“The most significant peril within the domain of magic lies not in our understanding, but rather in our ignorance.”
—Theodore Locknre, 1724
14:00 JST (Japan Standard Time) (11:00 WT), 2nd of March, 1639 (2nd of Marto, 1995)
Naikaku Sōri Daijin Kantei, Nagatachō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
It took about a week for a meeting to be scheduled between the VROEMG team and Prime Minister Yamoya. During that time, Isaac and the rest of the team were allowed to settle in the 'Imperial Hotel Tokyo' which was conveniently quite close to the Prime Minister's office.
Isaac had spent most of his week exploring the streets of Tokyo. And he must say the similarity to the Tokyo of his world was uncanny. The Tower, Ginza, Shibuya... it was all there, but there was always something off about them, as if the world had moved slightly to the left and tried to correct itself.
He did not let those thoughts linger for long, and now he was being escorted by the Prime Minister's aides along with the five other VROEMG members through the sleek corridors of the Prime Minister's residence.
Eventually, they reached a spacious conference room with a large round wooden table in the centre where's the Prime Minister as well as 19 other individuals stood. Issac tried to observe their expressions as their team entered the room. Some clearly looked curious while others including Prime Minister Yamoya appeared solemn and contemplative.
Upon seeing the group enter, the Prime Minister stiffened slightly and bowed, to which the other government officials followed suit. Issac returned the gesture although his colleagues looked on in confusion.
"Welcome," Prime Minister Yamoya began in Japanese. "We are honoured to meet with representatives from this VROEMG. Please, have a seat."
Isaac translated the Prime Minister's words for his team, who then took their seats around the table.
"Thank you, Your Excellency," Isaac replied on behalf of the team.
The Prime Minister cut to the chase. "We have reviewed your brief report about your country and organisation and I must say, we were shocked to learn about the circumstances of your arrival. But some sections of the report appear... a bit vague."
He picked up a paper that lay in front of him and glanced at it briefly before continuing. "The report states your country got... displaced into this world by accident – can you elaborate on this? – And could you please state what…" He looked back down at the report “… V-R-O-E-M-G stands for.”
Isaac nodded, translating the Prime Minister's words for his team.
"Wait a moment." He told the Prime Minister.
Isaac turned to his team "What should I say?"
"Keep it simple," a man – Harold Glenn – from the team suggested. "We were conducting an experiment when an anomaly occurred, transporting our country. We are still investigating the cause of this anomaly and working towards finding a way to return home."
A few other members nodded lightly in agreement so Isaac turned back.
"Our organisation was conducting an experiment related to portal magic when an unexpected anomaly occurred, transporting us into this world," Isaac explained. "We are still investigating the cause of this and working towards finding a way to return home."
"Your people have magic?" A bunned woman interrupted. And several other people as well looked surprised by Isaac's words.
Oh right, they forgot to mention magic in the report.
"Ah... I apologise, yes, we do have individuals with magical abilities in our world."
The Prime Minister's face remained composed, though Isaac noticed a flicker of alarm in his eyes. He took the time to relay what had been said to the VROEMG team once more. Some looked embarrassed for not seeing the oversight in the report.
"I see..." Yamoya nodded, seeming to accept the explanation. “But you still have not said what the abbreviations mean.”
“Our mistake, it stands for the Union of Realms Organisation for the Containment of Magical Anomalies.”
“Like the SCP?” An official asked.
“Who?" Isaac asked in confusion.
The official cleared his throat. "Ah, never mind. Please continue."
That was how the next few minutes passed by, with the Prime Minister and some of the government officials asking an array of questions about Neragon, and VROEMG which Isaac had to deflect as it might be too sensitive to divulge information.
Eventually, it was time for the purpose of their visit.
"Your excellency, we ourselves are quite curious about your country," Isaac stated after a while. "You see, I came from a version of Japan where it was a state of an empire called America, and in our world – or at least Neragon's world – we are aware of Earth as a multimedia franchise."
The Prime Minister and the other officials exchanged puzzled glances at Isaac's revelation. Clearly, this was a concept they were struggling to comprehend.
"We are not sure we understand," the Prime Minister responded cautiously, his brow furrowed. "You're saying that you come from a world – an alternate reality – where Japan is a part of the US, and in Neragon... Earth is..." he struggled to find the right words, "...a fictional creation?"
Isaac nodded. "That is correct. We believe the author who started this franchise was an unconfirmed individual from a world similar or possibly the same as yours which is why we are here: to confirm if the information we have match the reality.”
The Prime Minister looked clearly disturbed by this revelation, and murmurs between the government officials sprang up. Isaac used the opportunity to translate what was said to his team.
"This is... a lot to take in." Yamoya finally said. "We might need some time to... process this information."
Isaac translated that to his team and nodded towards the Prime Minister. "Of course, your excellency, we understand why this might be overwhelming." Then Isaac remembered what Site Alpha had messaged them a few days ago. "Oh, and I forgot to add, an official envoy from the Neragese State might arrive in 2 days."
The Prime Minister buried his head in his hand.
19:26 MOT (Mean Otaheit Time) (21:26 WT), 7th of March, 1639 (4th of March, 1995)
Section 4 (Department of Information Analysis), Ministry of Home Defence Building, Wala, Otaheit, Mu
Section 4 of the Ministry of Home Defence of Mu was always considered a joke by the rest. It was not that they were inefficient, but rather that their focus on analysing information from various sources on foreign militaries, governments, and projects often led to obscure conclusions that seemed more like conspiracy theories than intelligence. The Parpaldians were secretly developing a new virus bioweapon they could unleash upon their enemies? Who would ever believe such a thing?
But let's see who would be laughing when the enemies of the Parpaldians get sick and begin suffocating to death through lung damage.
On this particular evening, a young blond man with a bob cut entered a small briefing room within the department. There were a few people, none that he knew personally, but saw frequently around the office.
Surveying the room, he found an empty seat at the front and took it. It was right next to a man in his 50s, a senior at the department, Mr. Thierry if his memories served him right.
The blond man must've been the last to arrive as just a few moments later, the briefer for the evening entered the room. He was a greying, wispy man, and carried a battered suitcase. Reginald Saunier, the blond man had worked with him occasionally in the past.
Saunier made his way to the front of the room and stood behind a lectern before pulling out a manila folder (not that they would've called it that) from his briefcase.
Alright, listen up," the man said, his voice coarse and gravelly from years of smoking. "We've got some interesting developments to discuss from the Milishient region."
What new Ravernal technology have they dug up this time?
The greying man opened the folder and pulled out several (black-and-white) pictures the size of letters, pinning them to a board behind him. "Our Homgouvs in the Milishial Empire have stumbled on something quite interesting – take a look at these images."
The blond man leaned forward, squinting at the photos.
"That's a meeting of some sort. Between the Milishials and another country I would guess.” Someone behind him said.
The greying man nodded. "Precisely." He coughed to clear his throat before continuing. "And here's the pot of roses, these attendees from the other nation claim to have been transported from another world.”
If it was possible, the room seemed to grow even quieter at what the man said. And for good reason, 10,000 years ago, the Mu continent was known to have been transferred from another world, which was why the Mu people lacked any affinity for magic. But if what this strange nation claims are true, what will this mean for the world?
"Another world?" A bespectacled woman echoed in a strangely baritone voice. "As in—"
"That is what they are saying," Saunier confirmed. "This meeting took place on the 25th last month between – what our spy could glean – the leaders of the two states. The Milishial Emperor was, of course, there along with a man who is identified as the Prime Minister of this new country."
He took out another set of photos from the folder.
"Pardon me, Saunier, but you did not say what the name of this new country is," the blond man interjected.
The greying man gave a realised nod. "Ah yes, my apologies Leclerc, they call themselves the Neragese Empire."
There were murmurs all around the room.
"Now, these are a few other photos related to these people." He coughed again to clear his throat, this time a bit more violently. If anyone had not been accustomed to the constant sound of his coughing before, they might've been alarmed. After he was done, he pinned them to the board as well.
There were a few images of quite a sleek-looking watch the blond man – Leclerc – did not wish to know how they had got their hands on; a few images at different angles of a large, and very strange aeroplane with turbines on its wings and an emblem he didn’t recognise on its tail; and picture of a man holding what seemed to be a brickish device of some kind to his ear.
"As you can see, the trinkets of these individuals are quite peculiar compared to what we're accustomed to seeing, any thoughts?"
There was silence for a brief moment before Leclerc spoke up. "I must say, these artefacts, just by their appearance, seem to show a level of technological advancement beyond our own. The design of that aircraft, for instance, is quite similar to a model of a hypothetical plane I had the privilege of seeing that Gaetan Industry has been toying with. It is theoretically possible, but the engineering required is at least 2 to 3 decades ahead of our current capabilities."
Saunier acknowledged his observations with a nod. "Certainly, it seems they possess technology far beyond what we have here. This, of course, raises several questions about the origins of this country and what they wish to do now that they have been transported here."
The bespectacled woman spoke up. "I suggest we request the BRS [Office of Strategic Intelligence] to gather more information on this Neragese Empire. We need to understand more about them before drawing any conclusions."
"I'm sure the Office would be more than happy to oblige," Saunier agreed.
12:52 WT, 3rd of Marto, 1995 (3rd of March, 1639)
Sector A, Site Delta, Chūsuiiki island, Komeriku
The Kleinfolk [pixie] thaumatologist snarled at the circles of runes surrounding a mirror in the test chamber as it collapsed once again, breaking the glass for the second time that day.
"No luck again I suppose." Her Human friend sighed, wiping sweat from his thin brows.
it had been 3 days since Kitakaze dropped the bombshell of being able to contact Director Nott through the Dream World and the order to activate Contingency Dragon's Fang. Since then, the news had been spread to nearly all VROEMG sites while she had been assigned to lead the work of scrying for the location of Nott, and by extension, Neragon.
The Kleinfolk, named Hin, let out a frustrated sigh herself, flying away from her pedestal which she used to peer into the test chamber. "Yeah."
"Does this mean we can have our lunch break now?" Someone called out, eliciting a few chuckles from his colleagues.
Hin glanced at the digital clock on a nearby computer. "You might as well. We've hit a dead end for now.”
There was a collective round of cheers from the Humans and Hin waved them off, shouting goodbye to her friend, Ventsislav. Kleinfolks like her did not need to eat as much as humans, thus she opted to spend her "lunch break" in the quiet of her own thoughts.
She felt frustrated by the lack of progress on finding Nott as she floated out of the lab and into the cold corridor outside. What could they possibly be missing? A bigger source of energy? A different approach altogether? Maybe they shouldn't be using a mirror as a medium for scrying through potentially entire universes in the first place.
Hin's wings were on autopilot, and eventually, she found herself right in front of the door leading to the visitor's lobby of the site. She paused, considering whether to go inside or not.
In the end, she decided she would like to have some sun and fresh air, so, she pushed open the heavy industrial door and stepped into the simple white hall. It was a striking contrast to the busyness of the employee side of the site. There were only a few non-VROEMG people lingering in the lobby.
There was a Human woman with a child who was speaking worriedly to the receptionist behind the main desk, and an old Foxfolk man who seemed to be in his 110s looking up at an abstract mural decoration on the wall.
Hin paid them no mind as she made her way to the large, but also modest entranceway. It was an absurdly cloudless day, and Hin could hear the first signs of Spring through the ecstasy of the chilly wind.
Ah… I haven’t lost my touch. She thought, temporarily forgetting her frustration with her assigned project. The feeling of the wind against her skin and insect-like wings was electrifying, and she allowed herself a moment to simply enjoy the sensation and let the wind guide her.
But eventually, her mind wandered back to her project... What could she use to substitute for mirrors? A crystal ball maybe? No, that won't work, they were only good if the scrying target was on the same planet as them. Maybe it is a bigger source of energy they needed, after all, the combined ambient magic of Site Delta, the inhabitants of Komeriku, and the Komeriku Barrier might not be enou—
"Oi! Hin, Takigawa Hin!" A familiar voice called out in Chowese from somewhere below her. Hin was snapped out of her thoughts, and she glanced down to see a Chowese Human woman waving enthusiastically from the pathway below.
Hin blinked and looked around, somehow, she had drifted quite a distance from Site Delta.
She looked back down. The woman was in her late 40s, had short black that seemed recently cut and was wearing a T-shirt with the logo of the John Borburn series sewn onto it which for some reason, reminded Hin of the '70s. She looked quite familiar so Hin flew downward to meet her.
"Hin! It's been ages!" the woman beamed.
It was Marta Yuen, a friend of hers from Hoy Kok whom she hadn't seen in a decade. But despite, that, Hin's memory instantly clicked into place.
"Marta, what're you doing here," Hin asked, slipping into Chowese fluently after her initial surprise wore off. Realising she had sounded quite rude, Hin added, "And how've you been, last time I saw you, you were applying for a tutor position at the University."
Marta grinned. "I've been lent by said University to assist with some research at Site Delta. Can you believe it?"
Hin couldn't help but smile. "Well, congratulations. What kind of work are you involved in?"
Marta's grin loosened slightly. "Sorry, I can't really say much about it until I get briefed, even to VROEMG employees."
Hin would’ve raised an eyebrow if she could. "Well, I'm glad I get to see you again regardless. It's been too long."
Marta's grin returned. "Definitely. We'll have to catch up properly sometime soon."
"Absolutely..." Then a clicking feeling at the back of her mind made Hin pause. It was the same feeling she would have when she was running late on something or had forgotten an important task. Hm? How long have I been out here?
"Um... Marta, can I ask what time it is?"
Marta looked confused, but complied with a quick glance at her cellphone. "It's about 2:04 PM, why did you ask?"
"It's been an hour already?" Hin muttered to herself in Horpongo. Then she said to Marta, "I lost track of time, I should go back to work. It was nice catching up with you though."
Marta nodded with a final smile. "Of course, Hin. We can talk more later."
With a final wave, Hin bid farewell to Marta and flew back towards Site Delta.
Extract from Komeriku - Omnipædia
Komeriku (High Horpongo: 隠国), officially the Komeriku Islands are a group of hidden islands in the Horapon Sea that forms the Komerikan Archipelago. The six main islands, Shimettasuna, Chūsuiiki, Kuroitori, Kataiishi, Kitadate, and Ryokutō; as well as as well as 17 other sparsely inhabited islands, have a combined land area of 1,802 km² (696 sq mi). According to a 1995 estimate by the Komeriku government, around 229,000 people inhabited Komeriku.[1]
The concept of Komeriku dates back to the War of the Seven Lords on the Horapon Islands during the 3rd century CE. While numerous youkai-only territories existed, the idea of a united youkai state was not expressed until 214, with Hamakawa's victory over the Kitsune warlord Kamei Hisafusa. A meeting of the Youkai Council that year saw the first idea of a unified Youkai state, presented by the Kageoka Clan led by Atsunaka. However, these plans were ultimately rejected due to internal strife and disagreement within the Youkai community. Hamakawa united the warring Horaponi lords under his rule in 220, forming the first unified state in the archipelago named Eakogawa. He granted significant autonomy to the youkai population, allowing them to govern their territories according to their traditions and customs, as long as they pledged allegiance to his rule. This left the idea of a youkai state dormant for centuries.
In the waning periods of Eakogawa from the 14th to 15th centuries, the rights of youkai became increasingly curtailed by the human rulers. The idea of a unified youkai state resurfaced during this time, fueled by growing dissatisfaction among youkai communities over their diminishing autonomy. From 1467 onwards, meetings of the Youkai Council primarily revolved around the concept of a youkai state once more, with the Kageoka Clan continuing to champion the cause along with the Tōimachi and Shin Clans. Simultaneously, disgusted by the inaction of the main Tendo Pantheon, two deities —Kitakaze no Haruhime and Ofukugawa Kutsumi— began supporting the plan for a youkai state in secret. Kitakaze suggested in 1471 that the Komeriku Islands, which was known but had not been occupied by Eakogawa at the time, could serve as the ideal location for this envisioned youkai state.
In 1473, Kitakaze led a settling expedition to the Komeriku Islands, a mission that would soon lead to the proclamation of the first youkai state the same year. A governing council consisting of the two deities and the heads of the three youkai clans was established the same year. Small scale resistance from native islanders met the state's establishment, but it was swiftly quelled by the youkai government, with the the native population being swiftly absorbed into Komerikan society. In 1474, Eakogawa collapsed and was succeeded quickly by the Shanji Dynasty. This caused a wave of refugees of both youkai and pro-youkai humans to flee to the newly formed Komeriku Islands. The Dynasty attempted to assert its control over Komeriku in the Youkai-Shanji War beginning in 1478. During this time, Komeriku commenced a project to install a magical barrier around its borders to protect the islands and hide it from outsiders, something which succeeded in 1481, abruptly ending the war and beginning a period of isolation for the country.
This period of isolation continued until the late 18th century when Serono-Sothan surveyors a magical disturbance in the region of the Komeriku Barrier which was later notified to the Serono-Sothan government. Curious about the phenomenon as well as the rumoured presence of a lost archipelago in the general region of the barrier, Seronia-Sotha and VROEMG (then known as the Anti-Anomalous League) dispatched a joint expedition in 1770. The VROEMG head of the expedition, Evans Nott, was able to successfully puncture a hole through the Barrier, allowing the expedition fleet to enter the hidden archipelago. They were immediately met by Komerikan forces, sparking a violent confrontation that lasted for approximately 2 days known as the Komerikan Contact War after which a ceasefire was called and diplomatic talks ensued between the two parties. Intrigued by the outside world, Komeriku agreed to open diplomatic relations with both Seronia-Sotha and VROEMG.
By 1776, most of the world's states had acknowledged the existence of Komeriku. Throughout the 19th and 20th century, Komeriku industrialised on a small scale well simultaneously distancing themselves from international affairs, maintaining a policy of neutrality that persists to the modern day.
Komeriku is a Unitary Aristocratic State governed by the Komerikan Council in Kidō. Imports to Komeriku are sourced mainly from VROEMG and Chowa including technology, and manufactured products. Food is mainly grown through traditional agricultural practices, with rice, wheat, and vegetables being the staple crops. Komeriku is a confirmed nuclear-weapon state, with a reported 235 warheads as of 2000. The country's only academic establishment is Site Delta, which also serves as an embassy for VROEMG and was allegedly originally built to house a portal.[according to whom?] Komeriku is not a member of any international organisation and remains a relatively isolated nation on the global stage. Its self-imposed isolation has allowed Komeriku to develop a unique culture and maintain a distinct identity that sets it apart from the rest of the world.
References in extract
- What is Komeriku? komeriku.unt. Retrieved 23 Disemba, 1992 from https://gbm.komeriku.unt/information/149084
Komeriku. Omnipædia. Retrieved 1 Pusper, 1995 from https://gbm.omnipaedia.org/w/index.php?titel=Komeriku&altid=19760.
