Chapter 91: Clarification

He found himself adrift in an ocean of inky blackness. It's not the absence of light, but rather a profound depth of it. The kind of black that swallowed any stray photon and left behind an overwhelming sense of vastness. Here and there, pinpricks of brilliance pierced the darkness – stars. Not just a scattering, but a multitude, a seemingly infinite field of them. Some, close enough to appear as vibrant points, white hot or tinged with the cool blue of a giant, the others just specks, their colors lost in the distance, fading to a warm yellow or a deep, mysterious red.

Gazing across this supposed celestial canvas, he noticed a shift in the density of the stars. No longer randomly scattered, they began to coalesce, forming swirling rivers of light. These were the distant reaches of galaxies, each a swirling maelstrom of billions upon billions of stars, their collective light blending into a hazy, ethereal glow. Some galaxies appeared as majestic spirals, their arms stretching outwards like the tendrils of a cosmic dancer. Others were more elliptical, their stars packed tightly in a luminous core that faded gently towards the edges.

Here and there, a vibrant blue galaxy stood out, its light dominated by young, hot stars, while others appeared a dusty red, their light filtered by vast clouds of interstellar gas and dust. Dominating his foreground, however, was a sight that grounded in the grandeur of it all – a colossal moon. Its surface, bathed in the soft glow of the distant stars, revealed a multitude of craters, their rims sharp in the eternal darkness. Mountains rose like jagged teeth, their peaks catching the faintest sliver of starlight and gleaming with a ghostly luminescence. Vast, dark plains stretched out between the mountains, their surfaces etched with the delicate tracery of ancient lava flows. The terminator, the line where sunlight fades into shadow, cut a stark line across the moon's surface, casting long, inky black shadows that twisted and writhed across the lunar landscape. The absence of sound, for in the vacuum of space, sound cannot travel.

But a deeper silence, a hush that speaks to the unimaginable scale of this universe, the vastness of time, and the profound mystery that surrounds it all. "This place is as weird as ever," Mikoto mused, staring at the single other person in this vast space of cosmic wonder.

"Thou hast mine thanks, Mikoto," Rheya expressed as she studied the silver ring on her palm with the intricate patterns decorating it.

"Yeah, yeah. Just so you know I feel like shit for stealing that from Asaun," Mikoto murmured, a sigh escaping his small lips. "Anyway, mind getting rid of this now?" He gestured to the patterns of black decorating a section of his eyes. "My mom hates tattoos; once I get back, it'll already be a problem because I look like a goddamn twink. Throwing a tattoo in the mix would be a pain."

She nodded, and he felt an odd sensation on his face as the marking on his face disappeared. He rubbed his face as he placed his mask back on; the form the mask gave him was just more comfortable. It reminded him of his original height and weight. But he did not dwell on that feeling; he continued. "Now then, it's your turn. Why exactly was I brought to this world, and was Octavia responsible for dragging me here?"

"Thou had been correct in the assumption that mine brethren was responsible," her soothing voice confirmed, a frown tugging at Mikoto's lips as he awaited her to continue. "Yet there was a good reason for that," Mikoto scowled at her words.

"A 'good reason'?" Mikoto gave a humorless chuckle. "That fucking bitch brought me to this world against my will. She took me away from the few people I still cared about. What justification could there be to classify that as a good reason!?"

"Calamity seems to wrack this star; none is safe. Mine brethren Arcturus foresaw it," she explained. "His vision saw our vast universe die; both god and mortal would forebode to be." She turned her eyes to stare at the vast space around her.

"Huh?" Mikoto blurted out; the name Arcturus was familiar. The God of time and space, if he recalled correctly. "You mean an apocalypse?" She nodded. "So what's that got to do with me?"

"This was not information freely shared amongst new gods such as myself. And yet Octavia had privy me that in the countless visions Arcturus had experienced, salvation for our star and universe was only assured by thy existence," she supplied. "Thou art meant to be the hope." Mikoto moved his hand to rub his temples but remembered he had his mask on, so he settled for a deep sigh.

"Right, it wouldn't be an isekai journey without the 'chosen one' crap," Mikoto shook his head, suppressing a chuckle at how stupid it all was. "So basically, me, a random fifteen-year-old, is supposed to save everything. I don't know, there's over seven billion people back on earth. Anyone of them has the potential to be better than I am," Mikoto snorted. "I know I got this blessing to be stronger, but you must know that I'm under no obligation to save this world. As soon as I can, I'm returning back to my world."

"True, however, I hope that opinion changes. However, once more, thou hast mine thanks for retrieving mine artifact."

"What are you even planning to do with that ring?" Mikoto questioned curiously; it was something that had been nagging him.

"Within this ring lies a portion of mine power; I hast want of a consort to prepare for the coming calamity," she clarified as she cast a glance at the ring.

"Well, I don't know how getting married would help, but good luck, I guess," Mikoto stated with a shrug. "This is goodbye then; thanks for the clarification."

"We shall meet again, dearest Mikoto," she cryptically spoke. "Mayhap in this lifetime or another." Before Mikoto could inquire, his vision went black.

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Mikoto opened his eyes to see the familiar interior of his cabin room; he also felt the gentle rocking the ship experienced due to the sea. He was back on his bed, seated on it as if he never left.

Their job was done; now that the cultists weren't a threat anymore. Sure, there was Vel'ryr, but with their involvement meant it was Verdantis' problem. Being from Galadriel, they were already pushing it by constantly thwarting Vel'ryr. The latter may see it as Galadriel seeking war as well, meaning Vel'ryr would have leverage to alter and fabricate Galadriel's involvement.

Twisting the story that Verdantis attacked them first was most likely what Vel'ryr would do. With that said, that meant smaller nations would side with it. And the other smaller nations under Vel'ryr would no doubt participate in any war.

But Mikoto did not care about any of that; he let himself fall on his bed.

"Saving this universe, huh?" Mikoto snorted at the prospect. ("Maybe if that Octavia bitch asked nicely, I would've done it, but no. Who knows how mom and Hinata are holding out; mom will stop at nothing to find me. Even now, she's probably posting my missing posters.") Mikoto sighed, a sinking feeling in his stomach. She probably thought he ran away; she would blame herself like always.

When his old man beat him, she would blame herself. When he used to do poorly in school, she would blame herself. When he was reclusive, she would blame herself. She wanted to shoulder the blame at any moment. And now, who knows what state she was in. Mikoto shot up from his bed, his feet tapping against the wooden floor as he exited his cabin. Stepping onto the cabin area, he moved down the hallway, stopping in front of the last wooden door. Raising a hand, he knocked on the cabin door. A silent few seconds passed before he heard the creak of a bed and footsteps approaching from the other side.

("I don't want to be in this world any longer.") Mikoto thought, his blank look clashed with the happy face on his mask. ("Playing sorcerer? God, how stupid; mom and Hinata are suffering, and all I'm doing is wasting time. Forget the festival; there are two Inheritors on this ship. With these eyes, I'll dissect Arcane Ascendance and get back home. There's no need to stick around.")

The door opened, revealing a tired-looking Lucinda, tired eyes and wild bed hair while dressed in a black nightgown; it would no doubt be a cute sight for most. Not to mention most would kill for this side of Lucinda; Mikoto did not really care. It took her eyes a moment to register him.

"Mikoto?" She blurted out, and once more it took a moment to register what she was wearing and how out of it she must have looked. Her face burned bright red in embarrassment, and before he could get a word out, the door was slammed in front of his face. He heard some shuffling on the other end and felt the use of magic being used before the door opened back up. There stood Lucinda, neat hair and back in her academy uniform, though her cheeks were still red. She cleared her throat as if to get rid of the last remnants of embarrassment.

"M-Mikoto, what brings you here?" She managed to say.

"I need a favor," he started. "Could you show me Arcane Ascendance?"