Chapter 138 - Before another (Patreon)

Scarlett watched Arlene for several seconds. Then, finally, she spoke. “What do you know about the nature of this world?”

The woman gave her a curious look. “That depends. What do you think the ‘nature’ of this world means?”

“I am not entirely certain myself,” Scarlett admitted. “But in essence, what I am referring to might be what this world is. Its purpose and how it came to be. I suspect that, whatever perspective you might have on it, it is likely to differ significantly from mine.”

Arlene cocked her head slightly to the side. “And why is that?”

“Because to me, this world was originally nothing but a game.”

“…A game?”

“Yes. A game.” Scarlett nodded her head, then turned to look out over the village square in front of them. “I do not wish for you to misunderstand, so to properly convey what I mean by that, it might be appropriate to first explain more about myself and where I am from.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Arlene considering her for a couple of seconds. “Alright. Feel free,” the woman eventually said.

“It might come as a surprise, but I am not originally from the empire. In fact, I do not even hail from this world,” Scarlett said. “With that, I do not mean to say that I come from another realm such as the Wandering Realm or one of the Blazes. Rather, I come from a completely separate world entirely. One that is very unlike this one in many ways. As I mentioned earlier, there, I was not very different from others. I was an ordinary woman living a relatively ordinary life, making my living as a content editor instead of a noblewoman.”

“A content editor?” Arlene asked beside her.

Scarlett glanced at the woman. That was what she first thought to ask about?

“Some of related terms might be unfamiliar to you, but the concept itself should not be entirely foreign. When I was younger, I performed my studies for a bachelor’s in English, which I then later used to gain employment as an editor for a consulting firm. My work primarily consisted of quality checking articles, proofreading and editing, as well as performing the necessary research and monitoring engagement. If you are familiar with the Empyreal Chronicle, then perhaps you could compare me to one of their editors, though I would expect there are significant differences.”

Arlene’s forehead creased together. “I’m not familiar with this ‘Empyreal Chronicle’.”

“You are not?”

Perhaps it was after the woman’s time, then?

Scarlett shook her head. “Ultimately, the specifics behind my profession do not matter. What is important is the world that I came from, though you do not appear to have questioned that part yet.”

“I am waiting to hear more about what you have to say.”

“I appreciate the patience.” She took a moment to gather her thoughts, considering how she should explain this. “As a mage, I am sure you have grown accustomed to seeing magic as a part of your everyday life ever since you were young, yes?”

“I came from a family of mages. My first encounter with magic was likely before I can even remember,” Arlene said.

“For me, it was the opposite. I had never encountered magic before I found myself in Scarlett’s body, and there is one simple reason for that. There was no magic in my world. No enchanted artifacts, no monsters, and no dragons that fly on high and burn entire cities. Where I am from, such things were simply pieces of myths and legends; existing more for entertainment than anything else. What we lacked in magic, however, we by far made up for in other areas.”

She paused. “My people, though it feels strange to refer to them in that way, were developed in ways you might not even be able to imagine. Where in this world you might have wooden carriages drawn by horses, we had cars — automated metal wagons that traveled at ten times the speeds. Where you had Kilnstones and powerful mages capable of teleportation, we had airplanes — vehicles that flew through the air and could travel across the world in less than a day while carrying hundreds of passengers. And where you have magical artifacts that allow individuals to confer even when miles apart, we had radios, computers, and phones — devices available or carried by almost everyone, allowing access to global networks of instant communication that were so complex in their underlying workings that I believe even the most learned of wizards would be in awe.”

Arlene seemed to be listening closely. Scarlett eyed her for a moment.

“I do not mean to sound arrogant or cause offense,” she continued, “but to me, the level at which people live in this world might be compared to how you would view ‘primitive’ tribes living off what nature provides them in the woods. The people themselves are not the issue, but there are centuries’ worth of history and development that differentiate our worlds. That is not to say that my world is necessarily better. In our strive for progress, we have created a countless number of new problems that threaten our existence, but it is difficult to grow accustomed to the relatively simple advancement in this world when you are used to so much more.”

The other woman stayed quiet for a time, as if digesting her words. “I can’t say I can entirely imagine what you are claiming your home looks like, but I can understand the sentiment behind your words. Only a fool—including far too many nobles—would think that the Graenal Empire is at the peak of advancement. Anyone that has ever encountered Zuverian artifacts or visited the Rising Isle would know that the empire is no match for the civilization that the Zuver had built, so if your world is anything close to their level, then what you are saying makes sense.”

Scarlett observed the woman. Was Arlene simply humoring her for now, or did she believe her that easily? “…The Zuver were indeed an impressive people,” she said. “But even they were far behind my people in most ways.” She knew enough of them from the game to say that they couldn’t really be compared to the modern world. “That said, there were also several areas where they were far ahead of us. We did not have access to any magic, after all. Instant transportation is not something we are guaranteed to ever achieve, for example.”

“How would you power these automated wagons and flying vehicles of yours without magic?” Arlene asked.

“There are several different means of propulsion that can be used to power these vehicles, many of which are far too complicated for me to expatiate on. Internal combustion was a common one.”

“Internal combustion?”

Scarlett wanted to continue with her other explanation, but seeing the curious look on the woman’s face, she sighed and spoke. “I hesitate to say too much in case I am wrong, but it is a method whereby fuel is burned inside an engine, relying on the expansion of gases to power a piston or turbine of some sort. That is all I can tell you, and I imagine that most children could have as well.”

A thoughtful expression grew on Arlene. “No, I think I understand what you’re saying. It is not an uncommon phenomenon to use in pyromancy spells, and I suppose it could be reproduced as you said even without magic under the right conditions.”

She held a hand to her chin, looking out into thin air as she seemed to consider it. Finally, she returned her eyes to Scarlett. “Sorry, it certainly sounds like you come from an interesting place, but I interrupted you, didn’t I? I assume this all ties into how you found yourself here in Scarlett Hartford’s body?”

“…Yes, it does.” Scarlett gave a slow nod. “The advanced level of my society allowed many freedoms and luxuries that perhaps not even the emperor here might have access to. There was a heavy focus on individuality, and different forms of entertainment were a major part of most modern cultures, to a degree that cannot even be compared to how it is in this world. Entertainment as an industry was a behemoth, and perhaps far more integrated into society than it should have been. It was not uncommon for people to spend more time enjoying these various entertainments than on their own work or the people around them.”

Arlene raised an eyebrow. “That sounds a lot like the legends about the city of Khalzaikoz before it was engulfed by the Blazes. I’m not certain this world of yours sounds quite as enticing anymore.”

“I do not recognize the name, but I suspect I can roughly deduce the contents of those legends,” Scarlett said. “We had similar ones where I am from. I will not claim that my world’s fixation on entertainment was not without its flaws, but I can tell you that it was not as bad as it may sound.”

“I will have to take your word for it.”

“I do not know who else’s there is to take.” She rested her arm on the armchair of her seat for a moment, tapping her finger against the wood. “To continue where I left off, a popular field of entertainment were fictional narratives — books, plays, songs. These came in a wide variety of forms and media, many of which you likely haven’t heard of. One that I myself had much interest in was games.”

“The ‘game’ you mentioned earlier, I presume,” Arlene said.

“Yes.” Scarlett gestured across the village before them. “To you, this term might share more connotations with the types of activities the children here in Freymeadow have enjoyed together with Miss Hale these last few days, but that is not what I am referring to. The games we had in my world could perhaps be compared more to interactive simulations of a kind, though I will not burden you with the details. Suffice to say that you can consider these games as another type of fictional narrative similar to novels.”

She looked to Arlene, glancing down at the book lying on the woman’s lap. “I assume you have read such a book at some point, at least?”

Arlene showed a slight smile. “That kind of pastime isn’t exactly my cup of tea, but I have perused one or two on occasion. This isn’t one of them if you’re curious.” She traced a hand over the book’s cover.

“Then what type of book is that?”

She held up the featureless cover. “Hard to tell. It doesn’t have a title.”

Scarlett looked at her. The woman spent most of her time reading through that book, so there was no way she didn’t know what it was. But if she didn’t want to say, there was nothing Scarlett could do at the moment. She’d never managed to get anything but a peek at its pages.

“So, you were saying?” Arlene gestured with her hand as if prompting her to continue.

Scarlett kept her gaze on the book for a moment longer, then returned her attention to the woman herself. “Yes, as I was saying… Of these games, there was one in particular that I spent a good deal of time on. It depicted a story taking place in a fictional world of wizards and magic called Tanrelia. There, it followed a character making their way through the Graenal Empire during a time of strife and chaos, detailing their adventures. Important places and events were explored, as well as the stories of several noted personages that made that world their home.”

Arlene was looking at her seriously.

“One person in particular that appeared in this game was what could be described as a minor villainess in the story. An antagonist who died not too far into the game, after being by the protagonist while committing heinous crimes. That person was named Scarlett Hartford.”

Their eyes met.

“I assume you understand where I am going with this,” Scarlett said.

“You are saying that this world is just part of a fictional work from one of these ‘games’ of yours, and that you have taken over the body of a character from this game,” the woman said. Her voice held an oddly casual tone even as she said something that most people would rightly consider ridiculous.

Scarlett nodded. “That is correct.”

“And exactly how did that happen?” Arlene asked, not even bothering to question the supposed scenario further.

“I do not know. I have vague memories of being in my home one day, and then I simply found myself in Scarlett’s body without warning. Whether it was an act of god or something else is still largely a mystery.”

The woman waited for a few breaths before speaking. “Assuming you are telling the truth, which…” She considered her for a second. “I do think you are speaking the truth, by the way.”

Scarlett’s eyes widened at the admission, but Arlene just lightly shook her head before continuing.

“Anyway, assuming that is true, then this sounds like a scenario only a deity of some kind could create. Something this involved and specific doesn’t happen simply because the stars happened to align.”

Scarlett slowly lowered her head. “…I am inclined to agree,” she said. “Although I do not think that Ittar or any of the other gods in this world that I know of could have been responsible. Not only do I not understand what reason they would have for that, but the game itself treated them as nothing more but actors part of the narrative. I have found it best not to underestimate the knowledge provided by the game, since it described not only the past of this world but also what will happen in the near future in excruciating detail. That is not power that Ittar or any of the other gods hold, as far as I am aware.”

That seemed to surprise Arlene slightly, and she once again raised a hand to touch her chin. “You’re saying even the gods aren’t beyond this story of yours? Are you truly convinced of its accuracy, even for future events?”

“It is possible that some factors might differ because of my intervention, but I have no doubt that most of the information is reliable.”

The woman looked thoughtful. “That suggests there is something more powerful than even the gods at play here, no? Is there a god like that in your world, or any power you know of?”

Scarlett shook her head. “The gods worshipped in my world are not as proactive as the ones here, to the degree where many of their existences are doubted. I know of nothing that would have a reason or the ability to do forge a scenario like this. The only clue I have to what might be responsible for my situation is the system that I have access to.”

“The system?”

“It is a…interface, you could say.” Scarlett pointed at the air in front of her. “It is only visible to me, and displays an approximated quantification of Scarlett’s personality and what her ‘skills’ are. This includes her traits, how much mana she has, as well as what level her magic is at. My hydrokinesis, for example, is a skill that is considered to be at the ‘Superior’ level currently. The system also has quests that I can complete—small trials, of a sort—which provide me with a currency through which I can upgrade these skills, bypassing the usual steps such improvement would require.”

Arlene stared at her for several seconds.

“That might sound odd to you,” Scarlett said. “But that is not too dissimilar to how games worked in my world.”

“These games let you ignore years or decades of training to become accomplished masters of magic in return for completing minor tasks?” The woman looked more affronted than Scarlett had ever seen her before.

“Any skills and accomplishments in the game were nothing but simulations and fictional numbers, so they had no actual bearing on reality, but that was the idea, yes. The purpose was to entertain, and people would not find it fun to spend years on actual training when they could simply achieve the same results in a fraction of the time, would they?”

Arlene stared at her for a moment longer, then shook her head. “I suppose you have a point. Leaving that behind, this ‘system’ of yours sounds awfully tailored to your circumstances. The underlying mechanisms behind allowing a relative beginner use complex magics are something I cannot even pretend to understand, and it would almost certainly have to be customised to the individual, so I can assure you that it doesn’t happen unintentionally.”

Scarlett frowned. She had, of course, considered it and reached a similar conclusion, but thinking that things might have been designed specifically for her in some way left an unpleasant taste in her mouth.

“I’m curious,” Arlene said, studying her. “What do you make of the fact that this world existed as nothing more than a ‘game’ where you’re from? It begs the question of what could be considered to have come first, after all. This world, and all of its people, traditions, and history, or this game you had.”

Scarlett blinked at her. That was also a question she had thought about a lot on her own, but it wasn’t something she expected a person hailing from this world to ask this soon.

“…At first glance,” she began, considering her words. “It would be more reasonable for the game to have been designed in the fashion of this world.”

“You think so?”

She stared at Arlene. “You do not?”

“I’m not sure,” the woman said.

“…Do you have a reason to be hesitant about the answer?”

There were several things that stood out to Scarlett and made her uncertain, but she had the privilege of looking at things as an outsider.

“Perhaps not, no.” Arlene went quiet, gazing out at Freymeadow and its simple homes. “Or maybe I do. Who knows?”

Scarlett furrowed her brows. “…For me, there are several questions that experiencing this world has raised for me, which I do not know how to answer properly. Chiefly, perhaps, is the fact that Modern Imperial is the exact same language that is used where I am from, although we know it as English. Modern Imperial even shares many of the same idioms that I am familiar with. I am left perplexed at how that could have occurred if one did not directly supplant one onto the other. However, from what cursory research I have done on the topic, it appears as if Modern Imperial developed organically in this world, similar to how English did in my world.”

This earned her an interested look from Arlene. “The exact same language, you say? That does sound somewhat unlikely.” She seemed to consider it for a moment longer, then waved a hand through the air as if to postpone the question for another time. “This system you described, it’s what allowed you to advance so much with your pyrokinesis between yesterday and today, am I correct?”

“It is,” Scarlett confirmed.

The woman nodded to herself. “That at least explains some things. I have been trying to puzzle out how you reached your current level with how inexperienced you are, and the leap in power I saw today compared to yesterday should have been impossible. I had been thinking about whether you made a pact with a demon or something of the sort.”

“I know better than to trust demons in regards like these.”

“That’s good.” Arlene let out a small chuckle. “And the reason you sought me out was because you wanted to be taught by me. I can understand that much, at least. Did you know who I was because of this game then as well?”

“Yes.”

The small smile on the woman’s face vanished, and she looked straight at her. “And that was the only reason you wanted to find me in particular?”

Scarlett froze under that gaze. There was an intensity behind Arlene’s eyes that was new. This question was more loaded than it seemed, but she didn’t know exactly in what way. She stayed quiet for a short while, thinking about how to respond. There were several reasons she had chosen Arlene to teach her, and any one of those could probably function as an answer on its own. But what answer was it that the woman wanted?

Eventually, she lifted her hand and pointed behind Arlene. At the red-tinted wooden casket placed on a stool in front of the house wall.

[Locked Jewellery Casket]
{A woman’s jewellery casket. There appears to be no way of opening it}

“I am here for what is inside that.”

She had already gone this far anyway, so what was the point of holding back?

A brief look of surprise entered the woman’s face as she looked back at the casket. “Oh? I didn’t think the day would come where someone would show an interest in that useless old thing.”

“You might consider it useless, but I am in dire need of it,” Scarlett said.

Arlene’s mouth curved upwards in a sorry smile. “That is a shame. I can’t give it to you.”

Scarlett held herself back from clicking her tongue. That is about what she expected. In the game, there had only been one way of getting that box. Even if you tried to steal it, it wouldn’t open.

She turned away from the woman, looking back out at the village square. “I will simply have to convince you, then.”

Now, a soft laugh rang through the air beside her. “You do that.”

They sat there in silence for a while, uncertain emotions moving about inside Scarlett. Even more so than simply sharing her true identity with the woman, sharing her entire situation with her felt so strange that she felt this could be a dream. Especially considering how lightly Arlene seemed to be taking it all. But now that she had started this, she was planning on finishing it.

“I will admit, I am surprised you chose to share all this,” Arlene said after a while. “It takes courage to tell a relative stranger something of this nature.”

Scarlett glanced at her. “What I find more surprising is how readily you appear to have accepted my words.”

“I am many things. Stubborn, unsociable, inclined to make bad choices.” The woman let out another short laugh, this one more self-deprecating than the previous ones. “But I have long since learned not to let my own perspective blind me to that of others. Even when they’re wrong, it doesn’t hurt to take them into consideration. And while you happen to sound like someone who should be wrong about most all things, your words ring true where it matters, and I won’t deny the reality in front of me. I am already far too familiar with the consequences of doing that for longer than one should.”

Scarlett observed her quietly for several seconds, her eyes running across the woman’s features. Finally, she let out a small sigh. “My reason for sharing this with you is simple.” She turned back to look at the empty village square. “In two days, you will no longer remember this conversation.”