(A New Fate and a meeting in the moonlight awaits. Let us see what happens to the people involved in this meeting...)
Bold = English Conversations
Bold + Italics = Japanese Conversations
Fate 27
The moon's light shined in the 7th Hierarchical City of Kazomotsu, it's bright light shining towards Sora and his new guest. Sora couldn't help but feel a sense of serenity in the air as he stared at his flamboyant dressed friend with several questions in his mind. While he didn't feel any kind of threat coming from the man but at the same time, he cannot help but tense upon looking at the man. Just what was this sense of danger he was getting from the man in front of him.
"You know, it's pretty rude to just stay silent and not say anything after I gave you my name." Amane said as Sora shook his head upon hearing Amane speak. "Sorry… your sudden appearance caught me off guard. But what is this about being a hidden actor?" Sora questioned as Amane couldn't help but smile upon hearing that, pulling out a folding fan and placing it on his chin. "Why a hidden actor is considered someone who often is at the background of most stories. Think of a narrator in this case." Amane explained as Sora nodded his head upon hearing that explaination, being satisfied with it.
"So if that is the case… what about me satisfies being a hidden actor?" Sora questioned as Amane smiled and nodded his head. "Why, it's how you are constantly defying the wishes of the goddess Amaterasu is all." Amane said. The moment Amane mentioned god, Sora couldn't help but tense even more, his hand instinctively reacting towards the Rev Arm, as if to draw it upon Amane. "Woah now. I do not wish to make you my enemy at this moment. Violence is not needed at this moment." Amane explained as Sora did not loosen his grip on the weapon as Amane could feel Sora's gaze upon him, nearly piercing and soul watching.
"I am merely interested in getting to know more about you. I would love to avoid unnecessary fighting if I can afford it." Amane said as Sora took a deep breath. "Get to your questions then…" Sora said, showing the minimum amount of trust by releasing his grip on the Rev Arm but never letting his gaze go. "Firstly… is it true that you are the lost Nox Nyctores, Anima Voluntatis: Balmung?" Amane questioned as Sora nodded his head.
"Interesting… I have heard of Grimoires developing bodies but never a Nox Nyctores… and unlike most grimoires your body is your own… interesting." Amane said as Sora couldn't help but feel like interrupting at that moment. "I wouldn't say it's my own… it originally belonged to someone else and I just happened to inherit it." Sora explained as Amane nodded his head at that. "And yet you exist. How you gain your current body matters not. You are a living and breathing Nox Nyctores here and now." Amane said as Sora couldn't help but feel disturbed by what he had just heard.
"Well let's move on from that then. Tell me, are you aware of what you are doing whenever you activate your power?" Amane questioned as Sora was confused by what he had just heard. "What I am doing? Well all I know is that I am taking a look at my possibilities and choosing the one that is the best for me. That's what Balmung does doesn't it?" Sora said, giving the best explaination of his drive to Amane at that moment as Amane was intrigued by what he had just heard.
"Well… that is one way of putting it. You are aware that what you are doing is one part of Phenomena Intervention no?" The moment Amane said those words, Sora couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at that word. "Phenomena intervention...I don't know if this Phenomena Intervention thing is related but Rachel did tell me early on that she knew what was the cause of the world trying to erase me. Is it this phenomena intervention stuff?" Sora said as Amane nodded his head.
"It looks like you can remember details that far away… that makes it easier for me to explain certain aspects better." Amane said as Sora nodded his head at that. "I did still have some things I want to ask her about. Things like how does this phenomena intervention work but that's beyond the point, what do you mean by my drive being one part of Phenomena Intervention?" Sora questioned as Amane pressed his fan harder on his chin, realizing that there was probably an easy way for him to explain things to Sora.
"Now do not be alarmed by what I do next. Just humor me will you." Amane said as Sora did not like what he was hearing. At that moment, he could feel Balmung activate and immediately show him what was happening to him at that moment as what seemed to be the ground gave out on him and he got pierced. This prompted Sora to use the most minimal amount of movement to move out of the way as at that moment, A gigantic pink drill immediately emerged out of the ground, trying to pierce him.
As soon as he did that, he immediately could see himself being crushed and stabbed from above, prompting him to keep moving as to him, all of these happened all in the spam of seconds. In Amane, it was a blink of an eye as his attacks that nobody would expect were dodged and expertly so. "So this is Balmung…" Amane said as Sora wanted to go and attack Amane at that moment but realized that the man was trying to show him something at that moment.
"So… does what I did make it clear to you what Phenomena Intervention is?" Amane said as Sora nodded his head. "I am sure that there is more to Phenomena Intervention than what I have been doing but I am sure that you are going to explain the rest of that to me." Sora explained as Amane smiled and nodded his head. "I will. I just need to make sure what I say next is well within my rights as an Onlooker." Amane explained, confusing Sora at that moment.
"Onlooker?" Sora said, genuinely confused by the defintion being thrown his way. "Oh? You do not know the rules of Phenomena Intervention but the way it works? Interesting…" Amane said, intrigued by what he had just heard as Sora looked at him confused by the choice of words. "Are you trying to tell me that Phenomena intervention is not just something anybody can do?" Sora said, having thought this entire time that Phenomena Intervention was a technique that is only taught to a specific group of people.
"You are not wrong about Phenomena Intervention being a sort of technique. But it's not something that anybody can do without severe consequences." Amane explained as Sora tilted his head at that. "Tell me. How did you know about the attacks that came your way?" Amane asked as Sora scratched the back of his head. "Well...I saw what was going to happen to me if I were hit and I saw possibilities where I can avoid the attacks coming my way. I then act on those possibilities." Sora explained as Amane nodded his head.
"Now I ask you. Do you think you can teach anybody how to use this particular aspect of Balmung?" Amane questioned as things were now starting to click in his mind. "So it's something passed down to people chosen…" Sora said as Amane smiled, seeing how quick of mind Sora was to put the pieces together. "It's the same for Phenomena Intervention but it's something only gods can do… yet you as a living being are able to do so. Do you know what that would make a god think?" Amane questioned as Sora scratched his head at that, giving it some thought.
Sora:… Confused?
Amane: Indeed. Phenomena Intervention is something that nobody should be able to understand and when it's done, it's made to ensure that it is always been like so.
Sora:...Uh huh…
Amane: Tell me. Whenever you use your drive, what is the reaction of the people you do so?
Sora: They sometimes look confused. I don't really pay attention to people's faces much. I am just trying to survive most of the time.
Amane: Fair point but consider this. You would panic if an attack you were sure was going to hit just misses no?
Sora was beginning to see what Amane was trying to imply at that moment as Sora realized this was the aspect of Phenomena Intervention that Balmung did not have. "So Balmung changing the event but keeping the memory is something that this goddesses doesn't approve? Why would she care in this case?" Sora questioned, unsure about what role this god was going to play as Amane shook his head.
"Why your power matters to her a lot. Especially since you risk undoing her entire work trying to restart the timeline." The moment Amane said those words, Sora's brain began to connect the dots that were placed in front of him, letting him realize what was going on. "The goddess Amaterasu… is the Azure isn't she." Sora said as Amane nodded his head. At that moment, Amane quickly formed a small but extremely strong Barrier to prevent his head from being severed as Sora had quickly used the Rev Arm, changed it to the Rev Blade and out of anger and instinct, tried to sever Amane's head.
"Oh my. To experience the feeling of Phenomena Intervention without having my memory erased is truly something new." Amane said as Sora was alarmed to hear what he had just said as Amane reached out with his hand and without warning, a massive drill made out of cloth manifested and tried to burrow itself right into Sora's stomach. Using Balmung, Sora was able to block the attack as Amane was intrigued by what he was witnessing as Sora realized what he had just done.
"...Sorry. I must have lost a bit of control." Sora said as Amane noticed the black arm that had manifested in place of where the Rev Arm was as things were starting to make sense for the Onlooker. "Ahhh… I see there is more than meets the eye with you." Amane said as Sora tilted his head before noticing his gaze towards the Black arm. As if by instinct, he immediately put his arm behind his back to hide it, prompting Amane to respond by using a cloth to wrap around the hand and hold it in place to observe it closer.
Normally Sora would just respond by breaking out of the hold and creating more distance but for some reason Sora did not see any vision of an attack by Balmung so he felt a bit more secure in letting Amane take a look at his hand. Amane realizing that Sora was not trying to resist his gaze told him that Balmung did not see what he was doing was harmful to the user so that told him what were some of the conditions Balmung was using to determine if it's ability was going to activate or not.
But that was not in his attention at that moment, the hand in front of him was. As he continued to stare at the intriguing hand in front of him, Sora couldn't help but feel nervous but Amane's calmness in examining his arm and his lack of blood lust truly told him that this man was simply interested in looking at his arm. "Do you know how timelines are recorded by the master unit?" Amane questioned as Sora shook his head, given a question he could not answer for the first time as Amane smiled, happy to give his new guest some information.
"Well… it's simple really. Like writing a book, the master unit notes down the information that has happened in a timeline and records it for future viewing." Amane explained as Sora nodded his head, able to understand the explaination that had been given to him. "As an onlooker, it is our duty to observe what the Master Unit cannot see and record it to memory. We are impartial to whatever happens in the world and we must not intervene. We are simply the silent watchers of what fate brings." Amane further explained as Sora nodded his head at that.
"So if you guys are supposed to be watching what happens to the world, why does the Azure still need to record anything? Can't she just feed you guys all the info you need and be on her way?" Sora questioned as Amane smiled and shook his head. "Unfortunately that is not how an Onlooker functions. We remember yes but we cannot hope to remember every single change that has occurred. We are only one person and thus the scope of what we can observe is limited." Amane explained as this confused Sora.
"If the problem is manpower then why not just get more people to be onlookers?" Sora questioned as Amane chuckled upon hearing that. "That is what the role of an observer is for but alas that method can be quite flawed. The observer can have their memories tampered with so they misremember certain events. They may only choose to observe key events and thus use them to their own gain. It's truly sad I say that the role of an observer has become this low." Amane said as Sora couldn't help but feel a bit lost by the conversation he was having.
"So let me get this straight. There's the Master Unit who is god of this world and the one who dictates what happens and what doesn't. Observers who observe what the Master Unit tends to miss and you are an Onlooker...a super observer." Sora said as Amane shook his head at Sora's crude but accurate explanation. "You can say it like so but could you try to put a bit more class in your explanation next time." Amane said, causing Sora to tilt his head in confusion.
"Then how would you word it then?" Sora questioned as Amane smiled. "Why. A dancer troupe of course!" Amane said as Sora could understand the reason for his explaination based on how flamboyant he is. "You may as well elaborate a bit more don't you think." Sora said as Amane cleared his throat. "The Master Unit is the conductor. The world is a dance. Observers are the audience while I the onlooker am the one with the backstage tickets." Amane said as things actually began to make some sense to Sora's mind.
"You know… that actually makes a lot of sense… except for the part where you say that an Onlooker is a backstage audience member." Sora said as Amane smiled. "Why that's because I am not to intervene with the events of the world. Merely observe it and be an impartial party." Amane said as Sora scratched his head. "It means that I have no interest in telling about my meeting with you to the Azure. In fact she doesn't even know we are having this conversation as we speak." Amane said as Sora could finally feel a sense of relaxation hit him as he knew he was not dealing with an enemy or an ally at this point but a bystander.
"So as long as you don't try to physically stop me from what I am doing you are not my enemy?" Sora said as Amane nodded. "Indeed. But I have told you a lot about Phenomena Intervention, Observers and Onlookers. Now you will tell me something of interest." Amane said, using his ribbon to raise Sora's blackened arm. "Tell me. What is this and why does it reek of the Black Beast?" Amane questioned, his eyes narrowing as even he knew the danger such a thing possessed.
Sora took a deep breath, knowing what he was going to say next is going to change so many things. "That's because… I am the Black Beast of Anima Voluntatis: Balmung made manifest." Sora explained as a dead silence greeted the two men as a wind blew. Sora wondered how his relationship with Amane would change with this revelation as he readied himself for Balmung to give him a vision of what he was going to see hit him.
"Now that is truly something I never expected to hear come out from a person's mouth." But the vision never came as Sora could feel the grip on his Black Arm loosen as Amane's eyes stared deep into it. "A Black Beast given human form and to add further to that, it's the core of a Nox Nyctores… Truly you are the gift that keeps on giving Mr Minakaze." Amane said as Sora was shocked by the reaction he received from Amane.
"You… You aren't going to attack me?" Sora questioned as Amane simply smiled. "And why should I attack a flower that is clearly about to reach full blossom?" Amane said, confusing Sora yet again as Amane shook his head. "I shall play my faithful role as a bystander and only watch from the sidelines. I do not dare take a step in the stage at this very moment." Amane said as Sora was surprised even more by Amane's reaction.
"You...You really are something else aren't you." Sora said as Amane smiled. Sora had never known a man who after knowing all he did simply chose to continue standing by the sidelines and observe instead of doing something to the threat in front of him. "I simply have a question that I must ask of you at this very moment. Are you a man hiding a beast or a beast pretending to be a man?" Amane questioned as Sora couldn't help but feel confused by that statement.
"You do not have to answer that at this very moment, I merely ask that you consider what I mean very carefully." Amane explained as Sora soon saw him turn his back towards him. "I do not know if we will meet each other again after this but you have piqued my interest enough for me to observe your journey for now. Do show me what kind of flower you will bloom to Balmung." Amane said as Sora instinctively reached his hand towards the man only to see him vanish in a sea of petals as Sora could only take a seat back on his chair to process what he had just experienced.
"What was he all about…" Sora said as he scratched the back of his head. He was beginning to understand how the world functioned in the background but couldn't help but wonder how this all played into his original role as being the one who was erased from history to make way for something brand new? If the master unit could really change timelines as she saw fit, then it could have chosen a path where it did not lead to his erasure.
"Maybe I am overthinking this whole situation right now…" Sora said, wondering if he was starting to lose his mind a little. Now that he thought about it, the past few months have not been kind to him with all of the crap he has to endure and now he was just processing what he had just been given. "Makes you wonder if you are in over your head huh…" Amy said, unable to not just butt in as she could sense that Sora was in deep thought.
"And not to mention that there's the fact that you are still able to talk to me despite lacking a body." Sora said as Amy couldn't help but question him at that moment. "Say, do you know what the first two words of Balmung mean?" Amy questioned as Sora looked at the sky in confusion. "Anima Voluntatis… not really." Sora replied as Amy chuckled upon hearing that. "Of course you wouldn't know. It's written in a long forgotten language. But I guess it's only fair I tell you what it means at the very least." Amy said as Sora wondered where this was going.
"Will me knowing this ancient language help me in any way?" Sora questioned as he could feel Amy giving him a shrug. "All I know is that it may give you a few clues to what you must be feeling right now." Amy explained as Sora scratched his head hearing her explaination. "Well it's better than nothing I guess… well out with it." Sora said as he himself was curious about the origin of the name that Balmung had attached.
"Anima Voluntatis… translated from latin means Soul's will." Amy explained as Sora couldn't help but raise an eyebrow upon hearing the name. "Soul's...will?" Sora said back as he cannot help but wonder what is the meaning behind that. "Hey! Sora!" A voice shouted as before he could reply to it, he felt his whole face get smushed by something soft as he felt his entire back lay on the bench at that moment, being pressed by what felt like the weight of the world.
"Ow….Dying...here…" Sora said jokingly as the person immediately stood up and looked at him in the eye at that moment. "Oh you are fine. Stop complaining." The person replied as Sora got a good look of the woman's underboob at that moment as a squirrel tail swayed at the background. "Speaking of which. You have a lot of answers I want to be answered…. Frenchman." Makoto said as Sora chuckled upon hearing that nick name as she turned him around.
"And I am putting you under arrest." Makoto teased, placing his hands behind her back and holding them in place as Sora pretended that he was arrested as Makoto felt her head get bonked at that moment. "Is that really necessary to do at this moment Makoto?" Bullet said as Sora smiled upon hearing that. "Come on. Let my girlfriend have her fun." Sora said as Makoto nodded her head at that. "I didn't know you guys were into this kind of stuff." Bullet replied as Makoto blushed a bit while Sora looked at Bullet confused.
'Oh man… Bullet's right… this may become a new fetish.' Makoto thought as Sora's gaze went towards her, confusion growing on his face in the process. "But seriously, why keep being the French Man a secret from me and Makoto? We were so conflicted about leaving the restaurant because we were not really sure if you had actually paid the restaurant or not?" Bullet complained as Makoto shook her head at that moment.
"Don't you get it Bullet? It's all about making a statement! Panache! Do something with action! Not words! Also would you even trust Sora if he told you that he was the French Man?" Makoto said as Bullet looked at her, eyes wide as she couldn't believe what she was hearing at that moment. "Ummm… Makoto is trying to say that you guys would find it hard to believe what I am saying and would think I am just being a lunatic instead." Sora explained.
"Really now? I wouldn't think so." Bullet said as Makoto immediately stood up and slapped a hand on Bullet's chest. "Oh come on now Bullet! Let's not get into the details too much… as for you Sora Minakaze, you are going to give me all the juicy details about all the restaurants you had French man'd from!" Makoto said as Sora couldn't help but chuckle and scratch his head upon hearing that statement. "French man'd huh… I never figure that would be a sentence I would hear come out from your mouth Makoto." Sora said as Makoto held his shoulders tightly.
"I mean it Frenchie! I want to know how you managed to escape from that castle restaurant! Don't you dare give me that Balmung showed me the way bs." Makoto said as Sora chuckled, realizing he was going to be stuck telling tales of his french man escapes to Makoto for some time before he would be allowed to do anything else. As Sora chuckled, Bullet couldn't help but smell the air and realize that something in the air smelt annoyingly familiar.
"Why is my nose itching all of the sudden?" Bullet said as she shook her head almost immediately upon having that thought. "We should focus on trying to find some lodging for tonight. We shouldn't be lingering out here any longer than we need to at this moment." Bullet said as Sora and Makoto nodded their heads at that moment, realizing that there needed to be some urgency at that moment.
"You're right. We need to find a place where we can rest and plan our next move… if the Azure decides to let us." Sora said as Makoto sighed, realizing that the time for business had returned as she slapped her faze, getting herself to become serious once again. "Fine… but in exchange, I demand that you tell me one good french man story before we go to bed." Makoto said as Sora smiled and nodded his head upon hearing that statement. "Why do you have to make yourself sound like a child." Sora said as both him and Makoto walked away, ready to find a place to sleep.
As they did so, Bullet couldn't help but continue to scan her surroundings, unsure what she was feeling before deciding that whatever she felt must have already left and that she was just wasting her time at this moment. Leaving with Sora and Makoto, she was simply focused on the task at hand as unknown to the three individuals, Amane continued to observe from above, watching the three with an interest that had only been piqued by one other individual.
"Sora Minakaze and Makoto Nanaya… two individuals who fight their fates…" Amane said as another person approached Amane from behind. "Taken an interest in the current situation Onlooker?" The person questioned as Amane did not bother to turn to face the man, simply continuing to observe the people that were in front of him. "You best leave right now. Your role is coming to an end soon and I do not want you tainting the stage with your presence." Amane said as the person approached to stand beside him.
"And why would I do that?" The person questioned as Amane did not hold any fear to speak his mind. "Because it seems that everything I hold interesting all always tie back to you… Mad Puppeteer." Amane said as the man looked at Amane upon hearing those words. Mad puppeteer, is that how the people around him perceive him to be? "I do take offense to that comment Mr Onlooker… but you are right, the people you are interested in all seem to have ties to me." The man said as he emerged out of the shadows and in the moon's light, Relius Clover made his appearance.
"And what of it? Does my connection to these people concern you in any way Onlooker?" Relius questioned as Amane shook his head. "None whatsoever. Most likely proof of your meddling with everyone's fates I guess." Amane said as Relius was intrigued by his choice of words. "Do excuse me but it seems like to me that you sound bored of what you are seeing." Relius questioned as Amane shook his head.
"Oh not at all. I could care less about the interfering monster that haunts my interests." Amane said as Relius was intrigued by hearing this. "Oh? And what pray tell is this monster you speak of?" Relius questioned as Amane simply smiled before placing a finger on his lips, telling Relius he will not say a word. "In that case, you can simply continue to watch as you please. Oh do remember not to overstep your boundary like the previous Onlooker did." Relius said as he began to walk away from Amane, disinterested in the man.
"And what about you Mr Clover? Are you satisfied with what you are seeing in this world?" Amane questioned as Relius stopped walking at that moment. Amane wondered what Relius would tell him at this moment as he eagerly waited for a response. "As if that is something you should be allowed to know onlooker. If you truly are interested in what I am planning, feel free to visit me whenever you desire." Relius said, continuing his walk as Amane couldn't help but smirk upon hearing those words.
"Truly a man of little words Relius Clover is. I cannot say I envy the man." Amane said as he saw Sora, Makoto and Bullet vanish from his eyes. "But to think that woman from the mercenary corps is with them. I do hope she has been practicing her dance moves." Amane said, smiling as he decided that he had spent enough time watching. There were many other things that his eyes needed to see at that moment.
"I do hope that you continue to walk your own path… Sora Minakaze."
GREETINGS LOST SHEEP OF FANFICTION!? HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING ON THIS FINE DAY!? I have been doing good. The work has finally calmed down and thus, I can write again. I hope you all didn't mind the 1 month chapter last month and it was up to your standards. I will be posting another chapter this month so no worries about that. I hope you all continue to enjoy reading my story and it brightens your day in whatever way it can.
SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT!? WHAT WILL AMANE'S EYES SEE IN SORA MINAKAZE!? WILL HE CHOOSE TO CONTINUE OBSERVING OR WILL HE CHOOSE TO TAKE A STEP!? HOW WILL SORA MINAKAZE REACT TO THE REVELATIONS GIVEN TO HIM!? AND HOW ALL OF THIS WILL AFFECT THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM!? All this and more when fate turns once again...