26 - |

"Interesting touch with the self-assassination," Adonai remarked, sliding a glass across the bar. "I don't remember that being in the plan."

Kokabiel shrugged, picking up the pint of ale. "I saw an opportunity to improve the plan and took it. It added a… personal touch to the ordeal."

I laughed, my voice the sound of tinkling bells. "Well you certainly sold the 'evil emperor slain by righteous hero' routine nicely. Sera wanted to know if you were available to play Lelouch at a cosplay convention."

He smirked, taking a drink from his glass. "That somehow doesn't surprise me. That girl sure loves her anime." He sent a pointed look my direction. "And why isn't she trying to convince you to go to her conventions? You're practically the dictionary definition of a loli."

I shrugged. "I'm too old to be running around in skintight costumes preaching of love and justice.

He glanced at me. "…How old are you, anyway?"

I hummed for a moment, calculating. "Forty-five? Yes, definitely somewhere close to forty-five. I lost track of a few hundred years, though, so the count might be off."

The Fallen raised an eyebrow. "How exactly does one 'lose track of a few hundred years'? I remember every year of my life."

I sighed, picking up a brownie from a nearby platter. My female form loved sweets more than my male form ever did. "Well, see, I fell out of reality for a while… wandered the Outer Gates… talked to a few Elder Gods… visited the Root…" I shrugged, popping the brownie in my mouth. "Time doesn't exist in a non-dimensional anomaly, so I simultaneously aged and regressed to the infinite degree."

He paused, looking incredulous. "Are you serious?"

I nodded. "Yep. I have the actual memories of the events locked up, though. Trying to recall non-dimensional phenomena while within a dimensional form is bad for your health."

Adonai sighed. "Well, at least non-dimensional spaces don't allow you do die, so you survived."

Kokabiel looked back and forth between us. "…Good Lord, there's two of you."

I giggled, giving Adonai a fist bump. "Just wait til' you see what we have planned for our peace movements."

"I shudder to imagine," he said drily, draining his glass and rising to his feet. "As it is, I'm afraid I have one last thing to do before you do your 'procedure.'" He paused. "This procedure has been tested, yes?"

I shrugged. "Well, only on Homonculi."

He blinked. "Oh, so that's what those Homonculi are doing in the Tree."

I nodded. "We figured that the Tree would be the best place for a center of operations. All three Factions have access to it, but none of them can enter or exit. Once you're in, you're in, and once you're out, you're out. No room for spies or double agents." I gave him an emphatic look. I didn't feel the need to finish the thought.

He laughed softly, turning and walking away. "I'll be looking forward to my induction, then."

I smiled, watching the Fallen walk away.

"This isn't funny!" Rias shouted at me. "For the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels to infiltrate my territory and interfere with my business…" She growled softly, glancing at an amused Issei. "On top of that, to make advances towards my dear Issei…" She closed her eyes, the Power of Destruction rising around her and making her hair flutter. "He deserves to die a thousand times over!"

We were sitting in the Occult Research Clubroom, with Gaspar loudly snoring and Kiba polishing his blade. I sat in a recliner I had 'brought from home' (read: created on the spot) with Shirone curled into my chest and purring softly. I stroked her soft ears, fighting back laughter as Rias raged. "I-I don't think Azazel was propositioning your boyfriend, cousin. He's into chicks," I finally managed, wiping a tear from my eye.

Rias flushed, magic petering out. "W-what? No! I meant that he was trying to recruit him!"

Issei smirked. "Oh, don't worry Rias. The big scary Fallen isn't going to take me away from you. He's a bit too lacking in the T+A department for that to happen."

She huffed in irritation. "Be quiet you. I'm still wondering why my new )Knight( seems so intent on merging with your side."

Issei raised an eyebrow, glancing down at the chestnut-haired former nun. "Um… actually, I was wondering the same thing."

Irina blinked, glancing down at where her arms pulled her tight against her boyfriend. "O-oh," she murmured. "U-um, sorry." We all waited a few seconds, but she didn't move. She just blushed brighter, burying her face in Issei's side. "Oh, Lord, forgive your sinful—ow!"

'…Right. I forgot about that.' I sighed, opening the Link. {Hey, Sera, you awake?}

{Yeah, just cuddling with Asia. Her feathers are really soft, you know.}

I rolled my eyes. {Sure. Feathers. That's what you're feeling.} Asia's spike of embarrassment only confirmed my suspicions. {Well, that's not what matters right now. Do you think you could talk to Irina? She hasn't let go of Issei for more than ten seconds since Rias changed her. I think she might be indulging a Sin.}

She hummed thoughtfully. {All right, I'll try to see what's going on later. But for now, I'm snuggling Asia.}

My lips twitched. {Indeed, Asia cuddles are the highest priority. I'll leave you to your 'feathers'.}

I tuned back into the conversation as Issei was finishing a sentence. "…think that's normal."

"It's not," Rias agreed drily. "Not even the clingiest Greeds hold on that tightly."

I chuckled, drawing attention to myself once more. "Have you seen Shirone? At least Irina isn't trying to stab anyone who comes close to you."

Shirone nuzzled closer to my chest, her purring increasing in volume. Issei coughed to hide his laughter, and Rias began to rub her temples.

"Anyway, I asked Sera to talk to her later if she needs it," I continued, adjusting my hold on my Nekoshou. "And I doubt Issei is complaining much, what with all that cushion."

Issei smirked, and Irina flushed. "Last night was the most incredible sleeping experience I've ever had."

I rolled my eyes. "Congratulations, you had two pairs of tits against you last night. That's nice. Riser hasn't been seen for weeks."

Issei's smirk turned pained. "Dude, don't go there. I'm still dating my girls, he's been practically married to his for years. If it weren't for Rias, he would've—"

Rias cleared her throat loudly, face flushed. "My love life aside, we have larger concerns."

Valerie spoke up for the first time, setting aside a platter of cookies. "Buchou, is it true that there will be a meeting of leaders here in Kuoh?"

Rias nodded once, her blush fading as she returned to her usual professionalism. "Yes, I received information about it earlier today. All the leaders will be meeting to discuss what's happening in the future."

Issei raised an eyebrow. "Really? Now? That seems rather sudden."

I sighed leaning forward. "Actually, it's really not. All three Faction leaders have been looking to declare peace for over a decade, now. They just couldn't suggest it in case they were the only ones desiring such. The instant a single Faction decided to set down their arms in hope of a peaceful resolution, the whole rest of the Moonlit world would turn on them."

"This incident with the Other was exactly what they needed to declare a meeting, then?" Akeno mused.

I nodded. "Precisely. If they meet under the pretense of an outside threat, then they can use that as an excuse to begin peace talks."

Rias sighed. "But if the heads of the Three Factions meet here, then the situation will become even more complicated." She shook her head, rubbing her eyes. "I wonder what's going on?"

Issei raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"With Azazel, I mean." She clarified.

He sighed, glancing at his hands. "Well, he might be after the Boosted Gear, what with my version being a Subspecies and all."

Rias smiled, walking forward. "It's all right, Ise." She pulled him close, his head landing squarely between her breasts. "I will definitely protect you."

Issei grinned widely, enjoying the embrace, but Irina's eyes flickered red for a moment as she gritted her teeth and clung tighter.

{She's an Envy.} I realized. {Sera, are you seeing this?}

{Hm? Oh, yes. Sorry, I was just… um… cuddling.}

{Of course you were. Cuddles straight out of a porno. You know I don't mind as long as she agrees to it. Now, do you think you can help Irina?}

{Yep, no problemo~!} She cheered. There was a pause as she considered the problem more seriously. {The three most common Sins among Devils are Lust, Greed and Pride, but I know enough Envies to remember the tricks they use to manage their Sin.}

{Envy is more common amongst Dragons.} Ruby offered, joining the conversation. {I could help if you need me to.}

I gave the mental equivalent of a shrug. {Sure, works for me.}

Rias sighed, releasing Issei from his hug. "Well, that's a problem for another day. For now, we have other duties."

I blinked. 'I don't remember this part being in the show.'

Issei nodded, oblivious to Irina's death glare. "Right. We have to clean the pool today."

Valerie poked Gaspar awake, and he sat up, grumbling. "All right, who needs to get shot?" he asked, yawning.

Rias frowned. "No one, and you shouldn't have been sleeping during a meeting."

The Dhampir rolled his eyes. "Yes, mooom. What did you do, look for ghosties?"

Valerie glared at him. "Not the time, Gaspar."

He sighed. "Yes, dear." He turned back to Rias. "So what'd I miss?"

"We're cleaning the pool today," she reminded him.

He groaned, going through the motions of falling back asleep again. "Work. Right. I'm going to have to take a rain check—"

"Swimsuits!" Issei called out cheerfully.

"—on missing out on this wonderful opportunity to show goodwill to our friends in the Student Council." Gaspar finished smoothly, shooting to his feet. "When and where?"

Rias rolled her eyes. "Today, after school."

I smiled to myself. {Hey, girls, want to go swimming today?}

There was a resounding chorus of agreement, and I spoke up. "We can help if you want. Sera's really good at water magic, and Shirone can purify any liquid almost instantly."

Rias blinked. "…I guess I wouldn't mind. The more hands working, the faster it'll go."

I grinned. "Well, then. I'll see you after school."

"I can't believe that you wore the school swimsuit instead of the bikini I got you," Sera complained.

Asia flushed. "S-Sera-chan, t-that bikini…"

Gil sighed, pulling on her shirt. "I can't believe you'd ask her to wear something that shows so much skin. I'm fine with you molesting Asia in private, since she doesn't seem to mind all that much, but I wouldn't have let her wear that over her breasts."

I finished drying my hair, setting aside the towel and reaching for my shirt. "I don't know; Asia looked shy and sexy enough in the tight spandex to give Issei a serious nosebleed."

Asia's cheeks brightened. "C-Cas!" she squeaked. "Don't encourage them!"

I smiled, rising and walking over to where she was drying herself off. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close as she curled into me. "Why not? You are my precious Asia, and you're adorable enough to melt anyone's heart."

Asia's face broke into a bright smile as her blush faded. "Cas…" she murmured bashfully.

I kissed her on the forehead, running my hand through her hair. Ruby and Sera continued to squabble, but there was no real venom in their fight, so I let it alone.

"S-say it again," Asia demanded, eyes glowing softly as they stared directly at me.

I raised an eyebrow, turning my attention back to her. "Say what?"

"T-that I'm yours," she stammered, cheeks flushing once more.

I smiled at her, picking her up and setting her on my lap. I wrapped my arms protectively around her, and pressed my lips to her ear. "You are my Asia. Mine all mine. You belong to me, and I will never let you go," I murmured, enjoying her shivers of delight.

"C-Cas…" she sighed, relaxing into my arms. "I love you."

"I love you too," I replied, smiling. "But you may want to finish drying off before you get my shirt too wet."

Sera blinked, tuning into our conversation as a disturbing smile crossed her face. "Millicas-sama in a wet t-shirt…"

Gil sighed, fastening her skirt and folding her towel. "I don't see what that has anything to do with this conversation."

Sera giggled. "Oh, please. Millicas-sama without a shirt is sexy enough, but with only a wet shirt, his muscles clearly defined as he wipes the water off his face…"

Gil stumbled, almost dropping her bag. "S-Sera!" she squeaked, mortified. "Not here!"

"…The thin fabric of the shirt tantalizingly hiding the best parts, while emphasizing everything else…" Sera continued, eyes glazing over. "All those huge muscles, bunching and shifting as he swims…"

"A-hem." A familiar voice cleared her throat. I turned to see Rias toweling off her hair with a heavily flushed face. "I do not need that mental image of my nephew, thank you very much." She growled, turning away.

Akeno poked her head out from behind another line of lockers, giggling creepily. "Ufufufufu… I don't know, Rias… it seems like something I'd definitely want to see."

Sera huffed. "I was teasing Gil, not writing smut. There's a difference. Get your own damn boyfriend."

"Not that much of a difference," Gil grumbled, face still bright red.

I sighed, focusing on the feeling of Asia cuddles. My adorable girlfriend was snuggling into me without seeming to realize it, watching the banter with a small smile. I simply tightened my grip, allowing her to snuggle even closer.

"When we finally start having sex, Asia is going to wear that bikini," Sera decided, tying the ribbon of her twintails. "She's sexy enough as it is with that innocent school swimsuit, so something designed for sex appeal will probably be so sexy it's illegal in four continents."

Shirone smirked, finishing drying her long silver hair. "I'm more surprised that you didn't jump Ruby or me. We're wearing practically nothing, and we're curvy enough to rival Rias." She shot her girlfriend a look. "Even if one of them is wearing something meant for shy girls."

Ruby coughed, glancing at her red one-piece swimsuit. "I wanted my first time to be more comfortable. Bikinis aren't really more than pieces of string, and I wanted more support. Besides, there's enough skin showing to give you a nosebleed."

Shirone shrugged. "I'm still going to force you in that little red number I bought you sometime. That body is meant to be shown off, not covered."

I finally released my hold on my cuddly Angel, kissing her on the forehead and setting her aside. She squeaked, suddenly realizing the position she had been in for the past five minutes. "O-oh! U-um, sorry…"

I shook my head, walking over to Ruby and helping her fasten her bra. "It's fine, Asia. I had no problem with it. Just get dressed so we can get home."

"I'll help you!" Sera offered, by Asia's side in a heartbeat.

Asia sweatdropped. "Erm… I'm fine, thanks. You'd be more focused on taking things off than putting them on."

Sera nodded shamelessly. "But I'll make sure you have lots of fun."

The poor Angel's face turned bright red as a memory flickered through the Link.

An image of Sera with a sexy smirk, leaning over and whispering in her ear…

"S-stop!" Asia squeaked, trying to pull away from her girlfriend's probing fingers. "I-it feels weird!"

…Sera giggled, eyes slightly clouded with Lust. "Don't worry, my Asia. You'll enjoy every second…

I felt a smirk creep over my face. "Um, Sera, I don't think Asia agreed to that touc—"

Issei's shout rang out, and I immediately tensed. 'Nothing should've been here; this is the break between events. So what—' I calmed slightly, remembering that Issei was a drama queen when it came to tits. He probably just saw one of his girlfriends' tops fall off or something. I focused my hearing, and sure enough…

"—mn it, Irina!" Rias shouted. "I leave you alone for ten seconds, and you're already trying to seduce Issei!"

I grinned. "Sounds like Issei's learning the joys of harem life."

"Remember when we were like that?" Ruby asked, giggling. "Shirone kept getting frustrated whenever we stopped her from getting her time with him, and whenever Gil—"

"That never happened!" Gil snapped, flushing. "Just put on your damn clothes and let's go."

I chuckled, shaking my head and smiling fondly.

These girls…

"I'll be back in a bit: my wayward student may need some help escaping his girlfriends."

Gil snorted, pulling her hair back in a ponytail so it wouldn't get wet again. "Oh, count on it. The pervert probably already stole their panties off their asses."

'I will never admit that I was the one who taught him that trick. I will take it to the grave if I must, but I like my balls too much to risk them being crushed by an irate tsundere,' I thought grimly. 'Even if I could heal them back, it'd still hurt like hell.'

I turned, giving Ruby a quick peck on the cheek before walking out the door. I followed the sound of angry shouting until I found myself in a small side-room. Issei was looking vaguely uncomfortable as Irina, dressed in a white one-piece, straddled him while arguing loudly with Rias.

"I had him first!" Rias shouted, face red. "Keep your damn hands off him!"

Irina huffed, crossing her arms and puffing out her cheeks. "I was planning our wedding when we were five!" she countered.

Rias twitched, power swirling around her. I cleared my throat. "Ahem."

Both girls ignored me, and Issei winced. I gathered my power, smiling sweetly, and promptly slammed my aura down throughout the room. Everyone but Issei collapsed, choking, as their lungs suddenly lost the ability to draw in oxygen. I waited a few seconds, then lightened the pressure. "Are we ready to talk, now?" I asked politely, still smiling.

Both girls nodded rapidly. My smile turned genuine. "Well, good. I think you two should go talk to Sera, then. Irina still doesn't know what Sins are, and both of you are treading on each others' clearly defined territory. I'm afraid I can't be the final officiator here, though, seeing as your situation is completely different from mine, so you're going to have to work things out with your boyfriend."

Both girls growled at me, still clutching onto poor Issei. I smiled fondly. 'Ah, the memories…'

I gestured towards the door. "Well? Sera's this way. And until you can solve your issues, that poor clone is stuck pretending to be Issei."

The clone sighed, shooting me a look. "Thanks, Sensei," he drawled.

I shrugged. "Hey, you want the harem, you deal with the baggage. You can't just run away when your girls start fighting, since they're usually fighting about you in some form."

He glared at me for a minute. "I'm going, now."

The clone dissolved, causing Irina lose her balance and stumble slightly with a confused expression as her support vanished. I sighed, turning and walking out the door. "Come on, you two…"

All right. What the fuck?

Issei grinned, a faraway look in his eye. "I'm telling you, man. Your dad is fucking awesome. He made me realize the true potential of my Gear."

I groaned, rubbing my eyes. "Look, I know you can )Boost( whatever you lay your hands on, but it doesn't work on tits. Right, Ruby?"

Silence.

I turned, only to see Ruby with a wide smile on her face. "Ruby?"

"I think I've found my calling in life," she remarked dreamily. "I'll have to talk Asia into helping me…"

I sighed. 'I am surrounded by perverts.' "It might make tits feel fake for all you know." I pointed out. "And why are you always picking on Asia, anyway?"

Ruby blinked, zoning in. "Hmm? What was that?"

"Why are you always picking on Asia?" I repeated. "Every time you girls have a crazy idea, you use Asia as a model."

She smirked. "Oh, you haven't realized yet?"

I raised an eyebrow. "No, please, enlighten me."

"She likes it," Ruby explained, still smirking. "She likes it when we do things to her. Mostly because more often than not she ends up enjoying them." She winked, dropping her voice to a whisper. "That BDSM collar isn't just for show, you know~!"

My lips twitched, and I mentally filed the new piece of information under 'odd fetishes.' A small but growing list, and one that I generally left alone.

"So." I decided to change the subject. "Did you figure out the problem?"

Issei blinked, taken aback by the non-sequitur. "Uh, right. Yeah. I decided to start a schedule, so they aren't just forced together all the time. I'm planning on gradually changing it as time goes on, until they're used to each other enough that they don't fight every time one of them wants to show affection."

I held back a snort. 'Show affection' indeed. "Probably for the best. I don't think you're going to figure out how to use a Soul-Bond anytime soon, so this is your best bet."

He nodded, glancing back at the rest of my girls. "By the way… you do know that today is open house, right?"

I grimaced. "Her idea, not mine."

"A pink magical girl uniform?" he asked incredulously, turning back to me. "Souna's gonna pitch a fit!"

I snorted. "That's half the point. I made her promise to take it off before school started." I glanced at the happily skipping magical girl and sighed. "She seems to love it, so I didn't stop her. She has a Requip gem storing her actual uniform, but she has to parade around the school in that first."

"I heard that!" Sera called, puffing out her cheeks. "Magical Girl Milky-tan is a wonderful role model, and being a Magical Girl is a noble, long-standing profession that has lasted since the dawn of time!"

I blinked. "…I think you're talking about magicians, not Magical Girls. That term didn't exist until the late 1900's, even by your own definition."

She huffed, crossing her arms beneath her impressive bust. "Spoilsport."

"Besides…" I continued, ignoring her pout and giving Issei a grin. "…According to Puella Magi Madoka Magica, being a Magical Girl is tantamount to becoming a career soldier. There's no pay, no reward, and no time off. Sounds like a terrible job to me."

It was a testament to her self-control that a full five seconds passed before I was tackled by an irate Magical Girl. The cushioning helped, but then I had to worry about suffocation. Issei burst into laughter, further drawing stares to the odd sight of me being pinned by a girl much shorter than me.

And so began the day of Open House.

I hid my grimace, waving farewell to my father and grandfather. If Canon remained compliant, they were leaving to go drinking at Issei's house. Issei, being the paranoid bastard I had trained him to be, had a metric fuckton of wards around his house, invisible to all but him. Thus, I felt reasonably safe leaving them to their own devices while I worked on my nonexistent homework.

Or, better yet, my current problem of holy fuck the Factions meeting is two days away.

Two days to transform Kokabiel, hammer out the last kinks in the 'special project' that Ajuka and I had designed for the Fallen, ready the Homonculi, figure out how to get The Red Man and Millicas to appear in the same room, dodge the hell out of whatever ripples I caused, and find 'gifts' for the other two Faction Leaders so I wasn't showing favoritism by giving one to Azazel.

Fuck my life.

I mean, seriously, what did you even get someone like Michael, anyway? I couldn't give him the Tree, that was going to be the 'symbol of peace' or whatever. And what could I give my father that wouldn't seem too personal? It would be super awkward if he thought Red was coming onto him, and I couldn't think of anything he would need that I could give without seeming creepy.

I sighed. This was getting nowhere, and I was no closer to figuring anything out. Time to do something different. {Hey, girls, I'm going to take a walk to clear my mind.}

{Where to?} Sera asked curiously.

I shrugged. {Wherever, really.}

{It's something he does when he needs to think.} Ruby explained.

{All right, then.} Sera chirped, returning to reality.

{Stay safe.} Ruby warned.

{Get back before dinner!} Asia agreed. {And make sure to avoid any emus.}

{Will do.} I waited a few more seconds, then closed the Link.

Five steps later, I was hopelessly Lost somewhere with a large water tower.

I began walking, wandering from biome to biome as I lost myself in my thoughts. I had several issues I hadn't considered until now, not the least of which was how my meddling might've changed the timeline. But for now, there was a more pressing problem.

My 'identity crisis,' as it were.

Millicas Gremory and The Red Man had to show up at the same time, which was more trouble than one would think. The problem with both my shadow clones and the flesh clones that I taught Kokabiel to make was that they mimicked the original perfectly—right down to the magic signature. I'd always avoided situations like this before, since having Red and Millicas in the same room would make it ridiculously easy to blow the sham out of the water. I was a bit safer due to 'Mira' having a slightly different signature, but it was still close enough to raise a few eyebrows.

This left me with two options.

First, I could don a magical suppressor, much like the one I gave to Issei. But while it would allow me to avoid detection, it would also prevent me from using magic. And for someone like The Red Man, who famously relied on magic for everything? That would be a red flag for sure.

Second, I could try to route my magic through a focus of some sort, which would make my signature almost impossible to recognize. I was a focusless mage, so my mana was relatively untainted, but I still had a tremendous mass of energy sitting in my gut. The reason I tended to use disposable gems in lieu of a permanent staff or something to that effect was because the focus I used would have to be incredibly sturdy and resistant to the natural 'warping' effect I had.

Honestly speaking, the second option was more appealing to me, but it took significantly more work. I couldn't use any existing focus, because a blade of Gil's or even a high-level stave would both be too limiting in what I could channel and too fragile should my impeccable control slip even slightly.

That left making a focus myself. But what kind? Metallic foci might tend to be more powerful, but they were too resistant to change. Gems, while they did hold a lot of mana, would be too recognizable. I couldn't have it too small or too close to my body in case it exploded, and it couldn't be something too subtle or someone would think I was hiding something up my sleeve. That left organic foci and engraved foci. For someone of my power, I'd likely need a hybrid of the two.

All I needed now was an organic base capable of both channeling the raw power I wielded and bearing the strain that Runes would cause. Far easier said than done.

The first thing would be to find the appropriate material for the body. Everyone was suited toward a different type of material, from wood to bone to dead skin. It could be pretty much anything, as long as it was once alive. The next step was to find an object that had the unique properties that make a good magical focus. There were a lot of variables, but it boiled down to three things. The age of the material in question, the metaphysical significance, and the attunement to elemental forces.

As one might imagine, finding a material that had all the right qualities was difficult, but it was also possible to artificially imbue the material with the qualities that were required to make a focus. Depending on the quality of materials used and the complexity of one's magic, it could take from a week to several decades to properly treat the material, and that was merely attuning it to the types of energy that one wanted to use with it. With the sheer complexity of my signature was, I'd be waiting a very long time for any workable focus. And time was one thing I didn't have.

That left the more difficult method. Finding something old and powerful enough to contain my power while still managing to channel it effectively. And when I didn't even know how to start looking? It was like looking for a needle hidden somewhere in a desert. And for someone like me, who'd get lost before even finding the desert?

I grimaced, deciding to try something I hadn't done in a very long time.

'What was it that I named this technique? Inquiry? Well, whatever.'

I forced my mind to unlock the chains I had placed on the memories of Beyond, and I was once more floating between galaxies. Infinite emptiness surrounded me, with only a few sparse stars to light the blackness.

.

.̮͎̖̪̓͑̍͠.͎͉͎̏͛͌̂͛̾͆͟.̥͔͎͔͖̂̾ͅw̲̙̰̬̐ͦͦ͑ͮͣ͋h̲͇͋͆̊ͥ̐͢ãͫ̽t͇͗̽ ̸̙͛̏͋́̾ä͇̲́̒̀ͅrͤ̓̄҉̬̱͉̭̺̰ẹ̴̬͖̠̞̱͔͒͐ ̛̱͚̪͐y̬͇̟̬͚͕͈͛͂͆͗̂͒o͕̭̻̪͔͈͐̇ͬ͆͡u͕͈̪ͫ̃͗̐̊͑ ̠̩̱̯͉̭̮ͩd̺ͥo̦̰ͤͨ̔͗ͭ̊i̭̠̣̜͐̈́̈n͉ͮ̾̑ͦg̳̫̝̟̖̬ͬͅ ̭̞̩̠̬̖͢h̘̳̘̖̠͝éŕ̥ͤ̒̀̄e̴̟͕͙̤͚̩ͯ̒̈́ͭ̉ͅ?ͬ̾̈́̅̀̚

.

The voices were only the softest of whispers, but they were what I sought

..

T͓̖̙̫̫͂͛́ḫ̛͎̘͍͉̬͎̈́͑͛̃i̮̬̼̣s̳͇̀̅͊ͥͬ ̱̾͌͞p̸̘̝ͦ̑́̀̒l̗͇̩̭̭̞̳ͤ͛͂̊ả̵̺̦͎̱͚͐ͩͤͨ̍c̠͕͈̏͑̄̐ͤ̃͞ė̲̮̼̔ͮ̚ͅ ̛͉͕̯̑i̟̓̊̏ͧ̓̔s̛̱̥̦̫̔̄̆ͥͧ̀̉ ͇̼̠̣͔̬̈́̔̿͐̿ͥn͍͍͍̱̆ͫͬͫ̉̌̇o̹̬̾̎͞t̻̐̏ͩ̆̍͜ ̟̠̰̤̘̾̾́f̍͂ͯ͛ͩ͂ͫo̲ͯ̌̈́̈͊̀r͎̻͈͓͕̰̎̔ͪ̈ͣ͂ ̹̺̣̝̅̅̀m̭̳̎̍ǫ͉̯̩̠͙̀̈́̂̍̌͆ṛ̠̳͓̑̇͋ͩ̚t̒͑̎̒aͣ̔͛͏͇̭l̰̟̥͖̽̀ ̷ͬ͗ͪ͋ͭm̤̟͕͂̈̒͆̌̿ͣͅi̠͍ň̷̖͛̃̃̃d̼̗̗̠ͪ͊̋ͭ̇s̸̹̜̲̳͚ͮ͗̔ͪ.̜̭̙̂̈́ͬ̐̚

.

F̳̹ͤ̌̐̓ͅõ͍̝͌̾̿̆̃r͖̫̱̝̅̍ͭ͐̄ͦ̇ ͎̪͠t̜̩͚̩̮͚̖̂ͤ͑ͯ̋ͨ̚h̶̲͋ͪͫ̐i̳̅͂ͥs̫̱̝ͥͤ͘ ̻̲̝͉̤͖̲r̲͕͕̤̒͠e͖̠̞̱̺̤ͧ̔͢ȁ͍͍̬̰͊͆͆̒ͦ́s̮̏ͦͩ̈́o̡͎̣͍̱n͍̝̱̤̑ͪͣͥ͟ͅ ̜̲̳͔̈́̽͗ͅa͔͚̠̰l̥̝̪̭̖̮͑͟o̸̹͎ͥn̪̣͚͕̙͚͍ͧ̑̈̽̎̄̅e͓̬̰͍ͩͤ̃͐̅́ ̽͗y̭̫͖͓͙͙̟͛͌o̮̬̍ͬȕ̟̺͎̲̼̙͉̿̂ ̿ͯ͊͐̾w̷ͥ̓ͪ̈̉̎̉ē͉͕̲͔̜̖ͦ͊͌ͅṟ͙̪͠e̦̰̝̹̻͙̓ ̹̭͎͖̺b̧̓̑ͥͪͤ͛r̙̺̮̙̦̮̱͋͋͛̑̉̊ͭo̓̂̔ͫ̏͏̩ǘ͖͖̥̠̪̼͑ͨg̢̳ͧ̒͋ͨ͂h̟͖͎t̡̖ ̴̭͔̩̋̂̓͗ͯͥf̨̖̮̳͍̼͊̅̋͂̊ȯ̺̠͔̜̦͂ͭ̔͌̓̄͘ͅͅr̠̯͘t̟͔̯͔̽̅͐̏h̩̠̱̀ͬ̀̊͛̏̅͡ͅ.̫̥̣̰̤̳̽̿͌ͮͭͦ

.

D̫̭̯͈̯̠ͦͧ̆̍̉̈́͢ō̬͇̑̎̆̄ͩ ͓͔͚͙̱͐̒̊͐̄n̢͍͚ͬ͌ȯ̖̗̂̏̏ṯ̺ͮͣͪ̐̇͆̔ ̗ͧ̆͂̓̄͆̉f̭͕̬̍͋ͫ̌̒̓ͧ̕o̠ͤ̒rͪ̄̍̿ͩ̋̑͏g̏͑̃̀̄̆͒͏͚e͓̜͎̼̤̔͑͒t̵̞͇͎͛ ̞͎y̆̎̏̃ͬȍ̠̠͕̗̼̬ͧ̋̍̈́ͦ͞ṷ̰̙̮͕ͯ̉̑ͥr̬̞͕̦̃ͬ̏ͤ̉̎̎ ̵̉͊ͤͧr̢̫̹̹̗̹̒̈́̈̓͂̔ͮo̪̟͔̅ͮͩ̅ͬͮ̏l̰͙͈̰̙͢ͅͅe̶͉̭̝̥̽̈́͐ͮͣ.̻̞̰͔̝̇ͯ͗̾̅

.

I steeled myself, and spoke.

'I seek a W͈͚̦̭̞͉̠͛̍Ḁ̱̫̹ͨ̾́̋ͪ̓Yͤ͒̕.'

A spark of interest, a galaxy rising and falling in the blink of an eye.

.

Â̩͉͎̟̾ͪ W͈͚̦̭̞͉̠͛̍Ḁ̱̫̹ͨ̾́̋ͪ̓Yͤ͒̕?ͩͩ́

.

It mused.

I crossed my fingers, hoping it was in a helpful mood.

.

Ẉ̧̝͖̺͓̻ͨ̉̉̌ȇͮ̂̀҉̼͓ ͈̞͈̦͓̰̠s͔̬̲͆̆ͯ̊ȅ͈̘̞͔͔ë͇̬͈͈͕̳̰ͬͬ̒ͩ̾.̤̘͇͔̓̈́͋̎̍͆ ̆҉͖̣W͍̗̭̺̐̈ͬ͑́ͅe̲̰̽ ͎̙̋ͣ͊͗ͬ̌͡s͉̗̓hå̊ͯͮ͂̕ľ͈̝̮̭̻̫ͥ͆͛̉ͧ̊l̡̫͈͗ͨ̚ ̧̗͉ͫͬ̂͊̚g͓̰̟͕r̟̻̯̗͓a̪̰̙̖̭̽ͪ̏ͭ͌ͩ̋n̖͇̝͙ͧ̓͐̈́̈͘t̐ͯ̃ͯ ̊͊͢t̶̥͎̟̱̪̽̑̈́ͣ́ͦͩh̦̼̖̀iͦ̊ṣ̲̩͖ͤ ̑ͦ͌͏̬b͉̻ͣ͒ͭ̀̋̈ͩ͞ͅo̶̦̥̾͗̆͛̍̑ó̙̯̖̦̺̈́̎͂n̦͎̥͇̆ͮ̄̊̈̾͞.ͯ

.

It finally decided.

.

F̠̦̙̞̜̫̭ͧo̻̬̱̔̆̆̋̇̑͠r͇̲͕̪̝͇̔̔ͣ́ ̈́̈͂͌̆̽̈t̽̒̅͞ẖ̰̫̎͛̿̈͒͑ͭe̙̪͌͒ ̴̊ͬ͆͐fͤ̾̊̅ͣ͏̗ụ͖͎̌t̡̠̭͚̙̉̽̆́̚ų̹̝̹̄͑̾ŕ͙͈͔̲̹eͧ͌ͤ͆ͦͯ҉̬̰̘ ̸̣̬͓̫̃̓͐o̹̦͚ͤ̃̿̔̃f͇̗̟͋ͅͅ ̰̥͕͓̤̌͒̆̈̾t̙͔̬̤̱̰̑̂ͥ̈̑̈́̍̀h̛̩̫͌̎̈͆̚è̃ͦ̔͏͓͚̖̟̤̤̖ ͔̘̹̦̹̮̘̉̽̉̉̔͂p̷̭̀̾̓ͤ̇͌̍ͅa͟s̛̱͙̦͙̫̮͐t͑̊ͨ͛́,̦̦̭̳͔̥̘͌͒ͫ̋ͣͣ͟ ̯͕ͬ͞ͅw̝̲͎̅̿ͧ͌ȇ͙̫͈͚͍͕͆̿̐̉ͫ ̺̯̥̮s̘̫ͨ͛̇ͯ̎͟h̛͎̣̊̽ͧ͑a̘̲̞̳̼̰͙l̸̳̖̰̭̪͙̉̔͌̇̽͂̂l͘ ͨ̓͂͊ͪ̊͜e͇̺̼̖̩̓͆̓m̱̌̑̄̇̔͜p̶͓͉͎̜̭͂ͯo̩͖͙̓̽̂̀w̬͗ͣ͒̃ͨ͋͘ĕ͓͘r̎ ͕͚̇ͨ͊͟y̙ͤ̀͐̃ò̥̫̥̠͇̒̑͆͊͢ȕ͎̰̝͖̰̙ͧ͆͂ͅ.̲̦̬̓̾͑.̹̣̼̳̣͚̏ͧͫ͒̔͝.̟̝̼͊

.

The whispers rose to a shout, nebulas growing and shifting, devoured by stars and making way for new planets.

.

.̝̙̖̤̤̦͊̓̚͜ͅ.͚̪̲̃̌̎͆ͮ̚.̧̣̪͑ͯ͋̓͗ͮB̧̞̞͓̲̐̍ͤͅU̸̬̱̳̭͛̃͐ͬ̅́͗T̢̯̖̞̊̓̅̈́ ̙̰̥̓D̿̀̓ͯ҉̣͇O̢̭ ̝͈͂́͛N̡̟̳̩̘̯ͬͩ͐̋̈́̽ͥͅỜ̆T̨̪̯͈͉̠̣ͧ͗̇͐ͣͫͥ ̶̙̖̜̎ͣ̐̽̊̄F̮̮̽͌͗ͮͦͣ̀O̐͊ͯR̙̝̩̲͇̃ͥ͐G͏͙Eͤ҉͕̠T̥͕ͥ ̹̦͍̦̱͞ͅT͙̺̹͕͓H̬͇̒͂̍ͭ͝ͅͅE̠̺̤ ̍͛̓̓҉̙͇͖D͒R͍͓̊ͬE̮͎ͥ̐ͤ̑́ͦ̃A̟̥̥̱̞̟̭ͧͦ͐̇M̠̻̟̙̺̭͇̄̓ͣ̔ͩ͊ͣ͝S̳̪͇̣͖̥͋̅͂ͦ̓̀ ͓̭͚̪̱̇̋̑́̓ͤ͠O̺̰̘̳̫͒̎̄F͐̔ͦͫ͏͖ ̨̮̪̰̣̇ͩͮ͂͌̊̚T͉̼ͧ̅̄H͎͈͂͌ͩ̓̂̚͝Ė̝͈͇̦͈̳́ ̡̩̈ͧ͛ͦ͋̅F̻̝̯̭̱͖͝Ḁ̖̞̠̒̿̇͆̎ͨĻ͛̂ͯͧ̈́̍̌Ḷ̞̘̓̔̃͊ͧͦ̽E͇̯͚͎̳̳͛͐͗̃Nͣ̊.̵̔͊ͦͯ̂ͧ͋

.

I shivered, shutting the tenuous link to my Marble. That was what had survived the trip between dimensions, and it had never truly settled within my body. It had no will of its own, however, which was why it had restored a previous version of itself to act as its physical embodiment. Namely, me.

My soul created a part of itself from of the ashes of the past so that it could influence the present. Wasn't that a terrifying thought.

I opened my eyes, feeling an incessant tug that I followed without question. Powerful as it was, my Marble never lied or went back on its word. It was, in essence, an extremely powerful tool. But it only was such when it chose to aid me. Hence why I preferred not to chance it.

I fed the 'feeling' into my Talent, closing my eyes and blindly walking forward without hesitation. I didn't pause for an instant as I moved, concentrating on the vague feeling drawing me closer. One hand outstretched, my feet moved from dry gravel to soft sand, from smooth tile to sharp stones. I felt the elusive feeling grow closer, and I smiled. The ground beneath my feet became soft, pliable, and I could have sworn that I heard pine needles crunching beneath my feet. I continued walking, moving until my hand made contact with something rough.

I opened my eyes, only to be greeted by the sight of an enormous forest of trees. They towered above me, their massive red trunks extending almost endlessly towards the sky and branching outwards. On each branch grew millions of tiny pine needles. Each tree was easily older than my father, possibly surviving from before Abraham's Flood. Any one of them would make a tremendously powerful focus in the right hands, but I wasn't drawn to any of them.

I glanced down at the tree my hand rested on. It was a truly tiny tree, growing only to about my height. Only had a single tuft of needles grew at its top. It was, essentially, a stick of wood planted at the edge of a forest.

Past experience had taught me not to judge by appearances… but still, this?

I hit it with ))Structural Grasp((, and my hesitation was replaced with awe. This tiny tree was the only remnant of a truly monstrous pine, one that was easily older than Kokabiel. It had weathered fires and floods, lightning and winds, storms the like of which I had never seen and never would again. While the part on the surface was a far cry from being one of the oldest in the world, as I began to look deeper and followed it down into the earth beneath, I came to realize that what laid beneath was significantly older, and the further I reached, the more ancient the roots became. It stirred as my mana brushed against it, slowly awakening at a speed that put Shirone to shame.

I patiently waited, allowing a thin stream of my mana to continuously feed into the ancient tree. Finally, it woke, a small thread of its consciousness stretching out and connecting with my mind. It didn't seem to mind the whirling dyssynchrony of my thoughts, accustomed to anchoring itself through the chaos of a changing world.

'Odd… for… an… Outsider… to… seek… the… aid… of… we… who… last… seven… ages…' It creaked, not a voice as much as a series of feelings, impressions, and memories.

I smiled. It seemed the tree spoke the Old Tongue best. 'I may be an Outsider, but even one beyond the Gates must anchor themselves,' I whispered, trying to place as much meaning as possible in each 'word.'

It may have had no feelings, but I still got the sense that it was amused. It simply brushed against my mind once more, coming to a decision. 'I… shall… aid… you,... young… blood…' It sighed, like the wind through the treetops.

…There were no desires, for there was nothing that could desire and nothing that could be missed. There was no sadness, for there was nothing to weep for. There was no joy, for there was nothing to be joyful about…

'I… have… not… many… years… to… last… Do… as… you… wish…'

And with that, it withdrew, falling once more into its endless slumber.

I blinked, but decided not to think too hard about the tree's odd speech. Instead, I concentrated, sending more and more mana into the ancient tree until it glowed. Faint motes of light began to appear from the branches and the coarse bark that clung to every inch of the smooth wood. It wasn't long before the features of the tree were enveloped by the light. The amount of demonic power that coursed through the tree in front of us was blinding.

No, seriously, ouch.

I had to squint against the sheer brilliance that it produced and eventually had to shut my eyes completely. I could still see its form clearly in my mind: the outline of the tree and the changes that were shaping its entire form. The most obvious ones I could feel were in the outermost roots and branches. They were beginning to draw back into the trunk of the tree, little by little, as if time were rewinding. As the roots rescinded into the body of the tree, I felt my feet begin to sink into the ground as it became unstable and the earth began to crumble beneath me.

The world around me was bathed in a deep red glow as a result of the demonic energy that I was pushing into the tiny tree. I watched the shadows and the overlays of light as they shifted and moved, the outlines fading in and out as more and more of the ancient wood gathered into my hand. The earth beneath me continued to destabilize as the root system vanished.

There was no bright flash or magical occurrence that signified the end of whatever it had been that I had done. One moment the world had been awash with the brightest of lights, and the next, there was darkness. I was now holding a small staff about the width of my wrist. It looked as if it had been carved rather than drawn from the ground. It was light, maybe ten pounds in total, and six feet long. Straight-grained and perfectly smooth, though it lacked any luster. A red so deep that it was almost black in places, yet light enough to pass for pink in others. It was dull, unassuming, and not even remotely flashy.

It was perfect.

I grinned, taking the staff and lifting it. My magic hummed to life around me, rushing out of me in a great flood as I slammed the base of the staff into the ground. An invisible ripple shook the earth, but not a drop of magic leaked into the surrounding air.

Fuck. Yes.

'I just wish I had thought of this earlier. Nothing says 'I know magic' like a staff, after all.'

I hefted the staff and instantly felt a deep rush of familiarity rush through me. It was like another limb, and I effortlessly let my mana flow through it. And if my little test run was any indication, the staff also reduced my cast time to nearly zero.

Hehehehehe…

I turned, using the smooth staff as a walking stick. I blinked, pausing as I felt my Talent wrapping around the ancient wood and making it hum with power. I hesitantly took another step, and I could literally see space warping around me. I traveled about four miles east, making me grin in delight. I spent some time just walking back and forth, tugging myself this way and that, just for the hell of it. It still wasn't controllable… but it felt more like flying a kite than skydiving while blindfolded. Less power, but more streamlined and usable.

'…Again, why the hell didn't I do this earlier? Oh, right. I thought I'd accidentally blow it up. Well, at least I have it now, I guess. And indeed, it is an epic, epic staff. I shall name it something epic to honor it. But what to call it? Hmm…' I scratched my chin, ignoring the stubble. 'Well, I suppose it came from an ancient tree, so… huh.' I mulled it over for a bit, slipping through a stable door and into a desert. 'Ah, I know!'

I brandished the staff. "I christen thee, Ages Past!"

Nothing happened, and I suddenly felt veeery stupid for talking to a stick. I pushed the memory to the back of my mind, returning to my aimless hike.

Soon enough, I was at the door to an old house. I didn't bother examining it, stepping through and continuing on my way.

'I wonder what else I can do with this thing. I mean, it's an Earth-Type organic focus, so I could probably go from fire to ice with zero resistance. The Earth-Types are all extremely adaptable. Could I…?'

I paused next to a snow-covered bush, slipping from my previous Force Magic to Power of Destruction with unnatural ease. I focused on the bush, and the world went red. Ten seconds later, I was gaping at the building-sized crater before me.

'…On second thought, I need more practice with this thing. A lot more practice.'

And with that, I pretended that the crater had been there the whole time, casually walking away and hoping no one had seen me. I stepped through a dilapidated cabin, out of a closet, and into my room.

Ruby was irritably scratching out an equation at the desk, and the blonde duo was working on their science while chatting. Sera was petting a purring Shirone, looking bored as she flipped through a thick book. As I entered, she perked up. "Millicas-sama! You're back!"

I shrugged, brushing the snow from my hair. "I got a bit Lost- had to take a detour."

Sera carefully set aside her purring kitten, rising and tackling me in a hug. "Well I'm glad you're back. It was sooo~ boring. I mean, I—" She froze, noticing my staff. "You got a magic wand?" she gasped in excitement. "That's awesome! Did you get me one?"

I winced. "Er… no?" Sera's obsession with anything remotely magic-y had completely slipped my mind. I wasn't sure how I was going to get out of this one.

She glared, cheeks puffing out. "Millicas-samaaaa…"

I sighed. "Look, it was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing. I can take you to get a staff later, but I doubt you'll find one. It's almost impossible to find a natural focus that fits perfectly."

"Then how did you do it?" she whined.

I gave her a cheeky grin. "I cheated, of course."

She stared at me for a few seconds longer, cheeks puffed out, before exhaling and standing on her tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek. "I missed you," she murmured, nuzzling into my chest.

I smiled, using a quick ))Requip(( to store Ages Past and picking up Sera in a bridal carry. I walked over to the bed, setting her beside me and letting Shirone crawl onto my lap. Both girls seemed content with their new positions, so I decided to start in on the rest of my problems. I pulled my notebook out of my jacket pocket, flipped to a new page, and began to sketch down ideas.

Sera and Shirone watched silently, leaning against me and occasionally shifting positions. We stayed that way for hours, my adorable girlfriends simply snuggling with me as I planned. Finally, Sera pointed to a complex runic diagram and spoke. "So what's that one for?"

I glanced at it, pausing. I was running Memory Partition at full blast, so it took me a moment to remember what it was that I was looking at. "It's the final design for my Runic Array. It's built to siphon off the 'bleed' of my spells and feed it back into my Core. It'll make all casting I do completely invisible without me having to focus as hard."

She frowned, finger moving ten centimeters down and pointing to an odd sketch of a simplistic white staff. "And this?"

I glanced at it. "A possible design for a focus. I wasn't sure what to get Michael as a gift from the Devils, so that's a possibility. It'd take some work, though. I ))Structurally Grasped(( my staff the entire time it was bonding to me, so I should theoretically be able to recreate it."

"I…see." She hesitated. "…Isn't that the staff of Gandalf the White?"

I grinned. "Why yes, yes it is. I seriously doubt that Michael's seen the Lord of the Rings, so he won't even notice." I smirked. "But everyone else will. It'll be epic."

She nodded slowly. "So you're making magic wands for the Faction Leaders? All three of them?"

I shook my head. "No, just Michael. Besides, Azazel already has one." I grinned. "You know, the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade?"

She burst into giggles, and the other three girls looked up in confusion. "The what?" Ruby asked.

My grin grew to shit-eating proportions. "One of the earlier Artificial Sacred Gears Azazel thought up. It's also known as The Dragon Slaying Blade of Light and Darkness.

Gil snorted. "And I thought you had terrible naming sense."

I frowned at her. "Hey. Firstly, my names are epic and fitting. Secondly, I don't want to hear that from the girl who named her biggest attack 'Sky Scorching Current Chaser.'" I paused for emphasis. "'Of the King.'"

Gil's cheeks warmed slightly, and she coughed into her hand. "I-in my defense, I was seven."

I shrugged, returning to my work. "Whatever you say."

"Are you sure this'll work?" Kokabiel asked, eyeing the machine.

I sighed. "Look. This spell is ridiculously complicated and at least half theoretical. I couldn't possibly cast it the same way twice, even if I were given ten more years to study it. That would make any attempts to later alter the spell on the subject extremely complicated. So I have the machine doing it instead. Every one of the Homonculi in the Tree already went through this, and they're all fine. Just stop being chicken and get in the damn box."

He looked over the mass of wires and runes one last time, then relented, albeit reluctantly. "All right, fine. But if I die, I'm haunting you."

I snorted. "Please. If you die, I'm dragging your ass back from the grave to try again."

He cracked a grin. "Fair enough."

And so, he crawled into the casket-like box, which bore a striking resemblance to a coffin.

In hindsight, that's probably why Kokabiel had been so reluctant to enter it.

It sealed with a quiet hiss of air as I began checking the figures one last time. Then I grinned, cackling evilly as I flipped the switch. Light shone from the plexiglass top of the 'casket,' setting the small lab aglow.

It was at times like this that I loved being a mad scientist.

White wood formed into a perfect replica of my blueprint as I marvelled at my own awesomeness and genius. I carefully picked up the result and sent a pulse of Light through it. Sure enough, it glowed brilliantly and began focusing power to the top of the staff.

I held the thin card up to the light, giving Ajuka a grin. "It's perfect. Do you need to do anything more to it?"

He shook his head, stacking the other seven cards in front of me. "It's as good as I'm going to get it. The System is set, the rules are defined, and their box has been enchanted with almost every protection I know. All that's left is for you to duplicate them."

I nodded once, placing the card on its stack and tucking all eight cards into the box. "All right then. Time to put on a show."

She blinked, stumbling to her feet. "W-what?" she murmured, examining herself. "How?"

I smiled, stepping forward. "Mrs. Shrine Maiden, I do believe we have some explaining to do. But before we do that, I'd like to make sure I have the right person. Would your name happen to be—?"

I handed my father both the white staff and a box of cards. "You already have everything else, right?"

He raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "It's somewhere safe. Is that the rest?"

I nodded. "As well as a last-minute add on. I couldn't call the Tree a proper 'gift,' so I whipped something else up."

He nodded, examining the white staff. "Interesting. And what exactly is this?"