Chapter 2: Lost to Time

Chapter 2: Lost to Time

Lost to Time

Small chunks of flesh were scattered across the ground some distance from the outbreak epicenter of the dragonblight.

This was the person aboard the Guiding train that caused the power to burst out of the earthen vein. The unique vehicle that entered the earthen vein for accelerated travel exploded when its Guiding path twisted out of shape. Naturally, this meant the man on board was blown apart beyond recognition.

However, something odd happened to the human remains that were in pieces too small to be recognized as parts of a corpse.

The pieces of flesh that had escaped the convergence of the dragonblight melted away slowly. If an experienced conjurer were present to witness this, they would have noted that the process resembled a sacrificial offering to an Original Sin Conjuring. The likes of Menou or Ashuna could have been even more precise: This remarkably paralleled how Pandæmonium sacrificed her body to summon herself.

The scattered flesh vanished all at once, and a lone man appeared out of nowhere. He was slightly plump and clad in a gentleman’s suit.

Confirming that he was unharmed, he blew out a huff.

“Good grief…”

Kagarma Dartaros. The man known as the Director, who’d gathered forces to rally against the class system, twirled his beloved cane and rested it against his shoulder.

“How absolutely horrid. Those young ladies are quite audacious. Were anyone else aboard, they would surely have perished. But I must tip my hat to them for executing their plan without hesitation despite that. And it really is quite thrilling that the barrier city is now gone without a trace. Honestly, I’ve no idea whether to praise or scold them.”

He’d been summoned far enough away to avoid being caught in the cross fire, affording him a clear view of the dragonblight.

A scripture conjuring had artificially shifted the earthen vein, resulting in an explosion of power. The fact that this resulted in a dragonblight had likely not been part of the plan. They’d aimed to cut off the vein of energy that flowed into the holy land for a few hours.

“Perhaps they knew I’d be able to survive? Hrmm. What do you suppose, Experion?”

He turned to face the man standing behind him, a person of average height and build without any particularly distinctive features. A sword hung at his waist. The way he stood revealed nothing about him or his thoughts. His face imparted a vacant expression.

He’d been standing here all along, as if knowing Kagarma would be here.

Experion Riverse.

His name was bound to come up during any discussion of the strongest warriors on the continent. He was a knight with ultimate strength who shut down all opponents with his polished sword and crest techniques. These days, little remained of his soul other than junk.

“I’ve come to get you,” he stated blankly, not responding to Kagarma’s inquiry.

“I’d prefer you didn’t. Begone, would you?”

They had known each other for a long time, yet there was no warmth or friendship between the pair.

“I have no desire to return to Grisarika. At the time, I was only waiting for my memories to disappear, but now I have something to live for. You see, I must be on my way to retrieve the girl who has been so kind as to become my daughter. I’ve no time for the Guardian’s schemes—”

“Give up,” Experion interjected during Kagarma’s lengthy speech.

“…Pardon?”

“Give up on Manon Libelle. That’s what I was told.”

“Ahh… I see. If the Guardian orders as much, then I have no choice. Oh dear, what a dreadful shame. She really does see right through people, doesn’t she? I’ve no love for the Lord, but I cannot say I am especially fond of her , either. The Magician has the soundest mind of any of us. Though I’m afraid, in that case, she despises me.”

The Director’s shoulders slumped after hearing Experion’s statement. He’d grown considerably attached to Manon.

However, he soon recovered, composing his lips into a shady grin. By the time he raised his head, there was no evidence that he had ever cared at all.

“Fine then, Experion. It appears you do have a thoughtful bone in your body after all—for you’ve brought me a new daughter to raise in her stead, haven’t you?”

Beaming, Kagarma looked past Experion’s shoulder to what appeared to be a fierce young woman.

Few people could say that their appearance and personality matched so perfectly. Her dress made no effort to hide the curves of her body, proudly leaving her beauty on full display. Kagarma’s smile widened when he saw her red-tinged blond hair.

“This is her little sister, eh? I can tell at a glance that she has a wonderfully strong will.”

Ashuna looked uncharacteristically perturbed by the word “sister.”

“…Strange that the Director of the Fourth would speak as if he’s acquainted with my elder sister.”

“Why, I’ve known her since she was but a child. You’re her spitting image. It’s like looking at a future that might have been for her. Just the thought has me nearly overcome with emotion. All right then, Miss Ashuna, please address me as ‘Papa’ if you’d be so kind. Do that, and I’ll happily lend you my strength.”

“Are you seriously after some kind of relative?”

While Kagarma made a cheerful proposal that would give anyone goose bumps, Ashuna responded in a voice cold and sharp as an icicle.

“You don’t have any, right? By nature, Elders like you don’t have any kind of family. Tell me, are you even human?”

“…Oh-ho.” Kagarma sighed with admiration. “So you know about that, do you? Or perhaps you’re asking based on a strong hunch? Surely, you heard the word ‘Elders’ somewhere, though. Even your leading questions are bold and confident. I understand why you sneaked out of Grisarika during the confusion following the Archbishop Orwell incident and began wandering the world, too. You were quite unlucky to be born to the Grisarika royal family.”

The man didn’t falter, even under Ashuna’s sharp glare. He continued to ramble, unconcerned.

“And the fact you set your sights on Menou is further proof that you have incredibly good instincts. I’m quite intrigued as to what it is you see. That’s a remarkable level of intuition. You ought to use it wisely.”

“Impressive how you can interrogate me and prattle on about yourself at the same time. You must have a thing for pointless chatter.”

“But of course I do. People often tell me that I have the gift of gab, as they say. In fact, Experion here used to scold me about it often, back when he still had a functioning mind. Well? Have you learned anything useful in your travels from Grisarika Kingdom all the way to the holy land? Or have you perhaps collected some helpful comrades? Acquired a weapon that will help you resist what your sister is now?”

Ashuna scowled at Kagarma’s insolent smile. Although a Noblesse royal who dealt in pride and magnanimity, she couldn’t suppress her physical revulsion for the man.

“So you know the reason for my elder sister’s treachery, then?”

“Absolutely. You see, your sister was forced to become an Elder.”

Ashuna had never been sure of that. She had her suspicions, but told herself it couldn’t be so.

Yet the man in front of her now knew all about it.

“We Elders are immortal humans created in the ancient civilization era, each based on our own concept and pushed into a specific role. A thousand years ago, there was plenty of research that used the Pure Concepts summoned from another world to free the people of this one from the constraints of mortality. Do you believe me so far?”

“…Go on,” Ashuna said, not bothering to answer.

“For one like myself, the properties of an Original Sin Conjuring are built into my body. Any damage to the flesh past a certain point is automatically registered as a sacrifice for an Original Sin Conjuring, which summons the parts lost. And because it is not a Pure Concept conjuring, there is no loss of memories, either. Dear me, I cannot die even if my body is blown to smithereens.”

Kagarma wore a pitiful expression as he readily explained the contrivance behind the resurrection he’d just undergone.

“This is quite miserable in its own way, you know.”

“So you’re a disgusting monster. Got it.”

“Thank you. I’m thrilled that you seem to understand me, if only slightly. Regrettably, there is not very much else I can tell you. My memories used to be periodically erased, you see. It was the best way to preserve my personality. Compared to the other Elders, my concept is based on physical immortality—less so for my soul and spirit. I was created from an experiment aiming to implement Pandemonium’s immortality without any of the side effects. I imagine they cared little for what would happen to me once it was a success.”

“That didn’t stop you from creating the so-called Fourth and causing chaos all over the continent, though, did it?”

“It was an outlet for my displeasure. It’s important to have such things, you know. Each of the Elders has their role. Mine is to maintain the three-caste system, as the Lord did not desire the development of conjuring technology. It would give rise to complaints about what the Faust designated as taboo in accordance with her wishes. I gather the elements of discontent who would rebel against the current regime and periodically bring about their downfall. Just look at the current state of the Fourth. That’s all part of my job, and I went about it unaware that was my purpose for a long time. Can you imagine how infuriating that is?”

“So she’s been using you as a disposable pawn all your life. Is following someone who would do that to you worth it?”

“Worth it? Ha-ha!” Kagarma chuckled heartily at Ashuna’s question. “Of course not! I abandoned all that ages ago! All the Elders have. It’s been a thousand years, remember? How could we possibly stay loyal to her for that long?!”

A mix of violent emotions flew across Kagarma’s face in rapid succession. Ashuna took note of this instability as a possible weakness to exploit.

“But you see…she’s simply too strong. The Lord of the Faust from the scriptures, that is.” It was a terribly simple reason. “The world, or her? Indeed, she is so strong that there’s only one choice. And besides, no matter how imperfect her methods, she is truly the guardian of this world.”

Strength.

Kagarma spoke of what Ashuna desired most. She’d pursued it and had become truly powerful, yet she was still lacking.

Ashuna wished to live beautifully by being strong enough that no one could control her. People shone brightest when they acted of their own free will. There was little Ashuna despised more than having her way of life sullied by another’s influence. Recalling how her elder sister had once been only entrenched her further in that belief.

“So if your body became immortal through a transplant of Pandemonium’s nature…” Ashuna couldn’t bear the idea of letting her very self be invaded by someone else. “What changed my sister?”

“The Guardian has an indestructible soul.”

Experion offered nothing to the conversation. He stood in place with no will to do anything on his own.

“The method being?”

“Possession.” Kagarma summed it up in one word.

Possession.

Ashuna had witnessed this conjuring once before. When she fought alongside Menou in the desert, they’d faced a Primary Color conjured soldier that tried to take control of Menou with the Possession conjuring.

The spirit was said to govern a person’s memories and personality. There were several theories about the function of the soul, but it was generally accepted that it was essentially the beating heart from which power flowed.

A human needed both to survive.

There were many who’d attempt to transplant a soul or spirit when a person lost one of those qualities.

“Since her soul carries the Vessel conjuring, the predecessor to the Mechanical Society, she can possess the spirit of anyone who carries her blood. It is no exaggeration to say that the Grisarika royal family exists solely to ensure the Guardian’s continued survival. You understand this, don’t you, Miss Ashuna? Unfortunately, your sister is yet another victim of that time-honored tradition.”

“Tsk.”

Ashuna turned away, uncharacteristically frustrated.

She’d found her answer, the reason behind the changes in her elder sister that she’d always found suspicious. At last, she knew the enemy’s true identity.

Yet she wasn’t strong enough.

Ashuna couldn’t even defeat this man standing before her alone.

“I never expected this would feel so damned awful.”

It was too much to accept. From the moment Ashuna encountered Experion, he became her focus, and there was nothing else she could do in the holy land.

She couldn’t allow this man to interfere with Menou and Momo, who tried so admirably to pursue their chosen way of life.

Ashuna had never pitied herself in all her life. However, this new truth felt intensely disagreeable.

“Let me correct two of your assumptions, Director. First of all, Menou isn’t the one I’ve ‘set my sights’ on.”

It was a girl with pink hair in two pigtails who had caught Ashuna’s fascination. While Menou was captivating in her own right, Momo had a stronger hold on Ashuna’s heart.

“Oh? That does indeed pique my curiosity… What is the other correction?”

Ashuna responded with all of her typical confidence. “You called me unlucky, but I’ve never once doubted my good fortune.” She cast Kagarma a dauntless grin. Her confidence bordered on arrogance. “So come with me. I refuse to play the part of daughter to a sicko, but I’m willing to use you as a subordinate, if I must. I’m taking you with me back to Grisarika.”

The Director’s eyes narrowed. Now he understood why Experion was sent here. At the same time, the girl’s smile inspired hope that she might have what it took to break through, even if the Guardian had predicted her actions thus far.

“You really are her younger sister.”

“Stupid old man. Soon I’ll triumph over my current elder sister, and I’ll surpass her old self, too.”

Ashuna turned her bold gaze toward the west.

She couldn’t see the gleaming white of the holy land. However, shock waves from the dragonblight’s advent yet billowed, as though to symbolize the current turn of events.

This was the same path she’d walked with Momo when they’d arrived. That had been a fun journey. Momo’s stubborn and simple reactions were strangely endearing to Ashuna.

From the moment Ashuna met Momo and Menou in Grisarika, she’d been keenly aware that their paths would diverge from hers, even if they’d walked the same route for a brief while.

The princess turned on her heel.

“Until we meet again.”

There was no reason not to say her farewell, even knowing it would go unheard. Ashuna Grisarika, the Princess Knight, left the chaos in the holy land behind as she set out on her own journey, assured they would be reunited one day.

A cascade of Guiding Light enveloped the world.

It flooded from where the earthen vein burst out of the massive hole that had formed in the ground, setting the air abuzz. The wind shrieked, and the ground crumbled away further with each tremor. There was no sign that this torrent of power would cease anytime soon.