What comes will come (v2)

‘Reading is also one of the best ways to learn languages' I advised Kitty when she sought guidance on effective study methods, a wisdom that originated from my learning experience.

“Master, may I ask what this sticky white stuff is called? The girls always look so happy,” Kitty clutched an adult magazine, a gift from my friend intended as a study guide for crafting character emotions.

Of all the books on the shelf she could read, she somehow ended up with that god-forbidden magazine.

“I forgot,” Kitty said as she immediately pounced on me and planted a kiss on my lips.

One thing after another. There was no time for me to think about how to handle the situation.

“I love you!” She hugged me tightly and added, “I’m so happy that I can finally express my feelings the right way in your world, ehehe~.” She giggled adorably, making my heart skip a beat.

Her morning greeting was so distinctive it left me emulating the meme of a bewildered person blinking in astonishment. What just happened? Everything was too fast for me to register a reaction."

“Ah, could it be that you want a more passionate kiss, master?”

I quickly interrupted Kitty and leaped out of bed.

“You're sure to get up early. Let's have breakfast together,” I said, trying to sound casual and composed.

“Let’s!” She beamed as her cat ears drooped slightly.

It was a game-of-the-year fatal blow to my heart. I could never believe that my fictional cat girl companion could have undergone such a drastic change in personality after just one night of language learning. If this was an adult series, this might blow up even more.

Aghh, she’s just too wholesome and cute. Begone, indecent thoughts.

To my surprise, the early riser wasn’t just Kitty. Outside, in the backyard, Harley was immersed in casting a defensive spell to protect my house. In the middle of the ground lit up a magic circle with arcane sigils, none of which I recognized.

“Strange, I don't remember creating these sigils in the manga,” I approached near the circle to observe.

"It's the portal of a private communication dimension that we and the others had set up beforehand."

“How does it work?”

“Only people who know these sigils line by line can gain access to the dimension and communicate with each other. It is like a magic communication channel that can only be used by those who set it up. I am currently trying to contact everyone. But still, no one has answered so far.”

"Harley, I think we've got more trouble," I said with a serious look.

Harley glanced at me for a moment, and came to the realization as she read my mind. I probably didn’t know everything as well as I thought I did. Something was not right. The powers and magical systems at play were foreign to my own creation. The workings of this communication spell had never sprung from my pen. Reflecting on Harley’s words of a prolonged war earlier, I gradually recognized them as harbingers of the story’s fluctuation - a narrative seemingly untethered from its author. It led me to a disquieting thought: were my very own stories reshaping themselves?

“It seems so, I also thought about what you said. How you didn't know or write about the scenario of the war continuing in my world, or us summoning you. Maybe what you didn't write could be crafting their own mechanism to fill in the logic of what was missing…”

Harley turned to check on me as she sensed a change in my thought, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Are you okay?” She asked, noticing my smile and profound sweat.

“Nah, I'm not worried or anything, haha. Anyway, how do you like my world so far?" I tried to stay calm after hearing Harley's theory.

“We really love it here. Everything is so peaceful and beautiful,” she smiled lightly.

Seeing her peaceful smile eased my worries a bit. As a writer, I felt joyful seeing people enjoying their time. But her precious smile was also a torment, a reminder of my guilt. I had been unfair to my manga characters, and deep down, I knew it. Her silhouette glowed under the sunlight, while I pondered over their fate. They had no choice in their lives; they were at the mercy of my whims.

It was an inevitable and predetermined thing, but I was the one who had given Kitty and Harley a dark past and a cruel life. They sure must despise me for it. Guilt gnawed at me as I realized my responsibility for their suffering. I wished fervently that those injustices were only fiction, not reality.

A warm arm wrapped around me, knocking my own senses up and pulling me of my misery, "it's okay, we don't hate you."

Like a wake up call, I snapped out of my trance.

“Harley?”

Burying her face in my shirt, she squeezed me gently.

“You can't blame yourself when there is no one to blame here. We're just manga characters after all," she spoke softly, trying to comfort me.

"Harley, I can't hear what you say if you keep on burying your face in my shirt like that."

She lifted her gaze and muttered, sending a powerful upper-cut head strike to my jaw that made me see stars, “it's not fair that you blame yourself like that, you know. Life is never supposed to be fair anyway, so please don't blame yourself.”

Her voice grew even softer, almost a whisper.

“Besides, we're not real, our pain doesn't exist."

Harley’s words echoed in my mind as I looked at the sky. It was a clear and beautiful day, yet I felt a pang of sadness.

Harley, she was a sorceress of courage and brilliance. I could tell from her words that she didn’t want me to worry about her feelings. She always put others before herself. I admired her for that, but it was also the reason for my torment. By no means was I a kind person, nor did I care about being fair to everybody. It was impractical to be such a person, as no one could ever be a real hero to everyone. We would always end up bringing pain to someone else, even if it was unintentional. That was the reality of this life.

Praises and warmth should have been hers and Kitty’s for their kindness, but instead, they showered me with it. It was not something for a person who brought them misery to receive. It felt undeserved, as if I was stealing away accolades meant for them. Their generosity towards someone who could not mirror their goodwill seemed to only add to their burdens, a pain I inadvertently caused. After all, I knew that once I looked back on the paths I had trodden, I would see choices tinged with regret. These echoes would forever persist in the recesses of my mind, serving as a testament to life's elaborate tapestry, interwoven with both missteps and wisdom acquired. That was more of the reason that I yearned not to harbor such burdensome sentiments towards them, especially not towards those who had offered nothing but warmth.

‘Sometimes you would just hurt other people by not letting them move on’ - That saying existed for a reason.

However, even though we were still nothing more but strangers, she and Kitty chose to not forsake me. Instead, they shouldered the burden of my protection, embracing their unjust destiny without bitterness or resentment. In sharing their burden - whether driven by a selfish need to atone for the injustice I inflicted on them, a need to sustain this peculiar bond without feeling beholden, and to part without lingering remorse - I, too, aspired to be someone they could depend on. That was the least I could do to become someone truly worthy of their kindness.

“Even if you say so, I still wish I could be fairer to you,” finally able to move my head, I murmured.

“It's okay,” she reassured me, her voice a gentle caress against the tumult of my thoughts, “it's not easy to treat everything fairly anyway. I may not know much about the real you, but I believe we each have our own uncertainties to navigate. If you were to be fair to us, who would be fair to you?”

Her words, a tender echo in the caverns of my mind, offered a solace I hadn't realized I needed.

“If there’s anything I really want to tell you, I want to thank you. The trials I've gone through, they've brought me closer to you, allowed me to feel what you feel. To me, these memories aren’t burdens, but something that helps me understand you better.”

"Yep yep, what truly matters is right now, we're truly here with you at this very moment,” Kitty nodded in agreement, her presence comforting.

"I..." My voice faltered, emotions swelling like a tide.

"That’s right, just think about it, if everything was fair, our story won’t be very interesting to read,” Harley's tone shifted, taking on a lighter, almost playful note, mirroring Kitty's earlier warmth.

I stood silent, their words wrapping around me like a comforting shroud.

"To be honest, I really don't know anything about fairness. What’s wrong and what’s right, I don’t think about it either. Perhaps they’re subjective, unique to each individual. You gave us life, depth, and a connection to you - that's probably the fairest gift of all already," Harley's gaze softened as she held me close.

She paused, then added in a quieter tone.

“Besides, the truth is that I'm very happy to know that you care so much about us.”

Understanding the unparalleled joy that comes from being cared for, I too came to understand its power to dissolve life’s shadows. Sometimes, just the knowledge of being cherished was enough to lighten the burden of hard times, infusing one with the fortitude to march onward. It brought me solace to know I could reciprocate that happiness. As the shackles of guilt began to loosen, clarity took its place - I understood my role in this journey. Their happiness, entrusted to our connection, became my guiding purpose. In aspiring to be a person they could rely on, in affirming that their benevolence was deeply appreciated, I found my path to recompense. This was how I would honor their kindness - by offering them welcoming arms with the same fervor they had so generously shown me.

“Thank you,” I replied with a gentle smile.

I patted Harley's head thanking her for the encouragement while my nose was bleeding. Despite Harley’s worry about my swollen jaw, nothing could stop my happiness from knowing that they don’t hate me at all.

“Me too, I want a free head pat too,” Kitty ran over and gave us both a hug.

Tranquility reigned until the sudden roar of distant explosions shattered the calm.

"Harley?" Looking in the direction of the loud sound just now, I said.

"I don't remember planting magic bombs in that direction."

A wave of small explosions soon followed, indicating the imminent danger that awaited us. What we had to face happened so unexpectedly that neither of us was ready. Although we were never the best fighters in the town, we couldn’t afford to sit around and wait for our pursuers. It would mean endangering the lives of innocent people before we could uncover the truth behind this madness if we didn’t act now. Besides, we were the only ones who could protect them and put an end to this mayhem.

“Okay, let's follow our plan,” I dashed back into the house to grab my coat.

Kitty held my hand before I could turn away. “Master, are you sure about this? Even though we have discussed this, I don't want you to get hurt."

Opposite to them, I had no special power in this world, yet being the only one who could help them analyze their opponents. I must be on the frontline. In addition, to support their investigation of this madness, I also needed every clue I could find on the scene.

"I'll be fine, it's my responsibility to protect you two too, remember?" I smiled and comforted Kitty with a light head pat.

If they had helped me unconditionally, I could also support them with what I knew. At least this was one way I could be fairer to them.

"We didn't expect ourselves to be so worried now. I don't really want anything to happen to you either," Harley worried. "Please be careful."

Following the old adage, ‘Sooner or later, whatever can happen will come’, we hastily traced the source of the explosion.