Fortuna Verto

59-Willing Seeker

With a new night quickly approaching, the two girls switched over to Aestus in order to complete their regular tasks there. However, as Lyun sent them off, their shift was suddenly intercepted.

The two looked around, recognizing the temporal plane again on sight. They were each immediately on alert, knowing their presence here would not be a welcomed one. However, even their reception into the temporal plane was met with unexpected silence. For being home to primitive chaos, the place was visibly devoid of a chaotic presence, they were notably the most chaotic aspect in their proximity. Wandering around as such, the two once again discovered the only friendly face they had ever found in this entire plane. The temporal lady, present once again. She seemed rather occupied, though they had no idea how this was exactly obvious. The two waited a while, unsure in the smartest course of action.

"Oh my, guests, once again. I'm sorry for not noticing you sooner, it doesn't make me the best of hosts I guess." "Well, at least our stay is welcome this time, you were quite quick in fleeing before." "I, well, yes. With everything going on, I must admit to not being at my best, it's terribly difficult to keep up. I'm not usually at my best at this time, but we need to consider how much work there has been to do, how exhausting everything has become. The chaos and I haven't exactly been getting along very well either, I'm expecting they have just been waiting for the right opportunity. Such was the greatest reason why I really did not want to get involved." "Why would the chaos hate you anyway?" "You mean beyond blaming me for what has been going on with you? Everything else, really. We've got absolutely different agendas. Even from the beginning, from the moment I arrived to where I am.. they've wanted me gone. This is their space, they've wanted me to supposedly understand that. I.. I've never agreed. I know they would not stop there, they would want more and more. Someone has to stop them, or they may one day reach mother..." The temporal lady seemed very stressed, a visibly mounting concern that the two girls could just tell existed.

"That sounds like a very familiar determination. I know of two people who could claim the role of daughter who have spoken with a very familiar sullen dread and responsibility." "That's nothing close to the same. Those are just people, I'm..." "You're.. what?" "Oh, I believe we've gone over this already, there is no point in questioning who someone is, not here. You don't even know which of you are which, right?" 「Wrong, there is one entity here who has no such sense of misdirection, and that would be the one before you. The one to your right is the creative one, who grasps the endless expanse of possibility granted in the imagination. The one to your left is the analytical one, who connects an infinite combination of societal variations into an endless fathom of opportunity. The one closest to the exit is waiting to call herself by the name Rosa, while the one still waiting at the entrance goes by Axln in her society. Beside Rosa stands Kori, and beside Axln stands Lyun. Between everyone remains you, the one who as of yet keeps finding excuses to avoid identifying themselves.」The two girls paused, glancing between each other as the temporal lady absolutely stopped stiff. Wait.. was that chaotic echo.. audible?

"I had not expected to be so directly addressed by one of the chaos like this." 「You are not, as there is no primitive chaos before you at all. True chaos is found in embracing the principled, not in rejecting it. You may be temporal, but you are certainly one of the principled as well. The same one who had stepped forward to offer the terms of the agreement in the first place, the one who had ensured that true chaos could be realized. As such, there is no reason why you should receive anything less than praise.」 "I can see why the chaos may have left me alone for a time, having driven so much spite. They would certainly hate you more than me, but that will only make their vengeance all the more intense. It won't be you that has to endure the full intensity of that vengeance, that will mostly be my burden." 「The creative one expresses concerns in your self-isolation, that you should never feel you need to bear such a burden alone. That one claims that true strength is found by being able to depend on others and their capabilities.」"It is very kind of you to think that way, but there is a sense of magnitude at play here. It will be my burden.. but I will be thankful for even the slightest help you will be able to provide. As I had told you before, if you could discover the solution that would deny chaos its foothold, I might be capable enough to salvage the rest for myself." The temporal lady seemed genuine in such a statement, even though she seemed so dreadfully weak. It was unfortunate that the two girls still had no answer to give her. Mheridz was correct, there was no distinguished benefit in knowing about the world's original history.. but they might instead have come up with an answer to something else as a result of that same research.