"Just because no dark magic is present within you doesn't make you any less dangerous!" said Alicia.
"No, no, no, litte girl. Thanks to you, I'm a baby that experiences magic for the first time. Interesting fact for you, Miss. Necromancers need Protos particles and accepting the idea that everything in this world is a tool to satisfy desires. And also an advanced understanding of living creature anatomy!
Because I am a practitioner of art H̸̡̡̡̧̡̡̨̧̛̛̯̱̘̹̺̼͔͚͖͉̟̞̙̦͎͕̹̰̫̩̻̣͓̠̜͕̱̭̹̹̓̉̓̓̓̒͐̎̅̓̃͆̿̉̓͗̓́͑̎͆̚͜͜ͅà̵̬̯̤̙̗͙̰͉̦̼̩̱̲͎̝͒͊̇̒̆̉̈́̂̈̌̽̄͘͘͜͜͝͝ͅl̸̢̨̨̧̡̢̧̙̲̗͔̳̠̦̘͉̖̹͎̹̲̭̹̰̯̲͈̠͕̭̼̤̟̜̦̗̂̑̔̎̋̈̇̓̌̄́̄̓̅̌̇͌̌͆͋̂̆͂̿͐̈̿̋̇̋̕͘͝͝͠͠ͅͅa̷̧̨̛̭̺̯͓͈͓̳̳̠̗̭̠̼̙̗̯̘͔̩̰͎̠̹̰̯̍̉̋̂͌̇̊͊͆̎̒͊́̒̿͋̅̀͒͌̓̏́̋̔̔͌̒͆̚̕̚͘͜͝͝ͅr̷̩̓̎̍̄̓̐͋̿͝͠͠͠͝ ̶̛̟̍̿̋̂̑̈́̓͌͊͒̈͛̎͛̈̈́͆̏́͌̄̓͑͌̓̾̓́͑̏̒͌̀̈̚͘̚̕͝M̷̧̛̹͚͎̖̱̠̥̜̟̯͉̭͓̳͇͉̮͚̠̣̙͈̯͂̑̄̎̋͗̎͆͒̑̾͗͛̏̆͗̎͆̏̓̃̈͛̃͒́̓͂̌̾̕̚o̵̡̢̡̢̧̧̨̢̼͉̰͚̰͉̺͓̝͓̙̫̦͕͙̙̘̯̬̗͔̫̞͚̩̼͔̲͇̒̌̾̽̂̿̄̎͆͊̊̓͐̉̈́̓͂̒́̂́͗̽́͛̐̒̈́̀͗̾͗̅̏͛̔̋̾̈́̕͜͜͜͝͝ͅl̷̨̛̛̗͙͚̼̠̝͓͎̞̯̳͚̖̜̟̮̮̮͉̟̱̗̺͓̣̼͚͉̻͖̽̾͆̂́̊̉͂̎͛̊̓̾͂̾̉͂͐̾̑̑͗͛͘͘͜͠ͅõ̵̢̢̨̢̹͎̖̙̜͚̤̩̻̞̘̞͍̙̫̖͓̥͕̭̹͍̱̣̖͎̣̳̮̥͖͉̙̹̆̈́͒͂͗͛͒͋͂̈̋́́̂̾̈́͌͊͑̀̓̉̀̅̒̍́̃̆̒͘̕͜͝͝c̴̨͔͎̺͔͚͚̩̭̼̫̝̖͙͇͔͕̩̻̉́̒̉͒̇͊͗̑̍̉̅́̂̈́͐̕͘͘͘̚̚͝ͅh̵̡̛̼̼̺̥̻̰̻͇̤̞͚̮̼̼̯́̿͐͐—Necromancy, in your people's tongue, my mana cultivation in this current state is useless unless I consume Protos particles again."
"Too bad there are no Protos particles on this train," the girl scoffed.
"Therefore… come closer, come closer to me, lady. Let us talk."
Alicia did not move an inch from where she was now. "This is as close as I can get."
Alicia's refusal did not make Agosh's ear-to-ear grin disappear. "Oh, little girl. Are you still afraid of me, this helpless mere human?" Agosh was cackling loudly inside his glass confinement. "Long time no see. How is your relationship with Orb? Have you found any surprising facts about both of you?"
"Not much. But yes, I've learned something." Alicia sat cross-legged on the cold metal floor. She might have been persuaded to accompany the mage of the dead for some time.
Agosh let out laugh once again. "I see. No wonder you want to go to Vanir. You want to complete those missing links of your destiny and look for the other children."
As if her mind was being read by him, Alicia frowned, while Orb rebuked the corpse mage in a threatening tone. "So you know the entire Nostradame prophecy, too?"
"Of course, of course, of course I know, Fool! Those who sent me know as well. It's absurd that they believe in the predictions of some moronic astrologist, don't you think?"
That was again on the necromancer's lips, the mysterious employer who used his services. "Who sent you?" Alicia interrogated him.
"Don't know, can't tell, don't care. You won't get anything from me just like the Magisterium mages before you." Agosh then approached the front side glass then crouched down. The distance of the glass confinement was indeed higher than the floor, so Agosh saw Alicia as if looking down on her. "Come, come, come. Let's not talk about who sent me. I want to hear about you. How does it feel… after knowing your fate as a Child of Miracle, Miss?"
"It's like being stricken by responsibility far heavier than the Eternal Emperor," Alicia said as she put Orb down. "At least, I already know most of the reasons they are after us both. Khaos directs them to hunt me. So that I, as the Child of Miracle, may disappear with the light, and It would take the world like the other realms It has swallowed. I must prevent that."
"But Khaos is arduous to stop, My Lady. It's been eons and Khaos has become more and more intimate with the earth. Meanwhile Arcane…" Agosh's finger pointed downwards while making a whistling sound that slowly faded. "But if this would make you rest assured, I agree that Khaos should not devour the earth… I mean, come on. You're kidding, Khaos? There's nothing fun about being trapped in eternal darkness. What a tiring dismal…"
"Then why did you want to kidnap me and Arcane?"
"Simple, I want to try something! I want to pursue all my desires with the power of Khaos, and when the presence of Khaos becomes more and more on earth... I just need to erase it with the might of Arcane!" explained Agosh Grendi. "The world's destruction is then nothing but a dream! Imagine living without consequences, like a god! I saved the world in my own way."
Alicia's wrathful tone seeped out at the necromancer's suggestion. "Impossible! You can't toy with two powers like that!" she argued. "Arcane is a gift from the Silent Divine, the source of all kindness. Arcane will definitely sever ties with me if I become your servant."
But the gray-haired corpse mage could not help chuckling again while shaking his head. His masked face made it impossible for Alicia to know if he was making fun of her or holding back his anger at her naivety. "How naïve you are, dear. Why do you think the possessor of the strongest power source is now the most hated country in the realm? It would be unfair for the Arcane to always be associated with goodness, while the mages of the Eternal Empire are shedding innocent blood with that might—all under the pretense of Divine will. Not to mention, their biggest sin of committing genocide against the family and supporters of the Second King, not long ago. The Eternal Emperor became the sole leader and all those incidents were passed by time."
Regarding that, Alicia actually had to accept the fact within Grendi's statement, even though she hated admitting it in front of the face of the corpse mage. Agosh Grendi added again, "It's the same with Khaos. In my opinion, Khaos and Arcane are just two opposing forces. They have nothing to do with good or evil. After all, people have no idea what Arcane's criterias are in choosing its wielder." — Agosh made a flouting tone — "'It is the Mysterious Divine Will; the Divine saw something of him that we could not see, and many else and, blah, blah, blah.' That's just a justification concocted by the monks who glorified the Eternal Empire, and justifications for its wielders. They often mislead people with this way of thinking so that their reasoning doesn't develop. Ask your ball, why did it choose you, Miss? "
Of course, that was the part the girl could not answer. Especially since Orb had said that Alicia would not be able to swallow its explanation all at once. The girl took a moment for Orb to say something. It was a pity, that the sphere remained mum.
"Nothing? Why am I not surprised!" Agosh continued, "So, since everything is a divine mystery or simply a random chance, those who are chosen are no different from the mages born among humans. They just have different powers with the same behavior. In the end, they still use the powers they have as a means of satisfying desires. Thus, the ambiguity of Arcane criterias made me think. Khaos is a tool I use to satisfy my desires, and Arcane is a tool to prevent its consequences so that I can keep granting my desires! This is what is called, balance. There's no harm in coming up with this wild magic theory, and then putting it to the test. Don't let baseless excuses get in the way of your creative mind, My Lady!"
"I don't know what made me chosen by Orb. Orb can't tell me yet," Alicia finally spoke up. "But that doesn't change the fact that I was chosen and not you. The Orb is a Divine Will that sees me as special. So no matter how hard you try to seize this might, you won't be able to get it!"
"Do you consider yourself special just because you were magicless at first, and then Orb, with its obscure origin, came to choose you?" replied Agosh.
"And also because I have a goal when I am chosen by Orb. The Prophecy."
Agosh answered her with such a sarcastic tone. "Ah, yes. An ordinary girl from the village suddenly turns one hundred eighty degrees because a clairvoyant from five hundred years ago—whose predictions were never accurate—suddenly implicated something about her. How great!"
"That scripture not only implies, but actually refers to me through this mark on my hand."
"But the prophecy will come true five periods after it's published, whereas you don't show up until five hundred years later."
"You can't interpret a prophecy literally."
"Doesn't that apply to your statement earlier?"
Alicia pondered for a moment.
"That's true. But I and Orb have studied it a wee bit. The symbols on my hand are clearly engraved and match those in the scripture, so that's one piece of evidence for me!" Alicia then took off her gloves and let Agosh peek at the burn for a while.
"All right, all right. Fair enough. But so what if you are mentioned in a prophecy? Does that still mean you are someone special among others? Or is it actually just a suggestion to the fact that people dictate your life to you?"
"You heard my answer before. I was entrusted with great responsibility. Stopping Khaos and his plan for the end of the world. Tell me if it doesn't affect the others."
"Cool! Then are your parents, and your friends, as special as you?"
Alicia creased her brows at the direction the corpse magician was talking about. "Why do you ask? They sure are special!" she said.
"Special because they are people you care about?"
"And because they contribute to the life of the world! They don't need to do something that has a big impact so that the whole world knows. But they have a role in the world survival in their own way."
"Oh, that means that everyone is special by nature! Then beggars and addicts are special people too? They don't have a giant role like saving the world but simply sit around, expecting people's pity. In your eyes, are they special?"
"They..."
"I mean, of course, they have a hand in it. They apply the social order class laid down by the sovereigns. They are role models so that we don't end up like them. That way society won't collapse and the earth keeps rolling. But how about me, your enemies, and all the magicians of Khaos? I did something heinous, Alicia. Am I special?"
A disgusted look appeared on Alicia's face. "You are an arsehole."
"But I and the others had a hand in bringing you to this moment, didn't we? Allowing you to dive into your role as the mage prophesied to save the world!"
"I don't know what kind of person thinks of himself as special and considers others as tools to be used arbitrarily. You may have a special place among your kind, but you won't get that flattery from me."
"Then being special is a subjective thing, hm? You're special because Orb and the prophecy said so. Your family and friends are special because they have a special place in your heart. I'm not special, because I hurt you once, and beggars aren't special because you neither meet nor care about them. And here you are, belittling me by dwelling on yourself as special in front of me?"
Bam! Agosh suddenly pumped his fist toward the glass! Alicia was, of course, taken aback and responded by pointing the Arcane ball at him. Infuriated, Agosh let out a growl, then threw his curse by screeching, "You self-righteous whore! You don't really want to save the world, are you? Deep inside you just want people to see you, to recognize you, to love you! You're not doing this because you are special—oh, no, no, no! You are doing this because you want to be considered speciaaaall! You want people to see you as special because if fail to do your job…," Agosh stuck his face in front of the mirror, then clucked at the girl, "you will lose everything... You will be exiled again. Me and the others are tools to fulfill that desire. Khaos is the tool that drives the plot, andOrb is the tool that keeps the story going!"
Hearing these words, Orb almost darted and shattered the glass prison and the prisoners inside according to the girl's request. Alicia's gaze glistened even though her eyes were a little teary. Gritted were her teeth.
"You know nothing of my ambition! You have no right to despise Orb as a tool! Throughout my life, I have learned not to need others to acknowledge me. I only want the world to be happy through the knowledge of magic. If no one supports me, I'll do it myself!" the Crimsonmane girl insisted.
Agosh guffawed. How he fond Alicia's reaction so much that he gave her a standing ovation. "Alicia, Alicia, Alicia. Calm down, Miss, calm down…. I'm just kidding." Agosh could not stop nickering, "Just kidding. I just want to play with you, so that you get depressed and cry. I get excited when I see someone depressed and cry. Oh, you should've seen your face, Alicia!"
Disgusting. Utter disgusting. Alicia regretted having intruded into this hellish carriage. Even without the influence of Khaos, Agosh was still the most rotten, lecherous human who deserves to be tortured in the deepest pit of Tartarus. Alicia could not stand the verbal abuse anymore, so she backed away and was about to leave Agosh.
But the man still wanted to play. Agosh called out to her again "But really, Miss? Didn't it cross your mind to record what you just said and listen to how ridiculous you are? Bless the world with magic, come on! If you didn't have Orb what would you do? Throwing those thoughts away and leading a meaningless life to the grave? Realizing that maybe you weren't meant to do great things? But I adore you, Alicia. You still have passion. You can do anything to make your dreams come true. There's no need for you to be special as long as the world can be happy, right? Everything in this world is a tool for a being, Miss. The thing of value to it—what makes something 'special' is how useful it is to fulfill that being's want. That's the way life has always been, Miss. Please, join me, because I too, want a happy world, not bound by pseudo values and degrees. Only humans with their desires satisfied."
"Stop havering," Alicia retorted furiously. "You can't serve two masters. You will prefer one master over the other. You only submit to your greed, which Khaos loves. Humans are not just any creatures that have no purpose other than to satisfy lust without thinking about the consequences and morals!"
"But that's why humans are called living things! A living being is a living being if it has a desire, and it has become an instinct for every creature to try to make the wish come true. The moral is just a false limit made up by those who call themselves 'special' with the intention that not everyone can fulfill their desires apart from themselves. The irony, their own morals destroy them. Because of morals, they are actually building a ticking time bomb inside of their restrained self, tinkling, and when the time's up... Boom! Chaos—the universe's attempt to correct a mistake within it."
"You twist your words!"
"Don't you see that this increasingly advanced civilization is instead filled with immoral doers who experience outbursts of desire due to being restrained for so long? Animals, plants, they have no need for morals and the only reason why they suffer more and more is because of humans and their manners…. Your tiny moral standards that brought the world closer to Khaos."
"So when you said I was a special kid who would change the face of the world, you were making fun of me, then."
"Of course, I didn't mean it, miss! Who believes in that prophecy besides you and the bunch of imbeciles that sent me? 'Special' is just a pseudo-phrase for people with giant egos as a coping mechanism because they can't accept themselves as they are. 'Special' isn't a universally recognized measure, My Lady. You and the other kids are just doing tasks that fate has decreed just like the others, just like me... only yours is written in the books. Even if you manage to do that, people will forget what you've done and move on to pursue their passions like the other day. So be careful, don't lie to yourself. You're not special, you're just like me. Don't let time slap you hard, because you will suffer for it! If you are still ignorant, I also have a prophecy for you: The stars have spoken to me: The last person who considers you not special, is the one who shall murder you!"
Suddenly, from inside the glass, the bouncing sound waves tore apart Agosh Grendi's ears. The man fell down while screaming, cursing anyone who activated the prisoner-tamer mechanism
"Fuck! Damn it, I didn't do anything! I'm just chatting, you fuck!"
"I thought this carriage was clearly not for anyone to enter." A voice came from behind Alicia, startling her. When she looked back, the person's face showed a serious face.
"M-Misstress Odelie?"
"Odelie, with no 'mistress'," said the female astrologist. Odelie then grabbed Alicia's arm until the girl gasped, pulling her out. Alicia saw Grendi, who had just released his hands from his ringing ears. For some reason, she felt that this was not would be the last time she would face the necromancer.[]