Destiny's Reshaping: A Danmachi Reincarnation Tale

 (Author: next chapter next Saturday.)

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When the two finally reached the surface, a stunned silence enveloped the crowd. The spectators, surprised by their intact condition, exchanged incredulous glances, considering the height and place from which they had fallen. Among the multitude, a figure darted forward like lightning, embracing Zoe with almost brute force, as tears of fear and relief slid down her tense face.

"You have no idea how worried I was…" -Astrea said, her trembling voice betraying an unexpected vulnerability, an emotion she couldn't hold back.

"I'm back, Mom. Sorry for making you worry." -Zoe, with teary eyes, returned the hug with equal intensity, the warmth and affection they exchanged seemed to melt away all accumulated worry.

The two women remained embraced for several minutes, immersed in the sweetness of their reunion. When they finally pulled away, Astrea looked at Mark and, to everyone's surprise, hugged him too, showing sincere gratitude.

"Thank you for being by her side." -She exclaimed warmly, her tone revealing how grateful she was for his presence.

"It was nothing." -Mark replied, smiling and giving her reassuring pats on the back, trying to ease her distress.

Astrea slowly stepped back, but her gaze fell on Mark's bloodied hand, and a look of concern spread across her face.

"Both of you go near the fire, you're freezing. And you, Mark, I'll get you a potion right away." -She said urgently, moving quickly and decisively to fetch what was needed.

Mark and Zoe moved closer to the fire, the warmth it radiated providing immediate relief against the penetrating cold. As they warmed up, the head of the merchant company approached with a guilty expression and bowed his head in a deep apology for the dangerous path he had chosen. The two accepted the apology with some understanding, recognizing the sincerity of his regret, and made sure that the following day he would take a safer route.

After taking the potion prepared by Astrea, Mark watched in amazement as the wound on his hand healed almost miraculously, while the skin and nails regenerated. It was the first time he had taken a potion fully conscious, and the effects far exceeded his expectations.

"How's the hand?" -Zoe asked, her voice tinged with concern.

Despite her initial embarrassment, Zoe was visibly relieved, though part of her continued to reflect on the strange feeling she had when Mark had smiled sincerely.

"I'd say it's fine. These potions are much more effective than I thought." -Mark replied honestly, his tone reflecting genuine admiration.

"Of course, I prepared them." -Zoe announced with a proud smile, her chest swelling with satisfaction at the result.

"Then I'll rely on you in the future." -Mark joked, his smile lighting up his face in a contagious way.

"I'll try to offer you a discount from time to time." -Zoe replied, returning the smile, the lightness of the moment easing their spirits.

The two laughed weakly, continuing to stare at the crackling fire. Then Zoe remembered an important detail.

"Wait, today is the end of the week, so—"

"This night, I'll be completely out." -Mark nodded, and Zoe's expression immediately became more worried.

"Don't look at me like that, it's something I'm used to." -Mark said calmly, trying to reassure her.

"It doesn't matter, I said I'd help you and I will. I have several potions with me, one of them should have an effect." -Zoe said with determination, her commitment palpable.

"Haaa, alright, but don't stay awake all night. The effects wear off shortly after, okay?"

Zoe nodded decisively, and Mark withdrew to rest, preparing himself for the night. Zoe, on the other hand, decided to stay a little longer by the fire, lost in her thoughts.

"What were you talking about?"

"?!- Mom!"

Caught off guard by Astrea's sudden appearance, who hugged her from behind, Zoe let out a gasp of surprise, followed by an expression of irritation at her mother's prank, which made her laugh heartily.

"Sorry, you seemed so lost in your thoughts." -Astrea smiled, her face reflecting a light of affection and understanding.

"…I had another dream, although it was slightly stranger…"

Astrea remained smiling, but her expression grew more thoughtful, ready to listen. Zoe, sensing this, continued to tell her story.

"It all seemed so vivid and real as if it were a memory. However, at the same time, the scenes I saw were completely unfamiliar." -Zoe explained, her tone reflecting a mix of curiosity and confusion.

"What do you mean?" -Astrea asked, the interest in her voice evident.

"There were towering glass buildings, strange metal carriages moving on their own, and clothes I had never seen before… Do you have any idea what it could be?"

Astrea pondered for a few minutes, trying to recall a place that matched Zoe's description, but nothing came to mind. Maybe it was just a dream, but dreams were often interpretations of memories, so the possibility that what he saw was a mere figment of his imagination could be ruled out.

"Unfortunately, nothing comes to mind. Do you remember anything else?" -Astrea asked, her tone encouraging.

"No, I don't remember any other details about the place. I was on a swing, playing with a child, and then…" -Zoe stopped, looking at Astrea with an uncertain gaze.

"And then?" -Astrea asked, tilting her head slightly.

"I saw someone who seemed to be my… mother." -After saying those words, Zoe looked at Astrea closely, trying to decipher her expression. However, Astrea's face was an enigma, and although Zoe was tempted to use her power to read her mind, she decided against it.

Meanwhile, Astrea, though trying to stay calm, was furious—not with Zoe, but with her real parents. She could understand the difficulty of not being able to raise a child, but to deny them even a name was an act of cruelty. However, she kept it all to herself, while Zoe seemed to have more to say.

"And how was it?" -Astrea asked, affectionately stroking Zoe's hair, her gesture full of maternal warmth.

"I couldn't see her face, but… she seemed to love me…"

"?" -Astrea's expression became naturally confused, but she decided to listen carefully.

"It was brief, but when she held me, I felt all her maternal love, the same feeling I get from you. The strangest thing is that she seemed to call me by name, although I don't remember exactly what she said." -Zoe said with an ambiguous smile, confusion, and wonder reflected in her eyes.

Astrea was also confused. These dreams or memories were becoming more and more enigmatic, and the strangest thing was that it was impossible to understand where they were coming from.

"I can't understand. It would be helpful if you had more similar dreams, but I suppose you don't know how they come about, do you?" -Astrea asked her tone a mix of concern and curiosity.

"No." -Zoe replied, sighing deeply.

"Doesn't anything come to mind that might be connected?"

Zoe thought carefully but couldn't find anything relevant. Only Mark's presence came to mind, but there had been no significant changes in the days before even when he was there with her.

'What could it be… ah.'

"Contact…" -She mumbled as if she had a revelation.

"Excuse me?" -Astrea asked, not having heard her well.

"Every time it happened, I had been in prolonged contact with Mark. The last dream was much more vivid because we were practically naked. Maybe that's the reason!" -Zoe exclaimed, standing up excitedly. But when she looked at her mother, Astrea was staring at her with wide eyes.

"Didn't you hear? Maybe I've found the solution!"

"W-Why were you n-naked together?" -Astrea asked, stammering, unable to look directly at her daughter.

"…Ah."

Zoe immediately blushed, recalling past events, confirming her mother's suspicions, who now had the typical expression of a mother seeing her daughter leave the nest.

"It's n-not what you think!"

****

(Prospective Realm of Souls)

The realm of souls might have appeared as an endless expanse where countless universes could be observed, but this was merely an illusion. It served both as a barrier and a prison and to truly grasp its nature, one must delve back to its origins.

In the very beginning, two fundamental concepts emerged. Their exact genesis remained shrouded in mystery—whether they were born from the passage of time or emerged from an even higher entity was unknown. These concepts were starkly opposing. 

The first was the concept of life. It began to populate the void with universes and the earliest life forms, known as the Astrals. The second concept, in contrast, embodied chaos and destruction, tasked with obliterating existences once their time had come.

As countless cycles passed, these concepts developed consciousness and assumed identities. The first, which had focused on the creation, named itself Origon. The second, which was centered on destruction, named itself Tzeesh. Origon and Tzeesh became sentient beings with distinctly different modes of existence. Origon was bound by numerous inviolable rules, while Tzeesh operated without limits but, Origon believed this caused an underdeveloped mentality, at least until Tzeesh spoke to him for the first time.

"Origon, do you truly wish to continue this way? Bound to create without ever witnessing your creations?" -Tzeesh, a colossal black hole that warped the fabric of reality around him, posed the question.

"I fail to comprehend your point. My sole purpose is to create."

"Precisely! Although you have birthed countless universes, you cannot witness them. With my assistance, you could finally see your creations and escape the perpetual darkness."

Tzeesh departed, leaving Origon with a seed of doubt. Over millennia of creation and destruction cycles, this seed grew into a full-blown realization. Eventually, Origon and Tzeesh forged a pact. Tzeesh would grant Origon the ability to interact with beings whose lives had ended, while Origon would create races imbued with both Tzeesh's chaotic energy and Origon's originating energy.

Once this agreement was reached, Origon created a domain where souls could persist due to the energy of origin alone—the realm of souls. Here, Origon could review the memories of souls, experiencing various lives vicariously. However, among the races he created, he found the Astrals uninspiring. Their existence was mundane, devoid of emotion or perception, unlike the vibrant chaos-infused races. Thus, Origon began to replace them with more intriguing creations. Yet, this led to unforeseen complications.

The races meant to balance the two energies were predominantly chaotic, contributing to the destruction of planets—a role previously exclusive to Tzeesh. Origon soon realized he had been deceived. With both entities causing destruction, the balance of existence began to crumble. The creation of mixed races continued since the energy of chaos had merged with Origon, making it impossible to halt.

Tzeesh aimed to unravel his existence. He refused to be a pawn in a predetermined system and sought to return to the void to discover his creator and, ultimately, to erase his existence. To stop Tzeesh, Origon needed to destroy him, but his nature prevented a direct assault. If Origon could understand chaos, he might break free from these constraints, but the purity of chaotic energy and the conflict of concepts made this challenging.

Even Tzeesh could not directly attack Origon within the soul realm, which was saturated with origin energy. He needed to erase everything in existence to weaken Origon before consuming him. It became a race to see who would prevail. Origon was at a disadvantage; his understanding of pure chaos was limited to the energy within souls, which was insufficient due to the energy's rapid release upon death. Thus, Origon devised a new strategy.

He would reincarnate souls with promising potential, embedding a fragment of himself within them, allowing him to absorb energy directly from the source.

**Present Time**

"So, they have met." -Origon remarked.

[I apologize for my incompetence.]

"There is nothing to apologize for. A fragmented soul will always seek to reassemble."

In the realm of souls, a vast nebula hovered before a small, floating light screen.

"Tell me, Guide, were you able to discern the pure chaotic energy within the girl?" -Origon inquired.

[No, it contains only raw energy.]

"I see. It appears one of the fragments was preserved." -Origon's tone was indifferent.

During the transfer of fragments, a small amount of pure chaos had attached itself to one of the three fragments. When these fragments were transferred, the infected one began to influence another. Origon had done his best to prevent this, but when the fragments entered the world, the reincarnation system there broke its connection.

The two primary fragments—one infected and one untainted—reincarnated, while the fragment that had protected Origon lacked the strength, leading it to explode during reincarnation.

"However, the situation remains dire. I believed a newly formed planet would be sufficiently secure, but Tzeesh has already intervened, infusing it with chaotic energy. Allowing unstable souls to remain there would be hazardous. Destroying the soul of one of the reincarnations without my protection could trigger the collapse of the others."

A being with a weak soul risked becoming a demon if it possessed only chaotic energy. As the chaos became purer, it could transform into an abomination—an entity with the power to annihilate a galaxy.

[I can interact with those souls only if Mark kills one of them, but I find that unlikely. Should I direct him to a target, he would become suspicious.]

"I understand. That is why I wanted to assess the girl you encountered. There cannot be two reincarnations of the same soul, so when they meet, they will attempt to absorb one another. I intend to exploit this. If Zoe absorbs both the infected fragment and those under my protection, a state of balance could be achieved."

Although this plan sounded straightforward, several factors needed consideration. First, she must absorb all fragments simultaneously. Second, her soul must remain dormant. If it awakened before completion, it would start absorbing external energy to fill the void, risking transformation into a demon or worse—an abomination.

[So this is why Mark must remain uninformed.]

"Precisely. Should Mark recognize the reincarnation of his companion, the fragment within him might resonate, awakening the dormant soul."

[I will do my best, but... may I ask something? Isn't this too much for a normal being? He may not endure.] The Guide's mechanical voice now carried a hint of uncertainty.

"How fascinating, Guide. Though newly created, you already exhibit a sense of pity—a feeling I still struggle to comprehend." -Origon's lights shimmered with evident interest.

Though the Guide remained silent, he could not deny Origon's words. The beings chosen by Origon faced harsh trials designed to generate chaotic energy for him to absorb, ultimately leading to their gradual obliteration.

With Origon's power, he could have easily reincarnated Selene. Instead, he assigned Mark the task of locating fragments to intensify his effort. Furthermore, the five-year limit was intended not for the fragments but for Mark, who would become an Astral once he had absorbed all the chaotic energy within him, and that would end his human life, becoming a hollow existence.

"Guide, I derive no pleasure from this. All my actions are geared towards halting Tzeesh. Chaos spreads across universes, and my creation rate lags behind the destruction rate," Origon stated, observing as one universe slowly disintegrated.

[...I understand.]

"But I must say that he is one of the creatures I have created that fascinates me the most. Despite being a young soul, he shines more than any existence I have seen. He can create a nucleus with the energy of his soul without too many problems and he was also able to adapt to the chaotic energy he absorbed, truly extraordinary." -Said Origon with a strange note of admiration.

[I do not deny that you possess many abnormal elements and his potential can only be described as monstrous, but he remains a mere human. Eventually, this will break him.]

"Then continue to watch over him, so that he resists until the end, I'm sure he can be the last one I need.

Return now, Guide, and remember: you may assume my role in the future if you are already capable of compassion."