Chapter XVII: Oracle – You Are Going to Save the World

Rain had already started to fall in small droplets when Shogo and Alexandra's game finally ended. Drenched, the black-haired girl breathed heavily – inspecting the street in which they were, she couldn't help but find what happened incomprehensible.

That doll, Shogo, not only won every single round but dodged all of her surprise attacks. Be it wind blades or strikes, she avoided attacks that were normally supposed to be invisible to her with ease. For Alexandra, that was literally out of this world.

Aside from that, the doll was playing too accurately. Once she had the advantage, she systematically provoked a draw the following turn. It was as if she knew exactly what Alexandra would play in advantage. As if she could truly… see the future.

"I won. You have to do something for me."

Alexandra looked at the ground in silence. What was the best course of action to take now? When she used her 'Wolf's Breath' (temporary name) earlier, she activated it using the tattoos on her back. That was a form of bibliomancy rarely used in Ganymede. In fact, her mother asked her to never talk about it to anyone (though she did on some occasions).

The advantage of that method was that, with it, Alexandra didn't need to hold her grimoire or say anything to use her code. The disadvantage was that it seemed to consume more energy, and left her with painful articulations, headaches, and a fuzzy mind. Additionally, she was now hungry and shivering.

What options did she have? What would the doll order her to do?

No, this couldn't happen. She may have been exiled, but that was no reason to throw her pride out the window. The simple idea of having to obey a doll was outrageous for the commoners let alone for a bibliomancer moreover, if that bibliomancer was Alexandra B.B. Wolf.

Besides, she had a weird feeling ever since she met that doll. It was like those things, deja vu, but a constant one. It made her sick; she already had those flashes a few times in the past like everyone, but never so vividly and for such a long period.

Alexandra was almost sure of something – she knew that doll, Shogo. Those clothes, that voice, that speech pattern – all of this was familiar. She definitely met her before, but she had no memories associated with the event.

"Hey, have we met before?"

Without even realizing it, Alexandra had already asked the question that was on her mind. The more she thought about her, the more she found Shogo troubling, disturbing, and frightening.

Earlier, she felt so much hostility toward that doll that she instantly decided that she must kill her. But at the same time, she felt a strange attraction, a strong one.

Why was she feeling attracted to someone, no, something she just met? It was something different from what she felt about Lefresne Zazzera or even her mother.

It was weird. It annoyed her. She didn't know what was going on and that annoyed her further. Not understanding what was happening, she refused the obvious answer that came to her mind. Instead, she developed a deep hatred for Shogo.

In her mind, her confusion was Shogo's fault, and her fault only. She had already decided to make her disappear somehow. The question was only a manifestation of her inner turmoil.

She never killed anyone and never felt the need to do so, up until now. That single fact decided her to act this time. No matter the answer, she would kill Shogo afterward.

"No."

Shogo's answer was simple and concise. Just as Alexandra expected.

The girl was somehow relieved. If Shogo and her were strangers up until this day, it would be less difficult to kill her. Up until now, the doll avoided Alexandra's attacks as if they were nothing but there was a simple way to trap her – Alexandra just had to attack in such a way that didn't allow for dodging. A complete annihilation.

Of course, after that, she would lose consciousness. At best, that was all that would happen. That street seemed desperately empty, but even those stupid lower ringers couldn't possibly ignore an explosion of that scale. Someone would probably find her, she just had to hope it would not be a slave trader.

Alexendra's nails became black again.

A [Stone House] using 10 nails. A madman's move but she didn't care at this point. That doll named Shogo, she had to put her down.

*boing*

"Yes. If I met someone as well endowed as you before, I would remember it."

"..."

Alexandra's eyes widened in surprise. Did that doll just grab her chest for no reason whatsoever? What was wrong with her?!

Alexandra made a quick move backward, her face red and covering her chest with her hand. She didn't even know what to say. What was that for in the first place? Someone had to explain Shogo's move to her first!

Though…

Seeing how the concerned doll tilted her head, it was obvious she was playing the role of the clueless girl. Well, not so clueless, since, after a little while in a reflexive pose, she decided to address the issue most strangely.

"Ah. Showing that kind of scene to the little one is inappropriate. I didn't think about it. You truly are a big sister, marshmallow girl."

"Eh?"

The little one? Big sister?

Alexandra asked herself those questions before suddenly remembering Minium who was standing a few meters behind her. The little girl hadn't moved an inch since earlier – her master put her there, so she couldn't move without her permission.

The first explosion startled her and she fell to the ground. However, she tried her best to stay on her feet, afraid that her master would be angry if she was found on the ground again. Worst-case scenario, her master could just kill her.

After all, Alexandra tried to kill Shogo, the doll who was nice to her before. Far from judging her master's morality, Minium just deduced that her master was the kind to kill without notice. It did not change the situation for her – a master killing her doll wasn't a rare occurrence. That just meant she had to discipline herself more to avoid such a fate.

The problem was, Minium was not as "dollish" as Shogo. At the moment, she was shivering in fright and hiding it so badly that it became more apparent. At least, for Alexandra who was always disturbed by the little girl's eyes, it was painfully clear.

This time, however, Alexandra couldn't blame the girl. She realized that she was just about to kill her along with Shogo and maybe even herself. How strange, for a second, she considered killing Shogo more important than her own survival or her interest. That was proof of how much this girl troubled her. Thinking that way, she found herself even more embarrassed than when she touched her chest.

Maybe stabbing Shogo would calm me down? She thought about that for a second but quickly realized that she was going down the same path as earlier. Nothing good could come out of this. That was the conclusion she reached.

Shogo knew exactly where the trouble on Alexandra's face came from.

The thing was, she knew about Alexandra's deja-vus because they happened in earlier iterations too. Sometimes they were strong, sometimes not so much, but Alexandra always had an instinctive hate of Shogo.

The reason for that was simple: Alexandra faintly remembered everything Shogo had done to her in the previous storylines.

Normally, that should be impossible, but thanks to Shogo's power, it was a common occurrence. To be precise, it wasn't a direct result of Shogo's power. How it worked was quite simple actually – if Shogo killed Alexandra in a specific situation the latter would retain her memories of the previous storyline. But if she was killed by someone else or in an unsuitable manner, she would forget everything just like now.

In some cases though, Alexandra would start remembering fragments of her past selves even when the conditions weren't fulfilled. Shogo called those fragments "noises" because they could greatly alter Alexandra's actions from storyline to storyline.

For example, she decided to go down on the 7th of Amberclaw last time, too late to avoid being trapped by Nya. This time, she arrived soon enough and didn't abandon Minium, maybe because she unconsciously recognized her.

Shogo's theory was that, since the story will repeat as long as Alexandra doesn't succeed in vanquishing Sandalphon, it made adjustments in her mind so that she could avoid the countless deaths she may have suffered otherwise. Storylines of former "heroes" that ended in the past must have worked like that too – they weren't as lucky or special as they seemed, they just had an infinitely high number of attempts at their disposal.

Like they say, give enough time to a monkey and it could produce just about any book in the world just by tapping randomly on a writing machine. Shogo was positive that her world and the others worked like that.

The problem wasn't Alexandra so to speak.

Yes, she instinctively hated Shogo but that was partially because she was confused about her feelings for the doll. From Shogo's point of view, Alexandra and she were close in past storylines, but of course, Alexandra didn't remember that. The old Alexandras had a complicated relationship with Shogo. If Shogo had to put it simply, she would say this – her Master both loved and hated her.

In equal measure, hate will always precede love, that's how humans work. They don't want to avoid comfortable situations so they don't mind them much However, painful situations mark them more because they want to avoid suffering in the future. Those past Alexandra had only one difference with this one – they trusted Shogo. They had faith in her because they spent time together, which allowed them to think past their hate. This Alexandra inherited their feelings, but, of course, without the trust factor, she couldn't help but hate Shogo.

Shogo understood that and was currently taking steps to get close to Alexandra.

The true problem was noise produced by anyone other than Alexandra, Shogo included. For example, Nya succeeding in destroying Alexandra's brain last time was not expected – usually, she failed and killed Alexandra. There was also Minium's unusual wariness. Some people weren't in the exact same place as before and others weren't doing the same thing.

Details, little details but they could result in a catastrophe if she was careless. It was up to her to kill Alexandra now or to see where this was going.

Is this level of noise acceptable? That was the question she was asking herself. Everything was still fine so there was no reason to overreact. If worse came to worst, she already took measures anyway.

First, she had to focus on gaining Alexandra's trust and she knew just what to say.

"Like I said, we haven't met before. I can see the future. In fact, I can more or less experience it firsthand. I met you in my head way before actually meeting you physically so, for me, it is as if we met before. That's the nuance. I just know you more than you know me because, sometimes, my present and future intertwine so my past becomes my future or something like that. It is hard to describe. When you see the future, you don't exactly live in the present like others but into a mix between it and—"

"Wait, wait, wait, WAIT!!! Temps mort, okay?! Temps mort!!!!" Alexandra yelled showing the palms of her hands to ask her to calm down.

"Yes."

"What was that?! I didn't get a single word!"

"Excuse me. I will put it otherwise."

"Be concise, please."

"Of course."

Alexandra crossed her arms as if to say "I am listening" – even her strand waved slowly to note her receptiveness. That was all Shogo wanted. By talking a lot up until Alexandra starts listening and stops her, she managed to grab her attention even if it was for an instant. Now, she just had to utter a single and powerful sentence to finish the job.

"In short, I feel connected with you."

"!"

As expected, Alexandra slightly jumped at the sentence. She now looked at the wall, her brows furrowed, but her face visibly red. It seems that Alexandra is quite sensitive to such comments.

"Co… Connected?! Watch what you say, doll! Why would I be connected to something like—"

"So, about what I want to ask of you…"

"Stop interrupting me!!!"

Alexandra stomped the ground angrily, her peculiar strand standing straight on her head. For someone who is supposedly tired, she sure has a lot of energy. Not that Shogo was truly surprised even when thinking that.

"Go ahead then."

"I don't need your authorization!"

"You are complicated."

"I don't need to hear that coming from a doll!"

"Yes."

"Exactly!"

"Yes."

"..."

There was a heavy silence. If Alexandra was searching her words, that meant she was conscious of Shogo. Now, she just had to push her a little.

"So, about our agreement."

"..."

"Am I allowed to proceed with it?"

"... Do you need to ask?"

"You are a bibliomancer so I am afraid to be impolite by—"

"Just ask already!!!"

Almost there. Now Alexandra was acting all pouty and meek. She even got angry at Shogo for acting respectfully. Now, she just had to talk about Nya. In her current state of mind, Alexandra should take the revelation well.

***

"Wait, what? Your master is going to kill me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I cannot tell."

"You cannot tell? Why?"

"I cannot tell."

"..."

"I ask you to understand. I am but a doll. I can't go openly against my master's wishes."

"I see. A direct order?"

"Yes."

That wasn't exactly it but that's all Alexandra needed to know for now. When dolls go against a direct order from their master, they receive a penalty. It manifests as an acute pain in the whole body – it is so intense that some dolls become mad after experiencing it. Alexandra was surprisingly "nice" so, using that as an excuse, Shogo could avoid answering some questions. Besides, that was particularly useful since Shogo wouldn't want Alexandra to learn about Nya's name.

Not until the right time anyway.

"What can you tell me then?" Alexandra asked.

"Before that, can I state my request?"

"I already told you, don't make me repeat myself," Alexandra said, her scowl and dry tone denoting annoyance.

"Very well."

Shogo put her hand on her chest as if to pledge.

"Trust me."

"... Trust you?"

"Yes."

"That is… weird to ask."

"I intend to save you. I ask you to believe that."

"Given that you are the doll of the person you claim is trying to kill me, I can't exactly trust you, can I?"

"..."

A dead end.

Alexandra was currently calm and voicing a legitimate concern. Logically, Shogo had no way to prove to Alexandra that she wasn't working with her so-called master in order to trap her. Yet, everything depended on that.

Noises weren't always going against Shogo, sometimes they worked in her favor. Currently, her only hope was for Alexandra to decide to trust her anyway. If she didn't, then Shogo would probably need to kill her and start over until her answer changed.

She looked at Minium. If things didn't go her way, the little girl would be the perfect intermediary killer. She even stayed close to Alexandra just like Shogo asked her to. Now, the only unknown parameter was Alexandra. What would she say? Unknown to Alexandra herself, her life was hanging solely on her next words.

"... Very well. I will trust you."

Shogo looked at Alexandra, and her eyes widened. She was the kind of person to always consider the worst first. She saw so many perfect storylines ending in a complete failure. It was better to expect the worst. Yet…

"So, what can you tell me? I need every detail."

"..."

For Shogo, this storyline was already a dead end. Alexandra would make an error at some point and she would have to kill her. Shogo would always begin her mission with that in mind. Which is why she didn't have any expectations from this Alexandra. That's why her favorable answer surprised her.

There is a chance for this one, she thought.

Shogo saw every storyline as a dead end, but that didn't mean she already gave up on them. Not having expectations was different from despair – if the storyline didn't actively go toward destruction, she would observe it for a little while. Maybe something unexpected would happen? The idea didn't please her, but being surprised from time to time could be good. Like now for instance.

"There's a lot to talk about," Shogo began. "I don't know in which order I should present everything, but let's start from the beginning."

Shogo resigned herself. At the very least, she would observe how things would go from there.

"Alexandra B.B. Wolf, you are going to save the world."