Chapter 16: Coming To Terms (Lots of Exposition)

Subaru had fidgeted in anticipation at the reluctant state of his partner in crime, Rem, who had decided to give into the offer of finding an outfit to replace her unwanted gown. It might have taken a little persuasion on Subaru’s end but Rem had ultimately accepted the offer. Though they had only briefly known each for nearly two months, their relationship had molded into the perfectly harmonious symbiotic relationship. With each of them being able to trust each other to overcome whatever life had thrown at them, much to Subaru’s self-denial at his reliability. They were dead set on overcoming this new obstacle that was thrown at them with fervent resilience, as confounding as it was. All for the sake of finally obtaining a possible peaceful life and finding the others. Away from the repressive clutches of Lugnica’s political climate, and the dangers that lurked its every corner.

However, a thought had immensely rocked Subaru over the notion that he was once again running away from his problems, even if the situation was unexpected and unavoidable. That he was running away from his duty, taking up the mantle of sloth. But the most jarringly repulsive thought of it all, was the fact that he had felt that he had abandoned the girl he had fell in love with when she needed him the most. Stomping all over her dreams that see a world where everyone can live harmoniously without hating each other. It had made his stomach churn at the mere thought of it. Despite his inner turmoil, he must continue to press on without her, for her sake. At least until he finds a way to go back to Lugnica, in hopes of convincing Emilia to come along with them. Eventually finding closure in what he had set his mind to do the most, he had scanned his surroundings much to his dopey composure.

While the walls were irregular in shape, having intermittent protrusions and overhead, almost organic root-like meshed curvatures weaving indiscriminately through the corridor. Each of the root structures had pulsated waves of energy at intervallic and sequential tempos. Aside from that, they had all tastefully formulated into a layout that had emphasized the cultural significance of a fantasy druid-like aesthetic. Arbitrarily residing within the neatly trimmed vegetative walls of the dwelling harbored encapsulated luminescent orbs, reminiscent of the ones found in the Roswaal estate. They were placed strategically throughout the corridor to provide adequate lighting. Other specks of energy had seemingly whisked about the corridor, gathering around a focal point of sorts that spiraled down the slope purposely built to accommodate the tree. Each room aside from the bedroom had been designed in the shape of a pod and had a curving aperture to them. The only baseline for cultural ‘normality’ was the freakishly polished floorboard that had reflected the lighting created by the orbs. This had brought a sense of commonality to Subaru’s uneasiness in this eccentric environment, despite being uncertain whether this scenario had been a fluke or not.

With a nonchalant temperament, he had casually sifted for the cellphone he had placed within his tracksuit pocket. It had beamed radiantly as he had unintentionally swept his hands across the power button within his pocket. Pulling it out, he had been met with the lock-screen of a caricature awfully resembling the popular children’s mascot Domo-kun in a 2D format.

“Does she think that we’re little kids or something?” Subaru had remarked vexedly, but his attention had fell onto something much more eerie within its display.

The date had displayed 06/18/2019. Subaru had rubbed his eyes crudely to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating, only to be met with the time-stamp once again. This had caused Subaru’s jaw to fall through the floor at the mere sight of it. He had never had the opportunity to confirm anything about the world aside from the most crucial observations he had made from his initial manifestation. Hell, even the irresponsible being that summoned them didn’t even give them a rundown of what they’ve been thrown into.

‘What the hell? Did I just time travel into the future?! I just made nearly a 5 year time skip from what I last checked on my old flip phone, and that was nearly 2 days ago! Besides, how is this phone even getting any reception considering we’re in the middle of nowhere?!’ Subaru had exclaimed within his mind as an array of thoughts had stirred within his mind. Eventually, his mind had settled on the most pressing matter. ‘Wait, time should really be the least of my worries right now. What matters right now is whether or not is if Emilia and Petra had been caught up in this mess or not. And whether or not these people can help me out in finding them if that’s the case. The problem is that they seem to have some sort of hidden scheme cooking up. I’ll probably want to consult Rem’s advice on these types of situations and get as much information as I can gather before I do anything rash. Though it would probably be a bad idea to stall for too much time.’

With that affixed mindset, he had navigated through the unfamiliar phone interface with impulsive flicks. A small widget icon had appeared to help guide Subaru through a small tutorial but Subaru had heeded it no mind as he swiped it to the side. After getting freakishly accustomed to how the interface had operated, Subaru had immediately searched for the series Re:Zero faster than Nirvana speedrunning their music career. At a moment’s notice, he had immediately delved face first into the compendia of Google search results. An array of Wiki articles, cover images, promotional websites, and forum spaces had lit up in his face like a Christmas tree. Subaru had been absolutely hammered by the amount of publicity and information that had surrounded the series. Mixed emotions had started to re-surge again as he had stared at the interface with disdain, and morbid curiosity. His fingers had shakenly gravitated towards the Author’s hyperlink within the Google search result, resulting in the webpage opening into a collage of his works. There was only one thing that had bottled up within Subaru’s mind.

“So this is the asshole responsible for making my life a living hell, huh? Just looking at him makes my stomach churn…” Subaru had accentuated reviled, feeling the swelling urge to find the author and deck him. The more he had sifted through the search results, the more his stomach had churned at the sight of them. He may never set his sights on anime again after everything he’s uncovered. Despite his inner conflicting emotions, there was a bigger concern he had needed to tackle. “But then again, those are only my own selfish desires. Right now, the top priority should be finding out whether we can return back to Lugnica or not; and whether my parents even exist here. Being brought back into the modern world after being a hermit for so long has caused my already insurmountable amount of stress to increase tenfold. I’m not expecting to wager any favors after everything that dryad girl has done for us already, but I don’t plan on kicking the bucket just yet for some random Goddess. So the only thing we have to go by right now is to shut up and listen to what she has to say. Besides, information gathering is a crucial route that anime protagonists need to take in the conquest to becoming a harem king.” Subaru had contemplated blithely to no one in particular.

Warding off his emotional turmoil by taking a deep breath to refocus, Subaru had then navigated on over to the contacts placed within the phone’s directory. There were only two contacts that had been situated within the directory, one containing a picture of Ianeira and the other of her butler Vidrik. Mustering trepid resolve, he had tapped on the dryad’s profile before deciding to compile a message to let her know that he was going to drop by. Subaru had been so preoccupied with the messaging app, that he did not notice Rem creaking the bedroom door open just enough for her eyes to peer though. She had felt queasy and a tad bit nervous as she had tensely fidgeted at the door, only to realize that Subaru had not been paying attention at her ungainly appearance. It only took a light tap for Subaru to glance up towards the timid display, caught off guard by her rather unusual nervous behavior.

“Ummm, Rem… What are you doing?” Subaru had glowered, noticing that she had tensed up at the remark. If he was in his usual mood, he would have fawned all over the nervous girl trope that shy girls in anime tended to exhibit when they were trying to impress the main lead. But the current circumstances had called for dire measures and Subaru had been in no mood to screw around. Rem had perched up next to the door-frame as she had tried to incur a reason for her coy hesitation, a blush had washed up on her face. From the visible crack in the door, she had appeared to be wearing some sort of gray frilled long-sleeved top that slightly hung loose around the cleavage area. Stimulating a myriad of thoughts through Subaru’s wary brain.

“… I was kind of hoping to find something more formal to wear, but her wardrobe had mostly consisted of a diverse accumulation of clothing that nobles or Red Quarter (red-light district) harlots would wear on a regular occasion. Considering the propriety required of someone within the realm of my profession, is this really alright? Frankly, I don’t know if I’ll feel comfortable wearing clothes of this caliber, considering that this ‘modern era’ has seen a considerable amount of improves in the quality of the material.” Rem had stated rather troublingly, as Subaru had raised an eyebrow at the concern. ‘She’s really invested into this, isn’t she?’ Subaru had mused to himself at the spectacle.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head over it too much. Sometimes it’s good to accept the generosity of other people when the situation calls for it. As long as you’re willing to pay that favor back in full later, then everything will be alright.” Subaru had assured, as a small wave of relief had filled Rem. Her sulking posture had straightened out, and was replaced with a bubbly feeling that elasped the queasy feeling within her constitution.

“It would be bad to freeload for too long though, Subaru-kun. Perhaps seeking employment in the meantime at this establishment would be preferable if all else fails. We can’t rely on others to fulfill their end of the bargain always, so we need to take a more tactful approach.” Rem had softly uttered, though Subaru had picked up on it anyways. He wasn’t entirely fond of the concept of having to work for a living, but if that’s what it took to achieve a peaceful outcome. Then Subaru would make sure to see it through to the end, with the others if possible of course.

“Ahhh, we’ll get to that later. We’ve barely even had one day to settle down and figure out what we’re going to do next besides talking to this dryad chick.” Subaru had protested, though he knew that Rem was only teasing him with the notion. But she did raise a valid concern about what they would do in the meantime. “So, um…? Are you ready to come out now, or?”

“- As much as these clothes don’t suite the likes of me, I did piece together something modest enough for presentation. This is a little embarrassing for me, so could Subaru-kun please shut his eyes for a second?”

Once Subaru had respectively heeded Rem’s request, Rem had eventually worked up the confidence to show off the simple outfit she had picked that had consisted of the gray top, along with a frilled long black skirt with an accented white line skimming across the helm of it that reached past her knees and black stockings. Although the militants did strip her of her bloodied maid outfit much to Subaru’s ire, they did not bother removing the headband on her head as she had clutched it loosely to her side, as if it were a precious keepsake to her. She wore no shoes or accessories besides her signature lavender hair pins at the front.

“Subaru-kun can open his eyes now.” Rem had issued, as Subaru had once again obliged to Rem’s request as she had filed out of the room rather timidly. When his eyes had slowly fluttered open, he had felt his soul transcend into another dimension of wonder by the sheer beauty Rem had emanated off her being.

Though the outfit was simplistic for its design, Subaru had found it be both phenomenally cute and fitting of Rem’s elegant charm. He had felt his mood drastically improve thanks to the wonderful sight of Rem trying out clothes from the modern world, much to his own chagrin. He had given Rem his signature thumbs up of approval as a single tear of hysterical joy had strode down his face.

“Wow, it looks really good on you Rem. You really knocked it out of the park with that one, considering that that’s what most girls of this era would probably wear.” Subaru had complimented the girl, as she had fidgeted slightly from the eagerness and slight embarrassment of being praised by Subaru. Subaru had subduedly wanted to see her do a princess twirl in her newfound outfit however, but had decided to put it off for a different occasion.

“… Well, this outfit seemed simplistic and practical in its design. I had only picked it out simply because I knew that Subaru-kun would be happy to see me in something rather reminiscent of his old world. There weren’t any other underlying intentions, I swear.” Rem had abnegated, clearly conscious of how Subaru was seeing her outside of her maid uniform as she had twiddled with a lock of hair. Subaru had noted that she went out of her way to dress this way for him, despite her trying to skirt around her real intentions. A small smile had crawled up his face at the insinuation.

“Yeah yeah… Like I said, you look great in it. There’s no need to beat around the bush when it comes to things like these; but I think we should make our way over to her office. What do you say?” Subaru had suggested unrestrained albeit unrefined, shifting the conversation so that it doesn’t get any more awkward than what it already was.

Rem’s jaw had slacked slightly from Subaru rather discreet statement about her, but clearly he had wanted to avoid engrossing too deep into meaningless chatter when they should be really be confronting their new problem at hand. With an earnest nod, the duo had made their way through the dwelling. However much to their inconvenient surprise, the establishment had been notably larger than they originally had thought despite how disproportionate the structure had seemed.

Though the corridor had spiraled around from what Subaru had initially had deemed to be a tree, it was more of a labyrinth of sorts. There had been multiple intermittently connected chambers that had been purposely designed to outfit plant and alchemy based storage and research. Each of the rooms had a designated name plating on the outside of it made out of same wood material that had used as the floor boarding. Much to Subaru’s convenience, each of the plaques had been etched with Japanese characters describing their purpose, making it easier to navigate through the spiraling corridor that had lead into a large parlor that screamed luxurious. To the opposite end of the common room, resided a rather opulent door frame with a sigil embedded onto the front of it. The duo, despite having no current link to the realm of mana, could sense the copious amount of power emanating from it with enough energy to make their skin crawl. On the top of the frame was a wreathed plaque coating with a golden trimming that had read ‘Atrium of Ouxess.’ It had given off a rather formal aesthetic that probably has seen its fair share of highly decorated and prestigious guests traversing it throughout its past.

“Talk about climbing up the ladder of success… This whole place puts the Roswaal Manor to shame...” Subaru had noted, with awe filled in his voice at the sheer contrast of the dwelling’s design. Rem had eyed the furniture surrounding her, impressed by how ubiquitously sleek and clean the accommodation had been.

Subaru had surveyed the rather prominent entry point with a rather troubled expression. His throat had felt parched, and a strong feeling of uneasiness had overcome him. This had caused an assortment of thoughts to overwhelm his mind, but was brought back out into reality when he had felt Rem’s hand slip into his own. She had given him a sense of confidence as he had proceeded to approach the doorknob, only to be stopped in his tracks by the tinkling scuffle of a green and blue porcelain tea set carried on a tray. Vidrik, who had made his way in the common room, had eyed the duo rather apathetically. He had continued to weave past them with a stern expression, causing Subaru to gulp at the intimidating nature of the man. Stopping by the door, the sigil had lit up as an array of mana had been harnessed and woven together into spectacle of flowers that had circled around the metallic door-frame.

With a snap of the butler’s fingers, the doors had opened into what could be described as a kaleidoscope of colors that had dynamically illuminated the study room. Ranging from scintillant plant-based alchemical reagents, to a large golden orrery seated on a pedestal that had appeared to be constantly revolving around a mana powered planetary gear with focal points emanating from all over the intrinsic design, and other magical/scientific instruments. Rows of refurbished bookshelves and cabinets had lined the walls, with mystical scrolls and paper magical casts shielding the archives with an aura that had shrouded the gallery. The chamber seemed to be circular in design, as it had hosted an array of massive arched windows featuring a lattice frame that had projected an unexpected landscape to the beholder of its prestigious glory. Columns upon columns had been perfectly arranged and morphed into an archway that lead into a portal of a sorts near the end of its pathway through the thicket of the forest. Everything about erratic structures had screamed dissonant. However, upon closer inspection of the columns, the structures had seemed to be decorated with an array of climbing plants and banners with similar insignias to the ones found on the rear of Ianeira’s robe. Subaru’s sightseeing extravaganza had been abruptly ended by a rather stridently patronizing and accented male voice echoing across the study-room, startling both Rem and Subaru at the heated argument the two individuals were having with each other in what Subaru had determined to be the English language from across the room.

“- that this will jeopardize our expedient efforts to maintain business relations with the Hokkoku Group and various other military benefactors if they sanction us. Your brazen efforts during the operation will not go unanswered for... What do you have to say for yourself?” The male voice had resonated through the room rather chidingly, despite at first being inaudible to the duo. However, to their observation, Ianeira had maintained her composure as she had decided to respond accordingly. She had been seated behind her refurbished desk that had been fixed by the outwardly curving interior design of the room. A row of windows had stretched out behind here as it had let in an array of god-rays from the setting sun in the horizon. Shining vibrantly upon the delicate and unparalleled beauty that could only be described as a cherry tree blooming into life by the beckoning of the vivacious spring winds. A slight red hue had crawled up the face of Subaru as his mind had run amuck in wanton desire, only to be pulled out his trance by a slightly vexed Rem.

“I’d say that I should pat myself on the back, and that you should get off your high horse. But with all due respect, the situation called for it and at the end of the day, we got what we wanted. Perhaps in the meantime, you should try throwing your weight around the ring and consult that Andrei fellow of yours to get a handle on the situation. Remember that the Arch-mage had made it abundantly clear that I should use whatever means necessary to capture our VIPs before the enemy had a chance to get their hands on them. We were left with virtually no other options on the matter. Besides, it's not my job to answer to greedy politicians, who no doubt had a role to play in this whole mess to begin with. It’s YOURS.” Ianeira had responded rather sardonically, much to the hotheaded man’s ire as he had slammed his table on the other side of the line. The man in turn, had let out a groan of frustration as he had contemplated a method of easing the already dire state of the recent predicament throughout his handlers, rubbing his temples to relieve the pent up stress. Vidrik had made his way over to his mistress’s desk in correspondence to the dispute, as he had carefully poured the steaming hot tea into a porcelain cup provided by the tea set. Although Subaru and Rem had kept their place near the entrance of the study room as they had watched on with fascination at the exchange happening between the holographic projection and the pink haired girl that had saved them.

“This is precisely the problem with your rather cavalier attitude towards assignments like these. You think you can waltz in there and expect the problem to resolve itself through brute force. But the real world does not work like that, Ianeira.” The man had argued, with a rather cutting voice. However, Ianeira had brushed off the notion as she had leisurely took a sip from her freshly brewed tea as if it weren’t something she has heard a million times before. Her eyes had wandered over to her expected guests, although much earlier than she had anticipated. With a motion from her hands, she had beckoned them to sit down at the two parallel accommodating chairs that were placed around Ianeira's vintage personalized desk centered immaculately by the window panes shrouding her being. She was usually forced to reserve these chairs for the likes of greedy contractors and patronizing scholars. However, today had ushered in a different matter altogether from her usual grueling assortment of paperwork she had to routinely fill as part of her role as an academic advisor and a chief scholar for the Tower of Ecomancy. She had finally found a means of escaping the prosaic lifestyle she had lead for the past couple of years now, and had sought it in her clients. However, she knew that she needed to deal with the hurdles first.

“It had worked for the Soviets in their march towards Berlin. As well as countless other medieval battles and skirmishes that have occurred throughout time infinitum, but that’s besides the point… The true reason that I had employed brute force rather than levelheaded strategies is because I needed to acquire arbitrary combat data for the ‘doll’ and with the limited time frame that we had, it was only plausible. If what the prophecy says is true, then we’ll need to find the means to secure our futures and reserve our strength until the nigh of peril is upon us.” Ianeira had refuted, hoping to steer the conversation towards the main problem at hand. Of course, she couldn’t resist adding a small tidbit of information. “If it makes your life any easier. My butler Vidrik had been tasked with dosing all electronics within the vicinity with high frequency gamma radiation and degaussing their data storage devices. It would take a miracle of Qenja to even hope of recovering the video evidence without a proficient mage in Quantum Magic to assist. And the both of us know that there’s only one particular individual that has no interest in such things to begin with. Needless to say, we’re only marginally saved the sinking ship.”

“It seems that there’s no end to your taradiddle in sight. It doesn’t take the brain capacity of a marsupial to second-guess what had occurred there. Though as they say, once the sun sets, the shadow of the night blankets the truth.” The man had paused briefly as a thought had occurred in his mind, Ianeira in the process had discerned the implication of the quote. “In hindsight, we could utilize this to our favor. Since we’d eventually have to dragoon all the propped up political hacks to aid to our cause in the future. Brilliant… Absolutely brilliant… Farman, can you bring my ledger to me please?” The man had earnestly requested on the opposite side of the line, motioning his with a flick of his hands. His subordinate had complied as he had went to go fetch his boss’s ledger, has the man’s glare had reverted back to the dryad at hand, interlacing his hands under his chin.

“Despite all that’s happened, and with the information you had provided me through the transcripted samples. There’s no doubt that Iosif Marandici and the Vikhor (Wind Spirit of the Sky) Brotherhood are tangled up in this matter as well. The question is, why now?” The man had inquired, causing Ianeira to straighten up and look at the man hardheadedly.

“No doubt because they wanted to send a message to the others within our coterie, and more specifically, the arch-mage. Iosif Marandici is a vengeful madman like Zoraf, but he’s no fool… You see, as a former Chieftain in the Tower of Illusion magic, he had craved infinite power and ranking due to being consumed by the proficiency of his magic. To the point where he had abused his powers to form a base of enthralled loyalists, as a means of changing how the organization had functioned collectively. Iosif’s illusion prowess had exceeded the normal illusional resistance threshold the rest of the administration had possessed including me, but the Arch-mage saw right through it. Despite the obvious insurrection happening right under our noses and our inability to detect it. The arch-mage had decided to turn a blind eye to it, as long as Iosif did not go out of his way to enthrall the chief scholars in the other towers with complete hypnosis, as delusional as that might seem. Since the arch-mage strives for impartiality when it comes to rivales between different towers of the Mage’s Association, not to mention his overwhelming magical prowess thanks to the amulet he possesses. He had left Iosif to his own devices, as long as he doesn’t go over that fine line when it came to proving himself. But that had proven to be a fatal mistake…” Ianeira had articulated, employing a galore of various plant-based color morphing puppets and objects to empathize her point, ending the conversation on a withered rose. Subaru and Rem did not know what to make out of the uncanny tour and displays that they had been subjected to throughout the last 20 minutes. There was too much to absorb and adapt to, and they haven’t even seen the crescendo of it.

“The Lahti Incident… His little stunt had caused irreversible damage to The Divine Tree of Plaeveathra’s Oracle Shrine located on the second level and countless lives. Though we had relied on it too much for our own convenience, you have to consider the factors that go into play when interacting with the relic. First, when you’re tapping into the ethereal realm of Chronomancy, you’re really syncing your mind with the inner workings of continuum. In the process of doing so, your consciousness is flooded with rather phantasmagorical fluctuations that defy all common sense. Some are driven insane by mere exposure, others exhibit bodily changes that last permanently. Whatever the case may be, only a few selection of mages had successfully tapped into the fabric of time and come out unscathed. However, their chronicles tell the tale of a hellscape that none should ever tread. Which brings up the second issue, the theory that the clashes that our Goddess had with the Gods of Destruction at the dawn of time, had created the very existence of time as an aftereffect. With each swing that she had winded up, the birth of a new universe had been created in its wake. Each of them exhibiting the strife effort that had augmentedly constituted her world-shattering finite array of emotions. But you have to look at the small details that came into play prior to the genesis of time, you would know that the gods weren’t the only participants. Within each oscillation within the vacuum of space, lies a fallen guardian dubbed ‘the overseers’ that are associated to the infinite legions that each God had respectfully employed during the Age of Turmoil for control of Elysium. Such beings had been abandoned by the Gods of Destruction when they were sealed away, and been placed in a stasis by Qenja herself. However, the Gods of Destruction had figured out a way to utilize them in order to bridge a psychic foothold and feed off the mortal realm’s spiritual essence. Transforming a substantial amount of them into abhorrent eldritch horrors that seek to destroy the remaining mortal races.” The man had elucidated, pausing momentarily to take a sip of water from his glass placed on his desk. However, Ianeira had interjected before he could continue, simply because she was eager to skip ahead of some the exposition, hoping to discuss it for a later time. Some of the nearby spiritual particles had danced around in the palm of her hand, much to the audience’s unknowingness except to Ianeira’s butler.

“That’s all well and dandy, but we should boil some of the content down so that we can deduct what his next plan will be. Here’s the crux of the matter… What we know is that he is under the pact of one of these Overseers, who is a surrogate to the ‘sloth’ God Hyparven, and that Iosif had been tasked with stifling the progress of the ‘Pilgrimage of the Protevangelium.’ Despite its abstract biblical nature in the birthing of Jesus Christ as the messiah for mankind, there is another underlying reference to it as well in the Second Testament of Qenja. The one about the champion coming down during the final rites of time and giving ‘birth’ to a new era. These summonings lately seemed to have been the initiation of prophesied champion, or rather, various champions, that are tasked with ‘crushing the head of the snake.’ The verse refers to the Gods of Destruction, however that’s quite the broad range of enemies that will have to be dealt with. My guess is, Iosif wanted to acquire the two summons I’m with right now, and extract their soul to siphon at the [Oscillation of Continuum], in exchange for whatever reward he had wished for. However, knowing the God of Sloth, rewards granted by him aren’t delivered to their fullest degree, tending to steer their victims down the forbidden path of indignation. And knowing Iosif, he’s fully aware of that fact, so why is he going along with it?” Ianeira had inquired, furrowing her eyebrows dubiously as a cluster of scenarios had whirled through her mind. A certain scenario had sprung into her thoughts. “Could it be, that’s he’s planning to open the portal directly to the ‘Age of Turmoil?’”

“I highly doubt that would the case, since that time fragment had been sealed off from accessibility by Continuum Infinitum itself. In any case, we'll deal with this matter later... Since you have these ‘supposed’ summons with you right now, would you allow them to introduce themselves for analytical reasons?” The man had suggested, causing Ianeira to shift in her seat as she had turned to face her two clients who had looked at her with inquisitive expressions, hinting that they did not pick up on anything they discussed. Though the boy had seemed the most tense out of the two. With a slight hesitant cough, she had decided to finally address what would likely be an endless questionaire that she would face and having to reprise all the contented points she had just had to make with her colleague.

“Ahh, sorry about all the commotion my troublesome colleague right here has caused. You two seem to have arrived earlier than expected, but frankly, I was hoping you would buy me enough time to deal with this sore loser.” Ianeira had stated in Japanese while twirling her hair around her finger, causing Subaru to jolt in his chair from the sudden language shift. Rem on the other hand had nodded in understand, as the man on the other on the hologram had scowled at her petty swipe.

“What was that?!”

“Deal with it, knucklehead… Besides, aren’t you being disrespectful to the our prospective saviors?” Ianeira had added, rubbing salt into the wound before turning back to the startled duo. The man had wanted to throw a tantrum, but had decided to put off until he could get some more information on the summons, murmuring spiteful insults under his breath.

“In any case, my name is Ianeira Ambrosia and this dried up raisin who's on the verge of giving himself a lobotomy is Lawrence Thorp. Pleased to make your acquaintances...” She had formally introduced herself on behalf of Lawrence as well, giving them a curt bow as a sign of assurance. Lawrence had scoffed at the petty remark the dryad had made, setting his sights on the documents that he had placed in front of him as he had tended to his duties. However, Subaru had been baffled by the rather presumptuous approach the girl had employed. Resulting in the inability to muster up any words as a response. Rem had kept quiet as well, since frankly, she wasn’t all too fond of opening up dialogue without the approval of her master. But mostly because she would rather let Subaru drive the conversation to get as much information out of this exchange as she could. Despite her confidence in Subaru’s knack for negotiations, his mind had veered towards a rather daft approach.

“… M – M – Magical!” Subaru had exclaimed rather candidly, causing the dryad to ponder at her introduction with curiosity. The man in the hologram had groaned in frustration at the spectacle, nearly wanted to cut his call with Ianeira as a result. Rem on the other hand, had observed the demeanor the two strangers had been exhibiting, suggesting that Subaru may have botched up during their introduction. As a result, she had tugged as his sleeve, advising him to take the matter more seriously. With a warped gulp, Subaru had swallowed down his queasiness before finally adapting to assess his situation.

“Sorry about that, English isn’t exactly my niche and I felt kind of out of line there for a second. In any case, my name is Natsuki Subaru and this is Rem. While I might not seem like much, I do pride myself as a self proclaimed knight at the service of the girl I love more than anything else in the world. Though she hasn’t acknowledged me just yet.” Subaru had replied earnestly, although he had uttered the last segment under his breathe, rousing a hint of curious amusement from the dryad’s sensitive ears. Not so much to the man projected on hologram though. ‘So her full name is Ianeira Ambrosia. Despite not knowing what it means, it sure sounds very beautiful. I wonder what Emilia-tan would make of our situation right now?’

“Greetings, my name is Rem of the Mathers Estate. A maid under the lordship of Roswaal L Mathers. A pleasure to meet you, my lady.” Rem had arbitrarily extended her introduction, standing up to involuntarily curtsy as part of her training regiment that the maids of the Estate must undergo, despite the shifty sentiment that she was feeling for her savior. Ianeira had waved her hands up in resignation.

“Ahh, there’s no need for formalities. As far as things are laid out, you are now ranked a higher status than me within our organization and with the right arrangements, even the surface countries will roll out of the red carpet for you. From the moment you had entered here, you both had been established as my protégés. But in efforts to do so, we will need a little bit of exchange of information.” Ianeira had revealed, causing Rem’s parted lips to slightly hang at the notion, befuddled. Rem for the majority of her life, had been committed to a life of servitude. To completely shoot up the social ladder within the span day was both completely unheard of and an anomaly to her. Still, there was a sense of achievement that stirred within her despite not knowing the extent of her status. But she knew better than to take her words for granted without the aspect of the woman having ulterior motives. She had decided to play along with the discussion, eyeing her surroundings rather guardedly.

“Is that so, my apologies then. It’s just that in my world, riches tended to be attributed to the nobility and their influence within the political realm. It would presumptuous of me to accept such conditions though.” Rem had affirmed, causing the dryad to stiffen slightly at the niche statement traversing innocently from the female ogre’s lips. The scene all too familiar with her past grievances.

“… Right… In any case… So, Mr. Natsuki and Miss… Rem?” Ianeira had carried on, though curious on why the girl did not have a last name. ‘Perhaps she has her own reasons for not revealing it. Then again, some of summons throughout the stows of history have been recorded without a surname to distinguish them. Was she a former slave perhaps?’ “Perhaps it would be best for us to partake in this questionnaire on a leveled playing field to alleviate some of your stress. So I’ll take the initiative in addressing your most significant question... Who are we, where are we, and what do we want from you? Is that correct…? Well, that a rather broad question, and it all boils down to what era or world you came from. But ultimately, you are subjugated to the 21^st century in the mortal realm of the Root of the Divine Tree of Plaeveathra. Althhough to be accurate, this world had been compiled nearly 3 billion years ago. We also happen to measure the time-flow of reality marked by the a certain Ozualian artifact we have acquired nearly 400 years ago, but that is a discussion for another day... As for who we are, we call ourselves the World Mage’s Association, but we do not openingly practice our arts on the surface since we face widespread disparity from various entities that threaten our livelyhood. In essence, we’ve been driven underground due to the powers at play, and it is really disheartening aspect of reality that we cannot provide society with our miracle magic cures.” Ianeira had informed, but had decided to fool around with the last bit as she had spuriously sobbed into the sleeve of her robe. The man on the hologram had struck his table in agitation at the dryad’s frivolous antics.

“Ianeira, I need you to take this matter a bit more seriously. This is being prerecorded for future examination, and it must maintain a professional image.” The man had chastised, drawing a vexed click of her tongue from Ianeira as a result. Subaru had marveled at the back and forth between two companions, wondering whether they were going to settle their differences anytime soon.

“Geez, you and all the puritanical old men up in their Ivory Towers are cut from the same cloth, aren’t ya? Can’t you let a girl have a moment to herself? Besides, if all you’re going to do is make snarky comments, then I’d rather cut the call off and deal with them on my own accord.” Ianeira had retorted, causing the man to irritatedly falter for a second before resigning into a more broad-minded composure. He had known the conniving and rather sadistic nature of the dryad had employed when it came to much more meager affairs within the center council everytime she got serious, as he had decided to ward off any further ailments in efforts to not wake up ten kilometers underneath the ocean next day.

“Ironic coming from the second oldest member on the council... Fine, just don’t go overboard with your exposé. We will need as much information as well can gather on this matter so that we can establish our next course of actions. Don’t get too carried away.” The man had meekly uttered, as a smirk had crawled up the face of Ianeira as she had reveled in her own victory. Though the tidbit about her age did nick her self-confidence, as much as she was open about the topic.

“Despite having to deal with this slobbering mess of an annoying man, and your messy experience prior to this. I can say for certain that we have your best intentions in mind. Just don’t go around announcing to the world of our existence and we can assure you your safety.” Ianeira had pleaded, emphasizing her plead with her hands rather coyly. Subaru and Rem had turned to each other in disarray at the events transpiring before them, as a hint of suspicious had started to arise from them. Ianeira had cleared her throat once again, as she had decided to shift to the critical conversation at hand.

“Now back on topic… As you probably have been rudely made aware of within the last few developing hours. There are many groups out there that do not like us, and would go so far as to persecute and even liquidate us for our practices and beliefs. All for the purpose of driving home their streamlined cause. It’s quite unfortunate really, because if we lived in a world were everything was rainbows and unicorns, this ship could have sailed much more smoothly. But alas, the world does not fare well with us. Forcing us to take dire measures to rescue you. Fret not, those men have been taken care of now, but it is always wise to stay vigilant regardless. They had been contracted under a certain individual who’s name shall not be disclosed at this time. But just know that they refer to themselves as the Vikhor Brotherhood, a private military contractor comprised of individuals with previous VDV (Russian Airborne Force) and other military backgrounds... In light of all that, we’re mostly a self-sustained and autonomous entity that employs and educates a wide variety of scholars, clients, traders, high-affinity mages, etc, you get the picture… We’re a culture that revolves around the worship of the Goddess of Creation Qenja, who had taken a part in the creation of our esteemed world and this universe. Despite the reluctance of the various religious sects around globe on the surface, they cannot deny that the Goddess does exist as proven throughout the various scribes and ancient artifacts found throughout the world. The story unfold during a time period of a cataclysmic divine war between The Gods of Light and the Gods of Destruction that’s referred to as the ‘Age of Turmoil.’ It had been a long and treacherous war that would have almost lasted for infinity, had the Goddess of Creation not lead the final stride at the [Altar of Exodus]. With a masterful stroke of luck and ingenuity, she had cleverly ensnared the Gods of Destruction to fight an uphill battle that had nearly consumed the concept of existence. However, she had prevailed through it all and with each heavenly strike, a new universe had been born in its wake. Ultimately, the Gods of Destruction had been tethered into the chains of eternal purgatory and stripped of their corporeal forms. But as a consequence, many of the Gods of Light had been weakened severely and had been absorbed by time itself during the ‘Age of Turmoil’ to restore the fabric of reality. In the midst of the aftermath, the Goddess of Creation had been subjected to administer all the new universes she had created under the auspices of her domain. Deciding to take up on the mantle, she had linked each ‘sapling’ into one abstract entity that had governed and guided souls throughout its branches. We refer to that tree as the [Divine Tree of Plaeveathra]. Its concept is similar to that of Yggdrasil in Norse Mythology but is vastly different when it comes to its subliminal roles. Within its grace, we had been bestowed the gift cultivated by the Goddess that comes in the form of life, a concept compiled by the essence built from the leaves of the majestic tree known as that comes in the form of mana. Mana in itself is the very foundation that compiles and executes a set of tasks or reckonings that the life-form will experience throughout its lifetime. Mingling into the concept of what we know as both the body and soul, the concoction that makes all of us who we are. The tree in itself has responsibility of managing these fundamental properties. But as of recently, there’s has been quite the tumultuous problem that needs to be resolved. Something that likely can only be achieved by your presence here today.” Ianeira had paused after the long and drawn out monologue, taking a sip of her tea as both Rem and Subaru had tried to digest everything that had just been revealed about the theological origin of this world.

“Do those people who had kidnapped us out in the alley fit into that equation as well?” Subaru had inquired crudely, feeling his mind being rattled by the sheer scale of the things disclosed through the dryad’s dialogue. He would likely need to review the details of the subject at hand later.

“They do, but they are only a candle next to the hyper-nova in terms of scaliability. One in which I will address as we continue our conversation.” Ianeira had advised, causing Subaru to retreat back to his ruminating thoughts.

Subaru knew that there were some ample differences in this world in comparison to the one from where he had originated, but he didn’t expect it to be this broad and complex in scope. Glancing over to his side, he had noticed that Rem had been freakishly composed despite the fact that he knew that she had a plethora of troubles and inquires that she had kept within her being. But there was something much more significant at play in these spiral of events. A Goddess, from another world had brought them to this world as heroes for whatever plans she had in store for them, and she was more than likely to squeeze them dry. Subaru was about to inquire about what their role in this whole ordeal had been, but the dryad had shifted her attention over to her butler situated across the room. She had signaled him over, requesting him to pander to her guests with a set of Peppermint tea to help alleviate their stress that was practically smudged across their faces. Indulging to his master’s request, he had swiftly moved with the grace of a Phoenix, causing the hairs on Subaru to stand up in response to the unexpected, yet intrinsic spectacle. Vidnik had eventually brought over the tea set and laid it across a serving table next to the desk, positioning himself adjacent to Ianeira.

“Despite all the redundant theological chit-chat that I had disclosed, there is room for transparency on your whole situation… One I hopefully can explain in layman’s terms so that you can understand without having to delve too deeply into the topic so that we can move on to the more practical aspect of this whole ordeal.” Ianeira had added, before drifting away from the topic and extending a hand over to the steaming tea-set. The fragrant aroma was soothing, nearly hypnotizing enough to tantalize both Subaru and Rem’s senses. “Peppermint Tea?”

“… Yes please...” Both Rem and Subaru had gave into the offer simultaneously, the herbal aroma seemingly calming their senses as the butler had poured out fragrant content into the delicate porcelain cups. Besides, it would be rude to reject courtesy tea from someone as luxuriant and amicable as the beautiful woman accommodating them. Obliging, Subaru had been the first to accept the tea, taking a quick sip of the warm content. His eyes had brightened up in sheer ecstasy by the refreshing content sweetened by a hint of honey.

“What is this… This isn’t just any normal tea, is it? It’s very good...” Subaru had beamed radiantly, causing Rem to follow up on the offer and try it out herself. The tea had washed over her like a warm blanket on a cold winter night, the very essence of her soul had felt at ease despite the caliginous spiral of events that lead to her becoming warily on edge by the surroundings around her. Ianeira had grinned in anticipation of such a question, drawing out a pouch containing a concoction of dried tea leaves, and other strange herbal deposits permeated within it.

“I’m glad you like it. When it comes to ideal growing conditions, this world-space that I call my garden comes second to none in terms of in terms of agricultural proliferation. As for the tea itself, it’s peppermint leaves with a hint of both honey and an endangered floral species called Lunar Lavender. While the name suggests that it may no different than the regular lavender plant that originates from the blossoming flower fields in the Provence region of France. This type of species has a rather lull color that stems out and blossoms under the array of the moonlight essence. It’s utterly ludicrous from a scientific prospective, but if you look at the influx of mana generated by the moon during the twilight hours, you will be able to note just how mana-absorbent these flowers are in comparison to your run of the mill flower. Such a palatable specimen can only be used for the finest of entrée!” Ianeira had boasted with glistening eyes, despite the bewildered countenance that both Subaru and Rem had donned at her wild tangent towards the end there. Vidnik had conveyed an apathetic smile towards the wild dryad, reminding his master to stick to the main topic at hand. Reluctantly, Ianeira had resigned back to her composed state albeit with a sheepish grin. “Forgive me, it seems I got a little carried away there.”

“And that ticks all the boxes on people who should definitely be left to their own devices...” Subaru had added dryly with a blank expression, causing Ianeira to give him a mischievous grin. However he couldn’t help be feel like she was trying to hide something significant. Responding appropriately, he had finally decided to address the elephant in the room. “But frankly, there’s something I want to ask so I’ll just cut to the chase... You claim to be a representative for this ‘Mage’s Association’ that manages the inner workings of magic in this world lead by a council of mages or whatever... And the fact that you said that we were summoned into this world by this ‘Goddess of Creation’ for whatever fate that awaits us, most likely involving this Yggdrasil-esque tree as the centerpiece in all of this… It really racks my brain with all sorts of red flags.” Subaru had paused momentarily before coming to a brief decision, sighing to clear his mind.

“I won’t ask the reasons why you’re helping us, nor the reason why we were specifically chosen for all of this yet. But I want to know two things… Will we be able to access our old world that we had originally came from? And will my friend here be able to access her magic?” Rem’s ears had perked up at the aloof question that Subaru had mustered, as she too was curious at the prospect of being able to go back and inform everyone back at home that they’re safe. Ianeira had fervently pandered to Subaru’s curiosity.

“I suppose we can’t tackle of the concept of Dimensional Magic without explaining how the magic is manifested into this world...” Ianeira had pivoted her gaze towards the bookshelf to her right, generating a micro-burst of blue energy that gathered around her hand before being catapulted towards a specific worn-out leather book on the top row of the shelf. The said item in question had levitated towards her in a graceful fashion as she had suited her nose with a pair of reading glasses, giving her a refined look. “To put into prospective, every living creature’s magical essences and potentials are locked behind a floodgate that keeps living organisms from emitting excess mana that are incapable of utilizing their magical essence for the purpose of soul stability. Throughout the day, the organism will steadily secrete excess mana built up from active absorption during sleep cycles. Think of it like the concept of electricity meticulously flowing into a step-down substation, being passed through a transformer then distributed out into power sector so that people can use it in their day to day life. However, when you tap into those preceding transmission power-lines, you are exposed to the unregulated currents of electricity that could essentially fry every electronic within your neighborhood and cause disruptions. To put it into comparison, there is a constant flow of mana being poured into your being. Too much mana or too little mana contained within an incapable person’s spiritual essence can lead to crippling side effects such as, bone deformations, high fevers, neurological abnormalities, sporadic psychological phenomenons, weakened immune systems, loss of bodily functions, and even death. All grisly details, but rare all the same. We refer it as Mana Prostration clinically, but you can call it Mana Exhaustion or Mana Poisoning if you so wish. This was the sole reason as to why Our Goddess Qenja had instilled upon us a limiter so that the average living organism can freely live out its lifespan and not worry about horrifying consequences of such an affliction due to mana deprivation or overflow.” Rem had tried her best to follow along despite the unfamiliar terms that had been thrown at the two of them, but Subaru had seemed slightly more invested at stating what was on his mind than she was.

“Sounds pretty daunting from an outsider’s prospective, yet you seem to be using your magic pretty nonchalantly. The reason I asked about magic was because Rem had raised a concern earlier about not being able to access her Oni powers earlier. I was kind of hoping you would help us out with that, if you catch what I’m saying? Although to be completely honest, I would be lying to you if I said I wasn’t interested in it as well.” Subaru had stated in a gritty yet slightly abashed manner, his eyes glinting from the diffusing rays of the sun setting through the thicket of the forest outside.

“Naturally, every champion in retrospect had at some point unlocked that limiter due to the precarious challenges that they had been faced with. You two will be no exception to that rule, as it is a prerequisite to know what type of blessings had been bestowed upon you, especially with these trying times. Which leads us to the second part of this discussion, the workaround to accessing your magical pool.” Ianeira had denoted, as her eyes had astutely scanned through the conceptual texts of the enchiridion until her eyes had landed on the specific page she was looking for. “And here it is; the [Shard of Exteria].”

Ianeira had then shifted the book over towards the duo, who simultaneously returned a speculative gaze on their own at both the book and the dryad. Contained within the page of the book had resided a reference to a certain ore-like substance that featured jagged surface and had spiked out into sharp protrusions from a centerpiece. The ore illustrated within the book had seemed uncanny in nature and had been covered with labels that pointed out the various traits exhibited throughout the structure of the rock, along with endless paragraphs of educational texts donning its side.

“What you’re looking at is the key to unlocking your magic. It is an ore naturally found deep within the hidden troves and crevices of the Alps Mountain range in Europe and Mount Iwate within Japan, and are used as the sole sources for them. It is essentially the discharge of divine energy emitted and condensed into a crystallized structure from the roots of the Divine Tree. While the rock itself seems quite fetching to the eyes of the casual observer, and valuable within the realm of jewelry. The stone itself had been driven to near rarity thanks to the bootleg mining efforts that a certain militaristic group of individuals had employed nearly 50 years ago. However, thanks to the brilliant minds of Ozualian scholars nearly five centuries ago, the substance itself had been preserved as a criterion of artificial stone production and reversed engineered to cultivate within the headquarters's laboratory. And since our headquarters is situated right next to one of the roots of the Divine Tree, it offers quite the endless supply of magical energy that can be easily extracted with a certain scepter warded off from public access. Despite all this, I do have a spare one within my possession, but it will take time to condense it to a substance that will be ready to consume. So just say the word once you’re ready.” Ianeira had invited, causing Subaru to furrow his eyebrow at a certain revelation that had casually slipped through the dialogue.

“Wait, did you say consume?” Subaru had protested despondently, pointing at the picture of the razor-sharp compound. “Are you expecting me to poop out shiny ingots or something? That thing looks like it could riddle me with a lifetime of digestive tract issues.” Subaru had suggested, causing Ianeira to giggle at the notion, Rem had been not so amused by the distasteful joke.

“Of course not, silly. There is a procedure that we must follow in order to procure these to a suitable state. In order to ingest the compounds within it, it is refined at a centrifuge into a fine cotton candy like substance that can be taken orally. The good news is that I already have 2 vials that the two of you can consume right here within my possession. However, once consumed, it does come with its own set of side-affects. One that can be ushered though an incantation and the right arrangements.” Ianeira had stated, rolling out a pair of vials across the palm of her hands, spinning them dexterously in the process. Subaru had thought over the sketchy process for a brief moment before coming to terms with his one sided resolution, ultimately considering the risks of diving headfirst into uncharted waters. Besides, he didn’t like pain. He had had enough of the aspect of getting hurt needlessly for the sake of others.

“It would probably be best to wait until until you tie up the other loose end of your explanation.” Subaru had proposed, slightly catching Rem off-guard by the rash decision. However, the prognostication of consuming the suspicious articles was definite warning sign for her, so she decided to not press on further into Subaru’s decision. On the other hand, Ianeira had quirked her eyebrows at the boy’s candid decision.

“I can sense that you’re still suspicious of us. It’s quite the unfortunate but only natural. Rest assured, I can promise you that we will not expose you to any grave dangers as along as follow our instructions to the very letter. However, it’s you call to give us the go ahead when you’re ready.” Ianeira had advised as Subaru had pondered over his presumptuous approach. ‘Was I too rash on my decision?’ He had thought to himself a tinge of regret had started to course through him.

“… Can I get back to you on that later?” Subaru had inquired, earning a nod from Ianeira in reservation. Deciding to cast aside her reservations for now, Ianeira had rearranged her thoughts to address the other issue at hand.

“You also happened to ask about the ability to communicate to your friends back in your old world, is that correct? Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks to your summons here that will cause unsettling complications.” She had addressed, earning an unnerving attentive look from Subaru at the statement.

“I’m willing to hear it, no holds barred...” Subaru had mustered from the depths of his dithery conciousness, firmly looking at Ianeira in the eye. She had obliged to his request, as she had flicked into existence an arrangement of colorful images to symbolize the various points for her revelation.

“A certain type of Dimensional Magic does exist that allow us to tap into certain realms, and worlds but it’s quite limited due to the sheer threat of causing a cataclysmic fluctuation in the fabric of reality. Aboriginals here have the privilege to access that sort of magic, but even they have troubles tapping into the fabric of reality. Resulting in many with a low aptitudes to be driven insane by the sheer exposure to the tendrils of time. However, summons are an exemption that certain realm of magic based on our historical records that date back to the Neolithic era. Summons would gather at the forefront of a climatic period of history which dictates the fate of the world. But they were bound by their fate to remain here until their divine role had been deemed successful in the eyes of the Goddess... What I’m trying to say is that we have no way of returning you to your old world due to the ‘divine blessing’ bestowed upon the two of you. Unless if it is forcefully extracted from your soul or if your souls were to receive an affliction that could supersede such a blessing early on in your trial, then you are essentially stuck here until your destiny is complete.” Ianeira had grimly stated, causing the complexion of the pair to pale by a significant degree at the notion. No amount of placebo-esque sustenance could mitigate the unconditional degree of perturbation that the two were about to be subjected to. However, Subaru had clung to a slimmer of hope as a desperate argument had seeped in his mind.

“Wait a minute, you said that there’s certain drawbacks and incompatibilities with accessing dimensional magic. How does that explain how Rem and I are residing in this pocket dimension of yours then? Because some of the vegetation outside doesn’t look like anything that could exist on Earth.”

“A sound argument fit for those exoteric to the inner workings of magic. Let me give you a brief rundown… Like I had briefly mentioned before in my greeting card, this world-space had been perfectly embroidered through a psychic-dimensional spell known as [Cathexis Outline Origin], and that’s no boast. It is a completely different classification of Dimensional magic that especially weighs down on those slewn with hastened desires and negligence rather than caution, diligence, and dedication. To give you the most concise explain on how it works, you must first master a set of certain prerequisite from a collection of totems in the Atheneum contained within Mage’s Association Headquarters. Or you can go simply out of your way to acquire the said relics through the a perilous journey up to the 20^th level of the [Realms of Plaeveathra]. After that, you must fetch an appropriate dimensional siphon that is required to transmute and carry over entire consciousnesses into that corporeal pocket. Those are the only the boring parts; the real fun starts once you start psychologically catheterizing yourself within the pocket dimension of yours. Think of it like piecing together a Lego set, the whole concept in itself being too fetching to resist. However, the catch is that your emotions are deprived from your being and are set as a brachium that molds and weaves a sonata of memories that take a corporeal form. Essentially, what you are seeing around you are the literal embodiment of my memories from a certain time in my life. One in which I’ve become numb to due to the process it takes to literally extract them. Not that these memories are of any significance to me at this point. That tree in the distance that you, is a repository for my mana pool being tapped by the rooted archive of my transmuted [Corpus of Sorcery]. I will not delve into further details concerning the matter.”

“I see...” Subaru had replied grimly, his head had hung loosely in defeat.

Subaru had fell into a pit of despair at the fact that he didn’t even get a chance to properly say goodbye to Emilia after his botched confession to her during their carriage ride. All the people that he had left behind as a result of some inconsiderate Goddess that summoned them into this realm as a sign of good will. However, Subaru didn’t need her sympathy. Without Emilia, what good would coming into this world be if he didn’t have any just cause to devote to? To the girl he had single-handedly fell head over heels for? A chain of thoughts had started to swirl within his mind at such a connotation, ranging from a sense of abandonment, to regret, and all in between. However, he had been pulled out of his chain of thoughts as Rem had slipped her doll-like milky hands into the clutches of his own.

“Please wait a moment Miss Ianeira. While there is so much about this world that I still don’t understand. To bestow upon us such a foolhardy and expeditious undertaking and not receive appropriate compensation… Surely you don’t expect us to accept to such an insidious and rather destructive destiny. Especially one that will most likely bring harm to the one I hold dearest to my heart. Besides, you haven’t gone over what our preliminary role is in all of this past our summoning.” Rem had choked out, filled with abrasiveness. She knew that it would be wise to stand by and listen intently to her exposition. Yet she couldn’t help but feel that they were being lead onto something much more serious than a simple prevision. After-all, she had first-handed experience when it came to the intricate inner workings of the political realm and the snakes that lurked in its shadows, due courtesy to the nature of her master of course. Ever since she had had fallen head over heels for Subaru when he had saved her, she had felt obliged to return that favor by devoting herself to Subaru’s well-being in exchange. Despite him not being able to read between the lines sometimes, he had shown her that there was more to life than simply cycling though the same routine without any regard for her sentiments. While Rem could show her gratitude towards the Dryad in saving them from the clutches on an unknown enemy, she knew better than to blindly trust anyone that poses themselves as a good Samaritan. Even a child would know that there was something inherently suspicious about how this exchange with someone as immensely powerful by the likes of Ianeira, had tried to woo the likes of Subaru for their own agenda. Ianeira on the other hand, had put up a hand in realization at the fact that the conversation had seemed to drift from an amicable exchange of information to a parley catechism filled with discernment.

“I understand that there is still so much that needs to be revealed, but with all due courtesy and for the sake of your safety. I cannot reveal some of the details until confidentiality has been established by our council, so please bear with us.” Ianeira had stated, pausing momentarily to size up the broad scope of the ungainly situation she had coerced onto the pair. “I can however, reveal the extent of the challenges that you will be encountering later down the line. So I’ll try to condense it into the simplest terms possible… You have been likely summoned here, to gather a certain amount of artifacts from various locations around the world known that compose a Testament known as [The Tandem of Wyrd Exodus] that will be required in the first phase of a prophesied event known as [Pilgrimage of the Protevangelium.] Normally, throughout the history of the heroes of legend, many were subjected to a variety of destinies and forced to decrypt these artifacts and change the course of history. However, their callings had only been fraught with dilemmas and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Though these trials had haplessly subjected them to tasks required them to sacrificed something vitally important to them, in order to devote themselves to a grand cause. Nevertheless, despite being curtailed by their duty as champions during their tenures, they had lacked ambition to continue forth on their potential. As a result, it had left a void of unanswered questions left that even the most prestigious of our scholars have yet to delve into.”

“It sounds like you’re not very fond of the heroes then. Despite the fact that you showered them with praise befitting of that all high and mighty Goddess you speak fondly of. Your true colors are starting to show.” Rem had resonated bitterly, not comfortable with the implication that their savior had such bald-faced ulterior motives for saving them. But with the amount of effort that the dryad had put in to save them, and the fact that she hasn’t harmed them yet. The least that she could do to repay such an insurmountable favor was to fervently listen to what she had to say. Albeit disgruntled with that notion, she had decided to set her differences aside.

“I admit, I do have some unsettling history with them. Many of which boil down to simple discrepancies when it comes to handling a means to an end. But of course, that’s not what we’re here for today...” Ianeira had then gestured on over to a strongbox that that had laid encased within a magical pane of unknown origin. The eccentric runes inscribed on it had activated, causing the bronze hinges to mechanically swing the encasement open with a rusty creak. Within the enclosure of the strongbox had sat a cumulation of scrolls, each of them interlaced by a ribbon like glowing pendent that bound them together. Ianeira had beckoned the scrolls over, as they had drifted towards her desk in an immaculate fashion. Applying only a small amount of mana over the crest of the pendant, she had simultaneously started chanting a series of spells under her breath, as if she were bracing for a violent reaction from the set pieces. Fortunately, the scrolls seems to have flickered into an array of graceful incandescent particles that had started molding into an image that took form of a striking woman with bloodied eyes in a white robe, reaching out towards a wise tree bearing fruit throughout a cosmic landscape. Ianeira had sighed in relief at the successful outcome. “Seems like I was lucky this time. Usually these things tend to have the volatility of an abusive alcoholic father.”

“Oh, that sounds super reassuring, my butt! Why would you expose us to such dangerous things to begin with?!” Subaru had exclaimed rather exasperatedly. Rem’s face had contorted into anger as a response as well, but was bound a sprout of vine-like tendrils that deterred her from trying to attack the Dryad. Ianeira on the other hand, had coyly shrugged at the ominous aspect of bring certain death to those around her, signaling them to calm down. Only to give them a reassuring smile towards the end of it.

“Relax, these things seem to respond nicely to Divinely Blessed sources around them. Aside from that, I would like to show you something that may convince you to go on board with our expedient request that we’re about to reveal soon.” Ianeira had pointed towards an array of abnormal eyes scattered across the “painting”, compromised of seven in total spanning wrathful tendrils trying to envelop the tree. “What you are seeing is a depiction of the prophecy known as Ragnarok, although many others refer to it as The Peril of Elysium. A foreseeable event that will certain bring destruction on a cataclysmic scale across all known planes of existence and alternate realities. Including the fictional universe which the both of you had originated from...” Ianeira had gravely stated, causing Subaru and Rem to flinch at the reference of Lugnica and origin of their roots.

“- What did you say?” They both had responded simultaneously, although Subaru had been much more exuberant at this revelation. ‘And hold on, wasn’t she just using both Norse Mythology and Greek Mythology to describe these places? Wait, she did mention it during here whole monologue at certain points. But I was only listening to the tidbits of the game-like dialogue due to most of my attention being primarily focused on those beautiful bouncing melons of hers. Ahhh, damnit!’ Subaru had admonished himself, albeit impassively. Though he did not notice the dryad slightly smirk under her breath from the boy’s rather erotic imagination that could be read like an open book, slipping her hands under her breasts to cross her arms. Stiffly blindsided by the act, Subaru had averted his eyes and quickly recomposed himself to ward off his lustful tendencies by gazing over the numerous oddities distributed across her desk.

The dryad had tapped onto the surface of her desk, causing numerous holographic images to pop up in front of them with swirling energy columns to accompany it. Each of the images had featured archaic scribes that look like they’ve been exposed to the outside elements for a long period of time. However, the most prominent addition to it all, were the regal seals that each of them had donned. “Are you at all familiar with the Grandfather paradox theory?” She had inquired, as Subaru had shot her a transient glance of his own from the familiar term. Rem on the other hand, had given Ianeira a curious look at the unfamiliar term that she had unveiled.

“Something about completely erasing certain timelines from existence by either destroying or changing how the events play out at the root source of it?” Subaru had replied meekly, reminiscing about all the timelines he had changed and how directly if had affected the people within them. It reminded him of a certain anime he had watched in the past about a group of college students who had wound up within an endless cycle of death and despair, all because they had accidentally discovered time-travel through a microwave apparatus. Grimly similar to the experience he had been subjected to.

“That’s the gist of it, yes. But there is more at play here than what you believe…” Ianeira had dexterously navigated through the interface to show a schematic of indecipherable data arbitrary distributed through the holographic image. She had flicked it, causing an erratic distortion of fleeting magical particles to materialize a holographic panel in front of their eyes. The sudden isometric juncture had taken the duo by surprise, with Rem staring at the “witch-craft” in a wary manner while Subaru had retreated back to his Sci-Fi nirvana. Within the compendium of undecipherable data, Subaru’s eyes had narrowed his eyes to an image of a man despairingly clutching a lifeless woman’s hand, before his surroundings had started to distort in a spontaneous fashion. The image reminding him of the sea of flames that spawned during the compendium of events incited by the Witch’s cult, he had known that familiar expression that donned on the man all too well. Yet he still did not understand the context of what the image had entailed.

“What exactly are we looking at here?” Subaru had been the first to respond bluntly, causing the dryad to instantaneously embrace the inquiry in question.

“Meet Bruno Franza, an Italian initiate, now decorated scholar, who had entered within the rankings of our Mage’s Association Academy. He had been quite the odd fellow, always keeping to himself and never going out of his way to press on more than what was shared between conversations or lectures -” Ianeira had glossed over, only for Subaru to cut in with an elated expression.

“Wait, did you say that you have a Mage Academy? As in the type where you go and cultivate your magical abilities, meet cute girls, and become an adventurer right afterwards?” A spark had lit up in Subaru at the potential offer that this shady organization had now bestowed upon the two of them. Despite how much Subaru was aware that he was letting this opportunity slip when it came to acquiring information, his mind could not simply ignore such a tempting encroachment. Ianeira, on the other hand, had seen the fire in his eyes at such a concept, knowing his intentions all too well. However, a sound of a fist slamming upon a tabletop had resonated through the room, drawing every occupant’s attention within the room towards the source of the noise. Subaru had merely blinked at such an intermission, baffled by the vexed demeanor that the dryad’s colleague on the hologram transmission had displayed as if he had found a tick-tack in his shoes.

“As much I would love to stay and chat over an afternoon tea with the likes of these imprudent scrooges, I believe that leisure time will have been cut short due to a certain disruption... Ianeira, you were correct… It seems that the prediction you had foretold earlier has been stimulated into action. We don’t have much time before the next phase of the ‘Pilgrimage’ is set in motion, unless if you want to give ‘them’ an upper hand.” Lawrence had interjected uncouthly, seemingly catching the duo off-guard once again by the erratic language shift. Ianeira had stirred for a moment, before a devilish grin had crawled up her face in light of the situation, reveling in the vindication that she had been proven correct once again.

“Sounds good to me; I’ve about had it with all this chit-chat you guys had forced me to undergo. Besides, I had told you guys that this whole ordeal would blow up in your faces, and look where it got you? Now you have deal with the consequences of your arrogance.” Ianeira’s face had momentarily contorted to that of a sly fox at the prospect of one upping the egotistical stigmatists and schemers that she had to deal with on a constant basis, before sub-sequentially donning a serious expression at the situation at bay. “Still, this seems to have accelerated our plans tremendously. I’m not entirely sure that our ‘champions’ will be able to adapt that quickly without the help of Otterman. But I’m fairly confident that once they have fallen into his grace, then they will be able to overcome, no sweat.”

“What about the Iosif issue?”

“We’ll deal with him once we’ve wrapped up this matter first. I think the council will attest to that resolution as well. Oh, and make sure to send that weird old man a physical copy of my report. You know that he hates this type of complex magic.” Ianeira had added, as an ember-like magic radiating a brilliant cyan color had consumed a nearby unremarkable scroll after Ianeira had leveled her hand above it. The mana particles from the dissolved scroll had then been absorbed into a lexicon device placed atop of her desk. The man on the receiving end had nodded in confirmation at the flow of events that had unfolded. Subaru, on the other, could do nothing but stare in awe at the versatility of magic he’s been shown throughout the last couple of hours. If he had to compare Lugnica’s magic to this world’s magic system, this world has shown him a much broader scope of abilities that could have never been possible in Lugnica, and that was only scratching the surface.

“Then it seems that we’ll have to wrap this up for another day. Honestly, knowing the formidable nature of ‘their’ prized trump card, I’m surprised that they haven’t gone out of their way to usurp the Catholic Church’s position by now. But until then, you are accountable for the state of our champion’s well-beings.” Lawrence had admonished to himself as he had skimmed through the report within his hand, furrowing his eyebrows towards a certain discomforting entry provided within it. With that, his image had flickered off the interface of the holographic display. Ianeira had heaved a heavy sigh at the conundrum she was thrown head first into. She had glanced over to her loyal butler momentarily, sparking the dynamic synchronization of intentions that the two of them had built up over the last few decades. He had swiftly bowed cryptically, before filing out of the reception area first. In the light of the sudden turn of events, both Subaru and Rem had stared puzzled at the dryad’s shift in demeanor in contrast to the previous exchange. She had stood up from her chair, revealing the dazzling blue A-Line dress and tights that she had veiled underneath her robe. Before gravitating over to the center window panel located behind her desk and transfixing her brooding eyes across the expansive scenic god-rays emitting through the cracks of the forest. With a long pause, she had eventually spun on her heel towards her tenants, giving them a radiant smile of her own.

“I know that this out of the blue, but how does a small field-trip to our headquarters sound? We can continue our conversation later since a certain problem has seemed to have developed.” Ianeira had declared with an insidious tone, posing in a pleading matter. Subaru had raised an eyebrow at the sudden request, reminiscing over the discussion they were having earlier. The two parties haven’t even reached an agreement, much less even made a sound argument on why he should join their cause. Contrarily, it had only piled up more questions and suspicious in what he were getting into. Rem had shared Subaru’s sentiment, as she had given the dryad a wary glare of her own.

“There is a certain someone we would like you to meet along the way. Since, quite frankly, they will be accompanying you at every step of your journey from now on.” Ianeira had added starkly, drawing curious gazes from the pair. Her intentions had been quite off-putting to Subaru, nevertheless, it wasn’t like he any other choice in the matter. For all he knew, it could have simply been a welcoming party for them. Worst case, it could have an obvious trap designed into strong-arming them to join their cause. Needless to say, Subaru did not like the aspect having to tote around the incredible burden of becoming a hero for an unknown cause. But at the same time, if Lugnica’s future was at stake, then it is all the justification he had needed to take up arms for his friends he had made in Lugnica. Despite all that, there were still things that did not add up with Ianeira’s dialogue.

‘If I’ve really been summoned as a hero, then why didn’t the Goddess or any type of convocation confront us about it? And who were those armored demons that attacked us? Not to mention the aspect of magic, Rem’s memory loss, the mercenaries, and this Ragnarok mess where the future of Lugnica hangs in the balance. There’s too many questions and not enough transparency. It kind of reminds me of that damn witch in a way.’ Subaru had contemplated to himself, subsequently being brought out of his preoccupied state as Rem had responded accordingly. She had noticed Subaru’s contemplative state, deciding to take up the conversation in his stead.

“Who are we meeting?” Rem had asked objectively, causing the dryad to smirk in response to her question.

“Someone the two of you are probably very familiar with...” Ianeira had expressed impishly, causing an unkindled flame within Subaru to ignite once again within his tumultuous emotional state. He had shot up from his seat, facing dryad in question, as his mind had veered towards only one particular person in question. Surprise had pervasively spread across his face much to Ianeira’s amusement.

“IS SHE HERE?!” Subaru had nearly bellowed in relief, in contrast to his shallow state earlier. If she was here, then that would change everything for him. If she was here, he wouldn’t need to take up this unprecedented quandary by himself. Yet there was something that ceaselessly bothered him about the notion, feeling chills crawling up his being by the mere thought of it. ‘If that’s the case, then does she know…?!’

Rem on the other hand, had immediately reached the same conclusion after Subaru’s outburst. Her eyes had widened at the implication, feeling both a wave of relieve and slight jealously from the depths of her heart. The pair had been torn about this revelation but had ultimately reached the same conclusion that they should at least meet up and confirm that they hadn’t made the jump alone.

“That’s up to you to find out... What matters right now is if you want to come along or not. The more time you waste here, the more time you’ve given your prospective enemies an upper hand.” Ianeira had advised as her gaze had traced her client’s forms from head to toe, before making her way over to magical crystal fixated within a chiseled obsidian statue to her right side. Upon closer inspection, Subaru had noted a mix of Buddhist and European influences upon all the artifacts laid out throughout the room, but had decided to not ask about them. Once she had positioned herself meticulously, she started enchanting a ritualistic rite under her breathe as a fury of mana particles had started to gather around a glyph illuminating around the dryad’s circumference, widening by the second. On the other side of the aisle, Subaru did not like the shift in her tone in the dryad’s response, but the only thing that had racked his brain was the hope that Emilia was in this world as well, alive and well. That’s all the reason he had needed to take up on Ianeira’s offer, even if he was making an impulsive deal with the devil. Still, he had felt no choice but to place his trust in her.

“Please take us to her right away.”

AN: After nearly 3 months, I finally decided to wrap up this chapter on this note. It’s nothing too impressive, but what this chapter provides for me is a framework for the future arcs I have in mind. Since a certain individual had wanted me to leave Author’s Notes to keep them up to speed with what’s going on throughout my personal life. I’ll leave it at this. Work + School = Lack of Free Time. Don’t worry, I’m alive, but I’m merely clinging onto what little free-time I have right now. Since frankly, I have a bunch of books, movies, games, and other media that I really want to catch up on. Writing is a great hobby of mine, but it isn’t something I can invest in unless if I primarily focus on it throughout the day. I am quite easily distracted and stressed out the majority of the time, which easily detaches me from my routine and gives me ‘writer’s blocks.’ But at least I haven’t lost my motivation to continue this story. You are free to criticize this chapter to your heart’s content. As such, I bid everyone a good day/night.