Chapter 11 – There’s No Place Like Home Sweet Home Part 1

(How currency works)

1 copper elemental = 0.06 Euro

0.06 x 50 Copper elementals = 3 Euros

100 Copper elementals = 1 Silver elementals = 6 Euros

1 Gold Elemental = 100 Silver Elementals = 600 Euros

Euros to USD conversion 1 Euro = 1.12 American dollars (x * 1.12 = sum) [Look up the other currency conversation factors. For this arc, they will mainly use USD.]

Quick maff…

June 18, 2019

4:52 PM

“My time is almost up, but it’s been rather fun touring Lugnica again. Even though it’s not Lugnica, it still feels nice to wander around like in the good old days.” Puck had exclaimed, as he stretched haphazardly mid-air with peak satisfaction, before linking up with Shousuke. Shousuke had mulled over the events that had taken place throughout the day. From learning about the dungeon system that this place had incorporated, to the fact that magical manipulation was much more complicated to core. There were many areas of proficiency that she needed to improve on.

“Yeah, it’s been rather nostalgic… However, there are things we should probably work on improving when we get back. This whole deal has proven to be rather troubling for my mental health. So I want to take the rest of the day off.” Shousuke had suggested, wanting to postpone their training until she came to terms with her [Mana Manipulation]. Besides, Shousuke wanted to see the local trades for herself to see how similar they were compared to an RPG economy.

“Well then, I suppose this is where I come in and say... ‘Don’t stay up too late. It will be bad for your skin.’ Like the doting father that I am.” Puck had teased, but had still tended to his daughter’s well-being. Shousuke had nodded along much to her annoyance at the implication that Puck thought that she was going to stay up all night and party.

“Yeah yeah, I won’t be out for too long anyways. Besides, sister would always pester me about pulling all-nighters back when I was doing CRAM schooling in Japan.” Puck’s attention, had then shifted over to Adam. He had still had the dufflebag he had carried around with him all day, slung around his shoulder.

“Also, as part of our acquaintanceship, Mr. Malanowski. I entrust my daughter’s safety to you. If anything happens to her, I expect you to know what happens, right?” Puck had grinned sinisterly from ear to ear, in human terms. Adam on the other hand, had grown rather agitated at the constant threats that the cat familiar had hurled against him.

“Sure, just don’t be a little dick about it next time?” Adam had suggested, putting up a front of his own in front of Puck. Puck had ignored the remark, as he withered away from existence in a mist of mana particles. “Geez, you really have to make him stop threatening me every time. It’s gotten to the point where I’m just hearing a broken record sounding off every day.” Shousuke had giggled at the complaint, Adam had glared at her in response before she composed herself.

“Sorry, it’s just that it’s sometimes funny to see you guys bickering like a married couple.” She had cooed, albeit it was more like a father setting a careless boyfriend straight. Not that Shousuke actually had any romantic feelings for Adam past a friendship.

“Who’s married to who?!” Adam had rattled out, getting slightly livid that it felt like everyone was out to get him since Shousuke had turned into Emilia.

“Forget it, the joke went over your head.” Shousuke had took a deep breath to rearrange her thoughts as they navigated down the main route from which they came from. “That plaza we came across earlier seemed familiar to me, or at least to Emilia’s memories. Let’s go check it out.”

Shousuke had grown rather relentless about wanting to visit the mid-district central plaza within the city, whether it was a drive of nostalgia or intimate curiosity was up for debate. Right now, she wanted to release some pent up stress by settling on a window shopping spree. Over the past four hours, they have been streamlining the connotations of essence along with some Mage’s Association trivia. Due to this, they are finally able to tap into their [Corpus of Sorcery] to manifest their own mana. However, there was one problem that came with it. Shousuke would have to relearn how to circulate her mana within her core due it becoming incredible unstable and rather overwhelming. She would have to settle on fixing the issue later.

“Hold on Shou… We should problem use some of the money the clown gave us to get ourselves some grub.” Adam pleaded, as he barely managed to keep up with his female companion. A low rumble from his abdomen region had proved that he had indeed grown hungry. Shousuke had pondered for a second before making a preliminary verdict, clasping her hands together.

“Alright, I agree… It’s been a long day, so we should probably look around to see if we come across any food stalls or restaurants along the way.” She had decided as she glanced around proactively, despite being in the residential area of the city. Their destination was just another block to the south of them but it didn’t hurt to sight see a little. Their noses had been enticed by aroma that lead to a small shop near the corner of an alley. A colorful metallic sign had hung near the entrance of the shop, slightly being flailed about by the wind.

“’The Curry Smith’ huh? Sounds pretty cheesy if you ask me.” Adam had commented, as a group of robed ‘mercenaries’ had made their way into the shop. Some of what appeared to be the ‘DPS heads’ of the group had carried with them a wide arsenal of medieval weaponry with various enchantments among them. The ‘supports’ of the group had wielded staffs and other magical artifacts to compliment the party. But the most outlandish part of the group is that the ‘porters’ seemingly wielded with them an array of shotguns and rifles.

‘Totally immersion breaking...’ Shousuke had mulled over the fact that modernization had taken a foothold of this world.

“It’s the best we have to go by, and if their name is anything to go by. Their specialty must be curry.” Shousuke had then took the initiative as she made her way over to the shop. Adam tailing a second behind her. Some of the people on the other side of the street had begun to take notice of her, captivated by her appearance. Adam had took notice of this and eyed the spectators. Their gazes had averted by the sight of his glare, proceeding to go about their business.

“You know, you’re really attracting a lot of fucking attention right now.” Adam had bluntly whispered, Shousuke on the other hand had rolled her eyes at the obvious remark.

“Geez, if only you would have told me a week earlier. I would have done something about it.” Shousuke had snidely stated, she too had felt their gazes upon her being. If there was a negative drawback about Emilia’s beauty, it was the intense lecherous gazes she had acquired from the strangers on the street. At first, Shousuke did not mind them all that much as she was too wrapped up in her own self-admiration to even care. However as time went on, and as she slowly adapted to her new body. She realized how much she really had stood out from the crowd, to the point where it really started to annoy her.

“I know I’m stating the obvious, but it’s gotten to the point where it’s stressing me out. Let’s just get in there as quickly as possible.” Shousuke had nodded in understanding, as they filed through the door that lead to an open grill/bar area. Wooden tables and chairs had lined the walls with similar linen coverings on each piece of accommodation. At the front was a wooden counter, prelude to the kitchen in the back. The previous group of mercenaries had already occupied as they happily chatted along with what seemed to be the owner and some of his waitresses. They seemed to be regulars at this restaurant, if Adam and Shousuke had anything to go by.

Adam had then gestured Shousuke over to one of the empty tables on the left side of the establishment. The owner of the shop had noticed their arrival but was still caught up in the moment with his favorite regulars that had recently arrived from the third level of [The Realms of Plaeveathra]. He had gestured one of his waitresses over to the pair, menus in hand. The peachy colored haired and golden eyed girl, contrary to how RPG games and anime portray waitresses, was not scantily clad. She was rather dressed modestly in a black and white uniform and leggings set, with flats to accompany it. The other waitress had donned the same attire.

“New faces, we don’t get many of those around these neck of the woods...” The waitress had prattled on albeit in a nice tone. “Anyways, what can I get for the two of you?”

“Dunno, we have yet to see what you girls have in store for us.” Adam had interjected, as Shousuke had gestured over to one of the pamphlets she had carried around in her arms.

“We’d actually like a menu please. As you have mentioned already, we aren’t from around here, and curry happens to be one of my favorite cuisines back at home.” Shousuke had concluded, the girl had clasp her hands together in understand.

“Oh, I see… Well then, you’ve come to the right place. We have a collage of the best specialties from all around the globe. It was only due to the courtesy of Mage’s Association that my boss was allowed to set up shop here.” She had inputted, remembering some of her memories when it came to various customer interactions. She had then shifted focus over to her customers at hand. “Well then, let me know when you decide to order and I’ll fix you guys up.”

“Hold on a second, I’d actually like to know how the currency around here works. As I have probably mentioned before, we aren’t from around here and only happen to be here on a small exchange I had with an associate from the Mage’s Guild. In turn, they had given us these tokens of some sort.” Shousuke had presented the waitress some gold coins with an insignia of some sort on them. They weren’t Lugnica currency so to speak, but they were pretty reminiscent of the golden coins you would see in various RPG settings.

“Oh, one of those should be more than enough for at least 300 servings of Ca Ri Ga.” She had then pointed towards one of the recipes within the pamphlet. It was a Vietnamese curry cuisine that cost 50 Qenja Copper Elementals, as the pamphlet had advertised it. ‘So the currency around here is marked in intervals of 100 then, I assume. 100 copper ‘elementals’ is equivalent to 1 silver ‘elementals’, so on and so forth. Very RPG-like if I say so myself. Why do they call them Elementals and not coins though?’ Shousuke had pondered at the aspect that the currency was oddly named but nothing that was too significant as long as she remembered the value of each. “We also happen to accept Euros, USD, Yuan, and Yen from the surface as well. If we were to convert the cost of Ca Ri Ga into Euros, it would cost you 3 Euros per serving.”

“That’s good to know. We did happen to bring with us some pocket money from the surface. Frankly, we did not know whether or not we needed it down here but looks like it turned out in our favor.” Shousuke had added, pulling our her wallet from back-pocket of her black jeans as rummaged through her money she had stored within it. Adam had gaped at the fact that Shousuke was going to use her own money to pay for her meal. He had then immediately realized that it was probably better if they did so if the coins that Geoffroy had given them, were handed to them with intended purpose.

“Hmmm...” Shousuke had contemplated out-loud, stopping for a brief second as she set her sights on a Katsu Curry selection. “I think I’ll settle for this and a glass of water.” Shousuke had pointed towards the entree that had cost them 45 copper coins. ‘If my math is right, it should cost roughly 2.70 Euros or 3.02 Dollars. That’s pretty cheap for a restaurant if you ask me, but who am I to complain if I’m not running the place.’

“I’ll have the same. I’m not all that familiar with curry myself except the occasional Japanese takeout here and there.” Adam had stated, as he would rather let Shousuke choose what might seem to be the most appetizing from the menu. He wasn’t the biggest fan of curry himself, but settled on it anyways since he was still trying to familiarize himself with his environment. The pair had pulled out a five dollar bill and two ones. In exchange, the waitress had given them 15 copper coins in trade. She had scribbled down the order on notepad and took it back with her towards the kitchen. Shousuke and Adam on the other hand had sat in wait. The mercenaries on the other hand had flailed around their tankards of alcohol as they howled in laughter at some of their parties antics throughout their day.

“So I really want to get something off my chest.” Shousuke had drawn Adam’s attention as she started venting after a brief period of the commotion. “You remember how I wanted to come to Mage’s Association because I wanted to try something out?”

“Yeah? You never went over what specifically you wanted to do though.” Adam had clarified, much to Shousuke’s ire as her face had turned into a slight frown.

“I wanted to see if I could talk to Mom again...” Shousuke had confessed, Adam on the other hand had raised an eyebrow at the suggestion. ‘Her mom? She had mentioned some bits of her relationship with her step mom, but not with her biological mom. Now that I think about, she never talk about her Mom all that much.’ Adam had grimaced at the fact that she was probably to delve into sensitive topics again pertaining her past.

“Ok? I think you came to the wrong place to talk about it though. Lots of open ears around here.” Adam had suggested, as he glanced at one of the female mercenary members of her group who was eyeing the pair obscurely. She had quickly shifted her gaze back to her party at the mention as she tended to some of her deadbeat drunk teammates. Shousuke had noticed as well, but hardly paid any mind to them since they were doing a fantastic job of drown out parts of her conversation.

“It’s fine, they seem like they got their hands tied over there anyways.” Shousuke had disregarded their prying ears, pausing briefly to formulate her thoughts as Adam had fixed his gaze onto her. “My family back at home, as you are aware is quite the humble and upbeat group of people. It’s my policeman Dad, my step-mother along with my 2 baby half siblings, and my full-blooded sister. However, there was a time in which it wasn’t like that.”

“I can assume that your biological mom is the cause then.” Adam had implied in a low voice, garnering a hesitant candid nod from Shousuke. Her teeth clenched at the suffering her mother had undergone when Shousuke was younger. The restless nights that had contributed to her mom’s insanity, to the bedridden state that sealed her fate.

“She had died of a crippling disease known as Sporadic Fatal Insomnia. Unlike Fatal Familial Insomnia, the chances of getting this genetic hellspawn of disease through heredity was significantly lower than the Familial kind. But the ravaging traits nearly remained the same. It would eventually chip away at your sleep cycle to the point where you wouldn’t be able to sleep at all. The victim would slowly lose their sanity to the point where they wish they were dead, as they had slowly succumbed to this disease. For people with this disease, death would be an instant relief.” Shousuke had clenched her fists at the memory of how powerless she and her father had felt at the time. The nights she had spent crying and prayed to Kami wishing for her mom to get better, to her father’s pleas to the doctors and psychiatrists to do everything they could to save her. It was all for naught as her mother’s brain had eventually deteriorated and passed away devoid of her humanity.

“Fucking hell… A fate worse than death, I can imagine.” Adam had concluded, Shousuke eyes had teared up at the memories of her doting mother before the ravaging disease had taken everything from her. Adam had decided to inquired on Shousuke’s parents in a more positive light. “But with every grim ending, there must come a story. How did your parents meet up anyways.”

“Funny enough, through a 110 call when my father had first started out in the police force. She-” Shousuke was disrupted by the waitress that making their way over to their table with their orders in hand. “Oh, the food is here...” Shousuke’s focus had shifted, Adam had slightly been taken aback with her mood swing.

“Two orders of Katsu Curry with 2 glasses of water.” The waitress had set the entrees in front of her two customers as she tended to them, before leaving them to value their privacy. She had noted that the mood between the two seemed slightly dampened compared how they originally had presented themselves. ‘Did they have a fight? Couples usually come here every once in a while on dates but it’s been a while since I’ve seen a couple fight. Poor girl, her boyfriend must have said something infuriating.’ The waitress had concluded, but for the wrong reasons. She’s had her own fair share of tussles with previous boyfriends in the past, so she had felt sympathetic to Shousuke’s emotional state.

The pair had then turned their attention towards the curry set with a chicken cutlet in front of them. “We’ll pick up on our discussion later. We should probably eat first.”

“After you...” Adam had gestured to Shousuke to try it out first. Shousuke had complied, as she took a whiff of the umami rich aroma the plate was emitting. Dauntlessly, she picked up a spoonful of the substance and had taken a bite.

“Holy fuck, this is amazing.” Shousuke’s eyes had beamed at the mouthwatering flavor the chicken cutlet had complimented with the sauce. It was almost has good as her mother’s curry recipe as she lived through a period of nostalgia with each bite. Her mood had been drastically improved as a result of this. Adam had then proceeded to try it out for himself.

“You’re right, this is pretty good. Better than the stuff they had at that Japanese restaurant I would occasionally visit back in Nevada.” Adam had complimented, simultaneously eating his own curry. He had watched Shousuke gorge down her curry like a hungry US Soldier in Vietnam chowing down on an MRE. ‘I know I’ve said it to myself many times before throughout the last week. But goddamn, she’s really cute...’ He had pondered with his right hand framed over his cheek. He had gazed upon her enchanting amethyst eyes that were complimented with her long silver hair shining under the godrays emitting from the windows. As he wanted to cherish one of this moments for himself.

Eventually, after a moderate period of idle chatting along with one of the mercenaries falling out of his stool and landing on his back, causing a scene. Their attention had been snared by a tall, herculean, beast of a man who both Shousuke and Adam had deemed to be the owner of the establishment. He had sported fiery red hair and piercing blue eyes along with a chiseled face to compliment his features.

“Yo, you two lovebirds. Did you like my Katsu Curry specialty?” He had boasted, Shousuke had nodded in agreement while Adam was slightly annoyed by the tease. The fiery man had roared in laughter at the tension between them. “If you keep on sulking like that, boy. Your good looks will go to waste on the ladies. Cheer up, will you?”

“Hey boss, what exactly did you use in that recipe to make it taste that amazing?” Shousuke had inquired, drawing the brawny man’s attention as he toyed with Adam a little bit.

“Ahhh, you’re looking for my forte, ehh… The sauce and chicken will remain a secret recipe since it has taken a myriad of umami enhancing generations to get it to the way it is now. However, I did spice things up with some garlic and ginger to enhance the flavor.” He had stated, much to Shousuke’s discontent about not being able to get the recipe behind the masterpiece.

“However, if you become a regular of mine. I might reconsider your request.” The man had beamed, as Shousuke had nearly gave in but realized that she wasn’t going to able to achieve that end. ‘Bribing me for the recipe, huh? Well, it’s not like I have anything of value to negotiate with him.’ Shousuke had mulled, setting aside her thoughts as she fixed her gaze upon him.

“I might take it into consideration, but I don’t think we’ll be back here after this.” Shousuke had announced, much to the trepidation of the owner.

“Ahh, I haven’t introduced myself, have I? The name’s Cian Joseph Laverty, just CJ for short.” The man had introduced himself. Shousuke had obliged and gave out only her first name.

“You can just call me Emilia, and this is my friend Adam. We’re just travelers who made our way to the Mage’s Association for an appointment. We’re expecting to return to the surface by tomorrow.” Shousuke had then glanced at her phone as it read 5:43 on her phone.

‘From I had been told, most shops don’t turn in until at least 8 and seems like the time-flow is consistent here with the outside world. That probably means that this place was probably seated along the west coast of the US. That also explains why Puck had went to sleep during that time as well. The question is, if I were to return to Japan where they have different time-zones. Would Puck have to readjust to those time-zones as well? Or would he continue waking up around the same precedent of time? It would also mess up his active times as well once the clocks were to be rolled back an hour to compensate for Daylight Savings Time.’ Shousuke had mulled over various things within her head, before being snapped back to reality by the roar laughter of the owner with Adam. Who had shifted around uncomfortably within his seat.

“I’m telling you boy, you really earned yourself quite the looker.” CJ had continuously praised Adam, patting him on the back as they idly chatted while Shousuke was considering what to ask. She had remember that most taverns in RPGs were the hotspot for gossip so she decided to utilize that to her advantage.

“Excuse me, CJ…” CJ had turned towards Shousuke as his face had glowered at her with acknowledgment. “Are you by chance at all associated with the Mage’s Association?”

“It’s been a little more than a year since I’ve last visited them at their ceremonial grounds. But I used to be acquainted with some of the higher ups within their little scholarly haven up in their Ivory Towers.” He had revealed, Shousuke’s face had darkened slightly as she was about to ask something selfishly abhorrent to the man.

“Then, is there any magic that allows you to speak to the dead?” Adam’s attention had been immediately fixed on her request as well. As he sat up straight, disoriented. The man had in turned had pondered innocently, not knowing the context as to why she wanted to she wanted to spiritually communicate with someone who was most likely a loved one that had passed on from life. It was understandable, as some people would use this as a method to cope with a loss.

“There is a device that allows you to talk to the dead, but the mages keep that thing pent up in the Necromancy Tower to interrogate the dead. I think the thing’s name is [Soul Recollection], something simplistic like that.” He had revealed, as Shousuke had jotted down the article within her mind.

She knew that the actions she was taking were profane to the core, especially considering the circumstances her mother had died from. However, another part of her also really longed to see her again. To cherish her memories she had spent with her, to tell the tale about all the amazing people she had made friends with after her passing. Including the new members of her family. But most importantly, to see how much her son, now daughter has grown into someone she could be proud of.

“I see, thanks for you for your information.” Shousuke had closed off the discussion for now at least until she could meet Geoffroy at the Inn he had indicated on the a local atlas. The man had given his patrons a firm salute before wandering off to tend to his mercenary regulars who were having the time of their lives at the front counter. In a way, Shousuke has slightly envied the party’s dynamic as she wished she could do this with her friends back at home.

They had eventually filed out on the street, after wrapping up their stay at the outlet and had proceeded to make their way down to the Mid-district Central Plaza. They had come across a lot of nook and cranny stands with a variety of commodities along the way. Ranging from books to perfumes and jewelry. Shousuke was tempted to buy some of the feminine stock at some of the booths but had held back as she realized that it was Emilia who was provoking her desires. ‘I mean sure, some of those earrings would probably look good to wear at a banquet. But 20 gold elementals for one pair of earrings? That’s ridiculous… In real life currency, that would be nearly 13,500 USD!” Shousuke had lamented in her mind as she saw how overinflated some of the prices were in comparison to the American dollar. They had finally made their way at the plaza.

“So I guess this is it? It way bigger in scale than I imagined it in the anime.” Shousuke had commented on, as her interests had been piqued by the various shops and stalls set up along the commerce area. Ranging from intricate embroidery, to glasses, to magical items, the list goes on and on.

Their interest had been caught by a local ‘blacksmith/gunsmith’ who only created enchanted weaponry. Adam’s interest had sparked 10 fold at the delicate craftsmanship that the shop had present. The weapons on display had been refined and delicately carved, filled with practicality to the tee. The establishment had set its merchandise out in the open, along with a large shack/compound with a long counter to accompany it. Their forge was based on the right side along with a work bench, anvil, welder, milling machine and various other craftsman tools and accessories.

“And all of a sudden, I want to take everything I said back about not wanting to be here.” Adam had added as he frantically browsed through the merchandise selection. His sights had set on one particular sword made by the company Albion in the real world. “So they sell stuff from the surface as well. Interesting...”

“Ahhh, it seems like you have particular tastes in my stock, travelers.” A slightly plumpish fellow with a full beard and mohawk with a pig tail at the back had made his way out onto the counter as he surveyed his customers. He had assessed his customers by the physique of their bodies and the weapons that would compliment them. ‘Both the boy and the girl definitely surpass their average physiques… The question is who can exert themselves the most when fighting out of a tough spot.’ He had mused to himself, settling on a broadsword recommendation for the two of them.

“Ah, we just happen to come across your store, sir. My friend here would probably entertain you more than I could honestly since I really don’t have as much interest in fighting with anything more than a dagger.” Shousuke had suggested albeit uncomfortably due to the man’s rather intimidating nature. The man had nodded in understand, much to Shousuke’s surprise as she figured that he was going to coerce her in trying out his swords.

“So how good’s your steel here. It’s certainly better than anything I’ve seen on the surface.” Adam had flared up, as the man had jovially obliged to his request. ‘Like two peas in a pod.’ Shousuke had commented on within her mind.

“I can say with certainty that you won’t find any better steel than here. Many of my weapons have been enchanted with a variety of runes to deal with certain troublesome enemies the best.” The man had boasted, assuring them that there wasn’t anything that could peak his merchandise. ‘And there goes the obligatory NPC dialogue, when it reality that probably means that there’s better loot on the upper levels of this tree dungeon.’ Shousuke had noted, comparing the blacksmith to a starting level RPG NPC. The guns were probably the only oddity out of the whole collection out on display.

“I’ll take your words for it.” Adam and the blacksmith had proceeded to spend nearly half an hour talking about the various weapons, tools, guns, and other accessories out on his display. Shousuke on the other hand had been spared a moment to herself to browse the local stalls near the plaza.

“Hahaha, I like you, young man. You’re one of the few people out of the vast sea of stupidity that I have to deal with on a daily basis that knows what he’s talking about.” The blacksmith who was revealed to be named Harvey had complimented him. His attention as shifted over to Shousuke. “Girl, I can say with certainty that this young man would be a keeper if you let him pursue his hobbies as a blacksmith one day. His attention wouldn’t be focused on anything more than your bosom, a beer, and his forge.”

“Uhh, Master Harvey… We aren’t actually dating.” Adam had interjected, as Shousuke had originally dismissed the blacksmith’s perverse remarks. The blacksmith in turn had laughed at the response.

“Hahaha, don’t let it get to you too much. But if you ever do decided that you want to settle down and be a unit, than make sure to take my advice to heart.” Harvey had recommended, drawing puzzled faces at the advice. With that, they had continued to make voyage throughout the commerce routes, slightly stagnated by Shousuke’s beauty among the shop-keeps as they continuously tried to push product after product in her face.

The pair hadn’t really hauled all that much, apart from various commodities and tools that they had bought with the real world currency that they had left. Eventually after and long a tiring day, they had reached the inn that Geoffroy was staying at. The inn appropriately dubbed ‘The Ethereal Void’ was shaped in an oddity of star shaped columns, some of which protruded more than others. But the most obnoxiously obvious details were how decorated some of the columns were. As if someone decided to dot it around with various medieval art-styles in combined in one. The interior was even more eccentric. Many magical tools and runes had lined the décor and walls, making it evident that this was no ordinary inn. The windows were also stained glass as well, making it apparent that the interior would be vibrant during the day. Various forms of magical spells had emitted from some of the pillars that had lined a staircase in the middle of the establishment. It had separated into two sets of staircases at the top leading up to various doors that had lined the walls of the complex. On the right side of the entrance was a marble counter with various paintings engraved into the structure. The supposed innkeeper had filed out from an unseen door near the entrance and had made her way to the counter.

“Are you two looking for a room?” She had proposed, in exchange Shousuke had shook her head at the inquiry.

“We were apparently booked for the night by our associate named Geoffroy Matthieu. We were told that we would have a room opposite to his for the night.” The innkeeper in turn had frown at the mention of Geoffroy, drawing a perplexed face on Shousuke’s face.

“Matthieu? What goes around comes right back around I guess. He’s my boss, but he never really tends to this establishment all that much besides the occasional business meeting and his coincidental stay at the inn.” She had then sifted through her catalog book at the front counter. As the pair had glanced around galvanized by the revelation. “Miss Sakamura and Mr. Malanowski, I assume?” Shousuke had humbly nodded at the mention of her name, Adam doing the same. ‘It still feels weird to be called that, despite having accepted my female body.’

“Your room is the one upstairs, second one to your left.” She had handed the pair a set of keys to their room. However, she had also needed to added another important articles at her bosses request. “Also, Mr. Matthieu would like to meet you in his room as well. His room is the 3rd to your right.” She had pointed towards the room, garnering a nod from the pair. She had then waved them a gesture of condolences. “May Qenja have mercy on your souls.”

“What? What does she mean by that?” Adam had interjected, as Shousuke had let out a collected groan.

“It means that he’s probably a scary person to everyone besides us at the moment. But that could very well change at any given moment.” With that, they had made their way over to Geoffroy’s room, knocking on it.

“Come in...” Geoffroy had announced as the pair had filed through the door. “Ahhh, Lady Emilia and Sir Malanowski. It’s good that we have congregated under the auspices of the moonlight granted by Her Grace Qenja.” Geoffroy had flamboyantly announced, fitting of his personality. “You see, there has been a rather troublesome request that I had to tend to. However, I have finally managed to sit down and talk with the both of you.” Geoffroy had stated, drawing their attention the subject at hand. He had gestured for them to take a seat at the two accommodating chairs around a coffee table.

“Lady Emilia, it seems that your summon here has sparked a rather large chain of events that yet to unfold in the near future according to the [Oscillation of Continuum]. The council has yet to determine how significant these events will affect you in the near future. But for now-” Shousuke had decided to interject as she was trying to wrap her head around the subject at hand, much to Geoffroy’s slight frustration

“Hold on for one second, what are you talking about?” Shousuke had blunted inquired, as Geoffroy had come to the realization that she did not have any understanding of the subject at hand.

“Forgive me, it seems that I should probably start from the very beginning.” Geoffroy had paused for a second before resuming. “As you may have realized during the events that had unfolded throughout our periodic history. We have been at odds with various entities from every spectrum within existence. Whether it would be the theological community, to government entities, we seem to find trouble where ever we go. However, what if I told you that there was something much greater in the grand scheme of things? Something as great as the Gods of Destruction for a change? What if I told you that during their skirmishes with our Goddess Qenja, they had been sealed with a certain void of existence because she feared that they would set forth the events of Ragnorak prematurely? These Gods of Destruction are in very nature, the essence of the seven deadly sins within Christian teachings. They are Gluttony, Wrath, Pride, Lust, Greed, Envy, and Sloth. Each of them take various forms of our consciousness. Since they are sealed in a void of nothingness, they cannot manifest themselves to dominate existence. They have, in essence, found a loophole within our psyche that allows them to dominate our minds. With meditation, this could be easily be circumvented and prevents them from garnering any power. However, something is happening that is starting to break their seals. Something that could seal the fate of the world and cause Ragnarok to take precedent.” Geoffroy had revealed, Shousuke was still at a loss with what was revealed but decided it was the best she could work with for now.

“Ok? So, what I supposed to do about it? I didn’t want to get summoned just so I can run around like some hero errand girl to fulfill your requests. I just want to live a quiet life.” Shousuke had inputted, not wanting to do with anything the Mage’s Association tries to press on her.

“Believe me, I wish things were that simple to settle on as well. However, you need to realize that your manifestation, as well the one detected within Japan weren’t without purpose. There is great calamity coming, and we might need your help to stop it.” Geoffroy had informed, much to the grievances of the pair. He had pulled out a tablet of some sort that had shown a rather peculiar altar. The structure in its very core had seemed like a powerhouse with various strings and spirals of energy circulating around it as if it warping the very fabric of space around it. A beam of energy had pierced vertically through the sky in consistent intervals.

“I take it that this thing is that [Oscillation of Continuum] you had mention? Doesn’t look all that special to me besides the fact that it looks like a beacon of some sort.” Shousuke had noted, as she tried to decipher what was happening within the image. Geoffroy on the other hand had flicked to another image set, in which showed the altar radiating dark energy with a consistent red beam streaming through the sky erratically. “Oh nevermind...”

“The council itself is currently investigating the phenomenon as we speak. But since I have no direct role within the organization, at least for now. So I will have Master Otterman contact you within a couple of days as we figure out to do. My purpose here tonight was to warn you that you might not be able to live a peaceful life once these foreshadowed events unfold.” Geoffroy had paused for an interval as he contemplated a train of thought about different events that had unfolded throughout history. “Alas, this isn’t the first time that these events had unfolded within our history either.”

“Not the first time, huh?” She had mused over the notion, a thought had occurred to her. “So are the people summoned here direct responsible for the phenomenon or is it the Goddess Qenja herself doing it?”

“We do not know for certain, our concept of mana is still rather primitive to this day. However, I can say with certainty that the summons are at least directly tied to the Oscillation’s instability.” Geoffroy had concluded, as Shousuke had let out a collected groan at the thought that she probably was going to have to fix a mess she had unintentionally created.

“Fine, I’ll keep this stuff in mind for now. However, I want you to fulfill a request of mine in turn.” Shousuke had requested, as Geoffroy had given her a curious look. She had eventually vented out. “I want know if you are at all familiar with a device called [Soul Recollection].” Geoffroy’s eyebrow had raised at the request.

“Ahh, such a fruitless task. The device does exist, but I can’t say for certainty whether or not it would work for you if you don’t have a high enough Necromancy affinity.” Geoffroy had informed her, much to her inconvenience. Geoffroy on the other hand, was lying under his own breath as he could say for certainty that the device would certainly work under her essence.

“Well it’s worth a try. I’ll even pay you back your all your gold coins if you so wish.” Shousuke had proposed, drawing a reaction from Adam as he fell into despair at the thought of losing all of this world’s monetary wealth in the real world in the span of a second.

“Ahh, there is no need that. Many of my clients in the past have had their own grievances and being able to talk to the ones they have cherished throughout their lives after losing them had made them feel much better. At such a request, I will be more than happy to fulfill it.” Geoffroy had then in turn, summoned a portal of some sorts as he disappeared for a minute before reappearing with an apparatus of some sort the next. The device had seemed to have an oval shaped mirror with a rune embedded into its stone structure.

“All you simply have to do is channel a small amount of mana into the device, then call upon the one who you seek the most.” Geoffroy had informed, as Shousuke had composed herself before something had dawned on her.

“But my spirit, Puck had said that my Corpus was incredibly unstable at the moment.” Shousuke had argued, as Geoffroy nodded in reverence.

“Then I will guide you through the process. All I simply ask is for you to allow me to hold on your arm. I will help you mitigate your mana to the required amount until the process is complete.” Geoffroy had assured her as Shousuke had took a deep breath to collect her thoughts. There was no going back for her, and quite frankly it had scared her. She had every reason not to carry through with her selfish ambition. Despite that, there was a wound within her heart that also needed to be healed. For that, she carried through with it.

She had reached out and touched the altar like device. Correspondingly, Geoffroy had set a hand on her shoulder as he guided her through the process. The devices had lit up in a myriad of colors before finally settling on one fixed image. A figure had emerged from the mist of mana particles as they took form of a beautiful woman in her 30s with caramel golden brown hair and brown round eyes had Shousuke’s original male body had sported. She had seemed surprised that she had been summoned out her never-ending slumber but never the less seemed mystified by her manifestation. She had glanced around the clockworks that was the fabric of time before settling on a light that had illuminated from a portal. Just slightly above the portal was a name that had read Sakamura Reiko as if drawn in a neon mist. She had glanced at the name as she was bombarded with memories that had led to her death. After her thoughts had resided, she peered through the portal. A girl with silver hair and amethyst eyes had manifested on the other side. However, this girl had seemed familiar to her. It was right there that, despite having an alternate appearance, this girl had been irrefutably had been her child. Her son, as a matter of fact.

“Shou-chan?” She had whimpered out, as a stream of tears had cascaded down her face.

“Okaasan?” Shousuke had stared wistfully, galvanized by the figure that had stood in front of her. Multiple conflicting and complex emotions had hit her like a freight-train from all sides. In turn, tears had also started streaming down her face as a result of this. She had reached up to wipe away her tears from her face and looked away from the apparatus, not wanting to show her face. She had covered her face with her hands in anguish.

“I’m so sorry… I’m so, so sorry… To think I would use magic for something as despicable as this...” Shousuke had uttered frustrated, angry, broken, hurt… She would never being able to forgive herself for such selfish transgression. Adam had tended to his friend’s mental breakdown after being reunited with her mother after so long as she sobbed into her hands.

“It’s alright Shou-chan. This must have been very hard for you, but let’s have a talk, shall we?”