Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond-Chapter 172: Foxes and Family

Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond-Chapter 172: Foxes and Family

Chapter 172: Foxes and Family
Haze glared at John, her eyes narrowing until even he began to feel a bit of pressure.
“You have crossed many lines,” Haze warned. “And you have gotten away with doing so every time. I hope you do not assume you may proceed with your foolishness.”
Despite the discomfort he was feeling, he stared back at Haze.
“Between your job and Destiny. Which would you rather choose?”
Haze hesitated. John suppressed a grimace. He knew she was a professional. He also knew she loved her son. She wanted to say “Destiny,” but her strict training prevented her from doing so. At least, that’s what John thought. He really hoped that’s what she was thinking.
Well, he didn’t need her to answer. He just needed her to sit on the thought for a little bit.
“It doesn’t matter. In the end, there are certain things you need to do, right? There are times when there is a duty that calls no matter what.”
“Are you saying I would choose my job-”
“No. I’m saying that, if you had to save Destiny instead of the king, you might. If you had to save the entire Elvish kingdom over Destiny, that’s also an option. Neither is right. Neither is wrong. What matters is that it’s your choice and not somebody else’s. What matters is that there are some things in life that call no matter the occasion. Destiny is special. I know that. You know that, but you just don’t know how.”
“...what is your point?”
“My point is that, when a choice has to be made, sometimes, it doesn’t feel comfortable. If a hard decision were easy to make, it wouldn’t be hard; it would be easy.”
Haze raised an eye. “Hold on a minute. Are you messing with me-”
“The point! Is!” John said hurriedly, trying to backpedal.
Truth be told, he didn’t know what he was saying. He was just trying to say whatever came to mind in order to convince Haze that she should let Destiny go. In hindsight, though, what he was saying was pretty stupid.
“Look. The point is, sometimes, people aren’t hesitant because they’re unsure. It’s because they’re sure that they hesitate. If they were any less than sure, they wouldn’t do it at all.”
Haze backed off a little, still hesitant, but slightly more understanding now. Still, there was one last question that remained to be asked.
“Then… who are you? To know something about my son that I do not?”
John closed his eyes, shaking his head.
“What the hell do you want me to say? I don’t know who I am. Who does? What kind of question is that?”
“Just answer the question.”
“I guess… I guess I’m a guy who likes stories. Is that good enough?”
“...stories?”
John turned around, hoping this gamble would work. If it didn’t… well, no point in worrying about the alternative.
“Destiny is someone special. How special? We’ll see, I guess. All I’m asking is that you trust him. It’s not my place to tell his secrets. Just… when he comes to tell you, don’t be too harsh on him, ok?”
John’s stance still had yet to change. His belief in this regard was unshakeable.
“No matter what, Destiny is your son. Don’t forget that. Then, whether or not you want to fulfill my request is up to you. Sorry about all this.”
With that, John left the room, leaving Haze alone, thoughts spinning in her mind.
Unnoticed by anyone, a pink fox slipped off the windowsill, scampering away.
~~~
Destiny was preparing to head out and train some more when Haze stopped him. He turned around, unsure of what to expect, but of all things, a conversation was not one of them.
She hesitated for a bit, confusing Destiny even more. Why had she approached him if she wasn’t going to say anything?
“Son. What do you want to do?” she said suddenly.
“Huh? Mom, what do you mean?”
Haze pursed her lips. “What kind of person do you want to become? I understand you are young, but… do you have any goals? Dreams? Aspirations? Your sister, for example. She wants to be a knight. But being a bodyguard… that is something you were born into. Is that what you truly want to do?”
Destiny nodded. “Of course. It is my duty-”
“Forget duty. If you had been born into a family of commoners, without having a need to be tied down by duty. What would you do?”
Destiny felt his heart sink.
For so long, he’d avoided telling his parents he was a reincarnated man. That he wasn’t just their son, but a man who’d lost his family, lost his friends, struggled to survive in a hellish camp for years on end.
But that wasn’t all he was. He was the hero, brought into this world to stop the Demon King from destroying the country of Devfroth as they knew it.
He was Destiny Windwalker. But he was so much more than that.
“I… I don’t know,” Destiny said.
In part, this was true. After all, he didn’t quite know what to do with his life. He wanted to protect his family and friends, but what would he do after that? Keeping his loved ones alive wasn’t exactly a grand goal to have.
However, he had a duty that couldn’t be ignored. The Demon King needed to be defeated. Moreover, it seemed like there was another threat to this world as well, in the form of this strange energy John was trying to contain.
But, like his mother had said, those were duties. So, without them, he didn’t quite know what he wanted.
All he knew was that he couldn’t find his path if there was no path to walk.
“Then why do you want to train on your own?” Haze said, her face still stern. “Why did you ask for a few months to yourself?”
“I- um-”
“I am the king’s bodyguard, Destiny. But I am also your mother. If you have something you want to say, you can say it to me. No matter what it is… that fact will not change. Your father and your sister as well. No matter what secrets you might have… we will always be here for you.”
Destiny swallowed, trying to hold back some tears. A family. Wasn’t this what he wanted? But he was scared. Scared that, if he told them the truth, they would abandon him. That they would be hurt, that they would see him differently. A long time ago, he’d told John that he didn’t want to hurt his parents, but that hadn’t been the whole truth.
He was scared that he’d be hurt as well.
“Destiny. I… just tell me this.”
Haze knelt down, looking her son in the eyes. She reached up, holding his cheek. Her usually stern face softened up, acting not as a bodyguard, but as a mother.
“Is this something you need to do? Will you regret it if you don’t do this?”
“...yes. Mom. There’s… there’s something I need to tell you. Not now, but in the future. I promise… you, Dad, and Hart. I’ll tell all of you someday. I promise.”
“Then go. You have my permission.”
Destiny’s eyes lit up. He threw his arms around his mother, to her surprise, but she eventually smiled and returned the embrace.
“Make us proud, Des.”
~~~
John, meanwhile, wasn’t feeling so good about what he’d done. He was lying on his bed, thinking the same thing over and over again.
“Was that right? Was that how I should’ve done things?”
He wasn’t super comfortable with the results. Yes, he’d done things based on how Zero had suggested he proceed, but that didn’t make it any more comfortable.
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John was used to dealing with things as a [Reader], or, occasionally, a [Writer]. His understanding of how to manipulate situations to his desired outcome typically relied entirely on knowing how [Stories] worked. Sure, he had to implement common sense and logic into his strategies, but the core of how to progress was normally rooted in the [Plot].
Here, though, he hadn’t done that. He’d appealed purely on an emotional level. Sure, there were a few things that helped. Knowing Destiny’s true identity was obviously a key factor in taking control of things, and understanding how Haze might react to his role was helpful in approaching the situation.
However, the root of his conversation had been to appeal to Haze’s role as a mother. Not as a [Side Character] or [Mentor]. No, this time around, he’d seen Haze as a person and treated her as such.
“I’m such a fucking dumbass…”
He sighed as he rolled over in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Ever since they’d left Scholaris, he’d had a strange sense of unease.
It wasn’t just the fact that he’d faced two incidents involving [Deus Ex Machina] energy. It was more so the fact that he didn’t know where to go anymore.
His current state of mind was strange, given the fact that this was his first time adventuring while understanding the fundamentals of his world. Then again, he’d been forcefully indoctrinated into his current mindset, receiving memories of “reality” while discarding all memories of “fiction.”
Thus, he moved depending on this understanding. He was so focused on manipulating the [Plot] and moving around [Characters] that he’d forgotten how to plan like a normal person.
“Yo, John. You know, you can plan. Like, you’re capable of doing so. Just thought I’d remind you, in case you forgot.”
Zero’s voice rang in his head, disturbing his moment of silence.
“Thanks, Zero,” John thought back. “Clearly, I can’t do it right now. How does this help me?”
“Well… that’s because you don’t remember how to. I’m not talking about your missing memories, John. I’m talking about… you know.”
John grimaced. Right, his memories of his old world.
He’d sealed those memories away in his library. As of the moment, they existed only as a story he’d read, not moments he’d experienced. During his time in this world, his memories had been forcefully remembered, but he’d always resealed them afterward, for fear of losing his mind.
But he’d gained valuable experiences in that world. Even if he removed a majority of his [Resets], there were still a few years' worth of memories, and quite a lot of those involved fighting. He hated to admit it, but he was immature. He bragged about being old, but that was just how long his mind could theoretically remember.
In reality, he was still quite young. Just because he could remember snippets of millions of past lives didn’t make him wise and mature.
Zero was right. If he just regained his memories, he could approach things as a [Character]. He could tackle the task of defeating the Demon King in an ordinary manner. It might work. After all, if he simply stopped interfering, the [Plot] would likely revert back to an ordinary course, readjusting to include himself and Prota. Hell, the [Author] might just take away Diaboli’s [Deus Ex Machina] energy entirely.
But to do that would defeat the whole reason he was here. To succumb to being nothing but a [Character] would destroy his identity, who he was at his core. This was the reason he hated approaching Haze the way he did. It wasn’t because he felt bad for manipulating emotions or anything of the sort.
No, it was because he feared losing himself. He feared losing the reason he was in this world, both his blessing and his curse.
“I’ll manage,” John sighed.
“Even if it makes things harder?”
“For once… yeah, I guess.”
“Your choice.”
There was a moment of silence between the two.
“Why do you care so much, anyway?” Zero said. “You don’t even know if you’re going.”
“Oh, please,” John sighed. “I know by now that I’m enough of a [Character] to be getting screen time.”
Despite his words, he was nervous. What if he couldn’t go to the realm of the Mystics? What if the clues to Prota’s past just ended there? Technically, they didn’t need to figure out her origins. It wasn’t necessary to defeat the Demon King.
But it was something John wanted.
“Well, again. Your choice.”
With that, the soul disappeared. It wasn’t like Zero was gone, but John could feel the soul giving him some privacy. He sighed again, closing his eyes.
In the end, it was the same strategy as always.
Let the flow of things carry him along, until it couldn’t.
That was all.
~~~
The next few weeks at the Wynton household were filled with preparations. John didn’t bother to look into them too much. He was sure Destiny would prepare accordingly.
Of course, he would’ve given advice had he had any to give. The problem was, he really didn’t know what to expect from here on out. Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t quite sure why his plan had ended at Scholaris. It should’ve been obvious that Prota wouldn’t be strong enough to fight the Demon King at the young age of twelve.
Once again, it was due to his unusual thought process. Was it really time to switch things up?
In the end, John let the issue drop. He didn’t care enough to think about it all that much. If he had to change himself, the world would have to force him into it first.
As soon as that dilemma had been solved, the next problem he needed to solve was a matter of powering himself up.
“So, Zero?” John said one day.
He was taking a walk in the woods, trying to procrastinate whatever work he needed to do.
“What?”
The soul popped out, enjoying the lush greenery.
“You know. My question. Do I get another freebie, or what?”
“A freebie?”
John sighed. “You know what I’m talking about.”
“Yeah, but the [Readers] probably don’t.”
“...you’re using me as exposition?”
“Why not?”
John grumbled, kicking at the dirt. Great. Well, he wouldn’t get a satisfactory answer until he explained himself, so it seemed he would have to do so.
“Look. At every point in this [Story], I’ve had to manage on my own. The [Characters] around me have been growing naturally. Prota’s been learning new spells, Destiny’s… well, that’s obvious. The guys at Scholaris, too, they’ve been improving. But I don’t have room to improve. We’ve been over this.”
Zero nodded.
“So, in return, it seems that the [Author] has been conveniently providing me with upgrades—or, well, more like giving me my original powers back—throughout this little adventure. My guns. An increase in [Determination]. Arthur’s mana pill. It’s never enough to win, but… You know. It keeps me interesting. It keeps me alive.”
Zero applauded slowly, a grin on his face.
“Very good. Well done.”
John just grumbled. “Seriously, you’re putting me through this clownfest when you know the answer already. Now, are you going to answer my question or not?”
“What question?”
“Do I get something this time?”
Zero looked away, a bit of a guilty look on his face.
“Zero?” John frowned. “Hey, what does that look mean?”
“Well…”
“Look, I don’t care about whether or not I get something. If I don’t get it, then just tell me that. If I do, then tell me what it is. Seriously, why do you enjoy fucking with me so much?”
“Oh, it’s not like that. It’s just… well, whatever. So, basically…”
~~~
The next morning, John awoke to a pink fox sitting on his chest. He blinked his bleary eyes open, licking his dry lips, then letting loose a wide yawn. Still dishivelled, he made as if to swing off the bed, and the fox hopped off.
As soon as it did, John pulled the blankets back onto him and put his head back on the pillow. This action was rewarded with a furry swat to the head.
“Ok, ok, I’m up,” he mumbled, actually getting out of bed this time.
He ran his hands through his hair, then threw his arms up as he stretched with one more big yawn. He looked down at the fox, who turned into Kit, with a disappointed expression on her face.
“What?” John frowned.
“Seriously? You were going to go back to sleep?”
“...I mean, if a fox was on your bed and it left, would you get up?”
For a moment, Kit looked genuinely flabbergasted.
“You knew it was me!”
“And?”
Kit sighed, holding her face in her hands.
“Anyway, what do you want?” John said, grabbing his scarf and hoodie from the table.
He slept in his usual attire, but with how informal and comfortable it was, no one questioned it. The symbol faded in on his back as he threw his hoodie on, but thankfully, Kit wasn’t paying any attention to a detail as small as that.
“Well, I was going to tell you something, but now I’m reconsidering,” Kit said, a small smile reappearing on her lips.
“Uh… ok?” John shrugged, then headed into the washroom.
Kit followed, seemingly annoyed that John hadn’t gotten flustered.
“You could at least give some kind of reaction, you know?”
John splashed his face with water, now fully awake.
“That would be losing.”
“Huh?”
“With you, it’s like a competition, you know? You’re a tease. You love getting a reaction. To be fair, so do I. But if I give you a reaction, that means you won. You know?” He pointed at Kit, a grin forming on his lips. “Looks like I got you flustered instead. So I won.”
Kit’s face flushed red for a moment, but she caught herself and regained her composure. John’s grin grew a little wider. Well, she wasn’t a pushover, that was for sure.
“Well, I suppose that trait of yours will be useful.”
“...useful?”
“You’re coming along.”
John flinched, his grin freezing on his face. This was good news. It was what he wanted. Then why did this moment feel so awkward? Why did he feel so nervous?
“What, ah… what made you choose that?”
“That’s none of your concern. Unless, of course, you’d like to do something for me…?”
John shuddered. Owing a favour to Kit?
“No thanks.”
“Oh, well. The point is, I had a little chat with Destiny. He’s on board, too. So… you’re coming along for the ride. Do you understand?”
“Y-yeah,” John nodded.
What was the reason, though? He couldn’t quite understand. His desire to know, though, was overcome by his fear of Kit’s “favour.” In the end, he gave up on trying to figure it out. It probably wasn’t important enough for the [Plot], and if it was, well, it would be Kit’s fault.
“We’ll be heading out in a few days,” Kit said, turning to leave.
“Oh, hey. Where’s Prota?”
Kit turned around, shock on her face this time. “...she’s been out for a while, you know?”
“A while?”
John frowned, looking at the clock in his system. It was well after midday.
“...huh.”
~~~
The day of departure came. John and Prota left the Wynton family to say their farewells. John had had enough of interfering with this family. If he got too involved, he had no idea what he’d do to them, and he was fine with letting them walk their natural course.
“They wanted to see you guys,” Destiny said as they met in the woods.
Kit was wrapped in her fox form around his shoulders. For a moment, a bit of nostalgia twinged in John’s heart. What a familiar sight.
Then again, things were different as well. He hadn’t paid it much attention, but Destiny was shaping up to be a handsome young man. A strange thing to say about a boy of only fourteen years, but John was observing things from a purely objective standpoint anyway.
It seemed that a world that forced its children to grow up quickly resulted in a more mature look at an earlier age. Now that he thought about it, the others at Scholaris had never really seemed like fourteen-year-old children to him, either. Yes, they were kids, but they were a far cry from children of similar age back on Earth..
He spared a glance at Prota next to him, and to his surprise, she’d grown up a bit as well. Not nearly as much as Destiny had, strangely, but… well, John didn’t really have a reason for it. She was a bit taller, but not by much, and some of the fat in her face had trimmed down. Otherwise, her expression was as monotone as always, making her nothing but a slightly taller Prota.
She looked back up at him, tilting her head in confusion, and he awkwardly looked away.
“I’m good,” John said, shaking his head. “I don’t really know your family, you know? Besides, we’ll only be gone a few months, right?”
“...is that what you think?”
“Isn’t that what you said?” John frowned as they began to walk.
“No? I never said that,” Destiny said, shaking his head. “What are you talking about?”
“I… huh.”
John nodded slowly. “Yeah. I… hm.”
“Do you think it’ll only be a few months?”
“Your training? Maybe? What Kit has to deal with? Um… I don’t know.”
As they got deeper into the woods, Kit hopped off Destiny’s shoulders and turned back into her human form.
“What do you mean, what I have to deal with?” Kit frowned. “I have to deal with something?”
John’s frown deepened. “Weren’t you summoned for something?”
“Well, apparently, they just want to ask me some questions. You really think that’ll take months?” Kit said, her usual smile slowly disappearing.
John felt his heartbeat quicken. Shoot. More assumptions on his part. He shook his head, letting out a deep sigh.
“Stupid fucking Chekov’s gun…”

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Chapter 172: Foxes and Family