Aleph silently looked at the prompts in his sight.
[Achievement Unlocked: Cool Entry]
[Cool Entry: Create a visually stunning entry into a huge fight.]
He deadpanned at the 'joke' spat out by the Achievement Hunter.
'I almost forgot about that visual enhancement…'
Yamato wasn't supposed to be as 'loud' as that. The reward he obtained in the last three months enhanced its visual effects.
His idle thoughts ensued as he waited for Mei's arrival.
After dealing with the Flamebringer—the Seventh Sovereign—a swift transport ship picked up both him and Mei. Its speed was equivalent to a Mach 150 jet, something that his world hasn't done yet.
Izumo was twice the size of Earth with a circumference of 80,000 kilometers. Still, the speed of their ships made traveling a trifle—borderline teleportation, even.
Along the way, Mei did not ask him questions. She took his words to heart and waited until they could talk properly.
After some twists and turns, Aleph was housed in one of her villas.
'It looks like she did not have many helpers around her…' He thought. 'It's the five hundredth year… the seventh. Their time is getting nearer, but the politics is just as bad as ours, if not worse.'
Investigator… no, Great Sage went to a great extent on seeing past events. It was here Aleph knew that Mei's fight against the seventh sovereign took ten minutes. That timespan was enough for several reinforcements to come, yet nobody came.
That made it clear something shady was going on.
Bam.
The tatami door (shoji) slid open. It revealed Mei with a new set of black-purple kimono.
"I am sorry for making you wait…"
"Aleph. You can call me Aleph."
"...Aleph-san."
Hearing Mei call him with an unfamiliar tone made Aleph pause. She bore extreme similarities to his Mei. Their solemnity, elegance, and the dignity of someone born in the upper class.
Their biggest distinction was their focus. His Mei loved to talk about scientific matters. She could go on for hours talking about a certain research subject. Aleph was lucky enough to be able to follow on due to his knowledge base and god-like processing speed.
As for this Mei…
'A swordsman Mei. She's more similar to the Mei in the Current Era.'
"Ahem. Feel free to ask your questions."
Aleph spoke after he drank a portion of tea.
"Where did you come from?"
"Another world."
"..."
Mei half-expected him to either conceal his origins or make up something. Aleph's answer caught her off guard.
'He… should not be lying.' She thought. 'There is no use… unless he has that humor.'
"Why did you help us?"
"Because I can." Aleph replied. "Miss Mei. What do you think of the future?"
"Our future..?"
"My purpose here, in this world, is to lend you a hand. As for the duration of my stay, it could be days, weeks, or even months. It won't be very long… I can feel it."
Mei heard a hint of complexity in his last few words.
"...So, you are here to fight our enemies?"
"Yes, but not just that. I am talking about your internal affairs."
Aleph's guidance changed their topics to Mei's side. It was now he heard detailed accounts on what was happening.
'A classic political strife… Some idiots are lucky enough to live at this point.'
Fire MOTH's problems regarding internal strife happened to Izumo. The six upper families held the power for too long. The Raiden lineage was one of them.
When Mei's father died without being able to settle posthumous affairs, the eleven other families attempted to divide her lineage's influence.
That's right, eleven.
Before they could enact their plans in full, the seventh descent occurred. It served as Mei's shield, but at the same time, her adversity.
Without any reinforcements in sight, she resolved to fight alone. It was a golden opportunity to wipe her out and take the Edict Edge passed on the Raiden lineage.
That was until Aleph arrived.
"Forgive me for this one, but how did your father die?"
His question was answered immediately.
"Father (chichiue)... He went to a place to deal with a strong enemy. He came back home grievously wounded. I was not able to talk with him when he died abruptly."
'...right.'
Aleph saw a different world under his elemental sight. An extremely small black dot was floating aimlessly. A sense of deja vu swept his entire body.
He did not hesitate to turn his mind somewhere else.
Still, that brief contact done in a fraction of a second was enough for chaotic thoughts to emerge in his mind.
'I am… meaningless.'
'My actions did not change anything.'
'Beings like that could not be fought. It is merely my wishful thinking…'
For a moment, he closed his eyes. Mei was startled to see him 'sleep' out of nowhere.
It did not take long.
'That is…'
What Mei saw was a pair of mystical golden pupils. His elongated irises made her think she was facing a dragon, not a human being.
The aura within the entire tatami room changed. The air stagnated as the space became sticky. It was akin to bearing a thousand kilograms out of nowhere.
Before she was fully affected, everything disappeared like a bubble.
The suffocating feeling on her chest was nothing but a mere illusion… or was it?
'Who is he..?'
For the nth time, she could not help but ask inwardly.
"I am aware my appearance feels strange, but I am here to help you, Miss Mei. I can see it. The desire to become stronger."
In the face of an unpredictable and unfathomably strong being, Mei did not question him anymore. It was useless pondering whether he was scheming something else.
Moreover, things were exactly as he said.
She wants to become stronger.
"Tell me. What should I do?"
Seeing clarity on her pair of purple pupils, his Mei overlapped with this Mei.
"I can help you settle things regarding internal affairs… but it's not enough. So…"
He paused before smiling.
"I will teach you everything you need to know."