Capítulo 309: 20
Chapter 20: The Undertaker
Keijutsu was broken out of his reverie by the sound of a knock at his front door. Putting aside the folder in front of him, he called "Come in," and looked towards the door.
Walking through it was Sona, who had Tsubaki behind her and was wearing an expression between amusement and exasperation. "You haven't shown up to class for almost a week, Kei-san. I understand that you've done well in your classes this year, but you should finish on a high note instead of being absent for the last week," she told him.
The Artificer blinked before looking at his digital watch, which also had the date on it. Sure enough, five days had passed since he last looked at it. "Whoops. My mistake, Kaichou. I've been so focused on reading through all this that I just.. forgot about everything else," he said, gesturing to the many stacks of papers that were scattered amongst his formerly-clean apartment. Also seated there were Suzuno, who Keijutsu had tasked with helping him go through it all, and Lilium, wearing a simple white sleeveless dress, who had volunteered.
Sona raised an eyebrow and picked up one of the papers. Just looking at it briefly, she could see phrases related to the sealing of powerful creatures, discussions on various materials and their effects on magic, and some small mention of Dragons. Looking at the rest of the stacks, she asked "Are these all the copies of research notes that Azazel said he'd give you?"
"Indeed they are. Despite having seen his work firsthand with that Down Fall Dragon Spear, I still underestimated just how much work he put into making that artificial Sacred Gear. I've been comparing what I've been reading to my own research notes as I've been reading, and some of the things Azazel's looked into is decades ahead of where I was," he said, starting to grin. "I'd call getting all of this a complete God-send if I didn't know God had nothing to do with it."
Sona chuckled, pleased to see her Bishop so happy. But all good things couldn't last forever, and she nodded to Tsubaki. Her Queen nodded and held her hand out. The papers in Keijutsu's hands glowed before flying out his grip, eliciting a surprised "Hey!" from him as they flew towards her hands. "Research or no research, today is the last day of school before the summer break. The fact that you never made it to class means you were never able to introduce Lilium to anyone else; you need to at least show up to class today," Tsubaki explained.
Lilium nodded. "Which is exactly why I elected not to tell Father how much time had passed; the less time I am at school and have to wear that ridiculously short skirt, the happier I am," she stated, smiling victoriously.
Keijutsu gave his daughter a flat stare. Even now, she was still upset about that? 'Then again, despite having the body of a sixteen-year old and an intelligence far beyond that, she had still been alive for less than a month. Her emotional growth will probably take time,' he thought, before sighing. "I suppose you're right. Suzuno, while I'm gone, can you organize thse notes by date and have them all taken to my office in the lab?" he requested.
The former Inquisitor nodded. "Consider it done," she replied.
Keijutsu nodded back and stood up, stretching. There were several distinct popping sounds as he did, making him blink. 'I really did sit here, reading notes for five days straight,' he thought. The fact that he wasn't ever tired after doing so could only be attributed to that increase stamina on account of being a Devil. However…. He quickly sniffed his sleeve and nearly gagged.
"Now that just won't do," he said aloud and held a hand towards and over his chest. There was a small flash of light, a small drain on his reserves, and his clothes and body were abruptly cleaned, as good as is he had just come out of the shower. Ah, the joys of magic. "Alright, I'm ready to go."
Sona grunted and was about to grunt when Lilium spoke up. "Wait a moment! Father, may I accompany you?" she asked.
All three Devils stared at her, with Tsubaki being the one to ask "I thought you abhorred the idea of going to school?"
"Oh, no, I just find the required uniforms to be ridiculous. But I've never actually seen a school or been to one before, so I'd be delighted to come along as on observer. I can even remain unseen if needed," she stated. Then, to prove her point, she clasped her hands together and called "Greater Invisibility!"
Before their eyes, the light around Lilium seemed to bend and warp before settling down, leaving her nowhere to be seen. "Now may I join you?" she asked, her voice emanating from where she had been standing.
Now everyone in attendance was staring. Tsubaki, not knowing Lilium's real age, was fairly impressed with the girl's apparent skill with magic. Sona and Suzuno, who did know, were completely blown away, especially since they knew that Lilium had yet to receive any formal training in magic. Did the information given to her by the Book of Knowledge even extend to include knowledge about magic?
Keijutsu, while similarly shocked, was also wondering one other thing. "Did you just copy that spell from Dungeons & Dragons?" he asked.
Although they couldn't see it, Lilium nodded. "Yes, I did. I came across your copy of the Player's Handbook, and thought that some of the spells in there were interesting enough that I would try to replicate them. So far, it's worked out wonderfully," she told him.
That caused the color to slightly drain from Keijutsu's face. A girl with as much intelligence as Lilium's, who possessed very few emotional hang-ups about experimenting with magic, and who had access to a trove of spells as vast as the list from D&D… Oh, dear. What if she figured how to use spells like 'Control Weather' or 'Power Word Kill'?
Putting the potential world-breaking implications of such a thing aside, he looked he presumed Lilium was still standing. "I suppose there's no reason for you to not come. Is there, Kaichou?" he asked.
Sona jumped, broken out of her shock by his words. "Well…" she said, hastily collecting herself. "As long as you maintain the spell and avoid interacting with anyone, I'll allow it. Come along," she said, creating a magic circle to transport them to the Student Council Room.
'Exactly why does Father enjoy going here?' Lilium questioned, sitting behind Keijutsu during class. The teacher was giving a lecture about light and its nature ad both a particle and a wave. Something that she, thankfully, was already aware of. Heck, it was the fact that light could behave like a wave that her current state of invisibility was even possible. It seemed that Keijutsu had already read about the subject as well, given the blank stare he had directed at chalkboard.
As established, if Lilium did not consider something to be logically coherent, whether that be an established rule or someone else's opinion, she did consider the object of consideration to be of any value. This was, she surmised, a combination of the fact that the knowledge in her was almost entirely academic in nature along with the value Keijutsu himself paced upon logical arguments. So, if her Father already knew what was being taught in this class, she saw no value in him staying. Or in her staying, for that matter.
With that in mind, Lilium approached the door and-remembering Sona's orders not to interact with anything—waited for someone else to enter or exit. She got her chance once a student requested to go to the restroom, and she slipped out behind them. Deciding to examine another of the classroom, just to see whether or not the class her Father was in was the exception and not the rule—Lilium opened the door to a random room and walked in.
This room, it seemed, was a free period, as there were only a handful on students in here, with most of them clustered and in conversation. One group, it seemed, contained a quartet of girls, one of which was blonde while another had blue hair with a streak of green. Curious, she came closer to the group of girls, careful to maintain her invisibility spell.
"Alright, Asia-san, spill. What kind of plans do you have for summer break?" one of the girl, a brunette, asked.
Asia smiled. "Well, to be honest, I've never had a break this long before, so I'm not sure," she admitted. The blue-haired girl quickly agreed with the sentiment, as did the other two girls, which made Lilium raise an eyebrow. These girls had never experienced summer break either? Was they also artificially made humans?
Whatever they had been about to say was drowned out by one of the male students, who had shouted "Last day of school, you jive-ass suckas!"
Lilium raised her other eyebrow and moved closer. Also with the shouting boy was one with dark hair and glasses, as well as a boy with brown hair and red shirt. Once she was within about ten feet of the boy with the red shirt, however, Lilium went stiff as a board. 'What in the world… Why is this boy releasing a massive amount of power? He looks like a regular human,' she thought.
Could he be a Devil, like her Father and Sona? Were the other students Devils as well, and she just hadn't gotten close enough to sense them as well? If only she hadn't been ordered to maintain her 'Greater Invisibility' spell. Otherwise, she could use another spell to tell if there were any Devils, Angels, undead, fey or elementals around her, including this boy in front of her.
"And you guys know what that means. Sexy summertime and bathing suits!" the strange boy said, causing Lilum's surprised stare to turn flat. A Devil. Definitely a Devil.
Not interested in hearing any perverted rants or speeches, Lilium quickly made her exit. To her, what she had just heard solidified her opinion that, for her, attending school would be a complete waste of time. Thankfully, this school year was ending before she could tart, so she had some time before then.
Perhaps the reason Keijutsu attended was out of obligation to Sona, the girl who had been helping Father coach her in how to act like a normal human being? Not only was Keijutsu her servant, technically speaking, but the two of them also seemed to be attracted to one another, from what Lilium could see.
It was a natural idea—even though Devils were fundamentally different than humans, both still possess the desire to propagate their species and leave behind a biological legacy, one that would continue on once they died. And it made further sense, at least to Lilium, that the chances of that occurring were highest if those Devils with the highest natural intelligence procreated with each other. So, putting the issue of emotions and romantic attraction aside—something she honestly had no end of trouble contemplating—it made perfect sense to Lilium for Keijutsu and Sona to form a relationship with each other.
Unfortunately, despite the logical sense in this, it seemed that neither of them were yet aware of their attraction for each other. Or least, her father wasn't. Sona, it seemed, was finally starting to realize it, but nothing would come of it unless Keijutsu did as well. And if there was something Lilium Hatsume would not stand for, it was for someone that mattered to her to act on incomplete information.
Therefore, it would fall on her to ensure that Keijutsu became aware of his romantic attraction to Sona Sitri. And likewise, Sona would need to finish becoming aware of her own attraction to Keijutsu Hatsume. Now, the only question that remained was how to go about making that happen. Maybe that woman who Sona asked to help make Lilium a student could help. What was her name—Serafall, was it?
Several hours later…
Keijutsu hummed as he walked back home from school with Lilium behind him, no longer concealed by her spell. The sun was starting to set, painting everything in brilliant shades of red, yellow and orange. On a whim, he had chosen to take a route through the park on the way back to his apartment. The fountain placed in the center of it gleamed like a hundred jewels and, combined with the tress surrounding the walkway, created a picturesque scene of nature and beauty.
In retrospect, Keijutsu should have expected something to ruin this moment of peace. Ever since becoming a Devil, any extended period of peace he experienced was interrupted by some new enemy, or something to that effect. So, really, he supposed it should have come at no shock when he heard a voice begin speaking up from behind him and Lilium.
"Well, well, looks like I've finally found you, haven't I~?"
Both Keijutsu and Lilium turned around, coming face-to-face with one of the most odd-appearing individuals he had seen since Serafall. It was a tall man of grayed skin and indeterminate age, wearing a predominantly black robe, a gray scarf strapped across his chest, and a long black top hat. His eyes were covered by the bangs of his long gray hair, with a single braid on the right. Most noticeably, there was a scar that ran diagonally across his face from the right side and, presumably, over his left eye.
What considered Keijutsu that most, however, was the amount of power that seemed to be radiating from this stranger. From what he could sense, this man was easily on par with any High Class Devil, possibly even Ultimate Class. But despite this, the energy he was giving off wasn't holy or unholy energy in nature, meaning that he wasn't an Angel, Fallen Angel or Devil. And that, more than anything else, put Keijutsu on edge.
Deciding that diplomacy would be the best approach at the moment, Keijutsu bowed his head briefly. "Good afternoon, sir. My name is Keijutsu Hatsume. May I ask as to why you were looking for me?" he asked.
The stranger grinned and shot forward, almost blurring from the speed at which he moved. Keijutsu tensed in preparation for an attack, but it was apparently unnecessary, as it was Lilium that he stopped in front of.
Grabbing her arm, and showcasing his long black nails in the process, he said "When I snuck back into the Cinematic Archives to take a gander, I thought my eyes were deceiving me. But it's true! A brand-new human life, popping up right out of nowhere, already grown and interacting with the world! If I didn't know that Michael doesn't have this kind of power, I'd think it was a gift from the heavens!"
Lilium frowned and raised an eyebrow at the strange man holding her arm. "Would you be so kind as to release me?" she said frankly.
He did just that, only to grasp her face and turn it to the side, leaning in closer. "Hmm… An articulate response, too. Working pulse… reaction to physical stimuli… A working human life. How extraordinary!" he said, shouting that last part.
Lilium frowned further and extended her other hand at the stranger. With barely a twitch, her Power of Destruction manifested in the form of a burning red-black orb, one which she immediately at the man touching her.
The orb hit him and went right through, disintegrating skin, muscle, blood and everything else that it touched before exiting out his back, leaving a gaping hole behind. That finally got him to let her go, but other than a small frown, he didn't even seemed to be fazed by the attack. "Now, now, was that really necessary?" he asked rhetorically.
Keijutsu chose that time to approach, one hand behind his back and ready to conjure a spell if needed. "I'll ask you again: Why are you looking for me? And moreover, who even are you?" he questioned.
The stranger looked over at him. "Who, me? Oh, you can call me 'Undertaker'. As for why I was looking for you, I was actually trying to find that fascinating lass beside you. You see, I'm rather intrigued by humans and their lives as a whole. You could even call me a researcher, if you want," he explained.
Keijutsu grunted. 'It's just like Azazel warned. The moment I perform any act of research worth noticing, others would start paying attention and coming out of the woodwork,' he thought. Out loud, he said "I see. An fellow researcher, what is your area of interest?"
At that, Undertaker regained his somewhat-manic grin. "What interests me? Why, nothing less than the fundamental premises of life and death itself!" he exclaimed, sweeping his arm wide. "Humans live such very short lives. Compared to other being, like Gods or Devils, their lives are like a tiny candle, flickering for an instant before sputtering out. But in that instant, they shine like the brightest stars!"
Then, he looked at Keijutsu directly. "What makes them so special like they burn so brightly and briefly? Why does their short lives have to end like they do? And most importantly, what if that end… had a continuation?" he said.
The Artificer blinked. "A continuation? Do you mean a life after death? Or life never ending in the first place?"
"I mean if that life were to not end, but go on forever. Think of the sum of a human's life and its memories like a film reel. A 'Cinematic Record', if you will. Once someone dies, they don't make any new memories as a living person, so their Record ends. But what if someone could take memories and add them onto someone else's Record, even after they were supposed to have died. Wouldn't that person then still be considered living?" Undertaker explained.
Keijutsu was silent, contemplating this. Not only was it an interesting question, but it was also of apparently great importance to Undertaker. If he gave an answer that wasn't liked, it would mean his death. "Somewhat, yes. I understand the idea of a person's life being represented as the sum of all their memories. But memories themselves are subjective, and viewed differently from an outsider than whoever they belong to. So even if someone had memories of a time after they had died, that wouldn't objectively be the same as living after death. Just that the person would 'believe' they were alive."
Undertaker's grin became even wider. "Yes, that's exactly right!" he said, making Keijutsu resist sighing in relief. "Even if I were to create some artificial memories and tack them onto the end of someone's Cinematic Record, that wouldn't be the same as them living after dying. No, what I'm missing from the equation is the soul of the person. Once they've died, that's all gone. So even if the body and memories remain, without the soul, it wouldn't be the same, no matter how lifelike I tried to make them," he said.
'Tried to make them…' Keijutsu thought, feeling a chill run down his spine. "Wait. You mean you've actually been able to take these 'Cinematic Records' and manipulate them to have contain implanted memories?" he asked.
"But of course! If we can't see access someone's Cinematic Records, how are Grim Reapers like us suppose to pass judgement on the dead?" Undertaker responded.
That was went both Keijutsu and Lilium's eyes went huge. This insane man standing before them.. was a Grim Reaper?! That certainly explained the large amount of power they were sensing, but still. Lilium looked over at Keijutsu, her gaze simply stating 'We should leave. Now.' And Keijutsu was very much inclined to agree.
"Well, I'm glad to have answered your questions. Now, if you don't mind, I'll just be go-" he began, creating a teleportation circle large enough for him and Lilium even as he was talking.
Only for Undertaker to move forward at that blindingly fat speed once again, this time grabbing Keijutsu by the shoulders. "Hold on a minute! You're the one that created this lass here, am I right?" he demanded.
Not wanting to find out how well a Grim Reaper was at detecting a lie, Keijutsu simply nodded. "Wonderful! Then I have something I must show you!" Undertaker replied. He reached out to the right with one arm, seeming to grasp at empty air. Then there was a burst of green light, which resolved into a massive scythe. It was longer than even Undertaker was tall, with a miniature skull and ribcage adorning it, wrapped in thorny vines. The spine of the skeleton transitioned into the handle, which ended with a lower backbone, and a long curved silver blade grew out of the black of the skull.
Undertaker gave the scythe a twirl before slamming the butt of it against the ground, causing another burst of green light to surround the both of them. Lilium instinctually covered her eyes to avoid being blinded. The light persisted for several seconds before finally fading, and she was free to look. However, when she did, she saw that both Undertaker and Keijutsu were gone, leaving only a small indentation in the ground to mark that they were ever there.
"Hmm… This is not good," Lilium stated simply. Then, without another moment's hesitation, she resumed walking towards the apartment. Father probably kept a way to contact Sona there, and if he did, she would definitely need to use it.
When the light from Undertaker's scythe finally faded, Keijutsu looked around to see where he had been taken. From the looks of it, it was a regular funeral home, albeit one from the Victorian era. The walls were and had lines of coffins of differing sizes leaning up against them, the floor was made of dark stone, there was a counter where Undertaker would speak with customers, and a single door that led further into the establishment.
No longer in the mood for games after he had been just kidnapped, Keijutsu plainly said "Alright, where the hell am I now?"
Undertaker grinned. "This is my own personal shop, right in the heart of London. People who's loved ones had died bring them here, and I make them beautiful again!" he said, spreading his arms wide.
Keijutsu raised an eyebrow. London, was it? So, not only was this insane man a Grim Reaper, but he was also one powerful from nearly one side of the planet to another instantaneously. His chances of escape were dwindling by the minute. Despite that, one part of his mind couldn't help but think 'Actually, wasn't the Black Biblioprincess, the one that oversees the Mystic Archives of Dantalian, supposed to be living somewhere in England?' Maybe, if he was lucky, he could see her while he was here.
Undertaker recaptured his attention, saying "But that's not why I brought you here. Follow me." Walking over to the door that led further in, he procured a golden key with the bow in shape of skull—making Keijutsu internally wince at the cliché—before placing it in the lock. With a slight groan and what sounded like the grinding of ancient gears, the door swung open. Behind it were a set of steps leading beneath the shop. And now that the door was open, Keijutsu could hear what it had blocked before—the sounded of multiple growls, snarls and human groans.
Undertaker quickly began descending the steps, and Keijutsu decided it would be wisest to follow. Despite this, he kept his arms behind his back, ready to call forth a spell at a moment's notice. As they went further down, Keijutsu also became aware of something else—the scent of rotting flesh and large amounts of blood.
At the bottom of the stairs was another door, one which Undertaker again unlocked before holding it open for him. "After you, Mr. Hatsume," he said.
Keijutsu stared at him, unmoving. After a moment, Undertaker's smile faded. "What? You think I went through all the trouble of looking for you so that I could kill you?" he asked. When Keijutsu simply raised an eyebrow, he sighed. "No trust nowadays…" he muttered, before walking in. This time, Keijutsu entered as well.
Inside was a massive stone room, far too large for how far underground they were, making Keijutsu suspect some sort of enchantment. They was a pair of examination tables in the center not unlike what you'd find in a mortuary, with several tables containing various sets of tools and equipment of to side.
One such table had multiple cutting instruments and sets of pliers, presumably for cutting open and extracting pieces from corpses. Another had items you'd find in a chemistry labs, from Bunsen burners to Erlenmeyer flasks and rows upon rows of test tubes. And one, oddly enough, had stacks of books on subjects from medical science to…Confucianism? What the hell?
What drew his most attention, however, were the sets of cages hanging from the ceiling, which were source of all the noises he had been hearing. Looking closer at them, he nearly doubled back in shock. Standing in each cage, wandering around aimlessly, were people. But these people had blindfolds on, one and all, and their bodies were in varying states of decay. One appeared to simply pale, while another had half its face missing and its fingers had been reduced to just bone.
Upon his appearance, however, each of these creatures suddenly perked up, before their groan increases as they reached towards him through the bars of their cages, somehow knowing he was there despite not being able to see.
Looking over at Undertaker, who was standing next to one of the examination tables, he asked "What the hell are these things?!"
Smiling much more softly now, the Grim Reaper said "I call them Bizarre Dolls. They are the end products of my attempts to sustain life after death, what happens when you attach fake memories to the end of someone's Cinematic Record. Aren't they beautiful?"
Keijutsu looked back up at the groaning, decaying undead, and then back at the Undertaker. When he saw that, yes, he was serious, Keijutsu decided to avoid answering the question and risk upsetting his captor. "So why have you brought me here?" he instead asked.
Undertaker sighed. "Like I said, after all my years of working, I was never able to perfectly recreate life for any of my Bizarre Dolls. Despite their beauty, they no longer have real souls, just a body and sets of memories. But you, you've managed to do what only the gods have done before, and that is create a brand new life from scratch!"
'Technically, it was really just a combination of artificial fertilization and cloning. I didn't make Lilium completely from nothing,' Keijutsu thought, but decided not to say that.
"So, what I need your help for is to take the next step needed to make my Dolls truly alive. I need you to help me figure out how to create a working soul, one that can be implanted inside a body and give it true life," Undertaker told him, his expression now deadly serious.
Keijutsu's eyes widened. "Wait. You… want me… to create a soul!?' he nearly shouted. "I haven't even made a Sacred Gear yet! A soul is above and beyond anything I've done before. How in the world am I suppose to accomplish that?!"
Undertaker shrugged. "I didn't say the job would be easy. Heck, I've been trying for centuries and never quite made it. But I'm not unreasonable; I'd be quite wiling to compensate you for your work," he said easily.
Despite himself, the Devil in him made Keijutsu pause. "…Compensate me how?" he asked.
"Well, figuring out how to make a soul is the last piece I need to make my Dolls truly alive, which is my life's dream. If you help complete that dream, I'd be perfectly willing to do whatever is necessary to help you achieve any dream of your own. Even if it means joining that…what was it Devil's have? A persona… A personnel… A peer group?" Undertaker muttered, frowning.
Keijutsu's eyes widened. "You mean a peerage?"
"Yes, a peerage, that's it!" Undertaker said, snapping his fingers and smiling. "If you help me figure out how to construct a soul, I'll become a part of your peerage, and place my abilities at your disposal. Sound like a fair trade?" he offered.
Keijutsu was silent, thinking. A Grim Reaper, one who was possibly an par with an Ultimate-Class Devil, offering to be a part of his peerage? Of course, Keijutsu didn't exactly have a peerage yet, on account of being not being a High-Class Devil. But… He looked back up. "Given the amount of time it's taken you alone to get this far with your research, I'm assuming this request has no deadline, correct?"
Undertaker shrugged. "I don't seen the need for one. Being a Grim Reaper means that I am effectively immortal, and you being a Devil means that you'll be alive for at least a few millennia. As long as you agree to help me create a soul, and I know you're actively working on it, I won't worry about the time it takes," he explained.
The Artificer nodded. So, even though he didn't have the build to form a peerage now, he could obtain ranking as a High-Class and obtain a set of Evil Pieces in the meantime. It would probably be better if he tried to do so anyway—while having more power wasn't something Keijutsu was actively concerned over, having more would make things like his research easier. So, while he was essentially being forced to take on a new project, there was no deadline for it, so he could work on other projects, like his Sacred Gear research, at the same time.
That just left one other question. "Would I be able to go back and further between my home office and here as needed in order to work on this?" he asked.
Undertaker was silent for a moment, contemplating the idea. Eventually, he nodded. "I generally keep the doors to my laboratory locked at all times, but I can arrange to have a copy of the key made for you. Just be sure not to let anyone else in here," he warned.
Keijutsu grunted. "Then in that case, as long as you return me back to Kuoh, I'll accept your offer, and work to help you build a working soul," he stated.
That caused the largest smile he had seen yet to appear on Undertaker's face. Once again moving at unnatural speeds. He shot forward and grasped Keijutsu's right hand in both of his own, shaking it vigorously. "Wonderful! I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am for this! With both of us working together, we'll figure this out in less than a decade! You'll see!" he said happily.
Hesitantly, Keijutsu shook Undertaker's hand as well, all the while thinking 'What have I gotten myself into?'
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder