Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond-Chapter 177: Smoke and Mirrors

Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond-Chapter 177: Smoke and Mirrors

Chapter 177: Smoke and Mirrors
“So, how are things coming along?”
A month had passed since John had his conversation with Kit.
He hadn’t really found out much about the village, which frustrated him. Still, he found time to check up on his sister and his friend. Every morning, they’d give him a of what they’d been up to.
“I think I’m stepping into the sixth circle of magic,” Destiny said excitedly. “Maybe even the seventh? I feel like I’m close. Using my mana core is feeling a lot more natural now.”
“That’s good. So what, can you drop a nuke on the battlefield or something?”
“Mm… not yet,” Destiny said. “But I can maybe level a small building?”
“Level a- yeah, that’s good enough,” John laughed.
Prota was also levelling up, although her progress was nowhere near as straightforward as Destiny’s was.
To be fair, the hero had somewhat of a cheat. He was learning how to tap into a near-unlimited resource that had been there from the start. Obviously, he’d have an easier time progressing than someone who had little direction.
That wasn’t to say she was making no progress at all.
Her control over domains was far better than it’d ever been. Using them was becoming far more natural, although casting one required there to be a target that could refill her mana core naturally.
That was now one of her main concerns.
She was getting to the point that her staff could actually be emptied. Using such high-power spells so consistently was emptying her core. The Elder had offered some tips on how to increase her mental strength, and that was also part of her practice routine.
What Prota really wanted to learn, though, was how to make effective domains. Ever since she’d seen Kang Loy cast one, she’d wanted to do it herself. She’d been putting in effort every single day, but it was hard. Very hard.
Still, she got the feeling that this was her next step. Being able to cast one would take her combat prowess to a whole new level. Not only did it hinder the opponent, but it also had the effect of boosting the effectiveness of her spells and weakening the opponent’s defensive capabilities. This solved the issue of having to learn new spells to deal with even stronger opponents.
She was getting close. Occasionally, while casting her ice domain, a few specks of snow would appear, and the air would grow a little warmer when casting her fire domain. According to the Elder, she might even get the hang of it in a few weeks. Such growth was unprecedented, even for Mystics, but then again, this growth supported his theory.
Forcing a domain to also be a spell was incredibly hard to do. If normal mages coaxed mana into doing what they wanted, it would be very hard to “convince” the mana to be two things at once.
But Prota forced it to do so. If she could visualize it, picture it in her mind and make it happen in an imaginary mindscape, she could do it in real life. It took an incredible toll on her body and mana reserves, but the process itself would be unlocked as soon as Prota could make it happen in her mind.
“Hm…” John mused, rubbing his chin.
This was maybe something he could help with.
“Do you know what you want your domain to do?” John said, looking at Prota.
“...no.”
Prota had used the spell once, but was she supposed to just copy it? In the first place, she didn’t remember how she’d cast it, so trying to imitate it wasn’t necessarily effective.
“That might help,” John said, standing up. “Domains help you cast spells better, right? But that doesn’t have intent. It just… kinda exists. You’re having trouble with the practicality of a domain-spell hybrid. It might help to know what you want the spell half to do.”
“Nn…”
“For your ice domain, you might want something like a snowstorm,” John suggested. “It blocks vision. Makes you cold. Makes it harder to move. The snow pelts at your face and stings. You know?”
“What the- how are you this creative?” Destiny frowned. “Since when were you so interested in magic?”
“I’m a writer,” John shrugged. “Did I never tell you this?”
“What- no! And what the hell does that have to do with anything? John, there are books with authors in this world, too! That doesn’t automatically make them geniuses when it comes to magic!”
“Oh. Well, now you know. As for the authors in this world… Well, I dunno.”
“...what?”
John sighed. “Look. Ultimately, if you can handle the physical applications of moving mana, the rest is just creativity. It’s what you can imagine. Celeste or whatever made this world with mana, right? Obvious sign that it can do what you want if you just get good.”
“But- hold on,” Destiny frowned. “That doesn’t explain how you were so good at handling mana. Yes, imagination is useful, but we use chants because it helps with the flow! John, people don’t just naturally learn how to move mana-”
“Not answering any more questions,” John said, cutting him off. “Ok, Prota. Anyway, for the fire domain… hm… something like a heatwave?”
A memory of his time in reality came to mind. A miserable heatwave, a young John laying on a field feeling physically smothered by the heat. Throat parched. Skin burning. No matter where you went, it felt like the sun was boiling you alive. Every single surface felt like a hot iron. The air itself was like that of an oven.
“Something like that,” John nodded. “Yeah.”
Prota looked quite focused. Well, she looked the same, but her eyes were definitely more determined than usual. John took his dishes with a smile and went to dump them in the sink.
“Have you been working on that thing I told you about?” John called out to Destiny.
“Well… no,” the hero admitted. “I’ve been busy. Between spells I can cast, spells I can use on my body, and learning how to cast a domain, it’s been pretty chaotic. But I haven’t forgotten about it. I did try a few times, but…”
“Yeah, no worries. I was just curious,” John said, filling a cup with water. He took a sip before continuing. “But if you get a chance, try it out. Ok?”
“Yeah.”
With that, John threw his hood up and went for the door.
“John… are you sure you don’t need my help?” Destiny said, stopping John as his hand reached for the handle.
“No. I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”
In reality, John wanted to ask for help. In the original [Plot], Destiny was probably the one who was supposed to investigate the village and find its hidden secrets. There were definitely secrets here, even if they weren’t connected to the letter given to Sofya.
But he needed Destiny to grow stronger. And that meant that the hero needed to train with the Elder a bit more.
This time, he’d hijack the [Plot] and momentarily take the role of the [Protagonist]. He’d gotten more confident after dealing with Sofya. He’d learned that the [Plot] was something he could derail, something he could toy with. His instincts as a [Writer] were kicking in.
Even more than that, though, his instincts as a [Character] were kicking in as well. He didn’t realize it, but he was far more involved with the [Plot] than he would’ve liked.
“Alright,” Destiny nodded. “If you need help-”
“Yes, yes, I’ll ask.”
With that, John stepped out the door.
As soon as the door closed, he immediately began going over the things he’d figured out. He had made progress since talking to Kit. He hadn’t found anything, but some things were suspicious.
From what he could see, the Ninetails clan didn’t specialize in fire magic. They specialized in illusion magic. The illusory barriers, the hidden fields, all of it, it was everywhere. Even the flames in the lanterns didn’t burn; they weren’t real fire.
Even from a [Story] perspective, foxes were known for trickery and mischief. John wasn’t sure where the trope came from, but he didn’t care. It was useful here.
So if that was the case, then why did Kit specialize in fire magic? Why was she so good with it when her clan specialized in illusion magic? Yes, Kit used illusion magic, but it wasn’t her preferred element.
On top of that, why had the prince singled her out? From what John could see, most of the Mystics were good-looking. Kit didn’t necessarily stand out. So by [Story] logic once again, there was something else. Something the royal family likely needed that was in Kit.
But what? And some things just didn’t line up. Why had her family allowed her to no longer go through with the marriage? Why had the prince given up? A simple line of logic would be that the prince had acquired [Deus Ex Machina] energy and no longer needed Kit, but there was one flaw with that argument: it wasn’t possible.
They needed Kit. They’d called her back, after all. But then why tell her the marriage was off?
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; any sightings.
It just didn’t make sense.
John wanted to ask Kit about it, but even he wasn’t that insensitive. It was likely a hard topic for her, and he didn’t want to push her boundaries. Besides, her emotions might bring in a bias that fudged the facts.
“Argh!” John groaned, holding his head.
It didn’t help that he hadn’t seen her in a while. He wasn’t sure if it’d been the conversation they’d had, but if that was the case, that was fine. It was best if she gave up on him.
But if it was something else…
“Fine,” he muttered. “Guess I’m resorting to this.”
Elder Rina. He could go back to her. To get the information he needed, there was even a well-fabricated story he’d made up.
He just had to hope she could be trusted.
~~~
“Is there such a thing as a chosen Mystic?” Rina asked, sipping at a cup of tea. “Why do you ask?”
The old fox had let John in with surprisingly little resistance. In fact, it was almost as if she’d been waiting for him to come.
This had set off all sorts of alarms in John’s mind. It was possible the fox was just being kind, but he doubted it was as simple as that. She wasn’t nearly as innocent as she looked. There was something she was hiding.
But John had no other leads. He couldn’t progress without her. Ultimately, he had to risk it. This wasn’t like Scholaris, where most of his time was spent being a student. He was here for a reason, and he was getting antsy doing nothing.
“Well, I was thinking about what you told me. You know, about the hero and stuff,” John explained. “I was just wondering if the hero is ever a Mystic.”
“Hm… is that what you’re saying?” Rina said with a small smile. “Well, I can tell you that in all of our history books, not once has a hero been a Mystic. They were always a mortal. Of course, there have been heroes of all races. Elves, humans, dwarves, even halflings, but never a Mystic.”
“I see… and does the hero always have a companion?”
“Not necessarily. I see you’re well informed,” Rina commented, taking another sip. “Most mortals aren’t, you know.”
“Most mortals don’t get to visit the land of the Mystics, either,” John pointed out.
“Hm… that is true. You’re a feisty one, young man. Are you sure you aren’t secretly a Ninetails too?”
“...no,” John said, shuddering at the thought.
He had no desire to be a god. He took pride in being a human, not because he thought humans were superior, but because it was who he was. The more he thought about it, the more his [Unique] ability made sense. He truly hated being anybody but himself.
“Well, you seem interested in some rather fascinating things,” Rina said with a small laugh. “I’ve never met a mortal so fascinated with Mystics. I’ve heard of mortals seeing one and falling in love, but that seems this isn’t the case with yourself. You’re interested in us as a race.”
John shuddered. His intuition had been right. This wasn’t just a sweet old granny. She was definitely hiding something.
Internally, he let out a sigh. He had to remind himself to be more cautious when dealing with old [Characters]. This wasn’t a new thought, but this experience was only serving to reinforce the theory.
“Something like that,” John nodded. “I mean, who wouldn’t be? You’re immortal. You’re incredibly powerful. And I just recently found out that, despite all that, you have internal struggles and conflicts. You people exist on a different societal plane altogether. Wouldn’t anyone be interested?”
“Hm… you really are a tricky one, aren’t you?”
Rina put her cup down standing up and shuffling over to her bookshelf. She withdrew a thin, tattered book and handed it over to John.
“This is some of our history. We don’t keep many records or books. Mystics tend to retain information through speech, and since some of us have been alive for millenia, we were there when history happened. But there are a few things I found interesting. Maybe you’ll find them interesting as well.”
She passed the book over to John, holding his hand firmly as she pushed it into his grip. Her hands were strong. Scarily strong. But at the same time, they were comforting, like the embrace of a loving grandparent.
“Take good care of this book. And take good care of that girl.”
“That… girl?” John frowned.
“You know damn well who I’m talking about. Now, scurry on out of here. And don’t come back.”
“Don’t-”
With that, Rina all but shoved John out of the house, quietly closing the door behind her. Feeling slightly stunned, John looked down at the book in his hands.
The Eternal Flame
“...yeah, that checks out,” he muttered, stuffing the book into his hoodie.
He had some reading to do.
~~~
“I can’t believe it…”
John was once again stuck in a rut. It’d been a month since he’d talked to Rina, and he’d made exactly one step toward his goal.
As a result, he had taken two more steps back. In his entire time here, never once had he felt he’d lost progress in his goal.
It had all started with the contents of the book, “The Eternal Flame.” Inside was a short but detailed documentation of Mystics as a species and a specific being within each race.
According to Rina’s notes, each clan possessed a “First Descendant,” a being whose powers were typically far stronger and more unique than those of the rest of their race. Clans typically did not share this knowledge with other clans due to First Descendants being some of the greatest combat power a clan could have.
Each clan bore only one First Descendant. When a First Descendant died, the power would be passed onto one of the young Mystics of the same clan.
The Ninetails clan had dubbed the power of their First Descendant the “Eternal Flame.” As John had suspected, the Ninetails clan specialized in illusion magic. They were capable of using fire magic, but it wasn’t comparable to that of a clan like the Salamander clan.
The Eternal Flame bearer, however, bore an incredible affinity with fire magic, but the power didn’t end there. If a First Descendant were merely strong, there would be no point in having one.
No, according to research, the Eternal Flame continually grew stronger the longer it remained within its owner. It was said to be capable of annihilating a continent in its prime. Additionally, it bore incredible regenerative abilities, something the Ninetails clan did not innately have. One First Descendant had actually gotten to the point where they could turn their body to flames, becoming invulnerable to all physical attacks for a short period of time.
All this had been very informative and interesting. By [Story] logic, Kit was the current First Descendant of the Ninetails clan. If that were the case, everything else fell into place. The prince needed her for her powers. John didn’t know why, but it would make sense that they needed the chosen one of a clan to stay close to royalty. Additionally, if there were internal struggles, having a First Descendant as a wife would be a huge trump card. It just made sense.
This was the first step John had taken.
Unfortunately, he’d jumped the gun. He hadn’t quite asked Kit whether she was the First Descendant outright, but he’d done something similar.
Kit occasionally stopped by, although she didn’t seem to visit all that much. Regardless, John had asked the question at the first opportunity he could, and this had potentially backfired.
“Hey, Kit. Do you know what the Eternal Flame is?”
Kit frowned. “The what?”
With that, John was once again incredibly confused. Kit herself didn’t know what it was. While this in itself wasn’t necessarily an issue, he didn’t know where to proceed from here.
What was the plan? Was the power of a First Descendant something you could physically extract? No matter how much he read, he couldn’t find anything of the sort. But why else had the Ninetails clan recalled Kit?
But most of all, how did [Deus Ex Machina] energy fit into this?
“Seriously,” John sighed as he sat on his bed. “What the hell am I supposed to do here?”
The only thing he could do from this position was throw out theories at random. None of them would have any supporting evidence, but that was fine.
John’s first theory was that the power of the Eternal Flame was something one could prove, even without its strength, and the prince just needed Kit for political power. However, according to Kit, she didn’t need to get married anymore, so that was out of the question.
The second theory had fewer flaws, but it was far more wild, and it was this:
The entire Ninetails clan was cooperating with the demons.
It was a ridiculous theory. In the first place, John wasn’t sure if something like that was even plausible. Yes, he’d anticipated the demon invasion being harder than usual due to his interference, but an entire clan of Mystics? Second, aside from the singular note Sofya had received, there was no evidence to support this. It was pure speculation.
But a few things would line up if it were true. If Kit really did have the Eternal Flame inside of her, then the demons could be looking to eliminate it before it got too strong. Then, it would be passed onto a new Ninetails, and they would have the power for the coming invasion.
“But that doesn’t make sense,” John muttered.
If his theory about Diaboli was correct, she still wanted Prota for some reason. Using Sofya to turn Prota into someone else was likely proof of that. This also meant that Prota’s mind wasn’t what Diaboli wanted. It was something about her body.
Did it have something to do with her status as an [Anomaly]? But that status was tied to Prota as a [Character], not her body. But then what?
And, to top things off, if this theory were true, that meant that Diaboli shouldn’t need an entire Mystic clan to help her. Unless… the Mystics betraying Celeste was part of the original [Plot]? Then, using a clan specializing in illusions would make sense for infiltration. And since Destiny was supposed to come here anyway…
Yeah, it could make sense. But at the same time, it didn’t. So many open-ended questions. So many possibilities.
“Fuck!” John yelled, burying his face into his pillow.
He was starting to get a headache. Too many things relied on pure speculation.
This was the problem with thinking like a [Reader]. If he were reading a book, it wouldn’t be so bad. But that would be because his knowledge would be rooted in “fact” rather than “speculation.” He would be experiencing things from a different point of view.
But he wasn’t just a [Reader]. He was a [Character]. And, like it or not, he had to deal with things as a [Character].
“Seriously,” he grumbled, lifting his head. “Making me do all this work for what…”
It seemed this problem wouldn’t be resolved any time soon. Hopefully, things wouldn’t get any worse.
~~~
Things got worse.
John had managed to clear his thoughts and organize his theories using the whiteboard function in his system. He’d found that working as a [Character] rather than a [Reader] worked best. Putting himself in the mind of the Ninetails and Kit seemed to be the most useful technique.
It bothered him somewhat, putting himself on the same level as those he viewed as fictional, but somehow, it didn’t feel all that wrong either.
“I’m… hm, better to not think about it,” he muttered.
Still, he was making progress.
If he were Kit, he’d remain free-willed. That was just the kind of person she was.
The royal family had to know this. Regardless of who they were connected with, that meant that they were going to use Kit’s ability without using Kit herself. They wouldn’t have invited her back otherwise.
Then, from here, there were only three options. If they were traitors, they planned on killing her. If they were just pricks, then they were planning on proving her status some way or another. If they weren’t any of the above, then they’d just let Kit go, and there would be nothing to deal with.
John had abandoned the whole note thing. He could figure that out once he figured out the Kit situation. He needed a lead to solve the note issue, and he had a hunch that solving Kit’s situation would lead him to that lead.
No story nonsense. No predictive setups, no thinking about Diaboli, just a regular amount of detective work.
And by doing so, things were suddenly far quieter. No more theoreticals that relied purely on [Reader] based speculation. No more contextual clues he constantly had to keep an eye out for. No more slips of the tongue, no more hidden looks, no more death flags or Chekov’s guns he had to be worried about.
It was peaceful.
He’d found himself slipping more and more into the mindset of a [Character]. That promise to Kit that he’d made. Why had he done something like that?
His argument hadn’t been wrong. Right and wrong were based on opinions, not facts. He existed on a different level of existence from these [Characters]. Their morals didn’t apply to him.
And yet, now that he thought about it, he’d been using this world’s morals without realizing. He’d apologized to Danjo when sacrificing him was the right option. He’d felt guilty for trying to let Olivia die when that was meant to be part of the original [Plot]. He’d made friends with the students at Scholaris, had felt relieved that the Rose twins were alive, revealed secrets to [Characters] who should’ve never known such things.
He’d taken in Prota.
All of these were actions that were, technically speaking, suboptimal. With his knowledge of the [Story], as soon as he’d found Diaboli, he should’ve discarded Prota and gone straight for the Demon King. But he hadn’t done that.
Something within him was calling out.
“I’m getting way too sentimental,” John grumbled as he heard a knock at the door. “Seriously. Since when was I a massive cornball?”
He opened the door and was mildly surprised to find Kit.
“Kit?” he said, eyes wide. “What’s up?”
“Ah. Well… is Destiny here?” Kit said.
Her tone was mildly uncomfortable. John immediately felt his senses go on high alert.
“No, but I can pass on a message. What’s up?”
Nothing could have prepared him for the words he heard next. Well, that wasn’t true. He should have seen this coming.
But he hadn’t. And so what she had to say genuinely stunned him for a moment, locking him in place, unable to say a word.
“Mm… I just came to let you guys know that I thought I’d give the whole marriage thing a second chance. That’s all.”

Chapter 177: Smoke and Mirrors