The Green Valley Tarnished

Part 2: Every Nightmare Has an End

I would have added "Prologue" to the title, but it got a little too long. Also, I just feel like this song encapsulates parts 1&2 perfectly.

1 reset...

Izuku wakes up to find himself and Linkle inside the room they started in. "Do you know what happened?" The girl shakes her head.

Immediately, the gears in Izuku's brain start turning and he begins to make sense of what's going on. Either someone abducted them to claim the title of Elden Lord for themself or the pair has somehow gone back in time. Oddly enough, the latter option is more plausible. Why would they still be alive otherwise?

To ensure that this theory is correct, Izuku checks the corpse in the room. It's there, the Tarnished Wayfinder. That is a lot of proof considering they still have one in their inventory. Though this might be a blessing in disguise. They failed a lot of people last time.

This time, they'll do better.

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2 resets...

They still failed. So many people died because they can't make the right decisions. Maybe they should try one at a time for now...

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2 resets...

"Oh my stars. I am happy to see you. Would you help me out of this?" Izuku yoinks the big jar out of the ground. "Well, that was unexpected. Many thanks, Friend. I am Alexander. Iron Fist Alexander to be exact. I'm heading to Red Mane Fort, beyond the Scarlet Rot."

Izuku smiles at the subtle change in dialogue. Even subtle changes prove that the timeline is not absolute. "I know. You are more renowned than you think." He pulls out the Friendly Pot talisman he got from Potbaron the last playthrough.

"Ah, this is my nephew's craft." Alexander looks upon the talisman with both nostalgia and sorrow. Then, he notices something. But, it looks like he never told you how to complete it! Ha ha ha! No surprise given how young he is."

Izuku and Linkle are both much more interested as Alexander continues. "You see, in order for the jar to be fully completed, it must have a shard of a still living jar and the blood of the one carrying it. Our ancestors made it this way so the poachers would never use it against us. This one already has a shard of Jarbaron."

Surprised by the sudden info dump, Izuku takes out a pot that was given to him by Alexander himself. "What about this?"

Alexander looks in shock and takes the jar with trembling hands. "This is... My craft. I swore I would only make one of these if I ever found a warrior I wanted to adventure beside... Or if I knew my end was near and I truly trusted someone to care..."

Izuku is a little scared of the answer now. Though Linkle seems to have caught on and snickers.

"This is... impossible! The me who crafted this... Countless warriors... Even a demigod... Reforged in lava... I see... You traveled back in time. And you took this with you. But I didn't make it. Still, it is comforting to know that the me of that time lived and died as a warrior."

A wave of sorrow washes over the trio before a boisterous laugh erupts from Alexander. "I never thought I'd tell anyone about the pots and the kettles but here we are! This my dear friend is a fetus jar." Linkle suspected it, but Izuku blue screens at the information.

"You see, while we living jars do have genders, it's only on a mental level. Any jar can reproduce with any other jar. However, unlike most races, we are not limited to our fellow jars. Perhaps when I am stronger... the three of us can make a little jar of our own." Linkle blushes, not expecting to be included. Izuku is already a strawberry at this point.