Chapter 198: And When The Curtain Falls

  “John!” Destiny roared, his eyes glowing bright gold as he raised his sword. “You bastard! What- what-”

  An incredible amount of raw mana began to leak out from his body. The mana pool of the hero, an amount greater than any other being in the world could have, was being used all at once. Without direction or focus, it just spread out, its sheer power threatening to crush everything in its vicinity. Even his own allies were struggling to stay standing, the trees of the forest already down and flattened.

  “Why?! Why would you do that?!”

  His blade began to glow as God Slaying Sword was activated. There was no more room for communication. No more room for negotiation.

  John had just declared war.

  “Answer me!”

  “Ok, that worked,” John nodded, ignoring the hero entirely. “Then, next would be…”

  Destiny was deaf to John’s words. Just as John had predicted, the hero charged forward, sword leaving a trail of golden light behind as the half-elf moved with lightning speed.

  His sword’s name was fitting. Deicide. God slayer.

  It was simply a shame that John was not a god.

  His body turned black once more, and the blade passed through harmlessly, despite its ability to cut through anything.

  When the attack was over, John remained unharmed.

  “What is that?” Destiny gasped, immediately falling back.

  His sword was now held in a defensive stance, his body alert and ready. He was still enraged, but confusion and fear had been added to his mix of emotions, and that made him hesitate. The factor of the unknown was greater than his grief.

  “Um… To be honest, I don’t really know. Just… it’s an ability.”

  For a moment, John paused, seemingly pondering something. Everyone waited, holding their breath. Was this some legendary ability they couldn’t hope to beat? Or was there a secret to it?

  “I mean, what do you want me to say?” John finally said. “Why would I even tell you my ability? How would explaining this help me in any way-”

  Suddenly, Prota leapt forward, a giant hammer of ice crashing down on John. Unfortunately, like Briar’s hammer before, it simply disappeared, revealing a somewhat more annoyed John.

  “You’re not supposed to be able to interrupt someone when they’re explaining- ah. It’s you.”

  For a moment, John’s eyes flashed with emotion. Hope flared up in Prota’s heart. He was still there. He could still be saved.

  She had to desperately hope Celeste was dead. It was a shame that she was relying on the death of another being, but if that were true, she and John could [Reset]. Celestia could come back to life, and they’d have another chance.

  As long as she survived. As long as she killed John first.

  She had a chance to fix things.

  “Destiny!” she yelled, her eyes glowing with power.

  The last six months had taught her how to use her new core to the fullest. Everything she’d dreamed of, everything she wished she could do, it was now under her command.

  Most importantly of all, however, were the two new domains she’d developed.

  With a deep breath, she focused, and the mana in the air turned frigid cold. John was familiar with her Palace of Ice. What he wasn’t familiar with, however, was this.

  “Frozen Moon.”

  Instead of walls and floors of ice forming, a structure composed of Frozen Blossoms emerged, towering so high one might truly call it an entirely new world.

  “Go.”

  Immediately, the spells detonated, creating a crash of power that decimated the area. Even a Mystic might struggle with properly blocking such a spell.

  However, when the dust settled, John remained unharmed.

  Prota had been expecting that. After all, Frozen Moon wasn’t just a spell. It was a domain.

  And the purpose of a domain was to tilt the fight in one’s favour.

  She rushed in, firing off spell after spell in quick succession. A blend of Frozen Bullets and Frozen Cannons filled the air, an onslaught of pure ice, threatening to shred anything standing in its way. For every shard of ice that spread out, John was forced to go dark once more.

  Prota didn’t know if this was doing anything. But at this point, it was better than doing nothing.

  Soon, the others began to join in, slashing and hacking away. Missiles flew out of Danjo’s suit, and various concoctions and explosions went off as Arthur and Aurora set off trap after trap. Briar was wielding a simple sword, but even though she no longer had her best weapon, she was still quite a decent fighter. Her blade had been set alight with white flames,

  Destiny, of course, was at the front, fighting in all his glory. He truly deserved the title of [Hero].

  But then again, wasn’t that the point?

  All the while, Prota was watching. Looking. Waiting for John to do something, to react, to counterattack, but to her surprise, he wasn’t even capable of seeing what was going on around him.

  Where was [Infinity]? Come to think of it, his red eye wasn’t glowing; his black eye was. What was this new power of his?

  “...too riled up,” she heard John mutter. “I could go for more… no, too greedy. I’ll wait for the next one.”

  Suddenly, the shadows surrounding him vanished, and his body was immediately obliterated. Well, that made sense. After all, this team was used to fighting demons, beings with incredible resilience. John… well, aside from his strange quirks, he was really just a regular human.

  “Huff… huff… is that it?” Destiny said, wiping his brow. “Is it really just over?”

  Prota’s heart skipped a beat, but resurrection wasn’t one of John’s abilities. He wouldn’t randomly come back to life in this lifetime.

  Still, the thing he’d said before dying bothered her. Even still, there was nothing she could do about it.

  Then, there was only one thing left to do.

  “...Destiny,” she said quietly. “Do you want to see Celestia again?”

  “Cel-” Destiny started, eyes wide, but he caught himself.

  The briefing.

  “Prota,” Destiny said hesitantly. “You… you’re not saying…”

  She simply nodded. Everyone else looked around awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

  Yes, they had lost the princess. And yes, they wanted her back. But to do that fight all over again, especially when they wouldn’t remember it…

  “Risky,” Prota admitted. “But… chance.”

  “Didn’t you say John controls when you regress to?” Briar frowned. “How do you know he won’t just plop us into the middle of the fight?”

  “John gave up,” Prota explained. “...too weak. Not sure why. But… means he’s going to try again. Before he killed Celestia.”

  “...I guess we just have to trust you, huh?” the blacksmith sighed.

  She pushed her hair back, sitting down hard.

  “What do you think, dwarf boy?” Briar said, looking at Danjo.

  “Well… I mean…”

  Danjo was clearly conflicted. Still, Briar had been with him long enough to know what that meant.

  “Fine. We’ll try again.”

  “But-” Danjo started.

  “You want to save her, don’t you? Let’s do it. Come on,” Briar grinned.

  Slowly, the others voiced their agreement. In the end, Destiny nodded.

  “Will you be ok?” he said carefully.

  Prota nodded. “I… I explain when I come back.”

  “We’ll trust you,” Destiny nodded. “We just have to make sure we’ll win, right?”

  The mood had lightened up. A second chance.

  Who wouldn’t want one of those?

  Prota rummaged through the pockets of her cloak and pulled out the poison pill John had given her so long ago. She looked at it for a moment, somewhat afraid of what would come next, but in the end, she couldn’t back it.

  Not when she was this far in.

  “Again.”

  With that, the world went dark.

  ~~~

  Prota sat up in the [Reset Room], heart pounding. She looked around, trying to find John, and to her surprise, he was quite close.

  “...technically speaking, the better play would’ve been for you to live out your life and figure out how to kill me first,” John said quietly. “Well. I shouldn’t be giving you advice. Shouldn’t get ahead of myself and shit.”

  His voice wasn’t empty. He just seemed… a little bored. Like this was merely a menial chore. Just another task to do, one he was guaranteed to complete.

  “John-” Prota started.

  “Look, I’m not trying to be an asshole, but you guys can’t win. That’s just not how this works, ok? And you don’t have that many more chances left, either. Can’t you just make it easier for me and stop? We’re both fighting a pointless battle.”

  “...chances?” Prota frowned. “Wh-”

  “Ah, whatever. I didn’t think I was going to convince you, anyway. Let’s just get this over with.”

  Prota cried out as the [Reset] button appeared, but it was too late. John’s fist slammed down, and the room began to turn white.

  ~~~

  Prota’s eyes snapped open as she gasped, brought back to life unexpectedly.

  “Prota?” Destiny frowned.

  They were making their way toward John. Thankfully, she’d been [Reset] far back enough. Prota tried to take a deep breath as everyone slowed down, waiting for her to explain.

  “[Reset],” Prota said hurriedly. “John is strong. Be careful. Celestia will die first, so…”

  “Celestia?” Destiny frowned. “Who?”

  Prota’s eyes went wide.

  “Princess,” she tried to explain. “Four. Your…”

  Her voice trailed off as everyone gave her a puzzled look. She herself looked around, but the elven princess was nowhere to be found.

  “Prota, the elves don’t have an heir yet,” Destiny said, confused. “Who are you talking about?”

  Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

  Still, she had no way of explaining things. All she knew was that Celestia no longer existed. Her heart ached, but right now, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

  Soon, they resumed their journey, once again meeting the walking John. This time, however, Prota didn’t give Destiny the chance to talk things out. She just immediately launched an attack, this time using her other improved domain.

  “Blazing Sun.”

  Everyone backed off as the air began to swelter, hundreds of Frozen Flames forming and turning the air simultaneously burning hot and freezing cold.

  “Ignite.”

  There was a massive explosion as the Hellscape froze over, then ignited, turning everything brittle before absolutely demolishing anything that might have stood there.

  John, however, had reacted in time. Prota flinched as he looked up, that same bored look in his eyes.

  “Not yet,” he muttered. “Too hard.”

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  Briar charged forward with a cry, holding a giant hammer over her head, and Prota’s eyes went wide.

  No. That was what she’d done last time. If she did that again—

  “I see. So a [Character’s] attack habits are the same, even across [Resets]. If the butterfly effect doesn’t take place…”

  John swiped at the air again, and like before, he vanished. This time, however, he reappeared next to Briar, his hand reaching out once more.

  “No!” Prota yelled, firing off a Frozen Bullet that pierced through Briar’s head.

  She began to shake, half traumatized at having killed her own friend, but that was for the better. If John’s strange ability prevented revival after [Resets]...

  “Prota!” Destiny yelled. “What are you doing?!”

  Prota opened her mouth, but no excuse came out. How could she explain it? There was no time. There was no explanation she could give.

  All she could do was what she believed was best.

  “Later!” Prota yelled, desperately trying to fend off an approaching John.

  Ironically, the skill he’d first taught her was the skill that was keeping her alive. Her ability to naturally react to John’s strange movements was allowing her to spend a minimal amount of energy while keeping herself alive.

  Still, had she been any less adept, she would have been taken out in an instant. The fear of death that had once been erased was now slowly seeping back in.

  She couldn’t understand it.

  [Resets] hadn’t brought Celestia back. How? Why?

  From what she understood, [Resets] weren’t some kind of time travel. It was literally the ability to bring the world, the [Story], back to a previous point of existence. One might compare it to flipping back a few pages and rereading a scene, rather than rewriting the scene itself. Then, one could make edits or adjustments as they reread…

  Something about that analogy clicked in Prota’s head. She didn’t know what it was, but there were too many familiar phrases. Rereading. Editing and adjusting.

  [Writer].

  “Weaker ones… less mobility… but less impact on the story…”

  Prota’s head snapped to John, who had moved away from her after realizing she wouldn’t be killed so easily. He was planning again.

  Less impact on the story.

  “Arthur! Aurora!” Prota yelled, but it was too late.

  The alchemist and artist, both of whom had been standing in the back, weren’t prepared for what was coming. Well, they weren’t completely to blame. John had never teleported before.

  Why should he start doing so now?

  “Well, I don’t need to kill Destiny in this loop,” she heard John sigh.

  His hands were already extended when his body leapt forward, and before anyone could react, the two vanished, disappearing into smoke just like the Elvish princess before them.

  “Destiny!” Prota yelled. “Don’t kill him!”

  Destiny turned back for a brief moment, visibly stunned, but then realization settled in his eyes.

  “Got it!”

  He leapt forward, sword blazing, and with four swift motions, sliced all of John’s limbs off. This time, his body didn’t turn to shadows. It was almost as if he let it happen, accepting his fate.

  Immediately, the hero pulled out a potion and splashed it on John, making sure to keep him alive. John didn’t resist. His body was limp as Destiny rolled him over, his expression still bored.

  “You… just what do you think you’re doing?” Destiny roared, picking John’s torso up. “Why? What’s the point? Does this world really mean that little to you?”

  John didn’t evade Destiny’s glare, but he didn’t return it, either. In fact, he didn’t react at all.

  “Answer me!” Destiny he yelled, completely enraged.

  Prota fell to her knees, exhausted. Briar was supporting Danjo, who also seemed incredibly tired out. Well, the dwarf wasn’t used to physical combat. The fact that he was still alive was fascinating. If anything, he should’ve been an easier individual to target, right?

  Well, figuring that out didn’t matter.

  “John,” Prota said quietly.

  Destiny looked back, glaring at Prota.

  “No. I don’t trust you right now,” the hero snarled. “I’m getting answers out of him, one way or another.”

  “Nn… you can’t,” Prota said, shaking her head. “He doesn’t care.”

  “Doesn’t care?! What do you mean, he doesn’t care?! Would someone who doesn’t care kill off his friends like this? How do you end the world and not care?!”

  “...we’re not real.”

  Destiny’s eyes went wide as he froze.

  “...what?”

  For a moment, everyone went silent.

  “Really? That’s your plan? You’re just going to make things worse,” John sighed. “Seriously. You should understand how the mind of a [Character] works by now, Prota. This isn’t going to help your case.”

  “Nn… John will just [Reset] anyway,” Prota shrugged.

  She, too, was slowly becoming indifferent to things. Destiny’s insults didn’t matter. The deaths of Aurora and Arthur were painful, but they, too, were slowly becoming numb.

  All Prota was focused on was the [Story]. She needed to understand things as quickly as possible. The faster she understood it, the faster she could try and resolve things.

  She didn’t know what resolution looked like. She didn’t know how it would come. But she knew that John was determined to follow through with this. Thankfully, John’s mind was weak. It was weak in ways people didn’t quite understand, but Prota believed she understood him well. If she could just understand why…

  They could win.

  “What are you two saying?” Destiny frowned, looking back and forth. “Huh? What’s this big secret that you’re hiding? Are you finally going to tell me?”

  To Prota’s surprise, John looked at her as if asking for permission. Slowly, she pointed to herself, making sure that was really what he meant.

  “You’re the [Character],” John shrugged. “I don’t really care anymore. If you want to tell him, go ahead.”

  “...why is John fighting?” Prota said, ignoring his point. “Just… just end it.”

  “I’m just trying to get what I want, Prota. But nothing is guaranteed. Not with the author. Do you not get it yet? A Deus Ex Machina. It’s literally bullshit to get the protagonist out of a pinch. Isn’t that what you guys are in? I’m not guaranteed to make it out of here. So I’ve got to appeal to that person in some way or another.”

  Prota’s eyes widened.

  John wasn’t playing around for no reason. All of his actions, all of his plans, were calculated with precise intent and direction. He wasn’t taking his time because he was reluctant.

  Ironically, he was taking his time because he wanted things to be over with.

  “John… is the [Story] ending?”

  “I told you. My memories are in places other than here. Prota, if this world is a [Story], it’s bound to end eventually. And if someone stops telling that [Story]... it’s not like it keeps going. It’s not real. Or, maybe it does. I don’t know. I’m not a philosopher. If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, did it make a sound? Stupid ass question.”

  Prota felt her heart sink.

  This wasn’t even John’s choice. It was something he just had to do. And, in the end, if he was forced to choose between himself, who he viewed as real, and a [Story], which was objectively fake…

  Was there even a good reason for him to choose the [Story] over himself? From his point of view, doing such a thing would be tantamount to killing himself for no reason at all.

  “...I see,” Prota said quietly.

  “Wh- what are you guys saying?” Destiny said, his voice growing weaker and weaker.

  He seemed to be understanding that the two weren’t working together. Their tones were too unfriendly, their expressions too indifferent. But the confusion of the situation would’ve gotten to anyone.

  “I’ll just tell him,” John sighed.

  Prota didn’t object.

  “Destiny. Look. Do you understand what a story is?” John said.

  He was awfully calm for someone who was nothing but a torso.

  “A story?”

  “Yeah. A book. A fairy tale. A fictional story. You’ve read them before, right?”

  “...yeah?”

  John shrugged to the best of his ability. “That’s what all of this is. A story. You’re the hero, Destiny. You’re the knight in shining armor or whatever, and your job is to slay the evil demon. That’s what your life amounts to. That’s the big secret. That’s what Prota and I have been hiding from you. Happy?”

  “Then… your abilities… your intuition…”

  “It’s a book. You can predict what’s going to happen next in books, right?”

  “N-no, that can’t be true,” Destiny said, a slow smile appearing on his face.

  It was the smile of someone whose mind was on the verge of breaking.

  “That- no, I’m real! Look at me. I- I exist. I-”

  “Do you really think people reincarnate into other worlds? You thought it was ridiculous, right? It is. It’s called fiction for a reason. Because it doesn’t actually exist. This sort of thing doesn’t actually happen. Look. I’m not trying to destroy the world. The story is just coming to an end. That’s all this is.”

  “But-”

  “What? Do you want me to stay? Until when? Until you die? Until the heat death of the universe? I’m immortal. Eventually, this entire world will just… stop existing. And for you people, who were never real to begin with… what does it matter if you’re gone?”

  “Then why are you still here?” Destiny yelled, tears streaming down his face. “Why fight us? To taunt us? To play around?”

  “...don’t worry about it. Now. Prota, are you gonna let him lose his shit, or are you just gonna send us to the next [Reset]? I’m just a body and a head. Or are you just gonna keep me here until you all die of old age?”

  Prota just looked at John, who still seemed bored. For a moment, she considered keeping him alive, but… what? What would that do?

  “I’m going to die anyway, so just hurry up. Unless you’re trying to torture me, I guess. I’d prefer if you didn’t do that. I guess personal- maybe I should stop speaking.

  Prota sighed, an icicle forming above her head. Briar and Danjo were still stunned, and Destiny was still on the verge of a complete mental breakdown.

  They’d likely only have one try left.

  “John,” she said quietly. “...are you sure? Please.”

  “Even if I change my mind, then what? Like I told Destiny, what’s the other outcome? Come on. What’s your solution to this? Prota, don’t tell me you think I enjoy this or something. It’s just part of life. There isn’t anything for either of us to do. Unless you have something to say?”

  Prota remained silent.

  “Yeah. That’s what I thought. Just do it.”

  She looked away as John’s blood splattered across the floor. Slowly, she reached into her cloak and took out the pill.

  One last try.

  ~~~

  Just like before, John didn’t bother to talk to Prota in the [Reset Room]. In fact, he hit the button as soon as she arrived, not giving them time for any conversation at all.

  Still, she felt that he seemed… off. She’d seen him when he was empty, tired, or lonely. Somehow, he didn’t quite seem to be that way. He felt something and was trying to hide it. There was something he wasn’t showing.

  She just didn’t know what.

  But there was no time to think about any of that. Just like before, when she woke up again, those who had died in the previous loop were gone. It was just Destiny, Briar, Danjo and herself.

  She didn’t bother to bring up the deceased. Doing so would only result in confusion. Instead, she did her best to explain her plan.

  It was hard, but John wouldn’t be looking for them. To begin with, it seemed like he had no way of finding them, and the last time they’d fought him, they’d caught him by surprise. He knew they were coming.

  He just didn’t know when.

  Still, her lack of speech was now coming back to punish her. Even though she knew what she wanted to say, she had a hard time articulating it. She couldn’t explain this eloquently or even coherently.

  In the end, though, she got her message across.

  The goal wasn’t to kill John. That wouldn’t accomplish anything. The goal was to stall as long as possible, killing themselves if necessary.

  From what Prota had seen, he would give up on his current life and start a new one upon killing someone. This implied that there was a reason he wasn’t using his new power, which was still unknown to Prota, despite having seen it twice. However, she didn’t need to understand it; knowing that it was limited in its use was enough.

  They just had to keep fighting him until he couldn’t use it anymore.

  At first, the others were doubtful. That was fair. Anyone who hadn’t experienced rebirth would be nervous upon hearing that suicide was necessary.

  However, Prota refused to let them proceed until they agreed. She knew it was bad for their minds.

  But the alternative was worse.

  Soon, they reached John once more. He was waiting for them this time, not even walking, knowing they would come to him anyway.

  Despite her fear and panic, Prota was finding the experience rather strange. She’d experienced using [Resets] to her advantage, but never before had the enemy also had the same advantage. They were the only two who understood what was going on, like two players moving pieces on a chessboard.

  Even though she was only two [Resets] in, she was starting to see her friends as variables, not people. After all, the end goal was to stop John. Once that happened, she could [Reset] and keep them alive. What happened to them before that was less important than the end result—

  Oh. So that’s what John felt like.

  For the first time, Prota truly understood his mindset. She’d gained glimpses before, inklings of understanding, but this was the first time she truly understood.

  It really was so easy to sacrifice others when there were more important things on the line. Prota didn’t want to kill her friends. But knowing the alternative, it was just so much easier. So much less stressful. And the opponent they were against was so strong.

  “Prota?” Destiny said quietly as he drew his sword. “You good?”

  Prota just shook her head. “Focus.”

  Destiny grimaced, but he did as he was told.

  “I’m ending it this time,” John called out. “...I’m getting a little tired.”

  He didn’t seem tired, though. Prota’s eyes narrowed. As much power as possible. Tire John out as quickly as she could.

  That was all that mattered.

  Before she could even react, though, John had already moved, and both Danjo and Briar vanished. She couldn’t even scream. Couldn’t even speak. There had been no time for warning, no time for a reaction.

  Just like that, it was just her and Destiny.

  “What the- what just happened?!” Destiny exclaimed, whirling around.

  “Move!” Prota yelled, her perception of time speeding up.

  John was going all out. He must’ve felt the need to end things now, and from what Prota knew, he refused to hold back. Honor wasn’t something in his mind. As long as he won, that was all that mattered to him.

  She needed to move, and she needed to move quickly.

  In the meantime, she saw Destiny moving, slashing away at John, whose body had turned pitch black. Even with her slowed down time, Destiny was still moving at a frightening speed. Well, he was the hero for a reason.

  But even his God Slaying Sword wasn’t enough to finish things.

  “Why… why don’t you die?” Destiny panted, leaping back. “You… what are you even made of?”

  “Right now? Nothing,” John shrugged, his body going back to normal.

  Still, his face seemed a little pale, Prota thought. No, not pale.

  It was almost like he was disappearing.

  “...you’re telling the truth?” Destiny frowned.

  That confirmed it.

  John was vanishing.

  Prota didn’t know how, or why, but it looked like that was his ability’s penalty. Suddenly, she was somewhat grateful that her opponent was John.

  She didn’t understand tactics, or strategy, or logic, or anything like that. If it were anybody else, she would have no clue as to their powers, no clue as to how to deal with things.

  But she understood John. And that was just barely enough.

  “Last one,” John said, but his voice seemed weak.

  Destiny clenched his teeth, flashing forward one more time. Prota’s eyes widened.

  “Wait-”

  It was too late. John’s body went dark, but this time, the surroundings grew dark as well, as if he were a black hole, absorbing all nearby light. For a split second, Prota saw Destiny’s figure appear, but then it, too, vanished, taken away by John’s darkness.

  Then, everything went back to normal, as if there had never been a fight to begin with.

  Prota fell to her knees. All that planning. All that stress.

  Only for the fight to end in less than a minute.

  They had never stood a chance to begin with.

  “Hm… is this the [Antagonist] buff? They always get weaker when they join the hero’s party… So maybe the opposite applies? Interesting if true,” John muttered, stretching.

  Still, his breath was ragged, and his body was even more pale than usual. Prota’s entire being was in despair, but she had to finish it.

  She couldn’t let the sacrifice of her friends be in vain.

  “Ah. Prota.”

  John seemed to flinch as he called out her name, but maybe that was just her imagination. She got up unsteadily, mana gathering at her fingertips.

  “John.”

  There had been a whole array of personalities in this forest. An entire team meant to save the world. A task force so strong that they’d been sent to deal with the Demon King himself.

  But now, the air, completely still, held not a single decibel of sound.

  “Hey, Prota. Do you ever… feel the need to curse someone? For what’s happened?” - “Chapter 49: Break Time”

  The [Characters] were gone.

  These were [Characters]. But they were [Characters] he’d grown to care for. [Characters] he’d grown to love. - “Chapter 184: Independence”

  Now, it was just the two of them.

  “But… I met John. And we had fun. John bought me things. Saved me. Made me yummy food. Helped me grow. Jinae trained me. Taught me. And Jinae is still alive. And I’m strong now. I met Destiny. Kit. Danjo. Olivia. Albert. Bren. Hart. And John.” - “Chapter 89: Anniversary”

  A simple setting. A calm forest, with no signs of destruction, two figures standing across from each other. To an onlooker, it couldn’t have been more than a verbal dispute.

  “Well, it’s a way to sort of freeze a moment in time. You’ll always be able to look at the picture and remember this moment. As time passes, you might start to forget things. But pictures are kinda like a way to say, “hey, I was there.” To bring yourself back to the past and remind yourself of what happened.” - “Chapter 119: Tropical Vacation”

  And yet…

  “John. Think about it. You, as a [Character]... you changed the [Story]. You did this.” - “Chapter 164: Absolute Power”

  The world’s existence rested on these two individuals.

  “Your fault? It’s not your fault. It’s not even my fault. You know whose fault it is?” - “Chapter 76: A [Story]”

  Two souls, so different, yet ultimately the same.

  “Uh… do you have a name? Something like that? Anything I can call you?” - “Chapter 1: A Story Written for Me”

  In the beginning, there were two.

  “Um… I- I’m Prota.” - “Chapter 1: A Story Written for Me”

  “All stories have an end,” John said, his hands turning black.

  “Hey. Um… I’m John.” - “Chapter 1: A Story Written for Me”

  And in the end, only two remained.

  [[Destiny Bond]: Initiated.] - “Chapter 15: [Destiny Bond]”

  “This one is no different.”