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72.27% A Nascent Kaleidoscope. / Chapter 425: Chapter 384

Chapter 425: Chapter 384

It's been awhile since I'd felt this utterly exhausted.

Leaving the battlefield and sitting down with the Shinto gods was mostly a blur.

I tried to make myself as composed as possible when there were many godly eyes on us, but I was feeling the overall fatigue and weariness with a significant amount of pain.

One does not get hit by Indra without feeling it.

"Why are your eyes bleeding?"

"Huh?" I opened them to feel something warm falling down my cheeks and it wasn't tears. I wiped it away and looked at it through my hazy vision. "First time using my Shikai, side effect I would imagine."

Izzy narrowed her own eyes at me as if she didn't believe me. "Have you even been paying attention to what I've been saying?"

"Would you like a truthful answer?" I asked in response.

Izzy grumbled, and continued her machinations. That being, she had began wiping the blood off my face. "I swear, you two." She said again for the umpteenth time.

"I'm fine, stop worrying." I reassured her.

"Look at you? How is any of this fine?" She shot back. "You're lucky I already messaged everyone else to not worry."

"Thank you." I nudged her shoulder where I was resting my head.

She let out a long winded sigh. "I can't even get mad at you right now as it's fairly obvious how out of it you are. Wilhelm, be honest with me, how are you feeling?"

"Dizzy, fatigued, a bit of pain here or there. Combination of my Authority, Balance Breaker, and Shikai added on didn't do me any favors in that regard...ah, I think my ribs are bruised, or cracked can't tell."

"Should I call Artoria to bring her Sheath? That will heal you quickly."

"It's fine, I don't want to bother her while she's doing things with Rin unless it's an emergency." I refused the good intentioned request. "But there's one thing that can help me…."

"…Dare I ask what?"

"Perhaps the kiss of a beautiful Goddess can alleviate my symptoms."

"Stop it." She huffed, pinching my cheek. "Not in front of my children." She added on very softly. "Besides, did you not embarrass me enough already?"

Oh right, her children.

I blinked, looking up a little and focusing my eyes and seeing Susanoo sitting in a nearby chair, nursing a bottle of something as he silently drank it and Amaterasu sitting opposite of us, awkwardly glancing our way.

"Are you embarrassed by me?"

"You know darn well that isn't what I meant." She gave me another cheek pinch.

"What's wrong with letting the world know that you're mine?" I offered with a cheeky smile.

"Hush." She cutely silenced me.

Oh well, I could stop teasing her infront of her kids. Besides, I wasn't in the right frame of mind to keep going anyways.

I hope this won't be a continuous side effect of using my Zanpakutō.

{It should become easier with practice.} My Spirit chimed in. {However, it is a trade off for having no restriction inherent other than your own capabilities.}

Eyes too?

I hoped I won't go blind.

{You should know better than most the repercussions of staring into the Kaleidoscope.}

Yeah, yeah. I knew it would have been worse if I did the same thing haphazardly on my own. It was one of the reasons that most of Gramp's former 'students' went mad. A lot of them were stupid enough to look directly into the wellspring of possibilities rather than stymy their view.

Though, thinking about it now, it felt an awful like when I used the Balance Breaker for the Spear and I gained some manner of clairvoyance.

Maybe I'm just imagining things.

Whatever, I don't feel like thinking about anything too difficult right now.

Instead, I took out a Health Potion from my ring and quickly down it. It did very little these days, but it would maybe lessen the headache I had and hopefully would dull the pain in my ribs.

After that I found a bottle of untouched Whisky stored away and pulled the cork off with my mouth and spat it away, chugging a big gulp of it.

Funny how this would probably ease things more than a literal health potion.

The consequences of becoming stronger metaphysically.

I noticed Susanoo staring at me and I sat myself up straight with a groan and slid the bottle across the new coffee table that I assume Izzy had purchased, made or something after the last time Susanoo broke it.

He nodded, thankful and took his own swig with a pleasant look on his face after savoring it.

The atmosphere was kind of weird. Not surprising considering everything that happened and the fact that Amaterasu was sitting in Izzy's living room, but still.

"I have a question." I decided to break the proverbial ice. "I hadn't really thought about it before, but who controls the Seas of Japan? I only ask because Ryujin making an appearance brought the question to my mind. Not to mention, there are tons of other Gods that have aspects of the Ocean."

Susanoo snorted, not in an angry way, but more mild annoyance. "I have greater authority over the Seas of Japan. He is the older deity but he relinquished his control after father mandated my ascension. However, he is the aspect of Power inherent in the Ocean while I am the unpredictability. He controls the tides and most sea life while I am the raging storm."

"Neat." I genuinely didn't know that. "He was pretty strong, even Ddraig only had respectful words to say about him."

"The Great Welsh?" Susanoo raised an eyebrow. "Surprising." He said simply while taking another drink.

"….Because Ryujin is worshiped among most Eastern Sea-coast countries." Amaterasu surprisingly chimed in. She sounded a little awkward, but continued. "Korea, China, Japan, and even India as one of the eight dragon kings."

Ddraig did mention that, but she wasn't silently staring anymore, so I didn't want to make her quiet again.

Besides, it wasn't my show.

And now that she had an opportunity, she looked less…meek? I don't know, it's hard to describe the way she was acting. The usual haughtiness wasn't there as I experienced the first time around. She was being respectfully distant if I had to label it.

"Mother…" She finally addressed the elephant in the room.

"Daughter." Izzy replied.

"I'm sorry for what happened."

"I don't blame Takamagahara." Izzy said directly. "You can reassure any of the others that I'm not looking to get revenge or enact any sort of judgment for a perceived slight."

"That's…" The Sun Goddess took a small breath. "I'm not here as a representative of Takamagahara. I'm here as the Daughter of Izanami."

Ah, so that's why she wasn't putting on airs.

And I could easily see how happy that made Izzy despite her not reacting much to the statement.

"I'm just happy that you're visiting."

"Mother…"

"How is your Husband, my other son? Are you still not speaking?"

"M-Mother, don't bring that up so suddenly. And with someone else here!"

"It's just your Bother and Wilhelm, whom I am dating if that was not obvious." She sent a glare my way, but it lacked any kind of heat to it. "And you act as if it isn't common knowledge. You do know that mortals have etched your marriage into their myths, yes?"

"Still as bad as it has been for the past thousands of years." Susanoo helpfully added.

"I don't need you talking about failing marriages." Amaterasu glared at her brother.

"Among us, who is the only one with a happy marriage?" He shot back.

"Y-you're a womanizer, a complete lecherous skirt-chaser!"

"Kushinada doesn't mind." Susanoo smiled proudly. "As long as I share."

"…. Nice." I gave him a thumbs up.

He raised his bottle of whiskey up with a big grin.

"I don't need to know about your perversions!" Amaterasu nearly screeched with a flushed face.

"Says the one who flashed mother's lover." Susanoo snorted.

Amaterasu let out a shrill squawk. If she was flushed before, she was turning a bright shade of red. "That never happened! Mother, tell him that never happened!"

"Very well, I will lie on your behalf, daughter." Izzy said with no small amount of amusement.

"M-Mother!?"

"Yasaka thought you were trying to seduce her." I added.

"Bwahahahaha!" Susanoo burst out laughing.

"Stop laughing you oaf! I would do no such thing!" She covered her face. "And how am I even supposed to face my Miko now? H-he is already her lover and now you claim him as well, mother? How is this supposed to work?"

"You could always join in." Susanoo shrugged.

"Of course you would suggest that." Amaterasu huffed.

"Susanoo, please don't joke about that. I love my children, but not in that way." Izzy also added.

"Oh I apologize." Susanoo rolled his eyes. "How perverted of me to imply such a deplorable thing. Let's forget about it and go back to the earlier topic. Yes, Amaterasu, how is my brother, your Husband doing?"

"That's completely different." Amaterasu's nostrils flared.

"If you say so." Susanoo dismissed, but dropped it. Possible due to the look Izzy was giving him.

"And your other brother?" Izzy asked. "Have you spoken to him in a while?"

"I met Hiruko a hundred or so years ago. We caught up, had some drinks, but that's it." Susanoo replied.

"He does not spend time in Takamagahara. I think Tsukuyomi met with him not too long ago, but it's not like we're talking." Amaterasu said quietly.

"I see.." Izzy said with a hint of sadness. "Is he doing well at least?"

"He wasn't having any problems the last I saw him, Mother." Susanoo quickly answered. "I can go ask him to –"

"No, don't." Izzy cut him off, anticipating what he would say. "I've already done enough harm to him. I would rather not try and force him to meet with me."

Hiruko, If I recalled, was also the name of Ebisu, one of the Seven Gods of Fortune, most predominant in Buddhism. I only vaguely remembered the legends, something about Izanami and Izanagi casting him down the river because he was born crippled?

I can't imagine Izzy doing that without a reason…

But I also didn't want to bluntly ask her infront of her kids like this and ruin the mood.

Instead, I just reached for her hand, taking it in mine.

"Mother." Amaterasu started up again. "I'm sorry for what happened. It was not my intention for you to be...ignored so maliciously."

"I accept your Apology." Izzy immediately said, making the Sun goddess go silent in surprise.

"But – "

"I will always love you, my Daughter. Even if it was on purpose, I would never hate you nor hold it against you. If I had died, I would have done so with these same feelings."

Ah, the guilt of unconditional love hit not only Amaterasu but Susanoo rather hard.

"She may forgive you, but I won't." Susanoo glared at his sister. "How come Indra could just come strolling up here like he owned the place?"

"It was not on purpose, you oaf!" Amaterasu quickly went to defend herself. "I do have people watching the lands! Especially after the Fae incursion."

"And what happened?"

"Incompetence, negligence, maliciousness." Amaterasu huffed, crossing her arms. "Does it really matter in the end? They will be punished severely."

"You can hand them over to the ones who suffered because of their failing." Susanoo grunted. "I would happily let them experience first hand the wrath of an angry God." His eyes moved towards me. "And I'm sure I would have help."

Amaterasu glanced at me and they were now seemingly waiting for me to respond.

"I'll keep out of it." I decided to take a third option. "I'm already in an awkward situation here. I'd rather not insert myself into it even more. If Amaterasu was here under different capacity, then I would be treating her as Lady Amaterasu and respect her station to tow the line."

Susanoo grumbled and huffed, but didn't argue.

Amaterasu on the other hand nodded in approval. "At least one of you has a modicum of intelligence." She turned her nose up at her Brother. "And your understanding is appreciated. If I was not meeting my mother under these conditions, we would not be conversing so familiarly."

"Godly politics, how fun." I said with the dryness of a desert.

I was starting to feel better thankfully. My headache was slowly going away and my body was healing at a noticeable rate.

"You may not have a choice but to participate." Amaterasu replied, eyeing my hand in Izzys. "Many will raise concerns about Mother consorting with a Devil, especially with the offspring of the strongest one. They already encroach on our lands, by our blessing or by unscrupulous means, ever more by the day. The conservative faction among my court is vocal about their dislike for Devils and their kin."

"Especially when Mother gets pregnant." Susanoo added.

"Susanoo!" Izzy squawked in surprise.

"What? It's a valid concern!"

"He's right, Mother." Amaterasu oddly agreed with him. "A True Born God in this era, the same generation as us? Many would use it as an opportunity for good or bad. And there has never been a God born of a Devil parentage before. We don't know what would occur."

"I understand your concerns." Izzy calmed herself down, taking a deep breath. "However, the possibility is….far off if even possible. And the event of it occurring is very miniscule. Right, Wilhelm?"

"Hmm?"

"Were you listening?" She raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Was distracted by the picture of you with a baby bump." I want it.

She pinched the back of my hand with a cute little huff.

"Alright, I'll tag it." I chuckled. "Without some outside support the chance of a Devil having a child is exceedingly rare. A Devil and a Goddess? We're sort of….opposites for obvious reasons, so the chance is probably even lower. And that's taking into consideration that Izzy wields the domain of Creation, which hypothetically is offset by her Death Domain as well. But I won't get into that at the moment. And the last factor to add is my own Divinity which should be very clear at this point. It has the side effect of making my producing offspring even more unlikely. All in all, you probably don't have to worry about a child until we're ready because it's not a probable occurrence until we begin trying to overcome these limitations."

It's funny, I would usually be more reserved in talking about future children with the others, but in Izzy's case, it's not a matter of if but when, in regards to the talk of children. I knew her, I knew she loved her children beyond words and would be more than open to expanding her family.

And now I really wanted to see a pregnant Izzy.

"It might be better if it happens sooner." Amaterasu said, her expression turning rather serious. "The consequences of what happened are not going to be small. The Hindu Pantheon, while not united entirely, will not like being insulted by association. And I would be surprised if Hades has not been called up to Olympus to explain himself to Zeus. The Olympians are the most stringent about not interacting with other Pantheons." She scrunched her nose. "And we are not on good terms."

"I will have to apologize to Hades and thank him properly." Izzy hummed.

"Mother, why are you so friendly with him?" Amaterasu asked.

"Is it odd?" Izzy tilted her head. "I wasn't aware that it was a secret that us Death Gods get together on occasion. I have been to the Greek Underworld often enough and he happened to owe me a small favor."

"Many might take it the wrong way."

"It was Yama that originally warned me that Indra was probably going to come knocking. I asked Susanoo to be here when he did, but I didn't think Indra would go that far." She paused. "Or the two most idiotic boys in my life would start a fight with him."

"Never underestimate my willingness to punch Indra." Susanoo said with complete seriousness.

"I'll fight anyone who insults you like that without a second thought." I responded as well. "And also punch Indra."

Izzy merely rolled her eyes with that beautiful smile of hers. But also, Amaterasu seemed to have the faintest hint of one herself.

"There will be many more eyes on you now." Amaterasu continued. "That Peace Conference you were involved in already made waves through the chatter of the Gods. The implications and rumors that accompanied it. However, this is a completely different scenario. You fought Indra, a mortal Devil, despite the unique condition you possess. You fought one of the strongest Gods to a perceivable stand still. Many of my court are now wary of your presence. Continued with the fact that you admitted relations with Mother….there will be many out cries about your continued free rein upon our lands."

"You are welcome to remind them who raised these lands out of the sea before they were even conceived of in the minds of mortals." Izzy hissed.

"Mother, you don't need to be upset, I just wanted you to understand." Amaterasu was quick to sooth Izzy's fury. "The ones who failed in their duties will be a harsh reminder to any who have thoughts of stepping out of line."

"Hmph. Let them know that I Susanoo, will fight anyone who comes to cause problems for him and his."

Amaterasu gave a wry smile. "Other Pantheons will be more focused on you now. And your association with Mother will be linked to us with your further actions."

"So in the eyes of other Factions, I may as well be under the umbrella of Takamagahara, is that it?"

"If you don't like it, you can simply remove yourself from Mother's presence permanently." Amaterasu sniffed.

"I would sooner remove every other faction instead." I retorted.

"I do not like Devils." Amaterasu stated, her tone filled with contempt at the mention. "However, I am glad that Mother found someone that appreciates her."

Izzy's face brightened up.

"I should return." Amaterasu stood up from her seat. "I will need to settle all the particulars that came from this incident and be prepared to receive the response from Shiva and the Hindu Pantheon."

"You have an important job." Izzy acknowledged, but there was the obvious unwillingness present.

"….I will return once I finished settling matters, Mother. I promise to start visiting often."

"And I'll drag our Brother down here too." Susanoo patted his chest.

"Don't fight your Brother." Izzy scolded. "I don't want to hear about another big feud that happens between you all."

"You are asking the impossible, mother." Amaterasu snarked.

"At least I don't go crying in a cave."

"Don't you dare start with that!"

"you're fooling no one with your constant invitations for a private song and dance with Uzume."

"Mother! Make him stop!"

"Children." Izzy stepped in. "Behave."

"Bah, I'll go too before she starts trying to make a move on your lover again, Mother." Susanoo grunted, readily leaving before Amaterasu blew up at him again.

"Insufferable brute." Amaterasu huffed, but calmed down quickly. "I should check in on my Miko while I'm down here and clear up any misunderstandings she has." She paused, glancing my way. "I suppose I shall relay to her that the matter has been settled and not to worry."

"Thank you." I replied in genuine thanks.

She smiled warmly. I faintly felt the touch of the sun, a pleasant sensation like relaxing on a warm afternoon. "Child of the Rising Sun, you are most welcome under our warmth." With a burst of sunlight, she disappeared from the house.

"Your children are weird." I said towards izzy.

Her response was to pull me in for an overdue kiss.

[***]

"Can I confide something in you?" I hummed, looking up at Izzy while my head was comfortably in her lap.

"Since when do you even ask? I'm aware of almost every proclivity of yours and those around you." She snorted. "But very well, reveal to me your secrets."

"I think red eyes are a weakness of mine. I can't stop staring into yours and they're so beautiful."

"I constantly wonder how I managed to fall for these obvious flirtations." She sighed, running her hand through my hair.

"Alright, I admit I lied." I said with full sincerity. "Regardless of their color, I would say the same thing because you're too alluring."

"Oh stop it." She rolled her eyes, pinching my cheek playfully. "If you keep this up, the others will feel jealous when they arrive."

"You make a fair point. I guess I will have to flirt with all of them equally."

"Yes, yes. You're an unmatched romantic." She deadpanned. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Sore, but that's about it. Eyes feel better too. Aura is working well."

"Good, because they've arrived."

Just as Izzy said that, the door was nearly blown off its hinges.

"Master!" Raikou threw herself on top of me.

"Me too!" Jinn quickly jumped on me as well.

"I'm alright, don't cry. It wasn't that bad." I gave both of them a pat on the head.

"Student, you caused another incident." Scáthach sauntered in with Venelana and Yasaka following.

"Good, maybe you all can talk some sense into him. He refuses to accept that he did something wrong." Izzy huffed in annoyance.

"I agree with him." Scáthach said immediately. "It would be foolish to blame him for an action that any of us would take in the same circumstances."

"Agreed." Venelana squeezed between Jinn and Raikou and gave me a quick kiss. "But that doesn't make us not worry."

"You're not supposed to encourage him." Izzy grumbled. "What if he does it again?"

"Then he best kill the one responsible to not make it a third time." Scáthach said simply.

"Is Meridia not coming?" I asked, giving both Jinn and Raikou a playful slap on their butts to get myself some wiggle room.

"She said it was unwise to make an appearance for the moment less she takes action out of anger." Scáthach responded.

"That would probably make things worse." Izzy admitted.

I managed to force myself to sit up straighter after the Raikou and Jinn attack was over. Venelana was giving me an interesting look. And by interesting, I mean it basically screamed 'come fuck me'.

I met her gaze and raised an eyebrow and…..was she blushing?

I don't know what was up with her, but I used the opportunity to move my hand up under her dress and squeeze her nice round ass.

She giggled, and positioned herself to plop down on my lap. "Do you need some extra healing?"

"As tempting as that offer is. I'm so utterly exhausted right now that just keeping my eyes open is difficult. But I would love to have you in my arms when I fall asleep." I wrapped her up.

"You know he's telling the truth when he rejects an invitation like that." Jinn laughed.

"Yasaka, dear?" Izzy spoke up. "You are being uncharacteristically quiet."

Yasaka was looking out of it and suddenly refocused. "Sorry about that, I was just….lost in thought." Her gaze trailed towards me. "I've had an interesting past few hours. And I'm not talking about the aftermath of the fight."

"Did something occur? My Daughter said that she was going to visit. I hope that nothing went wrong."

"Funny you should mention that." Yasaka had a strained smile. "And I ask this question, mostly directed at Wilhelm as I believe he is the culprit."

"I claim innocence for whatever it is I am accused of."

Yasaka looked at me dryly. "Please explain to me why, when my Goddess appeared before me, she was apologetic." I was about to speak, but she held her hand up. "And not about one of the many concerns of mine in the past. Not even about the whole Kunou incident that I'm still pissed about. No, she appeared, apologized to me for 'leading me on' and told me that she can't accept my 'feelings' and that she is at fault for fostering the misunderstanding."

"….I genuinely don't know how to respond to that." I replied.

"Oh don't worry, it doesn't end there. She felt bad and wanted to give me a token of affection even though she doesn't share the same sentiment. As an apology, mind you." That was when Yasaka held her hands up, revealing a very familiar red thong.

"….."

"Daughter, why?" Izzy bemoaned, covering her face with her hands.

Wow, this has been a wild day.

"Your children are weird." I said again, and Izzy couldn't bring herself to refute me.

[***]

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Chapter 426: Chapter 385

My eyes blinked open and I looked around at my surroundings, not quite recognizing where I was. Not to mention, I was fairly sure I went to sleep with someone in my arms, but my head was still so hazy last night that I didn't entirely remember the minute to minute moments of going to sleep.

However, this situation also felt familiar.

I kicked off the blanket around me and stood up. Looking down, I realized I was in a clean set of clothes. I adjusted my tie slightly and felt good enough to walk out the door. What should have been Izzy's house was different and the reason was obvious.

"Good morning, Musū Tengai." I greeted my Zanpakutō spirit that was once more sitting at a quaint little table drinking a cup of tea.

He set his cup down and smiled my way. "A good morning to you as well. Would you like a cup?"

"Does it actually do anything for me?" I questioned, plopping myself down opposite of him.

"It tastes good?" He offered.

"Good enough for me." I hummed, looking at the steam wafting off of my cup and took a sip. "Is this pulled from my memories?"

"Of course." He nodded.

"Is this going to be a common occurrence?" I asked. "Pulling me from my dreams or while I'm asleep?"

"You were bound to wake up soon, I simply expedited the process and took a moment of your time. Physically, your body is still sound asleep but your subconscious was active enough that I could pull a little trick like this."

"Interesting." I wondered if this could be used in different ways. "And this house, is it a representation of my inner world?"

"A small piece." He waved his hand causing the building and everything around us to shatter like glass, reforming to another view. "Welcome to Salem's Castle." He grinned. "As long as the place holds sufficient meaning, it has a reflection in your inner world."

"Really? Anywhere?"

"Where would you like to go?" He offered.

"That old House in Kuoh." I stated.

He tilted his head and silently weaved the surroundings again. We were now standing outside of that same house that I burned down, except now, it was wholly intact. "Well, have at it."

"You know what I'm going to do?" I eyed him.

"Who do you think I am?" He shot back with an eye roll, which looked strange with the pulsing nebulas for pupils he had.

I shrugged and slowly wrote out a Runic Sentence in front of me. Once I finished what I wanted, I flicked it towards the house and a massive fireball converged and shot off towards it, immediately setting it alight.

"Done?" He asked as we watched it start burning away.

"Yup." I stretched my arms. "That was fun. How about Mom's Grave?"

"Of course." He nodded and he produced that same mirror from before and he ushered me through it. The mercury-like liquid enveloped us and the surroundings changed to the familiar resting place of my mom.

There were fresh flowers prepared as well.

"The flowers were a nice touch. Thank you." I knelt down and ran my hands along the letters of her memorial.

"They were her favorites." He said softly.

"Ah…I think I forgot about that until you mentioned it now. Did I ever ask her why they were her favorites?"

He silently shook his head and I clicked my tongue with a sigh.

"Not how I expected to spend my morning, but it's already been a fulfilling day. What did you need to have pulled me into my inner world, Musū Tengai?"

"A couple of things I wanted you to be aware of. However, let us change the location."

"Lead the way." I gestured and he produced the mirror again and it reflected Kyoto. That alone would not have elicited a response from me normally, but it was on fire.

"Is this supposed to be some kind of representation of my inner turmoil? Like some kind of hidden uncertainty or premonition?"

"No, Ddraig is just having fun." He chuckled.

"….what?"

"Fear me!!!" A loud roar resounded above the two of us and a massive red dragon flew down, spraying fire onto the city. It paused mid-city-razing and looked over at us. "Really? No heads up?" He sounded exasperated. The massive red dragon seemed to sag as its wings flapped and it fell to the ground with a loud thump crushing several buildings. "Heya brat."

"Ddraig?"

"In the flesh….relatively speaking." He corrected, voice rumbling.

"I was able to pull Ddraig's consciousness into your Inner world as the Boosted Gear also exists within your soul. The Sacred Gear still believes that Ddraig is within its grasp so it did not fight me. I was unable to undo the bindings around his soul unfortunately." Musū Tengai explained.

I walked up and touched his side, feeling the scales of the true Red Dragon Emperor, or at least how he was supposed to be. "It's good to finally meet you, Ddraig. The real you."

"Hey don't get sappy on me." He blew out a burst of air with his nostril nearly knocking me on my ass.

"Should I 'fear you' instead?"

"Bite me." The massive dragon huffed. "I've been stuck in that damn gauntlet for so long and the only freedom I've had is when I come out with that spell of yours. And I can't exactly go wild while I'm in that state."

Musū Tengai waved his hand, and an aurora-like light ran through Kyoto, fixing and returning everything back to how it was supposed to be. That same mercury-like liquid would consume and reform anything broken or burned down and readjust itself to the proper shape. "No harm is done."

"Will there be an issue if I tried to use the Gauntlet while you're like this?"

My Zanpakutō spirit and Ddraig shared a look.

"We do not believe so." Musū Tengai replied.

Ddraig also opened his massive jaw. "My essence still persists in that prison. This is merely a wisp of my consciousness that I'm focusing on."

I could more or less understand the details when explained like that.

"So this is what you wanted to show me?" I asked.

"Among other things." Musū Tengai nodded. "I mainly wanted to have a chat about how we arrived at this point and what to do about the future."

"By this point, you mean you?"

"That is correct."

"I admit I'm surprised with how fast I was able to achieve Shikai. Yoruichi told me that it usually takes months to years for a Shinigami to even hear their Zanpakutō."

"Most Shinigami who receive their Zanpakutō are still new  to wielding their Reiryoku and don't understand themselves in the proper mindset to facilitate the connection so quickly." He replied. "To you, it was merely a lateral step rather than a staircase that others must climb."

"And the Hogyoku helped, I'm sure."

"Indeed." He didn't deny it. "It would have taken me much longer to form without it."

"And what exactly is the Hogyoku? Have you assimilated it?"

He hummed noncommittally for a moment before answering. "The name implies its purpose. The Hogyoku – the Breakdown Orb. The purpose is to facilitate the breakdown of boundaries between two concepts. Shinigami and Hollow was the original intent but it's obvious the creator did not anticipate you. Therefore, we're breaking new ground. I can say that it's not complete. Once I took it in, I realized that there was a lot missing about it, like it's only half of a whole. It has room to….grow."

"Was that supposed to sound ominous?"

"It has fearful potential."

"Should I be worried then?"

"It will never harm you. To be cautious is never a sin, but do not fear your own power. It is now a part of you – us."

"Well, since that's settled. I have a couple questions about your ability. I want to know the limitations. I felt the backlash by forcing certain phenomena to happen against Indra, but was I pushing the peak of what was possible or can I go beyond that?"

"I said before that there is no true limit and I meant that. The only constraint is what you can endure in bearing the changes and altering the flow of the world to fit your desire. I will warn you, however, that there is a price to pay as in all things. I will not tell you never to do it, but you should know the taboo with undoing death and creating life. To force into existence a living being that did not previously exist, or to return from death something that died. "

"You don't have to warn me about that." I reassured him. "I'm well aware of the cost of messing with the natural life and death cycle to that degree." Hell, I would sooner start practicing necromancy than touch that with a ten foot pole.

Hell, it almost knocked me off my feet to make Indra hit himself with his weapon because that was so far off the probable outcomes that I really had to dig for it. To undo someone's established death, or to create something from nothing would be so catastrophic that merely dying would probably be the best outcome.

Those abilities existed within the realms of True Magic for a reason.

"So no bullshit way to give me a new body and life?" Ddraig grumbled.

"I'm afraid not." Musū Tengai smiled wryly.

"Whatever." Ddraig huffed. "But your ability is still bullshit."

"Thanks for your input, Ddraig." I said dryly.

"You're welcome." He smiled, as much as a dragon could.

"So now, do we start Bankai Training?" I asked towards my Zanpakutō spirit.

"You just got out of a fight with Indra and you want to start doing something like that?" Ddraig looked at me like I was an idiot.

"I'm just asking." I defended myself. "And I feel a lot better now."

"To Achieve Bankai will be a long and arduous journey." Musū Tengai replied rather cryptically.

"So what you're saying is that I should cheese it like Ichigo did?"

"I only know the same details about that process that you do. From our understanding, it should force out the latent potential of the user and amplify it for a certain duration."

"Yeah, the arbitrary 'three days' at first glance was probably the longest it could last before suffering consequences for the user. Hence, if the person failed, they would lose the opportunity forever." I continued his train of thought.

Overstimulating someone's soul or potential like that was not without risks.

"An admittedly genius concept, but not applicable for the majority of those who wield Zanpakutō. I can say for certain, that if you attempted to use that same device, you would not succeed."

"Really? No faith whatsoever?" I deadpanned.

"I am being realistic. It's your choice to make."

"Nah, I'll trust you." I was mostly kidding. If he said that it wasn't a good idea, I would listen. "So the long and hard way then? How exactly do we start?"

"You're still missing a few steps to truly begin, but I can give you a taste to know what you're in for." Musū Tengai stated.

"Oh, this is gonna be good, I can feel it." Ddraig chuckled mirthfully.

"Alright, let me see where I need to start." I ignored Ddraig.

My Zanpakutō spirit obliged. He summoned the mirror again and stepped away. Curiously, I walked up to it and my reflection stared back. No…..that wasn't my reflection. It looked back at me and copied my movements, but there were differences. It wore a set of robes more indicative of a general spell caster and held the Staff of Magnus in his hand.

I put my hand to the mirror and he reached forward too.

Startled, I pulled back as I felt his touch.

He smiled and pushed through the mirror.

"Well, this is a strange feeling." My mirrored copy commented, looking at himself then around. "Ddriag? Hello there."

"Sup." Ddriag greeted my copy.

"You know your purpose." Musū Tengai said simply.

My copy nodded at him then turned to face me. "Should I introduce myself?"

"Well far be it for me to refuse another me from giving an introduction." I gestured for him to continue.

"How polite." He chuckled. "I am Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg. Spellcaster extraordinaire, delver of Mysteries, and master of Prestidigitation." He waved his staff and a plethora of magical effects actualized. A dozen doves flew out, sparks shot up to the sky and a wind suddenly flowed, bellowing his robes.

I held up my hands to keep the birds from flying into me and merely looked on at his little show.

"That's different." I commented. "So….what now?"

"Now, we have a proper duel." He leaned on his staff.

"A duel then? That doesn't seem too difficult." I went to take out Mirage, but realized my mistake. "Uh….can I have my weapons?" I turned towards Musū Tengai.

He held up his hand, and another Staff of Magnus dropped down in front of me and I caught it quickly. "This is the only weapon you are allowed."

"Ah, I get the game now." I gave the staff a little twirl.

"Do you know?" My copy tilted his head in amusement.

"A fiddle of gold against your soul that says I'm better than you." I chuckled.

"You catch on quick. Let's see who the better Mage is." He held the staff up then set it down. "Or we can just have a nice chat and talk this out."

"…..is that a valid way to duel?"

"A duel of words is still a duel?" He offered.

Musū Tengai didn't respond as I looked to him for directions.

"How would that even work? Do you want to trade insults? I think 'Your mother' won't hit quite right in this circumstance."

"You bring up a valid point. I suppose we should go back to a magical duel." He hummed. "But there's something you seem to have forgotten."

"What's that?"

"Talking isn't a free action." He tapped the staff on the ground and then they appeared.

Six massive Magical Circles appeared around me in the shape of a cube. Under my feet, above my head, and at every side. Just at a look, I could see what was woven in, Primordial Runes of every type and I looked in horror as I realized what spell this was.

"I didn't even notice." I whispered as realization set in. "The Doves, the little introduction. You set this up while I was distracted from that. But still, I didn't notice until you already actualized it. An illusion woven over the casting of the spell? No, not only that, but you hid it in a pocket of space then brought it out altogether."

The spell that Cu Chulainn taught me during the singularity, one of Odin's own spells.

"Prestidigitation." He emphasized. "ᛟᚲᚺᛞ ᛞᛖᚢᚷ ᛟᛞᛁᚾ"

The words barely sounded human as he invoked the Primordial Runes together, invoking the spell that qualified as a Noble Phantasm. And I felt myself ripped apart on every conceivable level.

[***]

Musū Tengai POV

"Well, that was interesting." Ddraig spoke up. "A surprisingly powerful spell. Even with my full strength, I would not want to be hit by that. I could barely even tell what happened."

"It's a spell that attacks one on every level of their existence. The Great God Carved Seal, tears apart space within its domain. Unravels the Axis of Time, and even attacks one's soul and spirit through an interplay of matrices." The copy of my wielder explained to Ddraig.

"Oof, the brat is going to feel that for a while."

"It is quite painful."

"You're not just a copy created by the sword over there, are you?" Ddriag inspected the mirror of his wielder.

"You figured that out, did you?" He leaned against his staff.

"What are you? Are you alive?"

"Who knows. I am someone that doesn't exist, but might exist depending on the circumstances. What is real, what is fake, it depends on your perspective. To me, this is but a dream. But to you, it's real."

"More cryptic bullshit, you're definitely the brat."

"Haha, that's one way to look at it." The copy chuckled. "Well, he should take the future fights seriously at least."

"Mmm, he took too lackadaisical approach to his Bankai Training. Thank you for your assistance." I bowed my head towards him.

I hoped he would understand that the future Bankai training will not be easy.

"Feels weird being thanked by you. I may have never wielded a Zanpakutō, but after receiving the memories needed to understand the situation, it makes it awkward." He scratched his head. "Well, since my job is done, I guess I'll head out. Feel free to call me again when he's ready for a rematch."

I bowed my head in thanks and helped him recede from my wielder's inner world.

"That was neat." Ddraig shrunk down his physical form. An easy enough maneuver seeing as he was but a wisp of consciousness within this world. "Want me to keep it a secret?"

"If you wouldn't mind."

"No problem. It's not one of those things I should interfere with, I get it." Ddriag was agreeable to my decision. "From what I understand, the brat needs to figure out things himself as part of this training."

"You're very perceptive." I smiled.

"You don't survive as long as I did without being able to read the situation." He flew around my head in a circle. "Can you make me some food?"

"I made sure that every place that would have food is properly supplied for your pleasure." It was the least I could do and took very little effort to pull the memories from my wielder.

"You're the best, sword boy!" Ddraig exclaimed, flying off towards the nearest restaurant I would presume.

I smiled wistfully and moved towards a more secluded area of Wilhelm's inner world.

The Hogyoku hung up in the air and I was not the only one present.

Two other figures sat at each corner of the room and I took the third spot. They both silently opened their eyes as if greeting me.

"Odin, Meridia." I spoke softly to two figures.

They didn't respond, but I knew that wasn't because they were unable.

I wondered if Wilhelm would ever figure out that the two blessings he received from them were a bit more than just a favor bestowed?

Meridia, perhaps he had a smidgen of knowledge about, but simply didn't mind nor care to investigate. However, the other one was a bit more surprising.

The elderly man silently sat cross legged, focusing almost entirely on the Hogyoku in front of us.

I too turned my attention to the Hogyoku and began my own work.

It was only a matter of time before we got this object to evolve to the next stage.

[***]

Wilhelm POV

Waking up for real this time was much more pleasant.

It might have something to do with the fact that my face was firmly squashed between a pair of boobs. Even the residual feeling of being utterly torn apart by my copy couldn't take away from this heavenly experience.

"These are mine." I squeezed them between my hands.

"And good morning to you too." Venelana's soft giggle reached my ears. "If that's what I think it is poking me, I think you're feeling much better."

"You make it sound as if that's a hard threshold to reach." Izzy also softly spoke next to my other ear.

I begrudgingly pulled myself out of this wonderful bosom to turn my body around and see that Izzy was laying down on my other side. "This is a surprise. I didn't expect to wake up with both of you together. Should I ask if my innocence was taken advantage of?"

"Don't talk nonsense." Izzy huffed. "And I did not intend to join you two in bed."

"You pulled on her and refused to let go while you were half asleep." Venelana explained. "It was rather cute, so she just relented and joined in the cuddling."

"Did someone take my clothes off?" I peeked under the covers. But my eyes were drawn more towards the two women at my side. I've seen Venelana naked before, and would always appreciate the sight of her in nothing but a bra and panties, but I was genuinely surprised to see Izzy the same.

"Stop staring." Izzy turned a faint rosy red and pinched my cheek.

"That's impossible." I nudged closer to her and proceeded to bury my head between her boobs as well. "This is mine too."

"Fine." She huffed again. "Let this be your reward then."

I didn't want Venelana to feel left out, so I did the mature thing and reached back, groping her legs. "What happened last night? I'm vague on the details."

"Not much." Venelana snuggled in and laid her head on my shoulder. "You were clearly very tired so after we all made sure you were okay, we had you go to sleep. Izanami was kind enough to offer her guest bed as you were already here and I promised you a warm body to hug and you know the rest."

"I need to go see Salem, I was supposed to check back in a lot sooner. She's probably worried, or angry –"

"Jinn has it covered." Izzy interrupted me. "She is with Salem at the moment, you need not worry. Everything is being handled, just rest for now." She took my other hand and moved it so it was resting on her ample rear. "You deserve a nice rest" She added a quick kiss onto my cheek.

I shifted myself so that I was staring up at the ceiling. "We haven't talked yet have we?" I asked Venelana, but it was rather rhetorical. "We've just been talking around you about certain things and you've been very polite and patient."

"Trust isn't something that can be forced. I don't deny that I want to know about many things, but I don't want you to feel pressured."

"You're an amazing woman and I'm lucky to have you." I leaned forced, kissing her softly on the lips. "I'll gladly tell you everything."

"I'll make sure he doesn't exaggerate." Izzy snorted, settling in next to me.

"I didn't expect this so soon, but I'm pleasantly surprised." Venelana smiled beautifully.

"The truth is….I'm an Alien."

Izzy pinched my cheek. "Tell her properly."

Venelana giggled so it was worth it.

"Where to begin." I breathed out, relaxing with both of them cuddling with me. "Do you understand the concept of Parallel worlds?"

"Oh dear, this is not going to be what I imagined, is it?" Venelana asked.

"Prepare yourself, even I have trouble believing half the things he talks about and I've lived a very long life." Izzy replied.

"I'll keep an open mind."

[***]

A/N Couple more chapters then off to Orleans.

If you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone


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