"Must you do this?" Farkiss asked, giving an unapproving look. "When I said I wanted to talk, this isn't what I meant."
"Sorry." Davi raised his fishing rod above his head and mimicked the Sky Cutting slash as he brought his arms down. The water rippled and was torn in half as his lure flew out and then landed far away, where it bobbed up and down. "I'm not about to let this chance pass me up, though."
Farkiss let out another sigh. "You're an extraordinary man, Mr. Hawker."
"You're the one who wanted to talk, and now you're insulting me?" Davi frowned and kept his focus on the water. His mana seeped through his hands and ran along the wire, sending a small rippling effect across the surface that would confuse fish and draw them in, making them want to taste his bait. "What gives? Did I do something wrong?"
"No." Farkiss shook his head. "I just assumed our talk would be different." The man grunted.
"This might sound harsh, but what talk exactly?" Davi questioned. "After all, we hardly know each other."
He had helped Farkiss out once. The merchant had asked him to deliver some fish to a blacksmith who lived in Daisy. That was the entire reason he and Olivia got swept up in the issue with the snake. He never expected to see Farkiss ever again, and in truth, he hadn't even gotten the man's name, and yet here Farkiss was.
Somehow, Farkiss had located him and came all the way to see him, even knowing he was a member of Phoenix Flight? It was all odd, and his scar kept tingling and burning. Something was wrong. His Danger Sense wasn't going off fully, but it was stirring his mind and letting him know that something was amiss.
This feeling became even more intense when Farkiss asked to speak with him in private. Merlin had already gone inside, and Farkiss seemingly wanted to head into Oleander, but Davi refused and instead took them to the beach where the junkyard was located.
He was now ankle deep in the ocean, casually fishing in the middle of the night, unbothered by the cold. Further along the beach was the Phoenix Flight guild, which was close enough to where its members would be able to arrive should he scream for help. On the other side of the beach, a bit off, was Oleander City.
Farkiss kept his gaze on Davi's back and didn't say anything for several moments. Eventually, though, the merchant let out a snort. His wand was drawn, but he didn't point it at Davi and instead used the pointed part to pick at some food that was stuck in his golden teeth.
"You've become paranoid." Farkiss chuckled. "You didn't act this way when we first met."
"When we first met, you weren't a danger to me," Davi responded casually.
"Oh, I was; it's just you weren't able to tell." Farkiss stepped closer and made his way over to Davi, standing next to him and staring out at the endless ocean. "You've grown since we've spoken. It's not much, but you've become stronger. Now that you're entering a new realm, your senses are growing sharper as well. When you become even stronger, you'll get this feeling around the captains as well."
"Are you an Arcane Knight?" Davi asked, and he frowned. Just who was Farkiss?
The merchant clicked his tongue and let out a snort, shaking his head. "Me? A Knight? No. I'm no such thing. I did used to be like you, though. Weak. Ignorance is bliss. The weaker you are, the less you have to worry about those who are stronger than you. Ants are rarely concerned about the lions that roam above them. Get a little stronger, though, and become a lion cub, and suddenly you have to worry about other lions. Grow further and become a full-fledged lion, and you'll learn to fear the elephants. This process only goes up the more you rise. Remember, there's always a bigger fish."
"Speaking of fish, do you mind keeping your voice down?" Davi kept running his mana over his fishing rod. "I'm trying to reach the next level. I think I'm close."
Fishing: Grade S+ was impressive. It meant he was the best of the best when it came to fishing in the realm of mortals, but that wasn't good enough. What would E1 fishing look like? What could he catch? What about E2 or E3 or even E10? Would he be a god of fishing?
Farkiss let out a snort and scratched at his beard. "Truly, you're an odd one. Then again, I'd expect nothing less from someone who claimed they wanted to hunt a dragon." Farkiss' smile grew, and the moonlight reflected off a golden tooth. "What if I told you that's why I came to find you?"
Davi's mana shut off, and his body grew still. It was brief, but there was a small light in his eyes.
Farkiss chuckled again. "That got your attention, didn't it?"
"So you know," Davi said slowly. "If this is a trick, I might kill you."
Farkiss openly laughed now and patted his belly. "Yes, yes, but worry not. Farkiss doesn't lie." He tugged on his beard and winked. "When I first heard your story, I thought you were a childish fool, but then I happened to talk to an old friend and learned some unexpected news. I have info about your dragon, and in fact, I have some info on dragons in general."
"Talk."
"For free?" Farkiss cocked his head to the side. "What sort of merchant would I be?"
Davi closed his eyes and sighed. "Look, I don't have money."
"Oh, I think you can pay in another way—"
"I'm not into guys…"
Farkiss laughed harder. "Goodness no. Nothing of the sort. I just need your help with something. It involves a magical artifact." Farkiss explained. "I'll make it simple: you help me out, and I'll help you out."
"Why do you need my help?" Davi's frown grew.
"This artifact requires a certain unique touch." Farkiss hummed. "I believe you're someone who has it." He turned away and began to shuffle off. "It's up to you. I have it in my caravan. Follow me and I'll tell you everything. Of course, you're also free to stay here and not come along. However, that would mean losing out on the information. How will you find the Great Dragon of Roads then?"
"The Great Dragon of Roads?" Davi said the name softly, his eyes going wide.
Farkiss's eyes twinkled. "Ah, did you not even know the name of the dragon you were hunting?" He clicked his tongue. "My, oh my, you're truly lost." He didn't stop walking and began to leave Davi behind. "I wonder how long it'll take you to find out any new information."
Davi stood there, and his teeth clenched while his arms shook. His scar throbbed. This was wrong. But… "Row Shadow Vault." He wasn't in control anymore. He could feel it—their fingers. The hands gripped his wrists and ankle, and he calmly stuffed the fishing pole back into his vault. His mother was urging him forward, demanding it even. His head ached, but he ignored it and turned to follow after Farkiss. "Alright, but I'm seriously going to cut your head off if this turns out to be a lie."
And with those words, he stepped forward, following another broken path filled with mistakes.
***
The king's core was special. Everyone had a core, save for the people of Rossum, but the king was one of the only people who had a core that was able to spread out and imprint itself into people. The core was also able to talk and act as if it were its own being, which allowed it to manage the grimoire app as if it were a moderator, making sure everything was kept in check and flowed the way it needed to.
Most mages needed to use the app on their phone to bring the grimoire app up, but Knights had a strong imprint of the king's mana, thanks to the mark on their wrist, which allowed them to summon up the system.
The system was an advanced form of the grimoire app and was created when they thought about it. The mark on their wrist would sense their intent and send a pulse to the king's core, who would use his magic to open the system window, something he could do thanks to having Circuit magic.
That said, even with all his power and even with a core that could think and act on its own, the king wasn't omnipotent. The system had prebuilt lines into it. It wasn't alive and couldn't offer tips or suggestions. It simply existed to show a Knight their stats, their traits, their spells, and anything else noteworthy. The core wasn't aware of what they were doing, because its attention couldn't be split due to the number of Knights that required attention.
And yet, Olivia was sure hers was talking to her…
She thought it was weird before, since the blue box would constantly change and even offered her 'ideas' and suggested she learn Mana Skin, something no other system should have been able to do, but now she was certain of it.
"Maya?" Olivia said the name, more confused than ever. "Y-You have a name?"
The box shimmered, and for a moment it was blank. Then it finally spoke. 'Yes, I do have a name; just call me Maya.'
"What the hell is going on?"
'You are honorary kin. :]'
"I—Is that a smile emoji?"
':]'
"I'm lost. I—I have no clue what is happening."
'Would you like for me to explain?'
"Yes! Please!"
'Okay! I'll explain :0'
"...I… Okay." Before, the box had been speaking relatively normally, though it seemed to talk to her more and more. Now it was hitting her with full-on emojis and texting her as if she and it were old friends. She was getting uncomfortable.
'You healed the one we love. The pact was forged with blood, and the mana within took notice. As a gift, mana gave you the Determined trait.'
"And that's you?"
'No, :]'
"So then what are you?"
'We are Maya! We exist inside the Determined trait, through the World of Paths.'
"We? Who is 'we'?" Olivia questioned. "Is Maya one person or two?"
'...Maya is Maya. Maya used the Determined trait to create the world of Paths. Maya exists in the world of Paths, and thanks to that, Maya can talk to you while you are here.'
Olivia nodded, feeling… Well, she didn't know how to feel. World of Paths? That's how the Determined trait had been described earlier. It stated that she could view the Paths and do as she pleased. Was Maya similar to the king's core? Was it like an AI that had been placed into the Determined trait itself?
Could that even happen?
"What is the Determined trait?"
'The Determined trait is the gift you got for healing the kin! Your blood's mana allowed for a greater connection, and you were rewarded! Determined will let you view the world of Paths, and that is where Maya lives! :D'
"The kin? Is that Davi?"
':)'
"That doesn't answer my question..."
Her head was starting to hurt, and she was deeply concerned. It said it was here to help her, though, and it did save her life during the simulation.
"I'm going to cut to the chase." Olivia floated in the sea of red and folded her arms. "My father taught me that nothing is free in life. So what are you really, and what do you want from me? I'm assuming you have some goal?"
Maya answered her instantly. 'I want to help make you stronger!'
"Why? What do you get out of it?" Olivia asked sternly. "You wouldn't just want to help me out of the kindness of your heart. Even the king's core doesn't do it for free. It does so that it can recruit soldiers. Ones that will protect the kingdom. So how do you benefit from this?"
Again, Maya answered instantly, as if it knew she was going to ask that question. 'I want you to become stronger so you can protect the one we love.'
"Protect Davi?" Olivia asked, frowning. "And when you say 'we,' does that include me?"
'Do you love him?'
"...I don't know? I like him and think he's hot, but love isn't something I considered." Olivia admitted.
She had crushes on people before. The Knight that saved her, Evelyn, was one and her biggest crush, and her favorite Arcane Knight had at one time been the Lance of Victory. Tori was the most famous and well-known Knight, with more fans than even a lot of the captains, after all. That all changed when Tori blasted through Davi, though. She didn't know how to feel toward Tori and even felt a bit of hatred, if she was being honest.
'He is the heir—our last kin. We love him dearly. We want you to keep him safe.'
"Keep him safe?" Olivia felt a sudden knot in her stomach.
'He is special to us. We need him. He is reckless as well, though. We can't keep him safe since we only exist in the Determined world. He cannot use this power either, for he does not have the same gift you do. You were one in a million. It was as if fate itself made this event happen. The Paths led to this moment. You can keep him safe for us. Keep him protected. Keep him alive. We want to help you so that you can help him.'
Keep Davi safe…
Davi Hawker. Who was he? A hero? A good person? A Knight? Her savior? Someone who was sad. She could tell every time she looked at him. He rarely laughed or smiled, and in the fleeting moments he did, it never reached his eyes. Even without the ability to read his mana, he was cold and distant and always seemed focused on only one goal.
He wanted to slay the dragon.
Davi would often claim that he wasn't a good person. He had told her he wasn't a good guy or a superhero, but that wasn't true. He saved her. He saved her village. He saved Olis. He helped people who were in need even when he didn't need to. He came to others' aid. He fought for Daisy and gave those girls the chance to live their lives. He helped her out again and again and even did his best to support someone like Rowan, who had openly attacked him.
Could she finally help him?
As she was now, she was weak. She was of no use to him, and it was no wonder he never tried to fight alongside her. But what if she got stronger? What if she grew? If Maya was in fact here to help her, then could she use Maya to get to the same level as Davi?
Now that she was in a guild, her goal wasn't done. She still had so far to climb. The Determined trait had activated in the battle with Garon and gave her the Polymorph trait. Could she gain others with it? In the end, it was just a trait, and traits are meant to help the user out. If Maya or whatever this was turned out to be bad, or there was some other secret, she could just not activate the trait, right? Maya only existed in here after all.
"So you want to help me get stronger so I can help Davi out?"
'Yes. If he could enter the world of Paths, then we could help him more easily, but he is not suited for it. His core is rigid and narrow. It lacks the versatility that yours possesses. We will help you, and in return, you will help him. :D'
"And how exactly do you plan to help me? Are you able to just give me traits like you did with Polymorph?"
'No. We can help and show the Paths through the world; however, we can not simply give you a trait that you can not use. You possessed the ability to learn Polymorph naturally and would have awakened it one day, no matter what. We simply showed you the Path where you gained it sooner, and so you remembered it, and you learned how to do it.'
Her mind went back to when she saw that younger version of herself and how the younger her healed that tree. That was something she had never done because she didn't do it, but a version of herself did… It was like the king's core and how it showed her those other versions. Seeing them, she had copied what those other hers could do. Do the king's core and Maya have the same power? Could the king also be using the Determined trait?
"What are Paths anyway?" Olivia asked.
'Why don't we give you a demonstration?'
Just like with the king's core, the area suddenly changed. Gone was the sea of red; instead, Olivia found herself staring at a familiar sight.
Davi stood, covered in blood, his armor torn to bits and his eyes dull, as a golden beam ripped through his chest and his stomach. Blood splattered onto the ground, and he gasped and fell back, his eyes rolling.
The Lance of Victory approached. It was the same hellish scene she had seen before. The day she watched Davi almost die. Something was different, though. In the destroyed courtyard, she didn't see the other her, and she also didn't see Gray.
Tori reached Davi, and she raised her weapon and rammed the lance down into Davi's stomach, impaling him! That hadn't happened before! Tori tore the weapon out, and more red flowed out of Davi, and she got ready to bring it down again.
"No!" Olivia screamed. "Stop!" Surprisingly, Tori did, and the woman remained in place. She ignored the Knight and ran over to Davi, who was now rapidly bleeding out and turning pale. "Davi! Maya, do something!"
This was fake, but still, it was Davi, and she couldn't just do nothing, right?
'Ask Tori.'
"What?"
'Ask her to heal Davi.'
Olivia blinked, confused, but there wasn't much time left. "L-Lance of Victory!" She begged and pleaded as hard as she could. "Please save Davi! Heal him!"
To her shock, Tori actually dropped to a knee and held her hand out. "Vil Light Embrace." A whitish, golden light that was like pure sunlight seeped out of Tori's palm and engulfed Davi. In an instant, he was fully healed. His wounds were gone, and color returned to him. His eyes remained closed, though, and he breathed in and out, asleep.
Olivia let out a sigh of relief and then looked back up at Tori, who was staring down at Davi with a blank look. It wasn't actually Tori, of course, just as this wasn't Davi, but seeing the woman hurt her friend twice made her so mad.
"Why'd she do that?" Olivia asked, through clenched teeth. "Why'd she stab him one moment and then heal him the next?"
'This is similar to a simulation in the elven towers!' Maya exclaimed, the blue box still floating in front of her face. 'It's a little different though… The world of Paths is currently yours to view as you command. We can use it to look over Paths, and it will obey you. This woman is a genuine representation of the real deal, living to serve. If you want, we could even teach you a way to control her in real life.'
"C-Control her in real life?"
'We can help you unlock spells and traits through here, thanks to the Paths. Unlike the elven towers, your core can grow. Your Illusion skills are poor, but if we mastered them more, we could easily create a spell able to bewitch and control the minds of others. This version is a fake and will do whatever you tell her to already, but if you learned such a spell, you could make the real one obey as well. You could even order her to worship the ground you walk on, and she'd do so happily! :]'
"T-That sounds evil." Olivia shook her head and frowned. "There are some limits that shouldn't be crossed, and taking away a person's free will is one of them." She stood back up and folded her arms. "I don't want to do something like that, Maya."
'...Forgive us. We were just going off the feeling of your mana and thought that was something you'd enjoy. We don't think people should be controlled either. :)' It gave her another smiley face. It also brought up another concerning thing, though.
"The feeling of my mana?"
':(' This time it gave her a frowny face. 'Did you not know?'
"Know what?" Olivia snapped.
'Your mana is one made to impose their will. You have the same kind as Nier. Constricting and tight, it was made to wrap around people, especially their minds.'
"T-That's…"
'Perhaps we were wrong, though, hehehe.' Olivia felt her eye twitch. 'We will not bring up taboo spells like that again, unless you ask. Forgive us. :D You can control this, Tori, and not feel bad, right? We put her here so she can teach you. :] Maya thinks people should be free if Olivia thinks that also.'
Olivia looked back down at Tori, who was still crouched. Davi was gone, though? It seemed Maya had removed him, leaving just her and Tori standing in Gray's destroyed yard. "Earlier today, you said something similar as well. You told me that the Lance of Victory would be the best mentor. Why was that?"
'The Paths we currently have access to are limited.' Maya explained. 'Your Determined trait is still of a low grade. As such, we can only view Paths that you have seen and are aware of, even if you don't know them. As this grade goes up, it'll be possible to expand and view other things, but that will take a bit for you to cultivate and grow the trait. We're also only limited to new Paths that could happen through a fifty-fifty chance. For example, we can't do what the king did and show you other versions of yourself. We were able to show you that other you who had unlocked Polymorph, as there was always a fifty-fifty chance of whether you would gain that ability or not. Something more extreme, like the king's made-up versions, would require you to grow and Maya to evolve. Due to this limitation, Maya has taken it upon themselves to look through your memories and determine who the best teacher is.'
"And you decided on the Lance of Victory of all people?"
'Yes, this is due to a trait she has.'
"What trait?"
'Why don't you ask her! :)'
Olivia frowned at the box but nodded. "Um, Ms. Lance of Victory? Do you have a trait that could help me?"
Tori kept her blank look, and the blonde woman cocked her head to the side. "Of course. After all, I have the trait known as the Master's Follower."
"The Master?" Olivia repeated the trait's name, and her eyes lit up. "Oh yeah! I know what that trait is! People talked about it all the time on forums! It's what allowed you to become so strong, right?"
No one knew exactly what the trait did, but it was known that Tori had it. The common theory was that it allowed her to 'master' skills more easily.
Tori shook her head. "No. That is just a rumor. The Master trait does not work like that."
"Oh? So how does it work then?"
Tori stood up and lifted her hand in order to bring her own system screen up. Olivia walked over so she could look at it, taking the description in.
'Master: Grade-Unknown. You were born to make those around you greater. Your job is to serve and to help bring about the potential of your Master. You can easily help those around you grow when you serve them.'
"Huh?" Olivia blinked and stared at the trait in confusion. "That's what it does? The forums were really wrong?"
The Master trait wasn't Tori being a master, but instead serving a master? Someone like the king, maybe? Instead of her improving herself, she was able to improve others rapidly. That was likely why Maya suggested her as a teacher. Maya had already shown that they could give her new traits, like with the Polymorph, so that meant Maya didn't work like a simulation, which was almost impossible to get new traits from. Could her stats also grow and increase while she was in here? If so, then Tori's trait, giving her another boost, would be a great boon.
"What other traits do you have?" Olivia asked. "Actually, can I see your stats?"
"I cannot do that." Tori shook her head. "I don't know what I can do."
"Huh? What gives? You showed me a trait already; why can't I see what a vice captain's stats look like?" She whined.
'Sorry.' Maya appeared again, the box glowing. 'Hehehe, you can't view things that you yourself don't know. Again, this isn't Tori; think of her as a dream based on an image of her, but it's not actually her. She only knows things you know.'
"I didn't know how the Master trait works, though?" Olivia frowned.
'I did, though! :D If Maya knows something, then this world will also know! Maya doesn't know what Tori's stats are, though, and neither do you, so sadly, the world's Path has nothing to go on. :[ If we ever look at her traits or stats and get to know Tori better, Maya can help build a more accurate Tori, but at the moment we're limited with what we have.'
"That makes sense." Olivia nodded, a little bummed. Just like Polymorph, there were limits to what the Determined trait and Maya could do. Still, Maya knowing about the Master trait was lucky since that meant this fake Tori would have it, and she could use it to improve herself. "So, what should I do?" Olivia asked.
'Anything you want! >:0 This realm is yours to use as you please, just as this Tori is. You can have her teach you anything, and she'll do it! You can make her act however you want as well! You could have her view you as a friend or an enemy, or you could even make her fall in love with you.'
"M-Make her fall in love with me?"
'If you insist~'
"What? No, that was—"
Tori's blank look suddenly faded, and there was a light in her golden eyes now. A spot of red colored her cheeks, and her breathing became uneven. The next thing Olivia knew, Tori was holding onto both her hands and looking deep into her eyes, causing her own heart to skip a beat.
"I-I," Tori spoke hesitantly. "I think I love you!"
The woman pressed into her harder, and Olivia winced as Tori's armor poked her. "M-Maya?" She called out.
'I'll leave you two lovebirds alone for a bit! :D Have fun!'
"Maya!"