Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond-Chapter 171: Backstories

Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond-Chapter 171: Backstories

Chapter 171: Backstories
Prota glanced at John nervously. What was he going to do? She didn’t see a way out of this. If John were to explain why he needed to go see the Mystics, he’d have to tell the truth. Even if he could come up with a conceivable lie, Destiny was here.
“You want to know why?” John said, pressing his lips together.
Fortunately, John was a far better liar than Prota could’ve ever imagined. As he liked to say, he used to be a [Writer]. His entire job revolved around imagination.
“Alright. I’m gonna sit.”
“Is it… is it a long story?” Kit frowned.
“No. I’m just lazy.”
Sitting against a tree, John began to explain.
The explanation left out a lot of “whys,” but he told it in such a way that the questions didn’t have room to be asked. Kit and Destiny already knew about his powers and their roots, so a lot of logic surrounding [Stories] could be dismissed with “I don’t understand it myself.”
With that, John went from the start. He was a wielder of this strange power, and it’d gotten lost somewhere in this world. It wasn’t his job or anything, but he was in the process of trying to get it back. So far, both Doctor and Sofya had wielded this strange power, and it seemed a trail was being left. A trail far too suspicious to be random. Therefore, it was John's line of logic that someone was leaving this power behind for some sort of nefarious scheme.
The questions that followed were somewhat obvious. For what reason had John found Destiny?
“You just seemed interesting. My power revolves around concepts, right? The hero is a concept. I just had to hope my guess was right.”
Why was he trying to fight the Demon King?
“I told you. It’s for Prota’s sake. I can have multiple goals, right?”
How did his power work? How was it distributable?
“I don’t know.”
Why wasn’t he doing more about this? If his powers were such a universal threat, shouldn’t he be more worried?
“What do you think I’ve been trying to do? What do you think I did with Doctor? With Sofya? What, did you think I had some built-in radar that points me to my powers?”
At that point, Destiny and Kit stopped asking questions. It was clear John was stressed about this.
“So, basically, I’ve been tracking this stuff down for a while now,” John said, finishing his explanation. “Like I said, I don’t have a radar. I just have clues. Sofya was the last person to use this power, and she told me it was given to her along with this note. Given that Kit said it had traces of her homeland…”
Kit nodded. She now understood what was going on, at least to an extent. There was just one last question she wanted to ask.
“If that’s the case, what were you doing in your room? Why did you look so stressed? Were you planning on trying to get in on your own?”
John’s smile froze on his face.
“Why would I do something like that?”
“Answer the question.”
“...no.”
“Then what were you doing?”
“I can’t say that.”
Kit leaned in, glaring at John as she spoke once more.
“Hey. This is my past we’re talking about. If I don’t get to hide secrets, you don’t get to, either. You wouldn’t spend that much time scheming about how to get to my clan’s home. If you wanted to do that, you’d spend time buttering me up instead. So what exactly were you trying to figure out?”
To everyone’s surprise, it was not John, but Prota, who got up in defence.
She placed herself between the Mystic and her brother, trembling ever so slightly. Her eyes, however, were set with determination, visible even through her passive expression. She shook her head ever so slightly, mana gathering inside her body.
“No,” she said quietly.
“No?” Kit backed off, still stunned by the fact that Prota had stepped up. “What do you mean, no?”
“Kit. Do you remember what I told you at the Town of Beginnings?” John sighed, standing up.
He put his hand on Prota’s head, ruffling her hair as a way to thank her for the gesture. This was, however, something he could handle on his own.
“What you… told me?”
“Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. Sometimes… you don’t need to know everything.”
“What? What is it, John?”
This came from Destiny, who also took a step forward, exhaustion written all over his face. He wasn’t as invested as Kit was, but he was tired of this secret John was keeping, a secret both of them knew existed. Why wouldn’t he just say it? What could possibly be so bad about this?
“Why do you want to know so badly?” John sighed, throwing his hands up. “Why does it matter? I’m being serious. Your life can only change for the worse if you know what’s going on, ok?”
“We’re not children, John,” Kit said, crossing her arms. “You don’t need to coddle us.”
John just hung his head. At this point, he only had one way to deal with this, but he wasn’t a fan of using this method. Well, he could afford to be a little edgy once in a while.
“My eyes. Look into my eyes.”
Both Kit and Destiny frowned. His eyes? What did John mean by that?
“I know you’ve both seen it,” John said, shaking his head. “Something something empty eyes, soulless eyes, whatever. But you both know by this point that a lot about my attitude is fake.”
Kit opened her mouth. “But-”
“No. I’m not proud of this. I don’t want to be like this. I’m not some edgelord who thinks having a broken mind and a tragic past makes him a cool main character. I don’t enjoy bullshitting my way through everything. I don’t enjoy the fact that I just kill whoever I want. Do you understand? I don’t hate myself, but I don’t love myself either. I just am. That’s all I am, and that’s all I’ll ever amount to. Someone that exists, nothing more, nothing less. Do you understand?”
There was a moment of silence. Not a breath of sound rang out. John turned around to leave, looking back one last time.
“What I know is what makes me this way. God, that sounds- never make me say this again, ok? I’m a shitty person. Destiny. You said I’m not a bad person. Maybe you’re right. But I’m not a good person, either. You are. Both you and Kit. And I really don’t want to have to go through this monologue again, because it’s corny as hell. I’m cringing just saying this, but… Don’t be like me. Don’t push it. Just accept the answers I’ve given you and keep going, ok? I’ll be in my room. If you want to take me to the Ninetails clan, great. If you don’t want to, I’ll figure things out.”
With that, John didn’t wait for a response. He turned to leave, the sound of grass rustling beneath his feet growing quieter as he slowly trudged through the sunny forest. Prota quickly gave Kit and Destiny a nod before running after her brother, leaving the hero and Mystic alone in the forest.
~~~
“What do you think, Des?” Kit said quietly.
“It’s your family we’ll have to deal with,” Destiny said. “It’s up to you.”
“But I already told him my story…”
“Does that matter?” Destiny shook his head. “If you don’t feel comfortable, we don’t need to bring him along. If his explanation was satisfactory-”
“No. Des, I’m asking you. What do you think? About what he just said?”
Destiny paused, momentarily confused by the question.
“I… I mean, he’s right. He does have that empty look in his eyes. The fact that he’s aware of it… it’s a little scary, isn’t it?” Destiny let out a small laugh. “It would explain a lot, though. And if his knowledge of this world really did that to him…”
Kit sighed, leaning against a tree. “I wouldn’t be surprised, to be honest. There were a few scholars in the past who tried to look into the truth of the world. Quaesitor Veritatis, they were called. Apparently you’ve met a few of them. Regardless, ‘conceptual energy’ was something we’ve theorized about. I read a few books on it. Every single person who got close to figuring it out went insane and died. If John has control over that energy and can stay like this… maybe he’s right.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, the violation.
“Then… if that’s the case, what do you think about him?”
“He’s strong enough-”
“No, not his powers. Not his fighting skill. What do you think about John, as a person?”
Kit flinched, her cheeks flushing ever so slightly.
“We-well, what do you think?” Kit said defensively.
Destiny chuckled. “I mean, if it were my time as a mercenary, I definitely would’ve shot him on the spot. He’s suspicious, and people like him tend to be selfish. They prioritize their own lives first.”
“How do you-”
“Because I was like that, Kit.” Destiny gave a sad smile. “Back in the camp, I used to be like that. I kinda get what he was saying. Not the whole bit about knowing things, but being empty. Being hollow. It does sound kinda cringe, but when you’re like that, you don’t think of it like that. Life sucks. You don’t like yourself very much, but you can’t do anything about it, because that’s all you know. I can understand him. I understand what he’s going through.”
“But you’re not like that now!”
“Yeah. Because my greatest desire was to be able to protect my friends and family. It was something I wanted, even back in the camp. John… I don’t know what he wants. But I know he’s not a terrible person.”
“You… you think so too, huh.”
Kit closed her eyes, regaining some of her composure. A calm breeze blew through the leaves, ruffling their hair and causing the branches above to shake, a few leaves falling to the ground.
“He’s selfish,” Destiny smiled. “He only cares about himself. But he just as equally doesn’t care to see others suffer. I think… he just operates on a different level from us. Probably because of whatever ‘truth’ he knows. But after that, I believe he’s doing what he thinks is right. And in a way, isn’t that enough?”
“...I thought you were upset at him, though.”
“A little. But that’s a personal opinion. In the end… he’s been a good friend hasn’t he?”
Kit blushed a little deeper this time.
“Yes. I suppose he has.”
~~~
John, meanwhile, was acting far less mature than the ones discussing him.
“Argh!” he yelled, burying his face in his pillow. “That was so cringe! I was acting like a total cornball! Seriously, what the fuck was I thinking! There were so many ways to get out of that…”
“John,” Prota said quietly, sitting beside him. “I… I don’t think you’re a bad person.”
John sighed, rolling over and sitting up.
“You think that because I saved you, Prota. No offence, but your opinion doesn’t count. You’re biased. I can’t accept your opinion, because you’d probably stick by my side no matter what. You know the training I put you through? Killing you over and over, forcing you to learn a crazy fighting style, all that shit? Most people wouldn’t think of that as ‘good,’ you know?”
Prota tilted her head to the side. Really? It wasn’t good? She’d found it pretty effective. Sure, it’d taken a bit of a toll on her, but in the end, she was still ok.
“...you’re thinking something illogical, aren’t you?” John muttered, staring into his sister’s eyes.
She merely tilted her head in confusion. John just shook his head and stood up.
“Don’t become like me, Prota,” he said, tussling her hair. “It’s not worth it. You can look up to me. You can call me strong. But if you admire the type of person I am, you’re thinking in the wrong way. You… you’re definitely a far better person than I am.”
She looked up at him, confused.
“You had everything taken away from you,” John explained. “But you didn’t take it out on the world. You could’ve killed those who attacked you, but despite the fact that there was no reason to hold back, you restrained yourself. You felt guilty for defending yourself. You pushed through and decided to become someone who helps people. Isn’t that admirable?”
Prota closed her eyes, thinking for a bit. Something about John’s words felt off.
“Nn… but John lost everything, too. Lost friends. Lost family. Lost memories. But you helped me. You formed… um… [Destiny Bond]. You didn’t need to. But you did. So… John is also, um… admira- admi- admirable, right?”
John couldn’t help but smile as Prota tripped over the word “admirable,” but her words had meaning.
Was he a good person? No, he couldn’t let himself think that way. The moment he started seeing himself as “good,” he’d have to follow a moral code. He’d have to start playing judge and jury, not just executioner. But worst of all, he’d be putting people like Draco on his level, putting them on a morally justifiable pedestal. No, he’d rather stay a villain and do what he pleased.
In the end, titles like “hero” and “villain” didn’t matter anyway. The only labels that mattered were the ones assigned by the [Story]. Everything else was meaningless.
“Don’t worry about it, Prota,” John sighed, stretching as he prepared to go to the washroom. “Just focus on what you want to do. In the end… that’s all we can do, right?”
~~~
That night, John was tossing and turning in his bed. Something bothered him, and it wasn’t the conversation they’d had earlier that day.
Well, in a sense, it was, but it wasn’t the things he’d said, nor was it the information he’d revealed. No, he was more concerned about where the [Story] was headed.
If this theory was correct, Destiny had, in fact, realized he was too weak. Kit being brought back home was unexpected, but it wasn’t exactly unbelievable. After all, randomly pulling Destiny to the land of the Mystics was something that required a bit of a stretch. Having another reason to go was logical.
The problem was the timing. Sofya turning evil was definitely not part of the original [Story]. John had always assumed it was simply not meant to have happened, but what if Destiny was meant to leave Scholaris in the third year? But if that were the case, wouldn’t he be weaker than he currently was? After all, he’d been receiving tutoring from Lupin far longer than he was meant to have been.
Too many things were confusing. Too many things didn’t line up. John wished he knew the original [Plot]. He’d read a lot of stories where readers or authors were reincarnated in stories they’d read or written, but in those scenarios, they always knew what was going to happen next. They had an idea of the plot, and the twist was always that the butterfly effect changed what would happen next.
But he had no idea what the plot was. He didn’t know what his actions had done to this world. He only realized what elements he’d touched after they’d changed, but what use was that? Sure, he knew there was a butterfly effect, but what use was that when he didn’t know what was changing in the first place?
“Goddammit,” he muttered, burying his face in his pillow once again.
The more he interacted with this world, the more [Character]-like he was getting. Not only was he losing control of what was going on, but he was getting far more emotional as well.
He didn’t like it.
Yes, emotions were useful as a weapon due to [Determination], but in his mind, emotions were something that existed to be toyed with. The [Author] loved to mess with him, but if he was indifferent to things, then there would be nothing to mess with. A reaction was what the [Readers] wanted, and if he didn’t give them one, there was a chance he’d be left alone.
Well, it was too late now. He looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes.
“I guess we’ll see what happens next.”
~~~
The next hurdle, surprisingly, was not from any Mystics, royals or cultists. It came from a force John hadn’t even considered.
“No. There is still training for you to do,” Haze Windwalker said sternly, looking down at her pleading son.
Destiny had asked if he could go on a personal trip for a few months. He’d expressed it as a chance to train himself, but surprisingly, his mother had refused.
The dinner table went silent, and that included John and Prota.
“What training?” Destiny protested. “I can get stronger on my own. Please?”
“It is not about strength. Being a bodyguard is not about being the strongest. There are far more things to learn than that,” Haze said sternly. “You yourself have expressed interest in protecting the princess. If you wished to be a warrior, you should walk that path. But if your goals remain the same, then you must walk this path. Do you understand?”
Destiny nodded reluctantly. The table resumed eating as if nothing had happened, but John felt cold sweat running down his back.
What? What was going on? He hadn’t even considered this. What excuse would Destiny have had to go train with the Mystics? How would Haze have accepted such a thing in the first place? He didn’t get it. All he knew was that, right now, things weren’t going the way he needed them to. He still didn’t know if Kit was willing to take him, but even if she didn’t, Destiny needed to go.
His mind began to race as his body mechanically resumed eating, filling it with the nutrition needed to go on. What element of the [Plot] had gone awry? What was missing? What could he do here?
“You’re overthinking things,” Zero said in his mind. “Not everything needs to be solved in a meta way, you know?”
John almost flinched upon hearing his soul’s voice. He continued to eat, but his mind was now focused on the conversation. What did Zero mean?
“You’re so focused on the [Story] that you’ve forgotten how to strategize normally, huh? Think, John. It doesn’t matter why we’re here, or how we reached this point. All that matters is that this is the current situation. Isn’t that your motto? Oh, no, never mind. The point is, think about the present. Think about what you have. This isn’t a problem that needs a meta viewpoint to solve.”
As if a flip had been switched, the gears in John’s mind began to grind once more. However, this time, he began to think in other ways. Zero almost always gave proper advice. Even the red herrings he gave were usually helpful in some way or another. They often argued, but John had to admit that, at the end of the day, the soul had his best interests in mind.
By the end of the meal, he’d come to a realization. As the servants came to clear the dishes, the Windwalker family began to disperse. Destiny went to his room, while Alan and Hart left to do their various tasks. Only Haze was left, staring at a sheaf of papers at the kitchen table.
“You’re still here?” she said upon looking up.
John was sitting at the other end of the table, Prota sleeping nearby.
“Yeah.”
“Do you need something?”
“...tell me about what happened at dinner. What do you mean, Destiny is locked into being a bodyguard?”
Haze frowned, putting her papers down. “Why is that something you are concerned about?”
“Just… you know,” John shrugged. “I’m curious.”
“This is the business of the Royal Family. I’m afraid it is not your business.”
John sighed. He could beat around the bush, but Haze wasn’t the type of person to appreciate that. At this point, he could only be brutally honest and hope it would work.
“Do you remember a while ago, when I asked you if you would love Destiny no matter what? If him being your son took priority over everything else?”
Haze looked at him strangely. “...choose your next words carefully.”
“Can you keep a secret?”
“Of course. Whether I choose to do so, however, depends on what you tell me.”
“You need to promise first. Because you could hurt someone you love if you don’t.”
He glanced at Prota, who was still sleeping. Good. Not that she couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she didn’t need to be involved in something messy like this.
“What are you saying? That my son is a bad person? That he needs to go somewhere to atone for his sins?”
John’s jaw dropped in shock. “What- no! Where the hell did you get an idea like that?”
“Destiny does not usually feel ashamed. Yet, he did not appear enthusiastic when asking for my permission. Had he seemed resolved in his approach, I would have gladly agreed. However, if he felt the need to hide something, then I cannot allow him to go without knowing his conscience is clear.”
John felt a twinge of guilt in his heart. Haze Windwalker was a good mother. It was a shame that Destiny was the hero, but…
“He’s not guilty of anything. The only thing he’d be guilty of… um. That’d be protecting you, I guess.”
“Protecting… me?”
“Ignorance can be bliss. He sees you as his mother. I think… I think he wants to continue being your son,” John said carefully.
“Is he… is he not?”
“No. He is. But… he might be more than what he appears. Nothing bad,” John added hurriedly. “But there’s a lot of weight on his shoulders. A lot of responsibility. And he doesn’t want to get you involved in that. I can understand the sentiment.”
“Then tell me,” Haze demanded. She seemed less stern now, a bit more worried. Or was that just John’s imagination? “Or is this all an elaborate lie?”
“...it’s not my place to say.”
“Then don’t say it. I will erase this conversation from my mind. I suggest you do the same.”
John sighed. He didn’t have the right to reveal Destiny’s secret. Suddenly, something came to mind. Something Zero had said.
“Not everything needs to be solved in a meta way, you know?”
He had yet to use this, right?
“Hey.”
Haze looked up one more time, her gaze fierce. John would’ve backed off had he been anybody but John.
“I still have yet to use that favour you gave me, right?”

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Chapter 171: Backstories