Artemia: Journey To The Thirtieth Floor

36. The Winter Warrior

"I'm sorry, but I don't have an answer for that," I replied.

To recall all that has happened to me so far, I have little to zero knowledge of nearly anything that has occurred. What I do know is that I am now in the past, residing in the body of a woman named Fuyumi. That is all I know about myself. I'm not sure what time it is or what day it is right now. But what if I don't tell them anything, and I get kicked out of this place?

Oh, that's right. I'm well aware of what is going to befall Artemia! Maybe it is appropriate for me to inform them about it. Could it be my purpose for coming here? But it has the potential to cause problems in the future. Wait! It is possible that the three kings would be defeated if I were to lead the revolting side to victory. Perhaps it will assist everyone in returning to normal. All of the lives that were lost as a result of the three's insanity...

"The first rule of time-travel is that time-travelers must avoid interfering with the chronology. The instant you attempt to upset the equilibrium, the dimension will come crashing down."

When I heard Yuki's words, I felt my body tense. Her voice was cold, and it was enough to send chills down my spine as she said it. My stomach churned as I swallowed the lump in my throat, contemplating whether or not to look at her. Although Yuki has the same facial characteristics and voice as me, she seems to be far stronger than I am. That is enough to make me shiver out of fear. Yuki may be a gentle person, but that does not make her a saint.

Yuki must have been able to see through my thoughts all this time and has simply been pretending to be silent in response. I sighed and walked up to her with as much confidence as I could muster. But even if she wishes to expel me from the house, I really doubt that she will be able to do so. For her, I'm going to have to overcome the three kings, which she's probably already aware of by now. That is why I must not fear her.

"Yuki," I called as I looked her in the eye. "I am unsure if-"

"You are under no need to conceal yourself, Ivory."

I sighed. "I apologize for trying to do so..."

"Kai, please leave us alone for the time being."

Enkai gave me a brief glance and a little smile before leaving the two of us. It seemed as if he was reassuring me that Yuki would never do anything as ridiculous as injure me or whatever. That was something I was aware of as well, although I don't really know Yuki like how they do. She may be a carbon copy of me, but we'd very certainly have some distinctions as well. As far as I can avoid doing so, I don't want to set her off.

"I know what's going to happen to Artemia..." Yuki began as she sighed. And then she took in the vista from in front of the cliff's edge. "Even if it doesn't seem to be so, I am Artemia's deity. I've seen everything, but I was unable to prevent it from occurring."

"How...?" I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing. "Deity? What exactly do you mean?"

"I'm the one who's meant to be in charge of the whole dimension in which we're now living. After my supposed coronation a few months ago, the three kings tried to absorb my power, and I've been greatly weakened since then. I was tossed from the throne I formerly occupied because of the unexpected disruption of the delicate equilibrium. Now, I am nothing more than a simple inhabitant of Artemia and am now the leader of the rebellion against the kings."

"But...what about your curse?"

She cracked a sad smile. "Curse of Lapiz. The clouds will slowly engulf me and swallow me until I am no longer there."

"Mm. I know just about that much. But where has your deity's authority gone?"

"Those three are in possession of it. Apparently, the kings have been attempting to assimilate the core for as long as possible. But they were unable to extract my core, so they are unable to do anything with it for the time being. I'm rather certain that the kings are up to no good, which is exactly why I must take what is mine immediately. Ivory, Artemia is in constant danger for as long as the three kings live..."

I sighed and nodded. "But, is there truly no way to alter the course of events?"

Yuki let out a sigh as well. "I have attempted to consider every potential scenario in which we might be successful. But it seems that Leon has discovered the magic that even I, a deity, am unable to identify. That is why our options are limited to one."

"If you already know the outcome, what exactly are you fighting for?"

"Artemia. I will always battle for the right to live in my own kingdom. Even after my death, I shall continue to fight for its liberation. Ivory, I need you to listen well. Artemia must not be ruled by the kings, particularly in the foreseeable future. It is because they will continue to seek the might of a goddess. If they succeed, Artemia will be destroyed. They will completely demolish this and trample on everyone's dreams and memories as they utilize this power."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, so I looked at her in bewilderment. "Then I should get moving and-"

"There is no need to be concerned. You may be in another timeline, but the amount of time you spend here is not comparable to the amount of time in the future. Or let us say, present time for you. To put it another way, your Artemian time is now frozen in time in order to prevent you from losing track of your own."

"So...the rest of the world is adjusting for my sake?" The thought made me laugh because of how absurd it sounded, considering how I am literally just a human.

Yuki nodded as she smiled at me. "Yes."

"But am I not interfering with the progression of events in this timeline?" I worriedly asked as I took a glance about. "What if anything changes as a result of what I may do? I think I should just stay on the sidelines..."

Yuki laughed as she took my hand in hers. "Nothing will change, Ivory. You can count on that. The fact that you are present has been inscribed into each and every timeline. You don't have to be concerned about your conduct at all."

"Oh. I see. It won't have a significant impact on the future, will it?"

"On the contrary, it will." When she saw that I was panicking, she laughed. "I didn't mean it in a bad manner. You'll be staying here for a while to learn more about how to make use of your abilities. You will rise to become the most powerful being that has ever existed in the world of Artemia in the future. You must annihilate those cretins as soon as it you return to your time in order to reclaim your proper position in society."

"How am I even supposed to achieve such a feat...?"

"If you make contact with the White Tigress, she will come to life and reveal herself to you. But first and foremost, you must continue to improve your strength until you surpass me. If you do, she will consider you deserving of her power. After that, she will lead you to victory, and you will finally acquire Hyō. I can tell you that you will be unstoppable at that point."

"Hyō...?"

"That is what they call the power of deities."

I nodded as if I were a kid as I listened intently. "Do the kings have it right now?"

"Yes. It was the kings who had it locked at the castle's highest point. Don't worry. I'll be there to help you in the future as well."

I suddenly felt a tremendous amount of pressure for having to bear Yuki's responsibility of saving Artemia. But I would despise it if their efforts were to be smashed into shards. Seeing how Artemia is still standing in the future indicates that Yuki battled to the last end to ensure that the kings were unable to seize her power. Although I find it difficult to believe that Yuki was defeated by them, it was understandable given the misfortune that had befallen her.

While I'm here, I shall take it as an opportunity to identify the three kings' weaknesses. They should have some! Depending on their fighting style, I may be able to quickly wear them out when we engage in combat. Since I'm already here, I may as well take advantage of the opportunity to learn everything I can. Oh, wait a minute! Isn't that the very point of this whole journey? I mean, I came here to find out about Artemia's past and some dirt on the kings so that I can defeat them!

However, there is something about which I am intrigued. If Yuki was aware of everything, she must have known what had happened to Fuyumi. I mean, she knows who I am and all, so I expected she'd be aware of it too. Aside from that, I'm concerned about Fuyumi since I've unexpectedly taken over her body. When I discovered that Artemia's time had been frozen, I was certain that I had not switched bodies with her.

"So, where has Fuyumi gone?"

Yuki had a sorrowful grin on her face. "Fuyumi had gone away earlier in the day. Your soul took advantage of the opportunity to enter."

"Oh..." I trailed off, almost stuttering. "You're meant to be grieving for her death. Uhm, I am terribly sorry for what I-"

"It wasn't your fault in the least. Also, no one was aware of Fuyumi's death at the time, which allowed everything to work out perfectly."

I really wanted to find out more about what happened to her, but I didn't want to appear insensitive by asking. They've lost a friend, so it's probably better not to poke them about it, no matter how intrigued I am. I need to be sensitive to their emotions, particularly after taking over the body of a departed companion. I know the feeling of losing a loved one, and it didn't really feel good to be asked about such things all the time.

"Using every ounce of her might, Fuyumi completely encircled a general's fortress with a mountain made of snow and...other forms of magic. She was responsible for the deaths of approximately five thousand troops from the king's army, as well as one of their high-ranking generals. Unfortunately, her body couldn't bear the weight of building that mountain."

"What happened to her body? Is it a result of the loss of elemental power? Mana?"

Yuki flashed a smile that was filled with melancholy once again. "Fuyumi has always had a weak physique, which is why we never force her to do anything like this. But during that fateful day, she came to the conclusion that it was important to rescue everyone else since the general had threatened to obliterate the town. As for me, my power was not enough after I was almost killed by the kings."

My jaw dropped open. "So that is why Fuyumi sacrificed her own body..."

"Yes." Yuki blinked her eyes shut as tears gathered in the corners of her eyelids. "One of the reasons why I could not assist her was because a cloud of death descended, causing me to become extremely weakened. All I could do was stand there and watch Fuyumi struggle, unable to channel even a sliver of my own power to help her. I was there to see her death with my own two eyes."

"I'm sorry to hear that..."

"You don't have to feel guilty about Fuyumi's death since she died with a smile on her face. She was overjoyed that she had been granted the opportunity to assist us for the last time. I'm just pleased with her accomplishments. Although..." she trailed off before shaking her head. "Ah, I must not talk about it yet..."

I did not understand what she was trying to say, but I noticed something. "You are blaming yourself," I pointed out as I stared into her eyes.

Yuki snorted a little. "As was to be expected of you. Ivory, you're the only one who has a good grasp of my thoughts and sentiment. Hmm, can I ask you to remain by my side while you're here? This is also an excellent opportunity for you to get an understanding of how my abilities work."

Our power, huh? Yes, the power that I'm wielding is also hers as well. I'm certain that if I continue to observe Yuki, I'll be able to become much stronger when I return to the present. There are plenty of things that I'd finally be able to do if I listened to her! Ah, there's a lot of work to be done on my pedestal...

"Are you interested in accompanying me to the training ground? I'm aware of a vacant one in the area."

I swung my chin to the side a little. "Empty? How can a training ground be empty? Isn't everyone preoccupied?"

"Since there are occasions when I have to go all out when practicing, I have my own training field. If anybody else happens to be in the proximity, it will be very dangerous. The twins are the only ones who can keep up with me, which means they are the only ones who are allowed to be there."

"Oh, I understand what you mean. Then, we should go!" I said with a lot of enthusiasm.

Yuki's fighting technique was something I was really looking forward to seeing! Oh, wait a minute. Perhaps I should ask Yuki about Fuyumi's battle style as well! When I first started fighting, I was worried that others would notice that my fighting style was different from Fuyumi's. It would be quite unpleasant to try to explain such things! I'm not sure how I'm going to clarify things to them that I'm from the future.

"Ivory," Yuki called my name, trying not to chuckle. "We're a lot like each other."

"Huh? Yes, I understand. But isn't it a little too random...?"

"Yes. You also have a tendency to overthink things. You seem to have reached a conclusion inside your head already."

Oh...

I hid my face with my hands as my face began to heat up, ashamed. "I was just a little worried."

"Don't be worried about it, please. Except for myself and the twins, no one has ever seen Fuyumi fighting. All they know about Fuyumi is that she is referred to as the Winter Warrior."