“Analysis is an advanced and specialized form of Inspect. It provides far more information by default than Inspect. It is also mainly for nerds, as Lord Luck’s followers might say. I think the irony of that statement eludes them.” ~ Marama

The wagon they were given seemed to have some kind of spatial magic applied to it for the inside was far larger and more elaborate than the rickety outside suggested. It looked like a one-roomed cabin, complete with wooden floors and walls and windows where it was on the cart. A small living room met into a crafting area, filled with containers and merchandise. The towering merchandise and junk in the storeroom reached the ceiling against one of the walls.

Most likely the only reason why it didn’t fall was due to magic, though there was a faint shifting as it moved.

There were various cots and even a few beds positioned in the living room, and above them was a loft that took up half the room. It cast the room in shadow.

The faint light from the setting sun breached the ancient curtains of the windows, and some kind of mana-infused stone sat in scones on the walls. As the natural light died, the mana stone glowed, giving the room more than enough light in a blue hue.

Serena did take note that anyone could enter this space which did nothing for the state of alarm she was entering.

The lone adult of the group set her ax next to the flap that served as the entrance to this room, before walking over to the ugly and tattered light lime green sofa. With no grace, she flopped down on it, mindful of the baby clinging to her and sputtering in rage.

Arima shifted his weight awkwardly, causing her area of view to change with the movement. He then followed her to an equally as worn leather armchair and sat down.

A long-suffering sigh escaped the young woman who sat up and detached the baby wrap and Kalani from her.

“Okay, we have a safe place to discuss some things.”

Serena scrunched up her face to give her opinion on that, and that only seemed to confirm things for Marama.

“Serena, and possibly Kalani here, are likely incarnated. There is a chance one of them could be a Peggy Sue as well.”

Kalani didn’t look that impressed or worried, but Serena’s usual cool fractured. Just tear off the bandage, why don’t you?

Arima was the only one who was confused by the terms. “What are those?”

Marama scoffed. “Not someone who delves into the occult or any kind of education. Likely have yet to even get a brief education.”

Arima stiffened, much to Serena’s fascination. His pale face bloomed with a pink hue, though whether the blush was from shame or rage was unknown to her. “I was a bit too busy avoiding being eaten by the monster my father became.”

Now that was news to Serena. She had thought these monsters Arima was talking about were just rank and file beasts and creatures. More natural creations. If they were mutations of humanoids, then does that mean that plants and animals and natural monsters can be corrupted as well?

It was an interesting subject to ponder, but there was too little information for her to start forming any kind of theory around.

Marama seemed to be taken aback by this revelation, so Serena took it as this information about the origins of Mist-touched beings are either little known or carefully suppressed.

She filed that away to mentally puzzle out, and turned her attention back to the discussion.

“I don’t know whether I should be concerned that you want to kill changed beings when you grow up or that you think that would be heroic,” Marama confessed.

Arima shook his head, a strange intensity to him. His long uneven bangs covered his eyes in shadow for a moment. “It doesn’t matter. I would be killing sentients as an explorer or mercenary either way.”

Well, that is rather bloodthirsty for a child. The irony was not lost on her since she had killed her first sentient being when she was originally around Arima’s age as well. Some things never change.

They decided to move away from this potentially dangerous topic to head back to what Kalani and herself could be.

“A Peggy Sue is someone who mentally time travels,” Marama began, her expression exasperated for some reason. “Through some failure in reality, a warp in space and time, a ritual, or a whim of the gods or other overly powerful nutjobs, the person in question is given a chance to go back in time and relive their life. They retain their knowledge of events and sometimes even their abilities. Death is another origin point to cause someone to mentally travel back to an earlier point in time. Regardless, they tend to use their knowledge to prevent their same life experiences from happening, or even to get ahead.”

That would explain why he seemed to be so intelligent and able to observe from birth. If his rest point was childhood, he could potentially try as many times as needed. At worst, he likely went too far back and was reborn.

But wouldn’t this cause a split in the timeline? A multiverse of countless dimensions and realities was bad enough. Adding on time travel and alternative timelines just seemed to be asking for trouble.

Serena’s eyes widened as she looked at Kalani, finally understanding why he was so surprised that she was there.

He was likely an only child, at least through his mother. The idea was shocking to her, and more so that the fact of her incarnation causing them to be twins. Perhaps, they were brought together due to their irregularities in reality. If so, it would have only been natural to have been born alongside him.

It was refreshing to know that they were connected by a deeper thing than blood. Blood didn’t mean much in her past, and even her true connection and devotion to Loras was cast aside like trash.

A thick gloom fell upon her as the night covered the world, and it was hard to shake herself out of it.

“That means Kalani is broken?” Arima asked, tilting his head. It was so reminiscent of a curious bird that Serena gave a fleeting smile. The toddler was adorable, for all his desire for slaughter.

Her dear brother was clearly offended, sputtering in a rage as red covered his cheeks. He was becoming so upset that he started to cry, and that only made it worse.

Marama chuckled and gave a firm nod, confirming his question. “Kalani likely only survived his original life due to his own intelligence, sheer dumb luck, and skills. Perhaps someone shielded him as well. Regardless, all of that is a luxury he is currently lacking at the moment. He also has to deal with a weaker and less experienced body. Our little purple friend here has some serious mental issues and likely gaps in his knowledge regarding past events. People will have negative reactions when they realize he knows things he shouldn’t. Of course, the primary problem is that as he changes things, the new timeline becomes more and more different from the one he left behind. Kalani will be unable to predict what's going to happen eventually.”

Kalani’s existence was confusing enough, though that paled in comparison to her situation.

As if making a show of bringing up what Serena just thought, Marana turned to her. The warrior woman waved her hand in her direction, before connecting them both.

“Kalani is the Ouroboros, devouring his own present to send himself to the past. Serena in turn could be likened to a Phoenix, being born again in a new body while retaining her mind and potentially her prowess.”

Serena flinched, tears building in her eyes before they escaped her control. Her observation, even if more a joke, was too close to the truth for her comfort.

The Ouroboros was a serpent that devoured its own tail, creating a circle. It was a symbol of eternity and the cyclical nature of time and the universe. It was also associated with alchemy, time travel, rejuvenation, and resurrection.

Snakes were held highly even in the empire due to their associations with immortality, rebirth, rejuvenation, and youth. A common theory among her colleagues was that before sentient races had time to study the life cycles of animals, it was believed that when a snake shed its skin it actually became younger and could potentially live forever. Snake venom may also be used to restore, heal, or even be used in poisons and alchemy.

She had always loved snakes, along with other more misunderstood animals. That even included monsters and creatures that were often used or hunted for materials and resources. Such fondness had only made her oddities stand out, separating her further from her noble peers.

Sorrow sprang forth once more in her heart as she thought about her collection of exotic animals and creatures she had befriended. No doubt they had been put down and used for parts.

Just another thing to add to their list of crimes against me.

The Phoenix, at least according to her records, were a type of mystical bird that were a symbol of death and rebirth. It's most common portrayal was as a magnificent bird with a plumage of fiery colors and also with fiery powers. Sometimes it was even a bird actually made of living flames.

They were said to regenerate from any injury and had a peculiar habit of self-immolation. They would then be born anew.

Of course, that was more the myths of the rabble and commonfolk.

True phoenixes, or Houou, Bennu, Firebird, and so on depending on the culture and species regional name, were a kind of monster. A mixture of ascended common birds with more monstrous tendencies depending on what the creature was originally, the now magical avians could easily be a threat.

There were hundreds of variations on ascended birds alone, but those classified as phoenixes were both docile and dangerous. Their very presence caused the area’s temperature to change, and they tended to prefer deserts or volcanos and other hot or humid regions. Their blood was often used in explosives and dangerous tools that were manufactured via alchemical processes. It could also be used to create medicine and was one of the most stable or used ingredients in the Elixir of Life.

The fiery to rainbow hued plumage provided fire immunity and mild regeneration, and were often turned into accessories. When used in alchemy, it had been mostly centered on creating cloth with the effect of the above and other benefits that would be passed into the finished product.

There were countless other uses for a phoenix, but Serena suspected that was not what Marama had intended with the comparison. No, for the blunt woman, it was played straight.

Even a few days after her birth, she could still feel the lingering traces of the fire on her flesh and the rising smoke in her lungs. She had died in fire and had been born anew, rising from the ashes. Cleansed by the rain, she had her whole life ahead of her.

The first thing I need to do is find out more about current events. Discovering if this is the same world or a different one is important too.

Arima shook his head, as if to clear it. “How did you even suspect such farfetched things?”

Marama poked the side of her head and revealed her answer. A fierce grin and wildness in her eyes that was alarming greeted them. “Instinct.”

Kalani and Serena stared at each other, and in that moment truly connected in the unifying, if lowborn thought of, Shit.