Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond-Chapter 183: Truth

Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond-Chapter 183: Truth

Chapter 183: Truth
John immediately backed off, spitting and wiping his mouth, scraping his tongue with his teeth like he’d just had something terrible to eat. Had he done this to anyone else, they would have been terribly offended, but thankfully, Kit was being controlled. She couldn’t take offence at this.
Of course, he hadn’t just been kissing her for fun.
He’d confirmed this with Zero, but he’d figured this would work anyway.
Infusing just a bit of [Deus Ex Machina] energy into his kiss was the trick. Obviously, John hadn’t been stupid enough to assume something as simple as a kiss would wake Kit up. Stories might have that kind of trope, but said tropes didn’t apply to John.
However, he knew that Kit was fiery, spirited and free-willed. He was desperately hoping that she was fighting against the mind control, but he hadn’t just done something foolish for nothing. There were clues that he’d been paying attention to.
The prince had backed off after telling Kit to fight John. Instead of providing supporting fire, he’d sat back and done nothing. Sure, he was recovering, but he was also a Mystic. There was no way he would just do nothing…
Unless he couldn’t do anything.
And if he was having a hard time resisting Kit, then that had to mean she was trying to break free. If John’s theory was right, she was being controlled because the prince had gotten a hold of [Deus Ex Machina] power. Now that he’d experienced it, the power was truly weak. It really meant nothing at all and had no conceptual abilities, unlike Doctor and Sofya.
However, the fact that it was involved remained. Basic emotions would not snap Kit out of her trance.
But John had learned that [Deus Ex Machina] energy countered [Deus Ex Machina] energy. The only thing that could counter the power of a [Writer] was itself.
So he’d combined the two things that he could think of. A [Story] would typically be solved by some kind of emotional reunion. If Destiny were here, as he was meant to be, he probably would have made some grand speech. But Destiny wasn’t here, and [Deus Ex Machina] energy wasn’t involved.
So John had done what made the most sense to him.
He could only hope it worked.
“What the- what have you done?!” Chen So yelled, stumbling back. “My power! You- you- what did you do?”
John wiped his mouth, shaking as he stood back up. His body was still in tatters, but he had to ignore it for the time being.
“I’m not the [Protagonist] right now,” he muttered, not caring if he was making sense. “But that’s fine. I’ll solve things my own way. You didn’t think I was telling the truth when I said that was my power?”
John was focused on the prince, but he was still keeping an eye on Kit. Right now, she was frozen, twitching randomly. He could only hope that meant that she was fighting back.
“That power is only omnipotent when applied onto [Characters]. Right now, neither of us exist on that plane. You just experienced what it was like to stand on a higher plane of existence, only to realize you’re not the only one up there.”
“But- you-”
“I told you. This isn’t justice. This isn’t how the fight is supposed to end. But I don’t care if it’s right or wrong. I don’t care if I’m the good guy or the bad guy. In the end, I want to save Kit. And if that’s what I want, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
He clenched his teeth, trying to hide his fatigue. Not good. That last lunge had taken a lot out of him, and even with [Infinity], his body was failing. He reached into his pocket dimension, pulling out his weapon. One last chance. He couldn’t rely on Kit anymore.
This was it.
He collapsed, but his grip was still steady. He didn’t need to aim for the head. Just hitting the enemy was good enough.
“Please.”
One second.
Two.
Three.
Fo—
“Ah- Fuck!”
John yelled out as a sword came flying out, slicing his right arm off. The shock was enough to send John into a spasm. He could feel the warmth of the blood seeping through his hoodie as his body began to go cold from the loss of blood.
Still, [Determination] kept him from passing out. But what good was that? He could’t move. He couldn’t fight.
“Did you really think you could get away with that?”
The prince was furious. His once calm nature was replaced with a terrible, ferocious expression, fangs beared. His neat hair was dischevelled, his makeup ruined by the sweat pouring down his face.
“You… I’ll kill you. That’s all I have to do, and I’ll be back. In the end, it was merely a matter of Mys-”
A giant fireball cut him off, creating a massive explosion that knocked him off his feet. John could barely react, but he felt hope rise in his heart.
“John!” Kit ran over, grabbing his head and lifting it up. “John, I- I’m so sorry, I-”
“Not your fault,” John groaned. “You couldn’t have done anything about it.”
“But-”
“No.” He coughed, a little blood coming out. “Just… get my arm. And the gun. Actually, leave the arm. I can’t do anything with it. Just get the gun.”
Kit seemed incredibly afraid, but she did as he asked.
“Left hand.”
He felt calm as the familiar grip was returned to his palm. His right arm had better aim, but it wasn’t like he could really aim in this situation anyway.
“Lift me up a little.”
“I can shoot-”
“No, you can’t.”
John had considered this. Kit had the durability to fire his weapon without a penalty. Unfortunately, tools from his pocket dimension were only accessible to him. He’d only found this out recently after asking Zero.
In hindsight, he shouldn’t have asked. At least then, Kit might’ve tried. Maybe it would’ve worked, even.
Still, he couldn’t risk Kit fighting for him. Mystics were too durable, and it would take too long. This, at least, was guaranteed.
“Kit. My arm. Lift it.”
She did so, and John took aim. The prince was still recovering, and this time, the four seconds were guaranteed. They had to be.
“John,” Kit said quietly as he pulled the trigger. “I… thank you. For keeping your promise.”
The gun whirred as a second passed.
“I- you were conscious?” John said, fear suddenly entering his heart.
The grip grew warm. Another second passed. Then another.
“Sorry! I-”
The fourth second.
There was a massive roar as a thin line was drawn through the air. Then, all at once, a massive beam of light followed, obliterating everything in its path. The church itself was blown to bits, chunks of stone flying everywhere. John’s arm was blown clean off, sending him flying out of Kit’s embrace, his body smashing into a nearby tree. The gun itself evaporated, never to be used again.
“John!” Kit yelled, running over.
She found him in a pitiful state. His face was growing cold, and his eyes had a glossy look to them. Still, he was able to speak.
“Oh… Kit.” He coughed again. “Hey. Worked out, huh?”
“Stay quiet!” she said in a panicked tone, holding her hands over him. “How are you even alive?”
“...I don’t know.”
“Argh! You’re unbearable, you know? I’m starting to understand why Destiny complains about me all the time!”
She was complaining, but the fire that had healed John before was once again being cast over his body. His condition was stabilizing, although he was still at risk of death.
“So it just ends like that, huh?” John muttered, looking at the church.
Come to think of it, this whole Mystic arc had been somewhat underwhelming. Well, that was to be expected when he was involved in such things.
“...John,” Kit said quietly. “Um… is it really true? Those things you said?”
John tried to sit up, sending him into another coughing fit. He got a little bit of blood onto Kit, who was so out of it that she didn’t even notice. She did, however, push him back down in order to continue his treatment.
“Which things? And, hold on a minute. You were mind-controlled. You- what are you saying?”
John felt panic rising in his heart once again. He’d said a lot of things to Chen So because he’d considered the prince a dead man. Either he or John would die, and in the end, the secrets told wouldn’t matter, because only one person would remember what had been said.
John had never considered a third party capable of listening in.
“I… that’s not how that worked. I was given suggestions, and I accepted them as my own thoughts,” Kit said, embarrassed. “I really did think I was in love with him.”
“So that’s why you were acting the same as always,” John muttered. “It makes sense.”
“Yes…”
The two sat there in silence for a moment. John could feel himself getting better again. Both his arms were still gone, and a chunk of his chest was missing, but his heart was thankfully intact. He’d been really close to dying, though. Dangerously close. If his gamble hadn’t paid off, he wasn’t sure where he’d be now.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“Wait,” John said suddenly, frowning. “So when I-”
He cut himself off, groaning as his face turned red.
“Um. You don’t have to talk about it,” Kit said quietly.
John looked up. Her face was turned away from his, hiding her expression. Still, from the colour of her ears, she was visibly blushing.
“Kit.”
John took on a more serious tone. He couldn’t have a misconception here. His feelings toward her were genuine.
He couldn’t see her as a romantic interest.
His decision to kiss her was purely based on logic and [Story] knowledge. He genuinely harboured zero romantic interest toward someone he couldn’t see as a person.
Just as Mystics saw mortals as beneath them, John could not equate Kit to someone he could have a relationship with.
“That…” he started, but didn’t have the courage to finish it.
“I already know.”
She turned to him, tears in her eyes. There was a smile on her face, but her lips were trembling.
“You don’t… see me that way, do you?” she said, choking on her words.
“Kit-”
“No. I know you tried to let me down lightly, but… I wanted to hope.”
For a moment, the two sat in silence.
“Kit. Really, what do you see in me? I don’t get it. I know you don’t see Destiny in this way, but he’s just a better person than me in every way. He’s got good looks, a good personality, a nice family… Kit. You know I’m not a good person.”
Kit flinched. John just sighed.
“I get it. I represent the freedom you were too afraid to take for yourself. But why do you want to romanticize that? Why pursue the person that-”
“Does there need to be a reason for love?!”
Kit’s outburst made John go quiet. The same thing he’d realized during his fight.
These [Characters] saw him as real. They saw him as an equal.
And emotions didn’t need rationale. They simply were.
“I don’t know, John. I can’t give you an answer. But something… something draws me to you. Maybe it's how our personalities are similar. Maybe it’s your carefree attitude. Maybe it’s how you pull up when we need you to the most. I can’t explain it. But…”
She sighed, taking a deep breath.
“I fell for you, John. And I’m going to blame you. So I’m gonna need some answers before I finish healing you.”
~~~
Destiny opened his eyes to see Elder Kang Loy sitting on the ground, seemingly dazed. Otherwise, though, he was perfectly fine. The few cuts he and Prota had given him were quickly mending.
“What a scary opponent,” Destiny shuddered.
To think they’d have to face opponents of this calibre in the future. Well, both of them had yet to reach their true potential. And, they had been holding back in order not to kill the man.
“Elder,” Destiny said, shaking his shoulders. “Elder. Can you hear me? Are you all right?”
“Ah, hm… what’zat? Destiny?”
The Elder opened his eyes, and to Destiny’s surprise, they seemed clearer than before.
“Ah… it’s so quiet. Thank you, children. You both did wonderfully.”
Prota slowly approached, checking for any foreign mana.
There was none.
She was, however, confused. The Elder seemed different, somehow. He was quite similar to before. Same appearance, same voice, same speech patterns—
Ah. That was it. He was no longer stuttering as he had.
“Hm… I suppose I should explain, then.”
The Elder sat down cross-legged, inviting the children to do the same. In a slow and steady voice, he explained his past.
The story of his abandoning his role as the First Descendant was true. The royal family had threatened his wife when he refused to be their entire army, and they’d killed her when he wouldn’t give in.
“I… I was a coward,” he said quietly. “I should have just given in. But I abandoned the power instead, and cursed a child with something I should have never done.”
This was where the prince’s story deviated from the truth. Abandoning one’s power didn’t have the effect of breaking one’s mind. It did weaken you for a while, and it did cause some instability occasionally, but it wasn’t to the point that it turned one senile.
Destiny and Prota listened as he explained how he had quickly realized his sin, rushing to find the next bearer of the Eternal Flame. With his skills as the previous bearer, he quickly located Kit, but chose to initially observe.
However, the child’s talent was clear, and he couldn’t help but want to nurture that talent. He kept it a secret from everyone, of course. But that wasn’t enough. The prince soon found out.
“They tried to control her into being their puppet,” he explained. “But she was too strong-willed for that.”
From that point on, the story made sense. Kit ran away, met up with Destiny, and the rest was known to the children.
“If I may ask… then why were you in such a state of mind?” Destiny frowned.
“I was to observe you two. Initially, I was to ignore you and only observe, but I couldn’t do that. My pupil’s own students, coming to me for help… I had to fight back. Unfortunately, something about the prince’s power was stranger than before. I suppose that’s how he controlled Kit as well. Fighting back was hard-”
“Wait, Kit was controlled?!” Destiny exclaimed. “What’s happening to her?”
“I’m afraid you’re too late,” the Elder said sadly, shaking his head. “Their marriage is planned for today. If Kit agrees, she’ll be permanently under his control. She will relinquish her will, and… I’m sorry, children. I tried. Please, forgive me.”
Destiny felt his heart fall.
“No… Kit,” he whispered, his hands shaking. “Kit.”
Prota, however, had a strange fire in her eyes.
“Um… Elder,” she said quietly. “You said… strange power?”
“Yes. Ninetails have the power of illusion, not mind control. The two are very similar, but not exactly the same. We can influence other Mystics and mortals, but controlling a Nintails is normally impossible unless one is impaired. I, however, and the entirety of our clan, were put under submission. This should not be possible-”
“Destiny,” Prota said suddenly. “Strange power.”
Destiny’s eyes went wide. Right, how could they forget? Half the reason they were here was for John. The strange letter, the incident with Sofya…
It all led to here. That was the whole reason John had wanted to come along.
“...I cannot move, children,” the Elder said sadly. “But… your tone leads me to suspect that there is hope?”
“I don’t know if I can call it hope,” Destiny said cautiously. “I don’t know if he can pull it off, but… he’s done the impossible before.”
Prota, however, asn’t so confident. John was up against a Mystic, but there was no emotion buff to aid him this time. Would he be able to do it?
Unfortunately, she’d used all her healing charms, and she was in no state to run to his side.
All she could do was hope.
For a moment, the Elder hummed and hawed, but eventually, the silence seemed to be unbearable for him.
“Hm… since we are all here, would you happen to have any stories of Kit?”
~~~
John wasn’t about to die, but he definitely would rather be in a life-or-death situation than what he was in at the moment.
“I somewhat understand my powers, now. I mean, I did before, but… well, the point is, I can bring your arms back. Do you understand what I’m saying? Unless you want to stay armless forever, I’m not healing you until I get answers.”
This was a worse situation than fighting Chen So. He sighed, mentally preparing himself for the worst.
“John. What do you mean… we’re all characters?”
John was expecting this one. “What? I never said that.”
Kit didn’t speak. She just looked at John pointedly, waiting for him to say something that made sense.
“I’m not lying, Kit, I promise.”
Again, silence.
“Kit.”
Silence.
“...I don’t know what to tell you.”
“You’re going to tell me the truth, John. When you look at me, it’s like you’re not seeing a person. It’s like you’re… looking at something else. John. What am I to you?”
Something about this was familiar. Where had he—
Ah. Back when they’d first defeated Doctor, she’d come to talk to him. She’d forced answers out of him, and when he’d answered…
“I can’t tell you, Kit,” John said quietly.
“Am I a child to you? You seemed to be very comfortable telling the prince.” She seemed mad, now. “You were quite open about it, in fact. What does he have that I don’t? Why tell him and not me?”
“That’s because I planned to kill him. He wasn’t going to know for much longer anyway. And besides, who cares if his mind breaks?”
“...John. I can handle it. This truth… It’s what’s stopping you from seeing me as a person, isn’t it? Please. I deserve to know. I…”
She broke down, staring at John pleadingly. He sighed. Love was such an annoying thing. Still, he couldn’t blame Kit for doing so, not because he believed himself to be someone who deserved love, but because emotions were simply that illogical.
But what was he supposed to do? Tell her something that could potentially break her entire worldview?
“John.”
Her voice was so pitiful, though. Prota could handle it. Surely… surely she could, too.
In the back of John’s mind, he knew. Telling her this would be selfish. It would only serve to stop her from asking. But it couldn’t do her any good. There was no reason for her to find out about this. The only benefit anyone would receive was himself. Kit only stood to lose from learning about this.
Ultimately, he was only tricking himself into believing that this was fine.
Morally, it was incorrect. He was bringing reality into fiction. The two shouldn’t mix. He should be the only being that combined the two in this universe.
Then again, John was a selfish person. He wouldn’t have gotten here if he wasn’t.
“Fine.”
Kit’s grip on John’s shoulders lightened.
“...Kit. I don’t… I don’t want to say this. Not for me, but for you. Trust me. I… I don’t mind you as a person. Really. It’s… it’s not…”
“I want to know.”
John sighed. He could feel a tingling sensation in his arms. They must’ve been growing back.
“John. This… those words you said. Is this world really a story? Are we just… are we just characters? Is that why… Is that…”
Ah. Now, it could no longer be called selfishness. Now, Kit was figuring it out on her own. It would be better to just confirm things rather than let her fall into madness over something she’d never be sure of.
“I’m sorry, Kit. You weren’t… you weren’t supposed to find out. No one was supposed to find out. But now that it’s come this…” He sighed again. “Yes. This world is a [Story]. We… we are [Characters]. Puppets on strings. Entertainment for the sake of others. That’s… what we are.”
“But you say that like you aren’t a character. Like you’re something else. John. What… what exactly are you?”
John suddenly sat up, staring into Kit’s eyes. His gaze was intense, as if to pierce through into her soul.
“You can’t tell Destiny any of this. You understand why, right?”
“I promise. I wouldn’t… I suppose I understand why you kept this a secret. I wouldn’t want anybody to know about this either. But I can’t back off now. I have to know, John.”
“Fine. Then I’ll explain it all.”
He took a deep breath, trying to nestle himself into a more comfortable position.
For a moment, a thought crossed his mind. Why had he told Prota all of this? Part of him wanted to say that he had to, but the other part knew that was true. If he really cared, he could have just rejected the [Destiny Bond] and [Reset] without her.
Ah. That was it.
Just like now… he had simply been selfish.
The allure of a partner had been too strong. The appeal of someone who could [Reset] with him, share his secrets, understand his world, it was simply too much. At the time, he hadn’t even considered whether or not Prota would be able to handle the truth.
It was a matter of luck that she’d escaped unscathed. There was, of course, a multitude of reasons as to why she’d been able to handle it. She had a small amount of [Deus Ex Machina] energy inside of her for some reason. She was a child and didn’t understand what an existential crisis was. She simply didn’t care.
But the endpoint was that John could have done something terrible. He was only being considerate to Kit because she had nothing to offer in return.
He really was a terrible person.
“Look. I’m also a [Character]. I have to be one. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
“A… a character? John, I don’t…”
“Fine. Let’s start from the beginning. This is a [Story]. Me, you, Destiny, Prota, we’re all [Characters], like those you might find in a fairy tale. The story of the princess and the knight? We are the princess and the knight. We… we don’t actually exist.”
Kit flinched, her healing momentarily stopping. “We don’t… what?”
“I can stop.”
“N-no. Keep going.”
“Fine. You want to know about me? You want to know about my powers, about my existence?”
John sighed. This was the second time he’d explained it to someone, and it wasn’t any easier than it’d been before.
“This world is the creation of someone’s imagination. Reality. That might sound strange, but this isn’t reality. There’s a world where reality is a truth, and that’s where I came from.”
“Then you-”
“At one point, I was just a normal kid. Maybe a normal young adult. I don’t actually know how old I used to be. Based on this body, maybe somewhere in my twenties? It doesn’t matter. The point is, something happened to me.”
The statement was so odd that Kit didn’t know how to react.
“That’s… that’s it? Something happened to you?” she frowned.
“Well… I wasn’t lying when I said I lost my memories. They’re fragmented. I don’t really remember much of who I was. Where I came from. But I do know that I came from countless worlds- no, countless [Stories]. At some point, my memories were lost. But those memories are powerful, Kit.”
“Your power-”
“Is the power of a [Writer]. Essentially, what you would call a god. Do you remember what you asked me?”
“What I asked-”
Kit’s eyes went wide. She did, in fact, remember exactly what John was talking about. Back in the Town of Beginnings, when John had first revealed just a bit of his powers. What was it he’d said?
“Don’t be,” John scoffed. “It’s not your fault anyway. It’s that bastard’s fault.”
“Who?”
“Who else? The ‘real’ god of this world.”
“The real god is the [Author]. Maybe in this world, Celeste created the world. But the [Author] created Celeste. Because ultimately, Celeste is just a [Character].”
“I… I see.”
“And I’m from the same world as that [Author]. I’m part [Writer], Kit. I’m strong on occasion because this is a [Story]. I’m weak when you guys need to shine. I’m strong when Destiny can’t handle what’s going on. It’s all an elaborate show. The powers Doctor had? Sofya? This prince of yours? They’re all powers that shouldn’t exist. Conceptual energy. Power beyond anything you know.”
“So the power that overrode the mana line in the Cave of Trials-”
“My power. Yes.”
“Then Prota-”
“Also has some. Yeah.”
At this point, John’s arms had fully recovered. Kit stumbled back, breathless. John sighed. He was almost done, and while he wanted to give her a break, he couldn’t just stop.
“I’m sorry, Kit,” he said quietly. “That’s why I can’t accept you. You’re… you’re a [Character]. I can’t marry someone that comes out of a book. It’s just… do you remember what the prince said?”
Kit didn’t look at him.
“Mystics stand on another level from mortals. I… I stand on another level from you guys. You’re all just… [Characters].”
John said those words, but somehow, his voice felt hollow. Did he really mean that? Was that truly how he felt?
Was Kit just a [Character]?
There was no noise after that. John cast his eyes downward. Kit was shaking, likely from the weight of what she’d just heard.
This was what John had been worried about. Someone who understood the implications of what he was saying… to learn that you were nothing but someone’s imagination. To learn that ultimately, your actions were meaningless. That your fate was controlled and guided for the sole purpose of the entertainment of others.
John was about to speak, but he stopped. A notification in his system. Those didn’t come often.
“...what?”
[1 (one) [Reset] available.]

Chapter 183: Truth