"So, Miss Karsten, what are your thoughts?" Will you enter into a contract with me? I tell you that with your assistance, we will be able to surpass even the sword saint lineage. Furthermore, we may even be able to transcend the very definition of the Od and effectively become the new gods of this universe. Isn't it fascinating to look into the unknown and use it to your advantage? To reveal truths, no mortal should transcend beyond the surface status quo, which may be the fundamental origin of life and mana itself. This isn't a minor matter, Miss Karsten; you could be the key to a door far larger than you can even imagine or comprehend."
"And what is a key without someone to help it fulfill its original duty as a key?" Miss Karsten, if you take my hand, then congratulations! You will be the first living being outside the idea of a factor holder closer to the truth, so turn it to open the door, reach the opposite side, and peer into the mystery of the secrets of the universe itself. I can be that someone; your memories are only a small part of the genuine benefits we can achieve together. We can authentically unlock Pandora's box and break free from the laws that bind us. You may not understand, but I have lived a long life, and I have seen, experienced, and even created things that have made me realize that we are nothing more than a minor cog in the cosmic machine known as the universe. And what I want is to get away from the system; I don't know about you, but I despise being a puppet being guided by the strings of order."
"And before you accuse me of having a God complex, let me prove you wrong; additionally, the title of God is just a title." Similarly, the title of witch, warlock, or sage is only a term given to someone in order for them to stand out from the rest of the population. Because, to be honest, I don't believe in God, which is a dumb human title given to anything higher than ourselves. God is only a moniker, a position, and a level of authority to me, much like a CEO, a monarch, a cashier, or a customer service representative... God is a platonic concept created by people to provide meaning to something they do not understand yet continue to revere."
"Do you realize how revolting that is?" Comparing a monarch to a commoner is like comparing an ant to the average human being. Despite being of the same race, the only thing that truly differs is perception. A king's perspective on the world is significantly broader than that of the average commoner; you can do whatever you want because the kingdom is yours. And you, as a commoner, have no choice but to obey the rules of a ruler you do not want to serve but rather be. What I'm trying to say is that if you take my hand, Miss Karsten, I can show you a whole new world. The perspective I have can be yours to enjoy; I have already seen it all, thus these emotions and stale experiences matter naught to me. But it will be nothing short of an epiphany for you. Humans, to me, are always blind; they say they see but never truly look at the bigger picture in front of them."
"But you, Miss Karsten, have been anonymously bestowed a gift that makes you far superior to the common mass; your Od is essentially the world Od itself, if not a smaller variation of it; I wonder if I can alter the nature of the very world with your soul; if I can do that, then limitless time traveling outside and inside different, parallel, and alternate realities would be possible. Maybe even dimension-crossing and a variety of infinite possibilities might be possible as well." To begin with, there is only so much fascination in this world. I want far more experiences; the shadow garden shows me that there is more than a single universe, but many. I want to see them, live through them, and feel the emotions they all have to offer. My hunger becomes stronger by the day, especially my greed, which craves more and more. It's a never-ending anguish that you can't even fathom a tenth, of a tenth, of a tenth of."
"But enough talking; I can't stay here and rant all day as to why I want you, but I will leave it at that, so the bigger question is, will you form a contract with me? Miss Karsten?!"
Pleiades announced, his smile reaching an all-time high, while Crusch, on the other hand, was immensely overwhelmed; she didn't understand half of what this man said. Parallel universes, limitless time travel, and what the hell is a shadow garden in the first place? In all honesty, she arrived for an answer and was met with acute paranoia, anxiety, and a skull-cracking headache.
Was this type of personality even normal? Were all physicians, magicians, and scientists like him, or was he an outlier?
Crusch Karsten was perplexed and uncertain at the time. If she takes his hand, she can regain her memories with his help, but the catch is that she has to become this man's experimental subject for a year. And what does he mean when he says her Od is the world Od? What the heck is an Od? Is he referring to her gate? And wasn't the gate a magical organ that every living being possessed? He did imply that Od has something to do with a soul on several occasions, so is he arguing that her Od was initially a part of the world? If that's the case, why does she have the soul of the world?
No, the bigger question is: who turned her like this to begin with?
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'*Sigh!* Crusch, you did an excellent job. You come hoping for answers only to be left with additional questions, none of which you are capable of answering on your own. I sincerely want my memories back, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intimidated by Nastsuki's current personality, which doesn't match the single recollection I have of him. Then and again, is this really Subaru, or is it someone else? They appear and sound the same to some extent; perhaps this version is a little older, and his voice is a little heavier, but those eyes, despite their different color, are an exact reproduction of his.'
'He did claim he had lived a long life, but can age truly affect you that much? I know it happens, but this is too much change, if you ask me. But maybe I'm the problem; I only have one memory of him, and yet I'm already drawing conclusions about how he is all the time. Yeah, in the end, I don't have much of a choice, and even if I regain my memories, where do I go from there? Is there anyone else I know who might be alive? Natsuki is alive, but he might as well be considered dead. If my solitary remembrance of him is his genuine personality and not simply my imagination, then that man is an eternity away from what I am currently witnessing, because whatever this is cannot be him. And if it is him, perhaps I am not adept at judging character.'
'Perhaps grabbing his hand isn't such an awful idea after all, but one year of freedom isn't too bad either. And, most of all, I won't have to worry about him taking advantage of me in that way because we're going to sign a contract. But, for my part, I want answers, and if this is the only way to get them, so be it. Crusch Karsten does not belong in this life, in this era, in this time, or in this place. To be honest, Crusch Karsten, who are you? Do I truly want to reclaim my memories? Will that not cause unneeded pain? Or am I simply becoming excessively sentimental right now?'
Crusch was having personal thoughts at the time. When she first escaped that block of ice, all she knew was that she needed to get her memories back as soon as possible. It was a natural instinct that all living entities who were oblivious to their own existence would have. But, at least in her mind, she isn't the original Crusch Karsten. And, according to Natsuki, she had evidently perished in the past; how could that happen? She had no idea, and she didn't want to find out; after all, who wants to know how they died? It was a disgusting thought.
But in the end, the lioness chose what she desired.
'No, let's not think like that: memories or not, you were and will always be Crusch Karsten; if not in mind, then at least in body and soul you still are.'
The lioness mentally announced her eyes looking at her hand as she tightened her fist with resolve. She didn't want to acknowledge it, but meeting the eccentric version of the boy she once knew as Natsuki Subaru gave her a much-needed wake-up call.
'Besides, you've spent all of your time and resources on this one specific goal, so not getting my memories back is like betraying myself; isn't that more disgusting than living a life that wasn't intended to be?'
'By all accounts, Crusch Karsten is dead, but I'm going to interpret this as a kind of reincarnation or self-embodiment. I want to do better, become better, and strive for a better future, possibly one where death does not deserve me until it earns me. I owe it to my true self at the very least. That's why I am incomplete; as such, I need to reach my perfect self, and that will only be possible if the current me reunites with the former me.'
'And the way things are right now, there is only one clear road left for me to walk on in order to attain that goal, and that path is the very hand in front of me, If I let it go now, there will be no next time, I can sense it; I don't know how, but I just simply can.'
Crusch firmly grasped Pleiade's hand, her mind made up, and her eyes lit up with a new purpose as she tightly grabbed it. And Pleiades could see it—the experience, the emotion, everything—it was too delicious, too fantastic, too mouth-watering, finger-licking good to express. He has one year to finish this incomplete masterpiece. As a result, the Great Sage had returned, however momentarily, for the first time in a long time. But if this one year produced the results he required, A sage will become something far more than an ordinary sage; whether it is what mortals would call a god or a devil, he had no idea, but that is what makes the experience all the more delightful.
Overall, he had the impression that something significant may be accomplished this time, but a year was just too short. Of course, he needs funding and equipment, among other things that this era no longer provides. He did, however, know someone who could assist him with this issue.
As a result, he needed to deliver the message, and his shadow glided away from his body stealthily and rapidly as it went outside via the rear entrance. After being cloaked in the darkness of an ally it was certain that no one could see it, the shadow then began to turn into a raven and soared westwards into the distance, its destination unknown, but it had one purpose: to carry a message.
Pleiades, on the other hand, went ahead and grabbed Crusch's hand while saying this.
"You made the right choice, now let's get going, time is of the essence here."
"Going... were to exactly?"
Crusch inquired, but Pleiades rose from his seat, having left a little gratuity together with the cash for the coffee he bought for both him and Crusch. He walked towards the door without saying anything. Crusch, on the other hand, came on swiftly and began to follow him outside and it was still raining, but Pleiades didn't appear to mind and just kept going; of course, Crusch was by his side at the time.
He merely looked at her and smiled, but Crusch was taken away when she heard his voice in her mind, as he remarked via a mysterious telepathic link.
[We are being followed by two people, the one on the right is a beastman of the wolfbane tribe, he should be as powerful as the current you and the female on the left is an extremley powerful fire magus." It's strange because I have no idea who these guys are. But either way they're not significant right now. What matters to me is the terms of the contract I want us to sign, so let's go to my garden and discuss the details there; I'll deal with them later; I've already marked them with my mana. So, from now on, follow me until we rendezvous in a dark alley, and then I'll take you back to my inner world.]
Crusch was taken aback and instantly took a look at the two individuals behind her, and Pleiades was correct, they were indeed being followed. She did, however, discover something that drew her attention. It was a woman she had met earlier on in one of her jobs, Julia 85th Mathers, she was the Mather family's sixth eldest daughter also known by many by the moniker of "Ognyena Maria". A powerful individual that is known in the kingdom for being a powerful fire Magus who is rumored to have enough mana to set the entire world ablaze, or bring it into a hundred-year ice age.
Crusch's heart almost left her at that point, as she thought to herself.
'W-w-why is that monster pursuing us... did I get myself involved in something dangerous?'
'No, the main question is, why is Natsuki so calm? Does he not know who she is? No, that can't be true; he was aware of her existence and knew how powerful she was in the first place, but even so, why does he look so bored? Could it be that he is certain that he can handle her if things go south... well, he is strong, but that thing is on another level. NO! Let's just relax; I'm sure he has a strategy; after all, if it weren't for this unique body of mine, I doubt anyone could capture much less track him easily. Especially considering he has the ability to teleport at will.'
'Yeah, everything was going to be find... right, yeah, sure, let's not think too negatively.'
Crusch sighed to herself; Pleiades, on the other hand, began to look around him and rapidly realized something.
'We're quickly being surrounded as we go; this isn't normal, are they after me... no, their main focus of sight is on Crusch, tsk... fine then, I don't know who you guys are, but it doesn't matter, to challenge a sage for the right of a specimen hahaha... very well, I'll show you a trick I picked up from Pandora when she couldn't kill me and wasn't full on ballistic mode.'
'Well, I can't straight up alter reality as that woman can with her words, so I'll simply use that spell, you guys want something to pay attention to, I'll give you something alright if you fail to stop this, then you don't qualify to even be in my presence as a fellow magic user.'
Unknown to anybody, including Crusch, the sword saint, and Julia, as well as the people who followed Crusch and Pleiades, the irritated sage smiled cruelly, fully unconcerned about whether this attack wiped out the entire world. After all, he had Crusch, a lady with a soul who would grant him access to the universe's power if his experiments went as planned. Even if the planet was destroyed, it would be an experience to remember nonetheless
And as such, he said but three words in his head.
'Ultima....meteoron... imbrem!'
'Hahaha.... And with that, welcome to Gulag... and so we wait five minutes for it to arrive, however I will state that in order to halt this spell, that woman will have to die, for this spell will follow her until everything that has been summoned is destroyed, because I made her the beacon.'
'Haha Kyahahahahhhhahahaaaa..... riiiiight..... im sure if all fails the sword saint will intervene. hahahahahaaaaa!'
Crusch, on the other hand, thought to herself as she observed Pleiades' tiny grin and unsightly chuckles that escaped his mouth and didn't escape her gaze as she inwardly asked.
'What's he laughing about, and what's with that creepy and inhumane grin?'
'KIKIKYHAHAHAHAAHHHAKYAHAHA... aww Hora... HOra...
Those were the final words, Pleiades thought internally, struggling to keep his wicked excitement in check. Meanwhile, deep in space, a total of twelve separate giant asteroids were heading for a flat planet and traveling at fast speed almost as if something summoned them, the smallest asteroid was about 4 km long and shaped like a spear. While the largest asteroid measured a terrifying 26 kilometers in length.
[Time until arrival: 3 minutes and 57 seconds.]