and apologetically went, ¡°But Zappie¡¯s so much easier to say!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Either way, we should practise the song about orcas. Since you¡¯re straining your vocal range with that one, I asked Invent One if it wants to try singing.¡±

    ¡°Song about orcas?¡± Dema asked. ¡°Which one¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°ORCA¡­?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± She clapped her hands in recognition. ¡°That¡¯s short for Our Really Cute Afterstory. It¡¯s like, a song for happy ends! Nothing to do with orcas.¡±

    My eyebrows twitch. ¡°But the lyrics are about how much you like orcas?¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°Yeah, but the lyrics have nothing to do with the song. They¡¯re just for fun.¡±

    ¡°You are going to give me a headache.¡±

    ¡°Alright, well, then let¡¯s go with the orca song, if you wanna call it that. No pun intended.¡±

    I frowned. ¡°What? Am I missing something? Where is the pun?¡±

    Dema scratched her head. ¡°What do you mean? There¡¯s no pun, that¡¯s what I said!¡±

    I wanted to jump up and go after Dema, and based on her grin and how she was grasping the armrest to be able to get up quickly, that was probably the point. I suddenly got really suspicious. And then it hit me. ¡°Wait, are you doing this on purpose? Are you winding me up?¡±

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    Dema pulled up an eyebrow, grinning. ¡°Why, I would never.¡±

    All tension left my body. ¡°You noticed I¡¯m feeling bad, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Dema¡¯s face turned a bit more serious. ¡°Wanna talk? What¡¯s got you all sad?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ you know what it is. It¡¯s just¡­ a lot. I don¡¯t want you to leave.¡±

    Invent One nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t want Dema to leave, either. Dema is fairly damaged by now, though. It might be best for her to return home.¡±

    I rub my eyes while Dema lets out a sigh. She says, ¡°Well, yea. Not sure about that. I¡¯m worried about Theora.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what? How?¡±

    Dema pauses for an agonisingly long time. ¡°I have pretty much all of my memories back now, which kinda makes things worse, I think. But like¡­ makes me think.¡± She tapped her temples. ¡°She¡¯s got this idea in her head that she¡¯ll have to kill me in our home world. And considering what they did to her, I don¡¯t really blame her?¡±

    ¡°What did they do to her?¡±

    IO is the one who answers: ¡°Theora is a weapon programmed to destroy the Ancient Evil. She¡¯s been made to believe, for millennia, that her purpose is to serve the System.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult for me to fathom that anyone could tell her what to do,¡± I say, but then again, Theora cares. I could tell her what to do, and she probably would, to a certain extent.

    ¡°They can¡¯t,¡± Dema agrees. ¡°And she tries to refuse them. Doesn¡¯t really change what her caretakers did to her, nor what the System did to her. Probably still feels like an obligation, like she¡¯s failing.¡±

    ¡°So she¡¯s still being exploited,¡± I say. ¡°But¡­ what does that have to do with your return?¡±

    Dema shrugs. ¡°Just, I¡¯ve been thinking. If I die here, and never return, then she never has to kill me. And we did get some good years, huh?¡±

    My blood runs cold. ¡°What? That can¡¯t possibly be what she wants, though.¡±

    Suddenly, Dema cracks a smile. ¡°Why, that¡¯s the entire point of making her choose, right? I want her to do what she wants. She already knows what I want. Which is to stay with her. But she¡¯s gonna have to make that choice too, if anything¡¯s to work out.¡±

    I frown. I don¡¯t quite get it, but from her expression, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m meant to. It¡¯s between those two.

    ¡°This got me feeling really nervous,¡± I admit. ¡°I kind of want to get Theora here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Dema says, and I can hear in her voice that she¡¯s vetoing my proposal to get that girl here right that second.

    The next few hours are hazy in my memory. We ended up playing without Theora, but not for long. Dema kept teasing me, but as the evening progressed, things got a little more tense. The noise from outside was almost deafening now, even in the basement, and electricity went out. I wanted to call Theora, but there was no reception.

    ¡°This is worrying,¡± Invent One had said, at some point. ¡°Projections are looking poor.¡±

    ¡°What should we do?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡ª¡±

    That¡¯s what I remember. I¡¯m not sure if it happened right then, or if we had more frantic discussions. It was an old house, and it had flaws, of course. But I don¡¯t think that was the reason. The reason was the storm ¡ª it was just too strong. Impossibly strong, perhaps. A violent reaction of the world. I have to read between the lines, mostly, when these friends of mine talk about other worlds and all, but what I gather is: the world made an attempt, and succeeded.

    Anyway, between the wind, the thunder, the rubble and tree in the air, the building caved in.

    I learned later that many houses in town suffered the same fate.

    Things went dark for a while ¡ª I assume I lost consciousness. I remember hearing Invent One¡¯s attempts to get us out of the rubble, but its body was too weak, and its access read-only. It went for help. I¡¯m just glad IO wasn¡¯t buried too. Dema and I couldn¡¯t move. I think I was mostly fine; there were air pockets, my legs were stuck under furniture and rock, and I was covered in dust. I may have been bleeding, but my main problem was the cold.

    Dema and I must have talked a lot, because I remember parts of our conversation. She was stuck right beside me, out of arm¡¯s reach. I heard her voice close, but couldn¡¯t feel her warmth.

    ¡°Nah,¡± she murmured at some point. ¡°Theora¡¯s gonna get here in time and rescue us. For sure. Can count on that.¡±

    I was the most terrified when the smell of smoke came with a breeze. The building had caught fire. We were in the basement; my roommates were visiting friends out of town that day, so I assumed they were fine. Could IO even find help with that fickle body? In that storm? I hoped it hadn¡¯t gotten stuck somewhere above.

    Dema kept encouraging me all the way through. Like she had way more experience with dying than I did. And I mean ¡ª that¡¯s true, even when it comes to dealing with people on the verge. She was in hospice care after all. Went to dialysis several times per week because of her failing kidneys, but other than that, she had mostly been fine. Knowing Theora, she probably took care of Dema like a nurse would have, without even realising.

    Theora never got sick. Not once in our lives do I remember her being sick. I got sick, of course. The fact that she had no experience with it herself had never taken away from the care and gentleness she offered to those who were struggling.

    At some point, Dema managed to reach her bag, and pulled out two bottles. She tossed me one. My fingers were too cold to realise at first, but it was warm. A little respite in the freezing air. I wanted to throw it back to Dema, because she needed the warmth more than I did ¡ª but she had her own bottle.

    Theora¡¯s tea always stayed hot, no matter what. I put the flask beneath my clothes and hugged it to my chest. I felt invincible beside it.

    Perhaps Dema was right ¡ª maybe Theora would save us. Like she always did.

    I caught Dema drinking from the flask at some point.

    ¡°What are you doing? Are you that thirsty? I¡¯m pretty sure it won¡¯t stay hot once you actually drink it.¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes were glassy ¡ª I only saw them because they actually glowed in the dark. ¡°Why, how can I not drink it? Fills me with warmth.¡±

    I moved in and out of consciousness, but Dema kept waking me. Smoke and heat raged above, freezing cold bit at my legs from beneath, but my heart was safe between Theora¡¯s tea and Dema¡¯s words.

    That feeling of safety turned numb when, eventually, Dema lost consciousness. The flask of tea rolled out of her arms. The lid wasn¡¯t closed properly, so the insides poured out, over my arms and into my hair. It felt like I was punched.

    The tea was cold. Ice cold.

    It was cold.

    Why was it cold?

    My mind searched for a conclusion to this nonsensicality, fogged out and about to fall asleep. Flashes of memories. Dreams? And I remembered. Cold brews. Theora loved cold brews.

    Dema had tricked me. There was only ever one warm bottle. The one she¡¯d handed over.

    Dema had kept the cold brew herself.

 Chapter 169: Interlude â€” No Copies

    I woke up at the hospital two days later. Invent One was already there, sitting next to my bed, staring at the wall again.

    It had placed a phone next to my pillow, playing quiet music. There were other patients there, all asleep; it was deep at night. When it saw me awake, it nodded, handed my phone to me so I could check in on my friends, then gave a curt account, like a report. Traversing the storm had been difficult; it needed to read the currents and wait in specific spots, to not be blown away. It had noticed the fire already burning ablaze as it left, but had no means to end it.

    Listening to IO kind of broke my heart. There was this gigantic entity, used to the idea of being able to do anything, failing at this task due to the weak body this reality afforded it. These thoughts were hidden under the surface, apparently only in uncharacteristic gazes and little trembles of its fingers.

    If I hadn¡¯t kicked it out eventually, it would have probably stayed forever. Somehow, the hospital staff did not release it; I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it had done some fuckery, like when it covered up the investigation into the death of its body. ¡®Read-only access¡¯, my ass. Sure, that was mostly true, but I at least figured it could manipulate some electrical circuits and digital data.

    I told Invent One it needed to eat and rest, and hesitantly, it agreed to take a break. Thank fuck. I liked having it there with me and was looking forward to its return, but sometimes it needs to be told obvious things.

    When I texted Theora about me waking up, she was torn to come over immediately too. Wise as I am, I asked her what she was doing, and it turns out she would have to abandon rescue efforts to visit me, so I told her I¡¯m fine until she¡¯s got time.

    Meanwhile, my roommates said our house was gone.

    Gone, as in, gone. There were no ruins to speak of.

    I was asleep when Theora came over, and woke up to her sitting beside my bed, squeezing my hand. She didn¡¯t wake me, she was far too gentle for that. It was just what she always did when she took care of me while sick.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± she whispered, low enough not to disturb anyone.

    I swallowed, and gently squeezed back. ¡°Morning.¡± I teared up. ¡°Dema¡­¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°I have her retained.¡±

    I needed a moment to process those words. She had her retained? ¡°As in, with your Skill?¡±

    Theora nodded again, and pulled her chair closer to the bed to whisper to me under her breath. The other patients were awake, but I gather she doesn¡¯t want everyone under the sun to hear about this stuff. ¡°Invent One notified me, and I hurried to your place. When I arrived, the house was almost completely burnt down. The basement was about to flash over. Dema had already¡ª¡± Her voice broke. It took her a while to get the words out ¡ª but apparently, Dema had been lying higher up than me, and¡­

    I stared at Theora, biting at my lips.

    She ended with, ¡°Essentially, I pulled you out, then retained the entire building to make sure I got all of her remains.¡±

    So that¡¯s why the house was gone. ¡°You can just do that?¡±

    Theora shook her head. ¡°I crammed it all in. If I do it again, the Skill might break. But I couldn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°You needed to get all of her,¡± I summarised, and she nodded. ¡°So now, you have an entire building inside of you?¡±

    She gave a weak shrug.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I kept it secret from you,¡± I whispered hoarsely.

    Her eyebrows knitted together in that cute little confused stare she gives sometimes. ¡°Kept what secret?¡±

    ¡°Dema was sick. Something about her blood. No cure. She was going to die soon, even if that hadn¡¯t happened.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± she said quietly.

    I looked at her carefully, gauging her expression. ¡°What, uhm. What else do you know?¡±

    She tilted her head with a curious expression, like a wounded animal. Eyes puffed up from crying, but she kept herself controlled.

    I said, ¡°It¡¯s just ¡ª she was still working on stuff. Concerning you. Dunno if you already know?¡±

    ¡°She was working on something?¡±

    I smiled. ¡°Remember when you were off to sleep or off to work, and she was alone? Well, she used that time to work on ¡ª a present of sorts, I think? For you. I haven¡¯t seen it and I¡¯m not sure if she finished it. It¡¯s probably in her apartment somewhere.¡±

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    She was quiet at my words, her eyebrows still knit together. Her mind was trying to work things out behind those grey eyes.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked.

    She didn¡¯t reply; she rarely did, to such questions. But she squeezed my hand, and that was response enough.

    ¡°She tricked me, by the way,¡± I croaked out. ¡°Made me think she had a warm flask of your brew too.¡±

    Theora looked like she was about to fall into my lap. She caught herself, but still seemed upset. ¡°I¡¯ll never make cold brew again. Wish I¡¯d made two bottles with hot tea.¡±

    I gave her a wry smile. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure if you¡¯d made two, I would have ended up with both of them.¡±

    Theora sighed. ¡°Of course you would have. She always does this. She once fed herself to hungry wolves.¡±

    I stared at her, horrified. ¡°She did what?¡±

    Theora waved off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that wasn¡¯t here.¡±

    I have to say, I was still worried. The fact that I was remembering the stuff Dema said about their ¡®return¡¯ wasn¡¯t helping. ¡°What are you going to do now? With¡­¡±

    Theora looked away; at another bed, at the door, at the window, while breathing out unsteadily. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m wrapped up in the aftermath of the storm.¡± Her lips thinned. ¡°I have some obligations.¡±

    My stomach clenched, and I squeezed her hand again. Four people had died that night in total. Grasped by the winds when outside, or suffering complications from the lack of energy and medical attention. ¡°None of this was your fault. Dema didn¡¯t even want you to return that day.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost like we forced the hands of this world,¡± she murmured. ¡°Well, the storms have been getting stronger either way. But Dema needed to be¡­¡±

    ¡°Needed to go, yeah.¡± I sighed. ¡°She said she had all her memories back.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°I have too.¡±

    ¡°Does that give you any insight on what you should do?¡± That gave me a thought. ¡°You know how I¡¯ve been watching physics documentaries since we met IO? Well, turns out there¡¯s theories of parallel universes and stuff. That there is a quantum multiverse. And with all the talk about other worlds¡­ I don¡¯t know, got me thinking. Maybe there are other worlds where Dema is still alive? Where that storm didn¡¯t get her.¡± And maybe there were other worlds where the previous attempts at her life didn¡¯t fail.

    Theora looked at me in mild surprise, maybe bedazzlement, until her expression turned a little sad again. ¡°Don¡¯t think that¡¯s quite how it works. I¡¯d know.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d know? You mean you¡¯d know if Dema was still alive somewhere?¡±

    Theora raised her hand, showing off her bracelet. ¡°I¡¯d know that if I tried to break this. I know better than to attempt it now, though. But that¡¯s not what I mean. I was talking about myself.¡±

    ¡°About yourself?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m reasonably certain that I knew if there were other versions of me, somewhere out there, even in other worlds.¡± Her lips thin into a weary smile. ¡°But I¡¯m the only one. If such a multiverse exists, Dema would probably be in those other worlds without me. In that case, we must be sitting in the one world I happened to enter. But I think it¡¯s unlikely. I think this is just the only version of this world there is.¡±

    I swear, this girl said the most ridiculous things sometimes. People had put lots of work into that theory, and here she was, saying, ¡®nah¡¯, and here I was, just believing her, because she¡¯s fucking Theora. ¡°How would you know that?¡± I still ask, because well, I¡¯m curious. And it was puzzling; Theora very rarely spoke in such certain terms ¡ª about anything, really. She¡¯s the kind of person who would go, ¡®I imagine there might be some soy milk in the fridge,¡¯ after just putting it there.

    She looked like she was fighting with herself, on whether she should answer. Fair. I was overstaying my welcome a little. I knew she didn¡¯t like to talk much, and I¡¯d been making her explain so many things. I was willing to be selfish every now and then, though, and technically, she could refuse.

    Eventually, she decided to respond. ¡°Just that when I was young, the scholars raising me were worried.¡±

    I narrowed my eyes. Okay, so this had to do with her being grown into a weapon, like IO said?

    ¡°Worried I wouldn¡¯t do what they wanted me to do,¡± she added after a pause to collect her thoughts. ¡°Once it became clear how powerful I was, or might become, they tried to use elaborate techniques and Skills to make other versions of me.¡±

    What the hell.

    ¡°So,¡± she went on, ¡°they were hoping to make someone like me who was perhaps more obedient, maybe more to their tastes. Or a back-up, of sorts, if things didn¡¯t work out with original me. Or perhaps a Theora who¡¯s a little stronger, who could put me in my place if I got any strange ideas.¡±

    ¡°Did they succeed?¡± I asked, mouth dry.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t tell me why they were doing it ¡ª or rather, were offering nice-sounding justifications ¡ª so I didn¡¯t mind the experiments themselves, but it felt weird. So, I was against it.¡±

    ¡°You were against it? And they¡­ listened to you?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°No, but I just didn¡¯t let them. Whenever they tried to split or copy me, I refused.¡±

    I grimace at the imagery her wording conjured up in my mind. ¡°That¡¯s horrifying, because I know you well enough to be worried you could mean that literally.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Made quite the mess, not just once. But either way, over time, I must have built up resistance against that type of interference. Now, at the very least, if there was another me, I think I¡¯d be aware. I was subconsciously aware of there being a kind of ¡®larger me¡¯ while I was here ¡ª though it turns out it was more of me just trying not to remember some things ¡ª and I am somewhat aware of my Head in the Clouds. If there were other worlds full of iterations of me, I¡¯d likely have noticed.¡±

    She frowned a little, leaning back and combing her fingers through her curls. ¡°Or, I suppose, one of them might have noticed, and called me back to her.¡± Then, she chuckled, let her hand fall back into her lap, and said, ¡°No, actually, I¡¯m fairly sure the one who would have noticed first would have been me. Other Theoras would probably be cute, but I imagine they can be slow sometimes.¡±

    I let my head sink into the pillow. ¡°Well, there goes my hope of stealing a Dema from another dimension.¡± Not that I was seriously considering it.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Theora let out as she saw me. ¡°I know I should probably make arrangements for her burial but I¡ª I just can¡¯t. I need to figure some things out first. It¡¯s selfish of me to hold on to her remains like that, when others care about her too.¡±

    ¡°No, I think¡ª¡± My voice broke a little. ¡°I think it¡¯s alright to wait. Take a look at whatever she has left for you first, okay?¡±

    Theora nodded, and that time, she really let herself down onto my belly, hugging close to me as I grazed through her hair.

 Chapter 170: Some Things Never End

    The next few days went by slowly. Theora was painfully aware of whatever might be hidden in Dema¡¯s apartment, but her schedule was packed and while she could have made time for whatever was there, she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d have the stomach. Other things were waiting anyway. Theora supported shelters, carried gravestones, helped Serim and her roommates move to a new place. Everything not to think about those raging flames inside her.

    Until, on the fifth day, as she lay alone in her bed next to the open window letting in freezing cold air, her phone buzzed. Her fingers were a little numb as she patted around herself to find it. The covers wrapped only her legs in warmth, and even that mostly by accident ¡ª she didn¡¯t have the energy to move the blanket around, and the chill felt comforting because she could pretend it reminded her of Dema¡¯s cold and soft touch.

    She half imagined it might be a text from Serim; perhaps from Isobel, even. Theora¡¯s mind was too hazy to even remember if she¡¯d shared the news with her daughter yet.

    As she turned on the screen, prickles danced down her spine.

    The text was from Dema.

    Theora furtively checked her insides ¡ª yes, the burning ruins were still there, wide ablaze, threatening to unwind her at her seams if she focused on them too long. [Retain] was not made for this. But the Skill had to endure for now.

    Theora felt a little d¨¦ja-vu, and as expected, found the text to be ¡®scheduled¡¯. The message contained no words; it was just a file.

    ¡®Some_Things_Never_End.mp3¡¯.

    Theora held her phone between her fingers as if it was alive and the most precious thing to exist. She hesitantly pressed play.

    A piano started playing. A slow and careful melody, like waves, like pulses ¡ª an underlying pattern, a fading heartbeat. Then, Dema started singing, and it was going to be the end of Theora. Such a precious and delicate voice, methodically undoing every knot drawn taught in her stomach and chest, one by one.

    The first verse rang by; Theora had never heard Dema make such music before. Not the usual everburning passion and loud cheer inside heaps of (un-)structured noise ¡ª just a raw and simple sound, almost frail.

    grey eyes stare up at me from above ?

    took me from the darkest place

    let¡¯s make the best of what is to come

    still eight petals left on our flower

    As the rest of the song trickled by, Theora stared at the display, hoping it would jump to life again with another scheduled text, but for a while nothing happened. Just soft words from the tinny phone speaker.

    She¡¯d heard the song five times by the time a new message finally appeared.

    ¡®Sorry! If I, like, forgot to reschedule this and am lying right next to you in bed right now all peacefully or something, please just wake me up and forget about the message. All in due time!

    Otherwise, sorry I died.¡¯

    Theora braced herself as the next one came in.

    ¡®Promised you I was gonna take care of things, but my time was running out big time so I had to hurry. Anyway, I¡¯ve got something for you, at my home.¡¯

    Theora ended up just crying for an hour. She couldn¡¯t get up and leave her apartment like this; even if she could, the idea of leaving her phone out of view and potentially missing another scheduled text even for just a minute terrified her.

    She stayed in bed, a mess, but not a cold mess anymore, because all the sobbing had heated her up and gotten her blood circulating. The freezing cold from the window was now a grace upon her, leading away at least some of the heat.

    She wondered if people could hear her outside. But even if they could, she didn¡¯t have enough control left over her body to stop the meltdown or move further into her apartment or do anything about that window standing wide open right beside her.

    But she didn¡¯t receive another text. Dema stayed silent.

    As the tears dried from exhaustion and her thoughts came to a standstill, she ran out of ways to put this off. So she got up, washed her face, put on some clothing, and stumbled out of her tower.

    She made it to Dema¡¯s apartment within an hour. It was empty, mostly. Dema had carried all her things to Theora¡¯s place over the weeks. On a little table was a letter.

    Hey there!

    Kinda sucks when you have someone you really like and they spend all their time at work or asleep. Right? Especially if you feel like you¡¯re running out of time yourself. You said to me ¡®what if we enter a world where immortality doesn¡¯t exist?¡¯ and I guess we found out. Turns out, I die!

    It¡¯s fine though, for two reasons:

    First, we had a lot of fun we¡¯d have difficulty having in our old home world. Second, you didn¡¯t have to kill me. Third ¡ª I guess there¡¯s a third, maybe I should write down the whole letter first before writing it down¡­ Wait, I can¡¯t!

    Either way: Third is¡­

    I forgot the third reason¡­

    Anyhow, I put something for you into the cupboard.

    Theora¡¯s fingers slid over Dema¡¯s wavy writing; it was messy, with some words scratched through and the page crumpled a little, but in its entirety, the page was surprisingly beautiful. Theora realised she was crying onto the note, so she placed it back on the table to stop ruining it.

    She was still listening to Dema¡¯s song on endless repeat through the earbuds they used to share. The second verse was playing right as her gaze fell across one of Dema¡¯s amps in the corner.

    laughed as we formed a band overnight ?

    a new song for me to sing

    wrote as you dug the graves in the woods

    see, five petals left on our flower

    Theora tore her gaze off it and went to the cupboard. There was a row of drawers inside, with another note placed on the highest.

    So, as I was saying, when you¡¯ve got a lover and she¡¯s gone all day and you sit around at home alone, or at dialysis alone, or stroll through town alone, as your life¡¯s running out around you, you tend to get lots of thoughts.

    And my thought was; wouldn¡¯t it be nice if we could spend that time together anyways? Somehow? But like, we can¡¯t, I¡¯m not supposed to bother you at work. Maybe you¡¯d throw all your obligations away if I told you I was sick and asked you to, and I guess that would be fine, but also, I¡¯d given you some promises and I thought I could combine it all, maybe.

    Cause even if you had spent all that time with me, I¡¯d soon be gone, and you¡¯d be alone, and that kinda sucks big time, right? It started as a letter ¡ª remember? The one I was writing that one time at your workplace. Well, it ended up being more than just a letter, more like a journal, just didn¡¯t know what to leave out or cut! It¡¯s got all the stuff I didn¡¯t have the time to tell you. And then you could read it again and again when I¡¯m gone. That way, we could spend the time ¡®together¡¯ anyway. Right? Just not, like, at the SAME time, if that makes sense.

    But then I thought, why stop at a journal? I wrote songs too, put them on cassettes. I drew pictures. Wrote little bedtime stories. And there¡¯s some more surprises in there. Though you probably know one of them since I¡¯ll sing it in our big concert. Top drawer!

    Theora took a deep breath. They never ended up having that big concert. They couldn¡¯t help Invent One, they couldn¡¯t perform their final song, they couldn¡¯t give the band the send-off it deserved. Theora could never decide on the fate of its future.

    The storm had robbed them of their ending.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    you keep glancing at me blank with dread ?

    we won¡¯t hear the words we leave unsaid

    but I wanna make sure you to know

    that some things never end

    ¡®Some Things Never End.¡¯

    Dema had been right with that, hadn¡¯t she? Some things never got a proper ending, were left frayed and confusing and all wrong.

    Theora steeled herself for the contents of the drawer. Then, she pulled. Another note was lying on top of a locked coffer.

    So, everything¡¯s inside of this. And¡­ well, I should say. Also contains the answers to the questions you never asked, the things about the past I never shared. Doesn¡¯t really have a key, gotta have to break it open. All the things so we can spend time together even when apart. Right?

    Just gotta break it.

    Theora took two steps back.

    Oh, so that¡¯s what this was. Shivers made their way all through her body.

    Just gotta break it.

    This couldn¡¯t possibly be what Dema was intending, could it? Theora must be misunderstanding something. Right?

    keep seeing flashes of our shared past ?

    a neverending life all gone

    can¡¯t help but miss the vibes of it now

    just two petals left on our flower

    Theora took out her phone, trying to dial up Serim with shaky fingers. Serim answered within a heartbeat.

    ¡°You okay?¡±

    ¡°I found what Dema left for me,¡± Theora let out right before her voice broke.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°A locked box. Containing things she made for me while I was away. So I could spend time with her while she¡¯s gone.¡±

    ¡°Oh, wow. What¡¯s inside?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Theora kept stepping backwards, as if to run away from it. ¡°No.¡±

    Serim gave one of her signature pauses. Then, a little alarmed, she asked, ¡°Why not? Something wrong with it?¡±

    Theora nodded frantically, even though Serim couldn¡¯t see. ¡°I think it¡¯s a scheme.¡±

    There was an awkward pause. ¡°A scheme?¡±

    ¡°Dema wants me to make a choice.¡±

    Another pause. Then: ¡°She did say something like that, didn¡¯t she? Still, I think you¡¯ll have to be clearer with me if you want me to follow.¡±

    Theora¡¯s thoughts were jumbled up and jumping all over another, filling her brain with frizzle and noise. ¡°Well, she¡¯s making good on her promise.¡±

    Theora could practically feel Serim frowning on the other end. She took a deep breath, trying to sort through it all. Trying to put it into words.

    ¡°She,¡± Theora started, but paused. ¡°In our home world, she can only die by my hands. I am her end. Or, at least, I¡¯m supposed to be.¡±

    ¡°But now she¡¯s gone and you didn¡¯t even kill her,¡± Serim summarised, and Theora nodded.

    ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t have to kill her. If I¡ª¡± She looked at the coffer. ¡°If I open the coffer the way¡ª the way she intends for it to be opened, that¡¯ll be it. I can give it all up. My main quest, my side quest. Live out the rest of my life here. I wouldn¡¯t even have to kill anyone.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re not going to do that,¡± Serim already knew, and yet, hearing her say it was heartbreaking.

    Theora¡¯s mind was quickly becoming clearer, memories pouring back. If they¡¯d gone to a world where she and Dema could be happy, why did it have to be one that made Dema sick?

    It was the wrong question.

    The correct question to ask was: why was the world where Theora and Dema could be happy one where Dema had to die? And the answer was obvious: because Theora could never be happy if she eventually had to kill Dema herself.

    But ¡ª ¡°Dema says that even at home, it¡¯s going to work out. She¡¯s written this song about how ¡®Some Things Never End¡¯ to show me that.¡±

    ¡°Right, that song makes me cry every time,¡± Serim let out.

    In her home world, Theora had never fully let herself be with Dema. How could she? Being with someone you¡¯d murder eventually was impossible. Any kiss would have felt like committing violence onto Dema. Any acknowledgment of Theora¡¯s own feelings was vile.

    But ¡®some things never end¡¯, do they? Like their band. In an abstract way, it never ended, it could never end, because Dema had died before Theora could make that choice.

    ¡°She wants me to choose,¡± Theora concluded. ¡°Between not living, or living together with her forever.¡±

    ¡°I think Dema and IO said something similar, but¡ª¡± Serim hesitated. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ well, she died, right?¡±

    Ah. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Serim. Yes, she¡¯s gone. Here. But in our world, she¡¯ll always be alive. That¡¯s why I retained the entire house; I figured it would be easier for her to come back if I got all of her, instead of just what I could scrape up of her ashes and charred remains.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ are you serious?¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°And she made this coffer to prepare for our return, in a way. She filled it with ¡ª with a little bit of her time. So we could share it. In other words, she filled it with what you could call a¡ªa Fragment of Time.¡±

    There was a Fragment of Time in that coffer, Theora was sure of it; she only had to open it in a way nothing was ever supposed to be opened, to reveal what is hidden underneath its real contents.

    Theora swallowed. She¡¯d need to destroy all of the things Dema had spent dozens of hours cultivating. Instead of Amanda¡¯s grave.

    ¡°Dema gave me an alternative. And, doubly so. Because¡ª I think she really wants me to open this. The right way. She really wants me to see those things she made for me. She¡¯s asking me if I want to cherish the time we had here, the best time we ever had, or if I want to go back and try out eternity together with her.¡±

    ¡°This girl is fucking scary,¡± Serim sighed.

    ¡°I somehow¡ª I thought you¡¯d say I made this all up. That she probably didn¡¯t mean it that way. I¡¯m¡ª I¡¯m worried I¡¯m having¡­ uh. What do people call it?¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t remember ever having talked so much, but this once, she couldn¡¯t stop herself.

    ¡°Brain worms,¡± Serim offered. ¡°But I don¡¯t like the term, it¡¯s crude. And, no, it kind of checks out with the things she¡¯s been saying. She asked you to choose if we keep going with the band or stop, after all, back when you said you just wanted to keep going forever.¡±

    Theora¡¯s back hit a wall.

    So it was real, then. Which filled her with relief and dread at the same time. How could she possibly make that choice?

    one petal left ?

    on our flower

    Theora slid down to the ground, pulling her legs close to her chest. She was still half holding the phone against her ear.

    ¡°Serim, I¡¯m sorry. I think I¡¯m going to leave.¡±

    Another silence. For a few moments, Theora heard nothing but elevated breathing. Then, Serim said, ¡°Just to make sure I understand you. You¡¯re saying you will return to your old world. And that Dema will be¡ª will be fine there?¡±

    For now. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But I won¡¯t be able to meet her.¡±

    Theora considered the thought for a moment, but her heart already sank. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I think it would be difficult. She¡¯s dead here, so she is unlikely to be able to return. And¡­ if we got you out of this world¡­¡± Theora tried to collect all the things Invent One had told them. This world had high defences against intrusion. Theora was probably only fine because she was Theora. Dema and Invent One, despite their unreasonably vast selves, were severely diminished upon entry. ¡°I¡¯m uncertain whether you would be able to return to this world after entering a magical one.¡±

    ¡°Fuck. I don¡¯t think I can leave my people behind,¡± Serim murmured, defeated. ¡°Will you¡­ like, go right now?¡±

    Theora shook her head. She still had to bury the ones she couldn¡¯t save. ¡°I¡¯ll stay for a few more days, at least.¡±

    She heard a breath of relief from the other side. ¡°Please let us meet once, properly, before you leave.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Theora said.

    Eventually, they ended the call, leaving Theora a messy heap sitting in a small corner. Of course, she could wait. In theory, she didn¡¯t have to return now. Not this year. Not this decade. She had Dema¡¯s body in retention, aflame, but safe. She could leave the coffer closed. It was so clearly inspired by the one that contained the first Fragment, Theora slowly realised.

    Hiding it in Dema¡¯s apartment. In a cupboard. In a drawer. In a box. Dema had made sure to give Theora many barriers, enough time, plenty chances for consideration, to realise what was happening, and to not open the box of memories without the proper intention.

    ¡®I will read it¡¯, Theora had said back then, about the letter, and Dema had said: ¡®Begging you not to make that promise right now. Decide when the time comes, will you?¡¯

    Of course she had; she¡¯d known at the time. That Theora might not read it, that it might end up as a sacrifice, an alternative to opening Lostina¡¯s grave.

    But the notes were written with so much love. She meant all of it. She¡¯d written every word with the intention of giving Theora the chance to live a life in peace without her, without the dreadful cloud over their heads.

    And¡­ as difficult as it was to admit, the idea was almost tempting.

    It was still never a real choice. Maybe Dema had known, or maybe she hadn¡¯t, but there was no way Theora would leave things this way. And she couldn¡¯t procrastinate either, because Bell, Iso, and Treeka were waiting. And eventually, the Frame of the Lost would open too. The people who gave their old lives to see Theora return.

    You can return home, if you want to, Bell had said. And as difficult as things were, Theora realised that, yes, she did want to. She wanted to return home. To the voice singing that song.

    There was something heartrending about it. It was so different compared to Dema¡¯s other music ¡ª it, for a lack of a better word, sounded good.

    Another sacrifice.

    Dema had never adhered much to rules, had never cared to meet others on their terms. And she was beautiful for it. But Theora¡­ she had always been confined to what was established, even if she liked to pretend otherwise. She¡¯d followed the rules, even rules made by herself. She had been made this way. Moulded into a form that seamlessly slotted into what the world demanded of her.

    Dema wasn¡¯t like that, and faced consequences for it. Being imprisoned, exiled, ostracised, or just dying because her body wasn¡¯t permitted to exist somewhere.

    Theora would have loved for this piece to be written in a Dema-like way, but in the end, Dema had written it for Theora. And that was the way it sounded. A bridge. A compromise. A lifeline. Theora¡¯s favourite instrument, neat-sounding, calm. Something to hold on to as the world collapsed around her. Dema had sacrificed a bit of herself to write this song, to communicate these thoughts.

    drop by drop the blood is running out ?

    can¡¯t wait for the choice you¡¯ll make for us

    but for now I need you to know

    that some things

    ahh

    that some things

    never end ?

    Theora would not let this end.

 Chapter 171: Last Chance

    Theora stood in front of Amanda Dupont¡¯s grave. It was a cloudy day with a soft breeze and the occasional sunrays making it through to the ground ¡ª the forest gleamed up every now and then, rocks shining and leaves glittering.

    Serim kneeled further back, in front of the large boulder by the path, where they¡¯d placed a smaller gravestone in remembrance of Dema; it was not an actual grave ¡ª or rather, the rock itself was the grave, for Dema¡¯s remains were still tucked away inside Theora¡¯s now not quite as empty shell.

    Next to Theora stood Invent One, eyeing the plaque with Amanda¡¯s name for silent minutes.

    ¡°So that was her denomination,¡± it said eventually.

    ¡°I knew her as Lostina,¡± said Theora. ¡°We were friends. We are friends.¡±

    Invent One caught Theora¡¯s gaze. ¡°You said she is currently preempted from advancing her state due to being ¡ª ¡®frozen¡¯?¡±

    ¡°In time, yes.¡±

    Invent One nodded. ¡°Waiting for your return. Once you reconnect, will you relay my past actions and motivations concerning her?¡±

    Theora understood IO well enough by now to understand this question as a request. She nodded.

    ¡°She might be upset with me,¡± Invent One murmured.

    ¡°She lived for a few years without me, after we met,¡± Theora said, musing. She remembered Lostina¡¯s expression in the Frame of the Lost. ¡°She looked happy to me.¡± Theora wiped her eyes, and sniffed. ¡°She and I travelled together for months, and I cared about her and what would happen to her by the end of our time together a lot. When she left me that day, I was devastated. I miss her.¡±

    ¡°That fact is likely what enabled the two of us to make contact.¡±

    Theora nodded. Her gaze wandered over Invent One¡¯s pale skin; its lime green eyes, the washed-out blonde, thick hair. High forehead, small nose, thin, lanky figure. ¡°I never knew what she used to look like. She made an entirely new body in that other world.¡±

    IO stared at its fingers. ¡°I gather she got happier with this body as time went on, but there were still things she couldn¡¯t change.¡±

    Theora said, ¡°I know it¡¯s difficult for you to occupy a Shadow like that. However, please take good care of her body, if you can. I know it¡¯s unlikely that she would ever return to it, but¡­ still.¡±

    Invent One raised its eyebrows. ¡°I am doubtful that Amanda herself took good care of it. When I entered, it was left deserted and delirious, with a wound festering in its leg that was fairly easy to treat.¡±

    Theora swallowed. ¡°¡­ Still.¡±

    Invent One nodded. ¡°As you wish. I have never treated it as expendable.¡±

    Theora felt a tap on her shoulder. ¡°Same goes for you, by the way,¡± Serim said, joining them. ¡°Treat your body with more care, please.¡±

    Theora knitted her eyebrows. ¡°But my body is¡­¡± She trailed off, took a shallow but slow breath. ¡°Alright. I will try.¡±

    At the very least, she could attempt to spend less time with it frozen and breaking apart in the depths of the Grand Voids. At that, her expression soured. She¡¯d still need to get home somehow; that would likely inflict some damage on her body, but she¡¯d attempt to start honouring Serim¡¯s request right after.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we couldn¡¯t help you find your poem,¡± she said, looking at Invent One. ¡°Will you be fine?¡±

    ¡°Actually, about that,¡± Serim interjected. ¡°I¡¯ve decided that I¡¯ll keep helping. Just, you know, as a hobby. IO told me there¡¯s no rush. I know lots of music, so I can help with the search there too.¡± Serim shrugged, and looked at IO. ¡°And if you want to, we can keep making music together. If you¡¯re staying for a while.¡±

    Invent One nodded. ¡°I can stay until you perish.¡±

    Serim couldn¡¯t help but grin, and pulled up her brows. ¡°Sounds good. You still won¡¯t tell me what the poem was actually about, though?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m uncertain as to what would be a proper procedure to accomplish that. It was communicated to me in abstract concepts. Relaying them as-is to a person would cause damage. I cannot translate the concepts myself. It is because I yearn to see them expressed in human words that I came here. If I could do that transformation myself, there would be no point to it.¡±

    ¡°What kind of damage would it do?¡± Theora asked.

    Invent One considered, tilting its head. ¡°Headaches and death.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    Invent One gave a slow nod. ¡°It would be akin to the energy surge transmitted by your daughter.¡±

    ¡°Then can¡¯t you share it with Theora?¡± Serim asked, her gaze flicking between the two. ¡°She should be able to receive it.¡±

    Invent One stared for almost a minute, probably in thought. ¡°It would take a while to accumulate all relevant data. But even then, Theora would not know the poem, just how it was relayed to me.¡±

    ¡°Well, Theora can just write a song based on what you send her.¡± Serim rubbed her arms; she was likely getting cold. ¡°You and I keep searching, and whenever you¡¯re ready, you send the surge. And then you¡¯ll get your human interpretation from her, if we don¡¯t find the original. Still better than nothing, right?¡±

    ¡°Better than nothing,¡± Invent One agreed. It looked at Theora. ¡°Would you be alright with that?¡±

    ¡°Dema can help me out with writing the song,¡± Theora answered. ¡°If it has to be a song. We could write a letter too, or something.¡±

    IO nodded. ¡°I will prepare the transmission. I don¡¯t know when it will arrive.¡±

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    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Theora gave a small smile. ¡°We¡¯ll be around.¡±

    Serim was still shifting in place, and when the conversation died for a moment, she immediately stepped close. ¡°Theora, can I talk to you for a second? There¡¯s something I need to ask you.¡±

    They shuffled a few steps away, out of IO¡¯s presumed earshot. Theora looked at Serim expectantly, who just stared at IO for a while until taking a breath.

    ¡°This is awkward because it feels very inappropriate to bring it up now, but unfortunately it might be my only chance, so.¡± She took a breath. ¡°Look. You just mentioned ¡®Lostina¡¯. And I gather, Lostina¡¯s the one whose body Invent One took.¡±

    Theora nodded.

    ¡°And,¡± Serim went on, ¡°It sounded like you could talk to her? About Invent One and stuff?¡±

    ¡°I assume so,¡± Theora said, nodding again. Where was this going?

    ¡°Alright.¡± Serim stared at the foliage for a while. Then: ¡°The thing is, I want you to ask Lostina something for me. Can you do that? And¡­ kind of¡­ get the message back to us somehow?¡±

    Theora wasn¡¯t sure, but Isobel could perhaps figure something out. ¡°Maybe. What¡¯s the question?¡±

    ¡°I want to know how she feels about all this. About the fact that Invent One has her old body now. How she deals and all. Uh, yeah.¡±

    Theora¡¯s gaze jumped between Serim and Invent One. The two shared a furtive glance with each other. Serim was still being cagey. There would have been no reason to be this nervous about asking Lostina ¡®how she deals¡¯ ¡ª that was in fact the exact same thing IO had just requested Theora ask her.

    So. ¡°Is there something you are not telling me?¡±

    Serim sighed. Then, in a single sentence, she spat it out.

    Theora¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What?¡±

    Now that she made her outrageous request, Serim relaxed a little. ¡°Yeah. Look, obviously be more tactful about it if you do ask her. Like, I dunno if Invent One even wants to, but it seemed curious, in a way. But the body is stolen. I won¡¯t even bring it up to IO if the original owner feels bad about how it all went down.¡±

    Theora blinked her surprise away, but then something dawned on her. ¡°She¡¯ll still be frozen for another sixty years, or so.¡±

    Serim pressed air out of her cheeks. ¡°Damn. Well, I can wait.¡±

    With that, she turned back to Invent One, and Theora followed close after. When Invent One looked at them, she had an idea.

    ¡°IO, I have a question. I managed to enter this world many years before Lostina died. Is it possible to¡­ send a message to you that you would receive immediately, even if I wait a long time on my side?¡±

    Invent One put its head in a tilt with a mechanical movement. ¡°Time is independent between worlds by default. However, once a world is interacted with, an anchorage can develop. That anchorage can fade, though. If you cease contact with this world for a long time, by not thinking of it much and not interacting with the people in here, it could become possible to do what you ask.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Serim asked, and swallowed.

    ¡°Well, then I¡¯m looking forward to asking Lostina your question,¡± Theora joked.

    Serim actually flushed red. ¡°Just ¡ª absolutely no pressure, alright? If she has any hint of a doubt, that¡¯s that. Even if it just feels awkward to ask her in the first place. I don¡¯t fuck with a stolen body without consent of the original owner.¡±

    Invent One tilted its head further. ¡°You wish to ¡ª ¡®fuck with¡¯ ¡ª a stolen body?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have that conversation when we burn that bridge,¡± Serim said, looking away. She was now tipping to the left on the right, arms crossed, shivering. They¡¯d been here for an hour by now, in the freezing cold.

    ¡°I should go,¡± Theora murmured and stepped aside, behind the tree, to the backside of the boulder, arriving at a rock shaped like a pedestal. Then, she stopped.

    There was a plaque with her name on it.

    ¡°I¡¯m not dead.¡±

    Serim laughed. ¡°I just thought I¡¯d let you know you¡¯ll be remembered too. No clue if you¡¯ll ever get back.¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t know whether she¡¯d make it back either, at least within Serim¡¯s lifetime. ¡°If I return too late, could I find your grave here too?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you will.¡±

    Theora nodded and enclosed Serim in a hug. Serim was sniffling too, and held Theora firmer than she¡¯d ever done before, as if not wanting to let go. She did let go though, eventually, and kissed Theora¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Goodbye,¡± Theora murmured. Then, she looked at Invent One. ¡°Ah. Right. Speaking of death. When you said Dema would die¡­ were you referring to¡­?¡±

    ¡°Verisimilitude-induced decompression sickness,¡± Invent One answered. ¡°Hastened by her remembering more and more of her past, and from the inherent rejection she was facing in this world. I recognised it when I observed her, when we first met. She was beyond saving then already.¡±

    ¡°Damn,¡± Serim let out. ¡°It hit her hard, huh?¡±

    Invent One bounced its heads sideways a few times, seeming to disagree, but only halfway. ¡°Who knows. Dema¡¯s magic is based on the idea of tenacity. Rocks that never change. Blood, giving life. Squeezing life from the inert. But with bones and blood that are magical, she was incompatible with Reality from the start. It¡¯s a testament to her tenacity that she¡¯s made it for this long.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ it¡¯s not about¡­ when you asked me about her death, that was not about my task?¡±

    Invent One said, ¡°Tasks can be failed. They are not predictions.¡±

    Theora turned to hide her tears, pulling Dema¡¯s little coffer out of her travelling coat. She placed it onto the pedestal, and grazed her fingers along the lid.

    ¡°I will attempt to leave Reality through the incision I¡¯m about to make.¡± She didn¡¯t look back at Invent One. ¡°You will be able to close it?¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily ¡®close¡¯ it, but I can conceal it from the outside, using my larger self. As long as you cut cleanly. Don¡¯t cause damage at the fringes.¡±

    ¡°I will try not to,¡± Theora murmured. A single cut, to slice through the fabric of reality, to both reveal a Fragment of Time, and allow herself an escape towards home. This time, however, it wouldn¡¯t function the way the portal at home did; it would not lead her ¡®anywhere¡¯. It would just lead her into the Miasma.

    Invent One had given her a rundown on how to navigate that non-space. It seemed a bit easier to get around in, compared to the Grand Voids; mostly because entering the Miasma was the most difficult part; surviving in it was the second difficult part, and both of them, Theora felt confident she could accomplish ¡ª compared to those, navigating it was simple, since it contained no spatial dimensions, nor time.

    Theora emptied her mind in preparation. Her error rate with [Obliterate] had gone down substantially since the first few times she¡¯d used it, but she definitely did not want to resume causing issues now, and here, where magic couldn¡¯t deal with the fallout.

    That said, perhaps this world¡¯s defences against breaking the laws of nature would make it more difficult for [Obliterate]¡¯s damage to leak through it.

    The cool metal of the box was warming under her touch, shining under the alternating cycles of light and shadow from the clouds. Serim and Invent One were both patient with her.

    Dema had spent so much time making this. Making it to share with her. Every fibre in Theora¡¯s body was repulsed to the idea of opening it the wrong way, of using it to make the impossible incision. And yet, she¡¯d decided, that was the only way forward. A way back to a place of intrusive System notifications, a way back to a place full of Isobel¡¯s laughter and Bell¡¯s frowns. A way towards saving Time, and a way back to Dema.

    There were songs on there Theora might never hear. Words written Theora might never see. Who knew how much of it Dema herself would even remember, having her brain shaken up by an untimely death soon after making it.

    Secret messages; truths Dema had never spoken, knowledge of the past Theora never dared asking about.

    Obliterate.

 Chapter 172: The One Who Told Her to Come Home

    A little cut in the world remained behind Theora as she emerged back from the Miasma.

    She was fairly certain she¡¯d returned not too far away from Dema¡¯s house, but the journey had still messed with her head quite a lot.

    She did a massive stretch. Her body was lighter now. Her bones didn¡¯t crack like she¡¯d gotten used to in ¡®Reality¡¯ ¡ª instead her motions were fluid and light. Moving around had always been effort, even before ¡®Reality¡¯, but only now did she notice the stark difference. That other world had been trying very hard to constrain her, she felt almost bad for not even noticing. Like tight ropes lifted after years of wearing them; she¡¯d gotten too accustomed to feel the constraints they¡¯d imposed.

    While she failed to elicit any reaction from her muscles and joints through her stretches, her brain threatened to flood with all the memories the other world had been helping her suppress. She caught herself. The memories had to wait. Before she could indulge, she had to find a suitable place to regurgitate Dema ¡ª and unfortunately the place she¡¯d arrived at wasn¡¯t it. A temperate forest with difficult, uneven terrain. The distant rush of a river resounded under the chirps of two nightingales.

    She couldn¡¯t dump the ruins of a burning building here; there wasn¡¯t enough space. She also didn¡¯t quite want Dema to emerge right here, not knowing how far exactly she was from Dema¡¯s house. It should have been here somewhere; that was the place she¡¯d aimed for while traversing the Miasma, but it wasn¡¯t exactly a precise science.

    She eyed the little crack in the world for a while; thin and transparent, etching the place into her memory. It didn¡¯t look dangerous, but perhaps she could ask Bell to seal it in a barrier later anyway. Or maybe an actual [Sealer].

    For now, though, she had to find a spot to reunite with Dema.

    Maybe a meadow would work?

    A meadow, or perhaps the top of a rocky outcrop. But which direction was home? The party UI was empty. Maybe it had disbanded? Either way, there was no helpful marker on a helpful map helpfully pointing out the location of her friends and family.

    Theora let out a little sigh. The proper way to deal with this would be to find her family first and ask them for help. If only to even just let them know she and Dema were back. But that could take hours. Days. Theora felt like she had gotten her first birthday present in thousands of years and really wanted to open it right now. And this wasn¡¯t just any present, this was Dema.

    Some forests had meadows, right? They might border grasslands. Judging from the terrain, this seemed to be a mountainous region too ¡ª there was a steep incline to the north. Follow the incline? Or follow the river into the valley?

    Theora clenched her fist, straining what she was holding inside. How could finding a spot to dump a house be that difficult? Theora just wanted Dema back, not deal with such a mundane task after so much crying. And traversing the Miasma between worlds. That too.

    Theora took a deep breath. This was maybe a little stressful.

    Clenching what was still in her right fist, she dove her left hand into her attire in hopes of finding something in there that would magically solve her situation. Dema¡¯s scrolls, and an old deck of cards. No luck¡­ She stuffed everything back in and picked a random direction ¡ª neither up nor down, but sideways ¡ª and marched on.

    While pacing over rocks and tree stumps and through brushes, she managed to calm down a little. She shouldn¡¯t really trust herself too much right now. Making tea with her Skill would require a break, which would calm her down a little more, but delay meeting Dema.

    It would be nice if she had someone to talk to who could help her figure this out. Perhaps she¡¯d underestimated the task a little; it wasn¡¯t quite mundane to find a solid foundation for a building, not even if that building was made of ruins. She really wasn¡¯t made for any of that.

    She jumped across a few boulders and hit upon a side branch of that river floating nearby. Blue cleaved the canopies above, made sparse by the waterbed.

    She looked upwards. She did have someone to talk to.

    ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± she whispered at the sliver of blue parting the leaves. ¡°Miss me?¡±

    The clouds stayed silent. Fair enough.

    Theora continued: ¡°Could you help me out? I¡¯m left to my own devices, and those devices are¡­¡±

    You only ever talk to me when you need something, [Head in the Clouds] pouted in a voice only Theora could hear.

    Theora was almost sure her head was messing with her. ¡°We both know you can reach out to me more or less whenever you want,¡± Theora bantered.

    A sigh. Then, her head replied, Have you tried sensing auras? If you focus a little you should be able to figure out where your friends are, or at least, the nearest settlement. You could jump high too and look around, maybe a suitable spot is already in sight. Also, sure, your party was disbanded, but you should still have your alliance chat with your family in it. You won¡¯t see their location, but you can send messages.

    Wow. If Theora had ever thought anything bad about her [Head in the Clouds], she took it all back. That Skill was a total genius. ¡°Thank you. You¡¯re a treasure.¡±

    She heard a scoff while launching herself into the air. While ascending, she fumbled to figure out how to open the alliance chat; no luck so far. At the peak of her jump, she took a wide look all around.

    She spotted three places that might work for her purpose. She spotted Dema¡¯s house, although it looked a bit rundown. She also spotted what she suspected must be Treeka, right next to the house ¡ª in fact, it looked more like Treeka was inside the house, towering over it. And behind her was the village and the cliffside Theora¡¯d been at with Bell. The vegetation had changed a lot. The world seemed almost lusher now.

    The Rains of Fire had apparently ended. Not a big surprise, they rarely lasted more than a few months or years. And now, the ground was suffused with mana again. A lot of these plants might in fact be sprouting with ambient magic. Perhaps she could make use of that for [Flower Language]?

    She was slowly falling down again, but still hadn¡¯t figured out how to open the alliance chat. There were just too many sub-menus and tabs and prompts. Oh, there were so many prompts. The System had apparently missed her a lot.

    Well, communication had to wait, then. For now, Theora set off toward the top of a hill she¡¯d spotted close to home. It was overgrown with flowers and should offer enough space. It would perhaps be a nice spot for Dema to regain consciousness too, all things considered.

    She was almost running. Each step definitely felt a lot lighter. And while anxiety still ravaged her chest, she dared to be fairly optimistic. Soon, she¡¯d see Dema again. Soon, she¡¯d see Isobel again. Bell too.

    That thought made her blink. It was the second time she¡¯d thought of Bell since returning, but something felt off. That¡¯s right ¡ª she hadn¡¯t heard anything from Bell. Theora and Treeka had never interacted much, apart from those two weeks when they first met, so it made sense that Treeka wouldn¡¯t ask Iso to deliver a message. But Bell? Theora imagined Bell might have had something to say. She usually did.

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    She must have been very busy.

    Theora took a moment to feel the presences in her surroundings, just to make sure. There was Treeka, stronger than ever, very easy to find. Theora¡¯s heart skipped a happy beat when she felt Isobel there too. She must have gotten a bit stronger in the meantime. Theora recognised nobody else around, though. Bell was one of the strongest heroes in the world; she might have fallen behind a bit, but her aura shouldn¡¯t have gotten weaker. Seemed like she wasn¡¯t anywhere close to home.

    That was¡­ well, as Dema would put it, a ¡®bummer¡¯. Bell had been the one to tell Theora to come home in the first place. Perhaps it was a bit more than a mere bummer, actually. Why wasn¡¯t Bell here?

    Theora soon closed in on the flowery hill only a few hundred steps away from home. Looking at it up-close, it seemed like a good place. She spent about ten minutes nervously trampling over the meadow and looking out for critters to shoo them away, to make sure they¡¯d retreat from the area before she dumped the ruins.

    Eventually, she knew of no more mice traipsing between the flowers. There was a rabbit burrow here, but she had enough space to put the house well next to it, out of reach of any possible debris. She listened closely for a while but heard no more animals crawling under or across the soil, her hand on the ground carried no vibrations betraying another little presence. The sky was clear, and she waited until no bird was above her.

    Theora took a deep breath. [Retain] wasn¡¯t a storage space for items she wished to carry around. It was a way to preserve the important. She¡¯d intuitively known this, but now for the first time thought of actually looking at its description.

    [Retain], Level 418.

    What you retain will remain.

    This Skill was meant to keep things, not to store them for later use. Of course she wanted to keep Dema, which may be the only reason the Skill had not combusted all around her, but still. She just needed to get Dema out of it, and then be kind to the Skill from now on.

    She took a moment to envision the ruins in front of her. Of course, if the Shade was here, she could ask it to do it inside, which would likely be the safest option. But the Shade was frozen in time too.

    Theora was about to hurl out Dema. She really was. If only she¡¯d received another fraction of a second, it would have happened.

    But then she felt a little presence behind her. Walking up the hill. Closing in.

    She turned to look. A person. She had a large, mushroom-like head, tentacles on her sides, and looked like a Medusa. Theora frowned. She hadn¡¯t seen any Medusae other than Bell in centuries. Especially not children.

    Spotting Theora, the little girl rushed up the hill. She came to a halt, glaring up.

    ¡°It¡¯s you, huh?¡± she asked, tendrils coiling angrily. ¡°You¡¯re Theora.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m kind of in the middle of something,¡± Theora admitted. She still silently thanked her anxiety and hesitation for not accidentally dumping a building with a dead Demon right in front of the eyes of a child.

    A child that now scoffed at her. ¡°Of course you would be. You always are.¡±

    Theora blinked. ¡°I am?¡±

    The girl chewed her tongue. ¡°That¡¯s how you caused her all that trouble, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Theora felt a little baffled at those words. And at the girl¡¯s appearance, now that she could look at her up-close. Blue skin. A white dress that looked to be part of her body. Orange tentacles and eyes, with light yellow markings on her skin. She looked like she was thirteen, or fourteen.

    Theora stared in awe. ¡°Does Bell have a¡ª¡± She frowned. ¡°Are you Bell¡¯s daughter?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she snapped. ¡°Hate to break it to you, but Bell died.¡±

    Theora¡¯s blood froze. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Duh? Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be here. Put one and one together already. Oh wait, you¡¯re too busy running away, leaving people to fend for themselves yet again.¡±

    Bell died?

    Theora was barely able to parse these words. How was that possible? It wasn¡¯t, right? Iso would have said something. Iso would have called Theora back. Her messages would not have been so polite and cheerful when first reaching out.

    Theora felt something wet on her cheeks and touched them. Tears had spilled out. Her face was numb.

    The girl continued undeterred, turned to gaze down at the nearest settlement. ¡°And everyone keeps saying it was her decision to keep damaging her Self like that ¡ª but she had to because otherwise, people might have died or gotten hurt!¡± She looked back at Theora. ¡°She was pressured into it. Not just¡ª¡±

    The girl interrupted herself and sighed deeply. ¡°Actually, nevermind. Not like you¡¯d ever care. And the most depressing part of it is that once my brain matures and regains access to old memories, I probably won¡¯t even be mad at you anymore. Because I know she wasn¡¯t. Goddamn pushover.¡±

    Oh. The mannerisms. The twitching of her tendrils with each sentence. The way she sharpened her words with truth and inflicted them with no remorse. This wasn¡¯t Bell¡¯s daughter. This was Bell.

    She must have polyped again. Theora had never seen that happen before; she hadn¡¯t known it would render Bell back into a literal child. Though, it made sense ¡ª before Theora left, Bell had mentioned she didn¡¯t remember the years after she polyped. Of course she didn¡¯t, if she was a baby first.

    A wave of hesitant relief washed through Theora. Bell was gravely injured, but not quite dead. The cold sweat running down Theora¡¯s back was still a fierce reminder that she had to start taking better care of Bell ¡ª whose little ¡®descendent¡¯, so to speak, looked badly in need of a hug right now. But she didn¡¯t give off the impression that Theora was currently the right person to help with that.

    For what it was worth ¡ª if it had come to Bell polyping yet again, Theora had to agree with little Bell¡¯s misgivings. It was nice to see someone defend her like that. Even if it was, to some degree, Bell herself. But at the same time, the girl sounded very frustrated. That frustration must have been coming from somewhere, right¡­?

    Theora asked: ¡°Have people not been taking you seriously, when you spoke of these things?¡±

    That stumped Bell, a little. She took an involuntary step back, her leg squishing against the ground. Her tentacles retreated a bit further away from Theora. Eventually, mumbling more at the ground than anyone, she said: ¡°Even when they claim they ¡®agree¡¯, they say I shouldn¡¯t be so ¡®brash¡¯ about it.¡± She paused for a moment, maybe deliberating if she should say more. She did. ¡°I was told to stop with the self-pity.¡± She looked up at Theora defensively. ¡°But it¡¯s not self-pity! I¡¯ll morph together with her over time, sure. But right now, I¡¯m not her! What I¡¯m doing is not self-pity!¡±

    That poor soul. Theora nodded. ¡°It is difficult to remain calm when everything around you is wrong. An unfair demand to make of you.¡±

    She opened her mouth in protest, but didn¡¯t seem to find words. Then, she spat: ¡°You¡ª¡±

    ¡°Bell?¡± The voice came from downhill. ¡°Who are you arguing with now?¡± Shortly after, Iso poked her head up, and beamed at Theora. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    Bell recoiled when she saw her, and immediately lowered her tendrils and tilted her jellyfish head forward to hide her eyes. She seemed¡­ shy? Shy towards Iso.

    ¡°I need to get Dema out,¡± Theora said. She glanced at Bell. ¡°It won¡¯t be pretty.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Iso shuffled the legs at the side of her body against each other. ¡°Is that why she stopped responding?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Isobel¡¯s facial expression melted, and she pushed herself up the hill to give Theora a tight hug. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    Theora hadn¡¯t realised how much she¡¯d needed that one. Her arms wrapped around Iso¡¯s carapace as the warm slate and shale parts clicked and shifted against her chest, cushioned by warm moss.

    Isobel¡¯s head shifted against Theora¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You have her in your attire?¡±

    ¡°Retained.¡±

    Bell had come further up the hill, looking unsettled and confused.

    ¡°Dema died¡­?¡± Her voice was very restrained.

    Isobel let go and turned to Bell; they were already almost the same height. ¡°Let¡¯s give her a moment to fix that. Will you help me fetch what we prepared for them?¡±

    Bell nodded, and wrapped her hand around Isobel¡¯s. They paced down the hill, but Bell kept staring up at Theora even as they went. After a few steps, eyes wide and shaken, she mumbled an apology.

    Theora would need to make clear later that she wasn¡¯t upset with her.

    When the two had gotten out of eyesight and earshot, she turned back towards the meadow. Her hand was still clasping that thing, almost a source of comfort. She kept forgetting she had it, but it wasn¡¯t time to look at it yet.

    Instead, Theora shooed away a curious lizard that she¡¯d noticed making its way onto the meadow during her conversation with Bell.

    Extending her free hand, imagining the precise orientation she wanted the ruins to appear in, Theora gazed calmly over the flowerbeds.

    Then she let Dema out.

 Chapter 173: Blood and Ashes

    Surges of dense black smoke billowed into the sky as hot blazing tongues of fire licked up, fanned by the warm spring breeze. The flames loved it here. Heat pulled at the skin on Theora¡¯s face, dried her eyes.

    She wanted to rush in. Fetch Dema¡¯s remains and hug them tight. But Dema was too scattered inside, too broken. So Theora simply stood there, feet firmly perched between flowers, wary of complicating the process of regeneration, of making it more painful. Still ¡ª any little start could unleash her, have her pluck every little flake of Dema¡¯s ashes from the winds.

    The bracelet was still intact. So was Dema¡¯s, which she¡¯d picked from the ruins when she rescued Serim, stored safely in her attire since. Theora didn¡¯t dare break either to see if they would repair themselves.

    She caught herself making a tiny step forward. Just a small one, then another.

    Every passing second hurt Theora¡¯s soul. Minutes went by sowing doubt.

    Dema was alive. She had to be, because of the rules of this world. But then, even if she was alive, how would she fare? After being injured by the Devil of Truth and having her regenerative abilities disabled for almost two decades, Dema was never quite the same. Motor issues, defective balance ¡ª they never healed, despite her body being back at full health, because apparently, they resulted from damage that lay deeper inside. Deeper than neurons or flesh.

    This time, Theora told herself, wasn¡¯t as bad. [Retain] had kept Dema suspended, safe.

    She¡¯d died in a world without magic, though.

    A wet spot dotted Theora¡¯s cheeks. She wiped at the slickness, her fingers coming away with a dash of crimson. A step back revealed more of the sky ¡ª deep red clouds raged above, spewing amber sparks snuffing to flakes of grey ashes as they fell into the flowery meadow like snow. That wasn¡¯t all, though. The clouds were spewing a drizzle. Droplets caught in Theora¡¯s hair, her clothes. More of that oily liquid, deep red. It tapped against the leaves, her clothing; a gentle rush sweeping down far across, beyond the little hilltop, escorted by a thick and rusty scent.

    It was raining blood.

    Theora let out a deep breath of relief, mixed with half a sob.

    Then, she sensed movement from within the rubble ¡ª rocks pushed away, a groan. Theora dove into the ruins in a heartbeat. The blood rains cooled the flames with pops and sizzles, mixing into the taste of iron and burnt flesh on Theora¡¯s tongue. Her attire crusted as the downfall dried to the flashover heat. A moving piece of wall. Theora pushed it aside. A body, twitching, smiling. Theora picked her up.

    ¡°Wha,¡± Dema croaked out in a deep gravelly voice. She weakly hugged back. ¡°Serim alright?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine, but we had to leave. She¡¯s still over there.¡±

    ¡°I died, huh?¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Damn.¡± She spat out a chunk of blood and¡­ more. ¡°Thought we¡¯d have¡­ a few more weeks.¡± She pushed a strand of sticky hair out of her face. ¡°Bummer.¡±

    Dema¡¯s arms squeezed stronger against Theora¡¯s shoulder, almost holding herself up. Soon, Dema¡¯s legs could move; the one that had been severed was attached again, but still charred. Theora wanted to pick her up, but Dema¡¯s injuries made her hesitate to touch her more than she had to.

    As they left the ruins, Dema gently pushed herself away to test if she could walk. Faltering steps led her back to Theora to grasp her hand for support.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Dema coughed. ¡°Gosh.¡± She took a breath deeper than Theora would have thought those little lungs allowed. Dema watched a few drops of red rain slide down her arm, then fusing into her skin. ¡°Glad my blood¡¯s gone back to helping me out, instead of¡­ You know.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy you¡¯re back,¡± Theora said, very quietly.

    ¡°So¡­¡± Dema frowned, her eyes searching the sky as if there were memories in it. Her voice got a little better with each cough. ¡°You brought me back. That means¡­¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go meet the others. I already saw Iso and¡­ well, Bell.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah! Let¡¯s! Ah, I¡¯m a li¡¯l dizzy¡­¡± She conjured up some blood into a cane, while leaning against Theora for support. She looked back over her shoulder. ¡°The rain¡¯s gonna take care of the fire.¡±

    Theora squeezed Dema¡¯s hand, then let go. She looked mostly healed now ¡ª still crusted with ash, coal, and blood, but she¡¯d had stopped wincing at every step. So, Theora took off her travelling attire to give Dema something to wear.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Dema murmured, doing a clumsy job of pulling it over her head. Her horn emerged from a fold and Theora helped her put the attire on properly with a few calculated tugs. ¡°Gotta take a bath when I get back. How far is it?¡±

    ¡°Two minutes or so.¡±

    Dema blinked at the surroundings, and her eyes widened a tiny bit in recognition of the landscape. ¡°My memory¡¯s kinda fuzzy¡­¡± She sounded a bit displeased. ¡°I gotta write notes of all the things I remember of our time there, so I don¡¯t forget.¡±

    ¡°Let me know if you need help.¡±

    Dema let out hums of awe as they entered the soft shadow of Treeka¡¯s canopy. She was in full red flowered bloom; this time around, her trunk hadn¡¯t grown quite so straight. It covered a wider area, split early near the ground.

    They followed Treeka¡¯s thickening roots. Dema made a little game of balancing across them barefoot while Theora held her outstretched hand to make sure she wouldn¡¯t fall. ¡°Happy to see her so healthy,¡± she said with a smile.

    The roots tangled more and more. They entered the yard of their house, and Dema immediately tripped over a root knot. ¡°Woah,¡± she giggled when Theora caught her by the waist.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    She walked up toward Treeka¡¯s trunk with some help, then leaned against it, grazing the fingers against Treeka¡¯s bark. ¡°Am home.¡±

    ¡°Moms!¡± Isobel¡¯s voice rang out from the door. She scuttled over the roots and rocks to throw herself against Dema for another hug.

    ¡°So,¡± Dema went, ¡°where¡¯s Treeka?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s shy,¡± Isobel chirped.

    Dema blinked. ¡°Why would she be shy?¡± She looked into the leaves above. ¡°Treeka! Come out! I wanna give your spirit a hug too!¡±

    Nothing happened.

    Isobel said, ¡°She thought you¡¯d scold her for ruining the yard.¡±

    ¡°Ruining the yard?¡± Dema looked across Treeka¡¯s work. ¡°But the yard is perfect. How about¡­ I gotta wait for me to get some mana back.¡± She hummed thoughtfully. ¡°What if I make a path with crystal blood? Around the roots. Can use them to walk from door to door. But we can still see the roots preserved in it. Just gotta ask her if that would feel too restrictive for her.¡± Her gaze went further around, landing on the roof. ¡°Oh I gotta fix that too.¡±

    ¡°Rest first?¡± Isobel suggested, and after seeing Dema nod, she helped Theora half-carry her across to the entry.

    Inside, their eyes fell on little Bell, who was standing at the end of the corridor, frozen ¡ª terrified, even. Her tendrils were in an attack position; she stared ad Dema, wide-eyed.

    ¡°Oh no,¡± Dema let out. ¡°Polyped again? How¡¯d that happen?¡±

    Isobel took a step forward. ¡°Is everything okay, Bell?¡±

    Bell took a steadying breath, then nodded, suppressing her reflexes. She tangled her tendrils into a thick braid, seemingly against their will, and with a lot less elegance than Theora was used to seeing her handle them with. ¡°Just instinct,¡± she pressed out. Her eyes darted between Theora and Dema before she snapped, ¡°Stay longer this time,¡± together with a murmured ¡®None needs you.¡¯ Then she turned to rush away.

    Dema swivelled her head to Isobel, her question still in her eyes.

    Iso reciprocated the gaze, the leglets protruding from her carapace behind her body shifting across her front restlessly. ¡°The rains of fire went on a bit longer than we were hoping for.¡±

    ¡°Oh no,¡± Dema whispered.

    Isobel nodded. ¡°She lay dying for a while and succumbed after two years.¡±

    ¡°She alright now?¡± Dema asked in a murmur. ¡°Seems a bit¡­ angrier this time.¡±

    Theora gently made them both press onward, turning left to the stairs leading to the basement bath. ¡°It must be an unpleasant process,¡± she said in a low voice.

    Isobel let go of Dema before they crossed the doorway. ¡°You get her cleaned off and I prepare food in the kitchen?¡±

    Theora nodded and they went down the stairs.

    Despite Dema¡¯s attempts to stall, the bath didn¡¯t take too long ¡ª Theora didn¡¯t want to make the others wait. Dema clearly would have had enough strength by now to clean herself, but she made a show of making Theora do it for her. Every time she held out the washcloth and expectantly presented another part of her body, Theora couldn¡¯t help but laugh. That little brat.

    ¡°We can take a longer bath later,¡± Theora appeased her eventually. ¡°When we said hello to everyone.¡±

    She only met playful resistance; Dema clearly wanted to say hello and catch up too.

    When they arrived at the kitchen, they found Isobel sitting on a little stool, having poured two cups of what Theora immediately recognised as tea she¡¯d once made with her Skill.

    ¡°Saved some for your return,¡± Isobel boasted with a smile, pushing the steaming cups in front of them.

    Dema beamed at it, sipping away as her muscles relaxed into the chair. ¡°You¡¯re a treasure. All of you are treasures.¡±

    Isobel chuckled, and her belly legs happily shuffled against each other with clacks and clonks. ¡°Take your time arriving, but once you¡¯re ready, I want to bring you up to speed.¡±

    Theora bit her lips. Apart from the last few days, most of her time in ¡®Reality¡¯ had felt like leisure. Not living with the burden of the System¡¯s meddling was one thing, but being so close to Dema had given her a lot of strength. She wanted to give back right now ¡ª especially since it seemed like the ones she¡¯d left behind were struggling.

    ¡°Please let me know if there is anything I can do right now. Don¡¯t wait until I ¡®arrive¡¯.¡±

    Isobel giggled again. ¡°Well¡­¡± She tapped her chin, click, click. ¡°An¡¯s said she needs help with a quest. Bell needs someone to fight her, she wants to practise against targets she can¡¯t harm. I also have made some discoveries over the past years that I¡¯d like to share with you. But before that¡­¡±

    Theora swallowed. ¡°Yes?¡±

    Iso¡¯s expression turned towards what Theora would disbelievingly categorise as one of smug victory. It made her shiver. Since when could Isobel look at her like that?

    ¡°There¡¯s something I want you to do for me.¡±

    Theora slumped a little in her chair. Oh no. She¡¯s been had. ¡°What is it?¡± she still asked, voice a little dry.

    Isobel showed her a hint of pity, but paved on regardless. ¡°You know what it is. I won¡¯t say it out loud because I¡¯m scared you¡¯ll run away the moment I do. But¡­ look. I know, okay? You hate the idea. But you said many times you¡¯d let me do it, and then always ran away at the last second. I¡¯m getting mixed signals here.¡±

    Theora wanted to squirm. ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry. We can do it.¡±

    Isobel raised her eyebrows. ¡°It¡¯s just ¡ª just so you know why ¡ª I¡¯ve made so much progress. You know, when you want to find out how something works, it¡¯s super useful to see what happens when you break it. Right? I got so much information from your logs of when you broke the System that it allowed me to manipulate it to conjure an Orb of Seven Wishes ¡ª and fetch you back. That wouldn¡¯t have happened if you hadn¡¯t exposed some of the System¡¯s internal storage data to me.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Yes. And you wish to learn more about it.¡±

    ¡°Not just about the System,¡± Isobel admitted. ¡°You can break anything. And you can break it in a way nobody else can. I always tried to push other projects first, but¡­ I¡¯ll be honest ¡ª my research has hit several impasses that might get sped along dramatically if I got a proper look. Especially when it comes to other worlds.¡±

    Iso nodded at a bucket in the kitchen sink that was filled with a thick purple liquid that looked suspiciously like what Theora had metaphorically swam through to get back home.

    ¡°So,¡± Isobel continued, ¡°I know you¡¯re shy about it, but still. Just once! Would that be okay?¡±

    Theora had already told her about a dozen times that it would be alright; now it was finally the time to make good on that, it seemed. She took a deep breath, and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s do it as soon as you have time.¡±

    ¡°Yay! I¡¯ll ask Treeka to take care of Bell and Dema. If she agrees, we can leave for it today. Oh, and also. How¡¯d it go?¡±

    Theora tried very hard not to flinch at the idea of doing it today. She¡¯d really been had.

    Dema looked up. ¡°How did what go?¡±

    Isobel tilted her head curiously. ¡°Well, you know? What you left for?¡±

    Ah. Right. Theora finally remembered the thing she¡¯s been holding in her clenched fist, ever since opening the coffer containing Dema¡¯s presents. She extended her hand and slowly opened her fingers to reveal what was inside.

    The second Fragment of Time. She hadn¡¯t yet taken a proper look at it. It was a white marble. She turned it in her fingers, until it stared back up at her.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Dema breathed, pushing herself up and across the table to see it more closely. ¡°Looks like an eye!¡±

 Chapter 174: Letâ€™s Not [Obliterate]

    ¡°Alright!¡± Isobel said, with a wide smile. ¡°So¡ª¡±

    She pretended to take a look around, leaning forward with a hand held above her eyes. They were standing in the valley of a desert.

    ¡°We¡¯re in a safe spot! Nothing around that could get swept into collateral damage. And!¡±

    She reached over to Theora and dumped her hand into the multidimensional travelling attire. After a moment of shuffling, much to Theora¡¯s surprise, Isobel pulled out an item she¡¯d never seen before ¡ª a simple and small rose-gold dragon-shaped wireframe. Between the frames spanned rounded iridescent surfaces, as if the entire item had been submerged in soap bubble liquid. As Isobel¡¯s fingers tapped against them, the surfaces bulged inward, but didn¡¯t pop.

    Inside the wireframe were little clouds of smoke and debris; they looked downscaled, and occasionally a small ocean wave would peek out between them. Sometimes, the insides of the little dragon figurine would knock against the surfaces and be viciously repelled.

    This item was likely legendary grade. A sealing device, it seemed, and quite powerful too. Not quite comparable to the Cube of Solitude, but certainly impressive.

    Isobel spat out a blob of water, and slid the item inside, leaving it to float in front of them.

    ¡°I know you don¡¯t like using [Obliterate] in vain, so I figured I¡¯d make it all extra safe and useful,¡± she said, pointing at the object. ¡°That¡¯s a cursed relic. Remember we went to the Land of the Dead to complete a quest there? Dema, Isobel and I. Where we met Antankla.¡±

    Theora nodded. Bell had mentioned something like that before she¡¯d left for ¡®Reality¡¯.

    ¡°It contains a calamity that was about to wreak havoc across the Land of the Dead a while ago. Remember we went there on a quest?

    Iso continued, ¡°Our objective was to fetch a calamity that was about to wreak havoc in that place. We sealed it in this relic, which is what cursed it. The item will expire a few hundred years from now. I was supposed to let it go boom in the ocean at some point. But I figured it would be better if I let you get rid of it instead.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theora murmured. Letting it do damage in an ocean was not ideal. Space or an empty world could serve as alternatives, but cursed relics could be difficult to transport. If it was made to be set off in the ocean, that didn¡¯t mean it would hold in zero gravity or survive transport between realities.

    If the item held a calamity, then Theora should not just target the item itself, but the contents inside too, destroying both in one fell swoop to prevent leakage. All things considered, this was fine. As Isobel had promised, it was certainly not using [Obliterate] in vain; Theora had trouble coming up with a safer way to get rid of it.

    Theora nodded. ¡°This should work.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in my water so I can absorb the data from your Skill usage,¡± Iso added. ¡°So I¡¯ll finally get to see it used up-close. Kinda exciting!¡±

    While Theora couldn¡¯t share the enthusiasm, she still wanted to do her best. She¡¯d been meaning to show the Skill to Isobel from the very first day they talked, and yet, it had taken so long to get there. It was a fairly large target and Isobel was close. Theora made sure not to mess this up.

    ¡°Ready when you are!¡± Iso said, beaming.

    Theora stretched out her hand, dipped into the floating bubble, and gently grazed the dragon¡¯s head.

    ¡°[Obliterate],¡± she murmured.

    Lime green sparks gleamed along the wireframe as it dissolved. The waves inside collapsed on itself, the smoke went up in purple flames. Within less than a second, nothing of the relic remained.

    Carefully, Theora extracted her hand ¡ª it came out dry.

    For a while, Isobel kept sliding her mandibles against each other in deep focus. Several high-level Skills were actively brooding inside her; one of them, Theora reckoned, was probably [Compute] ¡ª and if so, it had taken on incredible strength.

    Just like Isobel herself. Theora glanced at the party screen ¡ª Level 791.

    That said, her presence wasn¡¯t strong compared to others at such Levels. She was not a fighter by any means; she may not have retained even a single damaging Skill from her young days as a [Mage]. She was still dumping all her points into a single stat. In a fight, the only thing to keep her from losing was Dema¡¯s shared [Immortality], and who knew how things would go if an opponent decided to grind Isobel¡¯s body into the finest dust, impossible to be put back into a single shape.

    ¡°Okie!¡± Isobel finally let out, smiling. ¡°So first off ¡ª [Obliterate] should be a Legendary Skill.¡±

    It should be. Theora pulled up its description. ¡°But it isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, exactly!¡± Isobel cheered. ¡°So that¡¯s fishy, isn¡¯t it? There¡¯s something fishy about this Skill. Legendary Skills have to be worked towards for a long time. Each person can only have one, and the Skill is a reflection of that person¡¯s life goals. And, not everyone even makes one in their life, cause why would you if you¡¯re happy?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps some people derive happiness from the process of creating the Skill,¡± Theora murmured. Not that she would know.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Isobel said, waving her hand. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m saying it wouldn¡¯t make sense for you to make [Obliterate] because destroying stuff is not quite your character. You were already the strongest being in the ¡ª well honestly, the strongest being, period ¡ª in your teenage years, or so. Learning [Obliterate] granted you nothing. Didn¡¯t help you achieve a goal you hadn¡¯t already reached without it.¡±

    This was a fairly accurate assessment. Learning [Obliterate] granted you nothing. These words resonated deeply with Theora¡¯s soul. It truly hadn¡¯t. In fact, receiving the Skill had always felt like a punishment.

    ¡°Plus,¡± Isobel went on, pacing back and forth while thinking, ¡°Since making a Legendary Skill is so difficult and time consuming, I¡¯d guess that if you¡¯d done it, you would have rea¡ªrealized¡­¡± She trailed off, looked at Theora for a moment, and then added, ¡°Actually, scratch that, I¡¯m sure you could make a Legendary Skill by accident. But either way, not that one.¡±

    Granted, Theora had already started to refuse quests early on in her life, which was why she¡¯d gotten bound to Dema in the first place. Still. ¡°You are extending a lot of grace to me,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°Oh, mom, be quiet. Everybody knows you did not make that Skill.¡± She was talking absent-mindedly with crossed arms, rhythmically tapping her fingers against a protruding slate plate.

    She made the bubble expand a little and leaned toward it ¡ª the insides suddenly got larger as if looked at through a magnifying glass. ¡°There¡¯s also the question of why it works the way it does. It¡¯s a greedy Skill; it absorbs from within you anything that can be used to kill and maim, to become stronger. Your old offensive Skills fell victim to it. Skill evolutions are not a rare thing¡­ Similar Skills will often merge, because not everyone likes to have a massive sheet like Dema¡­¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Oh¡­ So having so many Skills wasn¡¯t just a function of Dema¡¯s age, but also¡­ her desire to keep things? Theora did vaguely remember a long time ago when her Skills merged into one another if she hadn¡¯t used them much. Her sheet had never gotten as large as Dema¡¯s, even prior to [Obliterate].

    ¡°Well.¡± Isobel shrugged. ¡°If the Skill wasn¡¯t yours, then it also wouldn¡¯t make sense for your other Skills to be dragged into it. So, that¡¯s definitely a mystery. The way I see it, there are a few very important questions.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°First: How did you obtain that Skill?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t quite remember.¡± Theora had simply suddenly learned it one day.

    ¡°Second: Why is it not a Legendary Skill? It¡¯s powerful enough that it ought to be. When I researched Skills together with Dema, we noticed that some Skills that are commonplace today used to be Legendary Skills created by someone before us. [Compute] is such a Skill, as is [Identify]. Possibly, every common Skill we know of may have once been a Legendary Skill, created by a single person through elaborate efforts. And perhaps, under specific circumstances, such Skills can enter the ¡ª the aether of the world, so to speak, for lack of a better phrase ¡ª and be inherited by others. But that does not quite fit for [Obliterate], either. We would likely have records if someone had used this particular Skill before. It is irrationally powerful, after all. Either that, or someone would have found permanent damage somewhere that you did not cause.¡±

    Theora nodded. She¡¯d never found anything like that, either. Every chip of unhealing corruption she¡¯d ever seen, she¡¯d inflicted on the world herself.

    Isobel held up a finger. ¡°Lastly: How does the Skill connect to you? If we¡¯re being honest, this Skill¡¯s drawback does not quite suit you. Even inherited Legendary Skills still have to suit their wearer. Well, it¡¯s possible that you changed your opinions on the preservation of the world only after witnessing its permanent damage, but I can¡¯t quite imagine you ever wanting or needing to trade the future for the present. You have always been strong enough for anything without having to make such a sacrifice.¡± She paused. ¡°Unless there was a key event that required you to grow beyond that?¡±

    Theora frowned. Her life had been long, and she¡¯d forgotten far more things than she could remember. However, ¡°I don¡¯t believe so. An opposing force like that I¡¯d likely remember, or there would have been records in the System or the world¡¯s archives of such an event.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m inclined to agree.¡± Isobel chewed on her lip, and then shrugged. ¡°Hope we¡¯ll find out one day. Oh, and speaking of permanent damage ¡ª I¡¯m a little confused.¡±

    ¡°What are you confused about?¡±

    Iso held her arms out. ¡°Well, where is it?¡±

    Theora froze.

    Iso¡¯s eyes were staring at her wide open, in honest curiosity. As Theora did not answer, she tilted her head slightly. ¡°I mean the damage, you know? The Skill says that there will always be damage to the fabric of the world, according to the size of the target. This relic was quite large.¡± She gestured at the bubble floating next to them. ¡°So¡­ where¡¯s the damage? I don¡¯t see it.¡±

    Theora made a step back.

    ¡°I know you said you have ways to ¡®manage¡¯ the backlash,¡± Isobel continued, tapping her lips, ¡°so I didn¡¯t expect us to get blown up or anything. My working theory was that you had found a way to heavily condense it somehow, to tuck it away. It wouldn¡¯t be ideal, of course, still incredibly dangerous, but less likely to affect anyone. But I¡¯m confused, because if that was the case, there would be traces. I would find traces!¡±

    Isobel raised her eyebrows. She furtively looked back at the bubble, and made it pop. The contents seeped down into the sand. ¡°Yeah, not there. Didn¡¯t see it with any of my Skills, either. That¡¯s puzzling, because¡ª¡± She blinked. Her eyes lost focus for a moment as she checked a System prompt. ¡°Yep. The Skill¡¯s description is unmistakable. Every use causes equivalent damage. It¡¯s got to be somewhere.¡±

    She looked around for a while, seeming a bit lost.

    Finally, her eyes fell on Theora. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    Maybe Theora should have thought this through a little better. Perhaps she should have procrastinated on showing Isobel this Skill for just a while longer; for example, forever. A breeze blew through her hair, pushing a strand into her face, but she did not dare correct it. She did not dare to move. They¡¯d been in this desert for hours; only now did it feel dry.

    Isobel came a few steps closer. She was still staring, but the quality of her expression had changed slightly. Concern had weaved itself in.

    ¡°Mom?¡± she asked with her usual clear voice, but a subtle quiver rang within towards the end. ¡°Where did you put the damage?¡±

    Eyes this wide and vulnerable were impossible to lie to. In as low a voice as she could, Theora admitted, ¡°I don¡¯t want the world to carry scars.¡±

    ¡°I understand that,¡± Isobel said, her little legs shuffling nervously. ¡°But the Skill does not offer a choice.¡±

    Theora said, ¡°I made the choice myself.¡±

    Isobel came to a halt, looking up. ¡°What does that mean?¡± She looked scared. ¡°Mom? What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t let it roam free. As long as I can judge the size of my target, I¡¯m able to tame the backlash.¡±

    Isobel¡¯s gaze fell, wandered to Theora¡¯s torso. ¡°No, but, the damage will be done either way. If you ¡®can¡¯t let it roam free¡¯, then¡ª¡± Isobel blinked. ¡°Then that means you contain it in yourself.¡±

    The alternative was worse. ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do.¡±

    Witnessing her daughter¡¯s sudden expression of pure and utter horror, Theora had never felt like a worse failure.

    ¡°Every time?¡± Isobel breathed a quiet question.

    ¡°Unless I slip up.¡±

    Isobel¡¯s head turned south. Neither of them could see it from here; it was too far away ¡ª but it was obvious where she was looking: Theora¡¯s former training grounds. The impossibly large wound still festering on the planet, contained in a massive dome to prevent anything from getting harmed by it.

    ¡°Damage like that? At sizes like that? You said that was one of your first times using it. So that means you weren¡¯t aware yet? What it would do?¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°I was not prepared. By the time I realised what was happening, it was too late. So, I only managed to absorb some of it.¡±

    Isobel was wiping a tear out of her eyes. She was crying tea. All her little legs had gone still. She looked at the horizon, then back to Theora. ¡°¡®Some of it¡¯,¡± she quoted. ¡°Mom, I need you to be precise with me. You aren¡¯t always precise. I want you to tell me how much you contained.¡±

    Theora¡¯s heart was threatening to burst. She did not want to recall. She did not want to refuse the request. The two desires fought until one succumbed. She closed her eyes, and replayed that dreadful moment in her mind, as accurately as possible, to give an honest estimate.

    ¡°Three percent,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°You contained three percent of ¡ª of that?¡±

    Theora swallowed. Her voice was fighting her when she let out, ¡°Three percent leaked out.¡±

    There was a long silence. Theora just stared at Isobel¡¯s feet.

    ¡°That¡¯s not ¡®some of it¡¯,¡± Isobel said, eventually. ¡°That¡¯s not some of it, that¡¯s most of it. You lied to me! Mom. Gosh, that¡¯s why I asked for a number! You lied to me. That¡¯s most of it. You absorb damage like that all the time? How is there any of you left?¡±

    Admittedly, there really wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Isobel¡¯s hands found Theora¡¯s and pressed down tightly. ¡°Listen to me. Hey. Look at me, not my feet. At my face. Yes, good girl. Listen to me.¡± She pushed Theora¡¯s hands against a patch of moss on her chest. Theora¡¯s tea was still keeping her warm. ¡°Listen to me. I¡¯ll become strong, okay? I promise. I¡¯ll become strong. Very strong. And Dema¡¯s strong too. So strong. Okay?¡±

    Theora looked at her with confusion, but Isobel kept going.

    ¡°And Bell. The three of us, we will be so powerful. And Gonell, when she¡¯s back. And Antankla. So then you won¡¯t have to be strong. Ever.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°And you¡ª¡± Isobel said, ¡°you retire. No more. Okay? Promise me. Let¡¯s not. Let¡¯s not do this any more. Let¡¯s not [Obliterate].¡±

 Chapter 175: Parallel Universes

    Shap, snap. Iron chafed over slate.

    Snap, snap. Isobel smiled at the small group assembled on the yard in front of her.

    Dema had made good on her promise to make the area easier to traverse. Paths of crystallised blood snaked elegantly around the large tree trunk in the centre. They glittered under the spots of sunlight shining through the leaves up in the canopy, and the roots the paths encased sat well-preserved and gorgeously framed underneath, like at the bottom of a still, red lake.

    Dema¡¯s construction was perhaps a little slippery, but she seemed fine walking over it barefoot, and Isobel had made herself little clogs coated with moss so her feet didn¡¯t cut into the crystal surfaces while pacing around.

    That wasn¡¯t all Dema had done to the place. Right now, one could leave the house into the yard from the main entrance and find paths connecting to the kitchen door on the left and two more entries into the wings on either side, or take a few thin steps straight ahead where the crystal structure suspended in the air to form a hugging path around Treeka¡¯s trunk with a bench attached.

    Dema had also thought of putting little engravings down the sides to warn Antankla off the edges and written directions down in Relief.

    For their meeting right now, Dema had conjured something like an open treehouse around the point where Treeka¡¯s trunk split in two.

    Isobel was the only one standing up. It still didn¡¯t make her much taller than the others, but she did have a head on most this way.

    Snap, snap. This time, she shaved the pair of scissors around her finger ¡ª not to cut it off, obviously, since it was made of rock. Instead she seemed to¡­ sharpen the blades? She¡¯d been doing that for a while, honing them along shale and slate surfaces on her arms, performing dry-cuts against her fingers or mandibles, testing the sharpness on patches of moss.

    ¡°Are we going to start?¡± Bell asked, sounding only slightly impatient, sizzling cross-legged on a footstool of limestone, her acid skin bubbling against the surface of the mineral, discolouring it. Apparently, Dema had made this footstool for her for fun, and now Bell was very much having fun with it.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Isobel cheered out in her cute voice. ¡°Sorry, got a little distracted there.¡± She stopped chafing herself against the pair of scissors, reluctantly. She visibly strained at the urge to snap the pair of scissors together again, and tore her gaze off them, instead pushing them into a thick patch of moss on her shoulder like a needle into a pincushion. ¡°So¡­¡± she started, ¡°I gathered you four here because we found out a lot about Theora¡¯s side quest, after doing some digging in her logs. And I figured we should bring each other up to speed!¡±

    Bell laughed sharply, but not unkindly. ¡°Digging is quite a good word for it. It took ages.¡±

    Isobel beamed at her. ¡°So, first off¡­ the weird thing.¡±

    Theora looked at the weird thing. A thing that had never happened before. Treeka, Bell, Dema, and Iso had joined Theora¡¯s party so she could share the weird thing, which was now hovering in front of everyone. A system notification Theora had received after returning to this world.

    Target date for the completion of [Fetch Quest: Find the Thirteen Fragments of Time] has expired.

    Target date has been extended.

    Time remaining: 67 years, 2 months, 10 days, 22 hours, 3 minutes, 27 seconds, 842 milliseconds.

    ¡°Wow, that System sure looks passive aggressive,¡± Treeka commented. Even though the tree looked healthy, her spirit still showed her heart exposed through the missing parts of her body¡¯s side underneath her backless dress.

    Seeing Treeka like this still caused a little pang of guilt, so Theora looked at the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of quest times being extended ¡ª that¡¯s what makes this very weird. Originally, the System only gave me 250 years. The quest should have expired around five years ago because I was too slow.¡±

    ¡°Has this, like, ever happened?¡± Bell asked, shifting one of her legs on the footstool and causing the surface to flare up in bubbles again.

    Theora scratched her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t remember.¡±

    ¡°I checked her ¡ª give or take ¡ª six thousand years of quest logs,¡± Isobel announced, ¡°and it turns out she¡¯s just never missed a deadline before.¡±

    That brought silence.

    Theora slumped into herself. ¡°What? Why are you all staring at me like that?¡±

    ¡°Dunno,¡± Dema said, ¡°I just assumed you¡¯d, like, sleep through a quest every now and then?¡±

    Isobel smiled and bobbed from side to side like a fish in water. ¡°It seems, according to the logs, that when Theora decides not to do a quest, she declines it formally. And outside of her Main Quest, the System lets her. So, if Theora accepts quests, she tends to actually do them.¡± Iso cleared her throat. ¡°That said, she has a tendency to complete them at the last second.¡±

    Theora blushed. She came out here to learn about Fragments of Time, not to have her habits laid bare like that. ¡°I figure if I am granted time, I should use it,¡± she murmured. ¡°But if I take on a responsibility, I should fulfil it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know Theora very well yet, and I hope she starts talking to me more from now on,¡± Treeka started, ¡°but if what you all say is really the case, then isn¡¯t the biggest anomaly here not that her deadline got extended, but that she missed it at all?¡± She searched in the other¡¯s eyes for confirmation. ¡°Like, you don¡¯t start breaking habits like that for no reason after thousands of years?¡±

    Dema and Isobel both nodded a long, and even Bell gave an affirmative shrug.

    ¡°True¡­¡± Dema murmured. ¡°I wonder what was different this time?¡± She put on a thoughtful expression like she had no clue.

    Bell laughed. ¡°Well, probably you?¡±

    ¡°Wha! Me? But we¡¯ve known each other for¡ª¡± She halted, then scraped through her ragged cloak until she produced a crumpled piece of paper. She unfolded it, and read: ¡°Lots of years!¡±

    In a very low and quiet voice, Theora murmured, ¡°Three-hundred seventy one years.¡±

    Dema gaped at her.

    ¡°What?¡± Theora went, defensively. ¡°I will not get caught out like last time when you knew how long we¡¯d been ¡®dating¡¯ and I didn¡¯t.¡±

    Dema just muttered a little, ¡°Damn!¡±

    Bell cleared her throat. ¡°Anyway, what I¡¯m saying is, Theora had never had the chance to enjoy time away from the System¡±¡ªIsobel looked like she wanted to object, but Bell pressed on¡ª¡°after sealing away her own memories¡±¡ªand this time it was Theora who wanted to object, because¡ª¡°to live with the love of her life,¡± Bell finally closed with emphasis, and, well yes, that was new.

    ¡°To be fair,¡± Isobel added, ¡°Mom and Mommy only started living together in that world during the last few weeks of their stay, but yes, I assume that¡¯s it. Theora forgot and the System had no way to remind her like it might have usually done, since she was out of range.¡±

    ¡°I want to say something in my defence,¡± Theora declared. Eyes went to her, and she, a bit quieter, continued, ¡°The System may not have been able to notify me, but [Beyond the Horizon, a Scry For Help], as well as [Head in the Clouds] likely could have, had the situation become urgent.¡±

    ¡°What do those do?¡± Treeka asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the first,¡± Theora answered, ¡°other than that it calls out to me when Fragments of Time are nearby. I think. It¡¯s a cuckoo Skill that I got a while ago, it apparently does not belong to me. It was probably partly responsible for drawing me to Lostina¡¯s grave. I believe especially that first Skill would have objected if Time¡¯s situation had gotten dire, since it seems to have a vested interest in helping me find the Fragments.¡±

    ¡°Actually, yeah,¡± Isobel said. She tapped a mandible against her lips, then caught it between her teeth as if it was unbehaving. After a few nibbles, she said, ¡°Wait, that means¡­ Oh. That¡¯s curious, isn¡¯t it? It means¡ª¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°It¡¯s a trap.¡± Bell said it in a deadpan voice, as if stating the obvious. Everyone looked at her, and when she noticed, she huffed, pushing herself up on her tendrils to gain height, and folded her legs, sitting on her thickest tentacles. ¡°I know from checking my old adventuring logs. The System only attaches time frames if the quest becomes unsolvable afterwards. Like, when a [Sealer] seals a monster to be dispatched later, it will attach a date, because that quest can¡¯t be completed if the time on the seal runs out. Otherwise, the time frames are ¡®best before¡¯ dates, so to speak. The System has a certain time window during which it will benefit from the completion the most. If you miss that window, you might receive a new quest with new rewards. The deadline will not be extended, though, it will count as a failed quest. It¡¯s the System¡¯s way of punishing you.¡±

    Theora nodded slowly. It seemed reasonable enough.

    ¡°Well,¡± Bell continued, ¡°in this case, though, there doesn¡¯t seem to be a punishment. And apparently, if we understand the ¡®Scrying for Help¡¯ Skill correctly, Time is fine. That means the whole deadline was a scam from the start. But the System still wants her to complete the quest. Because¡­ it¡¯s a trap. You¡¯re being coaxed.¡±

    Everyone seemed to be waiting for someone to disagree; to defend the System, or give it the benefit of the doubt. But in the past, Bell would have been the one to do that. Though, perhaps this was so obviously a scam that even Bell couldn¡¯t deny it. After all, her position didn¡¯t used to be that the System never utilised underhanded methods; it was that the System used them for good reasons that may lie beyond anyone else¡¯s understanding.

    ¡°Sounds about right,¡± Isobel said eventually. ¡°250 years is quite an arbitrary time frame to begin with. It made sense for the Devil of Truth to be assigned exactly one hundred years, since that was how long the legendary seal would last. But there didn¡¯t appear to be an associated event that would make this fetch quest run out after 250 years. It appears the System just made that up.¡±

    ¡°The extension is an odd number of years,¡± Theora said. ¡°Even broken into months and days, it doesn¡¯t align to an even number of years with any associated reference. So maybe this time, it¡¯s real.¡±

    Bell shrugged. ¡°It probably thinks you called its bluff and is bluffing back now.¡±

    Treeka had been following the discussion with an increasingly concerned expression, but that appeared to break the straw. She snapped: ¡°So what. It¡¯s a trap, so you¡¯ll just not do it?¡±

    Theora thought of the Fragments she already had. The arm, and the eye. ¡°Even if it¡¯s a trap, I¡¯m inclined to piece Time back together.¡±

    Treeka let out a breath of relief. ¡°Thank you. Deciding this based on the System¡¯s behaviour without factoring in that it¡¯s a damn person stuck in the middle of nowhere whom we cannot even consult¡­ That would have been awful.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Isobel said, nodding. ¡°We just need to be wary of the System¡¯s aims, but for now, collecting more pieces sounds like a good approach, for old Time¡¯s sake. But! On that note, we must take into consideration the other big discovery of recent days.¡±

    Her eyes went over to Theora. And it was apparently now that she could no longer hold back ¡ª she grabbed the pair of scissors from her moss cushion and snap, snapped them twice.

    ¡°Turns out, mom¡¯s not been very kind to herself,¡± she spilled the beans. ¡°I don¡¯t say this to chastise you ¡ª [Obliterate] has swallowed up all your other fighting Skills, so sometimes, you¡¯re just stuck with using it. But! I want us to find a way to make sure she has to use the Skill as few times as possible going forward. Preferably, never again! Which ¡ª admittedly is a bit of a stretch ¡ª all my current ideas involve her using it again for testing. Sorry about that.¡± She softly knocked her own head.

    Treeka hummed. ¡°Forgive me if I¡¯m misunderstanding this, but isn¡¯t the very reason why she got this Fragment quest in the first place because she has access to [Obliterate]?¡± She gave Isobel a second to object, but continued when she didn¡¯t. ¡°Like, that¡¯s the point, right? She can [Obliterate] the fabric between worlds and retrieve the items from beyond our world. Nobody else can do that. She¡¯s the only one who exists who can save Time.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± Isobel said, chewing her lower lip with remarkably sharp cracking sounds. She was absentmindedly chafing the scissors against her underarms again. ¡°That¡¯s true. We¡¯ve got some pretty strong people sitting around by now, so having to rely on Theora to win fights may not be as necessary as it used to be ¡ª especially if we can hold out for sixty two more years and retrieve Gonell from the Frame of the Lost, since she¡¯s probably about as strong as Theora, in terms of offensive power. And more flexible since she has access to a varied Skill set.¡±

    ¡°She can also fly,¡± Theora supplied. ¡°She¡¯s amazing.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Bell asked. ¡°If I am reading the archives correctly, Gonell spent a lot more time in her home world than Lostina did, before joining the Frame. Would she want to help us?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I think so,¡± Dema said. ¡°I think she left her home world for good ¡ª that¡¯s why she was in there longer, to get everything sorted out. She then decided to spend the rest of her life with Lostina, and Lossi wants to spend it with Theora too. So there we are. I think Gonell¡¯s gonna help us.¡±

    Isobel nodded. Snap, snap. ¡°So how do we recover the Fragments of Time without [Obliterate]? It¡¯s an unsolved problem, but luckily, we have some possible avenues to consider. For one ¡ª if I may, I would like to use our Brat as an allegory. It is a complex system of countless rules and interactions, but crucially, there are¡­ errors in them. And if we learn to exploit them, we can do things to the System that otherwise should not have been possible. And I was thinking ¡ª after seeing the destruction caused by [Obliterate], and how that doesn¡¯t correspond to anything that should be possible in the world at all¡­ what if we could use the same logic to coax some impossibilities from different realities as well?¡±

    ¡°You wanna hack reality?¡± Dema asked.

    When Bell and Iso gave her questioning looks, Theora told them, ¡°some kind of computer term from DespairLit. Exploiting loopholes, or something like that.¡±

    They didn¡¯t look entirely satisfied by the answer, but everyone winced at the sound Isobel suddenly made by scraping the pair of scissors over one of her slate surfaces again. Snap, snap.

    ¡°Now,¡± she said cheerily after grabbing the attention, ¡°you might be wondering what I¡¯m going to need this pair of scissors for. After all, I¡¯ve been sharpening it for the past eleven hours. But to answer that, we need to talk about parallel universes!¡±

    ¡°How is there any of those scissors left?¡± Dema asked.

    ¡°I think they were making a joke,¡± Bell supplied.

    Those scissors are just like me, Theora thought.

    Meanwhile, Treeka looked around bedazzled. ¡°Am I the only one hung up on the ¡®parallel universes¡¯ part? I can barely even leave the yard and y¡¯all are going to be off to other worlds or what?¡±

    Bell scoffed and murmured, ¡°Not like they will take a child with them, either.¡±

    That somehow put Dema in a really good mood. ¡°My, we¡¯ve got some spikey friends, don¡¯t we? Let¡¯s figure out a way for them to join us?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not necessarily sure I want to join,¡± Treeka admitted, sounding a little more reserved. ¡°Was just making a point. I¡¯m happy waiting for y¡¯all as long as someone stays with me in case I need to be chopped down and replanted.¡±

    That had to be a joke, right? Theora couldn¡¯t imagine anyone here would chop down Treeka.

    ¡°So, parallel universes!¡± Dema said, getting them back on topic. She seemed really excited about this. ¡°Like, universes next to ours. You mean, like the one we just came from!¡±

    Isobel nodded. ¡°Yep. When I talked to that charming Invent One, it told me about an inherent constant each reality has, called Verisimilitude. Basically, that constant denotes how resistant that reality is to outwards change. The reality you both went to had one of the highest Verisimilitudes imaginable ¡ª in other words, it was very realistic. The laws of its nature are almost impossible to bend. It has great inherent consistency. Meanwhile, our reality allows us more leisure.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why we have magic,¡± Dema says. ¡°Magic¡¯s great!¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly. Now, my thought is that if we keep exploring other worlds, we could find one with even lower Verisimilitude than ours, and perhaps, someone there might be able to crack open the fabric between worlds even without a Skill like [Obliterate]. Imagine you¡¯re in a reality where everything¡¯s wonky and you run against a wall after building up velocity for countless hours. Right? Who knows what might happen. That said, the Fragments are hidden within different Realities, so while that might net us one or two, it may not be a sustainable solution.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like this,¡± Treeka admitted.

    ¡°The main reason we were gone so long this time,¡± Theora started, ¡°was because it was difficult to keep my memories of this place, both feeling weighed down by them, and the world itself rejecting them. Now that I am aware such effects can occur, I am reasonably certain I would not lose myself again in this manner when travelling abroad.¡±

    Isobel nodded and turned to a confused looking Treeka. ¡°I think she¡¯s trying to say that next time, she won¡¯t leave you behind again for so long.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t leave you or anyone else behind again for so long,¡± Theora gratefully borrowed Isobel¡¯s eloquent words to confirm the point.

    ¡°I will remember this,¡± Bell proclaimed. ¡°You better don¡¯t end up proving yourself wrong.¡±

    ¡°Okay, but that doesn¡¯t explain the scissors,¡± Dema said. ¡°Let ¡¯em know about the scissors!¡±

    ¡°Well, the scissors are Dema¡¯s and my idea of how we might be able to excavate Fragments more reliably,¡± Isobel announced. ¡°I mentioned a Skill someone could use in another world to retrieve a Fragment. But if we¡¯re being honest, Theora will always be the safest person to send anywhere to retrieve one, and she¡¯s a little slow at making Skills. So, I thought, if not a Skill, then maybe we could use a tool. A tool to cut the fabric of reality.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bell said. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s a pair of scissors. You think the intuition of fabric and tailoring will make it easier for us to make a Skill to create the tool? Scissors are made of rock, so¡­¡± She looked over at Dema who gave a knowing nod.

    Isobel smiled wide. ¡°Yeah, exactly! All we need to do is turn this pair of scissors¡±¡ªSnap, snap¡ª¡°into a pair of SCISSoRs!¡±

    Treeka frowned. ¡°What¡¯s a SCISSoR?¡±

    Isobel said: ¡°It¡¯s short for ¡®Scissors Cutting Incisions Severing Spacetime or Realities¡¯.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a bit of a silly name, no?¡± Bell pointed out.

    Iso swung her hands to point towards Dema. ¡°Mom came up with it.¡±

    Dema beamed. ¡°Took me three hours!¡±

    Bell nodded slowly, already moving past the interaction in her head. ¡°You mentioned that Theora might need to use [Obliterate] again for testing. So I¡¯m guessing you want to make a pair of scissors that operate like [Obliterate] does.¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡± Isobel chirped. ¡°Exactly. And I know the perfect safe and cool place we can go to hold these experiments.¡±

    Theora felt like she was watching a wonder unfold right in front of her eyes. All it had taken was for her friends to find out her deepest truths, and within a day they¡¯d materialised an entire plan to help her out of the well she¡¯d felt stuck in for so long.

    Her cheeks hurt from smiling to herself ¡ª and yet she still kept having to wipe her eyes clean of little tears.

 Chapter 176: One Last Thing [End of Book 2]

    Dema had fixed things.

    Brought everything back to its former state; or rather, to what she remembered of the former state, which, truth be told, was not a lot, but she had done her best. During their absence, Isobel herself had fallen into disrepair too, so Dema patched her up as best she could. Dema also played card games with little Bell for hours ¡ª always pretending to lose only to turn it all around at the very last moment, robbing countless victories from Bell¡¯s desperate fingertips.

    In other words, Dema was a little busy, and Theora spent her time tagging along but not doing much. Admittedly, leaving ¡®Reality¡¯ had been taxing, so while she was still in a fairly good mood, she didn¡¯t mind looking over Dema¡¯s shoulder as she reconnected with everyone.

    Two days passed like this, and each evening they both went to bed exhausted and spent, then woke up the next morning from whatever new liveliness the house had concocted for them overnight.

    It was during the third night that this cycle was finally broken.

    Dema suddenly rushed up right next to Theora, waking her. Blankets and pillows flew around in the motion. Dema¡¯s amber eyes glowed sharp through the dark, like those of a deer in headlights.

    Theora blinked her sleep away. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Bun bun!¡± Dema let out, exasperated. ¡°I just remembered!¡±

    Theora slowly pushed herself up too. At least Dema¡¯s tone didn¡¯t indicate panic or fear ¡ª she seemed surprised and nervous. Theora smiled and reached for Dema¡¯s thigh, to pull it on her lap. ¡°What did you remember?¡±

    ¡°You kissed me. In that other world. You kissed my other me!¡±

    Theora laughed. ¡°And you kissed my other me.¡±

    ¡°Our other selves kissed!¡± Dema¡¯s expression of wonder turned into a pout. ¡°I feel left out!¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Yeah, they sure did. I remember it too.¡±

    With a sigh, Dema fell back into bed, rubbing her forehead. She left her thigh right where it was. ¡°Damn, our dream selves were really powerful. They just did that. They only just met, too.¡±

    ¡°They were,¡± Theora acknowledged. Reality-Theora had initiated a kiss. All on her own. It was amazing. Well, perhaps not all on her own, considering Dema had helped a lot, but still. And it wasn¡¯t like their ¡®smaller¡¯ selves weren¡¯t still in them ¡ª ¡®Reality¡¯-Theora was right there, remembering that headlights existed to be shone at deer-eyes at night, which wasn¡¯t a thing in this world. Just the way ¡®hacking¡¯ wasn¡¯t. And yet, being more now somehow still made certain ideas¡­ more difficult than they used to be. Theora sighed. ¡°Maybe we can one day become so strong too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    The yearning in that soft ¡®yeah¡¯ cut deep. Theora swallowed. She reached out with her fingers, grazing over Dema¡¯s hair, her nose, even touched her lips, and down her neck. Dema shivered under the touch.

    Theora really did want to kiss her again, though. She braced herself. ¡°Dema¡­ Could you do me a favour?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± There was some sleepiness in Dema¡¯s voice, almost as if she was ready to go back to the land of dreams. ¡°Yeah sure, what is it?¡±

    Theora took a deep breath. She wasn¡¯t quite ready for dreams just yet. ¡°That song you sang for me, about our ending. Remember it?¡±

    Dema¡¯s head shifted, her eyes darting up at the ceiling. ¡°You mean the one about orcas?¡±

    ¡°N-no,¡± Theora wailed. ¡°The one you sent me in a scheduled message. About how ¡®some things never end¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah! ¡¯Course I remember.¡± Dema giggled.

    ¡°Would you sing it for me again?¡±

    Theora readied herself for rejection so much she inadvertently flinched when Dema actually started singing a few seconds later. Goosebumps ran down her full body. She fell back down into the sheets, hearing nothing but that raspy and beautiful voice. She still held Dema¡¯s leg, wanting to pull her closer so badly. But she didn¡¯t want to disrupt the singing, either.

    When it ended, Theora lay still for a minute or two.

    ¡°Did you really mean that?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Hm? Mean what? What¡¯d I say?¡± Dema¡¯s head shuffled against the cushion as she turned. ¡°But I guess I probably meant everything I said.¡±

    ¡°¡®Some things never end¡¯. That things don¡¯t have to go the way it was constructed for us.¡±

    Dema stretched out a hand to grasp Theora¡¯s. ¡°Why, yeah, Bun Bun, I meant that. Of course. Why?¡±

    Theora bit her lips. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± She pushed herself to say it. ¡°I know you have already been patient with me, but there is just one last thing. One last thing I need to sort out, to understand. Because I want to. But also ¡ª I¡¯m already tired. I¡¯m worried.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Dema nodded, stroking across Theora¡¯s wrist. ¡°So what¡¯cha worried about?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t take this the wrong way,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°But. I¡¯m not sure I can go on forever. I feel a lot better now than I used to. So much better.¡± She smiled a genuine smile. ¡°But forever is very long.¡± She played with Dema¡¯s fingertips, one after another. ¡°I was thinking, perhaps you could give me a bit of advice. How do you do it?¡±

    Dema moved a bit closer and talked a little lower. She took a minute to answer. Then, she said a single word: ¡°Reasons.¡± A moment passed. ¡°That¡¯s how I do it!¡±

    ¡°Reasons?¡±

    Dema nodded. ¡°And I was hoping to find some more together with you.¡±

    ¡°Reasons.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dema¡¯s voice was almost a whisper. ¡°Iso, Treeka, Bell. Reasons to keep living.¡±

    Theora blinked, laughing through her tears. A little rock dislodged inside her, threatening to break free a pathway she¡¯d long-since thought lost. That¡¯s right ¡ª she had reasons. There was no doubt in her mind that she could go on like this for a while, with her friends who cared for all of each other so much. Theora¡¯s worries were all long-term. But then, long-term, Dema was right. They could always find more reasons together.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Theora said, nodding. ¡°I can understand this. This makes sense to me. I do have a question.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Dema asked, trapping Theora in her big amber eyes. ¡°What question? Ask away! You can ask anything!¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Theora said, trying to withstand Dema¡¯s intensity. She thought for a moment about how to word it, then went, ¡°So, what about five billion years from now¡ª¡±

    Dema¡¯s eyes went wide and her mouth fell open.

    Theora clicked her tongue. ¡°See! I know it¡¯s a long time, but we are talking about ¡®forever¡¯ here, so¡­ so, what about, five billion years from now, you wake up one morning, and you go, ¡®Damn! I can¡¯t believe Bun Bun forgot to put the lava loaf to dry on the windowsill again!¡¯¡±

    Theora was almost a little proud of her Dema impression there.

    Dema blinked. ¡°The what?¡±

    Theora shook her head. ¡°The ¡®what¡¯ doesn¡¯t matter. Don¡¯t worry about the ¡®what¡¯, Dema. I¡¯m saying: forever is a very long time. What if you get tired of me one day? What if we get tired of each other?¡±

    ¡°I think it would be fine?¡± Dema said, scratching her head. ¡°Like if that happens, we just figure it out?¡±

    Theora blinked. It felt like Dema was giving the most obvious answers imaginable, and yet Theora herself could have never come up with them in a million years.

    Dema went on: ¡°Maybe you quit forgetting to put the loaf out or maybe I make a Skill for putting the loaves out myself or maybe I stop caring about the loaf so much. Or maybe we take a break?¡±

    Dema grimaced, and Theora winced internally too.

    ¡°Like, I don¡¯t wanna take a break,¡± Dema assured, ¡°Like we already crossed that off my list when I died and all. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re gonna need another one but I also don¡¯t think forever is so much longer than now. If we can figure it out now, why not later too? When it comes to it.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Theora let out. ¡°We can trust our future selves to take care of future problems.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema said, beaming. ¡°Exactly what I was trynna say. You put it so well!¡±

    She pulled Theora into her arms with surprising strength, scratched over Theora¡¯s head, weaved her fingers through her hair, and kissed her temple. They lay there for a while. Dema pulled the blanket over them.

    ¡°I never wanted to do it,¡± Theora eventually started saying. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find evidence of your misdeeds, and even if I did, they were so long ago. When I was young, I wanted to get stronger because I had ¡ª I had fun with that, I won¡¯t deny it. But also, the other reason for it was¡­ I wanted nobody to tell me what I can and can¡¯t do.¡±

    Dema laughed. ¡°Wait, so we¡¯ve both got defiance magic?¡±

    Theora chuckled too. ¡°In a way, huh? Well, I don¡¯t always have it, just a little when something ticks me off.¡±

    ¡°Right. Your temper and all.¡±

    Theora¡¯s voice went even lower when she continued, ¡°But eternity is a scary opponent. Like the System, eternity only needs to win once. One day of weakness is all it takes, and we¡¯ll be gone.¡± And sure, they could support each other, if one had a weak day. But what if¡­ what, in a thousand years, or a hundred thousand¡ª

    ¡°Still such an overthinker, after all this time,¡± Dema said with indulgence and a soft smile. ¡°Little rabbit, you know you don¡¯t have to be good at everything, right? We can do things together.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ yes. I know. I¡¯ve¡­ noticed that. While we were making music together. I understand we are not alone.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine! You¡¯re like, the strongest being to ever exist, right? Or close to. Nobody¡¯s gonna defeat you right now, right?¡±

    ¡°Right now, yes. Perhaps. I would think so, at least. But eternity is¡ª¡±

    ¡°My thing,¡± Dema interjected. ¡°My entire thing. Have a Legendary Skill made to screw it over, and been holding up pretty well so far. I¡¯m older than you, too, by a lot, probably.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your thing,¡± Theora repeated.

    Dema nodded. ¡°How about it? You take care of the now, and I take care of the later. And we just keep going like that forever.¡±

    Theora¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°So¡­¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t have to worry about ¡®eternity¡¯. Can leave that part to me!¡± Dema smiled. ¡°Teamwork and all.¡±

    They fit together. The one thing Theora couldn¡¯t handle, Dema could.

    Theora wiped the tears out of her eyes, and untangled herself from the hug, to sit back up. She sniffed a few more times, then fetched a handkerchief from the night table to clean up her face.

    ¡°So you did mean everything,¡± she finally murmured.

    And Dema nonchalantly nodded, like it was the easiest thing in the world.

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Theora said, and found herself smiling. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± She leaned forward, until Dema was under her. ¡°Because if I don¡¯t have to end you, I can do this.¡±

    She picked Dema up. Dema yelped and giggled, but as soon as she realised what Theora was going to do, she struck first ¡ª wrapping her arms around Theora¡¯s neck and shoulders, and diving up for their first kiss at home. As their lips found each other, they laughed, falling back into the pillows.

    Dema tasted like colourful salt. Bitter like smoke. She bit Theora¡¯s lower lip gently, breathed across her mouth with a giggle. Theora almost let out a little moan. Instead, she cusped Dema¡¯s head, kissing along her cheek, the corner of her mouth, her temple ¡ª her lips finding new spots with every descent.

    Dema laughed, peeling herself off. She wiped the messy hair out of Theora¡¯s face. ¡°That¡¯s what was holding you back this entire time, huh?¡±

    Theora gave a shy nod. ¡°A little part of me is still telling me this might be a mistake. But I don¡¯t quite want to listen to those thoughts anymore.¡±

    Dema gave her another short kiss. ¡°Why, didn¡¯t you know? Some mistakes are good mistakes.¡±

 Chapter 177: Happy Meal

    Theora took a glance up at Dema, who sat on a ledge overseeing the cavern, a safe distance away, letting her thin legs dangle down the edge. Dema gave her an encouraging smile, her demonic eyes gleaming in the dark.

    Then, Theora took a glance at Bell, also a safe distance away, sitting on a small rock protrusion next to the exit from the chamber. Bell scowled impatiently ¡ª little jolts of her floating tentacle hair betrayed her nerves. She glowed blue bioluminescence ¡ª her limbs and the jellyfish bob around her head made rocks and edges cast soft shadows away from her.

    Then, lastly, Theora glanced at Isobel, who stood right in front of her, completely focused on their object of interest. The rock mandibles in front of her face scratched her chin as she stared in wide-eyed curiosity at the bubble floating between them. It contained a head-sized stone shaped like a shark tooth.

    It was the moment of truth. Well, the first moment of truth. It was what they had come all the way out here to test.

    Theora was able to redirect [Obliterate]¡¯s ambient damage into herself, keeping the world mostly safe from her most vicious Skill. Did that mean she could also channel the damage into another object?

    She¡¯d never tried before. Withholding the backlash of permanent corruption from imprinting itself onto reality was the entire point of redirecting it.

    Instead of Theora¡¯s old approach, Isobel was proposing they¡¯d create a pair of SCISSoRs.

    For this, they had come to a faraway place deep underground. If Theora messed up even just the tiniest amount, the consequences would be relatively tame. The calculations of risk were made: If Theora could infuse an object, like, say, a pair of SCISSoRs, with reality-defying properties that would fray the fabric of reality in its surroundings, then she could use that pair of SCISSoRs as a tool instead of her Skill.

    She would still be able to retrieve the Fragments of Time embedded in the beyonds of other worlds to complete her current side quest.

    Theora knew all of that. But between Dema, Bell and Iso, some of the cutest people she knew had gathered in this cave, so she had to make sure not to harm them. And Bell was only a child. She¡¯d once been the second strongest hero of Himaeya, fallen off after a series of unfortunate deaths, the last of which she was currently recuperating from in the form of a teenager with no memories of her past lives. Had just turned sixteen, too.

    She¡¯d worked hard to be allowed to accompany them on this journey, which, without her, would admittedly have proved difficult.

    ¡°Will you do it anytime soon?¡± Bell hissed nervously.

    Theora took a deep breath. She focused on the rock, on how she wanted to [Obliterate] its inability to wield the permanent damage of the world at its edges, on how large a target that might be, and how much of the spill out she could shove onto its surface.

    She nodded at Isobel, who nodded back and cheerfully started a countdown.

    ¡°Alright. Three ¡ª two ¡ª one¡­ Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Theora dipped her fingers into the bubble of water, grazing the rock. ¡°[Obliterate],¡± she murmured.

    The cavern flashed brightly. A drip of corruption rolled off the stone, sizzling into the ground like acid made of glitched-out iridescent angry grains of light. Dema lifted a hand in reflex, and Theora could feel she was about to activate a Skill to try and contain it. Thankfully, Dema cancelled at the very last moment. Nobody except Theora was to interact with permanent damage.

    Theora took a moment to observe the irate flaying goop, then knelt down to dig it out from the rock with her bare hands. It boiled against her skin, very upset with being moved.

    Isobel was right. This type of corruption was different from that at her training grounds. This damage could be relocated, albeit only with fairly strong resistance. Theora brought it up to her face and drank it.

    It dissolved her tongue and throat, but slowly lost its edge as it continued to pour down into the folds of Theora¡¯s vastness, finding company within the endless reefals of emptiness already there.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Meanwhile, the shark-tooth rock had fared¡­ well? Some corruption now coated its edges, but otherwise it remained mostly rock-like; hard and dark, with little crevices in its sides, shaped the way it was before, all sharky.

    Isobel nodded, meaning she had all the data she needed.

    Thus, Theora plunged her fingers into the bubble once more, slowly extricating the rock. She cut through the air with its edge, making sure to impose the idea of severing into her motion.

    As she grazed the nothingness in front of her, a thin slice remained in the tooth¡¯s wake. That looked promising. The cut was superficial and patched itself back up within a few seconds. That was promising too ¡ª it appeared like the damage did not transfer from the infused object onto reality; at least not in large amounts.

    ¡°Woah,¡± Dema let out as she watched Theora scribble a little flower into the air. ¡°Cute!¡±

    It faded soon, the way flowers did.

    The tension left Theora¡¯s body, and she took a deep breath. ¡°Got all we need? Should I get rid of it?¡±

    Isobel asked Bell and Dema to use Investigation-Skills on the stone, and when they sent the resulting prompts into the shared party chat, Theora took that as her cue. She crumbled the rock apart, making sure to keep all the shards in her hand.

    Then, she ate one.

    Isobel shot her a look. Watched her chew for a moment. Tilted her head. ¡°You¡­ could look a little less happy about it, you know? I feel kind of bad for making you do this after my big speech back then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not happy,¡± Theora claimed. And if she was, it surely had nothing to do with eating little chips of everlasting corruption. If anything, it was because she was surrounded by people she cherished, with no more secrets to hide and nothing left unsaid.

    ¡°Remember you only get to do that now, because we¡¯re looking for a solution,¡± Isobel warned. ¡°Other than this, no more consuming permanent damage.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not like it tastes well,¡± she assured, crunching down on a shard. It wasn¡¯t a lie. They were crispy, but not amazing. Still, she wasn¡¯t going to admit the process of eating it was kind of fun, like eating something incredibly sour, spicy, and bitter at the same time.

    People ate lemons for fun too, or chilli peppers, or unsweetened coffee. This was fine.

    Of course, consuming permanent damage tired her out either way, so their trip had blocked out lots of time for her to sleep and rearrange her insides to accommodate her new state. The next experiment was scheduled a few weeks out; it almost felt a bit long, but Theora really was not going to argue the point. At least her family still even allowed her to fetch more Fragments of Time in the first place, instead of putting a complete stop to the rescue mission, after they¡¯d found out she¡¯d been stacking and hiding most of [Obliterate]¡¯s ambient damage inside herself for thousands of years.

    ¡°We need to restock on air,¡± Bell said. ¡°If the experiment is complete, let¡¯s go back up.¡±

    Everyone nodded. Theora did still have some reserves in her attire, but those were for emergencies.

    Bell created a protective magical bubble around them, then dismissed the static barrier she¡¯d thrown around the cave. This mission had taken over a year of prep-work, and Bell had spent it relearning and mastering all the protective Skills necessary for the endeavour.

    Nobody had pushed her to do that. Isobel¡¯s initial plan had been to just wait until Bell was an adult again. Another ten, or twenty years, at least. But Bell hated that idea, and perhaps she just wanted to prove herself too.

    They stepped up the stairs. This entire cave system had been hollowed out by Dema¡¯s earth magic. It was deep. Sometimes, Dema would make the stairs move up like an escalator, blowing Bell¡¯s and Iso¡¯s minds with what she¡¯d learned in her time in ¡®Reality¡¯, but it was a bit of a waste of Mana, so she didn¡¯t do it on important days.

    Eventually they broke through to the surface. The blue gravel cracked under Theora¡¯s feet, the sun cast a heavy shadow over their previous footsteps as it hung in the cloudless starry sky right next to their gigantic home planet, Himaeya.

    Whenever she looked down at it from this moon, Theora found her gaze drawn to a little spot in the far north: the Zenith of the End. It was where, almost three hundred seventy-three years ago, she and Dema had first met. Then, inevitably, Theora¡¯s gaze would dart over to her. They¡¯d come so far.

    Now they were visiting the second moon together. That would have been completely unthinkable a mere hundred years ago. Mostly because back then, Theora had been stuck alone on the outskirts of the planetary system, thinking she¡¯d never ever make it back home. But Dema had come to fetch her.

    ¡°You alright, Bun Bun?¡± Dema asked with a smile after finding Theora staring.

    Bell and Iso had already walked a few steps along the path toward the wide dome at the horizon, formed by one of Bell¡¯s strongest barriers, and were waiting.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theora said, breaking into a wide smile. ¡°Sorry, let¡¯s get going, or you and Bell will be in trouble.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to remind you that while you might survive not breathing,¡± Bell started dryly, ¡°you might not survive None¡¯s ire if you treat yourself unkindly again.¡±

    Theora swallowed another piece of rock, and increased her pace. Better get to the dome soon.

 Chapter 178: All I Have

    The next time Theora was awoken, she found herself surrounded by the lush mosses of the ¡®greenhouse¡¯.

    It wasn¡¯t a house, but it was green. A dome-like barrier encased a rocky patch of landscape, overgrown by Isobel with vegetation. Dema had erected terraces, ridges, and ledges, pillars and cliffs, to increase the surface area of this little pocket of air on an otherwise unbreathable moon landscape. Water bubbles of different sizes floated in the air, brimming green against the sunlight.

    This place was where they lived and recycled oxygen for the duration of the mission. Between tests, Theora was usually asleep somewhere here.

    But this time it wasn¡¯t Isobel or Dema who greeted her awake, it was Bell. She¡¯d touched Theora¡¯s cheek with a tentacle, injecting just enough poison and acid to gently nudge Theora back from the dreams.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± Theora mumbled, trying to figure out if this was an emergency. But Bell simply nodded when she confirmed Theora¡¯s eyes were open, then turned around to proceed with watering.

    Theora pushed herself up from the mossbed. She was wearing a present from Treeka ¡ª a light red nightgown embroidered with yellow moons and stars. Theora had no idea where Treeka¡¯d gotten it, but it was amazingly soft and cooling.

    ¡°Morning,¡± Bell said curtly. ¡°The others are out on an excursion.¡±

    Theora nodded even though Bell couldn¡¯t see it. She rubbed sand out of her eyes, inhaling the sour earthen scent of soaked vegetation mixed with the petrichor of drips on rock. Their home planet hung on the starry sky next to the sun.

    Theora was using the countdown of her fetch quest to keep time. Bell had woken her up two weeks early. Not like she minded; the ones who minded weren¡¯t here. Theora wasn¡¯t sleeping so much quite on her own volition.

    ¡°You spend so much time resting because you¡¯re sleeping off [Obliterate]¡¯s permanent damage, right?¡± Iso had said a year earlier. ¡°In that case, go to bed.¡±

    ¡®Doctor¡¯s orders,¡¯ Theora called it, although only to herself and not out loud.

    Isobel¡¯s analysis wasn¡¯t entirely accurate. There was no way to ¡®sleep off¡¯ permanent corruption caused by the use of [Obliterate]. The process was a little more complex; closer to Theora rearranging herself to make room. She had good control of her body, and she had always been a large entity, in an indirect way. [Obliterate]¡¯s ambient corruption didn¡¯t quite look the same inside her as it did in, say, her training grounds, or at the edges of a shark-tooth rock ¡ª it wasn¡¯t made of manifold fractals in insect-hive shape, or glitchy acid goop. Inside Theora, the corruption was something akin to pure emptiness. Not quite, but difficult to put in different words.

    An emptiness that could not be filled. An emptiness that demanded an abstract form of space. So, Theora expanded herself in her sleep. This process was complicated when she took on a high amount of corruption without preparation, for example if she misjudged the target size. She¡¯d seal the damage inside her body, then scrambled to render herself more hollow to contain it in the following months.

    It stretched Theora thin, but she was large. It was unpleasant, but she was resilient. She had grown used to the feeling of everlasting emptiness inside her. She had grown used to sleeping. Isobel had, however, correctly guessed that Theora never granted herself quite sufficient rest; that she always kept it at the point softly and distinctly below ¡®good enough¡¯.

    Both Dema and Isobel would be upset to find Theora awake upon their return, and Bell knew that. Bell had never woken her up before.

    Theora briefly contemplated lying back down, then contemplated asking Bell what was going on. Instead, she stretched, and got up to look the little jellyfish girl over the shoulder, from a non-invasive distance.

    The watering can dispersed little droplets through the thick carpetry of sheet moss on the ground, with the occasional swing to the sides of rocks and hills Isobel had coated in all kinds of haircap mosses. At the same time, Bell¡¯s jellyfish tendrils probed around to inspect the health of the little plants, glazed in a protective barrier not to harm them. Occasionally, she¡¯d squeeze a droplet of acid out of her fist to adjust the levels of the ground to what mosses liked the most.

    It didn¡¯t seem like Bell wanted anything.

    Theora went off to the cabin, erected right beneath a rocky overhang. Inside, she found documents pertaining to their endeavour, some tools, a room with a bathtub Bell and Iso were sleeping in, and cabinets filled with clothing. Theora washed herself at the basin and got dressed in an oversized shirt and a pair of tight pants, then pulled her hair up into a ponytail.

    Theora smiled at herself in the tiny mirror, turning her head to flap the hair around. This new look might soften some of Dema¡¯s playful anger at seeing her awake, and earn her some kisses instead.

    Then, Theora pulled open another cabinet to find some food stored inside. She sliced bread and fruits ¡ª they¡¯d stored most food in Theora¡¯s attire together with the time dilation device, but someone appeared to be restocking the cabin regularly.

    Theora prepared enough salad and sandwiches for everyone, then ate some of it herself, making sure to leave the used plate out. It was evidence, after all. Evidence that she had eaten. That was to calm Isobel¡¯s anger.

    She tidied up some of the mess at the small workstation in the corner of the main room and took the time to drain Bell¡¯s and Iso¡¯s basin to scrub it clean for them before filling it back up. She left the cabin after putting the laundry she could find strewn around ¡ª most likely all Dema¡¯s ¡ª into a large bowl to soak in warm soapy water for a while.

    The moon was an amazing place to live. If only Treeka could have joined. Theora sent her a good morning message; she wasn¡¯t sure what time it was down there right now, but Treeka wouldn¡¯t mind receiving one in the middle of the night.

    Further into the dome Theora found a meadow atop a terrace with a large rock shaped vaguely like a deckchair. Little isopods and ants and bugs had found their way to the moon with them. They crawled away from the surface of the ¡®chair¡¯ as she poked the moss growing on it. When the chair was clear, she gently sat down, and closed her eyes.

    Not to sleep, of course ¡ª just to enjoy the sun for a bit, and the scent, and the faint sound of Bell¡¯s squelching footsteps and watering can in the distance.

    Theora blinked awake when Bell poked her cheek with an acid infused tendril again. This time, Bell didn¡¯t turn away, opting to stare down for a while.

    ¡°You¡¯re irredeemable,¡± she finally said.

    Theora shifted forward to stop leaning against the back of the improvised chair. She didn¡¯t have much to add to that, so she waited for Bell to continue. Bell clicked her tongue when her statement didn¡¯t deliver the intended effect; Theora knew she¡¯d meant it as an insult of sorts, but facts didn¡¯t bother her. Bell pointed at Theora with three tendrils; based on the jerking motion in the others, she had probably attempted to do it with all of them, but she was still learning to control her hair like adult Bell could.

    ¡°I interrogated Dema,¡± she said.

    Theora smiled. That sounded like fun. ¡°Wish I heard that.¡±

    ¡°About your time abroad,¡± Bell added, sounding a bit flustered at the reaction but trying to press on anyway. ¡°What happened and what both of you did.¡± She bit her lip, and looked away. ¡°I don¡¯t think she noticed. She thought I was just curious. But I need to stay up-to-date, because of my quest.¡±

    ¡°The quest to kill her,¡± Theora said, nodding. Of course. Theora and Isobel both had that same quest too.

    Then, Bell went on, ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I had a hard time listening to it. The way she talked about her scheme, her plans, machinations. And you ended up falling right into it all. You let the Ancient Evil corrupt you.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Those words filled Theora¡¯s chest with warmth. She really had, hadn¡¯t she?

    Bell thankfully ignored Theora¡¯s reddening face as she continued. ¡°I understand that you do not want to kill the Ancient Evil, for it seems harmless from the outside.¡±

    ¡°She,¡± Theora supplied. Invent One was one thing; it had used impersonal pronouns for entities like itself. But Dema had never referred to herself impersonally, so Theora didn¡¯t enjoy hearing that.

    ¡°Right,¡± Bell said. ¡°She. Sorry.¡±

    Theora perked up. ¡®Sorry?¡¯ If Bell apologised, that meant she saw it as a mistake. So why had she made it? ¡°Anyone talking to you about Dema?¡±

    Bell looked a little confused. ¡°Of course?¡± she said, as if it was obvious. ¡°The System is giving me live updates. Location data, suggestions, weaknesses, potential points of attack. All kinds of reports on ¡ª her. Does it not give them to you? I know None used to receive them, until they blocked the elements from appearing in the System UI.¡±

    That was possible? Theora needed to ask about that.

    ¡°I have never gotten data like that.¡± Sure, reminders to get the quest done, but never so in-depth.

    Bell frowned. She chewed on the information for a moment. ¡°Well. I guess, on second thought, that makes sense. That kind of ties into what I was about to say, so let¡¯s get back on topic. Have you ever looked at this situation from Dema¡¯s perspective?¡±

    Theora was a little puzzled at the question and tilted her head.

    Bell continued: ¡°[Obliterate] kills at any distance. You¡¯re powerful enough that you wouldn¡¯t even need to say its name to cast it. Any moment to the next could be Dema¡¯s last, if you just wanted it to be.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t do it,¡± Theora supplied.

    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. And I have made my peace with it. That you¡¯d rather send in the small fry to bite their little teeth out and pave the Ancient Evil¡¯s bloody trail.¡±

    That sounded a little dramatic. Dema had not killed anyone since Theora had met her. ¡°When you first tried to kill her, she asked you to travel with us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about that,¡± Bell said, ¡°and yeah, it¡¯s weird at first. But I think it just shows how unreflected Dema can be. Did you know that Dema is probably the only true immortal being to exist, besides those tied to her? Longevity is a thing, but nothing is quite as resilient as Dema.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Theora said. Her own immortality was tied to Dema¡¯s too, in a way.

    ¡°But why try to be immortal?¡± Bell asked. ¡°Why not just long-lived? Why not just a hundred thousand years? It feels like she¡¯s trying to make a point.¡±

    ¡°What point?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°Immortality is not supposed to exist. Longevity, yes. Immortality? She made that up. Dema is a contrarian. Her striving for immortality is a challenge. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if that was exactly what got her in hot water with the System in the first place.¡±

    ¡°A challenge,¡± Theora echoed. Dema¡¯s immortality was a challenge. There might have been some truth to that. Dema was, in a way, saying, ¡®Catch me if you can!¡¯

    Little Bell was fairly insightful. Perhaps looking at the past from a different perspective helped too.

    ¡°I think she just straight up likes the idea of being around people who could kill her,¡± Bell continued. ¡°Like, imagine if you love that risk; the idea of being around someone who could end you any second must be fairly enticing to her, no? And the way [Obliterate] works is scary. Any moment could be her last. Any thought could be her last. You would just need to think it. It should be horrifying. You have complete power over her, but due to the way you set up your personality, you won¡¯t ever do it, and she relishes in that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you should be talking about other people in that way,¡± Theora chided her, although she had trouble believing Dema would deny any of it.

    ¡°And in that other world,¡± Bell continued unfazed, because she had never been known to mince her words, ¡°she ¡ª you ¡ª took it a step further. You didn¡¯t just not kill her. You revived her. She put her life in your hands, in its entirety, even gave you plenty of incentives to throw it away, and you still came back with her. You played right into the hands of her immortality power trip.¡±

    Theora blinked. Bell sure had a way with words. There was no doubt Dema was scheming things, and certainly no doubt Theora was playing into those schemes, sometimes unwittingly; Theora just didn¡¯t think that was a bad thing.

    You revived her.

    Theora had not even noticed that. Yes, framing it that way, it was certainly an escalation. She used to just not kill Dema. Eventually moved on to defend Dema, against Amyd¡¯s party and Bell herself. But now, Theora was just straight up getting Dema back when the deed of ending her life actually succeeded.

    That definitely wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d been made for, all those years ago. Corruption was quite the accurate term. Through a long and arduous process, Dema had corrupted her.

    ¡°Thank you for pointing this out to me,¡± Theora said. ¡°It makes me feel much better about myself.¡±

    Bell winced, and then just grumbled something under her breath.

    ¡°Did I upset you?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°You could be a little less condescending,¡± Bell said. ¡°This is serious to me.¡±

    Theora tilted her head slowly. That¡¯s right. She didn¡¯t usually treat children that way. This was difficult, because she¡¯d known adult Bell, and seeing the differences to this one made things a bit confusing.

    Theora tried to imagine how she would have responded if the old Bell had told her all these things. What would she have said then? But the question didn¡¯t have an obvious answer. Back then, Theora herself had been difficult, drawn into her shell, quiet. She might not have said a single thing in response, back then. Theora had never interacted with Bell like this, like¡­ well, happy.

    She had no blueprint for this situation at all.

    But this, in a way, was exciting.

    Perhaps she wasn¡¯t treating Bell like this because Bell was a child. Perhaps getting a little happy had turned Theora into a bit of a brat. Perhaps she was just a little patronising now, in a way she hadn¡¯t dared before. If so ¡ª was that a trait she wanted to keep? Or one to improve on? She¡¯d need to get to know her new self, find ways to interact with the world that were compatible with her good mood.

    At least, it was clear what she could do now. Bell wanted to be treated seriously.

    So Theora could be honest.

    ¡°One day you will remember,¡± she said, ¡°the tears you cried when I told you that Dema is under my protection. You are too, if you want to be. In my view, the System is using you. But I want to leave you the room to come to that conclusion yourself. I want people to live their lives freely. I will stand with those who can¡¯t. And as long as the System targets Dema, I will stand with Dema.¡±

    Bell swallowed. Fear flared in her eyes. ¡°But¡ª¡± She looked away. ¡°It¡¯s that simple for you? Dema just wants to live freely, so you protect her?¡±

    Theora smiled in affirmation. ¡°It¡¯s not simple for you?¡±

    Bell shook her head. ¡°How could it be? I ran the calculations. To get back to my former strength. If I use the System¡¯s recommendations, its incentives. If I clear its quests and collect all achievements. If I reap the rewards in items and experience, the hero privilege. If I do all of that, it will take me 25 years.¡±

    This girl was frighteningly efficient.

    ¡°But,¡± Bell continued, ¡°if I don¡¯t make use of it? It would take me centuries to reach my peak, and that peak would pale in comparison to what I once was. I wouldn¡¯t be able to protect anyone. If the home of my people were to be attacked again like back when you saved it ¡ª like back when you saved that younger me I still don¡¯t remember being ¡ª I would be powerless to stop it. I need the System to be right. If it isn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    Her fists squeaked at the strength she used to clench them.

    She was still avoiding eye contact, staring at a far off point in the distance.

    ¡°I read name after name in the archives of people I don¡¯t know, who I can only ever meet again in my memories, because they¡¯re dead now. I was too weak to make it through the Rains of Fire, and it got me polyped, and I am losing decades to this. Decades in which I could have completed dozens of quests and helped hundreds, thousands of people. And you¡¯re telling me the System is wrong. None even wants to destroy it. But to become capable of protecting the ones I care about? For that, it¡¯s¡­¡± A little quieter, she finished with, ¡°it¡¯s all I have.¡±

    She finally looked back at Theora.

    ¡°And now I¡¯m watching you ¡ª the hero whose deeds None read to me from children¡¯s books since I was small ¡ª get corrupted away from me like this. And it both sucks if you¡¯re right, and it sucks if you¡¯re wrong.¡±

    Bell turned to leave, and for now, Theora let her. She didn¡¯t quite have the words to respond. She could reiterate how the world was under Theora¡¯s protection too, but despite her strength, Theora¡¯s Skill-Set was horribly limited and she was just one person.

    Bell and Theora both shared a similar burden.

    Theora gently grazed the moss while an ant crawled over her leg. She helped it back down and got up.

    ¡°Bell?¡± Theora shouted.

    Thousands of years ago, Theora had become one of the most powerful entities in existence. She¡¯d relied on both herself and the System to make it there, as well as the help of her mentors and support networks. Granted, it hadn¡¯t been a wholly positive experience ¡ª all of them had had their own agenda ¡ª but from a perspective of how far it had gotten Theora in terms of power, the results were difficult to deny.

    Twenty-five years to reach the peak? Bell was competent, but right now, inexperienced. Theora wasn¡¯t.

    Bell hesitantly shuffled back into view.

    Theora smiled down at her. ¡°Let¡¯s spar?¡±

 Chapter 179: Lost Cause

    All of Bell¡¯s Skills, as well as her Levels and stats, had been reduced to nothing upon polyping. But Skills were inherent to people. Thus, she expected to relearn many as she got older and remembered her past. Theora gleaned at Bell¡¯s sheet from the party screen ¡ª currently, it listed 21 Skills.

    [Calcification], [Encapsulation], [Venorosity] and [Sheen] seemed useful in a scuffle, while the others were likely what Bell was using to uphold the barriers of the green dome. They¡¯d found a wide crater in the outskirts, standing in the shadow of its ledge amid a little desert of blue rock. Keeping the surroundings and Bell¡¯s Skills in mind, Theora could perhaps figure out a way for them to fight that wouldn¡¯t end with her looking down at a sad puddle of Bell goop.

    While deep in thought, she sidestepped a whiplash of three tentacles. Bell was clumsily casting a net ¡ª tendrils slowly inching closer, but carefully, for they were a part of her body. Could she regrow them? Or had the old Bell simply taken good care to protect them?

    Theora tilted her head to avoid another tendril. A moment later, Bell touched Theora¡¯s sleeve and activated a powerful Skill. Limestone quickly crusted over Theora¡¯s clothes and skin. She stilled to let it. A fraction of a moment later, Bell used the opportunity to inject a charge of venom into Theora¡¯s thigh.

    Theora cracked her arm free to peel calcite off her lips. ¡°This would work in offence,¡± she agreed. But it was rapidly draining Bell¡¯s mana, and would likely fail against multiple strong opponents. Bell was a [Barrier]-Mage ¡ª using her protective Skills to perform offensive tasks was inefficient. Bell likely knew that. So why was she trying?

    Theora herself was also specialised in defence. While she had access to an infallible offensive Skill that could destroy anything instantly, her true power lay in withstanding ¡ª in simply not losing.

    ¡°I need to inject the poison somehow,¡± Bell answered, and while Theora couldn¡¯t see anything, her eyes skill closed by the calcite barrier, she could still feel Bell surround herself with one barrier after the next.

    Ah ¡ª inject poison, then proceed with defence until the target succumbed. But ¡ª ¡°You may not need poison,¡± Theora pointed out. The rate at which Bell cast Skills faltered, but she didn¡¯t stop. A sign of confusion.

    Theora had difficulty putting the concept into words ¡ª Bell was focused on winning when she might rarely have to. Because even going down the System¡¯s path, she would be paired with people who could perform offensive tasks while she defended them.

    And when Bell was alone, simply protecting her opponent¡¯s targets may be enough, regardless of whether she could incapacitate them.

    ¡°You are being a little¡­ ambitious,¡± Theora said, trying to word it diplomatically. It was understandable ¡ª after all, Bell was desperate to get somewhere, after losing all her power.

    Bell was silently wrapping herself in protection for a while until she finally wrote a response in the party chat. ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m spreading myself thin.¡±

    Theora nodded, accidentally breaking more of the calcite barrier. She opened her eyes against the rock, seeing Bell staring at her warily from behind countless transparent hexagonal shields inside a gelatinous blob of high density. That would certainly defend well against blows, and probably had magical protections weaved in as well.

    It seemed vulnerable to cuts, but a restless conglomeration of ice crystals was forming in a circle on the ground around her, likely ready to converge and defend against such assaults on a moment¡¯s notice.

    ¡°May I check your barriers?¡± Theora asked via chat and received a positive answer fairly quickly. ¡°Alright. Brace yourself. I will see how much effort it would take me.¡±

    Theora stepped out of the calcite and reached toward Bell. The ice jolted to intercept, scattering against her fingers. The hexagonal shields clattered apart. When Theora closed in on Bell¡¯s forehead, something suddenly sprung into place out of nowhere.

    Bell¡¯s [Last Stand] activated.

    The message rolled by in the party chat, like a cry for help. Bell had somehow managed to hide that ability from appearing in her sheet. Theora pushed a finger against it, and it shattered.

    ¡°A little bit of effort,¡± Theora acknowledged.

    Bell¡¯s eyes were wide. She stood there, horrified, sweating beads of acid.

    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything to you,¡± Theora pointed out and retracted her hand.

    ¡°I¡ªYes,¡± Bell said, wiping mucus off her cheek with a tendril. ¡°I know, but thank you for saying it.¡± She took a deep breath, and then sagged to her knees, her legs were giving out. ¡°That Skill failing should mean death.¡±

    ¡°It drains all your mana?¡±

    ¡°It depends on which mode I¡¯m using,¡± Bell said with a wavering voice, and she was frantically putting up little shields around her as her mana replenished, as if she was in danger. ¡°If the passive mode is active, it will protect me from deadly blows by damaging my mana instead of my health.¡± She took a steadying breath. ¡°It¡¯s not very efficient, though. The active mode lets me use it as a parry at the very moment the strike would hit. It¡¯s my strongest defence but it only works if I time it right and if all my other Skills are on cooldown or out of resources.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Do you use a lot of conditional Skills like that?¡±

    Bell had almost coated herself top to feet with little transparent hexagonal shields. ¡°It depends,¡± she muttered. ¡°I have some emergency Skills that are easy and straight-forward to use for when I am mentally impaired, but when my capacity allows for it, I tend to use the complexities in Skills to achieve optimization.¡±

    Impressive. ¡°You¡¯re fun to talk to,¡± Theora admitted, causing Bell to get a little flustered. She¡¯d responded both on a factual level as well as a meta-level. ¡°Do you always put so much nuance into your words?¡±

    Bell swallowed. ¡°It depends on¡ª¡±

    Theora smiled, and it was then that Bell realised she was being messed with a little. She scowled, but didn¡¯t actually get angry. ¡°You¡¯re fun to talk to as well,¡± she admitted, looking down to the side. ¡°I just get nervous.¡±

    Theora knelt to catch Bell¡¯s gaze. ¡°Why do you get nervous?¡±

    ¡°W-well. I look up to you. You agreed to show me things for now. I don¡¯t want to lose that by messing up.¡±

    Theora said: ¡°I¡¯m teasing you to help you lose respect for me.¡±

    Bell shouldn¡¯t have to feel scared when Theora broke her barriers. Shouldn¡¯t have to worry about replacing them ¡ª she wasn¡¯t in danger. Bell should feel like she could make mistakes when talking to Theora.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to show deference to me just because I¡¯m older,¡± Theora tried. ¡°I wish to support you. I won¡¯t withhold any of my teachings from you based on how you act toward me.¡±

    Bell gave a shallow nod. While Theora was fairly certain that Isobel had not contributed to Bell¡¯s insecurities, other people around might have.

    ¡°After all, I offered to do this with you despite how cheeky you¡¯ve been,¡± Theora pointed out, causing Bell to hide her face between a swath of tentacles. Theora rose up to look back at the green dome in the distance.

    ¡°G-give me a moment to replenish,¡± Bell said, reading Theora¡¯s intentions of wanting to return. ¡°Also¡­ would you be alright with me asking questions?¡±

    Theora blinked, and nodded in reflex. She could certainly try. ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°Just¡ª¡± Bell took a deep breath. ¡°The theory behind it all. I know you probably don¡¯t make use of it much anymore, but¡­ you had to have gotten strong somehow, when you were younger. Right?¡±

    Right. That sounded like it could be true. Not that Theora remembered much of it. She nodded anyway ¡ª and would have never imagined the gleaming gaze full of excitement Bell would grant her at this prospect. Theora smiled, and eventually they made their way back to their base inside one of Bell¡¯s air bubbles.

    ¡°I want to get as strong as I can,¡± Bell said, holding pen and paper, after they sat down underneath an overhang. ¡°Please teach me that.¡±

    Theora pushed a cup of tea in front of Bell, down into the moss on a saucer. Her own cup, she rested on the side of her knee, sitting cross-legged.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    The truth was ¡ª Bell was already an accomplished hero, even at 16 years. She might already be aware of everything Theora could possibly share. However, that in and of itself would be useful knowledge to help guide her along the paths she wanted to take.

    ¡°Why get stronger?¡± Theora asked.

    Bell looked away. ¡°Do I have to say it out loud? You already know. Don¡¯t make me say it.¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± Theora said gently. ¡°Share it with me again.¡±

    Bell sighed. ¡°To protect others,¡± she muttered under her breath and scratched her temple with a tendril. ¡°I want to shelter what¡¯s important to me.¡±

    Theora hummed and rested her chin on her hand, leaning onto the table. ¡°What does ¡®strong¡¯ mean to you?¡±

    ¡°It means¡­ that I won¡¯t lose in a fight.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora replied contemplatively. ¡°But if, say, there was a sudden flood¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fine!¡± Bell snapped. ¡°It means I will succeed at the challenges I receive.¡±

    Bell¡¯s tentacles were waving in Theora¡¯s periphery as she tried to collect her thoughts. What did strength mean? She was the strongest person around, and yet, it didn¡¯t give her the power to simply do anything. She could win fights, she could retrieve Fragments of time. But Theora couldn¡¯t grow moss out of nowhere, or figure out the intricacies hidden underneath the surface of the System. She couldn¡¯t protect anyone, outside of her ability to outright eliminate threats. She couldn¡¯t turn other people immortal, and it was difficult for her to make them laugh.

    ¡°Strength is abstract,¡± Theora concluded. ¡°It can be thought of as agency, as options. Resources.¡± Losing her plethora of Skills to [Obliterate] had almost certainly made Theora weaker, in a sense, even if none of her previous Skills would have quite offered that much in offensive power, even combined. If Theora could fly, she¡¯d be much more ¡®powerful¡¯, in the sense that she¡¯d be able to solve problems she currently couldn¡¯t ¡ª arriving at certain places faster, accomplishing certain tasks with more finesse.

    Similarly, having a higher Level meant having more stats as well as access to Skills and Classes. But their Level was not all that formed the strength of a hero. Items, potions and equipment were relevant too.

    ¡°Any resource forms strength,¡± Theora continued. ¡°Someone who is well-prepared, say, with a stat-increasing tincture, could defeat someone else of far higher Level.¡±

    Bell scowled. ¡°But that¡¯s pointless. I don¡¯t want to have to rely on potions and items. What if I lose them?¡±

    Theora shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t rely on them, then. Still. Imagine yourself. Now, imagine yourself, but with a mana potion. Who is stronger?¡±

    Bell stayed quiet, chewing her lip.

    ¡°You need to adapt the pool of resources you currently have access to a different pool that is more suitable to achieve your goals.¡±

    Bell tilted her head. ¡°Rather, shouldn¡¯t I increase my pool of resources?¡±

    Theora shook her head. That wasn¡¯t possible.

    ¡°But why not¡­?¡± Bell stared, not getting it. ¡°If I buy a one-time Skill from the shop, then I have access to more resources than before.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Theora said. ¡°You would have converted one resource you have access to ¡ª shop credits ¡ª to another.¡±

    Finally, Bell took the first sip of her tea. She sighed. ¡°Alright, fine. But I can just go out and farm more Credits. They are not that difficult to get. You can even find Afterthoughts on the moon, if you go out far enough. I do that, then I have more resources than before. Happy?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Theora said. ¡°You¡¯d still only have converted one resource to another.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°If you went out right now to farm Afterthoughts, what would it cost you?¡±

    Bell wanted to give an answer out of impulse, but caught herself. She stared at Theora¡¯s cup for a while. ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your most important resource,¡± Theora said. ¡°More important than anything else.¡±

    ¡°Time,¡± Bell murmured. ¡°Yes. Alright, I get that. But isn¡¯t that just a thought experiment? Like, I haven¡¯t looked at it like this before, but what does it actually change?¡±

    ¡°It helps find the perfect moment to do resource conversions,¡± Theora explained. ¡°Let¡¯s say you have one mana potion. From the moment you receive it to the moment it expires¡ª¡±

    Bell scoffed. ¡°I know you¡¯re not a mage, but you should be aware that mana potions don¡¯t expire.¡±

    ¡°But they do expire,¡± Theora countered. ¡°One day, you will either use it or lose it. Nothing withstands eternity. You will forget it exists, misplace it, or accidentally destroy it, and it will leave the catalogue of resources available to you.¡± She held up a finger on each hand. ¡°You want to find the best moment to use it in the timespan that you can access it. For example, a day might come where you need exactly that mana potion to defeat an opponent threatening your loved ones.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ I should keep it for when it really matters,¡± Bell said. She had started writing along with Theora¡¯s words, focused on a sheet of paper in front of her, stabilised by a thin shale plate. ¡°That makes sense.¡±

    ¡°Except that¡¯s only half the intuition,¡± Theora admitted. ¡°If you drank the potion right away and used the mana to level up a Skill, you would have access to that more powerful Skill over the potion, which might often be more helpful.¡±

    Bell frowned, but kept writing. ¡°Right, I get it. Because if my Skills had been higher in the first place, I might have never gotten into that emergency. Opportunity cost. It makes sense to retain some resources for bad times, but not using resources to increase your set of static powers as early as possible can be suboptimal.¡±

    Truth be told, Theora didn¡¯t live by these principles anymore, and felt almost bad for teaching them to Bell. Living your life governed by the rules of efficiency and strategic long-term benefit did make reaching some goals easier but¡­ ¡°You need to be wary of burnout.¡±

    Bell looked up. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I want to help you reach your goals, so I am sharing these thoughts with you¡ª¡±

    ¡°And I appreciate it,¡± Bell butted in. ¡°I want to learn this. Don¡¯t back out on me. You said how I act towards you doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°I just want to make sure you know what you¡¯re getting into.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t burn out,¡± Bell promised. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what happened last time. What got me here. Polyping is not efficient.¡± She patted the sheet of paper. ¡°Time is a resource. Don¡¯t worry, this time I¡¯ll be scheduling sufficient breaks.¡±

    Theora squirmed internally. That was not exactly what she¡¯d been trying to get across, but fair enough.

    ¡°Plus,¡± Bell continued, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to fill those breaks with low-effort resource conversions, like reading magic scholarship,¡± and at that point, Theora knew it was a lost cause.

    She sighed. She hadn¡¯t exactly pushed it that far in her earliest years as far as she remembered, but she did very much understand the constant urge to climb higher, faster. ¡°Well, I¡¯m here for you either way.¡±

    Bell nodded. ¡°Sure wish I had someone who had recent experience with levelling up efficiently¡­¡±

    ¡°That would be ideal,¡± Theora mused.

    ¡°But¡­ I know you probably can¡¯t help, but would you hear me out? There¡¯s one thing I¡¯m puzzled about.¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°So, there is this hero achievement that says ¡®Clear 200 Quests¡¯,¡± Bell started. ¡°And I am around half-way through that. It seems like a pointless achievement ¡ª it only gives me five Skill points as a reward.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like a lot,¡± Theora agreed, running her fingers along the rim of her teacup.

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Bell said a little louder than she planned to, wincing at herself. ¡°Well, that¡¯s what I thought. So I was just going to passively complete it while doing meaningful quests, rather than picking many quick small-fry tasks just to pad the count and bruteforce it early.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Theora said, taking a sip. ¡°I can feel a wrinkle coming.¡±

    Bell sighed. ¡°Yeah. The ¡®wrinkle¡¯ is that when I compared what I was doing to old logs, all the other polyped Bells had gone for this achievement as early as they could. But it doesn¡¯t appear like anything else is conditional on clearing it first. I wonder if I¡¯m missing something.¡±

    Theora tilted her head back to look at the sky, but only found the ceiling of the overhang. She grazed her fingers through her hair in thought, trying to recover long-lost knowledge. Her gaze slipped to the side, to a band of stars visible between rock formations. ¡°Occasionally, clear-requirements for advanced unlocks can be difficult to reverse-engineer,¡± she mumbled, still perusing the stars while silently asking [Head in the Clouds] not to help ¡ª she wanted to figure it out on her own this time. Bell would have likely done her due diligence combing through the unlock conditions of other System components. ¡°Other than that ¡ª I assume you¡¯ve checked the descendents?¡±

    ¡°The what?¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry,¡± Theora said apologetically. She kept making up her own terms for things she rarely discussed with others. She looked back down at Bell. ¡°I assume the achievements are staggered. Have you looked at the rewards for future quest count achievements?¡±

    With a blink, Bell¡¯s eyes turned unfocused as she checked the System UI. A few moments later, she said: ¡°Oh.¡± She let out a soft laugh. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right, that¡¯s it. One of the later rewards is a radiant upgrade stone. That¡¯s why they went for it. I really need one too.¡± She scratched her chin with a tendril. ¡°I¡¯d assumed the rewards would just stay more or less the same. Most achievements feel like worthless chores, but I should make a habit of checking ahead for gems like that.¡±

    Theora had no idea what an upgrade stone was, but at least it seemed like she helped. Then, she cleared her throat. ¡°W-well¡ªIf you have issues like that¡­¡± She trailed off before speaking again. ¡°You could start keeping a journal of choices you make this time and your analysis on them. That wouldn¡¯t help you now, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s genius,¡± Bell blurted out, and pulled out a new sheet. ¡°Once it¡¯s done, can I leave it with you for safekeeping? Will you give it back to me when I polyp again?¡±

    Theora grimaced. ¡°I would certainly hope it will never happen again, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Neither do I, of course¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªI want to keep you safe,¡± Theora closed. ¡°I will do my best to keep you safe, as will the others¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªBut¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªBut yes,¡± Theora said, ¡°I will. I will keep it for you, and give it back to your descendant if she wants it.¡±

    Bell let out a deep breath. ¡°Thank you. You¡¯re being really helpful. Again, I appreciate it.¡±

    Theora still felt like she was making a mistake, but then Bell shot her the smallest of smiles. Oh, this was unfair. Fine. ¡°What else do you wish to know?¡± She pointed at a smaller sheet of paper to Bell¡¯s side. ¡°I see you¡¯ve got questions prepared.¡±

    Bell¡¯s smile widened.

 Chapter 180: Beneath the Surface

    ¡°Bad news, Bell!¡± Isobel¡¯s voice rang out in the dome.

    Almost half a day had passed since Theora had woken up. She stopped doing laundry for a moment to throw a glance inside the cabin and found Bell nodded off in a chair while reading Iso¡¯s mission reports.

    Theora absentmindedly threw the last piece of wet laundry into a basket, to carry everything away to hang it up. Thin strands spun of blood crystal stretched overhead between rocky outcrops next to the cabin ¡ª the air stood mostly still inside the dome, but the sunlight burned unmitigated by an atmosphere.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you responding to your messages?¡± Isobel shouted again with a curious voice.

    ¡®She¡¯s asleep,¡¯ Theora answered via system message.

    A short pause.

    ¡®Oh. But you¡¯re not!¡¯

    She was not. In fact, Theora was wide awake. ¡®I¡¯m at the cabin,¡¯ she wrote.

    Dema was the first to come into view, floundering up from behind a hill with tired steps. When her eyes met Theora¡¯s, she broke into a smile. As she approached, her smile waned into amazement. She came to a halt a few steps away, staring.

    ¡°Glad to see you,¡± Theora said. She reached to get another piece of clothing from the basket, but exaggerated the motion to show off her bouncing ponytail ¡ª and a strip of midsection revealed by her shirt upon stretching.

    She shot another glance at Dema, whose brain appeared to have shut down. Mission success, Theora thought to herself.

    Right after, Isobel came up as well. ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± she repeated with a smile, and Theora understood it as the question it was meant to be.

    Dema rubbed her eyes. ¡°Am I awake?¡±

    ¡°Bell wished to talk to me,¡± Theora said. ¡°For advice.¡± Not initially, but it was close enough to the truth.

    That managed to tear Dema out of whatever daydreams she¡¯d been having. ¡°Oh, yeah! She¡¯d been stressing out a little. Didn¡¯t think she was gonna go as far as to wake you, though¡­¡± Dema bit her lips. ¡°Kinda jealous now.¡±

    ¡°What are you jealous for?¡± Isobel asked as she brushed past towards Theora.

    Dema clicked her tongue and looked to the side, slowly walking ahead too. ¡°Why, I wanted to lose my patience first!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve all been very patient,¡± Isobel giggled, joining Theora in the chore work. ¡°We¡¯d like to have you around more, but¡­¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Theora flashed her a small smile. ¡°I feel a lot better now, but there is still a lot of sleeping left to do. That said ¡ª I was thinking I could stay up a week or two just to see how everyone is doing.¡± And to make sure Bell could get all her questions out for now. Of course, she would still make use of the System, but Theora wanted to make sure Bell never felt like the System was the only thing she could rely on.

    Isobel considered Theora¡¯s proposal for a while, giving her glances between putting up pieces of laundry. Eventually she said, ¡°Sounds fine to me. At least you¡¯re in a good mood.¡±

    Theora nodded, fetched the last piece of clothing ¡ª underwear ¡ª hung it up and then finally looked back at Dema, who that underwear belonged to. Dema¡¯s mouth stood half open, as if she was about to say something, but at the same time it didn¡¯t appear like she would.

    Theora decided to approach her slow and steady, head tilted to the side. When she was almost in arm¡¯s reach, she paused. ¡°You alright there?¡±

    Dema immediately lurched and grasped Theora¡¯s shirt, dragging her in for a kiss. Theora leaned down to grant it, laughing into Dema¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dema said, hand still clenching the fabric. ¡°Just not used to the sight.¡± She sucked in air through her teeth. For a moment, she looked like she wanted to do more, but then her eyes zoomed past Theora, likely falling on Isobel, who was busy clacking around the cabin. Dema sighed and let go, then turned away from Theora, shaking her head and combing fingers through her hair. ¡°Damn, gonna need a lava bath to cool down from that.¡±

    Theora huffed out a short laugh. ¡°No can do. The lava is for emergencies.¡±

    Squelching sounds issued from the cabin, so Theora turned to see Bell emerge from it, rubbing her eye with a tendril.

    ¡°What¡¯s the bad news?¡± Bell asked, half yawning.

    ¡°Oh, you heard that?¡± Dema asked. ¡°Sorry for waking you up! Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be napping now, and Bun Bun¡¯s hard to wake up by accident.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Bell said. ¡°It was just to replenish some mana. I had to use all of it earlier.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Dema threw some furtive investigative glances around to find anything amiss. ¡°¡­Something bad happen?¡±

    Bell nodded. ¡°I had a terrifying encounter. Triggered my [Last Stand], and I was still only a moment away from dying.¡± She yawned, but other than that, her delivery was amazingly deadpan.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°You know you can message us when you need help, right?¡± Dema looked between Bell and Theora a few times, then shrugged. ¡°I guess you had Bun Bun here to defend you.¡±

    Theora almost expected the ruse to be kept up for longer, but instead, Bell reiterated: ¡°Still waiting for the bad news.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah!¡± Dema scratched her head, then looked at Theora. ¡°Honestly, maybe better if we just show you? Gotta leave the base though. It¡¯s got to do with our next testing site.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Isobel said ominously. ¡°You¡¯ll have to see it with your own eyes!¡±

    An hour or so later they were on their way.

    The process of making the SCISSoRs was fairly simple ¡ª Dema forged a new pair of scissors from different materials and with different properties, infusing them with her regenerative Skills as she went along. Isobel then also added her own magic occasionally; as did Bell. The prototype was then delivered to Theora, who would infuse it with permanent damage and try it out on the fabric of reality.

    The ¡®testing sites¡¯ were the locations where Theora infused [Obliterate]. They never used the same place twice, to avoid any spillover or unintended side-effects, since there was always a chance some damage could splinter off. And who knew ¡ª microscopic fractions could be forming every time they did this, every time they tried to cut reality. It was simply safer that way.

    Scouting new underground locations and hollowing out caves was part of their day-to-day, though of course Theora didn¡¯t much participate in that, for she wasn¡¯t needed.

    The location the others had chosen next was a bit of a way out, so it took about an hour or so for them to get there. Dema excitedly led them to an entryway ¡ª truth be told, both her and Isobel¡¯s behaviour didn¡¯t quite go in line with whatever they had found to be ¡®bad news¡¯; if anything, they seemed to be looking forward to showing off this ¡®bad news¡¯.

    ¡®Night¡¯ had fallen by now ¡ª in the sense that the sun was currently out of view, though their path was still lit by the light reflected off Himaeya and the second moon.

    What kind of ¡®bad news¡¯ could possibly be so exciting? Theora hoped for a moment that they had found something alive, just because she would have liked to make more friends. The hope faded quickly, of course. Theora would have known. Would have sensed presences. Making sure there wasn¡¯t any life on this moon had been their first order of business after arriving. Nobody wanted to ruin anyone¡¯s space of living. Theora had meditated for hours just to make sure she wasn¡¯t missing anything.

    Then what else? Had they found¡­ water? Plants? A beautiful geological structure, perhaps? Theora slowly fell behind the others just so they wouldn¡¯t see her gently shifting her weight from a foot to another in excitement. Oh, if they¡¯d found a very cool phenomenon, then it would make sense to abandon the location, and it even made sense that they would want to show it off.

    Theora increased her pace ever so slightly while making sure to stay behind, and she quickly learned this was a tricky thing to do; she ended up walking in curves.

    Could it be anything else, possibly? Not really, right? It wasn¡¯t like¡ª

    Theora blinked. She had completely forgotten about magic. Oh, what if they found magic here? Magical phenomena were common on Himaeya after all, so they might exist on moons too. Their experiments happened underground, so it seemed perfectly possible they might have hit on some kind of magical vein.

    Ahh¡­ wasn¡¯t there this ancient and long-lost abode of magic beneath the surface of Himaeya? A wandering lake of glittering white, never at the same place twice. Theora had only seen it once, a long time ago. She¡¯d forgotten about it until now. A brief flash of memory lit up in her mind¡¯s eye ¡ª glowing liquid, softly boiling.

    But they were in space now, so perhaps it was an avenue of magic like the ones she¡¯d seen up here¡­ similar to magic mould, perhaps? Oh, right. Theora had a vial of that in her travelling attire. She blinked as the memory hit her, and her gaze went over Dema¡¯s back, who was cheerfully conversing with Isobel. The vial was supposed to be a present for Dema, a souvenir. Theora would have to look for it later.

    None of this quite answered what might be hidden underneath the first moon¡¯s surface. She was letting her mind wander ¡ª overthinking, but not quite in a bad way, it seemed.

    A message from Treeka showed up in her inbox. Just woke up, myself. How was your sleep?

    Ah, right. Theora had sent her a good morning message earlier. It was fun, she replied. Can¡¯t wait to do it again.

    Haha, Treeka answered. Thank you for messaging me. Don¡¯t want to miss the chance to talk to you.

    Neither do I, Theora admitted. And, thank you for helping me remember.

    Hm?

    Ah¡­ was Treeka unaware what she was doing, or was she pretending not to know? Either way, Theora wrote: You gave me the nightgown. Now I think of you whenever I wake up.

    What? You actually wear it?

    Of course, Theora said. It¡¯s very comfortable.

    There came no reply. Theora skimmed through the messages again ¡ª she was pretty sure she hadn¡¯t said anything wrong. The dress was obviously meant to be worn; Treeka had even playfully commanded her to do so when they said their goodbyes before the mission.

    Before she could dwell further on this mystery, they finally arrived at a small cave entrance of peculiar twisted shape which came from the ground out of nowhere ¡ª and, together with the clumsily laid out stairs, betrayed that it was formed by Dema¡¯s earth powers. She often half-baked her stairs, and was also always the one to trip on them.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Dema said, standing next to the entrance and waving Theora and Bell in. ¡°It¡¯s not far. We¡¯re coming in from above, and I made it so you can oversee all of it at a glance. Be prepared!¡±

    A soft glow of light, cast over a small plateau, loomed at the end of the straight stairway, perhaps one or two hundred steps deep. It looked like normal ground, but Theora assumed the plateau itself was the vantage point that oversaw their discovery.

    Of note, of course, was that there was light at all. That probably meant magic was in play here, at least to some degree. Theora hadn¡¯t been so far off, then.

    Dema and Isobel were letting them walk ahead, probably to let them get a good view in. It couldn¡¯t be life, but it could be magic; it was gleaming but not bright.

    They made their way down the last few steps, but the plateau was sloping down gently in a way that still obstructed what lay behind; it almost felt like Dema was teasing them, having created this pathway such that what lay behind would only reveal itself at the very last moment.

    And that it did.

    Bell was smaller, so she saw it first ¡ª her tendrils fluffed up around her and she let out a surprised gasp of wonder.

    Theora got distracted by Bell¡¯s reaction for a moment and only then turned to behold the scene¡ª

    The ancient ruins of a massive underground city.

 Chapter 181: Technology

    ¡°Turns out, the Protans were busy, huh!¡± Dema exclaimed, joining their side.

    ¡°It was them?¡± Bell asked, her voice laden with wonder.

    ¡°I would assume so, considering they are the only spacefaring people we have records of.¡± Isobel shrugged and clacked dangerously close to the ledge.

    The city sloped upwards in terraces, the closest buildings around twenty paces downward, whereas the ones leading further into the massive cavern were no more than little dots in the distance. This settlement was easily the size of Hallmark, if not larger. Theora fought the urge to let herself fall on the nearest roof to jump from building to building, leaving her friends behind. Perhaps she would get to do that later.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ that is bad news for the experiment,¡± Bell murmured. Her eyes went over caved-in houses. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to break this place any further.¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡± Isobel said. ¡°Still, I figured we could take a look around. Let¡¯s find some evidence that it actually belonged to the Protans.¡± She expectantly looked to Dema, who nodded and then bit into her wrist. Blood gushed out as if it had only just been waiting for the occasion, and with a wave of her hand, it formed into a crystal blood bridge leading down. Dema set foot on it while it was still in the process of forming further ahead.

    Theora joined her first, her gaze wandering around. They had to make sure to stay in Bell¡¯s oxygen bubble ¡ª technically both Theora and Isobel could walk outside of it, but talking was much harder without air to carry the voices.

    That might make it more difficult to run around on her own¡­ The buildings seemed to be made of calcite or something similar; definitely not sturdy. Which was understandable, considering calcite was easy to make using Skills, and safe from any weather degradation here beneath the surface of the moon.

    ¡°During my mission to meet the Ancient Devourer, I found a Protan device on a hidden planet,¡± Theora murmured. She still remembered his name ¡ª V47.

    ¡°Really?¡± Dema asked in surprise, and it was only now that Theora realised she may have never mentioned that to anyone.

    ¡°Yes. He¡­ well, he was very nice,¡± she said. ¡°Hugged me and gave me advice when I didn¡¯t know how to continue.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ like, someone to talk to?¡± Isobel asked, turning her head.

    Theora nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t think what we might find here would be alive in the way he was¡­ I found him through his presence. I don¡¯t feel any presences down here. But seeing abandoned remains of technology made me think of him.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, technology?¡± Bell asked, and looked around to see if she missed something. She found town ¡ª a wide street they were paving across on Dema¡¯s blood bridge, which led down to a tiny plaza. ¡°All I see are houses?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, ¡¯cause you¡¯re used to them,¡± Dema teased.

    ¡°What?¡± Bell blinked, then looked around more frantically to find anything of note.

    There were some interesting things in the streets ¡ª statues made of calcide maybe? Among other things; though it was difficult to tell exactly what they were from above. That, and some old, dark debris.

    Eventually Bell turned to Isobel with a questioning gaze. ¡°Are they messing with me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re young.¡± Isobel gave her an indulgent smile. ¡°Theora and Dema are both ancient, so they may have seen it happen. Millions of years ago, during my first life¡± ¡ª she turned her head and waved her hand to present the city ¡ª ¡°houses did not exist. They are a technology.¡±

    Bell blinked. ¡°Oh. Right, that¡¯s obvious.¡± She chewed on her lip, then turned to Theora. ¡°There¡¯s no difference to you between seeing a house or a¡ªan advanced machine?¡±

    ¡°In this case there¡¯s a difference, because only one of them is alive,¡± Theora said.

    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Bell didn¡¯t quite seem happy with the answer. ¡°Okay then, is there a difference to you between seeing a city and¡­¡± She scratched her cheek with a tendril. ¡°And, say, an advanced magical device?¡±

    Theora shrugged. ¡°Maybe.¡± She mulled it over in her head for a moment. ¡°I think what reminded me of V47 was simply seeing something made by people. Cities, knowledge, Skills, machines, language ¡ª they change as time passes, because they are made by people, as opposed to things that change because they are made by nature.¡±

    ¡°Okay, but now I know for sure you are messing with me,¡± Bell claimed, not sounding sure at all. She hopped down as they reached the end of Dema¡¯s bridge, but stared at Theora rather than the scenery. ¡°Since when is language a technology?¡±

    ¡°It had to be invented,¡± Isobel said, without even looking at them ¡ª she was gazing into an alleyway leading towards the city centre. ¡°Didn¡¯t exist millions of years ago, either. I got a trait that taught me that stuff after waking up.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡± Bell took a deep breath as she was having her little mind broken apart. ¡°Okay, but language doesn¡¯t change. I can read manuscripts that are thousands of years old, no problem, no matter where they are from.¡±

    Theora frowned. She looked over at Dema, who was equally puzzled. Language didn¡¯t change. Didn¡¯t language change, though? Why did something about the phrase ring familiar? She looked over to Isobel.

    ¡°Yeah, no clue about that one,¡± Iso admitted, also looking a little confused. ¡°As I said, I got all that from a trait.¡±

    ¡°Pretty sure language changes, though!¡± Dema said. ¡°New words are made all the time. Like, the word ¡®DespairLit¡¯ didn¡¯t used to exist. Right?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Theora agreed. That one was definitely new. ¡°But I thought old words changed too. They don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°We understood each other perfectly when we first met,¡± Dema murmured. ¡°So it can¡¯t have changed that much.¡±

    Theora scratched her head, letting her gaze wander over the surroundings. Eventually she stepped closer to a building, Bell scrambling behind her to keep everyone in the bubble. As Theora peered into a window, she finally found what she was looking for ¡ª words. She climbed into the ruins, picked up a board hanging on the wall, and read aloud:

    ¡°I was here.¡±

    Dema climbed after her. ¡°I can read that! But it must be old¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Theora let out; it came out involuntarily at the sudden realisation. It was at that moment that the memory came back to Theora. Neither Bell nor Iso had been around when it hit, and Dema may not have noticed because she¡¯d been in solitary confinement at the time. ¡°Right. Forgot about that.¡±

    ¡°Forgot about that?¡± Bell carried herself inside with help of her tendrils. Her gaze went around the inside of the room ¡ª broken pieces of calcite, abandoned furniture.

    ¡°The patch.¡±

    Theora knew the others were waiting for her, but the memory was a little difficult to retrieve and put into words.

    She managed to say: ¡°Language patch. Our language doesn¡¯t change anymore because the System translates it into a unified language for all of us.¡± Then, Theora spoke in her native tongue, ¡°Forgot how fun learning new words was¡± ¡ª but of course it came out as unified speech. On her travels during the first few centuries of her journey she¡¯d met many other places with other languages. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Dema said, ¡°does that mean the System can control what we like, tell each other?¡±

    ¡°Probably not,¡± Isobel chimed in, giving Theora a bit of relief. ¡°I checked that loophole back when we started using the System¡¯s instant messaging component. My investigation came to the conclusion that that¡¯s an Interface thing, not a Brat thing. The component lies incredibly deep, has little overhead. The conscious Brat part of the System likely has very limited access. But yeah¡­ I had no clue that the System did that. I thought everyone just spoke the same language because it¡¯s easier.¡±

    ¡°Still feels a little scary,¡± Bell murmured. ¡°I had no idea, either.¡±

    Theora really had completely forgotten something that was so important¡­

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even notice!¡± Dema cheered with easygoing curiosity, like she¡¯d just learned an interesting fun fact. Somehow that made Theora feel a little better.

    ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s a way to disable that translation module,¡± Isobel mused under her breath. ¡°Would be fun to hear everyone¡¯s true words.¡±

    ¡°It would be¡­¡± Dema trailed off as she made her way to the door into another room. ¡°Wait.¡± Her head swivelled toward Theora. ¡°Didn¡¯t you break the System back then? But we could still talk!¡±

    ¡°I targeted the quest user interface,¡± Theora said.

    The System itself was a much larger target and that would have had far more severe consequences. Likely, part of the System now laid rotten and decomposing beneath the surface; it had turned and twisted itself to hide the damage. If the language component was as deep as the messaging component, it may have remained unaffected by any of Theora¡¯s attacks.

    Isobel hummed, looking absentmindedly at the ¡®I was here¡¯. ¡°Maybe we can hear each other¡¯s true words if we go outside the System¡¯s range. Although it would take a few years.¡±

    Outside the System¡¯s range¡­ That¡¯s where Theora had met V47. Then why had she been able to talk to him?

    ¡°So, you wanted to find evidence,¡± Dema went, and came back from the other room with a painting of a landscape in hand. It showed a forest clearing like you¡¯d find on Himaeya. ¡°Does that count?¡±

    Isobel went closer, smiling as she inspected the image. ¡°This is probably a good start. My thought was this ¡ª we find evidence that the Protans really lived here. And if they did, then¡­¡± She scratched her mandible over the other. ¡°Well, I thought that between Bell and I, we have the infrastructure to take other people to the moon ¡ª like you, and Dema. So¡­¡±

    ¡°I think some of their descendents still live in the Feverwoods,¡± Theora remarked as understanding dawned. ¡°You want to offer them a visit?¡±

    Isobel nodded. ¡°If Bell is up for that, of course.¡±

    ¡°I mean¡ª¡± Bell hesitated. ¡°Look, maybe? Dema and Theora are both kind of immortal. Even if I mess up, nothing too bad is going to happen to them.¡±

    ¡°Oi,¡± Dema let out playfully. ¡°I can still feel pain! Lots of things can happen to me!¡±

    Dema sure didn¡¯t make a habit out of acting the part, though.

    ¡°I get what you mean,¡± Isobel said with a sigh. ¡°Bringing people who are less¡­ sturdy up here is a bigger risk. It¡¯s up to you. I was just thinking that perhaps an archaeologist of theirs would like to take a look.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t they abandon this stuff?¡± Dema asked, still looking like she desperately wanted to run off and explore. ¡°Like, wasn¡¯t that the thing?¡±

    Isobel nodded. ¡°At least from what we heard in preparation for Theora¡¯s space mission, yes. They noticed they couldn¡¯t expand into the skies further without harmfully reducing our home planet¡¯s resources. Even Skills weren¡¯t able to make up for that. But that was a few thousand years ago.¡±

    Bell frowned, slightly retracting her tendrils that had started probing around the room. ¡°You think it would be different nowadays?¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± Iso said. ¡°If they figured it would just take time, I don¡¯t think they would have done a full evacuation and cease of procedures. I don¡¯t think anything changed, I just figured¡­¡±

    ¡°That you could offer their descendents a look into their past,¡± Theora surmised.

    Isobel beamed and seemed to visibly grow as her segments shifted apart in a bout of happiness. ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s a bit selfish too, to be honest. Those ruins are just like I was before I was revived! Not to say we should revive this city, but I¡¯d be curious to hear out a Protan historian¡¯s thoughts, if we find one who wants to guide us¡­ and I¡¯d feel awkward perusing too much without their consent.¡±

    Dema let out a sigh, at which Isobel giggled.

    ¡°I said not to peruse too much. I think there¡¯s nothing wrong with taking a quick look?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema cheered, and was about to run off, but Isobel cleared her throat.

    ¡°Mom, please remember that you can only breathe right now because we¡¯re in Bell¡¯s air bubble.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Dema let out, looking a little dejected. ¡°Damn, and I¡¯m all out¡­¡±

    ¡°All out of what?¡± Theora asked. Wait ¡ª Isobel and Dema had been out alone earlier, without Bell. Isobel was one thing, but Dema¡­?

    ¡°Ah, right, you didn¡¯t know yet,¡± Isobel said. ¡°Remember how I can store liquids in my body? Well, turns out, because of her blood¡¯s inherent regenerative abilities, the cells won¡¯t just die. So, if we take blood from one of her arteries, and store it inside me¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I used all the oxygenated blood on our earlier trip. It¡¯s a bit of a hassle.¡± Dema shrugged. ¡°But I really wanted to go further in¡­¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re curious,¡± Bell said, ¡°but why that much? It¡¯s old ruins and they aren¡¯t going to run away. We can just prepare properly and then come back. No need to rush.¡±

    Dema tilted her head. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t you feel the thingy?¡±

    ¡°Feel what thingy?¡±

    Dema pointed into the distance. There was a dome in the centre of the town, but that wasn¡¯t quite what Dema indicated. ¡°The thing that calls out to mages, forgot the name. Wants me to go there.¡±

    Bell¡¯s expression changed from confusion to a frown. ¡°Ah. Sorry, yeah. I¡¯m not very sensitive right now because of the barriers.¡± Her gaze turned to Isobel, who smiled.

    ¡°You mean Manawant, right? I kinda feel it too! Now that we¡¯re closer. Was it there the entire time?¡±

    Dema shrugged, and then bit her lips. ¡°Dunno. It became really obvious after we entered, but now I¡¯m wondering if this might be why we chose this location for a test site in the first place.¡±

    ¡°It called out to us,¡± Isobel said with a nod. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°What are you all talking about?¡± Theora asked. She didn¡¯t feel anything. ¡°Manawant?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s when a thing wants mana,¡± Dema said and pulled Theora ahead. ¡°Like that big building in the distance there,¡± she said, pointing to that dome. ¡°Kinda reminds me of the Observatory of Fiction. But that one¡¯s really faint compared to the others around here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Isobel let out. ¡°Looks like they have a smaller version here.¡±

    ¡°Maybe so they won¡¯t get bored from living in a grey city,¡± Bell murmured.

    Theora shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think it used to be just grey.¡± The walls had a hint of colour to them, for one thing, but more importantly ¡ª there were remains. Many of them turned to dust by time, but occasionally, there was a hint of a piece of wood, a hint of soil.

    The streets were spacious and looked like they¡¯d once been overgrown with vegetation. The leftovers were black and shrivelled, though.

    Dema pointed to a calcite statue of perhaps a bear; it appeared shoddily made, like children¡¯s Skill practice. ¡°That¡¯s cute!¡±

    Eventually, they reached a plaza, full with remnants of an older time ¡ª more child¡¯s play scattered around, some statues had been destroyed and formed into new ones. Here, they found more elaborate and skillful creations too, like a miniature version of the city on a calcite table; although it appeared outdated. Or maybe it was never meant to be accurate in the first place.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Dema let out as they reached the centre. ¡°That¡­¡± She turned to Theora. ¡°See? Remind you of anything?¡±

    Theora let her eyes wander over the basin ¡ª it was very large, laid into the ground, with a railing around it.

    Dema hopped inside and the basin began glowing.

    ¡°You can imbue items that need to be refilled with Manawant,¡± Isobel explained, looking at Theora. ¡°The spell creates a pull to nearby mages with excess mana who can charge the device back up. It feels a little bad to not charge them. It¡¯s like a pet that wants feeding.¡±

    Theora watched Dema charge the basin back up. There had been something similar at the Grand Observatory of Fiction. Was it built by Protans?

    It seemed at first like Dema was struggling, but soon it became apparent that the basin was simply distributing the mana to surrounding devices. Lanterns started glowing; not all of them, for some were broken. Little orbs by the wayside began thrumming in a low bass tone, the vibrations carrying all over the plaza.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Bell asked, looking a little apprehensive. Theora sensed her preparing a plethora of Skills; Bell was getting ready to defend them.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s fine,¡± Isobel said with a giggle. ¡°I wonder if this works properly? We should test it out!¡±

    Dema didn¡¯t let herself be told that twice and broke free from Bell¡¯s bubble. Bell almost lurched on reflex to make sure Dema was still covered, and only held back upon realising she¡¯d left on purpose. Bell still looked anxious.

    Theora gently tapped a hand against Bell¡¯s bell ¡ª a sign they had decided on that wouldn¡¯t startle her into using [Last Stand]. Bell turned around to find Theora smiling down at her.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Bell,¡± she said. ¡°You might get some relief soon. I think these devices are making atmosphere.¡±

 Chapter 182: System Logs

    It turned out that the devices really did create a breathable atmosphere. Bell was still hesitant to let go of hers, but after Dema went back to patch up the hole they¡¯d made to get down here, and after about an hour of Dema running around outside the bubble, she relented and stopped trying to absorb her back into it as much as possible.

    Bell still kept her own bubble intact, though. She exchanged the air, but wanted to make sure that in case something went wrong, she would still have the barrier set-up.

    ¡°You can fetch Dema when something happens, right? And bring her back to me?¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°The party screen shows me where she is at all times,¡± she explained. ¡°I might lose consciousness myself if the air leaves, but I should still be able to bring her to you.¡±

    Dema was soon nowhere to be seen, presumably off to fill the Manawant of every device out there. Apparently these hungry items caused a constant feeling of needing-to-do-something for very powerful mages. Bell eventually made off too ¡ª she said she wanted to take a look at the Observatory, although Theora had the suspicion Bell was mostly feeling responsible for Dema¡¯s ability to breathe.

    Meanwhile, Theora and Isobel strolled down another street, constantly getting distracted by the children¡¯s statues. Well, they seemed to be made by children anyway; of course it could have been adults too. But children did appear to be the likely culprits. Who else would like to spend lots of time in the streets figuring stuff out and then not tidying up after themselves? Children¡­ and Dema, perhaps.

    Not like it really had to be tidied up, of course. It was a beautiful place.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad I get the chance to talk to you a little before you¡¯re going back to sleep, Mom,¡± Isobel said after a while. ¡°The next few days will be busy because Dema and I will need to find a new place to hold the experiment.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad too.¡± Theora took a deep breath. This was the reason why she hadn¡¯t run off together with Dema, and why she hadn¡¯t accompanied Bell when she followed. The reason why she was walking down the streets with Isobel, alone. ¡°I wanted to apologise to you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Isobel tilted her head, looking up. ¡°Apologise for what?¡±

    ¡°For ignoring you when I was in ¡®Reality¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that. Water under the bridge!¡±

    Theora sighed. Isobel helping find a replacement for [Obliterate] was one thing, but she was also working on dismantling the System from the inside, which would also benefit Theora. And Isobel was the keystone holding their group together ¡ª after Isobel¡¯s reawakening, the old Bell had spent decades taking care of her while Dema and Theora were stuck at Hallmark, and that was the reason they¡¯d all met. Then, while Theora was in space, Dema and Bell had spent about a hundred-fifty years travelling the world together with Isobel ¡ª and it was Isobel, again, who had both guided her up there patiently and forced an Orb of Seven Wishes as a quest reward so Dema could fetch her back.

    And then, after thirty years of trying, she¡¯d managed to reach out to Theora in Reality, and Theora had ignored her. Partly it was due to her own inadequacies, but also, Theora couldn¡¯t deny that the quests that kept falling in her lap were somewhat important, or at least appeared so. She couldn¡¯t have abandoned Hallmark, even if Hallmark was only preyed on by the Afterthoughts to keep Theora there. And she couldn¡¯t have refused to go to space, because if she had, the world as they knew it might no longer exist.

    Despite everything, Isobel still called her ¡®Mom¡¯.

    Theora kept herself from sighing again, because that would for sure have prompted a response. ¡°Let me know if there is something I could do to help you,¡± she said instead. ¡°I want to be there for you too, like Dema is.¡±

    Isobel smiled up at her. ¡°Thanks! We¡¯re all there for each other, aren¡¯t we? That¡¯s what makes me happy to be part of us. But yeah, I will. Always will! Thanks, Mom.¡±

    ¡°Mom,¡± Theora repeated, whispering under her breath.

    ¡°What do I hear there?¡± Isobel said with a little giggle.

    ¡°I¡¯m just surprised,¡± Theora said, looking down into her lap. ¡°And I do feel honoured. I know you have my tea within you, but that¡¯s really all I did back then¡­ Dema asked me, so I gave it. And I¡¯m glad it means so much to you. But what I did and do for you is small, in comparison.¡±

    Isobel reached out to squeeze Theora¡¯s hand. ¡°Not that small, actually!¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Theora squeezed back softly, unsure if Isobel could even feel it.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I wanted to tell you. Figured it out after you came back from Reality. When I saw your internal System Logs.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°My internal System logs?¡±

    Isobel nodded. They walked up a few stairs and then she found a botched statue of a picnic set-up and made them both sit down in it. ¡°It¡¯s like, where it notes down Skill level-ups and such. Sometimes Skill uses too. It gets overwritten a lot, so it¡¯s not a full list of all Skills you ever used, but sometimes you can excavate some hints.¡±

    Isobel said ¡®excavate¡¯ with a particularly purposeful intonation.

    ¡°Did you find something there?¡±

    Isobel smiled. ¡°Yes. Something that made me quite happy, actually. As you mentioned, I did always think of you and Dema as my parents because I have her blood and your tea running through me. But it¡¯s probably a bit more than that.¡±

    ¡°More than that?¡± Theora tried to remember that day; the day she¡¯d watched Dema piece Isobel together from shale rock and moss.

    ¡°Well, for one, there¡¯s Dema¡¯s [Immortality], of course,¡± she chirped.

    Theora nodded. Obviously, she cherished Isobel either way, but the fact that Isobel was only alive because of Dema¡¯s Skill did make it seem like Dema had supplied the bulk of the effort.

    ¡°But turns out, that¡¯s not all,¡± Iso went on, making Theora perk up. ¡°Like¡­ if you think about it ¡ª I am a giant Isopod girl, yes. But I¡¯m not quite made of just one fossil. It¡¯s a patchwork. And yet, I feel whole. If you think about it, it really shouldn¡¯t have worked.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that? Should not have worked?¡±

    ¡°Well, I mean that it sounds a little ludicrous, Dema¡¯s idea. She only knew she could extend the effect of ¡®always being alive¡¯ to another entity; that doesn¡¯t really mean that a fossil will just wake up and run around if you use it on one. Fossils are¡­ well, they are just animal shaped rocks. There¡¯s nothing left in them of what used to be the thing that died. They are not remains like bones or bodies.¡±

    Well¡­ yeah. Now that Isobel mentioned that, this did seem somewhat peculiar. Could you revive a fossil? ¡°I figured Dema just made it work somehow.¡±

    Isobel let out a lighthearted giggle, so sudden it echoed in the silent city. ¡°Yeah, no. It¡¯s not just Dema who ¡®made it work somehow¡¯, Theora.¡± She looked up with eyes glinting. ¡°You¡¯re doing much better now, but you still have to learn to give yourself the credit you deserve.¡±

    Theora swallowed at the admonishment; that did still seem a scary concept. Still. ¡°The credit I deserve?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes. Look, I won¡¯t mince words here. We all know it, if we¡¯re being honest with ourselves: I¡¯m not just unlikely, I¡¯m straight-up impossible. It would need a bit more than [Immortality] to just make me wake back up from what¡¯s just rock and stone. But [Immortality] and [im//possibility]? Now that¡¯s another story.¡±

    Theora opened her mouth to say something, but no words nor thoughts came out.

    ¡°So,¡± Isobel continued, smiling wide, ¡°that¡¯s what I found in the logs. You used that Skill right before Dema found me. You made me possible. I wanted to thank you for that.¡±

    Theora didn¡¯t know what to say to that. She¡¯d made Isobel possible? Was that even how her Skill worked? But still, Iso was making a good case there. It did appear at least unlikely for Dema to succeed at reviving a fossil in the way she did¡­

    ¡°Thank you for letting me know,¡± Theora answered, and her voice caught. Oh, she was about to cry again, huh? She¡¯d already offered Isobel help whenever she might need it, what else could she do for this precious being?

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Iso said, then turned her head when she heard some noise in the distance. Dema had probably done something. ¡°Well, as I said, I¡¯m glad we got to talk. But¡­ maybe we should call it a day, we weren¡¯t necessarily prepared for an excursion.¡±

    Bell was probably the one who needed that the most, considering how her day had gone so far. Theora gave Iso a nod of acknowledgment.

    Isobel hummed in response and tapped her chin. Then, Theora received a message in the party log from her, sent to all of them: ¡°Actually, it¡¯s getting a little late. We could turn back for today, and prepare a plan on how to explore the city some more?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ kind of want to stay here a bit longer,¡± Theora admitted in writing. ¡°Can I wander around while you go back? I¡¯ll sleep here in the city. Maybe I¡¯ll find a bed.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Isobel and Dema both sent at the same time, prompting Bell to send a string of characters that looked like an amused smile.

    Theora pouted. ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Come back with us,¡± Isobel pleaded while giving Theora a smile. ¡°At least to fetch food and water. I know you technically don¡¯t need those, but¡ª¡±

    Theora sighed and grazed through her ponytail. ¡°Fine, alright.¡± She threw a yearning last glance around as they decided on a meet-up location.

    The truth was, she felt a little drawn to this place, like Dema did. She kind of missed V47, similar to how she missed the people stuck in the Frame of the Lost. It appeared Theora got attached quickly. That wasn¡¯t a trait she¡¯d realised about herself to that extent before. Her feet wanted to carry her through the streets and houses for longer, in hopes of finding something that reminded her a little more of him. Was he still alive? Had he gotten into another pickle? Over two-hundred years had passed since they¡¯d met.

    Perhaps if she got to meet the people from the Frame of the Lost again, she could visit him one day too. But for that, she needed to rest first.

    On their way home, lost in her thoughts, Theora was feeling a little tired after that eventful day. Dema and Isobel were right. Perhaps she should spend the night at home with the others, in a comfy mossbed, wearing Treeka¡¯s soft dress.

    Maybe find the time for a dream or two.

 Chapter 183: Raised in Reality

    Theora realised she was dreaming when Dema¡¯s tail twitched in her arms.

    Dema didn¡¯t have a tail. Much less one so thick Theora could use it as a body pillow while the rest of Dema was sprawled out across and beneath blankets and Theora¡¯s legs.

    It was a true bummer. Theora gave the tail a squeeze and then a kiss. Dema moaned a little, all sleep-drunk, but didn¡¯t wake up. If this was a dream, then couldn¡¯t Theora do some pretty amazing things right now? She could go outside and make up new flowers that didn¡¯t exist¡­ She could make some truly outlandish tea, maybe. Sky tea? Star tea?

    ¡°Mm,¡± Dema murmured and turned in her bed. The demon horn on her forehead grew and branched into an intricate crystal antler, glittering in the moonlight like frosted glass. ¡°Could use time to infuse tea,¡± she murmured, half asleep.

    Time tea. Actually, Time. Wasn¡¯t there¡ª

    Dema¡¯s tail twitched again. Theora hugged a bit closer. Truth be told, even time tea couldn¡¯t compare to snuggling up to Dema.

    Theora realised she was dreaming when Bell won at hide-and-seek. Dema would never let Bell win.

    She watched them from the kitchen table, cutting forms out of cookie dough with a pair of scissors.

    ¡°Why do you cut them like this?¡± Treeka asked.

    Theora blinked, then looked down at what she was producing. One of them was round, like a cookie. But within dreams, things might not be what they seemed. Indeed, a round shape could be anything. It could be a planet, the sun ¡ª or an eye.

    The other cookie Theora had cut out was a little less ambiguous ¡ª it was an arm.

    ¡°I just cut them the way I want,¡± Theora admitted. ¡°Hadn¡¯t thought much of it.¡±

    Treeka let out a hum. She was sitting on a thick root, her hand grazing it softly. Suddenly, an iridescent antler sprouted from underneath the bark between two of her fingers. As if trying to reach out to Theora, the antler stretched and stretched ¡ª until the farthest branch broke off, shattering into a puff of silver dust.

    Treeka nodded at the shape forming in Theora¡¯s hands. ¡°You¡¯re making body parts. That one looks like a¡ª¡±

    Bell suddenly cheered. She¡¯d won again, it seemed. Theora looked back down and found herself cutting off a silver antler branch.

    One after another, friends walked by the coffee table with Lostina¡¯s legs on it. The table stood on calm water as it reflected the gently clouded, bright sky. Theora didn¡¯t know where to look ¡ª it was all so beautiful. But her gaze kept finding Lostina, because Lostina was the reason they were here.

    Lostina tucked a strand of green hair behind her ear as she watched Gonell pass by between trees growing out of the water on the other side of the clearing. ¡°Gosh, I still get flutters when I see her,¡± she murmured with a smile. Then her gaze returned to Theora, and after a moment she broke into a laugh. ¡°What!¡± she said accusingly.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Theora said, smiling back. ¡°Just glad you don¡¯t have to hide your affection for her anymore.¡±

    Lostina shrugged and leaned back in her chair. ¡°Yeah, we sorted stuff out. Not seeing each other much for a few years helped too. Makes it a bit less awkward¡­¡±

    ¡°I can imagine.¡± Theora crossed her legs and absentmindedly picked a fork into her cake on the plate of the small table, arm stretched out to reach it.

    Lostina frowned.

    ¡°What?¡± Theora asked, having just stuffed her mouth. ¡°Everything alright?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to ask,¡± Lostina said. Her eyebrows knitted themselves together. She gestured up and down Theora. ¡°Since when can you hold yourself so confidently?¡±

    After looking around with a suspicious gaze in her eyes, Lostina inspected the palm of her hand ¡ª then pressed down on it with her other thumb. It went right through, like she was a ghost.

    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s a dream. That¡¯s why.¡±

    Theora pulled a grimace. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to realise that yet.¡±

    ¡°How long have you been asleep to concoct a scenario like that?¡±

    ¡°You wound me,¡± Theora said. ¡°I¡¯m a little more talkative right now than I would be if I was awake, but I did make progress.¡±

    ¡°Progress?¡± Lostina asked, mulling over the word. ¡°Well, it¡¯s about Time.¡±

    Theora winced. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ well, yes. I¡¯ve been making progress with that too.¡± Theora sighed, looking at the prototype pair of SCISSoRs she was holding.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that a fork a moment ago?¡± Lostina asked.

    ¡°Ah, sorry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this is your dream? God, and I thought I was rid of authorial influence.¡±

    Snap, snap. The SCISSoRs didn¡¯t leave a cut in the world because Theora wasn¡¯t using them with intent yet. Quite convenient.

    ¡°I will try not to subject you to too much authorial intent,¡± Theora promised, trying to swat a cloud away from between them. Then she held up the SCISSoRs for Lostina to see. ¡°It¡¯s an instrument we made to retrieve the Fragments of Time,¡± Theora explained, then playfully added: ¡°You were the one who brought that up.¡±

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Lostina said. She leaned back in what now was a couch; Theora didn¡¯t quite remember what it was before. ¡°So, does it work?¡±

    Theora blinked. ¡°Does what work? The instrument?¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lostina said, nodding with a curious expression on her face.

    ¡°No idea,¡± Theora murmured, eyeing it while scratching her head. ¡°Couldn¡¯t try it out yet. It¡¯s a prototype, and I would need to enter another world to make an actual attempt.¡±

    Lostina gave a look, then gestured at the surface of the lake they sat on, at the trees growing from it, and at the chocolate. Theora followed with her gaze, but eventually re-established eye contact, confusion showing in her face by way of what she assumed to be a frown. ¡°What?¡±

    Lostina clicked her tongue, then pointed at the black hole in the water on the horizon. Then, she pointed at the bright sky, where the sun was missing.

    ¡°I know the dream isn¡¯t perfect,¡± Theora said defensively. ¡°Please don¡¯t judge.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not judging you,¡± Lostina lied. ¡°All I¡¯m saying is ¡ª is this not a different world? Your dream world. Ulfine said you can find Fragments in other worlds you haven¡¯t gotten one from before, right?¡±

    Theora¡¯s finger involuntarily twitched, grabbing unhappily into her pants. ¡°You weren''t there for that.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m a fabrication of your subconscious. It¡¯s called being meta. Sorry ¡ª I come from postmodern earth. This kind of stuff is all over pretentious media of my time.¡± Lostina hesitated, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. ¡°Wait. We¡¯re in your dream, so¡­ if I know that, then you do too. But how do you know that?¡±

    Theora shrugged with a hint of pride. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve grown up on postmodern earth too.¡±

    ¡°Wait, really?¡± Lostina perked up her eyebrow and then leaned forward, taking her legs off what was now a coffin. ¡°You never told me.¡±

    Obviously Theora had never told her ¡ª because, ¡°It happened after we met.¡±

    ¡°Ugh.¡± Lostina massaged her temples in mild annoyance and then gave up, falling back into what was now a large cushion. ¡°Okay, fine, I get it. I¡¯ll stop teasing you with dream knowledge and you¡¯ll stop teasing me with real life knowledge. Deal?¡±

    Theora wanted to answer, but¡ª

    ¡°Can you keep this dream a little more consistent, please? I¡¯m getting disoriented.¡±

    Theora put away the whale. ¡°Sorry, I was focusing on what you said.¡±

    Lostina nodded at the SCISSoRs in Theora¡¯s hand. ¡°So, are you going to try them out?¡±

    Snap, snap. ¡°Maybe I should,¡± Theora mused. ¡°It¡¯s a dream, after all. Not like anything could go wrong.¡±

    Lostina winced at that, and this is when Theora remembered the concept of ¡®death flags¡¯ and ¡®dramatic irony¡¯. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Theora reassured. ¡°We¡¯re not in an author¡¯s story anymore.¡±

    ¡°You are the author right now, and that¡¯s terrifying,¡± Lostina deadpanned immediately. ¡°Like okay, you¡¯re the strongest being to ever exist, but usually you don¡¯t have the ability to change the entire world around you. Authors have responsibility, you know? Can¡¯t just do whatever. You need to be mindful¡ª And, honey, please. The whale.¡±

    Theora sighed, and patted the whale on its back to send it off. It flew to the horizon, getting smaller. Theora shrank in turn to get back to Lostina¡¯s size. ¡°Sorry. They are my favourite animals, I get distracted.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say you were focusing on me?¡±

    Theora turned to look at Lostina¡¯s frown. ¡°I am. You were scolding me about needing to take on more responsibility for my creations. And I am. I offered Isobel help, and I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll come to me if she needs me.¡±

    Lostina pressed her eyes shut, like fending off a headache. Two silver antlers started growing from her forehead. ¡°You¡¯re changing the topic.¡± She pointed at Theora¡¯s hands again. ¡°Are we going to do it or not?¡±

    Snap, snap. Theora sighed. Might as well.

    Theora realised she was dreaming when, upon cutting the fabric of reality with prototype SCISSoRs, it actually worked.

    ¡°Wow, damn,¡± Lostina let out, leaning forward to inspect the thin cut. ¡°That¡¯s spooky.¡±

    ¡°It really is,¡± Theora agreed. ¡°I¡¯m glad that it¡¯s a dream and that I¡¯m not really doing it.¡±

    That prompted Lostina to give her a look.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Theora mumbled. Dramatic irony again. ¡°Slipped out.¡±

    Lostina sighed, shaking her head ever so slightly. ¡°Stop slipping about that, I¡¯m serious.¡± She gestured at a train driving along tracks on the horizon ¡ª it caused waves in the water flooring, but they didn¡¯t reach far. Then, the train crashed into an iceberg. ¡°See, stuff like that? Writers often use dreams to add foreshadowing. Have to be mindful of what you say.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not an author,¡± Theora said. ¡°And you are being a bit¡ª¡± She swallowed, catching herself before raising another flag. ¡°Fine.¡±

    ¡°Even if you¡¯re not an author, we are in a dream, and both conscious of it.¡± Lostina let out an unhappy grumble. ¡°I hate dream chapters. They have no tension because anything can happen and at the same time, nothing ever does happen because the characters will conveniently forget everything and nothing they did will matter.¡±

    Theora smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will remember everything.¡±

    ¡°Theora, you can¡¯t be serious.¡±

    Oh, right¡­ dramatic irony again. That sure was a bother; like it punished the exact quality Theora had only recently attained: a sliver of self-confidence.

    ¡°Not only that,¡± Lostina added, ¡°but you are also notoriously bad at remembering things. It has less to do with self-confidence than it does with self-awareness.¡±

    ¡°L-let¡¯s move the plot forward,¡± Theora said quickly. She leaned forward, head next to Lostina¡¯s, their hair touching as they both looked closely at the gleaming fringes of reality, colours aberrating in strands of loose ends. ¡°Probably should have sharpened it more.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Also looks like you¡¯ll need some kind of tool to sew the rift shut again.¡±

    ¡°You mean like¡­ a stapler?¡±

    Lostina gave her another look. She didn¡¯t seem to be running out of them. ¡°No, I don¡¯t mean a stapler. Since when do you know what staplers are? Do they have staplers in your world?¡±

    ¡°They probably do,¡± Theora mused. ¡°But I told you, I grew up in Reality as well.¡±

    ¡°Still, why would you think of a stapler? This is tailor¡¯s work. Obviously I was talking about a needle.¡±

    Theora blinked. She looked around; they were in a sewer¡¯s workroom now. ¡°Right. Yes, a needle. You can weave wounds shut with a needle and thread too, that¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Lostina sighed. ¡°You¡¯re thinking of it as a wound. Figures.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Theora started, conjuring a mechanical stapler from thin dream air, ¡°it is a wound.¡± The workshop changed to an old hospital surgery chamber, with empty seating rows climbing up around the operating table, which the wound in the world hovered over. Then, right as she was about to close it, Lostina grasped her wrist.

    ¡°Wait,¡± she said. She didn¡¯t look like Lostina anymore. She looked like¡­ Theora couldn¡¯t quite place it, the face was mushed and blurry, but antlers grew from the forehead. Frosted glass antlers, and whenever a branch grew too far, it broke, revealing a puff of silver dust. ¡°You forgot to take it out first,¡± Not-Lostina said.

    Theora sighed and gently squeezed her arm through the opening. Then, she tugged.

    Tugged, and tugged. Focused on finding what was hidden behind the fabric of this world. The thing that was lost, filed away, never to be put together again.

    She pulled it out.

    Not-Lostina let out a strangled noise when she saw what appeared. ¡°Gosh, that looks like a¡ª¡±

 Chapter 184: Evaporated

    Theora woke up to Bell¡¯s outer dome shield breaking, and let go of what she¡¯d been hugging. She was already on her feet as the first crack appeared, and made it to the cabin in a fraction of a second as the shell crumbled above.

    On her way, Theora noticed a few things. First: the inside of the dome was secure for now, but would be destroyed within the next moment. Second: The cause of the damage was something similar to¡­ an energy surge? Everything was bright. Though it seemed unlikely that a simple surge would destroy one of Bell¡¯s shields, as that was in part what they were meant to protect against.

    Theora reached inside the multidimensional travelling attire hanging next to the entrance of the cabin, and swiftly pulled out the time dilation device. That would give them another seven or so seconds.

    Bell had just shot up from the basin, looking terrified but focused. The others were still asleep, so Theora gently called out.

    ¡°Let¡¯s evacuate.¡±

    Dema and Iso opened their eyes, but otherwise stayed still for a moment. Dema caught herself quicker, jumping up in a swift motion, biting her thumb and letting the gushing blood float in orbits around her. Isobel retched up a bit of water.

    They left as the world around them crumbled. As the moss bleached and scarred, the explosion forming behind them at a slug¡¯s pace. Bell had abandoned all larger barriers and was now keeping them in a small bubble of safety.

    The sun was scorching down with an intensity Theora only vaguely remembered from her time in space.

    Dema walked ahead on light feet, jumping over rocks and blazing a trail out of the dome with her magic. It was then, watching her back, that Theora¡¯s foggy mind slowly caught up.

    Dema did not have a tail.

    Then what had Theora been hugging when she woke up?

    ¡°I need to go back in,¡± she announced as she turned, the attire flapping with Theora¡¯s rare quick motion. ¡°Meet you in the city.¡±

    After another few words of coordination, they split, the gleaming surfaces swallowing up their three silhouettes like a glowing sandstorm. After leaving the safety of Bell¡¯s shields, skin and flesh began to burn off Theora¡¯s bones as she moved to find her sleeping corner; the moss had vaporised under magic heat and she could barely find her way. The travelling attire held itself together for now, but she clasped a fold in her fist to keep it safe should something happen.

    Theora recognised a few rock shapes in the heat, so she crouched down to feel the charcoal ground. The tips of her fingers hit upon something cold.

    Nothing should be this cold here.

    Theora clasped it to her chest ¡ª it was thicker than her legs, and about as long. Then, she found the SCISSoRs lying next to it. It was¡­ suspicious. But she couldn¡¯t make sense of it for now ¡ª a prickly sluggishness still fogged her mind like it did on many mornings; her body demanded more rest.

    But she didn¡¯t want to sleep here; the explosion was over, but boiling magic seared into her skin and attire. Looking up, Theora found the sun gazing down at them. Was this¡­ a solar storm? Isobel may have mentioned something to that effect when preparing for the mission. Meteorites from the grand voids, magic pouring out from the sun ¡ª things Theora didn¡¯t have to worry about so much when out alone, but when outside with others, it was different.

    With a sigh, she pushed herself up from her knees, watching the smoke dissipate into space¡¯s emptiness together with the air. The bubbles of algae had been dispersed; some into fine mist, while larger ones were floating off into the distance. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    And so, Theora made her way to the ruined city.

    The party chat was flooding with messages. Treeka had sent a very large text overnight about how she felt very lonely and how she would use her entrapment magic again if they ever returned to her.

    Theora lost herself thinking of ways to take Treeka with them on their next trip. Her mind slowly awoke as she went through the options, until she finally noticed something weird.

    A System notification floated in the periphery of her vision.

    Skill learned: [Evaporate a Lake].

    Received from [Fragment of Time]; available as long as the item is held.

    It had joined two other Skills on her sheet: [Flatten a Mountain], and [Raze a Forest], which she¡¯d received from previous Fragments of Time.

    Theora grimaced, and looked at the tail in her arms. The lack of air was getting to her a bit, making it difficult to focus.

    They were prepared for disaster. They had contingencies. The fact that they had found an air-producing city within walking distance was a welcome bonus; it meant they didn¡¯t have to touch the emergency resources still stored in the attire.

    But now what? Would they rebuild? Some things they¡¯d lost could be difficult to replace. Treeka was lonely too.

    Theora kept staring at the severed tail in her arms. She sure wished her brain was working right now, for it could probably help explain why she was suddenly carrying a third Fragment of Time around. She sure didn¡¯t remember getting one. Had it materialised out of thin air?

    Notifications about new messages kept popping up; either the others still couldn¡¯t talk because they were waiting for the atmosphere to form in the city, or they texted as to not exclude Theora from the discussion.

    She told them she was on her way. And while she could have been thinking about a lot of things ¡ª these Skills, Treeka, their mission ¡ª what tumbled through her foggy head instead was that phrase she¡¯d been thinking of a lot in Reality.

    The storms are getting stronger.

    For all she knew, this kind of magical eruption could have been common up here, where no atmosphere protected the surface. But there was a reason Theora had woken up as soon as Bell¡¯s barrier had cracked. After Reality, her sleep had gotten lighter. She was now more sensitive.

    She wasn¡¯t planning on letting any of her loved ones die again on her watch.

    Catching up to the others was no easy feat; they had gone off to find a suitable place for them to set up camp rather than just doing it right at the entrance. The system map was of limited use to help navigate the city, because further from the centre, the layout became a tad more convoluted, with paths leading into tunnels downward and streets rising to higher levels next to them.

    When she thought she was finally there after an hour of searching, she found herself on the wrong level; the others were above her, probably. Dema texted she¡¯d come fetch her and would light up atmosphere-creating devices on their way so Theora would be able to breathe again sooner.

    The place she found herself in was a large hall with softly glowing walls with stairs laid into them. Stairs that didn¡¯t lead anywhere save for higher on the walls themselves.

    Walls that were painted with countless murals.

    Paintings of plants, of buildings, of people. As if anyone who wanted could just come here, find an empty spot somewhere along the stairs, and paint.

    Theora thought she faintly recognised one person depicted there ¡ª long hair, smiling, wearing a green attire. Half of her face was missing from an old monster attack, and she was depicted with a wide sunhat Theora hadn¡¯t seen her wear. An old hero Theora had met on a quest once, long ago.

    She slumped against the walls, the painting still in view.

    After a few minutes of letting her gaze wander around, she reached into her attire and took out an old deck of cards; the murals had reminded her of it somehow. Back when she¡¯d sorted all her belongings from her travelling attire to give them away, that deck of cards had been one of the few things she¡¯d kept for herself.

    Each card was a painting of a little scene. Simplified, in vibrant colours, hand-drawn and magically reinforced to withstand decay. A girl sitting by a lake. A set of mountains under the evening sun. A red demon laughing.

    Theora had forgotten everything about this deck of cards; whom it belonged to, where and when she had received it, or what it was about. She only remembered one little thing, and it was a feeling more than a fact: that it was important.

    She got to the last card and then her gaze went back to the drawing of the hero whose name had escaped her.

    Time sure was cruel. Always passing, while Theora had to stay and watch the things around her crumble.

    She watched the little dot denoting Dema¡¯s location on the map, then glanced over the others. At least she wasn¡¯t alone in this anymore. She just had to make sure to keep them safe.

 Chapter 185: News

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Dema asked as she approached, then came to a halt when she saw what lay before Theora¡¯s crossed legs. ¡°What the¡ª Is that¡­¡± She swallowed. ¡°A Fragment of Time! Where¡¯d you get that?¡±

    Theora opened her mouth to respond but her first words got stuck in her throat. The hall may have been filling with air slowly, but her brain was still only just waking up. Confused, she tilted her head. ¡°Wait, how do you know that?¡±

    Dema stared for a moment, in equal confusion. ¡°Why, [Appraise] told me?¡±

    Oh, right. That made a lot of sense. Theora nodded sheepishly while Dema crouched to inspect it. ¡°That looks like a¡­ a tail? Where¡¯d you get it?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Theora admitted. ¡°I just woke up with it. I don¡¯t remember anything.¡±

    ¡°Damn, really? Don¡¯t even remember? You had to work so hard for the other two. Must¡¯ve gotten really good at it¡­¡± She got up and looked at the ceiling ¡ª the direction where the other two must have been. Then she wrote in chat: ¡°Oi! Bell, Iso! My girlfriend¡¯s collecting Fragments in her sleep now!¡±

    These words stunned Theora into a furious blush. ¡°L-Look, it¡¯s not¡ª We don¡¯t even know if¡ª¡±

    No¡­ in all likelihood, that statement was correct. She¡¯d slept and woken up with another Fragment of Time in her arms. The SCISSoRs were somehow lying next to her too.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back?¡± Dema offered a hand to help Theora up, but hesitated when she saw her properly. ¡°Wait, have you been crying?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theora said.

    Instead of helping her up, Dema let herself fall down against the wall and took Theora¡¯s hand. ¡°Gonna tell the others we¡¯ll be late then.¡±

    Theora nodded and rubbed her eyes, which prompted Dema to fetch a tissue from the attire Theora hadn¡¯t known was in there, and then carefully dabbed at Theora¡¯s face to dry it.

    Theora let out a chuckle and grabbed for the hem of Dema¡¯s ragged cloak.

    ¡°What¡¯s funny?¡± Dema asked, giggling a bit herself.

    ¡°It tickles,¡± Theora admitted.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t know you were ticklish.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not, usually. But I don¡¯t remember anyone ever touching my face like this before. It¡¯s funny.¡±

    Dema smiled wide, letting herself be drawn a bit closer by Theora¡¯s pull, but continued her work.

    ¡°By the way,¡± Theora said with a hint of pride in her voice. ¡°I was given news.¡± Well, news was maybe stretching it by now, it had been a few days, but still.

    Dema perked up. ¡°Oh yeah? What news?¡±

    Theora veered closer, pushed a strand of hair past Dema¡¯s ear. ¡°Well, as you can see, I¡¯m just letting you do anything to me. Turns out, I¡¯ve been corrupted by you.¡±

    Dema¡¯s curiosity gave way to a shy smile. ¡°Oh yeah? How¡¯d I do that?¡±

    Theora shrugged. ¡°If I had to guess, I¡¯d say by being all cute.¡±

    ¡°Really? And here I thought it was because I¡¯m so dangerous.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I said,¡± Theora told her, smiling ¡ª and Dema leaned in to kiss her. It ended as soon as it began¡­ probably because Dema wanted to say something. Theora had to stop herself from chasing it too far.

    ¡°That¡¯s not really news,¡± Dema instead said, pensively. It wasn¡¯t as good as a kiss, but hearing Dema¡¯s voice was almost as soothing. ¡°Bell told me that before.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Theora listened up. ¡°She talked to you too?¡±

    Dema raised an eyebrow. ¡°¡®Too?¡¯ I meant back when we first met. In our days after we left Hallmark to travel together. The old Bell.¡±

    That long ago?

    ¡°She said¡ª¡± Dema tilted her head up, her gaze passing Theora¡¯s curly hair to look at the ceiling. ¡°She was upset with me. You know you used to be her idol?¡± Dema huffed out a laugh. ¡°She said she would protect you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of heartbreaking,¡± Theora admitted.

    ¡°Right?¡± Dema shook her head ever so slightly, as if she couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°That¡¯s why I never let her go.¡±

    ¡°She wanted to?¡±

    Dema shrugged. ¡°Whenever her open-secret double-agent mission got to her head. Made sure to tell her she still has a place with us.¡±

    Dema had been there for Bell this entire time? That was oddly comforting. Especially considering how often Bell was there to take care of Theora. Consoled her after nights full of nightmares, told her to come back home when lost.

    Dema grinned. ¡°But I was a brat, to be honest. Back then. Told her I wasn¡¯t even half-way done with you.¡±

    Theora needed a moment to parse that sentence and her cheeks started burning. ¡°And¡­ are you now?¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Nah, no way. Still many things about you left to corrupt.¡±

    Theora laughed. ¡°Like what?¡±

    Dema¡¯s mouth stood open for a moment ¡ª she was probably getting embarrassed by what she herself had said right about now. She turned away. ¡°You¡¯re gonna see!¡±

    ¡°No, tell me,¡± Theora insisted, gently turning Dema back to face her. ¡°What did you have in mind?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna see!¡± Dema repeated, playfully trying to get away without really trying while Theora attempted to keep her close with no real force.

    Isobel stared.

    They had just presented the tail after returning from the little excursion ¡ª Bell and Iso were in the process of filling a fountain on the streets with water for them to sleep in later. Iso took a careful look at the Fragment, then looked up at Theora. ¡°Dream world?¡±

    Ah. Well, that actually made a lot of sense. ¡°You think so?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡±

    ¡°I rarely remember my dreams,¡± Theora admitted. In her mind, she tried to grab the little flimsy remnants of dream memory that were scurrying out like little bunnies from a basket, and hopping off into the woods. Then, she managed to fetch one as it tried to weasel itself through her sleeve upon escaping; she held it gently while letting it down, and a memory flashed.

    ¡°I think I may have used the SCISSoRs.¡±

    ¡°It worked?¡± Iso asked, her voice bright and hopeful. Horrifyingly, she handed Dema a piece of her underarm to glue back on. It must have come off during their escape somehow? Had Bell¡¯s barriers given in?

    ¡°I think so.¡± Theora hummed, glancing over at Bell. ¡°But we forgot to make a tool to close the wounds afterwards. Something like a stapler.¡±

    Dema blinked, having finished reattaching the rock. ¡°A stapler? Wouldn¡¯t you need a, needa¡­ Need a¡­¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°Need a needle?¡±

    Oh, right. One could use needles to close wounds too. ¡°But then we would also need to make reality-sealing yarn,¡± Theora mused.

    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s either that or munition for the stapler,¡± Bell supplied after exiting the basin. She stretched and then proceeded to walk over to Theora to fetch a few mana potions from the attire.

    ¡°Either way, it¡¯s good news!¡± Isobel let out, clapping her hand. She jumped out of the basin as well and reached into Theora¡¯s attire to fetch some food ¡ª how in the world they all remembered which folds things were stored in was a mystery. Theora missed the Shade who would organise the insides of the attire for her, but it was still stuck in the Frame of the Lost. For now, she simply took off the attire to give the others better access.

    ¡°One way or another,¡± Iso continued, ¡°Theora managed to get a Fragment, and the SCISSoRs were around, so¡­ Means it¡¯s probably working. I think it¡¯s fine not to set up a new camp and prepare to go home instead.¡±

    Dema cheered. ¡°So we can go back to Treeka!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Isobel let out a deep sigh. ¡°Whatever yarn or stapler we make, we probably don¡¯t need [Obliterate] for that, which means¡ª¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have to do it on the moon,¡± Bell let out, visibly relieved.

    ¡°How about¡­¡± Isobel scraped her mandibles against each other, thinking. ¡°How about¡­ we take a few days of rest. And then we go home?¡±

    Theora beamed at this proposal. Bell also seemed to visibly collapse into herself at the prospect of going home, and flopped onto the ground, apparently looking through System prompts¡­ right, that girl barely allowed herself actual rest.

    Isobel sat down too, half curled into a pill, then crawled over to the SCISSoRs and started testing them out a bit in the air. Like before, the cuts closed on their own, but that was likely because Isobel wasn¡¯t putting a high amount of intent into it.

    And so they lay around for a few hours. Dema really wanted cuddles, apparently; whenever Theora dared to make even the slightest attempt at leaving to start packing up, Dema moaned in protest and pulled her back. Alas, Theora had no choice but to make a list of things to do in her mind, and after a while, dozed off a little longer.

    ¡°I want to see Lostina again,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°Then maybe you should go back to sleep!¡± Isobel chirped.

    ¡°Do you think,¡± Theora started slowly, ¡°I should fetch all the Fragments before they come back? Or afterwards?¡±

    ¡°How much time¡¯s gonna be left after the Frame releases?¡± Dema asked.

    ¡°A few years. Maybe five or seven?¡± Theora wasn¡¯t quite sure and a little too lazy to do the math right now.

    ¡°I suggest fetching one or two,¡± Isobel answered. ¡°Just to have less pressure. But in general, it probably makes sense to rest first and then fetch them.¡±

    True; there were a lot of people in that Frame who could potentially help out. Not least to mention Ulfine, who had spent her entire life researching those very relics. Her insights might be valuable for their final push.

    ¡°You really just want me to sleep for those 60 years, then,¡± Theora concluded.

    She heard Isobel¡¯s head clack in a nod. ¡°Look at it this way: if you don¡¯t have to use [Obliterate] anymore and if you sleep away your current exhaustion, that means you¡¯ll be in a pretty good spot. That said, we should definitely try out the SCISSoRs properly first before you go to bed. So I¡¯m looking for some potential destinations for another Fragment or two. Do those, then you can sleep until you see Lostina again. Make sense?¡±

    Theora yawned. ¡°Any ideas for the next Fragment?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Isobel trailed off a bit. ¡°I did try to ask Invent One. But¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Bell asked.

    ¡°I mean, it said we should just ¡®use the train¡¯.¡±

    Dema blinked. ¡°Use the what?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Isobel clack out. ¡°Exactly what I¡¯m thinking! What does it mean? I did research what trains are but that kind of didn¡¯t help me solve this mystery.¡±

    ¡°We could have just taken the train to the next Fragment?¡± Theora asked. ¡°All this time?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± Isobel mused. ¡°Apparently ¡ª and this is 94.3 % conjecture, to be concrete ¡ª there is a train that¡¯s a bit like your portal that will take the passengers right where they want to go.¡±

    Theora blinked. ¡°To Lostina?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Isobel chided with a giggle. ¡°To the next Fragment, obviously.¡±

    Dema laughed into Theora¡¯s neck. ¡°You keep doing that.¡±

    ¡°Keep doing what?¡±

    ¡°We wanted to go find a new Fragment, and ended up in Lossi¡¯s world instead!¡±

    ¡°Well, we were friends,¡± Theora defended herself. ¡°And I thought she was dead. And then she wasn¡¯t, but I only got to see her for a little bit before we had to leave, and now she¡¯s gone.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I just need to know she still exists. To see it myself.¡± She also missed the way Lostina would complain about things, like the author putting them through countless hardships. The catharsis was dearly missed.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t she also betray you?¡± Bell asked as she passed by. ¡°You really seem to have a soft spot for people you know will stab you in the back.¡±

    ¡°She did betray me,¡± Theora admitted. She watched Bell walk along, who hurried ahead a bit faster, embarrassed at her own words until she vanished behind a wall. ¡°But she did it to protect someone,¡± Theora added in a quieter voice, probably out of Bell¡¯s earshot. And in the end, Lostina had succeeded and kept everyone safe; so if anything, she was an inspiration.

    Even though Theora preferred not having to betray people for that.

 Chapter 186: Chopping Time

    For some reason, white tulips were Dema¡¯s favourite flower. It wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d ever said out loud, but the reactions these flowers provoked made it obvious. Whenever Theora put a white tulip into a bouquet or just gave one to Dema, she would start fidgeting with a bright grin on her face.

    However, it seemed like Theora wasn¡¯t the only one who had picked up on that little detail, because when they returned from the moon, she found wild tulips sprouting under Treeka¡¯s wide canopy in dozens. The sight made Dema incredibly happy. She kept mentioning it for days.

    Communicating through flowers, baking bread, making tea ¡ª many of the things Theora loved doing connected in some way to plants. She¡¯d been wanting to cultivate her own darkness daffodils for ages, and seeing Dema so happy at the sight of tulips now gave her yet another reason to finally try out gardening.

    Thus, Theora spent most of the first two weeks after their return tending to plants, a little ways away from the house ¡ª because admittedly, she was feeling somewhat shy about it. All she did was to ask Dema to form some makeshift pots.

    Theora found a hill with a cave entrance, and put a darkness daffodil sapling inside where it wouldn¡¯t disturb anything. She used the topside of the hill ¡ª plenty of light and a rocky surface ¡ª to grow other plants in Dema¡¯s pots. She attempted to cultivate a few strands of rye first. If she could grow rye she could bake bread from it. She also found some flowers in the meadows to replant.

    This was fun, but admittedly, Theora was bad at it. How was she supposed to know if she was overwatering or underwatering the plants, or if they had enough or too little sunlight? All she did know was that they were struggling.

    Theora could ask Treeka for advice.

    But she was also doing this, in part, for Treeka. Because there was an additional reason for her to learn gardening now. To no longer postpone it. It would let her make a certain dangerous suggestion, one so outrageous Theora wanted to have a success to show for her effort first.

    On the fifteenth day, after Theora had finished sulking over a tulip withering, Isobel came to join her at the hill, unannounced.

    ¡°Ah, there you are!¡± Iso let out, smiling. It wasn¡¯t necessarily a surprise, because Isobel could have checked for Theora¡¯s location on the map. Apparently she hadn¡¯t done so. She clacked up the slope ¡ª her eyes widened ever so slightly at the sight of about two dozen planters in the sun. She smiled, but made no comment. Instead, she watched Theora pour some soil from a bucket. ¡°Need help?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Theora let out, wiping a few beads of sun-induced sweat from her forehead. She rubbed soil off her hands into her white linen gown. ¡°I¡¯m, uh. I was thinking maybe they need better soil. So I fetched some from beneath our compost.¡± She could have done so earlier but erroneously thought the plants¡¯ native soil was better. ¡°You could help me repot them.¡±

    Isobel nodded and got to work, gently plucking a juniper from its planter and weaving her fingers through the roots to loosen the soil; she appeared to have experience with that.

    Theora got distracted at watching her for a while, trying to learn from every single movement. Soon, she was able to copy it. Then she realised Isobel had probably not come to teach her how to repot plants. ¡°Did you want to tell me something?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Isobel sat down on the ground, making a pile of soil in front of her while holding a plant. ¡°The thing is¡­ remember what I said about trains?¡±

    ¡°You mean, that we should take the train to the next Fragment?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that!¡± Isobel gave a happy nod. ¡°Well, I¡¯m still not sure what that means, and IO isn¡¯t being very helpful¡­ Just keeps talking about ¡®Campanella¡¯ or something. I am planning on asking a Summoner from the Observatory and visiting some libraries on the way, but that would require time. So I wanted to ask if you needed me for anything, anytime soon?¡±

    ¡°I could use my portal again,¡± Theora offered, even though the thought of it gave her shivers.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do that if we have to, but there¡¯s no rush for now, right?¡±

    Perhaps there wasn¡¯t. ¡°Well¡­ I can¡¯t think of anything that would require your presence for now,¡± Theora murmured in thought. ¡°Are you going alone?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I managed to convince Bell to let me.¡±

    Theora let out a soft chuckle. ¡°In that case, I think you¡¯re free to go. I¡¯ll help take care of things while you¡¯re gone.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    A few days later, right before Isobel would set off on her journey, Theora conveniently found everyone in the central yard around their house. She had a little pot in her hand with a sapling in it that hadn¡¯t died ¡ª it really wasn¡¯t a lot but she couldn¡¯t wait much longer either. Bell was helping Iso collect some last-minute items while Dema and Treeka were playing a game using Theora¡¯s deck of cards.

    Theora took a deep breath. This was perhaps the best chance she would get.

    ¡°So, um,¡± she started, and hiccuped. Dema¡¯s eyes found hers. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about Treeka.¡±

    Treeka¡¯s head swivelled over; she¡¯d been busy thinking about what card to play. ¡°About me?¡±

    Bell and Iso stopped their work too and came a few steps closer.

    Theora nodded with a little shrug. ¡°Because Isobel is about to depart to do research on the¡ª¡±

    ¡°The train!¡± Iso supplied. ¡°Yeah. I am.¡±

    ¡°And she¡¯s doing that because,¡± Theora continued, ¡°we¡¯re planning on taking this train to the next Fragment? Maybe? If the research leads anywhere. And that would mean we¡¯d have to leave Treeka behind again.¡±

    Treeka¡¯s expression soured, and she looked away.

    ¡°Unless¡­ we take her with us,¡± Theora murmured.

    That got Treeka¡¯s attention right back, eyebrows shooting up. She seemed vaguely intrigued but mostly suspicious. ¡°I¡¯m a tree, in case you hadn¡¯t noticed. Can¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Theora sighed. ¡°That¡¯s the problem we would need to address. So¡­ I was thinking¡­ what if we do another soul transfer? You make a fruit, we grow a new tree from it, then we take you along in a pot?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be a sapling.¡± Treeka looked at the others as if to judge their reactions. ¡°Can¡¯t talk when I¡¯m a sapling.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Theora wanted to do her best to make her proposal sound as reasonable as possible, because it surely would not speak for itself. She fidgeted with the little pot in her hands while stumbling over her words. ¡°What if we¡­ keep you small as you get older¡­? Like, have you heard of things like ¡®bonsai trees¡¯? We¡¯d just need to figure out how that works, wait until you wake back up from sleep, and then we could take you with us¡­?¡±

    Treeka took a moment to let her eyes wander up and down Theora. ¡°You¡¯re suggesting you cut me down and then keep cutting pieces off of me so I stay small?¡±

    That¡­ was the part about the proposal Theora felt wasn¡¯t able to speak for itself. ¡°I sort of am,¡± she admitted. But that way they could take her along anywhere a pot could go.

    Then, in a very small voice, Treeka said, ¡°I like it.¡±

    ¡°Sounds fun,¡± Isobel mused. ¡°Just need to wait until Bell has a high enough rank to buy the transfer Skill again.¡± Isobel jumped down a root with a few clicks and clacks. ¡°Depending on what we find out with the train stuff, I might stay behind again next time you fetch a Fragment. But it would be nice if she got to go on an adventure with y¡¯all¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait¡ª¡± Dema scratched her head. ¡°Why¡¯re you gonna stay behind again?¡±

    Isobel gave a lopsided smile. ¡°Because I¡¯ll do some more testing on the System. I want to get my Legendary Skill finished before Time arrives.¡±

    That statement left a stunned silence. Dema even stopped bobbing around in place.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Iso said after her pause for effect. ¡°My goal is to figure out how the System truly works. A common Skill probably won¡¯t be enough to figure that out. So¡­ if you¡¯re all fine taking a little train ride, that sounds good to me. I¡¯ll go hermit-mode for a while.¡± In a silly demonstration, she rolled herself into a pill. Dema gave Iso a gentle pat on the carapace segment that covered her shoulder.

    ¡°So, uhm,¡± Bell asked, ¡°just to be clear, that means we¡¯re going to chop down Treeka?¡±

    Treeka tilted her head. ¡°You don¡¯t want me to join?¡±

    Bell winced. ¡°No it¡¯s just ¡ª the process sounds¡­ gruesome. It kind of makes me feel bad?¡±

    ¡°Okay, but there¡¯s no way I will stay here and then you three come back with even more inside jokes,¡± Treeka grumbled. ¡°I barely got to know Theora so far, let me have her too, for a bit. I¡¯m tired of everyone just talking about her. I just want to finish the current set of garments first.¡± She gestured toward a fruit engulfed in fuzzy fibres hanging on one of her branches.

    That piece of information slotted very suddenly into Theora¡¯s brain, and she let out a surprised noise in response. That wasn¡¯t a flame tree fruit at all¡­ so Treeka had probably made it up with a Skill. ¡°Wait¡­ you make the clothes yourself? Like my nightgown? You grow the materials?¡±

    Treeka tilted her head, stopping in her motion. ¡°I thought you knew?¡±

    Theora turned beet red within seconds. She had no idea. She¡¯d been sleeping inside ¡ª surrounded by ¡ª Treeka this entire time? No wonder Treeka had gotten embarrassed back then. ¡°And¡ª¡± Theora started, voice slightly brittle, ¡°you¡¯re going to make more?¡±

    Treeka nodded with a little smile. ¡°I want to make sturdy clothes for all of you, because you tend to get into rough spots. Bell and Iso have been using parts of her own bodies as clothing¡± ¡ª she gestured to Bell¡¯s white, thin dress which grew from her skin, and then to Isobel¡¯s moss ¡ª ¡°because conventional clothing doesn¡¯t work well for them. But I thought I could use Skills to grow clothes that are more resilient.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡± Dema said. ¡°You never mentioned it!¡±

    Treeka looked to the side. ¡°Well, yes. I was a little upset with y¡¯all when you decided to leave me again so soon after Theora returned. So I did it in secret.¡± Her face lit up a little. ¡°But if you¡¯re taking me with you next time? Kind of makes me feel a lot better, sort of.¡±

    ¡°Could I hug you, please?¡± Theora asked ¡ª and when Treeka gave a shy nod, she first embraced her spirit body and then also put her arms around the large trunk, for good measure.

    ¡°Alright, then!¡± Dema said, jumping up. ¡°Chopping time!¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Bell let out in a panic. ¡°I don¡¯t even have the thing yet¡ª¡±

    ¡°Chopping time,¡± Treeka repeated with a giggle.

 Chapter 187: Interlude: Old Soil, Old Plants

    We live in a world of magic where many things are possible. For example, it is possible that one day your friends decide to chop you down in one fell swoop.

    Half of me falls to the ground, twigs and branches breaking on impact like fingers. It is something I have learned: To make people care, you have to pretend to be like them. The other half of me remains stuck in the ground to decay over time like an abandoned body in a grave.

    Isobel asked what I would like to happen to my old wood. Whenever my old tree dies and I get replanted, she wants to carve a little keepsake out of it. Make a figurine that looks like me ¡ª she¡¯s already got a little version of my spirit body and a little version of what my old canopy looked like. I don¡¯t ask what she makes this time. I let her because it¡¯s kind of cute, although a bit awkward. I don¡¯t tell her that.

    How would she feel if someone made keepsakes out of the chips of her body even though she¡¯s still around? I imagine she wouldn¡¯t mind at all. I¡¯ve never seen her get embarrassed. It¡¯s like that feeling doesn¡¯t even exist to her. Luckily I can hide my blushes well when I walk past her room and catch a glimpse of old pieces from me on her desk.

    Of course, many preparations had to be made before they could fell me. For example, Dema made pots for me to live in.

    ¡°Like this?¡± she¡¯d asked and I would shake my head.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you make it oval shaped? My canopies tend to grow like that. I¡¯ll have more soil to walk on.¡±

    Then she would decrystallise the pool of blood and reshape it.

    ¡°This is better, but perhaps you could add some embellishments to the sides. I won¡¯t see them but others will.¡±

    ¡°Embellishments? Like what?¡±

    I clicked my tongue. Did she really need me to say it out loud? ¡°Like on the house,¡± I forced out. ¡°Like what you¡¯ve done to the walls.¡± I want my little house to look like our big one. How is that not obvious?

    ¡°Oh, yeah, I can do that,¡± Dema said with a thoughtful nod and after a swing of her hand she impressed the most beautiful pattern I have ever seen onto the pot, just perfectly fitting our home.

    ¡°This is all wrong,¡± I say, making her redo it twice because I don¡¯t want her to know that making me happy is effortless for her.

    ¡°So, how about this?¡± she eventually asked after meeting all my demands with unbearable patience.

    I stared at the pots for a while ¡ª different sizes for when I grow up, with little murals on the sides and no drainage holes, because I can take care of that myself with Skills, and leaking fluids that have run past my roots all the time would be embarrassing.

    ¡°We need lava,¡± I said, because that would make it easier.

    ¡°Lava?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Lava rocks. Place them at the bottom of the pot before filling it with soil. That leaves room for standing water to collect without biting at my roots.¡±

    Dema made a little gesture of success ¡ª just a small pump of her fist at the prospect of getting to see lava again. Then she wrote it down on a note. ¡°So, that¡¯s all? Pot needs filled?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes, it would need to be filled eventually, with soil and with me.¡±

    ¡°No, I meant¡ª¡±

    I know what she meant! Just need to make sure they don¡¯t forget to actually put me in it at the end. ¡°Also,¡± I started, ¡°this is only the first half of the process. Blood crystal isn¡¯t porous enough, you need to make the actual pots out of clay to help the excess water out.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª Really?¡± Dema scratched her head. ¡°I gotta potter pots? How¡¯s that work?¡±

    ¡°I figured you could just use an earth-type Skill?¡±

    ¡°Why, I¡¯d need to make one¡­ and that¡¯s a lot easier if I know how to get there by hand first. You have any leads?¡±

    I blinked and my mouth hung open for a moment. I¡¯d wanted to be a little cheeky, yes, but I didn¡¯t expect it to actually be that much work for her¡­ But her eyes were beaming at me in excitement ¡ª literally glowing. I took a short breath and walked over to one of Isobel¡¯s bookshelves in the library. I took out a heavy one she brought to me once, many years ago. Most of the advice in it is bad and inaccurate, but¡­

    ¡°Look,¡± I said, opening a page ¡ª I have its position memorised. ¡°You see that?¡± I pointed at a picture of a bowl. ¡°That¡¯s Iridescent Descent.¡± I swallowed, losing a bit of confidence. Why did I think this was a good idea? ¡°I know it¡¯s a mythical material, but this book says it used to be made in Lakurna, in the south. And it says here¡ª¡± I wetted my dry lips, reading off the properties: ¡°Can be infused with mana to increase durability, it can even grow or shrink in size depending on magical concentration, and apparently can produce nutrients that get infused into whatever is inside it; food or soil. I know it sounds too good to be true, but¡­¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Dema looked more interested than I expected, and then literally on the same day runs off on a side quest to figure out how to make it. She wasn¡¯t back even after weeks.

    I¡¯ve got bad experiences with people making promises and running off, but Dema has always come back, and has always helped, so I¡¯m letting myself cultivate hope for once.

    I get chopped down three months later. They put the seeds into special soil and Dema saturates the Iridescent Descent planter she made ¡ª it¡¯s filled with so much of her mana it almost drowns me in affection. And so, for the third time, they start taking care of Sapling Me. And like they always do, they talk to me a lot even before the seed sprouts. I¡¯m still buried under the soil but Bell is already venting to me about how her days went when she thinks nobody is listening, and Isobel reads me bedtime stories.

    One morning Dema checks on me and then starts cheering, letting out: ¡°She¡¯s here!¡± ¡ª and she¡¯s totally wrong. That¡¯s just a fern weed growing in the centre of the pot, I¡¯m off to the side, not yet sprouted!

    And then she takes my pot and runs off to show off the fern sapling. I can¡¯t see anything but I can hear them ¡ª through magic, maybe, or perhaps I can just pick up sound vibrations ¡ª and I can hear Theora let out a small hum. Please notice that this is just a fern. I don¡¯t look like that at all! Yes, my leaves tend to split too but it¡¯s all different!

    ¡°We gotta hold a birth celebration or something,¡± Dema says and I have no choice but to pout silently.

    Eventually Bell follows the sound of the ruckus and squelches into the room on her little water-filled leg-tentacles. Dema shows ¡®me¡¯ off to her too.

    ¡°That¡¯s not Treeka,¡± Bell says. ¡°Treeka¡¯s got splitting leaves too but that looks like a random fern.¡±

    Oh, this girl is perfect.

    ¡°Wait, really? Then where is she? I wanted to see her again sooner¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Bell says. ¡°None says last time took her about two weeks to sprout, we are only three days in.¡±

    Dema grumbles and I¡¯m pretty sure Theora starts to pat her head halfway through based on how the noise changes.

    They hold the celebration party a few days later when I actually reach my first leaf out, and I may have hurried a little just because I liked the prospect of them making a big deal out of this. And then¡­ well, and then Theora takes me with her into the range of the time dilation device. So that I grow a little faster in relation to the others. Just us two, the others stay outside, and she spends a lot of time sleeping and then wakes up to fuss about me. She can¡¯t use magic, but I¡¯m strong enough by now that I don¡¯t mind getting watered a day late or being left in the shade for too long. She gets better about it very quickly. I don¡¯t think she has gardened much before this. But every mistake I have to painstakingly correct, she only makes once. As if she realises, as if she knows when I have to exert effort to mend things. It¡¯s almost a little frightening how I can¡¯t just make a tiny adjustment without feeling her wonder what she might have done wrong.

    Frightening in a good way.

    Theora, who could destroy the entire universe with a snap of her finger, but when she clips my branches, she does so with the utmost care. Then, she guides them with strong wires and I can¡¯t help but feel things when she does. I can¡¯t control my growth very well in the early years because things go so quickly, so I gave precise instructions on what I want to look like. And now she¡¯s forming me accordingly and if ¡ª if I had known in advance how it feels to be coerced into my ideal self-chosen shape by a power beyond comprehension I might have gotten cold roots about it. But now I was stuck with every indomitable suggestion she ever so gently imposed on me, with her leading me right where I want to go.

    Theora talks too. Which I know she does just for me, I don¡¯t think she would ever speak to herself otherwise, not even knowing I can hear her. She gives little updates on what she was doing; mumbled good-mornings, low-voiced apologies when she clips a branch. She tells me she¡¯s learning a lot and she¡¯s excited for when she can finally properly grow her own darkness daffodil, because apparently she doesn¡¯t much like light.

    Which is a little funny to me. For one, she volunteered for this job of sitting me until I can materialise a spirit again, which involves a lot of light exposure. But also, she¡¯s Theora the Sun. How does one get a title like this while preferring the shade? It would make me giggle if I could.

    And so, those years passed, almost a little too quickly for my liking. And, truth be told, each time any of them spoke to me, I felt only ever so slightly bad.

    Because they¡¯re making a mistake ¡ª following a flawed assumption. And I¡¯m letting them. They think I regress like Bell does. They think I don¡¯t remember my past when I¡¯m a sapling, because that¡¯s how she works, and so they treat me like they treat her when she polyps. But I¡¯m not like Bell. I keep my mind, obviously. I just can¡¯t interact with the outside world.

    But I never told them that. They never asked.

    Would they still treat me like this if they knew? Be so vulnerable, divulge their secrets? Maybe. But¡­ when you change the soil, you might change what grows. They have grown so used to me being the way I am already, and it feels so good. Can¡¯t risk losing any of it.

 Chapter 188: The Campanella

    First Day 02:31 am, somewhere on Himaeya

    ¡°This¡­ doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯ll lead to a railway station,¡± Bell murmured as they walked among the trees. The stars bloomed bright in the cloudless sky, a soft warm breeze nudging the leaves.

    Dema shrugged, checking her crumpled notes by illuminating them with her bracelet. She absentmindedly hopped over a small stream, landing barefoot in a puddle of water. Theora kept getting distracted ¡ª Dema was wearing a t-shirt, a dress jacket, and blue mini shorts, legs on full display. Her so-called ¡®train ride outfit¡¯.

    Since their return from the moon, a year had passed in which Theora didn¡¯t wake much. She¡¯d chopped down Treeka and taken care of her for a few years around the time dilation device, but otherwise, she¡¯d napped.

    Now Theora was wearing a magically-reinforced new outfit, hand-tailored for her by Treeka. A striped, navy-blue vest over a white blouse, with high-waist tight pants. She was putting up a ponytail more often nowadays, and her hair had grown quite a bit too. Or, more accurately ¡ª Theora had stopped keeping it short by power of will. Now with new clothes and an official girlfriend, Theora was ready to try something new.

    After a while, they found a sign post at the edge of a clearing. ¡°The Campanella,¡± Treeka read off it in a murmur as she shuffled along on the mossbed in her new pot. Theora was carrying her long, trying to let the more open side of the canopy face where they were walking so Treeka could see out of her pot properly. She was confined to a much smaller miniature spirit body now.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema cheered and jumping toward the clearing. She let out a short ¡°Wha!¡± when a street light flickered on to greet her, illuminating part of an overgrown track in the grass.

    One by one, more street lamps went on with unsteady light, spotting countless insects whirling around in the air like windcaught dust.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like that,¡± Treeka murmured.

    ¡°They had lamps like this in the Protan city on the moon!¡± Dema explained. ¡°And in Hallmark. Though yeah, you haven¡¯t been to either¡­¡±

    It was still rare to see them deep in an uninhabited forest like this. Suddenly, another street lamp fired up behind them, revealing an old transit shelter made of wood planks. Bell stepped closer, her body shedding light on the inside, where she found a paper pinned to the wood.

    ¡°Says the train will arrive in thirty minutes,¡± she mused, scratching her temple with a tendril. ¡°This is confusing. Ah¡­ wait, no, it says the train arrives thirty minutes after we buy tickets.¡±

    Theora frowned. Buying tickets? What for? She looked around, and another street light flicked on a few paces behind the shelter, right above a ticket machine. She inspected it for a while, trying to make sense of all the little displays and information boxes. It was made mostly of metal, with luxurious wooden adornments and mechanisms. ¡°Wants us to put in a destination,¡± she mused and then began putting the letters for ¡®Fragment of Time¡¯ into a little typewriter. She added that they needed four tickets, but the machine folded an error message into the display, saying, ¡®only three passengers found¡¯.

    ¡°But we¡¯re four!¡± Dema protested, looking around with a pout. She even pointlessly counted everyone on her fingers. ¡°Yep, four. Who is it not counting?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it doesn¡¯t count me,¡± Theora offered. ¡°I might be difficult to recognise as a person from the outside.¡±

    Dema waved a hand dismissively and pressed the ¡®Confirm¡¯ button. ¡°Let¡¯s just get three then and see what happens!¡±

    The machine explained that the payment ¡ª whatever it was ¡ª would be collected on the train. Soon after they accepted, the device set off to print the tickets. They were made of heavyweight coarse paper with smudged ink printing out their names and destination. Dema stuffed them into her breast pocket with little regard for their structural integrity. Then, they waited. The sun began to dawn, fog formed above the grass, the wind stopped. Finally, in the distance, they heard a machine roaring.

    An overwhelming conglomeration of tin and black steel, the locomotive dragged after it a total of six two-story railway carriages as the wheels squealed at the breaks. Thick smoke bellowed out of the chimney into the sky. The wide carriage windows on the upper part of the train cast light on the surroundings, with the occasional ceiling lamp catching Theora¡¯s gaze.

    Finally, screeching, the train came to a halt with a door lining up perfectly to Theora¡¯s feet. It clicked open and rolled to the side, revealing a pale figure lit from behind. As she stepped out, her long, rose-coloured hair slipped over her shoulder across a sundress of gleaming crimson red. She straightened it out with a little tug on the frilly hem, hands in white gloves, her red heels clacking over the steps. She stood out like a stain of Dema¡¯s blood against the foggy night and gritty train.

    ¡°You are our new passengers?¡± she asked in a friendly but distant voice, stepping out with an easy gait. ¡°If so, I¡¯m Raquina. I¡¯m here to validate your tickets.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema said. ¡°Campanella¡¯s the train, right? Here.¡±

    The inspector received the tickets with a polite nod, flipping through the sheets. She fidgeted her pearl earring for a moment, before saying, ¡°Alright, three tickets to the next ¡®Fragment of Time¡¯. Is that right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but like, we¡¯re actually four people,¡± Dema said, pointing at each person, including herself. ¡°Like, we need four tickets, right?¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Raquina¡¯s eyes fluttered in confused blinks as she followed Dema¡¯s showing, and eventually her eyes rested on Treeka. ¡°Your tree is a passenger?¡±

    ¡°Her name¡¯s Treeka!¡± Dema supplied with a nod. ¡°Is she the one who wasn¡¯t recognised? Can¡¯t she join?¡±

    ¡°I swear,¡± Treeka started, ¡°if you leave me behind again, I will¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema agreed with an enthusiastic nod. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re gonna take her.¡±

    ¡°I mean¡ª¡± Raquina swallowed and tilted her head. ¡°I mean, she can definitely join. This isn¡¯t about whether she can board, it¡¯s about whether she is considered to take up fuel. She wants to go to the same destination as you all?¡±

    ¡°Mhm, yeah!¡± Dema beamed, first at the inspector, then at Treeka. ¡°We can take you with us!¡±

    Treeka pouted and looked to the side, but otherwise didn¡¯t react.

    Raquina pushed a hair strand behind her ear, looking slightly strained. ¡°We would never reject passengers. You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±

    ¡°Even if they can¡¯t pay the fee?¡± Bell asked. ¡°The billboard didn¡¯t say what the ¡®payment¡¯ was.¡±

    Raquina cleared her throat. ¡°The payment is something everyone can provide without suffering personal losses or inconveniences. Don¡¯t worry about that. That said ¡ª before you can board the train, we will need to complete a few formalities, if that¡¯s alright. I shall guide you through that process.¡± Raquina pointed to the shelter in the fog behind them. ¡°Take a seat if you please, it might take a moment.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡­ Really?¡± Dema went. ¡°What do you need?¡±

    Raquina¡¯s smile didn¡¯t waver. ¡°First off ¡ª before you can board the train, you will be required to submit a full list of your abilities and powers.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Bell asked, her voice slightly apprehensive. Her tendrils tensed with her. ¡°Why?¡±

    With a turn, Raquina gestured to the train. ¡°The Campanella is an incredibly potent machine, but as such, also fragile. It constructs its own reality with incredibly potent self-defence systems that are required for its magic to function properly.¡±

    ¡°And¡­?¡± Treeka looked confused. ¡°Why does that mean we need to list our abilities?¡±

    Raquina searched for a moment before finding the source of the voice and then looked down at Treeka¡¯s pot. ¡°To make sure the train can harbour you.¡±

    As Bell still looked confused, Theora supplied in a low voice, ¡°They¡¯ll make sure that on the train, we will be possible.¡±

    Dema shifted in place, and Theora tried not to pull a grimace. They¡¯d recently experienced those very constraints first-hand. If anything, this told Theora she had to be incredibly wary here. She wouldn¡¯t let Dema die again.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Bell looked at Raquina awkwardly, then nodded. ¡°Yes. We can write out Skill sheets and¡­ Wait, what happens if we learn new abilities on the train?¡±

    Raquina raised her eyebrows and waved her hand toward Bell, as if the answer was obvious. When Bell tilted her head, Raquina went on to explain, ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to declare your ability to create new Skills to the train, of course. That way, you will retain that power onboard.¡± Raquina took a short breath, tugging a strand of pink hair behind her ear. ¡°Let me stress again that the list needs to be complete in order to guarantee your safety. That said, sadly the train can¡¯t create abilities for you. If you declare you can fly even though you can¡¯t, the train won¡¯t magically enable you to.¡±

    Theora¡¯s heart sank.

    ¡°Furthermore,¡± Raquina continued, ¡°this destination ¡ª ¡®Fragment of Time¡¯ ¡ª is not currently known by the train, so it needs to compute a route. That might take a moment.¡±

    That moment stretched into about three hours until they managed to finish the formalities ¡ª Dema¡¯s sheet especially took a while to write out, because the abilities all needed to be explained. Eventually, Raquina found herself with a pile of documents in hand, looking quite satisfied. She went inside for a few minutes, but when she returned, she did so with a smile that was slightly more forced than before. She looked from person to person until she finally gazed at Theora.

    ¡°Now¡­ for your chosen destination¡­¡± Raquina cleared her throat. ¡°The train calculated a maximum travel time of¡­ of fifteen years. Of course it¡¯s just a worse-case scenario ¡ª if the train garners enough fuel, it will arrive earlier. But we need to ensure proper communication ¡ª you need to be aware of the consequences of your endeavour.¡± She knew Dema, Bell and Treeka to be very long-lived due to the stat sheets, but her worry upon seeing Theora, who appeared mostly human, was obvious. ¡°Staying on the train for fifteen years means that by the time you leave, you could be a middle-aged woman. Do you understand?¡±

    Theora opened her mouth to respond, but her brain failed to supply her with words to speak. Wasn¡¯t she already a middle-aged woman?

    ¡°Are you okay, darling?¡± the inspector asked, and Theora managed a nod.

    ¡°Yes. Fifteen years is fine. I will manage.¡±

    With a commiserating smile, the inspector finally validated Theora¡¯s ticket. ¡°You must be going somewhere truly far away. Please know that our staff will do our best to support you whenever you need anything.¡±

    Theora nodded and heard a little ¡®hmph¡¯ from Treeka¡¯s pot. She was still pouting because she didn¡¯t ¡®count¡¯, whatever that meant.

    ¡°There we go,¡± Raquina said after validating the other tickets too. ¡°Any questions remaining?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have one,¡± Bell said, looking a bit nervous. ¡°You said those fifteen years are the maximum travel time. How long would you expect the ride to last, on average¡­? Because while I could spend fifteen years aboard, I¡¯ll be cut off from the System, so¡­¡±

    So she couldn¡¯t advance her Level. That girl was still thinking about her progression.

    ¡°Well,¡± Raquina said with a hum, ¡°as I mentioned, it depends on how much fuel we get.¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s the fuel?¡± Dema asked. ¡°Any way to help? I got lots of mana.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not mana.¡± Raquina cleared her throat again. She fidgeted with her bright red dress. ¡°Truth be told, it¡¯s a bit embarrassing to say. We have other staff members who are a lot more¡­ enthusiastic about sharing that little tidbit and what it means for your stay.¡± She sighed. ¡°But, well, it¡¯s not a secret, and since you ask¡­ This train runs on praise. The happier the passengers, the faster it will go.¡±

    ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Dema scratched her head. ¡°That¡¯s some peculiar magic.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well.¡± Raquina stepped up the stairs leading to the entry, then gestured them to follow. She gave them another smile, this time putting a lot more effort into it. ¡°Either way ¡ª with this, I can now welcome you aboard!¡±

 Chapter 189: The Source of Division

    First Day 08:17, Carriage Four, Lounge

    Something strange was afoot on this train.

    Theora couldn¡¯t quite shake off that feeling. A lot of little things just didn¡¯t add up¡­ Why, for one, did they have to ¡®buy¡¯ tickets? It didn¡¯t quite make sense. Especially considering¡ª

    ¡°Yeah, using it on me would be a bit of a waste,¡± Treeka said with a somewhat bitter tone that tore Theora out of her thoughts.

    She¡¯d been spacing out again, it seemed. They were sitting in the fourth carriage of the train, occupying seats in a row before the long bar. It took up almost half the length of the carriage. Theora had placed Treeka on the marble counter; Dema and then Bell were sitting to her right with drinks. On the other side of the counter, a staff member was polishing glasses. Raquina sat right next to her, leaning over the filled-out ability sheets with a focused and tired gaze.

    Nobody else was in the carriage. They¡¯d been told the Campanella needed to keep them here for a while, to ¡®acclimate¡¯ itself to their arrival. And so, while the others were talking, Theora had been left to her own thoughts. She let her gaze wander around the train interior to try and make sense of the place¡­ There stood a large, fancy mirror next to the entry on the bar side of the carriage, the side farther from the locomotive. Why was there a mirror? The other side of the lounge was filled with little couches to sit on with small tables ¡ª a hang-out area, with a piano standing against the wall. Behind the staffers, a giant window stretched the entire length of the carriage, showing a view of the forest they¡¯d entered through.

    The two staffers exchanged a look, catching Theora¡¯s attention. The bartender was young, had a freckled face and brown skin, was smiling, but looked slightly nervous in her surroundings. Her checkered suit vest gave her a masculine and formal air. She seemed unpracticed with the glasses she was polishing and had to look around to find things rather than locating them by muscle memory.

    Theora mindlessly looked across the marble counter that separated them as ¡®passengers¡¯ from the two ¡®staffers.¡¯

    It was a little harrowing. Unease crept into Theora¡¯s stomach. They had to ¡®buy¡¯ tickets, to ¡®pay¡¯ for them. The people inhabiting the train were divided into ¡®staffers¡¯ and ¡®passengers.¡¯ The division felt eerie; Theora had seen similar things before ¡ª in her home world between heroes and non-heroes as well as in ¡®Reality.¡¯

    Usually, they were caused by systems of exploitation.

    Raquina let out a sudden sigh, ejecting Theora from her thoughts once more. She pushed the documents toward the bartender. ¡°File them away for me, would you? I¡¯ll head down to rest for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Down to rest?¡± the bartender asked in a confused but curious tone, blinking. ¡°Wait, rest where?¡±

    ¡°Just in one of Alp¡¯s cots,¡± Raquina said. ¡°The old man likes to talk, and I like to nap to his talking. See you, Ulber.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah, right.¡± Ulber cleared her throat, flushing slightly. ¡°Forgot about the cots in there. Yeah, I¡¯ll take things from here.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate to ask if you need help.¡±

    ¡°Should be¡­ fine.¡± Ulber gave a smile and nodded toward the wall behind the counter; the end of a ladder was peeking out, just about visible from Theora¡¯s seat. Then, Raquina descended, leaving the piles of paper laid out on the counter.

    After she was gone, Ulber sent them a look. She beamed at Theora as their gazes met. ¡°Acclimatisation should be done soon,¡± she said warmly. She picked up a glass she¡¯d already polished three times, and slowly paced toward the others. Right before arriving she gestured back to the pile of paper. ¡°I¡¯ve not been here long, but gosh, the Campanella always surprises me with whom it can accommodate. It¡¯s quite amazing.¡±

    Dema, who had still been talking to the others, stopped mid-sentence to look over. ¡°Why, are we uncommon passengers? With the train connecting different realities I was kinda¡­ expecting things to be wonkier. But this looks like things I¡¯ve seen before. Is it like¡­ constructing an illusion for us to feel familiar in?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, no,¡± Ulber said, waving it off. She put down the glass, leaving a few smudges on it. Theora could already see the poor thing being picked up and repolished within minutes, maybe seconds. ¡°That¡¯s kinda by design. In theory, the Campanella can house anything, and I hear it occasionally makes quite drastic accommodations to potential passengers. That said, we have a preference to travel between realities that allow for the existence of carbon-based lifeforms.¡±

    ¡°When you say ¡®the Campanella,¡¯ it kind of sounds like you¡¯re talking about something alive. Is the train a person?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an elaborate machine, but doesn¡¯t have a consciousness. It runs complex calculations, but all are kicked off by manual input. When I say its name, mostly I just talk about us, the staffers, together with that machine, and what we can do. I¡¯m really impressed by everything I see every day. I make sure to write it on the little guest books in front of the Lavish too, for fuel and such.¡±

    Suddenly, the whole carriage flashed brightly, and a rustle came from the end of the bar. Theora turned just in time to see a figure step out of the tall mirror.

    ¡°Hey there!¡± the figure called with a squeaky voice. ¡°I hear we have new passengers? I came to say hello!¡±

    ¡°Oh, hey there, Omi,¡± the bartender said, greeting her with a nod. ¡°Rare to see you outside of your room.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    Omi shrugged, dragging thick folds of beige, ragged fabric after her; it was a dress of sorts, hugging her shoulders and reaching well onto the ground. Omi herself had short, messy, ginger hair that stood up from her head like grass, and deep, large black eyes. Two thin and long antennae protruded from her head down each side of her body in gentle long curves. A thread of fabric came out from the corner of her mouth, almost like a trail of saliva. She was chewing on it as she looked around to behold the new arrivals. ¡°Welcome aboard!¡± she squeaked. ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re fetching another Fragment of Time,¡± Dema said as if it was obvious what she was talking about. ¡°And you?¡±

    Omi shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ve been stuck on this train for a while. Don¡¯t really have a destination because Fen feels safer here.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Dema put down her drink. ¡°So who¡¯s Fen?¡±

    ¡°My¡­ caretaker, so to speak.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit down with us for a while?¡± Ulber suggested, gesturing toward an empty seat in front of her. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone would enjoy the company while we wait.¡±

    Omi slurped up the rest of the thread and made a chewing motion with her jaw, making it seem like she was thinking about the offer. Then she shrugged and hopped forward with sudden speed, landing on the desk. She took out a yarn ball, dug into it with her finger, and effortlessly drew out the beginning of the string. She kept pulling it out more with her lips as she ate. ¡°It¡¯s a synthetic blend,¡± she said as the clothing hanging down her back fluttered ¡ª and it was only then that Theora realised they were wings.

    This girl had four wings made of ragged clothing which she could apparently control. Theora¡¯s envious gaze was glued to it for a bit too long, until she finally got self-conscious and looked away.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t taste as good as cotton but, like, it¡¯s cheaper,¡± Omi continued to say. Then, her gaze fell upon the stack of documents in front of her, and she cheekily pulled them apart a bit, reading over everyone¡¯s abilities. ¡°Oh my, love looking at these. Always so interesting to see what everyone can do.¡±

    At that point, Theora noticed Treeka was staring at the new arrival, craning her neck over the side of the pot to get a better look ¡ª so Theora reached out to slowly push the pot across the counter until it was next to the moth girl.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Omi said when she noticed the little spirit. ¡°We have a cutie there. Hi!¡±

    ¡°She is cute, isn¡¯t she?¡± Dema agreed with a wide smile, while Treeka turned her head to pout.

    ¡°I was just curious about the fabric you use. It seems soft. Did you make your wings yourself?¡±

    ¡°Well, they grow that way,¡± Omi said with a shrug, her mouth making clicking sounds as she ate. Then she turned to face Treeka more directly, putting the yarn out of the way but still keeping the string in her mouth. ¡°A lot of me is made of fabric, that¡¯s why I eat it.¡±

    Ulber let out a giggle. ¡°Yeah, so be careful around her, or she might eat your clothes away too!¡±

    Omi rolled her eyes but didn¡¯t respond. When she saw Treeka stare yearningly at her wings, she flapped one of them and pulled it up. She placed the fold right against the ledge of the pot, and Treeka hesitantly touched it.

    ¡°So rough!¡± Treeka said, but made it sound like praise, and Omi giggled at that.

    ¡°You like clothes?¡±

    ¡°Well, I like making them,¡± Treeka responded. ¡°I have been growing my own fibre to make them from, but I was wondering how I can change up the texture a little.¡±

    Theora thought the texture was already perfect, presently wearing clothing Treeka had made, but she understood the desire to diversify. She liked learning new baking recipes too after all, even if she was happy with the ones she already had.

    Omi hummed in response, clipping off the thread she was chewing on with her teeth. ¡°You should come over when I prepare my next meal, then. I was thinking of sewing something. The yarn¡¯s just a snack.¡±

    Treeka turned toward Theora, looking up with big eyes. ¡°Can I?¡±

    Meanwhile, Theora¡¯s jaw dropped at the question. There was no way Treeka thought she had to ask, did she? ¡°Obviously,¡± Theora replied after a start and added, ¡°I can carry you to Omi¡¯s room whenever you wish.¡±

    With a happy nod, Treeka turned back around to feel the fabric of the wings a little more.

    ¡°My girlfriends would be really happy to meet more people too,¡± Omi chattered on happily, fidgeting under Treeka¡¯s touch. ¡°One of them is called Log, if you believe it. What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Treeka!¡±

    ¡°Great! Good name.¡± Omi looked up to Theora, Dema and Bell, then said, ¡°If you want, I can give you a little tour of the train. Just so you know your way around.¡± She turned to Ulber and cocked her head. ¡°Where¡¯s their room?¡±

    ¡°Undecided.¡± Ulber scratched her head, then looked at the ceiling as if to remember something. ¡°The rooms next to Poxie¡¯s are still free, so they can take them if you want to be close to each other. Carriage two is still completely empty, and five and six are mostly empty.¡±

    ¡°Damn, the train¡¯s not very populated right now?¡± Dema asked, scratching her head. ¡°Struggling or something?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Ulber said. ¡°I believe it¡¯s just been a while since we stopped at a large station. The train will fill up once we get to the Mists, probably. But the others say not to expect that to happen anytime soon.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Dema tilted her head. She was leaning over the counter on her elbow. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±

    Ulber gave a shrug, and picked the glass back up. She took a moment before replying: ¡°Truth is, I¡¯m still in training, so they haven¡¯t told me everything yet.¡±

    Haven¡¯t told her everything yet. ¡°Because there hasn¡¯t been enough time?¡± Theora ventured.

    ¡°Ah, nah. The Campanella¡¯s just a very intricate machine. So some info requires clearance.¡± She had an easygoing smile on her lips as she said it, and pushed some of her curly hair out of her face. Then, she hesitated for a moment, as if listening to something. ¡°Ah. Well, speaking of, it appears the acclimatisation is finally finished! You may leave the lounge now, if you so wish. You are of course welcome to hang out whenever you would like, I enjoy the company!¡±

    At that, Omi pushed herself up from the bar stool, and beamed at them. ¡°Let me show you around?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema cheered. She looked back to Bell, who had mostly been silent. ¡°You fine?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Bell answered with a bit of a drawl. ¡°Sorry, just lost in thoughts a bit.¡±

    The same was true for Theora. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Haven¡¯t told her everything yet. Because Ulber didn¡¯t have clearance. That, at least, gave Theora a hint at the mystery.

    It was an asymmetry of knowledge.

    If there existed a system of exploitation on this train, its foundation was most likely, in itself, a secret.

 Chapter 190: The Lavish

    First Day 09:04, Carriage Four, Lounge

    ¡°So, what do my girls want to see first?¡± Omi asked with her big black eyes, her antennae twitching. She stood very still as she waited for instruction, seemingly ready to dart off at a moment¡¯s notice.

    ¡°Well, they say the train runs on praise, right?¡± Treeka mused, sitting such that her feet dangled over the side of the pot. ¡°So then, do we want to see the best things first or save them for last?¡±

    ¡°What is the best thing?¡± Dema asked, excitedly shifting her weight from one foot to the other. ¡°Not gonna lie, I kinda wanna get to giving praise already¡­ This is such a cool place! I wanna meet everyone on the train if I can. Can we?¡±

    Omi giggled, holding her hand up to cover her mouth. ¡°Oh, sure. Well, in that case, I¡¯d say most people would agree that the best part about the Campanella would be the Lavish.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that? Like a bathroom?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking of a lavatory, Dema,¡± Bell murmured.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Dema scratched her head. ¡°Wait, then what¡¯s a ¡®Lavish¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to show you,¡± Omi said mysteriously. ¡°It¡¯s a place unlike any other you¡¯ve ever seen¡­ or, well, technically, it¡¯s exactly the opposite.¡± She wiggled her fingers to add to the mystique and then dashed to the mirror. ¡°Just follow me for now, I¡¯ll explain in a moment.¡±

    Then, without as much as a glance back toward them, Omi slipped through the teleporter like through a crevice between furniture. Theora exchanged a glance with Treeka, who was holding back a chuckle, then they stepped closer to inspect it.

    ¡°Can¡¯t use [Identify] in here,¡± Bell lamented, since the Skill needed System access to function. ¡°But I suppose we just walk through?¡± Probingly, she reached out her tendrils to run along the edges and stand. ¡°It¡¯s warm to the touch,¡± she murmured, and then continued in a lower voice, ¡°Feels a little disgusting.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Dema joined Bell¡¯s side and touched the reflective surface. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re right! It¡¯s warm! That¡¯s kinda fun¡­¡± She pushed, and the glass gave way a little, then absorbed her finger like a bouncy membrane. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Disgusting?¡± Bell offered.

    Dema giggled and turned her head to blow Theora a kiss. When Theora offered a hand, Dema pulled her and Treeka through the mirror with her.

    It was warm. Like jumping into hot sand in summer, except the sand was gentle and gave way easily. On the other side, they found Omi waiting patiently, sitting on a small bench next to a heavy, bolted door. A soft thrumming soaked this place, one that had not been present in the lounge.

    Bell joined them only a moment later, and now they all found themselves in an extravagant railway carriage with framed windows and ornamented wooden walls that were painted in aquamarine and red. The mirror stood next to a door leading to the previous carriage. Up ahead, at the other side of the room, was another door with thin crimson lettering denoting it as the ¡®ENGINE ROOM¡¯.

    The windows still showed the forest; the train had not yet started moving. However, something didn¡¯t quite check out.

    ¡°Wait a second,¡± Dema said, knocking against a door out of the train to their right. ¡°Aren¡¯t we on the upper floor? Why¡¯s there a door here? Is it fake?¡± Then she gestured to the lettering above it, saying ¡®THE LAVISH¡¯. She peeked out a window to find nothing behind it. ¡°The Lavish is in our forest¡­?¡±

    ¡°Not fake!¡± Omi said, sitting on a bench beside the ¡®exit¡¯. ¡°Just special.¡± She knocked against the door, and it resounded hollow.

    ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s a magic door?¡± Treeka asked, leaning over the ledge of her pot to get a better view, so Theora lifted her a little.

    Omi let out a, ¡°Mhm!¡± and the sound came out a little squeaky. ¡°Yep! We are now in the engine carriage. The locomotive.¡± She gestured to the mirror. ¡°There are two of these teleporters on the train, in carriage three and four ¡ª and both of them will send you here. The one in the lounge is facing the back of the train, toward carriages five and six. The other teleporter is in the dining carriage, toward the front side of the train.¡±

    ¡°So everyone can easily access the engine carriage?¡± Dema asked.

    ¡°So everyone can access the Lavish!¡± Omi squeaked. ¡°But yes. The teleporters make this the most ¡®central¡¯ room of the train despite its location. Unless you¡¯re in the very last coach, it¡¯s never more than one carriage away.¡±

    Dema scratched her head and looked at the door. ¡°Damn¡­ so what is it, then?¡±

    Omi smirked and got up ¡ª she now stood on the bench, rather than in front of it, yet barely even managing to overlook Dema. ¡°Well¡­ who wants to open it? It will look different depending on who releases the seal on the door. Who wants to do us the honour?¡±

    ¡°I guess I could,¡± Bell offered and grazed the door with a few of her tendrils while tangling the others into a braid, which she then wrapped around her body. She reached out a hand toward the center of the door which featured a small indenture that was denoted by an arrow. ¡°Place my hand here, I assume?¡±

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Yep!¡± Omi said. ¡°There, perfect, now you just have to¡ª¡±

    And with that the door swung open into the wall, revealing a mass of wobbly blue. Something appeared to be hidden behind the area; Theora couldn¡¯t clearly recognise much through the tiny, blurry viewport the entrance granted. Except that it looked like¡­ water. A lot of water.

    Dema gasped and whispered, ¡°So it is a bathroom after all.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bell let out, stepping closer to the entrance. ¡°It¡¯s underwater¡­?¡± She hesitantly looked back at Omi, who just gave her a shrug.

    ¡°It¡¯s different for everyone.¡±

    Bell frowned, gently poking through the intersection between air and liquid with a tendril. Shortly after, her head followed, her bell hat entering first until her face joined after. Just a moment later, she pulled herself out, beaming. ¡°I think I know this place. Can we go in?¡±

    ¡°If you can breathe underwater, sure!¡± Omi squeaked, trailing down one of her antennae with a finger like combing a long strand of hair. ¡°The Campanella will warn anyone from entering who isn¡¯t physically compatible with the destination.¡±

    Bell just shook her head letting out a quick, ¡°Just follow me!¡± as she disappeared into the water.

    Dema shrugged as she approached. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s gonna make a barrier?¡± She disappeared inside too, and Theora, still carrying Treeka, followed with a nod toward Omi.

    The water was cool, but not cold. Stepping through was a very different experience to that of the mirror ¡ª they seemed to be made of different kinds of magic. The one here appeared a lot more ancient; more profound. It wasn¡¯t just two points in space overlapping, folding, and connecting like a one-sided twisting band.

    The surface revealed a world of aquatic wonder. Long-leaved plants rocked sideways in a stream of crystal clear blue water, surprisingly bright for how deep down it seemed to be ¡ª maybe about twenty metres, with the surface light thrown down in glittering cones. Luminescent sea life filled out the shadows; mostly glowing fish, with gleaming jellyfish and coral interspersed as well.

    This felt like¡­ felt like sitting in a blob attached to the underside of an island in the sky. A place that wasn¡¯t supposed to exist and yet did, a place that they shouldn¡¯t be in but were. It was the mercy of the train that kept them both here and attached to it.

    Something didn¡¯t quite feel right with this place in and of itself, and it took Theora a moment to understand why: the trees and bushes and flowers growing on the floor of this lake weren¡¯t sea plants. She recognised all of them from the surfaces of Himaeya. It felt as if an entire valley had suddenly been engulfed by a flood but decided it would keep growing anyway.

    And, it turned out after Bell motioned for them to take a sip, the air was breathable. ¡°It¡¯s the Sunken Valley,¡± she said with a smile, bubbles coming out of her mouth as the sound was somehow properly transferred through the water. A few loose tendrils enthusiastically floated around in the surrounding water. ¡°There¡¯s a waterfall upstream that infuses the lake with enough oxygen.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Dema let out, together with a sudden burst of bubbles, and then scratched her head after taking a breath. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Gosh,¡± Bell continued without getting dissuaded as she probed around. ¡°Old Bell used to love this place. I never had the chance to go. This is so cool.¡±

    Omi giggled ¡ª she was the only one Bell was protecting with an air bubble, though Theora didn¡¯t mind because the water was warm enough.

    Treeka shuffled around on the pot in Theora¡¯s arms. ¡°Wait, so are we actually here? Is it like, a teleporter¡­ like the mirror?¡±

    ¡°Feels different,¡± Dema mused.

    ¡°Ah, yeah, I don¡¯t think so,¡± Omi said in a slow chirp. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t really understand the details, but there are some protections in-place so you can¡¯t get lost from the train and so foreign entities can¡¯t join. So it might just be an elaborate copy? Or some magic alteration. Essentially, the Lavish takes places of your childhood to show them back to you. It¡¯s a way to connect to our homes even though we¡¯re far away.¡±

    ¡°That sounds absolutely amazing,¡± Treeka let out. She couldn¡¯t get enough of the surroundings; perhaps she never had the chance to hang out much underwater. ¡°Can you like, choose a destination?¡±

    ¡°Nope!¡± Omi squeaked. ¡°That¡¯s part of the thrill! It¡¯s kinda random and never shows you the same place twice. Once you¡¯re out it¡¯s gone! Will show us a new place from Bell¡¯s childhood next time.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Bell sounded somewhat disappointed. ¡°I was hoping I could return here.¡±

    ¡°Chances are it will show you an even prettier place next time,¡± Omi said with a giggle. ¡°But that¡¯s totally fair, this place looks amazing. Still ¡ª for now, let¡¯s leave again so I can show you the rest of the train?¡±

    ¡°Maybe Bell can stay here for a while, if she wants to see?¡± Dema proposed. ¡°But like, either way, Bell?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°We can go here once we go back to Himaeya! Let¡¯s visit?¡±

    Bell beamed at Dema and nodded. She took another look around and sighed, letting a bunch of bubbles out of her mouth. ¡°Fine. Fine!¡± She turned to Omi. ¡°Thank you for showing me. I¡¯m ready to leave¡­¡±

    She didn¡¯t sound all that ready, but made no objections when they made their way out. As Omi said, the train didn¡¯t allow anything from outside in, so getting back conveniently dried them of all water. Outside, Omi turned to the stand next to the entrance of the Lavish, with a thick book propped on top.

    ¡°So that right here¡¯s the praise log,¡± Omi said. ¡°If you find something you like about the train, make sure you write it all down. It¡¯s not enough to just praise it in front of your friends and such! It needs to happen through the proper interface to be effective. There are some additional functions ¡ª for example, you could add the train to your favourites and subscribe to it to recei¡ª¡±

    Suddenly, the room flashed in bright light, and a crow fluttered in through the mirror. Omi fell silent at the sight for a moment, her expression turning tense.

    ¡°Everything alright?¡± Theora heard herself say on instinct. She¡¯d barely spoken for a while, and her voice came out slightly strained. She cleared her throat, which she immediately regretted because it could have made her come across as hurrying Omi along.

    ¡°Yes, sorry,¡± Omi responded. ¡°Just seems like it¡¯s best we get going.¡± She sighed and beckoned the others to follow before moving past the crow and the mirror to approach the exit toward the first carriage. ¡°Anyway ¡ª now that we¡¯re done with the Lavish, let¡¯s quickly show you the rest of the train. First, your rooms!¡±

 Chapter 191: Something to Give

    First Day 11:26, Engine Carriage, Corridor

    With a little twitch of her antennae, Omi opened the corridor connection and gestured toward the others to follow. ¡°Your rooms will be in carriage number one, one of the four bed carriages on the train. It¡¯s where I live too.¡±

    They exited the locomotive and entered a little connecting compartment, stepping over little segments that could slide against another whenever the train would traverse curves. The walls were made of folded, thick, red fabric, and a door led them straight into carriage one, which consisted of mostly a long hallway with doors to the right and windows to the left.

    Omi pointed toward the fourth room. ¡°I live in there, with Fentanyle. My girlfriends are one room closer, and these first two rooms are still unoccupied, like Ulber mentioned. So why don¡¯t you just move in here? Wait ¡ª where is your luggage?¡±

    All her companions¡¯ eyes went to Theora, who reached out to Dema¡¯s breast pocket and pulled out a sad little scrap of her interdimensional travelling attire. Theora had wanted to wear something different so she¡¯d¡­ ¡®shrunk it down¡¯ gently so it wouldn¡¯t get in the way during the trip.

    ¡°It¡¯s all in here,¡± Theora explained, dragging the attire out with a soft tearing noise to reveal more folds. Experimentally, she pushed a finger in and dragged out one of Dema¡¯s shirts. ¡°See? It stores all we have.¡±

    Omi looked at the shirt with envious eyes, then leaned in to peek at the scrap more closely. ¡°You have a self-repairing piece of clothing?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theora said. ¡°Forgot where I got it from, I¡¯ve had it for ages. It becomes bigger the more you tear it apart.¡±

    ¡°My, it¡¯s like an infinite lunch box.¡±

    Theora smiled. ¡°Would you like a bite?¡±

    Omi managed to decline, though it appeared to take her some effort.

    The rest of the tour didn¡¯t end up taking very long. Omi showed them their rooms, which were small and would require them to cuddle, and she showed them the diner in carriage three which they¡¯d get a better look at later at lunch. Lastly, they arrived at carriage five to sit down in one of the communal areas each bed carriage had; little compartments at the ends that were shielded off the main corridor by a thin wall, with couches cramped around a small table.

    The door of a room further ahead stood slightly open, but Dema didn¡¯t mind when she started talking very loudly about how much she liked this place. Theora put Treeka on the table at the center of the hangout area. Dema threw herself onto the longer side of the couch and then crawled into Theora¡¯s lap, where she received some gentle headpats.

    ¡°So how are the others liking it?¡± Omi asked after making herself comfortable, her feet dangling over the armrest. Her wings were crumpled up beneath her; she absentmindedly fidgeted with the tip of one of them, her thumb drawing small circles over the fabric.

    ¡°It¡¯s cool,¡± Bell admitted, sounding somewhat shy. ¡°A lot to take in, but I¡¯m trying. At home I have access to a few Skills to sort through information ¡ª [Identify] and [Appraise] ¡ª but they don¡¯t work here¡­ so I feel slightly on the backfoot.¡±

    ¡°Aw!¡± Omi let out and reached out to pat Bell¡¯s head. Theora felt her activate a barrier just in time to protect Omi¡¯s delicate fingers.

    ¡°So what now?¡± Dema asked. ¡°You said something about lunch¡­ is that gonna be soon? Getting kinda hungry¡­¡±

    ¡°In an hour or so, yes,¡± Omi replied. ¡°I mean, we could go there early, or maybe you want to rest in your rooms a bit. But I figured we could also just hang out here until then?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! There was actually something I was gonna get Bun Bun¡¯s opinion on¡­ So since we have time¡­¡± Dema pulled on Theora¡¯s sleeve and looked up with dangerously cute eyes. ¡°You were spacing out earlier, but I still wanna hear your thoughts. Who should we use it on?¡±

    ¡°Use what on?¡±

    ¡°My second [Immortality] slot! I got done-in big time while sparring with Bell. Gave me enough experience.¡±

    Bell blushed a little and looked away.

    Meanwhile, Theora let her gaze wander over her companions. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be using it on Bell or Treeka?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Treeka started, ¡°that¡¯s what Dema initially suggested, but I don¡¯t know. Both Bell and I are very resilient and don¡¯t die of old age the way many other people do. So¡­ we were thinking of using it on someone who might be less prone to withstand time.¡±

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Theora suddenly thought of Lostina and Serim. However, both of them were currently tucked away and not in any immediate danger. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± she admitted. It would take quite a while for either of them to return.

    Treeka cleared her throat. ¡°But while I¡¯m alright with not getting a slot of [Immortality], it does, uhm.¡± She took a breath. ¡°It does come with the understanding that Theora will protect us. Bell and me, I mean. That you won¡¯t give up on us.¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Theora said outright. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    Treeka let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡± Bell said, still looking a little flushed, ¡°that settles it, then. We¡¯ll just see if we can find a person who needs it, and give it to them. Any restrictions?¡±

    ¡°Must be someone who¡¯s at least gonna be able to regenerate themselves fairly well,¡± Dema mused. ¡°Doesn¡¯t need to be on your level or Treeka¡¯s, but being ¡®immortal¡¯ doesn¡¯t do that much on its own. Though, at least in our home world, it¡¯s gonna be possible to help someone stay alive with magical devices and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hello, dear passengers!¡± a gruff voice suddenly rang from tinny speakers built into the corners of the ceiling. ¡°A small heads-up from the engine room that the Campanella is about to depart. Next stop: Aluvia. We¡¯ll likely arrive there in about three days. Please take care!¡±

    Within seconds, a deep thrumming emanated from the walls. A few moments later, the train, ever so slowly, set into motion.

    Kalonk, kalonk. The rhythmic clanking of the wheels over the tracks began sluggish, but picked up as their surroundings started drifting past them. The forest lay gloomy under a thick wall of clouds, fog approaching the corners of the window. Then, with a sudden rock, the carriage inclined. They were going up. Up, up, and up. There seemed to be no limit to the slope they were ascending, nor to the strength of the engine as it seemed to effortlessly pull all carriages up into the sky.

    The train broke through the clouds and was greeted with a deep, bright blue under an afternoon sun. It was only now that the slope ebbed off. The train took a slight curve, showing the tracks behind them, laid over the clouds as it found its course.

    ¡°That was quite something, wasn¡¯t it?¡± a tiny, weak voice said from around the corner, heavy with breaths. A moment later a middle aged woman turned around the corner with a smile ¡ª with silver hair and graceful creases on her face. With her, puffs of dense smoke crept along the ceiling that looked suspiciously like¡­ miniature thunder clouds?

    As soon as she arrived, Omi shot up. ¡°Rita! Shouldn¡¯t you be in bed?¡± She scooted aside to offer Rita a seat, then squeezed herself closer against Bell, who grimaced as she activated more shielding.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine,¡± Rita said. She was walking with a cane, which she placed down to lean against the armrest as she sunk into the spot Omi had tapped with her hand. ¡°Seeing skies like that always makes me want to socialise a little, and I¡¯ve been hearing muffled voices.¡±

    ¡°What are those?¡± Treeka asked with a wary voice as she eyed the ceiling. The clouds had now moved fully into the compartment, as if they were following Rita around.

    ¡°Ah, yes, don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Rita said with a warm tone. ¡°Those are just a bad omen.¡± She let out a soft sigh as she made herself comfortable. ¡°So you are our new passengers, then? I thought I¡¯d say hello.¡±

    ¡°Hello!¡± Dema said. ¡°You¡¯re also a passenger? How¡¯s it going?¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s going decent. Can¡¯t help but feel tired.¡±

    ¡°You kinda say that all the time,¡± Omi mumbled. ¡°I was going to come visit yesterday but Kaylay said I can¡¯t because you¡¯re asleep.¡±

    Another sigh escaped Rita. ¡°And I keep telling her I¡¯m fine with being woken by visitors. She does mean well.¡±

    Dema got up from Theora¡¯s lap. ¡°Who¡¯s Kaylay?¡±

    ¡°That would be the knight charged with ensuring my safe passage,¡± Rita said with a smile. She was wearing some sort of night gown and had her hands folded in her lap. ¡°But she got it into her head that I also need to be coddled. And¡­ well, protected, I suppose.¡±

    Omi pulled a grimace. ¡°I know what that¡¯s like,¡± she muttered. ¡°Gosh, I wish being taken care of wasn¡¯t so oppressive.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it doesn¡¯t have to be,¡± Rita answered. ¡°Have you ever talked to Fen about this?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Omi squeaked. ¡°Just¡­ she thinks her worries are more important. Oh well, whatever.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Rita offered a hand, and Omi approached with her head to receive pats. ¡°I¡¯m a bit luckier on that front, I suppose. I don¡¯t mind being fussed over a little, truth be told. Even if it may lead to inconveniences. And it does make me sleep better, knowing I¡¯m in the care of a knight who would do anything for me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dema said with an enthusiastic nod. ¡°Exactly.¡±

    Theora tried, and immediately failed, not to blush.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s about time,¡± Rita started, slowly getting up. ¡°I¡¯m going to head to lunch. Anyone care to join me?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, I didn¡¯t eat all day!¡± Dema said, in what could only be described as a little bit of a lie.

    A lie that made Theora laugh. ¡°I gave you a snack from the attire half an hour ago¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass,¡± Omi said. ¡°They don¡¯t serve fabric anyway, I¡¯m going to go to my room to prepare food.¡±

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Treeka croaked out suddenly, ¡°I¡¯m not eating either. I could join you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you,¡± Theora said and got up, Treeka in her arms. She cast a glance at Dema. ¡°See you in the diner?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Dema smiled so much it gave Theora butterflies in her belly. She seemed to be incredibly happy about all of this.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Rita said, fully leaning on her cane. ¡°I¡¯m excited. New passengers always mean a bout of change.¡±

 Chapter 192: Fight or Flight

    First Day 12:18, Carriage Three, Diner

    The diner was made up of a row of larger four-person tables on the train¡¯s left side, and smaller two-person tables on the other, with small benches perched tightly between them to leave room to sit. The front-facing half of the diner was occupied by long tables holding a buffet of food, as well as the teleporter mirror right at the end.

    About a dozen more people had found their way to the diner at that time. Theora may have gotten distracted listening to Omi and Treeka talk about knitting for a few minutes, causing her to be slightly late. Dema, Bell and Rita were sitting on a central four-seat table, with Rita¡¯s cloud hanging darkly over them. The ticket inspector Raquina who had welcomed them on the train sat together with the bartender Ulber and an older man. Then there was... a young woman who looked like an orca who sat at a table together with a lifesized animated puppet. Theora didn¡¯t have the chance to take in much more before Dema was already waving her over.

    And so they sat down amidst the gentle noise of people talking and laughing. Rita seemed tired, tapping her fingers against her cane while leaning more against the window than the bench backrest. Theora was about to offer help when a shiver ran down her spine. An incredible presence had suddenly appeared from far, far ahead. Way ahead of the train, like a massive iceberg they were on collision course with.

    The door to the diner slid open.

    A number of crows entered the room first. They flapped around, finding perches and nipping at the banquet.

    Then, a figure entered.

    A wide, indigo cloak billowed ever so slowly like curtains in a soft breeze. Dozens of crows circled the arrival, somehow getting smaller in size the closer they got to the figure herself.

    She was tall, humanoid, her skin coated in minuscule blue feathers. Her movements appeared slow ¡ª like she was submerged in thick liquid. Her feet arrived at the ground slower than gravity would have pulled them, as if she consciously held back. As she approached, the far presence Theora felt rapidly advanced as well. But the woman¡¯s expression and demeanour didn¡¯t align with the impression she gave off; she was poised but easygoing, laid-back, graceful. Nothing about her had the appearance of restraint ¡ª so why was she so slow?

    ¡°That right there,¡± Rita said in a low, subdued whisper, ¡°is Fentanyle. She is by far the strongest entity on the train.¡±

    ¡°Wait, really?¡± Dema asked in disbelief, accidentally knocking over a glass of water on the table. Fentanyle sluggishly turned her gaze to her. A thunderclap resounded through the carriage.

    Theora blinked at the sudden, ear-rending noise, and everyone fell silent.

    ¡°She moved too fast,¡± Rita whispered, as though in explanation.

    Moved to fast? Theora frowned, trying to parse these words. Did Rita mean Fentanyle had pierced the sound barrier? With that slow turning of her head? Theora couldn¡¯t help the urge she had ¡ª an urge awakened by meeting Gonell, and then reinvigorated by young Bell.

    ¡°I want to spar with her,¡± Theora accidentally let slip.

    It took for a moment for everyone to regain their composure. Theora heard an old man grumble something about being more careful on the train. Other murmurs followed and the noise levels quickly flowed back to normal. Dema proceeded to beg Theora to go fetch food for her; it was adorable. Dema didn¡¯t have to beg Theora for anything and kept doing it anyway. Meanwhile, Bell agreed to also fetch food for Rita, and so she accompanied Theora to the front of the carriage.

    It took a moment for Theora to figure out what kind of plate Dema might like. She settled for a combination of strawberries and some soy-based lasagna; not something she¡¯d eat herself, but Dema would complain about the dish being ¡®boring¡¯ if it was anything less than that. Theora also found a chili pepper on the banquet that looked deceptively strawberry-like, so she hid that one in the heap as an impostor for extra spice.

    Upon their return, Theora found a crow sitting on her seat. She gently looked at it until it flew away. Dema had roped Rita into some kind of discussion Theora didn¡¯t find the leisure to try and untangle. Instead, she let her gaze wander around the diner as she picked away at her own food ¡ª a simple plate of sandwiches, because she wanted to see how the bread here differed from the one she liked to make herself.

    It was through this absentminded activity that Theora coincidentally found herself staring at Fentanyle, who was trying to get to the grapes in the banquet, but¡­ an orca was in her way.

    Well, not really an orca, it was an orca in the same way that Bell was a jellyfish or that Omi was a moth ¡ª still mostly humanoid looking, but with an assortment of uncommon traits. The young woman had a mix of black and white skin, even more pronounced than Dema¡¯s, the contrast making it a bit difficult to parse her face between her confident and toothy smile and white rings around her eyes. Her arms gradually turned from a bright white at her shoulders to a tar black at her fingers ¡ª she had them folded in front of her chest while her thick tail wagged beneath the buffet table behind her. The girl was wearing nothing but a sports bra and athletic shorts.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    She and Fentanyle stared each other down, and now that Theora had seen the interaction, she no longer felt like looking away. When the orca girl started speaking, Theora focused on her voice among the noise of the diner.

    ¡°What?¡± the orca girl asked, standoffish.

    ¡°Log,¡± Fentanyle said in the distant voice of a thousand caws. ¡°You¡¯re in the way.¡±

    Log? Wasn¡¯t that one of Omi¡¯s girlfriends?

    Log raised her eyebrows. ¡°Am I? I didn¡¯t notice. What can I get for you?¡± Her voice sounded sarcastic.

    ¡°What you can get for me,¡± Fentanyle¡¯s choir of crows sung, ¡°is out of the way.¡±

    Raquina was about to breeze past them, but upon seeing them interact, took as much of a berth as the narrow dining carriage allowed. By now, the interaction between those two had caught the attention of more passengers; Rita, among others, was attentively watching as well.

    Log gave a playful shrug. ¡°I wanted to talk to you for a little, though. Since I never get the chance. You¡¯re almost always in the Lavish.¡±

    Fentanyle calmly waved the palm of her hand to gesture for Log to continue. ¡°Say your piece and leave,¡± she offered. The crows in the room were moving around a little less now ¡ª alert, but not agitated.

    Then, Log leaned forward, close to Fentanyle¡¯s ear, and whispered. The voice was too low for Theora to hear outright, and she didn¡¯t want to overhear things that weren¡¯t her business. She decided to make no attempt to decipher it ¡ª which she came close to regretting just a moment later, when every single crow in the diner stilled.

    Seeing the crows motionless drew attention. Chatter died down, and people looked up to witness the altercation.

    ¡°What?¡± Log asked tauntingly, after leaning back from Fentanyle¡¯s ear, voice low but no longer whispering. ¡°Was that not enough? I can go on. Oh, but I might not, actually. Some secrets need to be worked for.¡±

    A dangerous amount of anger was flaring up in Fentanyle. Her presence was about to lash out, still barely restrained by her mind. Then Theora found Fentanyle¡¯s gaze, giving her an empty look. A fight here wouldn¡¯t be ideal, would it? A few crows fluttered, their flaps dying down after a second or two. Fentanyle broke eye contact, the anger ebbed off.

    Log narrowed her eyes, and had them dart over to Theora¡¯s table for a quick moment. Then she made a fist, looking back at Fentanyle. ¡°Mark my words, owl,¡± Log said. ¡°She¡¯ll be ours soon.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been over this, ungrateful fish. I¡¯m made of crows.¡±

    ¡°Orca¡¯s aren¡¯t fucking fish!¡±

    ¡°WHAT THE HELL!¡± Dema suddenly shouted out, gasping. She took in some deep breaths, sweat beading on her forehead. Eventually she managed to catch herself, finding all eyes in the room on her. She took another breath. ¡°That strawberry is super spicy, gosh! Where did you find it, Bun Bun? It¡¯s amazing!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a chili pepper,¡± Theora whispered proudly.

    Demma giggled, and then looked back to Log and Fen. ¡°Sorry! Sorry! Don¡¯t mind me, you can continue if you wanna. Were you two gonna fight or something?¡±

    But the dangerous atmosphere had vanished. ¡°Just leave her alone,¡± Fentanyle told Log coldly and left the diner.

    ¡°Damn¡­ that didn¡¯t work,¡± Log muttered under her breath and turned to leave through the other side.

    ¡°And here I thought Bell was gonna have to pull out the big shields,¡± Dema said, scratching the side of her head. ¡°That woman seemed furious.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I could have done much there,¡± Bell admitted. Her tendrils were tense and taught in their braid, she looked like she was missing some colour from her face. Then she glanced over at Theora. ¡°Thank you. I know I shouldn¡¯t be panicking like this with you around, it¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t have [Appraise] and¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe we can steal a peek at her sheet!¡± Dema suggested with a hint of mischief. ¡°That¡¯s just like an appraisal, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right,¡± Bell murmured a bit in thought and it actually caused her tentacles to loosen slightly. ¡°We probably shouldn¡¯t, but I forgot those existed. Maybe we can figure that out if things like this keep happening¡­¡±

    ¡°Not gonna, I think,¡± Dema said. ¡°Keep happening, I mean. Omi said Fen¡¯s her caretaker right? And that they¡¯ve been on the train for a while. So I assume Fen knows how to handle herself without blowing everything up all the time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡± Bell took a deep breath. ¡°Alright. Fine. I just worry because¡­¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯ll blame yourself if something happens,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°Don¡¯t. You¡¯re still a child and both Dema and I will be there, always.¡±

    Bell let out a bit of a sigh of relief, and nodded.

    The rest of the day went by both slowly and cosily; they retired into their rooms to unpack and relax. Treeka decided to take turns between rooms to rest in, her choice falling on Dema¡¯s and Theora¡¯s room for the first night, so Bell would be alone in hers right next to it.

    After unpacking, Dema joined Theora on the bed to cuddle, and they put Treeka right next to them so Dema could wrap an arm around her pot as well.

    Hours later, a good measure away from the diner and other distractions on the train, under the starlight falling in from the window, Theora lay in bed with Dema, gazing up into the sky, waiting for sleep to find her. Their room was now all set, her companions dozing around her.

    Things were different now. Treeka was safe. Dema was safe. Bell was safe. Everyone was safe. Theora was doing well enough now to make sure of that. There were no cracks. Even an hour later, almost asleep, the fog of drowsiness surrounding her, that thought still comforted her like another blanket.

    She could keep everyone safe.

 Chapter 193: Haunted by the Past

    First Day 23:44, Carriage One, Dema¡¯s & Theora¡¯s Room

    Theora woke when she felt Bell activate [Last Stand].

    She was already on her feet rushing to the door when she slowed, noticing that there was no immediate danger; Bell still seemed at full strength, judging from her aura. So, Theora softly knocked against the door instead of barging in.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked. ¡°Can I come in?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Bell whimpered.

    Theora found the room lit just by Bell¡¯s glow. Tendrils wafted in the air through several layers of shielding ¡ª protective bubbles, force fields and ice. They all gave way as Theora approached. She ducked and stepped over the tendrils to reach the bed ¡ª and with it, the huddled-up sad heap of jelly called Bell.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Theora asked.

    ¡°Bad dreams,¡± Bell murmured. She lifted her head to look at Theora with teary eyes ¡ª eyes that didn¡¯t exactly look sad, more upset, or confused. The tears seemed to be a physical reaction from whatever had caused her to activate [Last Stand].

    Theora sat down on the bed next to her, and when she subtly indicated her lap as an offer, Bell let herself fall down on it immediately. She grabbed onto Theora¡¯s garments, protecting them from acid with skin-tight barriers. Theora then offered a hand, which Bell took instead.

    ¡°No need to barrier off if you hold my hand,¡± Theora said. Acid began to sting her skin just a moment later and was then quickly numbed by prickling venom. Trying not to savour the feeling too much, Theora asked, ¡°What did you dream of?¡±

    ¡°Memories.¡± Bell¡¯s voice was a whisper, and she turned her head in Theora¡¯s lap to look away into the room. Bell lay surprisingly but comfortably heavy there ¡ª after all, she was almost entirely made out of water. ¡°I¡­ I told you how I¡¯d eventually get old Bell¡¯s memories back, right?¡±

    Theora gave a nod.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ It¡¯s still going to take a while, but the process apparently just started.¡± Bell said the last few words in a much dryer tone. ¡°I remembered how I died back then. I mean, that time I went to visit the Singularity.¡±

    Ah¡­ well, that certainly sounded unpleasant. ¡°Anything I can do?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just part of being a Medusa,¡± Bell continued. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine. Well, some of us really hate the process. Like¡­ sort of depends on how your past life went, if that makes sense? If one was unpopular or even kind of a scumbag, then the polyp may not want to remember¡­ Others want to remember as fast as possible. But like¡­ Imagine there is this person you hate and you know that no matter what you do, you will slowly turn back into them as you recover their memories. Sounds horrifying. That¡¯s why there are counsellors among my people just for that phase.¡±

    ¡°How¡­¡± Theora trailed off, unsure if the question was proper. She went with it anyway when Bell waited for her patiently. ¡°How do you know all that?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Bell sighed. ¡°Apparently, the first time I polyped, None and Dema were completely caught off-guard by suddenly having a baby Bell in their hands. They barely knew what to do, but they slowly figured stuff out. Apparently, there are specialists among my people who can help with the process, which I told them when I got my memories back that time around. So None went to visit them to learn how to take care of it¡­ of me?¡± Bell shrugged. ¡°Agatha helped out a lot.¡±

    That name was new, wasn¡¯t it? Theora didn¡¯t remember having heard it before. ¡°Agatha?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Bell was sounding increasingly sleepy as she went on. ¡°One of the specialists I mentioned. None added her to the alliance, so I can chat with her when I¡¯m in the System¡¯s range to figure stuff out.¡±

    Ah¡­ and now they¡¯d gone and left that range, hadn¡¯t they? Theora would need to talk to Dema about this later.

    They lay there silently for a while. If Theora¡¯s understanding of the situation was correct, then Bell would eventually remember everything about her past lives. Even things that happened a thousand years ago, in Bell¡¯s childhood. Which meant that this Bell would eventually also remember that time she and Theora had first met.

    Theora didn¡¯t. She only knew because the old Bell had told her about it.

    ¡°What¡¯s¡­¡± Theora paused. ¡°What¡¯s it like for you? How do you feel about suddenly remembering parts of your past? You said some Medusae don¡¯t like their former selves¡­ what about you¡­?¡±

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Bell squished Theora¡¯s hand a bit more, turned her head a little further away. ¡°I, uhm¡­ I kind of see her as my big sister? I think. I look up to her and all the things she accomplished¡­ and the people she managed to save. I¡­ I admit that it feels comforting, knowing that I can grow into someone who will stand on equal footing with some of the most capable heroes that ever existed. I¡¯m not scared about becoming her, just¡­ I kind of worry that she will be disappointed in what little I managed to do before she came back.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that¡¯s how she will think. You and her seem quite similar.¡±

    Bell¡¯s eyes widened, and she clasped Theora¡¯s hand very tight now. ¡°We are?¡±

    With a nod, Theora leaned back against the ceiling, head tilted upward. ¡°Yeah. Remember how much respect you had for her when you and I first met? How you defended her? Well, she¡¯s like that too. She will defend those who she perceives to be most in need.¡±

    Theora thought back on that day around thirty years ago, when she witnessed Bell erect a continent-wide barrier to hold off the Rains of Fire. How several little kids then came running from their homes to engulf her in hugs, and how she¡¯d treated them kindly and with respect.

    ¡°That includes children,¡± Theora concluded. ¡°So no matter what you do now, you won¡¯t disappoint her. And¡­ Dema, Isobel, and I, we are the same.¡± Theora smiled. ¡°Even though on the moon, you were the one who protected us.¡± Her expression waned to a more serious look as she gently lay a hand on Bell¡¯s bell ¡ª ¡°And if you only did that because you were worried you had to prove yourself to us, and to your future self, then I¡¯m sorry we haven¡¯t been able to communicate to you properly that you don¡¯t have to do that.¡±

    Bell nodded, letting out a sob. The tears standing in her eyes dropped out and she started crying, swallowing snot and wiping her eyes with her fingers.

    When she was slowly calming down a few minutes later, Theora spoke again, softly. ¡°A long, long time ago, you did something like this for me too. I woke up from a bad dream ¡ª not about my past, but about my future.¡± She paused, catching a bit of strength, to try her best to keep talking for a while to help Bell calm down. ¡°Or what I thought to be my future, at the time. And you were the one who noticed, got up, and chased me down. Heard me out, consoled me. It¡¯s always when I find myself at my worst moments that Bell finds me.¡± Theora sighed, her hand still grazing over Bell¡¯s hat. ¡°I¡¯m really glad to have you. Both you and your¡­ your ¡®older sister¡¯. She is a big reason as to why I feel at home in our world.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that,¡± Bell sniffed, and then suddenly giggled. ¡°On the note of chasing me down ¡ª I can¡¯t believe you woke up from my [Last Stand] like that. That was almost instant.¡±

    ¡°I told you I¡¯d be here.¡±

    Bell sighed. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s just¡­ things are easier said than done, right?¡±

    Theora tilted her head. Were they?

    Bell mulled over it, rubbing her lips together. ¡°Though it makes sense. You were there to wake us up on the moon too, when the sky burned. How do you do that?¡±

    Theora combed her fingers through her hair in thought. How did she do it?

    ¡°I just wake up.¡±

    ¡°I assume it¡¯s because shifts in presences feel violent to you? I tried that, but¡­ It just doesn¡¯t wake me up. You¡¯re like a mom who wakes from her newborn moving in their cradle, huh?¡±

    Theora blushed at the thought. She was a mother, in a way, and she sure would wake up if Isobel had a bad night. But luckily, that girl slept like a rock.

    ¡°I wonder if I can figure out something like that, though,¡± Bell mused. ¡°It would be so useful¡­ because the idea of barriers is that you have to set them up before something bad happens. So either have them running forever, which costs tons of resources, or activate them on demand and risk being late. It sucks. But¡­¡±

    ¡°But if you knew something bad was about to happen, you could pull it up in time,¡± Theora added, nodding. ¡°Well, Dema says people can make Skills themselves. Perhaps you could try making a Skill that warns you of danger?¡±

    Bell¡¯s eyes lit up, a wave rocking through her tendrils. ¡°You think I could make one?¡±

    The words of old Bell rang echo in Theora¡¯s mind ¡ª she¡¯d once explained that in order to make a Skill, one needed to think it was possible, and the Skill had to fit one¡¯s character. That¡¯s why Theora couldn¡¯t make a Skill to return home back when she was stuck in space.

    ¡°I think you could,¡± Theora said, both because that kind of Skill seemed very much in Bell¡¯s character, and to help her think of it as doable. ¡°With enough effort.¡±

    Bell seemingly already started with that ¡®effort.¡¯ The cogs turned in her mind as she frowned. But then she stilled. ¡°By the way. There¡¯s something I wanted to ask you, now that we¡¯re alone.¡±

    Theora tilted her head. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°The train¡­ something feels off about it,¡± Bell said in a whisper. ¡°The fact that there are, like¡­ different classes of people?¡±

    ¡°Passengers and staffers?¡± Theora offered, and found Bell nodding along. ¡°Yeah, I noticed that too. And you have to pay for tickets.¡±

    ¡°It reminds me of the System,¡± Bell said. ¡°Heroes and Non-Heroes. Do you think the train is a System?¡±

    Theora leaned back against the wall. It was a difficult question to answer with so little information, but at the very least, the signs were there. ¡°It¡¯s uncomfortable,¡± she admitted. ¡°I assume the cause could be some kind of secret. I want to figure it out.¡±

    Bell was quiet for a while. She seemed deep in thought, her frowned expression twitching every now and then. Eventually she spoke again, with a much lower voice.

    ¡°So, what then? When you find a source of imbalance?¡± Bell swallowed. She likely knew the answer already, but the question held more weight to her than she let on. ¡°What will you do if you find something that causes suffering on the train?¡±

    Theora leaned back, staring at the ceiling, old bones creaking under her own weight.

    ¡°I will dismantle it.¡±

 Chapter 194: Interlude â€” That Night

    First Day 23:45, Carriage One, Communal Front ¡ª Poxie.

    Why do puppets sleep? I shouldn¡¯t have to, and yet, I grow tired every evening. I want to blame my maker ¡ª especially because when I do lie down to find sweet rest, what I find instead is trouble.

    Log knows, so when she¡¯s awake, she hugs me from behind. She does it that night too, when I doze on the sofa, my feet resting on her thick tail.

    Omi sits next to us, rambling, and brushing through my hair. Her left antenna occasionally grazes my cheek as my head rests on her crumpled wing. I barely listen to her words, but I think it¡¯s something about her hometown. She knows I like the sound of her voice, so whenever I have sleepless nights, she brushes and braids my hair and finds just about anything to talk about.

    I¡¯m so glad to have them. They make me feel at home.

    Until Log pushes the strip of my top aside and kisses my exposed shoulder. I do my best not to flinch or recoil ¡ª it just wasn¡¯t expected, and I don¡¯t want to worry her. Especially not now. And my shoulder is safe.

    ¡°So, I¡¯ll do it tonight, then?¡± Log asks and places another kiss. I shudder. That¡¯s fine.

    Omi shifts next to me. ¡°W-well¡­ the new passengers would give us cover, plus, one of them is a pillar. But¡­ are you sure¡­? I don¡¯t want you to¡ª¡±

    Her voice speeds up into a higher-pitched squeak, so I stop her. ¡°We¡¯ve been over this,¡± I say gently. ¡°We¡¯re going to help. Just let us. You led the new passengers through the train, right? If you say today¡¯s our best bet, then we¡¯ll do it today.¡±

    Omi is silent at that. Makes sense, she¡¯s self-conscious.

    Log pulls down my top a little, to kiss me again. This time, I feel goosebumps.

    Still safe, as far as I know. She just can¡¯t venture too much. Probably. But I can¡¯t help the thrill, so I don¡¯t tell her to stop.

    I wish we¡¯d be here longer.

    <hr>

    Second Day 01:22, Carriage Four, Lounge ¡ª Entrichia.

    Most nights, I venture into the deepest storage compartment to spend some time alone, where nobody would find me. That night is different.

    We¡¯re sitting around one of the tables in the lounge, dragged into a sudden work meeting in the middle of the night. The engine caretaker likes to do this, but this time feels different. He¡¯s smoking his stick again ¡ª I grudgingly bite my lips through it. Annoying.

    Raquina looks a bit more tired than usual, her red dress uncharacteristically crumpled. The passengers who boarded today were apparently a handful? She didn¡¯t share any details, and I don¡¯t care enough about them to look up their sheets. But then Raquina lets out small sighs as she gazes out the window, and I do care a little about her.

    I let the old man ramble. Something about danger to the ¡®integrity¡¯ of the engine? He really loves getting upset about things he himself caused. It¡¯s because we keep taking on passengers indiscriminately, rather than deciding after we know their abilities. Of course, nobody asks for my opinion because they just want me to sit in the kitchen and prepare meals. And because I won¡¯t be asked, I barely listen.

    At some point, Raquina takes a short leave. I don¡¯t like suspecting her of things, but this time I assume she needed some fresh air. I wave a cloud of smoke out of my face.

    As always, we sign off on the engine caretaker¡¯s plan; our new colleague is too fresh to be bothered with administrative work and Dr. Alp is not here because he¡¯s fed up with train business. Also, something about a patient? So it¡¯s just us three, and will be for a while. New passengers mean new fuel. If he wants to waste it, he can be my guest. Not my fault if we end up stranded.

    Truth be told, sometimes I do wish the ride would end so I can take Raquina out of here.

    <hr>

    Second Day 01:57, Carriage Six, Communal Back ¡ª Montaparte.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    At night, I work.

    That night, I worked.

    As it turns out, time doesn¡¯t grow on trees. Not that there are trees here, anyway. Curious.

    I shake my head. My work is to solve problems, and this isn¡¯t one. I¡¯m getting distracted. Even switched tenses by accident. A sign of being tired. The gentle rocking of the train keeps me going. Yes. As long as it goes, I go.

    <hr>

    Second Day 02:12, Carriage Four, Infirmary ¡ª Dr. Alp.

    The 43-year-old human passenger was admitted to the ward after being found unresponsive in her cabin by her convoy. Witnesses aboard the train report having last seen the patient in apparent good health five to seven hours prior to being admitted. Convoy reports having seen no signs of trauma, drug use, or anomalous behaviour.

    History: Patient suffers Prognostication Drainage from an injury sustained in the White Fields of the Warzone on Lafyta. For a detailed patient history as reported by her convoy, see addendum B.

    Diagnostic Findings at Admission:

    <ul>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Vital Signs: stable, BP 130/80, heart rate 75, O2 sat 98%</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Neurological: Coma Scale 6 (E1 Vt M4), pupils bilaterally reactive, no signs of intracranial bleeding or trauma</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Pulmonary: depressed breathing, insufficient ventilation; intubation and manual bagging was required prior to the implantation of intestinal oxygenating kelp (growth-rate-derived VCO2 pending)</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Others: CV & Abd unremarkable, increased temporal stress consistent with her PD, Postsomatic Imagery (2 cycles) non-assessable due to magical interferences</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Mundane Labs: mild hyperglycemia, no signs of metabolic decompensation. tox screen negative, extended panel and blood work pending</li>

    </ul>

    Plan: Workup has not revealed any clear cause for the comatose state. Elevated blood glucose is too low to account for symptoms. Due to magical interferences, treatment with sinic ammonia to avoid blood clotting is deemed inappropriate. Limited diagnostic capabilities aboard indicate supportive care consisting of close monitoring, parenteral nutrition, and eventual careful derealisation until she can be referred to the Augury Institute in the Mists.

    However, while the reality constructed by the train protects the patient from the deterioration of pre-existing conditions, conditions acquired here may be untreatable elsewhere. If no amelioration arises from supportive care, cryonisation may need to be considered despite heavy risks.

    Passengers leave when their tickets expire. Let¡¯s get to work and hope for a delay.

    <hr>

    Second Day 02:26, Carriage One, Dema¡¯s & Theora¡¯s Room ¡ª Dema.

    For the longest time, Dema had kept a small secret.

    She was a bad sleeper. Her sleep was light, shallow.

    Except for when she was in bed with Theora. Theora was a hearth asleep, a safe place to lie next to, on top of, wrapped in. When they were together, Dema slept well. Even when they didn¡¯t cuddle. She¡¯d had some of the best sleep in thousands of years after Theora broke her out of confinement; the time when they¡¯d been wandering the world, sleeping with healthy separation.

    But on the occasional rare day, Dema would get too excited for good sleep ¡ª like that night. The train was just too new and magical, whimsical. She wrote her thoughts down on a note so she could deliver the praise later as fuel, and then she finally dozed off. When she woke back up, Theora was away, had left sheets crumpled in her wake.

    Dema sleepily scratched her head. It wasn¡¯t like Theora to wake up when she didn¡¯t have to. Which likely meant that, for some reason, Theora had to.

    Dema peeled herself out of three thin blankets and stepped onto the wooden flooring, barefoot. ¡°Morning Treeka,¡± she said, because Treeka was a bad sleeper too who sat on her miniature bench, eyes wide open.

    ¡°Morning,¡± Treeka answered. She didn¡¯t quite seem happy. Maybe she was bored?

    Dema tapped closer. ¡°Wanna go out?¡± And when Treeka gave the slightest of nods with her little spirit body, Dema picked up the pot for a nightly walk. ¡°Maybe we could go see Rita!¡±

    This was nice. A cramped room, a bed too small, a train full of people to get to know. Truth be told, Dema could get used to this.

    <hr>

    Second Day 02:27, Locomotive, The Lavish ¡ª Fentanyle.

    Everything Fentanyle believed, Fentanyle knew to be true.

    Staring at the ground with hundreds of eyes, seeing through it in a way only Fentanyle could, Fentanyle believed to have found a secret.

    Fentanyle no longer wished to leave this place.

    The wide and open Lavish stretched to the horizon, only stopping at the open entry door. Fentanyle felt exposed.

    Reality had changed after new passengers arrived, that change had caused discomfort. It felt as though Fentanyle was no longer alone. That made the crows wary. A fight, this place, her charge ¡ª they¡¯d gained the potential to be lost. Should Fentanyle spread herself thinner? Or reach out to have her charge come here?

    Only one thing was certain.

    Fentanyle had to stay.

    <hr>

    Second Day 02:28, Carriage One, Storage Compartment One ¡ª The Child.

    The nights are cold.

    Maybe the train will take another stop tomorrow? Maybe we¡¯ll arrive where Liff is. But if Liff is far away, so far away, then perhaps I need to wait for longer.

    I can hear the tall lady walk around outside the cupboard. I hope she won¡¯t come to check. I need to be quiet.

    She goes away after a while.

    Maybe the train will halt soon.

 Chapter 195: Aftermath

    Second Day 8:19 am, Carriage One, Dema¡¯s & Theora¡¯s Room

    ¡°Hello, dear passengers,¡± a gruff voice rang out from the train speakers, waking Theora from a doze. ¡°The train had to stop due to unforeseen circumstances. We will keep you informed about any developments as we investigate the issue.¡±

    Unforeseen circumstances? Theora rubbed the sleep sand from her eyes and found her fingers cold. She combed them through her hair in confusion to try to help her memory.

    Why was it cold in here? She was on the Campanella, she remembered, an interdimensional railway connecting faraway places through praise. Yesterday, the room had been very warm. But now¡­

    Theora wanted to push herself up from the tiny bunk bed but was stopped by a gentle weight. Dema was resting on her, head cushioned by Theora¡¯s chest. Small puffs of condensation came from Dema¡¯s mouth as she breathed.

    The window took up almost the entire larboard wall, its corners collecting frost while the rest revealed a wide morning sky, the occasional star peeking through. An endless lake lay beneath it, with railway tracks in the distance shimmering through right beneath the calm surface. White, fluffy, and massive clouds hung low on the horizon.

    It appeared like the train had stopped very much in the very middle of nowhere. But why?

    Theora wrapped her arm around Dema to pull her even closer and help warm her up. Theora¡¯s body was seemingly the only thing heating their room for now, so she daydreamed of having her neck kissed by Dema to speed up her metabolism.

    By the time Dema mumbled, ¡°Bun Bun I¡¯m thirsty, gimme water,¡± the imagined kisses had wandered to places so delicate Theora had turned beet red. She swallowed a dry throat and stretched to fetch a glass of water from the nightstand, gently pulling Dema along with her ¡ª because she knew the girl would let out disappointed moans if Theora broke skinship now. As she moved, she was distracted by little pricks against her arms and legs.

    ¡°Dema? There¡¯s soil in our bed.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dema¡¯s little moan was drenched in sleepiness, her voice raw and dry.

    ¡°There,¡± Theora said, placing the glass against Dema¡¯s lips.

    Dema greedily drank a few sips. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Then she pulled at Theora¡¯s nightgown; probably to smooth out some crinkles so she could lie on it more comfortably. ¡°Must be from Treeka¡¯s pot.¡± She moved a finger in a circle along Theora¡¯s collarbone while activating a Skill. Shortly after, the soil in the bed gathered in her palm. ¡°Better?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t really bothering me,¡± Theora said with a chuckle. ¡°Where is Treeka?¡±

    ¡°Girl went to stay by Rita¡¯s bedside,¡± Dema mumbled. ¡°She doesn¡¯t sleep much in warm months, so¡­ wait, but it¡¯s cold now. Think she fell asleep?¡±

    Theora gave Dema a headpat. ¡°You changed topics in the middle of the statement there. I was curious how the first would end.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Well, I was just saying that Dr. Alp let Treeka watch the patient overnight so he could go to sleep. She offered.¡±

    Theora felt a knot forming in her belly. ¡°Patient?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Oh! You don¡¯t know yet!¡± Dema¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°This was one hell of a night, Bun Bun. Rita¡¯s in the infirmary!¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Theora let out. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Not sure.¡± Dema fiddled along the hem of Theora¡¯s dress with her index finger and thumb. ¡°Apparently she fell asleep and won¡¯t wake up? I mean, she did say she was struggling a bit, yesterday, but¡­¡±

    Did she? Theora must have been spacing out. Yet again, time was passing too fast, crumbling away between her fingers.

    Or perhaps it was Theora who was passing too quickly.

    ¡°Is that why the train stopped?¡± she asked with a low voice.

    Dema blinked. ¡°Wait, the train stopped?¡± She peeked out of the window with a cute little crease between her eyes. Then, her mouth fell open as she turned back to Theora. ¡°Bun Bun, the train stopped!¡±

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    ¡°It did. I think there¡¯s an issue with the engine. The train might be out of power. That¡¯s why it¡¯s cold.¡±

    ¡°Oh no!¡± Dema let herself fall back on Theora¡¯s chest. ¡°It¡¯s because I forgot to write down the praise! This is all my fault, I only said it to my friends, just like Omi said!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s the issue,¡± Theora tried. She couldn¡¯t quite explain why she thought that, but she felt fairly certain of it.

    ¡°Oh¡­ and we met Kaylay tonight,¡± Dema continued. ¡°Rita¡¯s Knight.¡±

    ¡°¡®We¡¯?¡± Had Theora missed even more?

    ¡°Yeah! Treeka and I! Kaylay was so upset. Kept by Rita¡¯s bedside, but couldn¡¯t sit still by the life of her. Kept asking the doctor if there was something they could do. But Alpi said to wait for now and hope he finds something in his, uh¡­ research? Yeah. Was gonna stay there too, but didn¡¯t want you to wake up alone. So Treeka said she could watch Rita and everyone else could get some sleep and all.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ we should go take a look and see if she¡¯s fine,¡± Theora suggested, anxiety brooding in her chest. ¡°And figure out why the train stopped. And¡­¡±

    ¡°And eat breakfast,¡± Dema said. ¡°You need food when you¡¯re like this.¡±

    ¡°When I¡¯m like this? What am I like?¡±

    ¡°Why, you¡¯re all sad, Bun Bun.¡±

    Theora let her head fall onto the pillow.

    Bell was having nightmares. The train had stopped. Someone Theora had only met yesterday was no longer waking up. Things weren¡¯t going the way they should.

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right,¡± Theora murmured and went to get up.

    Bell was awake in her room, looking sleep-deprived and a little shrivelled up but mostly alright. She looked up from a book she was reading when Theora peeked in after a knock, and nodded good morning, but she decided not to join for breakfast and finish her reading first instead.

    When Dema and Theora entered the diner for breakfast, the atmosphere was gloomy.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± Theora murmured into the room, though she received barely any response.

    Treeka was sitting at a table with Omi toward the back side of the train. Meanwhile, a young man sat on the ground in the corridor, flapping his flaming wings to repel the cold from the diner. Ulber was sitting at a table next to him ¡ª this time, she didn¡¯t have any glasses to polish, but seemed very content to just rest her head on her hand while leaning over the desk, talking. Her vest looked slightly crumpled; almost like she hadn¡¯t slept at all.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Treeka said while climbing over the miniature landscape in her pot to get closer to Theora and Dema.

    Omi looked like she hadn¡¯t slept at all; she¡¯d wrapped herself in her wings to guard from the cold and was leaning against the wall, dozing. She¡¯d barely touched her yarn-spaghetti.

    ¡°Morning!¡± Dema said. ¡°How¡¯s Rita?¡±

    ¡°No change,¡± Treeka replied. ¡°Which is probably a good thing? I think? Dr. Alp looked relieved when he got back into the infirmary.¡±

    They sat down opposite Omi, who mumbled a sleepy greeting. Theora pulled the pot onto the centre of the table. Treeka took the opportunity to look at everyone one-by-one. ¡°Looks like everyone had a bad night, huh?¡±

    ¡°How are you, Omi?¡± Theora asked, a tad worried.

    ¡°¡¯Mkay,¡± she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. She yelped when she accidentally jammed an antenna with the motion. ¡°I think Fen¡¯s probably upset with me¡­¡±

    ¡°Fen¡­¡± Dema trailed off. ¡°Fentanyle? Crow lady?¡±

    ¡°Mhm. She won¡¯t be happy when she¡ª¡±

    At that moment, the room flashed in a bright blue and a figure entered from the teleportation mirror.

    After materialising properly, Raquina cast a quick glance around the room, then took a little breath. She was again clothed in a bright, crimson dress, and her practiced, weary smile had barely receded.

    ¡°Excuse me, if I may have everyone¡¯s attention?¡±

    Ulber and the person she¡¯d been speaking with stopped talking while Treeka ran around her tree trunk to get a better view of the new arrival.

    Raquina straightened out her dress. ¡°As we mentioned, we are currently investigating an issue with the engine. Most staff will be busy with that task for a while, but do ask if you need additional blankets. Ulber and I should have some availability, but Entrichia, Dr. Alp, and the Engine Caretaker all have their hands full.¡± Ulber nodded vigorously as Raquina continued: ¡°Please help relay this message to all passengers if you have the chance.¡±

    After a short curtsy, she turned to leave back through the mirror but the moment she approached, it flashed again.

    Out came a woman made entirely out of paper ¡ª her shape was formed out of hundreds of book pages, printed and written on with different inks. ¡°I came to report an issue,¡± she said without missing a beat.

    Raquina flinched slightly at the word ¡®issue¡¯. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I was just about to use the Lavish,¡± the paper-woman continued with an emotionless expression, ¡°but it¡¯s already occupied by a dead body.¡±

    Omi shot up from her seat. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°As I said, Omiaradne,¡± the woman replied, ¡°a dead body.¡± For a moment it looked like her face was being flipped through like a magazine, pages turning and folding themselves back into herself by the dozens, until it slowed down. She turned another two pages with her hand, holding it at her cheek. ¡°I looked it up to make sure. Encyclopedia Haverita of XVII, Fifth Edition, ps. 149 to 151 from Thalassia. Signs of death include, ¡®lack of internal movement, scattered summons, sharp scent of ammonia,¡¯ as well as ¡®red fog¡¯.¡±

    Omi stared for a few moments. ¡°Qyy,¡± she finally whispered, ¡°why did you look it up in an encyclopedia from Fen¡¯s homeworld?¡±

    Qyy spoke calmly: ¡°Because Fentanyle is dead.¡±

 Chapter 196: A Gathering of Crows

    Theora¡¯s first thought upon hearing Fentanyle died was, ¡®No she hasn¡¯t.¡¯ Nobody had died on the train. Theora wanted to give Omi that assurance, but Omi was already hurling herself toward the teleporter.

    Theora rushed after. Others followed. Within moments, Omi entered the Lavish ¡ª the door stood wide open and led straight into a meadow.

    It was littered with dead crows.

    Omi dashed up the slope, half jumping into flight, until she reached the precipice. Theora got there a second later. They¡¯d reached a cliff overseeing a massive, mountainous forest.

    Inside that area were the remains of a giantess amidst clouds of crimson.

    Though, ¡®giantess¡¯ didn¡¯t quite do Fentanyle justice. She wasn¡¯t the size of a dinosaur or a whale or a building. Her size was geographic. She stretched as far as the eye could see. No wonder she¡¯d exerted such a presence; no wonder she¡¯d seemed so far away. The train must have shrunk her down for her to fit.

    That overwhelming presence of hers was gone now.

    Theora frowned. How did that happen? Fentanyle had appeared completely fine the day before. Now, she lay there unmoving.

    Omi ran to the first lifeless crow she could see; lying there in the grass, its feathers strewn about. She gently rocked it. Then Omi jumped up again to dart to the next, and the next; gently rocking each and every one to see if one of them would wake. Finally, a hand softly grasped her underarm, stopping her. Omi stared up and found Raquina.

    Raquina¡¯s voice rang out against the wind of the meadow. ¡°I¡¯ll call for Montaparte.¡± The breeze tousled her hair and played with her dress but she appeared serious. She pushed a strand from her face, clearing her throat. ¡°I¡¯ll get the doctor too. Don¡¯t mess up the scene. You might make it difficult for them to figure out what happened.¡±

    And so, amidst Omiaradne¡¯s sobs, the people Theora understood to be the trains¡¯ resident physician Dr. Alp, as well as a passenger called Montaparte whose specialty was the solving of riddles and problems, proceeded to conduct an investigation, while Dema went to try and console Omi.

    Montaparte was a dark-skinned, black-haired woman of about thirty years with a deeply purple puffy dress. She carried a matching magical umbrella ¡ª its underside offered a glittering look at nightly stars. She held herself with grace but appeared somewhat clumsy, letting out little ohs and ahs as she stumbled across the grass, inspecting the scene very closely through her monocle.

    Montaparte occasionally exchanged a few words with the doctor, who was a bulky figure wearing a practical coat; it offered lots of room to store magitek devices which he made use of aplenty in his investigation of both the crows on the ground as well as the body in the distance. He had several types of glasses that offered him access to diverse ranges of magical filters, and at some point Ulber came in with a little vehicle that was capable of flight, to let them go inspect the body up-close. Theora watched in misplaced envy as they hovered to the horizon.

    ¡°Not how I expected this morning to go,¡± Treeka mumbled.

    Theora had completely forgotten she was holding her. She wasn¡¯t sure what to say. All she knew was that her thoughts didn¡¯t correspond to the reality she was seeing. As empty as her head was, she still had hope. Still hope that this was all wrong, and that the investigation would reveal a certain truth; the only one Theora would be willing to accept.

    Because of Fentanyle¡¯s size, the inspection took about two hours. Two hours during which Theora simply stood and stared, trying to sort her nonsensical thoughts. The Lavish was now filled with more but different people. Omi was nowhere to be seen, and Dema had disappeared as well. Instead, Qyy had joined as an onlooker, as had Ulber and the young man she¡¯d talked to in the diner.

    Theora¡¯s heart pounded when Montaparte and the doctor finally returned.

    ¡°We managed to narrow down the time of death to this morning at around 3:00,¡± Montaparte announced, her words giving Theora a cold shower. ¡°I will be conducting interviews with all passengers, if you don¡¯t mind, to help us piece back together how this event came to pass.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Theora frowned so deep it almost hurt. ¡°How?¡±

    Montaparte adjusted her monocle. ¡°What do you mean, how?¡±

    Theora gestured to the mountain of a person laying at the horizon. ¡°You¡¯re saying the body is real?¡±

    Montaparte flinched slightly in surprise. ¡°You thought it wouldn¡¯t be? That¡¯s a curious assumption to start with. Sadly, yes, it is.¡±

    Theora couldn¡¯t help that suspicion of hers. She pushed it away. ¡°An accident?¡± she asked.

    Montaparte turned the umbrella in her hand, then looked over to Dr. Alp.

    He sighed. ¡°Physical examination of the body revealed a number of traumata ¡ª contusions, bruising, bite wounds, among others. However¡­ well. The most salient piece of evidence seems to be that the heart of the main body suddenly stopped beating. That could have different causes, but¡­¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    Dr. Alp pinched his right hand with his other thumb and index finger, massaging it. ¡°As the resident physician, I receive access to the entirety of all the patient¡¯s ability sheets, and all data we have on them, to ensure their safety on the train. In short, it is my responsibility that something like this¡± ¡ª he gestured to a dead crow ¡ª ¡°never happens. And Fentanyle? Let¡¯s just say, she was probably our most resilient passenger. She was a Pillar of Reality, if you know the term.¡±

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    Montaparte nodded. ¡°If you¡¯d be so inclined to share it, I would like a glance at the sheet as well. However, I would like to agree. A heart stopping doesn¡¯t mean immediate death. Fentanyle could have gone for help. Could have rang the alarms. But didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°It must have been an accident,¡± Theora murmured. ¡°But even then¡­¡±

    Dr. Alp and Montaparte shared a glance. ¡°What has you so sure?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Theora had difficulty expressing herself. All she knew was that something felt off. ¡°If a person had died on the train, like you said¡­ wouldn¡¯t someone have noticed?¡±

    ¡°We did notice,¡± the detective deadpanned, and gestured to the body.

    Theora sighed. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±

    Montaparte raised an eyebrow. ¡°What did you mean?¡±

    ¡°I mean that nobody died on the train tonight,¡± Theora said, trying to word it calmly as frustration slowly built in her chest.

    ¡°Clearly someone did. What are you trying to tell us?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying nobody died.¡±

    In a matter-of-fact, non-violent gesture, Montaparte pushed her umbrella into the soil to pace forward. ¡°But there are traces of foreign magical interference inside her body.¡± She waved to Fentanyle. ¡°A body which no longer lives.¡±

    ¡°But maybe the body was artificially created?¡± Theora ventured. ¡°Didn¡¯t Omi say the Lavish may just be a representation of what it shows? Maybe this is an illusion.¡±

    Montaparte and Dr. Alp exchanged another glance, one that did not seem to speak in Theora¡¯s favour. Still, Montaparte sighed. ¡°Sure. We can test again for illusion magic and construction, maybe even divination. You want us to redo our investigation with the assumption that the body is fake?¡±

    Theora nodded. ¡°It is fake.¡±

    And so, they redid their investigation, meticulously detailing the procedures to Theora. About halfway through, they added Qyy, whose archive provided various pathways on how to hypothetically create fake bodies and unveil them. Montaparte had taken on a gentler tone by then, almost pitying.

    She seemed to be trying to help Theora out of her stage of denial.

    And so they conducted tests on the integrity of the Lavish. Investigated if the smallest particles in the area were properly discrete, and evenly sized, to exclude this being a simulation. They checked for signs of illusion magic. They compared the body¡¯s signature hash to her magical creations left on the train.

    The conclusions after their meticulous work¡ª

    This was a dead body.

    This was Fentanyle.

    This was reality.

    Dr. Alp even went as far as to outline the process to Theora: ¡°Magic is fleeting and doesn¡¯t leave many traces in the world; it will be reintegrated to the flow of reality fairly quickly. Except for a special set of circumstances. Specifically, when magic is used in a place it¡¯s not supposed to be used. One such case is inside the body of another person. Bodies have special defences that make it hard to use foreign magic inside them. Say, for example, if you can manipulate blood, like your friend can¡ª¡±

    ¡°Girlfriend,¡± Theora supplied.

    ¡°¡­  Right. But it doesn¡¯t necessarily allow her to control the movements of other people, even if they are filled with blood. That¡¯s, of course, disregarding the fact that Dema might be powerful enough to do so anyway if she so chose. What I¡¯m saying is, it¡¯s more challenging ¡ª and doing so would leave residue from the violation of bodily autonomy. And now¡­ if you look closely at this body, you will see exactly that. Residue.¡±

    He offered Theora a looking-glass. It revealed clouds of otherworldly bright purple around Fentanyle¡¯s heart, and nowhere else.

    ¡°But does this necessarily mean harm was committed?¡± Theora asked. ¡°Say, if someone tried to reanimate¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. I know. Any magical interference will leave this type of residue. But let me assure you that this layout looks a lot more like malicious interference than help. This is a single precision strike. Meaning whatever it meant to accomplish, it seemed to have satisfied the caster. Does this result look more to you like it meant to heal or to kill?¡±

    Theora let out a sigh.

    ¡°In other words, the facts are clear,¡± Monataparte stated when Theora had run out of things to test for; when Theora herself had to conclude that there was no wiggle room left. Montaparte gave her a solemn look. ¡°When you have excluded the improbable, whatever remains ¡ª however unhappy it makes us ¡ª is the likely. So, what now? Between our options, only one is reasonable.¡± She gestured over the dead crows littering the ground. ¡°All things considered, this appears to be a murder.¡±

    Silence ensued, with Dr. Alp biting his tongue.

    After giving them a moment, Monataparte continued: ¡°So what we need to figure out now is the why. Why did a killing happen? Who benefited from it? Who had the opportunity? Who had the means? That, I will find out.¡±

    Theora fidgeted with her thumb against her index finger. She glanced at Fentanyle ¡ª this was, from Montaparte¡¯s and Dr. Alp¡¯s position, undoubtedly a dead, murdered person. But¡­

    Theora gazed into the sky.

    ¡®I need your help,¡¯ she thought at it.

    ¡°You already know the answer,¡± Head in the Clouds supplied.

    ¡®But that answer is¡­¡¯

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Theora stared back into the grass, finding a dead crow. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t trust the doctor¡¯s and Montaparte¡¯s judgment ¡ª their conclusions were beyond reproach. This was reality.

    That said¡­ Theora was doing well now. She¡¯d made plenty of mistakes in her life, but none of them compared to this. Her errors stemmed from lack of sleep, from irritation, from doubt. But she¡¯d solved many of her personal problems lately, had a much clearer head. Thus, there was no doubt in Theora¡¯s mind: if someone had been in such grave danger the preceding night, she would have noticed. She would have woken up. A task like saving someone else¡¯s life, Theora would have never failed.

    But the detective and the doctor did have an actual body to show for their claims. There was a death Theora would have prevented. There was a body Theora would have saved. Opposing truths were clashing. Two realities overlapping. Both real, both irrefutable. It did not make any sense ¡ª and yet the situation rang vaguely familiar.

    So, what now? Either Theora had made a mistake, or, somehow, reality had split in two overnight. Between these options, only one was reasonable.

    But that opened up another question.

    What had caused reality to split?

 Chapter 197: Interlude â€” Prime Suspect

    ¡°Would you please be so kind as to share with us your whereabouts last night between 22:00 and 01:00?¡±

    With ¡®us¡¯, Montaparte meant two people: First, herself, because she had asked the question. Secondly, her new ¡®companion¡¯ for this investigation ¡ª a little demoness who had nonchalantly decided to tag along with a crumbled-up notepad.

    Montaparte was fine with it. The demoness had a strong alibi; several people could attest to her being out and about at the time of the murder ¡ª most importantly, Dr. Alp, the train¡¯s resident physician, because his alibi was also multiply corroborated and air-tight.

    This left Montaparte with two people she could confide in with little risk for the duration of this endeavour. She needed to talk, to sort her thoughts by voicing them out loud, and Dr. Alp didn¡¯t seem too keen on hearing them.

    This ¡®Dema¡¯, however? She was perfect.

    ¡°I was in the communal area of carriage one,¡± Poxie Paloxie replied, voice tense.

    ¡°Really?!¡± Dema let out enthusiastically. ¡°Wait, the front one or the back one?¡±

    Poxie winced at Dema¡¯s sudden outburst, but somehow it still made her smile. ¡°T-the front one.¡± Something about this Dema character delivered just the right amount of charisma ¡ª a mix between unpredictability and sincerity. Montaparte became glaringly aware of it when she caught Dema drawing flowers onto her notepad instead of properly noting down what Poxie Paloxie was saying.

    Poxie ¡ª the third person Dema and Montaparte were interviewing together, the sixth person Montaparte had interviewed today. Before came Treeka, a little spirit living under a canopy, and Dr. Alp and Ulber ¡ª train staffers. Ulber had spent the night chatting to a young person called Plink, who¡¯d been going through a crisis. Lastly, they¡¯d interviewed Log and Omi.

    Poxie was the third member of their little polycule. She was a heavy-set lifesize puppet with a round face, wearing a worn-down, puffy dress with signs of being eaten away at. She was made out of linden wood with a dark varnish and had countless strands of hair implanted on her skull, giving her a full, frizzly hairstyle. She sounded hollow; all her movements were accompanied by very soft and dull clicks of joints.

    ¡°Yeah, figured¡­¡± Dema scratched her head with her pen. ¡°If it was the back one I¡¯d have passed you by when I went out on a walk with Treeka. You should have come with us! Omi is cute, I kinda wanted to meet her girlfriends too. You know, under, like, funner circumstances and all.¡±

    Poxie nodded, her smile widening. Her lips were formed from pieces of cloth ¡ª the thin threads leading up to Poxie¡¯s ear could pull at them to change their shape.

    Any apprehension the witnesses felt upon talking to Montaparte was blown from the trees like autumn leaves when this Dema opened her mouth. And on top of that, she managed to ask useful questions, allowing the detective additional room to analyse the witnesses¡¯ demeanour and expression.

    This young puppet, for example, born in Reality N-2402.12, home planet Ebba, had a secret. A secret that somehow related to the night of the murder. That much Montaparte inferred from body language and tone ¡ª her answers were guarded, and she sought gazes from passersby. Whether that secret was connected to the murder and therefore any of Montaparte¡¯s business, or whether the questioning merely threatened to expose it, was the difficult part to dissect.

    Dema¡¯s easy-going attitude made Poxie less wary. Made her want to share.

    ¡°They are ready now,¡± Raquina said, suddenly pushing herself into Montaparte¡¯s view. Then, she dropped several folders of documents onto the bar. ¡°I¡¯ve compiled the ability sheets of all current passengers.¡±

    Montaparte nodded, and as Dema conducted the remainder of the interview, she began absentmindedly sorting through the sheets. It was time to collect data ¡ª the interviews would deliver part one of the relevant information, the sheets would deliver part two. The third part would be the most difficult to come by.

    ¡°There we go!¡± Dema said, flapping her notebook together and turning to Montaparte. ¡°Have any more questions?¡±

    Montaparte shook her head and gestured to Poxie that she could leave.

    This investigation could only work if the passengers of the train were open to cooperating; so far, that appeared to be the case. Everyone seemed willing to get to the bottom of this mystery. Which was, in a way, peculiar. Montaparte was expecting a wrinkle to come up.

    ¡°So, how¡¯s the sheets so far?¡± Dema asked, leaning forward to grab a peek. Montaparte was taking a look at Omiaradne¡¯s; she and Rita seemed the least diverse in terms of powers they had access to.

    The largest file belonged to Fentanyle, the victim.

    The shortest belonged to a woman called Theora the Sun.

    ¡°Still working through them,¡± Montaparte replied, pushing half the pile to Dema. ¡°Help me, if you would.¡±

    Dema nodded and took a look at the sheet Montaparte had just gone through, snatched it with a giggle, and gave it a glance-over. After a moment, her brows furrowed in thought. She clumsily pushed some documents apart, and hummed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Montaparte asked, interest piqued, her heart beginning to beat stronger.

    ¡°Nah, just Bun Bun having her head in the clouds again,¡± Dema answered, rolling her eyes. ¡°Looks like she forgot to mention something on her sheet! She¡¯s gonna be in so much trouble¡­¡±

    Montaparte raised an eyebrow, giving the short document another look-over. ¡°What¡¯s missing?¡±

    ¡°Why, here,¡± Dema said, tapping a segment of her own sheet which she¡¯d produced from somewhere in the pile. Next, she tapped the segment in the sheet of the Sun. And then, like a fresh spring breaking from the rock, she said, ¡°It¡¯s her Class!¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Montaparte let out. That was curious.

    ¡°Anyway!¡± she went on as if she hadn¡¯t just upended the world. ¡°What are we looking for?¡± She flipped right past the pages of a jellyfish girl called Belliandra like nothing of import could possibly be found on it.

    Curious, again. Montaparte would have to comb through that sheet in detail later. ¡°We need to interview both her and the Sun. They weren¡¯t answering the door when I tried earlier.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah, Bun Bun¡¯s been kinda out of it after this morning¡­ I asked her to join but she wanted time to think.¡±

    Instead of commenting on it, Montaparte gestured to the document pile. ¡°In order for someone to perform an action, two requirements need to be met. One, they need to have a way to actually perform it. Traditionally, this is split into two aspects: the subject needs to be physically present or have a means to overcome distance, and they need to be physically able to perform said action. Someone would have needed the opportunity to enter the Lavish when Fentanyle was there ¡ª someone with the means to kill a Pillar of the World. Specifically, Fentanyle was killed by magical intrusion. This requires the ability to conjure elements inside the body of another, in large quantities. We might be looking for a mage.¡±

    ¡°Huh, interesting!¡± Dema said, nodding. ¡°What¡¯s the second requirement?¡±

    ¡°They need to have a reason,¡± Montaparte replied. ¡°Nobody does anything without one. Now, the reason does not have to be good, but killing a Pillar is a difficult undertaking, so we can expect them to have a strong one.¡±

    Dema scratched her head and leaned back on her bar stool, almost falling over the back of it before remembering it didn¡¯t have a backrest. She cleared her throat and sorted some papers back together that she¡¯d accidentally crumpled. ¡°People keep talking about ¡®Pillars¡¯¡­ No clue what that¡¯s supposed to be¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little complicated,¡± Montaparte said, not having the time to go into a long-winded explanation. ¡°To put it short, a Pillar of the World is an entity that at least partially enables the existence of its home reality in its known form. For example, the concept of gravity, as well as the concept of distance, are common pillars. Without them, everything would fall apart.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Dema stared at the detective, perhaps hopeful she¡¯d offer a bit more of an explanation, for she still looked slightly lost. The sheets would not read themselves though, and trails could run cold. Montaparte gestured to the other pile of documents and Dema got to work.

    Fentanyle had died from interference with her main heart. Something had caused it to stop.

    Magic.

    Dr. Alp would have had the means to kill her, with his power to Obstruct. Entrichia could have done so too, by preparing an untraceable poison with her power to Condense, which had landed her a position as the train¡¯s resident cook. Kaylay could have done it with her power to Kill. Rita could have used her power to Lie. Bell¡¯s case was tricky; there was a possibility she could have used her power to Shield to ¡®protect¡¯ Fentanyle¡¯s heart from the rest of the body. There was Dema too, who could have killed Fentanyle in this manner using her powers of Bleeding. Then there was Treeka, who could have used her power to Grow.

    Apart from Montaparte herself, this was everyone.

    Notably, both Plink and Qyy had the powers to Teleport, bypassing the train¡¯s own infrastructure ¡ª they could, however, only transport themselves and had no way to actually perform the killing.

    ¡°That means we¡¯ve got a list of suspects, right?¡± Dema asked, peeking at her notepad.

    ¡°Yes, although Dr. Alp, you, Treeka, Entrichia and Rita have the strongest alibis of anyone we¡¯ve heard about so far. You were heard by Log when you left the train at night with Treeka, you were seen in the diner by Ulber and Plink when you passed through it. Then, Raquina corroborated seeing you and Treeka take the ladder down to the infirmary in the lounge while she was at the staff meeting with the engine caretaker and Entrichia ¡ª who we have yet to interview, so we¡¯ll see if that holds up. Then, Dr. Alp confirmed that you helped with the treatment of Rita for several hours. And if you had left earlier than you claimed, you would have been seen by the people who watched you go there in the first place.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, wasn¡¯t me,¡± Dema said, nodding. ¡°I liked Fentanyle, so I wasn¡¯t gonna off her.¡±

    Something about Dema made it seem like she liked everyone.

    Montaparte let out a sigh, going down her own list of suspects. ¡°In order to go from her room to the Lavish, both Kaylay and I would have needed to pass at least the lounge. In order for Bell to do it, she would have needed to pass either the polycule in carriage one, or Ulber and Plink in the diner, to get to the dining carriage teleporter.¡±

    ¡°But like¡­ that¡¯s good, isn¡¯t it?¡± Dema asked. ¡°If nobody did it, that means there was no crime!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s how things work,¡± Montaparte said dryly. ¡°But it is good, because now we know what questions we have to ask in round two of our interviews. We have a list of suspects to go down; at least one of them won¡¯t have an alibi.¡±

    That same evening, in the sixth carriage, after a day full of work, Montaparte said, ¡°Run me through it again.¡±

    Dema swallowed. She sat there holding her notepad full of flowers, and pretended to read from it for a moment. ¡°You sure? We¡¯ve done it six times already¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡± Montaparte grabbed her umbrella a little tighter. They¡¯d spent the entire day reading sheets, doing legwork, and holding interviews. In the end, what they had excavated with that work could only be described as a conundrum. They¡¯d dusted off the findings, to ensure the foundation was proper. ¡°I need to figure out what I¡¯m overlooking,¡± Montaparte said.

    ¡°Well¡­ what we found is that everyone who could have killed Fentanyle had an alibi,¡± Dema said carefully, knowing it wasn¡¯t what Montaparte was asking. Montaparte wanted details.

    ¡°This is pointless,¡± she admitted, and got up. ¡°The train has changed its course. We need to shift gears too.¡± She raised her finger to caution Dema. ¡°Remember this morning when I told you we had to be discreet? That¡¯s done now. Let¡¯s gather everyone in the lounge. We need to share these findings.¡±

    Montaparte could feel the beginning of a headache shaping in the front of her skull. This was stressful. A murder investigation, at least partially, rested on the presence of asymmetric information. The murderer knew more than the detective. If the murderer had a means to be aware of the state of the investigation, they could shape reality to their desire.

    Montaparte had been keen on guarding what little knowledge she had, pooling it in a small well in a forlorn hope of outlasting the culprit¡¯s lake. But if the opponent had a lake, all Montaparte had to do was to salt it. Or even better ¡ª to leave a salted well for the culprit to drink from.

    A culprit Montaparte believed to have already identified.

    It was time to share the findings of her investigation. Just not Montaparte¡¯s thoughts on it.

    After dinnertime, they called everyone to the lounge who was willing to come. Only four people were missing ¡ª Rita, because she was still in a coma. Kaylay, to watch over and take care of her. Lastly, Theora the Sun and Belliandra. Curious.

    Everyone else had gathered, and Montaparte paced up and down the narrow back of the lounge, collecting her last thoughts.

    When the chatter died down to leave her room to talk, she tapped against a little board next to the teleportation mirror ¡ª Dema had helpfully formed it from chalk, and drawn a haphazard model of the train on it with blood. She even added little stick figures.

    ¡°This is a graphic showcasing everyone¡¯s approximate positions at the time of the murder,¡± Montaparte said, tapping it with her umbrella. ¡°Fentanyle died in the Lavish.¡± She tapped the front of the train. ¡°There are four ways to enter it ¡ª one, from the engine room, which was empty. Two, from the teleporter in the lounge, which was hosting a staff meeting. Three, from the teleporter in the diner. It was occupied by both Plink and Ulber. Lastly, the Lavish can be accessed directly from carriage one, the communal front of which was occupied by Omi, Log, and Poxie.¡±

    ¡°What are you getting at?¡± Ulber asked, peering at the chalk board. ¡°You said this poses a conundrum?¡±

    Montaparte nodded. ¡°The conundrum ¡ª the teleporters give off flashes when used, and the communal front in carriage one can¡¯t be bypassed without notice when occupied. Meaning, if everyone¡¯s accounts are accurate, there is no single person who could have accessed the Lavish unnoticed.¡±

    ¡°Maybe someone can teleport?¡± Raquina asked, her red dress standing out within the group. Plink, who was sitting next to her, folded his wings and shuffled a bit further away.

    Montaparte wrote two names on the board with a marker. ¡°Based on our analysis of the sheets, the occupants who can teleport ¡ª Qyy and Plink ¡ª lack the means to kill a Pillar.¡± Then, she scratched the names off. ¡°Nor does anyone else have the means to kill in this manner from a distance or with a time delay, or any other method.¡±

    Of course, there was a wrinkle here, too. People apparently didn¡¯t have to be truthful when disclosing their powers upon entering the train.

    A loud scoff made Montaparte¡¯s gaze turn to the engine caretaker. He looked surprised at the sudden attention. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± he grunted. ¡°This is such a farce. You could have ended this nonsense hours ago. Omi, Poxie and Log were all sitting in carriage one, all knew the victim, and had a motive. Log had gotten herself into a fight with Fentanyle just the day before! Their alibis are worthless because they are in it together.¡±

    Omi flinched at the accusation, but the caretaker continued, ¡°Based on her sheet, Log is more than strong enough to kill people. She might be weaker than Fentanyle, but if she had the moment of surprise on her side? Trust? Doable. Now, the only question is: do I have Log thrown out of the train, or do we make her answer to the victim¡¯s bereaved?¡±

    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± Log yelled, standing up.

    ¡°Log is certainly powerful enough to kill anyone on the train with the moment of surprise,¡± Montaparte cut in, ¡°but you are forgetting the means of killing: Conjuring magic in someone¡¯s heart. Log is a fighter. She could not have done it.¡± At least not from the information Montaparte currently had access to. She then wrote down more names under Qyy and Plink. ¡°Of those with the means to have killed Fentanyle the way she died ¡ª Bell, Dema, Kaylay, Rita, Entrichia, Dr. Alp, and myself ¡ª none could have entered the Lavish without being noticed. And there we have it.¡± She wrote down the remaining names, everyone on the train, then scratched each off with a note of what was missing; means, motive, and access.

    ¡°The conundrum!¡± Dema supplied with a motion of her arm that let out a tiny string of blood to splash onto the chalk board. A chalk board that now featured the names of all sixteen people currently on the train, every single one crossed out.

    Montaparte sighed at the theatrics. ¡°The conundrum,¡± she agreed. And¡­ There was one more complication here.

    It was that the engine caretaker was correct. Log and Fentanyle had fought. And Poxie, Omi and Log had lied. Montaparte was certain they didn¡¯t commit the murder, but she also was certain they were hiding something still. They were weaving a fantasy.

    And the only way forward was to figure out what really happened.

    But now was time for lip service.

    ¡°There are still further avenues to pursue, more data to gather, which will take time,¡± Montaparte said. ¡°For example, we need to thoroughly comb the train for other potential modes of entry to the Lavish, we need to scrutinise the sheets, we need to inspect people¡¯s luggage for magical devices. At the start of the investigation this morning, I placed these avenues to gather data firmly in the realm of highly unlikely to produce results. But, by now? Our options are running thin; they need to be explored.¡± Montaparte motioned toward the board, to their work, to their evidence. ¡°Because as of right now, it seems nobody could have possibly committed the murder.¡±

    A thought that sent a shiver down Montaparte¡¯s spine, and made her mind wander to a passenger who had declined to join this gathering. Someone who had eluded her attempts for an interview. Montaparte was keeping these ideas close to her chest, for if that passenger ¡ª dwelling among the stars in her own little world ¡ª noticed her furtive glimpses from underneath the clouds, Montaparte could end up in trouble.

    A passenger with the power of Possibility. A woman who could amend the world.

    Montaparte¡¯s prime suspect.

 Chapter 198: Workings of the Machine

    Theora let out a yawn. A few hours had passed since her revelation ¡ª since she¡¯d noticed a divergence in realities. She felt a little dramatic for phrasing it that way, but what could she do? That was, all things considered, likely what happened. Unfortunately she couldn¡¯t independently verify her assessment, at least not easily. That meant the only way forward was to figure out what really happened.

    Theora had experienced a warping of Reality before, back when the Devil of Truth had attempted to weave his own to run off to. Thus, perhaps Theora was in some way biased to arrive at this explanation. But even then ¡ª ultimately there was little harm in making the assumption and pursuing what it meant; and even if Theora turned out to be wrong, the detective was already working her side of the case and could seemingly be trusted to at least put in due diligence.

    The room was still cold, of course, as was most of the train, except the Lavish itself. Theora had wrapped herself in a blanket while getting lost in thoughts. The same scrutiny placed time and time again on the same points, arriving at the same conclusion. A tangled web had spun in her head, a fog from the heavy accusation in her mind that someone had changed reality in a way that created the appearance of a murder. What could possibly be the point?

    Theora sighed the moment a knock came from the door, and she let out a pouty, ¡°Come in.¡±

    It was Bell. She looked sleepy, her bell crumpled like she¡¯d just woken from a nap. ¡°Morning,¡± she said. ¡°Want to go on a walk with me? My room is too cramped. Wait, where is Dema?¡±

    ¡°She ran off with Montaparte,¡± Theora replied, already missing Dema a bit. Then the rest of Bell¡¯s words parsed. ¡°A walk¡­? Isn¡¯t the whole train cramped?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s why I asked Ulber if we can go outside.¡± Bell gestured to the windows. ¡°She said it¡¯s dangerous, but¡­ not impossible? If I can completely seal us off from the outside.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Theora got up from her bed and stretched. Go outside¡­ she hadn¡¯t actually considered the option. That might help with her thoughts. The train had stopped, after all, and it did look pretty. Perhaps they could pace along the tracks for a bit.

    What kind of place was the ¡®outside¡¯, actually? Probably miasma, the connecting tissue between realities. But¡­ it hadn¡¯t looked like this when she was last in it. Going to the Lavish would have been the safer option. But¡­

    ¡°Wait,¡± Theora started suddenly, finally tearing her gaze off the window and back to Bell. ¡°Have you heard? About Fentanyle.¡±

    ¡°Fentanyle?¡±

    Theora gave a nod. ¡°It appears that tonight while we were asleep, Fentanyle was killed by some presumably malicious actor.¡±

    Bell had been just about to leave the room when hesitated, blinked, then stared at Theora. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a body in the Lavish. I verified it myself. They are currently preparing the funeral, I believe.¡±

    Bell shook her head and frowned, finally giving way for them to leave. ¡°That makes no sense.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡± Theora agreed. ¡°It really doesn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me you woke up from me having a bad dream, but not from someone being killed off?¡± Bell let out a scoff. ¡°Are they sure the body is real?¡±

    That question, spoken so innocently and with such certainty, was a balm on Theora¡¯s self-doubt. She totally would have noticed. ¡°That¡¯s why I think reality may have split apart overnight.¡±

    Bell blinked again, this time opening her mouth in perplexion. She took a moment, then asked, ¡°You what?¡±

    Theora raked her fingers through her hair. ¡°I know. It¡¯s difficult to come to terms with.¡± She pushed past Bell in the corridor and made her way to the lounge.

    Bell was silent for what felt like minutes. It was probably less, because arriving at the lounge and then taking the ladder there down to the small reception area didn¡¯t actually take that long. Theora made sure to seal the lock before they¡¯d start opening the exit to the outside.

    The whole time, Bell was chewing on her lower lip, her tendrils absently probing whatever they could grab a hold of in passing. She seemed to be having some kind of moment. But eventually, the tendrils fell into a braid, her eyes turned to Theora, focused, and she cleared her throat.

    ¡°Let me form a bubble before we leave,¡± she said, and got to work within seconds. She betrayed her own words by not just forming one, but three different protective layers, which soon happily bounced around them. ¡°This has oxygen for three hours. Should be plenty for a short walk.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re sure this is fine¡­?¡± Theora peeked out through a porthole in the exit door. It looked serene, calm. No wind was disturbing the endless lake, the cloud hung still in the sky. Theora would of course be fine there, but¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡±

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine,¡± Bell answered, gently pushing Theora to the side to get access to the door. ¡°This is probably the best chance I¡¯ll get to become accustomed to miasma. You¡¯re collecting the Fragments of Time from other realities, and I don¡¯t want to become a liability.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not a liability.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t plan to be,¡± Bell agreed, and pushed the door open. And with that, they left the train.

    Bell was keeping them isolated from both the cold and outside sound. Theora could only hear the shuffling of her own clothes as she moved, and the squelching of Bell¡¯s wet skin. The barriers didn¡¯t shield off the light though, so it was intensely bright. The bubble kept their feet from touching the shallow water as it rolled forward with their steps; Theora was a little unhappy because she¡¯d been somewhat excited at the idea of getting a footbath in the miasma.

    After the first few steps, Bell cleared her throat. ¡°So what you are saying is that you sensed a divergence of worlds?¡±

    Theora frowned. She stopped, scratching her head again. Had Bell waited for them to get out of earshot before bringing up the topic again? Either way ¡ª ¡°I didn¡¯t really sense anything. It¡¯s just, the alternative doesn¡¯t really check out.¡± She shrugged, a little lost. ¡°I mean, I didn¡¯t wake up from Rita falling into a coma, but she seems to be stable for now, so it¡¯s not the same.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you can show me the body later. But for now, can you describe to me what it looked like?¡±

    Theora agreed, and they leisurely paced ahead toward the locomotive as Theora explained things.

    Eventually Bell said, ¡°I don¡¯t really understand what you are saying, about the ¡®You would have noticed¡¯ thing. I mean ¡ª I agree. You would have noticed. But still, I¡¯m thinking perhaps this has less to do with your self-esteem and more to do with who you are.¡± She mumbled a few unintelligible words, before continuing. ¡°I mean, if you say reality split, it¡¯s probably a given that it did. Regardless of how you came to the conclusion, I don¡¯t think you could possibly make that up.¡±

    Theora¡¯s voice caught a little. Somehow, she¡¯d expected more pushback. ¡°But I don¡¯t think we were duplicated. I think I¡¯d be aware if there was a second me.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­ I see.¡±

    ¡°What makes this a little bit more convoluted,¡± Theora added, ¡°is that I did ask Dr. Alp and the detective to perform tests on whether or not there was something weird going on, and they said there wasn¡¯t. So reality must have split in a very¡­ profound way. In a way that cannot be detected, not even by magic.¡±

    Bell shrugged. ¡°That would be the whole point of making it a new reality, yes. That¡¯s not surprising.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Theora took a deep breath. ¡°But I detected it.¡± She looked up to the window that was next to the entry to the Lavish. Seeing the train from the outside like this felt awkward ¡ª she¡¯d only been on it for a day, and yet being away from it felt wrong somehow. ¡°I find it weird that I would be the only one. They ran so many tests.¡±

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Of course you would detect something like this even when others have trouble with it,¡± Bell deadpanned. ¡°By glancing into different realities, you can reveal the hidden fates of any ¡®would¡¯ and ¡®never-will-be¡¯ implied within the fabric of the world.¡±

    Theora¡¯s mouth hung open for a moment, then she tilted her head. ¡°Why does that sentence sound so familiar?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s your Class description, you dork. You¡¯re a [Stargazer].¡±

    Ah. That made sense. ¡°But I¡¯ve barely even used my Class. Just had my head in the clouds for a moment.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more about who of all people would manage to unlock such a Class. It¡¯s because you keep having your head in the clouds that you would notice. Whoever decided to tamper with the world probably had no clue what you could do¡­ ah. That¡¯s useful information, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Right, definitely. It was totally useful. ¡°Because¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, the staffers know your Class, because you had to disclose it before entering the train. So anyone who saw your sheet would probably think better of it than doing something you would be almost guaranteed to notice.¡±

    Theora blinked. Ah, damn. ¡°I¡¯m, uhm¡­¡± Her heart started beating in her chest. Was she in trouble?

    ¡°What is it?¡± Bell raised an eyebrow at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s on my sheet.¡±

    ¡°¡­ How?¡±

    ¡°I may have forgotten to declare it.¡±

    ¡°¡­ How?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Theora floundered, shrugged and let her arms hang limp at her sides. ¡°My stat sheet is completely glitched out and broken!¡± She was mildly panicking. ¡°It wasn¡¯t so easy to transfer. I just wrote down the most important things.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t think your Class was important?¡±

    Theora clicked her tongue. ¡°It keeps teasing me. I forgot to think of it as an ability. I thought it was a¡­¡±

    Bell too stopped walking, and was just giving Theora a nonplussed look now. ¡°You thought your Class is holding you back?¡±

    ¡°Well, it keeps teasing me.¡±

    Bell pulled a singular tendril out of her thick braid and pointed it at Theora accusingly. ¡°Raquina told us, like, fifteen times that we need to disclose everything. I can¡¯t believe you forgot. She says it¡¯s important so the train can enable our existences, so¡ª¡± She shook her head slightly, sighing, letting the tendril drop. It slowly weaved itself back into the braid. ¡°Right, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re dependent on the train to keep existing. Do you feel weird at all?¡±

    Theora tried to remember what it was like to live in ¡®Reality¡¯, and¡­ ¡°Sort of. Definitely less light than in our home world. It feels a bit oppressive.¡±

    ¡°I think this reality is trying to kill you.¡±

    Theora lay her hand against the outside wall of the locomotive, not actually touching it because the bubble was in the way. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Maybe? Perhaps it¡¯s struggling more than I am.¡±

    Bell sighed and shrugged. ¡°Well, at least this tells us another very important piece of information.¡±

    Of course it did. Naturally. ¡°Which is¡­¡±

    ¡°That passengers can keep secrets from the train,¡± Bell said, half in thought. ¡°Or¡­ well, it tells us that they can keep secrets from the train if they are sturdy enough. Dema managed to survive in a reality her body wasn¡¯t made for for about¡­ thirty years, right? That¡¯s quite a long time, but she¡¯s Dema after all. But let¡¯s just say, someone who is defensively oriented might be able to survive the high Verisimilitude for a few weeks or months. Right? Which would mean¡­¡±

    ¡°That the sheets cannot be trusted to disclose all abilities,¡± Theora murmured, happy to finally be able to follow along. ¡°At least for strong passengers.¡±

    Bell hummed in agreement. ¡°We definitely need access to those sheets somehow.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Theora tilted her head. ¡°Didn¡¯t we just establish that they are unreliable?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why,¡± Bell said, nodding. ¡°If another passenger on the train can warp reality like you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Like me?¡±

    ¡°[im//possibility], yeah,¡± Bell continued impatiently. ¡°Basically, either they disclosed the ability, which would give us a lead to work on, or we can maybe figure out discrepancies between their behaviour and how they act, which would also give us a lead. It all starts with those sheets¡­ I wonder how well they are being guarded.¡±

    Theora turned Bell¡¯s words over in her head, trying to follow along; Bell¡¯s mind was amazingly fast-paced. Theora fidgeted with her dress while looking at the sky, tempted to ask her smaller self for help, but decided she would try herself. Eventually, she turned the thoughts in her mind so much, she stumbled. ¡°Wait,¡± she said. ¡°I found a problem.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    Theora bit her lip. If Dema¡¯s strength was any indication, then¡­ ¡°Nobody,¡± she said. ¡°Everyone here is a little weak, compared to Dema. Fentanyle might have been able to, though, she seemed tough.¡±

    ¡°Been able to what?¡±

    ¡°Withstand the Verisimilitude defenses. Dema could have been inaccurate on the sheet, and me. Fentanyle, perhaps. But probably nobody else. Whatever is on their sheets likely reflects reality.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­ really? Wait, is Dema that strong?¡±

    Theora hummed. ¡°She tends to be underestimated because she hides her aura.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what? But she¡¯s a literal beacon? I thought she was really open about how powerful she is.¡±

    ¡°She pretends to be.¡± Dema said it was helping her with her ¡®evil schemes¡¯, though Theora suspected she just liked showing off.

    Bell¡¯s tendrils twitched. ¡°Wait, then¡ª wait. I¡¯ll ignore how this makes no sense, but that means, between Dema and Fentanyle¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Who would win? Theora stared into the sky for a while. Dema could withstand a lot of damage, and she was agile, and she could use blood¡­ Sure, she could be clumsy, but at the same time she was fairly athletic, because she liked to move around a lot.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry.¡± Theora cleared her throat, reddening slightly. ¡°Got carried away imagining Dema fight. But it¡¯s difficult to say who would win, based on presence alone,¡± she admitted. ¡°I¡¯d need to look at Fentanyle¡¯s sheet, and even then¡­¡±

    ¡°Hold on¡­ so what you¡¯re saying is¡­ the outcome isn¡¯t clear¡­? Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to spar with Fentanyle? Why spar with her if Dema might already win¡­?¡±

    Theora swallowed a dry throat. She looked to the side in embarrassment. Her blush deepened.

    ¡°Theora?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because Fentanyle is taller than me¡­¡±

    Bell shook her head in exasperation. ¡°¡­ You are utterly hopeless.¡±

    Theora still couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to look Bell in the eye, but when her gaze fell upon the locomotive, her brain fortunately provided her with the perfect opportunity to change the topic. ¡°Maybe someone used the train.¡±

    ¡°Used the train?¡±

    ¡°I mean¡­ we¡¯re outside right now, in the miasma. Right? But from what I remember when I was in it, it didn¡¯t look like this. Maybe the train is constructing the outside too? If it can create a world like this¡± ¡ª She gestured around ¡ª ¡°and amend itself to suit the passengers, then perhaps it can amend the inside too.¡±

    Bell blinked. She looked very unconvinced. ¡°Look, I know your ideas of what is possible are warped because of your life¡¯s experiences, but still¡­ There¡¯s a world of difference between connecting reality, as opposed to creating it.¡± She clicked her tongue, trying to remember something. ¡°Actually, have you ever heard of the question at the heart of [Divination]?¡±

    Theora frowned. ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡±

    Bell bit her tongue. ¡°Well, sadly I can¡¯t really explain this very well because I only took a cursory look into the topic when I was picking my Mage Class. None would know, we need to send them a letter. But either way ¡ª even taking something from one reality and placing it into another can be considered ¡®doable¡¯. But you can¡¯t just create. That doesn¡¯t work. At least not without tremendous amounts of resources.¡±

    ¡°But the Devil of Truth tried to create a new reality to flee into.¡±

    Bell sighed. ¡°Right, that one-of-a-kind ancient demon who you fought inside his own domain. You do realise that the opponents you have faced throughout the ages don¡¯t compare to what you would randomly find on an interdimensional train, right?¡±

    ¡°How do you even know all of this?¡± Theora grumbled. ¡°Knowing so much about my past makes it far too easy for you to criticise me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not criticising you, I¡¯m giving context,¡± Bell claimed. ¡°And the reason why I know is beside the point.¡±

    Theora still considered Bell¡¯s prior words, and somewhat had to agree. Had the Devil of Truth and Fentanyle fought inside his domain, he would have won. It was just because Theora was a little larger than average that she could defeat him.

    ¡°So¡­¡± Theora gave the locomotive and the six carriages behind it another look-over. ¡°You¡¯re saying that just because the train can amend itself to its passengers, that doesn¡¯t mean it can create a new world?¡±

    ¡°Even if it could, which ¡ª it¡¯s possible, I guess ¡ª but even then, the train is just a tool. Someone would have needed to wield it. And there are much better avenues to pursue for now ¡ª we haven¡¯t even looked at the sheets yet and you are already making wild guesses we have no basis for¡­ Plus, we¡¯re inside miasma right now. What if there are unique magical phenomena out here? I don¡¯t know, perhaps the train got hit by a reality-altering ray or something.¡±

    ¡°Who is making wild guesses again?¡±

    Bell looked away shyly. ¡°I¡¯m saying we need to investigate first before coming to conclusions.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ we have to figure out how this train actually works,¡± Theora supplied. ¡°And then, if it can rewrite reality, we need to figure out who did it. And if it can¡¯t, we need to determine what else could have done it.¡±

    Bell nodded. ¡°That sounds about right.¡±