Chương 101: Chapter 100: Seraphina

Seraphina stared up at the ceiling of what she understood to be her room. A while ago, she had come to an agreement with the Goddess and had set forth into this earthly world. She quietly looked down at the cat-shaped System, patting it as it lay on her belly. She had come with the System to this world. When she had awakened, the System had been rather enthusiastic, wanting to see its semi-creator in this world.

Though the person was not its true creator, he had created the System enough for it to be able to invade the mechanics of this world and bring Nina to Seraphina's world. But they had to put those plans aside the moment Seraphina awakened. Someone had immediately come to her, calling out.

"Seraphina, are you okay? Are you all right? How are you feeling? Is everything good?" In Seraphina's stupor, the System had kindly explained that the Goddess had lightly influenced the people's minds so that the name Nina had been replaced with Seraphina, though everything else Nina had done would remain the same. And while she was preparing herself for this world, she would need to first become stable enough before she could gain Nina's memories and such. So Seraphina had asked the System what she needed to do.

The System had lightly told her that she needed to pretend that she had lost her memories, which she clearly did not have of this world, and that it would make things easier for her. That way, if any of the equipment or customs of this world were different from what she was used to, she could simply hide behind the excuse of amnesia. Seraphina had quietly followed the System's words, asking the person who she was, where she was, and why she was there.

Seraphina felt rather awkward, but thinking the fact that this was something she had been used to when she had been playing the Saintess, being able to switch faces was much needed, and acting was one of those things that had become a surplus skill in order to survive in that rigid world. Seraphina didn't recall much, as she had fallen into a sleep right after saying those words, but seeing the horror on the person's face, she knew she had somewhat succeeded.

But since that day, she had mostly spent her time in a hospice, a place where people stayed to be healed. During that time, she had found many interesting things. Someone had come to her to assess what she could remember. She only spoke the truth, as she didn't know anything. Hearing that, that same person's face had grown pale. Later, she found out that this person was Emmaie. She still needed time to pronounce her name correctly. But at least she felt much better.

This Emmaie brought her to her house, stating that being alone would be very difficult for her at the time, and that she would feel worried if she left Seraphina alone. Seraphina had asked why Nina's family hadn't come to pick her up. Seeing the silence that had ensued, Seraphina quietly wondered if Nina's parents were dead. That would have been rather sad. As Seraphina thought about this on her bed, she heard a chorus of laughter coming from downstairs. She couldn't help but become curious.

Walking downstairs with her system kitty, resting on her shoulder, she looked toward Emmaie, who seemed to be sitting and laughing at this square magical thingy. Looking closely, Seraphina saw someone stuck inside the box. Seraphina was dumbfounded. She pointed toward the television, raising her voice.

"How is that possible? How is someone stuck in that place? Is that some sort of jail that kidnaps people, forcing them to live their lives? Rina, it's so thin. How?"

"What sorcery is this?" The System opened its mouth, trying to explain, but Seraphina had spoken rather loudly, causing Emma, who had been watching the television, to turn toward her.

"Are you up? Did I accidentally wake you up? Come." She got off the sofa, walked toward Seraphina, grabbed her hand, and guided her beside her.

"Come watch TV with me."

"T-V?" Seraphina asked.

"Oh, right. Um, it's basically something that holds records of things that were filmed, like things captured from the past, that we can watch now for our own amusement."

"Are the people in this TV thing trapped in the past?"

"No, no, no, no. They're actors." Emma brought out her phone and showed Seraphina pictures of the actors.

"These are the people. They're alive and well, though some of them are getting rather old. But this is like a relic, something they played in the past. It's really nice because it can be watched many times."

"And this thing is amusing to you?"

"Yeah. Shows and television are things made to bring different emotions to people, whether it be happiness, sadness, fear, or even horror. Many things are made to do just that."

"Who are these people who bring joy to many?"

"Oh, they're called actors." Emma looked toward Seraphina.

"You interested in becoming one?"

"Actorares, huh." After watching the film with Emma, Seraphina went back to her room and looked at the System. She spoke to it.

"System, when may I get Nina's memories?"

"When you have established stable ground within this world."

"How does one gain stability?"

"A job is one thing."

"Job? Like how I was the Saintess?"

"Yes, except there are no such things as Saintesses in this world."

"Can I be an actor, like what those people trapped in the TV did?"

"That can work. Let me look into this world and figure out how to become one, and we can get to that."

"Thank you." After a few months of getting used to the world, Seraphina was able to make her intentions known to Emma, who had been rather supportive. The System had found her a film that centered on noble factions and how nobles acted, so she had gone to play a minor official. But as she was acting, the director had looked at her deeply before asking if she could play someone else. Seraphina was given the new papers and began looking through them.

She read that the scene involved a Saintess threatening a man in chains, basically telling him to understand that the world would never believe that he was the Saintess' counterpart. Seraphina thought silently in her mind. System. Isn't this my life story? Is this not it? The System quickly informed the Host. In this world, the first two lives were sort of documented in a story named The Fake Saintess' Revenge.... You thought this would have been the most appropriate thing for me? Seraphina interrupted.

Sorry, Host. It's okay. The person above them coughed to grab Seraphina's attention.

"Begin." Seraphina reenacted the scene as stated in the papers, acting according to how she herself had actually experienced it. After finishing, she left the premises, wondering if she should go and get the thing they called icealcream. She had tried it once at Emma's place and had found it rather tasty. As she walked toward the shop she had seen nearby, one of the people from the film set ran toward her.

"You got the role!" The person then looked at her.

"Do you have an agent?" Seraphina didn't know how to answer. The system quickly stepped in.

"Just tell them you're a freelance actor." Hearing that she was freelance, the assistant had an awkward expression, but she still gave Seraphina her information.

"Keep this card and give me a call. We'll send you more information later. We're going to start filming in a week." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Seraphina quietly looked at the card in her hand. A week. She was going to be an actress.... During her time with the crew, Seraphina's parts had gone rather well. She rarely got NGs, and if one did happen, it was usually due to the counterpart she was acting against.

She was so good that the director had wanted to film her scenes right away while the weather was still rather good, especially after understanding that she was, in fact, a freelancer. After doing that, in about three months, Seraphina had finished her work and found that she rather liked this acting career. After that, Seraphina went on to find even more jobs. Sometimes she would do minor roles, where she only had to appear for a few scenes here and there.

Other times, she would do a medium-tier role where she would appear for a substantial amount of time, but still not be one of the main characters. Seraphina tended to like these obscure roles, as the main roles tended to require people to stay on set for extended periods of time. She mostly preferred roles where she also had little to no interaction with other people, as she found it much easier that way. She never got NGs.

Well, except when the director had gotten the exact scene they wanted but wanted her to add more flair. When those things happened, Seraphina would usually just chat with the System until the director found the exact feeling they wanted. Once they told Seraphina what they wanted, she would go about it and do it perfectly. After doing that, she would get her money and move on. She usually did things to a T, to the point where, despite the directors wanting to add more roles for her, it felt rather strange.

They had gotten exactly what they wanted from her, and she had performed it to a substantial degree, but they always felt unfulfilled. It wasn't that Seraphina's acting was bad. In fact, it was almost the opposite. She could perfectly reproduce the expression, tone, movement, and emotion they requested, but directors often wanted something they couldn't properly explain. They wanted an unexpected spark, a subtle change in expression, or some small detail that would make the character feel more alive.

Seraphina didn't naturally do that. If they told her exactly what they wanted, she would perform it exactly as instructed. And if they didn't know what they wanted, Seraphina would simply wait. That was why, whenever the director asked her to add more flair, she would usually sit around and chat with the System until they finally figured out what they were looking for. Once they explained it to her, she would perform it perfectly.

And somehow, that perfection was exactly what left them feeling that something was missing. Seraphina, on the other hand, found things rather interesting. She continued taking on many different roles because she wanted to see what she would look like on those screen-like TVs. After about three years of running around and doing minor roles, the first movie she had acted in was finally released. People fell in love with her character. There were even fans who came out to say that Seraphina was only misunderstood.

She was only doing what she had to. She was the good guy. Hearing this, Seraphina was left completely dumbfounded. Wasn't she supposed to be a villain? Around the same time, other movies that she had acted in also began to be released. Since Seraphina had mostly played smaller roles, she was usually called in toward the end of productions when they needed additional actors or extras. She would always be there. And people began to find her.

The System, being a perfectionist in itself, had always looked for high-standard movies with roles that Seraphina could prepare for. As a result, many of the movies began doing exceptionally well at the box office. People eventually started calling Seraphina a walking lucky star. Both Seraphina and the System were left rather confused by this. Neither of them understood what exactly they had done. As far as Seraphina was concerned, she had simply been doing her job....

Seraphina had returned to Emma's home and was prepared to simply sit back and enjoy herself for a while, as she wanted to watch the movies playing on the screens and see herself back in time, since the entire experience of watching her past unfold before her was something that fascinated her. As she was watching the television, Emma suddenly opened the door to her home with a loud bang.

"Seraphina, you won't believe it."

"What is the matter? Do you not have work?"

"No. Um, look. You got invited to an awards ceremony."

"An awards ceremony?"

"Uh, basically, it's a place where you go for, um... this year's new movie releases. You probably got nominated for something. This is really cool. You should be happy. Three years of work did so well."

"An award?" Seraphina and the System exchanged a glance as she looked down at the paper in her hands.

"A ceremony, huh? Don't those fancy-schmancy people wear marvelous gowns? We don't have the money for that." Emma looked at Seraphina with a strange expression before quickly schooling it back into something more neutral.

"Right. I keep forgetting that you don't have your memories. Fine. Um, we'll figure something out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, a hundred percent. Absolutely sure."

"All right. I see."

"We're going to tell the others. We're going to celebrate tonight because this is a major thing."

"I see."

"Oh, right. Also, you should wait. Actually, you should probably post it for yourself. Um, but I don't know if you can post about it... Anyways, it doesn't matter. Let's take some pictures. We'll post them on the day of the ceremony, basically telling people about your achievement, which is amazing."

"Yes. Yes." Seraphina didn't really know what was so amazing about this, as she had only been doing all of it to satisfy her curiosity. Eventually, when she became bored of watching those videos and seeing herself back in time, she would simply move on and make other ones, as there were still many things she wanted to explore, but for now, this was enough to satisfy her curiosity. … During the awards ceremony, Seraphina was called up to receive the award for Audience's Favorite Supporting Actress.

Seraphina walked onto the stage in bewilderment as she was handed the trophy. Her stupefied face was broadcast across NetNet. And within one household, Lily had been sitting around watching her older sister appear on the screen. Seraphina looked at the trophy before suddenly showing a happy smile. …

"Guys! Ni-na! I..." Lily suddenly clutched her head before shaking it off.

"Seraphina is doing her speech."

"What?" Elias came forth, looking at the screen.

"Oh, you're not kidding. I'm happy for her." He looked toward Lily.

"But shouldn't you not be here?"

"Hey." Lily looked at Elias, very much angry. Damien walked in and saw the two of them about to start fighting. He spoke up politely.

"Elias, you should know better. Even though Lily has been getting better over these past few days, that doesn't give you the right to bully her." Hearing that Damien was on her side, Lily turned toward Elias with a triumphant look.

"Oh, by the way..." Lily turned back toward the screen.

"You guys picked a good dress for her. I just wonder when she's going to get her memories back."

"Are you sure you want that?" Lily kept her mouth shut.

"Anyways..." She looked downcast.

"Is there a new movie that she's trying to get into? This time, I want to be the person who invests." She smiled.

"You know, my music and art exhibits are finally raking in a substantial amount of money. I'm nearly at five hundred million. I'm so happy."

"Why were you so happy about that?" Elias put on a doting smile before rubbing Lily's head.

"You're still too poor, sweetie. Let's talk about this when you pass at least one billion."

"You guys are mean." Lily puffed out her cheeks.

"If I hadn't been sick all this time, I swear I would have passed you guys long ago."

"Are you sure about that?" Elias looked skeptical.

"Maybe not as rich as you. I still don't get how you managed to get yourself involved in the mafia."

"I was doing a lucrative business." Lily crossed her arms.

"Although, I didn't expect Ni--Seraphina to lose her memories. That was unexpected." She looked back toward the screen.

"But at least now she's no longer compulsively unable to recognize the goodwill of people." Lily looked away.

"Do you know how worried I was when I figured out that she didn't remember anything anymore? I almost broke the promise and went to speak with her."

"Didn't you, though?"

"Well, I was the person who went to ask her if she remembered certain things, but that doesn't count."

"Right." Elias said it half-heartedly.

"By the way, what is Mother doing?"

"Oh, she's telling the government about something."

"Is Father and Lucian here? They need to watch this."

"I don't know. I think Father is investigating a crime scene of some sort, and Lucian is working on a new cure, I believe." Elias looked toward the screen.

"You should at least be happy that Damien was able to make it. The Secret Service has gotten more cautious since that incident from him leaving for days on end."

"It wasn't that serious. I just applied for a sick day," Damien said lightly.

"And Seraphina is finally taking a step into society. Who knows? She might surpass all of us, you know?"

"Yes. Yes, we know." The others replied almost simultaneously, proud looks on their faces. … The Goddess stood within her realm, her eyes closed as she watched Neutral Good go about its way, seeing blindly through its alignment as she moved. It was not until its alignment began to shift toward neutrality that the Goddess finally let go, opening her eyes. That world was, to her, good. Eventually, she would align herself toward True Neutral, once her alignment to True Neutral Good had stabilized.

"Cause and Effect," the Goddess called out. Cause and Effect descended into her realm.

"But what do I owe this pleasure?" the Goddess asked.

"You treat that child rather well," Cause and Effect said.

"Which do you mean?"

"Is it not obvious?"

"I'm sure you understand my favor for both children. You clearly needed to step in to stop the System, which I had bestowed Neutral Evil upon," the Goddess said lightly.

"Yes. I know," Cause and Effect replied.

"Your indulgence in this led to the confines of the System," the Goddess said.

"But what I do not understand is why. If you were always going to override their memories and give those children back their rightful bodies, why would you let them keep their first names?" Cause and Effect asked.

"I wish to see something." The Goddess looked beyond her realm.

"My children, in and of themselves, are rather unique in this regard. Do you not also have a child within that world whom you also seem to favor rather greatly?"

"I do not know what you mean," Cause and Effect replied.

"Of course," the Goddess said.

"The favor you have bestowed upon that child is rather hefty. She intruded upon the conversation with my children, and yet you did not stop her in any way. You seem to be rather proud of her achievements." Cause and Effect remained silent.

"Are you sure you did not simply use the opportunity my children provided to allow your child to thrive within the confines of that world, building up merit by helping bring about the Cause and Effect that seemed destined to cease within that world?" the Goddess asked. After a momentary silence, the Goddess could not help but look aside, seeing that Cause and Effect himself had been silenced by her words. Feeling rather generous, the Goddess spoke.

"I never did override the children's memories, which is something you should have observed, as doing so would fundamentally remove their own existence. The error was not caught before their critical event, in which their alignments had blossomed. Therefore, removing or overriding their memories would only cause both of them to cease to exist."

"Neutral Evil is a perfect exemplar. Her true alignment in that world now allows her to foresee the memories of Neutral Good's past, unwillingly living her life and watching things unfold before her. Yet she did not break."

"But the same cannot be said for Neutral Good. She is far too lenient toward True Good, and she is not in a state to receive Neutral Evil's memories, as doing so would push her further toward the alignment of True Good, which would, in turn, cause her to cease to exist."

"So no. Overriding was never in the plan, as it would never cut to the source of the problem." The Goddess turned toward Cause and Effect, giving him an ultimatum.

"Your question has been answered. Now, an equivalent exchange must be returned." Given the density of what Neutrality had bestowed upon Cause and Effect, he could not help but sigh.

"That child. She was set to that world due to the evil within Neutrality itself, with her task being to maintain law and order. But due to the fundamental nature of Neutral Good appearing instead of Neutral Evil, the world fought back, and that had led to the death of the child's parents, which in turn brought forth her awakening."

"But due to that awakening being rather personal, she sought revenge against the heroes of that plane. Though she still stepped up whenever injustice was felt, it was not in a manner conducive to her development and, in fact, would have resulted in a failed sample."

"But the world reset, bringing itself back toward the beginning and starting anew, creating another chance for that event not to occur. Yet even in this world, things fell through, and everything remained the same."

"There was no fundamental way to break through, as it was the perceived Cause and Effect of the child that stopped certain things from going out of step. She was, in essence, the governor of the lines within Cause and Effect. Even though she did not recall what had happened, if something were to be fundamentally changed at the root level, she would feel it and subconsciously fight back, refusing to allow those changes to take effect."

"But when the world reset again, and you brought that child, Neutral Evil, into the world, it created the perfect causal line in which the child had never experienced what had happened before, allowing Neutral Evil to change the world."

"And due to that, I used the causal chain that Neutral Evil, simply by existing, had created to help alter the awakening of that child, as her awakening itself was a falsity."

"After the event was successful, I left the matter as it was, knowing that, at some point, the child would awaken as she herself is a product of thy."

"But what I did not account for was that she would be drawn toward Neutral Evil. That persistence in remaining close to her would eventually lead her to experience a sense of loss without actually losing something."

"And once her awakening appeared, she brought it forth, asking for things and wanting things that were in line with true Cause and Effect and the powers that would allow her to balance the world and the evil within it."

"As she asked, I gave, and because of that, she was able to accumulate far more than I had expected."

"And her being a part of me, while gaining more and more merit with each forgotten reset, allowed this eventual line to lead her to strike through the Calamity, though she was not yet strong enough to see or lay beyond it, and it was nevertheless a rather good step for her."

"As the world itself did not run on evil or fate-destructive causes, she could never truly stand in the place in which your children had stood, as she was, in fact, not yet qualified." Cause and Effect left after saying their part.... Neutrality remained within her realm for a moment before she, too, went forth to attend to other matters, for the children would need to live out their lives.

She would only appear once again when their lives had reached their completion, to see whether they had overcome all the odds stacked against them, or whether they had become failed samples and died into the cosmos, eventually combining themselves back into her. And with that, the world was left to them. The End.