What I do everyday hasn't really changed since going on that date.
My mindset hasn't changed either.
Nothing changed.
...
Then why... do I feel so bored?
I felt bored. Bored beyond belief.
Previously I could just keep training and I wasn't really thinking that it was boring, but... now I couldn't ignore that fact.
Doing nothing but training all day is stupidly boring.
Nevertheless, I still trained all day, every day.
I couldn't let simple boredom stop me from making sure that others don't get hurt because of my incompetence.
So I kept swinging my sword, training my abilities and beating up some thugs if they were unlucky.
I kept that up, and I wasn't stopping.
Day after day after day after day...
.▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒.
.▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒.
.▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒.
I wish we could have another date.
I stop myself mid-swing at the thought that I just had.
I couldn't believe it.
I knew I enjoyed the date, but... really? I disliked my normal activities that much?
No. Stop thinking like that. Momentary pleasure is nothing compared to someone's life.
With that thought I kept swinging.
.▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒.
Caroline no longer tries to take care of me as much.
She seems to have taken my advice and is now spending more of that time on herself.
I was pleased when I first realized this. I didn't want to waste her time after all.
She still sometimes brings me food or tries to talk to me, but as always, I just do nothing and say nothing.
If I keep ignoring her, she will move on, right? And eventually she will start hating me. That way, she won't even think about spending her time on me. She will hate me so much that she will stop associating with me at all. And that's exactly what I want.
The less people care about me - the better.
It was as I was having that thought that a voice that I didn't expect at all reached my ears.
"Faring well?"
I haven't heard that voice in a while, but I immediately recognized who it was.
Cylob: "Why are you here Crusch-sama?"
I didn't look at her. I didn't want to look at her.
Crusch: "I just thought it was about time we had a talk."
Cylob: "What kind?" I keep swinging my sword.
Crusch: "..."
Even though I couldn't see it, I could feel her eyes staring right into my soul.
Crusch: "Who are you?"
I was stumped at that question.
I didn't know how to answer it.
My usual ability to come up with 'truths' was nowhere to be found.
But I wouldn't let that stop me from evading it.
Cylob: "That question came outta nowhere. Why do you even ask?" I keep swinging my sword to keep myself calm.
Crusch: "I think you know why."
Cylob: "No, I don't." Swing, swing, swing, swing.
Crusch: "You do know that I can see half-lies, right?"
Cylob: "I thought about that fact, but I never really knew for 100 percent."
A small moment of silence only filled with my slashes follows.
Crusch: "*sigh* Your ability to not lie always amazed me. The fact that I couldn't even feel half-lies from you always made me kind of uneasy."
Cylob: "I'm sorry that I made you uneasy." Just keep swinging.
Crusch: "Which is why I immediately noticed that you half-lied about not knowing why I'm asking you."
My whole body stops.
...
Of course that's a half-lie! I'm a suspicious person that doesn't have a background, who acts really weird and who has a very weird body!
How could I have no idea about why you're asking me, if you have so many reasons to?!
I lower my sword, but I still don't turn to face Crusch.
Cylob: "Because I have my speculations on why. Everyone will have a speculation if they were in the same situation as me."
Crusch: "That's true. And I don't blame you. I just want to clear some things up."
A deafening silence begins, as my thoughts run wild, calculating the worst outcomes possible.
Crusch: "Where are you from?"
...
I grit my teeth in anger.
Cylob: "It's what you call beyond The Great Waterfall."
Silence follows as Crusch seemingly gathers her thoughts.
Crusch: "...Mhm. Next question: Is everyone from there the same as you?"
Cylob: "Do you mean my physiology or thought process?"
Crusch: "Both."
Cylob: "My physiology is completely different, but my thought process is pretty normal."
Another silence ensues.
Crusch: "...How do you know so much?"
Cylob: "That is the one question I can't answer. Besides, it's not like you'd belive me either way." I chuckle a bit, the chuckle being filled with pain.
That's right. No one can truly understand me. No one knows about the future like I do after all.
I'm alone.
Crusch: "...What do you think about death?"
"I hate it."
...
...
...
Crusch: "...Then stop trying to take the easy way out."
...
...WHAT?!
I turn to her slowly in absolute anger.
"ₜₕₑ ₑasy WAY OUT!?"
My head is filled with anger, but I manage to stop myself momentarily.
My calculating side knew that lashing out would do no good, but my emotions were still raging violently.
I could feel that I was slowly losing control of my emotions.
And eventually...
Dammit.
"THIS IS EASY?! WHAT I'M DOING IS EASY?! YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING!
YOU THINK ACCEPTING THE FACT THAT EVERYONE HAS TO HATE ME FOR THE BEST OUTCOME IS EASY?!
YOU THINK KNOWING THAT I WON'T BE GETTING HELP FROM ANYONE IS EASY?!
DO YOU THINK THAT I WANT ALL OF THAT TO HAPPEN?! NO!
IT WAS MUCH EASIER TO THINK THAT I WOULD HAVE SOMEONE TO FALL BACK ON, TO TALK TO!
BUT THE WORLD HAS TOLD ME MULTIPLE TIMES THAT I'M WRONG!
I'M ALL BY MYSELF! THE WORLD WANTS THAT!
IT WON'T STOP UNTIL I'M ALONE!
Whenever I've gotten close to someone, whenever I've told someone how I feel, PEOPLE DIE!
I CAN'T FIGHT AGAINST FATE! I'M NOT STRONG ENOUGH FOR THAT!
SO I'M BUILDING THAT STRENGTH UNTIL I CAN!"
My emotions are still running rampantly, but now that I've made my point, I could keep them in check.
I still can't help but glare at Crusch though.
Crusch: "...But everyone hating you is the easy way out, isn't it?"
"IN WHAT WAY IS IT THE EAS-
I stop dead in my tracks.
...
"...ha. Haha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Crusch was surprised by my sudden laughter.
Well, it was sudden from her perspective, but from my it was anything but!
I mean, it's so funny!
This was just the repetition of episode 18 of Re:Zero!
It's different people and a different theme, but it's the same!
It's so similar that I can't help but laugh!
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAhahahaha
haha...
...ah."
I stop laughing and start rubbing my throat that was sore now.
Almost all of my emotions were let out in that laugh, so the calculating side took control again.
Cylob: "Alright, I'll hear you out. Tell me why it's easy." I say still holding my grin.
Crusch was still startled by my laughing streak, but she quickly took advantage of my compliance.
Crusch: "What does everyone hating you entail?"
Cylob: "Me being alone. Not much else."
I chuckle a bit, still slightly laughing. Crusch was unnereved by that, but she continued.
Crusch: "Since you don't seem to be thinking for yourself, I'll tell you... Nobody has expectations for you."
Cylob: "No expectations... Heh. That makes sense."
Expectations... if nobody has any for me, then what would I do? Laze around of course.
I wouldn't try to improve, I wouldn't try to become stronger, because... why would I, if nobody expects anything from me anyway?
I facepalm and drag my hand down across my face.
"Haha... And here I thought I was finally not being lazy. Who would've thought I was doing the exact opposite! Ha!"
My smile immediately breaks and tears start forming in my eyes.
'What... what the f*ck do I do then?'
I still 'censor' curse words, huh. When did I get this habit? Ah whatever, I don't care.
I'm crying right now.
I look up at the sun that was burning my eyes, but I didn't care about the pain at all.
"What... What do I do?!"
I slam my foot into the ground.
I'm acting totally like a child right now... because I am one!
I'm a child! I'm still a child! It's acceptable for me to act like this!
"Son of a-!"
I slam my foot into the ground with full force.
I could feel something disappearing around me, but I didn't care.
I take a deep breath and turn to Crusch.
"Do you know what I should do?" I ask in the most calm tone I can manage.
Crusch: "Unfortunately, that's where my expertise stops." She says, looking genuinely sorrowful.
"Please l-... no. I'll be the one to leave. Thank you for this... or maybe not. I'll find out."
I leave, with Crusch not even trying to stop me.
.▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░▒.
"Ha-ha."
I laugh at the absurdity of my situation.
No matter how much I think about it, it just ends up being funny!
I cast away everything just to train, and it ends being the wrong solution!
How, HOW can that NOT be funny?!
But the more I think about it, the better solution it becomes!
There's just no other solution that can work out!
So what if no one has expectations for me? I still have my own which are already too much!
But the funny thing is, that's not even the entire problem!
Hell, even I don't understand my current mental state!
See?! Even my thoughts are all over the place!
I can't properly connect three thoughts together!
Everything's just soooooooo funny!
...
'What is wrong with me?'
I look at the capital.
I was on a small hill not too far away from it.
The capital didn't look that small from here, but it definitely didn't intimidate me as much.
For some reason just being alone out here felt nice.
...
"Heh. Who am I kidding?" I say while wiping away the continuous tears from my eyes.
It didn't feel nice.
My emotional side and calculating side were constantly fighting against each other, so I was getting mood swings.
All my thoughts were a jumbled mess, and I couldn't come up with what should I do.
After being told all of that, I couldn't continue my days as I previously did.
But I didn't know what to do differently either.
I guess this perfectly sums up my entire 'new' life: I don't know what to do.
...
Is there any solution to my problem?
I don't believe like there is.
"Please, please. I just... I want to know what to do."
["Are you ready to listen to me now?"]
A black crystal rises from the ground right in front of me.
How did she-?You know what. I don't even care how she did that.
More importantly... how do I permanently get rid of her?
I can't destroy the crystal. Burying it didn't work.
It's not like I can find some kind of metal safe to keep her in either.
Hmm... I don't feel like I can really do anything.
Especially with my current mental state.
...
Maybe-NO! I'm not gonna make the same mistake as Subaru!
Get yourself together Cylob!
["Still not willing to listen, huh. Quite impressive."]
"How is that impressive in any way?"
["You were actually listening?"]
"Yes. And what's with that uncharacteristic attitude? You feel much more informal than you should be." I say as I start walking away from the crystal.
["...How did you know that?"]
"I'm too lazy to tell you." I keep walking further and further away.
I can't deal with her bullshit right now. I need to... understand myself. I don't even care if this is gonna bite me in the ass in the future.
["I see. Thank you for talking to me."]
"Heh. When was the last time I heard that? "Thank you"... it doesn't feel nice." I frown.
I walk away until I can't see the crystal anymore.
I sit down, and... have a tantrum.
"Why, WHY did this have to happen to me?! Why did I have to be thrust here?! What did I do wrong?! What do I do?! Why can't I go back?! I wanna go back! I don't want to be stuck in this world! Why gods, WHY?! I just wanted to have a peaceful life! I know I wasn't the best person, but don't you think that this is too much?! I'm just a kid! A f*cking kid! What the hell am I supposed to do?! Why did I have to read Re:Zero?! Why did I read it?! Ignorance is bliss! If I didn't know anything, I wouldn't be in this situation right now! Whenever I try to associate with somebody, PEOPLE DIE! But not associating is wrong too! So what the hell do I do?!"
I pinch myself.
"Of course. What the hell was I hoping for? That this was a nightmare? How stupid. I'm smarter than that *sniff*."
I dig my nails into my arms.
'What *sniff*... what do I do?'
?: "You want to know what to do?"
A calm and sweet voice whispered right into my ear.
No, it wasn't sweet.
The only reason it sounded sweet was because I haven't heard any other voices in hours.
But it didn't need to be sweet... because it was perfect - no - that's an understatement.
If there was a voice above perfection, this was it.
It was a voice of a deity, a GOD.
I just felt like listening to this voice. I wanted to listen to this voice.
That's what my instincts and emotions were telling me. ₜₕₑᵣₑ ᵢₛ ₛₜᵢₗₗ ₒₙₑ ₒₜₕₑᵣ ₚₐᵣₜ
I wanted to turn to the source of the voice, but I wasn't sure whether I was worthy enough to gaze upon such perfection. ᶦˢ ᶦᵗ ʳᵉᵃˡˡʸ ᵖᵉʳᶠᵉᶜᵗˀ
"What?"
My brain hadn't processed the words within that voice yet. ᴵ ʰᵃᵛᵉ
The voice was so captivating, that words had taken a back end.
savior: "Do you want to know what to do?"
My mental state was broken, but I could feel it slowly mending the more I listened to this voice. ᴴᵐᵐ...
My very being was telling me to say yes. ₙₒₜ ᵧₑₜ
"Yes."
A black book appeared in front of me on the ground.
Pick it up. Pick it up. Pick it up. Pick it up. Pick it up. Don't. Pick it up. Pick it up. Pick it up. Pick it up. Pick it up. Pick it up. Pick it up. Pick it up. Pick it up. PICK IT UP.
...
I felt... how did I feel?
I felt... Logical
I felt... Emotional
I felt... Instinctual
...
Ah, that's right. I felt torn. Torn. Torn. Torn.
I was angry.
Angry, angry.
At who? Myself.
Why? Because I was listening to this voice and considering abiding it.
I and I wanted to listen to the voice, but I didn't.
I know the voice is dangerous.
But it's my path to salvation! No more pain, no more thinking, no more doubting! What could be better!?
This is the best path towards my well being.
Others' well being is also important.
But, what about me?! What will I do?! Is my well being not important?!
This is the best path towards Cylob's well being.
I'm sure I could find a way without this voice's help.
I already tried and I failed! Haven't you noticed how the world is against me?! It won't stop no matter what!
This is the best path towards Cylob Protsav's well being.
...
I'm a monster.
Who else could have three voices inside of them at the same time?
Nobody else.
Even Rimuru only had two.
It felt like an indefinite battle.
I wanted to grab the book... but at the same time, I didn't.
I couldn't come to a conclusion.
But if I was arguing, then who had control of the body?
I of course.
But... who was I?
What was... me?
Was it me? Was it me? Maybe it was me?
Was it a combination of two, or was it all three?
If it was all three... then why can't I make up my mind?
I and I seem to be thinking the same thing. Was that me?
But if that was me then what was I doing here? I couldn't just get rid of myself.
"What... what am I?"
goddess: "Hm?"
It seems my words surprised even (im)perfection itself.
I decided to take advantage of the confusion. Whose confusion was I taking advantage of? the voice's? mine? I didn't know.
But what I knew is that I was going to take advantage of it.
I turned around and saw a-
Goddess
Savior
Loli
Her platinum hair that looked almost transparent, was glowing with a comforting light that was similar to that of the sun.
Her eyes were as blue as the sea, and you wouldn't be blamed for getting lost in them.
Her skin was white, almost pale, but it didn't give off the feeling of sickness, instead it gave off the feeling of radiance.
I could feel myself trembling at the sheer beauty of the person in front of me.
The fact that her gaze was upon me, even further limited my thinking capabilities.
But I knew. I knew what kind of person was in front of me.
She was a person who manipulated people, who traumatized people.
She was a being that could manipulate reality itself to her liking.
But she was also a person who didn't lie.
What was the need for a person of her caliber to lie after all? She could get everything she wanted even without lying.
So she knew the answer my question.
She could give me something to do...
"Will this improve my mental state?" I point to the book.
loli: "Of course."
It will...
I guess I learned how to love myself, even if not fully.
If it was the previous me then... I wouldn't even think twice. I would've said no as soon as she appeared.
How funny. Caroline made me love myself, but she might've made a villain by doin-
...
Caroline?
What did... Caroline want? What made her love me?
I don't know, but... she wouldn't want me to accept this, would she?
She has EXPECTATIONS for me. And they are not this.
...
Expectations
...
I underestimated them, didn't I?
I just thought that expectations were the things that would make me keep trying, keep improving, but... they're way more powerful.
There are so many expectations for me.
Crusch, Wilhelm, Julius, Caroline.
Chisou, Seira, Shurua.
Hell... even Shinyu.
That might not seem like many people, but for me, it was way more than enough.
I now understood the true power of expectations.
Now, I could come to a conclusion.
Now... I could finally say, that I was me.
Taking one of those parts out would be stupid.
While logic can't empathize with other people, it is important in making correct decisions.
While emotions made me impulsive, they could react way faster than logic and could make me understand and help other people.
While Ashna seemed to be a completely different being, she was still a part of me. She counter balances the other two, since without her, I would be too selfless.
All of it was important, and all of it was I.
And I decided to refuse Pandora.
My mental state was still broken, I could feel it.
My emotions were still running rampantly.
Anger, envy, hopelessness, laziness. I felt all of it and more.
I still didn't know what I should do.
I still wanted to go home.
But...
...
I wouldn't betray others' expectations.
I started processing everything around me again.
I was so lost in thought, that I stopped seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, tasting, but I was bringing those senses back.
I brought my sight back, and saw Pandora in front of me, with her unchanging smile.
I brought my touch back, and could feel the hilt of my sword in my hands.
That's enough for now.
I slice her head clean off with one swift motion.
I was angry. Angry for almost falling for her scheme.
And I knew I needed to take out that anger somewhere.
Let's copy Emilia's outburst.
"Die."
I brought my hearing back, and heard unnatural shuffling of grass.
I slice towards the unnatural sound, and see another spurt of blood.
"Die."
The spurt of blood got on my face and into my mouth, so smelling and tasting came back.
But the next moment, the blood disappeared like it never existed in thhe first place.
I turned on Mana Sense and Thought Acceleration, and sliced her.
"Die."
Everytime she respawned, I didn't give her even a milisecond of time to speak.
"Die."
I knew that listening to her was useless, but I was also testing whether she could activate her authority without speaking.
"Die."
She could respawn without saying anything, but could she do other things or was she limited?
"Die."
That's what I was testing right now.
"Die."
My actions were driven by emotions, but that didn't mean they couldn't be calculated.
"Die."
That's what I am after all.
"Die."
A mess of emotions with calculated moves.
"Die."
"Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die."
I saw another respawn in front of me... but this one was wrong.
Her Gate was completely different from the previous ones.
Still, I could see that it was Pandora, so I started my slash, but I stopped myself before the sword would come in contact.
I lowered my sword, but not my guard.
Cylob: "Who are you?"
P̶a̶n̶d̶o̶r̶a̶: "It's still me. Do you?-
I slowly and carefully extend my hand until reaches P̶a̶n̶d̶o̶r̶a̶, but my hand doesn't stop as soon as I reach her. I go a little bit further and bump into something, my hand now 'inside' P̶a̶n̶d̶o̶r̶a̶.
I quickly retract my hand and jump away.
Cylob: "Sorry for the inconvenience. Someone is manipulating my senses, so I see you as my enemy." I say to the figure in front of me.
P̶a̶n̶d̶o̶r̶a̶ smiled a little bit wider, and I could almost see a blush on her cheeks.
P̶a̶n̶d̶o̶r̶a̶: "Love. Such a marvelous thing. Even tricking all senses is not enough to stop her love from reaching you. How magnificent it is. Her love is truly great."
So she doesn't know about Mana Sense, or she thought that she would be able to fool it.
Considering that she said love, it means that this is most likely Caroline.
P̶a̶n̶d̶o̶r̶a̶: "Will your love manifest itself in response?"
Huh?
I stop seeing Pandora.
Now in front of me is Caroline.
She was confused, but I could also see a blush on her cheeks.
But I didn't have time to process that.
Right behind her was a Witch Cultist, whose dagger was not even inches away from her head and was rapidly getting closer.
I want to protect her.
The whole world stopped.
No, it didn't stop, it just became overly slow.
I wasn't sure why this happened again, but I was going to take advantage of it.
I could now properly consider my situation and come up with how to protect her.
appreciator of love: "So this is how your love manifested itself."
The words were spoken right into my mind.
They weren't bound by the world, so they had no problem not being bound by my little powers.
Geez, how can you beat a person like that? Whatever. I have more important matters.
I look at the cultist and how close the dagger is.
Even if I put all mana into it, I'm not getting there on time.
But that didn't mean that I couldn't do anything.
The most obvious one was to eat the blade of the dagger, but that would cost quite a bit of mana, and if there were more cultists around, then I would have less mana to continue fighting.
I couldn't feel any cultists around me, but this was Pandora I was up against. I couldn't be too careful.
But there didn't seem to be anything else I could do.
Since the main danger of a knife is its sharpness, if I could distribute the power of the strike over a broader area, then the damage would be minimal... but I don't have anything to properly distribute that power.
I had some small stones in my Stomach, but they weren't built for the job.
But I still kept searching for solutions, I had time after all.
It was then that my attention was brought to my sword again, more specifically, to the sheath.
That's right.
I ate the sheath and Enyan-ed it inbetween the knife and Caroline's head.
The world resumed.
The sound of wood being chipped was heard, but the strike was successfully blocked.
Still, the energy of the strike wasn't gone, so Caroline reeled from it.
I run up as fast as I could and sliced off the head of the Witch Cultist.
This time, I didn't feel sick at the sight of blood.
Cylob: "Sorry."
Caroline: "Huh?!"
I picked up Caroline in a princess carry and started running.
I had to take every precaution possible, so I didn't have time to listen her out.
I used Cellular Devision, and put a part of me in her clothes in case something went horribly wrong.
I'm not taking any chances.
I kept running towards the Capital, and we managed to reach it without any interruptions.
I was pretty surprised at that.
I thought for sure that Pandora would do something, but she just... left us alone.
It was night by the time I got Caroline back to her home.
She was pretty confused, but she didn't ask any questions, which I was grateful for.
When I got to the mansion and plopped down on my bed, I didn't expect for Crusch to walk into my room by herself.
I mean, it was night. I was almost 100% sure she would be asleep.
Crusch: "You seem to have regained some reason. Are you willing to talk like an adult?"
Cylob: "...No. I don't think I can talk like an adult. I'm not one. I don't have the experience. But..."
I think about everything I've done and everything I've tried to achieve.
Everything that I know, everything that I've prevented and wanted to prevent.
I think... about everything.
About fate. About me. About the people around me.
I think about all of it, and come to a conclusion.
I'm a child.
I shouldn't deal with everything... so I won't.
Cylob: "...I'll tell everything to you, Ferris and Wilhelm in my own way. And by everything, I mean everything... When do you have some free time to talk with me?"
Crusch: "I will call you into my office tomorrow."
Cylob: "Alright. Have a nice night."
Crusch: "I will. And I wish the same to you."
She starts closing the door, but I still have something to say.
"Thank you."
I could see her stop for just a moment, before answering.
Crusch: "You're welcome." And fully closing the door.
...
I was left all alone in my room on my bed.
And I finally showed all the rage that I was hiding.
My face contorted into something that no normal human's face would be able to.
Why was I angry? Ashna.
While my emotions and calculations have not made up with each other yet, they at least agreed on not betraying expectations.
But Ashna was different.
Until today, I wasn't sure for 100% whether Ashna really was a separate entity.
But today answered that question.
She definitely was.
She completely went against me, and still hoped that I would cooperate with Pandora.
She had my well being in mind, but I didn't care about that.
Ashna... if you can hear this, then please change. As best as you can.
I understand that you're a lesser version of Great Sage, so you always have my safety as №1 on your priority list, but please... stop.
I didn't give you the name 'Ashna' for nothing.
For me, it means not only a pillar of strength, but also a person who says to me when I do something wrong.
'Ashna' tells me my mistakes, and corrects me onto the good path in life.
That's not what you were doing.
So please... change.
I'm dumb. I'm a kid. So I need something to rely on.
Please... be a part of that something.
I stopped thinking.
I said everything I wanted to say.
So I just decided to rest.
For the first time since coming to this world, I truly wanted to rest.
So I did.
I let go of everything. I stopped worrying.
And I drifted off to sleep.
.
..
...
.▓▒▓▒▓▒▓▒▓▒▓▒▓▒▓▒▓▒▓▒▓.
Someone was standing on a patch of grass while overlooking the Capital.
"I still can't forget that love she showed. To think that my sense manipulation wouldn't be enough."
She had a blush on her cheeks.
"That boy also has some feelings for her, he just needs some time to grow."
But the blush quickly faded.
"How unfortunate that time is the one thing he doesn't have much of."
The fact that she wouldn't be able to see their love bloom was sad, but she didn't abandon her smile.
Countless other people could love after all.
"I tried to make enough time for his love to bloom, but he refused. Fate is truly strong, isn't it?"
Yes. Fate was strong. And his fate was not a pleasant one.
"Let's see how they'll deal with the Warlock Of Envy."
She left the place that was forever scarred by his outburst.
In this place, the uncontrollable energy still raged on, destroying - nay - deleting everything that came in its path.
The host of that energy won't be able to hold it together for much longer, and when he will snap, the energy will try to reduce everything to-
NOTHING