( Weeks ago. )
[ System Space ]
" Circe? " I asked as the very name was mentioned in our meeting.
I and my previous Timeline Selves, are having a meeting inside the [System Space], regarding our next move after The Abyss Tower.
" I see, so you all met this 'Circe' before? " I asked the three of them.
" Yes, but not Ragna 100 here since we didn't encounter her in the 100th Timeline where he exists. " Ragna Twelve tells me.
" But in the 69th Timeline, we had many things with her, after all she became one of our allies back then. "
" For she is the one who taught the 69th Timeline Carla about magic. " Ragna Twelve tells.
" Indeed... " Ragna 69 adds it.
" My Timeline's Carla had a great talent for sorcery, even though she just learned it in his late teenage years. "
" Not just that, she even teaches me, her grandfather, about magic professionally after just learning in four years. " Ragna 69 recounts.
" Remarkable, isn't she? " he asks.
" She also became the 'Divine Hero' at that time well, you know. " Ragna 69 praises his late Carla.
" Was she always that prestigious? " I asked 69, for I already know so much from them regarding Carla Kent, my previous Timeline Selves' granddaughter, a woman so OP (overpowered) and talented that even the gods choose her as the Divine Hero and this happens in every Timeline before my 1.111th Timeline exists.
Everything that happens regarding the Diviners (gods) and Deviants (demons) is mostly centered around her, my 'granddaughter'.
Even though she didn't exist yet in this Timeline, nor have I even married her grandmother yet (Yukino Fubuki)*.
Things get awkward here when I think more of it, that's why, after the Abyss Tower, I began to develop a 'Never-Think-Much' attitude to not increase my stress when hearing it.
"( Whenever they mentioned her, it always feels like they're degrading themselves to the ground. )"
"( Looking at 'them' feeling proud of 'Carla', makes me wonder if I was always such a Loser Widowed Grandfather who is always in the shadows of 'my' granddaughter's shiny achievements in my previous Times. )"
"( Like seriously, when I know more about them, I began to realize that these Previous Timeline Selves of mine are in chaos until 'Carla' appeared in their lives, making their lives better. )"
"( Just look at Twelve, he's a rogue Hunter who happens to get his Water Magic after learning illegally and learning to be a Shielder through Self-Learn, Ragna 69 he's some nerdy skinny playboy who happens to be lucky that in the 69th Timeline, the percentage between men and women are 10.000.000.000:1, hence why he could get so many women despite the lack of physicality and appearances, even money. )"
"( ...even in his old age, 69 is just like the old Jiraiya from Naruto but married and had a granddaughter, he's such a waste of youth. )"
"( For 100, he may be a prestigious warrior unlike the previous two, but his polygamous relationships bother me, even though I was happily surprised at first, for that means, when I was 'him' in the 100th Timeline, I was not a nerd and instead was a cool pimp. )"
"( But the thing that bothers me was, his girls, the women he inserted with his d**k, are all poor choices of women, bastarded whores...! )" I think about them, sighing to myself as I think more about it.
"( Since the [Universal Reboot]* is a Universal Loop of a Samsara Cycle of Lifetimes to humanity, then there's no doubt that my misgivings and struggles might be a Karma from their lives in their Timeline. )"
"( How ironic, very ironic and annoying indeed. )"
"( And still if we failed, this suffering will continue forever, wasn't it? )"
"( Damn, better stop it in this Timeline, I don't want to restart again with more Karma from the previous lives and this life, no sir, no thanks. )"
"( One lifetime of suffering is enough, enough! )" I put my tongue out, giving a 'meh' look after thinking about it.
As I think to myself, I returned to listen to what the three Ragnas have to say regarding the subject, the Aether Enchantress Circe.
" So, she's there? in that island? " Twelve says as 69 shows the Island of Aeaea in the System Screen.
" She's there, ol' Twelve. "
" I've been done my spiritual travel there when I'm out, checking the conditions as I sensed her Aether near Georgia*. "
" I gathered some information, for I knew her to be imprisoned on the island near the coast of the Black Sea which is still the same as the Previous Timelines, near the country of Georgia. "
"I remembered being stranded during my time accompanying my 'Carla' in search for her. "
" It was a perilous journey since we had to deal with nearby countries despite we had no desire to piss them off. "
" But since we have no choice, we decided to put up the fight, even though it resulted in our air transport being shot at the sky. " Ragna 69 recounts it, he tells that this happened before even meeting Twelve* for the first time.
" So you both survived? " I asked 69 which is such a cheap question regarding the obvious answer, but, to spice it up, I decided to ask it with a sarcastic tone despite it seems didn't piss off 69 a bit.
" Of course we do, when we woke up, we were immediately placed in a bed, a huge bed which we realized that we were in her castle afterward. " 69 explained, telling that at that time, Circe magically helped them.
" I don't know how she do it, but she told us that she sensed our signatures near her island, our life presence which made her the gist to help us at that time, perhaps she is bored after being alone on her island at that time. "
" After she told us of her reasons, she began to teach us, primarily teaching Carla, for she senses her to have great potential to learn magic despite being a human like me. "
" I simply learned magic after she was taught by the Enchantress, learning many things regarding magic on her very island. " 69 explains.
" Interesting, so she must've been some smart person, I begin to think that she's some 'all-knowing' character. " I said to 69.
" Yes, she's an all-knowing type but in some subjects. "
" Things like magic, spells, divine arts, and the Aether is the known domains of her knowledge, everything else, I kinda doubt so, regarding her condition. "
" But believe me, she is strong despite not being a physical type herself, her powers and craftiness are what you should be aware of hence why she was imprisoned on the island I mentioned earlier. " 69 warns.
" I see, so we're going there to acquire some things from her, are we not? " I ask 69.
" Indeed. " Twelve responded, haven't heard him for quite some time.
" After we acquired strength, we must acquire knowledge. "
" All of it is needed to fight the godly Diviners and Deviants, our greatest foes! " Twelve says, saying that all Diviners and Deviants as the gods we must slay.
" I agree, elder Twelve. " Ragna 100 says as he listens throughout the conversation.
" Even though we had quantity and quality on our side, it is not enough since our enemies had huge numbers and not to mention being powerful. "
" We also need something to outrun their attempts, something that will make us survive in each confrontation. "
" So, just like Elder 69 just said, we must immediately go and meet the enchantress, acquire many things from her, and continue. " hundred tells his thoughts.
" Of course Hundred, thanks for your thoughts. "
" And since we got there, should we also free her? " I asked, making the other Ragnas stare at me.
" Don't even think of that! " Twelve says to me, with a high tone.
" Why? " I asked Twelve.
" Remember Adrian Waterson, that turned-into-god-brat? remember him? " Twelve asks me.
" Circe here is just like him, but despite her can't straightly consume us or kill us and absorb our powers, she is more into a manipulative type that tends to manipulate everyone for that is her known goal. "
" To rule everything through manipulation, that's her goal. " Twelve tells.
" I see, she want everything huh, like Adrian? "
" I must say, after hearing this, I began to fear those guys who just simply say 'they want everything'... "
" Yes, and that's why just like Adrian, she must've kept in check. " Twelve says.
" For we are here not only to fight the gods who keep us suffering through the [Universal Reboot] but also eliminate any other threats worse than them. " Twelve says.
" For our very sake too," he adds which made me smile.
" I understand. " I simply replied to him.
" So after we discuss this all, when will we- "
" You guys want to go to Aeaea? " a voice comes behind us.
" You're awake. " Twelve says as he sees the woman behind us as she still lies on her bed, recovering.
The woman is none other than the Battle Maiden, right now we're all talking in front of her Restoration Chamber in the System Space, I spared her from death inside the Abyss Tower which killed the others I didn't choose, Galen, Raiden, Kara, and...
My mind reminisces for Aphrodite, I...
"( Stop thinking about her, you're going to have tears in your eye. )" I said while remembering my times with her like that time, my times with Aphrodite*.
As I relinquish the past thoughts, the Maiden begins to tell us how to go to the island which we hear without any distractions.
" That's how you will go there, may Lord Athena guard you all. " Battle Maiden blesses us.
" Thank you, Maiden. " I thanked which make her smile.
" My blindfold looks good on you," she says while looking at me, using her blindfold to cover both of my eyes, despite the only one that needs to be covered is the left one.
" Of course, Maiden. "
" Thanks for that. " I responded to her while the other Ragnas sees us.
"( Hmmm... )" they are all inside their busy thoughts.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Extra:
* Yukino Fubuki:
The female heroine, read the previous Chapters.
* The [Universal Reboot]:
An Eternal Event in this very universe was forced to experience, an event that will change everything in the set point of time.
This reboot forces all mortal beings in the universe to be rebooted back to the time of the Second Holy War as they will live over and over again with a different life experience and make different histories with the 'gods' themselves as their guide with the cost of the mortal's memories and status be reset into zero, minus even, if they didn't have the Diviners at their side as their superior and lord.
Read Chapter 1 and the Auxiliary Chapters.
*Georgia:
Georgia is a transcontinental country at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is part of the Caucasus region, bounded by the Black Sea to the west, Russia to the north and northeast, Turkey to the southwest, Armenia to the south, and by Azerbaijan to the southeast.
Based on the real Mythos, it is theorized that the island of Aeaea, Circe's island, is predicted to be near Georgia which was called Colchis in the Greek Mythos.
* My times with Aphrodite:
One of its greatest moments is in Chapters 133-135 (Thunderous Trauma Part 1 to 3) and in Chapter 214: Volume 3 Extra Part 2: Consolation.