I had materials thrown about all around my house, floorboards ripped up, holes in the walls as cables and support beams jutted out at all angles.
Notes were tapped to the wall, and scattered all around the floor. All kinds of scribbles, calculations and otherwise nonsense if you had no idea what it meant.
At the center was a strange scaffolding, almost like a holster for a familiar sword.
Mirage was propped up, several spell circles overlayed underneath, and runes carved all along the wooden and steel frame that held it aloft. But it wasn't just mundane materials, intertwined with all the many pieces were bones – Dragon bones.
The ones pillages from that undead dragon back in Skyrim.
There were also a few books stacked to the side, bookmarked or haphazardly thrown open to certain pages and marked.
"Three days." I scowled. "Three days, and I'm still not any closer to cracking this." I huffed in annoyance, tossing a book to the side. "I don't understand, I'm doing everything the directions say, yet I can't seem to do it correctly!"
[Have you tried not sucking?]
"Wonderful advice." I drawled. "I can literally overturn the world's laws...yet I can't do something so simple!"
[Why don't you take a break? Do something easier, like play with your magic.]
I sighed, looking at Sir Wiggles sleeping soundly on a little bed I bought him. I had the urge to go pet him, but I would respect his nap.
"Yeah, I'll just take a break and do something easier…..like mess with both the time and world axis to overlay multiple spacial folds across world-lines." I set down the deck of cards I was fiddling with and kicked away the book on card-magic I had picked up from a store the other day. "Can do real Magic, can't even fucking do a sleight of hand thing with cards" I threw my hands up in exasperation.
[How's the project going?]
"Oh this?" I flicked my sword, still bound into the mechanism of the spell formulation. "Solved this the other day."
[You going to test it?]
"Yeah, I need another location, my first thought was New York, it was a good distance away and a good centralized spot for supernatural shenanigans, but…"
[Isn't that Angel territory.]
I crossed my arms with a frown. "I'm pretty sure Angels claim dominion over the entire earth."
[Don't be a smart ass.]
"Fine, fine." I waved him off. "Yeah, the Angels basically claim America….and Canada. Except for the areas where the Native Americans took up residence."
Really, I don't think there are any groups in the world who would pick a fight with the last vestiges of the Native American supernatural community….and that's entirely out of pity.
What happened in the early days of colonization…..lets just say the mundane side was not nearly as bad as the supernatural one.
I think it was the first time the world saw gods be tortured to death by mortals. Not even assholeish deities, just your average divine beings, being pulled apart at the metaphysical seams and returned to the void of creation.
Yeah….even the Angels, back when they were much more zealous, actually felt bad for the Native American 'pagans' to the point where they put out decrees to never harm them unless absolutely necessary.
That whole thing led to the South American pantheons basically waging war against the 'invaders'.
What a shit-show that was.
My sword began to ' power up' so to speak, the strange mechanisms reacted, even if it looked utterly absurd in creation.
It's not my fault that I'm trying to deal with 5 dimensions and keeping it anchored into this lower dimension.
I wanted to sit down, but my sofa was currently littered with materials and other doodads.
"I really need to get more furniture." I muttered, withdrawing a chair from my ring.
The Rune lit up, the cables snapped to attentions. I couldn't help but smile as I watched the dragon bones hold firm.
Even if they were decayed by necromantic magics, they were still extremely sturdy, and more durable than nearly any material I could get my hands on in the immediate time-frame.
"Well, I'll let the initial calculations start up." I eyed it one last time. "While I won't be using my sword as the true focus, it can still be used temporarily to get everything started."
Hmm, the calculations would be annoying if I had to do them by hand. Much worse than simply popping over from one world to the next, and that took me days to finish.
But…..I couldn't help but smile at as everything came together.
My project, more so just a small bit of passion, was working. No deadlines, no incessant need, merely the desire to create this.
"Now I want to celebrate, should I order in?" I tilted my head back, staring at the ceiling.
[I'm in the mood for some pizza.]
"Hmm….that sounds good actually, how about some pineapple?"
[I will divorce you if you put pineapple on my pizza.]
I snorted, a small smile on my face. "I'm kidding, relax." Frankly, I don't like pineapple on my pizza, nor do I care about people who do, I just like the joke. "And what do you mean your pizza? It's all going into my belly."
[Well, I get to taste it atleast.]
"Wait, what?"
Ddraig made an amused noise. [You didn't know?]
"If I knew, I wouldn't be confused." I deadpanned.
[Hmm, this is rare. I know something you don't. I don't think I'll explain.]
"Alright, where did I put that white spraypaint."
[Someone pissed in your cheerios.]
"How do you even know those words?"
[Have you forgotten that I watch through your memories?]
….maybe. "Fuck off."
[Hmm, well, with a little bit of effort, I can share some of your senses, predominantly, taste.]
"Oh, that is significantly less bad than I was assuming you were going to say." That raised a few interesting questions. "What's your favorite food?"
[Oh, I havn't really thought about that.] Ddraig seemed genuinely interested. [Remember your date with Artoria, the fair in America?]
"Oh." I exclaimed,. "The turkey wrapped in bacon?"
[Oh that was good, but no, almost though.] I felt like I saw him shake his head. [It was that really thick bacon, fried in that little dash of brown sugar…..that was amazing.]
"That was good." I briefly recalled that particular memory. "Americans sure know how to make tasty food." And now I'm craving that again, dammit Ddraig.
Hmm, what a strange conversation his has become.
I felt my phone buzz, I took it out to read a new message.
'Hello, Wilhelm, how are you doing?'—Izzy
I smiled lightly as I began to text back.
'I'm good, what's up?' – Wilhelm.
'I have a….hypothetical question.' – Izzy
'And I have a hypothetical answer, what's wrong?' – Wilhelm
'Say that a child was intended to be sacrificed to bring back a spirit from Yomi, and I noticed what was going on, and perhaps I may have distorted the ritual ever so slightly, but I was late by a single breath....' – Izzy
I paused, reading what she wrote several times.
'I would say you are a good person for stopping that.' – Wilhelm.
'….I appreciate your words, but I wasn't finished. Hypothetically, what if said child fell into Yomi, unconscious, while the ritual imploded on itself.' – Izzy
'I would say, this is a bad situation, and would require immediate attention.' – Wilhelm.
Just as I sent the message, there was a knock on my door. I blinked for a moment before going to answer.
"Ah, hello," A very familiar face answered.
"Izzy…..how bad is the situation?" I eyed her uneasiness. How did she even know where i lived?
Questions for later.
"Oh, it is very bad." She said almost comically straight. "The child is the only daughter of Yasaka."
I facepalmed rather hard. "As in the Youkai leader, Nine-tailed fox, Miko for Amaterasu?"
"Indeed." She replied.
"…And you came to me?" I questioned her thoughts. "Why not go to Yasaka, I'm sure she would be….not thrilled, but also not angry at your for bringing her such information."
"I am…." She looked down. "Not exactly welcomed in her court….and I do not believe I would retain any trust if I told her what happened. And…..I do not have anyone else."
Oh…..now I feel bad.
I smiled gently. "Alright, we just have to go rescue a little kitsune from Yomi, right? No big deal." I tried to cheer her up.
"So, do you know where the ritual site is? I can probably force back open a portal, piggybacking off the initially link." I tapped my finger against my chin.
I don't really want to get involved in nonsense like this again, but my weak spots were hit quite hard. I really do have a soft spot for children, and my friend was asking me for help, how could I say no?
"No need, I can create a portal anywhere." She said with confidence.
"Oh, that's convenient." Huh, I wonder how? I'm curious to see how it works.
I just hope Izanami is not as the myths describe her. I did have cards to play against her if it came to blows. The deities here were much weaker than those from my home, so I had some amount of confidence.
She waved her hand, the ground literally deformed, jutted out and burst forth as a stone scaffold raised from the ground and a portal formed in between the stone pillars.
"Reminds me of the Land of Shadows." I couldn't help but mutter.
"Land of Shadows?" Izzy's head jerked towards me. "Is that not the land of the dead over in the United Kingdom?
"One of them." I smiled. "Anyways, how do you wish to do this? Have you experience going into Yomi?"
I still had no idea 'what' she was, to be able to go into Yomi so easily, she is no doubt powerful. Perhaps some kind of spiritual beings?
"….I will lead the way."
I just shrugged, holding my hand out as Mirage flew into it.
"Lets go, Sir Wiggles." I said quietly, he bolted up and jumped into my hat, which I was holding upside down for him.
I briefly saw the desire in Izzy's eyes to pet him again, but she held back.
"Follow my steps closely." She ushered me forward as we stepped through.
It was a familiar setting, yet so different. The air was thick with death and decay, yet the coldness wasn't as pronounced. It was….darker, like shadows making their own shadows, as ridiculous as that sounds.
Izzy navigated it expertly, knowing where to walk, where to avoid as to not accidently get swept up in the void between spaces.
We finally came to what looked like a house, which was surprisingly, because I knew of only one being who would have a house here…
"Um, does you-know-who live there?"
"Yes." Izzy replied.
"Is it wise to go there?"
"Nothing happens here without her knowledge; don't worry she already knows we are here and is welcoming." She stepped up, opening the door.
"I'm curious how you would kn—"
"Welcome to my home." She cut me off.
"…..oh."
Ddraig just started laughing at me.
***
Hindsight is always 20/20.
So I got some good feedback from the PHO chapter, so i'll do more in the future. It pretty much can only happen on world's that have technology at a certain level, but i also thought the idea amusing, when he gets those multiversal phones, to start handing them out to the people he knows so they can get in on the fun. So, Mc finds out Izzy's identity, seems pretty obvious in hindsight, but I don't think people in his situation would immediately jump to divine conclusion. While there were many red flags near there end there, he was understandably preoccupied with the idea of having to rescue a little girl in Yomi. Might have another interlude coming up soon, perspective from the hero faction.
Anyways, if you want to read 5 chapters ahead or support me, visit my pat.reon.com/Astoryforone