Chapter 15 Determinism is the belief that so long as you can hold the strings of fate and understand the factors, then there is no randomness or luck. But I can attest – humans are imperfect, incapable of achieving omniscience required to deduce the future, and as long as that remains true, then the things you remain ignorant of is the randomness involved. Luck is real, and luck is a real bitch.

Day 10.

They’ve begun to ask questions on survival basics. Kelvin wanted information on hunting, whereas Hazel asked for intelligence of the surrounding forest. Through me, they found out that this forest was relatively safe, but certain areas belonged to territorial beasts, one of which they’re heading towards. Amelia was never allowed to ask a question.

They have yet to realise their mistake, but at least they’re starting to learn how to survive.

Day 12.

It has begun to rain. Not a slight drizzle, but a seemingly endless waterfall. Our group trudged on, ignoring the uncomfortable sogginess of our soles, and the unbearable humidity of the air. The temperature was warm, but that simply made the rain worse. Your body couldn’t regulate its temperature effectively as the moisture outside your skin was already warm. The more the group walked, the more they feel as if wading inside liquid heat.

I had my own ways of solving this problem, the other three had to suffer through this miserable march.

Unbeknownst to them, with the sun hidden behind the unforgiving clouds, their sense of direction was completely random. They began to move in loops and circles, never realising that they’re no longer walking straight.

That rain carried on for days. The original plan was all but forgotten, and the only thing they sought was somewhere to rest.

Day 15.

I hunted for my own food as usual, and shared nothing. The students began to let their guards down and wasted all their questions on useless information. Their bodies were exhausted, but not as much as their minds. Through the continuous, ceaseless stress and pressure from the weather and the situation, despair began to seep in.

Their only solace was that I’m still with them.

As such, they continued to march, afraid of the unknown journey ahead of them, but even more terrified to risk learning that all they suffered so far was for nothing. They refused to ask about the direction or their goal.

Day 18.

The rain subsided alongside their enthusiasm. They’re beginning to realise how difficult it was to survive in a simple forest like this, despite already being given so many advantages and the relative safety of the inhabitants.

Their unsteady diet and insufficient rest had a gradual, but noticeable affect on their physique and mana. Though they were mana users, and therefore had a body significantly stronger than the fittest human from Earth, they were still just little kids.

The feelings of hunger and thirst, the unknown location and destination, the pressure of time and survival. These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect little survival lesson. But Professor Hypocrite intentionally added an extra ingredient.

Answers.

Thus, it became a perfect environment for infighting[1].

A specific answer provided to a limited set of questions will create more questions than before. This was especially true should the original question was vague. Because vague questions can have multiple answers, which meant I could provide just one, and watch them struggle to apply that answer properly.

Who gets to ask the question? Why didn’t they do it properly? Why do I have to suffer alongside their incompetence?

Who broke the rules? Who followed them blindly?

To stay sane, the only thing they could do is turn fear into anger, and find something to blame. Someone to blame.

Even though the correct person to blame would be yours truly, they never dared. It’s much easier to turn against each other.

Today, an intense argument took place between Amelia and Kelvin. Hazel acted as the mediator with slight success.

It may look like a typical fight between siblings, but it was a foreshadowing to what could, and most likely will, happen.

Day 20.

Being a mediator often meant having to receive the anger from both parties, and attempt to dissolve the tension.

Being a mediator was an extremely challenging task. There are many things they had to take into consideration.

They would need to recognise the illogical, but definitely real strength in the bond between siblings.

Today, Hazel was attacked by a pair of enraged twins. I had to step in, and because they made me do work, all three of them suffered for it.

They no longer asked me questions.

Day 22.

This was a pivotal moment for the youngsters. It’s hard to apologise and admit your wrongdoings, it’s harder still to forgive the offenders if you are a victim. But neither options are a solution to anything. I had no doubt Hazel was capable of forgiving others, nor the twins to apologise for their actions.

Instead, if they simply forgave one another and forget about it, they’d never learn from this.

They needed to wade through the difficult and awkward interaction that was the aftermath of a fight. They had to justify their actions whilst listen to the counterarguments, and reach a conclusion that they were wrong.

Not because they hurt each other physically and verbally. Those things are simple to resolve.

But because they failed as a group. They failed to continue their mission, let alone finish it. They failed in their individual roles within the group to keep its function.

In all honesty, I had little expectations for them to succeed. Navigating through a forest, even one as open and safe as this, was no easy task. I was pondering whether or not to stop this exercise altogether, as it no longer seemed beneficial to let them roam around in their own incompetence, when a communication crystal began heating up.

I removed the hidden necklace from underneath my chin and checked. The crystal with a purple insignia was giving off a slight hue, signalling Ego’s call. Something must’ve happened, and it should be urgent.

Without warning, I leaped up to the skies, shooting beyond the canopy. I had an immediate view of the surrounding, and found the destination once again.

We went further astray than I originally thought. I had plenty of time to think as I slowly reached terminal velocity back to the ground.

The group didn’t appreciate the impact I made when I landed either. They were knocked off their feet. I’m also certain they wouldn’t appreciate what happened next.

“The time limit’s been shortened because something came up. Though I said you had almost two months, I never expected to spend that long mingling around in the mud. If the three of you can’t even follow the tracks I make, then don’t bother coming at all.”

With that, I left the group at full strength. I did limit the collateral damage so as to not immediately kill the children, but nevertheless, the shock they received was ten times worse than the previous one.

Of course, I had my reasons. Most importantly, I needed to respond to the call as soon as possible. Less importantly, any and all predators and prey would avoid the path I made for the time being, making their journey as safe as it could ever be.

I also meant what I said. I see no value in rescuing them if they can’t even follow, let alone lead. I firmly believe that they’re not the type to die vainly in a distant forest, but I also firmly believe if they were to die, then they should go ahead and die now.

The further away I was, the harder I kicked the ground, and the faster I went. I’ve long since broken the sound barrier, a feat reserved only to the peak of modern science back in Earth.

15 minutes later, I arrived at the cliff overlooking the medium-sized town known as Thrawlon. Everybody below should have recognised the unique sound of my arrival, a series of booms that started interspersed slowly, before speeding up into a rapid machinegun-fire sound. I called it the ABS[2], because that was the basis of my braking technique.

Before long, I found Ego fuming in one of the JanZe command huts. On his forehead, he was at the stage-3 crisis of vein-throbbing. I’ve seen him on stage-5 a few times, and I would highly recommend killing yourself before he does it for you.

The four of us had our nicknames because those words described our identities the best. As a result, we also have specific things we get extremely angry about.

For Ego, it’s indignation. A person with an Ego as strong as he, would feel an enhanced repulsiveness to unjust provocations, or results outside of his control.

Which means… uh oh.

I… wanna go home.

Day 52.

The Three Tramps, their states in a poorer shape than the hopefully-not-copyrighted-counterpart musketeers would’ve been in the 1800s, reached the same clifftop I arrived to.

Utterly drained, they collapsed on the spot, only to wake up to a scene where nothing has changed.

Nobody came to help them.

As such, slowly but surely, they began to descend. Kelvin had to carry Amelia in a piggyback ride, which was a moment in her life she’ll forever remember. The sense of helplessness became a big factor in her growth later.

Hazel used her fire in short bursts as she jumped down like a rock climber without an anchor point. The act itself was dangerous, but descending slopes were part of every student’s training on their first year of school in QPCS.

That being said, the toll taken from their travel took effect quickly. Halfway down, Hazel fainted.

Kelvin managed to somehow grab her and maintain balance on the cliff. At this point in time, Amelia’s arms were trembling badly from the strain of keeping her bodyweight around Kelvins neck.

The troubles of those without physical-empowerment Powers.

If Hazel ran out of mana halfway down, one could only imagine the state Kelvin was currently in, carrying two people precariously at the side of a cliff, almost 600 meters above ground.

Will he, like many other shounen protagonists, yell loudly and power through the obstacles? Will he believe in himself and his nakamas?

Find out in the next episode of Naru-NO.

He screamed, pathetically, for help.

Three minutes straight, he howled, he cried, he begged.

Then, he fainted.

Physically exhausted, mentally drained, Kelvin’s mind could no longer produce any colour or creativity in his dreams. He was trapped in an endless void, where space and time existed only if he managed to sense and count it, but in truth, lost all meaning as he slumbered near the River Lethe, in the playful hands of Hypnos himself.

It felt like an eternity, but also an instant. There was no space, no time, until it was time to create some space. Something happened, and his consciousness reformed with a big bang.

He shot up from his bed at full force and slammed into some unknown medical equipment, leading to yet another concussion diagnosis with a fracture to 3rd and 4th metacarpal base in right hand, which he used instinctively to shield the impact.

His sister, Hazel and Taku, who sat beside his bed during his recovery, almost suffocated from laughter, whereas the healers were not as amused.

“Yeah, thanks guys. It makes me feel fortunate to have saved your sorry asses.”

“How could you be such a wisecrack when you just bumped your – oh wait, I see now.”

“Shut up, sis.”

“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do if I don’t? Jump straight through to the next floor?”

“When Amelia was 7 years old, she once dropped her-“

“Okay! OKAY! STOP! I GET IT!”

“She was next to dad, when she-“

“NO! PLEASE!!!”

“Do please keep in mind that this is a medical facility. We’d appreciate it if you can keep it down, but we don’t mind giving you some help in doing so.”

“S-sorry…”

[1] This is the opening passage format to the Powerpuff Girls theme, but with completely altered lyrics to describe the situation.

[2] Anti-lock Braking System. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-lock_braking_system