Now you probably have many questions, don't you, Lena?
I will answer what I can.
Firstly, Why did I remember what the 15th child had locked away?
It's simple, the core's transfer to me was too strong. The amount of mana that was forced into it at once was too huge, to the point where the core itself had gone berserk, it's supposed to only suck in the surroundings turning a space into a ghost town, yet it had totaled the entire capital. Even for the core, that was too many sacrifices. I bet the transfer wasn't a success even, if it had truly taken up all those people... Who knows how strong this thing would have ended up being.
Next, you're probably wondering about all the convenient times the core was transferred.
They weren't convenient at all, Lena. They were the work of "Them", those who had watched the core from the shadows. Those who had put me to sleep.
They are the 15th child's followers, the ones who had been given to him by his father, The Emperor. After they had signaled the other siblings, they disappeared. Once the transfer of the first core was made between the 15th and the first holder, they did as the 15th had told them, to observe the core.
It was so that it doesn't end up in the wrong hands, or so that it doesn't end up in obscurity. From the shadows they had merely done nothing but observe the holder's behaviors and prepare for the next transfer. The core was supposed to symbolize humanity, or the will of humanity to go forward. They knew if a person consumed with greed would to take it over, it would only raise a terrible image, so as to convince themselves that this was right, they had moral people pass it on.
They would set up scenarios where the core would be moved without the holder questioning the morality too much, and then once again disappear and observe. How they would set up such scenarios is beyond me, but they definitely have their ways.
Another reason for their existence is to put down the holder if anything were to happen. For example, when I had tried taking out the dude a couple of day--- right, months ago... The 15th had left them a magic item he had created, one that would allow someone's mana to match with another, and from there they would do exactly as the 15th did during his experiments, but to a much larger degree, kill him mentally. That way they would still be alive to the book of fate, but dead to every other person.
If you're wondering why I'm still alive, is that because they didn't want me dead... as for why... I think you're better off not hearing. Anyway, instead they had used it to block off mana reaching my brain, turning me into a corpse. But, eventually my regeneration had caught up and fixed the issue. They had expected it as they didn't want me dead, but merely leave me with a warning.
Next, how the core and the book of fate work.
Now The core as we had established, sucks everything around it in a 5km radius along with the current holder, and transfers it to the next holder alongside everything the current holder holds, memories and such. With that in mind, not only does it transfer the memories and knowledge, but the alter fate of the holder too. A book of fate that had been written on.
Now, you're wondering about the book of fate, no? how does it work.
It's simple, I never died. Not me, nor any of the previous holders. Until the transfer where they become one with the core and move on, they simply never died. I can lose an arm, a leg, even my head, but if I'm treated immediately and somehow my body still moves, the book of fate won't work it's magic, because technically I'm still alive which doesn't contradict it.
But, the moment I "Die" the world will rewrite itself as if nothing had ever happened to me. For example, back during the fall. I remember smashing right through the ground, my body was probably in bits, but yet I somehow believe that I simply was there on the ground as if nothing had happened.
Explaining it is hard, let me demonstrate.
You see this sword? I'm going to swing it as hard as I can at my neck, watch.
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See, as if nothing had ever happened. As if someone had covered your eyes for a second and there I popped up again as if nothing happened!
As I had said, the 15th had forced the first holder's book of fate to write something at a point of time that had been reached, so if the holder die's before, the world enters a contradiction, and it quickly fixes itself. That is the immortality that the holder's have been given. Until when this immortality continues, I can only wonder, at what age does the book of fate get filled, I have no idea, but I know that I will grow weak at 80, so until then I'm enjoying what this body has to offer.
Hmmm... what else... hm?
You want to know about what would happen if I were to use condensed mana on myself?
Nothing, because it would simply never happen.
Condensed mana erases a thing from existence, with that their book of fate. As if it had never existed, not a single trace left.
With that, the book of fate makes sure that never happens, otherwise the world's biggest contradiction would happen. It's like when you think "I'm going to kill myself" but never actually do it, I can think about using it all I want, I can even get a hair strand away from doing it, but to actually do it is simply impossible, the world itself stops my actions.
Not only me, but all that is in this world can do nothing but simply think of using condensed mana on me, but to put such thought into action, will simply never happen.
That's al-- Oh, you haven't figured it out yet?
You still don't get what had happened in evulsa?
It's simple come on, As I had said, They had been preparing convenient scenarios for the holders to pass to the next person without much guilt. After the last holder's failure, they had grown desperate, After all they themselves weren't immortal, and as the generations passed few of them were only able to stay loyal to the cause. With that in mind they had prepared for the ultimate transfer, one that would take an entire kingdom with it.
They had bought off all those who had posed a threat to the barrier inside the kingdom, and made up a story, with their own "proof", that would scare outside help away. Now, if the virus was fake how did the people of evulsa grow weak? Simple, the magic barrier surrounding it. It wasn't a basic magic barrier, it was one that was made to suck all of the mana inside of it slowly, over time they had increased it's affect on those inside, so that it would look as if the virus was growing us weaker...
Alongside that, it had an unexpected effect, it had made the mana cores of those inside stronger. With how it would force them to lose their mana constantly their bodies had no way to counter but to grow stronger, as how a magician would use magic to grow his stamina, they simply leaked mana their entire life. That had only made the transfer stronger.
And for the dead people... I don't really have to spell it out, right?
That's why we found nothing, no matter what we did, and what we studied, we merely found nothing. Even when my mentor had thought he found it, there was nothing, it's because that's what we have been chasing, absolutely nothing. A fake idea that we had fully believed as people died.
When the last holder had arrived, he too was desperate, he had fully believed that he would be the end of that line of heroes. That using everything and his 'massive' sacrifice they would put a stop to the terror of The Demon Lord, so when he failed it had hit him extremely hard. Wondering the world empty he had promised that he would make sure the next holder would put an end to this. That's why he convinced himself what he did was right.
Oh another thing, as in for how we had met.
Have you never questioned it? That your village was attacked without a single warning? and my very convenient arrival?
I think you can tell what I'm getting at with the word "convenient", It was them. For the first time since their observation had started, they had actually tried to do something other than observe. They had thought that after the transfer I would immediately go and take down the demon lord, but to their surprise I had simply walked around aimlessly with no goal, as I ignored all those who had looked pitiful.
That's when they realized they had to do something, for whatever reason I didn't want to help humans, so they had to get me to join the other dumbass holders and grant the 15th's wish. They had taken credit for what had happened in evulsa and used it to have all of the world's royals bow down to them, they didn't understand how evulsa was taken down, but it was.
They would set up village raids from time to time when I would appear, while making sure no one else was there to help, so that I would have no choice but to help them. They had believed that over time I would finally give in back to my human side, and take down the root of all evil. Sadly, they hadn't predicted that I had known everything about the core and it's history, I wasn't like the previous holders, I had known of the 15th's actions.
With that in mind I hated everything. That everything that I had worked for, everything that I had wanted, and everything that I believed was mine, was taken away because of "The Human Ego". Well then fuck humanity... Is what I said.
...
...
And as you and I both know... that only came to bite me in the back when I had least expected it. I'm sorry, Lena, I'm sorry for what I had done to kouko... Maybe... maybe If I hadn't done it... maybe she would've still been alive... even if we didn't know her, she might have been enjoying her life with her family... I'm sorry...
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The days passed as we moved towards the middle lands, Lena is preparing a nice meal for us, I'm excited to taste it.
"You know, There's something that you're definitely not questioning, but I will tell you about it anyway. Even though I was given memories of how the core was made, doesn't mean I would have known what 'They' were doing to me at that point, or how, so how did I know?" I asked as Lena handed me meat she had cooked.
"It's simple, I was told by someone who knows. The Demon Lord had told me. Back when I met him in the Zoomorn village, he told me everything I didn't know. About them, about the past, and himself... Even about you..." I'm in pain as I speak, I'm trying to sound confident, but with her being so close to me... I hate myself.
"...So yeah, just another piece of detail... thank you for the meal." I said as I cherished the meal.
Tomorrow will be the end of this, tomorrow this curse will stop.
Tomorrow... I don't know what will do.