Fictions Mentioned: Doctor Who/Faction Paradox, A Certain Magical Index, Case Closed/Magic Kaito, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Re:Creators, Code Geass, When They Cry, Science Adventure, Shinza Bansho Franchise, Child's Play Franchise, Terminator Franchise, Zettai Karen Children, The Works of Makoto Shinkai, The Works of Stephen King, Ben 10 Franchise, Generator Rex Franchise, Tenchi Muyo!, Supernatural, Tokusatsu Franchise, Evil Dead Franchise, Marvel Franchise, DC Franchise, Transformers Franchise, Star Trek Franchise, Star Wars Franchise, Warhammer Franchise, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Forrest Gump, Pokemon Franchise, Digimon Franchise, TYPE-MOON Franchise, Date A Live, Evangelion, Sword Art Online, Senki Zesshou Symphogear, Spongebob Squarepants, The Amazing World of Gumball, Re:Zero, The Irregular at Magic Highschool, My Hero Academia, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, D Gray Man, Cars Franchise, Hetalia: Axis Powers, The World God Only Knows, Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, Gamers!, And You Thought There Is Never a Girl Online?, Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?
Episode 15 - Dreams and Nightmares
Ned Bigby's Introduction:
In a TARDIS School full of myths, legends, and wonders.
Scene shows the vast and diverse myths, legends, and wonders of the Known and Unknown Multiverse, with the TARDIS seen flying through either the vast deep space, the Time Vortex, and other exotic places. Various incarnations of the Doctor are seen as they worked on the TARDIS main console, with many of them saying their infamous catchphrase such as "Allons-y" and "Geronimo".
Insane megalomaniacs, tyrants, and madmen.
Scene shows Davros, Doctor Doom, Vilgax, and Van Kleiss as they are shown executing their plans for their goals and ambitions.
And epic school lunches!
Scene shows Lucifer Morningstar snapping his fingers, which in turn brings forth foods and drinks of many flavors and sizes which are shown through the cafeteria tables, which made the staff and student stare at such a display of power with awe and wonder.
Ned Bigby, that's me.
Scene shows Ned Bigby, sporting a smile on his face with his arms crossed, standing in a confident position.
And these are my ten best friends that try to do the impossible and to help me create a guide to help you survive TARDIS School.
Scene shows Ren Fuji - Tenma Yato - Setsuna, Andrew William "Andy" Barclay, John Connor, Koichi Minamoto, Taki Tachibana, Touma Kamijou, Conan Edogawa - Shinichi Kudo, Kyon, Sota Mizushino, and Lelouch Lamperouge - Lelouch vi Britannia - Zero, along with all of their adventures and misadventures throughout the years.
Growin' up.
Tip#000333.55 - Do whatever it takes to not make the class too boring.
Scene shows Gumball Watterson triggering the air horn, which in turn causes an extremely loud noise which made the entire class cover their ears.
Lookin' out.
Tip#000543.222 - Do not hug Ash's Pikachu - otherwise you will be shocked.
Scene shows Hibiki Tachibana hugging Pikachu due to finding him cute, to which in turn, the latter shocks the former which made a mess out of her hair and gray smoke coming out of her body.
I'll survive ain't no doubt.
Tip#000567.334 - Beware the Harem Catfights.
Scene shows Misaki, Ayu, and Seria pulling Touma in a tug of war, with Touma muttering "Such misfortune" in a resigned tone, all the while missing his wife as she wasn't present that time.
Never fear.
Tip#000679.980 - Never forget to smile.
Scene shows Ned Bigby and Forrest Gump Jr. as they sport a handsome smile.
Bring it on. Break it down. What's in my way!
Tip#000567.334 - Hakuna Matata - it means no worries.
Scene shows the various and diverse TARDIS shennanigans. It also shows Ren Fuji - Tenma Yato - Setsuna, Andrew William "Andy" Barclay, John Connor, Koichi Minamoto, Taki Tachibana, Touma Kamijou, Conan Edogawa - Shinichi Kudo, Kyon, Sota Mizushino, and Lelouch Lamperouge - Lelouch vi Britannia - Zero, and their various interactions with the staff, students, and other peoples of interest.
yeah yeah yeahhh.
Tip#000.74384338 - He's the Doctor, just accept it.
Scene shows the various incarnations of the Doctor sporting smiling expressions, awesome poses, and epic moments, with the ones in the background such as the companions, the Multiverse League of Extraordinary Gentleman and Ladies, the staff, the students, and other people, major or minor, sporting a variety of expressions that range from awe, amusement, excitement, hardcore fanboying, and other positive varieties in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual spectrum.
Ned's Declassified TARDIS School Survival Guide.
(Results may vary).
Whoa whoa whoaaa!
Beginning:
Insert Song: Start
Dies irae - Animation OST: Unus Mundus
Dreams. Nightmares.
What is a dream?
A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and function of dreams are not fully understood, although they have been a topic of scientific, philosophical and religious interest throughout recorded meta-history.
What is a nightmare?
A nightmare, also called a bad dream, is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. However, psychological nomenclature differentiates between nightmares and bad dreams; specifically, people remain asleep during bad dreams, whereas nightmares can awaken individuals. The dream may contain situations of discomfort, psychological or physical terror, or panic.
Dreams. Nightmares.
All of these and more tend to follow the shadow of the man who wields the Imagine Breaker.
The man who's meaning is 'The One who Purifies God and Slays Demons'.
The man who is known as Touma Kamijou.
A man who is the Fear and the Hope of the Few and of the Many.
This was a dream. This was a nightmare.
So many countless timelines.
So many countless worlds.
So many routes that open many infinite possibilities unto zero.
Touma Kamijou.
A Certain Infinite Possibility.
A Certain Unknown Level 0.
Which is it?
Which was it?
Which face does he take?
So many takes on the face of the man that is known as Touma Kamijou.
A Certain Imagine Breaker.
So many stories, created and uncreated, which told of the myths and legends of Touma Kamijou.
So many timelines.
So many worlds.
So many universes.
Who is the man who would always save both the innocent and the guilty alike?
Who is the man who would bring hope and fear to both his allies and enemies wherever and whenever he goes?
A man who is the second son of the Time Lord known as the Doctor.
A man who seems to have infinite paths in store. Infinite stories to tell. Infinite choices that determines his fate.
Many among gods and mortals have grown interested in his story.
The Story of the Imagine Breaker.
The story of a man who had been through so much, walking day by day and night by night, with the slithering snake of misfortune crawling around the prowl.
As he walks by day and night, he would tend to have dreams and nightmares constantly, although with most blurred and hidden, shrouded in complete mystery.
Dreams and Nightmares of many countless timelines and worldlines that seemed to grow endless like an infinite abyss.
His Dreams. His Nightmares.
A Nightmare of Uncertainty.
A Nightmare of Unpossibilities.
A nightmare that seemed to stay with him constantly.
A nightmare that never let's him rest.
A nightmare that allows him to pear beyond the veil.
The Veil of the Past.
The Veil of the Present.
The Veil of the Future.
Of many countless timelines.
Of many countless worlds.
Of many countless universes.
His secret. Known only to a few.
Known only to the Time Lord known as the Doctor.
Known only to his beloved wife, Rika Kamijou.
Known only to his parents, his father and mother: Touya Kamijou and Shiina Kamijou.
Known only to his best friends, fellow main companions, Shinichi Kudo, now Conan Edogawa, Kyon, Sota Mizushino, and Lelouch Lamperouge, secretly Lelouch vi Britannia and the mask vigilante that known as Zero, Ren Fuji, also known as Tenma Yato and Setsuna, Andy Barclay, John Connor, Koichi Minamoto, and Taki Tachibana.
Known only to the 12 Core Members of the Multiverse League of Extraordinary Gentleman and Ladies.
Known only to a few people.
Touma was walking.
Just walking.
Walking in silence, with a look of subtle contemplation, with no one noticing to the wiser.
Ignoring the constant chatter of many among the vast hallways of the TARDIS.
People from all walks of life from many different worlds throughout the Known and Unknown Multiverse, buzzing in bright conversation, with only him walking in the subtlety of serious intent.
Each step is measured.
Each step is calculated.
He was walking.
Just walking.
He keeps walking, never turning back, never looking at anyone in the eye, lost in his contemplative thoughts.
By the time that he enters one of the classrooms of the TARDIS where people from various and diverse backgrounds and foregrounds were discussing very lively and animatedly, he only goes to his own seat.
Touma was waiting.
Just waiting.
Only waiting for the teacher to arrive.
As he waits, he was thinking deeply about all of the dreams and nightmares.
Dreams and nightmares of many unknown events in many countless timelines and worldlines.
Dreams and nightmare that seemed to be a blur, a shadow, a mystery, an enigma.
The Treaty of the Branched Worlds.
The Human Evolution Fault.
The Inner Awakening.
The Sacrifice of Hearts.
The Grimoire Baby.
The Overthrow of the Gods.
The Esper Metamorphosis.
The Sinking of the World.
The Day the World Had Died.
These alien events.
This and many countless more.
Events that had nothing in common with his universe.
Events that happen in many universes.
Events that would never seem to pass in his universe.
His timeline.
The Original Timeline.
The Prime Timeline.
The Canon Timeline.
The Timeline that began it all.
A Timeline that had now been derailed, opening the doors to many infinite possibilities unto zero.
The Day the World Had Died.
One significant event among many of these alien timelines.
One that shuddered him.
One that terrified him.
One that filled him into utter dread.
The event in question concerns an event of utter significance for his very own future.
A future that is in line with him and many other versions of him in his multiverse.
A future that was still unknown to him.
The Infinite Hells.
Touma couldn't help but subtly winced as he recalls it.
An event of his future.
Another Unknown Test.
A Test that may or may not come to pass, depending on the choices that he would make in the unknown misty future.
He already went through the horrors of the Endless June.
The one hundred years that his beloved wife and his fellow clubmates had been through, and countless more without her, all alone, with him as a spectator with no knowledge of what he is witnessing, as if it were a blank canvas, of all the endless possibilities, feeling negative vibes, feeling utterly powerless to stop the blank madness all around him and through him.
In all that time, he couldn't give up.
He had to persevere.
He had to fight.
He had to endure.
As the years go by.
As the centuries go by.
Not just that of over one hundred years.
There were hundreds and hundreds of years.
There were thousands and thousands of years.
Each was different.
Each was similar.
Each was in between.
Not just the standard ordinary one hundred years.
So much more timelines and worldlines had been experienced by him.
With no end that is seemingly in near or far sight.
It took him so very long until he finally reached his desired ending.
An ending where his beloved wife and his fellow clubmates could be happy.
An ending where his beloved wife and his fellow clubmates could be safe.
An ending where his beloved wife and his fellow clubmates could dream.
No more nightmares.
No more misfortune.
Only smiles of happiness.
The smiles of his wife.
The smiles of his clubmates.
He fought for them.
For their sake.
For her sake.
And now...
He would have to make a choice.
An Unknown Test.
For there is always a choice.
The element of free choice.
He had already undergone an Infinite Hell.
He may or may not undergo such a Test once more.
In fact, this Test may not be the same as that of the Pre-Derail Timeline.
For a Test such as this has multiple perspectives from the higher and lesser planes.
The future remains completely unknown.
Possible futures are just that.
Possible.
Probable, but not apparent.
This Unknown Test would proved to be of use to himself.
Another battleground would be set in store.
A battleground of space-time.
With so many hidden players of the cosmic order paying close attention, with their own mysterious powers of subtlety.
His misfortune knows no bounds.
He would not undergo another Infinite Hell.
That is his choice.
For the script hasn't been written yet.
The final touch is in his hands.
With the pen in his right hand, he would write and forge his own script.
It was his free choice, no one else.
He would not undergo another Infinite Hell.
But...
His other versions would not be blessed with such a choice, for they would undergo their own version of the Infinite Hells in their own universes, with him only feeling it through blank pictures and gut feelings.
He knows that for one reason or another, he felt that he would eventually have to step in to his other selves stories and come to their assistance one way or another, whether if it was the Infinite Hells or the other parts of their own stories that have yet to be recorded.
"Which world did you see? Which world that [REDACTED] created to break me was transmitted to you and you experienced? I don't know about the others."
This is the common question that is always asked. One that was echoed to him. One that was echoed through him. One that he had some idea, but not the full picture, liken to that of a blank white space with no amount of color. Only white. Only unknown.
And yet, he could feel some of it.
Billions of people, seeing his endless sufferings, experiencing them first hand as spectators.
He always resolved not to see his own future as warned by his second father and the rest of the 12 Core; For he is not ready for it. Not now.
He must focus on what's right in front of him.
He must always choose the present moment.
For the present moment creates the future.
The present of moment of now is a treasure that should be cherished.
The future is a temptation, one that offers poison, one that needs to be rejected.
The future is unknowable by nature. It should stay that way. It should.
Touma Kamijou is many things.
But he knows to himself that he is not GOD - The One Above All Others - The Divine Trinitarian Presence.
He is not his second father - The Time Lord known as the Doctor.
He is no god. He is a man. A man who lived for so long. A man who knows that he has limits. A man who knows that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
He must look straight ahead, with his head held high, with his heart guiding him from every step of the way.
He must.
Otherwise, he and many others would pay the price.
He would look towards the ring on his left ring finger.
A special ring.
Sporting the colors of gold, silver, and bronze.
One that is hidden from many, only seen to a few, due to a special enchantment.
A ring that denotes his status of marriage to the woman that he loves.
Yes, he thought with subtle happiness.
He is not alone.
He has a wife to unburden and divest of himself of everything.
She was his beloved wife.
A thought that made him very happy.
And that was a secret that was known only to him.
A secret that is only known to a few trusted others.
"Yo, Touma! What's up dawg!"
Like the one who was calling him for example.
Touma's deep thoughts of reflection begins to be halted, looking to the person who was calling him.
He has the appearance of an African American with afro hair, with a trademark lightning bolt symbol that is seen from his chest, who is calling him from his seat in a concern tone.
Virgil Ovid Hawkins.
Named after the two Roman poets, Virgil and Ovid.
Known in the DCAU (Timm Verse) Prime Verse as a superhero.
Static.
The Protector of Dakota City.
He wasn't alone however, for he was with somebody else.
Another young man who was an American with blonde hair who wore a green-white specialized suit and helmet.
Richard "Richie" Osgood Foley.
Also known alongside Virgil as a superhero.
More of a partner than a sidekick.
Gear.
He would also be one of the few who knows his status of marriage, with them keeping a lip tight on the secret.
Both of them appear to be heading towards him with concerned expressions.
Touma could only begin to smile at his two seniors and best friends, greeting them in turn.
"Hey, guys."
Touma, Virgil, and Richie were doing their special handshake between best friends and fellow comrades, fist bumping from up, down, and sideways.
"You alright, Touma? You've been sporting that serious look on you're face. Is something the matter?" Virgil asked in concern.
"Yeah, Touma. Is there something wrong?" Richie asked in concern.
Touma could only smile, with a hidden sadness that his hidden to them and to many, with only a few spotting it from miles a way due to knowledge and experience.
He never wanted them to worry.
He never wanted anyone to worry.
Despite being famous and infamous throughout the Known and Unknown Multiverse, only a few people would know his many secrets.
Secrets that determine the growing edge of tomorrow.
Secrets that made him into the man that he is today.
Secrets that were very close to his heart.
Secrets that he wanted to protect.
"I'm fine, guys. There's no need for you to worry about me. I've just been doing some thinking as of late as usual."
Virgil could only shake his head and make a smile of expectation and exasperation on his face.
"Come now, dawg. All that thinking in you're head and that serious expression is going to make me think that you would end up as some kind of great philosopher someday."
"My partner in Judgment would tend to say that about me from time to time."
"Your partner?" said Virgil, as he begins to sport a thinking expression, raising his right hand to his chin. "Oh yeah, the girl with the twin-tails. Kuroko Shirai right? You always did tend to talk about her and you're girls back at you're home neighborhood from time to time. Her, that girl with the flower headband, the girl who is the most normal out of all of y'all, and that girl who could shoot railguns out of her hand, that electromaster girl. If you asked me, I would definitely like to meet her someday seeing as we both got similar powers and all."
"Hehe."
Touma could only laugh softly as he begins to sport an honest smile.
"Oh, you'd definitely love her, Virgil. But I have to warn you, she's the girl that is always one for the challenges, always challenging me to a fight by any means possible, with me always winning said fight at every single time, which ends up with me getting chase throughout half of Academy City in hot pursuit for hours on end."
"Damn, Touma. You've been getting all the girls again, I see." said Richie, in good humor, sporting a sympathetic expression.
"Ugh," said Touma, in a sigh as he looks towards Richie with exasperation. "Don't remind me, Richie. At this point, I'm honestly not surprised that this would tend to happen to me a lot, to the point where I'm not going to need to ask that stupid cliche question of 'What do all of those girls see in me?' considering that I could think of a ton of ways for said girls to have feelings for me. Contrary to popular belief, this Touma Kamijou is not dense."
"Well, look on the bright side, Touma. At least you're not the only one alone on said girl department. People like Shirou, Shido, Shinji, Kirito, and many others spring to mind." said Richie, in a comforting tone.
"Heh," Touma could only sport a look of slight amusement and empathy that is directed on the mentioned people that he had grown familiar with over the years. "Your honestly right about that. Although the difference between me and them is very large considering how many women seem to fall head over heels for me left, right, and center. Many people would claim to like to take my spot for 'Unwanted Misfortunate Harem King of the Known and Unknown Multiverse' in heartbeat, but I would tell them that at the end of the day, it's definitely not worth it. It only leads to further headaches and heartaches. My life of misfortune seems to have no bounds whatsoever. At the very least, I have the Doctor, my best friends, you guys, and many others in order to unload said problems if it's all too much for me to handle."
"And we'd be more than willing to hear you out, man." said Virgil with a smile as he pats Touma from the shoulder. "You helped us out so many times throughout our own neighborhood, many of our families and friends owing you a solid, and we would definitely do the same for you. If you need us, you know where to find us and we'd be there to listen."
Touma couldn't help but smile.
"Thanks, Virgil, Richie. I will, rest assured on that."
Yes, he wasn't alone.
This was honestly what he was most thankful for ever since he had met the Doctor all those many years ago.
He had a very large family indeed.
As the famous saying goes throughout these parts.
"TARDIS Class looks out for it's own."
As this conversation was happening, a young short, young Caucasian woman with big, brown eyes and long brunette hair begins to walk in the center of the classroom, with English books on her right hand.
This is Clara Oswald.
Companion to the Time Lord known as the Doctor.
"Alright you lot, settle down now."
Clara called loudly, with Touma, Virgil, Richie, and all of those in said classroom now turning towards her.
"Ah! Clara-sensei! You're back!" Hibiki Tachibana said in a happy tone, filled with the expression of sunshine.
Clara smiled with subtlety.
Touma could only looked slightly exasperated and amused, both due to recognizing Clara's look and due to the fact that he knew what was coming.
"That's right, Hibiki. I'm back and all of you lot better get ready cause today is a very special day. For today, we will be having a pop quiz on the phonetics of the English language."
"EHHHHHHHHH!"
Many grumblings and exasperation among the students fills the air as many of them dread the pop quiz with all of their hearts.
Touma, Virgil, and Richie couldn't help but shake their heads in amusement.
"Well, it's about time for me and Richie to get back to our seats," said Virgil, as he begins to pat Touma from his shoulder. "We'll be going now, dawg."
"See you later, man." said Richie.
Touma nodded with a smile as he observes both Virgil and Richie return to their seats. He would begin to turn towards the front, breathing in and out, thinking with positivity as he said.
"Well, this ought to be fun."
Insert Song: End
OP Song:
Kono Yo No Hate De Koi Wo Utau Shoujo YU-NO Opening 2 | MOTHER by Konomi Suzuki
Insert Song: Start
Dies irae - Animation OST: Unus Mundus
The Day the World Had Died.
"Which world did you see me die?"
This was the common question of everyone throughout the world of one certain universe.
Man, woman, and child were not spared from this fate.
Dread. Horror. Trauma. Madness.
An unknowable mystery to the man known as Touma Kamijou who could only feel the feelings, but not the whole picture.
Over billions of people throughout the world had just witnessed something that they all shouldn't have.
A World of Infinite Hells.
8.1 billion memories of one Touma Kamijou from one of many possibilities.
So many people around the world had suffered the same trauma after seeing the world that had been transmitted to their minds.
Each individual saw one Infinite Hell.
All of them saw it.
All of them experienced it.
Dread. Horror. Trauma. Madness.
In the history of this particular universe, no one had truly expected the Day to cause 17 million suicides around the world from people that had been unable to cope with the pressure and experience of 'dying'. Unable to determine what was real and what was not, those 17 million people had killed themselves to relieve themselves of the pain and even now, the number was still climbing as people found themselves unable to cope even after a year.
And the one at fault?
The one that would surely blame himself for those 17 million deaths, place himself on the chopping block and suffer endlessly as he thought he caused those deaths because of his memories?
It was surely Touma Kamijou.
The Touma Kamijou of this native universe.
He clearly wanted to express his emotions, make them known, and unleash them to the world but he kept his emotions bottled up, on the verge of exploding, for the sake of many.
Worlds where he lived to but a hundred.
Worlds where he lived to but a thousand.
All of which were filled with nothing but pain.
All of which were filled with nothing but suffering.
All of which were filled with nothing but dread.
No words could truly fill up the explanation that is tinged with the misfortune of probability.
This alien event was one of many countless events that are experienced, although in faint shadows, with the tinge of subtlety, in the mind of one Touma Kamijou.
The Touma Kamijou of the Original Universe.
The Touma Kamijou of the Prime Universe.
The Touma Kamijou of the Canon Universe.
As he couldn't know what truly happened, but only through the glimpses of feelings of the gut, he couldn't help but sympathized and empathized with the counterpart of this universe, for he too had suffered a much similar fate, only far too earlier than anyone who bear the name of Touma Kamijou.
Touma Kamijou could greatly sympathized and empathized with the counterpart of this universe as chaos begins to happen all around him, despite the events becoming like a blur, almost unknown, and yet feeling the certain feelings behind it, liken to that of the sixth sense of an empath.
A world that had over 17 million deaths.
Deaths that this version of him would have to live with.
Deaths that he himself would have to live with now that all of these memories kept crashing into him due to his ability to read and distinguish between the timelines and worldlines of many universes and multiverses, with most of them covered in the veil of shadows, tinge in subtlety, shrouded in mystery. This ability also allows him to remember the previous timelines and worldlines whenever a change in history could and would occur, rendering him immune to temporal changes. A Singularity Point, to borrow a term from the Tokusatsu Multiverse - the one where one of his teachers of the 12 Core - Tsukasa Kadoya - Kamen Rider Decade - comes from. He has become a Singularity Point. A human with the ability to exist independently of time itself, and be unaffected by changes in their own past.
Reading Steiner.
This Touma Kamijou had never wished for this event to happen. The feeling was very mutual for the Prime Touma Kamijou as he knew that in a multiverse of infinite possibilities, anything can and should happen.
Yet it had happened, where one of the worlds in his fractured memory that a certain Magic God, who's name escapes the Prime Touma, for it was not yet the right time to know the name, had created these Infinite Hells to break him, with each 1% of these Hells being transmitted to the 8.1 billion people in the whole world. That was 8.1 billion Infinite Hells transmitted to each and every person, one Hell for each person, in a mere second. And in that second, they experienced the pain, suffering and hell that he had endured for only one of those worlds.
It was ironic though, mainly because only he, the Magic God, and now the Prime Touma Kamjou now that he is seeing all of this unfold and experience this all through the eyes of his other self, truly knew that there were plenty more where that came from.
8.1 billion hells was less than 1% of what he had suffered.
However...
Both this Touma Kamijou and this Magic God had stayed silent.
Never saying a word.
Never uttering a word.
He had caused this.
This was his common thought.
He had been the cause of the suicides of 17 million people, a number that was still growing even now.
This was the thought of one Touma Kamijou of this universe that is now suffering a colossal death rate.
The Day the World Had Died.
And while the world had died, the only thing that this Touma Kamijou from this world could think of was to keep moving forward, something that the Touma Kamijou of the Prime Timeline could greatly empathized, despite seeming being in the dark for most of the time, only feeling the certain feelings behind this blank misty fog.
There was something that this Touma Kamijou had to do; reach Academy City and apologize profusely to those that he had run out on and listen to their hearts as they cried them out in order to apologise to Kamijou for thinking that Magic God's worlds had been nothing.
But they had nothing to apologize for in this world's Touma Kamijou's opinion.
After all, it was his fault that the Day the World Had Died had come about.
Meaning that in order to change everything... in order to make sure that he could fix the problem that he had started... he needed to reach the top of Mt. Everest.
The Touma Kamijou of this universe did realized on how selfish his goal truly was, but in the end if it managed to save all of the people that had suffered and would possibly reduce the amount of people committing suicide that could not take the memory of Kamijou dying anymore, then he would do anything in his power to make it so.
He had to make this right, even if it killed him.
And given the amount of pain that he remembered facing during all of those 8.1 billion hells, it was entirely possible that it would.
But he didn't care. If anything, he had to make this right. He had to protect as many smiles as he could in the world, even if it meant throwing away his own.
He was prepared to do that when it came down to it and there was nothing that was going to stop him, not even the cries of his loved one could hold him back.
This was but one among many untold stories.
This was but one among many untold timelines.
This was but one among many that was witness by the man that is known as Touma Kamijou.
An endless maze of memories.
Memories that are blurred.
Memories that are a mystery.
Of many different timelines.
Of many different worlds.
Of many different universes.
Such a fickle thing the memory is.
Memories that never seemed to go away for long.
Ned Bigby's Class File Report on the Study of Oneirology:
Excerpted with permission from The Secret World of Sleep: The Surprising Science of the Mind at Rest, by Penelope A. Lewis. Available from Palgrave Macmillan Trade. Copyright © 2013. (Scientific American and Palgrave Macmillan are part of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group.)
Description:
In recent years neuroscientists have uncovered the countless ways our brain trips us up in day-to-day life, from its propensity toward irrational thought to how our intuitions deceive us. The latest research on sleep, however, points in the opposite direction. Where old wives tales have long advised to "sleep on a problem," today scientists are discovering the truth behind these folk sayings, and how the busy brain radically improves our minds through sleep and dreams. In The Secret World of Sleep, neuroscientist Penny Lewis explores the latest research into the nighttime brain to understand the real benefits of sleep. She shows how, while our body rests, the brain practices tasks it learned during the day, replays traumatic events to mollify them, and forges connections between distant concepts. By understanding the roles that the nocturnal brain plays in our waking life, we can improve the relationship between the two, and even boost creativity and become smarter. This is a fascinating exploration of one of the most surprising corners of neuroscience that shows how science may be able to harness the power of sleep to improve learning, health, and more.
You are terrified and running along a dark, narrow corridor. Something very evil and scary is chasing you, but you're not sure why. Your fear is compounded by the fact that your feet won't do what you want—it feels like they are moving through molasses. The pursuer is gaining, but when it finally catches you, the whole scene vanishes...and you wake up.
Almost by definition, a dream is something you are aware of at some level. It may be fragmentary, disconnected, and illogical, but if you aren't aware of it during sleep then it isn't a dream. Many people will protest, "I never remember my dreams!," but that is a different matter entirely. Failing to remember a dream later on when you're awake doesn't mean you weren't aware of it when it occurred. It just means the experience was never really carved into your memory, has decayed in storage, or isn't accessible for easy call back.
We all intuitively know what a dream is, but you'll be surprised to learn there's no universally accepted definition of dreaming. One fairly safe catch-all is "all perceptions, thoughts, or emotions experienced during sleep." Because this is very broad, there are also several different ways of rating, ranking, and scoring dreams. For example, one uses an eight-point rating system from 0 (no dream) to 7 ("an extremely long sequence of 5 or more stages").
Physical Bases of Dreams
But let me backtrack. One aim of neuroscience is to map the brain loci of thoughts and mental experiences. Everything we see, imagine, or think about is linked to neural responses somewhere in the brain. Dreams also have a home. Neural activity in the primary sensory areas of the neocortex produces the impression of sensory perception. This means that neurons firing in the primary visual cortex create the illusion of seeing things, neurons firing in the primary auditory area create the illusion of hearing things, and so forth. If that firing occurs at random, these perceptions can feel like crazy, randomly fragmented hallucinations. It is easy to imagine that the random imagery and sensations created in this way could be woven together to create a complex, multisensory hallucination which we might call a dream.
...
Do Dreams Serve a Purpose?
In contrast to an activation-synthesis model, which views dreams as epiphenomena—a simple by-product of neural processes in sleep—other scientists have suggested that dreams serve an important function. As usual in psychology, there are lots of different ideas about what this function could be. Sigmund Freud's suggestion that dreams express forbidden desires is of course the most famous of these, but there are lots of other theories about what dreams might do, many with more empirical support than the Freudian view. For example, the threat simulation hypothesis suggests that dreams may provide a sort of virtual reality simulation in which we can rehearse threatening situations, even if we don't remember the dreams. Presumably, this rehearsal would lead to better real-life responses, so the rehearsal is adaptive. Evidence supporting this comes from the large proportion of dreams which include a threatening situation (more than 70 percent in some studies) and the fact that this percentage is much higher than the incidence of threats in the dreamer's actual daytime life. Furthermore, studies of children in two different areas of Palestine show that those who live in a more threatening environment also have a much higher incidence of threat in their dreams. Reactions to these threats are almost always relevant and sensible, so the rehearsal (if that's what it is) clearly involves plausible solutions, again suggesting that they provide a kind of valid simulation of potential real-life scenarios.
Another suggestion is that dreams influence the way you feel the next day, either in terms of mood or more basic bodily states. Forcing people to remember the nastier dreams from their REM sleep definitely puts them in a foul mood, and nightmares (defined as very negative dreams which can wake you up) may even lead to ongoing mood problems. On the other hand, there is also evidence that dreams could help to regulate long-term mood. For instance, a study of dreams in divorced women showed that those who dreamed about their ex-husbands more often were better adapted to the divorce. Amazingly enough, dreams also seem able to influence physiological state: One study showed that people who were deprived of water before they slept, but then drank in their dreams, felt less thirsty when they woke up.
The content of dreams can be influenced in lots of different ways. For instance, recent work has shown that sleepers tend to initiate pleasant dreams if nice smells are wafted at them in REM sleep, and they have negative or unhappy dreams if stinky, unpleasant smells are sent their way. Some people can achieve lucid dreaming, in which they control the sequence of events in their dream, and evidence suggests that these techniques can be learned by intensive practice and training. All of this is highly tantalizing, of course, because (though it tells us nothing at all about the original evolved purpose of dreams) it suggests we might not only be able to set ourselves up for pleasant experiences while we sleep, but we might also eventually be able to use these techniques to treat mood disorders, phobias, and other psychological problems. We already know that hypnotic suggestion can cause people to incorporate snakes, spiders, or other things about which they have phobias into their dreams, and—when combined with more benign forms of these menacing objects—such incorporation helps to remove the phobia. Hypnotic suggestion can also make dreams more pleasant, and mental imagery practiced during the day can be used to modify (and often nullify) persistent nightmares.
There is little evidence that people actually learn during their dreams. The fact that they can learn during sleep is a different matter, but dreams themselves don't appear to be a good forum for imprinting new information into the hippocampus (after all, we don't even remember our dreams most of the time). Studies of language learning illustrate this well. Although learning efficiency is predicted by an increase in the percentage of the night that is spent in REM, the dreams which are experienced during this extra REM don't have much to do with language. If they relate to it at all they are most often about the frustration of not being able to understand something and not about the mechanics of how to construct or decode a sentence.
Memories in Dreams
What's the most recent dream you can remember? Was anyone you know in it? Did it happen in a place you know well? Were you doing something familiar? Most dreams incorporate fragments of experiences from our waking lives. It's common to dream about disconnected snippets like a particular person, place, or activity. But do dreams ever replay complete memories—for instance, the last time you saw your mother, including the place, activities, and people? Memories like this are called episodic because they represent whole episodes instead of just fragments; studies the secret world of sleep of dreaming show that these types of memories are sometimes replayed in sleep, but it is quite rare (around 2 percent of dreams contain such memories, according to one study). Most of our dreams just recombine fragments of waking life. These fragments are relatively familiar and reflect the interests and concerns of the dreamer. This means cyclists dream about cycling, teachers dream about teaching, and bankers dream about money.
Some researchers have capitalized upon dream reports to gain insight into the process by which memories are immediately incorporated (i.e., in the first night after they were initially experienced). Freud famously referred to this as "day-residues." One study showed day residues appear in 65 to 70 percent of single dream reports. On the other hand, a more recently described phenomenon called the dream-lag effect refers to the extraordinary observation that, after its initial appearance as a day residue, the likelihood that a specific memory will be incorporated into dreams decreases steadily across the next few nights after the memory was formed, then increases again across the following few nights (Fig. 20).
Thus, it is very common for memories to be incorporated into dreams on the first night after they were initially experienced (if I have a car crash today, I'm likely to dream about it tonight). The likelihood of such incorporation decreases gradually across the next few nights, with few memories incorporated into dreams three to five days after they occurred. Extraordinarily, however, the probability that a memory will be incorporated into a dream increases again on nights six and seven after it was initially experienced. What is going on here? Why are memories less likely to be incorporated into dreams three to five days after they originally occurred than six to seven days afterward? One possibility relates to the need for consolidation. Memories may be inaccessible at this stage because they are being processed in some way which takes them temporarily "offline." Notably, this effect is only true for people who report vivid dreams, and it also appears to only be true of REM dreams. As with most research, the dream-lag effect raises more questions than it answers.
Why Do We Have Different Kinds of Dreams at Different Stages of the Night?
Dreams aren't all the same. Everyone is aware of the difference between good and bad dreams, but we don't tend to notice that some dreams are more logical and structured while others are more bizarre. Some dreams are so highly realistic that it is difficult to convince ourselves they aren't real, while others are fuzzy and indistinct. Some dreams are fragmented, jumping rapidly from one topic to another, while others move forward in a more coherent story. Recent analyses have suggested that these differences are far from random; instead they may be driven by the physiology of various brain states and the extent to which structures like the hippocampus and neocortex are in communication during different sleep stages.
Dreams occur in all stages of sleep, but they seem to become increasingly fragmented as the night progresses. In general, they appear to be constructed out of a mishmash of prior experience. As mentioned above, dreams contain disconnected memory fragments: places we've been, faces we've seen, situations that are partly familiar. These fragments can either be pasted together in a semi-random mess or organized in a structured and realistic way. The dreams that occur in non-REM sleep tend to be shorter but more cohesive than REM dreams, and often they relate to things that just happened the day before. REM dreams that occur early in the night often also reflect recent waking experiences, but they are more fragmented than their non-REM counterparts. Conversely, REM dreams that occur late in the night are typically much more bizarre and disjointed.
Simply thinking about where these memory fragments are coming from and how they are connected together may provide an explanation for the difference between early and late-night dreams. The various elements of an episode are thought to be stored in the neocortex, but they are not necessarily linked together to form a complete representation. For example, if your memory of having dinner last night involves memories about a specific place, specific sounds, specific actions, and maybe even memories about other people who were there, each of these bits of information is represented by a different area of the neocortex. Even though they combine together to make up a complete memory, these various neocortical areas may not be directly interlinked. Instead, the hippocampus keeps track of such connections and forms the appropriate linkages, at least while the memory is relatively fresh. However, communication between the neocortex and hippocampus is disrupted during sleep, so this process is also disrupted. During REM sleep, both the hippocampus and those parts of the neocortex which are involved in a current dream are strongly active—but they don't appear to be in communication. Instead, responses in the neocortex occur independently, without hippocampal input, so they must relate to memory fragments rather than linked multisensory representations. Essentially, when memories which have been stored in the neocortex are accessed or activated during REM, they remain fragmentary instead of drawing in other aspects of the same memory to form a complete episodic replay. These fragments aren't linked together in the way they might be if you thought of the same place while you were awake (or indeed in non-REM sleep). For instance, cortical representations of both someone who was present for your dinner last night and of the place where it was held may be triggered, but these will not necessarily be linked together, and they may not be linked to the idea of dinner or eating at all. Instead, seemingly unrelated characters and events may be activated in conjunction with the memory of this place. One possible driver for this is the stress hormone cortisol, which increases steadily across the night. High cortisol concentrations can block communication between the hippocampus and neocortex, and since concentrations are much higher early in the morning, this could provide a physiological reason for the disjointed properties of late-night (early morning) dreams.
Irrespective of how it happens, it is clear that dreams not only replay memory fragments but also create brand-new, highly creative mixtures of memories and knowledge. This process has led to the creation of many works of literature, art, and science, such as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the molecular formula of benzene, and the invention of the light bulb. An especially good demonstration of this somnolent creativity comes from a study of 35 professional musicians who not only heard more music in their dreams than your normal man-on-the-street but also reported that much of this (28 percent) was music they had never heard in waking life. They had created new music in their dreams!
Although we don't quite understand how dreams achieve this type of innovative recombination of material, it seems clear that the sleeping brain is somehow freed of constraints and can thus create whole sequences of free associations. This is not only useful for creativity, it is also thought to facilitate insight and problem solving. It may even be critical for the integration of newly acquired memories with more remote ones (see chapter 8). In fact, this facilitated lateral thinking could, in itself, be the true purpose of dreams. It is certainly valuable enough to have evolved through natural selection.
The problem with Reading Steiner is that one could not only just access one's personal timeline and it's many alternates and branches, through the veil that is likened to a dam wall, one that could only see the dam, but not the other side.
One could also access other peoples personal timelines and it's many alternates and branches as well, also through the veil of the dam wall, not seeing what's on the other side, only the hint of water - of feelings untold.
These were three among many that were experienced in a mist of shadows by the Prime Touma Kamijou.
Only through hints.
Only through subtleties.
Only through mysteries.
Location:
Multiverse Cluster: Kamachi Verse
Temporal Powers Alliance (TPA) Member Territory: The Ranaevian Empire, also known as the Gekota Tribe, The Kirgumar Empire, also known as the Kill Bear Tribe
Universe: Unknown
"Is it true? What she said?"
Her voice wavered slightly, eyes fixed on his stiff back.
He'd frozen the moment she'd spoken, the moment she'd revealed what had just been told to her by that strange Sister.
She'd not wanted to believe so she'd sought him out immediately, to get answers.
She'd found him staring at nothing on a bench in District 7.
Their usual park.
That thought would've brought a blush at any other time but not today, not with what brought her here.
She watched in muted despair as he slumped, despair that grew as he blew out an exhausted breath unlike the ones she usually heard from him. It wasn't his usual exhaustion, it was bone deep, soul deep, deeper even than that.
The pain it held, so much of it that tore her heart to shreds just hearing it.
She wondered why he hadn't tried to deny it, wondered why he didn't bother with his normal facade of placating her worries so she didn't have to bear the weight he did.
He rose slowly, back still to her but he stood as tall as ever, as strong as ever.
"It is."
That was all he said, all he said as he destroyed her entire world.
She'd dogged his steps for so long, desperately clawed her way towards that stage he stood on. She loved him, wanted to be with him, there for him, stand beside him.
But his stage was for demons, there was no place for her where he was going and there never would be.
Touma Kamijou, he'd saved her life so many times, saved her Sisters, saved her friends, he always made her smile even when he drove her to distraction. He was the kindest person she knew.
He was also a demon.
Not literally, of course, but he may as well be.
All that strength of his, the way his words did more damage than his fists, how he could turn people from the darkness with almost casual ease the moment he truly sets his mind to it.
People like Accelerator, monsters in human skin that no one else could hope to defeat, that idiot may have knocked him out in combat but he'd defeated him with words. Turned a monster into just another human.
She wondered briefly how many other monsters were now just humans because of him. If he ever turned his talents to the darkness he could crush the light with ease.
He was an utter demon, but kinder than any human. He waved it off as selfishness on his part, and maybe it was, but she couldn't see it as anything other than kind.
He didn't care about societies views, that of science or religion, he saw something he deemed unacceptable and fought against it until his body was broken and then fought further.
Humans care about those things, no matter how much one tries to deny it.
They have their little cliques, their own little corners of society.
Touma didn't.
He didn't care about the greater good, he cared about the smallest wrongs.
Greater good was just a fancy way of saying lesser evil, and he'd not stand for any of that.
A single life was too high a price for anything, and he didn't care who stood in his way of protecting that single life.
Even the faction that followed him, he'd fight them too if they ever got in his way of saving that single life.
He'd hate it, fighting his friends, but he'd do it.
She didn't know how she knew, but she did.
He'd try to talk it out, convince them to step aside or help him, but if push came then he'd fight.
It was stupid, but beautiful in its own way.
That self-destructive boy who had once upon a time stood against her for nothing more than wanting to stop her from throwing away her own life.
She hadn't believed there to be another way, but he'd proved her wrong.
All she'd ever had to do was ask for help.
She'd barely known him back then but she'd known his power, known his nature to assist those he thought in trouble.
Even in a city where a great number of people had literal superpowers, all he'd ever seen was people who might need a helping hand.
A hand he'd always offered.
She'd experienced it when they first met, seen it often when she had followed him around discreetly to look for weaknesses she could exploit in their next spar.
All she'd needed to do was trust someone to help. She was glad it ended up being him.
But demons are still demons, and he'd just proved it.
Because only a demon could shatter the illusion of a broken hearted girl who'd just learnt the entire world was a fake meant to make him suffer, to show him that even if he did everything perfectly it'll all be worthless in the end... To make him break.
Tears slipped from her eyes, anger unable to burn because of the torrent cascading down her cheeks.
"S-so none of this... m-me?"
He turned slightly, sadness in his eyes she never wanted to see.
"No." he stated firmly "No, even if this is just a world Othinus made, it's real. You're real!"
It didn't bring her comfort, only more despair. She chuckled brokenly, collapsing to her knees.
"But the outcome doesn't change does it?"
She whispered, eyes gazing blearily at her hands as they curled into the dirt. A lump in her throat she forced herself to speak around.
"In the end, no matter what the outcome, we'll all disappear and you'll just keep going. Right?"
She could see how much it hurt him when she looked up to gauge his reaction. She'd never wondered what expression someone would make when being literally pulled apart on a sub-atomic level but she imagined that's what Touma's expression resembled.
"I'll keep going."
Admitting it aloud seemed like the hardest thing she'd ever seen him do but despite all that pain he was feeling, the weight of a choice where every option ends with the destruction of a world, he shed no tears.
She feared for herself, for her friends and family but most of all, she was scared for him.
How many worlds had he suffered through?
How many had he lost?
How many more losses were to come?
Touma Kamijou had once seemed like a stupid, stubborn pillar propping up the world, but it was more than just one now.
An entire collection of worlds he'd tried to prop up only to drop them time and time again.
This Othinus person wanted him to break, but the truth was obvious to Mikoto.
He already had, just not in the way that so named God wanted. So where did that leave her?
Terrified, horrified, with a heart in her chest that had shattered and the pieces could barely even be called dust. Her mind was filled with a single image. An endless, chasmic void of black, just Touma walking ever onwards alone.
"That's- that's too sad!.. I don't want that for you..."
The words slipped out without her meaning too but she didn't do anything to take them back. She watched him smile gently and move to stand before her, resting a hand on her head, brushing his fingers gently through her hair. The contact filled with affection.
"I know." he whispered kindly "but I can't stop."
She tried to nod but failed, instead just enjoying the contact and his attention as much as she possibly could.
"I don't want you to go."
He knelt down in front of her, hand still threading through her hair.
"I know"
She leant forwards, small hands gripping his shirt and resting her forehead against his chest.
Even though she said that, she had no intention of stopping him.
She'd see him off with as much of as smile as she could, with all the trust she had.
That was what a good woman would do, what the type of woman she wanted to be would do.
"They better be thankful. The ones you're going back to. They better not take you for granted or hurt you or anything! Because I'll never forgive them if they do!"
She pulled him closer, taking the steps she'd been to embarrassed and afraid to take with him before. He wasn't hers, he never had been and he never would be but she'd be damned if she couldn't do at least this before it all inevitably came crashing around her.
"Your me, I'm giving up a lot for her so she better feel the same as I do."
She looked up, something like shyness and fierceness battling it out in her expression.
He looked cute with that confusion on his face, but before he could say anything she darted up and kissed his cheek as close to the corners of his lips her maidens heart would let her.
He blushed slightly and her face had long lit up red.
She buried herself back in his chest, feeling the muscles in his neck flex as he flapped his jaw.
From the corner of her vision she saw his eyes sadden more but he smiled down at her with more care than ever and it made her heart race and ache simultaneously.
"I don't think she does, but I'm glad you do."
She smiled, a tiny smile tinged with melancholy and longing. She focused more as he continued.
"This phase, you've been by my side a lot, haven't you? I'd forgotten what it was like to truly smile for a bit there. You really are special Mikoto."
He'd never used her first name before, always nicknames or her family name.
The girly love-struck part of her wanted to squeal but the rest of her knew why he'd done it.
It wasn't that he was returning her feelings, because this would be the worst time to tell her one way or the other, but what he was doing eased her soul a bit either way.
He was letting her know he'd never once thought her as his Misaka or as some copy meant only to break him.
He saw her as her own person, the same as but at the same time entirely different to the one of his world.
Distinct from all the other Mikoto Misaka's he must have met.
He was letting her know he was thankful for her existence, her friendship and love.
That he'd never forget that she'd once been there.
Even though her world was coming to an end with no way to stop it, she was happy that he'd remember her, not just Mikoto Misaka but the specific Mikoto Misaka that she was.
"You should go."
She whispered after a few quiet minutes in his embrace.
She didn't want it to end but all things had to eventually.
He nodded but stayed quiet, arms tightening around her for a few seconds.
It was almost, almost, strong enough to hurt but filled her with warmth.
He didn't say anything as he turned to leave, but she did.
"I won't forget you either Touma!"
He didn't look back, he didn't pause, he just kept walking away.
She knew he'd heard, knew she'd eased his burden just a little bit and she knew that her words had made him happy.
Even if he died and was restored again, the world resetting with it, even if she disappeared at least he knew she'd keep her word.
She scowled at the ground when he was out of sight, heart heavy.
"I don't know what he did for you, whether it was the same as what he did for me, all I know is that you better love him Mikoto Misaka. You better love him, because I do and I can't stand thinking of someone else by his side other than me. So even though I can't, if it's a me then at least I can grudgingly accept it. I... Damn it, I hate this... I wanted it to be this me..."
she scooted backwards to lean against the tree behind her, refusing to summon the energy to get on her feet. Her scowl fell away in to melancholy, idly reaching for her phone.
"I bet his me isn't as cute, she's probably really stupid, constantly flashes her underwear like a weirdo and is friends with that damn Shokuhou... Urgh, who am I even kidding? She's probably exactly like me... please be exactly like me."
She spent the final hours of her world alone, watching the day progress, all the while thinking of a future she would never have.
She wanted to call her friends, her family but she'd prefer to let them live the last moments of their lives without worry and calling them up out of the blue feeling like this would only worry them.
She sent off a few messages asking about their days but otherwise didn't respond much.
Instead she pictured that non-existent future and the future of a girl who was exactly like her but wasn't her at the same time.
"She better reach that stage... For all the Misaka's who never got the chance to even try"
She never noticed when the world ended and reformed, nobody but the Magic God Othinus and Touma Kamijou did.
One smirking cruelly at a dying blood-soaked boy and the other glaring up at a scantily clad monster he'd defeat even if it took him a million more worlds.
"In this world, or the next," the blonde magic god enunciated like a patient teacher. "It matters not."
It lasted only a brief moment before she smashed her foot onto the boys head, crushing it.
It was with but a wave of her spear that everything began existing again, included the boy whose life she'd just ended.
"You'll break eventually."
'Time for something different.' The one-eyed witch thought in dark humor. 'We've reached another mile stone after all, attempt number 3,900,000.'
Location:
Multiverse Cluster: Kamachi Verse
Temporal Powers Alliance (TPA) Member Territory: The Ranaevian Empire, also known as the Gekota Tribe, The Kirgumar Empire, also known as the Kill Bear Tribe
Universe: Unknown
"I hate this."
That was the thought she had every time she saw a particular sight.
She'd had it the first time and she'd had it this last time too.
Yet, she knew, declaring it aloud wouldn't change anything.
The sight of that back, that had always been in front of her but so far away her hands couldn't hope to reach it, that back taunted her.
Always for the same reasons, to save, to help, to protect.
That back that stood so straight and strong even when its owner was slouched, she hated that sight to her core.
She didn't want to be behind it, nor did she want it to be her back that person was chasing after either. She wanted to be beside it, walking side by side and standing together against the world.
Above almost all else, Mikoto Misaka wanted to stand upon the same stage as Touma Kamijou.
She never again wanted to be left behind as he marched strongly away to save another smile, never again learn he'd gotten seriously hurt whilst she'd done nothing to help.
It had become increasingly agonising to learn he'd been in hospital for near fatal injuries only after he'd been released, and she usually found out accidentally or from a third party.
As her feelings for him grew it became ever more difficult to stand behind him and watch as he put his life on the line for strangers.
Strangers who would never understand him, only see him as a hero or someone to admire, even someone to aspire to be like.
They never seemed to look passed his stupid heroics and kindness to see the many other things he was, the things that truly made up the whole that was his idiotic self.
They wouldn't try to stand at his side, they'd be content with just being near him, just deluding themselves into thinking that was all there was to him.
They saw the hero who fought for smiles only, and not the everyday, normal high school boy he was.
Misaka couldn't accept such a thing, it wasn't right to her.
To see him for just one tiny aspect of himself, it was wrong.
He was a hero, yes, but he was also stubborn and stupid, he could be childish and was prone to nonsensical outbursts.
He was kind, loyal, witty at times and insulting at others, he never grasped the atmosphere and he was dense.
He got into stupid fights with his pervy and mysterious friends, he could be incredibly selfish about some things as well as self less to a fault about others.
He rarely if ever bought frivolous things and complained far too often.
He was a moron who didn't care enough about himself and couldn't ever keep his trap shut but Mikoto Misaka loved every aspect of him even when they irritated her.
She knew she didn't know everything about him yet, she knew she was missing so many pieces to the puzzle that he was.
She knew he saw her as just some girl with a strong ability but not as someone to be worshiped as above him.
She knew she disliked his lack of respect but she was truly grateful that all he saw was a completely normal girl.
She knew even she wouldn't have been able to stop him from doing as he pleased, but she could stand next to him and help him through it all, just as he'd done for her countless times before.
She could walk into battle with him and still come home to the peace they would've shared.
He didn't need to be coddled by some worrywart, nor did he need someone who'd try to change him.
He definitely didn't need someone that would try to fight all his battles for him.
Nor did he need someone he would have to worry about all the time either, some damsel in distress who always needs him to rescue them would only serve to take away his smile one day.
That was something she wouldn't allow.
His smile was already withering away slowly under that invisible weight on his shoulders. That weight that he refused to share with anyone.
"I hate this."
No matter how heavy it was, she would've helped him carry it.
Even a tiny amount off his shoulders and onto her own would've sufficed.
Even knowing how terrible that weight was, she'd have used her own strength gladly to assist him.
She'd asked to help plenty of times but something always got in her way, usually because he'd laid that roadblock himself.
Whether it was running away from her, sending her in the wrong direction or getting Kuroko to teleport her away, there was always an obstacle.
"I... I truly hate this."
Yet another obstacle lay before her now, a wall she could not climb, a wall her power could not smash through, a wall that had no other way around.
This wall was laid by a god, one only that idiot and his strange power could tear down but she knew he wouldn't.
He wouldn't tear down the wall that kept him separate from her.
The Touma Kamijou in front of her, trudging slowly forwards towards his own fate, he didn't see Mikoto Misaka when he looked at her. Not really.
He saw a Misaka, that was certain, but it wasn't his Misaka.
'Is- is this how the Sisters feel? Is this the pain they feel when someone looks at them but only see's me?!'
She fell in love with him, she could admit it to herself now, in this situation she was in.
He saved her and her sisters countless times. He made her angry, made her cry, made her laugh and smile, he broke through every one of her defences with staggering ease and never once did he take advantage of knowing a level 5 to increase his standing.
But she'd known for so long that his eyes never saw her, she'd denied it for just as long, immensely so, and it was only that meeting with the Sister that called herself the "Will of the Misaka Network" that had opened her eyes.
She really wasn't his Mikoto, bitter a pill as that was to swallow, she wasn't unimportant to him but she wasn't the one he wanted to return to.
No, that wasn't right. It wasn't this world he wanted to return to at all.
This was just another way that some horrible god was using to torture and break that boy she loved. A horrible god he was on his way to face and die against before it started all over and she'd cease to exist. To be replaced by another Mikoto Misaka who still wasn't his.
"I don't want him to go... b-but I'm not her, I'll-I'll never be that Mikoto. Will the next me have to feel like this too?! Will she have to watch as he leaves again!? I HATE THIS!"
But... there was nothing she could do, there really was no place for her on that battlefield.
Only room for that cruel god and that stupid idiot.
The stupid idiot who was the only one in the world who could stand against the being that had been tormenting all of them with these fake worlds without their knowledge, the stupid moronic idiot who'd already gone through so many, many hells that he was surely not far from being destroyed by.
Oh how she wished to be one of those people he was trying to return to, how she wished she was his Mikoto Misaka that he would return to.
The one that would get to laugh with him and get to drag him on dates and maybe one day get to confess to.
She hoped beyond hope, that at the very least, his Mikoto felt the same about him as she did.
She couldn't bear the thought that the other her, his her, might not care about his smile as much as she did, because he needed someone to protect his own smile while he went about protecting everyone else's.
She knew herself pretty well, she was certain any version of her could keep his smile safe for him.
The Will had shattered her illusions of this world she once loved, of herself.
They were nothing but playthings, traps to destroy a good person without even knowing that was what they were.
He'd known all along what they were, he must have, but he'd never once looked upon her as if he hated her for her unknowing role.
He still truly saw in the Mikoto Misaka that was not his; a friend.
"They're lucky... those people you're going back too. They better know that! You idiot! When we all cease to exist... they better not take it for granted. I don't know how many worlds you've been through, or how many more will come, but... Damn, I hate this so much! Argh! Idiot, don't forget about us... Don't forget about any of us! I won't forgive you if you do!"
Mikoto Misaka wished she could of said that aloud to him, but she couldn't move at all.
"And you... If you can hear me, I'll never... I'll never forgive you, Othinus! Not ever! For taking away everyone's happiness, for destroying my lie of a world, for making everything he did for us meaningless. I'll never forgive you!"
She did not think anything after that, because the world flashed white and shattered... Along with everything that had made her who she was. She was part of just another phase that was shattered mercilessly and without care far easier than any illusion could ever be.
Just another in a long line of Mikoto Misaka's for a twisted deity to toy with all in the hopes of breaking one normal high-school boy that you could find anywhere.
Mikoto Misaka woke covered in sweat and crying.
Her rapidly beating heart painful against her chest.
Her knees curling into her as she gripped her legs with her arms.
"W-what w-was that..." she gasped and panted, her voice ragged and breaking.
The emotional feedback that lingered from such a vivid nightmare running rampant through her system.
She was no stranger to vivid and unimaginably horrifying nightmares, especially in the weeks after the Level 6 Sisters incident, but this had scared her in a very different way.
There'd been no mangled corpses, no deranged laughter and no oceans of blood that sickened her to the depths of her soul but she was scared nonetheless.
Her head pounded with a strange residual electromagnetic field, one she'd have thought was an attack on her if it wasn't for her disoriented mind.
Whatever that nightmare was, it couldn't have been just a dream. She'd felt as if she'd lived an entire 2 months or so, the memories still with her if fuzzy and blurred.
Dreams shouldn't be able to leave such complete timeframes, they often had moments missing that you didn't notice till you woke up, travelling from place to place in a dream was often times skipped, your sleeping mind simply suddenly being in the next location.
Location:
Multiverse Cluster: Kamachi Verse
Temporal Powers Alliance (TPA) Member Territory: The Ranaevian Empire, also known as the Gekota Tribe, The Kirgumar Empire, also known as the Kill Bear Tribe
Universe: Unknown
There was only one person in all the world who could make kindness scary.
Only one.
Mikoto Misaka knew that first hand.
She'd seen it after all, the terrifying kindness of a single person.
A kindness so powerful it turned that person into a monster.
A monster that looked human, a monster that had never taken a life, but a monster who was tainted by blood and darkness and evil nonetheless.
Mikoto Misaka fell in love with the kindest monster in existence, the one who'd used that devastating kindness to save so many, many lives. Her own included. The lives of all her friends too, he'd even saved her mother.
And what Mikoto Misaka hated above almost all else?
It was that this monsters only reward was to have more evil, more darkness and more blood piled on his shoulders as he saved people.
A monster so kind that every life lost in the incidents he involved himself in he carried on his shoulders as his own personal sins.
Every misled villain he turned away from the shade and dragged back towards the light, he took the evil from their own hearts and locked it away in his.
Mikoto Misaka, the third ranked Level 5 of Academy City, hated that her kind monster was crushing himself more with every single step he took.
She hated as he took hold of the sins of others and spread their weight across his own back in an effort to help.
She hated that he was once again lying on a hospital bed, uncountable bandaged wounds spiraling up his body.
She hated how he had given her back her smile once but was then losing his day by day.
But...
She couldn't have stopped him, even as much as she wanted to she wouldn't try either.
This was him, after all.
This was who he was.
Touma Kamijou, the kindest monster in existence.
A power to nullify all that stood above nature with a touch, a power that skewed probability just by being there and a power buried deep beneath even those that was there to crush something, everything she sometimes feared.
She fell in love with a boy that wanted nobody to lose anything and gave up pieces of himself to save those that had.
Pieces of himself that would lie within the darkness of their hearts and slowly heal them.
Pieces he carved of his own flesh with his bare hand.
She was right that night on the bridge, that night that felt so long ago but really was only a year.
No hero was going to appear to save her, to help her.
Because though it was easy to mistake him as such, Touma Kamijou was no hero.
He was a twisted, broken monster who was kinder than everyone alive combined.
"You... you idiot..."
And he had been near death yet again, no matter Heaven Canceller's haunted eyes but jovial 'Who do you think I am?' When she asked if he'd be ok, it still tore holes in her being to see her beloved monster like this.
And... and she knew next week, next month, next year, the same cycle would continue.
The same damn cycle over and over again.
Someone would be in danger and someone would rise up and defend them.
She hadn't believed in it before, his shitty luck, but she did now.
She knew he'd been fated for nothing but hardship day after day.
That he'd lived his life like this since birth and would till the day he died.
Because not even this could kill him, it was him after all.
She was sure, nothing could keep him down.
Mikoto Misaka hated many things; her friends getting hurt, people taking advantage of others, her own stupid pride.
The way he was treated as nothing by those who didn't know him and the way most of those he saved didn't see him for what he truly was.
She hated that she'd been the cause of so much trouble for him but he was still her friend.
She'd always tried to help him, but he had a habit of treading on her damn pride and angering her.
She knew he didn't mean to, that rarely was it entirely his fault but it didn't help.
Then there was her best friend, a girl who disliked and attacked that monstrous boy whenever she had the chance.
Mikoto had never put her foot down, always caught in the throes of jealousy, embarrassment or anger.
Always letting those uncalled for attacks commence.
Well no more!
She would change, she would finally help him.
She'd stop Kuroko from belittling him behind his back, she'd stop his classmate that attacked him over stupid things that could be easily ignored, she'd stop holding him back and finally stand at his side.
She was a Level 5, she was a monster in her own right.
Her shoulders, though slight compared to his, were strong and could help him carry that world that was on his back.
She'd learn to control her easily damaged pride, she'd stop attacking him when he upset her.
She'd be better, stronger and kinder.
He'd be there to teach her, she could learn from the kindest monster alive.
When he wakes up, when...
"Idiot... please... let me help you... That's all I want"
Because he'd definitely wake up, wouldn't he?
Heaven Canceller really had said those words to her, right?
She hadn't imagined it!
The cloth over his face was just bandages, it wasn't a sheet.
Those people crying in the background were for someone else, definitely not for him!
Never for him, he'd hate if people cried for his sake, so of course it couldn't be for him.
He'd wake up soon, very soon, she was sure, so she wasn't going to move from his side. He'd saved her again after all, she had to be here to thank him.
He'd pull that stupid smile and wave it off no doubt.
The smile would make her flustered and she'd actually stop herself from shocking him this time. Surely it'd be fine if only he was allowed to see her blush?
Still, there was one more thing Mikoto Misaka hated, though she refused to allow conscious knowledge of it.
She hated that he'd gotten himself killed just to save her again. She hated that he'd bled to death in her frozen arms and had still been smiling because he'd protected her.
In the end, she hated that he'd finally collected on the debt so many owed him. That he'd chosen to take back her smile out of the entire worlds.
Touma Kamijou was the kindest monster she had ever known. Because only a monster would save so many without need of reward and then steal the smile of the one person on earth who loved him more than anyone ever could.
Kindness was cruel like that, because even the greatest deeds have a price and for the first time... For the first time Touma Kamijou's actions were paid for by someone else.
Mikoto Misaka, a young girl of barely 15 years, could only find solace in the fact that he was the only one she'd have given her smile to anyway.
"Just wake up... don't... d-don't be d-dead... please, just... please don't be dead anymore..."
It was a shame, then, that death is the only thing that was never an illusion.
More so, that Mikoto Misaka would forever be haunted by his blood soaking her hands.
Somewhere in the shadows of it all, the Prime Touma Kamijou could only feel all of this from afar, not being able to reach them, the many versions of Mikoto Misaka, not seeing their direct plight, only through the subtlety of shadows, knowing full well to himself that she wouldn't be able to hear him, and neither would he be able to comfort her, all the while lacking the context of the situation around him. A fog, a mystery, an unknowable.
He was just a spectator who has no understanding, only with the sixth sense of feelings.
He could not cry out.
He could not bring comfort.
He could only listen with difficulty as the memories slip pass him.
Just watch.
In all of this, he was sporting a very grave and saddened expression on his face as each blurred memory of many Mikoto Misakas seem to pass by.
It was always like this.
For the past few days.
For the past few weeks.
For the past few months.
Like a cinema screen on 3-D that is blurred between the lines, with the sound of static that is just piercing through his ears, feeling the certain feelings of the many Mikoto Misakas, but wouldn't know about their given situation, only through subtle hints of feelings and emotions that form a mixture of unpleasant tastes.
With him at the front row seat, looking utterly bewildered, confused, and saddened.
"Misaka..."
One thing was certain however.
Truly, the man knew.
He knew that the young middle school girl that was full of life and energy had a certain amount of romantic feelings for him, deducing it through certain hints that were thrown his way, not all of it at once, with shadows covering the future, an unknowable nature of the space-time continuum.
In many timelines.
In many worlds.
In many universes.
In some timelines, it was reciprocated.
In some timelines, it was not.
In some timelines, they never met.
Feelings and hints were all he could draw out, not desiring to peer into the privacy of others, heeding the warning of his second father and the other 12 Core of the League.
Maybe in some other life, this Prime Touma Kamijou once thought.
Maybe in some other life, he might have ended up with someone like her.
A young girl who he had met for so many months.
With his sight blocked, yet his heart feeling it like a river flowing down the stream, he would deduce that the Mikoto Misakas of these Infinite Hells were suffering. What kind of suffering, he does not truly know. Looking into it could only bring pain to himself. Better not to watch. Too much SPOILERS as it were. The future is dangerous. He cannot and will not see it. He will make his own future by living at the present moment. All he could do was to follow his own heart. That was all. It was all he could do. It was all he would do.
For Touma Kamijou is a person of the heart, not of the head.
The head dictates the logical course of action from the perspectives of many.
But it is the heart that truly determines what is truly right, just, and fair.
He is a champion of Free Will.
With Free Will, he can make a choice based on the present moment of now.
The future could wait for it is blank.
The present moment of now is more important to him than anything.
One among the many main problems of the man that is known as the Prime Touma Kamijou is that of the dilemma of trying to fight for the sake of everyone's smile which varies and diverts in many countless ways.
Some to happiness.
Some to sadness.
Some to comfort.
Some to misery.
One smile is not the same as the other.
The man that is known as Touma Kamijou, fighting for smiles.
It was his dream.
It was his reality.
It was his moment of discernment.
Which smile would be real?
Which smile would be genuine?
How far could one possibly go in order for everyone to truly smile?
Time.
Like sands in the wilderness of the desert.
The sands of time in the hourglass of the Known and Unknown Multiverse would tend to think so.
Despite saving one person, in another world, that person is doomed.
Universes of darkness.
Universes of despair.
This and many more had made the Prime Touma Kamijou resolved in his century old heart.
He will not stop.
He will save people.
Innocent or guilty.
Scripts of destiny and fate be damned.
He will use the gift of Free Will, and with that comes a hope and a dream to make people smile, no matter who it is.
People need to be given a reason to hope.
People need to be given a reason to dream.
People need to be given a reason to keep moving forward.
This is what he could do.
This is what he would do.
This is his dream.
This is his resolve.
This is his promise.
He would be the hope of not just his universe.
He would be the hope of others as well.
The Hope of the Known and Unknown Multiverse.
Like his second father before him.
The Doctor.
Like his second brother's before him.
Ren Fuji - Tenma Yato - Setsuna.
Andrew William "Andy" Barclay.
John Connor.
Koichi Minamoto.
Taki Tachibana.
Following in their example.
Following in their footsteps.
He will forge his own path.
He will write his own destiny.
Free Will.
A divine concept that was such a novelty, both among gods and mortals alike.
This was his promise.
This was his resolve.
He is the Imagine Breaker.
That will never change.
That will not change.
Insert Song: End
Insert Song: Start
The Dark and Endless Dalek Night · Murray Gold
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
The problem with Reading Steiner is that one could not only just access one's personal timeline and it's many alternates and branches, through the veil that is likened to a dam wall, one that could only see the dam, but not the other side.
One could also access other peoples personal timelines and it's many alternates and branches as well, also through the veil of the dam wall, not seeing what's on the other side, only the hint of water - of feelings untold.
Although, this one was a certain exception to the rule due to the space-time anomalies surrounding it.
A LOCK was put into place by the MOMENT.
It can no longer be accessed.
However...
It can be viewed.
To pear beyond the veil as it were, if only but a mere fraction of it.
The Veil of Heaven and Hell.
The Last Great Time War.
For he looks out from his eyrie, across the wreckage of a thousand Infinite Hells.
Below him, multiple fragments of the Time War, broken reefs of many known and unknown phases, utterly broken and washed up into his multiverse, to rot like discarded flesh.
The Infinite Hells.
A perfect torture device to drive anyone mad and broken.
A perfect torture device just for him.
At this point, during one random inconsistent relative day of the Time War, the Daleks of Skaro had begun to replicate said Infinite Hells for the Axis War Effort.
"BEGIN THE REPLICATION OF THE PHASES. SHIFT ALL PHASES TO SECTORS 555.544, 372.333, 112.333, AND 2000.333." The Supreme Dalek uttered in a commanding tone.
"WE OBEY!" The Dalek War Drones cried out in their shrill tone.
He could see this, liken to that of shattered glass that stains the entire surroundings.
See this the way it is, like a broken vase, with the water washed out unto the floor.
With his own century old eyes, eyes that had seen things that would make people go mad.
Already, the replicated weaponized Infinite Hells would now be spread to many countless multiverses.
Into universes that have no connection to his own universe.
There had been the world of Lugunica and the boy in a similar position to him.
The World of Subaru Natsuki.
There had been the world of that overpowered brother and his sister in that magical high school that had seemed too impossible a hurdle to cross.
The World of Tatsuya Shiba and Miyuki Shiba.
There had been the world of heroes and the Quirks that children possessed to become them.
The World of Izuku Midoriya.
There had been the world of Exorcists and the Akuma they faced in the interests of keeping the world safe.
The World of Allen Walker.
There had been the world of Magical Girls and the messed-up system that involved Soul Gems.
The World of Madoka Kaname.
There had been a world of mechas and Angels.
The World of Shinji Ikari.
There had been a world filled with Servants and the Holy Grail War.
The World of Shirou Emiya.
There had been worlds upon worlds upon worlds upon worlds.
All of which were burning at the mighty plungers of the race that considered itself to be supreme and above all others.
"Move it! Move it! Let's go! Let's go!"
"Watch your left! Watch your left!"
"Spiders, from the south!"
"Gliders, up above! Take them down! Take them down!"
He could see it from his own eyes.
He could see it all.
A glorious battle.
An endless battle.
Men clad in white armor, with many color markings belonging to many corps, legions, and battalions.
An echo among the Senate of the Temporal Powers Alliance (TPA) was heard to his ears with regards to them.
"They are totally obedient, taking any order without question, unless it is for the cause of the innocent, the right, and the just. Men who are the weapon, and yet, never lose their free will. Loyal but firm. Valiant in the service of the common good. With their own personalities, abilities and skills that make up the unique individuality of each supersoldier. They will fight with us. They will fight for us. Fight for the freedom of all sentients and non-sentients alike. Fight for the Higher and Younger Races. Fight for themselves. They will be one of our greatest holy warriors. They are the Clone Troopers. Protectors of the Known and Unknown Multiverse."
The Clone Troopers of the Spatio-Temporal Armed Forces (STARS).
But they were not the only ones on the hellish battlefields.
"We must show no fear! Charge my brothers! Show those tentacled abominations clad in invincible armor that we will not yield so easily! For Humanity! For the Known and Unknown Multiverse! For the Glory of the God Emperor!"
Men clad in advanced armor, bulky in appearance, carrying a look of utter intimidation and dread to one's enemies, carrying advanced upgraded weapons that could pierced the hardened shell of Dalekanium.
An echo among the Senate of the Temporal Powers Alliance (TPA) was heard to his ears with regards to them.
"They shall be the finest of holy warriors, these men who give of themselves to the cause. Like clay they shall be moulded and in the furnace of eternal war they shall be forged. They shall be of iron will and steely sinew. In great armour they shall be clad and with the mightiest weapons shall they be armed. They will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight them. They shall have such tactics, strategies, and machines that no foe will best them in battle. They will be the bulwark against the Terror of Darkness. They are the Defenders of Humanity. They are the Defenders of the Higher and Younger Races. They are the Defenders of the Known and Unknown Multiverse. They are the Space-Time Marines and they shall know no fear."
The Space-Time Marines of the Spatio-Temporal Armed Forces (STARS).
All of them were fighting for their very lives, risking tooth and limb, as they defend the fleeing civilians and shoot down the endless hordes of Dalek War Drones that were coming from the broken fractured sky of many worlds.
Darkness seems to reign despite the fractured stars.
Despite the Light, there was only Darkness.
An Eternal War of Light and Darkness.
He could only look at this with horror.
He could only look at this with dread.
In these moments, he would realize.
This was it.
This was the War that his second father and his allies had fought.
One that he and his allies had to endure for who knows how long.
The Infinite Hells were a mere nothing compared to this divine order of magnitude.
Canon falls apart.
Derails where everywhere and everywhen.
Things of utter simplicity, twisted as to the nature of inconsistency.
People die, cease to exist, unmade to oblivion, brought back to life as twisted shadows of their former selves.
No one was truly safe.
He could see in blurry visions and images, unknowable mists and shadows, of his family, friends, and love ones across many different Infinite Hell Space-Time Battlefields from multiple countless universes and multiverses.
All of them living.
All of them dying.
All of them existing.
All of them unexisting.
He would see a series of news reports that were now being broadcasted live throughout their many respective universes which showed multiple events that are now happening in this Eternal Hellfire.
"Holy shit! They're everywhere!"
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
"The EU has been harassed repeatedly by the southern nations in response to the recent unknown attacks from multiple terrorist cells."
"Multiple unidentified alien craft have now been sighted across the Atlantic."
"AHHHHHHHH! RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! DON'T LOOK BAC-AHHH!"
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
"Germany has taken the lead and has formed the New European Federation in response to this incident."
"The economy is collapsing here in America, the government is responding to the best of their ability. Experts are now calling it the Second Great Depression."
"This is the end of the world! End of the stinking world!"
"The NEF states that Cultists from various religious groups are responsible for funding the harassment caused by the southern nations. The list includes the Vatican Church, the Anglican Church, and the Russian Orthodox Church."
"The NEF has initiated the Cult Purge, seemingly attacking the religious groups in full force, more than 200,400 casualties throughout the world have been reported so far."
"The NEF has restored the economy in the west, and has promised to make a new, greater, and more powerful NATO alliance."
"The US, with the help of the NEF, has expanded diplomatic relations throughout most of the American continents, through all of the north and as far south as Brazil..."
"The United Colonies of the American Federation has been formed, and is a permanent ally of the NEF. It seems they kept their promise."
"The Middle East has been attacked by the unknown forces from the sky. They left no survivors."
"Dispatch, Overlord, we need immediate reinforcements! We're being over-ahhhh!"
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
"The Middle East Empire is now formed and is controlled by an organization only known as the One Church."
"The US has now undergoing a Second Civil War between the Democrats and the Republicans during the economic collapse. Multiple casuatlies have been approximated to be growing by the very second."
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
"Unknown forces from the sky have attacked Eastern Russia and have conquered the Asiatic area in a matter of days."
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
"The unknown forces from the sky have revealed themselves as the Daleks."
"The Solace Coalition of New Nations, formed from the Russian rebels and Democrats-in-Exile, and is intent on destroying the UCAF."
"The NEF has declared war on the MEE and the SCNN has declared war on the UCAF. This is a war of unimaginable scale never seen before in the history of mankind."
"The NEF and UCAF have developed technologies with new Martian element Nantonium, and has become more advanced than even Academy City."
"The SCNN sees Japan as a possible base of operations against the UCAF and has declared war on Japan as well."
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
"The entire country of India has been completely wiped off the map. No survivors."
"NATO nations have vowed to protect their former allies if they join them in order for the world to be stabilized in the midst of this global crisis."
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
"NATO nations have now been horribly decimated by the unknown invaders."
"The MEE forces are being annihilated by the NEF and some were saying that a Second Cult Purge may occur in the near future."
"Multiple flying saucers have been shown across many countries, opening portals of some kind in order to bring in the rest of their kind."
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
"The UCAF is holding the SCNN in Japan, but this has resulted in the country becoming a major battleground along with other Pacific island nations."
"Russia has joined the NEF in hopes of taking back their homeland."
"Today, the SCNN has attacked the capital of Tokyo, killing hundreds of thousands with cruise missile barrages."
"Command! We have multiple nuclear missile launches! Missiles in the air! Missiles in the air! CODE: RED! CODE: RED!"
"LEAVE NO SURVIVORS! EXTERMINATE!"
This is a nightmare.
And this nightmare was real.
This happened.
It is still happening.
Nowhere to run.
Nowhere to hide.
Heaven and Hell clashing down as the mortals from below get incinerated into dust and ashes.
In all of this madness and chaos, he even saw the bones of the dead rising up from their graves.
Things of utter nonsense were coming to unlife.
This is not life.
This is not death.
This is not in-between.
There is no word to truly describe such madness.
In one second, there is a battlefield.
A battlefield of space-time.
In the raging forest fires of the dark night, he could spot horrors beyond imagination.
Things that he could not just unsee.
Things that he could not forget.
In all of this chaos.
In all of this insanity.
With no end in sight.
All this and more made him understand his second father more and more.
He understood his pain.
He understood his suffering.
The pain of this War.
The suffering of this War.
A War that had neither a beginning nor an end.
Perhaps, the Test of the Witches was a way for him to realized that.
To feel what his second father had felt, if only for just a mere fragment of the eternal suffering that had unfolded across the Known and Unknown Multiverse.
To him, this only hardened his resolve all the more.
For him to forge his path to the future, without knowing the future, looking towards the present, always in reminder of the examples of his second father and his second brothers before him.
Insert Song: End
Insert Song: Start
Dies irae - Animation OST: Unus Mundus
After the pop quiz that involved Touma walking out of the classroom in silence, looking amused at the remembrance of said quiz and of many of his fellow students reactions to said quiz, he was now walking.
Just walking.
Walking in silence.
Never saying a word.
Never uttering a word.
His look of amusement begins to immediately turn into a subtle look of grave seriousness, denoting a look of contemplation and pondering.
Deep thoughts were being pondered into his century old mind.
Questions arise.
One question summed up the rest.
Was is it truly one hundred years?
Too many to count at this point in his life.
He never really kept track.
Or maybe he did and just made it a secret to many but is known only to a few.
Officially, the Endless June had lasted for about one hundred years or so.
To his beloved wife and to his best friend goddess, this was their own first hand experience.
To him however, it is unfortunately very far from the case.
Their were far more.
Far more experiences.
Far more sufferings.
Far more misfortune.
Endless loops.
Endless BAD ENDs.
Each taking him to different fragments.
Different fragments of many flavors.
Many players doing subtle moves from the background.
All of these and more were remembered greatly in the century old mind of Touma Kamijou.
All of these endless loops.
All of these endless BAD ENDs.
That one nightmare that seemed endless, he had experienced first hand, with blood and iron.
Sometimes, he experienced it alongside his beloved wife and his best friend goddess.
For most of the time however, he was totally and utterly alone.
There where worlds were he didn't met his beloved woman and his fellow clubmates, thereby not recognizing him and would only be a stranger to them.
There where worlds were the simple village of Hinamizawa was flooded and submerged underwater.
There where worlds were a global outbreak of the Hinamizawa Syndrome led to a countless number of deaths.
All of these and more, he experienced first hand.
Both as a spectator and as a character.
The main protagonist of the story.
All of these experiences had gained him the ability to read and distinguish the timelines and worldlines, no matter what world, universe, and multiverse, immune to temporal changes, yet not seeing the literal past, present, and future, only through the property of gray clouds that would rained down the drops which would provide said subtle hints.
Reading Steiner.
With this ability, he gained new insights and lessons.
A timeline that branches by every second, opening new stories to tell, told and untold.
He would see his own timeline in a sort of fog, not seeing everything, not knowing everything.
Direct but subtle.
His destiny, not yet written in stone, allowing him to choose.
People that he would be familiar with, the ones of the present moment, he would remember sometimes. Other times, he couldn't remember.
In all of these bundled timelines, there were three other girls that he could see in a sort of blur. A veil that tends to hide from what needs to be hidden.
Three girls from his very own past.
Seria Kumokawa.
Ayu Mitsuari.
Misaki Shokuhou.
In the present moment of time, they are three of the best agents of the SCP Foundation, who would use their connections and abilities to their purpose, providing any inside reports and intelligence of any happenings in Academy City.
Three special girls who were very special to his heart; three of the first friends that he had made in Academy City.
People that he cherish most of all.
His most trusted allies.
His most trusted friends.
Then there's the other elephants in the room.
The Committee of 300 had it's tentacles spread everywhere throughout Academy City.
Them and many other factions throughout the Known and Unknown Multiverse are making subtle moves in the background.
It was a good thing in his opinion that he had many allies to call to if the situation demands it.
For he would need all of their help and assistance as he can't really fight something of this scale all by himself.
His world and universe can't handle these many unknown threats that would come from the outside context point of view.
Even the Board Chairman of Academy City, with all of his skill of manipulation, could only handle and reach so far before eventually becoming overwhelmed by the sheer powerful opponents that he would also eventually have to face in order to keep to his schedule and plan as neat and clean as possible.
Their are threats that lie in the shadows that are far too much for his world to handle.
Things of utter dread.
Things of utter nightmare.
Touma was thinking all of this as he walks through many countless hallways of the TARDIS for the past few hours that seemed to pass in relative time.
Insert Song: End
Insert Song: Start
Blondie - One Way or Another (Lyrics)
While he was walking in one vast hallway, he heard the screaming sound of many students who were now running from the hallways.
He immediately looks up and notices said students as they begin to run towards his direction, casually slightly bumping into him from both sides.
In the midst of the running crowd, he spots an American teenager who was the same age as him running alongside a grade schooler.
These are Ned Bigby and Forrest Gump Jr.
"Run Forrest, run!" said Ned, as he was running fast towards his direction.
Touma became confused for one second before eventually realizing why Ned and Forrest Jr. were running as he begins to sense multiple life signatures heading towards his direction.
He spotted giant hamsters in his line of sight, coming towards him in full speed.
Touma sported a look of shock in his face as he begins to follow his best friends' example as he too started running.
As he was running, Ned and Forrest Jr. were catching up to him.
"Ned, what the heck is happening! Why are these hamsters loose from their zoo cages!" Touma asked in haste while running.
"I'm not sure what happened, Touma!" said Ned, while running. "One minute, me and Forrest were just looking at all of those animals from the TARDIS Zoo, next thing we knew, the hamsters were loosed and now it seems that they seemed to have pick their favorite target which is us!"
"Oh, such misfortune!" said Touma, in an exasperated breath as he, Ned, and Forrest Jr. started running as their life depended on it.
And so the chase of misfortune begins...
"And so, this would be my proposed field trip plan for our students and our fellow staff members."
Somewhere in the TARDIS, there appears to be a special room that has over twelve individuals, seating on their respective seats, located around a large table, with the words 'ML' on the center.
Twelve people from different backgrounds who have been through so many countless battles.
The first one was a man with ancient green eyes who wears an eggplant purple cashmere frock coat that reached mid-thigh with a corduroy collar, wearing it with a burgundy bow tie and braces, dark jeans and a new pair of brown leather boots.
This is the Doctor.
The second one was a tall grey haired man with a fedora western hat who looks to be in his mid-fifties, who wears a western brown coat, a western cowboy vest, a western cowboy attire, with western cowboy boots on his two feet, who carries a pair of special revolvers around his waist.
This is Roland Deschain.
The third one was a fair skin man with ancient grey eyes, black hair with shades of grey on the sides, has wrinkles on his face. He wears a white lab coat that has brown and black pouches and gold trim, and underneath, he wears a black turtleneck with a white scarf, and his brown vest has gold buttons and pouches. He has a pair of goggles around his neck, a metal gauntlet that he uses as his right hand and a fingerless glove on his left. He wears black pants that have brown kneepads, and he wears a pair of brown boots with gold straps. He was holding a special type of walking cane in his left hand that he uses for a variety of purposes.
This is Professor Paradox.
The fourth one was a woman with long, steel-blue hair and emotionless purple ancient eyes. She wears a black and white Gothic Lolita dress with a blue ribbon. She has black shoes and long white socks. She seems to have a black cat tail with a blue ribbon tied on it. She is very petite in height and stature.
This is Lady Frederica Bernkastel.
The fifth one was a woman with a unique hairstyle of red that denotes from the Noh Plays intended to resemble the (usually black) legs and claws of a crab that was a specialty in Osaka, Japan. She was very petite in height and stature, who wears simple clothing which is composed of a lab coat, with a red female t-shirt, with a white shirt underneath, a long dark green skirt, and black female shoes.
This is Lady Professor Washu Hakubi.
The sixth one was a handsome man of average height in his age of thirties. He sports a pair of dress shoes, a black suit, a buttoned white-striped dress shirt, and loosened blue necktie accentuated by a beige trench coat.
This is Castiel.
The seventh one was a man in his early mid-thirties who wears a red collared shirt, a black formal suit, and black formal pants, with a pink camera that he was wearing around his neck.
This is Tsukasa Kadoya.
The eighth one was a man who appeared to be in his fifties, who wears a metal prosthetic hand which denotes his experience in the unnatural, who wears a blue wrangler men's denim work shirt, a brown men's straight-fit carpenter jeans, a black leather body harness on his chest, and black men's pilot utility boot.
This is Ashley "Ash" Joanna Williams.
The ninth one was a man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties who wears a blue robe and red special cape from his back that is known as the Cloak of Levitation, along with a special mystical artifact that is worn around his neck that is known as the Eye of Agamotto.
This is Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange M.D.-Ph.D.
The tenth one was a man who appeared to be in his thirties, who appears to be British in nationality, who wears a brown trench coat, a white collared shirt, a red tie, black pants, black belt, and black shoes.
This is John Constantine.
The eleventh one was a man that looked to be Canadian in appearance, who appears to be in his seventies, with ancient blue eyes, sporting a clean mustache on his upper lip corner, who wears a formal suit that is composed of a white dress shirt, dark blue jacket, black pants, blue underwear, red tie, white socks, and black leather shoes.
This is Optimus Prime.
The twelfth one was an older man with grey hair and a grey beard, who wears a black business suit which is composed of a white dress shirt, black jacket, black pants, black underwear, black tie, black socks, and black leather shoes.
This is Q.
All of them make up the 12 Core of the Multiverse League of Extraordinary Gentleman and Ladies.
All of them were now listening to Clara's planned presentation of the educational field trips that would be held in meta-month's time in the view screen to her back.
"Interesting suggestions and proposals, Ms. Oswald." said Dr. Strange, touching his beard with intrigue as he looks to his fellow comrades. "Your thoughts on all of this, ladies and gentlemen?"
"Her approach is sound, my dear Sorcerer Supreme," Lady Bernkastel answered in a professional tone as she was sipping her tea cup. "It would be of great use to our fellow staff and our students to visit these places for their benefit as well as that of the benefits of many."
"I would concur with Frederica, Stephen," said the Doctor, with a jolly old smile while straightening his bow tie. "It would allow for some room for excitement on the part of the staff and the students seeing as things seemed to be a bit dull in these past few meta-months and I want our fellow staff and students to experience the benefits of travelling in my wonderful ship without making it too boring."
It was in that moment when the Doctor begins to show bodily expressions of excitement and coolness as he begins to utter a well infamous phrase, albeit modified, while standing up.
"Space-Time: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the space-time ship, TARDIS. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before!"
Clara and the rest of the League couldn't help but raised their eyebrows in amusement due to the infamous reference of the Federation Starfleet catchphrase, albeit modified.
"Really, Doctor? Really?" said Clara, in an amused tone while crossing her arms.
"I must concur with your companion, Doctor," said Q, with a tinge of humor. "That's my shtick your stealing."
"Technically Q, I was stealing from Admiral Picard."
"And my old mon capitan would definitely shake his head in exasperation if he as much as find out about this."
And while this conversation was happening, static noise begins to be heard as the view screen begins to change, revealing a man in his thirties who wears a Miami Vice that is composed of a white suit, with a pastel-colored blue T-Shirt underneath.
This is Vice Principal Harvey Crubbs.
The Doctor, Clara, and the rest of the League begins to pay immediate attention to the man who is now on the screen who is sporting an alarmed expression.
"Hello, everyone. Sorry to disrupt this meeting, but it would appear that we have a very huge problem on our hands." said Crubbs, with an alarming tone and expression.
"Problem? What kind of problem?" Roland asked in concern.
"Well..."
As soon as Crubbs said that with a hesitant expression, the view screen suddenly changes again and begins to show a scene of Touma, Ned, and Forrest Jr. running away from giant hamsters.
The Doctor, Clara, and the rest of the League begin to sport expressions of alarming concern.
"TOUMA!" said the Doctor, in an alarmed tone.
"Alright, boys and girls, this is how you make Krabby Patties. Please pay attention and try to take down notes as much as you can."
Somewhere in one of many cafeterias in the TARDIS where a bunch of students where eating their prepared food from the cafeteria, there was a special scene of significance that seemed to be happening that is being witnessed by more than a hundred students.
Spongebob was speaking in a tone of excitement in his job as a teacher as he begins to show his professional skills at the kitchen and at the grill.
Those who were watching were all just seated on the cafeteria tables, sporting expressions of awe and intrigue.
Shinichi Kudo, now Conan Edogawa, alongside his girlfriend, Shiho Miyano, now Ai Haibara, and his adopted sister and his girlfriend's actual sister, Akemi Miyano, now Hanako Edogawa, his best friend and rival, Kaito Kuroba, secretly the international wanted thief known as Kaito KID, and his girlfriend, Akako Koizumi were watching said spectacle with interest.
Kyon was watching said spectacle with interest while also carrying a subtle grave expression on his face.
Sota Mizushino, alongside his girlfriend, Yuna 'Setsuna' Shimazaki, were watching said spectacle with interest.
Lelouch Lamperouge, secretly Lelouch vi Britannia and the mask vigilante known as Zero, alongside his girlfriend, Shirley Fenette, his sister, Nunnally Lamperouge, secretly Nunnally vi Britannia, his classmate, Nina Einstein, and his guardians, Jeremiah Gottwald and Sayako Shinozaki were watching said spectacle with interest.
Rika Furude, Lady Hanyu, Satoko Hojo, Keiichi Maebara, Rena Ryugu, Mion Sonozaki, Shion Sonozaki, and Satoshi Hojo were watching said spectacle with interest.
They were all watching Spongebob teaching them and the students around them on how to make said Krabby Patties and it's many varieties and diversities and on how to make it look pleasing for customers of all walks of life.
"I must say, my Lord, after all of these years, it truly is a bizarre spectacle to see a sponge of the sea teaching all of us on how to make these special burgers that are surprisingly delicious for the appetite of the common people. It's very inspiring." said Jeremiah, with a smile.
"On that, I would have to agree with you, Lord Jeremiah." said Lelouch, with a smile.
"Still though, Lulu, I'm still surprised that you're friends with an actual sponge. It's one of many things that I could never get over once I found out what you've been up to all this time." said Shirley, in a tone of amazement.
"Hehehehe." Conan laughed wholeheartedly while turning towards Shirley. "If you thought that this was surprising, Shirley, you should see the time when Lelouch, Touma, Kyon, Sota, and myself went to a world of actual talking nations and a world of actual talking cars. These are just two examples mind you. You should honestly get use to seeing a lot of weird things in TARDIS Class at this point."
"Speaking of which, has anyone seen Touma-san lately?" Kyon asked in grave concern while his arms were crossed.
Many people, not just the ones who are seated among the main companions, but also several others who were near them, begin to turn towards Kyon with concern at the very mentioned of Touma's name.
"Why do you ask, Kyon-san?" Rika asked in concern at the very mentioned of her beloved husband's name.
Kyon was sporting a hesitant expression for a few moments before continuing.
"It's just...something feels...off about Touma-san lately. He's been sporting that serious expression on his face for days without end, with no one somehow taking notice, until now that is. People are slowly beginning to notice as time goes on. People such as Shirou-san, Shido-san, Shinji-san, Kirito-san, and a few others being an example. Hell, even Virgil and Richie seemed to notice the moment they laid eyes on Touma during English Class with Clara and told me about it as I pass by them a while ago. That and there's the fact that based on what I've heard from the others, he's been secretly avoiding to talk with people lately, only speaking when absolutely necessary, and is usually all by himself in the TARDIS doing who knows what. If I were to take a guess, he's probably doing some contemplative thinking from the side while he's at it when he's not too busy helping the Doctor and the staff out with some paperwork or some wacky TARDIS Hijinks."
"..."
Conan, Sota, Lelouch, Rika (especially), and the rest of the Afterschool Gaming Club begin to sport concerned and alarmed expressions on their faces.
It could only mean one thing in their mind.
Reading Steiner.
That ability that allows him to see through the timelines and worldlines of many universes and multiverses as if only in a fog, not clear cut and dry, a shadow as it were, and being able to distinguish when said timelines and worldlines would change due to natural or unnatural causes which renders himself immune to temporal changes, making him likened to a Singularity Point.
That worried them to no end.
They all knew that Touma would have the tendency to keep his problems to himself, sporting a hidden smile on his face in order to ease any given worries which was just really a facade to hide his suffering.
And with that, they would eventually decide and resolve to look for Touma in order to confront him about this situation that seemed to be happening for the past few days.
Rika was looking towards the wedding ring in her left ring finger, sporting the colors of gold, silver, and bronze, denoting her status of marriage to the man that she loved.
"Anata... (Dear...)" thought Rika, with a concerned expression, touching her ring with care.
As this was happening, a voice begins to call out from behind them, calling the attention of everyone around said voice.
"Guys! Guys! You better get over here! Something's happening from the view screen!" said Kirito, in a loud voice.
"Huh!"
Everyone begins to have expressions of confusion and concern as they all looked towards the view screen from the top of the cafeteria which was producing static sounds before eventually showing Vice Principal Crubbs sporting an alarmed expression on his face.
"Attention, staff and students. We have an emergency situation. CODE: NOVEMBER! I repeat, CODE: NOVEMBER!"
All of a sudden, the view screen begins to sport static before eventually showing a scene of Touma, Ned, and Forrest Jr. running from giant hamsters that are now chasing after them.
Everyone begins to sport expressions of alarm and shock.
"ANATA! (DEAR!)" said Rika, with a tone of shock and alarm.
"TOUMA!" said Conan, Kyon, Sota, Lelouch, and everyone else.
"Danson, can you wait for just one moment!"
"You're getting too slow on your old age, Biff! Try harder!"
Somewhere in the TARDIS, there exist a Temporal Powers Alliance (TPA) Military Base which is home to the clones, cadets, space-time marines, and other soldiers of the Spatio-Temporal Armed Forces (STARS).
Two Clone Troopers of the 501st Legion, Sergeant Danson and Sergeant Biff, were just out jogging on the open field, sporting regular jogging clothes, with nothing better to do as of late. So why not decide to kill the time as it were?
They had been jogging now for the past few hours or so, passing by a couple of Pokemon and Digimon who were just hanging about the field of nature or just walking on the sidewalk. They also passed by many sentient automobiles that had come from the Cars Verse, with the two clones greeting some of the said vehicles passing by with a smile, with said vehicles telling them 'Hey, Danson, Biff, Nice day, huh.' or 'How's it going you two?'.
By the time they finished their jogging, they were already heading towards the bar that was own by Lucifer Morningstar himself, with the word 'LUX' being seen from the top of the establishment, to get a few drinks as it were, with Danson sporting a look of triumph on his face, and with Biff sporting an annoyed look on his face.
"Damn it!"
"HA! I won, Biff. Now you have to be the one who gets to pay up for our drinks."
Biff could only sport a look of exasperation on his face, making a resigned sigh while doing so.
"(Sigh). Alright, fine, you win. I'll pay the drinks. You happy now."
"YES!"
At that moment, they headed towards the inside of the establishment. People from many walks of life, stories, and origins were seen telling tales and reports of interest. The two clone sergeants were now seated at the table that was near the bartender. Danson begins to indicate to the bartender with a wave of his hand.
"Hey, Agil, two lemonade spitzers on the rocks."
Andrew Gilbert Mills, also known as Agil, a survivor of the Sword Art Online Incident, was sporting a smile on his face while wiping the glass that he was cleaning up, saying in a positive tone while making a nod.
"Coming right up, gentleman."
After a minute or two later, the drinks were now served, with Biff paying for the drinks with his own credits. Danson would now begin with a toast, raising his glass while doing so.
"A toast to the fastest man who had ever lived!" said Danson, with a tone of humor.
"(Snort). In your dreams, Danson. There are plenty of people who have that title. You aren't one of them." said Biff, with an exasperated smile.
"Eh, it was worth a try." said Danson, shrugging his shoulders.
By the time the two would begin a toast, a static noise begins to be heard, with Danson, Biff, Agil, and other people in the bar were all looking towards the view screen as it sported grey static. In the next moment, Vice Principal Crubbs was seen sporting an alarmed expression on his face.
"Attention, staff and students. We have an emergency situation. CODE: NOVEMBER! I repeat, CODE: NOVEMBER!"
All of a sudden, the view screen begins to sport static before eventually showing a scene of Touma, Ned, and Forrest Jr. running from giant hamsters that are now chasing after them.
Everyone begins to sport expressions of alarm and shock.
"GENERAL KAMIJOU!" said Danson and Biff, with a tone of shock and alarm.
"Ne, Minamoto, what are all of you doing?"
Somewhere in the TARDIS, in one large garage area, were Koichi Minamoto, his apprentice and right hand man - Kouichi Matsukaze, Dean Winchester, and Sam Winchester were trying to fix the Impala, sporting a lot of recent damage from the last week of relativity.
Minamoto turns towards a young teenage high school girl, along with three other young high school girls. The name of the first girl is Kaoru Akashi - The Queen of Catastrophe. The other three girls are: Shiho Sannomiya - The Untouchable Empress, Aoi Nogami - The Lightspeed Goddess, and Yuri - The Dazzling High Priestess. The Zettai Karen Children. The girls were sporting curious and concerned expressions on their faces in due part to the fact that they have been trying to find Minamoto and Matsukaze for the past hour or so, asking all around for where they were, and as they were asking, they spotted a couple of Clone Troopers from the 501st, to which they asked said Clones for directions on where to find Minamoto and Matsukaze, to which the 501st Clones had directed and pointed them towards the garage area where they were staying, so they went in haste and manage to find them.
"Ah, nothing much, Kaoru." said Minamoto, with a tone of reassurance, turning towards the wrecked Impala with a sigh. "We we're just simply fixing the Impala for the past few hours, in due part to the fact that in the last supernatural hunt, a vengeful spirit had decided to take control of the Impala, using it to try and kill us, which in turn, ended up with the Impala being sent towards the bottom of the river. We managed to tow it back up with the help of the TARDIS, however, it still needed a few repairs as it were before it can get running again to official capacity."
"V-V-V-Vengeful S-S-S-Spirit!" said the young girls, as they begin to hurdle around together, remembering the fact that in the Supernatural Multiverse, ghosts of all types - including the vengeful ones, unfortunately exist, and some of them were downright terrifying to face as they recalled the last time they visited the Winchester's Universe.
"(Sighs). You know Koichi, if it weren't for the fact that One Punch Man (Touma Kamijou) was there, purifying said vengeful spirit with the Imagine Breaker, I would have ended up burning it's bones with a flamethrower because it tried to use my baby against us, ending up damaging her in the process." said Dean, in a grumbling tone of annoyance as he fixes the front trunk of the Impala.
"Dean, we talked about your anger management problem with the Impala." said Sam, with a humorous smile, while trying to fix the back trunk of the Impala.
"Shut up, Sam! You weren't as thrilled as I was when that went down." said Dean, sporting an annoyed look.
"Well, at least I wasn't as gung ho about it as you are right about now." said Sam, still sporting that humorous smile.
Dean would begin to raise his right index finger, speaking what's on his mind, when suddenly static begins to be heard as the and the rest who were in the garage area were all looking towards the grey static with concerned expressions.
"What the hell?"
By the time Dean uttered a word, Vice Principal Crubbs was now seen from the view screen sporting an alarmed expression on his face.
"Attention, staff and students. We have an emergency situation. CODE: NOVEMBER! I repeat, CODE: NOVEMBER!"
All of a sudden, the view screen begins to sport static before eventually showing a scene of Touma, Ned, and Forrest Jr. running from giant hamsters that are now chasing after them.
Everyone begins to sport expressions of alarm and shock.
"TOUMA!" said Minamoto, Kaoru, Dean, and Sam, with a tone of shock and alarm.
"TOUMA-SAN!" said Matsukaze, Shiho and Yuri, with a tone of shock and alarm.
"TOUMA-HAN!" said Aoi, with a tone of shock and alarm.
"Ugh, out of all of the people that I ended up getting partnered with in the TARDIS, why did it always have to be with Miss Starry Eyes?!"
"I could say the same thing to you, old hag!"
Somewhere in one of the many vast hallways of the TARDIS, two young beautiful women, one is a high school student from A Certain High School - Seria Kumokawa, the other is a middle school student of Tokiwadai Middle School - Misaki Shokuhou - The Mental Out - the ability involving the human mind which includes mental control, reading other people's memories, telepathy, changing a person's personality, willpower and memory destruction, revelation and transplantation of emotions, brainwashing, and psychometry, both of them were sporting the uniforms of their respective schools, both of them were carrying files of importance which would need to be delivered to one of the faculty rooms, more specifically to the desk table of Kraft Lawrence.
They begin to enter the faculty of their destination, with the two of them spotting Kraff Lawrence and another beautiful woman of Tokiwadai - a middle school student by the name of Ayu Mitsuari. Both of them were engage in conversations regarding medieval economics and trade.
Lawrence and Ayu both begin to notice the two, with the former sporting a look of gratitude while the latter was sporting a look of curiosity and slight annoyance.
"Here are the files that you needed, Lawrence-sensei." said Seria, in business like fashion, as she and Misaki both begin to put the files to the desk.
"Arigatou (Thank you), Kumokawa-san, Shokuhou-san." said Lawrence, with a tone of gratitude as he now begins to have a look at the files in question.
"It's about time that you two got here. Where the hell have you two been?" said Ayu, putting her hands to her waist, raising an eyebrow of annoyance.
Both Seria and Misaki turned towards each other, sporting grimaced expressions on their faces. Then they looked back towards Ayu, with Misaki beginning to speak in order to provide an explanation.
"Well..."
But she couldn't utter more than a word as static begins to be heard on the view screen that was installed on the wall, with grey static that appears on the screen, much to her and to the concern of everyone who was present in the faculty room - both staffs and students alike. After the grey static, Vice Principal Crubbs begins to appear from the view screen sporting an alarmed expression.
"Attention, staff and students. We have an emergency situation. CODE: NOVEMBER! I repeat, CODE: NOVEMBER!"
All of a sudden, the view screen begins to sport static before eventually showing a scene of Touma, Ned, and Forrest Jr. running from giant hamsters that are now chasing after them.
Everyone begins to sport expressions of alarm and shock.
"BOY!" said Seria, with a tone of shock and alarm.
"TOUMA!" said Lawrence, Misaki, and Ayu, with a tone of shock and alarm.
"Hamazuraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"(Sigh) (pinching eyes out). What?"
"It's been over three hours already! Where the hell are our damn orders?!"
"Hey, you're not the only one who's having a bad time here, Mugino! Now sit down and keep quiet! You're making an unnecessary scene here! I'd rather not get in trouble with Morningstar-sensei all because you decided to let loose at this family restaurant!"
"Tck."
Somewhere in TARDIS City, at a family restaurant which was owned by Lucifer Morningstar, with the name 'LUX" that is located at the center of the rectangular building, located in 712 Michelangelo Street, there were five young girls - with one of them sporting a ticked off expression, and one young man who were seated at one of the tables as they wait for their order...for the past three hours.
Agent Shiage Hamazura - Code Name: Gray Cardinal - Agent of the SCP Foundation MIB Division - Liason to Team ITEM - was not having a very good time since the past three hours as he was trying his very best to calm Shizuri Mugino - The Meltdowner - the ability to forcibly control electrons in the "ambiguous" state of an electron where it is both particle and wave, and when they strike other objects the electrons are unable to react either as particle or a wave because of their state - his second in command, in order for her not to make a scene which would in turn make the situation even more irritating and painful than usual.
He was observing the two other girls who were seated alongside him.
Rikou Takitsubo - his girlfriend - the one who was seated right beside him, sporting an empathetic expression on her face, patting his back in a gentle and supporting manner.
"It's alright, Hamazura. I'm here for you. Breathe in. Breathe out."
Hamazura couldn't help but smile in spite of this current predicament, listening to his girlfriend's advice as he inhales and exhales slowly which made his mood much more calmer. He then turns towards the other girl who was seated to the left side of Rikou, Saiai Kinuhata, who was busy browsing through some movie pamphlets.
"An ultra-problematic B-movie by the Hong Kong Shaolin Film Company… It sounds like you'll be on the edge of your seat for more reasons than one. I'm super interested. I have to check that one out. What do you think, Takitsubo-san?"
"?" Rikou was just titling her head, not knowing what to say.
He then turns towards the two girls who were seated right side of Mugino, Frenda Seivelun, who was wiping her younger sister's face due to a couple of leftovers that were on her mouth.
"Fremea, you've become such a mess. Stay still and let your Onee-chan help you out." said Frenda, with an older sister tone, sporting a smile on her face, using a napkin to wipe her younger sister's face.
"Hehehe, Onee-chan, that tickles." said Fremea, with a tone of happiness, with a few giggles.
Hamazura couldn't help but smile at this bond between sisters.
"(Sigh). Hey, Lance, can someone take our orders please? We've been waiting half at an hour." said Hamazura, turning towards the waiter who was supposed to serve their drinks.
"Sorry, dude. Pretty slammed recently." said Lance M. Donovan, with him carrying a couple of tofu dishes that would be delivered to the customers who ask for that order.
"Hmm." Hamazura begins to put his hand to his chin, pondering on what Lance had said to him, looking around the restaurant that is filled to the brim with so many people, with the girls in ITEM also looking around, taking notice of said overcrowded people. "Now that I thought about it, this place has gotten a lot busy lately with all of the superheroes showing up to this family restaurant."
As he said this, he turns to one part of the restaurant where he sees Barry Allen (Universe: DCAU - DC Prime Universe) - the Flash and Pietro Maximoff (MCU Verse) - Quicksilver using their speed powers in order to determine who's the fastest, with them continuing to say on repeat "You didn't see that coming." and "No, you didn't see that coming."
"And it's gotten even more hectic with all the non-heroes showing up lately."
As he said this, he begins to observed a couple of people from another table. He spots Keima Katsuragi, Tomoya Aki, Keita Amano, and Hideki Nishimura sporting sympathetic expression on their best friend, Masato Oosuki, as he was sporting an annoyed expression, pinching his eyes out, while his mother, Mamako Oosuki, was trying to feed ice scream to her son.
"Mao-kun, say ahhhh." said Mamako, with a bright smile on her face, bringing the spoon that has a little part of the chocolate chip ice scream straight towards Masato.
Masato slighty turns to his mother, beginning to sigh heavily in resignation, and simply accepted his mother babying him by opening his mouth so that he could be fed by his mother, much to his embarrassment and consternation.
Hamazura couldn't help but shake his head at all of this.
"I mean it's gotten insanely crowded around here. There's all of these politicians, senators, superheroes, ordinary people, etc... coming and going with no sense of stopping. That's honestly impressive. After all of these years, Morningstar-sensei really does know how to run businesses very well."
As he said this with an impressed smile, static begins to be heard from the view screen that was over by the corner, to which he, the rest of Team ITEM, and everyone who was in the family restaurant stop what they're doing and look towards the screen that was sporting grey static. After which, the face of Vice Principal Crubbs was now seen, sporting an alarmed expression.
"Attention, staff and students. We have an emergency situation. CODE: NOVEMBER! I repeat, CODE: NOVEMBER!"
All of a sudden, the view screen begins to sport static before eventually showing a scene of Touma, Ned, and Forrest Jr. running from giant hamsters that are now chasing after them.
Everyone begins to sport expressions of alarm and shock.
"BOSS!" said Hamazura, sporting a look of shock and alarm, standing up from his seat in an alarmed fashion.
"WARNING: CODE NOVEMBER. WARNING: CODE NOVEMBER. WARNING: CODE NOVEMBER."
As the alarm begins to be blared and sounded from the entirety of the TARDIS, Touma, Ned, and Forrest Jr. were now running as fast as they can as they head towards one of many training centers in the TARDIS in due haste for the past few minutes or so, spotting a couple of Pokemon Trainers and their Pokemon who all begin to notice them with alarming expressions.
"What the heck?!" said Red, in an alarming tone.
"Touma?!" said Ash, in an alarming tone.
"Guys, a little help here!" Touma said in a tone of alarm as he, Ned, and Forrest Jr. begins to come towards them.
Ash and Red begin to immediately act in full haste as they all said.
"Pikachu! Use thunderbolt!"
"THUNDER-BOLT!"
Ash and Red's respective Pikachu's begin to produce electricity which is directed towards the hamsters, frying said hamsters into unconsciousness.
Ash and Red begin to raise their right hands, with blue light glowing from said hands, directing them towards the hamsters, producing a vibranium cage in order for said hamsters to not escape the moment they woke up.
Insert Song: End
Touma, Ned, and Forrest Jr. begin to sigh heavily in relief as they begin to fall towards the ground in exhaustion after running for the past few hours of relativity.
"Thank god, it's finally over." Ned said in exhaustion.
As they were lying on the ground, multiple emergency portals begin to appear in the vicinity.
The first one was made by Rika as she, Conan, Kyon, Sota, Lelouch, the rest of the Afterschool Gaming Club, and many countless others were coming out from said portal.
The second one was made by Lady Bernkastel as she, the Doctor, the rest of the 12 Core of the League, and Clara coming out from said portal.
The third one was made via TARDIS Emergency Systems as Minamoto, Matsukaze, Kaoru, Shiho, Aoi, Yuri, Dean, and Sam were coming out from said portal.
The fourth one was made via TARDIS Emergency Systems as Sergeant Danson and Sergeant Biff (who were now wearing their 501st Clone Trooper Armor), and many countless others were coming out from said portal.
The fifth one was made via TARDIS Emergency Systems as Misaki, Seria, Ayu, and many countless others were coming out from said portal.
The sixth one made via TARDIS Emergency Systems as Hamazura, the rest of Team IITEM, and many countless others were coming out from said portal.
Multiple portals via TARDIS Emergency Systems were shown as General Rex and the rest of the Clone Troopers of the 501st Legion, General Cody and the rest of the Clone Troopers of the 7th Sky Corps, and the Space-Time Marines such as the Ultramarines 1st Company and the Salamanders, were all surrounding the caged hamsters, with staser weapons on the ready, with some of them making absolutely sure that the hamsters were knock out, with some of them doing crowd control - both around the hamster cages and around Touma Kamijou, and with some of them coming near towards the Doctor and the rest of the 12 Core of the League.
"Anata! (Dear!)" Rika said in a tone of extreme concern as she begins to immediately hug Touma, with Touma accepting said hug with a smile on his face.
"Hi, Rika." said Touma, in a simple manner of joy and contentment.
"Touma, are you alright?!" asked Minamoto, as he, Dean, Sam, Matsukaze, Kaoru, Shiho, Aoi, and Yuri were crouching down towards him, with Minamoto checking to see if his second brother was hurt anywhere.
Touma gives his second brother a nod of reassurance.
"I'm alright, Koichi-niisan."
"General, are you alright?!" asked Danson, as he and Biff were sporting concerned expressions, crouching down towards Touma.
Touma looks towards the two clones, giving a nod of reassurance.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Boss, are you alright?!" said Hamazura, sporting a look of concern at his best friend, crouching down towards him.
Touma gives his best friend a nod of reassurance.
"Yeah, I'm alright."
"Boy, are you alright?!" asked Seria, as she, Misaki, and Ayu were sporting concerned expressions, crouching next to him, checking to see if he was hurt or not.
Touma looks towards the three important girls of his life, giving a nod of reassurance.
"Yeah, I'm fine you three."
Conan, Kyon, Sota, Lelouch, the rest of the Afterschool Gaming Club, and many others were all gathering towards Touma, Ned, and Forrest.
"You ok, Forrest?" said Gumball, in a tone of concern as he helps the grade schooler up.
Forest makes a nod of reassurance.
"I'm fine, Gumball."
"You alright, Ned?" asked Cookie, as he lifts his best friend up from the ground.
"Yeah," said Ned, in a tone of affirmation. "Little exhausted...but otherwise, I'm fine."
The Doctor, Clara, the rest of the 12 Core and a few Unlimited (who had just arrived due to the alarm), and a couple of Clone Troopers and Space-Time Marines were inspecting said hamsters with narrowed expressions of concern.
"Well done, you four." said Lady Bernkastel, with an approving nod that is turned towards both Ash and Red. "You've managed to contain this situation without any further incident."
"Arigatou (Thank you), Bernkastel-sensei." Ash, Red, and their respective Pikachus said as they made a polite bow out of respect.
"Hmm..." Lady Washu was sporting a concerned expression on her face. "These hamsters were not even suppose to escape from the cages. That, I made absolutely sure of. Just what could have cause this?"
"Probably the TARDIS going senile again." said Constantine, in a tone of sarcasm, with his arms crossed, while shaking his head.
As he said this, little thunder clouds suddenly begin to appear and begins to pour rain down on his head.
"Oh, bollocks!" said Constantine, in a tone of exasperation, with his hair dripping wet from the rain.
"Hehehehehahaha!" Many of the students, staff, and others among the gathering crowd couldn't help but laugh at Constantine's current predicament.
The League and Clara couldn't help but have amused expressions on their faces.
"Really now, John," said the Doctor, while shaking his head in amusement. "You should know not to insult my TARDIS by now after all this time. She's very sensitive."
"As far as I know, oh fearless leader, I'm the only one among the 12 Core that she has ever done this to." said Constantine, in an annoyed tone while heavy rain is still being poured down upon him.
"That's probably because you're just that much of a jerk, John." said Tsukasa, in an amused tone.
"In my defense, I've been getting better, Tsukasa." said Constantine, in a tone of defense.
"That's only because of your wife, John." said Tsukasa, in an amused tone.
"Well," said Constantine, beginning to make a subtle genuine smile as he begins to remember his wife. "Can't argue with that one, luv."
Touma was just smiling at this humorous predicament that is coming from one of his teachers.
Yes, he thought, he needed this amount of positivity after doing so much thinking and pondering.
He begins to try to stand up from the ground.
But...
Insert Song: Start
Dies irae: The Animation 『Walhall(Piano)』
He begins to immediately notice that his wife was still holding him as tightly than usual, not letting go in the slightest.
He begins to take note with concern in his expression.
"Rika?"
She did not speak.
She did not say.
She was silent.
She was only holding Touma as tightly as she could with her subtly trembling shoulders.
Touma begins to analyze on his beloved woman's subtly trembling figure, beginning to immediately realize on what this was all about.
She knew.
She just knew about his current predicament.
He knew.
He just knew that he couldn't keep the facade forever.
Somehow, one way or another.
His beloved woman would always find out about him and whatever problems that he has hidden in the eyes of the public and private eventually.
Even after all of these years of being together, she was always the sharpest when it comes to him personally.
It is an inevitable fact of life.
His beloved woman, queen, and understander.
His beloved wife.
He begins to immediately embrace her in turn, patting her in the back in a gentle manner.
"Sorry for making you worry, Rika." said Touma, in an apologetic tone.
"It's fine, anata (dear)." Rika said as she begins to turns towards him with a very sad smile, her right hand holding his left cheek in tenderness. "I was simply worried, that's all. I was recently told by Kyon-san that you were always sporting a serious expression on your face, secretly avoiding people for the past few days, only speaking when necessary, and I can definitely take a guess as to why that is so. Know that you aren't alone and that you could tell me what you are truly feeling. Didn't we promise to always share all that we have and all that we are all those many years ago?"
Touma could only begin to sport a gentle smile as he said with a gentle tone.
"Of course I would remember our promise." Touma begins to touch Rika's left cheek with his right hand, caressing it in a gentle manner. "I would never forget it. I would always go to you whenever my problems are to heavy for me to carry and I would need to unload it in order for said problem not to be a heavy burden on me and to others. That's part of the promise that I made to you all of those years ago and I would never ever take it back so rest assured on that."
Rika begins to sport a smile that was radiating like the sun as she said in a gentle tone.
"I'm glad, anata (dear)."
"..."
While this heartwarming scene was taking place, Seria, Misaki, and Ayu were sporting subtle expressions of relief and sadness, with a smile that accompanies such feelings with subtlety. Relief because he was alright at the very least. Sadness because even after all this time, they still couldn't really accept the fact that their spiky-haired hero was no longer single. In fact, they were one of the few who actually know about the marriage between him and Rika. Normally, in this case, they would choose to take the opportunity to try to but in and get in their embrace, however, they need to make an exemption for this due to the mood of the scene that is right in front of them. There's also the worrying prospect of Touma secretly avoiding people for the past few days, to which they could only feel worried at the condition of the man that they loved, so it is just out of consideration for a temporary cease fire. Don't get them wrong, they were honestly happy for him, but at the same time, they were just saddened since it wasn't they who their spiky-haired hero chose. Someone got to him first before they did. Even then, despite everything, they couldn't give up on their feelings for him, and yet, they couldn't deny the happiness that their spiky-haired hero had deserved, if what his life had anything to go by since before meeting the Doctor, his past was just that terrible to the point where they were surprised that he was still sane and still capable of love, compassion, and mercy. They never regretted being a part of his life, and this fact would never change. Not for a lifetime's worth. They were all saved by him, stretching out his right hand towards them, saving them from their fate.
To quote an older brother figure of the man that they loved.
"The future has not been written. The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves."
While this heartwarming scene was taking place, Danson and Biff couldn't help but sport a smile on their faces. They were one of the few who knew about their general's state of marriage in life, keeping guard of this secret out of respect and loyalty. Yes, they thought, as time seems to go by, their general becomes an even more wise and mature person. He is someone that they and the rest of the Clones, whether of the 501st Legion, the 7th Sky Corps or any other Clone Batch, and the rest of the Space-Time Marines, whether that of the First Company, the Salamanders, or any other Chapter would gladly follow into battle. He was their general's second son, which in turn makes him an honorary brother for them all. They would gladly serve and follow him, even unto the valley of the shadow of death.
While this heartwarming scene was taking place, Hamazura couldn't help but sport a knowing smile on his face. He was one of the few who knew about his Boss's marriage to Rika, as he was the best man for the wedding. He honestly felt happy for his best friend, thinking that he deserves it after everything that he had been through.
While this heartwarming scene was taking place, Minamoto could only sport a look of relief, which was then accompanied with a knowing smile, as he was one of the few who was present in his second brother's secret wedding, to which he took part with pride and honor.
While this heartwarming scene was taking place, Conan, Kyon, Sota, Lelouch, the rest of the Afterschool Gaming Club, and many other students and staff who were gathered around couldn't help but be silent out of respect for such a scene that warms all of their hearts, with many among the staff and students suddenly taking out shades as if they were seeing the bright sun graced down on their faces.
"They aren't called the Number #1 TARDIS Star Couple for a reason that's for sure." said Virgil, with a smile.
"Amen to that, Virgil." said Richie, with a smile.
The Doctor, Clara, and the rest of the League were just sporting subtle knowing smiles on their faces in response to the scene that is right before them.
"Look at them, Clara. Always acting like a married couple. This special relationship is something that I have had the pleasure of observing for so many years now and I have never been so proud." said the Doctor, with a proud tone of praise and excitement.
"Didn't know you were such a hopeless romantic, Doctor?" said Clara, with a knowing sense of humor.
"Well," said the Doctor, as he straightens his bow tie. "Can't really argue with that."
As this was happening, Vice Principal Crubbs was seen running towards the Doctor, Clara, and the rest of the League who all begin to notice him as he begins to call out to the Doctor.
"Doctor! Doctor!" said Crubbs, as he begins to hand the Doctor a note. "You might want to read this. I found this on the zoo cages where the hamsters were kept. I think we just found out our unknown culprit."
The Doctor sported an intrigue expression as he begins to take the note from Crubbs.
Clara and the rest of the 12 Core and a few Unlimited of the League were all beginning to gather around him.
DEADPOOL WAS HERE! BITCHES!
X)
P.S.
Give my regards to Touma for me. The kid needs to have a break and have some fun every once in a while don't you think?
The Doctor, Clara, and the rest of the League begin to sport annoyed and exasperated expressions on their faces.
"Deadpool. Of course," The Doctor muttered while shaking his head in exasperation and amusement as he begins to call out to Touma. "Touma."
Touma and Rika both begin to turn towards the Doctor who was now walking towards them, holding the note with his right hand.
"You might want to read this. I think we've just found out who was behind said hamster chase that you, Ned, and Forrest Jr. had lead for the past few hours or so."
Everyone of the students, staff, and the gathering crowd who are gathered around begins to pay immediate attention.
Touma begins to accept the note, standing up alongside Rika as he begins in a loud voice, with a tinge of annoyance and exasperation as he begins to immediately recognize the name that is written.
"Deadpool was here, bitches."
"Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."
Many among the gathered staff, students, and crowd said in exasperation, with many of them facepalming in expectation.
"Oh, of course. Who else could pull a stupid prank like this?" said Ned, in an exasperated tone.
Touma continued reading with no deterrent.
"P.S. Give my regards to Touma for me. The kid needs to have a break and have some fun every once in a while don't you think?"
Touma blinked at what he just read.
"Huh, that's honestly very kind of him. And that's saying a lot."
Kyon would begin to snort at that while beginning to shake his head.
"Yeah, 'kind' is not the kind of word that I would use to describe him of all people. More like 'troll' would be an adequate description."
"Well," said Lelouch, in an amused tone. "At the very least, he does make TARDIS Class very interesting from time to time due to his constant pranks."
Many among the students and staff couldn't help but shrug their shoulders in resignation as a response to that.
"Eh, good point." said Touma, with a resigned smile, with him embracing Rika, putting his left hand to her waist in subtle loving fashion.
"Touma." said the Doctor, sporting a serious parental expression, which was noticed by Touma who turns to look at it him.
Touma knew that look from anywhere. It's a look that denotes that now would be the time to shut up and listen.
The Doctor begins to sport a simple smile.
"Why don't we take a walk for a while, just you and me?"
After the incident with the hamsters, the Clones and Space-Time Marines were now doing their best to ship the caged hamsters back to their zoo cages, with a couple of League Members such as Lady Washu keeping a constant watch on said unconscious hamsters just in case things go wrong once again plus making sure that there are no other Deadpool shennanigans on the prowl.
Somewhere in the one of the largest parks of the TARDIS, the Doctor and Touma were both just walking side by side by themselves, all alone, with no else intruding or interfering, with the former suggesting to the latter that it was about time they needed some amount of bonding time together all by themselves as they haven't really had that in a while, more so in the Doctor's case - his timeline being all over the place and confusing for more than most people.
They were simply walking on the white sidewalk floor, enjoying themselves as they bask in the sun that created by the TARDIS to provide the proper time dilations for the inhabitants of TARDIS Class. They were observing all of the passer-bys, children and adults, doing ordinary things in life. Playing, talking, laughing, singing, in a word, just having fun and the time of their lives. If most people were to consider this as inconsequential and insignificant, it's not so for them. In fact, to be ordinary is to be extraordinary. To be extraordinary is to be ordinary. Everything starts with zero. Then zero turns into one. And so on and so forth. Numbers matter little as they scale to a macroscopic scale to a microscopic scale. To them, when they see the everyday smiles of the common people, everything that they had done or have yet to do was worth it. Both father and son both appreciate the value of life and happiness, far more than anyone, with the former being so very old, with millennia upon millennia of experience on his belt, with a couple of faces that he worn, a different side to him, and yet still the same man, the same individual, the same moral character, who had never change despite it all, despite everything. The latter was a man who had experienced the endless centuries of conflict, tinged in pain, suffering, and misfortune. All of these and more taught him the virtues of wisdom and humility. All of the lessons that he had learned, he took to his heart that pumps the blood which circulates the brain, bringing everything back to perfect harmony and balance. All of these form him into the man that he truly is today. A man of many centuries of experience under his belt.
Yes, such is the nature of the Time Lord and the Imagine Breaker.
Their eternal bond of father and son.
Their lives intertwined the moment they met on that day; the moment of hope, the moment of salvation.
The rules haven't been set.
The future hasn't truly been set.
The Imagine Point began because the Time Lord didn't want to stick to the planned script.
There where no Fixed Points to get in the way this time. This is not his universe. This is another universe who's metaphysics differs heavily from his very own. This time, he has the choice, the option, the will to choose. No risks involved. The future remains unknowable. Everything is determined by the element of free will and choice.
He can choose to save the boy from being stabbed or choose not to and let history run it's course.
He chose the former.
And he was proud of that choice, never wanting to take it back.
It was his success. It was his triumph. It was his joy. It was his treasure.
The man who saved the boy who would one day become a hero to many.
The man who's name carries a promise, a will, and a testament to who and what he truly is.
He is the Doctor.
The Man Who Stops the Monsters.
In whatever shape or form.
Demons run when a good man goes to war.
He and his second son were simply walking, discussing a few simple topics here and there such as the light summer breeze that is felt from the east, along with the scientific terms used to described such. Seeing and describing the nature of the trees that came from the country of Japan that were planted throughout this park, planted by the people who came from many backgrounds and foregrounds across the infinite multiverse. Cherry blossoms adorn the park with bright pink and white colors, with the ones on the very trees moving because of the atmospheric pressure that was generated from the heating of land surfaces, with some of the cherry blossoms from the ground scattering throughout the sidewalk as it was pushed by a very light wind, producing circular and perpendicular motions which had fascinated both father and son, along with a couple of passer-bys that watched in awe, with the children among the passer-bys smiling in excitement as they begin to try to reach out for said flowers of tradition.
It was a happy thought.
It was a happy memory.
The Doctor and Touma finally made their ways towards a bench, which is spotted on a O-shaped sidewalk, right to the very center. Both of them begin to sit down, resting from their long walk. As they sit, they contemplate the scene all around them in silence, with them closing both of their eyes as they feel the wind breeze and cool their faces, sporting a content smile that warms the heart, or hearts in this case for the Doctor.
There was just peace.
There was just simplicity.
There was just contentment.
This is the way things should be.
Nothing but smiles.
Nothing but lightheartedness.
Nothing but simple fun.
Nothing but adventure invigorated by excitement.
Such a time, the Doctor desired more than anyone, growing more weary and weary as the millennia drags on and on.
There was a time when the Doctor was but a simple traveller, in his very first incarnation.
He remembers taking his granddaughter Susan away from Gallifrey, stealing a rather faulty Type 40 TARDIS, sailing through the seas of the endless universe, up to the endless multiverse, and up to above, below, and beyond. He was so very young back then. So very innocent. So very untouched by war. So very untouched by anything else. He could only look back on such a time with a smile of reminiscence. Such a time when he was only with his grandaughter. Such a time when he only had companions like Ian and Barbara - who in turn inspired his founding of TARDIS School or TARDIS Class.
Yes, he thought with a smile of reminiscence.
That was a time he would never truly regret.
A time that was the start of humble beginnings for the man who would eventually become the Ultimate Defender of the Known and Unknown Multiverse.
The Doctor begins to open his green ancient eyes, looking towards the left where his second son was seated, who still had his eyes closed, sporting a contemplative look on his face.
"Touma."
As soon as the Doctor begin to call with a parental tone that denotes something that needed to be discussed, the spiky-haired man could only open his eyes as he turned right and stared straight into his second father's green ancient orbs of light.
"What is it, Doctor?"
The Doctor begins to sport a grave parental expression.
"I've heard that you have been by yourself for the past few days lately."
"..."
Touma could not answer.
He knew.
He just knew that he could not lie to his second father. Not that he wanted to anyway.
He could simply just come out and make himself clean. It was the only thing he could do. It is for the best. Bottling everything inside only becomes a twisted sense of string that could be manipulated if it were not addressed; likened to that of a scar that had opened after being closed for so long.
He was just sporting a sad expression on his face.
"This is about Reading Steiner, isn't it?"
Touma could only make a nod of affirmation.
The Doctor begins to look at him with sympathy and empathy.
"And if it's about Reading Steiner, then this is about the fact that even though you could not see the direct past, present, and future, but only through pale mists and shadows, like a blank canvas that has yet to be painted, and the fact that with such an ability, you are rendered completely immune to temporal changes to the timeline, there is still the fact that Reading Steiner would allow you to give a foretaste as it were of what is to come. Then there's the fact that I have no amount of doubt that you have seen the War that I and many others had fought, seeing it through your own eyes. All of these would come in the form of dreams and nightmares as it were. Did I get all of that right?"
Touma continues to make a nod of affirmation.
"Touma, with regards to your future, there are some things that you need not to know, at least not yet, for it is not yet the right moment. But there are some things that you need to understand, such as the fact that you need to keep both eyes focus on the present moment in time. Remember Touma, in light of the ability that was granted to you from the Endless June, know that at the end of the day, you get to be the one who would decide your own future. No one else. Not even me. I'm merely here to help, to assist, to give you a helpful push in the right direction. You would be the one who would have to make the choice. The future is what you make it to be. Always remember that. And even in the darkest of times, when you feel as if all hope seems lost, know that in that very moment, now would be the right time to listen to your heart, for your mind would be clouded by all of these unnecessary thoughts which are nothing but simple distractions to the goal that is right in front of you. Keep your eyes always steady and straight. Do not turn back. Turn forward. Walk forward. Even when the future seems cloudy, misty, an unknown, know that in the end, you create the future by following what is in your heart." The Doctor said the last bit, pointing towards the left side of Touma's chest, where his heart lies and beats to the rhythm. "And with that heart, know that it would guide you and many others into a much better future. For you are the Imagine Breaker. The One Who Breaks Illusions. The One Who Follows the Heart."
Touma would begin to smile, saying to his second father in a tone of gratitude.
"Arigatou (Thank you), Doctor."
And with that, the Doctor begins to pat Touma's right shoulder with his left hand, as they both continue to enjoy the wonderful harmony of nature, with cherry blossoms dancing to the breeze and the children play with vigor and delight. Just happiness. Just contentment. Just peace.
Insert Song: End
Ending:
ED Song:
Kono Yo no Hate de Koi wo Utau Shoujo YU NO Ending 2
Characters:
The Eleventh Doctor - A: Matt Smith
Roland Deschain - A: Clint Eastwood
Professor Paradox - A: David McCallum
Lady Frederica Bernkastel - VA: Yukari Tamura
Lady Professor Washu Hakubi - VA: Yuko Kobayashi
Archangel Castiel - A: Misha Collins
Tsukasa Kadoya/Kamen Rider Decade - A: Masahiro Inoue
Ash J. Williams - A: Bruce Campbell
Dr. Stephen Strange - A: Benedict Cumberbatch
John Constantine - A: Matt Ryan
Optimus Prime - A: Peter Cullen
Q - A: John de Lancie
Wade Winston Wilson/Deadpool - A: Ryan Reynolds
Clara Oswald - A: Jenna Coleman
Touma Kamijou - A: Atsushi Abe
Rika Kamijou née Furude - A: Yukari Tamura
Shinichi Kudo/ - VA: N/A
Conan Edogawa - VA: Minami Takayama
Shiho Miyano/Ai Haibara - VA: Megumi Hayashibara
Kyon - VA: Tomokazu Sugita
Sota Mizushino - VA: Daiki Yamashita
Yuna (Setsuna) Shimazaki - VA: Ayaka Ohashi
Lelouch Lamperouge/Lelouch vi Britannia - VA: Jun Fukuyama
Shirley Fenette - VA: Fumiko Orikasa
Koichi Minamoto - VA: Yuichi Nakamura
Kaoru Akashi/Queen of Catastrophe - VA: Aya Hirano
Lady Hanyu Furude - VA: Yui Horie
Keiichi Maebara - VA: Soichi Hoshi
Rena Ryugu - VA: Mai Nakahara
Mion Sonozaki - VA: Satsuki Yukino
Shion Sonozaki - VA: Satsuki Yukino
Satoko Hojo - VA: Mika Kanai
Satoshi Hojo - VA: Yu Kobayashi
Mikoto Misaka (Alternates) - VA: Rina Sato
Othinus (Alternate) - VA: Asami Seto
General Rex (STARS) - A: Temuera Morrison
General Cody (STARS) - A: Temuera Morrison
Sergeant Danson (STARS) - A: Temuera Morrison
Sergeant Biff (STARS) - A: Temuera Morrison
STARS Clone Troopers - A: Temuera Morrison
STARS Space-Time Marines
The Daleks - A: Nicholas Briggs
Dean Winchester - A: Jensen Ackles
Sam Winchester - A: Jared Padalecki
Misaki Shokuhou - VA: Azumi Asakura
Seria Kumokawa - VA: Fujii Yukiyo
Ayu Mitsuari - VA: Hanamori Yumiri
Shiage Hamazura - VA: Satoshi Hino
Shizuri Mugino - VA: Ami Koshimizu
Rikou Takitsubo - VA: Aya Suzaki
Saiai Kinuhata - VA: Chinatsu Akasaki
Frenda Seivelun - VA: Maaya Uchida
Fremea Seivelun
Akemi Miyano/Hanako Edogawa - VA: Sakiko Tamagawa
Kaito Kuroba/Kaito KID - VA: Kappei Yamaguchi
Akako Koizumi - VA: Miyuki Sawashiro
Nunnally Lamperouge/Nunnally vi Britannia - VA: Kaori Nazuka
Jeremiah Gottwald - VA: Ken Narita
Sayako Shinozaki - VA: Satomi Arai
Nina Einstein - VA: Saeko Chiba
Kouichi Matsukaze
Shiho Sannomiya/Untouchable Empress - VA: Haruka Tomatsu
Aoi Nogami/Lightspeed Goddess - VA: Ryoko Shiraishi
Yuri/Dazzling High Priestess - VA: Marina Inoue
Ned Bigby - A: Devon Werkheiser
Simon "Cookie" Nelson-Cook - A: Daniel Curtis Lee
Vice Principal Harvey Crubbs - A: Hamilton Mitchell
Forrest Gump Jr. - A: Haley Joel Osment
Kirigaya Kazuto/ Kirito - VA: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
Andrew Gilbert Mills/Agil - VA: Hiroki Yasumoto
Keima Katsuragi - VA: Hiro Shimono
Tomoya Aki - VA: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
Keita Amano - VA: Megumi Han
Hideki Nishimura - VA: Toshiyuki Toyonaga
Masato Oosuki - VA: Haruki Ishiya
Mamako Oosuki - VA: Ai Kayano
Ash Ketchum - VA: Rica Matsumoto
Ash's Pikachu - VA: Ikue Ohtani
Red - VA: Junko Takeuchi
Red's Pikachu - VA: Ikue Ohtani
Virgil Ovid Hawkins/Static - A: Phil LaMarr
Richard "Richie" Osgood Foley/Gear - A: Jason Marsden
Barry Allen/Flash - A: Grant Gustin
Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver (MCU) - A: Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Gumball Watterson - A: Logan Grove
Hibiki Tachibana - VA: Aoi Yuki
Spongebob Squarepants - A: Tom Kenny
Kraft Lawrence - VA: Jun Fukuyama
Lance M. Donovan