Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.
Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.
"Speech"
Time*
Chapter 83: The Dreamer
A few minutes later*
I sweatdrop as I watch Momoyo wrestle wild animals as though they were anything but dangerous to the average human. One moment, she is grappling with a snarling beast, and the next, she is tossing it aside with ridiculous ease. Then, as I think about what passes for an average, normal human in this world, I decide not to speak those thoughts aloud.
I let her be, since I had other things to do. For one thing, I was curious about the Spirit World in this reality. With that in mind, I returned to the log cabin, stepped inside, and began the necessary preparations to enter Sefirah Castle.
Reopening my eyes, I rose from my seat and walked to the edge of the palace. Looking down, I found the familiar gray fog still drifting beneath it. More importantly, the crimson stars connected to those I had brought into Sefirah Castle in the past remained visible within the mist. It seemed that even in a different reality, I could still summon them here for a meeting.
After thinking it over for a moment, I summoned the laptop to my side. It floated beside me as it began performing the Computational Divination on my behalf, sparing me the trouble of entering the necessary information manually.
I waited a minute or two before checking the results. The moment I saw what the Computational Divination had revealed, I fell completely silent, unsure of how to react.
"Huh… I don't know how to feel about the fact that I apparently have numerous routes to forming a harem filled with One Piece girls." I mutter to myself, slowly blinking at the results. "All because a new Fate named Lust decided to get involved this time, unlike that Fate Bitch back in the original reality."
I rub my forehead, then exit Sefirah Castle. A couple of different results from the Computational Divination had given me some shocking news.
30 minutes later*
I gasp for breath, cold sweat soaking my entire body after successfully becoming a Mid-Sequence Beyonder. To be precise, Sequence 7: Magician of the Fool Pathway.
I did not wait to reach Sequence 8 in the other Pathways first. For one thing, it was somehow far safer to advance into the higher Sequences in this reality. Fate Lust did not seem to care if I became more powerful. If anything, it encouraged me to keep going, even helping me along in exchange for me bringing more untold chaos into this world.
I shake my head, then slowly exit the bedroom and begin searching for Alucard. It does not take long to find her sitting outside the log cabin, eating from a tub of ice cream without a care in the world.
The sudden shift in Alucard's behavior leaves me baffled for a moment, but I push that thought aside. Right now, I have more important things to focus on.
"Alucard, get Momoyo and tell her it's time to sleep. I would do it myself, but I've got this massive headache." I watch as Alucard nods, her mouth still full of ice cream. A second later, she disappears on the spot.
I close my eyes and put on a thoughtful expression as I recall the results from the recent Computational Divination. After a few seconds of silence, I let out a heavy sigh, the weight of those revelations pressing against my already aching head.
How was I supposed to feel after learning that Alucard had devoured Charlotte Linlin, better known as Big Mom, and somehow gained access to the Soru Soru no Mi?
A part of me wanted to be impressed. Another part of me wanted to question what was going through her mind at that time.
I slowly rubbed my forehead again, feeling my headache worsen.
"Of course." I muttered under my breath. "Because apparently Alucard wasn't terrifying enough already."
Sleep. I need to sleep more.
My Spirituality is already hinting at me, quietly but firmly, that rest would do me far more good than anything else right now. With everything I have learned, advanced through, and barely processed, forcing myself to stay awake would only make things worse.
I did not wait for Momoyo to return. Instead, I headed straight to bed, closed my eyes, and fell asleep almost instantly.
Yet, somehow, I remained conscious.
Within the darkness behind my eyelids, colors began to appear, slowly blending together as though something was taking shape beyond ordinary dreams.
I suddenly found myself stepping toward a door of light with a bluish-black luster. The door was formed from countless layers of spherical light, each one containing transparent or translucent squirming maggots within it. They shifted and writhed endlessly, making the entire sight far more disturbing the closer I drew.
Beyond the door, a bluish-black fog concealed something unknown and terrifying. I could not make out what lay behind it, but every instinct I had warned me that whatever was hidden there was not something meant to be faced lightly.
I continued moving without realizing it, my body taking step after step until I was already halfway through the door of light.
Then, something stopped me.
Only then did I notice the 22 Cards of Blasphemy had appeared around me at some point, circling silently. Before I could understand what was happening, an unseen force seized me and pulled me away from the door.
Rapidly, I was pulled farther and farther away from the door of light and up into the sky. It was only then that my mind finally caught up and realized what I was looking at, the door of light was literally The Door of Light, the true Sefirah Castle.
As I was dragged farther back, I began to see more of the actual Sefirah Castle. However, that sight lasted only for a second before the Door of Light expanded massively. In an instant, more than 99% of my body had already passed through to the other side, leaving only my head still outside. The 22 Cards of Blasphemy were barely holding on, straining with all their might as they desperately tried to pull me back.
I heard something crack, and then the other Sefirot began popping into existence, one after another. At the same time, I saw part of myself being dragged out of Sefirah Castle, with only the lower half of my body still trapped inside the Door of Light. The strain of it all was immediate and terrifying, as though two impossible forces were fighting over me at once.
As if they had somehow been provoked, the other Sefirot took action at once.
The Chaos Sea erupted first, unleashing seawater of every color toward Sefirah Castle in a violent surge. Not to be outdone, the River of Eternal Darkness rushed forward, shooting ahead like an arrow formed from a colorless river. Then the City of Calamity responded, releasing numerous soldiers that began dropping from the sky one after another.
The Knowledge Moor sent out soundwaves filled with screaming information, while the Key of Light rained down golden flowers of light from above. Beneath Sefirah Castle, the Brood Hive surged upward from below. At the same time, the Tenebrous World tried to merge with the gray fog behind the Door of Light, while the Nation of Disorder pressed in from the front and attempted the same.
All 8 Sefirot struck Sefirah Castle from every direction, as though they meant to tear apart everything caught in the middle.
And I was stuck right in the middle of it all, forced to watch helplessly as those godly attacks from the Sefirot closed in from every direction.
For a brief moment, I could do nothing but stare. Surrounded on all sides by forces far beyond me, I felt painfully small in the face of that overwhelming clash.
The next day*
I let out a loud gasp as I jolted awake. Cold sweat covered my body, and my eyes darted everywhere in deep panic and fear.
Only after seeing the familiar bedroom inside the log cabin I had made did I slowly begin to relax. My breathing remained uneven for a few seconds, but at least I knew I was no longer trapped between the battle among the Sefirot.
I looked to my left and saw Momoyo's sleeping face, calm and peaceful as she held my left hand.
Gently, I removed my hand from Momoyo's grip, causing her to frown slightly in her sleep. Before she could wake, I placed my pillow between her arms.
Almost immediately, she hugged it close, and a small smile returned to her face. Seeing that, I quietly slipped out of bed.
I exit the log cabin, ignoring the fact that Alucard is somehow sleeping underneath the bed Momoyo and I had been sharing.
Once outside, I take a deep breath and slowly exhale as I stare out at the sea. Morning has already arrived, bringing with it a pleasant breeze and the familiar scent of saltwater that washes over me.
Just as I am about to enter Sefirah Castle through the usual ritual, my Spirituality suddenly warns me of danger, making me stop.
My thoughts immediately return to the strange dream I had last night, or what I think was a lucid dream. The worst part is that I have no idea how it ended.
Looks like I won't be able to perform my daily morning Computational Divination.
This makes me realize just how much I have come to rely on Sefirah Castle for Divination. Now that I no longer have access to it, I can't help but wonder how long it will take for whatever is happening with the Sefirot to settle down and when it will finally be safe for me to enter again.
I rub my chin, then pull out the Cards of the Hermit and Paragon, intending to use them to bring forth the Sefirot: Knowledge Moor.
Only for my Spirituality to immediately warn me not to do that either.
I pause, staring at the two Cards of Blasphemy before a strange gut feeling settles over me. Somehow, I just know that all the Sefirot are currently busy with their own affairs and should not be disturbed for the time being.
I take another deep breath as I begin to wonder what could have possibly set off the Sefirot like that. Other than the fact that I had entered an entirely different reality, one that should be the world of One Piece, I could not think of anything else significant enough to provoke such a reaction.
I look around for a moment before heading back inside and making my way to the kitchen. With nothing else to do for now, I decide to make myself something for breakfast while waiting for the girls to wake up or until something else happens.
Just as I am about to make something out of the food Alucard had stolen, I stop for a moment and begin searching for some paper. I need enough to convert into Paper Figurines and use alongside my spell-like ability, Paper Figurine Substitute.
Considering everything that has happened recently, having a few extra substitutes prepared seems like a very good idea.
"Chikao…!" Momoyo groans my name loudly as she steps out of the bedroom, wearing nothing but an oversized, plain purple shirt. The fabric stretches slightly across her chest and hangs low enough to barely cover her white underwear.
"I'll make your breakfast. Go wash up. There's a working sink in the bathroom, but I haven't gotten the shower or bathtub working yet." I say to Momoyo as I finish making my first Paper Figurine and immediately begin preparing more.
Instead of doing that, Momoyo walks over with her eyes still half-closed. She leans in and presses her cheek against mine before wrapping both arms around my torso from behind, clearly still too sleepy to follow my instructions.