Chapter 2 

1st day on ??? 

Finally woke up after crashing onto this planet. The calibration was off because of that thing, and we landed in some body of liquid instead of land, the records say. We must’ve drifted here a while ago, because my clothes are fully dry. I’m currently on a beach of sorts, and it appears to be almost Starset time. From where I am now, I can’t see any signs of civilisation other than a distant spire. I’ll head over there and see if there’s anything worthwhile. I must dispel of that spirit before it becomes a more than a minor inconvenience. I must dispel of it before I start to care. It’s better to leave this world too, as strong emotions tied to a world makes it accept a soul more. I can’t stay. I must leave. 

_+_ 

‘S’ slowly dragged themself off the ground, feeling every grain of what appeared to be tiny glass beads in their clothes. They rolled onto their back, and took in the view. Small foamy waves lapped at ‘S’s worn shoes as chaotic winds lashed at far away waves. The Starset was blinding. Dark red hues slashed at the sky around the star and dark purple and blue blotches dotted the top of the sky, with a gradient of thousands of yellows and oranges in between. Some glass beads had stuck to their cloak, reflecting the ruby light. To ‘S’s right, small patches of vegetation dotted the beach, long green strands of plants weaving with the wind. Wow... ‘S’ thought. This world... is beautiful. Then the pain hit.  

Agonising, mind numbing pain that caused ‘S’ to fall back into the glittering beads. Their head spun, their body paralysed by centuries of pains and untreated wounds. How... is this happening... ‘S’ thought through pain. ‘7’ removed my perception of pain and increased this body’s healing speed ages ago... I’m not meant... to feel pain... How is this happening...?   

“You, soul!” a familiar voice said. Still fighting the pain, ‘S’ ignored the voice. “Oh right, a side effect of our binding is that all previous spells and enchantments are removed from you, if the caster is less powerful than me or my master.” Those dammed Toast Cat. thought ‘S’, recalling ‘7’s information about them.  

The creation of Prototype, binding to any soul who threatens, or appears to threaten, their agenda. They often appear as catlike ghost spirits with episodes ears, no mouth and large eyes with no pupils. They adapt the opposite personality of their target, which makes them insufferable to most. They are lowly spirits by themselves, but they carry the authority of Prototype, one of the most powerful souls in existence at this moment. They don’t do quick punishments like most binding summons, they play the long game, slowly chipping away at their target’s power and sanity, hence their name. Alls to show how insane their creator is. It’s better to get rid of them as fast as you can, so they can’t take too much of you with them.  

Slowly, ‘S’ sat up, and grabbed the metal disk, which had drifted next to them. They spun a hidden gear in the mechanism, and watched as a small syringe of dark liquid popped out. With shaking hands, they injected it into their arm, and almost collapsed with relief. The pain is mostly gone... This will help for now, but I need to get rid of this thing before it wears off. I don’t have another round of Pure-blood Ink... I’ll have to go to one of the stashes. ‘S’ slid the syringe back into the metal disk, and the disk put it into the liquid at their feet. They hopped on again, and it started floating out to sea. The Toast Cat, seemingly annoyed that it had been ignored, followed. 

When they reached a spot reasonably away from shore, ‘S’ fished out their vial of ink from their bag. No canvas this time, since there was nothing to commemorate. “What do you want?” ‘S’ said, dumping the ink into the liquid. Once again, it started swirling, mixing with the newfound liquid. “I,” the Toast Cat started, looking indignant, “am here on behalf of my creator, Prototype, and the Chrono Commission, to aprehend you, the foul villain, for conspiring against the balance of the universe, with the actively wanted criminal, Strain 7. You shall tell me her location, preferable in Universal Standard Co-ordinates, and you shall be set free after Rebalancing. Fail to do so, and you shall meet a brutal demise.” 

“Oh? Talking to ‘7’ is a crime now?” ‘S’ asked, unfazed. They had rehearsed this conversation many times before, finding the perfect balance of pretending not to care and probing for answers while giving away none. “Well, she has some unique ideas about your organisation, that’s about it? She hasn’t done more than that.” ‘S’ placed the vial back into their bag, ready to get out of this. First, they would go to one of the smaller stashes, and use Impure-Ink to end their soul, so there would be no chance of the Chrono Commission tracking down ‘7’ through them. ‘7’ would know, she always did. She would understand. It was for a greater cause. It was logical. It made sense.  

“The ‘7’ you speak of is a dangerous criminal, who has destroyed many timelines and ruined the lives of many!” the Toast Cat argued. “She must be apprehended and then destroyed, for the good of the universe! Don’t you see all the harm she has caused? Families displaced, friends gone. She is a virus that has plagued Prototype’s existence since she started existing. She is a danger to all, even you!” The ink surged up, though it took longer than usual, a bad sign. They had already overstayed. ‘S’ tapped the pressure plate on the disk, and the ink once again formed a tight spiral around it.  

“Tell yourself all those untruths, but the reality still stands.” ‘S’ sighed. Well, this is going to be over in a few hours anyways, no harm in telling a few realities to enlighten this lowly being. “She didn’t steal them away, ruin their lives. She only helped them, in a way beyond your knowing or understanding.” ‘S’ tapped the second and third pressure plates, protective layer forming. The Toast Cat started to protest, but ‘S’ ignored it. 10... I will really miss this world...9... Not just this one, but the entire universe...8... Who knew the world could hold this much beauty, this much life...7... I wonder what happens to souls when they get destroyed...6...Is it like the death that so many morals fear, or is it a new existence on a higher plane?..5... Or is it an endless nothingness?..4... I haven’t heard of any completely destroyed souls before, but it’s not like they could come back to tell me of how it was anyways...3... ‘7’, I hope your cause was worth it...2... Say goodbye to Angelshot for me...they were quite interesting, even for your standards...1. The metal disk let out a hiss, and they were shot into space. 

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And then a force greater than the power of Prototype shoved ‘S’ back down. “Didn’t I say,” the Toast Cat said as they fell. “that when you’re a suspected criminal under Prototype, you’re not allowed to leave?”