"Multiverse" (041)

A girl stood in the middle of an isolated forest, scared and perplexed.

Despite the murmurs and deep noises of the dark forest, the girl stayed motionless until she noticed a boy in front of her.

"...hey, can you tell me where we are?" Despite this, the youngster continued calmly standing. "How could you..." Hearing what the boy said, the girl became alarmed.

"You forgot... everything... your daughter... me..."

"H-hello, W-what are you saying? W-Would you mind telling me your name?" The girl looked terrified when the boy turned around. "T-Tim... W-Why are you here?"

"... you abandoned her... you abandoned me... Despite this, you refer to yourself as... mother?" Tim's voice echoed, and when Ayuka tried to approach him, his body vanished.

"... a mother who failed to remember... her..." Tim was standing a few steps away, turning away, when the girl noticed him. "Who did I forget? What exactly do you mean?! I recognize you!"

"You didn't have... any sentiments for us, I say... You made a promise to her..."

"H-Huh? P-Please could you just explain it to me? Tim, I urge you..." Ayuka took a step closer, but Tim vanished and they exchanged distance.

"...and I believed... you loved her... since you were the one who gave birth to her. So, why is that... Why should she be left in the dust? Why should I be left in the dust?"

"W-What...? I-I'm not sure what you're talking about..."

"... come closer..." Tim said, prompting the girl to begin walking toward him.

"... a little closer..."

"... and... a little bit closer..."

"... go after what you're due..."

"... come on... I'm confident I'll be able to give you a second opportunity..."

"... just... get... a little... closer...

Ayuka appeared behind Tim a few moments later, hearing echoed chuckles.

"... you fool... there's just one thing you've earned..." Hearing Tim say words made the girl anxious. "...look at what you have done to me... you deserve... nobody..." Tim's head shook as he turned around, startling Ayuka.

"... it's all your fault... it's all your fault for forgetting..." His bones were beginning to shatter, and his eyes were fully demonic, and he grabbed her arm.

"T-Tim... Y-You're making me nervous... W-What are you up to? P-Please, s-stop..."

"... yet now you're living in hell!" When Tim's corpse exploded in blood, Ayuka's eyes widened in terror and she shouted as she abruptly lifted her torso off the bed.

Sweat dripped from her brow, dripped down her neck and breast, and soaked the blanket.

Despite this, she was sticky and hot in her black tank top.

She took a deep breath and grabbed her forehead. "Another nightmare..." She sat back in the bed, her right arm resting on her forehead, and looked out the window, where the moon continued to shine brightly.

- Spiritual Realm (Zero Dimension/World), Tuesday, 10:20 pm -

When Tim knelt and inserted a penny, the machine dispensed an energy drink for him to sip.

"... I'm so delighted... yay... hoo... I've been missing classes merely because of this silly incident... is missing classes like your motto or something, cuz' when we return, we're going to get our asses attached to the detention..." Alpha sighed, irritated and enraged.

"Is a poor alpha lady losing her self-assurance? Let me spoil you with a kitten supper!" Alpha became further agitated after Codey provoked her.

"If that's what you want me to do, let me beat your ass!"

"Thank you, but no... I've already lost to that jerk..." When placing himself to the side, Codey cast an unimpressed glare at Codey. "...as if I didn't already know..." Alpha snatched her bottle and leaned against the table with her legs crossed.

"Stop flaunting your legs' silky flawless skin! Nobody gives a damn!" Alpha sighed as Codey yelled. "Does he ever stop talking...?" Tim, who had sat up next to Saraki, caught her eye.

"... until you've built him up... no, till you've forced him to stop..."

"Oh, I see..." Alpha snapped her fingers, and both of her swords rushed out in front of Codey, ejecting two of the spirits. When Codey saw both spirits in front of him, he said, "What the f-?"

"Lia, Aia, take care of him."

"You betcha!" Codey shrieked like a baby, and both of the girls jumped at him.

"... Hm... I think I have a better understanding of what happened now..." Standing near Alpha's sofa, Alexis asserted. "I still don't give a damn... These people have just arrived from another universe to wreak havoc on our city, and now we have to deal with them..." Our heroes were soon told that they were from the 'Multiverse 1', while the Spiritual Realm may be counted as the 'Multiverse 3', sighed Alpha, who was from the 'Multiverse 2'.

"For God's sake, how many Multiverses are there?" Alpha was puzzled and irritated.

"Well, it appears that 'Multiverse 1' is still functioning normally and that there was no serious disruption... We know that 'Multiverse 1' was not demolished, nor was its largest city, Yashikami, in the 'Multiverse' that we are in... Spiritual Realm - Multiverse 3."

"We can't send you back to 'Multiverse 1' since the Wormhole you came through connects to 'Multiverse 2' and 'Multiverse 3'... As a result, you can only travel across the 'Multiverse 2 and 3'."

"You're giving us a 'Multiverse' pick... Why hadn't someone told us about it earlier?" Tim took a sip of the drink and continued to listen.

"We never imagined you'd come across something like this. That is the reason..." Alexis had most of the information in her head. "However, you still haven't told me how many 'Multiverses' there are..."

"I'm not sure... We only know about three, but there are rumors that there are more than five..."

"I just hope we don't have to go through all five Multiverses, or the author of this book will end up with broken fingers after writing five more novels..." With a groan, Tim asserted.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but let me go back to my point..."

"We might have a shot if Codey can hold the Reality Jewel without being killed or damaged. There's still hope if he can figure out how to traverse through 'Multiverses.' For the time being, all he can do is go over small distances..."

"And don't forget... He has no idea how the hell he's going to govern them..." Before Tim could finish his sentence, Codey yelled from behind him. "You're a jerk!"

"We'll have to look for some solutions... This 'Time Breaker' may not have messed with the 'Time Line' much, but it did switch people between Multiverses."

"How about the folks who died as a result of the rumors?"

"Then I'm not sure," she said, "but we'll figure something out." Alexis came to a conclusion of her remarks.

"So, based on this, this 'Multiverse' was unaffected because it exists in a whole other Dimension or Zone?" Saraki was perplexed, and Alexis confirmed his suspicions.

"But wouldn't it suggest that 'Multiverse 1 & 2' are in the same Dimension, separated by only a few stars?" Tim pondered as he observed the others.

"Yes... That's right... 'Multiverse 1 & 2' are the closest together, implying that the flare you saw in the Black Storm never made it to other 'Multiverses' or 'Universes' that were further away... Consider the planets; Mercury and Neptune are the furthest apart, so they would barely have any relationship... The universes in which we live are in the same sequence..."

"And if it's true that one 'Multiverse' is separated from the others by equal distances as the Planets, then we have an answer: 'Multiverse' 1 is the Earth, whereas 'Multiverse 3' is officially Jupiter."

"... So it explains why the Spiritual Realm is so large in comparison to Earth..." Tim grumbled as he yawned from boredom. "Wait, but how do we count Mercury and Venus if Earth is in 'Multiverse 1?'"

"They could be classified as 'Universes'... 'Universes 1 & 2' in particular, whereas 'Multiverse 1, 2 & 3' remain in a row..."

"So, if each planet has its own 'Universe or Multiverse,' that implies there are '2 Universes' and '6 Multiverses' in all..." Saraki went on to say. "You're right, and the 'Holy Arches' are the 'Multiverse 4,' which means you're in the same place as Saturn..."

"So, there are two more 'Multiverses,' correct?" Everyone seemed a little enthralled. "Yes, that is right... But no one is aware of those two..."

"Are Hell and Abyss then referred to as 'Universe 1 & 2'?" Alpha was perplexed, and she was concerned. "There's a chance... But, in my opinion, both of these are part of the same 'Universe' as the Sun."

"This is perplexing..." Tim sipped his drink once more.

"But wait... Codey..." Lia and Aia, the two Spirits, took a step to the side, finally releasing him. "Have you tried mixing your Spiritual Symbolism with that Reality Jewel? We might get lucky and obtain someone on our side who can govern Reality."

Codey was hit in the head with a hammer, and dots began to scrawl over his head. "I mean... I didn't try it, but since we've already decided I'll be the one to test it, I'll give it a chance."

Tim grinned and hoped fervently. "But first, let's talk about what we're going to do. I believe you two should be subjected to some training... Don't you agree?"

While Alexis laughed, Codey and Tim were both nervous. "Because Genpaku was attracted to Ayuka and had his guard down, you were able to save these three girls. Things would have turned out differently if he had been more focused."

Tim reclined back in his chair after agreeing that this would be the situation. "And here I thought I was finished with this training... are we going to be the only two, or will someone else join us?" Tim wondered as he automatically bit into his own hand.

As he felt perplexed, the blood continued to drip down his hand. "What in the world was that for?" Codey inquired, his gaze falling on Tim.

"I'm not sure why I did it... But at the least, it indicates that my body is deteriorating due to a lack of durability training... I've been concentrating on other projects, but not on durability..."

"Sometimes you do the strangest things that no one expects, you know?" Tim, on the other hand, was unimpressed.

"Don't be concerned... You won't be on your own... Saraki has been slacking as well, so he'll come along with you. But don't get too worked up about it; he's a softie." Alexis laughed.

"... many thanks for nothing..." Saraki sighed, unimpressed, and took a step back to get his own drink.

"So, for the time being, I'll give you a free day... We'll get started the next day. So, be ready." And, of course, they all felt perfectly normal. "Oh, and Alpha... You, too,"

Alpha paused in front of the bedroom, sweat streaming down her brow before she could slip into the room. "... I never consented..." Silently, she asserted.

"It makes no difference. You WILL pay attention to what I say. You don't want to irritate me at this point, do you?" Alexis had a frightened expression on her face. "... all right..."

"I'll go check on Ayuka!" Nina grinned as she ascended the stairwell.

- Spiritual Realm (Zero Dimension/World), Tuesday, 10:23 pm -

Nina banged on the door, pleading for Ayuka to come in. "Is it okay if I come in, Ayuka? O-Of course, if you're not too busy!"

Ayuka took a breath and then reached for her hoodie. "... sure ...". Nina walked into the room and immediately noticed Ayuka, who had her clothes sweaty on the bed's edge.

"Wah! I had no idea you were getting dressed! You should've said you're getting dressed, and I'd return when you're ready!" Nina groped for the doorknob until Ayuka stopped her.

"... just relax... after all, we're both girls..." Ayuka changed into her T-shirt and then into her pants. "S-Still..."

"...besides, who cares at this point... everything that happens to me involves some form of perverse nonsense... So I don't give a damn..."

She zipped up her hoodie and put it on. "What exactly are you looking for?" Ayuka shifted her weight and reached for her Zero Watch. "I-I was just checking in on you to see if you were all right..."

"... I'm fine... couldn't ask for anything more..."

"W-Wait... W-Why are you bandaged all around your chest?"

"... you're making yourself appear stupid... in case you forgot, the 'Hoaxer' guy stamped on them and pushed me to the ground..."

"Is it really so harmful to you? R-Really?"

"... If it wasn't for anything bad, I wouldn't pass out... The explosives he placed around me, as well as the strike to my stomach and face, weren't all that bad... But when you add it all up and then have a sole crushed on your breasts, it's not exactly pleasant..."

"... Ah, I see... Anyway, I'm glad to hear you're doing well... But where do you intend to go?"

"... you have a tendency to ask too many questions..." Ayuka rose up after closing her eyes. "... I can't even get dressed for the day..."

"B-But, I thought Tim told you to take it easy! You're not in the right frame of mind to interact!"

"... easier said than done... lying in bed all day doing nothing... I bet it's fun..." Nina was concerned about Ayuka's health and the way she was acting.

"... please accept my apologies... I'll leave you alone..." Nina exited the room, leaving Ayuka in her wake.

"... I'm sorry, but you don't get it... sorry, but that's true..." Ayuka's words were soothing, and she eventually left the room.

To be continued...