Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond Chapter 81: Destiny’s Destiny

Chapter 81: Destiny’s Destiny

I stood in front of a roaring fla, a large man hamring away at sothing on an anvil. I was short. Shorter than the anvil, even.

“■■■■■■■■! Do you see this?”

“Yes, dad.”

“This is a fine blade, ■■■■■■■■.”

“Yeah, dad. It’s super cool! So when are you going to swing it?”

“Haha. No, son, this isn’t for swinging. In fact, this isn’t good enough. But soday. Our family will forge a blade worthy of our na, just you watch. Even if I can’t make it, I’m sure you will.”

“But dad, I want to beco a swordsman! Not a blacksmith! Swordsn are so much cooler! Why do I need to spend all day inside a forge?”

“Haha. What use are swordsn in this modern age? No, son. They may be cooler, but they are also impractical.”

“Then why make swords?”

“These are art, ■■■■■■■■. Its purpose may be to slay, but there is no need for such a thing. But they can still be a thing of beauty. Of art. Our family has a history with swords. Soday, you’ll see. I believe in you. You’ll craft the ‘god slaying sword’ soday.”

“God… slaying sword?”

“A legend passed down in our family. Our ancestor believed he could craft a sword so fine it could even slay the gods. A silly legend, I know, but… I believe in it. Soday, we will craft a sword so fine it will reach the heavens. ‘Deicide.’ A fine na.” He paused, letting his words linger in the air for a little while. “My son. I just know you will do great things.”

My father grinned as he reached down and ruffled my hair.

~~~

Destiny shook his head.

“I don’t rember much of my childhood. Just that one mory. What happened next… well, it’s all I really rember from my ti on Earth. I was a teenager at the ti. Way later, you know?”

John shrugged. “So what, you’ve got amnesia, just like . Just keep going.”

Destiny nodded. “Alright. Here we go.”

~~~

I woke up surrounded by tal, fire, and death. Underneath was a fine, grainy substance. I couldn’t see it well, but it felt like sand. Sand? Where was I? Right. The trip. My family. My sister. My parents. We were going on vacation. The plane started shaking, and then…

Everything hit all at once. The plane had crashed. That explained the fire and the tal. Then how was I alive? How had I survived? I crawled to my feet, my head ringing with pain as I surveyed the area. The plane was up in flas, and I was a few feet away. How this had happened, I had no idea.

I wanted to go back in. See if anyone was still alive. But it was hopeless. There was no way anyone would still be alive in that ss. But my heart wouldn’t accept it. I took a few steps before imdiately falling back down, my body giving out.

“No…”

My vision slowly swam into darkness as I lost consciousness.

I woke up in a well-lit area. There were voices. Voices? It must’ve just been a bad dream. I was ho, I was-

“He’s awake, sir.”

Who was that? The doctor? Was I in a hospital? Maybe soone had found . I blinked a few tis, but I couldn’t see very well. This didn’t look like ho. And why would there be a doctor in the first place? My brain wasn’t working right. It felt foggy, as if a heavy mist clouded my thoughts up.

“Hello? Do you rember your na? Where you’re from?”

I tried to open my mouth to speak, but it hurt. My mouth was dry, my lips parched. Soone put a glass to my lips, and I greedily gulped down the water. I opened my mouth again to speak, only to realize sothing.

I couldn’t rember. What was my na? Where was I from? A few things passed through my mind. Our family owned a blacksmith that made ornantal swords. I had parents and a sister. But I couldn’t rember their faces. Their nas.

I couldn’t rember who I was.

“So you don’t. That’s good. It’ll make things easier for us.”

Easier for us? What did that an?

I didn’t have ti to question it. Sothing was injected into my arm, and I fell asleep again. When I woke up, I was in an unfamiliar environnt. n and won in uniforms carrying weapons, running around and yelling. Bodies carried on stretchers, the sound of gunfire, screams of pain, as if I were in an active warzone.

I might as well have been.

From that point on, everything started blurring together. Information wasn’t given easily, but I learned as I went. I was in a place known only as “The Camp.” A private, secret rcenary organization that used only the most elite of the elite.

Their screening process guaranteed it. It wasn’t a matter of interviews, tests, or anything of the sort. It was simply evolutionary law.

The camp took in refugees, orphans and anyone that nobody would miss, then put them through brutal training. There were no breaks. There was no rcy. There was only survival. If you died, that just ant you weren’t good enough. Hand-to-hand combat was done with real weapons. So was everything else, actually.

But all of that paled in comparison to the other thod of improvent.

The man who’d saved , who’d fixed up, he was known as “The dic.” They never called him anything else. He was the worst of all. No one wanted to get injured because reporting an injury ant reporting to the dic. He would cure you, maybe, but that was just an excuse for him to experint with us.

He treated us like insects. He used us as lab rats, trying different things on us, seeing what would work and what wouldn’t. Sotis success ant enhanced physiques, increased stamina, better vision. Failure ant permanent injury at best, and death at worst. Well, permanent injury resulted in your execution, so I suppose death was the outco either way.

I was given the call sign “Sixteen.” From that point on, that’s all I was. A number. A replaceable unit in a never-ending cycle of death.

Five long years passed during my ti at that camp. I struggled at first, but thankfully, I was fit. My father had taught a bit of swordsmanship, so I was comfortable fighting hand to hand. So I struggled. And I survived. I did my best every day, making sure I would live. I would fight.

I struggled for so long that I beca the best. I was a survivor. Succeeding ant survival, so succeed I would. And every night, I dread of escaping. My mind would try to escape in so many ways. I took an SUV out. I stole a helicopter from one of our missions. I faked my death.

But I knew it wasn’t realistic. I had no identity, no ho, and nowhere to go. What was there for to do? So the dream just remained just that. A dream. Five years of struggling and survival, and for what?

Then, one day, sothing in the camp changed. This girl was brought in. I don’t know who she was, or why she was here, but I ignored her. We got new recruits all the ti. When she arrived, she was just another naless face to . She would die soon enough, just like all the others. I soon found out that she was nothing like the others.

“Hello,” she said, sitting next to . “What’s your callsign?”

“...go away.”

“I’m Four. Nice to et you.”

I sat silently, eating my rations.

“I was told my family would be given money if I ca here. What about you?”

“Listen. If you don’t want to kill you right now, then piss off.” I brandished a knife threateningly, making sure the ssage got across.

The girl left, but she kept coming back. And coming back. And coming back. I don’t know why she was so friendly, but she tried it with everyone. I was the only one who didn’t physically attack her, so I guess I had it coming to . I just couldn’t bring myself to hit her.

That was a mistake.

She started to grow on . I started teaching her things: tips for fighting, tips for planning. It wasn’t my fault. She was always coming to for advice, and I thought helping her out would get rid of her.

It didn’t.

She was good, I had to admit. She learned fast, and she was a good fighter. I started opening up to her. Talking during als, hanging out during free ti…

Bit by bit, my life was less about “survival” and more about “living.”

Others started joining. We took them in. Taught them how to live. How to fight. How to survive. Not everyone accepted us, but that was ok. There were a few who did. And in those few, I found friends. I found family. Life in that hell wasn’t so bad then.

And therein lay our issue. This place was hell. There was no such thing as love here. No such thing as compassion. There was death. You killed, or you were killed.

The leaders didn’t like our little group. I didn’t know it at the ti. Otherwise, I would’ve tried to do sothing about it. I would’ve rebelled, hidden, ran, anything. But it was too late. They wanted us gone.

That mission. I should’ve never taken it.

“You five. Your target is here. This mission is covert, so do not, I repeat, get yourselves caught. Get in, eliminate him, and get out. Understood?”

“Sir, yes sir!”

We were told it would be an unguarded mansion. Easy mission. Go in, kill the target, get out.

That was a lie.

The place was swarming with bodyguards and traps. We couldn’t just leave, though. Failure ant death. Where else would we go? The desert? We had no supplies, no rations.

There was a chance of success. We would take whatever we could get.

This book was originally published on . Check it out there for the real experience.

What a joke.

Friend after friend died, sacrificing themselves for us. They tried to say it wasn’t our fault. That without us, they would’ve died a long while ago. That we did more for them than they ever could’ve imagined.

That wasn’t true. It was because of that they’d died.

Soon, it was just and Four, everyone else dead or captured. Four was trying to hide it, but she was crying. She was blaming herself. I wasn’t showing it, but I, too, was blaming myself. I should’ve never allowed any of this to happen in the first place.

“Four,” I said quietly. “Go.”

“What are you-”

“Consider this a thank you for the last year. And an apology for treating you so roughly.”

“No. We go together.”

“That’s not your choice to make.”

I burst the door open, firing my pistol. “Over here!”

I heard footsteps pounding in my direction. I could feel the blood rushing through my head as I ran, further and deeper into the mansion, leading my pursuers away from Four. Suddenly, a burst of pain sprouted from my leg, like a searing hot iron had been put to it. I’d been shot. Another burst of pain from my chest, then my arm, and then I was surrounded.

“You gave us a good run. But this is the end.”

The last thing I saw was the flash of a muzzle.

~~~

“...damn,” John said, but there wasn’t much conviction behind his words.

“I know. It’s not that much,” Destiny said. His voice was hollow. “I’m… I’m almost glad I died. I escaped. But I wonder a lot. What happened to that girl? Did she survive? Did she make it out?”

“What did you want?” John said quietly.

“I- I don’t know. It would’ve been nice if she survived, but then what? Where does she go? I don’t know if there was a right answer. Maybe there was never a hope for us in the first place.”

The carriage ca to a slow stop as the coachman hopped off his seat. There was a light rap at the window.

“Sir. It is ti to rest for the night. We will set up camp and resu tomorrow.”

“Now?” John frowned. “It’s still light out, though.”

“Setting up camp takes ti. We cannot risk doing so in the dark,” the coachman explained.

There was an air of haughtiness to him, but that made sense. In his eyes, John was just so random commoner who’d managed to hitch a ride. John understood. That didn’t an he liked it. He clenched his fist, but Prota put a hand on his arm, shaking her head.

“Not here,” she said quietly.

“Co on! I’m not gonna kill him. I just wanna fight him. Just a little. What’s the problem?”

“Not a bad guy.”

“...fine.”

Prota watched with curiosity as a campfire started and tents were unfurled. John was beginning to miss Danjo’s utilities. Had the dwarf been here, camp would’ve been set up in no ti. It didn’t matter. The servant was quite adept at his job. A pot was placed over the fire, and the coachman started making a stew. Apparently, he was more than just a driver.

While the carriage was roomy, it felt good to stand up and stretch one’s limbs. John didn’t waste any ti in hopping out and jumping around a bit, getting his blood pumping after hours of sitting still. The sun was already setting in the distance, turning the sky a brilliant red. The camp was soon set up, and the food was served as everyone sat around the fire, watching sparks fly into the air. The coachman excused himself and went to attend to the horses, out of earshot.

“Destiny,” John said quietly as he sipped from his bowl. “Do you regret your life?”

“...not really. There are tis when I wish it could be better. But it’s what makes us alive. I’ve lost a lot, but I’ve also gained a lot. And isn’t that what matters?” He took a spoonful of stew. “Even during my ti here, I’ve gone through a lot.”

“You’re, like, ten.”

“I went through a lot,” Destiny insisted. “But I don’t think I’d change any of it.”

“But what if you could?” John pressed. “What if you could go back in ti and change things?”

“It wouldn’t matter. I’m just one guy. If I had the power to change the world on my own, it’d be a different story, but powerful as I might be, I can’t save everyone. I can’t singlehandedly take control of the world.”

“...sothing like that, huh?”

“Well, put it this way. The existence of that organisation was objectively bad. It would’ve been better if it’d never existed. But without it, I wouldn’t have t you, Prota, and Danjo. We got sothing out of it, right? That’s what counts. We can only look forward to what we have.”

“Yeah, yeah. Bro thinks he’s the thinker,” John mumbled, finishing his stew.

The al was soon finished, giving the group ti to ss around and do whatever they wanted. Prota wandered into the forest, curious about the new territory they were in. John left her alone, confident that she wouldn’t get into any trouble. He watched as Kit curled up by the fire, eyes closed. A question rose in his mind.

“What is Kit to everyone else, by the way?” John asked, looking at the Mystic.

“She’s my mana bond.”

“Mana bond?”

“I swear this was explained to you,” Destiny frowned. “How do you not know these things?”

“Look, I wasn’t born here the way you were. I literally fell into this world, and it hurt. Are you gonna explain, or what?”

Destiny just sighed. “Mana bonds are mana beasts that willingly form a bond with a person. It’s rare, but it happens once in a while. Typically, both parties benefit from this. They can lend mana to each other, and a person will typically inherit the magic of the mana beast.”

“...and how exactly do you do this?”

Destiny shrugged. “Kit’s not a mana beast. She’s not actually my mana bond. They say you’d have to experience it to know how it works. It’s very rare.”

“What? But it’s got nothing but benefits! You’re telling there isn’t an entire class of people dedicated to making mana bonds? Like, beast tars or sothing?”

Destiny shook his head. “It’s not that easy, John. First, you need a mana beast that trusts you completely. That’s no simple task. They can’t just be friendly with you. They need to trust you completely.”

“Which ans…”

“John. If you die, your mana bond dies. And if your mana bond dies, you die. There are incredible benefits. But there are also incredible downsides. To form a bond with that beast ans that they are tying their life to yours.”

“...ah.”

“Yeah. Do you understand now?”

John nodded slowly. “Yeah. I think I get it.”

‘

They stopped talking after that. Prota returned, twigs and leaves tied up in her hair. She was visibly uncomfortable as John pulled them all out, but she didn’t complain.

The sky grew dark as the moon rose high in the sky, the stars twinkling above. Prota was already snuggled in her sleeping bag, eyes wide open as she listened to the sound of animals all around.

“Hey, Destiny,” John said quietly as he leaned on a fallen log. “The coachman’s all the way over there. Keep going.”

“Keep- what? Now?”

“Why not? Are we doing sothing else?”

Destiny sighed.

~~~

I woke up in a strange area. It was all white and clean, almost as if I were inside a pearl. There was sothing in front of . I… to describe it would be a little tricky. It was as if space itself had taken the shape of a woman. She had the outline and form of an adult female, but there was no flesh. It was just space, stars, and an infinite void.

“Child. I am Celestia.”

Her voice was strange. It was as if it were being projected directly into my head.

“What the- who are you? Where am I? What’s going on?”

“I am what is known as the goddess of this world.”

“This… world?”

mories began flashing back. My friends. The suicide mission, and my death.

Four.

I panicked, checking my body for wounds, but there was nothing. I was perfectly healthy. It was like I’d never been shot in the first place.

What was going on?

“You died. But I saw your struggles, young one. I watched your life, and I believe you deserve another chance.”

“Another… chance?”

“Listen. In the world I made, there are two continents. One of demons, and one of people. Child. The demons will try to invade the country of people, and the world will be engulfed in war. The people will not be able to win against the demon king. Only a hero will be able to stop him. I need you to be that hero.”

I didn’t understand. Why ? Why had I, of all people, been chosen? I wasn’t anyone special. Quite the opposite, actually. I’d failed in so many ways. Failed my family. Failed my friends. Failed myself.

She just laughed when I told her that, though. Her laugh was interesting, like chis blown by the wind.

“Child. Tell . What do you want to do?”

To be honest, I didn’t know at the ti. I didn’t have any goals in life. For as long as I could rember, it had been a struggle to survive. There was no other goal for .

But then it dawned on . There was sothing I’d wanted to do. Sothing I’d tried to do, and failed to accomplish. I wanted to protect those near . It had always been impossible. How could I stop a plane crash? How could I singlehandedly take out an army of n?

The answer was simple. I couldn’t.

“I… I want to protect those around . I want them to survive. I…”

I couldn’t hold it back anymore.

Those years of pain, of struggle, of survival, they were too much. I burst into tears, falling to my knees as the strength in my body flowed out.

“I just want to be happy! I want a family! Is that too much to ask for?”

Celestia didn’t say anything. She just watched. No judgnt, no disgust, just sympathy.

“I understand, child. It must’ve been hard. But I will give you power. I, too, want to protect my people. You see, I cannot directly intervene with this world. It is a rule I cannot break. But you, my child, can. So, please. Won’t you protect this world in my stead?”

She explained how this world worked; the continent of Devfroth had three central countries: Solaris, the country of humans, Lunaris, the country of elves, and Gaius, the country of dwarves. There were three gods to accompany those: Solaria, Luna, and Gaia.

All of it was so new. So interesting. I’d only ever heard of things like these in stories I’d read when I was younger, and those were faint mories, nearly rubbed out after so long in that camp.

She explained the magic system, about casters and fighters, and how I would be granted the abilities of both. An increased mana pool, limited at birth in order to not draw attention as well as to keep my body safe. A lie detection ability, increased physical ability, a genius level of talent…

But the most important thing was my ability. An ability that was to originate from my soul.

“All heroes receive an ability. But even I do not know what that ability will be. That will be decided by your soul.”

“My soul?”

“You, my child. You yourself will determine your ability, even if you yourself do not know why.”

With those words, a bright light began to shine in front of . A voice echoed in my head.

[God Slaying Sword]

Those words felt so familiar. So warm. What did they an? Why did I recognize them? I reached out as the light manifested itself in the shape of a blade before , and power surged through my body.

I felt like I could cut through anything. Anyone.

“...the ability to cut through anything.” Celestia’s voice seed hesitant.

“Anything?” I muttered.

“Ti. Space. Mana.” Celestia closed her eyes. “...how interesting. What a peculiar ability.”

I wondered about that, but there was no ti to think. The world grew dark as Celestia stood up, her body expanding to envelop the space around .

“Go, my child. May you find peace.”

Those were the last words I heard before my vision went dark.

~~~

Destiny closed his eyes as he finished. It wasn’t the most pleasant of mories for him, but it wasn’t all bad, either. It was simply life. He opened his eyes and was glad to see Prota staring with interest, but his spirits fell as he saw John’s face.

“What?” Destiny exclaid. “Do you think I’m lying or sothing?”

“No, no, quite the opposite, actually,” John said, but the grimace remained on his face. “Just… It’s nothing to do with you specifically. Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! I’m sure!” John yelled, throwing his hands up. “You wouldn’t get it even if I explained. It’s- never mind. Ok, what’s after that?”

Destiny shook his head. “What do you an, ‘what’s after that’? I explained everything.”

“No, I an, what happened in this world?”

“Do you want to tell you everything?!”

John shrugged. “Why not?”

“...tomorrow,” Destiny sighed. “And when are you going to tell your story?”

“My story? My story’s boring,” John frowned. “Didn’t we go over this?”

“The more I think about it, the more that doesn’t make sense. You said you don’t know your age. You said you’re older than Kit, and you were telling the truth. So, how can your story be boring? Did you do nothing all those years?”

John went silent. He thought for a little, seemingly put down by the question, wondering what to say next. He decided to go with the truth.

“I don’t rember.”

“Huh?”

“I have amnesia.”

“You what?”

“I lost my mories,” John said quietly. “Most of those millennia aren’t in my head. I have pieces of mories here and there, but nothing coherent. When I said I had amnesia, I wasn’t kidding. I’m looking for my mories, Destiny. That’s why I’m here.”

Fate closed his eyes. “...I’m sorry. Co on, let’s go to sleep. I’ll continue tomorrow.”

He got up as the flas died down, leaving burning coals behind as he went into his tent, zipping it up behind him. John didn’t move as he stared at the fire's dying light.

“Fate- Destiny’s story is sad,” Prota said quietly. “Is he ok?”

“He’ll be fine. I think he’s getting what he wants, anyway. It’s… it’s just not that great of a story.”

John was conflicted. On one hand, to hear that sothing like this had happened to soone was extrely sad. Hearing this kind of story co from soone’s mouth made it feel real. It made it feel personal.

And that was the issue.

This kind of story was typical. He’d heard it a million tis. Soone goes through so sort of tragedy, dies an unfortunate death, reincarnates, and is asked to defeat the demon king. There was a specific term for this kind of story. Isekai, they called it, if his mory was in check. The concept of dying and reincarnating in another world.

Sure, Destiny’s ti in that camp was a little bit of a twist, but how much did it add? It explained his combat ability, sure, and his ability to kill, as well as his desire to protect his friends and family, but did it fit? Did it make sense? It was as if the [Author] had smushed two stories together to try to make sothing “new” and “interesting.”

Well, in the end, did it matter? While the story was sowhat interesting, who Destiny used to be wasn’t that important to John. Right now, Destiny was… well, John wanted to say a friend, and there lay the problem.

If Destiny was a friend, he should feel sad. Sympathetic if not compassionate. But all he could feel was annoyance at a poorly written story. Well, maybe not all that poor, but unoriginal and overused. And in so ways, that was even worse. So what? What was he supposed to feel?

“John?” Prota said quietly. “Is John ok?”

She seed concerned, and for good reason. She couldn’t tell how he was feeling. The void that’d been gone for a little bit had returned. Her brother was watching the burning coals with empty eyes.

“...yeah, I’m fine,” John said quietly.

He got up as the dying embers slowly faded. The shuffling of grass at his feet seed loud as he walked toward their tent, the sounds of the forest deafening in his ears. He was overthinking this.

“The [Author] is just doing whatever the fuck they want. Deal with it, John,” he muttered, drifting off into uneasy sleep.

This whole [Character] thing was a lot harder than he’d initially thought.