8 Unavoidable 'Fate' Time

Fidemis Calander: Modern Era: Wixday, Abram: 15, F. 1498

That was the end of Ashe Daemon's tutorial battle scene and recollection prologue.

Originally, due to the raw emotions evoked during the scene, Ashe Daemon's character story was filled with intrigue which brought many players to choose him at first.

However, as Ashe's story continues to update, plus the difficulty with Ashe's battle mechanics after the tutorial, even the intrigued filled prologue became a target for accusations of inappropriate content.

However, that is neither here nor there at this point.

What's important now is the realization that the beginning of the prologue can happen any minute now.

Through the lens that is Ashe, I had observed the every action of Aileen in hopes of getting a clue on Aileen's current state.

However, my efforts have yet to bear fruit.

As if concerned about Ashe watching her taking her medication every day, I was unable to ever catch Aileen take her medication since I can only share Ashe's vision,

[This is troubling….]

Unable to catch Aileen taking her medication, I will not be able to estimate her current dosage now.

At this rate, I won't be able to judge when it is most likely for her to develop that fatal seizure other than through Ashe's age.

As I continued to worry about how I will be able to find out Aileen's current dosage, an unpleasant thought passed through my mind.

'What about finding out Aileen's current dose, it is not like I am capable of doing anything about it.'

Yes. I had realized the most important factor to which I continued to ignore as it can only fill me with despair.

Regardless of what I do, I am unable to communicate or affect Ashe in any way.

Even when I try sending my thoughts and memories through the 'Soul Link' that we have like how his memories and thoughts does to me, Ashe doesn't show any signs of noticing.

The thought brought by the 'Soul Link' between us reveals as much.

I tried and tried. And I tried some more.

But no matter what I do there is no sign of breakthrough anywhere.

If it continues like this I will be unable to do anything even when the time comes.

[….is there really nothing I can do? If it is like this, was there any meaning in my reincarnation at all?]

.

.

.

"Mom! Mom!"

"Yes? What is it, sweetheart?"

"I'm hungry! Can you make something please?"

"Good child, you remembered to say please when asking something. You make mom proud! Okay, as a reward I will make you favorite fried fish."

"Yaay!! Mom, I love you!"

….this is great. Such a wholesome family situation. As expected of Ashe, learning to be polite!

With a self-satisfied look (or so it seems, I still don't have a face), I was as proud as a prized rooster while observing this wholesome scene through the screen.

While the threat of the disease continues to loom in the background, I know it would do me no good to continue to worry while I am unable to do anything.

Thus I decided that I will continue my Ashe and Aileen observation and archiving activity as I had done before.

If I continue this activity, I could as well get some kind of clue on what I can possibly do when the time comes.

Eh? You are saying, 'Even though you are explaining your actions as if you had a grand plan to help them, it is just an excuse for your….questionable activities', is that right?

*Scoff*. What are you saying? Have no idea what you are talking about!

….

Ahem!

Anyways, while continuing my 'noble' duties, I was finally getting a clue on Aileen's current situation.

It can be said that my information gathering abilities hinge upon my unwitted partner-in-crime Ashe.

If Ashe doesn't turn to look a certain way, I would be unable to notice the clues no matter how hard I start combing his memories.

It just so happens that Ashe, who was bored, got curious about his mother's workspace.

With his tiny little body, he had climbed his mother's chair to take a look at what his mother was working on.

Even though Aileen had noticed quickly and took him off her work desk immediately, I only needed for Ashe to look at the tabletop for an instance.

When I looked into Ashe's memories, I knew that I got a jackpot.

Within Ashe's memories, I saw 5 small glass flask filled with a mystery green liquid.

When I noticed the glass, I knew it was the medicine that Aileen needed for her 'disease'.

And she already requires up to 5 doses a month.

As to why I know that each flask contains only one dose of medication and why I do not think there can be more or fewer doses is a result of reading Aileen Daemon's bio made public.

Kami Productions as a company not only deals with fine tuning and running VDS but also sells various types of related products and merchandise, ranging from small trinkets to even large furniture pieces.

An anthology of all the important character's bios within VDS is of course one of the products.

I, myself, used to own 4 copies as they kept updating each year.

Within those anthologies, the was an excerpt related to the creation of Blackthorn Rose medicine and it's consumer, Aileen Daemon.

The Blackthorn Rose medicine is a recipe with an ancient origin that has since disappeared in the annals of time…until it was rediscovered coincidentally.

A group of archeologists at a time 50 years before the prologue, who were exploring ruins dating back to Omnias Era, had discovered a metal plank containing ancient Omnias Era script.

Scholars focusing upon the Omnias Era decoded the text which turned out to be the recipe for the Blackthorn Rose medicine.

Unfortunately, the official name of the medicine could not be decoded as the script was too eroded.

When the discovery of the recipe was first reported, the response towards it had been very mixed.

While it was could be said to be a discovery of the century, the included description of the limited use of the drug made the value of it drop sharply.

If the drug was to be used for any other reason other than intended, the consumer could possibly experience death as the Blackthorn Rose is in fact a highly poisonous plant. It is said, if an unaware person were to be slightly pricked with the thorn of the Blackthorn Rose, they would experience immediate paralysis that would shortly lead to death by suffocation.

While the worth of the discovery had become extremely low, it had not stopped scientists from trying to recreate the medicine in hopes of discovering something new.

This was when they had discovered a fatal flaw with the creation of the medicine.

While it is true production cost would exceed demand do to the difficulty in getting the Blackthorn Rose, it does not measure up to what the scientist discovered accidentally after the drug's creation.

The drug itself was extremely volatile.

If the air from which the drug is created or stored in is not saturated with enough Aether, a mysterious energy which covers almost every inch of the world, the drug would sublimate and turn into poisonous gas.

Not only that, regardless of the amount of Aether saturation in the air, but the drug will also eventually sublime within a few days of creation thus storage for a long time is impossible.

It is this fact that made Aileen choose to make the drug herself and in low quantities.

The environment of Merez Forest would be perfect for the creation of the drug.

While the fact that the drug would sublime eventually forces Aileen to create only the amount that she needs at a time every month.

And thus if she only made 5 doses, she only needs to make that much and the effects of the previous drug are ending soon.

I furrowed my (imaginary) brows.

D-day is coming soon.

I still am unable to show any signs of communicating with Ashe.

There is no time.

"Ashe! Make sure to wash your hands before you eat."

"I know, Mom!"

The family of two continuing their daily routine, unaware of my troubles.

I let out a deep sigh.

[….let's just keep trying.]

That is the only thing I can do.

Please for the love of…whatever this world's god is let Ashe hear my voice.

Unfortunately, it seems that my voice was not able to reach any gods.

I heard a loud thud coming from the screen.

In shock, I turned quickly and immediately knew what had happened.

"Nnnnnnn...arrrgh…..*grits teeth*…not…now!"

"…mom? MOM!?!"

I sucked air through my teeth in despair.

It is finally happening.

In the middle of carrying her cooking to the dining table, Aileen had experience one of her worse seizures, dropping the plates which shattered on the ground.

Surprised, Ashe yelled out in fear and worry for his mother.

After curling up in pain for a few moments, with great will power, Aileen got up slowly and walked step by step towards her workspace.

Once she arrived, she instantly started ingesting her already prepared medication down her throat.

Aileen paused, with her hand still over her mouth after swallowing the medicine.

The next moment, Aileen once again curled on the ground holding her body in pain.

"MOM! What's wrong?!? Does your tummy hurt?!"

"Nnnnn….it's….okay….Ashe….Mom just….has to rest….for a little…while…nggh!"

In order to not worry Ashe, Aileen forced herself to make a smile which instantly turned into a frown in the next second.

Seeing this scene, I turn my conscious away from the screen. I could not look at this any longer.

In essence, I have seen this scene three times in my life.

The first time was when I chose Ashe Daemon during the Closed Beta days.

When VDS received it's big update into the Open Beta version, I went through the agony of watching the scene again since I kept Ashe as my character. That was the second time.

The third time is now, me seeing this scene with my very own eyes(?). The scene rawer than any of the other previous times.

Because I thought it was a game at first, during the first two times, while I had pitied Ashe, I never truly shared his emotions.

Now, since I had basically lived with them for 5 years, the raw emotion I feel now could not compare to those emotions I felt in the past.

The emotions are further multiplied as I also felt the worry and impatience from Ashe through the 'Soul Link'.

Those emotions continue to grow. The amount of negative emotions coming through the connection is not something a young 5-year-old should have.

The negative emotions appear as a wave, washing over my consciousness, passing over me.

Then, as if in reaction towards the negative emotion, 'something' slowly began to pulse behind me.

Shocked, I turned around.

In all these years I was within the mind world of Ashe, I never felt this 'presence' before.

But I know what this 'presence' is.

Ever since I noticed I was inside Ashe, I had continued to look for this 'presence' without success, until now.

It was this 'presence' that first caused Aileen to contract the 'disease'.

It was this 'presence' that first caused Ashe to obtain power in order to kill off the wolves.

It was this 'presence' that first caused Ashe to be too slow in waking up to give Aileen the flower in time.

And it was this 'presence' that continued to haunt and curse Ashe Daemon throughout the game of VDS.

Within the dark space that is Ashe's mind world, pulses a black 'something' that seemed even darker than black yet glows an ominous purple.

Filled with trepidation, I start to mouth the name of one of worse and most powerful existences within the game.

[Demon Lord: Xoketh]