Chapter Text
Harry
[Do you wish to protect this world?]
After losing everything and stumbling her way across a galaxy of stars, and lights, and monsters in the dark, Harry found it.
The only thing that seemed as lonely and beaten down as she was.
It was a small planet surrounded by a deteriorating glowing light that lost its lustre bit by bit. Menacing bursts of blackness nibbled on it here and there. An unknown power dispelled them, but a new blackness would replace the old in a never-ending cycle.
The poor little planet looked almost sad within its crumbling shield. Like a caterpillar whose cocoon collapsed before it could turn into a stunning butterfly.
Harry watched on in a horrified fascination.
It almost made her forget her own pains and sorrows.
But in the end, her sympathy could stand no longer.
She stretched her illusory hands to drive away the blackness… and passed right through it. Like a ghost.
She tried again. And again. She even tried to use her magic-
Nothing happened.
Then-
[Do you wish to protect this world?]
A little window like a computer game’s interface popped up in front of her. Usually, she would be shocked and bewildered, maybe even cast a defensive spell out of sheer paranoia, but in this strange place, Harry didn’t bat an eye.
…Was that even a question?
“Only an absolutely heartless jerk wouldn’t,” Harry said resolutely.
She didn’t know to whom she was replying.
Just that she needed to reply.
Her hand reached out to cradle the small planet yet again. It passed right through it, but warmth spread through to her heart.
[You still have time to make the choice. Until you find the resolve to make it… try to see if there is anything you find worth saving]
This sentence etched itself onto Harry’s retina before she blinked, and everything disappeared.
In that space of stars and monsters, Harry had felt all-powerful. Scared, but still strong. She could hold a planet in the palms of her illusory hands and shoo away a black hole like scaring off a naughty pigeon.
But now…
Blinking her bleary eyes and struggling to grasp for her glasses on the stony land, Harry woke up.
She was no longer some type of illusory goddess walking the universe; she was just Harry.
A powerful witch in her own right, but absolutely unprepared for the sight that greeted her.
Mountains of monster corpses stacked upon each other all around her. Their skin in various shades of green looked dull amidst the shadows of what looked like a cave barely illuminated with some electric lights and multicolour glow of big crystal-like stones placed in small containers.
As soon as Harry’s senses returned, she almost retched at the stench. Goblins and hobgoblins, a few orcs and the hulking figure of a troll… busy groups of people dragged intact corpses and stray parts hurriedly around her, not even noticing a small young woman that appeared suddenly in their midst.
Voices flowed into her ears as if through a wall of water.
“Guys! This fucking orc weighs dozens of tons. Gimme a hand, wil ya?” someone shouted in irritation.
“A hand? Here ye go!” Someone shouted cheerfully. Splosh. Something fell to the ground with a wet sound.
“What the- Serge, you fucker!”
“Fuck you all, bastards, the head honchos will strangle us all if we fall behind the norm again!”
“Chill, Lucien, no one will miss an extra goblin hand or leg. Do you know how cheap these things go on the market?”
…Despite the grim and bloody atmosphere, despite the fact that they were all in an enormous cave with dozens of stinky monster corpses, the people worked with an almost inappropriate amount of cheer.
Harry had never thought she would find a whackier atmosphere than in the Leaky Cauldron during the happy hour, but here she was.
Seeing all these people going about what was apparently their job and being competent at it, not needing any help despite the hard task…
Harry returned to reality.
It’s true she had all the empathy and all the desire to protect the little planet… but what could she offer?
She was barely over 18. Hardly any education - magical or muggle. Barely any experience in living independently. On her resume of life skills, she could only put things like the ability to stick a magic stick up a troll’s nose without cringing, rob a bank, fly a broom, live through death, and clean the kitchen to the absolutely impossible standard her aunt had set for Harry without ever achieving it herself.
To take responsibility for all…
How could she be worthy.
Everyone here had things firmly in control; no way would they need Harry’s meagre help.
She couldn’t even help herself.
Skull
[This is a world abandoned by gods.]
[Most System functions are blocked without a Constellation.]
[Until a Constellation is found, the world’s natural protections will keep collapsing.]
[If the world’s populace pray diligently, a new Constellation may appear.]
What a joke.
No matter how much everyone wished for it and no matter how many deaths there were, every day System would greet every active Flame user with these words.
What exactly was System?
No one knew the answer to this question. But it first appeared a couple years ago, back on the day everything changed.
Skull still shuddered to remember it.
For the Arcobaleno, it was a day of tragedy and grief. Their beloved Sky, Luce, died. Each of them had to suffer both the broken Harmony bond and the shattered heart.
Then, just when the Sky pacifier was transferred to Luce’s daughter-
Skull refused to remember it in detail. But since then, nothing was the same. Strange, terrifying monsters crossed onto the Earth. Rifts through space appeared, letting out even more monstrosities. People died and cities crumbled.
And that’s when a broad game-style window popped into existence in front of every person who had awakened their Flame.
[Final traces of divinity are gone from your world.]
[Your world’s natural protections have commenced disintegration.]
[Final Safeguard System has been initiated.]
[Guidance to the awakened will be provided.]
From Aria and the little research available, it was understood that System was there to help humanity survive the catastrophe of the monsters and the portals to their habitats - what came to be termed as ‘dungeons’. It was seen only by Flame users, but once someone awakened their Flame, it could guide their growth in the right direction as well as facilitate trade and communication with other Flame users. There were even suggestions that there was a system of rewards in place for clearing the dungeons in the future, fulfilling tasks, or progressing with levels…
But all of these were useless speculations.
Because except for looking at their status window, all of the System features were blocked without a ‘Constellation’. Aka, presumably, a guardian god or goddess.
So, what the hell was even the point of this?!
Just to give them false hope? Did someone who created this world put it in there just to tick a checkbox in the list of things needed for world creation?! Was System’s creator a scatter-brained sadistic douchebag?
If Skull ever met whoever designed this bullshit, he would smash them in the face. With the full power of his Cloud flames.
The only arguably good thing that came out of this was that when monsters struck, Flame users stepped out of the shadows. Even Vindice didn’t give two hoots about Omerta and secrecy anymore.
Survival was the priority now.
So, knowledge of Flames spread widely across the world and Flame users were revered as guardians of ordinary people. Those who wanted to leave the life of crime could do so… provided that they had the skills.
A bitter smile twisted Skull’s lips. Crouching down in the corner of an enormous cave flooded with goblin blood, his baby form clad in worker overalls, body tired from the back-breaking work at the monster processing site, he bit down into a small sandwich angrily.
…At first, Skull had been happy. He would finally go out into the light! Maybe even restart his career! Everyone would see how amazing he still was - would cheer for him just like back then! He would be the Immortal Stuntman again, and his baby form would be just a new quirk…
But Skull soon learnt to abandon even that hope.
Because-
“Oi!” Someone shouted. Judging by the mocking tone, Skull could already feel they were calling out for him. “Weakest Flame! Go over there, we need to transport the troll to the dungeon’s entrance before noon.”
Who the hell was ‘Weakest Flame’?
Skull’s fists itched to screw up this guy’s ugly mug - which, honestly, was horrendous enough it didn’t even need any more screwing.
But he settled on throwing his supervisor a dirty look.
He didn’t want to lose yet another job.
“What about those guys from team 1?” Skull asked, trying to reason. He didn’t even add any profanities, which was already stellar self-control from him. Those fucking slackers.
“Resting,” the supervisor gave a mocking smile.
“The hell. It’s Skull-sama’s break time now! You fu- you promised!”
“Welp, can’t remember that. I’m pretty sure it’s team 1’s break time now. Team 2 will be having a break in 2 hours - so chop chop!”
With a grin, the supervisor walked off.
Skull could easily break this twat’s head. He wanted to. His fist trembled with rage. He had barely eaten - his body needed sleep and food.
But to keep this place, he had to suck it up.
…Since System allowed everyone to see their own status window, there was such a thing as a ‘Grade’ on it. Judging by the accumulated data, it seemed to go from F- (which was the lowest level of power) up to SS+ (the strongest level of power).
So, to register Flame users, listing their grade was required.
Skull, whose grade was at the top with SS+, had confidently declared himself as such. He had believed this would return the public’s love to him. He had believed.
…But sadly, in this new world, just having a big amount of flames (which was responsible for the grade) or being an Arcobaleno meant nothing. Only two things mattered: the ability to fight and the ability to heal.
And Skull lacked both.
After having been publicised in the newspapers across the world for his exceptionally high grade, it hadn’t taken long for people to call him a fraud when he couldn’t deal even with low grade monsters by himself.
But with his flames restricted by the pacifier, Skull could only use weapons and his Carcassa battleship, which could only hurt a human. Against a monster, at most he could just be an immortal shield.
After many failures and after failing to keep even the Carcassa people under him alive, newspapers dragged Skull’s name through the mud.
And with his distinct baby’s form, there was no hiding.
In the end, instead of the fanfare and return of his past glory, this new world was even less of a home for Skull than the old one.
Kicked out of the remnants of the Carcassa famiglia, with his savings and home gone, with people’s justified distrust in his abilities, most of his Cloud flames still bound by the curse, Skull could only apply for lowest-tier jobs related to monster processing and disposal. That is, unless he wanted to be a meat shield for some dps - and torturing himself by dying again and again was off the table.
So, he could only use his Cloud flame to strengthen himself and regain his stamina.
Then, he walked back to the monster corpses through the dimly lit cavern. His footsteps echoed hollowly.
It was there, between the humongous troll head and a few unprocessed orcs that Skull found her.
She crouched down, wearing a strange cloak-like thing over what looked like a medieval dress, all tattered and bloodied as if she had worked a shift of monster processing instead of him. Her very long curls of flame-red hair scattered across her shoulders into the folds of her cloak. Her green eyes looked down inquisitively at the troll’s nostrils as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.
He stilled.
That girl-
How-
A Sky?
In this damn god-forsaken cave in the middle of nowhere in France? Such an enormously strong one, to the point he could barely think due to how enticingly her flame swirled around her?
…Was there a monster with hallucinogenic abilities who had snuck in here? Or maybe some Mist flame user was playing a prank? Skull would destroy that bastard’s face if so.
If this wasn’t a prank, how the hell had no one noticed her yet?
There should have been an absolute uproar!
Finding this kind of Sky was more valuable than a dozen dungeons like this comprised!
Even just the information that a Sky like this exists would already cost like a small city!
…But no, there was no way to make an illusion so realistic.
No way to fake the warm, lovely Sky flame filling the space about the girl.
They weren’t reaching out to Skull nor singing out to him. Not like some hopeful Skies’ he’d seen in the past who had wanted to snatch an Arcobaleno back when his had been a prestigious name. They weren’t trying to entice him to make a home together.
The girl’s flames were just lying placidly beside her, and yet their strength, and warmth, and presence were tremendous.
Faint tremors ran through Skull’s body.
This was such an unbelievable situation he couldn’t even squeak out a greeting.
He wanted to slap his own cheek in embarrassment.
Their eyes met.
The girl’s - young woman’s? she certainly looked somewhere in her late teens or early twenties, Skull had no idea - eyes widened. She first looked surpised. Then guilty. Then sheepish.
“Um… Will you believe me if I tell you I’m not sure how I got here?” she asked tentatively.
Skull dimly noticed that despite the shy smile she wore, her hands were slowly but steadily reaching into the folds of her cloak for something. He thought he noticed a bit of some stick peeking out.
…Fuck it, he was hit too hard by Sky attraction to really focus on her actions.
Besides, even if she whipped out that stick, what could it hurt him? Would this fragile-looking thin girl whose Flames weren’t active yet club him to death?
…In any case, he was immortal.
Trying to concentrate, Skull smiled wryly.
“Yeah, I believe you. Skull-sama has no idea how he got here either. Breaking my back here every day, and I still wonder why on earth I even landed this job.”
While he didn’t believe her fully, he had some trust in her words. What on earth would such a powerful Sky willingly do in such a low-tier dungeon that had very limited value? And without any guardians to protect her?
Sure, the monsters had already been defeated by the flame users, but accidents often happened in dungeons.
It was more likely that someone kidnapped her and hoped that she would either be forgotten in the dungeon and stay here until a new batch of monsters spawns and kills her, or dumped her here to be at the mercy of greedy and uneducated male flame users with no self-control and no mafia ties to respect the tradition of treating Skies with courtesy.
…Or maybe she was a normal person who sneaked in to steal some monster cores and awakened her flame just now?…
Skull had no idea about other flames, but she certainly didn’t have a Cloud.
The Sky’s smile became a little more genuine in response.
“I’m sorry. I know I look sketchy right now,” she said with a wince. She tried to wipe off some suspiciously human-looking blood off her cloak with the back of her hand, but it stayed stubbornly there. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if you report me to the authorities - but please, I really need your help! Can you tell me what is this place?”
Skull wasn’t exactly a master of reading faces, unlike most of his other Arcobaleno colleagues, but he sensed some desperation in the question.
“This is the Lyon Hobgoblin dungeon, the monster processing cave,” he told her helpfully. He savoured the pleasant sensation of her flames in the atmosphere.
“Oh.” She nodded. “That tells me absolutely nothing, but thank you! Could you also, um, show me the way out please?”
Could he show her the way out?
With those flames that made Skull feel comfort and happiness even in the gloom of a dungeon cave, he could even show her the way to his bank account!.. Not that there was anything to take there except for debt.
Skull coughed into his hand.
“Sure. Follow me carefully. Don’t veer off in weird places!”
Well, no matter whether she was taken and dropped off here by someone else, or got in to steal and wanted to use him to get out, it’s not like Skull had a lot of attachment to his colleagues. Those arseholes could bite the dust for all he cared. It was all good so long as no one saw him leading around a stranger - and he knew ways to make sure they wouldn’t.
“You can just tell me where’s the exit if it’s too much trouble to take me there, I can find it-” the Sky woman told him as they started moving. “-Actually, nope, never mind. That’s a stupid question. I’m still sleepy and can’t think.”
Her flames, very slowly, like a lion awakening from a slumber, shifted in the air to follow her.
Skull gave her a look.
“Why the heck would I let you go alone? This is a dungeon. Even Skull-sama won’t be walking around a dungeon alone until he’s memorised the map and walked around with other people many times. Does this look like a normal cave to you where you can prance around?! Do you go to corpse caves often?!”
…Was this Sky kept secret because she had some kind of mental problems? Skull was Not equipped to deal with it!
Nowadays, even small children learnt the safety basics in a dungeon. Was it even possible for an adult to be so completely clueless?
“That’s… Sorry.” The Sky coughed into her hand. She muttered softly, “And maybe I’ve been there, once or twice.”
If the last part was true, Skull was hoping that the girl’s guardians had torn apart whatever bastard had let the Sky go to such a dangerous place.
As they were walking while exchanging some information on dungeons, Skull eventually frowned. The air… something didn’t feel right.
He gestured for the Sky to stop with his hand.
“What is it?” she asked him curiously.
“Something’s not right.” He frowned and tried to figure out what bothered him. He wished he had Lal Mirch’s brains (or Reborn's, but never tell that bastard that he thought so). “For some reason, Skull-sama’s senses are telling me we’re about to get royally screwed. But no idea why.”
The Sky’s eyes sharpened.
Skull still couldn’t decide whether she was a civilian or not. Then again, in the post-dungeon era, most civilians had to go through hell too. That would teach a few things.
“The scent of blood,” the girl finally said. Skull turned to look at her, seeing her pursed lips and a tense forehead with a strange lightning-bolt-shaped scar across it. “It’s not all monsters - there is human blood here too. And these footsteps-”
Skull realised what bugged him.
“-they are not all human,” he ended for her grimly.
Rules for how monsters spawned in dungeons were still being figured out. Sometimes it was like this - the monster processing team wouldn’t even have the time to finish their work before new monsters spawned.
And the organisation that employed Skull was so cheap they had let the dungeon clearing team go before the process was complete.
He balled his fists.
“Seems like we’re about to fight,” the Sky said softly a step behind him.
“...You are not afraid? This is a low-level dungeon, but people can still lose lives. Even Skull-sama gets hurt!” He almost shouted. He was angry at this Sky who brought up fighting without even suggesting to run away. Without the protection of her guardians.
Her Elements wouldn’t even know what hit them.
Didn’t she know how horrible it was for an Element to lose their Sky? Wasn’t that what even children knew now?
She blinked in surprise before smiling calmly.
“Well, nothing can be said for sure since I haven’t fought these guys yet. But is there a choice? If we run away and exit, wouldn’t the other people here die?”
“They are not good people anyway,” Skull muttered.
Considering the scent of human blood that got thicker as they came closer and that the direction of non-human footsteps was from the resting area with team 1, he was pretty sure most of the team was already gone. So, he was already most likely out of his job because this was yet another work place that compromised security in the face of profit and went under for it.
A group of bloodied, crazily smiling hobgoblins finally appeared. Their mad grins stretched across their little green faces at the sight of new prey. They brandished their staffs and pikes.
Why were they so keen on killing humans?
Skull never knew.
What he did know was that he was going to protect the Sky behind him because if she had guardians, he wanted to protect someone from the pain of losing their home in her.
(And if he himself also wanted to find another home after losing his last, it wasn’t something Skull-sama would ever say out loud).
“Step back!” he screamed. “Run! If you backtrack to the previous cross-roads, just turn left and then run straight. It’s long but it’ll lead you to the exit. You should also find team 3 there on the way, ask them to help you.”
Being a meat shield was painful.
Even more painful than slaving away for 12 hours every day on monster process and disposal with no recognition.
By experience, Skull already knew that all his bones would be shattered, and his blood would run out, and his tissues and muscles would be torn open - and the pain of it all coming back together would be unbearable-
But finding such a kind Sky again, basking in the warmth of her flames, chatting and being treated like a human being instead of an ongoing bad joke-
All of this was worth a death.
The group of hobgoblins launched at him, who stood in the front gathering his Cloud flames.
Skull smiled grimly.
The Sky behind him moved.
Then-
A few hurried steps - and he was blocked by the tall girl’s figure.
Her curls of bright red hair stood out starkly against the backdrop of her tattered black cloak. In her hand he could see the stick she was firmly holding.
She said something, her hand swayed in a semi-circle-
And a fireball ravaged through the group of hobgoblins. The creatures shrieked as they burnt to a crisp.
Skull gaped.
“It’s okay now,” the Sky said clearly. Her Flame was as calm and placid as before, as if this didn’t even register on her danger meter. “You don’t have to do anything. And most importantly… Please don’t sacrifice yourself for me. I’m sick of sacrifices. Because I, too…”
She shook her head, then shouted ‘Protego!’. Skull didn’t see any effect, but as the Sky rushed right into the midst of the disordered hobgoblins and before he could cuss and save her, their pikes were deflected by some invisible shield.
He… just stood there and continued gaping.
He was completely unnecessary here, wasn’t he?..
The Sky made a short work of the hobgoblins and at the end of it she casually tucked her stick back into the folds of her garb.
She observed the new stains on her dress with dissatisfaction.
“Should have cast dirt-repelling charms,” she muttered below her breath.
Then, she shook her hair and turned to look at Skull. She didn’t quite smile. There was pain in her expression, as well as hesitation but also some budding, shaky resolve.
She told Skull:
“I’m done with sacrificing myself or seeing other people do it. Now, I’m going to brute-force my way with power.”