Limbo Part 1

Bernkastel continuously stared at her unmoving master. She thought back to her conversation about being a voyager. She remembered that part about 'witches running from an end'. Did Featherine reach her end? Bern thought. Impossible. She knew better. The thoughts that Bernkastel was processing were pointless. Her goal was to revive her master from wherever she had lost herself. How would she do that? That was her main issue. Bernkastel knew that her master was a witch of great knowledge. She thought maybe that her master would have some kind of book that would enlighten her. Maybe I could find a Grimoire on her previous master. She thought. She scoured through her master's bookcases. Nothing seemed to be of use. She saw countless books of her master's accomplishments. For centuries old, she sure did a lot. Bernkastel was sure that she saw a year that was further than B.C. Something called A.C.L. interested her. That wasn't impossible. She dropped the book on the table and sighed. Of course, Bernkastel would never let it show. Even if she was in her own company, she wouldn't show expression. Bernkastel picked up that last book that she knew she hadn't checked. It read, 'The Key of Solomon: Pentacles'. She looked through them. Most of them appealed to her immediately, but she disregarded a few. She found only four to be useful. The third and fifth circle of Mars, the first circle of the Moon, and the final circle of the Sun. She thought that as a young witch, she may need these few as help if she is ever caught off guard. She tried to think of someone who would know what was wrong with her master. She wanted to speak to Lilith, but she was bitter about her missing Bernkastel's match. The only other person she could think of that was as strong as Featherine was Lambdadelta. Bern didn't particularly like her, but she thought that she'd give it a shot by asking her for help. The new issue was that she had no way of contacting her.

"Hello~! My beautiful Bernkastel!" Lambdadelta said.

"You always seem to pick the best time to show up." Bernkastel replied.

"Aww!~ I knew you loved having me around ever since our first match. I feel as though it was just yesterday when you had defeated me."

"If only us powerless witches could understand the break between each day and the next."

"Eh! Who cares? What I am most interested in is why you need me?"

"How exactly would you know that I need you? Were you spying on me?" Lambdadelta hesitated for a moment. She read Bernkastel's blank expression.

"Of course! I can't leave my lover on her own! Bern, I love you!" Bernkastel ignored that statement.

"As you can see, Featherine is completely unresponsive." Bernkastel motioned to the body. "I think she became a creator."

"After a thousand years it's about time..." Lambdadelta said under her breath.

"A thousand? I was told that she lived only a few centuries."

"People lie."

"I don't remember you being a creator..."

"By the way, witches do bleed. I'm surprised you and Lilith did that, knowing that you'd get reprimanded."

"I know. I just wanted the opportunity to slap her across the face. Haha..." Bernkastel let a smirk fall upon her face.

"We need knowledge on...Creators, right? Then we need to go to the City of Libraries."

"And what exactly is that?"

"It's a library..."

"Yeah, I got that from the title."

"You didn't let me finish!" Lambdadelta pouts. "Anyway, It contains information on everything in the universe. It was created by the first ever Creator. What happens is that the previous Creator that owns the passes it on to a Creator who they deem worthy. Featherine would probably be in line for that. The Creators Miko then is entrusted with the task of guarding it. It's quite useful. The Miko can choose who enters and who doesn't. Unfortunately, I don't have the best relationship with that Miko. We'll have to sneak in."

"As the two most powerful witches in the universe, we will have no problem eradicating our adversaries. Hehe..."

"Oh, Bern~! You're so crueell! I love it!"

"You won't give up will you?"

Bernkastel and Lambdadelta vanished from Featherine's study. They traveled the cosmos, searching for the City of Libraries. Lambdadelta led the way, explaining all of findings within the place. She gave Bernkastel insight on Featherine's past. She talked of how she mastered several famous games in her past. Unfortunately, Featherine had lived so long that she needed a memory aid so she can recall things as simple as her name, appearance, and personality. She had a few medallions on her sash that reminded her of those games. She must've been truly powerful. Bernkastel thought. Then why was Lambdadelta named the strongest witch in the universe? Is it because Creators can surpass the cosmos' Lambdadelta told Bernkastel of another instance where Featherine's memory aid cracked. She had lost her appearance. So this isn't what Featherine was supposed to look like. Lambdadelta explained her close relationship with Featherine. She spoke of Featherine's morbid attitude. How she would continuously live and die in her world for amusement. Never thought you could be tired of being perfect.

"What was that?" Lambdadelta said.

"How can you be tired of being a witch?" Bernkastel said.

"After being alive for 1000+ years, you get tired. The boredom kicks in and you lose yourself forever. In other words, your mind and soul dies but your body lives on. You're eternally stuck in limbo unless someone saves you."

"Boredom..."

"The witch's poison," Lambdadelta added in.

"What's limbo?"

"Haha! You still have much to learn, my little darling!" Lambdadelta said that in a sing-song voice.

Lambdadelta and Bernkastel surfed the cosmos. They found a sea of blue triangles that sparkled.

"This, is a fragment." Lambdadelta said in a childish manor. Bernkastel let it slide. There was no use letting Lambdadelta get to her, however she was right. Bern didn't know too much about fragments. She thought that she'd silently take in whatever she could. If she let everyone believe she was naïve, she'd catch everyone off guard.

"We can enter through this to the kakera where the City of Libraries lies." Lambdadelta added.

"Of course." Bernkastel added. She smirked behind Lambdadelta. "So, how do you suppose we enter?"

"Well!" Lambdadelta exclaimed. A box of popcorn fell from the cosmos and landed in her awaiting hands. "You should go by yourself! I don't want my tail in the fire. Kihihihihahaha!"

"Are you afraid?" Bernkastel laughed sardonically. "I didn't know some poor Miko could stop the 2nd most powerful witch in the universe..."

"Aww~! Bern! I didn't think you Ca~red! Fine! I'll go!" Bern smirked. "Of course...," Bernkastel's smile faded. "I hope this isn't because you're afraid...Kihihihihahahahahaha!"

"You're laugh is undeniably unnerving. Is there anything you can do about that?" Bern's smirk returned. She must've been growing secretly fond of Lambdadelta.

They entered the library and scanned the area. It seemed vast. Above her, Bernkastel could see what seemed like countless rows of bookshelves. They went on into the heavens. She turned to Lambdadelta and notice popcorn in her hands. Bern let out a giggle. She thought that Lambdadelta was incredibly childish to be as strong as she claims. Bern thought to herself. I simply won an endurance competition. I am a powerless witch and I have an astounding amount of willpower. She silently laughed. Maybe my true power is to make my opponents surrender. Bernkastel separated herself from her inner monologue and noticed that there she was not standing. She was floating in the library and underneath her were more bookshelves.

"So," Bernkastel started. "How do we search each and every one of these bookshelves?"

"There's a Roketa down this hallway. It's kind of like 'Control F' on a keyboard. You type in the word you're looking for." Lambdadelta explained. They went over to a pedestal that looked like an uber-large book.

"How exactly does this work?" Bernkastel looked at the book again. "I'd rather obliterate it..."

"Don't get hasty, my love~! Look it!" Lambdadelta opened to the C section in the dictionary-like book. "Creators..." She flipped to the U section. "Unconsciousness..." They were instantly jutted downwards and placed in front of a bookshelf.

One of the books was sticking out of its section. It read, Limbo.

"Remember that word?" Lambdadelta chimed. "Limbo is unconstructed dream space. Limbo is a deep subconscious level, far beyond false awakening, and a state in which the creators may be trapped indefinitely. Sometimes they're overwhelmed with the possibilities and immenseness of their power that they're lost in their subconscious. And they wake inside their mind. Most don't know that the world that they're living in is inside their own head. They're imagining the worlds that they're in."

"They don't escape because they believe when they enter another kakera they left wherever they got lost." Bernkastel openly expressed her understanding.

"Correct. This book tells us how to free them. Honestly, we don't have time to read it here so we'll have to leave."

"I don't think that's possible!" Someone spoke behind them. "Lambdadelta...I didn't think I'd ever have to speak to you again."

"You obviously saw me during my match with Bernkastel! Kihihihihihahahahaha!"

"The match you lost!" She retorted.

"You two sound like children." Bernkastel interrupted. She drew her scythe and prepared to cut through this girl.

"Oh, Raina~!" Lambdadelta called. "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, Bern might 'accidentally' hurt you...kihihihihahaha!" Raina begins to mutter something under her breath. Instantly, a cage adorned with a scorpion captures Lambdadelta and Bernkastel.

"How do you expect to escape?" Raina chided.

"My magic isn't working..." Lambdadelta muttered.

"That's because of that seal." Bernkastel pointed at the seal. "It's the 5th pentacle of Mars. Blocks magic..."

"So how do we get out?" Lambdadelta felt pathetic that she had to ask Bernkastel for help.

"Another pentacle. The 7th pentacle of the Sun."

"So? Hurry up and do it!"

"I don't suppose you have any gold lying around..."

Bernkastel and Lambdadelta were trapped in their scorpion cage. They knew that they could get out, but they needed enough gold to create a pentacle that can grant them liberty from the cage and the library. Where they would find that is unknown.