Chapter 207: Twins

  “What’s she doing?” Kit muttered.

  “I… I don’t know,” Destiny frowned. “She’s just standing there. Is she scared?”

  Suddenly, a light flashed in front of Prota. It was small, but something about it seemed strange. There was an unusual power emanating from it, one Destiny could feel, even from the top of the cliff.

  “Wait, what the hell is that spell?” he muttered, leaning in closer. “I’ve never seen anything like that. Does it even have an elemental affinity?”

  He turned to Kit, hoping for an answer, but the fox’s eyes were wide, her entire body trembling.

  “Hey,” she said nervously. “We should back up.”

  “Back up?” Destiny scoffed. “Look how far away we are. Are you telling me the spell is that big?”

  “I don’t know. But that’s not normal,” Kit said. “That’s… that’s just pure mana.”

  “Pure- what?”

  “Nothing but destructive force. It’s not in the shape of anything. It doesn’t have a purpose. It’s just… mana.”

  Destiny didn’t say anything, but he did back up as he was told. Together, the two watched as the light grew brighter. Brighter. Even the golem had noticed it now, and was doing its best to turn around. Rocks began to tumble all around, but even then, Prota didn’t lose her concentration.

  “What the… seriously, what kind of spell is that?” Destiny muttered.

  Finally, it seemed she was finished. An incredible wind had picked up from the sheer power of the spell she’d created, causing her cloak and hair to whip around. There was a defiant look in her eyes, even from far away, her eyes glowing brightly as she stared up at the golem.

  For a brief moment, her mouth opened, but the word uttered was impossible to hear.

  It didn’t matter.

  With a roar, the light turned into a giant beam, completely engulfing the monster before the little girl. It was a thing of pure, white energy, essentially disintegrating the golem.

  Such a thing was absurd. This was a monster that typically required at least two B-rank adventurers to beat. The guild usually assigned more, just to keep the adventurers safe, but two was the minimum needed to actually do damage to this thing.

  Then, what was even the point of the adventuring system if a girl like this could accomplish such a feat?

  Destiny watched in awe as Prota floated back up, a few beads of sweat dripping down her cheek. Now that she was close up, it was obvious that she was tired. Aside from the way she usually looked, her posture indicated exhaustion, and she was panting ever so slightly. The girl was trying to hide it, but she’d definitely expended most of her energy in that one attack.

  Such a spell definitely wasn’t practical. It left her open for an incredible amount of time, and if she missed, she’d be effectively useless. That being said, it was no less impressive.

  “Um… That was… Wow,” Destiny finally said.

  To be honest, there were no other words for the performance Prota had just put on. Such a thing went beyond logic. To begin with, just what was that spell? That wasn’t normal, regardless of the individual. But then for such a little girl to do something like that…

  It was absurd.

  “Good?” Prota asked.

  For a moment, Destiny felt a chill run down his spine. He was sure the girl harbored no ill intentions, but her bored-like expression combined with her monotone voice made it seem like she was tired of him. As if demanding more would be an issue.

  “Ah… no, that was… that was good,” he said nervously. “Are you… are you sure you need my help?”

  To his surprise, Prota reacted negatively. He would’ve thought something like that would be a compliment, but she actually seemed more nervous than anything.

  “Y-yes,” she stammered. “Please help.”

  “Um… alright.”

  With that, Prota’s first and last showcase for Destiny ended.

  ~~~

  “Sir,” Destiny said, letting himself into Albert’s office.

  “Oh, you’re back. What’s up, kid?” Albert said, sitting up in his seat. “I don’t think we had anything we needed you to do.”

  “I think we should have someone else help out with this ordeal,” Destiny said simply.

  “Someone else?” Albert frowned. “Hey. I know you’ve got an idea of what’s going on here, so you’re not saying that lightly, but… really?

  “Sir. You didn’t see what I saw,” Destiny said. “I won’t say too much, but… she used a single spell to obliterate a golem.”

  “What?!”

  Albert rose suddenly, slamming his hands on the table.

  “That’s the quality of a top tier A-rank adventurer! I know that’s the rank we gave her, but that was because of her performance against Elfin! Kid, hell, even you could be A-rank!”

  “Aren’t we handing that rank out a little too easily?” Destiny said casually. “I mean, there’s only one rank higher than that-”

  “Kid. I don’t know how sheltered you were, or maybe you’re just green, but you are already considerably stronger than the average adventurer. Do you think this is some kind of game? We’re not a country at war! People don’t need to risk their lives regularly! I don’t know why you’re so freakishly good at combat, but even a strong mage can easily fall to a goblin if they slip up once.”

  Destiny remained silent. Albert sighed, rubbing his face.

  “Maybe you’re just young,” he said. “I don’t know. You have aspirations of becoming some kind of legend. But we’re people. This isn’t some fairy tale. Did you know that the average soldier would easily be a B-rank adventurer?”

  “What?” Destiny frowned. “But… they’re not…”

  “That strong, yes. Have you ever noticed- no, of course you wouldn’t have. Kid. There are a bunch of B-rank adventurers. Those are people who can fight. That’s all they are. They’re not good fighters. They’re just fighters.”

  “So my ranking…”

  “Yes, is tentative. I believe you should be higher, but you were sent here on a mission, so we’re not going to call any attention to you. Look. I get you were raised in some fancy place, but strong people are few and far between. There are a few standards for ranking up, but it mainly comes down to how capable you are, not how strong you are. Let’s take that girl, for example. Sure, she can obliterate a golem- I’m going to ignore how ridiculous that is. If she couldn’t hold her own, that wouldn’t mean squat.”

  “Huh? What do you mean?” Destiny asked.

  “I mean, if she hadn’t fought against Elfin the way she had, she wouldn’t be A rank, even with her firepower. If she was just a human cannon, that’s not a good adventurer. That’s just a weapon. Do you understand? The rank system is often associated with strength, but that’s not what it’s meant to determine. What it exists for… is how capable one is at handling themselves.”

  “Then the goblin quest-”

  “Yes. It needed two B-rank adventurers, not because goblins are strong, but because it’s very easy to panic with that many enemies around.”

  Destiny nodded. It made sense. His impression of the guild system had always been to elevate the strong, but it seemed that the system was far more fair and logical than that. Of course, the correlation was strong, but that was all it was. Correlation. Not causation.

  “Wait, sir. But you said the top of A-rank,” Destiny said. “Then… if strength doesn’t mean anything, why did you say that?”

  “Ah.” Albert fell back in his chair. “Alright. So, even within A-rank, there’s gotta be a difference, right? All of you guys are capable, but even within A-rank, there are differences in strength. See, S-rank stops being about capability. To get to A-rank implies you’re already good enough to take care of your life. S-rank, then… is based on feats.”

  “Feats?”

  “Accomplishments. The types of quests you complete. It’s about your status and legacy as an adventurer. So when I say the top of A-rank… it’s a feat that would belong to an S-class adventurer. But it wouldn’t quite make her one, because it’s all she has.”

  “I see…”

  While the explanation had been interesting, it wasn’t really necessary. Still, it was a good lesson to learn.

  “Alright. Back to the girl. Are you sure about this?” Albert frowned, clasping his hands on his desk. “Sure, she’s a good fighter. But she’s… um… how shall I put this… odd. Her circumstances, her background, all incredibly odd. Can she be trusted?”

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  Destiny thought about the question. It was a good question, to be fair.

  Could she be trusted?

  Logically, the answer was unknown. Sure, his lie detector told him Prota had yet to say any lies, but the statements he’d heard were so absurd that he couldn’t even fully trust his own powers. In his defense, however, it was reasonable to be thinking that way.

  What normal person would just accept such insane statements thrown out, just like that?

  However, instinct told him yes. Prota could be trusted. She’d shown him an incredible spell, told him she could use Soul Steal, something he hadn’t even known about until Kit taught him, and she’d informed him of a threat no one would’ve even known about. Of course, all of it might be a lie, but what ulterior motive could she have?

  “Yes, sir,” Destiny nodded. “I believe she can.”

  “Great,” Albert grumbled. “More paperwork for me to do. Fine. Go talk to her, see if she’s willing to hop on. At the very least, we can pay her well. Seeing a kid that young without a guardian worries me.”

  “Understood. Thank you, sir.”

  ~~~

  “Are you stupid?!”

  Prota winced, covering her head with her pillow.

  True to her word, Anta woke up that day. It had been exactly a month, meaning the soul was once again up and ready. Prota had forgotten that Anta wasn’t another person, and thus had assumed that her actions would’ve gone unmonitored.

  However, being the same individual, it seemed that Anta did in fact know everything Prota had been up to in the past month, and she had some strong opinions to voice.

  “Haah… well, we’re just lucky nothing happened,” she sighed. “I guess Destiny’s a good guy… still, you don’t know what you almost did, do you?”

  “...no?”

  “It’s what Kit explained. The butterfly effect. I get what you were trying to do, and it was pretty clever, but there’s a lot of finesse we need to be aware of. Seriously, John should’ve taught you all this if he was going to go off and do something stupid… fine. I’ll teach you the basics now.”

  Prota lifted the pillow off her head, sitting up and listening attentively.

  Most of Anta’s lecture was what Kit had explained, with a few additions specific to their scenario.

  At the moment, their goal was to follow the path they’d taken before, hoping to meet John at the points where he needed [Deus Ex Machina] energy. As far as they knew, there were only six locations in which he could acquire it:

  Doctor.

  Sofya.

  The Ninetails prince.

  The lab.

  Diaboli.

  And Prota herself.

  The last two sources could be dismissed, as they weren’t tied to chronological events. The other four, however, were things she and John had naturally encountered on their journey. They hadn’t been searching for it.

  It had come to them.

  Thus, the [Author] could definitely be seen as having been involved with these things. By that logic…

  “They’ll happen again,” Anta concluded. “But if we trigger the events early, who knows what’s going to happen? We might let someone like Doctor or Sofya go on a rampage before anyone capable of stopping them shows up. Remember. Our goal isn’t [DEM]. It’s to meet John. [DEM] is just a means to an end. Do you understand?”

  Prota nodded. It made sense, to a degree. She wasn’t fully sure that she understood it well, but it made enough sense that she wouldn’t question it.

  “Good,” Anta sighed. “Do you see now why getting Destiny involved like this was such an issue?”

  “...no?”

  “Seriously, you… ok, look. You told him know the future. What if you had told him where Doctor is, and what he can do? About everything going on here? Don’t you think he would want to go solve things early? To fight Doctor immediately?”

  “But… isn’t that better?”

  “That’s the issue!” Anta exclaimed. “Prota. You’re not the [Author]. You can’t just solve everything on your own. You know who tried to do that? John. Look at where he is now.”

  Prota shuddered. That was right. John did want to do that. He often expressed his regret at not being able to use more of his powers. But there was a force actively preventing him from doing so.

  She suddenly realized what Anta was saying. By trying to force a solution to a problem not meant to be solved, she could inadvertently be inviting greater issues into the picture. By trying to avoid the struggle and consequence that came along with the path she was meant to follow, she would wind up deeper into the woods, on a path that was no longer clear.

  “I… nn. Sorry,” Prota said dejectedly.

  “It’s fine,” Anta sighed. “I should’ve warned you about something like this before going to sleep, anyway. Just… well, I’ll have a little talk with him. As your older sister, of course.”

  “Older…” Prota frowned. “Why are you older?”

  “Huh? Isn’t it obvious?”

  “...no? You’re… soul. How are you older?”

  Anta laughed. “You’re getting worked up over this?”

  Prota didn’t respond, but her fists balled up in anger.

  “Fine, fine. Twins. How about that?”

  “Nn… fine.”

  Her hair went from blue to red as Anta took over the body once more.

  “All right,” she said with a grin. “Time to go have a proper conversation.”

  ~~~

  “...sorry, who are you?”

  Of course, Destiny’s initial reaction was one of confusion. While Anta was identical to Prota other than the colour of their eyes and hair, the change in expression was more than enough to give the soul the vibes of an entirely different entity.

  And, to be fair, Anta was effectively a different person entirely.

  “Seriously, this is why it wasn’t good for her to go yapping around…” Anta muttered.

  Destiny had found her while she’d been wandering the town. It worked out, since Anta had been looking for the hero, anyway, and while Destiny was confused, he’d managed to lead her to a clearing in the forest before asking the question.

  “Um… is this something you can’t answer, or…”

  “Tell that fox to turn into her human form,” Anta grumbled. “She might be able to explain things better than me.”

  Destiny needed to do no such thing. Kit immediately turned into her human form, a frown on her face.

  “Hey. You can’t talk to me like that. Do you-”

  “Ok, great! This is exhausting enough as it is, so I’m going to be quick about it. To begin with, I’m Anta. Prota’s soul. You can tell which one of us is controlling the body based on the colour of our eyes and hair. Got it?”

  “Eyes… and hair?” Destiny frowned.

  Anta didn’t bother answering the question. Instead, she pushed Prota back into the body, giving an impromptu presentation of what she meant. She then made her way back in, looking at the hero.

  “Got it?”

  “How… fascinating,” Kit muttered. “The existence of souls… are they truly like that?”

  “No,” Anta said shortly. “It’s just me. And that John guy Prota told you about earlier.”

  “Um… so are you here to explain things, or…”

  Destiny seemed utterly confused, even with his mask on. Well, that was to be expected.

  “Yeah. First off, this takes a lot of energy out of me, so don’t expect to see me too often,” Anta said, her tone curt. “Second, let’s talk about the regression thing.”

  “Regression?”

  “I presume you’re here to ask us to help with Albert’s thing,” Anta said.

  Destiny’s eyes widened.

  “It was an issue in our previous life, too. Why are you surprised?”

  “Wait, then can’t you-”

  “No. Do you remember what Kit said?” Anta sighed. “Look. As much as you have your goals, we have our own goals, too, goals Prota already told you about. Unfortunately, that means we can’t change things. Kit probably understands. Kit, how much research have you done on time travel?”

  Kit closed her eyes, deep in thought. “Hm… well, I can’t say I’ve looked into it too much. It’s not only an incredibly implausible magic, but it’s also taboo. We’ve always been told that time shouldn’t be interfered with too much, but… I sort of get the gist.”

  “Great. Then, I’m going to say this simply: Prota is going to effectively be a tool. Do you understand?”

  “A… tool?”

  “She’s strong. But she also knows the future, so she can’t be solving things for you guys. Figuring that out… it’s going to be up to you. Actually, scratch that.”

  Destiny was confused, but surprisingly, so was Prota.

  “...why?” she said telepathically.

  “It’s because John was necessary to help Destiny solve this issue in their past life, so you’ll need to give them a few nudges as well,” Anta thought back. “You… well, I’ll tell you what to do. Unless you want to do it yourself.”

  Prota didn’t reply, but her feeling of satisfaction was conveyed properly.

  “Look, the point is, you can’t have Prota solving everything for you, alright?” Anta said aloud. “For now, she’s like a weapon. Don’t treat her like one. But when it comes to deciding what to do next, don’t ask her for advice. She’s not allowed to give you any. We’ll give you advice when it’s needed.”

  “But if we can solve the issue sooner-”

  “We’re going to only make things worse, Des. Right? Um… Anta?”

  “That’s right,” Anta nodded. “Look, hero. I get that you want to save people. I do, too. But we have to be careful before moving, because one wrong move, and we might end up killing a lot more people than we save. So, for now… let’s just wait.”

  Destiny seemed to consider it for a moment. He looked troubled, but he also didn’t say anything in opposition, which was good enough.

  “Great,” Anta said, turning to leave. “You can tell Albert I’m in. If you guys could pay us well, that would be good, too.”

  “Pay?” Kit echoed, somewhat stunned.

  “What? Did you think a kid would be making stacks of money?” Anta laughed. “As if. We need to get by somehow.”

  “Wait, you’re a kid?” Destiny exclaimed. “Hold on, just how old are you?”

  “In our past life? We died… hm… around thirteen years old?” Anta said hesitantly. “Something like that. There was a bit of a messy moment with a stasis chamber and stuff, but… yeah?”

  “...and how old are you now?” Kit said, her tone somewhat nervous.

  “Eight!” Anta grinned cheerfully. “I, um… I lied on our identification papers. Ok, but technically, we’re fourteen. Older than that, if you count a bunch of [Resets].”

  “...fourteen?” Destiny said quietly. “That’s… that’s it? You’re trying to save the world at fourteen?”

  “I don’t wanna hear it from a guy who’s technically younger than me,” Anta said, poking Destiny in the chest. “And don’t tell me you’re reincarnated, because I don’t care.”

  “But-”

  “I’m going back. You won’t see me too often, but you’d better treat Prota well, alright? She’s… she’s a little shy, if you couldn’t tell,” Anta said with a mischievous grin. “Remember what I said. Weapon. Not an advisor. Got it? You’d be surprised at what else we’re capable of.”

  Kit’s eyes shot open in surprise. “Wait, you mean that spell wasn’t it?”

  “I’ll see you two around,” Anta said.

  With that, she disappeared, leaving Prota behind. The fierce smile faded into a mask of neutrality, and the harsh reds were replaced by Prota’s more calming blue. The girl herself seemed a little confused, as well as a little embarrassed, although those who weren’t familiar with her wouldn’t know that.

  “...well. That’s going to take some getting used to,” Kit said awkwardly. “Two sentient souls in a single body, both aware of each other… we haven’t even thought of this, let alone heard of such a thing…”

  “Um… not normal. Us,” Prota clarified. “It’s not… mana won’t help. Different. You can’t…”

  Kit seemed a little dejected upon hearing that. Even so, Prota was a little relieved to see that her Mystic mentor was the same as always.

  Destiny, however, seemed incredibly conflicted. He was pacing back and forth, muttering to himself incessantly, occasionally stomping his feet and groaning.

  “Is… is he ok?” Prota said nervously.

  “...you know his past, right?” Kit said quietly. “It’s… he’s probably thinking of himself. He’s like that, though. What am I saying? If you were our friend, you should know this. He’s not the kind of guy who lets others sacrifice themselves for something. His wish for this world… you get it, right?”

  Prota nodded.

  “Kit seems ok,” she pointed out.

  “Me?” Kit laughed. “Don’t get me wrong. This is definitely quite the shock. But like I said… isn’t it simply interesting? Besides, I’m supposed to be the god here. I can’t ruin our reputation by allowing myself to lose my composure.”

  “Nn… ok.”

  Prota didn’t really get it, but if Kit was fine, then that was all that really mattered.

  Behind the fox, it seemed Destiny had worked out whatever he needed to work out. He shook his head once, then walked back over to Prota.

  “...hey.”

  Prota just looked back at the hero.

  “I’m… I’m gonna be honest. I don’t really know what to make of all this. You understand, right?”

  Prota nodded. It was, after all, quite the bombshell to drop on someone.

  “But no matter how I think about it, I don’t think it’s right. Look. I came from another world of suffering, and my goal is to stop that. I don’t want to lose people, and I was given the ability to do that. But you… you came back, only to risk it all again. And you don’t have the experience. The age. Is this… is this really something you want to do?”

  Once again, Prota simply nodded. This time, however, there was a bit of a defiant look in her eyes.

  It was fine for Destiny to pity her. It was fine for anybody to think anything of her, actually, because she didn’t particularly care anymore. However, she had a feeling she knew what was coming next, and if she was right, she wouldn’t accept what he had to say next.

  This was her decision to make. Her burden was heavy, but she wouldn’t let anyone else carry it for her.

  They could help. They could ease the weight.

  But she would see this through until the end.

  “Prota,” Destiny said, drawing his blade. “...I’m going to stop you here.”