Chapter 10
The Isekai Is Real
Waking up, I found myself in a strange room. Looking around me, I saw that the room was dark and I was in a bed with Mitsuba sleeping next to me on my left. Both of us were also naked and I was without my glasses. "What happened to me?", I thought, wondering where I was since White Space collapsed. Attempting to get up, I heard Mitsuba say, "Don't. You really do need to rest, dear.". Wondering what she meant by 'dear', I then noticed that my Doom Wings had also disappeared. "Weird.", I thought as a strange woman walked into the room. She had purple eyes and long red hair tied into a ponytail and was wearing a violet backless minidress. Noticing that I had awoke, she let out a sharp gasp and ran out the room, strangely excited. "OK, that was strange.", I said before suddenly becoming groggy and falling asleep. As I slept, I heard Fafnir's voice say, "Now you've fully awakened all 5 of your Doom Powers, the time has come for you to awaken. Besides, you've run from your true nature for long enough; it's time for you to embrace your power as the Sovereign and rule o'er Aionios, nay, the Multiverse as a God.". "Not if I destroy it first.", I said, causing Fafnir's voice to laugh. "And you honestly think you have the power to destroy Aionios? What makes you think that?", Fafnir asked. "My Azure Grimoire was given to me for a reason. I can use the power attached to it to aid me in destroying Aionios. I mean, it's at least worth a try.", I said, eerily getting no response.
As I wondered why Fafnir wanted me to rule Aionios, I then heard an alarm beeping, or at least I thought I did. Rising with a jolt, I found that I was fully clothed and that the room I was in was empty. Odder still, I found that I was wearing a white t-shirt and blue trousers. "Huh?", I thought. Then, the woman with long red hair entered the room again, saying, "Oh, you're up now. Good.". My glasses then suddenly appeared on my face. Confused, I asked the woman, "Who are you?". Looking at me with a pout, the woman said, "Typical, you don't remember me either. But that's not to blame and at least consistent with the reports we've received about you not remembering your dear friends. Anyway, my name is Mito Jujo, a member of the Moon Demon Company and a Colonel there.". "I see.", I said, wary. Noticing a nauseously bright aura around her, I then said, "I see the Silent Core corrupted you as well, Mito.". "You do realise that the Silent Core actually protects and purifies, right? And to think I believed you knew better than that. Still, I guess it can't be helped given you were corrupted by that vile and disgusting Infinity Core. And, worse still, I don't think it can be removed, meaning you have been corrupted by that disgusting thing for life.", Mito said. After a brief and awkward silence, Mito then left the room, only for me to notice a strange dark red glitch behind her. "There it is again.", I said. "What do you mean?", Fafnir's voice asked. "When I was in White Space, I noticed strange glitches throughout some of the stages I travelled through. I don't know if this might be the case, but I think it might be connected to the Phantom Ruby.", I said. "Well, anything could be possible.", Fafnir's voice said. "I just hope I'm wrong.", I said, putting on a pair of dark blue slippers and leaving the room.
Suddenly, I saw Black Doom's hologram appear. "You again.", I snarled. "Don't be like that. You know I directed you to the Moon Demon Company to help you with your amnesia or lack thereof. Besides, at least two of them are your dear friends.", Black Doom said before disappearing. Walking down the hallway, I saw what appeared to be strange dark glitches covering many of the doors. Strangely, they were also open. "Shouldn't they all be closed?", I asked. "It's just a fanfic, you should really just relax.", Fafnir's voice said as I came to a strange stone door. Putting my hands on the door, I watched as the door turned a sinister red and opened. As I nervously walked through, I found myself in a very cosy living room with a roaring fire in the fireplace. "Anything could happen.", I thought as a chill ran down my spine. Walking even further into the room, I then saw a strange stone statue in the middle of the room resembling a bird. "Why would there be a statue here?", I asked, confused. "I can answer that question.", said a voice behind me. Turning around apprehensively, I saw a man with medium length black hair similar to an overgrown wavy mullet and violet eyes wearing a black yukata and a pair of dark red slippers. "And you are?", I asked. "Oh, my manners must be lacking today. My name is Guren Ichinose. Incidentally, the statue of the bird is what we believe to be a most sacred gateway to the Depths where the Silent Core waits with its radiant majesty.", the man said. "'We'?", I asked before seeing a man with brown eyes and beach blonde hair tied in a short ponytail appear alongside a woman with short brown hair tied up in a braid and brown eyes and another woman with waist-length dark blue hair and sharp gold eyes. Noticing nauseously bright auras from all 3 of them, a strange sense of fear came over me. "Why are you so scared? Don't you remember us?", the dark blue-haired woman asked. "Who are you?", I asked. "Well, this will certainly not do. Anyway, my name is Norito Goshi.", the blonde-haired man said. "My name is Sayuri Hanayori.", the brown-haired woman said. "And I am Shigure Yukimi.", the dark blue-haired woman said. "Anyway, why are you so scared of your friends?", Guren asked. "I don't know, really. I just have a gut feeling that something is wrong.", I said. "Could it be related to the Doom Zones you explored?", Norito asked causing me to become suspicious. "How do you know of the Doom Zones?", I asked. "Well, our mutual friend Harry extracted your memories while you were sleeping and placed them in a Pensieve allowing us to see them.", Sayuri said.
As I tried to leave the room, I then found myself back facing the statue. "Oh, there's no escaping.", Shigure said. "What do you mean?", I asked before the room became heavily distorted. "Is this a Doom Zone?", I thought before I found myself in a strange dining room. "Where am I now?", I thought before I heard a woman say, "Oh, you've finally returned to us, Jack! I'm so glad!", before she aggressively hugged me tight. Turning around, I saw that she had red hair and purple eyes much like Mito, but her hair was much shorter and styled in a bob cut. She also had red square-shaped glasses. "I'm sorry, but who are you?", I asked, confused. "You don't remember me, your girlfriend? I'm hurt. Anyway, my name is Yayoi Endo.", the woman said. "Wait, you mean like my aunt Tsubaki's maiden surname?", I asked before Yayoi asked, "Who is she?". "Nothing you should be concerned about.", I said as I saw three others appear- a man with purple hair and blue eyes, a man with short black hair with sideburns and dark blue eyes wearing a pale blue bandanna on his head and a woman with long dirty blonde hair tied into fluffy ponytails and blue eyes. "To think we believed you would never return to us. Miracles really do exist.", the man with purple hair said. "I'm really sorry but who are you?", I asked. "Well, since you asked so nicely, my name is Rika Inoue.", the dirty blonde-haired woman said. "My name is Shusaku Iwasaki.", the purple-haired man said. "And my name is Taro Kagiyama.", the black-haired man wearing the bandanna said. "And where are we?", I asked. "Well, we are currently in the Castle of the Imperial Demon Order, located near a state named Wutai.", Taro said. "Wait, by Wutai, do you mean the Wutai from the planet of Gaea?", I asked. "What planet of Gaea?", Yayoi asked sweetly. "But I thought the world was named Aionios…unless that fleabag's spell caused many more worlds to fuse than I thought.", I said. "What of it?", Rika asked before I found myself in a strange dark chamber. "Weird.", I thought.
Walking forward, I saw a strange assortment of statues with nauseously bright auras leaking off of them. As I got closer to the statues, I noticed that they all had horns. Also, one of the statues resembled Olga-Marie, another resembled Fou and another resembled Draco. Feeling a strange sense of fear, I asked, "Wait, are these the Beasts?". "That they are.", Rias said as she walked in front of the statues. "Why build statues in the forms of the Evils of Humanity in the first place?", I asked. "Oh, don't you know? The statues are meant to depict the Beasts and give them the basis they need to manifest in Aionios with no Grand Servant to stop them. Besides, you know that the Evils of Humanity need to exist if Aionios is to have its lost golden age back. If they don't manifest, then the Holy Grail War is as good as lost.", Rias said. "But I thought the Beasts were meant to be destroyed and stopped. After all, that's one of the reasons why I came to this world, or at least I think it was.", I said. "You think or you know?", Rias asked. "After all, the Beasts are Evils of Humanity. And evil is meant to be defeated.", I said. Sighing, Rias said, "Of course you would think that, especially given how the Infinity Core irreversibly corrupted you. If you had been exposed to the Silent Core instead, maybe you hopefully would think differently.". Suddenly, I felt a strange earthquake. "What was that?", I asked. "Maybe the Dark Hollow unleashing its holy radiance.", Rias said, covered by a nauseously bright aura. Gathering a black and dark red aura around myself, I prepared to prime into Odin only for the aura around Rias to glow even brighter. Noticing a strange distortion on the ground, I jumped back instinctively only to see the Beast statues to glow in the colours of the rainbow and generate a strange orb that covered Rias and began to expand. Rushing forward, I watched as the chamber distorted into what looked like Radical Highway. "Another Doom Zone? No, this feels different.", I said as the chamber returned to normal, only now with a giant black and dark red chasm on the middle. Looking down the chasm, I heard Fafnir's voice say, "So? Are you going to jump down into the Depths? Come on, don't be afraid.". "I guess I'll have to. Anyway, here goes.", I said, jumping down into the chasm.
The story continues in the next chapter.