Vol 2: National Development - Chapter 10: Jinxed!

Author notes:

Woohoo! This chapter has me excited to be put on public. As usual

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D-Day... Or whatever is the equivalent of a reactor's first trial run. Right now, I am in the control room alongside Dreamer, Einstein, Mobius, Ningyo, and my mom, Hel. Of course, there are also others scientists, researchers, and engineers but they are not the main characters of today's event. Though they're indispensable for today's event to go smoothly.

From the control room, you can look through the reinforced glass and see the reactor room. Though we called it a room, the place is built to have a shaft leading up toward the ground. And yes, we placed the void reactor underground, safe from any enemy air raid. The reactor is... irregularly shaped, to say the least. Rather than calling it a reactor, it's more suitable to call it a ring-shaped device, a manmade portal that can connect to the infinite Void. The portal itself is encased in a series of protective spheres, leaving only a few openings for valves and pipes to connect to it. The pipings then run upward along the wall until it reaches the power distribution network, hidden beneath a reinforced bunker. The reactor/portal operates on the principle of space-time manipulation using spells and runes, reinforced by modern-day materials and technologies. Explaining how it works with science and magic will be too long so here's the dummy version of it.

First, mana will be injected into a series of protective spells and runes, further reinforcing the passive ones and starting up the inactive ones. With the protections in place, a signal will be sent to activate the portal. When that happens, the protective film, the portal's 'eyelid' will open up, only then will the portal starts forming a connection to the void. The creation of a portal involves heavy usage of spatial spells that will create a stable wormhole.

"Portal creation has been a success! Energy consumption is higher than expected by 5% but still acceptable. All other ratings are normal with no sign of sudden increase." Mobius reported the successful formation of the portal.

If you stand next to the protective shell of the reactor where there are a few viewing ports, you can see that on the other side of the portal, there is a wall of light. That wall of light is made by countless archaic scripts running up and down at a speed faster than the eye can see. That wall of light is the Universal Boundary that separates a universe from the infinite void. To get past it, you can either brute force it, which will never end well or communicate with it. Of course, we have to pick the latter if we don't want shit to hit the fan.

And by communicating, I mean we will broadcast a specific signal in a specific language, using a specific set of telepathy spells which is enhanced by a specific set of runes. Yeah, it's very specific, if I say so myself. The language used in the signal is of the same language as the archaic scriptings of the Universal Boundary. The content of the signal is basically a formal letter with a stamped insignia. This letter states the identity of the sender, which is us, our reason for writing this letter, and the request to tap into the void for its ether. In the end, we also further clarify how we will use that ether and what the converted ether will be used for. An example will be this first reactor that will be used to power the majority of Belka's power network. While other smaller reactors will be used to power our naval ships.

Regardless, just a polite letter alone will not be enough for the Universal Boundary to open an access point for us. That's where the insignia comes in. The insignia, being the spiritual marking of Yggdra the Primordial Goddess of Space, Life, and Creation, bears more than enough authority to command the Universal Boundary to do our bidding. Though with the Boundary being sentient, it's still better to treat it as a friend and ally, rather than a subject. Anyway, with the letter and the insignia successfully sent to the Boundary, we wait for a few minutes before the Boundary starts shifting. Gradually, the light from numerous running codes fades away, leaving behind a purplish film of misty light.

At this moment, reports start coming in. Dreamer, says out loud for all to hear in an excited tone.

"Communication with the Boundary was a success! It has put down the defensive barrier!"

Einstein then adds, though her face remains calm, her louder-than-usual voicer betrays her inner excitement.

"Spatial fluctuation is increasing! Expect the removal of the last barrier that separates our universe from the void!"

I choose this moment to warn the team. "I want all personnel to focus in case of a sudden development! Shut-off crew is on standby and ready to deactivate the portal in case of a collapse!"

Hearing the chorus of affirmation from the reactor operators, I nod before turning to my mom.

"Mom, when this is done, it will mark the beginning of a new era for Belka. One that will outshine the Previous Era in terms of accomplishment and prosperity." Sporting a smile on my face, I then say. "To be honest, I'm feeling very giddy and anxious right now. Though I have no doubt the experiment will be a success, I still don't want you to be here because nothing is absolute."

My worry put a smile on mom's face, she places a hand on my head, ruffling it as an encouraging, saying.

"What are you saying, foolish child of mine? It's because I trust you that I am here to witness my daughter's greatest achievement. It's one of the very few occasions can a mother witnesses her daughter does something that can change the world as a whole. By being here right now, I already one-upped Lu and I won't let her hear the end of it. Fret not, if there's truly something that will go wrong, I am here with you."

After hearing all that, and let's be honest in answering this question, isn't a mother the greatest gift a person can have? An uncountable number of yes will be my answer.

Our small episode of the family moment is witnessed and received warmly by everyone here. Regardless, I put on the brightest and most confident smile I can muster before turning back to view the reactor. Unknown to me at that time, the others in the room has taken a vow to do their utmost and protect that smile.

Moments later, the film of purple light is also brought down by the Universal Boundary, it's then that nothingness slowly seeps in through the portal.

"Detecting a high concentration of Void Ether! It's filling up the reactor chamber!" Dreamer reported, her lab coat flutter about as she runs to an instrument display. "The concentration is much higher than expected!"

Without wasting a second longer, Mobius and Einstein rush to operate some levers and buttons. Mobius reports. "Energy converters are up and running! It should help dilute the Ether by converting them into mana."

Einstein adds as she slowly pulls a red lever halfway down. "Portal eyelid is fifty percent closed and it's holding up well. This will also slow down the influx of Ether."

I nod, pleased at their quick reactions. "Good! Mobius, status on the converters?"

I turn only to see a big grin plastered on Mobius's face. "Marshal, it's working! The converters are operating perfectly and are turning Void Ether into mana, at a rate of 1 Ether for 1000 standard mana batteries as we speak! No sign of overload, strain, or waste! The first phase of the trial run is a success!"

At her words, everyone cheers and dances around in joy, for they have advanced mankind by leaps and bounds. All around me, people are either hugging each other or sharing firm handshakes for a job well done. Out in the corner, I can see Dreamer and Mobius share a mischievous glint with each other before pulling Einstein, who is still stoically monitoring the instruments, into a group hug, much to the latter's embarrassment. Mom is doing the same for me and Ningyo as we all smile, sharing each other's warmth.

After a while, the commotion settles down as we stand, proudly, watching as the Ether is being converted to mana and is transferred upward to the local power grid. For the first time in history, mankind has access to a safe, clean, and quite possibly infinite energy, so long as you don't do anything that pissed off Void, that is. Speaking of which, I dearly hope one day, I will be able to hug my mother-turn-daughter Voi, again.

Suddenly, as we thought that nothing else could go wrong at this stage, an alert from Dreamer woke us up as a sense of foreboding permeated my very being.

"Fuck! I really did jinx it a few days ago!" I cursed quietly, knowing that whatever that's coming is pretty much my own foreshadowing at play.

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Location:??? Time:???

In a high-class, but ultimately friendly bar, brightly lit by an amber sheen, a hooded figure sitting on a stool by the long bar table. In front of them is the only bartender and also the owner of this special bar. The beautiful, albeit a bit short bartender, surprisingly enough, has short purple hair and is mixing a drink for the hooded figure with her eyes close. The bartender has been in the business for so long that opening her eyes just isn't needed anymore.

Having finished mixing the hooded figure with their drink, a Margarita, the bartender gently places the glass down in front of the mysterious. With a small smile on her face, the bartender says in a charming voice.

"Yahweh said that a letter bearing Yggdrasil's marks has arrived from Sector Typhon, your sector." She stops speaking and lets the figure takes a sip of their Margarita. "It seems like Yggdrasil's plan worked wonderfully. She should be poising herself to elevate her universe up to the level of the old Prime Universe right now." Her voice carries a trace of joy but also longing.

Looking a the silent figure, the bartender leans down, placing her elbows on the table and one hand supporting her chin. Even with her eyes closed, the bartender seems to be staring into the figure's very core of existence. The bartender shows a helpless smile before addressing the figure.

"Sadly, you know that my and Yahweh's hand are tied, unable to visit them as we're still stabilizing the birth of the new Omniverse. So, I have a proposition for you."

The figure perks up as their covered hand slowly trace the rim of their glass.

The bartender poses her offer with a grin. "I will give you ten cosmic cookies while you will head over there and watch over them, helping them with whatever they need, deal?"

The figure stops before slowly raising up fifteen hands. The bartender rolls her eyes at their action... I thought she has her eyes closed though. "That's not the point here, no?" The bartender suddenly said and I agree. We're still writing about the figure raising fifteen hands.

The bartender scoffs in response. "Don't be greedy, I can only give you twelve cosmic cookies. Any more than that will risk you overeating and causing the birth of many new multiverses. It will only worsen our workload."

The figure's shoulders slump in disappointment. They then lower two hands, and another is used to scratch its cheek in embarrassment, while the last twelve pose a thumbs up, having accepted the trade offer.

The bartender nods with a pleased smile, and with a snap of her fingers, she materializes the cosmic cookies before giving all twelve to the figure. "Here's the payment, upfront. Report to Yahweh if anything comes up, otherwise, just listen to Yggdrasil and Star... she is Yuki now, though. Anyway, just listen to the two of them for what needs to be done."

The bartender stops, trying to remember something before with an "Ah~" she says. "Remember, no Tekeli-li."

The figure nods, retracting all fifteen hands before picking up the cookies. They then stand up, and bow, before disappearing through a wormhole that appeared out of nowhere, missing the complaint from the bartender in the process.

"Still forgetting to finish up the Margarita, I see." The bartender sported a wry smile as she said that.

"Though I can't wait to see their faces when a Shoggoth comes knocking." The bartender chuckled before cleaning up the leftover Margarita. She still needs to receive a few regular guests so the bar must be in its presentable state.

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"Warning! Extreme spike in spatial fluctuations! An unknown signature is forcing a wormhole to open next to the reactor!" Einstein warned, causing the previous happy mood to evaporate as everyone scrambled to make heads and tails of whatever was going on.

Yuki steps up to take command of the situation as Hel pulls Ningyo into a protective embrace, already casting all the protective spells she knows. Though, Yuki's command perplexes them all.

"Do not close the portal! The reactor must remain operating till I say otherwise! I want all personnel to evacuate the reactor room and medical and security teams to be on standby by the bulkheads! And remember, whatever the case, do not look into the reactor room until I give you the clear!"

Yuki then turns to Dreamer. "Reiterate that for them and seal all the blast doors and bulkheads when I get inside the reactor room.

Dreamer nods with a serious look on her face as she opens the reinforced door for me to pass. The rest only watch on incredulously until Hel snaps out of it and is about to rush to Yuki, Dreamer, however, puts a stop to it.

"Ma'am, I understand you must be very confused right now but I would advise against making any rash decision."

Hel snaps at Dreamer with a wary look, the short girl seems to be the only knowledgeable person in here. So, Hel bites down her anxiety and orders in a stern voice. "Explain."

Dreamer nods, calmly saying. "We are about to receive a guest, and of all the people present, only Master has the right to head out and greet them."

Frowning, Hel says. "That's not the whole truth."

Dreamer shrugs. "Of course, however, we don't have much time." She then steps up to a console, opens up a cover, and slams the big red button down. She then turns to address Hel as the underground bunker complex around the reactor is being sealed off. "If you trust Master, then you will stay here and await her return. I assure you that the new arrival has Master's best interests in mind."

Dreamer's words don't do much to soothe the tense atmosphere, and she doesn't need to as the result will speak for itself. Her main task is to keep these people in line and she will use force if the need arises. An Einheri always enforces the will of their Master.

Hel frown, hugging Ningyo tighter to stem her growing restlessness as not being able to help Yuki. Though her trust ultimately prevents her from doing anything. As for Ningyo, she's showing obvious panic at not understanding what's going on even though her brain is running at max capacity. Einstein clenches her fists to stem her unreasonable anger while Mobius frowns before placing a hand on her friend to keep her calm.

They can only wait for Yuki to return, only this time, with a very strange guest.

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Yuki stands at the precipe of what she determines to be one step away from the soon-to-appear wormhole. She has an inkling as to who will appear but it never hurts to be cautious, that's why she had the entire reactor room sealed off. Anyway, she is now humming a tune, one that she knows for sure the new arrival will love to hear it.

Seconds later, a large wormhole appears as a wave of Ether bathes the reactor room. Whatever the intent behind the wave of Void Ether was, it didn't seem to be harmful, more like a cursory scan. Then when the wormhole starts collapsing, a heavy rumble shocks the reactor room as something very heavy just touches down. Something that is both heavy, and slimy, to be exact.

When the wormhole disappears, Yuki stands face to face with what can only be described as an abomination that's an amalgam of a thousand eyes, a hundred tentacles, and ten razor-sharp mouths. A low grumble escapes the many mouths of this monstrosity, yet, a chuckle is what Yuki responds with.

"Well, hello to you too! Welcome to the land of the living!"

In response to her greeting, the black mass of flesh slithers forwards before showing out a tentacle for Yuki to grab. With a smile on her face, Yuki shakes 'hands' with the abomination. "As expected, seeing you is a pleasant surprise, but a welcome one. Though with you being here, I can only guess that Void and Yahweh are still very busy. Akari is probably still lazing about in her seat as the Chief Guardian of the new Omniverse, am I right."

The black mass shakes up and down slowly in what can be inferred as an annoyed but affirmative nod. Yuki can only chuckle at this. "If it's anything to be positive about your new assignment, think of it as a paid vacation for the work here, if any, will be way less stressful than what Akari throws at you. In fact, you should be glad as you're the first Shoggoth to have a paid vacation in the first place."

The abomination freezes up at the implication of Yuki's words. Then it literally starts jumping around in joy, though mindful not to wreck anything with its surprising dexterity. After five minutes of dancing and Yuki laughing at its antic, the mass, now identified as a Shoggoth stops, panting from its many mouths. Then, all 1000 eyes turn to look at Yuki before they all blink as black light starts covering up its body, and its figure slowly shrinks into a more humanoid one.

After a minute, the black light fade, and from it then appears a tall beautiful figure with pale skin, long blonde hair, and black eyes. Her mature body is covered by a black gothic dress and her ample breasts bounce slightly as she steps forth to pull Yuki into a hug.

"Thank you, for giving me a chance to finally take a rest!" The lady's enchanting voice cracks at the end, almost crying at finally having a vacation. "You have no idea how much work Lady Akari has been dumping me with! She is the only one to have the time to fly around in the void, having fun doing barrel rolls! Please, accept this cosmic cookie of mine as a repayment!"

The woman then steps away, pulling out a cookie that is not a cookie, instead, it's like an ultra-compressed galaxy and she thrusts it into Yuki's hands. Yuki fumbles with it but ultimately resigns herself to accepting this monstrosity of a snack, one that every Shoggoth loves. Yuki deadpanned at the giddy Shoggoth in front of her.

"You do know that I will explode from consuming this, right?" The woman flinches, sporting a sorry smile this time. "But don't worry, no doubt Yggdrasil will want to have one. This will be a nice little gift for her so thank you for bringing it to me." Yuki smiles and nods at the Shoggoth.

The Shoggoth sighs in relief with a hand on her chest. "I'm glad! I really, don't want to mess this up!" Suddenly remembering that she forgot to introduce herself, the Shoggoth performs a perfect curtsy like prim and proper royalty... She is still an overworked Shoggoth in Yuki's eyes, though.

"I am named Nicolae Williams and also, I quote Lady Akari, 'The strongest and most useful Shoggoth ever.' I am most fortunate to meet the big sister of my Lady. Please, during my extended stay here, allow me to help you and Lady Yggdrasil with everything you need."

Yuki accepts Nicolae's curtsy with a wide and welcoming smile. "As I said, this is supposed to be your vacation." Helping Nicolae up, Yuki then adds a line to soothe the Shoggoth's workaholic nature. "Though if there's something that requires your expertise, no doubt I will call for you first and foremost. For now, let's head back and introduce ourselves to my new family. Counting the others, I have one big and happy family now!" Yuki has a boasting grin at the end, leading Nicolae to meet Hel and the rest.

Nicolae nods and follows Yuki with an anticipated smile. Judging from Yuki's expression alone, Nicolae thinks that her stay here will be very productive, much more than doing her old, menial job, that's for sure!

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Though the arrival of an Outer God like Nicolae was supposed to be a major, upheaval thing for the world. It's not, surprisingly. The world, and therefore, the universe, keeps on running smoothly without even noticing the major problem of having a Shoggoth out and about. Though Yuki and Yggdrasil will no doubt keep Nicolae in check, thus curbing her productive tendencies, a Shoggoth tends to leave behind a trail of... To put it mildly, innovations.

Nonetheless, there's one person that's not having a good day. That person is Alaya, the personification of Earth. Having noticed the arrival of an Outer God, a friendly one at that, Alaya can't help but wipe her eyes a few times as she witnesses the conversation between Yuki and Nicolae. Finally registering the fact that she is not hallucinating, Alaya flips the table, cursing. "MOTHERFUCKER!"

Out of nowhere, she pulls out a C96 and full-auto blasting the screen in front of her out of frustration. After emptying 20-round of 9x25mm, Alaya slumps down on her couch, muttering.

"Damn it, Yuki! The rules, ones that I've personally written, keep being bent for you!"

Accepting her fate, for the greater good, Alaya can only watch on and let Yuki and Yggdrasil do their things, so long as none tear the agreement they've set before. After that short internal debate, Alaya comes to find join in watching the dumbfounded expressions of Yuki's family members as she introduces Nicolae to them.

"See!? I'm not the only person here to find a Shoggoth's appearance not normal, damn it!"