[Chapter 9] – Fishing for Errors
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So as it turns out, <The Fairies of the Dying Stars> is a literal fairy tale in the world of Kyrias.

It's about a magically omnipotent race of fairies who by the virtue of their immeasurable arrogance was cursed so that their world would experience a cycle of death and rebirth for all eternity, manifesting as shooting stars in the sky that if anyone is fortunate enough to witness, will be granted a wish they most desired.

—Or at least that’s all I can glean from Master’s and Viviana’s conversations as he guides her through the city.

By the time we’ve arrived at the inner ring, the sun is already beginning to set.

The stealthy path to the Elysian castle proposed by him ends up leading us to the supernaturally smooth steps of a pure white stairway, carved out of the side of a mountainous cliff face, spiraling upward to the very top.

It’s a shame that the extravagant size of most of the inner ring structures blocks the view, or else the sight of the magical city basking in twilight from up here would’ve been something truly special.

“Mana, if you truly have the ability to make wishes come true, then how come you haven’t wished for the cycle of the dying stars to disappear? Your people can live forever if you do, am I correct?”

Viviana asks Master, or Mana, who is playfully walking on the railings on the side of the dangerously steep path.

Due to the line of sight being most likely the key for Viviana to have awareness of our presence. We are forced to awkwardly walk backward—or float backward in my case—in front of her.

“The cycle makes us mortal. And by knowing that life can and will end, we learn to value it for all its worth.”

Standing on top of the railing, Master answers her as if he’s actually who he claims to be. 

“There’s no beginning without an end. No meeting without a goodbye. No life without death. A story that doesn’t have a finale would be a rather unsatisfying one, no?”

“Mayhaps... but is it truly so?”

Viviana somberly says, moving her small hand to grip her other wrist.

“That’s fine… after all, I’m also waiting to be proven wrong.”

Hopping recklessly, Master’s nonchalant reply is tinged with a feeling of uncertainty. Though, my musing on whether or not that uncertainty comes from Master himself or his made-up personality is quickly interrupted by the return of his cheerful voice.

“So, have you thought about what I asked you? How do you want this world to change?”

Master jumps down from the railing directly in front of Viviana. Stopping the little girl from continuing her climb.

“Will you really grant my wish, Mana?”

“Depends on what it is.”

Viviana sits down on the steps of the path. as time flows, the wind stops, the birds cease chirpings… Only the hooded little girl who rubs her hands together while looking both hesitant and nervous in the quiet serenity.

“I... do not have any such wish to make.”

She answers with a voice that carries more weight than any little girl’s voice should, a weight that’s not something she can fully hide with her small body. She tucks the front of her hood, cowering, turning to the side as if trying to conceal her truth from the eyes of others.

—And if I can clearly see that, then there’s no way he doesn’t.

“But I know you had a wish.”

Suddenly appearing by Vivana’s side. Master launches into a series of theatrical movements, all the while saying lines like he’s acting out a scene in a play.

‘Oh, dying star, please listen to my desire. The ruler of my life, the tyrant of my dreams. The jailor of my fate, and one who haunts my night. Please grant my wish and make him—disappear.’

He slowly closes in on her, invading her personal space until their faces are only a breath apart. The message is clear. Blindfolded he may be, but even without sight, he can gaze right through her soul.

“Albeit, you had a less dramatic delivery but I’d still say it’s 42% accurate.”

She jumps to her feet and steps back from him, frightened. But a moment after, she regains her composure and stares back at him, now unflinching.

“No,” she says. 

“Why not? You still remember what he did to your mother, right?”

“Because that is simply impossible. My father is the strongest being in existence.”

Her reply is earnest, imbued with doubtless certainty as if it’s the only truth in the world which she believes is [absolute].

“Is he now? That’s cute, honestly.”

Master says to no one in particular, an almost devilish grin flashes across his face as he does. When Viviana tilts her head in confusion—

“It’s getting dark. Let’s quicken our paces.”

—He just changes the subject and moves on...

Viviana stares blankly at the back of Master who jumps back onto the railings and continues walking ahead of us. She then turns to the person who has made himself invisible this entire time… uh, Me?

“Do you know what Mana meant? Stephanie?”

—Stephanie? Apparently, that’s my name now. Okay.

I flip around to adjust myself upright and float to Viviana’s side. After getting used to it I find that it’s pretty easy to maneuver in the air and rather fun.

As I look toward the white-haired man, trying to think of something to say about him. He has told me a lot about himself but at the same time, almost nothing. As if all I’ve seen of [him] is just the surface of a bottomless abyss, just one small part of an infinitely large whole.

But if there’s one thing I can say with certainty—

“That person is kind of hard to understand at times, but he’s trying to do something good… I think... So you shouldn’t have to be wary of him… I hope.”

—Although, not that much certainty.

“Humanity? But she is a fairy.”

“Eh—?”

—Oops.

“Ahahaha~ Yes, obviously. I meant his [Farinity]… Totally.”

“Hmmm~”

—I’m not ready for this conversation! Can someone please help!

“What about you, Stephanie? Can you grant wishes like Mana?”

Thankfully, Viviana doesn’t catch on to my slip-up and let go of it pretty quickly. She continues climbing the stairway, turning to show interest in me of all things.

“…I’m a sort of black sheep among our people. I can’t actually grant wishes. Or use any magic for that matter.”

“So you’re like a Scry?”

“A Scry?”

Master still hasn't told me much about them.

"Who are the Scry, Viviana?"

“I don’t know much about the Scry either, aside from that they can’t use magic.”

—They can’t? Then aren’t they just normal humans?

Viviana wouldn’t know much about the topic and therefore doesn’t have the ability to indulge my curiosity. Granted she’s still twelfth years old.

So as we catch up to Master, our conversation sort of deviates into unexpected trivialities.

“Have you ever been in love? Stephanie?”

“...I have—or rather, had—my situation is a bit odd, and I’m trying not to think about it too much...”

“At least you get to choose your lover. My partner was chosen for me before I was born… and I do have one problem with that.”

“Um, which is?”

“He turned out to be totally not my type...”

Viviana answers, grunting.

“...”

—What am I supposed to say to that? I’ve heard a little bit about this from Master but seriously, I’m not ready for this conversation with a twelve-year-old girl either!

Our exchange dies down. An air of awkwardness envelopes us for a time. It makes me feel like I have to say something to her to break the atmosphere. Like, I don’t know, anything!

“So… what type of boys do you like?”

“—Stop it, Steve. You’re married, she’s twelve, think about the age gap! And the literal spatial gap!”

A wild teleporting Master suddenly appears! Strangely, I’m starting to get used to it. The teleporting part, not the way he talks—that to me is still borderline incomprehensible.

“What are you even talking about?”

“Nothing.”

Master shrugs.

“It’s just that I want to get your attention and tell you we’ve arrived.”

What?

While I'm still caught up in my head, the scene before me changes into a wide courtyard.

Various flower beds house all sorts of colorfully blooming flowers. Green vines coil around the golden fences surrounding them. Their elaborate arrangement is strikingly visible even under the dim twilight.

“There’s a festival going on in town right now, the tournament has just ended and the winner is undergoing the blessing ceremony which most people are participating in, even the guards.”

“That explains the emptiness. And why you took so long.”

Viviana reaches down to one of the garden’s flower beds, gently caressing the delicate plants.

“I’m home… mother.”

The evening breeze rushes by, pushing the leaves to dance to their natural rhythm.

The scene is beautiful, but the figure of the little girl in the emptied courtyard looks sad and lonely. I’ve experienced a similar circumstance before. I feel her pain. I’ve shared it. Unfortunately, right now sympathy is all I can give her.

Unless...

“Alright, Steve. We have our chance to help the little princess out, let’s move on!”

“Wait, you’re just going to leave her?”

“Yeah.”

Master nods indifferently.

—Then what was the point of the whole Catalyst thing?

“Well, as I said, I’m just scouting. The real thing hasn’t even begun yet. We’ll have to do this later anyway.”

Master waves his book in front of me, literally and figuratively brushing me off.

“But what about granting her wish?”

“I lied. So?”

“You CAN'T—!”

I yell at him while at the same time, trying to be as quiet as possible so that Viviana wouldn’t hear us.

“Well, I’m sorry, Steve, but as you can see... I’m unfortunately not a real wish-granting fairy!”

“There has to be something you can do, you’re the [Master of the Conceptors Grand Archive]!”

“...I feel like that is not going to be the last time I’ll hear that line. And besides...”

[Temporary Catalyst Role: Connection Destabilizing.]

“It says [temporary] for a reason.”

“…”

You know, I’m beginning to find this unconcerned, doing things my pace attitude of his a little bit irritating.

“—I want to see my mother again.”

A voice makes us both turn around, Viviana is standing in front of us, clutching a bright red flower with her small hand in front of her chest.

“I’m not asking you to bring her back… She didn’t want me to be attached to her death… She wanted me to stay strong… and move on—but!”

Her voice trembles. Her body shivers.

“If I can see her again… or at least hear her voice again… I would—I would definitely!”

Viviana is desperately calling out from the bottom of her heart with regret, pain, sorrow, and hope. Like this, even a certain heartless bastard wouldn’t be able to simply stand there and do nothing right?

“Heartless bastard? That’s a bit harsh, Steve.”

—Riiiiight?

“Okay, fine... None of this would even matter anyway.”

Master pokes his head to the side, once again giving me the blindfolded equivalent of an eye-roll, then flips open his book and walks toward Viviana.

“You won’t be remembering any of this, but for however long it lasts, I shall grant you your wish.”

Holding the half-open book with his left hand. Master reaches out with his other hand to touch Viviana’s forehead with the tip of his finger.

Then…

A golden radiance shines from his fingertip, engulfing the two of them in a soft glow. Something is being transmitted directly into her mind, something too important and too private for me to rightfully peer into. After a while, a drop of tears silently rolls down Viviana’s cheek.

They separate and Master closes his book. Viviana breathes in heavily and tries to wipe away the tears from her cheeks, but they keep falling regardless. She continues clutching the flower in her hand, almost crushing it in her grip. Finally, she turns to face the two of us again...

“Thank—”

[Temporary Catalyst Role: Connection Severed.]

“—You…?”

She looks around, confused, not knowing why she’s saying that, not knowing why there are tears falling from her eyes…

It’s the first time I’ve seen Master’s strange utilization of the Grand Archive affecting others this way, but I think I know what is happening to her.

—Viviana has forgotten Master and I exist. We have been completely erased from her memories, along with whatever was transmitted to her mind by Master.

“Why am... I?”

She touches the teardrop on her cheek, then without knowing anything still, she cries even more.

The cold evening wind blows her hood back. Spilling out her long platinum-colored hair, revealing a pair of crimson red eyes wet with tears of sorrow, and perhaps, if some part of her subconscious still remembers the feeling of that moment.

Gratitude.

“...Thank you… Thank you, and goodbye...”

Some time ago, the night has already descended. The stars glisten in the dark foreboding sky, lighting up the enchanting constellations like glittering beacons of hope in the infinite void.

Viviana stands there, gazing, and if she’s fortunate, perhaps she’ll even get to see a shooting star, and may her next wish won’t have to be granted to her by a fake fairy.

“Let’s go.”

“Um.”

I nod my head and walk alongside Master.

Passing Viviana, I steal a glance at her crimson red eyes reflecting the starry sky. Master may think there’s little significance in all this, but I disagree. Idealistic as it may sound, I believe that one single moment of revelation is enough to make a drastic divergence in one’s life. And I sincerely wish that this small moment of hope is enough to make a difference in hers.

[Kyrias ——1.000000000000000000...02%—— Divergence]

“Wow, Steve… really making a drastic divergence there.”

“...”

—Shut up.

—————……….

Moving past the courtyard into the Elysian castle, the crying face of Viviana leaves a lingering impression.

As I walk the ornately decorated dark gold hallway alongside Master, my mind can’t help but wander off, turning the scenes of the magical city over and over inside my head.

The more I’ve seen of Kyrias, the more I find this world puzzling.

Right now I’m just a projected form of my consciousness, frozen in time, strung along by Master across time and space and even dimensional planes of existence to a world that’s probably on the other side of the universe, one that operates on an entirely different set of laws and rules—and yet.

—People… are still, people. They laugh, they love, they cry, and they’re still every bit as fallible as they are anywhere else.

Am I disappointed by that? Maybe a little. It feels as though I’ve come all the way here to see new sights only to be reminded of what I already know. This [another world] turns out to be similar to my old one despite all the fancy magical flourishes… perhaps too similar.

Dimly lit hallway after dimly lit hallway passed by, and we are now standing in front of a double door with a size that could fit a giant. Blood red carved wood, elaborate pattern etches along with its lavish gold frame, designed to be as flaunting as they are imposing.

—The entrance to a throne room.

There’s no sign that says [Throne Room] at the front or anything, I’m just assuming it is.

...Should be a pretty safe assumption.

Master stands in front of the door, inspecting it for a bit, then turns to me with a deadly serious tone.

“Steve, you’re going to meet the [strongest being in existence], so be—respectful. ”

He walks backward, phasing through the door like an ethereal spirit. I close my eyes, hold my breath, and follow.

I open my eyes again on the other side to see a large open room.

Narrow in structure but vast and spacious. A crimson red carpet lay beneath my feet. A silhouette of a golden chandelier hangs below the high ceiling.

Most of the tapestries and murals on the wall are hidden in the dark because the only source of light is on the other side of the room, where behind a large rectangular throne sitting emptily above the elevated steps—moonlight, shines through the open balcony.

The atmosphere reeks of nobility and power, shrouded in an oppressive shadow of authority. I tread carefully, tense. Feeling like I have trespassed into a forbidden holy ground and if I ever let out a sound, death will strike...

—Or at least until Master yells out at the top of his lungs.

“Hiiiiii~! Little Ense! Cccooommee out, and meet yyyooouuurrr [Maker]—!”

Then he turns around, smiling innocently.

“Sorry, did I say [respectful]? I was joking.”

“...”

...Yeah, I should’ve known.

“—Who are you?”

Suddenly.

A soft, but indomitable voice, carrying a [will] strong enough to overpower reality echoes in the dark.

It ignites the red flames atop the chandelier hanging from the ceiling and clears away all the shadow, revealing the full glory of the throne room’s grandeur interiors under the color of blood.

On the previously empty throne, now sits a figure, clad in an imperial attire wearing a golden crown with a bright scarlet gem at its center on top of his platinum blonde hair. Resting his handsome, perfectly sculpted face on his hand, the man gazes toward me with a pair of calm, crimson red eyes that are also sharp enough to cut right through a person’s soul…

—Ense, [The Strongest Godemperor]—

“I would have wanted at least a ‘how dare you trod into my domain?!' But, that was alright.”

Before I knew it, Master has already appeared on top of the throne’s high backrest. Sitting there with his back turned to the room and facing out the balcony, reading his book.

“You know who [I] am. So does everyone else. But unlike most people, you can recall some of what you used to remember. Your [position] allows that.”

Ense’s sharp red eyes widened, scanning the room left and right.

Eventually, he closes them.

“The Whisperers From Beyond the Veils of Sleep warned me of the reckoning of [The Sleepless Ones], the unseen tide that will once again sweep across all worlds, inciting chaos and disorder to tie every string of fate to all their eventual inevitabilities…”

“...Still such gossipers. To be fair, I’ve never given them any incentives to shut up.”

Master falls backward, hanging upside down with his legs latching on the throne’s backrest—somehow perfectly lined up above Ense’s crown—and closing the book in his hand.

“The only thing that’s coming, Ense, is [Change]. You know that. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

While being upside down, Master swings his book left and right in front of Ense's face, testing for his reaction.

Notice it or not, Ense stiffens up regardless, the hand that was supporting his chin now moves to clutch his temple.

“...So you’ve already chosen a side.”

He inquires—

“Then are we all at your mercy?”

—Silence responds.

…..

“I see…”

The Godemperor nods solemnly.

“May you find peace in eternities, [Cursed Ones].”

He speaks those last words, and with a gust of wind, disappears from the throne room, taking out the red flames dancing atop the chandelier with him.

“[Peace] isn’t what I’m trying to find… Not even close.”

Master pulls himself up on top of the throne, and jumps down behind it.

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