Scumbag Fate System-Chapter 64: Did It Work?

"Guess." Reinhard teased with a faint smile.

Yor blinked before her eyes widened. Then she gasped as she let go of his hand and began clutching the sheets.

"Did it work?" She asked while moving closer, and her voice was trembling. "Are my powers really-"

Reinhard gently tapped her nose, stopping her spiral before it could start. "Why don’t you test them and find out?"

Yor paused before she began hesitating. "Are you sure? Maybe we should go somewhere safer. Somewhere reinforced. What if I can’t control it and something goes wrong?"

The questions tumbled out. Each one revealed deeper fear about what might happen if this hadn’t actually worked. What if the seal failed? What if she hurt him right here in her room? What if it only made things worse?

Reinhard gently caressed her face. "Trust me, your powers are safe now. Just summon the void."

She bit her lip while trembling but finally nodded. Her hand opened while palm facing up, and she began to concentrate with her brow furrowing.

Yor waited.

Nothing happened, and her fingers trembled.

Then–

A black-grey orb appeared above her palm.

It spun slowly while giving off an aura that made the air feel heavy and oppressive. It was like something fundamentally wrong had entered reality. But Yor’s eyes widened as shock quickly replaced any other emotion she displayed before.

"No way." She muttered while staring at the orb.

The swirling ball began growing while expanding from marble-size to tennis ball to basketball in seconds. Then it instantly shrank while compressing down to the size of a pebble. Growing and shrinking while responding to something Yor was doing.

She stared blankly at her palm while the orb hovered and pulsed. Her hand closed while fingers curled around nothing, and when she opened it again, the void had disappeared completely.

Reinhard smiled and tilted his head. "It should be able to absorb magic, right?"

Yor blinked and nodded while still looking dazed.

"Then let’s test it properly." Reinhard reached out while grasping at the space around them and tapping into his Spatial Lord ability. The air itself became visible like a sheet of fabric, and he began moving it while bending reality in small, controlled ways.

"That’s..." Yor muttered before tilting her head.

Then the spiraling orb appeared in her palm again, and she pressed it against the distorted space.

The sound of glass shattering echoed through the room. The distorted space Reinhard had been holding snapped back to normal while every trace of his magic was consumed in an instant.

The void orb pulsed brighter while growing slightly from the absorbed energy.

Reinhard blinked as he felt a bit drained. All the magic he’d poured into manipulating space had vanished completely without a trace.

He then laughed with hints of relief. "Well, now. It seems everything is working perfectly. Your powers do work, and you can actually control them."

Yor didn’t respond while just staring down at her palm. Her expression was a mix of disbelief and shock, and something that might have been the beginning of hope but was too fragile to fully form yet.

Reinhard said nothing and his thumb traced slow circles on her back. He gave her the time she needed to process what this meant.

Minutes passed.

Outside, students could be heard shouting close to the dorm. Inside the room, Yor stared at her hand like it belonged to someone else.

After five minutes Yor finally turned to look at him. Her eyes were red, while tears were already gathering, and her whole body trembled like she was barely holding herself together.

"Reinhard..." She whispered. "Is this real? Can I really control it now? This isn’t a dream that I’ll wake up from?"

His smile softens. "Yes, you can control it. Your void power will no longer hurt anyone unless you want it to."

The words broke the dam that had been holding back her emotions. She lunged at him even though they were already inches apart while wrapping her arms around him and burying her face against his chest.

A sound escaped her; it was a mix of half sob and half laugh. She clung to him while her fingers gripped his shirt, and her whole body was shaking.

"Thank you." She gasped between sobs. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Reinhard held her while one hand stroked her hair and the other rubbed her back in soothing circles. "The best way you can thank me is by staying in my life and keeping yourself happy."

Yor trembled while pulling back just enough to look at him. Her face was tear-stained, while her eyes were bright and her smile was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

It stunned him while stealing his breath for a moment.

She held his face between her hands before leaning in and kissing him deeply. He trembled, and then he closed his arms around her as he kissed her back deeply.

When Yor finally pulled back, her expression had shifted to excitement. "I can’t wait to show the others! To tell them what happened! I can finally touch them!"

Reinhard nodded with a chuckle, but his mind was already working ahead. "Actually, there’s something else I’ve been wondering about."

"What?" Yor asked as she tilted her head.

He grinned with the idea fully forming. "Maybe you can help heal the people affected by your powers. Take away the void energy that’s buried deep in their bodies and make them emotionless."

Yor froze while her mouth opened and her eyes went impossibly wide. She gasped before her hand came up to cover her mouth.

"T-That might actually be possible." She breathed while her words came faster. "If I can control the void now, then maybe I can reverse what it did. Oh my god, I could heal the students from the mall! And the third years!"

Reinhard smiled while continuing to rub her back as she talked. But then she trailed off while her expression shifted to something more complicated.

"What’s wrong?" He asked.

She bit her lip and her voice barely came out. "Maybe... I can heal my parents too."

The words rang out in the air, filled with years of pain and guilt.

Reinhard said nothing and simply rested his forehead against hers. His silver eyes met her matching silver, holding steady contact.

"Are you afraid it might not work?" He asked softly. "Or are you afraid of their reaction if it does?"

Yor trembled and began trying to look down, but Reinhard gently lifted her chin back up.

"You heard their words when we were escaping the mansion." He said softly. "They love you, and that didn’t change even when you erupted."

"But what if they’re angry?" Yor’s voice broke. "They’ve been in that state for over eight years. What if they blame me for taking that time from them? What if-"

"Then we face it together," Reinhard interrupted with a gentle smile.

Yor’s eyes widened while the words sank in, and then she smiled. The fresh tears gathered around her eyes, but these were different. "Thank you, Reinhard."

He squeezed her hand. "Want to go show the others?"

Yor nodded as a grin spread across her face, and she practically leaped out of bed with energy that hadn’t been there moments before.

...

Sirin, Alice, Rika, and Louis were all lounging around the main table while clearly waiting. Their heads snapped up the moment the door opened, and their conversations cut off mid-sentence.

"Hey, everyone," Reinhard greeted before stepping inside.

All eyes immediately shifted to Yor as she followed him in, while her smile was bright. The room went completely silent while everyone leaned forward with anticipation, hope, and fear all mixed together.

"Well?" Alice asked while breaking the silence. "Did it work?"

"Can you control your power now?" Rika added softly.

"Are you safe?" Louis asked while his hands were gripping the table edge.

"Tell us!" Sirin demanded as she began standing up.

Yor giggled, the sound was light and free. It was nothing like the quiet, restrained laughs they’d heard from her before. She raised her hand with her palm up, and everyone leaned in closer.

The void orb materialized above her palm while spinning slowly and giving off its dreadful aura.

Everyone’s eyes went wide while their mouths dropped open. Yor’s smile grew even brighter as she made the orb grow and shrink and dance between her fingers like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"I can control it." She said while her voice filled with wonder. "I can actually control it now."

But then her smile shifted, becoming more mischievous and slightly nervous. "And that’s not all. Reinhard thinks I might be able to heal everyone I’ve hurt. Take back the void energy and restore what I took from them."

The room fell into silence.