Chapter 179: Love

  John stared at the Ninetails sitting across from him.

  “...what is love?” he frowned. “What kinda question is that?”

  “Isn’t love interesting?” Rina said simply, picking up her cup again. “It can force us to regress, turning us from sentient beings to beasts.”

  “Um. Sure. What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Have you loved before, John?” Rina said, looking at him intently. “Not familial love. Not the love you feel for friends. A romantic interest, a burning passion for a single individual.”

  John remained silent.

  “I see. Then you do not understand,” Rina said with a soft chuckle.

  “Look, I’m not interested in a psychological analysis on what love is, ok?” John said, regaining his bearings. “I need to know why you helped me. What do you want?”

  “Have you met Elder Kang Loy yet?” Rina said, ignoring his question.

  “Sure,” John frowned.

  She was really good at dodging his question. John let out a silent sigh. He was dealing with this kind of [Character]. Great. All of his patience would be needed here.

  “Do you know what his specialty is?”

  “...I don’t know. Magic?”

  “That book I gave you wasn’t entirely true. I do not know if this trait is available to other Mystic races, but it is available to ours.”

  John felt a shiver run through his body. What was the point of all this?

  “The Eternal Flame can be passed down without the death of its current holder. However, this takes an incredible toll on the current bearer’s mind. It causes amnesia, short-term memory loss… it would only be passed down upon extreme circumstances.”

  “...I see.”

  The dots immediately clicked. Short-term memory loss. Amnesia. A toll on the mind. John hadn’t talked to the Elder that much, but the way he spoke definitely fit the symptoms.

  “Then-”

  “Yes. You understand.”

  “And how do you know all of this?” John pointed out.

  He was starting to get an idea of what was going on here, though.

  “My full title is Elder Rina Ninetails. I am Elder Kang Loy’s wife,” she announced.

  John grimaced. He should’ve seen this one coming. Well, not really. The wife part wasn’t obvious. But her being an Elder… the clues had all been there. Still, it felt almost too easy. Too simple.

  But what reason did he have to doubt things?

  None.

  “So, what? You want me to take revenge?”

  “Revenge?” Rina smiled sadly. “No. If it were revenge I wanted, I would have taken it myself. After all, an Elder is easily replaced.”

  “Then why haven’t they already-”

  “The Ninetails clan is full of internal turmoil. Such is to be expected of a clan that specializes in illusion magic. Even the slightest imbalance can cause our clan to come crumbling down.”

  “So, what? Let me guess. The royal family wants the Eternal Flame for themselves. I don’t know, maybe they want to wage war on other Mystics. Kang Loy didn’t want that, so he forcefully passed it down. He discovered Kit before anyone else and trained her in secret.”

  “Precisely. We were hiding her. But they found out anyway. And while I am pleased to see she has made some extraordinary friends, it seems I have found out in quite the unfortunate way.”

  “...you?”

  “Kit… does not have the best of relations with her family. Elder Kang Loy is like a father to her. Then I-”

  “Ok, ok, I get it.”

  John stood up, letting out yet another sigh. This was a lot to take in, but thankfully, it all made sense. It was relatively easy to keep up with, and it wasn’t a [Plotline] he was unfamiliar with.

  “So.” He turned to look at Elder Rina. “What do you want from me?”

  “Kit. That girl loves you, you know.”

  That single statement stunned John from head to toe. He froze, momentarily forgetting to breathe.

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “...she admires you, you know.”

  “That’s too bad,” John said quietly. “I’m not someone she should admire.”

  “I see why she does. She was oppressed for so long. You, on the other hand, are free.”

  “Me?” John laughed. “And how do you know that?”

  “Is it not obvious?” Rina laughed. “Look at how you speak to me in this very moment.”

  John grimaced. Great, another incredibly observant person he had to deal with.

  “So, what do you want? You still haven’t answered the question,” John pointed out.

  “Ah. Yes. Listen closely, boy. I do not know what the royal family wants with the Eternal Flame. I do not understand why they chase it so desperately. But I will tell you this. Our clan is not the strongest in raw combat. We rely heavily on our illusions. The Eternal Flame… that is all of our offensive firepower.”

  “Then without it-”

  “Yes. But we are not here to speculate. My husband rid himself of it because he would rather be free than tied down in a duty he does not wish to serve. Kit also had no desire to be another tool. But now… I do not know what has come over that child. If this is truly her will, then do as you will.”

  Rina stood up, hobbling over to John. She took his hands, the warmth of her own hands spreading into his body.

  “But if that child is being held against her will.” Rina looked up into John’s eyes, tears brimming within her own. “Please. I beg of you to do something.”

  “...me?”

  Rina sighed shakily, letting go of John’s hands.

  “I understand. You are a mortal. Well… I have told you our tale. What you choose to do with it… that is up to you.”

  She sat down, and it felt like a fire had just been put out. John stood up hesitantly, unsure of what to do.

  “Are you sure you don’t know why they want this power?” he said quietly.

  “No.”

  “And nothing weird has happened in the past year or so?”

  For a moment, it looked like Rina flinched, but upon further inspection, she was merely confused.

  “...no. That is an odd question to ask.”

  “Yeah.” John turned to leave. “Sorry I asked.”

  ~~~

  As soon as he got home, he laid in his bed and closed his eyes. He could hear the words they’d spoken echoing in his mind.

  Worst of all, though, he remembered a promise he’d made.

  “Once. When you need someone to help you. When you can’t get out of a scenario. I promise I’ll help you out, ok?”

  “Argh!” he groaned. “Why did I promise to do that? Seriously?”

  John lied a lot, but he didn’t go back on his promises if he could help it. When he promised to do something, it was because he wanted to do it. So for him to use a promise on something so trivial…

  “I’m such a dumbass,” he muttered.

  Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. John frowned. Who could possibly have come to see him? He slipped off the bed and ran downstairs, opening the door to see—

  “Kit?” John frowned. “And who’s-”

  “Hello. I am Prince Chen So. It is a pleasure to meet you, Kit’s companion,” he said.

  Despite his kind words, his expression portrayed disgust. He hid it well, but John was used to these kinds of [Characters].

  That didn’t mean they didn’t piss him off any less.

  “Where are your other companions?” the prince said, looking around. “I do not see them.”

  John opened his mouth, then closed it again. He’d been about to say that they were out training with the Elder, but now that he thought about it, the prince and the Elder didn’t have the best of histories.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “I don’t know,” John said. “I just got back from walking around the village.”

  “Walking around… the village,” the prince repeated, a moment of irritation slipping in. “I see. Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. You are all invited to the wedding. I presume you will be there?”

  “Yeah,” John said, but he wasn’t sure if that was true.

  “Very well. We shall take our leave.”

  “Wait.”

  The door was about to close, but John stopped it in the last second.

  “Kit. Mind if we talk for a bit?”

  Kit looked confused, but she turned to the prince.

  “Very well. Be back at the castle.”

  “Yes, my love,” Kit smiled.

  Chen So wasted no time in departing, seemingly disgusted to be in the presence of a human. At least, that’s what John thought.

  “John?” Kit said, snapping him out of his thoughts. “What’s up?”

  “...Kit,” he said quietly, closing the door. “Is this what you want?”

  “Well, now that you say it… I think I do,” Kit smiled. “I’ve been getting to know him, you know. He’s such a nice fellow. He takes such good care of me, and he’s so friendly. I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of my life here.”

  “Yeah,” John said absentmindedly. “Um… so, this is it?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, that’s it. You’re just… you’re just getting married?”

  “I suppose it is rather sudden, but yes, I suppose that is it.” Kit smiled. “I feel so at peace, John. This is my home, you know? It was fun spending time with you mortals, but then again, it’s not something that was meant to be.”

  “I see. Well, I wish you the best, then,” John smiled.

  “Thank you. Really, John. I mean it.”

  John saw her off as she left, watching until she was out of sight. As soon as she was gone, he went back inside and sat at the table, brooding.

  “What?” Zero teased, popping out for the first time in months. “Afraid your girl will get stolen?”

  John gagged, snapping him out of his bad mood. “Don’t say that again.”

  “Oh, please. I’m as hesitant to date a [Character] as you are. But that got you out of your slump, didn’t it?”

  John sighed. Zero was right, as usual.

  “Where were you all these months?” John said, changing the topic. “Would’ve been nice to have a second opinion.”

  Zero shrugged. “Nothing I could’ve said that wouldn’t get censored. Besides, you understand things now, don’t you?”

  “No, I don’t. Where does the paper come into play? Why was it-”

  “Oh, please. You already thought of the answer. Well, you don’t know why they need the Eternal Flame. But everything else you got down pretty well.”

  John grimaced. “I see.”

  He was surprised that Zero’s confirmation hadn’t been censored, but then again, he wasn’t one to question the [Author’s] rules. However, now that he understood what was going on to some extent, he realized just how terrible the situation was.

  The prince did, in fact, have some degree of [Deus Ex Machina] energy. It was likely incredibly light. Just like Sofya, he hadn’t sensed anything, but if Zero was saying he was right, he was definitely right. The power, then, was likely just light enough to maintain control.

  John didn’t quite get the motives, but right now, motives didn’t matter. He could feel a rage simmering within him.

  [Determination activates! New limit: x5000]

  “Yeah, yeah,” he muttered.

  It wasn’t even about Kit at this point. Nobody treated him like garbage. No one. The way the prince had looked down on him was all John needed to know.

  “That asshat’s getting his shit kicked in.”

  “Great. You’re back in action. Now what?”

  “What do you mean, now what?”

  “I mean, now what? Were you planning on charging in without a plan?”

  John flinched. Zero just sighed.

  “This is why you need Prota, you know.”

  “Shut up.”

  Thankfully, Zero’s words were enough to snap John out of his reckless rampage. He took a deep breath, calming himself down, then checked his calendar.

  Two weeks. He had two weeks to come up with a plan. That plan had to be simple enough that Destiny and Prota would understand it within a day, because he couldn’t reveal it to them any sooner.

  “It’s not enough,” John muttered.

  This wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to just come up with a plan.

  Initially, John had been under the assumption that the [Story] was focused on Destiny. However, he now understood that he was someone who was also meant to play a role within this world. Zero had said it to him at some point, but he was just now remembering it.

  The [Story] was actively changing around him. In a way, he and the [Author] were working in tandem to rewrite a [Story] in order to include his existence and [Deus Ex Machina] energy. He was still an [Anomaly]. If he so pleased, he could easily fade out of existence or become a villain.

  But right now, he was a [Deutoragonist]. He had to admit it. His time in the Town of Beginnings, his time at Scholaris, they’d taught him an important lesson.

  He, too, was playing an important role in this world. This wasn’t a role he’d needed to play. But he’d forcefully inserted himself into Destiny’s story as a companion, and his contributions were far too large to be seen as a mere [Companion].

  That meant that the current series of events would play out as a [Story] normally would, albeit a few twists. And if that were the case, then John had an idea of what was going on.

  If he observed his life in this world so far, he could easily divide it into [Arcs]. A segment of the [Story] with its own beginning, climax and end, a period of time with an achievable goal.

  The first [Arc] was his arrival, although he wasn’t sure if that had been shown. The second [Arc] had been his meeting with Prota and his formation of the [Destiny Bond]. The third [Arc] was the fiasco with Doctor, the end goal of which was to defeat the madman.

  The fourth [Arc] was messier. It could easily be divided into three arcs, but ultimately, John understood that his entire time at Scholaris had been to point him in this direction.

  The meeting with the Mystics.

  And that meant that this was no ordinary scuffle. The end of the [Arc] was arriving soon. Indeed, it seemed that every [Arc] had ended with a fight involving a being with [Deus Ex Machina] energy.

  His opponent this time…

  “I understand it now,” John muttered, clenching his fists.

  The [Author] had adapted to include John. That meant that there was always an added twist to these fights.

  The first fight was obvious. Diaboli had beaten John, fair and square. There was nothing more to it. He’d gone up against an opponent he, as of right now, couldn’t beat.

  With Doctor, it’d been his ability of [Control]. An unexpected factor that had resulted in John losing his ability to [Reset]. Such a power had dominated Destiny, the [Protagonist], resulting in a loss that should’ve never happened.

  With Sofya, John had a feeling that this fight had never been planned in the first place. Hikari had likely been the final boss, considering that they were a cultist the whole time. Regardless, John had been caught off guard with a mental attack he hadn’t been expecting. However, he’d learned that the [Plot] wasn’t rock solid. His actions could influence the outcome of minor things. While he couldn’t completely reroute a river, he could carve out a stream to nurture a few plants that would’ve otherwise lacked water.

  So, by this logic, there was something new here. Something he wouldn’t expect, something that would catch him off guard.

  A single plan wasn’t enough. He needed a plan. And then a backup plan. And a backup to the backup.

  And if all of that failed…

  John shook his head.

  “It won’t come to that.”

  There was a faint rustling sound as John reached into his bag. Slowly, he withdrew the weapon he’d brought one more time.

  He held it up, the light of the lantern glistening against the metal. It felt so comfortable in his hands. The balance was just right, the grip nestling into his hands perfectly. His finger rested on the trigger, squeezing ever so slightly…

  “No,” he muttered.

  He still remembered what Zero had told him.

  “One shot. That’s all you get.”

  “What is this? Why is this what the [Author] gave me?”

  “It’s a railgun. Once. Just once, it’ll fire a beam that can kill a Mystic. It’s a weapon that can obliterate a mountain or devastate an island. The power of a nuclear bomb, condensed into a single bullet. It’ll take four seconds to fire, and when it does, the recoil will be terrible.”

  “Terrible? What kind of- what’s the point of putting recoil on a weapon that wouldn’t even be able to exist?”

  “Don’t worry about it. The point is, it’ll blow a good chunk of your body clean off. Forget broken bones. Your arm and a chunk of your chest will literally evaporate. So use your shot wisely.”

  “But-”

  “Prota can heal you, right? So make sure she’s around.”

  John clenched his teeth, putting the weapon back in his pocket dimension. Hopefully, there would only be one enemy he needed to deal with.

  But things wouldn’t be that easy. They would never be that easy.

  He sincerely hoped Prota and Destiny were prepared.

  ~~~

  “Prota! Destiny!”

  The two looked up as John came barreling into the forest.

  “I was looking for you guys. Why didn’t you come back home?”

  “Wha-” Destiny shook his head, visibly confused. “We were training. What’s going on?”

  “Fuck,” John cursed. “Shit.”

  “John?” Destiny frowned. “What’s going on?”

  “We’ve gotta get out of here,” John said, panting. He leaned on his knees for support, trying to recover his breath. “The Mystics. They caught onto my plan. They’re going to kill us.”

  “But-”

  “The rules don’t apply to us!” John exclaimed. “Come on. The Elder prepared a carriage for us. It’s deeper into the forest. We’ve gotta move.”

  “What about Kit? Where is she?”

  “She’s-” John paused. “She’s fine. If we have to come back, we have to come back, but I’m sure she can handle herself for now.”

  “John, what happened to her?”

  “I don’t know!” John exclaimed. “Look. I thought I had it figured out, but it turns out I didn’t. As we are right now, we’re not equipped to handle this scenario. Kit’s a Mystic. They’re not going to kill her. But right now, if we die, we won’t be able to do anything. Do you understand?”

  “...fine,” Destiny said quietly. “But we should at least-”

  “Do you think we can fight this?” John said, grabbing Destiny’s shoulders. “We’re not that strong. We’re strong, yes. But we’re not that strong. I’ll figure out a way for us to get back. We can even get help. But for now, we have to move.”

  Prota cast two charms of healing. Both she and Destiny were visibly fatigued, and it seemed that this was a scenario that warranted such treatment.

  They began to move with haste, sprinting through the forest. Destiny took the lead, with Prota close behind. John lagged behind even further, but that was fine. Prota took the opportunity to move closer to him.

  “John,” she whispered. “What happened? The [Plot]-”

  “I’ll explain in a bit,” John said, cutting her off. “For now, let’s get to safety. Ok?”

  She nodded, moving ahead once more. It was a good thing her expression didn’t change.

  The John she knew wouldn’t dismiss the [Plot] so easily.

  ~~~

  The day arrived. John was feeling strangely nervous.

  He shook his head. This wasn’t an emotion he should ever feel in this situation. Nervousness was reserved for when things went out of his control. To be nervous now meant…

  Ah. Things were already out of control.

  “Prota. Destiny,” John called out as he went down the stairs.

  The two were eating breakfast peacefully, ready to start another day of training. He hated to interrupt their flow, but…

  “It’s time.”

  “Time?” Prota said, tilting her head in confusion.

  “Yeah. It’s time to deal with things.”

  Destiny flinched. “Now?”

  “Yeah. I couldn’t tell you before. I’m sorry, but these Mystics… they’re clever.”

  “It’s ok,” Destiny said, shaking his head. “If you’re doing it out of cautiousness, then I suppose it really was necessary. Then… what’s going on?”

  “Kit’s getting married.”

  There was a moment of silence as the two sat there, stunned.

  “Ho-hold on,” Destiny stammered. “What do you mean, getting married?”

  “I mean, she’s getting married.”

  John explained from the start, including everything he knew. Not a single detail was left out.

  He explained the backstory nobody knew, explained how Kit’s special powers were something the prince needed, how Elder Kang Loy had sacrificed himself to protect his student, how Elder Rina taught him all this…

  From beginning to end, he didn’t leave a single detail out. He even included his suspicions that the prince wielded conceptual magic, warning everybody to watch out for it.

  “A month?!” Destiny exclaimed. “You waited a month to tell us that?”

  “I told you, they’re suspicious!” John yelled. “Look. I trust you two to keep a secret. But if they trick you, use illusions or mind control, anything, all of this goes down the drain. We’re dealing with Mystics here, Destiny. Mystics. Do you understand what that means? Do you understand just what we’re up against?”

  “I- you’re right,” Destiny said, suddenly subdued. “Right.”

  “We might even be up against multiple Mystics. Look. I don’t know why the prince needs the Eternal Flame. I’m in a strange absence of information here. I haven’t talked to any of the Ninetails. I didn’t meet anybody I knew. I didn’t learn anybody’s names. It’s… it’s weird. We should’ve met someone new in this time. But we didn’t. Something is suspicious.”

  “I see. Then… we’re going to stop it, right?” Destiny said, standing up.

  “Obviously.” John grinned. “Even if it means taking on multiple Mystics, you’re down, right?”

  “Of course.” Destiny returned the grin, somewhat consoling some of John’s nerves. “Kit’s our companion. We can’t just give her up, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  Even Prota seemed strangely enthusiastic, her eyes taking on a determined look.

  John felt his nerves calm nearly all the way down. He didn’t tell them about his weapon. Prota would only worry about him, and he couldn’t afford to have her stop him when it was needed. He himself had no plans on using the thing unless absolutely necessary, so it would be fine. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

  When he opened his eyes again, Destiny and Prota were already waiting near the door, ready to leave.

  “Come on,” Destiny said, heading out. “We’ve got a wedding to crash.”

  John nodded. Something about this felt off, but he ignored the feeling. Hesitation was good, but when it was time to take action, there was no point in worrying anymore.

  He’d done the best he could. In the end, that was all he could do.