Chapter 11
After mildly inconveniencing some youngsters, Zelretch and me sat down.
"So, about that Heroic Spirit Rin was supposed to take care of earlier today...," I start. "Was it a coincidence, or did you plan that?"
Rarely do I believe in pure chances. When you've lived for as long as me, coincidences would no longer appear spontaneous and random, but as patterns to look out for.
"It's no coincidence," he confesses. "The Servant was originally going to be a nameless swordsman from the sixth century, but I changed it on the last minute when you asked to come along."
"Thought so. I'm guessing you wanted to see what'll happen if I come in close proximity with another version of myself?"
"Indeed. Did you encounter any trouble, perhaps?" he asks.
"Our link had forced my body to react. But apart from that, nothing much changed externally," I stated, as if giving an addendum. "However, my Reality Marble did gain some additions. Seven Noble Phantasms: Caliburn, Kanshou and Bakuya, Medusa's nails, Rule Breaker, Sasaki Kojirou's nodachi. And somehow, Heracles' stone axe is in there, the one made by the Einzbern family."
"Hmm," Zelretch drummed his fingers on the table. "Had that version of you not been a mere fragment, maybe you could've gotten more. Alas, you only got a few."
"Having just one is practically a blessing in itself, let alone seven. Thanks for that, by the way. I owe you one big time. If you need anything, just give me a holler." I was not one to leave a debt unpaid.
"I didn't really do much apart from change my student's target, but I'll be sure to take you up on that offer." He leaned comfortably on his chair. "Not today, however. I'll have to see what else I can do for you before cashing in that favour."
"That doesn't sound ominous at all," I said sarcastically.
"What part of what I said gave off such a feeling?"
"Everything, really. You got that loan-shark vibe all over you." Standing from my seat, I add, "Sorry for not being able to stay longer, I still have a bunch of stuff to do."
"No worries. We're busy people, after all. But before you go, you might want to do something about your hair," Zelretch pointed out.
Grasping a tuft of my hair, I noticed the red dye had noticeably faded. I'll need to fix this, can't have Taiga worrying about me going white at such a young age.
After leaving Zelretch's office, I had my hair recoloured before heading home. Grabbing a piece of paper, I scribbled a quick note for Taiga to find later, letting her know I'd be gone for the day.
Standing in the common room, I summoned the Magic Mirror and began manipulating its reflection, searching for a suitable world to visit. For now, I dismissed any place with any form of magic or supernatural origins. Last thing I needed now was to potentially endanger myself right after escaping with my life.
Wasting no time, I sifted through my memories, recalling the various planets I'd visited before, until I finally spotted a relatively normal alternate reality where I had once left something behind.
With a shimmer, the reflection shifted, revealing a bustling city street. I focused on the scene, and in the blink of an eye, my surroundings changed—I was no longer watching from behind the Mirror but standing in the very place I had glimpsed.
The crowd moved around me, paying my sudden appearance no mind. The Magic Mirror had already activated a subtle enchantment, diverting attention away for the short moment after my arrival, making it seem like I've always been there.
I found myself in Tokyo, Japan. While I could have simply teleported to my destination, I chose to take the bus instead, allowing myself a moment to appreciate the passing scenery. My time was limited, but I had enough leeway to relax, if only for a bit.
Disembarking, I tilted my head back, taking in the sight of the iconic Tokyo Tower. Its red and white frame loomed above me, a symbol of the city's ever-present glow. With a snap of my fingers, my body lifted off the ground, ascending swiftly into the sky until I reached the very tip of the tower.
There, I dispelled a hidden barrier, revealing a small, levitating bottle. Inside, a swirling mass of cloud-like substance shifted restlessly. And that's exactly what it was—a cloud trapped in a bottle.
It was no mere vapour, of course. But the concept of a 'cloud' itself. Back in the old days, when people knew nothing of the world, they viewed the clouds, the boundless sky above, as the home of the gods. This very bottle held that idea.
While not the most refined artifact, lacking any intricate design or advanced enchantments, it served its purpose well. A shapeless construct, capable of hardening and even create a small pocket space, disconnected from the real world, with a steady flow of mana. Simple, yet versatile, an effective tool for both offense and defense.
Dropping back into the streets, I calmly entered a small shop and ordered some food. A large part of me wanted to critique the dish, explain how to make it better, but held myself back and simply appreciated the meal in silence.
Enjoying my time, the night life go on undisturbed—until it was. A piercing screech bellowed out from the north, its high-pitch nearly shattering the surrounding glass.
People scrambled, confused and afraid, yet I remained. What was happening? I was familiar with the noise. It was the cry of a beast, a monster. But how could that be? This world was most divorced from all that was supernatural, there shouldn't be anything here capable of making such a noise.
Blinking out of sight, I reappeared where the sound's origin and found myself beneath a beast of enormous proportions, covered in black, almost scale-like skin, with a long tail that spanned dozens of meters. It stood on its hind legs, for its upper limbs could not possible have the the strength to carry it.
Each step it made produced a resounding thud that shook the ground, causing a lot of destruction below.
Taking a closer look, I realized that it was no beast of magic, but a product of evolution, the result of vast amounts of radiation. I almost smacked myself in the head; just because a world doesn't possess any magical elements, that does not mean it could not produce such beings.
With a roar, it cracked its jaws as wide as it possibly could, to the point of ripping its own flesh, before expelling a stream of black smoke through its open mouth. A spark accompanied the beast's breath which quickly turned into a raging kindling of destruction.
If I die in this world, who will know something of me?
But I must carry on. Nothing worse can befall.
I stood frozen, not out of fear, but because of something else entirely. I could hear its thoughts, its voice, its... fears. This was no mindless beast. It was an animal, lost in an unfamiliar world, crying out in pain.
As if possessing a mind of its own, the bottle in my pocket trembled before releasing a clump of scentless cloud. The vapour expanded in an instant, forming a barrier between me and the inferno bearing down upon me.
Fire, hot enough to melt stone in seconds, engulfed my surroundings in a roaring blaze. But I remained still, unshaken. As long as I kept supplying mana to the cloud, it would hold. It was magical in nature, while the flames were not. The barrier would never be breached.
Then, the creature lifted its head skyward. The fire shifted, condensing into a thin, violet beam of pure destruction. It carved through everything in its path before finally flickering out, leaving only scorched earth in its wake.
A large portion of Tokyo was left in flames, with buildings falling into one another like lines of dominos, leaving hundreds dead with more soon to follow.
The cloud retreated back into its container, giving me sights of the creature once more. And like before, I felt a link.
I am lost, no one knows, there's no trace of my yearning.
All my fears, all my tears. Tell my heart, there's a hole.
A frown took over my lips as I heard the... poor animal's thoughts. My affinity with the concept of 'consciousness', while incomparable to Stardust's, was high enough to allow our minds to connect. And I could almost feel the confusion, pain, and fear going through its mind.
Out of the blue, missiles struck its body, sending chunks of blood spraying across the sky. It came from helicopters farther away, hovering from a safe distance.
Another cry erupted from its throat, not one of rage or fury, but of raw, agonizing pain. Its wounds began to heal in the next second, shedding its old skin to be replaced with a more durable one.
I wear a void, not even hope.
As long as breath comes from my mouth, I may yet stand the slightest chance.
A rain of blood followed, splattering against my skin. Yet, I made no effort to shield myself. I let it soak into me, feeling each droplet on my flesh. The blood was alive, shifting, adapting... evolving at an impossible rate. It seeped into my pores, merging with my own bloodstream.
Almost instantly, it reacted to the magic coursing through my veins. The blades within my body scraped against it, causing the blood to squirm and thrash.
Afraid of the sharp objects, its nature began to change, reshaping itself at blinding speed. But instead of resisting, I reached out. A wave of soothing mana flowed through me, wrapping around the foreign essence like a warm embrace.
It was not an enemy, merely a lost child struggling to survive in an unknown place.
Slowly, the blood ceased its frantic attempts. Instead, it accepted me, adapting to its new host. I could feel its emotions, uncertainty and dread. It was afraid, and I simply provided it a space to feel safe in.
However, during the time it took to blend with my own blood, a dangerous amount of radioactive energy had begun accumulating within my body. Just like the beast before me, I opened my mouth and released my own form of atomic breath, but in a more controlled manner. A brilliant beam of purple light shot into the sky, piercing the night like a beacon, before dissipating seconds later.
Wiping my lips, I could feel my body change, becoming stronger, gaining the ability to swiftly shift in shape and structure if necessary. Countless eyes formed from my neck and arms like some eldritch abomination, then returned back to normal like it was never there. It felt... odd. Gaining the ability to quickly adapt and evolve wasn't on my bingo card, but here it was.
I looked up, finding the creature being attacked by countless gunfire. But due to its fresh hide, the bullets failed to go through and simply bounced off.
A downward slope, is all I see.
A shaft of light is all I need, to cease the darkness killing me.
It was a tragic existence. Born with the strength to topple buildings and the weight to shake the earth, yet utterly devoid of malice. It had no desire for destruction, no instinct for violence. But humans were fragile, fearful creatures. Confronted with something they couldn't understand, they reacted in the only way they knew how—with force.
And so, the beast answered in kind. It fought, it bled, it adapted... reshaping itself at a terrible cost. Every change was carved from agony, every evolution a desperate bid to survive.
Its mind longed for an end, a release from the relentless suffering. Yet its body refused, clinging to life with every fiber of its being, defying even its own despair.
"Worry not, young one," I say, extending my hand forward. "I will grant you mercy."
In my grasp, a familiar staff manifested with a shine. Stardust's staff glowed as I raised it into the sky. The orb on its tip released a hum, producing a blinding glow that encompassed the colossus in an instant.
When the lightshow died down, the beast was no longer there, baffling everyone but me. Stardust's staff had absorbed the creature, giving it the peace and quiet it so desperately desired.
If need be, I could summon the beast in my time of need. When that time comes, I'll make sure give it a new body, one that it can inhabit without the fear of pain.
Next, I summoned the Magic Mirror, extinguishing the raging flames that swallowed the city and spreading waves of healing magic all over. In mere minutes, people began to flood the ruined streets, confused yet hopeful that the nightmare had passed.
I approached a confused crowd and made a gesture, causing their wounds to mend at an astonishing speed. Seeing my radiant form, some fell to their knees, praying. But I could not care less and moved on. I was no god, their faith did very little for me.
There were too many people for me to heal, so I just made sure to focus on the ones with debilitating injuries and rescued those trapped in rubble, leaving them in the open. It took quite a while, but I eventually got everyone to safety.
With that done, I swiftly left the world, returning to the Emiya estate with a flash. I already got what I wanted from there, no need to stay there any longer.
What a night this was. All I wanted was to relax for a bit in a world devoid of magic. Well... I suppose I did get that, but my dismissal of worlds bereft of the arcane had ruined it.
So here I sat, by the very steps where my father took his last breath. I gazed up into the night sky, but my eyes peered past the cosmos, searching for something.
My next step was to obtain a weapon. Noble Phantasms covered that part, but their presence were not required all the time. It'd be the equivalent of carrying an RPG while taking a casual stroll through the street; it was simply overkill.
I needed one on my person at all times, one I could wield at a moment's notice, just in case. There wasn't a lot of options, as most of them are back in Terraria. But I knew of a few that fit the bill.
After a long while of watching the stars, I produced the Magic Mirror and changed its reflection to show a vision of an alternate reality.
This particular world was filled to the brim with the essence of magic, a world where various godly pantheons roamed and functioned, but that wasn't an issue. Countless spells came to life, covering my entire existence. These inscriptions wouldn't last very long, but long enough to avoid immediate detection.
"Oh, isn't this the world where I left one of Peddler's Satchels in?"
While skimming through the planet's basic information, I realized I'd been here more than once in the past. Meaning I've left more than one item in this place.
The Peddler's Satchel. I've made a few of these things ages ago, containers that was much bigger on the inside than the outside, capable of storing all forms of objects so long as it fit the opening.
It wasn't as great as the Void Bag, which as the name suggests, allowed me to store items in the infinite void itself. But it'll do for now until I can find or make something better.
The Cloud in the Bottle could carry what I needed inside its own, little pocket dimension. But for that to happen, it needed to be constantly active. And having a fog constantly follow you around was nothing short of an invitation for trouble.
'Might as well. I'm killing two birds with one stone by going here.' I convinced myself.
Not only do I get a weapon, but a way to carry it as well without drawing too much attention. I won't be here for long anyways, I just needed to take what I'm after then bugger off.
Finishing my preparations, my form blinked out of the Emiya estate. However, as I leaped through dimensions, my eyes caught sight of something in the distance. And in that same instant, it saw me.
A colossal red dragon, the size of a mountain, with a single horn jutting from its snout, loomed in the void. Its slitted irises locked onto me, pinning me in place as the very weight of its existence bore down upon my soul.
I knew what it was... yet at the same time, didn't. Quite the puzzling statement, I'd say. My memories of this particular beast were lost, but my soul clearly recalls its presence. I've been here before, so I must've met it at some point in time, however... I did not know if it was friend of foe.
The dragon carried the very essence of Dreams itself, capable of harnessing the idea in ways only Stardust, the embodiment of consciousness, could properly fathom.
It grew stronger so long as those who dreamed existed. And since nearly every living being formed dreams in one way or another, the dragon was granted power matched only by the oldest of beings.
For the first time in a long while, hesitation gripped me. If they were foe, this wasn't an opponent I could challenge. Against this behemoth, I was nothing more than an insect. If it so much as willed it, I would cease to exist.
The only rational thing to do in this situation was to escape, for I could see no chance of victory no matter what I did. I'm afraid not even Daybreak's full might can take this thing down in one blow.
Yet before I could act, the dragon's gaze shifted away, locking onto another fracture in space. Then, with a roar that sent ripples through reality itself, it lunged. The sheer force of its charge detonated the portal, rending the rift apart as if it had never existed.
A moment of silence followed. Then, from the depths of its throat, the beast unleashed a triumphant screech... except it didn't sound like a roar. It sounded more like... like the revving of a motorcycle? Why was it making those noises?
My confusion continued even as I was expelled into the physical world.
END.
Author's notes:
He's officially taken his first steps into becoming an eldritch deity.