A preparation for a greater plan

Continuing where we left off....

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Narrator's perspective.....

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Ritsuka looks coldly in the direction of Zelretch who had just introduced her to Sparkle.

Sparkle: Oh! So that's the name of Vita-chan's best friend!

Ritsuka: I don't have a name, old wizard.

Zelretch: Of course you have a name. You just forgot it, but if you don't like it we can call you by another name if you prefer.

Sparkle: Oh! Oh! Oh! I want to choose a name! Let me choose, please?

Ritsuka: No.

Sparkle: Awwww....

The dragon woman kept thinking in her mind of another name to call herself until a name popped into her mind that for some reason was very familiar to her.

Gudako: Gudako.... That's my name.

Zelretch: Hm... I thought you were going to choose the name Bayle... after all, from what I've heard, that's the name the Galaxy Rangers call you.

Gudako: I don't know who these Galaxy Rangers are, but I don't like that name.

Zelretch: They're a group of people who follow the Aeon of the Hunt and they fight with their own codes of justice.

Sparkle: Translation: a group of forgotten superhero actors with a lousy little story to make you cry.

Sparkle said this with a bored expression when mentioning the Galaxy Rangers.

Gudako: Then they're irrelevant to me.

Zelretch: Another thing. It's a little inappropriate to be talking to you while you're naked. Good thing I came prepared for this occasion.

Zelretch said this mentioning the fact that Gudako is completely naked with only her long hair covering her breasts.

This doesn't bother the old wizard, after all, he is no longer affected by carnal desires due to living an immortal life. However, the same cannot be said for Sparkle, who is looking at Gudako's naked body without any sign of shame.

Sparkle: Awwww, I was enjoying the free show. Gudako-chan really has a wonderful body. Ah! I have a great idea!

The moment Sparkle said this, Zelretch took out a clothing pattern from inside a portal for Gudako to use, and the old wizard sees Sparkle hugging Gudako while holding a cell phone.

Zelretch: Are you taking a picture of her?

Sparkle: Yes! It's not every day that you get an opportunity like this. Besides, a certain someone will want to have those pictures.

Sparkle said this with a mischievous smile while Gudako is looking at the masked fool with a suspicious look.

Gudako doesn't feel any sign of threat coming from the girl at the moment, but Gudako decides to be alert around her.

Sparkle: Gudako-chan! Can you look at the camera for just a moment? I want this last photo to be perfect!

Gudako may have lost most of her memories, but she still has some knowledge of technology, so even though she was confused, Gudako looked at Sparkle's cell phone camera.

The moment Gudako did this, Sparkle let out a light laugh and kissed Gudako on the cheek, touching her dragon scales a little.

*Click*

The moment the photo was taken, Sparkle laughed sadistically and Gudako was confused as to why Sparkle kissed her on the cheek.

Gudako: Why did you kiss me?

Sparkle: No big deal. I just did it to provoke a partner in crime of mine. Hehehe, I can't wait to see her reaction.

Sparkle said this while sending the photo she had just taken to her contact under the name "Vita".

Zelretch: Ignore her. Here are your new clothes since your old one was destroyed.

Zelretch said this as he handed the clothing pattern to Gudako who was staring at the new clothes.

Gudako: Why are you giving me new clothes?

Zelretch: We don't want you to walk around naked for the whole world to see, do we? Besides, you'll need this to be able to recover your memories without causing too much suspicion.

Zelretch said this while Gudako remained silent, deciding what she was going to do. After a few seconds, Gudako puts on the new clothes that Zelretch gave her.

(Photo)

Zelretch: What did you think of the clothes?

Gudako: They're comfortable. Unlike the others I was wearing.

Zelretch: That's because your old mystic code was very damaged due to the years you were using it, I must congratulate the creator of those mystic codes for creating something that managed to last for many decades.

Gudako: Let's get straight to the point now. Tell me how you intend to bring my memories back?

Zelretch: Oh. I don't intend to do anything. I'll just take you to the place where you'll be able to get them back.

Zelretch said this with a mysterious smile while Sparkle is laughing and texting someone on her phone.

Gudako: And what is this place you plan to take me to?

Gudako said this having a bad feeling when she saw Zelretch's smile.

Zelretch: The place you know very well. Xianzhou Luofu.

As those words left Zelretch's mouth, Gudako was surprised and a strong lightning was heard.

Gudako:.....What?

Zelretch: That's right, my accomplice. The place where you'll find your memories is the same place you were imprisoned.

Gudako immediately had a serious expression with red lightning coming out of her skin and the ground around her getting hot showing that her anger is affecting the area.

Gudako: Is this some kind of sick joke?!

Zelretch: No. On the contrary, I still have to practice improving my jokes. Anyway. This plan may not make sense, but let's say I've been observing the events of this galaxy for a while.

Gudako: And because of that, you want me to return to that spaceship that will surely have their general waiting for me.

Zelretch: Huh? Are you afraid of Luofu's general?

Gudako: No. I'm not afraid of a group that is incapable of killing me, but I'm not foolish enough to attack them without having a plan in place.

Zelretch: And that's why I'm here. The reason I want you to return to Xianzhou Luofu is because an incident is going to happen that will attract a certain group of people. Within that group, there is a man who can bring back your memories.

Gudako: And who is that man?

Zelretch: Someone you know very well, in fact I think you two will be able to get along very well.

Gudako:What do I have a feeling you won't help me with anything about this person?

Gudako said this looking at Zelretch with an irritated expression while Zelretch lets out a light laugh.

Zelretch: Maybe, maybe not. Anyway. The plan is that you will infiltrate Xianzhou Luofu during the day the incident is supposed to happen and during that you will meet with the man in question.

Gudako: And why is she here?

Gudako said this pointing to Sparkle who is looking at a possible grave of someone who has a bow as a memorial.

Zelretch: She will be your guide to the place and will help you stay off the radar of the people of Luofu.

Sparkle: Hey. Whose grave did you make?

Sparkle said this to Gudako who looked at the grave with a bow and arrow.

Gudako: It's from a man who came here trying to kill me, I didn't know who he was, but he had a huge flame of determination to kill me. Obviously he couldn't accomplish such a feat, so I decided to make a grave as a way to honor him. His name is Igon.

Sparkle: How did you know his name?

Gudako: Because he wouldn't stop screaming his name during the battle.

Sparkle:Oh...

Zelretch: Back to the subject. Are you willing to participate in this plan?

Gudako: How am I going to find the person who can restore my memories?

Zelretch: You will find him, I guarantee it, but if you are still not convinced, Sparkle will help you in that regard as well.

Sparkle: You can trust that Sparkle will do an excellent job! Hehehe~

Gudako was silent for a moment, wondering if she would accept the old wizard's plan until after a few seconds she gave the answer.

Gudako: I accept this plan.

Zelretch: Good. But before we begin, I have one more thing to give you.

Zelretch opens a portal near Gudako and something heavy comes out of the portal. Gudako sees that the object that came out of the portal is a large sword that looks like a meteoric stone.

(Photo)

Gudako: What is this?

Zelretch: I found some interesting things and decided to make a weapon that is perfect for the state you are in. Since you lost my class cards, it will take a while for me to get a new pack.

Gudako: Class cards?

Zelretch: Ah! I forgot that you have no memories of this... Anyway. Train with this weapon while I do it, and I will make preparations to start the plan.

Gudako: Why can't we do this now?

Zelretch: Because the time hasn't come yet, and besides, didn't you say that you are still adapting to this new body? You need more time.

Gudako falls silent upon hearing this and a large portal opens behind Zelretch.

Zelretch: Sparkle, it's time for us to leave. We have already finished what we were supposed to do here.

Sparkle: Awwww.... I was loving the atmosphere of this place. What a shame. Bye, bye, Gudako-chan! I'll tell Vita-chan to visit you!

Zelretch: We'll return on the specific day, I hope you'll be ready by then.

With those words, Zelretch and Sparkle entered the portal, which closed, leaving Gudako alone on her planet.

Gudako:So I'll return to Xianzhou Luofu... Hehe.... That'll be interesting.

Gudako said this with a sadistic smile on her face.

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Meanwhile.....

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Stelle's perspective...

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As safe as I feel being around Alter, I have to admit that being in a completely dark area is not very pleasant.

Stelle: Alter, why aren't we in that city from before?

Alter looks at me through the mask and answers with a neutral expression and a cold tone.

Alter: As I said when you got here, we are in the abyss of the human mind It's different from the place you were in, which can be considered purgatory.

💭 Here he goes, speaking in a cryptic and mysterious way. He really is an emo boy.

Stelle: Translation please. My mind is too small for enigmatic words.

Alter: At least you are aware of your mental incapacity.

Alter said this with a slight smile on his face and I get irritated that he calls me stupid.

Stelle: Hey! I'm very intelligent and I can learn things very quickly!

I say this with my hands on my waist, looking seriously at Alter, who ignores my words.

Alter: Anyway. Think of the place you are in as a trash can where the mind throws unnecessary things to preserve the person's mental health. The difference between this place and the city you were in is that there is a place where the dead with regrets go and here is the place where the mind puts negative things.

With these words, Alter explained our location in a way that I could understand and I am fascinated to see that such a place exists in our minds.

Stelle: How did you manage to enter this place?

Alter: Simple. We servants are spirits, our physical body is false, so we do not need to eat or sleep since our source of supply is mana. This makes us able to enter people's minds. Obviously, not every servant is able to enter people's minds without being their Master, but due to my circumstances, I can accomplish this feat.

💭This is amazing and scary at the same time...

Stelle: So does that mean we're in the trash can of my mind?

I say this assuming I'm inside my mind, but Alter gives an answer I didn't expect.

Alter: No. We're in the mind of one of your companions, more specifically we're in Dan Heng's mind.

The moment Alter said this I was surprised since I didn't expect us to be in Dan Heng's mind.

💭But how? Dan Heng wasn't sleeping with us unless Alter doesn't need to be close to someone to invade their mind.

I feel a sense of concern knowing that Alter is in Dan Heng's mind, I know Alter and Ritsuka are technically the same person, but I'm a little afraid of what he wants to do here.

Stelle: Why did you enter Dan Heng's mind?

Alter is silent for a moment until he takes the cigarette out of his mouth and he releases smoke from his mouth. Seeing this, a thought crosses my mind.

💭Huh... I didn't expect Ritsuka to smoke, but I've never seen him smoke. Could this just be Alter's habit?

Alter: I have several reasons, but the simplest is that Dan Heng's mind is full of accumulated garbage. Garbage that if left alone for too long will start to affect his soul and that is fatal for any living being.

Alter said this which ends up increasing my concern and now I'm worried about Dan Heng's mental state, after all he is one of my first friends.

💭Alter says that this place is the trash can of negative things that the mind puts in it and if he said it is full, what kind of negative things does Dan Heng have inside his mind?

Stelle: What can happen to Dan Heng if these negative things are not dealt with?

Alter: There are several causes, the simplest are strong nightmares and hallucinations, but the most likely is death.

Stelle: What?!

Alter: That's of course in extreme cases. I'm not sure what could happen, but the ideal is to not let this problem get worse.

Stelle: So you're here to prevent an extreme case from happening?

Alter: Yes. Besides I discovered something that caught my attention.

Alter said that and he starts walking away from me.

Stelle: Hey! Where are you going?

Alter: To the source of the problem. The faster we solve this the better, besides the fact that this place is not safe for you.

Stelle: So you're worried about my well-being?

I say this following him with a mischievous smile.

Alter: Tch! I'm just doing this so as not to cause serious problems for Ritsuka, after all he doesn't want you to get involved in what I do.

💭 Huh? So Ritsuka talked to Alter so I wouldn't get involved? That reminds me of something.

Stelle: One question. You and Ritsuka are the same person, right?

Alter: Yes and no at the same time. I'm not Ritsuka, but at the same time I'm a part of him. Think of me as "Yin" and he is "Yang" two sides of the same coin.

Stelle: So you two are a copy of the same person?

Alter: No. I'm his shadow, his Alter Ego. I'm the part of him that embraces our responsibility and duty as Avenger.

Stelle: In other words, you're his emo side?

I say this with a light laugh and Alter looks at me and even though part of his face is covered I can tell he's irritated.

Alter: *sigh* Think of it however you want.

We continue our walk until our surroundings change appearance. Instead of being in immense darkness, we are in a city that is unfamiliar to me.

(Photo)

Stelle: At least it is not so dark anymore. Where are we now?

Alter: We are in Xianzhou Luofu, a large city shaped like a giant spaceship that is led by a general. Ritsuka has visited this place a few times to get his sleeping pill.

When Alter said this, I remembered that in Jarilo-VI, Ritsuka told me that he took sleeping pills and that his pack ran out when he gave me the last pill.

Stelle: But why does he need pills if he is a servant?

Alter: It is because, unlike most servants who have died, he is still alive and connected to his real body, so he is able to sleep and have dreams. This place we are in now is the representation of Dan Heng's mind that is showing us the place that has a strong connection to him, more specifically, to his past.

The moment he said this, the sky began to change and the day turned into a dark night and in front of us, many soldiers emerged from the shadows.

The soldiers were emanating a very dense negative aura that even I could feel. It was a lot of negative feelings, but the most predominant ones were anger and betrayal.

Stelle: I don't think these are normal soldiers.

Alter: Certainly not. This is practically the manifestation of the trash I mentioned. I suggest you show no mercy to them or you won't be able to wake up anymore.

Alter said this and I saw the soldiers running towards us and I immediately took my staff in hand, but I saw that Alter didn't have his sword in hand.

Stelle: Aren't you going to use your sword?

Alter: Against them? How unnecessary, only my flames are enough to deal with these things.

Alter said this with one of his arms shooting blue-black flames.

Immediately a fight begins between me, Alter and a huge group of evil soldiers.

Alter wasn't having any trouble, he just dodged the enemy's attacks and burned their bodies right after.

I, on the other hand, was having a bit of trouble against one soldier, it's not hard, but what becomes a problem is when more than one comes at me.

By instinct, I dodged an attack that came from behind me and defended myself from the next soldier who attacked me from the side.

Stelle: Tch! A little help here!

The moment I said that, a wave of black flames completely swallowed the soldiers who were attacking me.

Alter: Your combat style needs to improve.

Stelle: I'm sorry, Professor Alter, it's not like I'm an expert in dealing with a group of people and I have a partner who makes this fight a joke!

I say this in a sarcastic tone, showing my irritation to Alter.

Another group of soldiers appears for us to face, but Alter doesn't give them time to attack and he immediately shoots a wave of black flames that easily eliminates our enemies.

💭Wow... Having an Emanator as an ally really makes the combat easier.

Stelle: So... Are the attacks over?

Alter: No... Not yet.

Dark clouds begin to take over the skies and I begin to hear voices in my ears.

💭What is this? What's happening?

The voices begin to increase in volume and there are so many speaking at the same time that I begin to feel a headache.

Suddenly a man's voice becomes clear in my mind.

???: Hehe.... Out of five people. Three must pay the price. You.... are one of them.

Stelle: Ah!

At that very moment the voices stop echoing in my mind and Alter looks at me with a sideways glance.

Stelle: What was that? Did you hear those voices?

Alter: Yes. It seems that you also heard that piece of Dan Heng's memory. This place is starting to affect you and it's not good.

Suddenly a storm starts to happen and an immense past sensation takes over the place.

Stelle:This strong pressure!

It was as if I was carrying something heavy on my back, in addition to feeling an enormous sense of fear.

Alter: It seems that the source of the problem has decided to appear... wait... that sensation... no... It can't be.

Alter, who was previously calm during all this, now has a serious expression and he immediately takes his sword in his hand.

Stelle: Alter, what's going on?

Alter: The root of the problem is about to appear and I have an impression of what this thing is!

Alter said this and from the shadows a huge silhouette begins to walk on four legs towards us.

Stelle: So tell me, what is this thing that is walking towards us?!

Alter: There is only one entity capable of emanating this level of pressure and power. A Beast of Humanity.

The moment Alter makes this revelation, the creature emerges from the flames, revealing its frightening appearance.

(Photo)

Ritsuka had told us what the "Beasts of Humanity" are, which are basically humanity's natural enemies that serve as a test to help humanity evolve and overcome these obstacles, but he also said that all the Beasts are very powerful, capable of destroying the world if they are allowed to evolve for a certain amount of time.

Now that I am seeing a Beast of Humanity for the first time, I begin to understand how difficult Ritsuka's journey was.

Stelle: Alter! What are we going to do now?!

Alter: First, you need to get out of here! You are not strong enough to face a Beast of Humanity! I have many questions about why Dan Heng is having a nightmare about a copy of a Beast, but that will be for later. The important thing is that you need to get out of here now!

Stelle: But what about you?

Alter: Don't worry about me, I know how to handle a Beast, you can't say the same.

At that moment the Beast starts attacking us with an impressive speed that goes against the fact that this beast is big!

Fortunately Alter manages to defend the attack with his sword.

Alter: Get out of here now, Stelle! And don't look back!

Alter said this shouting and he starts the fight against the beast.

As much as I wanted to help Alter, I knew that I would only get in his way, so I start running out of the combat zone.

As I run away, sounds of explosions and lightning are heard, it seems like a war is happening behind me.

Stelle: I have to get out of here! But how am I going to get out if I'm inside Dan Heng's mind?!

Unlike last time, Alter guided me to the exit of that city, but this time I don't know where I should go.

While I was confused about what to do, the battle between Altar and the Beast was reaching my location and this only worsens my situation.

💭Damn it, I have to leave, but how am I going to do that?!

???: How about I help you with this little problem, miss?

I hear the voice of a young girl standing in front of me with some kind of gate behind her.

(Photo)

Her appearance was somewhat familiar to me, as if I had seen this girl somewhere before.

Stelle: Who are you?

Abigail: Me? My name is Abigail Williams. I noticed that you are in trouble in other people's nightmares so I have decided to give you a little help in escaping this place before you are affected by the fight that is happening.

The young girl said this with an innocent smile, but I can't help but have a feeling in the corner of my mind that this smile is "wrong".

Stelle: How can I trust you?

Abigail: Oh? I am one of the servants that Ritsuka summoned. My class is "Foreigner".

I wanted to ask more questions to this Abigail, but the sounds of battle are getting louder and louder.

Abigail: I think you better make your choice quickly, miss.

Stelle: Ok! I accept!

Abigail: Good! Just follow me and we'll get out of this nightmare.

Abigail said this entering the unknown gate and I followed the girl entering the gate as well.

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When I entered the gate my vision was covered by a strong light, but after a few seconds the light dissipated and I could see again.

Stelle: I changed places again... Wait, I remember this place.

The moment my vision returned to normal I saw that I was in a place I'd been before.

💭 I'm on that train that Alter took me to that city!

Unlike the Astral Express, the train car doesn't have much space, you can walk around and there are many comfortable sofas, but it doesn't compare to the wide space of the Astra Express.

After I finished analyzing the familiar place I am in, I see Abigail sitting in one of the seats of the carriage and at the table where she is sitting there is a beautiful girl with long white hair that reaches her feet.

(Photo)

The girl is wearing a very exotic style of clothing that gives an air of someone important, but the girl is sleeping in the seat.

Abigail: Sit down, miss, we have some things to discuss.

Abigail said that and I sit in the seat next to the sleeping girl who doesn't seem to be bothered by my presence.

💭She must be having a very deep sleep not to feel my presence.

Abigail: Well without further ado, let me introduce you. Welcome, miss, to the Velvet Room.