Quick notice! This chapter was originally published on the 6/11/17 and was updated on the 7/11/17 due to the lack of quality in the original version of this chapter.
It had a diameter of approximately ten meters. With many smaller, less significant circles that spanned from a range of one meter to five meters, some messily overlapping due to the haste at which they were drawn, this magical circle was beyond anything any Devil had seen.
Especially for Grayfia and Sirzechs who had refined their magic to the point that they probably didn't even need to utilise the magical constructs. So, when Issei saw the surprise on their face when he hastily dragged them to this forest in the middle of nowhere after interrupting their breakfast in the Underworld, the Satan mildly protesting while the maid berated him with tears in her eyes, he couldn't help but smirk.
Needless to say, the reason the magical circle was so messy was because Issei had created it on a whim shortly after his awakening, having drawn it in the dirt with a stick while rabidly muttering a few incoherent sentences to himself.
"So…what's this, Issei?" Sirzechs eventually asked after a few moments of staring at the shoddily made circle, his brow furrowing as he glanced at the human's indifferent expression.
As if it was obvious as to what it was supposed to be, Issei simply replied with, "It's a magical circle, you know?" Issei's nonchalant reply made Sirzechs' brow twitch in annoyance, a sigh escaping him as he observed the many sub-circles within the much larger, more powerful circle, most of the circle incomprehensible to the Devil.
"Yeah, I know that. But what does it do?" Issei folded his arms across his chest as he traced one of the sub-circles with his eyes, making sure every element of its design and balance was correct. Nodding in satisfaction as he double-checked the validity of the circle, he turned to face Sirzechs, ignoring the sharp glare the Devil sent his way.
"It's capable of manipulating space and time...or something like that. And here I thought you'd be able to read the subscript." Sirzechs rose an eyebrow as Grayfia quietly gasped in surprise, the second part of Issei's words falling on deaf ears.
"Do you expect me to believe that it can really do that?" Sirzechs muttered as he crouched down next to the edge of the circle, making sure to not damage the lines in case it really could manipulate the very essence of the universe's existence. But he doubted it could. In his mind, he thought – no, he knew – that it was impossible to do such a thing. Magic was only capable of manipulating the elements, not the fabric of space and time.
"Yeah. You're a Devil, you know? Your existence is a wonder to humans who believe time travel can and will exist, so why don't you believe in this magical circle?" Sirzechs sighed and ran a hand down his face, realising that what Issei said was more than the truth. If his existence itself was questioned by humans, isn't he the same as them if he questions the capabilities of this magic circle?
He knew he could utilise magic, a common theme in fantasy related subjects, and that his existence was already dismissed by most as a hoax, but Sirzechs didn't know why didn't believe in it. He felt as if it had something to do with the hate he previously had for the human, a hate that he thought he had come to terms with a while ago, but he dismissed it as mere conjecture due to not wanting to believe in what should be impossible.
"Sirzechs, what if it really can? Doesn't that mean we can find Rias?" Sirzechs raised his head as his wife spoke, a grimace forming on his face as Grayfia brought up the sensitive topic of Rias. Sirzechs faced Issei who now had his hands in his pockets and stared him straight in the eyes.
"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Sirzechs' voice was almost a whisper as he glanced at the circle, a hand gesturing at the construct.
"Yup. One hundred percent. I'm totally serious about this. Although, I'm not sure if it'll take us to where Rias is…"
"I don't care if it doesn't work. It's worth a shot, right?" Sirzechs exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, determination set into his face as Issei grinned, his faith now placed in the large magical circle that may not even work. Sirzecs had to question his sanity at such a thing, but he was desperate to find his little sister, even though he had told his own wife about the low chances of her still being alive.
"Are you sure about this? I have a feeling it'll take us to where the other me has kept Rias as I copied his magic…somehow…so we should be prepared for combat."
"Wait, you copied his magic?" Grayfia asked in disbelief, her eyes wide as shock seeped into her body. Issei simply grinned in response, scratching the back of his head as his cheeks were stained red with embarrassment.
"Yeah. It's not the greatest thing I've done, stealing someone's original magic." Was all he could sheepishly mutter in response with a small chuckle following his words.
"So, when are you planning on using this?" Sirzechs asked, Issei clearing his throat to recompose himself as the red left his pale cheeks. "If possible, I want to leave. Now."
"Whenever. The reason I brought you two here is to ask if you wanna come with. I'm not powerful enough to defeat the guy myself, but if I'm with you two we might be able to. You guys are some of the most powerful people I know, so anyone else would be a hindrance." Sirzechs held a hand to his chin as he hummed in thought, his eyes occasionally glancing at his wife who stood beside him.
"Serafall told me you cut his hands off…is this true? Also, what about Rias' peerage? They've been…distraught since she disappeared. They've been blaming it on you, even though we've told them that it wasn't exactly you." Issei's face lit up in realization, seemingly ignoring the part about Rias' peerage. It wasn't because he hated them, but because he didn't care about them. They were too weak for him to bring along and he's barely interacted with them, so they'd be nothing more than a hindrance.
"Ah. That's right. He shouldn't have hands, assuming he hasn't created a magic to regenerate limbs. Also, Rias' peerage will die. They'll most definitely die."
"What do you mean?" Sirzechs asked as he stepped into the confines of the magical circle, Grayfia following behind him. "About the regenerative magic, of course. I had a feeling you'd say what you said about Rias' peerage, but it didn't hurt to ask."
As Sirzechs reached the centre of the circle, Grayfia standing next to him, Issei hummed in thought as he paced back and forth, merely putting on a show for dramatic effect. "Well, if he can travel through dimensions, have you considered the fact that he could be immortal?"
"Immortal?" Sirzechs repeated Issei's words as he lowered his head, the thought of someone being able to live through his destruction magic incomprehensible. "That's impossible, isn't it?"
Issei stopped on the spot and spun on the balls of his feet, "Well, I'm also immortal, you know?"
"You must be kidding. There's no way you're immortal!" Sirzechs shrugged it off as if it was a joke, chuckling as he tilted his head back. Because there was no way an ordinary being would be immortal. Not even God was immortal, so why would, in his Devilish eyes, a puny human being be immortal?
"Okey dokey, then. Choose to not believe me." Issei muttered as he leapt into the circle, quickly approaching Sirzechs and Grayfia as his feet instinctually missed every line and detail of the circle. "Now then," Issei suddenly shouted, startling the pair of Devils, "shall we go?"
As Issei folded his arms against his chest, Sirzechs and Grayfia nod in unison, a red glow piercing through every gap in the forest before a bright, white flash signalled the happening of a great event.
But all that remained of the trio's presence was a large, black patch of scorched earth and a heavy silence that brought an ominous feeling to the clearing.
{Page break}
All of the air left my lungs as my head slammed against the hard ground, pain shooting throughout my entire body as I held back a scream. I chose to roll around and writhe on the floor as I quietly groaned instead, wondering why I was thrown to the floor with force. It was probably because of the magic that was used, however, I had no way to know for sure as no teleportation has left me rolling on the floor with a pounding head.
I gasped for air between my groans, my lungs screaming for air, and eventually I stopped moving, staring up at the musty ceiling in what I realised was a dank room as I struggled to regain my breath. I panted, panted some more, and then stopped, waiting for the severe pain to subside as I almost choked on the suspiciously thick air.
After a few moments, a lingering headache providing me no relief to my pain, I swung my body up into a sitting position and slowly glanced around the room, taking notice of every crack and blemish in the dark brick walls, the uninspiring concrete I was sitting on and the white, mostly clean, panelled roof that was a stark contrast to the wall.
However, despite my impeccable observations of my immediate surroundings, I couldn't find any signs of my two companions. I couldn't find the familiar crimson strands of Sirzechs' hair nor the average build of Issei, meaning I was alone in this place. I was alone in the home of a psycho.
"So this is where that other Issei lives…" I muttered to myself as I slowly pushed myself to my feet, glancing left and right down both ends of what I realised was a very long and dark corridor. I slowly pat the dust of my clothes as I furrowed my brow, unsure as to whether or not I should be concerned. Firstly, where should I go? Going left or right, it's not like it would make much of a difference. Surely this place isn't heavily guarded or riddled with traps, so if I walk in either direction, I should be fine regardless of my choice.
And, luckily, there were only two choices to make. Between turning to my left or right and moving my legs, the decision was quite simple as my instincts were almost screaming at me to walk down the left side of the corridor. So, having confirmed my decision by nodding to myself in agreement, I turned to my left and cautiously travelled through the corridor, the sound of my pumps clicking and clanking against the floor echoing through the hall.
As I began to move through the corridor, I couldn't help but frown as the scenery didn't seem to change. The hallway was fairly long as well as the only thing I could see at the end of my obviously restricted vision was a veil of darkness, so, as I continued through the corridor, I let my thoughts run rampant in my head.
Unfortunately, the first thought that came to mind involved…traps. For better or for worse, all I could think about was the probability of this place being booby-trapped. I mean, it wouldn't be hard to install pressure plates that were wired to various mechanisms nor would it be hard to install motion sensors. Hell, traps could even be magic based. Because the wall was so dark and seriously cracked, a small magical circle would be inconspicuous and pretty much invisible. Knowing that, I wouldn't even be mad if a stream of fire burst out of the wall and burnt me to a crisp.
However, as a large, metallic door pierced the veil of darkness with its luminescent shine and almost obnoxious cleanliness within a dark, brick wall, my thoughts slowly died out. I stopped short of it and glanced at the bricks surrounding it, hoping to find a magical circle. But I didn't find any.
A sigh of relief escaped me as I turned my vision to the handle that was sticking out of the door, my hand hovering over it as I thought of the many possibilities that could be beyond it. I also thought of the possibility of the door itself being trapped, but I dismissed that thought as conjecture andswung the door open, my heart beating rapidly within its bony cage as I expected something to happen.
But, as I was met with the silence of the next corridor, I quietly chuckled to myself as my fears turned out to be irrelevant. I held a hand over my chest in an attempt to calm my heart and, as I stepped past the door-!
Click.
I quickly turned my head to the side as a sharp and very thick metal beam swung down through an opening in the ceiling, one of the roof panels dropping to the floor as the trap activated. It flew past my head, nearly grazing the tip of my nose with its point, and stopped as abruptly as it had fallen.
With wide eyes, I stared at the thick metal beam and owlishly blinked, trying to take in what had just happened.
But I didn't need to comprehend what had happened as I definitely knew what it was.
"So this place really is littered with trips, huh…"
{Page break}
Issei was kneeling over me. He tilted his head to the side, staring into my eyes as I owlishly blinked, and hummed in thought, his eyes narrowing as I refused to move. "You. Are you alright?" He muttered as he pushed himself to his feet, his arms folding themselves across his chest.
Meanwhile, I furrowed my brow and stared up at the seemingly damp but dark ceiling, deep in thought, a lingering headache reminding me of the less than stellar method of arrival that the human seemed to have avoided.
Disregarding the pain that had come with my arrival in this dark, strange place, I had to wonder where it was we were. Assuming Issei's magic worked, which I believe it did, we were currently in the home – or base – of the Issei that had kidnapped my sister. However, I couldn't be one hundred percent sure about that, so, as I jumped to my feet, ready to explore my immediate surroundings, I opened my mouth as I glanced at the space around me, intending on making a joke about how she'd like to clean the place.
But she wasn't here. She wasn't in the surrounding area. There wasn't even a single strand of her grey hair on the floor. I glanced at my human acquaintance as I frowned, my mouth opening to speak. "Issei, where's Grayfia?" Issei looked at me from over his shoulder as he turned to walk down the corridor to my left, his shoulders raising as he shrugged. I followed behind him, my brow furrowing as I tried to conjure any reasons as to why she wouldn't be here. However, I couldn't think of any reasons as to why she'd suddenly disappear.
I mean, it's not like the magic could have erased her existence as it was impossible for such a thing to happen... I was forced to reconsider that statement as I realised the absurdity of my current situation.
With nothing better to do, I opened my mouth to ask Issei about the cause of Grayfia's disappearance. But he suddenly stopped in his tracks, forcing me to clamp my mouth shut as I nearly bumped into him. "I don't know where she is but she should be somewhere around here. Whether it be in the past or in the future, she'll be here so you don't need to worry."
"In the past or in the future…" I whispered to myself as Issei began to move again.
"Yup. That magic circle was meant to send us through space and time to here, you know? So she should be in the same space but in a different time. We're lucky to have ended up together, you know?"
Surprising even myself, I suddenly growled as I grabbed Issei by the shoulder, spinning him around to face me as I bore holes in him with my eyes. "Why didn't you tell us this before we used that circle?" Issei shrugged, casually staring into my eyes as if I was nothing to him.
"Because I only thought of it now."
I was astonished. I let go of his shoulder and stumbled backwards as I processed his words, amazed at his excuse. How could he have only thought of that now when he had a whole week to make the damn circle? Unless…the reason it was drawn in the dirt was because he made it in a few minutes…
"If you're thinking of getting angry at me, don't bother. It'll get us nowhere."
{Page break}
I jumped back as a sawblade flew past me at speeds faster than I could ever imagine a sawblade achieving, the mini blades cutting through the stray cloth over my midsection as I dodged the attack. I jumped to the side, a second one coming from the front, this one completely missing me as it was the level of my neck, and twisted my body to the side, a third and hopefully final one bursting through the ceiling.
I stared at the form of the third one as I lowered my head with a tired sigh, my eyes widening as I realised it had embedded itself deep into the ground, the very peak of the silver blade barely visible. I glanced at the second one, seeing that it cut through the thick doorway and glanced at the first one, grimacing as I noticed that it had a fate that was similar to the third one.
It was stuck in a wall instead of a floor, though.
As the adrenaline slowly calmed, my body relaxing as I regained my breath, short clips of what could have been my fate played in my mind had I not dodged all of the attacks by the breadth of a hair.
As soon as I stepped into the room, the first blade would have cut me in half. The second one would have decapitated me, assuming gravity would not have taken effect by then, and the third one would have split my head in half in any direction.
I shuddered at the thought and celebrated the fact that I was alive.
Yeah, I was alive. Somehow. Having encountered many traps in my short but dangerous journey, there were many times that I thought I would have died if my body didn't react on its own. But, as I had just said, I was alive. I was alive and my survival was probably attributed to the fact that I was extremely wary about this place being trapped upon my awakening.
So I nod once, mostly to myself in acceptance of my skills, as I poked at the torn cloth at my midsection, thanking my survival skills and instincts, and continued on the path I had become dedicated to, reaching what would hopefully be the final door in the unbelievably long set of corridors.
Hoping that this door wasn't trapped like all of its predecessors, I reached out to grab its handle, determination set into my face as I was desperate to survive.
{Page break}
Tada. The beginning of Act 2 of…2? Anyway, they've infiltrated Evil Issei's base and…a shocking revelation! The space part of the spell worked, but the time part didn't…? Where's Grayfia in Issei and Sirzechs' time, if she's even alive anymore…? It's all a mystery! A shocking mystery! You'll find out the answers soon!
Thank you for reading World's End!