A Day In The Fated Future
Location - Unknown
(Dazai Crowley's POV)
Now that Blair was elsewhere, busy attending to her "needs", I gained a bit of private time myself.
Thank God she left when she did, because there was something else that was starting to gnaw on me.
If she hadn't left anytime sooner, she would have seen it start to appear on my expression. And if that happened, my "fallen angel" talk wouldn't carry the same weight as it did earlier.
But now that she's gone, I got the chance to grab something important to me. Understanding that, I quickly recall some old words Blair said earlier:
"I'm just going on out on a limb here, but if I was to make a guess, this room would probably be some sort of physical fabrication of your memories."
If this mysterious room truly has some connection to the state of my memories, then "that" should have manifested by now.
And sure enough, just as I was thinking about that "item", I noticed a certain splotch of odd light coming into existence.
Similarly to the picture frame from before, this magic began to solidify into a particular piece of furniture. It even rested in the same corner of the room just like in my old memories.
"Heh, there you are~..."
Seeing it unfold before my eyes , I couldn't help but grin a little.
I glanced back to the bathroom door again, making sure that Blair wasn't spying on me for no reason.
Every so often I heard soft and strange "noises" coming from there, but I dared not to speak further.
After waiting a few minutes for more silence, I waltzed towards a certain table sitting nearby.
Seeing that the coast was still clear, I moved the table to its side and exposed the rear. From there, I opened a hidden compartment, which later revealed a very small treasure chest, one firmly sealed tight with a combination type padlock.
"Hmm, a passcode, huh. Let's see…if I remembered correctly, the answer should be….." I mumble aloud.
Making a couple of vague assumptions, I played around with the lock and moved the dials to a certain set of numbers.
It took a second before I finally heard a soft and satisfying "click".
When I opened the mouth of the chest further, I gazed upon a certain piece of "treasure". One that I held dear since the days of my childhood.
It was a beautiful pendant given to me from a certain somebody from long ago.
According to "her", it was crafted by a "certain" professional who built it using a certain type of gold, meaning it would fetch a pretty buck once sold.
However, the monetary value paled in comparison to how much it meant to me specifically.
When I opened the heart shaped casing, I was glad to see that the certain "picture" inside was undamaged and well preserved.
Without a prompt, a sigh of relief fell from my lips.
Still, there was something I wanted to check.
Before this pendant was built, the craftsman who made it before used a rather rare type of gold.
One that was naturally modified to be more receptive to conducting and storing magic. In this case, it was forged with a protective blessing granted from the blood of a particular "noble".
Thanks to that blood, this pendant received incredible characteristics. One to which saved me from numerous situations and possible disasters.
Using magic, I checked to see if everything was still in order. A second later, several lines of text appeared before my eyes, visible only to me.
With the Appraisal skill I used on the bedroom door earlier, I was able to examine the many different spells and blessings that were enchanted inside.
The list were as follows:
Weather Resistance A+; "This magical tool has water and fireproof properties, even allowing it to resist extreme temperatures. The effectiveness of this skill is determined by its rank. However, unless its rank is "EX", damage is still possible. As such, continue to treat with care."
Degradation Resistance A+; "This magical tool has a high resistance to all mainstream degrading forces, such as rust or even acid. The effectiveness of this skill is determined by its rank. However, unless its rank is "EX", this ability does not protect it against all known dangers. As such, damage is still possible and must be handled with care."
On-Hand Conductibility; "This magical tool is protected by a magical filament that suppresses the conductive properties of the golden material. The wielder however may toggle it on or off."
Mana Circuits EX; "This magical tool possesses a highly specialized circuit module, allowing it to absorb and effectively store a great deal of magical power for later use. The effectiveness of this skill is determined by its rank. Notice; it is extremely ill-advised to overcharge beyond its original limit as it may result in Overload which can cause damage to the item and the wielder."
These were the basic abilities that came with the construction. They were pretty much necessary skills designed to prolong the pendant's survivability with the latter ability being more useful as a second source of power simply for added convenience.
However, while these passive effects were indeed helpful, even powerful, in their own way, they were nothing compared to the true meat and potatoes.
Honor of the Guardian B; "This magical tool is enchanted with an above average leveled protective charm which heightens the wielder's Defense and Resistance when worn, allowing them to better defend against attacks either physical or magical. On occasion, this blessing may trigger a negating effect that can outright nullify damage altogether. The effectiveness and consistency of this skill is determined by its rank."
Energizing Blessing C; "This magical tool can convert mana particles into regenerative properties which, when absorbed by the wielder, can restore stamina, alleviate fatigue and can even heal minor wounds. The effectiveness of this ability grows stronger depending on its current rank. Please be mindful that this blessing will not trigger when all possible mana reserves are empty."
Divine Protection From Arrows B-; "This magical tool heightens the user's luck against projectile based weaponry, increasing the chance for the wielder to sustain otherwise fatal damage, or outright evade the attack. This blessing applies, but is not limited, to weapons such as bows and arrows, crossbows, guns and bullets, ballistas, catapults, cannonfire, and certain projectile based magic. The effectiveness of this skill is determined by its rank. Notice; this skill increases evasion against attacks, not defense. Any attacks possessing a "Surefire" trait will bypass this ability. As such, the user must not act reckless and continue to approach with caution."
Holy Coat of Arms A+; "This magical tool possesses a lesser fragment of divinity and holy energy which wards off dark and evil based attacks, whether it be magical or spiritual. This greatly raises the user's Resistance against Darkness and its elemental variations. It also provides divine protection against instant death magic, allowing the user to survive otherwise fatal damage with a portion of their strength and vitality intact. The effectiveness and consistency of this skill is determined by its rank."
From just the words alone, one could already tell that the utility of this item was nearly unparalleled.
Out of all the gifts I could have received in my life, this was by far one of the most powerful tools I ever owned.
Though something did come across as odd.
If my memory serves me correctly, I'm pretty sure I atleast ascended a good majority of these skills to "EX" rank at some points throughout my life.
So why were they reseted back to their base stats?
Does this power follow the same rules as this room?
If so, I guess that would mean I need to recall the memories of those specific moments so they return to their original power.
But for right now, it doesn't matter. Because even at base power, the amount of times it has come in clutch for me was far too many to count.
Despite that however, it wasn't some cheat code I used to blitz my way through life either.
While most of the effects were fairly consistent most of the time, the more powerful skills came with certain conditions that either needed to be met, or taken into account of.
To put simply, even if I really wanted to, it was purposely designed to where I couldn't outright abuse its powers and chalk up all my success to it.
And since I preferred to rely on my own power, I more so used this trinket as a tool to maximize my effectiveness in and out of battle.
That's the role a support type of trinket was meant for. A role it performed well in.
After all; "A tool is only as good as its wielder."
Something my old man told me once upon a time.
But honestly, those skills didn't mean all that much to me. They weren't the real reasons as to why I held it so dear. Its "true value" ran deeper than the added benefits it brought to the battlefield.
Understanding how much this pendant was worth to me, my eyes finally fell upon the last, and perhaps the most important, skill of all.
A Destiny Woven By The Strings of Fate; "Like everything else that exists, this magical tool follows a predestined path in life, eventually sharing its "fate" with that of the wielder. If the user continues to hold this pendant close without fail, he may be faced with a lucky encounter of another who possesses a magical tool of the same skill. Should this destiny come to pass, both individuals will be fated to fall in a passionate state of love."
When I read those words, another vague image of a particular girl flashed before my eyes. Except this time, it was a little more vivid compared to the memories I recalled up until now.
It was a day that occured in our childhood. The day that we made a "certain promise'' before the time where both of us were met with tragedy. One that changed the very course of our lives completely.
She wasn't the type of angel who would willingly fall from grace like her sister. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I wasn't some commoner who could ascend to the heavens to meet her.
Seeing her again was impossible.
The only thing one could do in a situation like that, is to simply abandon hope and leave behind the days of a time spent being naive.
But this skill, no, this divine blessing, it was all I had left to believe in. So long as I continued to hold this close to my heart, there was always a sliver of hope for me to cling on to.
That's how I feel now atleast.
However, the past may speak differently.
While the emotions I have now and back then are relatively the same, the true question lies in what I chose to do with it afterwards.
Did I continue to hold that hope close and challenge the test of time?
Or did I fall like every other man and abandon what I held dear?
Unfortunately, the answer to that is locked behind my amnesia.
But something tells me it was more complicated than that.