Kai stood up, his legs shaking.
The uncontrolled focus on runic calculations had taken quite a toll on his body, it seemed.
Kai cleaned his face again, mopped the floor, and then took out the food he had stored in his MRB secretly to feast on it.
A silver mist suddenly profused out of the bathroom's floor and took the form of a 6 ft long white serpent. Selene slithered up to him, kissed his chin, and then, for once, silently helped herself to the meat as well.
After they were both finished, Kai scratched her under the jaw, milked her for the venom, and let her rest on her original form in his lap.
Kai had specific plans for Selene and Darcie.
Using her intangibility to impart Parseltongue in Darcie's mind had always been Kai's motive.
Otherwise, there was no way for her to become a Parselmouth reasonably, knowing that he would have to use Parseltongue eventually in Darcie's form. Those murmurs in Darcie's ears as she slept would have given this phenomenon quite a mysterious touch and reasonable background.
But Kai's plans shattered like glass when Darcie came to know that the white serpent from her dreams didn't exist. To a Contestant, it meant that the Ghost Serpent magical creature didn't exist in this Timeline.
After using Selene to make Darcie get the Yellow Sign and other tales, Kai initially planned for Darcie to meet Selene in reality, making the serpent her pet. It would have let her communicate with the serpent, and Darcie would have realized she was a Parselmouth too.
Now, however, Selene would have to serve as Darcie's guardian spirit forever, until Kai mastered the true essence of facelessness. Selene's hisses were a sure and effective way to direct Darcie's thoughts and actions towards a particular goal, without jeopardizing Kai's Acting.
Perhaps it is for good, Kai thought, looking at Selene. Somehow, he couldn't help but sigh, recalling the data he had read about a certain magical creature in this world.
When only half an hour left for his Identity Period, Kai took out the Book and called out Petyr and Cersei.
The presence of characters had been helping him much in his quest to Act as a Faceless. Their conversation, their addressing of him as their master, and their acknowledgment of his existence all had been assisting Kai in not losing himself in this unimaginable state of Comprehension he had let himself fall.
This was also the reason for him not opting for the privilege of changing his appearance before his reincarnation.
Kai was extremely thankful to himself for being prudent in that decision. With even his face gone, the matter of Acting would've been even more strenuous, Kai knew.
The smoky veil parted, and the boy and girl walked out.
Petyr was wearing his characteristic black doublet and breeches, with a mockingbird emblazoned on his chest in silver. Cersei came out wearing a soft woolen jacket and pajamas. She, unlike Petyr, had been experimenting with the clothing of this world.
Selene lifted her head, tasted the air, and then went back to sleep, finding the new arrivals not to her liking.
"My lord." The characters bowed at their master. Then Cersei approached him and planted a kiss on his lips. If it wasn't for Selene resting in his lap, she would have slipped in her tongue, Kai knew.
"I told you she would agree," Cersei boasted, slumping down against the wall to his left. "Humph! Witch or not, I know women."
Petyr chuckled, sitting down on the floor opposite Kai. "Well, it's easier when you are one yourself," he quipped. "Ironically, we men lack one key ingredient. Haha! No. Not the one between our legs."
Kai let the two characters throw japes at each other.
For the last few months, Kai had been using Cersei to manipulate the minister of magic, Millicent Bagnold. This was a giant fish who had bitten the bait, and no matter what, Kai couldn't afford to let her go.
So, Kai had been extra careful about sharing Darcie's thoughts with the minister, attacking the fact that she was unmarried, childless, and biased towards brilliant minds, something which Cersei had pointed out after reading the letters Darcie had received from the minister.
"Master, may I have a look at the list of magical creatures?" Petyr asked, jolting Kai out of his reverie.
Kai absentmindedly took out a folder marked with the title — Candidates for Blood Devour.
Petyr's head drooped into the list of names.
Kai shook his head. "Two things are keeping me from deciding on my next blood essence," he said, involving himself in the conversation. "First, I can only use Glitch once during the entire Main Mission. Second, I can't use it in the Switched Worlds."
As Kai's Glitch worked on both magical and non-magical creatures, Kai had confirmed the second point in the World of Steins;Gate by approaching a common dog.
"So," Petyr said, closing the folder, "you mean you will wait till departure before deciding the third Blood Essence, master?"
"No." Kai put the folder back into a conjured box and threw it back into his MRB. "Like unassigned attribute points," he told them, "I will decide the third blood essence based on my immediate needs and opportunity. Remember, that which suits one the best, is the most powerful."
Kai tapped his fingers on the floor, and Cersei eyed his fingers like a hungry she-wolf. When he sensed her gaze and turned his head to face her, a deep rosy blush surfaced on her cheeks.
Kai smiled playfully.
Petyr shattered the sultry conversation between Kai and Cersei's eyes. "Your mention of immediate needs reminded me of another matter, master," he said slyly, his head bobbing from Kai to Cersei and then back to him. "What about the Horcruxes? I mean, the one which is in the possession of Darcie's father?"
Kai's eyes narrowed at the mention of Horcrux. "Though Meg has shared with me details related to the Harry Potter world thoroughly," he mumbled, more to himself, and less to Petyr, "there are subtle things; little details that even she did not know.
"For example, consider Darcie's wrong guess about Lucius running for the next minister of magic. Meg had told me this wizard's occupation, but when I asked her how he became a governor, and when, she failed to give me a specific answer.
"The matter of Tom Riddle's Diary is such a subtle detail as well. It can be anywhere. In this mansion, in the Gringotts' vault of Malfoys, or someplace else. There is no sure way to know."
Cersei's sharp tongue cut through Kai's thoughts. "It's also possible," she said, sneering, "that the Malfoys don't have the Diary in this timeline."
Both Kai and Petyr went silent at this notion. It was possible, yes. And if that would be the case, then what about the rest of the Horcruxes' locations?
Kai let out an exasperated breath. "It was because of these unpredictabilities and unknowable details that I am keeping anything unrelated to my initial goals of knowing about wands and deciphering the five tales from the Book to the later half of this reincarnation," he grunted. "Meanwhile, I have already commanded Meg to find the Diary's location in the original timeline once her mission gets completed."
But here, too, things weren't as simple as they seemed.
Meg's mission on the 4th floor had taken her to the Random World of the Lord of the Rings. But only recently had Kai come to learn that she somehow managed to involve herself in the wars of Sindar Elves, also called the Elves of the Twilight or Gray-elves.
Meg had gotten a Hidden Mission, extending her stay in the Random World. And in return, the Elves would train her in archery, given that she must have shown them her Item — Jet Wing.
Based on her experience, Meg had assured him it would let her gain an Archery-related Ability as a reward, making her extended stay both precious and profitable.
The only issue was that her Mission Time Limit had increased to 50 months of Harry Potter timeline where Kai was right now.
So, even if Kai wanted to make haste in the matter of the Riddle's Diary, he couldn't. Not that he wanted to, to begin with.
Then there was Spawn, who had already cleared her mission, and now had gone to her second floor's mission. The only relevant information she had told Kai was she had sensed nothing wrong within the City of Trades on the 2nd floor.
That settled the matter of finding out the possible Divergence for Kai. He had expected this, for no one gave a fuck about the 1st Set in the Primordial Tower.
So, regarding the matter of Divergence too, he would have to wait for Meg to complete her mission.
In the same light, Kai had postponed his visit to the Pokemon Random World.
Petyr's next words struck Kai's thoughts. "This is good as well, I guess," he said, looking thoughtful. "3 months of Pokemon Random World, where you went, are 15 months here. So, there is no hurry regarding the Magical Contract, master.
"You told us true; only after getting the rewards from the 2nd and 3rd Stages of the Tournament of Worth does a visit to the Pokemon World makes sense. Otherwise, you would have to wait for quite some time in case you needed some specific instrument, based on the new rewards' nature."
"So, now what?" Cersei asked, her voice as sweet as honey.
Kai looked up at the bathroom's ceiling, and let her gaze fall to the window looking out in the chilly darkness.
"Time." The word echoed in the silence, waking up Selene's slumber. "What I truly need now is Time," he told himself, stroking Selene's beautiful scales as she hissed words in his ears which made Kai chuckle. "I need time to put my calculations regarding many potions in practice, and further master brewing potions as well, familiarizing myself with all the ins and outs of this art.
"I need time to digest the books I have read so far and continue my studies unhindered. I need time to learn about the difference between Wandless Magic and Magic using a Wand, both verbally and non-verbally.
"I need time to learn Wandlore and I need time to decipher the contents of the Tales of Beedle the Bard. These two books on runes I got recently have aided me well, but they are not enough.
"So, more than anything else, I need an extensive supply of books from both magical and muggle communities. Not to mention the ingredients for potions, and magical creatures to do experiments on.
"I need a place to work with Wandless Magic and still keep myself focused on getting my own wand meanwhile."
Cersei giggled. "So what you truly need, master," she said, "is not time, but freedom."
Kai's eyes shone with a red glint. "You are getting more beautiful every day," he told her, widening the smile on her face. "Yes. Freedom, that's what Darcie Malfoy needs more than anything."
"So, what's your plan, master?" Petyr asked, getting up.
However, Kai knew with Petyr's sly nature and intelligence, he must have already guessed.
"There's one place in this world where all this is possible," Kai said, grinning. "A place where there is no lack of opportunities and no limit on freedom."
"What is that place?" Cersei asked, puzzled.
Kai and Petyr shared a devious glance.
"I think," Petyr said, smirking, "it's time for the little bird to leave the nest."
Yes. It was time for Darcie to soar through the unbound sky!
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