Chapter 370: The Start (1)
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In a mystical dimension, a magical city, one with what Neji would call sci-fi themes, floated amidst the cosmos. A metropolis existed there, where ethereal structures and walkways connected gravity-defying towers.
Levitating vehicles, imbued with mystic energies, traversed the pathways, guided by magic. The quantum-powered street lights of the city cast otherworldly patterns across the cosmic canvas.
The inhabitants there who harnessed both science and supernatural forces coexisted harmoniously and lived in a purely hierarchical world.
The highest realm within the Cube, this was the Dimension of Manifestations.
The home to all Abstracts, where one's [Class] was the ultimate factor that decided their status.
Currently, within the confines of an enormous futuristic castle, a lower-class Abstract was arguing with a higher-class one without any sense of inhibition.
"Sister! You're so infuriating!"
"This is for your own good."
Lady Luck's yell was casually put down by Contessa Fate's sigh, as she took a sip of her tea.
The white-haired being, Lady Luck, was sitting on the edge of the bed, tied with translucent red ropes.
Near her, Contessa Fate sat on a chair, sipping tea as she stared at the holographic screen in the middle of the room.
Tears were threatening to break out of Luck's eyes as she stared at the scene in the hologram. Neji was being pinned by the evil Goddess, his life in danger.
"Dammit, isn't she breaking the treaty by coming here and attacking one of our people?! Why are you pretending not to see anything?!"
"She's after the Gamer. Who originally came from the Prime. Even disregarding that, no Abstract is fond of the Gamer, you know that, right? It's natural we'll ignore it."
The conversation was going nowhere. Lady Luck lost connection with Neji a while ago, and she was about to use her powers despite her home arrest to check on him, knowing something bad must be happening.
Then, her sister came barging into her room. Fate confined her with her threads and no matter how she struggled, she could do nothing against it. At least, Fate used her own powers to show Luck what was happening in Uruk, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing on its own.
"Then why are you showing me this?"
Lady Luck cried, her red eyes tearing up.
"If you're not going to let me intervene, why would you show me this?! You could have just told me that he is already dead, what's the point of making me see this if you're not going to let me intervene?!"
Contessa Fate, who had raised her cup for another sip, paused. She stayed in her spot for a moment before sighing. She looked at her sister's eyes, her gaze reminiscent and gentle.
"You already know my past with the First Gamer, right? I… wasn't there when he passed. To this day, although I regret knowing he died, my biggest regret was that I wasn't there by his side. That I couldn't watch him at the very least."
"You're a bitch."
"I am sorry. But trust me, this is better than not knowing what pain he went through at his last moment."
Fate stared at her crying sister who was glaring at her. With a shake of her head, she turned back to the hologram.
"This was unpredictable. The dangers he would have faced in that world, if not for my Blessing, were mainly Amun-Ra. Ozymandias would have used the Grail to awaken Amun-Ra within herself, but sadly the being she would have called forth would have been something else entirely. An Eldritch horror. For some unknown reason, all Amun-Ras in the Omniverse are more often than not a dangerous existence."
Fate continued.
"My Blessing was supposed to help him with that, and it did. Amun-Ra wasn't ever awakened. I was a little fearful that he would give the Grail to Ozymandias when Madam Celestine attacked, making her bring forth Amun-Ra, and making the situation worse than as it is. But hey, look, it's not that bad, is it?"
Lady Luck shot her a confused glare. What the hell did she mean this wasn't that bad? Neji was being tormented!
In the hologram, Celestine kissed Neji and stole all his mana. Half a minute later, she did something weird to him.
Neji's eyes went cloudy, and then his eyes closed. Lady Luck yelled, missing the little action he did at the last second.
With the bit of mana, he had regenerated in between the half minute, which was a lot due to his System. It was more than 200 thousand mana. With that bit, he had activated the artifact on his right hand in a desperate attempt.
[The Watch of the Eldritch]
Neji lost consciousness and Celestine stood up. She dusted off her hand and smiled, but then she frowned as Neji's watch shimmered white, as a bright light covered the area.
The two girls watched the scene with focused eyes until Contessa Fate smiled gently.
"Who the hell…"
A woman, wearing a witch outfit, with her form strangely translucent, walked out of the light. She looked like an invisible being whose line art was the only thing visible, making her look like a glitch.
"Hey, you know what your Gamer told me?"
Fate suddenly said, sipping tea.
"That I was jealous of you. That I'm to the First Gamer, what you're to him. So he said I was jealous. However, if there is anybody I'm truly jealous of, it's that woman."
Fate paused and then giggled.
"If I'm to the First Gamer, what you're to the Second, I suppose this woman is to the First what Kimi Sugihara would be to the Second."
Lady Luck snapped her head and turned to look at Fate. Fate didn't look at her and continued sipping her tea.
"I am not sure what she's up to, and so I can't guarantee anything, but I think your lover boy will be fine this time around. Now that the Director is here."
The Director of the Last Act. Fate felt a little jealous of her freedom to move, as she stared at the scene ahead with intent eyes.
* * *
It was a bustling metropolis, a cityscape of steel, glass, and concrete stretched toward the heavens, a forest of majestic skyscrapers punctuating the horizon. The sun's rays danced on the gleaming facades, casting vibrant reflections onto the streets below. The air hummed with the energy of people and technology converging in a harmonious symphony of progress.
At the heart of this urban jungle stood a towering medical sanctuary, a beacon of hope and healing. On one of the top floors of this hospital, designated purely for the ultra-rich class, inside one of the cabins, a scene out of a painting formed.
With the door opened, a girl had one leg inside the room, and she stared inside with wide eyes. Her blonde hair fell over her glasses, which were over her bright blue eyes.
She was staring at the patient in bed. He had sickly white hair and dim blue eyes, strapped to a dozen or so medical equipment.
"Neji…? You're awake! W-wait, I will go call the doctors!"
The girl was nervous, her voice shaky, as she turned around and ran.
"Wait."
Before she could leave, however, Neji's voice called from behind.
The girl turned and her eyes widened as she watched him trying to get up. Neji was sitting up on the bed, causing the medical equipment to strain.
"Hey! Slow down, slow down, you'll hurt yourself!"
The girl rushed back into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. She was supposed to put him down again, but as her eyes looked into his eyes, she paused and helped him sit up. She adjusted the bed to raise the head part and allowed him to gently lean back.
"Your eyes… they're blue."
They were green before, Neji reckoned. It's been a long time but he remembered.
"Looks like the potion's side effects weren't limited to your hair. I'm sorry, you may not like your new look."
Neji properly sat up as he tried to control his breathing. He felt beat and tired. However, it wasn't because he was sick, it was the effect of getting beaten by Celestine. That pain had carried on.
Tuning out the blonde girl's voice, he called forth Sisty. He called his Status Screen.
There was no response.
'Dammit.'
Neji slowly turned to look at the girl.
"Your name…?"
"Ah."
The girl who was saying something paused, a grave shock clouding her face. She seemed shell-shocked thinking he may have lost all his memories.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case, he just couldn't recall her name. Even though she was his only official girlfriend in his life. His first life, to be exact.
"Ah, it's Lucille, right? My bad, my head is a little foggy right now."
The girl sighed in relief hearing him.
Lucille K. Sugawara. A little girl of half English and half Japanese descent. She was the "big fish" he tried to catch in his first life, thinking she was the daughter of a businessman, but her father was actually an international Mafia Lord.
Neji stared into her eyes.
"Not an illusion…"
It wasn't a dream. As far as he could tell this was real. But how? He died. A shark ate him alive.
A moment later, Neji realized "how" was a stupid question. What could a God not do? That woman probably rewrote reality to send him here.
Also, didn't Celestine chant things like "Wake up, it's just a bad dream."? What the hell was she trying to do? Was she trying to hypnotize him, making his mind mistake all his reincarnation as a dream, forcing him to believe he was in a coma all the while?
Well, whatever she tried hadn't worked, as he could see through her attempt. Did that mean Gamer's Mind was still working even though he couldn't access the interface right now?
How did she do it? On top of that, where was this place? Was this his real world? Or was this a world she created on a whim, from his past?
Celestine did say she was sending him to somewhere he would be reaching in a while anyway.
If he has to make a guess, half of his consciousness was here while half of his consciousness was in Uruk.
So this must be… the Prime Omniverse.
"Dammit."
"Huh? Neji, are you alright?"
Neji sighed and leaned back, his head in a mess, as a feeling of frustration spread through his nervous system. He knew what was going on, but he had no power to change anything at all.
While the girl kept asking if he was alright, Neji grumbled in his mind.
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