Chapter 45: Never again
Weeks flew by in the blink of an eye, and before long, over a month had passed since Arora reincarnated into this universe.
Arbus and her had grown even closer now that there were no more secrets between them. At least, none that she thought mattered.
For the last few weeks, Arora had been trying desperately to awaken her abilities.
She had asked Arbus for his help in this matter as well. Naturally he was against it at first, because of how dangerous it could be. She had pleaded with him, telling him how this could help her protect herself more, in case there was ever a need to.
Arbus didn't really want to do this. He was still traumatized by the powers of the Reincarnator his father had fought, and how his village had almost been wiped out.
Ultimately, he had given in, unable to resist her pleas, for some reason. He also understood that her growing stronger was probably for the best. He trusted her, and believed she wouldn't use her power like the other Reincarnators.
After a few weeks of trying with zero development, she had begun wondering if the Primordial had granted her any powers at all.
They had already gone through a series of tests and catastrophic failures. First, they'd tried pyrokinesis, an ability Arora wanted desperately. She'd attempted controlling open flames, burning things with her mind, even breathing fire like a dragon. Arbus had found that last one particularly hilarious to watch.
After that, they tried hydrokinesis. She'd attempted controlling water, freezing it, boiling it, and so on. That had ultimately amounted to nothing as well.
They had tried various other abilities as the days went by, each attempt ending the same way.
Today, they were testing super strength.
Arbus was a bit surprised this hadn't been his first thought considering how obvious it was.
It was most likely because he couldn't imagine someone like Arora possessing it.
"Alright, we'll start small. Try punching this tree," Arbus said, gesturing toward a sturdy trunk as he stepped aside.
Arora stared at her target for several moments, then turned to him. "...Do I really have to?"
Arbus sighed, rubbing his temples. "Yes, you do, unless you suddenly no longer care about the possibility of having 'super powers' like you wanted."
Arora shook her head quickly. "No, it's not that. It's just... well, I've never really thrown a punch before. And I don't want to hurt my hand"
Arbus blinked. "What?"
Arora shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, I've never really seen the need to."
Arbus remained silent for a moment. "Are you saying you've never been in a fight before?"
Arora shook her head slightly. "No, I definitely have, but it was never really physical." She paused, her expression turning bitter. "I did take a beating from time to time, though, from the boys at the orphanage. I guess I can't really consider those fights."
Arbus's expression darkened. "Tsk. They sound like a bunch of cowards, beating up someone as weak as you, when you can't even throw a punch."
Arora stared at him, her expression blank. "Y'know, your words would be really sweet, if you didn't have to remind me of how weak I am every single time."
Arbus shrugged. "Well, it's true, isn't it? Anyway, get on with it."
Arora rolled her eyes, a habit she had seemingly developed over the past few weeks.
She breathed out slowly, concentrating, as she walked up to the tree and drew her arm back.
Whack!
She punched the tree with all her might, as a deep indentation appeared, splitting the bark considerably.
Arbus whistled, impressed, while Arora stared at the dent in disbelief.
"Wow, looks like you're actually pretty strong. Well, I guess that makes sense. Considering how strong humans are physically, some more than others. I'm sure you'd be able to destroy this tree with a stronger punch. It's probably not your ability though, since it doesn't seem more than the average."
Arora remained frozen, staring at the dent she had left on the tree, her expression unreadable.
She realised that she had been this strong, from the very first moment she had appeared in this universe. And yet..... her character hadn't changed much, she kept acting like the same weak girl she had been back at the orphanage. Scared of doing anything herself, and secretly blaming others for not helping her. Expecting so much, yet knowing nothing would change. She remembered how she almost died to the Taer because of her weakness. She stared at her clenched fist silently. 'Never again' she thought. Slowly steadying her resolve.
She was now a Reincarnator. Someone who could make a real difference in the world. She wouldn't let this life slip past her too.
Arbus stayed quiet, watching Arora process her newfound power.
Eventually, he asked. "Are you okay?"
She smiled as she turned to him. "Yeah, I'm perfectly fine."
She paused for a moment then continued.
"It's just that... I'm starting to understand what both you and the primordial meant by saying this world was different. And that I couldn't remain my old self forever if I wanted to survive."
Arbus frowned.
"The primordial told you that?, I thought you said he wanted you to just leave a normal life."
Arora tensed slightly, as she recalled the Primordial's words about how the people of this universe originated from chaos, and how it was in their nature to be anarchic.
After a bit, she relaxed.
"He did, but he also said that this world was dangerous. And that I would need to change, to keep myself safe. That makes sense now, considering the war."
Arbus scoffed.
"Yeah the war his very first Reincarnator started. Honestly, it seems to me like both sides are victims of his machinations."
Arora frowned.
"Didn't I already tell you he has nothing to do with that?. He just wants the Reincarnators to help him with something. It's because of the Reincarnators of the past, Odysseus specifically, that most of us today are being persecuted. That's the cause of this war."
"All we have to do is clear up the misunderstanding about each side's intentions."
"All of this is the cause of an endless vicious cycle. A cycle I intend to put an end to one day. With the power the primordial gave me... When I finally figure it out, that is."
Arbus studied Arora for a few seconds, then shook his head with a cold smile.
"Sure, you told me that already... But can you say for certain that it's the truth? He knows about the war and yet hasn't done anything to stop it. Like you, I don't believe all humans are as evil as my Grandfather says. But I do believe that some of them are. And that could possibly be his fault."
Arora's words caught in her throat as she realised that she couldn't really refute his argument. She had only met the primordial once, a few months ago.
Who was to say that he had actually told her the truth? But, at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to believe it was a lie.
She sighed dejectedly.
"I guess you're right, in a way. I can't prove it just yet."
Arbus exhaled slowly as walked up to her, patting her on the head awkwardly.
"It's alright, we're just talking about things that we don't know much about right now. We'll find out everything one day, if we achieve our goal of ending this war. Till then we shouldn't squabble over petty things like this."
"Yeah... I guess you're right." Arora said with a nod, still feeling uncertain about what to believe.
Arbus decided to find a way to cheer her up. suddenly, a thought struck him as he smiled.
Alright then, let's rest for now."
"I know just the place."