Never to be Solved In My Life
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The most important thing in the world, above all else. It was a simple concept that had been around since ancient times: an idea so fundamental it could not possibly have changed over time—but this one did change. And now we are left with only two possibilities for what happened here…
1) The past has already ended and is no longer relevant. 2) We will never know whether or not the future can ever truly be solved.
I don’t think I’ll ever understand how they came up with these ideas. But at least there’s something more concrete than “the past ends” to go on. If you’re going by that logic, then there must’ve been some point where things were different from today.
So maybe if we look back far enough, we’ll find out why everything turned into such a mess? That would make it easier to figure out what needs fixing. Right…?
But even as I’m thinking about this stuff, my mind wanders off again. There was another possibility that occurred to me while I was trying to solve the mystery of the past. What if someone went through history and messed with it somehow?
Maybe he tried to fix things but got carried away and made them worse instead. Or perhaps she started messing around without realizing just how much damage her meddling caused. In either case, after making a series of mistakes, the person realized their mistake too late.
They couldn’t undo what they’d done; the consequences were irreversible. All they could do was watch helplessly from afar as events unfolded according to fate.
That sounds pretty bad when put like that. But wait! This might actually work in our favor. After all, if we assume that the past is fixed, then there’s nothing stopping us from going back and changing it ourselves. Even though we won’t get any credit for doing so, we should still try. Who knows? Perhaps we’ll succeed where others failed.
And yet, despite knowing that, I am unable to take action myself. My body feels heavy like I’m being weighed down by some invisible force. No matter how hard I struggle against it, I cannot move forward. The reason for this is obvious: I’m afraid. Afraid of failure, afraid of success, afraid of whatever comes next…
It really sucks having your own fears come true before you even realize it. I mean, sure, sometimes people end up getting exactly what they want anyway. But those cases are so rare that they barely count as exceptions anymore. More often than not, it turns out that the opposite happens.
People who thought they wanted something wind up finding themselves wishing they hadn’t gotten it. And the worst part is, once you start wanting something, it becomes harder and harder to give it up. You keep telling yourself that you need it until eventually, you convince yourself that you deserve it. At this point, it’s almost impossible to stop.
So yeah, I guess I’m scared. Scared of failing, of succeeding, screwing up, falling behind, losing ground, letting everyone down… Of ending up alone. I’m terrified of every single outcome imaginable.
Maybe if I just ignore all of my problems, they’ll disappear. Yeah, that seems right. Just pretend none of this shit matters, and everything will turn out fine. Pretend that I don’t care about anything and no one cares about me. Then things will be easy.
Everything will work itself out. I’ll stay safe. Things will always go my way. Life will continue on forever. Nothing changes and nothing gets better.
What a wonderful fantasy. A dream come true.
Yeah, I’m good. Thanks for asking. Have fun living in your little bubble, guys.
***
A Long Time Ago
There was once a girl named Suzune. She lived with her father, mother, and younger brother in a small village called Yomiyama. Her family ran a general store, and she spent her days helping out around the house. One day, however, tragedy struck. Their shop burned down, leaving the entire family homeless. With nowhere else to go, they moved to the city.
Suzune continued working at the store, taking up residence in the basement. Meanwhile, her parents took odd jobs wherever they could find them, including construction sites and factories. Since they didn’t earn very much money, they struggled to provide food for their children.
As a result, Suzune grew up skinny, weak, and sickly. She wasn’t particularly strong, nor did she possess any special talent. For this reason, nobody paid attention to her.
She was completely ignored by other kids, and even by adults. Nobody gave her a second glance or bothered to talk to her. From an early age, she learned to accept this fact as normal. It was only natural that she wouldn’t stand out. When she looked around, she saw that most people had similar appearances and personalities. To her, they were all just faceless strangers.
One day, she passed by a man selling fruit on the street corner. He wore a straw hat and held his basket full of apples aloft. His face was hidden beneath a black cloth, and he spoke in hushed tones to passersby—a common sight in the big city. Suzune stopped to look at him, intrigued by the mysterious stranger. Something inside told her that this man would change her life.
The moment she laid eyes upon him, she knew that she loved him. Unfortunately, he never noticed her. Not even when she walked straight into him, knocking over his basket. Nor when she tripped and fell flat onto the pavement, spilling half of its contents everywhere.
Still, Suzune felt certain that sooner or later, he would notice her. That someday, he’d see her and fall madly in love with her.
But that day came a long time ago. By now, Suzune has given up hope. In her mind, she’s already lost. There is no longer anyone left to save her. All that remains is for her to die.
***
“I’ve been thinking about what happened last night,” said Andre. “You know, all of us going to the same school together.”
He paused there, waiting for a response from Joanna. Unfortunately, she remained silent. After a few moments, he sighed.
“Well, I think we should do our best to get along. We’re bound to run into each other more often than not, after all. Plus, I feel bad for dragging you into this mess. If it weren’t for me, you probably wouldn’t have ended up here either. So, let’s try to make friends, okay?”
Joann nodded silently. The two sat side-by-side on the bench outside the classroom building. They hadn’t seen each other since yesterday morning, but thanks to the magic circle, they were able to communicate without issue. This allowed them to plan their next move.
Andre glanced toward the entrance to the school grounds, where several students were passing through the doors. Most of these students were girls who seemed to be popular among the boys. Some of them smiled shyly as they made eye contact with Joann, while others stared back blankly.
None of them approached her, though; perhaps because they couldn’t tell whether she was human or a monster. Whatever the case may be, they clearly found her presence intimidating.
Joann finally broke her silence. “How can you say such foolish things? You are merely a child. How dare you speak so arrogantly!”
Her tone was cold and unforgiving, like that of a parent scolding a disobedient child. But despite this, Andre maintained his composure. He simply raised one hand and shook his head.
“Whoa! Calm down, will ya?! Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. And besides, if anything happens to me, my sister takes care of business. She’s a real badass, y’know.”
Joann narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Your sister…?”
“Sure am. My name’s Suzanne, by the way. Nice to meetcha. Now, why don’t you introduce yourself too? What’s your deal anyway?”
“My name is Joanna. I’m a demon.”
“A demon?!” exclaimed Andre. “Wait a minute, how old are you? Like twelve, or thirteen years old? Are you serious right now? Is this some kind of joke? Because if it is, I swear…”
Joanna, meanwhile, stood behind them, listening intently to everything they were saying. Her expression changed abruptly, however, when she realized that they were talking about her.
“What did you just call me?!” she demanded angrily.
“Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean anything by it. Just thought it might help break the ice a little bit. Anyway, you wanna tell me what exactly it means to be a ‘demon,’ huh? Cuz I gotta admit, I got no clue.”
As expected, this caused Joanna to erupt in anger. She glared daggers at Andre, then turned her attention to Joann.
“And you! Why must you mock me so!? Do you know what it feels like to have everyone stare at you as if you’re an animal!?”
“Hey, hey, calm down, alright? It’s not my fault that you look scary. Besides, demons aren’t animals.”
“They certainly act like them!”
“Yeah, well, whatever. Look, you seem pretty angry. Can’t blame me for trying to lighten the mood a little, right?”
“Why would you do something so cruel to someone you barely know!?”
“Because I wanted to know more about you. Honestly, I was kinda surprised that you didn’t go around killing people like most monsters do. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be. Maybe you’re actually nice. I dunno. But yeah, I guess I owe you an apology. Sorry for calling you names earlier. I really wasn’t meaning any harm.”
This remark prompted Joann to frown deeply. “Apology accepted,” she replied curtly. However, her voice sounded somewhat strained. There was still tension between her and Andre.
“So, uh, what are you gonna do now?” asked Andre. “I mean, unless you want to stay here forever, I’d suggest heading home. You can always come back tomorrow, right? No biggie.”
“No, I cannot leave yet. Not until I have properly dealt with the matter at hand.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“It has already begun. I sensed its power before long ago.”
“You mean that thing you summoned from another world?”
“Yes. That is correct. In order to destroy it, I shall need to use the same method I used against the Demon Lord.”
“The Demon Lord? Wait, hold on a sec. Hold up. Did you just say you’ve defeated the Demon Lord?”
“That is correct. When I first encountered him, he had already been weakened considerably. As such, defeating him proved rather easy.”
“Wow, that’s awesome! So you beat the guy responsible for all those wars and stuff? Man, I wish we could have met under better circumstances. We probably wouldn’t even be having this conversation if you hadn’t messed with our country.”
“But unfortunately, there was no other choice. If I had not acted, the world would surely have fallen into ruin.”
“Well, sure, but still…”
“Besides, I believe that you should also thank me. Without my actions, many innocent lives would have perished.”
Andre scratched his cheek awkwardly. “Uh, thanks, I guess. Yeah, I think I get where you’re coming from. Still, though, I gotta ask: why don’t you just kill it instead? Wouldn’t that solve everything?”
“There is no guarantee that I would succeed. Even if I managed to defeat it, it may very well return later. The only way to ensure the safety of humanity is through total annihilation.”
“Hang on, wait a second. You said you needed to use the same method you used against the Demon Lord, right? So does that mean…you’re going to summon another one?”
“If necessary.”
“Are you crazy?! Don’t you realize what’ll happen if you bring something else here? This place is basically a death trap! How are you planning on getting rid of it once you’ve finished using it?”
“Do not worry. Once I finish, I will simply release it back into the void. It will cease to exist.”
“Seriously? Oh man, I feel bad for whoever gets stuck cleaning up after you guys. Hey, how about you let us take care of it while you’re gone? We’ll make sure nobody ever finds out about your little secret.”
Joann looked at Andre curiously. “How kind of you. However, I am afraid I cannot allow that.”
“Why not?”
“The summoning process itself is quite taxing. My body requires time to recover. Additionally, I cannot afford to waste energy by creating anything unnecessary. Thus, I prefer to handle things myself.”
“Ugh…fine. Whatever. Just promise me you won’t try to summon any more weird monsters or whatever.”
“Of course.”
Joanna sighed heavily. “Very well. Let us begin.”
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began chanting. After several seconds, a strange glow filled the room. When the light faded, a large hole appeared in the ground. A moment later, a massive black dragon emerged from within the pit. Its scales were jet-black and glistened menacingly.
***
After hearing the news, George headed straight for the castle. He knew he couldn’t avoid this meeting, so he might as well get it over with.
He arrived at the main entrance hall, which was currently bustling with activity. Many high-ranking magicians stood waiting outside the doors, and they seemed to be talking among themselves. They must have been discussing the situation because when George approached them, they fell silent immediately.
George made his way toward the throne room without saying a word. On the way, he passed several maids who bowed their heads respectfully. Some of these women were carrying baskets full of food, and some others carried scrolls. All of them wore white dresses, and each had long hair tied up in a ponytail.
Finally, he reached the door leading inside. Before he could open it, however, three men stepped forward and blocked his path. Each of them was wearing a dark robe and hooded cloak. Their faces were hidden beneath masks, making it impossible to tell exactly what race they belonged to.
One of the masked figures spoke. “We apologize for keeping you waiting, Your Highness. Please follow us.”
They led George down an empty hallway lined with portraits of past kings. Eventually, they came upon a set of double doors, and the guards opened them for him. Inside, the room was spacious and dimly lit. There were no windows visible anywhere, leaving the space feeling cold and oppressive.
A single figure sat behind a desk. His face was covered by a mask, and he wore a long red cape draped across his shoulders. Atop the table before he rested a crystal ball, along with several books and papers.
As soon as he entered, the king turned around. “Ah, Prince George. Thank you for coming. Would you like to sit?”
“Yes, please. And thank you again, Your Majesty.”
Once seated, George cleared his throat. “I heard that you summoned a demon yesterday.”
“Indeed,” replied the king solemnly. “It seems that you know more than most people do.”
“Well, yeah…”
“And yet you still chose to come here today. Why is that, pray to tell?”
“Um…well, uh, actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.”
“Oh? What did you want to say?”
“You see, um, I’m kinda worried about what’s gonna happen next.”
“Worried? About what?”
“About the demon.”
At this, King Galford smiled slightly. “Don’t worry yourself about such trivial matters. The demon has already been defeated, and there is nothing left to fear.”
“But—but—”
“Prince George, we are both aware of the fact that you have never seen a demon. Indeed, you may very well believe that demons can only appear during certain times of day. But rest assured: Demons are creatures of darkness, just like any other monster. As long as you keep away from them, you should be completely safe.”
“That doesn’t really answer my question!” shouted George angrily. “What if something happens to me?!”
King Galford raised his hand to silence him. “Calm yourselves. You’re being unreasonable. If you wish to live a life free of danger, then why don’t you stay home and leave everything to your father? That would solve all our problems.”
“No! I wanna go on adventures too!”
“Then stop acting like an idiot! This isn’t a game, so quit treating it like one. Now listen closely, young prince. We will not tolerate any further foolish behavior. Do you understand?”
The End