It wasn't a simple matter of "grab your shit and let's go."
They had been living here for hundreds of years; it took them a while to pack up everything. Not only that, there was…a notable sense of panic even if there wasn't chaos.
I would say that a significant chunk of the humans here had never been to the human world.
That's a significant chunk that were leaving the only thing they called 'home' for the first time in their lives.
And they just saw their 'mother' die.
Even ignoring that, it was…an abrupt mess that we were all pushing through.
Surprisingly, even the people from the Church were helping out. And by that, I don't just mean their fellow Christians. Or even those of other parallel faiths.
Funny enough, I just found out that there were a few Muslim and Jewish people here as well.
I couldn't even begin to fathom how twisted the whole faith of Heaven's system is when dealing with all the branches of their religion.
But even so, the people from the church were being helpful to everyone.
I can't fault them for being particularly attentive to their other fellows. And their 'cousins' in this instance.
Perhaps the idea of 'I'd rather they believe in my God wrongly than in a different god' is their mindset?
But outside of the religions of Abraham, they were supporting everyone else.
At the end of the day, I think they recognized each other as fellow humans more than anything right now.
It was nice, a great moment of humanity.
Unfortunately, I was on grunt work.
Whisper, Ascalon, Sword of Destruction, Dawnbreaker, and lastly, my Mirage.
They formed a pentagram, the foundation of the magic circle I was carving into the ground.
For which, my wand came in quite handy.
I have to admit, I mostly got my wand made on a whim, thinking it would simply be neat, maybe a memento if nothing else. But when it comes to delicate and intricate work…I really can't beat it.
Obviously, it's far from as powerful as my Staff of Magnus, but it's more like a precision tool.
Which makes sense considering that the witches and wizards over where Kunou is use wands for control purposes rather than power.
A lot of people seem to be under the false notion that the Kaleidoscope, and True Magic by extension, are just something you will to happen.
Well, kinda sorta, it becomes intrinsic, but it's rather hard to describe properly. However, the more realistic application requires quite a bit of preparation and subsequent planning. That isn't to say that True Magic is unwieldy; it's just…significantly more complicated than people believe.
It's why both Zelretch and I have a sword specially meant for helping utilize the Kaleidoscope.
The calculations needed are, frankly, obscene in a lot of scenarios. Of course, once you've calculated things in one case, it's usually super easy to apply those elsewhere, but situations change all the time.
Like how difficult it was to open a bridge to the Land of Shadows.
We had to sort of 'tether' the world and it together to make it easier.
I put a finger on Mirage, and I could see the calculations being run inside of the Eye of Magnus portion at the hilt. Funnily enough, Mirage was actually closer to a staff in existence than a sword—perhaps a wand even.
The only reason I made it a sword was for personal preferences.
But I digress.
The situation was somewhat similar to the one regarding finding a path to the Land of Shadows.
The Fae Realms are, to put it politely, a fucking mess of chaos.
And I was about to brute force a passage home.
I mean, I could do it easily for myself, but I need to sustain something to allow everyone to safely leave, which also connects back to Kyoto.
So…delicate.
The Faerie Realm isn't stationary, as weird as that is to say. If you consider the Earth and attached realms similar to a solar system where they all orbit the Earth with predetermined and observable paths, then the Faerie Realm is like a drunk idiot driving a spaceship all over the place.
There was no 'path' to calculate.
It seemed to change based on what concepts and whimsy the place held.
Chaos.
And annoying.
It was honestly giving me a headache to get this set up, connecting an anchor point inside without the benefit of an item like I used on the gate outside.
"Wilhelm."
I noticed Artoria walking over. "Nothing to do?" I asked her.
She shook her head. "I am not needed."
A simple enough reason. Her status wasn't particularly important to the natives here, and she had subordinates to handle the smaller details.
"Am I disturbing you?" She asked.
"Never." I said immediately. "Just…setting this up; it's more annoying than difficult."
"Hmm." She squats down at the edge of the spell circle etched into the ground. "I apologize; I can offer no assistance in this matter."
"There's one way you can help me?"
"Yes?" She perked up.
I took her hand and gently pulled her up to her feet before kissing her.
Her cheeks puffed up as she pulled away. "I fail to see how this provides assistance."
"It's a morale boost." I shot her a cheeky smile. "I now have the energy to push onwards with this debilitating task."
Her beautiful smile slowly disappeared as she appeared pensive. "I wish I had the knowledge or ability to assist you. Mayhaps if I did not scorn the idea of teachings from Merlin, I would have some meager skill in this field to corroborate." She let out a sigh. "I only know how to swing a sword."
I could imagine that sometimes, she may feel a bit helpless when things like this come up.
She didn't need empty platitudes. She would, of course, see through them as well.
Rather, I grabbed her hand lovingly and told her the truth. "Just because you're not a Magus doesn't mean you're unhelpful to me. How many times would I have died if not for you?"
There was a little blip of happiness, I think, but then it turned sour. She reached over and pulled on my cheek. "I do not enjoy hearing such words about your almost death."
Well, her mood shifted at least, and she wasn't dwelling on it at this point.
"I will need your help." I grabbed the hand she was pinching my cheek with and kissed it. "I'm going to need to get better with my swordsmanship."
She perked up, every so slightly. "You desire to increase your skill?"
I nodded. "My Bankai training is progressing; I have a feeling that I'll need to get better with my swords."
I could see the pattern.
The first test wasn't really a test of magical skill, but more…broadening my horizons, so to speak. I would freely admit that I throw around large spells easily because of my huge amounts of magical energy.
But, before fighting my mirrored self, perhaps I was relying too heavily on that.
It's easy to lose perspective when you're viewing things from so high up.
Small spells have their uses just as well.
My fight with Hanuman proved that.
Even against a heretic god, I was using, objectively, weak spells to control the fight in close combat.
A spell that raises some earth up out of the ground to block someone's vision can have more of a detrimental effect than blasting them with a big bolt of lightning.
That isn't to say I just changed up how I cast spells and slung spells. Just…I rounded out my spellcasting a bit in fights.
For my last mirrored fight…
Well, it was certainly different. I was by no means an expert with the spear, but my training with Scáthach helped me enough that I could compensate with my other strengths.
I had the advantage of speed after I put more effort into it.
Shunpo was a wonderful technique, praiseworthy even by Izzy.
The lesson from the second fight was that I didn't need to master everything within arm's reach, but I should use my strengths to overcome my weaknesses.
I lost in skill with a spear, but I won through my superior speed.
It was highly likely that my next test would be something involving my swords, or if not, they would come up sooner rather than later.
Staff—Spear, I could see the pattern.
"Wilhelm?"
"Huh?" I blinked. "Sorry, got lost in thought for a moment. As I said, my training is progressing, and it's something I need to get better with." I gave her a warm smile.
She returned it with a newfound glee that she hid under her normal fixed expression. "Then I shall teach you properly." She nodded to herself.
…I may have made a small mistake, because the way she said that sounded slightly foreboding.
Regardless.
As long as Artoria isn't having a bout of depression, I could handle anything.
"Will~" Jinn came running over, throwing her arms around my neck. "We're almost ready; are you finished?"
"Just about." I told her, taking my Staff of Magnus out and pushing it into the ground before flaring my magical energy. "Stand back."
I wasn't trying to show off, but this was going to require a substantial amount of magical energy.
My staff vibrated and shot what looked like a beam of light towards the spell circle, but rather, it was converting my magical energy into the spell circle's structure. It was a gentler approach than just directly powering the spell myself. Through my staff, I can more easily control the flow of magical energy to stabilize it better.
And for this type of thing, stability is the most important.
But even for someone like me, this was really draining, physically and mentally.
I was quite literally punching a hole through multiple dimensions to anchor space and connect it to the human world.
Specifically, I was connecting to the Gate already established in Kyoto, usurping its original mechanism temporarily.
The spell circle glowed brightly as the runes and structure of it actualized.
My swords were creating a firm anchor point, using them at the points.
Slowly, the magical energy swirled around until it reformed and unfolded into a large portal.
Fuck me sideways, this thing was draining a lot of magical energy from me.
Thank god that my body can sustain more output after becoming a Campione, because even if I could theoretically pull on infinite magical energy through manipulation of parallel worlds, my body would have given out rather quickly.
Artoria grabbed my arm as if to support me. I wasn't that bad yet, but I appreciated it nonetheless.
Oof, though.
It felt like I had just run a bunch of laps around the track back in high school.
Compared to when Gramps and I did the whole thing connecting to the Land of Shadows, this was just the dumb brute force method.
I stepped to the side as people began to gather.
I suppose I caused a bit of a commotion.
Suffice to say, I don't know if they were originally expecting this, but it's not like everyone could fit on my boat and fly back.
And I most definitely didn't want to do dozens of trips to get everyone.
"Good timing, we're ready." Yasaka walked up. Her people were helping coordinate. "How long will your portal last?"
"Conservative estimate…three hours, probably over four though." I did some mental calculations as I answered. "Yeah, that sounds about right."
"That's more than enough time." Yasaka gestured as the first brave souls stepped up to him.
Unnulf came over too, standing next to the portal, giving them a reassuring smile.
It was a family; I think I recognized the man—Greek, wearing the familiar clothing. But I think I remembered him when they hosted their whole 'council' thing the original time around.
Probably the equivalent of a 'senator' in these parts.
Was he taking the first step?
Well, no one can call him a coward.
Yasaka gave me a smile and walked to him. I didn't bother to eavesdrop, but she said something, and he nodded, and...she walked together with them.
A show of support and trust?
'Look, I'm going with him; you all have nothing to fear.'
They disappeared through the portal.
Luckily, I made the portal big enough for groups of people to go through simultaneously along with carts or what have you.
They slowly began to file through.
Families together first, then some bigger groups followed, and the first cart made its way through.
Well, I should verify that things are okay on the other side now that everything seems fine over here.
I snuck between two groups and passed over myself.
I stood in the crowd that had gathered and carefully stepped around a few people to get away from them. The humans from inside stopped and looked around in amazement, even as the next ones almost ran them over.
Well, we were in Kyoto, and that's good, and I got everything right.
The looks on their faces were…interesting.
Confusion was a quick one. While Kyoto wasn't as…intense as outside, they still maintained a certain level of technological advancement.
Maybe they just assumed it was magic, but even then, they quite literally entered a whole new world.
I used my wand and flicked it a few places, producing subtle gouges into the stones around the portal.
Just enough to set up a boundary line so that a quick bounded field could be erected. I noticed various groups approaching, and well, I wanted them to wait a moment.
The first wasn't who I expected, but maybe I should have.
I noticed Athena approached the boundary.
She could easily push through; her pinky was enough to shatter it if she truly wanted.
She met my gaze, and I gave her a subtle silent warning to be patient.
It's funny in a way.
How I can feel wistful because of that. How far have I come that I could cause the famous Goddess of Wisdom to stop in her tracks with just a glare?
I used my wand and pointed it at the ground before casting some transmutation.
Alchemy wasn't my forte in this life. I, of course, inherited plenty of things from Zelretch, who took it as one of his personal crafts. But small things like this…I really am very glad I got this wand made.
For a Mystic Code, it's just quite brilliant.
A small application of transmutation—which is a branch of alchemy—and I had a seat.
Magic is really a wonderful thing, isn't it?
I sighed as I sat down and spun my wand between my fingers. I didn't even look backwards as I held it up behind me, and a bright light shot out of the tip and hit my hastily made Bounded Field.
It hit it right in front of where Azazel was.
He was poking at my barrier, maybe to get my attention, or maybe to be annoying.
I could sense a lot of them.
Oh well, they can be annoyed with me all they want.
I sat patiently as more and more humans came through. Yasaka was barking orders, and I then saw Artoria come with her people as well, making me believe that almost everyone was here.
Well, let's get this over with.
A little nifty spell I picked up in one of those books that Kunou's going to learn from.
I put my want to my throat, and my voice carried. "Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Kyoto." All eyes turned to me, even those outside. Well, the residents here, while gathering, weren't in a huge crowd around the place.
Most of the yōkai guards had set up a perimeter to give the humans some…room.
Yasaka looked at me too, clearly confused at what I was doing.
Frankly, this was a whim from me.
Call it…an act of charity due to who their mother is.
"I have something to say. You can heed my advice or ignore it; it's up to you, but I do hope you will listen to the end." Unnulf stood there; I saw him with presumably some of the other leaders who seemed to be taking what I said seriously. "The human world may or may not be what you expect. Most humans are weak and don't know so much about the mystic side of things these days, but you'll learn about that eventually. But the point is, you lot are strong. By human standards, or by standards that any faction in the world uses. And the thing is, you all can get stronger."
I let that sink in for a moment as a few more stragglers came through the portal.
"I'll be blunt and spell things out. You all are a commodity. Every faction would be thrilled to add you to their numbers. But, you all have a choice. Understand your worth. If you want to swear allegiance to a god of faith, no one will stop you. But also, if you just want to retire and live a peaceful life, that's also something you can do, and no one is allowed to tell you otherwise."
Oh boy, I could feel the glares burning into the back of my head by the various pantheons being represented here.
"If you join up with a faction, if you swear allegiance to various gods, you'll be lavished with things you probably only dreamed of. But just as well, you will also be beholden to them if you go down that path. I'm not here to tell you how to live your lives; the choices you make are yours."
I pulled my wand away.
I wasn't going to hold their hands. While the world may be foreign to them, they weren't idiots to have survived so long in the Faerie Realms.
That was just me doing right by their mother.
There was no grand applause or cheers or even condemnations of people calling me a heretic for daring to question their gods.
Just a few nods from perhaps the more…knowledgeable among their numbers.
But Yasaka gave me a warm smile, so I know I did the right thing.
I flicked my wand, and the barrier went down.
Then, the various factions made their entrance.
"I am Athena, Goddess of Wisdom." She was the first to project her divine powers as she made an 'entrance' despite already being present.
Then a scoff was heard as lightning crackled and hit the ground. "I am Indra, King of Gods!"
He obviously wasn't going to be outdone.
"Haha, Indra! I too enjoy such an entrance." A hearty voice boomed, and another bolt of lightning fell from the sky. "I am Thor, God of Thunder."
A more gentle voice came next. "I am the Archangel Gabriel, and I'm here to bring back our lost children."
Her arrival wasn't as 'spectacular,' but it did bring with it a warm holy light that washed over everyone.
The humans were, rightfully, dumbfounded at what was happening.
Of course, everyone else couldn't be outside.
More were still coming, but I just shook my head and scanned the crowd until I found who I was looking for.
With a quick burst of Shunpo, I was standing next to Odin, who stood far away from the commotion.
"I am Amaterasu-no-Okami!"
Odin snorted. "Can you believe them?"
"Don't say anything like you wouldn't be doing exactly the same thing just for the sake of it." I rolled my eye.
Odin grinned. "You know me so well! I couldn't let them young ones outdo me. Naked Valkyries, flying down! No, bikinis; they would be better for brats who came from the dark days."
"The 'Dark Days'?"
Odin nodded. "The dark days before proper porn."
I let out a long sigh. "Let's hurry up; I left all my treasures on the other side of the portal, and I don't want them to get lost."
Though, I know Jinn could easily take over any spell there and grab my stuff if needed.
"Alright." Odin stretched his back. "Let's get this over with; I do have things I need to take care of."
I waved my hand and opened up a portal over to Asgard.
[Line Break]
"I think this is your first time back since everything happened." Odin spoke up as we touched down.
I looked around. "Mostly rebuilt."
Odin nodded. "Bone daddy helped. He donated enough supplies to get things back into working order at least. Though, we intentionally slowed down."
"Dragging the rebuilding excuse out as long as possible?"
"Yup." Odin hummed. "This way, brat."
He let me through the…not so grand halls.
Well, the walls and ceiling weren't broken, so it's certainly an upgrade from before.
"Father!" A familiar voice called out. "And Wilhelm."
It was Vidar, the King of Asgard.
He extended his arm, and I took it in a brotherly way as he gripped it tight with a big smile.
"Welcome home, my friend."
"Home?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Is Asgard not forever welcoming you? Is that not what you would call a home?"
Huh.
I couldn't argue with the logic.
"It's good to see you." I greeted him back. "How goes reconstruction?"
"Very well!" Vidar perked up. "And Father's secret recruitments have been proceeding as planned. Our forces have recovered quite significantly, and we even have recruited some talents."
He so quickly revealed to me 'secret recruitments.'
I don't even think he knows that I was 'in the know' already; he simply trusted me that much.
Odin just grunted. "Armies gathered for another war."
"Aye." Vidar said darkly. "There is no other purpose for an army other than to fight."
Vidar didn't know the details, I would suspect, but even so, he was preparing for a future fight that he could guess Odin was alluding to.
"And your…guests? Are they behaving?" I asked curiously.
"Kronos and Hyperion go about their duties without complaint. I have visited on an occasion; they seem…content." Vidar said carefully.
I pursed my lips because I was having a bit of trouble picturing it, if I were to be honest.
Maybe I should visit?
I rejected the notion before because the fight was still so fresh, but I feel like a lot has happened since then.
"Alright, enough dawdling." Odin pushed me from the back. "We got business to take care of."
Vidar just chuckled. "I still owe you a drink; you are welcome to claim it when you desire."
I gave a wave as Odin pushed me down the hall and towards the exit out to the garden.
I flicked his arm away to walk by myself; I could tell he was a little impatient, so I let it pass.
The Golden Apple Tree was a sight again.
It was definitely beautiful.
"Grandpa!"
A certain tiny goddess came running at him.
Odin let out a 'pained' grunt as she crashed into him. "Little Las, this old man can't handle it if you're so aggressive."
She was a sweet little girl—goddess.
Reminds me a lot of Kunou still.
"Did you come to play?" She looked at Odin, then at me expectantly. "I made some friends. Look!" She grabbed Odin's hand and pointed.
We followed her eyes, and it was a red deer, one of the children of the new God of Nature and Preservation.
"They come and play with me." She beamed.
"Is that so?" Odin muttered, slowly smiling. "That's good."
They were confident to come down from their home; yeah, that's good.
It was the reward I bestowed upon him and his kind. They should be able to travel anywhere in the Nine Realms without fear of being hunted.
"Iðunn" Odin called her, and she looked at him, noticing his serious expression. "I have a job for you."
"A job? Alright, I'll help you however I can!" She puffed up rather cutely.
Odin glanced at me, and I took out my wooden sword. "I ran into a Faerie Tree that used all its life force to keep her children alive. She's but a little wisp left; do you think you can help her grow up again?"
The wooden sword glowed as I pulled the little wisp of her soul free, holding it in my hand.
The little goddess carefully took it from me. "Pretty." She said softly. "You want me to help her grow again?"
"That's right." I nodded. "Do you think you can do it?"
The goddess tilted her head. "Grandpa, is it okay if I feed it one of our apples?"
Odin looked at me, as if asking if it's worth it; I gave him one solid nod. "Go ahead, little lady. Do what you need to make sure she grows up nice and strong. She'll even be a new friend for you when she comes back."
Iðunn smiled brightly. "Alright, Grandpa!"
She quickly ran over to the Golden Apple Tree, picking one of the Golden Apples.
She didn't immediately 'feed it.' Frankly, I didn't even know if it was literal or not in this case.
Instead, she took both the bowl and the apple to another corner of the garden, a bit further away from the Golden Apple tree, and started to dig a small hole before plopping both inside and covering it up, then looking like she did a job well done.
"...um?" I look to Odin.
He let out a little sigh. "Don't question it. If that's what she did, then that's what was best. Your tree should be fine if she says so."
I believed him.
But, it was finally done then.
It was good to get this finished at long last, but I was tired.
I glanced at the spot where she buried both.
And ever so slightly, something pushed through the soil, a little sprout.
Maybe, if my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, it looked back at me too.
[Line Break]
A/N
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