Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond

“Found you.”

Right. This wasn’t someone new. She’d never disappeared. John’s faulty memory was to blame. A whole year of memories that’d been swept away came rushing back like the tide, shoving their way into his brain. Prota, Jinae, the mercenaries, the demon subjugation squad, his death, Prota’s death…

[Destiny Bond]

How had he forgotten? Diaboli. Right, she was the one he needed to deal with. Somehow, he’d lost track of his goal, of what he’d been fighting for, of what would happen at the end of this [Story]. He’d been so focused on the path in front of him that he’d failed to see the end of the road.

“Really, you’re quite annoying,” Diaboli sighed, shaking her head. “To be completely honest, I wasn’t going to look for you. I would find you eventually. But you just keep messing with time. I didn’t notice it at first, but then I started to remember things. I kept losing progress. I’d be somewhere one minute, and I’d go back in time the next. Do you even understand how annoying that is?”

She licked her lips seductively, staring at him.

“So I tracked you down. You did a good job of masking your energy, I’ll give you that. It’s almost as if you’re not using it at all. I would’ve never been able to track you if not for your… loops? I’m not quite sure what you call that ability of yours, but it gave me time to pinpoint your location. Every loop, I managed to narrow it down more and more. And now that I’m here…”

A black energy began to swirl behind her as she rose into the air, flexing her fingers as claws began to extend. Right. She was the demon king, after all.

“Then, I’ll be taking your memories now. Bye bye~”

John moved. There was no time to think, no time to plan. His body moved before his brain could even process what was going on. Before he knew what he was doing, his hand was reaching for a pill, shoving it down his throat as he desperately hoped for death.

“Fuck you,” John gasped, popping the pill. “See you soon.”

~~~

John sat up with a gasp, his heart still racing. He could practically feel it trying to beat its way out of his chest, the blood pumping through his veins, getting his body ready to either flee or fight.

“John,” Prota said in a somewhat panicked voice. “John.”

Prota’s voice almost didn’t sound like her own. John had never heard panic in Prota’s voice. Did he really seem that afraid? Was it really showing that much? John’s head whipped around to see Prota staring at him curiously.

She tilted her head at him. What could possibly have made him panic so much?

“Prota,” John said, grabbing Prota by the shoulders. The urgency in his eyes was visible. “We absolutely cannot mess up. This is our last try. There are no more [Resets].”

“...?”

“As soon as we [Reset], run. Go. Do not look back. If you can get Fate and Danjo to join you, that’s even better. If they don’t join you, don’t stop for them. Let them die. Do you understand?”

“But-”

“Prota. This is not negotiable. I know we were just talking about you making a choice, but this isn’t the time for that. We do not have a choice. Unless your choice is permanent death, but just know that I cannot come back for you if that’s what you choose.”

Prota looked at him strangely. Since when could they not [Reset]? She could understand wh something like that would make John panic, but what in the world could’ve possibly caused this? He’d been almost bored just a few minutes before.

“Diaboli,” John finished. “She found us. And I don’t know what comes next anymore. I don’t know what’s going to happen anymore. This was never part of the [Story], Prota. Or… maybe it’s no longer a [Story]. Maybe… maybe this was never a [Story] in the first place.”

Prota’s reaction was exactly what John had expected it to be. She froze up, turning stiff as if made of wax.

“It makes sense. My existence. My [Resets]. All of it leads to a poor [Story], and now I’m being punished for it. The more we used [Reset], the closer she got. Diaboli remembered, Prota. She didn’t lose her memory. And so every time we went back, she was getting closer, and now she’s here. If I had just played along, if I had just been…”

John cursed to himself. He’d known it. He’d known, and he’d forgotten, and now his stupidity was catching up. He’d known that at some point, [Resets] would somehow be removed from his arsenal of abilities. Forcibly removing it wasn’t possible, so it would have to be some kind of circumstance that would force him out of using it, but he hadn’t expected it to be like this. He hadn’t expected it to be now.

…no, that wasn’t true. He’d been afraid of this. He’d felt fear. He’d just forgotten over the hundreds of [Resets] he’d been through. And now that fear was catching up to him. He was shaking uncontrollably like a baby, and he couldn’t stop. His one backup. His source of comfort, the curse he so dearly relied upon, gone, just like that.

“As soon as I hit that [Reset] button, she’s going to make a beeline for us. I have to kill Doctor before that. Do you understand?”

Killing Doctor wouldn’t be the issue. Victory wouldn’t be nearly as sweet, but satisfaction was not a privilege John had at the moment. This wasn’t about winning anymore. This was about living. He had to finish it fast.

“Prota. You need to run. She wants you, remember?”

Prota gulped and nodded. She remembered very well what had happened almost a year ago. Despite an overwhelming show of power, John had still lost to the opponent they were about to face. And if that couldn’t win, then what would?

What were they going to do now?

“Ready yourself.”

Sweat poured down John’s face as he turned to the [Reset] button. For the first time, he was scared of pushing it. Never before had this ability turned into such a nightmare. Never before had it been turned against him like this. Victory was no longer the goal. Saving everyone was no longer what was important.

[Determination activates!]

Survival was all that mattered.

“Here we go.”

~~~

John’s eyes snapped open, his heart immediately going into overdrive.

“What the-” he gasped, gaining his bearings. Right. Diaboli. She was coming.

He watched as the door burst down, Fate and Danjo piling in. They seemed distressed but determined at the same time.

“O-Olivia? Is that you-”

John didn’t have time for this. He let his power surge as he broke out of his binds, smashing Olivia’s chains.

“Go! Get out of here!” he yelled with such ferocity that Olivia didn’t even stop to ask questions.

“J-John?” Fate stammered, stunned by the sudden display of power.

Fate wasn’t the only one who’d been shocked. Doctor was also stunned, but unfortunately, instead of freezing up, he did something even worse. In a desperate act to manage the situation, his tendrils lashed out and pierced everyone’s heads, instantly killing them all. No one survived. The speed at which the tendrils had flown out was so incredibly fast that even Kit hadn’t had time to react.

The only people alive were John, who’d caught the attack before it could reach him, and Prota, who’d already left the room as soon as things had began to go south.

“What the-” Doctor started, but John didn’t have time. He raised his hand and squeezed, Doctor’s body consequently crumpling like a can. A giant pillar of light beamed down from the sky, instantly disintegrating the small ball of mass.

“Flashy show of lights.”

John whipped around and jumped out of the way just in time to avoid an attack from Diaboli. It seemed there would be no time to rest.

“That man was useful to me, but honestly, I’m quite glad you killed him. I was trying to figure out a way to get rid of him. He’s far outlived his usefulness. To be quite honest, he disgusted me. I would even go as far as to say that nobody will be missing him.”

“We’re killing our own teammates now?”

“He was a [Character]. He was useful in his own way, but I personally never liked him. I simply had to use him as someone who was part of the [Plot]. Can’t you relate?”

John grit his teeth as he stared Diaboli down. He didn’t know if he could win this fight. He was afraid, but that fear wasn’t enough to unlock [Infinity] to its full potential, and he had no spare [Deus Ex Machina] energy on hand. Diaboli, on the other hand, had an unknown of [Deus Ex Machina] energy available to her.

John had no way of knowing how much was available to her, but he didn’t really care to find out the hard way.

“Your ability really is annoying. To think you would choose death, just to loop back.” Diaboli smirked. “It does suit you, though. I poured through your memories just a bit more. When did you become so cold and stoic? The you right now is nothing like the past you. You were much more fun. Much more cheerful.”

“...I wouldn’t know what I was like. It’s almost as if I don’t have those memories. Wouldn’t it be crazy if someone else had them?”

“They were mostly jumbled up,” Diaboli said, ignoring John’s sarcasm, “but some of them were coherent enough to read. It was quite entertaining. Like reading a book written by a disillusioned child.”

“...yeah.”

With that, the fight began. The two disappeared, exchanging blows faster than the eye could see, engaging and disengaging in a fraction of a second. The attacks shook the very walls, bringing the ceiling down.

Diaboli snapped her fingers, and the earth stopped, now under her command. It began to swirl into a ball, the dirt gathering and compressing over and over as Diaboli clenched her fist, and soon, a metric ton of dirt the size of a baseball was hovering above her head.

“Catch,” she said cheerfully, throwing it at John. There was a boom as the sonic barrier was broken, but John was faster.

He caught it in his hand and let the force spin him around, allowing the force of physics to do its job somewhat properly for the first and last time as he put all his strength into launching it back to sender.

“Good boy!” she laughed, letting it soar past her.

The two rose out of the giant pit and went back at it again, their fight beginning to level the very ground itself. The small basement was slowly turning into a ginormous crater. John wanted to say something about fights like these, about how boring and overused they were, but it was hard to do so when his life was on the line. It wasn’t boring when he was at a risk of losing everything to a single mistake. He’d long since given up hope of winning. He just needed to survive until an idea came to mind.

Nothing was coming to mind.

Beams of energy poured through the sky as the two fired at each other, never expecting to land a hit, but rather forcing the other to expend as much energy as possible. Sweat poured down John’s face as he was forced to fight to his limit- no, beyond that. Any other time he would’ve given up. Sat down. Admitted defeat, and taken the easier route.

This time, there was no other route.

“Is this all you’re capable of?” Diaboli taunted. “I was sure you were capable of so much more. You can’t fight harder? What if it’s for that fake sister of yours? You might’ve hidden her, but I’ll find her soon enough.”

The light coming from John’s body intensified at the mention of Prota.

“Did I touch a sore point there?” Diaboli laughed. “She’s not yours, fool. She’s mine, and mine alone. I don’t know why you have her, but she doesn’t belong to you.”

“She doesn’t belong to anyone,” John said, barely managing to get the words out.

“She’s a [Character].”

“Then she belongs to the [Author]. You, a [Character], don’t get a say in that.”

“Mm. But what if your dear [Author] gave her to me?”

John froze for a split second. It was nothing. Just a flinch at the thought that maybe she was right. Maybe Prota was never meant to be with him in the first place.

That flinch was fatal, though.

In any other fight, it wouldn’t have mattered, but in a fight like this, it was absolutely fatal. Diaboli managed to get a punch in, and John was sent flying to the ground. He’d managed to block it in time to avoid a fatal blow, but as his body was human, the impact of the collision broke every bone in his body. It was a wonder he was still alive. Had he not been on the verge of unconsciousness, he would’ve complained about it.

“Stupid… fucking…” John cursed, blood pouring out of his body like a fountain. His vision was getting blurry.

“Your memories. Hand them over.”

Diaboli landed softly beside John, standing over him.

“W…” John tried to speak, but he wasn’t strong enough to get the words out.

To his surprise, Diaboli sighed and extended her hand, a soft green dust flowing over his body. It wasn’t enough to let him move, but it was enough to let him speak. He coughed up blood a few times in an attempt to force air out of his damaged lungs, but eventually mustered up the energy to say something.

“Why… do you want them…? You have enough power… to rule the world… isn’t that usually enough?”

“It’s not for me. It’s to remove you.”

“...me?”

“You are a threat. You cannot exist in this world. Therefore, if I absorb your memories, you will no longer pose a threat. It’s simple. I do not need to gain any more power. It is you who needs to disappear.”

John blinked. He needed to disappear? Well… right. The only person who could contest against Diaboli was him. Then- wait a minute. Fate. John needed Fate to fight against Diaboli. As the [Protagonist], John had assumed that this power would help him win. After all, the hero was needed to beat the demon, right?

But Fate couldn’t even win against Doctor. How would he win against Diaboli? He’d never even thought of this. But it made sense. John really was the only threat to someone who had [Deus Ex Machina] energy. He was the only one who could contest a being that went against the very [Plot] itself.

John closed his eyes. Was this the end? Maybe he shouldn’t have helped Prota. Or should he have? Would it have made a difference? Maybe his destiny was to die here. It was a fitting end. There was no need for him to survive.

“...hn. John.”

John frowned. Was this the afterlife? No, that didn’t exist for him. Then-

“John!”

John’s eyes snapped open, and was greeted with a familiar sight.

“John,” Prota begged, standing over him. Diaboli was watching them with an amused expression, not making a move.

“I told you to run…” John wheezed.

Those words seemed familiar.

“Prota is John’s protector,” Prota said quietly, her body shaking with fear. She was barely standing, her legs were trembling so much. “If John dies, then I die too. No more running. No more hiding.”

Despite all her fear, she wouldn’t leave John’s side. Because it was here and now that John needed a protector more than anything. Now, when death was truly at stake.

“Prota, I…”

“Back when you were a normal person, a [Writer], I guess, you always wanted to help [Characters]. You knew you couldn’t. But it made you happy to imagine scenarios where you could step in and solve their problems.”

John let out a laugh, blood trickling out of his mouth. He wanted to step in and save [Characters]? Look at him now. He couldn’t even save himself. A [Character] was stepping in to save him.

Dramatic irony. How entertaining.

But even if Prota, was here, what would that do? What could she accomplish? Even Diaboli seemed to recognize that fact.

“What are you going to do? Fall over and die?” Diaboli laughed. “Little girl. You don’t even stand on the same level as us. How could you possibly hope to fight against me? You are mine. You cannot go against me.”

Despite Diaboli’s words, Prota kept fighting. Her eyes lit up as she formed a Frozen Flame, throwing it at Diaboli with all her might. The spell exploded, frost falling to the ground, and Diaboli remained unharmed.

John watched as his sister threw spell after spell, panting as the fear in her mind took its toll, greatly reducing her stamina. Despite her ability to cast mana recovery over and over, the mental deterioration her magic was causing in addition to her emotions was wearing her out faster than ever. In no time at all, Prota was completely exhausted, and Diaboli was unchanged, if not slightly more amused than before.

“Do you see? What could you possibly hope to accomplish?”

Diaboli laughed, taking a step forward. Prota fell to her knees, unable to do anything more.

“Prota… run,” John said, reaching out.

No. He couldn’t let Prota die for him. He didn’t know where the thought was coming from, but it was firm. She was a [Character]. She was expendable. But then again, wasn’t he? He, too, was ultimately a [Character]. What made him less expendable than others?

In the face of death, John had a little thought. It wasn’t something he normally would’ve thought of, but in these last moments, he felt as if he had no control over what he was thinking. As if his brain were simply wandering wherever it pleased, choosing to think whatever it wanted.

As much as everyone was a [Character], he, too, was just as imaginary as everyone else. Just because he knew more, could do more, it meant nothing in the end. His role was just a pupeteered as everyone else’s. His memories as a [Writer] and [Reader] didn’t make him real. To be a [Character] was to be imaginary. Was to be someone that could never exist in the real world. And so in the end, he was only as real as the [Characters] he ignored were.

What an interesting thought.

“They, too, are destined to lose someone.”

John reached out. [Infinity] was still running strong, so if he tried, he could send Prota away in a last attempt to save her. He was bound to die, and there was no reason to have her die with him. He lifted his arm to cast one final spell, but something caught his eye.

On the ground was a singular red page, glowing softly. It wasn’t bright enough to be obvious, but it was illuminated enough that John noticed. A red page. It seemed insignificant. It could’ve just been a page from a notebook. But John instinctively knew what it was.

“This…”

He forced his broken body to grab it. [Determination] was blocking the pain, but it felt as if his body was responding to what he wanted to do a full ten seconds later. Somehow, he managed it anyway. The time Prota had spent protecting him was just enough.

“What are you-” Diaboli started, but it was too late. There was a flash of light that blinded everyone in the area, even Diaboli. The demon king blinked, trying to recover her vision, but immediately took a guarded stance as she opened her eyes once more.

John was standing there casually, looking at his hands, rotating his arms and legs to make sure everything was working well. It was very anticlimactic. But Diaboli knew.

The tides had changed every so slightly.

“You…” Diaboli said cautiously.

“Damn. No memories,” John sighed. “Just energy.”

He flexed his fingers, making sure everything was working right. Despite his recovery, he was still extremely afraid. There was barely any [Deus Ex Machina] energy in that page, but it was enough. It definitely wasn’t enough to win. But that wasn’t what mattered.

He was back. There was a chance. An open window, a pinhole of light in a room of darkness. That much was enough to see that there was a way out.

A sense of calm spread through his body. Right. Since when was he afraid of what a [Character] could do to him? There was no reason to panic this much, even if the situation was strange. He was a [Character], yes. But he was also more than that.

“Hey, Zero. What can I do with this much?”

“...Zero?” Diaboli frowned. She shook her head.

No. This wasn’t the time to be shocked. The boy was standing there, guard down. He wasn’t paying any attention to her. Even if he’d obtained a little bit of power, it wasn’t enough to defeat her. She’d made sure that the amount of energy she’d given to that man was minimal. She could easily overpower John.

Purple energy accumulated in front of her, twisting the space around it as the pressure accumulated.

“John!” Prota cried out, unable to stand up. She wanted to fight, help, anything, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t even move. This was a battle beyond her capabilities.

“Three options, huh… Which one uses up the least?”

He closed his eyes and nodded. Prota stared at him. What was he doing? Why wasn’t he getting ready to respond? Diaboli was right there. She was charging an attack. He needed to react to it. However, he just continued to stand there, and a small smile formed on his lips.

“Someone’s already done this,” John said quietly, shaking his head. “This is very unoriginal.”

Zero said something that nobody else heard.

“Fine. Let’s do it. You just can’t complain about this later, got it?”

Silence.

“She won’t be involved, right?”

Diaboli fired her attack at that very instant, obliterating John where he stood. Prota cried, reaching out, but she was helpless to do anything other than watch. The pressure of the attack alone blew her back, slamming her into the wall. Her body slumped down as multiple bones in her body shattered, the pain somehow reaching through her tolerance and causing her to cry out as blood poured down her eyes and ears. The taste and smell of iron filled her senses, and she slowly realized it was her own blood.

Her vision swam, but she forced herself to look up. She needed to get out and escape, even if John was dead. Somehow, she instinctively understood that there were no more chances. They’d lost. And there was no second try this time. She readied herself to see the demon king, but… there was nothing there.

Prota looked up, moonlight shining down on the giant crater, revealing nothing. Nobody was there. She turned and saw corpses. Kit’s pink fur stood out the most, and she could spot Fate nearby. Danjo and Olivia were dead, their bodies somehow side by side. Doctor… wasn’t there.

But there was no John.

And no Diaboli.

Prota fell back, her body incapable of going any further. She couldn’t see or hear. Everything was going dark.

“John…”

~~~

“What- where is this?” Diaboli exclaimed, her head swivelling as she scanned her surroundings.

There was nothing. It was just a bright, empty room, an endless void of white. A somewhat visible line represented the horizon, but Diaboli knew it was just more of the cursed white ground she stood on. John was just a singular red and black dot in the vast sea of emptiness that was their realm—the only blemish in a world of light.

“By the way, if it’s any consolation, I was against this idea, too. It just saves the most energy.”

John turned around, a tired look on his face Diaboli’s face twisted into a frown, enraged. Had the boy played her for a fool? What had he done?

“We’re technically still in your universe. Like, your realm. But it’s a separate space with its own flow of time. How do I- eh, whatever. Why am I explaining in the first place?”

“What are you…?”

“This idea was really stupid, but I was only given three options, so bear with it.”

“...stupid?”

John sighed. “They did this in a movie once, I think. Maybe somewhere else, too, I’m not sure. But the point is you’re stuck here with me.”

“Then aren’t you stuck here with me?” Diaboli said, her frown slowly being replaced with confusion.

“Yeah. I guess you could say that.”

John sat down and crossed his legs, resting his chin on his hand. His posture indicated that he had no intention to fight.

“It’s a real let down of an ending, I’ll admit that. No epic fight. No growth, no exchange of ideals. But, well, I’m not interested in any of that. I’m just interested in winning. So let’s get this over with.”

“Oh. In case you haven’t noticed…”

John reached into his pants, visibly checking for something, but when his hand came out, it was empty, save for a flipped middle finger.

“It’s impossible to use [Deus Ex Machina] to change the rules of this space. So have fun trying to get out.”

Diaboli’s face slowly twisted into one of understanding. She didn’t like what she understood.

“Yeah. You guessed it, right? The movie… was it Doctor Weird or something like that? Anyway, like I said before, someone else did this. They just kept their enemy locked in a loop until they gave up. Real smart plan, huh?”

“You…”

“Technically, you never removed my ability to [Reset]. You just used it to your advantage, which means I shouldn’t use it. That doesn’t mean I can’t. You know it. I can’t kill you, but you can’t kill me. So, what’ll you do?”

John sighed, apparently annoyed at the situation. However, as Diaboli struggled to come to terms with her new situation, John’s eyes lit up as he got up and stretched.

“Actually, you know what? Let’s fight. Just for fun. I’ll give up at some point, but for now, let’s do it.”

“...fun?”

“That’s what a [Story] is all about. It’s for entertainment. No one likes a boring story. And as a [Reader], I’d rather be entertained than bored, you know?”

John slowly wound his scarf around his face, hiding his nose and mouth.

“So, what’ll it be? How many [Resets] do you think it’ll take for you to give up?”

“I won’t! I’ll keep you here for all of eternity if that’s what it takes!”

“All of eternity is a pretty long time,” John shrugged. “The most I’ve [Reset] was over four trillion times. That really sucked, but at least I have a way to cope with it. Do you?”

John’s hood came up, overshadowing his eyes. The only thing that came through was the red light, piercing through.

“Come on. Let’s see how long I last. Or will you give up first?”