Chapter 138: Purpose.
Hours passed as he explained the specifics of what he wanted. I listened, and Diana listened as well. She asked a few questions, and the man gave her the same information we had. Which prompted silence from her, but not for long.
Much like me, she didn’t take what he said at face value, rather, I didn’t think anybody would. After all, what he had said was too lofty, too… idealistic for those things. And not just that, but… why would I be chosen to safeguard existence itself?
Above all, I very much believed every rabbit would agree with my thought. None of us were exactly heroes.
Once he was done, he left without much ado and told us we could find him in the central building.
After he left, I had a short discussion with Diana over the phone, and well, it was mostly that we would reconvene after confirming some things. I didn’t disagree.
Once I hung up… I sighed. Both Morrigan and Joan looked lost. It was clear they wanted to hurry up and get answers for themselves, but they only stayed because of me.
“Do you think… if it came to a fight, do you think we could beat him?” I asked the pair.
“Can’t say.” Morrigan said with a frown. “He seemed normal enough, but… his soul is abnormally strong.”
“Joan?” I asked next.
“I… I don’t know. I couldn’t see anything from him. Like, like he wasn’t even really there.”
I wanted to make a retort, but I kept my tongue still. Instead, I got up.
“Alright, lets reconvene in the morning then. Think on what we’ve been told, and we’ll come to a decision tomorrow.”
The pair practically bolted to their rooms, leaving me alone. With a sigh, I made my way up to my room. Once inside, I called out.
“Usagi. I need answers.”
Leaping out of the shadows, I saw them. “Pyon, Pyon! I was beginning to think you forgot all about me Prima, Pyon!”
“Hardly. I’d rather not call you unless I have to. Not unless you want me to call you more?”
“I’ve got plenty of time to talk with you whenever you want, Pyon. But… it’s rather normal for rabbits to be self-sufficient, Pyon! Nothing like how the others handle their chosen, Pyon!.”
I was curious, but… I couldn’t help but retort.
“I imagine you do, especially since you’re probably having a conversation with at least four people right now.”
“About, Pyon, but really, it’s a lot more than that, Pyon!”
“Figures…” I say with a click of my tongue.
“But don’t worry, Pyon! Everyone gets a hundred and ten percent of my attention, Pyon-Pyon!”
I wanted to roll my eyes, but I really did have a question that needed to be answered, now.
“Fine, now, that man, Joseph. Is what he said true?”
“To an extent, Pyon.”
“How so? I mean, it sounds silly that we’d be chosen to safeguard existence or whatever.”
“Ah, but that part is entirely true, Pyon!”
“What?” I said on reflex.
“The purpose of choosing people to become magical girls is specifically to safeguard reality as we know it, Pyon! Is that really hard to believe, Pyon?”
“I… that…” I stutter, my mind, even with the ice struggles to understand, “But… why? Why us?”
“That’s difficult, Pyon. After all, Pyon, each of us has a different criteria after all, Pyon!”
“And those criteria would be?” I asked. Certain by now that they’d give an answer.
Usagi took a moment, cocked their head to the side. As if thinking, but… how much of that was real? How much was an act?
“I can’t speak for the others, each of us has our purpose within the system, Pyon! But, I can say, I choose based on one criteria, Pyon!” They finally said, chipper as usual.
“And that would be?”
“A secret, Pyon!” Usagi said back and even stuck her tongue out. Which looked very odd for a rabbit to do.
I stared. Contemplated for a long time on whether or not they were serious, and if I should grab that damn rodent and strangle them… In the end, sense one over. “Okay, fine, sure, whatever…” I finally forced out, “But does what does that have to do with stopping the end of all life, would you care to elaborate?” I asked through clenched teeth.
Again, Usagi takes a moment to think, consider. Seeing them not answering, I decided to stick in a final barb. “Not unless you think we’re all qualified to be some kind of space cop or some nonsense like that.”
“Your task is a bit more defined than space cop, Pyon!” Usagi finally says. “What I’m thinking, is just how much I can reveal without causing too many problems, Pyon…”
“Is it really so difficult?” I asked, then, I had a thought. “Does it involve what that… I don’t know, corrupted dragon said? Something about ignorance being a shield, and also, something about a child of promise or something?”
Usagi stills. “That…” And for the first time, or so it felt, Usagi dropped her vocal tic. “That is complicated. I will say that. As for ignorance being a shield, they were not wrong. The more you know, the more susceptible you are to certain influences. However, considering the situation and where you are, we do think it is about time you received, some answers… Pyon.”
And, there it is again… But, regardless of tic or no tic, her words had my attention.
“In the grand scheme of things, we choose people to become magical girls, like yourself, Pyon. With the primary purpose of battling and pushing back entropy.”
“Entropy? Can we even fight that? Isn’t that just, a natural law?”
“You’d think, Pyon, but reality is nothing like that. Entropy itself is both a concept and a living breathing being. Entropy’s sole purpose is to bring about the end of existence as we know it, Pyon.”
I think… put dots together. “Then those things we fought, that dragon?”
Usagi nods. “That’s right, Pyon. When a world dies, it doesn’t immediately cease, instead it just, sits there, Pyon.”
“Like a corpse…” I say, and realize, “And entropy is rot?” I answer.
“Exactly, Pyon! If a realm isn’t constantly expanding or growing it instead declines, or rots, Pyon. That rot comes in the form of entropy.”
I consider. “If that’s true…” I consider the last few days, the clan leader, Liu Chou’s words and warnings. “When this realm shattered, not all of the fragments simply ceased?”
“Yup, yup, Pyon, Pyon! Smaller realms, too small to have a sustainable population or to expand were immediately overtaken by entropy and erased from existence, but the surviving beings inside those realms were instead corrupted and changed, Pyon. Due to the nature of entropy, all of those corrupted beings are the first that will attack this smaller realm.”
“And this all started because of us?” I asked.
“Indeed, Pyon! Sheep informed you before, but before you entered, this realm was at the perfect size. Just big enough to be self-sustaining, and just small enough that it can’t grow, Pyon, Pyon. It was in perfect equilibrium, but… just how long do you think that could have held?” She asked.
“Not long.” I admitted. Liu Chou was old, and if the others were just as old, and had heirs like his granddaughter, Liu Lian, it was unlikely the realm could continue like this for much longer. All it would take was one of them to kick the bucket and the realm would rapidly start spiraling…
In a way, we entered at the perfect time to intervene, only…
“Our options aren’t as binary as Sheep made us believe, are they?”
“What makes you think that, Pyon?”
“Joseph for one. And also, I noticed that whenever we killed one of those, corrupted beings, they would leave behind a lot of magic. Not to mention the damn coins…”
“And so, Pyon?” Usagi asked, and I could tell I was on the right track.
“What if instead of conquering or allying with this realm, we were to focus instead on defeating entropy? As you stated that was our mission. Would they keep coming indefinitely, or?”
“If you could defeat the invasion of entropy, Pyon, the realm will go through a revitalization. The realm would grow, expand, and would be able to expel the rot that is entropy, Pyon.” Usagi says then stops.
“But?” I urge.
“No but, Pyon. It would save the realm. At least, for the time being. Eventually, down the road, the realm’s expansion will slow, growth will stop and…”
“Rot will set in.” I finished and Usagi nodded. “Which would then require intervention again, though, would it be possible for the denizens of the realm to beat back the rot?” I asked and Usagi nodded.
“Then, if so, how does BOP’s mission differ from our own?”
“We seek the continuation of existence. For life to flourish to its absolute limit, Pyon. A task that constantly brings us up against entropy, Pyon. The Bureau of Preservation doesn’t want that. They merely wish to preserve what is, Pyon.”
“So, like this realm?” I asked.
“Yuppers, Pyon! The Bureau seeks to create a perfect equilibrium so that rot never sets in and that life can continue into perpetuity, Pyon, Pyon.”
“That… doesn’t sound so bad though?”
“Does it, Pyon? Imagine a world where there are no ladders to climb, where nobody has a chance to go beyond their station, that from the moment your born your fate has been decided, Pyon.”
I frowned. When put like that, I could see it being an issue, and honestly, coming from me it might seem, hypocritical, but I could see how some people might want that. If it was a choice between comfort or constantly having to overcome tribulations to continue pressing forward. Eventually, inevitably, people will grow tired of it and seek refuge. Even if it means living a monotone existence.
“Right then… but that doesn’t mean we are enemies though, does it?” I ask.
Usagi answers, “On the surface, no, Pyon, but we don’t always have the same objective. However, in this case our purposes are somewhat aligned, Pyon, Pyon. Though, again, that isn’t always the case, Pyon.”
That unfortunately makes sense.
“So then, I assume that means we have four options in total? Get the people to join with us, and let you take them in. Conquer them, not giving them a choice. Hold off the rot until we can beat it back and revitalize the realm, or finally, we can work with Joseph and see his plan through?”
“Yup, though, there do exist other options if you have the means, Pyon.” Usagi glances at me, or more specifically at the pocket that now contains a gold coin.
Of course, that makes a lot of sense. Using the gold coin, I could probably bus them out of here. Though, I’d probably have to gather everyone up or as many as I could before doing so. With a platinum… perhaps I could save the whole realm?
No… if I had a platinum, couldn’t I create a whole new realm? I had countless questions, and many more concerns. However, before I ended this conversation, I had one more question for Usagi.
“Child of promise, what does that mean?”
Usagi, seemed unwilling to answer, but before long, she did. “A long time ago, a girl had a wish, and we answered…” Usagi said, with a low voice.
“The first magical girl then?” I asked, Usagi nodded. I had more to ask, more to think on, but…
In the end, all I could do was say, “Right, that should be it then.”
“Really, Pyon, is that all you wanted to ask, Pyon?”
No, it was most definitely not, but I had enough to work over in the time being and I still had an event to finish.
I considered. I did, but… “For now, yes. I will have more questions much later, when I’m not faced with a literal world ending threat.”
“I look forward to that day, Pyon! Good Luck, Pyon, Pyon!” Usagi replied back with newfound energy.
And just like that, they left. At the same time, it felt like the world came back into focus. The pounding rain could be heard, along with the occasional cracks of thunder. In a way, it mirrored my own turbulent mood. I wasn’t sure I could get to sleep, but somehow, someway, I did.
Morning was not pleasant. Even with a warm meal before me, a likely delicious meal, all I could taste was ash. Even the scent couldn’t shake me free from my thoughts, or the dark pall hanging over my head.
Joan and Morrigan were no different. I could easily imagine Diana, and everyone else, going through the exact same thing.
After we finished eating, we sat around the table, just numbly staring at my phone on the table as we waited for Diana to call. It was still raining, but the lightning and thunder had stopped. Meaning, the only sound in the dining room was the steady sound of rain.
It didn’t take long, and the moment it rang, we all jolted from the sudden sound. My hand shot forward and before the first ring ended, I flipped it open and connected the call.
The moment it connects, I put it on speaker and sit back.
Diana was the first to speak. “Did you sleep well?”
I glance over to Joan and Morrigan, “No.” I said, speaking out how we all felt.
“Yeah, I didn’t either. Nobody else did. Shortly after our conversation, I shared the news and well, there was a lot of noise last night. Some of us are still sleeping, and some didn’t even sleep. The only benefit, is that we have a goal.”
“Do we now?” I ask.
“Yes, we had a brief meeting this morning on the specifics, and well, it was decided we’d be putting it to a vote.”
“Is that really wise?” I had to ask.
“It was the best answer we had. Why, do you have another idea?” Diana replied instead.
“No… but how are we going to do this? Will we be meeting up?” I question, instead of pointing out how bad of an idea that was.
“Yes, we’ll be heading over to the city. From there, we can decide as we go.” She said over the phone.
“Really? Won’t that take too long?”
“It shouldn’t. Now that we know where it is, we think we can make it in a day or two. Especially if we go all out. The only problem, would be if there is a reason why we shouldn’t be there.”
I consider that…
“That depends…” I finally say. “I don’t think Joseph is trying to get us killed. It doesn’t sound like a trap, but we do have other options.”
“I take it that means you don’t want to do it?”
“Yeah, it sounds a bit much. Not to mention, what he was asking of us. Sure, it’s a great chance for the others to breakthrough, to advance, and even to get coins. Not to mention the promise of giving us weapons, though they might not be gold ranked, they should be of quality make. The problem is the cost.” I said, counting down the potential positives of working with Joseph.
“And what would you have us do otherwise?” Diana asked. “At this point, I’m not even sure we can get these people to follow us, and it’s not like we can just kill them all. The well’s already poisoned Prima. And I don’t think we can handle the entire invasion on our own.”
“You’re not wrong, but… people could die with this decision.”
She took a moment before continuing. “I’m well aware of that. But… the alternatives aren’t great. Simply sitting back and just letting the realm die doesn’t sit right with me. Killing everyone… I don’t think anyone here wants to do that. Really, the only choice we have is to assist that man.”
“And that’s my problem.” I say back. “Everything you said is absolutely right, but I don’t like that we’re forced to make this one decision. I’m also not confident that something won’t go wrong. It sounds too good to be true. Too convenient.”
She didn’t immediately reply. I couldn’t see her, but I could easily imagine her considering, thinking on my words.
“Are you thinking… that he might have his own motives?”
“Maybe not him, exactly, but the Bureau behind him. At this point, I believe the event is already lost, so further investment feels almost like a waste. If we just wait it out at our base, we shouldn’t have to deal with those creatures. As they’ll all be heading towards the central ley line. And even if we do handle some, that’s free coins.” I say, choosing the safer option.
Though, to be honest… I was kind of leaning towards just conquering the realm. It was quicker, cleaner, but I knew Diana and company would be against it. Not unless there was a good reason to do that.
“You’re not wrong…” Diana says after another longer pause. “Only… what happens then? Sheep was… evasive when somebody asked what happens if the realm collapses. I don’t think we’ll just re-appear in the city. It’s entirely possible we might find ourselves somewhere else entirely.”
“Better the devil you know, is that what you’re saying?” I say.
“Partially, yes… Honestly, what you said Prima isn’t wrong either… from what he said, I don’t think Joseph means us harm, and I think he genuinely wants our help.”
I didn’t have an answer for that. Joseph seemed committed, but if we were to back off, I don’t think he’d fight us or stop us. If we tried to conquer the realm,. Or kill people, he’d probably go against us, which I didn’t think would be that much of an issue. If we were to choose to face off with the invasion and beat back entropy, he might help us achieve that, but we weren’t strong enough for that.
As for becoming enemies with the Bureau, I highly doubt they’d care if we killed Joseph. If he escaped though… that was a different problem. Which really meant that was only a single good decision to make.
The best decision would be to go back and wait for the event to end, especially since it felt like we were being shoehorned into working with Joseph. After all, with how this event was progressing, I had a feeling we were stuck between two masterminds. Just pieces on a board, being guided towards an uncertain end that will not benefit us.
Usagi made it sound like there was some grand purpose behind our existence, but… I didn’t believe that. Which just further confirmed what I already knew.
That they didn’t just choose us to save existence, no, Usagi had even said it was the primary purpose. Not that it was THE reason we had been chosen. That alone was a huge red flag.
But… what could I do on my lonesome? As I was now? Which is why, despite my misgivings, all I could say was, “Very well, I’ll await your arrival. We can make the final decision when everyone arrives.” And hope, hope that they’ll listen to the voice of reason, or see things from my point of view, but I doubt that will happen. Really, I didn’t like it. Not one bit, but… what else could I do?
With a sigh, and a final goodbye, I hung up. There was silence, but soon enough we each split to do our own tasks. Well, after a quick status check.
Morrigan took serious damage, most if not nearly all of her crows died in the fight. Joan was spent and currently paying off the deficit she incurred ingesting the silver coin she used yesterday.
As for me? My deficit wasn’t bad in comparison. I’d be fit and ready by the end of the day.
After that, Joan went off to provide aid to the soldiers. Morrigan went off to do whatever, and I went off to see how everyone else was handling the aftermath.
The answer was, not good.