CHAPTER 177 — A World That Isn't Peaceful
The room stayed quiet after Diana spoke.
They all looked at Tanya.
She stood near the center of the long table, small hands folded neatly behind her back. Her boots were clean, her uniform pressed and proper. Everything about her appearance spoke of order and discipline. Yet the contrast was impossible to ignore.
She was a child.
Mindy was the first to speak, breaking the silence gently.
"What kind of world are you from?" she asked.
Her voice wasn't harsh. It wasn't accusing. It was curious, honest, and slightly confused.
Saeko followed right after.
"What kind of world," she said, her tone calm but firm, "would let a child become a soldier?"
She wasn't angry either. There was no judgment in her eyes. But there was disbelief.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head, looking at Tanya again, really looking this time.
"She looks… nine," he said slowly. "When I was nine, I was still in class. We were learning basic stuff at the academy. Nothing close to real fighting."
He gave a small, awkward laugh.
"I mean, I wasn't even good at it back then."
The comparison was simple, but it landed hard.
Tanya blinked once.
She hadn't expected the question to feel so heavy. Not because she didn't have an answer, but because she knew the answer would sound wrong to them.
"What kind of world…?" she repeated softly.
Her eyes drifted slightly to the side, unfocused for a moment. Not because she was confused, but because she was remembering.
Then she spoke.
"A world that has been at war for as long as I can remember," Tanya said.
Her voice was calm. Controlled. The kind of calm that came from repetition, not peace.
"In my country," she continued, "war isn't something distant. It's not a story on the radio or something you hear about later."
She looked up again, meeting their eyes one by one.
"It's constant. Borders shift. Cities fall and rise again. People grow up knowing that fighting is part of life."
Mindy's expression tightened.
"That sounds exhausting," she said quietly.
Tanya nodded.
"It is."
She paused, then added more.
"We still have schools," Tanya said. "We still study math, language, history. Education is important. But the military is also part of everyday life."
She spoke like she was explaining weather patterns. No emotion. Just facts.
"When a war lasts long enough," she continued, "everyone becomes involved. Farmers. Engineers. Teachers. Soldiers."
She tilted her head slightly.
"If someone shows talent," she said, "especially for magic, they are trained early."
Saeko crossed her arms.
"That still doesn't make it right," she said.
Tanya didn't argue.
"I understand that," she replied. "In a peaceful world, nine years old should mean classrooms, friends, and safety."
Her voice softened just a little at the word peaceful.
"But not all worlds are peaceful."
The room went quiet again.
Naruto swallowed.
He remembered sitting on the swing outside the academy. He remembered being lonely, yes, but also safe. There had been no fighting. No killing.
Mindy looked away for a second.
Then Tanya spoke again.
"Besides," she said, her voice turning more even, more distant, "I volunteered."
That sentence changed the room.
Tony stopped leaning against the table.
Saeko's eyes sharpened.
Naruto stared.
"You… volunteered?" Mindy asked.
"Yes," Tanya replied simply.
There was no pride in it. No bitterness either.
"I chose this path," she said. "No one forced me."
No one spoke for several seconds.
Tony finally broke the silence.
"Magic?" he said, almost to himself.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"My world has magic too," Tony continued. "Not the same way, probably, but it exists." He remembered clearly, he and Gaius had once returned to his world and encountered wizards who could open portals, stepping through space as easily as walking through a door.
That caught Tanya's attention.
She turned to face him, studying him more closely. The advanced armor. The exposed faceplate. The confident posture. The beard that gave him a grounded, practical appearance.
"Magic, in my world," Tanya said slowly, "is not a miracle."
She raised one hand slightly, as if she were back in a briefing room.
"It's a system," she continued.
Tony nodded.
"We use mana," Tanya explained. "It's internal energy. Everyone has some, but talent and training decide how much control you have."
She paused to make sure they were following.
"Raw mana is unstable," she said. "That's why we use devices called Operation Orbs."
She gestured lightly.
"The orb calculates and stabilizes the output. Instead of chaos, you get control."
"Like a calculator for spells," Tony said.
"Exactly," Tanya replied.
She continued.
"Flight. Barriers. Explosions. All of those are just applications. The orb handles the complex formulas. We supply power and intent."
The others exchanged looks.
"Flight?" Saeko repeated.
They could actually fly.
Tanya lowered her hand again.
After a short pause, Tanya looked around the room.
"I thought chat members were from different worlds," she said. "Why are you all in the same place?"
Saeko answered first, her voice calm and even.
"We are from different worlds," she said calmly. "This just happens to be where we are now."
She began listing them.
"My world was modern," Saeko said. "Then it collapsed."
She nodded to Naruto.
"His world is built around ninjas and chakra."
She gestured to Mindy and Tony.
"They're from the same world. Modern, but with magic."
Then Diana.
"Her world has gods," Saeko said simply.
Finally, Gaius.
"And him," she said, "he comes from humanity's future, the forty-first millennium, a time when humans are at war."
Tanya paused, letting the words settle. That was… a lot to take in.
She wasn't easily surprised by different worlds, after all, she came from a modern world herself, and had already been transported by that being, X, into a place filled with magic and war.
What truly caught her off guard was Gaius. The future of humanity? The forty-first millennium? At war?
Even in Gaius's world, humanity hadn't been unified, not even in the far future?
Her face scrunched up, after all, her dream had always been something simple: a comfortable, safe, leisurely life, preferably with fewer explosions.
She buried the thought quickly, straightening her expression.
Tanya had assumed that the war in Gaius's time was like the conflicts she knew, countries clashing, armies facing each other.
But it wasn't.
"That still doesn't explain why you're all together," Tanya said, eyes scanning the group.
"The Multiversal Chat lets us visit other worlds," Saeko replied, her tone calm, precise. "Every three months."
Tanya pinched her chin thoughtfully, trying to process it.
"Is it random?" she asked, brow furrowed.
"Yes," Mindy said, shrugging slightly. "Unless there's a mission."
"Missions?" Tanya repeated, curiosity sharpening her voice.
"They usually involve events that concern the members," Saeko explained. "Crises, things that could be deadly to a member if ignored."
Tanya nodded slowly, letting the information sink in. She studied the room, the mix of people, the ease with which they discussed extraordinary things, the quiet confidence in their presence.
"I see," she said finally, exhaling softly.
A knock echoed through the office, sharp and deliberate.
Tony didn't hesitate.
"Come in," he said, voice steady.
A Marine stepped inside, stiff and nervous, holding a Den Den Mushi carefully with both hands.
"S-sir," he stammered, "this is from Marineford."
Tony took it with a sigh, leaning back slightly.
"Finally," he muttered. "They took long enough."
The Den Den Mushi's face shifted, and Sengoku appeared, clearly furious.
"You kidnapped a Celestial Dragon!" Sengoku shouted, voice sharp.
Tony clicked his tongue, shrugging casually.
"Tsk. We had a good time at Marineford," he said, his tone even. "And this is how you greet me?"
Tanya stood quietly to the side, watching the exchange with careful attention, saying nothing.
~~~
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