How to Raise Your Regressor

That's all there is to it.

Everyone- well most people- likes beautiful things, and so they want to protect them. In a way, that holds true for me as well.

If by my intervention I can shield them from a scar that normally would have changed their life so that they can stay as that beautiful, newly sprouted flower for even a second longer, then I will not hesitate to intervene.

Besides, the effort spent saving them will be truly insignificant compared to the beauty they'll preserve.

After all, I'm the First Being; I can save them with a snap of my finger.

"I really can't understand you…" Tristan shook his head.

"I would have been surprised if you did."

Because that would require him to either have perfect empathy or to be alive for as long as me, and I doubt he's capable of either.

It sure would be amusing if he was, though.

"You sure do talk big for a 12-year-old, though."

"The experiences you go through have a much bigger role in shaping what kind of person you are than the time you've spent living."

Alas, I've both spent a long time living and have gone through a variety of experiences.

F.

"I wonder what kind of experiences you went through that you turned out like this," he scoffed.

"I wonder about that myself."

Memory System, please create a montage.

⟦No.⟧

"There is one thing I do know, though."

"And that would be?"

"You're delusional."

"Wow, hurtful."

I thought better of you, Tristan- oh, no, wait, I didn't.

"You are delusional because you think you can take down the organisation alone."

There was an emphasis on the word 'alone'.

Hmm, I think I know where he's trying to go with this.

"I cannot?"

Let's humour him.

"Let's assume that you have the sheer power required to take down the organisation."

"Thank you for your generous evaluation."

"Or in other words, the amount of power that you alone have is more than the power that the organisation holds."

"Okay. And?"

"The problem here is that the Organisation is not a single organism. The power you have belongs to you and you alone, but the power of the organisation is the culmination of all of its members' strength."

"Well, yeah, that's what an organisation is."

Or did he think that I was dumb enough to believe 'The Organisation' was just a monster that I had to defeat?

Hmm, though in a philosophical sense, the organisation is a monster. They do such horrible things that no actual human being could imagine doing; they are similar to a monster.

Of course, that's just philosophical because in reality, that's just human nature.

"And you are going against that organisation. You might have strength, but the organisation has numbers."

Good grief, just get to the goddamn point, Tristan.

"And?"

"And that means that this war that you're looking to start cannot be won with strength alone."

"Yeah, I know how wars work."

Though this is more of a scuffle.

"I don't think you do," Tristan replied exasperatedly. "You are just a single man- no, a boy. No matter how hard you try, you cannot be there to protect everyone with your own strength. That is the weakness of your power, and the organisation will take advantage of it."

"I thought you said the Organisation would never stoop low enough to target the family members of their enemies?"

This guy is contradicting himself. As I thought, Tristan is not the brightest man around.

"A cornered rat is more dangerous and unpredictable than an ordinary one; there's no knowing what the Organisation will do when faced with a desperate situation. Besides, the people around you are not exactly innocent."

"They're not?"

Lecia was kidnapped (it's a different story that I allowed them) by the organisation, yet she's not innocent?

Well, sounds about right; she did almost choke me to death, after all.

Hmm, maybe she tried to choke somebody else too.

Now that I think about it, it's possible that Lecia is actually a psychopath and choking others to death gives her the best orgasms.

Maybe the organisation knew how dangerous she was, but because her skill was valuable, they decided to keep her locked away instead of just giving her a good ol' sword in the throat.

Going by this logic, the real reason Tristan kidnapped her was that he wanted to protect us from that maniac.

One could argue that he should have used verbal conflict resolution instead of straight up kidnapping her, but I doubt that anyone at the Guild was smart enough (other than ya boi) to even consider the possibility that Tristan might be telling the truth.

If that is the case, then, um, yea, my bad mate. Sorry for thwarting your efforts to contain a monster.

Yikes.

Anyway, time to turn Lecia into a full-fledged serial killer I mean give her therapy and make her realise that choking others to death is not the most tactical decision.

"As far as the Organisation is concerned, their enemy is the New Dawn Guild, not you," Tristan said.

"Fair enough, I suppose."

The so-called Organisation will likely target the other members of the Guild because to them, I would be nothing more than an innocent weak child who is no threat to them.

Wow.

"And that's why you cannot take on the Organisation alone," he concluded.

"I can see where you're coming from."

Even if I don't agree with it.

Like I said, the day I fail in taking out a paltry Organisation is the day I'll bury the Universe six feet under.

And let's just say, I have no interest in creating a piece of land big enough to bury the entire Universe in.

"If you want to fight the Organisation, you need allies."

"Perhaps I do. But don't I already have them?"

As regrettable as it is, I AM a part of the New Dawn Guild. So I'm not exactly lacking in the ally department, even if those allies range from Crippled Child Beater to a Regressor to the motherfucking Shadowlord.

"But they're also comrades that you want to protect. Making them fight on the frontlines would be counterproductive, no?"

"Well…"

This man's logic slaps. To think I'll have an intellectual conversation with Lecia's kidnapper.

Perhaps I should bend reality and swap Tristan and Lecia's places. That way, I'll get to send a potential serial killer to the guillotine while also getting someone who I can have intellectual conversations with.

"You need an ally who can fight alongside you."

"And where will I find one? Not in you, surely."

"I think we are too far gone to become allies."

"A shame."

No conversation partner, I guess.

⟦⟦You have me.⟧⟧

[I'm sorry, but I'd rather die.]

⟦⟦You'd rather die than breathe, so that doesn't count.⟧⟧

[I'm sorry, but I'd rather live the rest of my eternal life than have you as my conversation partner.]

⟦⟦Ouch.⟧⟧

"I know someone who can be your ally."

Finally, the meat of this conversation. It sure took us a long time to get here.

"Oh? And that would be?"

"A woman named Arlan. She's my daughter-"

"Yup, just as I expected."

"What?" His eyes widened.

Oh Tristan, you naïve little boy.