Humming the witch turns
Back to the steaming cauldron,
Stirring and swirling.
"Pardon?" I asked, cocking my head. "I don't believe I heard you correctly."
"I can't give you Hero status, Kyousuke," Shigeki repeated, as monotone as her voice would allow.
"What? Then what the hell was up with that offer yesterday?" I shouted, throwing my hands up, while shaking my head. "Of all the... were you just screwing with me?"
It had taken some time for me to come to a decision. I'd balked at Shigeki's outrageous suggestion in the park last night, since it was a suggestion that just came so far out of left field – yet in the end seemed very reasonable. After all, there was no easy way for me to get to the Controller with it apparently hunting after me. So why not join the game, use it to get my powers back from the Controller, and then turn around and end it with a flourish? Too much time had been wasted so frivolously.
I knew too well the vast extent of the powers I had lost. And even I had no idea how I'd lost the power in the first place, nor how I'd be able to get it back.
I wasn't (at the time at least) foolish enough to believe I could simply become a hero and go rampaging around town like some idiot, trolling for the Controller. So that meant I had to look the part of a hero somewhat. I mean, look at Shigeki. Even though she seemed to be the last person one would expect to be a hero, she was still considered one. So maybe I could afford to slack on these so-called "duties", but it would definitely take time away from the Little Busters.
Yes, I could never abandon my duty to them in this world. But if participating in this farce would lead me to the restoration of our world, then so be it. I would never abandon my mission for any lesser end.
I thus called up Shigeki, agreeing to her offer. I would become a hero. I'd work for the emotionless girl until I won the grand prize.
But apparently, Shigeki didn't have the capability to turn me into a hero, as she'd led me to believe. I'd come to her secret base, her lair of an apartment in a city two train stations from ours. It was actually quainter than I'd imagined. There was only one room, with a curtained window on the wall opposite the door and the cooking area immediately to the left when one entered. A bed was rolled up shabbily to the side near the kotatsu where foodstuffs peeked out of boxes. Shigeki's gray-masked visage sat in the midst of it all.
This is the home of the leader of the Wonders? I thought. This looks like the home of a shut-in. Fortunately I was spared one more moment of speculating on the lifestyle of Shigeki's real identity when the meagre light inside the room was swallowed up by a blotch of darkness near me.
Fearless then appeared, carrying, of all things, a tray of tea. She placed it on the table surface as Shigeki gestured for me to sit.
I reaffirmed my agreement to become a hero, and was then slapped by her surprise declaration.
"Please restrain those emotions. It is, as they say, the mark of the undisciplined," she said, bundling up the black cape around her. It made her, and Fearless, look like charcoal carvings. "You're not letting me finish."
"Go on, then!" I demanded, throwing my hands in the air. My emotions be damned. I glanced at Fearless, who was ever the inanimate statue. Fearless be damned too. The blood soared high in my head. Damn.
"I'm sorry," I gritted out, controlling the trembling in my hands. I don't know why I did it, but I really felt like apologizing. It was not very Kyousuke-like to lose control. I sat back down. "It's just..." I sighed. "What do you mean then?"
Making no acknowledgement of my apology, she continued, "Quick cannot make heroes out of people. I don't think anyone, aside from the Master, has the capability to grant miracles."
"Please get to the point." Although it was very much disconcerting to realize someone was using my former position to create something of such scale as the Immortal.
"Did you not research that part about us?" She raised her index finger. "From where did the Hero Wanderers get their powers?"
"I admit I didn't look that far." I did skim through some parts of the story background for a few heroes, like the Immortal or the Galaxy Busters (since I had seen them firsthand) but that was the extent. It all seemed interesting, but I didn't want to look any deeper than I could. How would knowing them all be important? I thought. "But I know some. Immortal was... some sort of alien?" In a way, they all were.
"Getting right to the point as you said: what about me?" she asked. I snorted, as I'd just now remembered I had looked up Fearless and her dispassionate master first.
"Assuming it's all true," I began. "You discovered a rare power while in middle school. It allowed you to stimulate the reality of people, objects, events with your mind. People became smarter in tests, a drained wind-up toy was resurrected, the school bell seemed to jump a few minutes forward in time." I looked at Fearless again. "Then you met a homeless girl, who could never get close to other people because of her power. She seemed to have a power opposite yours – yet she could only do it to herself and she'd also had it longer than you. She induced entropy on herself, causing her body and anything she touches to wilt. She had become a mere shadow-"
Shigeki cleared her throat. "Are you really going to recite everything from the Wanderer bios? I have heard say it is bad luck to hear one's epitaph while alive..."
"...No. And I get what you're trying to say: it's all made up. You've only gotten those powers just recently, and you can't be sure if even that was actually true." I wonder if she had memories of those made-up events as well, but it seemed irrelevant. "What does this have to do with me?"
"Know then, that the scenario cannot call for any of us making a hero out of you. I am powerless in that sense. Only you can find the hero inside yourself, as they say, which you can start doing by taking the curtain behind me and tying it around your neck." Are you trying to make a joke? She cocked her head, making a few strands of hair fall from her shoulders. "....Unless you've got some hidden power somewhere that's not related to your powers of the world...?"
I frowned at her. "So how do I 'become hero' then?"
"There is something common about all the Hero Wanderer origins which you admit to have missed. According to my story, I – Quick – got this power quite unexpectedly with no explainable source, at least until you look again at my origin. Someone allegedly interviewed me, gleaning the information that as a child, I had always wanted to make things faster: myself, my bike, my crush on a senpai from the track team. My power was then molded from that desire."
"Inspiring, but that doesn't prove-"
"But that very same background is repeated, ad nauseam, among all the Wanderers' backgrounds, if you'd cared to read." She rose and pointed at her silent watcher. In her other hand was a stack of papers. "Fearless hated others. She withdrew into herself, the desire causing her to harm those who got too close." She slammed the stack on the table. The neat pile broke, becoming a neat mess. One by one, she leafed through the sheets, showing some to me.
"Da Outlaw, whose inner conviction was so strong, he could form a weapon or find physical strength from his very ideals. A-KUMA, who desired to be respected instead of being hated for her inhuman strength, by chance came upon a fallen meteor containing her iconic Ursin armor, which is now a beloved mascot. You're free to confirm them all. Does that make them true? Perhaps not. But the similarities are too widespread to be mere coincidences. Each of us, Kyousuke, became Wanderers quite by accident, but it is not like we were dealt cards we couldn't work with. It all seemed...too intentional to dismiss as coincidence.
"From here I put forward the hypothesis that, as this is the world as the Controller saw it, some invisible rule may have been put in place that would reflect his or her 'vision'. It may well be that in this strange world, what one was shapes the Hero one will become.
"And that is what we- [i]you[/] shall attempt. You will find the hero within yourself. You will draw the power out from the Self that makes your existence unique, shaping it into something with definite substance. And by the rules of this world, it may be granted to you." And, having finished that long speech, Shigeki crossed her arms and stared at me.
I wrung my hands. "But that seems kind of cliche don't you think? I mean, it's something I'd expect out from a comic. Young person, a young desire, a sudden power. But there's no way such a bizarre, unnatural method should exist! Even-" Then I caught myself. I felt a little stupid. How the hell could I forget? This world was built to be strange, even magical. Logic had no need to apply. This was the realm of the "somewhat unreasonable". It was I who'd decided that it be so in the first place. My preserved memories, the Controller's wanton use of the Immortal-- the mere presence of this emotionless person in front of me was proof that the world was as it was intended to be.
"Is it a surefire method then?" I murmured. I let me fault myself for missing that point. Because I had a right to be skeptic. Surely the Master would not allow such a thing to happen.
"Truthfully, no. But it's the only lead I have. It's your only hope. And sometimes the single sliver is enough for most." She held out her gloved hand, palm up. "You agreed to become Hero. Will you see that through?"
I squared my shoulders. I had a lot to lose with no chances of winning. I had to do something. "My answer hasn't changed." Shigeki betrayed no reaction that I could see. Then came movement from the corner of my eye. I stiffened, looking at Fearless, who had fidgeted. What did that mean?
"Good. Now we shall go and meet a subordinate of mine. Another hero who shall perhaps aid you in finding the power within yourself."
This again. I forgot I was still technically back at square one. May or may not become hero. May or may not return to normal. I wonder how many more times this girl would force me to backtrack like so. "What do you mean?"
She had the nerve to point directly at me. "Can you honestly think, right this very moment, of the kind of hero you'd be? Remember, you do not have much time. Even now you are in danger from the Immortal or any other Wanderers the Controller might set upon you. Even I may become your enemy. Though we do not know the Controller's intentions, it would be prudent not to squander this small moment of inaction on its part. We must act."
I thought about it. Yes, it was really too sudden. Ask any random person invited from the street to a room reminiscent of a job interview, sit him down, give him some tea, look him in the eye, put him at his ease and ask him frankly, if we could give you superhero powers, what do you think they would be? The person wouldn't be able to answer immediately. I mean, yeah it's right up there with finding a lamp and being given three wishes. Can I get back to you on that? Eh? What do you mean there's a time limit!? That is such a scam!
I framed my frown with the palm of my hand.
For some reason, the image of Kyousuke as hero didn't come easily. It should have, since this was something just up my alley. Oh, it was easy enough to visualize my being a "hero", but the actual image was indistinct, a blurry amalgamation of every single superhero I'd read about.
I mean, I would love to be a hero who can do everything. Invincible and powerful. Good, wise, omniscient. But I know the Master wouldn't possibly allow that – Immortal notwithstanding. Even moreso, according to the rules, I couldn't even become that since I wasn't "that kind of person". I was just your average, fun-loving guy. I didn't have the delusion of lording it over people.
I did what I did because only I could do it, and it was as vital I do so like the turning of the world.
"You're taking your time, as expected." I sluggishly returned to awareness to see a nondescript mask being held out to me on Shigeki's hand. "Keep at it then. To aid you, I shall you consult with my subordinate."
"What's this for?" I indicated the mask.
"Oh. Yes. I don't know if it will apply to you, but there's a rule in this game which all 'players' have to follow." Rules? "'No one must ever find out your secret identity'. Do you understand that concept?" Of course. It was very much a part of being a "superhero" in fiction.
I nodded. "But what did this have to do with-"
Shigeki continued, overriding me, "We each know that unspoken rule: if someone knows your secret identity, you're out of the game. I've never seen it happen to any Wanderer yet, but they say it helps to be cautious all the same." I wonder how many other rules there were. The most interesting rules were the unspoken ones.
I stirred, a thought occuring to me. "Hold on, you know me. How will that be any different? Doesn't that mean I lost before it began?"
"Weren't you supposed to have been eliminated yesterday?" Shigeki seemed to hesitate before saying more. "And I shall be frank: I do not know how it will be when you acquire the mantle of a Wanderer. Perhaps I may forget your true identity, perhaps not. Only remember that prime rule. I ask that you wear that mask now, as you shall at least need to hide your identity from the other Wanderers." I did as she ordered, attaching the mask to my face. The eyeholes were shaped in such a way that vision was relatively unchanged.
I felt a slight pang of danger. Fearless was suddenly beside me, holding a cellphone in her grip. Shigeki accepted it. The mere presence of her servant still sent the occasional chills up my spine.
"Please remember Kyousuke, I'm the only one aware of 'you'. It is up to you how you'll interact with all the other Players: starting with the Wicked Witch."
"Why am I-" I started to ask and stopped, as she had already dialled in. I recognized the name, but not the hero.
"It's me," Shigeki spoke. "Are you free?" I heard a voice reply, as she apparently had no idea to shut off the speaker option.
"... As relatively free as one could ever be on a quiet morning like this." The voice sounded distracted and torpid. There was the sound of what I think was a yawn. "Was there something you wanted, my Lady?"
"Please open a teleportation gate to safehouse three. There is a 'man of interest' who might need your expertise."
"Is he a hero?"
Shigeki glanced at me. "In a manner of speaking."
"Very well. Opening gate."
"My thanks. We shall be there shortly." At her words, a swirl of darkness erupted from the wall, billowing upward to reveal an opening that was right about my height. Beyond it, I could see nothing.
Nothing at all.
Fearless stepped towards the opening, disappearing into it in a way that seemed so natural.
"Uh..."
"Don't worry. It's perfectly safe – as safe as getting on the fastest express of the world." That doesn't reassure me at all.
"What is this?"
Shigeki turned around, her body language really giving me no clear impression. She then did a wiggle with her leg, fidgeted left, then right, moved her arms in an upward arc, then put her fingers together to form a heart. She then did a weak, unconvincing pose, holding her hand out to me.
"Magic~" The mock emotion was worse than the lack thereof.
"That wasn't what I was really asking." What the heck was that?
"...Just walk in. It'll be fine. I'll be walking with you. In fact, Fearless already went in." I'm betting it's more because she's keeping true to her name. Also, why are you using yourselves to reassure me? I still don't trust you. "What have you got to fear? Scared? Witless? Have you a coward's heart?"
That sent my eyebrows puckering. I crossed my arms. "You've stepped over the line. Only a few people are allowed to call me a coward... Fine!" I strode forward, with no hesitation, into the opening.
It was not entirely unlike suddenly walking into a darkened movie theater. Except in this case, all of my five senses seemed to have been shorted out in a brief, panicky moment, before they returned - confused, hazy. Predictably, all that my eyes could "see" was an endless black, as if I were staring into my eyelids.
Then another color flared: dim, gray. It flowed from behind me and on under my feet, extending some distance outward until I was standing on a strip of gray land. The measured sound of footsteps presaged Shigeki's appearance, and her costume made it seem like all she was was a floating, disembodied gray mask.
"What is this place?" It all seemed so unnatural, alien. This was unexpectedly new to me, as the former controller of the world.
"Are you familiar with teleportation?"
I've done my fair share, though I didn't say that out loud. After I nodded briskly, Shigeki continued. "Well, to put it simply, the one we'll be visiting, the Wicked Witch, has the power to create passageways through space. A sort of closed dimension in of itself, though I can say it is more like she dug a tunnel between two places. We're essentially walking that narrow space, following the pathway that leads to the exit on Witch's end." Shigeki pointed forward and started walking.
"Hold on. How the heck is this 'teleporting' then? It's like we're just walking on a very long road!" Shigeki looked back.
"But in the outside world it will seem as if we've only been gone a second. Witch will have just opened the gate for about a second before we'd have arrived at her place. Instantaneously. You could say this method of transportation is only possible if she, Fearless and I combine our powers. She opens the way, but the two of us are responsible for keeping you safe while inside." She gestured about the darkness. "It is too easy to get lost. You can see how this is much like teleportation."
I certainly don't see it that way. This is all so unnecessarily convoluted. I don't know exactly how it worked, but my own powers were much more convenient than this.
I was almost certain it was being used by the new Master now.
I held back a cry of frustration. I had no idea what was going on anymore. If what Shigeki said was true, then it was as if time were super-compressed here. This bleak, gray walkway and the surrounding nothingness seemed to close in on me, causing me a tiny bit of claustrophobia. There was no other sound but our footsteps, there was sparse, undetectable air, and the gray floor felt wrong to my feet, surreal, like something you know is fleeting yet desperately hope that it endure, making me consider every sure step a miracle. I refused to even look behind me.
It seemed like a world within a world. A world that, were it not for the presence of my two companions - who were themselves an uninspiring sight - seemed very lonely.
I squinted, peering forward, past the shadowy figure of Fearless. The gray strip lay before us with no end seemingly in sight.
I didn't want to ask "Are we there yet?" because I know any answer would drive me mad. Instead, I opted to while away the time by asking, "Who is this one we'll be visiting?"
"Do you know of the Wicked Witch?" I remember seeing that name while scanning through a list of heroes, but only ever considered her as someone unimportant. She was, after all, pretty low on the list ordered according to fame, scraping the bottom of the barrel of heroism together with the leader of Wonder here and her ominous shadow. "She is a subordinate of mine, my primary advisor in a sense. I suppose one could say she is Wonder's second-in-command. She's not supposed to be in a combat role, with her powers geared more for support. But she's got many a scheme in that mind of hers, so she's very much invaluable to Wonder. She was instrumental in many 'victories' attributed to the group. That fictional attack on the nuclear plant you read was supposed to have been her idea."
"For some reason, your description isn't matching my image of a hero."
"... Is that so?" Shigeki paused. There was a brief moment when she seemed to be mulling something over. "I would caution against forming judgements of her just yet. You haven't even met her."
"I'll try to keep that in mind." Though it isn't as if what I have in my mind isn't that unrealistic considering she was with Shigeki, who herself didn't seem like a hero too.
I had in mind some dangerous individual, wielding power that was more villainous than heroic. Heck, it even skirted my former powers. Teleportation was one I did unconsciously, though with less deliberation and being less tortuous.
Her very name didn't discourage that thought, and I was filled with some measure of wariness as we walked.
Shigeki turned her face towards me. "Do you know, that was actually the first time I've talked to her, ever. Yet I feel like I know her as one of my closest friends. It's a strange thing, to realize this after the fact. It will also be the first time I'll be talking to her face-to-face, come to think of it." There was a hint of emotion there, but I was too tense to think on it more. Not after realizing this journey through the bowels of the world was also Shigeki's first time. I didn't want to even [i]think[i/] about that implication, let alone bring it up.
Eventually an opening appeared far in the distance, a faint dot of light and yet after a while it seemed like our every step couldn't take us closer to it. I thought my mind was going to go crazy from the incompatibility between what my eyes saw and what my body felt.
Finally, the light began its slow approach. I eagerly sped up. Suddenly, Shigeki thrust out a hand, stopping me in my tracks. "You must guard your thoughts," she said.
"What do you mean?"
"The Wicked Witch has many... unnatural powers. I cannot name them exactly. I am not privy to such information." She met my gaze. "I say this for the possibility that she might read your mind, if she were able to. That might bring disastrous consequences should it happen."
What happened to not judging her prematurely? She seemed like a genuine danger now. "...I get it. I'll take care." We walked on. Though I didn't exactly know how I'd be able to "guard my thoughts". It's like asking a dog to serve tea.
The opening seemed like a lantern of hope, steadily approaching us. I won't admit to being afraid, but I breathed a small sigh of relief when I reached the last few steps before the exit.
"We're here."
"Finally!" I cried. I almost overtook Shigeki in dashing straight for the light.