The world has several layers to it.
Raito has learned from experience that this phrase has quite the literal meaning here. The reverse side of the world is a fascinating place for him no matter how many times he comes to visit.
Sure, any modern human or even magus, except maybe Marshall Wizards, will die due to the high density of mana in the surroundings. This place is the home of many survivors from the Age of Gods, so it is understandable why the environment is so full of mystery as magus like to call it.
The first time Raito came into this place was during his exploration of the Spiritual Tomb of Albion. Back then, the lower he came, the stronger the connection he felt with it. It would have been the most bizarre feeling for him, if not for it being similar to "The Sanctuary" of Ehit, just on a much, much larger scale.
When he finally got there, he was assaulted by the density of Magical Energy too strong for a human to handle. It was comparable to a vacuum. Simply breathing in it was enough to end up dead. That is for a human. Raito has long stopped being one. Ever since he started the process, he named "Mythical Evolution" on the bottom of the Abyss, it never stopped. So, for him, the exposure to this environment was like coming into a paradise.
"Avalon is a utopia that may not be granted to beasts that possess wisdom, one that may never be reached. It is a world cut off from the constant decay and destruction of the surface of the planet and, although it is nestled in human history, has no connection to other lands at all. Daytime is filled with spring's sunshine and the smell of summer; night is wrapped in the autumn air and stars of winter. It is where flowers of all colors bloom on gently sloping plains. A forest can be clearly seen in the far distance, enveloped by the overlooking sky; the view is evenly divided between the sky and the earth. There is no sign of human civilization in the lands. On earth, there are countless flowers and bugs; in the forest, there is water and green, and ethereally beautiful Fairies lurk in the pond. The paradise people imagine is only an imitation of this place. Here, in this un-trodden place, the bounds of a Tabooed land serve as the ends of the island. Though the island has no end, it seems to change like any other land. Further into the island, the land turns barren, similar to Britain. It is where Fairies got up and went to after the Age of Gods ended."
Such is the record left behind by the director of the Clock Tower and a student of Solomon, Brishisan. Before coming into contact with the Inner Sea of the planet, Raito made sure to study all available sources depicting it. Barthomeloi came in handy on this one even if he had to help her in research of new magecraft or to clean up a mess left behind by anyone significant within the Clock Tower. And it the latter happened too often for his liking.
Exploring this place, he verified the validity of such claims.
Over time, he delved deeper into the secrets of the Reverse Side, witnessed the life of many Phantasmal Species inhabiting numerous landmarks and bodies of water, and genuinely enjoyed his time sightseeing.
Surprisingly, no matter the species, even if they made direct eye contact, no one had ever shown any signs of aggression towards him. Curiosity, indifferent, or surprisingly reverence — yes, they did. But nobody was hostile even if it was the most natural reaction to an entruder. It was as if the whole world accepted a "wait and see" approach.
As it turned out, his assumption was on the mark. After he finished sightseeing and started to come just to relax and enjoy the clean and energy-rich environment, he was contacted by Gaia.
Communicating with the will of the world took the top spot on a pedestal for the most weird experience Raito has ever had. Processing a series of intentions, images, and emotions into words, the skill "Language Comprehension" was his only saving grace to fully and correctly understand what was the purpose of their "meeting".
As it turned out, Raito, having a breath of Tortus, had picked Gaia's interest. A long time ago, in an invasion of outer Gods will of Tortus was killed, and then the world itself was cut off from the World Tree. The young man who was clearly not an outer God and who was peacefully spending time in the last layer before the actual "Earth" where the Soul of the World is kept, this person was in Tortus and quite recently at that.
Deciding to risk it, Raito showed all of the memories of his journey in Tortus. From the summoning to the eventual killing of Ehit and then restoration of the world under new order.
Gaia's response was gratitude, permission to act in the way he sees fit, and a promise of help if the need would ever arise. Also, the Planet's Will shared information about the dangerous ritual known as the Holy Grail War and asked for help in solving the problem.
With Raito accepting the request, the unusual alliance between a planet and an individual was created.
• • •
"I am not interested in the Grail. No cup can fulfill my wish no matter how magical it is... But I would gladly borrow some wisdom from any heroic or not so spirit." Leaving behind Lorelei with those words, white-haired red-eye man in dark gray costume teleported back into his house.
Before him stood the same wardrobe and repeating the same actions with his ring, he changed back from Ray, the spellcaster, into Len Raito, the not so normal civilian.
Per usual checking for anything strange from videocameras on his computer, stationed to the side of the window on the workdesk, and getting nothing once again, young man let out a self-deprecating chuckle. 'Me and my paranoia. As if anyone would be able to bypass my wards. Well, technology is still a good double-check option.'
Leaving his study, Raito once again came to the dining table. He activated his phone and saw 14:40 on the display.
'That was quick. I should visit Fairies one more time. It would be nice to have a small tea party with Vivian once again. Maybe she can give me a heads-up on how to handle the Morgan Gaia recommended to summon. Yes, let's do this.'
The tea lover collected his tea set and his tea collection of a dozen different kinds before carefully storing them in his spacial ring. After putting on his wristwatch and leaving the phone once again on the table, he disappeared from the dining room.
When he appeared on the last level of the Spiritual Tomb of Albion, he didn't expect to stumble upon a meeting of Secret Judgment Division. His habit of completely shutting down his presence saved him from an awkward moment. This room is called Carillon Observatory in the Clock Tower and is the place where Seling Designations are decided. To his amusement, they were discussing him, so he decided to stay and listen for a while. Fairies won't go anywhere.
"Lord Barthomeloi, if you can't share any details, are we to believe that you have none? Ray is a danger we have no knowledge about. I repeat what Lord Meluastea told us. He works so clean that after he is done, there are no traces of him even being there. Such a person of incredible capabilities, and we have absolutely nothing on him. I believe I speak on behalf of everybody in this room when I ask you to disclose at least a method to make contact with him. Otherwise, we are left with no choice but to vote for placing a Sealing Designation on him."
'McDonell Trambelino Elrod. The current head of the Trambelino family, the Great Noble family on par with Barthomeloi and Meluastea. Also, the leader of Democratic faction. I am honestly surprised that it is them who push the ordeal. Looks like fear of the unknown is stronger than any kind of ideals here. Let's see how Lorelei handles this tricky situation.'
"Lord Trambelino, are you ready for the war with Barthomeloi? You already know that I swore on my family name to not disclose anything related to sir Ray. Are you this afraid of him, or are you afraid that he works only with me? If he hasn't contacted you yet, that simply means that you have nothing to offer him that Barthomeloi can" Sharp occusatory reply by the leader of Aristocratic faction coupled with a heavy aura she exuded with it made associated families to let out sound of affirmation, and effectively shut up the opposition.
It took some time for Trambelino to recover enough courage to continue. "Nothing like that. I only state that with the abilities Ray is rumored to have, he can as well be standing in this room listening to our discussion, and we will never know. Such proficiency in magecraft deserves its recognition. And on the off chance that he decides to turn against us, we must be prepared. Once again, I, in the best interests of everyone present, ask of you, Lord Barthomeloi, to share only a way to get in contact with him. It doesn't go against your agreement to not give away any of his personal information. We are still ready to buy it either from you or from Ray himself, but with nothing concrete to base our actions on, how are we supposed to prepare for the worst?"
This speech made everybody have second thoughts. Even members of Aristocratic faction weren't spared. The prospect of an individual with such assassin potential was just that terrifying.
The next words of Barthomeloi, however, made everyone freeze from the pressure. "So you are basing your claims on your assumption that I am incompetent and wouldn't be able to handle the theoretical conflict between sir Ray and the Clock Tower. I am always ready to take the necessary actions. And you, Lord Trambelino... if you insult Barthomeloi even one more time, you will face the consequences. You can proceed to vote for placing a Sealing Designation on sir Ray, but keep in mind how your relationship with Barthomeloi would change depending on your choice."
'Wow! I must say I am impessed. It's amazing to have someone this skilled in politics. Well, the way she would have to handle potential conflict between me and those geezers is to cut the losses, and we both know it, but the sheer confidence and silent fury oozing from her now almost convinced me myself... Well, nothing more interesting is going to happen now, so to the Fairies it is.'
Thinking this way, Raito slipped into the Reverse Side of the World.