TBATE x COTE | A Masterpiece (Rewrite)

"I must admit, I expected a rather different reaction—though, in hindsight, I should have accounted for your evident lack of outward expression," the dark, monstrous figure mused in a calm manner. 

"I can pretend, if you'd prefer me to look afraid." Julian answered, unmoving, the blood loss and the still-wedged arrow in his back causing his voice to crack. 

The figure let out a mirthful chortle. "I assumed that seeing someone like me would evoke a reaction more... befitting a child's horror—something far less composed."

Julian slightly shifted. "Well, a dying child with an arrow taller than himself lodged near his spine would have far greater concerns than the appearance of a disfigured woman."

"Oh dear, are you implying that I'm unsightly?"

"My perspective might shift, if you heal me."

The black monster's crimson eyes flickered as it rested its chin on its armored knuckles. "What makes you believe I possess such a capability? I am nothing more than a chained beast myself. Or, at least, that's what I tell myself to feel better about this mess."

Julian's sapphire eyes squinted as his vision doubled once again. "You wouldn't have summoned me here—or, at the very least, saved me from the fatal fall—if your sole intention was to avoid interaction. I'm quite certain you cannot hold a conversation with a corpse."

The monstrosity rose up and walked towards Julian. Crouching down, it calmly removed the arrow wedged into Julian's back as he bit on his lower lip. 

'This body's response to pain is far more violent than the sensation itself... it hardly hurts at all.'

Julian thought as the thing applied something to his back and the subtle burning sensation subsided almost immediately, and the paralysis that plagued and pinned Julian in one place washed away like the last remnants of a wave pulling back from the shore.

Letting out a not-so controlled groan, Julian sat up painfully and rubbed his neck. His back still hurt, and he had to adjust the angle at which he sat to partially mitigate the pain stemming from his tailbone. 

The creature looked at it with curious eyes. 

"Aaaa." Julian forced out a scream, its effort far too weak to make any impression, barely reaching the creature's ears.

Once again, the creature let out a jocund giggle. "You do not have to act as your current life self in front of me...?" The creature paused, raising a brow at him as if asking his name. 

"You can call me by the name you are familiar with." 

"Some things are better left in the past, where they truly belong," it remarked, sitting beside Julian, crossing its legs, and resting a hand casually on its knee.

Julian straightened as well. 

There were a lot of questions in his mind, but it was better to not rush them. 

The disparity in power is less tangible to those who are at a lower core stage as they cannot sense mana as their higher core stage peers. However, the case of someone who was born with an extreme—uncomfortable even—degree of sensitivity to mana, it was quite easy for Julian to conclude how he was totally powerless in front of her. 

No amount of mind games could save him here, should the creature decided to kill him. 

'It is uncomfortable, not being in charge of the situation. But I decided this route. I should be held accountable for whatever the outcome is.' 

The creature leaned a little closer. "So, how about we start with names?" 

Julian tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Julian. Julian Leywin."

"I am Sylvia." 

"Ok." 

They both fell into a moment of silence. 

Julian was too on-guard to let the conversation continue, and Sylvia could guess from how tense his whole body was. Despite being composed in every situation, his little body could not help but feel 'fear' on an instinctual level—despite it not stemming from Julian. 

After a while of silence, the figure spoke first. 

"It is going to take to a while for me to open a dimensional rift that will transport you to your house, so until then, just be patient and wait here. There are special roots that grow here. You will be able to live off those until I finish," it sighed and looked into his curious gaze. "Is there something you want to ask?" 

"Yes." 

"Go on." 

"Why did you save me?"

"Who would have bothered saving a child as cherubic and adorable and..." she paused, like finding the right words, "...innocent as you?" 

Julian kept looking at her with a dry-eyed look. 

"Am I that bad at lying?" 

"Yes." 

Sylvia sighed but a contended smile appeared on her face. "Well, yes, there are personal motives to why I want you here." She stood up and walked towards the nearest flower. Bending down, she plucked it and grounded it between her giant fingers. "But the primary one would be..." her features hung, and for the first time, a rather sullen look appeared on her evil features, making her look even more eerie. "...company." 

She walked over to Julian and directed her hand towards him. Julian stuck both his hands out, palms up. He looked into her crimson eyes which were hung low. "Are you dying?" 

Her eyes shot wide open as the powdered petals of flowers slipped into his cupped hands like quicksand. 

"You could tell?" 

"Humans require company more often when they are nearing their expiration date." He then looked at Sylvia from horn to toe. "Since I am only familiar with humans, I assumed the same would apply to you, given you act like them, uncannily so." 

"Some of my kin would take real offence to that comment, child." She replied with a dolorous chuckle before letting out a tired sigh. "But to answer your question, yes, I am 'expiring,' in your words." 

"What use am I to a dying...thing?" 

Sylvia went to his left and stooped down once again, picking up some fruit. "Do you believe in destiny? Fate?" 

"I do." Julian answered, looking down at his chubby hands. 

"Did you always?" 

"Not necessarily in the conventional fate." 

"Oh? Amuse me." She handed Julian the fruit as well. "Rub the powder on your wound and eat the fruit. It has a lot of nutrients that will help with your body recovering."

Julian took the fruit and did as she told him. He could tell from the way her aura was—she was not lying. 

After applying the powdered substance on his back—painfully, since his short stubby arms could barely reach fully back—he took a bite out of the fruit and let out a contended sigh. 

"People believe fate to be a set chain of events, bound to happen no matter what they do. It cannot be altered, tampered with, or changed by prostrating in front of a make-believe figure of faith. Until recently I have believed that fate is what people refer to as their bad decisions." 

"But?"

"..."

"Has your rebirth changed your perspective on that matter?" 

"Perhaps. Not entirely. I still believe you can be in full control of your fate." Julian lowered his head and took another bite from the fruit. 

Sylvia smiled. "Fate does in fact exist, although, I would understand why you hold that belief of you being in control of your fate so uncompromisingly." She slowly walked towards her throne. "Your upbringing, it's tragic, in a sense. But it made you who you are. And I assume you are not unsatisfied with how it turned out."

"..." Julian stayed silent, memories flooding his mind. 

"But alas, the childish fantasy that we have any real control over our fate is nothing more than willful ignorance—an attempt to look away from the inevitable."

Julian's lips parted, ready to interject but was silenced as Sylvia spoke again. 

"Yes, from your perspective, it is logical—efficient, even. But having been raised as an experiment, confined within a controlled environment, you have barely grazed the surface of true reality. The world, the sky, those beyond it, even the nature of your own existence—these remain unknown to you. Your way of thinking is precise in its own isolated frame but flawed when placed within the grander scheme of things."

She turned around as Julian stopped eating and looked up at her. Mana was gathering inside his core. 

"Fate plays an important role in everything. Fate is flawed, but it is inevitable." 

"Then is there a use in changing what is inevitable?" Julian mused and then his eyes glowed with a sudden light. "...that is why I am here? You brought me here, in this world." 

"There have been countless times when this world has faced ruin. Although, I would say, I did not bring you here. Your presence here, in this moment—is one of the countless threads of fate that are ready to be severed by the hands of Fate itself." She spoke and her breath hitched. "Fate dictates that your brother—Arthur Leywin—should've been here, instead of you. Now, did I defy Fate, or was this the real Fate that I would try to defy it and do exactly what it had intended?" 

"I would say you are senile." 

"At least you have a sense of humor, be as wry it is." 

Sylvia took in a deep breath. "This is the only time when I have regained the vision of my other self. You are to not take the place of your brother." She said and directed her palm up. "Fate dictates that Arthur Leywin is present here, in this current moment, not Julian Leywin." 

Purple motes started to gather in her palms. "So, I will make it right." 

Julian's eyes widened as he felt the world has been pulled from underneath his bum. "Arthur Leywin shall arrive here, and you will write your own fate." 

Julian fell inside the small portal underneath him as the fruit in his hand was thrown away. 

"If you really do believe that you can write your own fate, then show me. And if you cannot, then, I have done as fate had intended, once again." Her sharp crimson eyes narrowed with grief as flowing white hair spilled from her head and her gray skin started to glow into a cream-colored complexion. 

"I will, although, grant you one thing that none of the previous versions of me did." 

Sylvia mumbled as her entire body shone with a blinding light. 

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Author's Note: 

Okayyy, so what the FUCK just happened? LMAO. 

This is "kind of" a draft, which I wrote to do something unique. Honestly, I might just scrape the chapter and rewrite it, but I feel like I am cooking something devious. 

Anyway, let me know your thoughts—don't hold back, roast the hell out of me if this gave you a splitting migraine (mission accomplished if it did)