Author Notes:

This chapter/episode is dedicated to all mothers and grandmothers throughout the world.


Fictions Mentioned:


Episode 18 - An Angelic Grandmother's Visit


OP Credit Song:

Dies irae - Animation OST: Ewige Wiederkunft


Beginning:


Location:

Multiverse: KK 2004 Multiverse

Universe: ACMI Universe-Prime


Grandmothers.

What is a grandmother to most people?

To some, it was the mother of your father or of your mother. To some, it was someone who was greatly advance in age and wisdom. To some, it was that of someone who belong to the term "senior citizen" who had lived a very long life that would start from the age of 60 and may perhaps gain the age of 100 as if by the miracle and divine providence of life. To some, it was someone of advance age that had taken care of you all your life, like a parent who loves you. To some, it was someone associated with someone giving a young child some sweets and baked cookies to enjoy.

There are many ways to describe grandmothers. All of them could be valid in a way, for they provide a picture out of a thousand that bespoke of feelings that seem to have been as old as recorded history itself.

Before there was the accomplishments of the modern age, before the advancement and undertakings of those who were deemed to be men of science and reason, before there were the many religions that were known around the world, there was the concept of family.

And this part of the story seem to be drawn as such.

For a young Touma Kamijou, a 10 year old elementary school student by trade, was simply walking through the empty hallways of the TARDIS after visiting the shrine that was dedicated to one Jason Peter Todd, whose Robin costume was hung up and displayed for anyone to see and pay respects too, He was humming a certain tune as a distraction to the depressing mood that he was now feeling as of this moment. And at this time, he would try to explore the vast hallways of the ship that had set sail through time and space, and had left a mark on numerous individuals, and had started a great legacy of heroes, each and in their own way.

In every step, he would look to the lockers of blue colors, with combination locks installed. Each hallway was different in a way. The designs of the pavement and of the walls and ceilings of the hallways were made out of materials of marble and asphalt concrete, or if it was that of mere wood that was a sturdy as an old tree, or if it were a type of metal that were not to be found on Earth. Many diversities that seem endless, worth exploring and trying to discover what seem quite novel for an elementary school student who was currently living in a city that was 20 to 30 years advance.

Yes, this is what he would do in order to take his mind off of things.

And as Kamijou were to pass around the corner which lead to another complex structure that was quite open, allowing one to see the skies, and with it, the stars themselves in all their beauty and majesty and greatness, denoting night time.

The TARDIS herself was a different universe all of her own. Her surroundings can change as much as she desired too, for she is a being that was created from an intricate process of mathematics that the humanity of Kamijou's world had not yet discovered despite such advancements in modern life. Therefore, one could say that the entire complex structure of the ship would sing the notes of mathematical intricacies that were quite diverse in structure, ranging from mere numbers of an alien tongue to far more complex equations that might sound gibberish to some, and yet seem like a more advance variation of calculus, but even more complicated.

As Kamijou were to step out from the interior of one hallway and step into another, he would see a very mysterious sight.

There was someone there.

This someone appeared to wear what appeared to be brown tunic and scapular, the white toque over the head and shoulders, with her golden hair drawn and seen which seem as fair as a lily and as wonderful as the dawn, worn over by a black-white veil. There was a belt and rosary worn at the waist, a crucifix worn under the scapular and over the heart, hemp sandals and socks.

Overall, this person looked like a Christian nun, seated in a posture of modesty and decorum that commanded the respect and admiration of all things. And it was because of this posture combined with an aura that seem quite mysterious and hallowed that Kamijou could immediately tell that this person was of a status that seem quite beyond him. And there was something inside of him, a rumbling if you will, of ancient reptilian creatures of legend, gods of many powers, who seem to stand in complete attention, sensing the presence as much as he did, and they knew of it and were bowing their heads low out of respect. And then there appeared to be calm breezes that came forth at the sound of dove-like wings that were swaying the grass to the other direction.

Kamijou was confused at first.

Why was this person there, sitting on a simple bench, and with her face seemingly invisible except for her golden hair that seem ethereal to look at and was quite out-of-this-world? And why did he felt something within him, a rumbling as it were, of many gathering snakes of many varieties who were quite invisible to the young lad due to the limits of his senses, but was nevertheless touched from within his very own soul?

Kamijou could not move, staring at this figure, quite tall the more that he looked at it closely, and was mesmerized, curious as to who this person was.

There was the sense of himself being drawn towards her, likened to that of a chick that was being drawn instantly towards the mother hen. There was something about this person that made Kamijou lower his guard, his suspicions seemingly non-existent, and whatever negative feelings, emotions, and reactions to the contrary would not have been there.

Fear and concern would seem to vanish as he makes a small step that was likened to a leap of faith. And with each step, he draws near towards the figure who was standing straight, with her hidden face seemingly raised towards the stars, as if inspecting them with interest and contemplation. By the time that Kamijou were to be a few meters near the person, that person would slowly turn towards his direction.

What Kamijou had found was...quite hard to describe...

It was a woman. Her face was quite beautiful to look at, maybe even the most beautiful if one were to try to describe something that lay beyond one's common thoughts of beauty and grandeur. Her golden eyes seeming flash a little, bespeaking a majestic wonder unlike any other. There was the sense of benevolence that was to be found within those golden eyes. Eyes that were maternal in nature which were directed towards Kamijou, and it seem to be speaking in whispers that could not be uttered in the human tongue. It was a kind of body language that would allow an indirect and understood line of communication that would be transmitted from one person to another.

And Kamijou appear to understood immediately. For he didn't have to wonder as to who this was. For the information that was gently provided to him through the sense of sight allowed him to realize a very shocking and surprising realization.

He was in the presence of an Angel of the Lord. Even more than that, this woman seem to be the greatest and lowliest of them all. Any virtue that could be applied to a woman seems to be found within this majestic woman of gentle features and demeanor. It was almost as if she were the center of every good thing in existence.

Kamijou felt quite shocked, and yet made him ponder too much on the subject.

In a city like Academy City, the city to which he had taken residence a few years ago, religion and faith seem to have no place there, deeming it quite incompatible and not within the boundaries of progress and practicality. You could have things like particle physics, parapsychology, quantum mechanics, and other fields, branches, disciplines and other sub-divisions of science that would be taught in Academy City, and the mentality of the masses would be affected in a way that anything that could deviate from the common belief and understanding that anything and everything could be rationalized under science would be seen as ludicrous or insane or not worth the time of day and simply moved along.

The faith seemingly dies out. Even the many urban legends of the city have gained a sort of scientific touch that seem quite far away from the boundaries of mysticism and magic and whatever lay upon the supernatural that could not be explained by science.

Perhaps that is what was missing according to the mind of Touma Kamijou who had once asked questions regarding this issue to many of the people that lived in the city. All the answers could just be brought down to the fact that one should not waste one's time in utter nonsense and just focus on one's studies, especially in the case of esper development, and leave the old things of superstition behind and embrace the new age of science where anything that hadn't been explained can be explained.

But there was something quite wrong with that sort of logic.

For one, how can one measure the knowledge and belief that science alone is enough to discover literally everything there is to know about life and existence?

The humanity of Kamijou's world had yet to trek and map the stars like other variants of humanity. They have yet to even know about everything there is to know about their universe, only stuck with theories not yet to be proven and imperfect or theoretical observations at best. Even more so, when one were to consider the possibilities of an infinite multiverse, and in the case of Kamijou, he already knew that there was life beyond everything, having seen races and beings come and go in light of past adventures and history lessons.

Many in Academy City haven't even noticed or realized, or if they as much as noticed or realized, would not like to think about it all too often and just chalked it up to mere coincindences and pre-development and other rational explanations, that some traces of science could be found in what appeared to be the apparent case of superstition.

Alchemy being an example of such a subject, considered as the medieval forerunner of chemistry, based on the supposed transformation of matter. It was concerned particularly with attempts to convert base metals into gold or to find a universal elixir. In other words, it was an ancient philosophy that uses the metaphor of transforming metals into gold for attaining spiritual enlightenment. Eventually, such topics would influence a new form of science in the form of chemistry, having evolved into other topics such as the discovery of fire, extracting metals from ores, making pottery and glazes, fermenting beer and wine, extracting chemicals from plants for medicine and perfume, rendering fat into soap, making glass, and making alloys like bronze.

Then one were to look back towards history, when back to where all types of people were open to anything. And then along came Francis Bacon, the father of the scientific method, to eliminate the four idols and propose a thought process that emphasized observation and experimentation. But there was something else, and it was something that Kamijou had been taught about from the Doctor with regards to his world's Francis Bacon.

That he was in fact a magician, but not just any magician, but the father of modern science. The father of modern science was a Rosicrucian, one that belonged to a spiritual and cultural movement and system of magic that arose in Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order to the world and made seeking its knowledge attractive to many.

The movement itself apparently began with a false book written by a single person. Though it was originally false, magicians took it and developed it beyond the falsity, leading Rosicrucianism to grow into something much more, coming to form the foundation for modern Western magic. This development was such that when the original author revealed the truth of the lie he was completely ignored.

There was a certain level of caution in the way when the Doctor were to describe magic in relation to his universe specifically.

"If you were to consider the fact that the founder of the scientific method is a magician, then one needs to answer this fundamental question that would tend to pop up in the common mind. How does the division of magic and science make absolute sense? But that wouldn't really be the right question. What one should be asking is if the term "magic" or "science" has as much sense as if you were to try to separate the word "water" and "ocean" as if they were not the same. That's the secret magic trick to it, Touma. When it comes to the subject of magic and science in your world, there really isn't that much of a difference if one were to get technical, although make no mistake to think that their principles are the same, for just as there are different laws around the world, along with it's theoretical and practical applications, so too would these be likened to two sides of the same coin. A two face picture by any other name. In other words, it's all a unified theory in practice, and that the divide was blatantly artificial in nature, set up by someone who I could not say for now, but let's just say that this someone has quite the reason to do so due to something that involves the concept of family."

The Doctor explained this that one time as simply as he could to the young Touma Kamijou, an elementary school student, who was simply listening from the student chair, taking down notes from his A Certain Multi-Subject Notebook, a journal that has many functions put into it. And one of those functions just so happen to be for the manual writing down of important notes that could be useful in the future.

Kamijou on the other hand could not help but take note of the term "family" as if there was something about it that was quite sad based on the careful and somber tone that the Doctor had employed. It was something that he would tend to ponder from time to time, especially in relation to this "someone" who was ultimately responsible for the artificial divide between magic and science.

And that in turn brings his thoughts directly back to just who is specifically standing before him.

There was the phrase "All-Mother of Time and Life" that was being whispered into his heart. It was like that he knew just who this was that was standing before him. He didn't even need to be formally introduced as to who this great woman was as this seem quite obvious to him, somehow knowing of a name that would encapsulate this being's respective office and mission, not as her actual name, just as if the term "Angel" was but an office and a duty to uphold and the term "Spirit" seem far more approriate to denote one's true nature.

Michael.

That was the name that was whispered into his heart. And it was a name that seem to sing eternally of an endless hosanna that would cover creation itself with the sounds of drums and trumpets and other ancient biblical instruments. For he felt his heart drawn to her in a way that was likened to that of a child being drawn to the heart of his mother. And she seems to be emulate the maternal type to utter perfection.

No lust and other defects that are common to that of mortals and gods seems to hold sway within her presence that seem ethereal and divine. All things are commanded to respect her dignity and stature. Nothing should defy her in light of her given authority from on high.

Kamijou had heard of this being before. In fact, the Doctor would often speak to him about his angelic mother figure who watches from afar, telling the young lad of the times when he and his mother figure would take a walk along the plains and forests of Gallifrey, watching the twin sunset arising from the east and admire it and basked in it's wonder. The woman who taught him to open himself to perspectives that he may not have encountered or known about. The woman who had always given the Doctor a smile to remember by even after she were to take her leave and return to her sacred duties.

The tall woman smiled beautifully, muttering in a voice that was so sweet and maternal. "My child, it is good to see you here," she would raise her right hand in a simple gesture towards her right side. "Come...sit with me."

And Kamijou obeyed as he would immediately walked towards the woman and sit down, like a child sitting besides his mother. And the woman would gently pat his spiky-haired hair in a gentle manner as she would smile, showing a maternal love and compassion that was so great and true that it seem like an entire ocean that one would be washed over and cleansed. And the woman would gently embrace the spiky-haired boy as she would look once again towards the clear night sky that was twinkling with stars.

After that came a certain sacred silence where Kamijou would experience what it felt like to be a child again, recalling the memories of when he get's to spend time with his parents before he eventually get's sent to Academy City once again. The happy memories seem to outweigh the more the misfortunes of his life. And Kamijou couldn't help but lay down his head towards the side of the woman who was embracing him gently.


"Touma? Touma, where are you? Oh for Omega's sake, he'd probably gone off exploring again on his own."

The Doctor was sporting a bewildered, exasperated, and amused smile and expression, looking back and forth and walking throughout the endless halls that were filled to the brim with doorways that lead to certain rooms that had doors that lead to other rooms and ad infinitum; along with the old school lockers that his students and honorary companions of all ages would use whenever they come and go.

He was putting his hands to his inner pockets, as his light brown Duster-type overcoat was swaying in movement, walking with the intent to find the young 10 year old Touma Kamijou who seem to have been gone for quite a while since the last few hours that he saw them. Or was it a few days since his beloved ship could mess with the timing as much as she wanted too. And he speaks from experience.

After walking through a few corridors later, he woudl finally spot the boy that he was looking for at the open space where there were the night lights in the sky that anyone could see.

However...

"...!"

The Doctor would widen his eyes and his breath would softly gasped, spotting a tall familiar woman who was giving the young Touma Kamijou a patting to the head while he was silently sleeping, resting his head at the woman's lap with a genuine and contented smile on his face.

The tall woman would immediately take notice of the Doctor, her golden maternal and reflective eyes directed towards his centuries old brown eyes. And the tall woman would smile.

"Oh! Hello my son, you're a bit too late to arrive aren't you?," the woman would speak in amusement.

"M-Mother?," the Doctor sported a surprised expression and didn't utter a word for a minutes, taking a glance at the scene that was right before him. "I...I didn't expect you to visit at this time."

The tall woman smiled sadly, saying. "Oh I have to be here, my son. After all, considering the most recent event, it seems quite approriate that I would visit now."

The Doctor knew what the tall woman had meant. And it was because of that that his face downcasted, revealing a depressed expression, muttering softly. "Of course you would know about that."

The tall woman would gesture for the Doctor to come sit down beside her to the left with her left hand, saying. "Come, come. It's time for you to let out your griefs and worries instead of drawing it inside for a long time. It's not good to bottle one's feelings up, you know."

And the Doctor smiled sadly, with teary eyes, saying softly. "Of course, mother."

And so, the Doctor would sit beside Lady Michael as he would do exactly as the woman prescribed. He poured everything out. His anxieties, his problems, his fears, his disappointments, his hatred of himself, and everything that is connected back to the one event that had everyone currently in a deep state of mourning, especially for those who knew how this was going to end.

The Death of Jason Peter Todd.

And this event was but one moment of impact that would resound within the wider multiverse. But even in spite of the tears of grief in the loss of a loved one, or in this case, the love one would return but would not be the same, there would be the mothers and grandmothers to look for in case of needed advice.

After all, a Mother would know best.


Ending:


Incarnation(s)/Regeneration(s) of the Doctor:

The Tenth Doctor - A: David Tennant

Main Companion Protagonists:

Touma Kamijou - VA: Atsushi Abe