Scarlett eyed Arlene quietly for a while before finally speaking. “What do you know about the nature of this world?”
The woman gave her a curious look. “That depends. What do you think the ‘nature’ of this world means, in this context?”
“I am not entirely certain myself,” Scarlett admitted. “But in essence, what I am referring to might be what this world is. Its purpose and how it came to be. I suspect that, whatever perspective you might have on the topic, it is likely to differ significantly from mine.”
Arlene cocked her head slightly to the side. “And why is that?”
“Because to me, this world was originally nothing but a game.”
“…A game?” the woman asked.
“Yes. A game.” Scarlett nodded, turning to look over the village they were in. “I do not wish for you to misunderstand, so to properly convey what I mean by that, it might be appropriate to first explain more about myself and where I am from.”
From the corner of her eye, she could see that Arlene was studying her closely. “Alright. Feel free.”
“It might come as a surprise, but I am not originally from the empire. In fact, I do not even hail from this world.” Scarlett gestured around them. “With that, I do not mean to say that I come from another realm such as the Wandering Realm or one of the Blazes. Rather, I come from a completely separate world entirely. One that is very unlike this one in many ways. If you recall, I mentioned that I was not very different from most others. There, I lived as an ordinary woman with a relatively ordinary life, making my livelihood as a content editor rather than a noblewoman.”
“A content editor?”
Scarlett glanced at Arlene. That was what she first thought to ask about?
“…Some of related terms might be unfamiliar to you, but the concept itself should not be entirely foreign. When I was younger, I performed my studies for a bachelor’s in English, which I then later used to gain employment as an editor for a consulting firm. My work primarily consisted of quality checking articles, proofreading and editing, as well as performing research and monitoring reader engagement. If you are familiar with the Empyreal Chronicle, then perhaps you could compare me to one of their editors, though I would expect there to be some significant differences.”
The woman’s forehead creased together. “I’m not familiar with this ‘Empyreal Chronicle’.”
“You are not?”
Perhaps it was after the woman’s time, then?
Scarlett shook her head. “Ultimately, the specifics behind my profession do not matter. What is important is the world that I came from, which, for some reason, is not the part that you chose to question.”
“I am waiting to hear more about what you have to say.”
“I appreciate the patience.” She took a moment to gather her thoughts, contemplating how she should explain this. “As a mage, I am sure you have grown accustomed to seeing magic as a part of your everyday life ever since you were young, yes?”
“I came from a family of mages,” Arlene said. “My first encounter with magic was likely before I can even remember.”
“For me, it was the opposite. I had never encountered magic before I found myself in Scarlett’s body. The reason for that is simple.” Scarlett summoned a small flame, considering it for a moment before extinguishing it. “In my world, there was no magic. No enchanted artifacts, no monsters, and no dragons that fly on high and burn entire cities. Where I am from, such things were simply pieces of myths and legends; existing more for entertainment than anything else. What we lacked in magic, however, we by far made up for in other areas.
“My people, though it feels strange to refer to them in that way, were developed in ways you might not even be able to imagine. Where in this world you might have wooden carriages drawn by horses, we had cars — automated metal wagons that traveled at ten times the speed of most draft animals. Where you had Kilnstones and powerful mages capable of teleportation, we had airplanes — vehicles that flew through the air and could travel across the world in less than a day while carrying hundreds of passengers. And where you have magical artifacts that allow individuals to confer even when miles apart, we had radios, computers, and phones — devices available or carried by almost everyone, allowing access to global networks of instant communication that were so complex in their underlying workings that even the most learned of wizards would be in awe.”
Scarlett paused to glance at Arlene, who seemed to be listening closely.
“I do not mean to sound arrogant or cause offense,” she continued, “but to me, the level at which people live in this world might be compared to how you would view ‘primitive’ tribes living off what nature provides them in the woods. The people themselves are not the issue, but there are centuries’ worth of history and development that differentiate our worlds.” She frowned. “That is not to say that my world is unquestionably superior. In our strive for progress, we have created a countless number of new problems that threaten our existence. But it is difficult to grow accustomed to the relatively simple advancement in this world when you are used to so much more.”
The other woman looked at her with a quiet expression for a while, as if digesting her words. Then she eventually responded. “I can’t say I can entirely imagine the picture you are describing, but I understand the sentiment behind your words. Only a fool, which includes far too many nobles, would think that the Graenal Empire is at the peak of civilizations. Anyone that has ever encountered Zuverian artifacts or visited the Rising Isle would know that the empire is no match for the society that the Zuver had built, so if your world is anything close to their level, then what you are saying makes sense.”
Scarlett observed her. Was Arlene simply humoring her for now, or did she actually accept her words this easily?
“…The Zuver were indeed an impressive people, but even they were far behind my people in most ways.” She knew enough of them from the game to say that they couldn’t really be compared to the modern world. “That said, there were several areas where they were far ahead of us. We did not have access to any magic, after all. Instant transportation is not something we are guaranteed to ever achieve, for example.”
“I am curious how you would power these automated wagons and flying vehicles of yours with no magic or beasts pulling them,” Arlene said.
“There are several means of propulsion which do not require either to work, though many of those are far too complicated for me to expatiate on. Internal combustion was a common one.”
“Internal combustion?”
Scarlett had wanted to get back to her other explanation, but seeing the keen look on the woman’s face, she sighed and continued. “I hesitate to say too much in case I am wrong, but it is a method whereby some fuel is burned inside an engine and the expansion of gases from this process power a piston or turbine of some sort. That is all I can tell you, and I imagine that most children could have as well.”
A thoughtful expression grew on Arlene’s face. “No, I understand what you’re referring to. It is not an uncommon phenomenon to use in pyromancy spells. I suppose it could be reproduced as you said even without magic under the right conditions, though I would be ill-fitted to say how. It tends to be rather explosive.” She held a hand to her chin, looking out into thin air as she seemed to consider it further.
Finally, she returned her attention to Scarlett. “Certainly sounds like you come from an interesting place, but I interrupted you, didn’t I? I assume this all ties into how you found yourself in Scarlett Hartford’s body?”
“…Yes, it does.” Scarlett gave a slow nod. “The advanced level of my society allowed us many freedoms and luxuries that perhaps not even the emperor in this world might have access to. There was a heavy focus on individuality, and different forms of entertainment were a significant part of most modern cultures to a degree that cannot even be compared to how it is here. Entertainment as an industry was a behemoth, integrated into society perhaps far more than it should have been. It was not uncommon for people to spend more time enjoying these various entertainments than on their own work or the people around them.”
Arlene raised an eyebrow. “That sounds a lot like the legends about the city of Khalzaikoz before it was engulfed by the Blazes… I’m not certain this world of yours sounds quite as enticing anymore.”
“I do not recognize the name, but I suspect I can roughly deduce the contents of those legends. We had similar ones where I am from. I will not claim that my world’s fixation on entertainment was not without its flaws, but I can tell you that it was not as bad as it may sound.”
“I will have to take your word for it.”
“I do not know who else’s there is to take.” Scarlett rested her arm on the armchair of her seat for a moment, tapping her finger against the wood. “To continue where I left off, a popular field of entertainment were fictional narratives — books, plays, songs, and many others. They came in a wide variety of forms and media, most of which you likely have not heard of. I myself held much interest in games.”
“That relates to the ‘game’ you mentioned earlier, I presume,” Arlene said.
“Yes.” Scarlett gestured around them. “To you, this term might share more connotations with the types of activities the children here in Freymeadow have enjoyed together with Miss Hale these last few days, but that is not what I am referring to. The games we had in my world could perhaps be compared more to interactive simulations of a kind, though I will not trouble you with the details. Suffice to say that you can consider these games as another type of fictional narrative similar to novels.” Looking over at Arlene, she glanced down at the book on the woman’s lap. “I assume you have read such a book at some point, at least?”
Arlene showed a slight smile. “That kind of pastime is not exactly my cup of tea, but I have perused one or two on occasion. This isn’t one of them if you’re curious.” She traced a hand over the book.
“Then what type of work is that?”
The woman held up the featureless cover, examining it. “Hard to tell, is it not? It lacks a title.”
Scarlett eyed her. Arlene spent most of her time reading through that book, so there was no way she didn’t know what it was. But if she did not want to say, there was nothing to be done about it at the moment. Scarlett had never managed to get anything but brief glimpses of its pages.
“So, you were saying?” Arlene signaled with her hand as if prompting her to continue.
Scarlett kept her gaze on the book for a moment longer before returning it to the woman herself. “Yes, as I was saying… Of these games, there was one in particular that I spent a considerable amount of time on. It depicted a story taking place in a fictional world of wizards and magic called Tanrelia. There, it followed a character making their way through the Graenal Empire during a time of strife and chaos, detailing this character’s adventures. Numerous important places and events were explored, as well as the stories of noted personages that made that world their home.”
She paused for a moment to observe the woman, but Arlene didn’t show any sort of reaction to her words yet.
“There was one specific person in this game that could be described as serving the role of a minor villainess in the story. An antagonist who died not too far into the game after being confronted by the protagonist for her crimes. That person was named Scarlett Hartford.”
She met the woman’s eyes.
“I assume you understand where I am going with this.”
A few seconds passed as Arlene looked at her. “You’re saying that this world is part of a fictional work in this ‘game’ of yours, and that you have taken over the body of a character depicted in it.” The woman sounded oddly casual as she said that. It would not be unreasonable to show at least some incredulity.
Scarlett nodded. “That is correct.”
“And exactly how did that happen?” Arlene asked. She seemed to not even bother with questioning the supposed scenario.
“I do not know. I have vague memories of being in my home one day, and then I simply found myself in Scarlett’s body without warning. Whether it was an act of god or something else is still a mystery.”
“Assuming you are telling the truth, which…” The woman appeared to consider her for a moment. “I do think you are speaking the truth, by the way.” Scarlett’s eyes widened at the admission, but Arlene simply continued. “Assuming it is true, then this sounds like a scenario that could only have been shaped by a deity of some kind. Something this involved and specific does not happen simply because the stars happened to align.”
“…I am inclined to agree,” Scarlett said. “However, I do not think that Ittar or any of the other gods in this world that I know of could have been responsible. Not only can I not comprehend what reason they would have for that, but the game itself treated them as nothing more but actors part of the narrative. Since it described not only the past of this world but also predicted its near future in excruciating detail, I have found it not best to underestimate the knowledge provided by it. That is not power that Ittar or any of the other gods hold, as far as I am aware.”
Arlene looked slightly surprised at that, once more raising a hand to her chin. “You’re saying even the gods might not be beyond this story of yours? Are you truly convinced of its accuracy, even for future events?”
“It is possible that some factors might differ because of my intervention, but I am certain that the majority of it is reliable. I have witnessed much of it myself.”
The woman looked thoughtful. “That suggests there is something more powerful than even the gods at play here, no? Is there a god like that in your world, or any power you know of?”
Scarlett shook her head. “The gods worshipped in my world are not as…proactive as the ones here. It is to the degree where many of their existences are doubted. I know of nothing that would have a reason and the ability to forge a scenario like this. The only clue I have to what might be responsible is the system that I have access to.”
“The system?”
“It is an…interface, you could say.” She pointed at the air in front of her. “It is only visible to me, displaying an approximated quantification of Scarlett’s personality and her ‘skills’. This includes her traits and how large her mana stores are, as well as what level her magic is at. My hydrokinesis, for example, is a skill that is currently considered to be at the ‘Superior’ level, while my pyrokinesis is at the ‘Major’ level. The system also has quests that I can complete—small trials, of a sort—which provide me with a currency through which I can upgrade these skills, bypassing the usual steps such improvement would require.”
Arlene stared at her.
“That might sound odd to you,” Scarlett said. “But that is not too dissimilar to how many games worked in my world.”
“They let you ignore years or decades of training in return for completing minor tasks?” The woman looked more affronted than Scarlett had ever seen her before.
“Any skills and accomplishments in the game were nothing but simulations and fictional numbers so they had no actual bearing on reality, but that was the idea, yes. The purpose was to entertain, and people would not find it fun to spend years on practice when they could simply achieve the same results in a fraction of the time, would they?”
Arlene continued looking at her for a while longer before eventually shaking her head. “I understand what you are saying, though I can’t say that I like it. Leaving that behind, this ‘system’ sounds awfully tailored to your circumstances. The underlying mechanisms behind allowing a relative beginner to use complex magics are something I cannot even pretend to understand. It would almost certainly have to be customised to the individual, and I can assure you that it does not happen unintentionally.”
Scarlett frowned. She had, of course, considered the matter a lot and reached a similar conclusion, but thinking that things might have been designed specifically for her left an unpleasant taste in her mouth.
“I’m curious,” Arlene said. “What do you make of the fact that this world existed as nothing more than a ‘game’ where you’re from? It begs the question of what could be considered to have come first, after all. This world, and all of its people, traditions, and history, or this game of yours.”
Scarlett blinked. That was also a question she had thought about a lot on her own, but it wasn’t something she expected a person hailing from this world to ask this soon.
“…At first glance,” she began, reflecting on her words. “It would be more reasonable for the game to have been designed in the fashion of this world.”
“You think so?”
She stared at Arlene. “You do not?”
“I’m not sure,” the woman said.
“…Do you have a reason to be hesitant about it?”
There were several things that stood out to Scarlett and made her question that assumption, but she had the privilege of looking at things as an outsider with access to the system.
“Perhaps not, no.” Arlene went quiet, gazing out at Freymeadow and its homes. “Or maybe I do? Who knows?”
Scarlett furrowed her brows. “…For me, there are several questions that experiencing this world has raised for me that I do not know how to answer properly. Chiefly, perhaps, is the fact that Modern Imperial is the exact same language that is used where I am from, although we know it as English. Modern Imperial even shares many of the same idioms that I am familiar with. I am left perplexed at how that could have occurred if one did not directly supplant one language onto the other. However, from what cursory research I have done on the topic, it appears as if Modern Imperial developed organically in this world, similar to how English did in my world.”
This earned her an interested look from Arlene. “The exact same language, you say? That does sound somewhat unlikely.” She seemed to consider it for a moment longer, then waved her hand in the air as if to postpone the question for another time. “This system you described, it’s what allowed you to advance so much with your pyrokinesis between yesterday and today, am I correct?”
“It is,” Scarlett confirmed.
The woman nodded to herself. “That at least explains some things. I have been trying to puzzle out how you reached your current level, considering your inexperience. The leap in power I saw today should have been impossible. I had been thinking about whether you made a pact with a demon or something of the sort.”
“I know better than to trust demons in regards like these.”
“That’s good.” Arlene let out a small chuckle. “I will admit, it both annoys me and relieves me to finally learn the reason behind your magic. But I understand why you sought me out to be taught by me. Did you know who I was because of this game as well?”
“Yes.”
The woman’s eyes turned sharper, and the small smile she’d shown faded. “And that was the only reason you wanted to find me in particular?”
Scarlett froze. There was an intensity in that gaze that she hadn’t seen before. This question was more charged than it seemed, but she didn’t know exactly in what way.
She remained silent for a while, thinking about how to respond. There were several motives behind her choosing Arlene to teach her, and any of those could probably function as a reason of its own. But what answer was it that the woman wanted?
Finally, she lifted her hand and pointed behind Arlene. At the red-tinted wooden casket placed on a stool in front of the house wall at the corner of the porch.
[Locked Jewellery Casket]
{A woman’s jewellery casket. There appears to be no way of opening it}
“I am here for what is inside that.”
She had already gone this far anyway, so what was the point of holding back?
The woman looked back at the casket. “Oh? I didn’t think the day would come where someone would show an interest in that useless old thing.”
“You might consider it useless, but I am in dire need of it.”
Arlene’s mouth curved upward in an apologetic smile. “That is a shame. I can’t give it to you.”
Scarlett held herself back from clicking her tongue. That is about what she expected. In the game, there had only been one way of getting that box. Even if you tried to steal it, it wouldn’t open. She turned away from the woman, looking back out at the village square. “I will simply have to convince you, then.”
A soft laugh rang through the air beside her. “You do that.”
Following that, a brief lull of quiet fell over them, uncertain emotions moving about inside Scarlett.
Even more so than simply sharing her true identity with the woman, sharing her whole situation felt so strange that she felt this could be a dream. Especially considering how easily Arlene seemed to be taking it all. But now that she had started this, she was planning on finishing it as well.
“I will admit, I am surprised you chose to share all this.” Arlene was the first to break the silence. “It takes courage to tell a relative stranger something of this nature.”
Scarlett glanced at her. “What I find more surprising is how readily you appear to have accepted my words.”
The woman shrugged lightly. “I am many things. Stubborn, unsociable, mordant… Inclined to make bad choices.” She let out another short laugh, this one more self-deprecating than previously. “But I have long since learned not to let my own perspective blind me to that of others. Even when they’re wrong, it doesn’t hurt to listen to them. And while you happen to sound like someone who should be wrong about most all things, your words ring true where it matters. I won’t deny the reality in front of me. I am already far too familiar with the consequences of doing that for longer than one should.”
Scarlett observed her quietly for several seconds, eyeing the woman’s features.
“My reason for sharing this with you is simple,” she said with a small sigh. “Because in two days, you will no longer remember this conversation.”
Scarlett eyed Arlene quietly for a while before finally speaking. “What do you know about the nature of this world?”
The woman gave her a curious look. “That depends. What do you think the ‘nature’ of this world means, in this context?”
“I am not entirely certain myself,” Scarlett admitted. “But in essence, what I am referring to might be what this world is. Its purpose and how it came to be. I suspect that, whatever perspective you might have on the topic, it is likely to differ significantly from mine.”
Arlene cocked her head slightly to the side. “And why is that?”
“Because to me, this world was originally nothing but a game.”
“…A game?” the woman asked.
“Yes. A game.” Scarlett nodded, turning to look over the village they were in. “I do not wish for you to misunderstand, so to properly convey what I mean by that, it might be appropriate to first explain more about myself and where I am from.”
From the corner of her eye, she could see that Arlene was studying her closely. “Alright. Feel free.”
“It might come as a surprise, but I am not originally from the empire. In fact, I do not even hail from this world.” Scarlett gestured around them. “With that, I do not mean to say that I come from another realm such as the Wandering Realm or one of the Blazes. Rather, I come from a completely separate world entirely. One that is very unlike this one in many ways. If you recall, I mentioned that I was not very different from most others. There, I lived as an ordinary woman with a relatively ordinary life, making my livelihood as a content editor rather than a noblewoman.”
“A content editor?”
Scarlett glanced at Arlene. That was what she first thought to ask about?
“…Some of related terms might be unfamiliar to you, but the concept itself should not be entirely foreign. When I was younger, I performed my studies for a bachelor’s in English, which I then later used to gain employment as an editor for a consulting firm. My work primarily consisted of quality checking articles, proofreading and editing, as well as performing research and monitoring reader engagement. If you are familiar with the Empyreal Chronicle, then perhaps you could compare me to one of their editors, though I would expect there to be some significant differences.”
The woman’s forehead creased together. “I’m not familiar with this ‘Empyreal Chronicle’.”
“You are not?”
Perhaps it was after the woman’s time, then?
Scarlett shook her head. “Ultimately, the specifics behind my profession do not matter. What is important is the world that I came from, which, for some reason, is not the part that you chose to question.”
“I am waiting to hear more about what you have to say.”
“I appreciate the patience.” She took a moment to gather her thoughts, contemplating how she should explain this. “As a mage, I am sure you have grown accustomed to seeing magic as a part of your everyday life ever since you were young, yes?”
“I came from a family of mages,” Arlene said. “My first encounter with magic was likely before I can even remember.”
“For me, it was the opposite. I had never encountered magic before I found myself in Scarlett’s body. The reason for that is simple.” Scarlett summoned a small flame, considering it for a moment before extinguishing it. “In my world, there was no magic. No enchanted artifacts, no monsters, and no dragons that fly on high and burn entire cities. Where I am from, such things were simply pieces of myths and legends; existing more for entertainment than anything else. What we lacked in magic, however, we by far made up for in other areas.
“My people, though it feels strange to refer to them in that way, were developed in ways you might not even be able to imagine. Where in this world you might have wooden carriages drawn by horses, we had cars — automated metal wagons that traveled at ten times the speed of most draft animals. Where you had Kilnstones and powerful mages capable of teleportation, we had airplanes — vehicles that flew through the air and could travel across the world in less than a day while carrying hundreds of passengers. And where you have magical artifacts that allow individuals to confer even when miles apart, we had radios, computers, and phones — devices available or carried by almost everyone, allowing access to global networks of instant communication that were so complex in their underlying workings that even the most learned of wizards would be in awe.”
Scarlett paused to glance at Arlene, who seemed to be listening closely.
“I do not mean to sound arrogant or cause offense,” she continued, “but to me, the level at which people live in this world might be compared to how you would view ‘primitive’ tribes living off what nature provides them in the woods. The people themselves are not the issue, but there are centuries’ worth of history and development that differentiate our worlds.” She frowned. “That is not to say that my world is unquestionably superior. In our strive for progress, we have created a countless number of new problems that threaten our existence. But it is difficult to grow accustomed to the relatively simple advancement in this world when you are used to so much more.”
The other woman looked at her with a quiet expression for a while, as if digesting her words. Then she eventually responded. “I can’t say I can entirely imagine the picture you are describing, but I understand the sentiment behind your words. Only a fool, which includes far too many nobles, would think that the Graenal Empire is at the peak of civilizations. Anyone that has ever encountered Zuverian artifacts or visited the Rising Isle would know that the empire is no match for the society that the Zuver had built, so if your world is anything close to their level, then what you are saying makes sense.”
Scarlett observed her. Was Arlene simply humoring her for now, or did she actually accept her words this easily?
“…The Zuver were indeed an impressive people, but even they were far behind my people in most ways.” She knew enough of them from the game to say that they couldn’t really be compared to the modern world. “That said, there were several areas where they were far ahead of us. We did not have access to any magic, after all. Instant transportation is not something we are guaranteed to ever achieve, for example.”
“I am curious how you would power these automated wagons and flying vehicles of yours with no magic or beasts pulling them,” Arlene said.
“There are several means of propulsion which do not require either to work, though many of those are far too complicated for me to expatiate on. Internal combustion was a common one.”
“Internal combustion?”
Scarlett had wanted to get back to her other explanation, but seeing the keen look on the woman’s face, she sighed and continued. “I hesitate to say too much in case I am wrong, but it is a method whereby some fuel is burned inside an engine and the expansion of gases from this process power a piston or turbine of some sort. That is all I can tell you, and I imagine that most children could have as well.”
A thoughtful expression grew on Arlene’s face. “No, I understand what you’re referring to. It is not an uncommon phenomenon to use in pyromancy spells. I suppose it could be reproduced as you said even without magic under the right conditions, though I would be ill-fitted to say how. It tends to be rather explosive.” She held a hand to her chin, looking out into thin air as she seemed to consider it further.
Finally, she returned her attention to Scarlett. “Certainly sounds like you come from an interesting place, but I interrupted you, didn’t I? I assume this all ties into how you found yourself in Scarlett Hartford’s body?”
“…Yes, it does.” Scarlett gave a slow nod. “The advanced level of my society allowed us many freedoms and luxuries that perhaps not even the emperor in this world might have access to. There was a heavy focus on individuality, and different forms of entertainment were a significant part of most modern cultures to a degree that cannot even be compared to how it is here. Entertainment as an industry was a behemoth, integrated into society perhaps far more than it should have been. It was not uncommon for people to spend more time enjoying these various entertainments than on their own work or the people around them.”
Arlene raised an eyebrow. “That sounds a lot like the legends about the city of Khalzaikoz before it was engulfed by the Blazes… I’m not certain this world of yours sounds quite as enticing anymore.”
“I do not recognize the name, but I suspect I can roughly deduce the contents of those legends. We had similar ones where I am from. I will not claim that my world’s fixation on entertainment was not without its flaws, but I can tell you that it was not as bad as it may sound.”
“I will have to take your word for it.”
“I do not know who else’s there is to take.” Scarlett rested her arm on the armchair of her seat for a moment, tapping her finger against the wood. “To continue where I left off, a popular field of entertainment were fictional narratives — books, plays, songs, and many others. They came in a wide variety of forms and media, most of which you likely have not heard of. I myself held much interest in games.”
“That relates to the ‘game’ you mentioned earlier, I presume,” Arlene said.
“Yes.” Scarlett gestured around them. “To you, this term might share more connotations with the types of activities the children here in Freymeadow have enjoyed together with Miss Hale these last few days, but that is not what I am referring to. The games we had in my world could perhaps be compared more to interactive simulations of a kind, though I will not trouble you with the details. Suffice to say that you can consider these games as another type of fictional narrative similar to novels.” Looking over at Arlene, she glanced down at the book on the woman’s lap. “I assume you have read such a book at some point, at least?”
Arlene showed a slight smile. “That kind of pastime is not exactly my cup of tea, but I have perused one or two on occasion. This isn’t one of them if you’re curious.” She traced a hand over the book.
“Then what type of work is that?”
The woman held up the featureless cover, examining it. “Hard to tell, is it not? It lacks a title.”
Scarlett eyed her. Arlene spent most of her time reading through that book, so there was no way she didn’t know what it was. But if she did not want to say, there was nothing to be done about it at the moment. Scarlett had never managed to get anything but brief glimpses of its pages.
“So, you were saying?” Arlene signaled with her hand as if prompting her to continue.
Scarlett kept her gaze on the book for a moment longer before returning it to the woman herself. “Yes, as I was saying… Of these games, there was one in particular that I spent a considerable amount of time on. It depicted a story taking place in a fictional world of wizards and magic called Tanrelia. There, it followed a character making their way through the Graenal Empire during a time of strife and chaos, detailing this character’s adventures. Numerous important places and events were explored, as well as the stories of noted personages that made that world their home.”
She paused for a moment to observe the woman, but Arlene didn’t show any sort of reaction to her words yet.
“There was one specific person in this game that could be described as serving the role of a minor villainess in the story. An antagonist who died not too far into the game after being confronted by the protagonist for her crimes. That person was named Scarlett Hartford.”
She met the woman’s eyes.
“I assume you understand where I am going with this.”
A few seconds passed as Arlene looked at her. “You’re saying that this world is part of a fictional work in this ‘game’ of yours, and that you have taken over the body of a character depicted in it.” The woman sounded oddly casual as she said that. It would not be unreasonable to show at least some incredulity.
Scarlett nodded. “That is correct.”
“And exactly how did that happen?” Arlene asked. She seemed to not even bother with questioning the supposed scenario.
“I do not know. I have vague memories of being in my home one day, and then I simply found myself in Scarlett’s body without warning. Whether it was an act of god or something else is still a mystery.”
“Assuming you are telling the truth, which…” The woman appeared to consider her for a moment. “I do think you are speaking the truth, by the way.” Scarlett’s eyes widened at the admission, but Arlene simply continued. “Assuming it is true, then this sounds like a scenario that could only have been shaped by a deity of some kind. Something this involved and specific does not happen simply because the stars happened to align.”
“…I am inclined to agree,” Scarlett said. “However, I do not think that Ittar or any of the other gods in this world that I know of could have been responsible. Not only can I not comprehend what reason they would have for that, but the game itself treated them as nothing more but actors part of the narrative. Since it described not only the past of this world but also predicted its near future in excruciating detail, I have found it not best to underestimate the knowledge provided by it. That is not power that Ittar or any of the other gods hold, as far as I am aware.”
Arlene looked slightly surprised at that, once more raising a hand to her chin. “You’re saying even the gods might not be beyond this story of yours? Are you truly convinced of its accuracy, even for future events?”
“It is possible that some factors might differ because of my intervention, but I am certain that the majority of it is reliable. I have witnessed much of it myself.”
The woman looked thoughtful. “That suggests there is something more powerful than even the gods at play here, no? Is there a god like that in your world, or any power you know of?”
Scarlett shook her head. “The gods worshipped in my world are not as…proactive as the ones here. It is to the degree where many of their existences are doubted. I know of nothing that would have a reason and the ability to forge a scenario like this. The only clue I have to what might be responsible is the system that I have access to.”
“The system?”
“It is an…interface, you could say.” She pointed at the air in front of her. “It is only visible to me, displaying an approximated quantification of Scarlett’s personality and her ‘skills’. This includes her traits and how large her mana stores are, as well as what level her magic is at. My hydrokinesis, for example, is a skill that is currently considered to be at the ‘Superior’ level, while my pyrokinesis is at the ‘Major’ level. The system also has quests that I can complete—small trials, of a sort—which provide me with a currency through which I can upgrade these skills, bypassing the usual steps such improvement would require.”
Arlene stared at her.
“That might sound odd to you,” Scarlett said. “But that is not too dissimilar to how many games worked in my world.”
“They let you ignore years or decades of training in return for completing minor tasks?” The woman looked more affronted than Scarlett had ever seen her before.
“Any skills and accomplishments in the game were nothing but simulations and fictional numbers so they had no actual bearing on reality, but that was the idea, yes. The purpose was to entertain, and people would not find it fun to spend years on practice when they could simply achieve the same results in a fraction of the time, would they?”
Arlene continued looking at her for a while longer before eventually shaking her head. “I understand what you are saying, though I can’t say that I like it. Leaving that behind, this ‘system’ sounds awfully tailored to your circumstances. The underlying mechanisms behind allowing a relative beginner to use complex magics are something I cannot even pretend to understand. It would almost certainly have to be customised to the individual, and I can assure you that it does not happen unintentionally.”
Scarlett frowned. She had, of course, considered the matter a lot and reached a similar conclusion, but thinking that things might have been designed specifically for her left an unpleasant taste in her mouth.
“I’m curious,” Arlene said. “What do you make of the fact that this world existed as nothing more than a ‘game’ where you’re from? It begs the question of what could be considered to have come first, after all. This world, and all of its people, traditions, and history, or this game of yours.”
Scarlett blinked. That was also a question she had thought about a lot on her own, but it wasn’t something she expected a person hailing from this world to ask this soon.
“…At first glance,” she began, reflecting on her words. “It would be more reasonable for the game to have been designed in the fashion of this world.”
“You think so?”
She stared at Arlene. “You do not?”
“I’m not sure,” the woman said.
“…Do you have a reason to be hesitant about it?”
There were several things that stood out to Scarlett and made her question that assumption, but she had the privilege of looking at things as an outsider with access to the system.
“Perhaps not, no.” Arlene went quiet, gazing out at Freymeadow and its homes. “Or maybe I do? Who knows?”
Scarlett furrowed her brows. “…For me, there are several questions that experiencing this world has raised for me that I do not know how to answer properly. Chiefly, perhaps, is the fact that Modern Imperial is the exact same language that is used where I am from, although we know it as English. Modern Imperial even shares many of the same idioms that I am familiar with. I am left perplexed at how that could have occurred if one did not directly supplant one language onto the other. However, from what cursory research I have done on the topic, it appears as if Modern Imperial developed organically in this world, similar to how English did in my world.”
This earned her an interested look from Arlene. “The exact same language, you say? That does sound somewhat unlikely.” She seemed to consider it for a moment longer, then waved her hand in the air as if to postpone the question for another time. “This system you described, it’s what allowed you to advance so much with your pyrokinesis between yesterday and today, am I correct?”
“It is,” Scarlett confirmed.
The woman nodded to herself. “That at least explains some things. I have been trying to puzzle out how you reached your current level, considering your inexperience. The leap in power I saw today should have been impossible. I had been thinking about whether you made a pact with a demon or something of the sort.”
“I know better than to trust demons in regards like these.”
“That’s good.” Arlene let out a small chuckle. “I will admit, it both annoys me and relieves me to finally learn the reason behind your magic. But I understand why you sought me out to be taught by me. Did you know who I was because of this game as well?”
“Yes.”
The woman’s eyes turned sharper, and the small smile she’d shown faded. “And that was the only reason you wanted to find me in particular?”
Scarlett froze. There was an intensity in that gaze that she hadn’t seen before. This question was more charged than it seemed, but she didn’t know exactly in what way.
She remained silent for a while, thinking about how to respond. There were several motives behind her choosing Arlene to teach her, and any of those could probably function as a reason of its own. But what answer was it that the woman wanted?
Finally, she lifted her hand and pointed behind Arlene. At the red-tinted wooden casket placed on a stool in front of the house wall at the corner of the porch.
[Locked Jewellery Casket]
{A woman’s jewellery casket. There appears to be no way of opening it}
“I am here for what is inside that.”
She had already gone this far anyway, so what was the point of holding back?
The woman looked back at the casket. “Oh? I didn’t think the day would come where someone would show an interest in that useless old thing.”
“You might consider it useless, but I am in dire need of it.”
Arlene’s mouth curved upward in an apologetic smile. “That is a shame. I can’t give it to you.”
Scarlett held herself back from clicking her tongue. That is about what she expected. In the game, there had only been one way of getting that box. Even if you tried to steal it, it wouldn’t open. She turned away from the woman, looking back out at the village square. “I will simply have to convince you, then.”
A soft laugh rang through the air beside her. “You do that.”
Following that, a brief lull of quiet fell over them, uncertain emotions moving about inside Scarlett.
Even more so than simply sharing her true identity with the woman, sharing her whole situation felt so strange that she felt this could be a dream. Especially considering how easily Arlene seemed to be taking it all. But now that she had started this, she was planning on finishing it as well.
“I will admit, I am surprised you chose to share all this.” Arlene was the first to break the silence. “It takes courage to tell a relative stranger something of this nature.”
Scarlett glanced at her. “What I find more surprising is how readily you appear to have accepted my words.”
The woman shrugged lightly. “I am many things. Stubborn, unsociable, mordant… Inclined to make bad choices.” She let out another short laugh, this one more self-deprecating than previously. “But I have long since learned not to let my own perspective blind me to that of others. Even when they’re wrong, it doesn’t hurt to listen to them. And while you happen to sound like someone who should be wrong about most all things, your words ring true where it matters. I won’t deny the reality in front of me. I am already far too familiar with the consequences of doing that for longer than one should.”
Scarlett observed her quietly for several seconds, eyeing the woman’s features.
“My reason for sharing this with you is simple,” she said with a small sigh. “Because in two days, you will no longer remember this conversation.”
