NCCnovel Chapter 243: Where It All Began
Chapter 243: Where It All Began
The next day, Prota disappeared without a word. She hadn’t told anyone where she was going, nor had she told anyone she would be departing to begin with. She wasn’t trying to keep her journey a secret. Destiny would never be able to convince her to do stay, and she wasn’t worried about explaining herself.The reason was simple: she just believed it didn’t matter whether she told anyone or not.
If they saw each other again, then they would. If, somehow, Destiny died, she might regret not saying goodbye, but it also meant that it simply wasn’t meant to happen. If the [Author] wished for such an event to occur, she had no realistic way of stopping it. And besides, she trusted that her friends wouldn’t rush into their own demise.
Just like she’d told Haze to trust her own son, she, too, had to trust that Destiny was responsible.
“This shouldn’t take too long,” Anta said as Prota flew through the air.
An advantage to their new core was the ability of flight. It was a combination of incredibly strong wind magic and some telekinesis, but she had the mana and mental stability to maintain it. Besides, it wasn’t like regular mages were incapable of airborne movement. Perhaps not in the way Prota was doing it, but they could do it nonetheless.
“What takes too long?”
“Going through the lab. If it comes to it, it should only take us a day or two to finish things up. Even in our last life, it only took us about a week to deal with all that. If Kit somehow ends up screwing something up in that one week… well, that’s just on her, don’t you agree?”
“Nn. But Kit-”
“Don’t say it,” Anta grumbled. “Just because we both know she’s foolish enough to get involved in something troublesome doesn’t mean you have to bring it up.”
“...but you just did it.”
There was a long, awkward moment of silence.
“Just fly.”
Soon, they reached the place where Prota was created. The town that was hidden from the world, created for the sole purpose of summoning a being capable of defeating the [Protagonist].
It was incredibly hard to find. The Ninetails clan had done a good job of setting the barriers up. It seemed that, even without [Deus Ex Machina], a clan that specialized in illusions was the same. If Prota hadn’t been able to sense mana, she would’ve never seen the giant barrier that made the town look like just another part of the forest.
“Here,” Anta said quietly.
Prota deactivated her magic, floating down to the ground to see the gates that lead into the place.
Thankfully, the guards were as lazy as ever. For the first time, Prota questioned why there were even guards stationed here if nobody came to this place, but she also remembered that it occasionally imported and exported goods. Of course, it was highly unlikely some sort of villain would even try to attack a town with nothing of merit, but it was possible. However, it was far more likely that the guards were just here to provide the townspeople with jobs.
Or maybe it was the result of a purpose long since forgotten. This town, after all, had needed proper guards at one point.
She shook her head. Overthinking it wasn’t going to do her any good.
“Mark, hey. We got a guest.”
The sleeping guard jolted awake, scrambling to grab his spear. He stifled a yawn, looking Prota over before shaking his head.
“What’s a kid like you doing out here?” he said. “Do you need me to call your parents?”
Silently, Prota handed him her adventurer’s card.
“A-A-A rank adventurer?!” the guard yelled. “Wha- I’m very sorry! Please, come on in!”
And for the second time, Prota was granted entry into this cursed village.
As it had been before, the place was clean and quiet. It was nothing like its original purpose. It seemed that the majority of those present were simply ordinary people with children, running around and enjoying their lives. Had she not known better, Prota wouldn’t have minded if she stayed here for a while.
But right now, there was a job to do.
On its surface, this town was friendly. Underneath that guise, there was the fact that this place had been created for despicable purposes, created by a despicable man. Even deeper down, there were remnants of experiments that needed to be erased. And, on a deeper, even more fundamental level, this was a town that had been created to mess with a single man.
But none of that mattered. To Prota, this was simply a place of hatred.
Her creation.
A thing not of joy, but of sorrow. Of truly unfortunate circumstances. Her powers, born of failed experiments. Her body, the corpse of her mentor’s daughter. Her existence, created solely to kill the one meant to bring light to this world.
She had been created by the only man she truly despised in this world. The only individual she could call pure evil.
Doctor’s notes were vividly burned into her mind. She didn’t know if she was a being, a brain within a body, or what. Anta was her soul, yes, but was her mind truly her own? Or was she influenced by her body’s previous owner?
The only thing Doctor had ever cared about was that Prota killed Destiny of her own will. That was all that had ever been expected of her. It had taken someone who existed outside of this world’s rules to show her that this wasn’t the case.
Perhaps Doctor had named her ironically. A protagonist, to kill a protagonist. But she wouldn’t shed her name. She wouldn’t discard the burden placed on her.
Because, with her own two hands, she’d killed that man. She’d proven that she was more than just her intended purpose. Instead of being a weapon pointed at the heart of her friend, she was a sword and shield for the one who had shown her the right path.
This world wasn’t necessarily her goal. From the start, it had never treated her properly.
But she wouldn’t shy away from the path carved out for her.
Destiny’s journey was one story. A story of an abandoned soldier, reincarnated and given a second chance to protect his loved ones. A story of one brought into a world of magic and wonder, with absolute power to destroy a being that would wipe out civilization. A classic tale of a hero born to save his loved ones.
But Prota’s journey would be a different story entirely.
She was created by the same being who’d brought Destiny into this world. Born to kill him, created to be a backup plan. A tool. But, against all odds, she’d been saved by the one she was meant to defy. Taken in by a man who supposedly cared for no [Character], loved by someone who was meant to love no one.
And so her journey was one of resistance. Fighting against a fate she didn’t want. Writing a story that didn’t yet exist.
Destiny’s purpose was to save the world, and yet his goal was simply to live a life protecting those he cared about.
In a sense, Prota was the same. Her purpose was to save the world. Perhaps not in the most ethical of ways, but it was the reason she’d been created.
And just like Destiny, her goal was to protect her loved ones.
One soul.
Just one soul.
“...Prota?”
Snapped out of her thoughts, Prota whirled around to see a familiar face.
“...Jinae?”
~~~
The two sat down for a meal at a nearby restaurant. Prota erected a barrier to prevent eavesdropping, almost as a second though, but she’d forgotten how impressive of a spell that was.
“So you’re capable of something like this… you’ve come an incredibly long way, child,” Jinae muttered.
That was right. She’d never told Jinae the whole story. Well, now was as good a time as ever.
From the start, she explained everything. It took her a while, and it was primarily Anta who did the work, but they made it through. From the details of her previous life, the battles they’d fought, the events they’d suffered, all until her reincarnation.
Then, the second life, the experiences they had, and the realization they’d come to.
“...so, you really managed to do it,” Jinae said with a warm smile. “You figured out what it means to live.”
“You’re not… angry?” Prota said, taking a bite of a sandwich. “That the world might end?”
“Mm… I don’t know that angry would be the right word. Afraid, yes,” Jinae laughed. “But death is something that comes for us all. If you know me well, then you know I’ve lived far longer than I should have. With this kind of age, you realize that life and death aren’t everything. People are simply afraid to die because there is more they wish to accomplish, more they wish to do, but at the end of the day, we cannot stop death from coming.”
“So…”
“So, the end of the world isn’t as disastrous as you might think. If there’s truly a being and a power that can do such a thing to us, in the end, if we lose, can we really complain? It was simply what was meant to be. Do we curse an earthquake for ruining our homes? Of course not. Of course, we might be upset. But we pick up and continue.”
“...I see.”
Jinae just smiled at Prota’s obvious discomfort.
“You are far more powerful than I, child. Perhaps you understand more, see more. But there is a thing that comes with age. Not always. But as you may have figured out, experiencing a multitude of things opens your eyes to the world. And when you get to a certain age, you may realize that each day is a blessing, not a right. And when you are thankful for life itself, ultimately, you realize that you can only do what you wish to do. So, if the world ends… then I will be satisfied, knowing that I spent each day the way I wished.”
“...the truth?” Prota asked quietly. “You don’t want to…”
“Of course I do. And I am aware you know it. But the fact that you have told me all this and still continue to hide the truth’s true nature means you are aware of its consequences, yes?”
Prota nodded meekly.
“Then I will not pry. And besides, the journeys the search has taken me on were worth more than their weight in gold.”
Prota let out a deep breath, relieved. It seemed Jinae truly wouldn’t interfere with her problems.
“But, that is besides the point. Why are you here, child?”
“...need something.”
“Hm. There is more of this conceptual energy present, I presume?”
“Nn. Also, save someone.”
“...ah.” Jinae’s expression turned troubled. “I presume this happened in your last life as well.”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“Henry helped me. Couldn’t help him last time,” Prota said quietly. “No way to say thank you. So I’ll do it this time.”
“Well, that’s good to know,” Jinae said, her smile slowly recovering. “You must’ve known why I am here as well, then.”
Prota didn’t say anything for a moment.
“Is everything all right, child?”
“...Jinae. If Henry is dead… is that ok?”
“What- what do you mean?”
“Inside. Very strong monsters. Henry is hiding, but last time, came here sooner. So this time… I might be too late.”
Jinae pressed her lips together, clearly thinking hard. “Well… I can’t say that it wouldn’t be disappointing. But at the same time, the members of our group know the risks of undertaking difficult tasks. If that was his fate, then there is nothing we can do about it.”
Prota stood up, her questions answered. There was no point in asking questions anymore. It was simply time to act.
“Ok,” she said simply. “Let’s go.”
~~~
With Anta’s aid, they quickly found the laboratory. She physically guided them, since Jinae had been incredibly curious as to her soul form, and Anta grudgingly obliged. As usual, she wasn’t the biggest fan of using it unless she and Prota wanted to talk simultaneously, but for this one moment, it wasn’t so bad.
“Here?” Jinae frowned. “Hm… well, I do sense the strange flow of mana here… it may take a moment to dispel. Unless, of course, you would like to do the honours?”
Anta just sighed, bringing out Zero’s scarf. A single strand was unwoven, flashing brightly over Prota. With that, the doors buried under the dirt slowly creaked open, revealing the entrance to the dark lab inside. The magic that had sealed the thing was removed as well, almost as a side effect of whatever Anta had done.
“...what did you do?” Prota said quietly.
She didn’t feel any different.
“You needed [Infinity] to fight last time. We don’t have it this time, so you’ll have to use a little bit of [DEM]. Don’t worry, it’s basically nothing. It won’t impact our final fight.”
“...ok.”
“Infinity? Dem?” Jinae said, looking back and forth between the two.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“It’s nothing.”
They replied simultaneously, as if driven by the same instinct and not conscious thought. Of course, one was a little more vocal, but their overall tone was effectively the same.
“I see,” Jinae nodded. “Then, shall we descend?”
“...Jinae,” Prota said quietly. “You can’t fight.”
“What?”
“Those monsters. Can’t hurt them. Can only defend. I can rescue Henry on my own. So… maybe don’t come? Risky.”
For a moment, Prota really thought Jinae would think about it. But then she saw the grin on the old lady’s face, the spark in her eyes, and that thought was instantly cast away.
This was someone who thrived on exploring. On discovering. On seeing all there was to see. Of course she wouldn’t back down. Not when there was something so fascinating potentially present. Not when there were creatures the world had no records of.
“...ok,” Prota sighed. “Let’s go.”
Like last time, the place stunk of death and decay. It was a horrid smell. Thankfully, Prota was adept enough with magic to create a filter of air around her face, giving her a comfortable breathing experience. It seemed Jinae had done the same as well.
“What a disgusting place,” the old lady commented, looking around. “An atrocity against mortals and deities.”
“...yes.”
As they walked down the somewhat familiar hallway, Prota lit up a light to illuminate the place. It was as drab and dreary as ever. Blood and unknown substances staining the walls, dead devices and tools scattered everywhere, years of grime, dirt and dust having accumulated everywhere.
And Prota ignored it all.
“I sense this place is significant to you,” Jinae said quietly. “Do you wish to talk?”
“...no. Already went through it once.”
“Just because you went through it once does not mean your regrets and fears have been resolved, you know.”
Prota stopped in her tracks. When she spoke, it was Anta’s voice that came through.
“Jinae. Thank you. I can tell you mean well. But unless you experience it, you don’t understand what it means. You weren’t literally created in a lab, born for a purpose you are entirely against. This isn’t just a place of trauma. You know how this is our second life? We already went through this place. Just because we conquered it doesn’t mean it changes what it represents.”
“What it represents?” Jinae echoed.
“We were created to kill the hero of this world. We were manufactured like a golem. Treated like an experiment. Intentionally subjected to hatred just so we would grow to hate the world. That’s what this place represents. So excuse Prota if she doesn’t particularly care for this place. We already know we’re more than this. Our existence and regression is proof of that. It doesn’t make this place any less hateful.”
Jinae nodded her head in respect. “I understand. Let us make haste, then.”
And they really did make haste. Although they were careful with their surroundings, they rushed through the lab, ignoring all the rooms. Jinae trusted that Prota knew what she was doing.
Prota did, in fact, know what she was doing.
In time, they ran into the same giant slime. The same creature that had told them what this place truly was.
A creature that needed to be put to rest.
“Jinae,” Prota said, her voice cold. “Stand back.”
She raised her staff, mana gathering at the tip. Her magic had also progressed. Although this method would be inefficient for the time being, she needed to train it.
Because using [Deus Ex Machina] would be similar in practice.
“Freeze.”
It was like Absolute Zero, but it was more than that. It wasn’t just a spell. She hadn’t visualized mana gathering, trying to control the mana itself.
Prota had cast a “command.” She had visualized an end result. The mana had simply moved in such a way that it accomplished that command, creating a far faster result. It was a result of studying mana as a concept and not a power source, as well as weeks upon weeks of training.
It was still a massive waste of mana. She could have won against this beast with a more efficient spell.
But it wouldn’t
She needed to get that feeling. The feeling she’d had when casting her final spell in her final moments. The feeling of cold. Death. Decay. The feeling of heat. Anger. Passion.
Anything less simply wouldn’t be enough.
The slime froze, turning brittle. With a swing of Prota’s staff, it smashed to pieces, ending its pitiful life in the blink of an eye.
“...fascinating,” Jinae muttered, her eyes glowing bright. “The mana… how interesting.”
“That one, weak,” Prota said quietly. “Keep moving.”
Now that she knew its weakness, killing it was no problem at all. That wouldn’t be the case for the next few enemies. From what she remembered, they were strong, and Prota’s current state wasn’t all that much stronger than where she’d been in her last life.
Of course, knowing the enemy’s habits and attacks was useful. But would it be enough? It probably would.
But knowing the [Author], there was a good chance it wasn’t.
They continued down the halls, Prota leading the way. It was clear Jinae wanted to explore a little, but Prota had no such desire.
“Nothing in there,” Prota said quietly. “Just bad things.”
“...I see.”
Like before, the lab opened up, and they soon reached an area with a broken door. For a moment, Prota flinched.
Images of worn down pages flashed through her mind.
“Prota? Are you alright?” Jinae asked softly. “Is that…”
“...I should take it,” Prota muttered, her heart practically beating out of her chest.
She went in and found the familiar tattered notebook on the messy desk. A sense of repulsion washed through her body. Why had she taken this? There was no good reason to do it. She didn’t need it for anything, and it wasn’t like it had sentimental value to her.
“Hm? What’s this?” Jinae said, poking her head into the study. “Oh? What’s that?”
For a moment, Prota remained sullenly silent. Eventually, she looked up and handed the book to Jinae.
“Here,” she said quietly. “Read. If you want.”
“...read it?”
“My creation. In here.”
She watched Jinae flinch. Well, that made sense. The idea of someone being “created” and not “born” was definitely unnatural.
Suddenly, Prota heard a noise coming from outside. She knew what it was. The second of the remaining creatures. This one was a little harder to deal with, but it would still be easy enough to kill them.
“Ah. I see we have guests,” Jinae said, sensing their presence as well. “Do you mind if I hold onto this?”
Prota shrugged. She didn’t particularly care if Jinae read the book or not. She was just relieved that someone else had taken it off of her.
“And… I would like to try my hand at fighting,” Jinae said.
“You can’t.”
“Can’t what?”
“Hurt them.”
Jinae smiled. “Nevertheless, I would like to try.”
Prota opened her mouth to argue, but then realized there was no harm. She’d helped out in her last life. She’d soon realize that there was no point in trying to kill these things without [Deus Ex Machina] energy anyway, and Prota would take over.
“Ok.”
Jinae stepped out, Prota following closely, waiting to step in should anything go wrong. Before them were a familiar set of corpses slowly stumbling toward them.
Immediately, the old lady began to mutter a chant, summoning seven strange looking flames. Their colour was neither red nor blue nor white, but rather an unnatural green. Slowly, they flew forward, not with force, but merely floating through the air.
However, there was no explosion upon contact. Rather, the enemies immediately combusted, their flesh engulfed in flames.
Right, it was Jinae who’d told Prota to light the enemies on fire in the past. Somehow, she’d known the best method to deal with these on sight. Then this time as well, she had figured out what to do.
Sure enough, the corpses burned to ash, leaving nothing behind.
“Hm… they did have a strange mana surrounding them, but that was all,” Jinae muttered. “Prota, what did you mean by that? They were difficult to defeat, yes, but with the right magic, I could bypass their barrier. Are you entirely sure that they are unkillable without-”
“Not the real enemy. Watch out,” Prota warned.
Jinae’s head snapped back to the battlefield as the sound of skittering echoed through the hall, six twisted corpses crawling out of the darkness at frightening speeds. Jinae raised her staff, narrowing her eyes.
“Ah. I see.”