“Wow … you’re really more durable than a Dragon now with these defenses, you already beat me at speed, and at this rate, your offenses will be as strong as one’s soon enough. Your defenses were only twice of the average Dragon’s when I saw this yesterday, and with this ‘Ogre’s Muscles’ ability, I see, I was wondering why you felt so much harder than you were before I woke you up,” Ume says as she feels my arm and chest while looking at my status.
“Yeah … a loooot of stuff happened yesterday, didn’t it?”
“Still, with these numbers, does that make you invincible?”
“Well, with this blade being made of Chaos Ore, said to cut through anything, I wonder …”
“Yes, Mom,” I respond dutifully.
“Ack! I forgot you can see us! I’m not being rude touching your son like this, am I?!” Ume flusters.
Mom giggles.
“Wait, you had human girls who liked you and you didn’t become mates with them?” Ume asks me in shock.
“They were close friends of mine and I thought I’d be happy enough with us just being that, but things got complicated … I admit that I was pretty stupid with my way of thinking when I was younger.”
“You’re in your 20’s, right? You’re still young.”
Mom asks.
“Well, we Dragons mature at a slower rate along with our longer life-spans, but even with that in account, when you know there are races who live such shorter lives, especially Jin, I think the saying ‘age is just a number’ comes into play here when the difference is so vast.”
“Um, Ms. Koto—I-I mean, Mom, these ‘circumstances’ that are preventing you to see us in person right now, are they also why you two are separated? If you want, I can help take Jin to where you are by flight.”
“What?! He is?!”
“Mom! Don’t blurt out my fears like that to other people!” I exclaim.
“Ah, here it is, ‘acrophobia,’” Ume says as she stares at some empty space, maybe a status screen only she could see? “‘Severity: High. When faced under extreme conditions, the subject will succumb into the ‘distressed’ ailment that includes heart palpitations, lack of breath, and loss of strength in the body before he blacks out into a ‘FAINTED’ status if not attended to immediately …’ Jin, I had no idea it would be so severe, going by what I’m finding with my ‘Diagnosis’ skill, anyway.”
Wow, that skill tells a lot more than I’m not even sure is morally sound. Still, there’s a ‘distressed’ ailment like there is for ‘poisoned’ and ‘paralyzed?’ This is getting too real here.
Mom says, trying to explain in a way that ‘nursing school’ would fit with this world’s setting.
“… I don’t think anyone could ever get rid of their fears, whatever shape or form. I have yet to hear of anyone ever mastering their ‘Fear Resistance’ skill to evolve into something like ‘Fear Nullification,’ but even if that were the case, I feel like there are ways we could still sense it somehow. It’s just what’s ingrained in our instincts in order to survive, to live in this world, or they’d be killed off with their blissful ignorance, otherwise.” Ume then interlocks her reptilian hand in mind. “If it makes you feel any better, Jin, I’m actually terrified of the dark.”
“” Nyra and I ask at once.
“It’s really more like I’m afraid of what I can’t see in the dark, but I like to think it’s the same. While it’s possible to gain ‘Night Vision,’ I for some reason cannot learn it, and so I can’t go off going anywhere without a light, making me very grateful to be able to wield ‘Holy Magic’ where I can make my own, and unless we’re in dire need to recover, Dragons usually sleep more out of luxury instead of necessity. I’ve had so many sleepless nights since I didn’t know what would happen if I closed my eyes by myself that I eventually gained the ‘Sleep Nullification’ skill that I hid when I showed you my status yesterday.”
Was that why Ume seemed so awake this morning? “But you were fine when you slept last night … were you? Actually, Eugus even bored you to sleep yesterday at our adventurer’s orientation.”
“If I was with my family and close friend nearby, I would sleep fine, and of course, it was the best when I did it with you around. I fell asleep more from being comfortable holding you than listening to that lecture, and I was especially at peace when we slept the way we did last night. Having such a nice smell that wasn’t the Lovander’s doing, getting all warm and fuzzy as I held you in my arms and I could faintly feel your heart beating while our bare bodies were touching … I knew then that as long as I’m with you, not even the blackest darkness would scare me.”
“Ume …”
“That’s just my anxiety about the dark, though. Your acrophobia’s severe enough to bring you into the ‘distress’ ailment along with other physical conditions. Even if I guarantee your safety, I don’t think it’d be enough to relieve your fears. It can’t be helped, so I guess we’ll have to find some other form of fast travel like [Portal] when we need it … there goes our flight date of chasing the sunset, though,” Ume mutters to herself before smiling sadly, but I heard it clearly enough that I felt serious pain in my chest. She was likely thinking of letting me ride her back in Dragon Form while she flies us in the sun’s direction, prolonging the ‘dusk’ as long as possible while we watch it together.
I’ve underestimated Ume’s romantic imagination, because even I would want to get in on that now that I’ve heard it, despite my fears being challenged.
She may be right that I can’t get rid of my fears, but I don’t want them to control how I live, though. It doesn’t have to be immediately, but I have to find a way to not let that phobia get the better of me, even if I have to fly myself to do it.
Mom says before giggling.
“Huh? Did I miss something?” Ume asks. It seems our thoughts aren’t connected like Mom’s, Ms. Obina’s, and Nyra’s voices are with us, so I was relieved she didn’t hear what I was thinking.
“Oh, no, of course not! Please, take as much time as you need, I’ll just take a look around the place and watch for intruders while I wait. Let me know when you’re done, Jin.”
“Thanks, Ume,” I say before she kisses me on the lips and goes about her little exploration.
I then sit comfortably with my eyes closed to focus entirely on my thoughts. Mom … I never got the chance to say it with how crazy things have gotten earlier, but you have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice again.
Nyra exclaims, out of character and strangely a little flustered.
Ms. Obina answers.
Nyra, are you feeling all right?
Wait, so there were gods who watched over Earth? I ask in my mind.
Nyra asks.
I feel I’m listening in on something I shouldn’t, and hold on, Ms. Obina, what did you mean by ‘for the sake of those who might be watching in?’
Ms. Obina asks, not even acknowledging my question.
Um … that because there are more dangerous people than the coworker who stabbed me—not that the other guys who were sent to kill me were any different—I should just deal with them as I see fit when they assault me, which includes killing them? But for the most part, I should try to live a decent life however I can in this new world? I feel like it’s been so long since I heard her message that I’m pretty sure I glossed over some important points somewhere.
I open up my eyes and unsheathe Nyra, observing the blade as it reflects light, looking stationary, but really vibrating in such hypersonic speeds with the ore it’s made from that makes it impossible to see, even with my ‘Hyper Perception’ at full power to slow everything down. I think back to all of the moments I ended one’s life with this blade and all of the blood that splattered on it as well as myself.
It’s strange. Even though this is a new world with its own laws, I felt off when I went against all of what was ingrained in me from Earth multiple times. It still feels off now as I look back on them, and in this world, the act of taking what is considered ‘precious’ to us is somehow making us stronger more quickly than just by conditioning my body and honing my skills alone. Even when I was torturing them like that guy yesterday when he threatened to kill Ume, while I had my ‘Sadistic Smile’ on my face, I had mixed feelings underneath it, and Nyra getting off on that in my head only made them more complicated.
I’m still questionable to whether taking one’s life is right or wrong, I’m not sure if I would say I ‘liked’ making that guy suffer by my hand, and that especially goes to when I took all of those lives, man and woman, but … I don’t think I regret making those choices. With my mind aligned with my heart, I judged all of those people, who also valued their own lives as precious, to be total trash for myself and everyone here if they thought they can reach ‘paradise’ by joining some fucking bigot orgy of a cult and making other people’s lives suffer just because they’re different.
I didn’t take their lives for the sake of ‘justice,’ and protecting what I love only played some part in my biased judgment. I just wanted to get rid of the wastes of space that piss me off if they think they can commit such heinous acts for stupid reasons and get away with it. I don’t think even imprisoning them for god knows how long would be enough for them to realize what they’ve been doing was ‘wrong.’ Hell, I think everyone wants to be put in the ‘right’ in some way no matter how pathetic their actions might’ve been, but whether we’re human, demi, or demon, it’s like what Ms. Obina said earlier, we’re the ones to who made the morals that decide what’s right and wrong.
Crazy as it sounds, those bastards I killed might even be considered ‘heroes’ to the friends and families who supported them to ‘fight for what’s right,’ those who’ve also seen them as precious in their lives that they don’t want anything bad happening to them. By taking their lives, I became the ‘villain,’ the ‘evil’ they so despise and wish to destroy without even considering my side of things.
In the end, we both have our reasons for fighting, and even if their friends and families somehow track me down for revenge, I doubt they’d even listen to my reasons for why I did what I had to do. I’ll judge them accordingly just like I did with those bastards I killed, and if they even try to make a move to attack me, well … if they turn out to be as bad as their fallen loved ones, I won’t hesitate to kill again. What do you think, Mom? I finish off while sheathing Nyra.
Nyra mutters first.
“Wow … you’re really more durable than a Dragon now with these defenses, you already beat me at speed, and at this rate, your offenses will be as strong as one’s soon enough. Your defenses were only twice of the average Dragon’s when I saw this yesterday, and with this ‘Ogre’s Muscles’ ability, I see, I was wondering why you felt so much harder than you were before I woke you up,” Ume says as she feels my arm and chest while looking at my status.
“Yeah … a loooot of stuff happened yesterday, didn’t it?”
“Still, with these numbers, does that make you invincible?”
“Well, with this blade being made of Chaos Ore, said to cut through anything, I wonder …”
“Yes, Mom,” I respond dutifully.
“Ack! I forgot you can see us! I’m not being rude touching your son like this, am I?!” Ume flusters.
Mom giggles.
“Wait, you had human girls who liked you and you didn’t become mates with them?” Ume asks me in shock.
“They were close friends of mine and I thought I’d be happy enough with us just being that, but things got complicated … I admit that I was pretty stupid with my way of thinking when I was younger.”
“You’re in your 20’s, right? You’re still young.”
Mom asks.
“Well, we Dragons mature at a slower rate along with our longer life-spans, but even with that in account, when you know there are races who live such shorter lives, especially Jin, I think the saying ‘age is just a number’ comes into play here when the difference is so vast.”
“Um, Ms. Koto—I-I mean, Mom, these ‘circumstances’ that are preventing you to see us in person right now, are they also why you two are separated? If you want, I can help take Jin to where you are by flight.”
“What?! He is?!”
“Mom! Don’t blurt out my fears like that to other people!” I exclaim.
“Ah, here it is, ‘acrophobia,’” Ume says as she stares at some empty space, maybe a status screen only she could see? “‘Severity: High. When faced under extreme conditions, the subject will succumb into the ‘distressed’ ailment that includes heart palpitations, lack of breath, and loss of strength in the body before he blacks out into a ‘FAINTED’ status if not attended to immediately …’ Jin, I had no idea it would be so severe, going by what I’m finding with my ‘Diagnosis’ skill, anyway.”
Wow, that skill tells a lot more than I’m not even sure is morally sound. Still, there’s a ‘distressed’ ailment like there is for ‘poisoned’ and ‘paralyzed?’ This is getting too real here.
Mom says, trying to explain in a way that ‘nursing school’ would fit with this world’s setting.
“… I don’t think anyone could ever get rid of their fears, whatever shape or form. I have yet to hear of anyone ever mastering their ‘Fear Resistance’ skill to evolve into something like ‘Fear Nullification,’ but even if that were the case, I feel like there are ways we could still sense it somehow. It’s just what’s ingrained in our instincts in order to survive, to live in this world, or they’d be killed off with their blissful ignorance, otherwise.” Ume then interlocks her reptilian hand in mind. “If it makes you feel any better, Jin, I’m actually terrified of the dark.”
“” Nyra and I ask at once.
“It’s really more like I’m afraid of what I can’t see in the dark, but I like to think it’s the same. While it’s possible to gain ‘Night Vision,’ I for some reason cannot learn it, and so I can’t go off going anywhere without a light, making me very grateful to be able to wield ‘Holy Magic’ where I can make my own, and unless we’re in dire need to recover, Dragons usually sleep more out of luxury instead of necessity. I’ve had so many sleepless nights since I didn’t know what would happen if I closed my eyes by myself that I eventually gained the ‘Sleep Nullification’ skill that I hid when I showed you my status yesterday.”
Was that why Ume seemed so awake this morning? “But you were fine when you slept last night … were you? Actually, Eugus even bored you to sleep yesterday at our adventurer’s orientation.”
“If I was with my family and close friend nearby, I would sleep fine, and of course, it was the best when I did it with you around. I fell asleep more from being comfortable holding you than listening to that lecture, and I was especially at peace when we slept the way we did last night. Having such a nice smell that wasn’t the Lovander’s doing, getting all warm and fuzzy as I held you in my arms and I could faintly feel your heart beating while our bare bodies were touching … I knew then that as long as I’m with you, not even the blackest darkness would scare me.”
“Ume …”
“That’s just my anxiety about the dark, though. Your acrophobia’s severe enough to bring you into the ‘distress’ ailment along with other physical conditions. Even if I guarantee your safety, I don’t think it’d be enough to relieve your fears. It can’t be helped, so I guess we’ll have to find some other form of fast travel like [Portal] when we need it … there goes our flight date of chasing the sunset, though,” Ume mutters to herself before smiling sadly, but I heard it clearly enough that I felt serious pain in my chest. She was likely thinking of letting me ride her back in Dragon Form while she flies us in the sun’s direction, prolonging the ‘dusk’ as long as possible while we watch it together.
I’ve underestimated Ume’s romantic imagination, because even I would want to get in on that now that I’ve heard it, despite my fears being challenged.
She may be right that I can’t get rid of my fears, but I don’t want them to control how I live, though. It doesn’t have to be immediately, but I have to find a way to not let that phobia get the better of me, even if I have to fly myself to do it.
Mom says before giggling.
“Huh? Did I miss something?” Ume asks. It seems our thoughts aren’t connected like Mom’s, Ms. Obina’s, and Nyra’s voices are with us, so I was relieved she didn’t hear what I was thinking.
“Oh, no, of course not! Please, take as much time as you need, I’ll just take a look around the place and watch for intruders while I wait. Let me know when you’re done, Jin.”
“Thanks, Ume,” I say before she kisses me on the lips and goes about her little exploration.
I then sit comfortably with my eyes closed to focus entirely on my thoughts. Mom … I never got the chance to say it with how crazy things have gotten earlier, but you have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice again.
Nyra exclaims, out of character and strangely a little flustered.
Ms. Obina answers.
Nyra, are you feeling all right?
Wait, so there were gods who watched over Earth? I ask in my mind.
Nyra asks.
I feel I’m listening in on something I shouldn’t, and hold on, Ms. Obina, what did you mean by ‘for the sake of those who might be watching in?’
Ms. Obina asks, not even acknowledging my question.
Um … that because there are more dangerous people than the coworker who stabbed me—not that the other guys who were sent to kill me were any different—I should just deal with them as I see fit when they assault me, which includes killing them? But for the most part, I should try to live a decent life however I can in this new world? I feel like it’s been so long since I heard her message that I’m pretty sure I glossed over some important points somewhere.
I open up my eyes and unsheathe Nyra, observing the blade as it reflects light, looking stationary, but really vibrating in such hypersonic speeds with the ore it’s made from that makes it impossible to see, even with my ‘Hyper Perception’ at full power to slow everything down. I think back to all of the moments I ended one’s life with this blade and all of the blood that splattered on it as well as myself.
It’s strange. Even though this is a new world with its own laws, I felt off when I went against all of what was ingrained in me from Earth multiple times. It still feels off now as I look back on them, and in this world, the act of taking what is considered ‘precious’ to us is somehow making us stronger more quickly than just by conditioning my body and honing my skills alone. Even when I was torturing them like that guy yesterday when he threatened to kill Ume, while I had my ‘Sadistic Smile’ on my face, I had mixed feelings underneath it, and Nyra getting off on that in my head only made them more complicated.
I’m still questionable to whether taking one’s life is right or wrong, I’m not sure if I would say I ‘liked’ making that guy suffer by my hand, and that especially goes to when I took all of those lives, man and woman, but … I don’t think I regret making those choices. With my mind aligned with my heart, I judged all of those people, who also valued their own lives as precious, to be total trash for myself and everyone here if they thought they can reach ‘paradise’ by joining some fucking bigot orgy of a cult and making other people’s lives suffer just because they’re different.
I didn’t take their lives for the sake of ‘justice,’ and protecting what I love only played some part in my biased judgment. I just wanted to get rid of the wastes of space that piss me off if they think they can commit such heinous acts for stupid reasons and get away with it. I don’t think even imprisoning them for god knows how long would be enough for them to realize what they’ve been doing was ‘wrong.’ Hell, I think everyone wants to be put in the ‘right’ in some way no matter how pathetic their actions might’ve been, but whether we’re human, demi, or demon, it’s like what Ms. Obina said earlier, we’re the ones to who made the morals that decide what’s right and wrong.
Crazy as it sounds, those bastards I killed might even be considered ‘heroes’ to the friends and families who supported them to ‘fight for what’s right,’ those who’ve also seen them as precious in their lives that they don’t want anything bad happening to them. By taking their lives, I became the ‘villain,’ the ‘evil’ they so despise and wish to destroy without even considering my side of things.
In the end, we both have our reasons for fighting, and even if their friends and families somehow track me down for revenge, I doubt they’d even listen to my reasons for why I did what I had to do. I’ll judge them accordingly just like I did with those bastards I killed, and if they even try to make a move to attack me, well … if they turn out to be as bad as their fallen loved ones, I won’t hesitate to kill again. What do you think, Mom? I finish off while sheathing Nyra.
Nyra mutters first.
