Chapter 4
Once again, I stood before my father's final resting place for the second time of the day. Without wasting another second, I opened the suitcase and emptied its contents without much care.
The spilled items were ordinary, oval jewels, not even charged with magical energy. If sold, these gems could easily fetch me thousands upon thousands... though not enough to recoup the amount I'd paid for them. But I had better uses for them.
Tapping into my connection with the ley line below, I guided its potent flow into the heap of jewels, allowing them to absorb the dangerously high concentrations of magical energy. Once the gems were fully charged, I carefully began siphoning the refined mana.
A sharp crack rang out as fractures webbed across the stones' surfaces. That would have been my body instead had I not used the gems as a buffer. One by one, the gems splintered under the immense strain, but I managed to extract just enough mana to activate the Magic Mirror before they shattered entirely.
A brilliant light flared to life, outlining my form before consuming me completely. Without the barrier I had set up beforehand, the spectacle would've gathered quite the attention.
Then, in the blink of an eye, my vision faded as my body dissolved into countless white particles, scattering through the silent graveyard like luminescent butterflies.
An instant later, I stood in the center of a warmly lit office, filled with all sorts antique furniture. My instincts flared as I scanned the unfamiliar surroundings. This wasn't where I was supposed to be. What happened?
This place was packed to the brim with so much mystic wards and suffocating amounts of magical energy that it wouldn't surprise me if this was the heart of some dragon's den. One wrong move and this entire space would do everything in its power to take me down, even at the cost of its own destruction.
"Ah! There you are. I was starting to wonder if Ruby was pulling my leg there for a minute." A voice instantly drew my attention.
Wary, I turned to find an aged gentleman with a neatly trimmed beard, dressed in refined, fashionable attire. He sat behind a rustic desk, casually sipping tea as if my sudden appearance was the most normal thing in the world.
My mind raced through the possibilities. Clearly, something had gone wrong during the activation. Confident that nothing could interfere with the process, I had let my guard down and did not bother to check.
A lightbulb suddenly lit up in my head; I knew exactly why this occurred. The human mind could only focus on so much at once, and adding the fact I was in a rush, I have overlooked a lot of things, creating a blind spot along the way. And this was the result of it.
Still, even if I had been a bit sloppy when I'd used the Magic Mirror, the level of skill required to not only bypass the many defenses I'd woven into it but also hijack the destination itself was immense. Whoever this man was, he understood the very fabric of reality in ways only few could. That alone was enough to put me on guard.
"You were prepared for it and redirected my path the moment it appeared so I'd land here, didn't you?" I asked, throwing out an educated guess. "You don't seem to harbour ill intentions. Do you need something from me?"
Despite the circumstances, I couldn't shake a strange sense of familiarity... an odd feeling of kinship toward him. Why? I wasn't sure. Maybe if I talked to him a bit more, I'd find out. Best not to make an enemy to those with the ability to manipulate reality; you never know what kind of tricks they might pull from under their sleeves.
There was one time, while I was out exploring a new world, where I got trapped inside an exact copy of the world by some bald woman in a monk's garb. Of course, I wasn't stuck there for long and escaped in about five minutes—such reality bending spells will not hold me for long. Though, I'm not sure what happened after that due to my fragmented memories.
"Caught me red-handed, it seems. It took you 2.3 seconds to figure that out," the man said in an amused voice, setting his teacup down. "As for why I brought you here... nothing too pressing. Ruby informed me she'd found someone not of this world. People like us are extremely rare, I simply wanted to say hello."
"Ruby? You mean that ridiculous wand Rin Tohsaka had?" I tilted my head as the pieces clicked together in my mind. That Mystic Code had such an ability? "Huh. So it was you who made that thing? Gotta say, Ruby's a real piece of work. Love how she's made."
Also, he said 'us'. Does that mean this man could also traverse through worlds? Is that why he felt familiar in a way? Interesting. And I can't blame him for essentially kidnapping me. I would've done the same if I found out someone who had such a power was living in my world.
"Why, thank you," he replied with a small nod, accepting the compliment. Then, as if remembering something, he continued, "Ah! What a terrible host I am, forgetting to introduce myself first. Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, at your service. And may I know your name?"
For a brief moment, I considered giving my current name—Shirou Emiya. But something in the way he asked told me he was looking for something else. Opening my mouth, I declared, "I am Nebula. As you already know, I'm not from around here."
Nebula was the name bestowed to me by Mother Terraria, the world's consciousness. The name is the very first gift I've received and I had no intention on abandoning it just because I've 'died' once before. I can exist as both Shirou Emiya and Nebula without a problem, eternally intertwined till the end of time.
"Pray tell, where do you originate from?" he inquires.
"A little known planet called Terraria. And by little, I mean it's a bit larger than Earth with multiple live planets in the same solar system," I clarified.
"Hmm...," he hummed, scratching his chin. "That doesn't really narrow it down. A lot of worlds are named like that or some variation of it."
"Yeah," I barked out a laugh. "Calling a planet primarily made of dirt 'Earth' or 'Terra' isn't that unique. It's a universal constant to name one's planet after what it's mostly composed of."
"If you don't mind me asking, how do you navigate around?" he casually asks.
"Oh? I don't mind at all. It's nothing too fancy, really," a proud smile formed on my face. With a snap of my fingers, the Magic Mirror appeared above his desk.
I immediately felt him employing countless spell sequences to unveil its secrets, but I wasn't worried one bit. I'm sure he'd seen the ungodly amount of enchantments and primordial texts that would jump at him the instant he forced anything. Not even I, at my prime, could survive that.
"Fascinating... This is unlike anything I've seen before." Zelretch inspected the mirror closely. After failing to pry anything out, as expected, he turned to me, saying, "This is hand-made, not some natural construct, if I'm seeing things correctly. Did you make this?"
"Yup," I affirmed. "Made from space itself, and forged with metals only found in the hearts of multiple planets, making it indestructible. I call it the Magic Mirror."
If given the chance, I would not turn down the opportunity to brag about my greatest creation... which wasn't a lot at all. Since it's making so long ago, there isn't a lot of people I can openly praise the Magic Mirror without it ending in some disaster or another due to them wanting the mirror for themselves.
Zelretch raised a brow. "Quite a disenchanting name for such an wonderous item, don't you think?"
"Hey, it's not just A magic mirror, but THE Magic Mirror," I stated. "What about you? You seem to know your way around this sort of stuff."
"Indeed I am quite familiar with it. I've hopping from one world to another for as long as I can remember," he confirms, a nostalgic look flashing across his face. "Though I'm afraid my way of doing so isn't as interesting as yours considering it is not of my own product. It's known as the Second True Magic—The Operation of Parallel Worlds, or the Kaleidoscope if that's too mouthful."
My gaze went to the ceiling as I recalled what I knew about the 'True Magics'. In this world, where all forms of magic were gradually fading into obscurity, giving way to modern science, there existed five powers considered by mages to be True Magic—feats beyond what any could ever hope to achieve. One of them, the Second Magic, granted its wielder the ability to perceive alternate realities and traverse between them at will.
While he didn't make it himself, the mere fact he possessed such a power alone was nothing short of impressive and a testament to his capabilities.
"But I can't exactly show it to you since it doesn't even exist on the material plane. It's something I can just do," he weakly shook his head. "However, there is something else I can show you. Crafted from my accumulated knowledge of the Second Magic, I call it the Jeweled Sword." He fell silent for a moment, as if reconsidering his words. Then, with a slight chuckle, he added, "Now that I think about it, that name is pretty lame, considering the effort I went through to create it."
"Lame or not, if it does its job better than anything else, who cares?" I comment. If it surpasses everything else out there, it needs not a title, for its name will be the title itself.
"I suppose so," he uttered, waving his hand.
With a flash of light, a one-handed sword materialized before me, its blade made from exquisitely carved gems that shimmered with power. It hovered in place, as if telling me to examine it more closely. While not on the same level as my Magic Mirror, it was still an artifact I couldn't help but admire.
The weapon possessed remarkable abilities, one of which allowed it make small rifts to other worlds, granting it an effectively infinite source of energy. Yet, despite my body's high attunement to anything sharp, I struggled to grasp the full extent of its capabilities. To be honest, the Jeweled Sword felt less like a weapon and more like a wand in disguise.
A few ideas popped up in my mind. As a fully-fledged human, my energy reserves were limited. With a few tweaks with the Magic Mirror, I could replicate the Jeweled Sword's effects. It would solve a great number of my problems; I wouldn't even need external instruments to increase my mana capacity or boost its rate of recovery.
Minutes passed swiftly as we exchanged words. Our personalities meshed well enough, and my initial wariness gradually faded as we delved into all sorts of topics. Such as fascinating worlds we had visited, bizarre moments from our travels, and various differing magical theories. Nerd talk, some might call it.
During it, I revealed the fact I was basically a reincarnated being. Zelretch took it with stride, not really asking much on how it happened, and we quickly glossed over it in favour of other, more interesting stuff.
Unfortunately, however, our conversation had to come to an end. I had pressing matters to attend to, and I didn't want to delay them any further.
"As much as I'd like to sit and have a drink with you, I've got places to be," I said, rising from my seat. Summoning the Magic Mirror, I turned to Zelretch. "I'm currently low on mana. Mind giving me some to kick start this?"
"Why, of course. It's the least I can do after dragging you here," the old man replies, seamlessly channeling mana into me with a mere thought.
"Thanks. I'll drop by sometime, old man," I said, offering a small wave.
With one final farewell, I focused on the Magic Mirror, using the fresh surge of energy to activate it. This time, I kept a sharp eye on every step of the process to make sure nothing went wrong.
Alone in his office, Zelretch was left to contemplate on his recent encounter with Shirou Emiya—or rather, Nebula. He knew precisely who that red-haired teen was and is quite surprised by the revelation that the boy had awakened some foreign memories.
He had in no way planned this, an unaccounted variable he never could've thought of. But countless ideas already flew past his head on ways to salvage, or even take advantage of this peculiar development.
He rose to his feet and vanished from the physical realm, reappearing in what seemed to be an endless void of shifting repeating patterns. In the middle was a wooden chair, fashioned similarly to a throne, and before it was a thick book levitating in mid-air.
It was the Observation Room, where he gleamed upon countless possibilities that take place across the vast universe. Only he and a few invited people was allowed to enter this space as it was his domain, and nearly nothing could penetrate through it.
Zelretch sat on the throne and called the open book towards him. On its pages were a detailed description of the world he was just in where he met Nebula—otherwise known as Shirou Emiya. And at the very top, the words "Experiment A-4" was written in bold letters.
This was a world he had personally groomed and nurtured, one he had interfered with far more than any other. A timeline he was willing to let crumble into ruin if all else failed... all for the sake of eliminating a foe only he understood the true danger of.
He had already tried and failed three times before, each attempt falling apart in its own way. This was his latest experiment, a world where certain events had been altered, rewritten entirely to test different outcomes. Some magi families were never born, leading to some complications, but he made sure to point the ones left astray in the right direction before leaving them be.
With a flick of his hand, the pages of his tome fluttered, sheets of parchment vanishing and reappearing as he sifted through endless records of potential worlds. During his conversation with Nebula, he had subtly gathered details. Landmarks, history, and key moments. Finding the right world shouldn't take long.
After a minute, one particular entry caught his eye. And sure enough, after skimming through it, it was the one he was looking for.
Snapping his fingers, a surge of mana swirled in the air, coalescing into a miniature replica of Terraria. He turned his palm counterclockwise, and the world reversed. Time flowed backward, erasing centuries in mere moments until it reached the very beginning.
Zelretch watched as the planet formed, its evolution similar to his own world. Life took root, flourishing across its surface. Until eventually, the world began to gain consciousness and gave rise to four beings of great power, their existence interlaced with the very fabric of reality.
Their birth bore a striking resemblance to the Ultimate Ones, yet they were different. They were called the Terrarians, Children of the World. But unlike the Ultimate Ones, whose sole purpose was to eradicate humanity, the Terrarians were born to... guide the species that roamed the planet.
Solar, forged from the core of a star, embodied the very essence of life itself. Vortex, the ever-watchful guardian of the land, was the personification of nature. Stardust, born from the collective consciousness of all living beings, granted sentience and wisdom. And finally, Nebula, the purest manifestation of magic, the beating heart of all arcane power.
Together, these four siblings stood as the eternal sentinels of Terraria, shielding their world from any and all who dare approached with ill intent. For the most part they'd succeeded in repelling countless invaders—until the arrival of something far beyond their comprehension.
Cthulhu.
Zelretch frowned at the name. He'd had the misfortune of encountering that thing before, and never once had it been a pleasant experience. He remember there being a human magus, Lovecraft, who somehow linked his mind to the monstrosity in his delirium. Thankfully, the man never managed to fully make contact before withering away.
Cthulhu's descent onto Terraria ignited a brutal war that raged for a decade, tearing through worlds and claiming billions of lives. To their horror, the Eldritch Beast did not come alone. It brought forth worm-like abominations known as the Pillars, each spawning an endless tide of creatures that existed for the sole purpose of bringing chaos.
Even with the aid of the Dryads, an ancient race who followed Vortex, they fell one by one. Solar, despite flourishing the sun's might, was the first to be slain, his corpse consumed by the Pillars, birthing monstrosities infused with his divine power. Vortex followed soon after, then Stardust, each suffering the same horrific fate. In the end, only Nebula remained, forced to bear witness as the last of the Dryads were slaughtered before his very eyes. He did the only thing a person in that situation could—he ran, abandoning his body to escape with nothing but his fractured soul. His physical form, like those of his fallen siblings, was devoured, twisted into a perversion of what it once was.
However, their deaths were not in vain. Their sacrifice had forced Cthulhu off the planet, hiding behind the dark side of the moon to recover, and wiped out all but four Pillars. The four of which spewed bastardized versions of the Terrarians' powers. Though weakened, these horrors endured, retreating into the shadows, waiting... biding their time for the day they would rise once more.
As the chapter came to an end, the book snapped shut, and with it, the hologram flickered out of existence. Zelretch remained seated, his mind racing as he processed the revelations before him.
'This could work... if I can get Nebula back to top shape and then some, he'll be a great asset in taking down the Spider,' he thought, carefully setting up the idea in his head.
It was clear as day what Nebula's goal was going forward, and Zelretch was hoping to capitalize on this chance to pull the last child of Terraria into his side.
He had no intention of manipulating Nebula, that would be a fool's errand. No, this would be a partnership, an opportunity to work alongside someone who could tip the scales in his favour. Whether this was a blessing or a catastrophe remained uncertain, only time would tell.
Anything that involved Cthulhu was a risk in itself. But Zelretch was willing to take that risk.
Rising from his seat, his body began to shimmer, emerald light cascading over him as his form crystallized. Then, he shattered into a thousand pieces, transferring his soul into a parallel world in order to start his preparations.
END.