Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond-Chapter 176: Secrets

Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond-Chapter 176: Secrets

Chapter 176: Secrets
“Diaboli. Yes, that is their name. Not that it matters, of course,” the Mystic chuckled. “After all, it’s not as if they could ever descend upon this world. It is merely a moniker, an identifier for which we Mystics use.”
“I- I see,” John said, barely managing to hide his shock.
Thankfully, it seemed Rina had yet to notice. With a smile, John thanked her and left, but he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He was finding it a little hard to breathe.
Diaboli. The natural assumption was that the Diaboli just mentioned and the Demon King they’d faced were one and the same. It would explain a few things, like why Jinae had been surprised about the Demon King’s identity, and how she’d arrived earlier than expected. This wasn’t the Demon King.
It was the Demon God.
It would also explain why [Deus Ex Machina] energy was being distributed to so many random [Characters]. It was because the Demon God had a limited time in this world.
John wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but logically, it lined up. [Deus Ex Machina] energy might be allowing a being to exist when they normally couldn’t, but since the energy was a limited resource, Diaboli might be conserving it. Then, by giving it to [Characters], they could do her bidding without exhausting all of the power at once.
The theory made sense. But John simply couldn’t accept it. There was one glaring issue that remained.
The [Plot]. It just didn’t make sense. From a writing standpoint, Diaboli needed a goal. An objective. Normally, the Demon King just wanted world domination or whatever, which was standard enough. For a being like a Demon God, however, just descending upon the world was enough. She didn’t need more [Deus Ex Machina]. She could just defeat Destiny and be done with it.
Sure, one could argue she needed them to fight John, but she’d stated that she was fighting him for his memories, thus making the argument circular in nature. So then what was the goal after that? What did she intend to do?
Now that John thought about it, he didn’t know what she was planning. He’d had a goal this whole adventure, and while he’d occasionally gotten off track, he’d mostly been following that goal diligently. But Diaboli had never revealed her plan. She’d never declared anything other than her desire to erase John from existence.
To be honest, he didn’t really care about that. Whether or not someone wanted him dead was of no matter to him. But he hated not knowing
why.
Suddenly, John felt shivers running down his spine. Returning to reality. That was his end goal. It would take a long, long time to get there, but it was inevitably his goal. Could Diaboli do the same? Was that her goal? Was something like that even possible?
Or… what if there was no goal at all?
“No,” he muttered, shaking his head. “No, no. If that’s the case, then there’s nothing I can do. I just need to keep moving with my current assumptions. That’s all I can do.”
That was what he said, but inside, he couldn’t shake this feeling of unease. There was one more reason he suspected Diaboli wasn’t the Demon God. It wasn’t a logical one, and he was hesitant to think about it, but the thought lingered, always present.
The [Author] wouldn’t just give him such an obvious hint. There were obvious hints in this [Story], yes, but something like this couldn’t possibly be one of them.
There was absolutely no way the answer was this simple.
But then again, it could be a game of reverse psychology. The [Author] would know that John would be suspicious, and would then make Diaboli the Demon God to throw him off.
In the end, it was a circular argument with no end in sight. The best solution was to not think about it at all.
~~~
After that conversation with Rina, John found he was making no further progress. There was still nothing of interest he could find, no secrets or shady corners of this village that stood out.
In the end, he was forced to play along with the [Plot]. This worked both ways. On one hand, John wasn’t pleased. He’d hoped to resolve things as quickly as possible, or at the very least get a head start on progress, but it looked like that wouldn’t be happening.
On the other hand, that meant that the [Author] had no plans of throwing him into anything any time soon. And for that, he was grateful.
John hadn’t seen much of Kit, which was a little surprising considering that she’d been the one to bring them here, but it also made sense. The Mystics seemed to be avoiding them in general, and Kit likely had something to do with her family. She’d said she was doing well, and while John didn’t trust that statement, he also didn’t have the power to look into it.
Ultimately, he was stuck doing nothing. He was so bored that he wound up watching Destiny and Prota train, which provided some small form of entertainment. Apparently the Elder wasn’t there every day, only showing up occasionally to provide insight, but the two were left to their own devices otherwise.
“Oh, Destiny,” John called out after watching the boy unleash a barrage of spells comparable to Prota’s level.
“Huh? What’s up?”
“Come over here. I just thought I’d give you something else to work on.”
Destiny walked over to John, who was sitting on a rock near the pond. There was a faint look of pity in Destiny’s eyes, and John wasn’t quite sure where it was coming from, but he ignored it.
“Remember when I said you could work on your unique ability?” John said.
“Yeah? What about it?”
“Well, I’ve got nothing else to do, so I thought I’d bring it up now.”
Destiny raised his eyes in interest. “Oh? Alright, let’s hear it.”
“Remind me what your ability is again?”
Destiny frowned. “Hm… well, it’s not like I know the specifics. As we’ve explained, a hero’s abilities are unique, right? So it’s not like there’s a textbook on how it works. For now, I’ve sort of been figuring it out as I go.”
“And so far, you’ve been using it to cut better,” John sighed. “I mean, yeah, that’s cool. But is that the best use of your ability?”
“What do you mean?”
John shrugged, toying with his scarf. “Your ability is something that can cut through anything, right?”
“...yeah. But what does that mean?”
“Look, this is just a hypothesis, but what if anything really means anything? Not just matter, but what if it could cut mana? Space? Time? I’m not sure how that last one would work, but…”
Destiny laughed. “Sure, that would be cool. But, John. It’s a sword. It’s sword aura. Isn’t being able to cut through any defense strong enough as it is?”
John hesitated. He thought about what Rina had told him. Beings as strong as Mystics, flooding the continent to the point that they’d almost lost. The hero had to be, at the very least, as strong as the Mystics.
But at what point was that level of strength meant to be achieved? When Destiny was a fully grown adult? Or in a few years? Lupin and Leora had said that there were no signs of a demon invasion starting any time soon, but John somehow doubted that.
He shook his head. His theory about Destiny’s theory was correct, and it was best to teach it now. There was no telling how powerful they’d need to be.
“Look. Do you-”
John cut himself off.
“Do you remember the fight with Doctor” was what John had been about to say, but there was no way Destiny could remember such a thing. That was because he’d never actually fought Doctor. He didn’t remember something that hadn’t happened.
But John remembered. He remembered Destiny doing the most damage to Doctor out of anyone, even more than Kit, who had unleashed her full ability. It was then that John had realized the nature of Destiny’s ability, but he’d never brought it up, mainly because Destiny wasn’t at the level where he could understand this.
The theory, however, remained. Destiny had been able to cut Doctor because the ability to cut through “anything” included Doctor’s [Deus Ex Machina] ability. Granted, the power of a [Writer] trumped over that of a [Character], but for a moment, Doctor had lost control.
So if Destiny could do something like that, wasn’t cutting through space and time within the realm of reason?
However, John couldn’t explain his theory. He just had to hope that Destiny would trust him.
“Look,” John sighed. “Just… just try it.”
“Try what?”
“I don’t know,” John said, throwing his hands up in surrender. “I don’t know how it works. It’s not something I can replicate, and it’s not like we can ask anybody else, either. But… try it. Mana will probably be easiest, and we can ask Prota to help you out with this.”
“What does that even mean, John? Cut mana? How do you cut mana?”
“Hm…” John closed his eyes, trying to think of the various stories he’d read. “Something like… cutting off the flow of a spell, maybe? When you encounter a giant spell, you could try slashing it, and it might disrupt the entire thing.”
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“...that doesn’t really make sense, you know?”
John sighed, scratching the back of his head. “Yeah, I know.”
“Then where are you even getting this idea from?” Destiny frowned.
This, at the very least, John could partially answer.
“Conceptual energy. You sort of understand that this is my thing, right?”
“Sort of, yeah. It doesn’t really make sense to me, but… I understand that you know something about it.”
John nodded, satisfied with that answer. “Look. The ability to cut through anything is conceptual in nature. ‘Everything’ is a pretty vague term, but if it encompasses what I think it does, then doesn’t that make it conceptual in nature? I mean, it still interacts with the real world, but still.”
“Ok, you explained mana. How would that work for time? Space?”
“Uh, let’s see… well, space would maybe be deleting the space in front of you.”
“Deleting the space?”
“Yeah,” John shrugged. “It could pull enemies toward you or allow you to pull yourself closer. Essentially, you’re cutting ‘space,’ or removing a certain section of reality from existence. Don’t ask me to explain time. I’m not doing that.”
Destiny sighed, calling his blade to his hands. He unsheathed the sword, staring at his reflection in the metal.
“I’ll try, John. But… not right now. I promise I’ll try it, but I’m not even strong enough to compete in the realm of mortals.”
“Hm… fair enough,” John nodded. “It was just something I wanted to suggest.”
“Have you found anything interesting yet?” Destiny said, resheating the sword.
John grimaced. He didn’t want to think about his progress.
“No,” he sighed. “I don’t want to think about it. There’s just no way to do anything here. To be honest I don’t know what I was expecting. I came here since Kit mentioned things, but I haven’t had any room to investigate anything. It’s pointless. I mean, investigating it isn’t my top priority, but it is something I’d like to do…”
“You could try asking the Elder,” Destiny shrugged. “I think Kit trusts him.”
“Speaking of Kit, have you seen her?” John frowned. “I haven’t seen her in a while.”
“Yeah, me neither. She did stop by to say she was having a good time, but I didn’t think she’d be gone for this long…”
“Ah, whatever. If we need to help her, we’ll help her-”
“Were you two talking about me?”
John and Destiny whirled around to see Kit, a mischievous smile plastered onto her face.
“Aw, you were worried about me?” she said, sitting down between the two of them.
“Not anymore,” John grumbled.
Destiny seemed less annoyed. “What have you been up to, Kit?”
“Oh, just catching up. There was some stuff I had to do, some people to see, but that’s all over now!” She leaned back, her legs swinging back and forth. “Have you guys been doing well?”
“Yep! The Elder is a really good teacher,” Destiny grinned. “No wonder you like him so much. His ideas with magic are crazy.”
“Right?!” KIt said, excited.
“Hey. I’m not having a good time,” John said, putting his hand up like a schoolboy.
“You’re the one who wanted to come,” Kit poitned out.
“Yeah, but now that I’m here, I have nothing to do.”
“Well, in that case, why don’t I show you around?” the fox said, standing up.
She extended her hand, waiting for John to take it. John, in turn, looked to Destiny, but the hero just shook his head.
“I’ve gotta get back to training. You two have fun,” he said, a faint smile on his lips.
“Wha- hey, you can’t just leave me alone!” John protested, but the half-elf was already gone.
Reluctantly, John took Kit’s hand and stood up.
“If you’re with me, you’ll be fine,” she said with a smile. “Come on, there’s a lot I want to show you.”
~~~
The village was actually a lot larger than John had ever imagined it would be. The area they’d seen while flying over was just the start. They passed through mirage-like walls to see factories, fields of crops and livestock, and entire sections of restaurants they had yet to see.
“Interesting…” John muttered as they walked around what appeared to be a town center.
There was a pretty fountain in the center of many paths, seemingly made of rose gold. The water spewing out was pure and clean, and John’s tongue suddenly felt a little parched.
“So?” Kit said, turning to him. “What do you think?”
“...what do you mean, what do I think?” John frowned.
“Of my hometown! What do you think?”
“Uh… it’s nice, I guess? I don’t usually go around judging people’s towns, you know. Well, I guess I’ll say something if it’s absolute dogshit.”
“Oh, don’t be like that.”
“It’s nice, Kit. It’s really nice. What do you want me to say?”
The fox sat on the edge of the fountain, her finger creating swirls in the water.
“Well, what do you like about it?”
John sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets as he looked around. The place was quiet. There was the occasional call of a bird or footsteps from passing Ninetails, but otherwise, the sound of flowing water was all John could hear.
“It’s peaceful here,” John shrugged. “It’s quiet. Clean. The air is fresh, the forests are pretty, the roads are well kept… it’s a nice place to be. I guess if I was going to settle down somewhere, I wouldn’t mind somewhere like this. Well, I’d only be here for a century at most. There are other places I’d like to see, too.”
“I keep forgetting you’re not a normal mortal,” Kit said, looking up at John. “A century, huh…”
She trailed off, leaving the two in silence for a moment.
“John,” she said suddenly. “Do you have someone you like?”
“You asked this already,” John sighed. “What are you getting at?”
He wanted to ask the obvious question. Did she like him? He would’ve asked. The answer didn’t particularly matter to him, but forcing it out of her might make things awkward. Seeing as he needed her for the duration of their stay, he’d rather not do that.
But he didn’t want the answer to be yes. It wasn’t that he disliked her. It wasn’t that he thought she wasn’t a suitable partner, either. She could survive as long as he could, she was quite beautiful, and her personality was somewhat compatible with his. Yes, they were both people who liked soliciting reactions out of others, but he didn’t mind that as long as good intentions were kept in mind.
All that was good and fine. The problem, then, was that he simply couldn’t allow himself to fall in love. These were [Characters]. At the end of the day, they weren’t real. He was falling in love with a concept, an idea. Keeping one as family was something else entirely. But romantic feelings? He couldn’t have that.
There was a sense of pride involved as well. He simply would not let anybody say that he would fall for a fictional character. That was reserved for a specific group of [Readers], and he wasn’t part of that group.
“Well, you know… after all this is over,” Kit said awkwardly. “You know.”
John felt his heart skip a beat. This was a death flag, but he could worry about that later.
“Have you figured out what you’re doing once you defeat the Demon King?” she said, suddenly switching her line of thought. “You know.”
“Well, what are you doing? Are you gonna just hang around Destiny? You’re going to outlive him, you know,” John said, kicking at the ground.
“Well… I suppose,” she said.
Her tone suggested that she had not, in fact, thought of that. John felt a little guilty. Well, it was something she’d have to think about eventually.
“But you won’t, right? You’re already thousands of years old,” Kit said, continuing the conversation. “So… what are your plans?”
“I don’t know,” John said quietly. “I don’t really have plans for the future anymore.”
That was a lie. He was glad Destiny wasn’t here.
He absolutely knew what he’d do next. He would move to another world, another [Story], and continue to look for his memories. According to Zero, they’d been scattered across a lot of [Stories]. He’d keep moving until he found them all. Whether or not he could have companions… that was an entirely different story.
But his goal came before any of that. He’d already made one sacrifice. That sacrifice would be pointless if he didn’t continue to sacrifice his connections. No. Even if it meant abandoning everyone, he would push forward.
“Well, if you don’t have any plans, what if… what if you came back here?”
Kit’s offer snapped John out of his thoughts.
“Sorry- what did you just say?”
“What if you came back here?” Kit offered. “It’s strange for a mortal to live with Mystics, but you’re special. Prota, too. And you have connections to that strange group, right? I’m sure you could have a few people vouch for you.”
“I… I guess?”
“So, even if it’s only for a century… why don’t you hang around a little longer? After all this is over.”
John didn’t know what to say. Kit was usually far more refined than this. He still remembered his first impression of the Mystic. She was, in short, a fox. Tricky. Clever with her words. She acted in such a way that made you unsure of her true intentions. In short, she was much like himself, but far more open about it.
But now, she was being quite vulnerable. Her current attitude was far too open and friendly for John’s liking. Instead of a fox, she was more like a golden retriever.
“Kit. I don’t know what you’re getting at, but I’m not someone you should admire or anything,” John said awkwardly. “I know I’ve said this, and I know you guys tell me that I’m fine, but I’m being honest. I don’t want you to be surprised when something happens, alright?”
Without asking the obvious question, he had to nip this in the bud. It was a shame. He had been growing fond of Kit, despite the fact that their time together wasn’t the longest. Still, he didn’t want any misunderstandings.
Kit flinched. “That’s-”
“Really. You and Destiny might think differently because I’m on your side. But if I was ever working against you guys, you would absolutely hate me. I don’t do things because I think they’re right. I do it because I want to. It feels nice because it’s helping you, but think about it from the other perspective. How would you want to deal with someone who had no code to follow at all?”
“...but what if we like that about you?” Kit said quietly. “What if that’s the trait we’re fond of? John, people don’t need to be perfect. If I were perfect, I wouldn’t have run away from home. I would’ve married the prince, and I wouldn’t have ever met you. Sometimes, people need to do what they want. You taught me that.”
“There are levels to that, Kit,” John said, shaking his head. “You and Destiny don’t know my end goal. Well, you kind of do. But freedom means a lot of different things. Remember Draco? He was pretty free. He had the freedom to do what he wanted. You know how he ended up?”
“But you’re not like-”
“I am.” John looked her in the eyes. “I’m exactly like Draco, except my goal isn’t pure fun and pleasure, and I don’t enjoy hurting people. We are the same type of person, Kit. I am, at my core, what you would call a bad person. Well, not that it means I’m bad.”
Kit frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, whether someone is good or bad is subjective. No one will ever truly agree on what is right or wrong. We dislike Draco because he causes others suffering, right? But can you tell me why that’s bad?”
“What?” Kit exclaimed. “He’s hurting others! That’s-”
“And why is hurting others bad? You know what? Let’s take it a step further. Why is people being in pain bad? Why is suffering bad? Because we dislike it? And why is it bad that we dislike it?”
Kit opened her mouth. Then she closed it again.
“This is a really stupid argument. I’m not right, and I’m just saying things without thinking. But my point remains the same. Morals are ultimately a subjective thing. We agree with what our society says is good and bad. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Society is necessary. We can’t objectify morals. But I-”
Suddenly, John shut his mouth. He couldn’t say what he’d been about to say.
He was real. These were [Characters]. Whether they lived or died was of no concern to him because they weren’t real. Their lives had no impact, and he, in a sense, existed on a plane above them.
In his eyes, killing a [Character] was as morally wrong as a writer killing off a character in their story. Nobody accused a writer of murder for killing off one of their characters.
But he couldn’t say that.
John sighed.
“Look,” he shrugged. “I’m just saying… you don’t want to get all that close, alright? Because when shit hits the fan, it’s going to hurt a lot more when you realize that I’m not that great of a person to be around.”
“But Prota’s that close to you,” Kit pointed out.
John grimaced. He had no counterargument for that.
He sat next to her, looking at his rippled reflection in the water. He was almost surprised by what he saw. His characteristic grin was gone. His lips were set in a straight line, devoid of any emotion.
But inside, he didn’t feel empty. He felt disappointed in himself. Why was he thinking like this? Something about it didn’t feel right. Logically, his statements felt true. As someone from the real world, it was best to approach these sorts of things in a detached fashion.
But inwardly, he felt like he was doing something wrong. Like he was ignoring a deeply rooted desire that he hadn’t had in a long time.
“Fine.” Well, he could do this, at the very least. He was, after all, fond of the fox. “Look. I can’t make any promises for the future or anything. My relationship with you and Destiny? Up in the air. But I’ll promise you this.”
He closed his eyes. Don’t do this. That’s what he felt his inner voice saying. But a desire beyond rationale and reason pushed forward. A feeling he hadn’t felt in ages.
“Once. When you need someone to help you. When you can’t get out of a scenario. I promise I’ll help you out, ok?”
Kit smiled at him. It wasn’t her usual sneaky grin. It was an emotion John couldn’t quite identify.
“I’ll hold you to that,” she said, poking his chest.
Standing up, she did a twirl before extending her hand. John sighed. It was a shame she was a [Character]. If this were a regular [Story], and he was also just a regular [Character], he wouldn’t have minded…
No, that was a dangerous mindset to enter. There was no love for him here. Prota was the most he was willing to allow, and even then, her circumstances were special.
“Come on,” she said. “You’ll get lost if I don’t take you back.”
“...yeah,” John said quietly. “Good to know.”

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Chapter 176: Secrets