Tomo rubbed his lightly sore lower back as came through the golden portal. "Damn it!" he muttered under his breath as he stood up and dusted off his school uniform. After he finished dusting himself off, he looked at the unfamiliar surroundings he was in.
"Where are we?" Tomo wondered as an ethereal, rainbow colored bird landed on his shoulders. "An alternate version of Britain" said the bird, with the same exact voice and vocal tone of the thing.
"Thing?" Tomo asked surprised and the bird began to peck him in the head. "Hey!" screamed Tomo as he tried to swat at the bird.
"If you don't want pecked, then call me something else then" said the bird calmly as it settled down and stared at Tomo in the eyes. "Okay, how about Sai?" Tomo asked him as the bird shook his head and said "I like it, better than thing". Sai seemed to like his new name, and considering how derogatory thing sounded, even though that's all Tomo could call him without a name, he understood why.
"Okay, so why are we here in an alternate...Britain, man that sounded weird" said Tomo and he wasn't wrong to think that. "As I said earlier, you should probably learn magic and weaponry, so I brought you to a place I thought was a suitable learning place" said Sai as he pointed his wing towards a country road that lead somewhat deep into the forest.
"Lying there is a mage and his apprentice. He and his apprentice is of note to fate, and he would undoubtedly teach you magic if you offer him a solution to his predicament" chattered sighed as Tomo walked the path inward.
The air was surprisingly fresh here, as if the world was alright with life, more than normal anyway. "So what's the mages problem?" Tomo inquired to Sai as said bird/multiversal entity was perched on his own shoulder.
"His apprentice doesn't have long to live, and they are looking for solutions for their problem, especially due to the fact the girl is producing magical energy subconsciously and without limits, essentially overloading her body and eventually will cause her to die" he said casually.
"Woah!" shouted Tomo as he continued with, "you need to really prep someone for that. On the other point, what can I offer him to get him to take me on as a temporary apprentice?" asked Tomo as the bird looked at him like he was stupid.
"You are the owner of a multidimensional vault full of basically everything the universe has to offer? You can offer rings that drain and store her energy, gift potions of immortality. Hell, you could offer him knowledge to boot, as knowledge is valuable to the magical arts" Sai exclamed with exasperation as they came upon a house in the countryside at the end of the path.
Tomo could feel something strange in the air as he approached the door. Tomo hesitated, his nature shining through before he was touched on the head by Sai as if saying, 'You'll be fine'.
He knocked three times in succession, and waited. Perhaps waiting was the hardest part, a sense of anxiety welling up in his heart as the door was answered by what looked like a japanese youth like himself. Red hair, green emerald eyes, and she was wearing a white shirt with a red sweater over it with a green adder stone around her neck, a brown skirt and black shoes.
"Yes?" she said in a polite voice, her japanese accent slightly thick, indicating she hasn't spoke English long, yet Tomo understood it, unnaturally so but considering the other strange things he experienced, he didn't even care at that point.
"Yes, I am looking for the mage that inhabits the house. Oh, sorry about my poor manners, my name is Tomo Hideyoshi" Tomo introduced himself, his name coming out in western order, when he usually introduced last then first name.
"Oh!" she said as her eyes widened and she ushered Tomo and Sai inside. "Would you like tea?" she asked as Tomo nodded, her gaze a little too long at Sai before she ran off to get some. She returned not long later with tea and some snacks, cookies by the look of them. "Sorry, my name is Chise Hatori" she introduced herself in English. "I just got so excited about meeting someone from Japan I couldn't control myself" she said with some slight embarrassment.
"It's fine, I would feel the same if I was in a different country" said Tomo, and he was in a different country, a different world no less. "Yeah, I feel you. And I'm sorry, but Elias will be back in a few minutes, can you wait that long?" she asked as Tomo nodded politely and they engaged in polite conversation.
Tomo noticed there was a lady who seemed to shine like silver who cleaned and worked around the house, and a black dog with red eyes who seemed to rest near Chise, like a cute guard dog. It wasn't long before the door was opened and in stepped someone that caused Tomo to stand up and stare in shock.
Elias Ainsworth was a particularly strange individual, and he definitely wasn't human, at least all the way. On his head he wore a deer skull and he was dressed like any well of English gentlemen, black suit and vest with the brown oxford worn by English workers. He carried a cane that was black and gold with a hammer-like head on top.
"Elias!" said Chise cheerfully as she ran up and hugged him. A warmth could be sensed in the atmosphere and Tomo knew it and so did Sai, and they all collectively wanted to puke from some kind of sugar sickness.
Chise and Elias said greetings and such until Elias sat down on the opposite couch and Chise, getting up to get tea, was stopped by Elias as he knodded his head towards the silver lady, who nodded slightly and went to retrieve more tea to drink.
"So, whose our visitor?" asked Elias as he sat side by side with Chise, giving Tomo a hard stare. "I have come to learn magic from you" said Tomo plainly, feeling that going around the bush would only irritate the mage in front of him, and if his fairy tale knowledge was right, that was a bad idea.
"You wish to learn from me?" asked Elias, and I felt If he was raising one of his eyebrows, if he were to ever have one. "Yes sir" Tomo responded as he sipped at his tea and the cookies he was offered.
"I am even willing to offer something to fix a predicament your in" said Tomo as Sai flew off his shoulders and from his beak came a glowing blue orb incased in a crystalline structure. The power it emitted was palpable to everyone, and Tomo and Elias and even Chise.
It seemed it was time for Sai to take over.
"This object is a modified Hōgyoku, bound to your apprentice. This object has the miraculous ability of manifesting desires, which should be able to solve the problem that will strike your apprentice" said Sai as he landed near the crumbling orb, the translation of its Japanese name.
Elias seemed surprised at the bird talking, equally and more so for his red hair apprentice. "Is it real?" said Chise as she leaned forward to touch it but was quickly stopped by her master, Elias. "Chise, don't just touch objects offered to you" admonished Elias as he looked at the pair of man and bird.
"You claim this to be a solution to her problem, an object that should be internalized in myth?" he said, doubting the claim as Sai, with his bird like mouth sighed. "Would I need to demonstrate?" asked Sai as he touched it with his claw and said, "A rose of diamonds". On the table rose a bush of roses, made of diamond. "To cement the fact, manifest curry rice" he said with slight excitement and a plate of curry rice manifested in front of him.
"Believe us now?" asked Sai as he nibbled at the curry rice with his beak. Chise seemed to be in a daze and Elias was shocked. "I believe you" he said finally, exasperation creeping into his voice.
"I do have a question, do you have anymore stuff like that?" asked Elias towards Tomo and Sai as Sai said, "Of course, for the right price and such. We have things that could make your neighbors feel like pests, or the laws feel like tissue paper" he spouted proudly and Elias looked over at Tomo and shook his hand and said, "Welcome to apprentice hood".
Tomo was feeling elated as he jumped up in the air for joy, and was finally glad to have progress on his goals.
[A/N: Sorry for the late and slow posting. With work and stuff getting in the way, I was kind slow. I hope you guys enjoy this new fanfic and I hope to do this one right, ciao!]