Chapter 10: 10: SHORTCUT!
♪Sylvester G. Faustmann - The Magic Waltz in the Library♪
In a brightly lit hall with bookshelves filled with mismatch colors of books and loose notes stuck in-between them, and in the middle of the hall is a study table which is also filled with stacks of papers. An impressive sight to look at. The vast amounts of books collected here and if it weren't for the littered letters, parchment, some quills, and stacks of books then this was a sight to behold and marvel at the history of each book's acquisition and lost yourself in reading every book here.
But how did it turn into this mess? Specs was skeptical when he saw the state of the library hall and that it turned into a maze of stack books, loose papers, and crunchy animal skins. Moving about from one area to another is challenging, not to mention annoying. In short, this was unclean and neglected. He sighed. This was exactly what hoarding looks like except it was from a booklover... or someone who just threw their junk in it.
Sephiroth is seated in the lower-left hall area where a chair can be barely squeezed in there. Swinging his bare feet as the chair was rather high for him. He was waiting for his benefactor but it was taking him too long to navigate around the maze of his home. Trying carefully not to topple one or two stacks along the way.
Bored. He was discussing with everyone about what he sees while messing with the on/off switch for his internal thoughts to be heard by everyone. This was one of the features they, or rather he figured out. He found out that he can control some of the switches with his thoughts. For the blocks and console, He needs some persuading to do with the others or just press it himself. This, unfortunately, takes a toll on him. He was annoyed that he has to do a breathing exercise every time he needs to go back to the Consciousness. not to mention that he has to deal with the constant headache that is everyone. He was glad when he found out he only need to say his thought inside and close it up again. Preventing them to hear his thoughts and making some unruly comments about it. The only drawback was that he can't see anything that they are doing.
Earlier, Syris invited him out of his room and lead him to his study, Sephiroth was immediately assaulted with the smell of paper that he and everyone else can faintly remember but Conny noted that there was a hint of oil scent lingering. Everyone was either impressed or speculating who Syris is in this new world to even own such a thing and such amount then everyone stopped when they saw what Sephiroth is looking at. //Author's note: Si'reese is what they're talking about cause they still haven't understood the language and dialect yet to know its pronounce Syris//
[Looooooookkk apppppppp!] Leth said. [Puhhhhleeeeeease! Loooooooookkkk appppp!] Leth was uncharacteristically talkative today. Sephiroth has a good impression of him or lack thereof to be a quiet one. This was suspicious. So suspicious in fact, the only time this guy can be so riled up is about anything-magic. He looks at the ceiling. Sephiroth paused for an uncomfortable amount of time until his eyes felt like it dried up and his neck was starting to hurt.
[Magic…]
[MAGIC!]
[Ma- Magic!]
[HA! Magic!]
[hehe… magic]
He saw a yellow-orange magical hieroglyph with a fantasy-style alphabet and encased in a usual fantasy like circular formula. There, in the middle, 3 white balls constantly revolving and rotating in the opposite direction of each other and another 3 white balls with similar functions. All of them considered this to be responsible for providing light to this library hall. Everyone thought hard about this as this was hard proof. This was actual evidence that magic exists or can exist if you look at it in the outlook of some of them.
"Sef" Syris called out and waved. He was carrying a sack and a painting/picture frame.
"Mmm- Si'reese." Sephiroth replied. Turned his gaze at him. Giving the impression of a cold stare
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Write down everything you think about that magic thingy," He told everyone. "We'll talk later"
[Wha- we gonna write with? Our turd and blood?!] Antique protested.
"Grrrrrrggh! Specs! Help everyone out with their own writing board!" Everyone turned to Specs as Sephiroth pushed the responsibility to him.
[wWah. Insufferable kid!. Sigh. Alright, One at a time-- Old man! I said one at a time!]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Syris did not mind it. He hauled four stacks of books in front of Sephiroth and laid an overturned painting frame on top. Making an improvised table. He grabbed a rolled-up paper from his sack and unfurled it on the makeshift table with a small statue figurine on the top while a pocketbook on the bottom, both serving as paperweights. The paper was wide enough, or rather, the paper was big in relative to his size.
He walked closer beside the makeshift table and wrote on the paper with a square looking pen that has a transparent glass in the middle so you can peek at how much ink do you still have left. He later realized that the pen has no ink when he saw that he was only denting the paper. He shyly laughs and hurriedly grabbed his sack of things and laid out a small clear container with a clear liquid in it. He twisted the locks on its 4 sides and a click sound was produced as he opens it. He quickly dipped the pen and he firmly pressed on its side and the pen's top part glowed for a bit then you can visibly see the crystal liquid was being siphoned into the pen which turned bluish-black inside the pen. Satisfied with the amount, he quickly loosens his grip on the sides and wrote on the paper. Sephiroth still can't understand it yet he understood what it meant. He has written his name.
Syris calmly smiled and gave Sephiroth the pen.
"Syris" as he tapped on the paper and tapped on his chest.
"Mmhmm.." Sephiroth nodded. He inspected the pen. Appearance-wise, It was unique, to say the least. The design is bulky due to its rectangular shape where the top part with 3 rings on it that closely resemble the tool you used for honey and the tip part has barely enough space due to bulky shape and angled distance that you can use it only with some practice yet everything is lightweight enough that it somewhat feels like a toy than a pen. He pushed the top of the pen with his thumb trying to find out if it can lit up like earlier that Specs's null hypothesis can be finally proven. It did. Well somewhat did. He can't push it down. It's bulky and the thing is built like a one-piece thing and nothing is happening as he pushes it down only to see Syris looking at him, not sure of what he is doing.
Since it was too bulky for him to handle it properly. He used his right hand for the stroke while his left hand was for support. As he was about to let the pen tip touch the paper, he realized a problem that most isekai novels did not explore to a high degree. In what language he gonna write it in? Most isekai genre has 3 ways in dealing with the language aspect of a world-building: It was already in the same language as the protagonist which, in turn, the whole plot does not tackle much or none of it. Next up is the reincarnated individual or transmigrated individual who was given/gifted with the knowledge of the language and its intricacies from the start. Cheap trick. And lastly, the Protagonist had to learn it but never got flesh out further in the story. Sad really because every slang, jargon, accent, pronunciation, and even it's curse words give it history and personality that may add to the richness of the world they will now inhabit. In this situation, however, Sephiroth was looking at the scribble like words of his benefactor and asked everyone to think of what language he will write his name in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[How about Terran-Solar Galactic Standard?] Specs suggested. He called everyone's attention to his holoboard. It was laid in what he called his "Standard Language" The language has deviated so much from the 21st century's mostly used graphemes. This was too futuristic. Chuni called out that it looks familiar to an anime with a Gargantia name on it that was used by the main protagonist. So Specs, begrudgingly, accepted everyone's opinion that his language was too complex, too unknown, and too random. Boring really if you choose a language based on pragmatism
[Follow the familiar path] Monk gave out his option. Remaining to the path of familiarity does eliminate the problems associated with learning a new language.
[Haah! This! Di languages of the owld wee people from where ay' come from] On Antique's holoboard is a fine scribble of lines that followed a cursive quest in its alphabet's morphology. It looks stunningly similar to what Syris wrote if you look at it appearance-wise.
[Monk was talking about familiarity! I don't know what he meant by it but let's go vanilla heh!] Even though everyone's ears just passed from one end into the other when Chuni speaks. He again vaguely described in his holoboard the use of the English Alphabet. He said it's simple, it's understandable, and its what they were seeing in the screen. This, however, caused a discussion amongst everyone that they are seeing it in their languages.
Conny did not participate. Only doodling in his holoboard. Bored out of his mind so he didn't mind doing something else.
...Leth was still writing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sephiroth groaned internally. He gave a glanced at Syris only to see him standing there with his hands on his back and a calm smile.
He blinked hard and reeled himself back to focus. He placed his hand adjacent to where Syris' handwritten name and he drew his chosen alphabet... The English Alphabet.
This decision is truly vanilla in a sense but as Monk has said it, go with something you are familiar with... and handle things after that or so he thought. Everyone did not comment on it as much. A bit unexpected yet when he tried to listen to everyone, he realized they were talking about Antique's alphabet coming from "ol' wee people" and hearing topics about fairies.
He put his pen on the table. Sat up straight and waited. He glanced at his side and saw that the name face perked a bit.
Sephiroth did not expect that Syris would interpret his intentions differently. To him, it was a reflexive thing to do when he was done doing his penmanship back when he remembered he was a kid. To Syris, This was an etiquette of nobility thus deepening his impression of him.
Syris stepped beside the table and looked at the writing. He examined it first before tapping at it.
"Seph. hi. Roth. Sephiroth" Sephiroth replied.
"Sep. Fi Roth" Syris contemplated. He tapped at each word asking if the word he pronounced was right to the one he was pointing at. This continued for a few more minutes. He grabbed a paper to be used as a scratch. He drew symbols on the back and showed it to him.
He paused for a moment as he tried to think of a way on how to better tell him of his intention. He pointed at his name and read it out word by word then he pointed at Sephiroth name. Showing him to do exactly what he did.
Every word was uttered while some words were repeated for clarity. Syris continued to write on his scratch paper. Once he was done, He seized a roll of blank paper in his sack of holdings. He put aside everything on the table and laid the roll of paper on top then started to draw out symbols with larger font sizes and beside each symbol corresponds with a sound it will make.
Specs told him to stay still so he can see what si'reese was writing. Chuni was ecstatic that there's some plot progression. Antique was scratching his forehead thinking that he recognizes the iconography. Leth's was silent but his eyes were telling a different story. Monk was meditating. Conny... well Conny was trying to find a way to enter the "Magical Space" by inspecting the wall.
Syirs was done writing. He glanced back at Sephiroth who, in turn, looked back at him with an indifferent expression. He smirked. He gestured for him to get closer, however, beads of sweat were dripping on his head for forgetting the most important detail. The language barrier. He was too focused on trying to learn more about a new language than trying to figure out whether the kid can understand the words he said much less than the words he wrote.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Click*
Near the main console, Conny stood beside it and was looking at a particular switch that moved by itself.
"Can some-"
*Click*
[Hehe]
*Click*
"-elp plea-"
*Click*
[Haah!]
*Click*
"-ease stop"
*Click*
[No-- *smack* ugh!]
Standing behind Conny, Monk smacked him with some force that pushed him to the sides.
[The boy needs some assistance!] Monk shouted [We would like to ask for your services, one with the white clothes.]
[whaaa wuh why?!] Specs exclaimed [I'm multi-tasking here! Emulating a nursing home for old and young headed alike. Now, you wish to add more to it?! Are you all a bunch of idiots-- sigh. Who am I kidding, of course, everyone is an idiot. Myself included.]
An argument followed soon as Specs was explaining how useless he can be for this situation as he was busy with too many things and can't be bothered with this now.
[How you doing there Conny-san, You lost something?] Chuni squatted down behind Conny.
[Yes I did. My peace and quiet. Now, what do you want?] Conny caressing his smacked face
Suddenly, Leth screamed out with his usual monotonic lazy manner.
[Ayyyyyyy. gattttttttt. ittttttttttt] he flicked his finger at his holoboard.
[What'd you think he doing Conny-San?] asked Chuni
[Why don't you ask the pillow hugger instead of asking me?! He's just right there!] Conny blurted out. Agitated [Just wait. Someone else will just tell everybody more vague things of what is going on]
[But Conny-San] as he pointed his finger at the traveling Holoboard [it- its- so slow! I didn't know it can do that]
[Wuh- I don't have time for this, fatty.]
[Then do tell what do you have time for?]
Leth's holoboard was traveling at an awfully slow speed. Leth was smiling as he watches it make its way to the console. Everyone remarked how slow it was and attributed it to its owner's quality.
Specs was nonchalant about it as he waited for the holoboard to get close and as it does, he plucked it and turned it into a smaller size holoboard. He turned his back and face the console.
He postulated that the console was a universal controller, an "interactive" controller. This means that anything they think of or will be experiencing is going to add more additional features to the console to adapt to any situation. He treated the concept loosely but he was adamant about it being a controller.
His train of thought branches into two perspectives: Controls the current perspective and controls the outside influences that affect the current perspective. The way he understands it, the console is dependent on the circumstance and will change, or add, or even adapt accordingly. But this is a controller, to which something must be maintained and manipulated. To the boy's life? he was not sure why.
He kept these thoughts noted.
He threw Leth's holoboard in the middle of the console to try the 3rd school of thought of his. Do something randomly stupid. The holoboard was absorbed by the main console and lit up for a few seconds then dim down. A message box showed up with a green check symbol and a red x symbol, with yellow color font saying "Warning" on top of those two.
Specs smiled with a feeling of glory as his adventurous idea has shown some results though his overconfidence will shortly get him into trouble. He pressed the green check symbol and got a strong reaction from Sephiroth.
This was the moment that Specs knew... that he fucked up. *Enter surprise music*
Sephiroth is experiencing an epileptic shock!
To put it plainly, Leth was able to translate and compare the two languages just by seeing the symbols and hearing it very clearly with the recordings in his holoboard. He tossed it to Specs hoping he can teach or relay it back to the kid. What he didn't realize was that Specs will cut corners and unintentionally shot it up directly to the kid's brain and causing a spasm-like effect.
[Haah! Oy! four-eyes! better get your glasses off if I were you!] Conny shouted. Bathing in the feeling of schadenfreude
Specs followed what Conny suggested. His hands shake as he laid his glasses on the console top. He gritted his teeth and turn his head to stomping sound to his left.
[Listen- Listen. We can talk about this in a more civilized--]
*POW*
*PHLAT*
Specs only saw a giant fist barreling towards his face that face-planted him to the ground and subsequently losing consciousness.
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