Lucifaad. Underworld.
It wasn't really difficult to find a way into the underworld that would not announce my presence to the world at large.
I mean, it's not my fault that the devils don't maintain that good a security on their 'train' that leads into the Underworld, right?
A simple disguise spell. That was all that I needed to enter the Underworld by posing as a devil.
Shaking my head to get rid of those thoughts, I concentrated back on the task at hand.
Slowly walking through the abandoned streets of what was once the capital of the Underworld, before the Devil Civil War, I felt kind of nostalgic.
Because this place reminded me of the many abandoned cities of my past life that we would see in videos or would be shown to us by the Conglamorates, who wanted to brag about how we should be grateful that we are not those abandoned skeletons in those old ruins of a world long gone.
The same kind of hollowness that comes from a place being left unattended for long periods of time, a place that was once teeming with life but is now nothing more than a remnant of what it once was.
I do not know how long I travelled through the area, just taking in the sights and whatnot, until I finally decided to pick up the pace and flew into the air, trying to find the place from which I had originally escaped.
And sure enough, it did not take me long to find the hole that I blew into the ceiling of that prison from where I had originally escaped.
It's hard to believe that it has already been more than a month since I arrived in this world and woke up in this place.
Plunging into the hole, I arrived at the exact same cell where I had originally woken up. But things were clearly different from what I remember.
From what I could see, someone had already arrived in this place after I left and had cleared the area significantly.
There were also traces of someone having spent an extended period of time in this cell, probably trying to decipher the magic circle on the ground, given how I could catch the faint scent of paper in the air and the way there were many footprints and faint traces of demonic energy in the area.
'First things first. I need to take a picture of this circle to study later on.'
Taking out my phone, I clicked a photo of the magic circle from various angles, making sure that all the runes were clear in the photo, before moving on.
Walking out of the entrance to the cell, I started walking through the underground area that spanned for a few miles at least, all of which were occupied by dilapidated prisons.
The interesting thing was that many of these cells radiated a strange form of Demonic Energy aside from the expected Holy Energy.
This demonic energy was completely different from what I felt from Cleria. This energy felt far more primal and untamed, as if it would lash out at its own owner if one were not careful.
'How interesting.'
For more than five hours, I walked through the entire prison, taking anything that caught my eye or felt like it could help me in my investigation, before looping back to the prison where I had originally woken up.
Since I did not find any physical means by which I could understand what had happened, I will have to use magical means to try and decipher the details.
Mobilizing my mana and also tugging at the Heavenly System's connection, I cast a spell that I was not sure would work but had no choice but to try.
"[All Knowing Eye]"
As the highest tier of appraisal magic that belonged to the divination type of magic, it is a rare magic that had several prerequisites needed to unlock, which made it so that I was one of the rare few who knew this spell in the game.
Just like the God's Eye spell that told me everything about any living creature that I was looking at, this spell did the same, except that it worked exclusively on items.
The problem is, I don't know if the spell will count the magic circle as an item.
I waited with bated breath as the Super-Tier magic activated and searched for any target to lock onto, before finally locking onto the magic circle.
'Good! Looks like it worked-Holy Fuck!'
I felt an overwhelming amount of information make its way into my mind, telling me everything from the creator of the spell to what it was used for and how to make one of my own.
Cutting off the spell, I nearly fell to the ground as information overwhelmed my mind, telling me things that I never wanted to know. Things that started to make me question reality as a whole.
'....Well, fuck!.'
I thought wryly as the truth started to unravel in my mind.
For starters, what Gabriel and Michael believed might actually be true. Because the possibility that I am Arael just shot up significantly.
However, the possibility that they are wrong is still there.
This magic circle was made by Lucifer specifically to kill Arael in the past in the most horrific way possible.
The spell was created using an artifact that Lucifer gained from a different pantheon. An artifact that would allow him to create a stable portal into the Dimensional Gap.
After incorporating that item into the magic circle, Lucifer took great pleasure in making Arael's soul hang between the portal, not being allowed to go into the Dimensional Gap, but also not allowing it to return to his original body.
A type of torture so brutal that even Lucifer's fellow Satans felt squemish and never dared to step into this cell ever again.
Long story short, after who knows how many years of torture, the magic circle slipped up and allowed the soul to fall into the Dimensional Gap.
Now, this was supposed to be the end of it. But, somehow, instead of just dissipating into nothingness, Arael's soul held on through sheer fucking will and pulled on all his light and holy power, combining all of his abilities and knowledge in a bid to save himself.
What was the result? I do not know because the spell stopped working at this point and I can't see past this point.
But, I think I can make an educated guess on what happened.
I have two theories.
One is that whatever he did brought me into this world. What happened to his body? It was probably consumed by the Magic Circle as it was meant to do once the angel imprisoned within it died.
The second theory is far more dangerous for both my sanity and current identity.
I think I am Arael.
Somehow, someway, I was born into this world or something along those lines, and this kind of torture brought out my old memories.
Now, the problem with these two theories is that both of them make absolutely zero sense.
The first theory does not explain how he brought me into this universe and why I have the same soul as he did.
The second theory does not explain how I now have my YGGDRASIL avatar's abilities, skills,, and items with me if I was originally born Arael in this universe.
There is another theory in my mind, that all of this is just a cosmic fluke, but something tells me that this is not the case.
Now, the questions that I need answered are these.
If I were brought here by Arael's magic, what happened to that guy's soul? and why does my soul look exactly like his?
If he is my reincarnation, or vice versa, why do I have all the skills, abilities, items, and spells from my YGGDRASIL character?
For now, I do not have enough information to confirm either of those theories or make any other theories. So, for now, I will move forward with a few thoughts in mind.
Am I Arael? Probably yes. Either I have consumed his soul, or he is my reincarnation.
Am I the Arael that the people of this world knew? Absolutely not.
i do not have the memory of the Arael that these people know, so I cannot truly call myself Arael.
'Goddamnit! This is such a confusing situation!'
Just as I was about to sit down and process this bombshell of information, I felt my phone ring, making my annoyance spike through the roof.
"Masaomi, this better be important."
"I am sorry, My lord. But I thought you should know that Lord Empyrean and the Gatekeepers had left to investigate something yesterday, but have yet to return. I feel a bit worried since I don't have any means to contact them."
"Hm? Where did they go?"
"Tokyo. My Lord. They were investigating a strange incident where many school children were killed in a ship sinking accident."
"Alright. I'll talk to them."
Great. Just when I am undergoing an identity crisis, this kind of thing happens.
I really messed up when I thoughtlessly invoked the [Pantheon] spell as an experiment and ended up bringing those angels into existence permanently.
With a sigh, I took to the skies and, once I reached proper height, used a Tier-7 spell to bring the entire place down.
I do not know if there are any spells in this world that work similarly to my All Knowing Eye spell, but I would rather not risk it.
'One thing is for certain. Even if I really am Arael, I don't want to use that identity in the midst of his siblings. That would make me feel like an imposter.'
'For better or for worse, I must assume that the Arael of this world and I are two separate entities for now. So, maybe it is better to make a fresh start in this world?'
'First things first, I need to clear up this misunderstanding with the Angels. I cannot have them running around doing things for me, thinking that I am their brother, when I cannot even be certain of that fact myself.'
While I don't plan on telling them about my human life, I will tell them about what I discovered here and about my theory.
It just feels wrong to lie to them and keep their hopes up when there is a possibility that their brother is truly dead, just as there is a possibility that I am their brother. So, I think this is the best path forward for all of us.
Will they still try to keep in contact with me? Will they still claim me as one of their own, or will they condemn me or something along those lines? I do not know, and it is their choice, so I won't try to influence that choice either.
But I will not lie to them. That is my bottom line.
With those thoughts in mind, I flew high into the sky and used a Gate spell to travel out of the Underwold back to my home.
Let's see what my summoned underlings have been up to during the time I was gone.
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Author Notes: Read 5 chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/Ruijard1