jdhmnovel Chapter 246: Nothing but a God
Chapter 246: Nothing but a God
The land of the Ninetails clan was as clean and beautiful as ever. In fact, it seemed far more lively than before. There were at least double the amount of Mystics wandering the streets, and it seemed far less quiet than it had in Prota’s last life.“It’s because the prince isn’t controlling them this time,” Anta told her. “There were numerous illusions placed all over the town and people. Even if it was an inconsequential amount of [DEM], he still had some. What he did in the last life was only possible due to the fact that he had [DEM] to begin with.”
Prota nodded. Right, it was difficult to control Mystics in the first place. That just meant her job would be easier this time around.
“Hey, Prota,” Destiny said suddenly. “You do know what’s going on, right?”
“Nn. Sort of.”
“Sort of?”
“It’s ok,” Prota reassured him, giving a bright thumbs up. “No problem.”
Destiny shuddered.
At some point along the way, Prota’s eyes had stopped looking half sleepy, and were instead consistently wide open and attentive. Despite that, her lips were still locked in a permanent thin line, which, in a way, was even more unnatural than before. At least in the past, one could simply pretend Prota was sleepy. Now, however, it was truly like looking at a lifeless doll.
Still, with that cheerful thumbs up, it was hard to treat her as someone without emotions. The strange dichotomy between the two was just too odd to see as normal.
“...where did you learn to talk like that?”
There was no more time for discussion, though. The carriage door was opened, and the mortals were instructed to step outside.
Unlike before, Prota didn’t feel a strange sense of calm. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was more alert or because she had more mana. Maybe it was both. Maybe it was neither. Regardless, the reason did not matter.
“Come,” Ryuto said, not bothering to hide his disdain. “For the time being, you are guests. Feel free to wander, but do not cause any trouble. Do not touch what is not yours. Do you understand?”
Everyone present nodded, and they headed down the cobbled paths.
This time, Prota didn’t let her gaze wander. It was beautiful, yes, but she knew how dangerous these illusions could be. She didn’t have a means of counteracting this kind of magic, at least not in a way that wasn’t obvious.
The problem here was that she didn’t know what she was getting into. If the prince didn’t have [Deus Ex Machina], then he had something else. Something to convince Kit to stay by his side. Marriage was probably off the table here, so it had to be some kind of threat.
“Wow.” Anta whistled approvingly. “Putting that clever brain to use, huh?”
“Not helping.”
“I mean, we can wait. We’ve got time. Although, I sense you’re a little impatient.”
“Pointless,” Prota grumbled. “Don’t want Kit to suffer. Just end it and leave.”
“Hm. Are you sure you’re not just getting nervous?”
“Shut up.”
However, instead of going to Kit’s home, Ryuto led them somewhere else. Prota frowned a little. This wasn’t normal. She quickly relaxed, though. Unexpected moments were expected. That was the whole point of her line of thought. She was prepared for this.
In the end, brute force was best. Of course, she didn’t get the opportunity to do so often. But it was always satisfying when it worked.
They soon arrived at the castle. At the very least, this wasn’t an unusual place to be. It meant they weren’t walking into a trap or something of the sort.
Inside, though, were a few individuals Prota had yet to meet. Of course, there were some familiar faces. The prince was there, sitting on a throne. So was the king. Several guards, insignificant to the issue at hand, stood around. However, they didn’t seem very alert, likely because there wasn’t much to guard a Mystic from. All of this was expected of a castle.
What worried Prota were the two Ninetails standing in front of the prince. She didn’t recognize them, and they weren’t dressed like guards. Who were they?
“So, Kit. Did you do what you set out to do?”
It was one of the unknowns, a mature-looking female Ninetails who spoke.
“...yes, mother,” Kit replied submissively.
Prota’s eyes widened as she turned to Kit. Her mother? Come to think of it, Kit had to have a mother. Prota just had a hard time envisioning that, given what she knew of Kit.
“I explored Devroth and discovered many things about mortals. Their lives, their habits, their dreams, emotions…” Kit continued.
“Then, I trust you have had enough?” the male Ninetails said harshly.
“Yes. I am home, now,” Kit replied, bowing her head.
“So, have you changed your mind?”
Kit hesitated. Prota was surprised. Realistically, there was no reason for Kit to say yes at the moment. Then again, Prota didn’t know all of the circumstances, so perhaps there was a reason. Or perhaps it was simply a fear that was buried into her mentor’s subconscious.
“I…”
“Kit Ninetails. Do you not wish to marry me, the prince?” Chen So said, frowning. “What is it about me that troubles you so?”
“Nothing, my lord,” Kit said, her head still bowed. “It is merely a difficult decision for me to make.”
“What is so difficult about it? It is the prince, Kit,” her mother said. “You could be royalty. You would have power, respect and more. A noble among Mystics.”
“...I understand,” Kit said. “However, I am fatigued from the journey. May I rest?”
“Of course. The summer cabin is available,” Chen So said, standing up from his throne. “You and your guests may reside there for the night.”
The other Ninetails seemed to sneer ever so slightly. Prota didn’t get it. What were they so snotty about? Sleeping in a cabin?
She wasn’t given time to understand. They were led outside, where they soon found themselves at a familiar cabin.
“We will be back tomorrow to hear your decision,” the guards escorting them told Kit. “Please remain here for the time being.”
With that, they left. No goodbye or threat. Just silence.
“Phew,” Kit sighed, collapsing onto a chair. “Seriously, those guys… so! Prota! You’ve got something up your sleeve, right?”
Kit seemed all excited, completely different from how she’d been in the castle. Her eyes were sparkling, her lips spread wide in a grin. Her tails flicked back and forth energetically, which was almost cute.
“...me?” Prota said, confused.
“Well… just, you know, I thought-”
“Ok, ok, let’s sort some things out,” Anta said, popping out. “Kit. You’ve gotta understand that the circumstances are a little different this time around.”
“They- what?” Kit frowned.
Her tails drooped down.
“Alright. First, in our last life, the prince had some of that conceptual power. That changed his plans,” Anta explained. “He managed to straight up mind control you. And most of the clan, actually, from what I remember.”
“He- what?!”
“Thankfully, it seems that’s not what’s happening this time,” Anta nodded. “However, that also means we don’t know everything that’s going on. So, is there anything we should know about? You know, before we continue? Any hostages, bombs, poisoned beings, whatever. See, the reason we were so confident is because beating the prince isn’t an issue. But if there’s other factors, well, just fighting someone isn’t going to solve everything.”
“...they’re holding Elder Kang Loy captive,” Kit said sullenly. “I wouldn’t have come back otherwise.”
“...ahh,” Anta muttered slowly. “That does change things. It does change things indeed, huh…”
“Anta,” Prota suddenly said. “Doesn’t matter.”
“What? You have a plan?” Anta said, surprised.
“Nn. Ego.”
That one word was enough for Anta’s lips to split into a wide, devious grin.
“Oh. Oh, you’re so right.”
“What- what are you two talking about?” Destiny frowned. “Hey, are you guys going to do something reckless?”
Prota looked at Destiny with her usual deadpan expression. It was impossible to read her. Anta, as usual, looked mischievous, so it was genuinely impossible to tell what they were going to do.
“Destiny,” Prota said calmly. “How much with God Slaying Sword?”
The hero seemed caught off guard by the question. “Eh? Well… it’s getting pretty far. I can cut through mana to interrupt spells, now, and if I put enough mana into it, I’ve been able to cut through space to dash forward. It’s still in work, though…”
“Nn. Good enough. To fight Mystics,” Prota said, patting him on the shoulder. “Well. Help Kit. If it doesn’t work. But I don’t think I’m going to lose.”
“Wha- where are you going?”
Prota shrugged as she stepped outside.
“Training.”
~~~
Indeed, all Prota did was train. Well, it wasn’t really training. She took a short nap near the lake, then walked up to a waterfall and watched it pour off the edge of a small cliff for a while. Lifting her dress, she waded through the shallow rivers and climbed a tree, looking around.
At first, Destiny had been incredibly nervous, but gradually, he relaxed. It really seemed that Prota wasn’t going to do anything.
Then, in the dead of night, when both hero and Mystic were fast asleep, Prota stretched and wandered outside.
“Oh, I’m so excited,” Anta giggled, rubbing her hands together as she floated next to Prota. “This is gonna be so much fun.”
“Nn.”
Quickly, they made their way to the castle. Inside, it seemed the prince had been waiting. As if he’d been expecting Prota to come back.
“You. You had some defiant eyes,” Chen So called out as Prota stepped into the castle. “I was somewhat ready for your arrival, although I didn’t think you’d be so arrogant as to step into the castle alone. You are a mortal. Do you not understand your place? Do you not know the difference between us?”
Prota calmly took her staff off of her back, pointing it at the prince.
“Another Mystic already said that,” she said calmly. “Guess what happened?”
“...what?”
“They died.”
Two words. The room went silent.
“As if I’d believe your bluff,” Chen So finally said, bursting out laughing. “You may as well tell me that you are the goddess incarnate. Well, mortal girl. What have you come for? Surely, you are not here to fight. That would be madness.”
Prota didn’t respond to the taunt. “Let Kit go.”
“Oh? Are you one of her pets she’s grown attached to? Do you feel respect toward her? Enough to lay down your life?”
“I know. Eternal Flame. You want it. For your power. Kit doesn’t want to give it to you,” Prota said, gripping her staff tighter. “So give up. Let Kit go.”
“You… you’re no ordinary human girl, are you?” Chen So growled, suddenly on guard. “So, who sent you? The Werecat clan? Are you wearing a disguise? What is this, a declaration of war?”
“No. Human girl,” Prota said quietly. “Mortal.”
“Then how do you know-”
“Make a deal. Kang Loy. If I beat you, let him go. Let Kit go. Don’t chase her. If she wants to help you, she helps you. If not, then she doesn’t.”
“And what if you lose?”
Prota shrugged. “Kill me. You think you’re going to lose to a human?”
The taunt was completely effective. Prota was no longer insecure about her own value. The prince, on the other hand, was someone who needed power. For someone to taunt him about his lack of strength would work quite easily.
In short, his weakness in this moment was his massive ego.
“Oh, you’ll regret that, little girl.”
Immediately, Chen So leapt forward at a frightening speed.
Anta was faster.
“What the-”
“You’re too slow, idiot!” Anta taunted, having taken over the body.
Prota, in the meantime, was setting up a new domain. She’d discovered this one after playing around with her new mana core a little more.
She’d even had enough time to give it a name.
“Frozen Moon.”
It was similar to Palace of Ice, only, instead of ice, a castle of Frozen Blossoms was formed. The entire structure was formed of a near infinite number of the spell, all surrounding the enemy. The air turned frigid as all the ambient mana was attuned to an ice attribute. Not only did this set up Prota’s next step easier, but it also let her sense when Chen So would use illusion magic easier.
“What the- you lied!” Chen So exclaimed. “You’re no mortal!”
“I am,” Anta snickered. “You’re about to get your butt beat by a mere human.”
“Impossible!”
It was too late. In a blink, every single Blossom shattered at once, creating a deafening sound, like every single glass pane in the world shattering all at once. Swarms and swarms of shards of ice scattered, cutting Chen So to bits. At least, they would’ve had the Mystic’s defenses not been so high. [Deus Ex Machina] or not, a Mystic was a Mystic.
“Ah. So you are just a mere human after all,” the prince said, regaining some of his composure. “I should have seen this coming. As if a mortal could harm me-”
His voice cut off as he sensed something wrong. The ice shards weren’t just cutting. They were gathering. Sticking together, condensing, pressing into each other, becoming impossibly small. The ice condensed so hard it began to glow a pale light blue.
“Dance of Ice.”
Prota switched back into the body. It almost felt pitiful, to use powers not of this world on a [Character]. After all, this was definitely only possible due to the fact that she was made of [Deus Ex Machina]. This level of a spell wouldn’t be possible from anyone aside from the hero.
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Then again, the prince was a massive jerk no matter the timeline. So, in Prota’s defense, this was completely justified.
“Go.”
The orb split into twelve orbs, all circling around Prota. The first one flew out, barely grazing Chen So. Even still, the point of contact immediately froze over, immediately killing the fox’s skin, turning it a deep purple.
“Wha- impossible!” Chen So yelled, grabbing his injured arm. “How did you-”
“Next.”
Another orb shot forward. And another. And another.
Each barely made contact, slamming into the palace walls behind, freezing the structure over. But each one froze Chen So a little more. His movements slowed, his reaction time gradually stalling out.
Prota gave no time for the Mystic to relax. Orb after orb was thrown, until she was down to just two more left.
Chen So was still alive.
At least, he was alive in the literal sense.
But it might have been better for him if he were dead. After all, no Mystic had ever suffered this kind of humiliation before.
Utter and absolute defeat at the hands of a mortal.
“W-wait! I surrender! I surrender!” he yelled, raising a frozen arm. “Stop! Stop!”
“...why?”
“I’ll give up, I’ll let Kit go! You were right, just let me live!” the prince cried desperately.
Prota hesitated.
That hesitation was quickly taken advantage of.
“Fool!” Chen So yelled, extending his arm.
A flood of fire mana flew toward Prota. An illusion spell, most likely. She couldn’t block or dodge this.
So she did the next best thing.
“Wha- what… where… where did the spell go?” Chen So gasped, suddenly feeling very afraid.
That one spell had replenished Prota’s core. It had likely been a powerful one.
“...give up,” Prota said, taking a single step forward.
The prince fainted on the spot.
Suddenly, the sound of pounding footsteps alerted Prota. Two individuals. Quickly running toward her, almost at her location. She prepared her mana, but—
“Prota?” Kit exclaimed. “What… what happened here?”
“I told you,” Prota said, giving Kit a thumbs up. “Trust me.”
“You… I can’t believe it,” Kit exhaled, her breath visible in the frigid cold. “You… you really did it.”
“Nn. Should be enough.”
Kit collapsed, her legs weak.
“Ha…”
What started as a weak exhale slowly turned into a giggle. Then laughter. Then a full-blown belly roar, a pure release of emotions. Exhaustion. Stress. Worry. Pain. All at once, Kit could let go of it.
“See? I’m strong,” Prota said proudly, putting her hands on her hips. “Trust me.”
“You… that’s insane, Prota,” Destiny laughed, looking around. “Maybe… just maybe, you can really do it.”
That got a small smile out of the little girl.
“Nn. Maybe.”
~~~
The aftermath was handled cleanly. When Prota displayed her powers in front of the king and Kit’s parents, there was no question of who had so single-handedly beaten the prince. Moreover, the prince was utterly terrified of Prota, so in the end, they had to give in to her demands.
Kit was free.
The Mystic wrapped Prota in a tight embrace as they went to the carriages, ready to return to Devfroth. She chatted the whole way, talking about magic, research, studies, possibilities, so on and so forth, which was a welcome distraction for what was going to come next.
Truth be told, she didn’t want to think about what was coming next. The fact that she technically had the ability to put it off indefinitely didn’t help. Having a way out wasn’t good for her. In this one situation, she’d much rather be forced into it. Then, at least, she wouldn’t be questioning herself.
Regardless, the chat on the way back was cheerful. Destiny seemed to sense that Prota was uncomfortable, because he did his best to distract her.
But no matter what, that deep, uneasy feeling in her pit could not be erased.
Soon, they landed in the forest outside the castle. Slowly, they made their way back, with Kit returning to her fox form.
“Des!” Destiny’s father exclaimed, running out of the house. “What happened? You said you’d be gone for a while. And Prota! You’re here!”
“Ah. It… it ended a lot faster than I thought it would,” Destiny said awkwardly. “So I’m back.”
“What was it you had to do?” Haze said, appearing suddenly.
“I, um…”
He looked at Prota awkwardly. In return, she nodded carelessly, not entirely caring whether or not he told his family.
“I have a Mystic friend,” he explained. “And I was going to help them out.”
“You what?!”
“But I’m fine! I didn’t even do anything!” Destiny exclaimed, raising his hands in surrender. “I just went there and came back!”
“What? But then…”
Suddenly, Destiny’s family suddenly realized what the solution had been. They all slowly looked at Prota, who wasn’t even paying attention to the conversation.
“Prota?” Haze said softly. “What… what did you do?”
“Fought a Mystic,” Prota shrugged. “Not the first time.”
Silence. Such a statement was hard to reply to. In the end, Haze just shook her head.
“Well. I suppose you must be hungry. Come on in for a meal.”
Her voice was strangely subdued. Prota didn’t notice. Her own emotions were similarly subdued. Suddenly, everything felt numb, save for the pounding in her chest.
This was it.
Just as suddenly it’d started, it ended.
There was nothing left.
The story was quietly coming to a close.
She silently ate a meal while the Windwalker family chatted around her. Then, without warning, she silently went to the guest room, where she robotically sat on the bed and stared out into the night.
Sleep eluded her.
“...do you want to give up?” Anta said quietly.
“Nn.”
“But we can’t.”
“Nn.”
A single hoot from an owl was the only noise to cut through the darkness.
“Prota. Are you… are you ok?”
“...don’t you know?”
“I just want to hear you say it.”
Prota didn’t get what the point was, but she knew Anta wasn’t asking for no reason.
“...no.”
Her mind turned to other thoughts.
Just who was John?
A saviour?
A ward?
A brother?
A [Character]?
An opportunity?
A [Writer]?
A traveller of worlds?
A god-slayer?
A defier of fate?
Someone she owed a promise to?
A lonely soul?
No.
None of those were true. They were all correct, technically. But none of those descriptions were who he was.
Only John could truly say who, or what, he was. And perhaps even he didn’t know the answer to that question.
In the end, John was John.
And that was all that mattered.
“Ok,” Prota said quietly, her voice quivering.
“Ok, what?”
“Ok. Let’s go.”
“Now?”
“I might get scared. No more waiting.”
“...alright. Let’s go find him.”
Anta pulled out Zero’s scarf, and it began to flutter, even though there was no wind. It lifted, pointing in a certain direction like a compass pointing north.
“I presume you know what that means,” Anta muttered.
“Nn.”
Quickly, she took a piece of paper from the desk and scribbled a note. It wasn’t much. Just thanking Destiny and his family for everything, and hoping to let Celestia know she was sorry she hadn’t said goodbye. With that, she put the pen down and left the note on the nightstand.
“All done?”
“Nn.”
“I don’t know why you did that. If we live, we’ll see them again, and if not, then it’s not like they’ll be around to notice.”
“...you’re not helping.”
“Oh, but I did, didn’t I?”
It was true. Anta’s jab had definitely allowed Prota to lighten up a little.
“...fine. Let’s go.”
~~~
Prota was soon beginning to wish that she had started her journey sooner. Even while following the scarf, it was taking her days to find John. She just kept following it. Flying wasn’t allowed; John might notice her moving, and it would be best if she could get the jump on him. Ideally, he wouldn’t notice her, and she could give him his memories back without him even noticing.
Days stretched into weeks.
And soon, a month passed.
Prota’s nerves were jumping the whole time. What would she say? What would she do?
She didn’t know.
But eventually, she found him.
Alone.
Sitting on a rock In a forest. Hands clasped behind his back, calm, without a care in the world. It was strange that he was in such a remote location, but that didn’t matter.
It was time to strike.
But it was he who struck first.
“Ah… it was you the whole time, huh?”
Prota froze. His voice wasn’t loud or aggressive. But it stopped her in her tracks nonetheless.
She should move. She should give him his memories back. That was the correct move. That would solve all her problems.
But she couldn’t.
Her resolve simply wasn’t strong enough.
Without turning around, John spoke once more.
“...are you here to kill me?”