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The lighter's lid flicked open, allowing me to light up my cigarette with a push of the thumb.
A trace of smoke soon appeared as I exhaled, my posture relaxing at the calming sensation that washed over my mind
Noble Phantasm: [Cigarette of the Nine Heavens] had been created
Rank: A+
Type: Anti-Unit (Self)
Description: +20,000% Mana Regeneration. Granting Invincibility. Increase critical damage by 10,000% for a duration of 300 seconds
They said smoking is bad for your health, but damn if I can help it
I slightly shook my cigarette, watching as ashes fall to the ground
Let it be said beforehand that I am a very law-abiding citizen. There's just no way I'd break the rules randomly without having some reasonable excuses first
I perform my duty as an average human with vigor. Making social contact with fellow human several times a week. Helping out fellow prepubescent human with their emotionally angsty problems. Learning ethics in different human cultures and making sure I don't stand out too much among the masses of homosapiens known as today's human by copying their social behavior and reproduce them under appropriate circumstances, thus earning the approval of their kind
With that said, what I'm doing is, in fact, against the law here in Japan as I am a minor. But if you twist the rules itself a little and combine my previous age in with that of my current body - which add up to 37- I am legally allowed to have a cig once in a while as long as no one catches me
...okay, I'm just doing it because I'm a heavy smoker in my past life. Magus or not, one doesn't simply get over his addiction that easily
The night sky illuminated my lone figure as I walked along the desolate street of Misaki town. A breath of cold air escaped my lips. I fastened the coat around me, passing through the dark block of buildings and ignoring the lone stray cat that stared at me from the valley
Right now there were the occasional Executors patrolling the area from the shadow to look out for Dead Apostles, some of which included Ciel who waved at me as she passed by. I nodded back
Needless to say, things have gone a bit different from canon ever since I moved in this town
With Nero Chaos annihilated and his successor assassinated by me, the number of supernatural incidents at Misaki town had decreased significantly in the past few months. The hotel wasn't burnt, Satsuki Yumizuka most likely weren't turned and killed, and Ciel could enjoy a short break after many months of late-night shift between us
Now all that's left will be the main act. Shiki Tohno meeting Arcueid, thus began their hunt for the Twenty-Eighth Ancestor. Ciel joining them and eventually find her revenge, resolving her character arc and potentially pave way to its sequel Melty Blood
Hmm...should I tell her about the existence of Roa yet?
The thought went out as soon as it appeared in my head
Perhaps not. What comes will come. No need to involve myself in business that isn't mine unless said business will become mine
Rounding up a corner, I jumped up a nearby building with a kick to the ground.
Soaring several meters upward in the air, I gracefully landed on the roof. My form nothing more than a dark blur, unnoticeable from the shadow around me as I started walking from rooftops from rooftops
It's been such a long time ago that I forgot I need to hold back when doing anything physical
On Earth, gravity is significantly weaker, so I must restrain myself in order to move slower at light speed in order not to cause collateral damage. The same can be said when I concentrate too much, causing anything entering my eyesight to have the concept of "death" actualized upon them like that one time
The matter of me limiting myself is irrelevant at the moment though, as I've already had level restraints for that
"Hup" Hopping out from the rooftop of the tall hotel, I landed on the ground without much effort. The hard soil crunched under my feet, signalling the end of the road. I got up and dusted off some dirt clinging to my clothing
As expected, the night forest was dead silent at this time of the day. Just perfect for a walk under the moonlight
I started walking through the dense foliage of the area, enjoying the breeze that caressed my hair and the scent of nature around me. My footstep echoed in the empty space as I listened to the rustling of the leaves at midnight
However, a sudden silence descended upon my entrance as the forest itself seems to take notice of me. One moment I was feeling sleepy from the ambient sound, the next I was alerted as the noises all ceased around me
I blinked, before shrugging and continued on with my jog in the dirt road that came afterward
Unbeknownst to (Y/n), the trees began swaying in his presence as he unconsciously releases a bit of his power. Space around him twisted in an unnatural way, revealing glimpses of the countless Reality Marbles contained inside him
A landscape filled to the brim with swords
A floating castle of the Moon
An ever distant utopia, far away from the reaches of man
Their trunks become healthier as he passed by, barks becoming sturdier the more they immerse in his presence. Their leaves turned several shades greener the more they soak in the residual mana emitted from his body. The trees seem to come alive under the moonlight, a glow of magic fading into their trunks as fast as they appeared
Even the ground was no exception. The Magus failed to notice how the gravel underneath his feet slowly turned into vibrant green pastures with grass and flowers of the rarest, most exotic kind growing off the dirt he used to walk on
The phenomenon would have made any Magus spit out their blood in envy at the implication.
Life Magic. The purest of all healing Mysteries. They have the properties of restoring any given object into their prime. No matter how injured. No matter how severe the wound is
If Death kills all, Life cures all
They are the brand mystery that was said to have came the closest to True Magic out of the big three. And an individual was releasing enormous waves of them rippling forward just by taking a stroll through the wood
Given time, it would only be expected that his rather queer ability would draw someone's attention from the shade of the nearby trees
"Hello there" A voice echoed from the dark. It was jovial in nature, but an underlying hint of curiosity could be heard under it
I stopped
"General Kenobi"
"It's actually Zelretch for you"
Ah. A name that usually rhymes with "trouble" and "insanity"
"Hello Zelretch. My name is (Y/n), who is also an average, non-assuming Magus. What can I do for you?" I rounded my arm and spoke in a professional manner, the Walter part of me coming out in display
"Oh, I just come here for a little chat" From the shadow the old man walked out. His white cloak and the wrinkles on his face creases as the moonlight shone down on us, revealing blood-red eyes denoting the inhuman nature of the old man underneath "It's not every day you meet a fellow Magician in a town like this, (Y/n) (L/n)"
The situation is unexpected
...Or the situation was unexpected. Alternatively, it would have been truly unexpected if I hadn't already sensed him a mile away the moment I entered the forest. The man might have been good at concealing himself using Magic, but it's kind of moot against my conceptual immunity
"So...what do you want?"
Zelretch's eyebrows rose up just a little
"You ask what, but not why, when or even how I know that?"
"Would you truly have answered, or would you find a convoluted means of reply that would mess with my head for days to come and potentially lead to more trouble on my part later down the road?"
"...You know a shocking lot about me"
"Your legend isn't exactly the most obscured among the Clock Tower rookie"
He laughed. I laughed. We both laughed
Why the fuck are we laughing?
Our laughter soon faded down into quiet chuckles as we stared at each other. the Second Magic user meeting the First and Third Magic user
"But there's more to it, isn't it (Y/n)? After all, you're not exactly from around these parts" He looked at me curiously "My Magic allows for the observation of multiple universes, and you don't seem to appear in any of them from what I've seen"
Ho, a direct approach to a rather sensitive problem. How shall I deal with this? The smooth answer Kotomine-style? The sassy answer EMIYA-style? The condescending answer Gilgamesh-style? Or the incomprehensible answer Heracle-style?
"Yeah, I just moved in from another world some months ago"
In the end I decided to go with the straight answer (L/n) style
"A truck?"
"Netflix and chill"
"Ah, what kind?"
"Watching some off-brand anime naked on my couch when I got teleported into the Root damned Clock Tower of all things" I took a deep inhale of the cigarette's scent "Makes you wonder if some idiot is trying to mess up my already miserable life over for his own entertainment"
"That's a mood. But such is life" He remarked like a wise old sage "But I've got to ask. If you're an Isekai protagonist, does that mean you're going to get yourself a harem of attractive women and get laid eventually?"
"This is not some form of wish fulfillment story, Zelretch"
I wish it could be...I really wish it could...that way I don't have to suffer anymore
"My boy, everything can be a story from a certain point of view" He sat down on a nearby piece of log, I sat down opposite to him "To me, yours would be a comedy, or tragedy, or a drama. It's a matter of perspective really"
"Wise words. Doesn't matter what genre it is, one can only strive to make the best of their respective stories, can't they?"
"I was going to say just get yourself a harem and get laid, but that works too"
Sighing, I took out another stick of cigarette from my pocket "Want some?"
"Thanks" Zelretch accepted the piece of rolled-up tobacco and lit it with the flame he produced from his finger. Taking a deep inhale of the delicious stuff, he blew out, leaving wisps of white smoke dispersing into the air
For a while, we sat in the silence of the night, enjoying the cool air with a stick of tobacco in our hand
<><><><><><><><>
Zelretch exhaled in exhaustion, dropping the tenth stick of ashen tobacco from his hand and silently asked me for another one
The old man must be addicted to this kind of shit
"And you basically "killed" multiple existences that are far above death itself using a blade flooded with True Ether?"
I nodded, handing him another cigarette after lighting it with my lighter
"I can use the Noble Phantasms inside my storage to fight them, but that would destroy the nearby solar systems or cause permanent harm to it" I grumbled "In fact, several of them had already been blown up in the midst of our fight, but since they're a couple million light-years away from here, nothing should be noticeable as of yet"
"You know, I've always thought I'm the best at messing with people's mind due to the nature of my magic...obviously I had been wrong" he broke into half laughter "You are even crazier than I thought you'd be as a Magician"
"Said the old man who blasted the freaking Moon into orbit using a cannon"
"Said the youngster who solo'd the entire solar system's worth of ultimate life form"
"It's only a small feat compared to an average Magus"
Zelretch scrutinized me. He looks like he's ready to commit another one of his atrocity and throw me into another universe if his expression is any indication to it
Hmm? Wait a second
"You can travel between universes" I stated, earning a raised eyebrow from him "With your Magic, you can have access to different parts of the multiverse system and willingly enter them at any given time"
"I can manipulate the operation of parallel worlds to be technical, but yes I can also do that"
"Can you send me back to where I came from?" Interdimensional transportation should be in his domain of magic, right?
Silence. He took a look at me, narrowing his eyes, before sighing
"I know you're going to ask this of me" The Wizard Marshall said "But apologies, (Y/n), I'm afraid that's impossible"
And just like that my hope was dashed. If even Zelretch Kischur fucking Schweinorgh is looking defeated, I could expect the matter to be more than just a bit complicated
"...Why?"
"To start off, are you familiar with the concept of Imaginary Worlds?"
I numbly nodded. My [Unlimited Magic Theory] already provided me with the knowledge needed beforehand
"It is stated that that of each timeline, of each singular point in the fabric of reality, there exists different principals that operate under fundamentally different properties, yet similarly governed by the Root. It is of the notion that the "truth" in some world may not be the "truth" in another, and may only exists as hypothetical facts built upon observations of false phenomenons, which manifests themselves under the belief gathered upon them" I said
"Those that don't obey this theory are considered Imaginary Worlds. If Singularity is a fixed point in time that creates distortion, and Lostbelts are the theoretical notion of a separate timeline that diverges from the Greater History of Man, Imaginary Worlds are where the beginning of the "truth" was so heavily altered that they themselves had exempt from the flow of space and time, becoming an independent world together" I mused, taking another drag of the cigarette
"In other words, the Singularities and Lostbelts themselves are considered "fractures" in the Kaleidoscope and flawed, while the aforementioned Worlds had already achieved stabilization and thus are immune to the correction of the Human Foundation Value"
I paused. A thought slowly surfaced from my mind
"Are you saying...that it is impossible for me to travel to any world because the world I came from is an Imaginary World itself?"
"Exactly. With my ability to, as you said it, "travel between different universes", the act of sending you back where you came from at the moment of your disappearance is ridiculously simple, but since your worlds operates under a different rule from the rest of ours, and that you carry a piece of the Root in you, the result won't be pretty"
Oh
I get it now
"Omnipresence" I muttered, tapping the cigarette and letting the ash flow freely down the ground "On a spatial axis, I exist as an entity that can exert change independently from physical relativity of a lower level due to my connection to the Root. If freed from the influence of this universe with all my restraint unsealed, I may just accidentally destroy them"
That's the consequence when two abstract concepts came into contact with each other. When a person whose existence is overwritten by the Root gets transported into a place that was wholeheartedly rejected by the Root, things get messy real fast
"Good. Now you know it's not as simple as it seems" Zelretch puffed out another cloud of smoke "Unless it is the forbidden Outerverse where Lovecraftian gods reside, or the Hyperverse that exists beyond the concept of dimensional and spatial flow. Any singular universe that remotely resembles yours would be broken, or under the risk of being broken should you enter them"
The explanation was not the most pleasant thing I had heard today
Statistically speaking. The chance of me successfully returning back to my universe without breaking it is the same as me forming a harem of Outer Gods and Great Old Ones. It's basically impossible
"How do you suppose I resolve this problem?"
"One is to seal off your power, which I guess you already did. Two is to find a medium to stabilize the input of said power, such as finding another True Magic for example" He muttered offhandedly "Although it might be quite difficult, but since it's you...who knows?"
Damn, the System didn't lie about that
"Thanks for the help, I guess" I sighed "I was really puzzled about your Magic for a long time"
Due to conversing with a fellow Magician, your knowledge of the Second Magic had increased
[Multiversal Omniscient] had been learned
- You are capable of viewing every event on all movements across the time axis whether they be past, present, or future, on a High Complex Multiversal scale.
- Limit of observable universes: Infinite (13D and below)
"Now tell me about the real reason why you're here. Don't think I believe the bull you sprout about wanting to have some little chat with me"
Not that I don't believe him. But if the man didn't do anything to me that might seems suspicious at first glance, it would only increase my paranoia around him.
Zelretch averted his eyes
"Ahem...as you can guess...being the second Magician means I'm a busy man" The old man coughed "And it's just so unfortunate that I have a surrogate granddaughter. You see, this granddaughter of mine isn't the most...social of individuals" Another cough "It doesn't help that she, while certainly intelligent and powerful, had never understood the concept of emotions. As such, I have had trouble handing her in anyone's care before"
I don't like where this is going
"But then you came along" His eyes shone as Zelretch practically zoomed in on me "From what I've seen, you are the perfect one to take care of her. You lack the materialistic desires of common men. You have experience in both the way of human and Magus. You lack arrogance or any apparent flaws in character. Lastly, you are unnaturally good at understanding and making people open themselves up to you"
Stop
"Since she will most likely come here in a few weeks or so, will you take care of my little Apostle for me?"
I took a deep breath
"No"
"Yes"
"No"
"Yes"
"No"
"Yes"
"No means no"
"Yes means yes"
"How long will you continue like this?"
"Of course"
"No. Never in hell. Nuh-uh. Nada. Not in my lifetime. Not even in death" I exhaled sharply "Do you know just how much of a red flag your request sounds like? What if your relative is a psychopath that comes to hate me and kill me in my sleep?"
"If you refuse, I'll just visit you everyday while you're at home and whisper seductive pickup-lines in your ears every five minutes" He pulled out a thick book "In fact, I can read several of them to you now"
"...On second thought..."
"Good!" The Magician of the Second Magic clapped his hand, the book mysteriously disappearing "I'm glad we were able to come to a mutual understanding. Now I can leave her to you in content while I go on with my business in another world. Goodbye!"
"You have got to be kidding me..."
I sighed in defeat, watching as the old man turned around and briskly walked away from me like how he walks away from his every problem: Completely and utterly without a care in the world
It was then something hit me, as I watched his footstep fading into the darkness
"Hey now, I don't recall you having a granddaughter before"
"Sure I do. She's a real sweetheart of a child. Or at least as sweet as a person like her can be" He winked at me, red eye glinting in the shadow "You may have been acquaintanced with her sister Altrouge before"
Hmm? But canonically, Altrouge's sister is supposedly the Moon Princess, Arcuei-
Silence greeted me
I hate my life
<><><><><><><><>
(Warning: If you haven't read Kara no Kyoukai or Shiki's profile yet, these next paragraphs may confuse you)
SHIKI Ryougi hate their life
Or rather, they hated the life she held prior to this moment in tine
They are not Shiki Ryougi, nor are they Shiki Ryougi. They are simply the spare one among them. An entity birth as an abstract side to the Emptiness inside her, manifested from the peculiar circumstances of the girl's existence
It was a cold night. The wind breezed through the girl's form, chilling her body through the simple jacket she wore. A mist escaped her lips when she breathed out, Mystic Eyes of Death Perception glowing a light azure blue as she stared ahead at the vacant street of Misaki town
What was it that they're looking for in this night far away from her place? In this town of the Tohno? Answers? A solution? A need to kill or be killed?
They themselves are not afraid of death - it has always been a part of them. Rather, SHIKI can't bear the thought of their other selves ruining their future without her. They don't want Shiki to suffer a life of contradiction
But what are they to do? They'd gotten tired of it, so tired that all they want is a moment of respite from this...dream
Her footstep echoed upon the pavement, each one amplifying the dark impulse inside them more and more
Kill. They want to kill. The urge was unbearable. Maybe if a random pedestrian crossed their sight, they will have a target to murder. Perhaps, them retaliating back and killing this body would be even better
"You know, you're going to catch a cold if you're wearing something like that"
SHIKI whipped around, Mystic Eyes glowing in anticipation
A young boy was standing there, dressed in a red coat and walking outfit, including a buttoned-up blouse hidden under. He was staring at the girl curiously
A stare that seems to pierce into their soul
"Oh. You're not her" He blinked "SHIKI was it? The male one?"
"...Do I know you?"
"No. But I do know about you" The boy smiled, traces of mist coming out as he breathed out "You want to kill me don't you?"
They didn't react. The knife in their pocket laid still. It would be easy, just reach forward and severe the single line of death on their body and it would be done
Yet for some reason, they don't want to kill him. The more they stared at this person, SHIKI felt their urges steadily draining away, replaced with calm indifference
"You are uncertain" (Y/n) sighed "It's only expected, at this point in time your host hadn't encounter that accident, thus she hasn't awaken the Eyes yet"
"So you can read the future"
From within the girl's conscious, SHIKI could feel their other selves - Void Shiki - stirred. It was a fleeting moment of interest, but it was there
"Of course not" The boy brushed past her "Clairvoyance are reserved for the highest level of Magus. I am just an average one among them"
"But to answer your unasked question" The stranger's footstep echoed in the night "Shiki Ryougi have a future. That's all you need to know"
The wind picked up again, this time they felt less colder than before, a smile on their lips
Left alone, SHIKI began laughing
"You set me up" They chuckled "You already foresaw the possibility and manipulated me to get here, where the answer lies"
"I did...for the most part" To their surprise, Void express something other than calmness and complete control for the first time
"Is this what you call curiosity?" They could felt her muttered "Fascinating..."
For such an entity to say that, one can only guess what thing about him had managed to rouse her attention
She wasn't the embodiment of the Root for nothing
<><><><><><><><>
Taking a walk had never been so exhausing to my mental state before
I swear, there's a curse somewhere on my body that continuously downgrade my luck to E- rank. Evidence by the fact that I am unable to influence it thus far
Let's see. First is Zelretch. The old man, while troublesome, is someone I know I have to meet eventually as a Magician, so I was kind of prepared
Second is Arcueid. For unknown reasons, I've been dumped with the duty of watching over her by said Magician. Looks like I'll have to put up with that for the time being until the Roa hunt
Third is...of course... Shiki. The reason why she appear before 1966 completely eludes me
I have no defense to our meeting. I'm just agitated about Zelretch when I accidentally bump into her by pure chance and proceed to vent my frustration on the poor girl. It never occured to me that she might have misunderstood something about me until it was too late
Damn it
None of these things are going according to plan. At this rate I might never get a normal life!
Sighing, I hung my coat on the coat hanger. I kicked off my shoes and flopped onto the bed, ready for the feeling of fatigue to plague me and finally to bring me off to sleep after a good night walk
....
...There is no fatigue
"I am an idiot" I sighed, burying my face into the pillow as the revelation settles in "A bloody idiot"
Of course I cannot "sleep". As of now, my body had evolved past the point of me depending on basic biological activities like hunger and fatigue. The manual shut down of consciousness, yes, but to naturally fall asleep on my own is impossible since I will virtually never run out of stamina
I glanced at the anime-themed clock on my bedrest, and saw that it's only somewhat past midnight
Well, if I must stay awake on my own, might as well do something productive for a teenage boy
The seven TYPE's cores materialized in my hand. I got up and started walking toward my toolshed in the backroom
Time to make some fucking familiar
The first thing I did was to activate the space of my workshop. Like Solomon's Temple, it works independently from time and space, thus can be summoned at any given point in a way not dissimilar to a Reality Marble
[Grand Temple Of Creation: Genesis] had been activated
I opened my eyes, watching as the scenery around me changed to that of a grand hall. Numerous shelves containing tomes lined across each other, stretching to either side of the near-infinite room with their end almost touching the arching ceiling. Each of the tomes was at least a B-ranked Noble Phantasm in their own right. However, combat isn't their main purpose as much as the sheer knowledge they contained
Some were of Eldritch culture, detailing pathway unknown to the Root and into the world of the Outer Gods
Some are more average, teaching secrets from the Age of Gods like how to achieve immortality, raise the quality of your Magic Circuits, or get yourself a Mystic Eyes, etc
I passed all of them, my eyes strayed forward to my crafting area
Tools, both mechanical and magical alike were hung upon the wall. Some were modified to modify intangible concepts, others were used for the sole purpose of altering physical mechanics.
I set the Type cores on the table and brought out a magnifying lens to inspect it
"Alright, let's get to work" I muttered, summoning out a book from the shelves
<><><><><><><><>
7 hours later
Ciel knocked on the door of her colleague's house. Behind her, the sun shone brightly, signaling the start of a new day
(Y/n) had just come home after a particular assignment regarding the Tohsaka. Something about watching after the patriarch's little kids.
Yeah...(Y/n) fucking (L/n)...an Executor with the skills to solo a Dead Apostle Ancestor and came out relatively uninjured...babysitting two little girls while their parents are away
The thought would have made her snicker if it wasn't a waste of human resources on her boss's part
Back to the present. Today is Monday, which means he has to go back to school right after finishing his work (Ain't that a bitch). Since her house is near his, Ciel had taken to visit him this morning to check on the boy, intending to greet him while the day is still new
"No, no, Mars! STOP!"
"Ahhhhhhhhh"
She choked upon seeing a naked woman crashed through the door, a school bag clamped tightly in her mouth. With a feral expression, she let out an animalistic growl and dug her fingernails into the ground. Her auburn hair swaying in the wind as she deftly lept back
Just in time too, as a sandal flying at supersonic speed landed at her feet, spraying chunks of dirt and grass into the sky with a small explosion
(Y/n) burst out from the window and pinned the strange girl to the ground while she was distracted. In the next moment, they were struggling on the floor. He grunted as she repeatedly tried to get on top of him, but eventually managed to cling unto the bag on her mouth
"Come on, Mars. I have to go to school" He lightly yanked the object held tightly in her jaw "Give me my school bag"
She whined
"Yes, I'll be home. I promise" He sighed, getting up and placed one hand on her head "Now drop the bag"
Silence
"Drop the bag"
A low whimper
"Drop it"
Mars's expression remained steadfast, until he hook his arm under her and started scratching her neck. The girl's face slowly turned lax as she leaned forward, her instinct as an animal temporarily taking over.
That brief moment of distraction allowed (Y/n) to pry it from her slackened grip
"I swear I'm going to buy you a collar if you continue like this" He grumbled, putting her aside from his lap
The boy stood up, wiped the drool on the bag with his napkin, before noticing her presence
Silence.
Ciel tried to process what had just happened. Her eyes have not deceived her, she really just witnessed him giving the pet treatment to a woman with a beauty that could put most world-famous models to shame, while she was naked on the ground, in front of her
The girl's head whirred, trying to piece together what the hell happened to him while he was gone in that period of one month
But that was soon unnecessary
In one swift moment, (Y/n) kicked the red-haired female back into the house. His Mystic Eyes of Enchantment flashed to life, and her mind suddenly went blank
"Good morning Ciel"
"A-ah, good morning?"
Weird, what was she thinking just now?
He slung his bag on and locked the gate behind him. They started walking to school
"You had breakfast yet?"
"Yeah, I have. Don't tell me you haven't" She frowned
"Well I stayed up all night" (Y/n) rubbed his eyes "My familia- pets have been rather troublesome to deal with, you see. On top of that I cannot sleep for some reason"
"I heard a walk in the woods at night really help. Exercise builds up fatigue makes you sleepier" She nodded
"...."
The look on (Y/n)'s face was strange, to say the least
<><><><><><><>
Type: Mars (Familiar)
Master: (Y/n) (L/n)
Phantasmal Rank: Zero
Threat Level: Average
<><><><><><><>
You know something funny? Despite getting this far in the story I haven't even decide who gets to be in the harem yet
I'll probably add a list at the start of the story once I worked it all out. Who knows?
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