Capítulo 42: [42] : Étheris (I)
Draconic Deus.
Earth - Japan.
Tokyo - Avalon Residence.
[***]
"Here, take this." Origami handed a piece of cloth to Aiden.
When he held it in his hands, Aiden could feel the warmth emanating from it, leaving him speechless.
"Since I won't be around, and Mukuro won't be able to handle you on her own, you'll have to make do with this." Origami smiled, knowing Aiden was about to take a quick trip to Elicia.
Worried about him, she gave him a way to relieve his needs, aware that Aiden was a beast.
"…"
Aiden simply stared at the used panties Origami had just handed him, his lips twisting.
Nevertheless, he carefully stored them in his [Gate of Babylon], knowing that piece of cloth was a sacred treasure.
"Thank you, Origami," Aiden said, giving her a quick kiss on the lips.
"No, no, no! Wait a second! How on earth can you thank her for that? You should be scolding her, not praising her! Are you a complete idiot?"
Kotori shouted, bringing her hand to her forehead, clearly exasperated as she stood next to Mukuro, who would be accompanying Aiden.
"But I didn't do anything wrong. This is completely normal. As his wife, I simply provided him with a way to satisfy his desires while thinking of me." Origami declared with a completely expressionless face, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.
Kotori stared at her, dumbfounded, her face completely red as she began scolding her.
They spent some time like that, though Kotori knew she wouldn't change Origami's perverted mind.
Once Kotori finished her reprimand, she turned to Aiden and Mukuro.
"You should leave now. Come back soon so we won't have to worry. Besides, the conflict between the Tamamo-no-Mae Cult and the Youkai Faction is escalating. It's better for you to be here in case things get worse."
Kotori reminded him seriously, alluding to the information Aiden had obtained from [Rasiel].
The conflict was intensifying, and it seemed that, in addition to the Tamamo-no-Mae Cult, there was another: the Yamata-no-Orochi Cult.
Their goals were to revive both to cause chaos in Japan.
Origami, recalling all of this, agreed with Kotori.
"Yes, we won't take long. Perhaps after I take the three spirits, I'll stop by to see Leen… but I'll be back soon." Aiden agreed with Kotori, though he also wanted to see the little fairy.
It had been a while since he last saw her, though they were used to long periods of separation since Aiden was always fighting the Phrase.
Still, he feared she might think he had abandoned her.
'I hope she doesn't hit me or get too angry. I also wonder if she followed my request and trained Mochizuki Touya,' Aiden thought.
"Ah… Leen will probably hit you. She was likely worried when you didn't return. This time was different; she couldn't have been as upset since she knew you were fighting the Phrase and couldn't visit her. But now that you've moved worlds… she might think you're not coming back." Kotori commented casually as she tied her long hair into twin tails, focusing on every movement.
Aiden grimaced at her words, hoping Leen wouldn't do anything strange.
"Anyway, keep an eye on Yoshino and Yoshinon. They might do something extreme since they're close friends with the Kyoto Youkai leader and her daughter. Also, ask Natsumi to accompany them just in case when they go out. Additionally, share the information I was able to investigate with [Rasiel] about the Khaos Brigade and their goal of freeing Izanami-no-Mikoto from Yomi. If they succeed, it would be problematic. Yasaka is the priestess of Amaterasu Ōmikami, so she could pass the message along." Aiden said, recalling all the complicated conflicts they were dealing with.
Although Aiden knew many myths from his past life, in this world, Izanami was an evil goddess sealed in Yomi.
When Izanagi descended into Yomi to try and rescue her, he found she had transformed into a "monstrous" figure due to the underworld's forces.
In his escape, Izanagi was pursued by both Yomi's forces and Izanami herself, who cursed him upon being rejected.
Izanami resented her entire pantheon for not freeing her from there.
She had been sealed for who knew how long, and she was also responsible for corrupting Tamamo-no-Mae, as the Kegare originated from Yomi, her dimension.
Aiden wondered how the soul system worked in Japan.
If an evil goddess ruled the Shinto underworld, did that mean all the souls destined to go there turned into Kegares?
Aiden shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it.
"It's unlikely the gods will pay attention to that information, even if it comes from Yasaka, the priestess of Japan's main goddess. The questions they'll ask will be obvious: how did she get that information? Where does it come from? It's true that Yasaka probably trusts that data, especially since Yoshino and Yoshinon have provided valuable information in the past. But the gods… they won't trust it so easily." Origami commented coldly, and everyone nodded, understanding the logic behind her words.
Despite this, Aiden insisted they share the information just in case, and they agreed.
After a while, Aiden kissed Kotori and Origami on the lips. Then, he and Mukuro bid a brief farewell before crossing the portal created with [Kaleidoscope].
[*]
World of Elicia.
World of Spirits: Étheris.
[*]
All that could be seen in this dimension was a seemingly endless space.
If you tried looking into the distance, you could only see as far as your eyes could reach, but that was nowhere near the limit of this vast place.
Rocks floated in the air for no apparent reason, some moving occasionally as if part of a cosmic game.
The ground of this world was anything but uniform.
There were areas covered in sand, others where the land was burning lava and fire, with volcanoes erupting from time to time.
There were also soft, green hills and massive seas that seemed to stretch to the horizon.
This was the home of the spirits of that world.
Étheris.
—Crack!
Suddenly, a portal with the bright, kaleidoscopic colors of a prism opened.
From it emerged two figures: a boy with white hair and golden eyes, accompanied by a girl with long golden hair whose eyes shone with the same hue.
…
Aiden descended onto a floating rock, with Mukuro by his side, observing the surroundings as if seeing something familiar.
He then let out a sigh and said, almost effortlessly:
"Ugh, this place is still as strange as ever. How on earth can a dimension like this even exist? Not to mention how it's constructed…"
Mukuro, walking beside him, nodded with a slight smile.
"Do not worry about that, Nushi-sama. Étheris is strange by nature. Trying to find logic in it would be a futile effort. It's best if we locate Sylphide; she will surely know how to find Salamander and the others. And regarding the spirits of the zodiac constellations…"
Mukuro raised her gaze to the sky, her expression serene, while Aiden followed her gaze, watching the stars twinkle in the distance, floating as though belonging to a vast and unreachable universe.
The zodiac constellations were the most prominent—a group of lights perfectly aligned in the 'sky' of Étheris.
Aiden quickly noticed the constellations of Leo Pemptos and Aries Prote and nodded, as if finally understanding what Mukuro was implying.
The Zodiac Spirits of Étheris were among the most powerful, surpassing even Great Spirits like Salamander, Leviathan, Sylphide, Undine, Ifrit, Gnomo, and most others.
They existed on a higher plane, where the twelve constellations dominated the majority of the 'sky' in Étheris.
Curiously, when a Zodiac Spirit perished, they always reincarnated in their original form, which was an advantage over other spirits that could reincarnate into anything else.
Sylphide, for instance, had mentioned that in her past life, she had been a beautiful humanoid woman, but in this reincarnation, she transformed into a tiny fairy the size of a hand.
Though her appearance might seem fragile, it did not mean she was weak.
In Étheris, her power was comparable to that of a mid-tier God—a match for a deity (from Draconic Deus), in terms of spiritual power.
However, this power weakened significantly outside the spiritual world of Étheris, as the material world lacked the same density of spiritual energy.
This was one of the reasons many spirits died when summoned to the material world.
Though, in truth, they were rarely summoned, as mortals generally preferred not to bother them.
Ironically, the spirits in Étheris longed to be 'bothered.'
The truth was, this place was quite dull, with only other spirits to interact with.
After living here for millions of years, it was natural for them to grow bored.
And that, Aiden thought, was something he would exploit to bring them out of here.
"First, let's summon these two. As for the other zodiac spirits, why bother them? I don't even have [Sacred Gear] cores to bring them along. I only managed to build three for the ones we're here to retrieve."
With these words, Aiden let his spiritual power surge, releasing a wave so intense that certain Great Spirits sensed it from afar, turning their attention toward him.
A small fairy, who had been playing with some lower-ranking wind spirits, looked up and, noticing the phenomenon, bid them farewell and sped toward the location at supersonic speed.
Returning to Aiden, he concentrated all his spiritual power, directing it toward the constellation of Leo Pemptos as if calling out to an old friend.
After a few seconds, the constellation of Leo Pemptos shone brightly in the 'sky.'
A small golden flash, like a lightning bolt, crossed the darkness of space and descended rapidly, bridging the distance to strike the floating area where Aiden and Mukuro stood.
—Bang!
The explosion of light and lightning began to take form, transforming into an imposing golden lion about seven meters tall.
Its crimson-red eyes slowly opened, and it roared at Aiden and Mukuro, who smiled as if greeting an old acquaintance.
"Leo Pemptos, the Golden Lion, Regulus-Aerum, answers your call," the lion said majestically as it stood tall, then gave a slight smile and approached Aiden and Mukuro.
"It has been some time, Ein Sof-sama," said Regulus-Aerum, bowing his head to Aiden, and then greeting Mukuro.
"It is a pleasure to greet you, Tiferet-sama."
Regulus addressed them by their respective titles in the Kabbalah.
Aiden shook his head.
"I've told you to stop calling me that, Leo Pemptos. Call me Aiden—that's the power I use, not my name. And yes, it's been a while, about two years since I last came to Étheris," Aiden scolded, and the lion nodded with an ironic smile.
"Call Muku by the name Nushi-sama gave her, Leo Pemptos," Mukuro added, pouting slightly.
"Yes, Aiden-sama, Mukuro-sama," Regulus-Aerum responded respectfully.
His deference was not only because Aiden and Mukuro were stronger than him but also out of respect for their efforts in protecting the material world from the crystal monsters.
Spirits couldn't defend it on their own; they needed to be summoned, and while they could unleash their full strength in the spiritual world, they couldn't use it fully in the material world.
If they tried, they would likely perish against millions of Phrases, taking at least five years to reincarnate.
For that reason, they never intervened in Aiden's fight against the Phrases; in the material world, they were weak.
"Anyway, we came here today to make you a request that could be an opportunity to alleviate your boredom but might also offend you," Aiden said, addressing Regulus-Aerum.
"As long as I can help, Aiden-sama, I will gladly do so. And if you can ease my boredom, I would help even more… It's no longer fun to be here with nothing to do… Fighting other spirits is not entertaining either. And it's not as if we're summoned much to the material world… The last time I was outside Étheris was more than 10,000 years ago," Regulus-Aerum replied.
Aiden thought this would be easier than he imagined.
"I'll tell you the request, but first let me also summon Aries Prote. My offer is for him as well, although I could make the same deal to the others… just not right now," Aiden remarked as he looked in the direction of the Aries Prote constellation.
Regulus-Aerum observed him, curious.
That Aiden had come to his spiritual world after returning to what he called a modern world seemed intriguing to him.
The deal had to be interesting, at least.
Moreover, he would be willing to help Aiden if he could, especially since he hadn't been able to do so during those 100 years.
His thoughts were interrupted as Aiden summoned Aries Prote in the same way he had summoned him.
The Aries Prote constellation shone in the 'sky,' beyond the 'world.'
Then, lights resembling an aurora began to shimmer in the constellation. Mukuro, who was watching, thought it was very beautiful.
She loved the stars.
The light descended like a bolt and struck a few meters away from where Leo Pemptos Regulus-Aerum was.
From the resulting energy emerged a Divine Sheep with white fleece and black horns that shimmered with multiple colors.
The Sheep opened its crimson eyes and looked at Aiden and Mukuro, then cast a quick glance at its fellow constellation spirit and greeted Aiden and Mukuro.
"Aries Prote, the Adamantine Divine Sheep, Mesarthim-Adamas responds to your call," said the Sheep in a majestic tone.
"It's been a while, Ein Sof—," Mesarthim-Adamas began to say, but he was interrupted.
"I'm glad to see you too, Aries Prote, but you can call me Aiden, as I've asked you before. You can also call Mukuro by her name," Aiden clarified.
"Yes~," lamented the Sheep, wishing it had made a grander entrance like Regulus-Aerum, but settled for the fact that Aiden had added a greeting.
Then, it briefly greeted Regulus-Aerum, since although they didn't see each other often, they had millions of years, and two years without seeing each other was just a fraction of their time.
After that, Aiden began to tell them how things had gone for him since he left Elicia, speaking of his world, the Gods in his world, and the supernatural world in general.
He mentioned the [Sacred Gears] and then made them a proposal: gaining freedom by becoming independent avatar-type [Sacred Gears].
Aiden gave them 50 reasons to accept, as though he were selling them a property.
This left Mukuro, Regulus-Aerum, and Mesarthim-Adamas speechless, but in the end…
"I'm in. Your world sounds fun," Regulus-Aerum agreed without much hesitation.
"Same as Leo Pemptos. I want to fight a God if possible. With your tool, that one called [Sacred Gear], maybe I can unleash my true strength alongside you," Mesarthim-Adamas said, also agreeing.
Aiden nodded happily, thinking:
'Pokémon obtained… I mean, companions.'
Just as Aiden was about to pull out the [Sacred Gear] cores, a voice from afar interrupted, accompanied by a wind so strong it destroyed the floating rocks hundreds of meters away.
"Aiden-chan~~~!!" The tiny fairy flew toward him at supersonic speed.
"Stupid girl, causing destruction," commented the Divine Sheep with annoyance but did nothing about it.
Aiden smiled upon seeing the little fairy.
Moments later, the tiny fairy Sylphide crashed directly into Aiden's face, giving him kisses as a greeting.
"It's been so long~. You're such bad kids~! Two years without coming to see me! Ah, Mukuro-chan~, I missed you too," Sylphide said, giving Mukuro kisses on her cheeks.
But when she touched her body, she froze and opened her eyes wide.
"You… have a body…?" she asked, surprised.
Mukuro nodded with a smile.
"Yes, Nushi-sama was able to fulfill his promise," she replied.
Sylphide screamed joyfully around her, full of excitement for Mukuro.
"I'm so happy for you!"
After that, Mukuro began talking with Sylphide about her days in Draconic Deus, and Sylphide listened attentively, completely fascinated.
She also told her about the independent avatar-type [Sacred Gears], which made Sylphide even more excited as she expressed her desire to go to Draconic Deus as one of those avatars.
However, Aiden intervened and told her it wasn't possible for now, but she didn't need to worry, as he would take her when the time came.
The truth was that Aiden saw Sylphide as a close friend, a sort of older sister who always took care of the girls.
It wasn't surprising, considering Sylphide had lived for millions of years.
Anyway, Aiden pulled out the two [Sacred Gear] cores and approached Regulus-Aerum and Mesarthim-Adamas.
"Then… I'll begin now. Don't resist; it will feel like I'm touching your soul, but don't resist," Aiden reminded them calmly.
"Understood!" responded the Golden Lion and the Adamantine Divine Sheep in unison.
…
…
…
[***]
End of chapter.
(•_•)
A/N:
Origami is pretty wild sometimes.
Anyway, Aiden ended up going to Étheris, the spirit world.
I want to clarify this: the spirit world in 'Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni' isn't exactly as I wrote it in this fanfic, and spirits reincarnate into other forms when they die.
In the original material, there's not much information about this dimension, so I decided to expand it a little.
Anyway, this world exists mainly to provide background for the [Sacred Gears], so it's not something that matters too much.
Even so, I think it turned out pretty well…
Here's an image of Regulus-Aerum:
[Image]
And another of Mesarthim-Adamas:
[Image]
(They don't belong to me).
Reading your comments really motivates me a lot.
Thanks for reading~!
Peace out.
*
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