บท 9: Not an alarmist but forewarned is forearmed
Once the house was in order, I retreated to one of the bedrooms on the second floor. Closing the door softly behind me, I leaned against it, letting out a quiet breath. Having a place to call my own, even if just temporarily, gave me an unexpected sense of peace—a gentle, grounding calm that I hadn't realized I needed. I wasn't sure what the future held, but for now, this little brownstone offered a sanctuary, a place to pause and finally let my guard down, if only a little.
Drawing the curtains, I sat on the edge of the bed. I bounced lightly, indulging my inner child's impulse to test the mattress, before letting myself fall back onto it. Staring up at the ceiling, I could see the glow of sunset spilling through the large windows. The last rays dipped below the rooftops, casting long shadows across the room. "Yellow Sun… very different from our Red Dwarf back on Krypton," I muttered. "As I thought, empowerment by solar radiation is slow and gradual. Meanwhile, I need ways to protect myself that don't scream 'mutant.' Getting tangled up with that bunch is not on my agenda. I don't need the extra scrutiny!"
Tonight, I would start organizing my personal arsenal. My weapons cache wasn't a dusty armory but sophisticated spatial technology. With a mental command, I could summon anything I needed—from everyday items to a complex array of weaponry—either placing it directly in my hands or suspending it nearby, ready for any situation.
[Connect to Weapon Cache]
A soothing voice echoed in her mind, seemingly emanating from within.
— Self-coordinates set, location locked.
— Connection to weapon cache established.
— Energy transfer initiated.
The air before her shimmered, a faint hum filling the room. The worn wooden floorboards creaked subtly beneath her weight.
I could visualize the contents of my warehouse clearly in my mind:
Smith & Wesson Model 500
MP-443 Grach
Accuracy International AS50 (Origin Bullet)
Archer Rifle
Plasma Carbine
Havoc: A glossy, metallic red Desert Eagle with an infinite bullet supply and a Fire elemental affinity. Its charged attacks build intensity, culminating in an explosive ultimate attack that detonates on impact, causing devastating explosions that engulf both targets and surroundings.
Harmony: A glossy, metallic blue Desert Eagle with endless ammunition and an Ice elemental affinity. Charged attacks amplify its power, while its ultimate attack, Freeze, immobilizes targets by encasing them and the nearby area in ice.
Ivory: A chromatic silver hand cannon, inspired by Destiny, wielding a Lightning elemental force. Equipped with limitless ammunition, it unleashes charged attacks and, for its ultimate, fires a high-energy plasma beam capable of piercing defenses with immense voltage.
Ebony: A chromatic black hand cannon with a Destiny-inspired design and a Gravity elemental attribute. With unlimited ammunition, it charges to unleash its ultimate move—a black hole that pulls in and crushes targets with intense gravitational force, leaving a void in its wake.
Flintlock (Kurumi/White Queen): A weapon imbued with Time and Space elemental powers, enabling the manipulation of temporal and spatial dimensions to disrupt, stop, reverse, slow, or even warp time and space.
Musket (Kurumi): A weapon harnessing the power of darkness and shadows. By targeting an opponent's shadow, it inflicts damage regardless of any defenses. Charged attacks deliver massive damage, but there is a significant drawback: charging bullets requires considerable time. The musket also has a secondary attack that immobilizes an enemy's shadow, effectively locking them in place.
Saber (White Queen): A blade infused with Time and Space attributes, granting it the rare ability to slice through both time and space.
Dragon Cutter (Growth Type): A weapon with the power to absorb magical energy and amplify it. As a growth-type weapon, it increases its absorption capacity and enhances its magical attack potency over time, becoming increasingly formidable with continued use.
Iustitia (Ego) (Growth Type): A Light and Lightning elemental weapon with versatile and powerful abilities. It can sever nearly all forms of energy-based attacks and, under specific conditions, reflect them back at the source. With unlimited capacity for amplifying light and lightning, it offers extreme piercing power and can potentially nullify any defense. Additionally, it can change size to adapt to varying combat scenarios.
DawnBreaker and MorningStar (Evolve Type): Twin hammers modeled after Mjolnir with transformative abilities. They can alter shape and weight to meet different combat needs. These hammers absorb and store all types of energy, enabling powerful, energy-infused attacks when released.
Elemental Staff: A staff that commands all elements, capable of gradually sealing the elemental powers of opponents under its control.
Staff of One
Excalibur: Sword of Promised Victory
Kanshou and Bakuya: Gān Jiàng and Mò Yé
Bow of Hydra
Gáe Bolg
Etc
…
Selecting the items I wanted—guns and blades—I reached into the shimmering field. A cool, tingling sensation spread over my hand as I grasped something solid, pulling back to reveal a black, gleaming handgun, the very one I'd snatched from the rooftop. With just a thought, the gun faded back into the shimmering field, disappearing from view as smoothly as it had appeared.
After retrieving and inspecting a few more firearms, a steady sense of readiness settled over me. "These guns are powerful enough to stop most baddies in this universe—if not outright kill them," I chirped, running my fingers over Ebony, remembering the time it had saved my life. A vivid image of a mutant zombie dog flashed before me—the relief I felt when its head imploded from a tiny black hole I'd unleashed, seconds before it could sink its teeth into me.
Next, I took out the Staff of One, its familiar weight evoking some dark nostalgia. "We've had some good times… and bad times," I muttered, recalling how a certain Dark Lord had once been terrified of this thing. "Too bad I get an evil vibe from you," I added wryly, Probably because I'd bent the "any spell once" rule by reprojecting it continuously and turning it into the real deal with Virtual Substance. Smirking, I stashed away my now-dubbed "Evil Stick." I'd only use it if I absolutely had to; it felt like all my worst luck was due to it.
Then, a familiar, electric thrill surged through me as I grasped the hilt of the next weapon. "Iustitia," the name whispered in my mind as I beheld the gleaming white nodachi. Nearly 1.7 meters in length, its faint luminescence brightened the dim room. Its design reminded me of the "Virtuos Treaty," sharing that same elegance, though this sword's size and pristine beauty were all its own. Beside the bed, the nightstand looked tiny in comparison.
"The sword's taller than I am," I murmured, amused as I hefted it. Yet, despite its length, it felt perfectly balanced, like a seamless extension of my arm. A rush of energy flowed through me as I channeled power into the blade, enveloping it in a soft white glow that reflected off the cracked ceiling plaster. "Why am I so short?" I joked, swinging the nodachi and watching it blur into a white streak. Its refined beauty belied its lethal potential, and a thrill stirred within me. This was my weapon, one worthy of me. I swung it again, savoring the memories of when I'd first earned it.
As I polished its pristine edge, Ais came to mind. "Thanks for those spars, Ais," I murmured. "If it weren't for that indestructible sword of yours actually getting damaged, I wouldn't have met the Hephaestus Familia, nor would I have received this sword as a gift from their goddess." With a smile, I tossed "Iustitia" skyward, watching it dissolve into golden particles just before reaching the ceiling, returning to my cache. "And you were right, Hephaestus," I added, still smiling. "This sword really does feel like it has a connection to me."
Finally, I retrieved Gáe Bolg, the spear Scáthach had gifted me when she took me on as her student. Sadly, I hadn't seen the end of the Grail War. "I wonder if your instructions would still work in a different universe," I mused, thinking how it could prove Titania's theory that the universes I'd visited were interconnected. With a sigh, I stored the spear, my mind wandering to my quasi-lover and Servant, Okita. She'd had no wish of her own, only the desire to help me win the Fifth Grail War and attain the Third Magic. "One day, when I've mastered Soul Magic and Soul Synchronization, I'll summon you and give you a body," I murmured softly, clutching her catalyst, a rusty katana, but when Okita is summoned it returns to its former glory.
...
After a warm shower, I returned to the bedroom with one thing on my mind—sleep. Sure, a few other thoughts were rattling around, like what that silvery-white light had been and the energy signature I was apparently emitting. But I tried my best to ignore all that. My only real dilemma now was whether to go to bed with or without a bra. Normally, the choice would be obvious—without. Wearing a bra to bed was a terrible idea, but in my hurry to leave the clothing store, I hadn't bought any pajamas. Going topless won the internal debate, and soon, I lay on the bed, ready to let sleep claim me.
"Tomorrow, I'll try to enter the Land of Shadows, following Scáthach's instructions," I murmured, my voice barely more than an echo in the room. "You can never be too prepared in this universe. If Spider-Man is the standard unit of power, I'm maybe one-tenth of a Spider-Man. Sure, I'm stronger than, say, Captain America, but that's hardly a safe margin. And let's not even start on my current age—it's a real problem."
The thought of seeking more combat training from Scáthach was tempting. I could easily spend a couple of years there and return better prepared. If that didn't pan out, I could always pay Mr. Stark a visit and go the technological route. Extracting a few essential resources wouldn't make a dent in his empire, and with the right materials, building a suit like his would be easy.
With Projection Magecraft and Virtual Substance, I could create almost anything, provided I knew the material, mechanism, and blueprint. I could conjure it all magically without lifting a finger, but my knowledge of mechanical engineering, biology, and biomechanics made it tempting to build things myself this time.
Growing tired of my musings, I cleared my mind and gazed out at the full moon shining through the nearly floor-to-ceiling window. The moon—it's so beautiful and peaceful, I thought, lying there almost like any normal teenage girl, ready to drift off with nothing but idols and homework on her mind. I sighed. Nothing could be further from the truth. A wave of loneliness swept over me; I was alone again, having lost everyone I cared about…again.
"Should I just give up and live a normal life? Grow up like any other girl, graduate, get a job, buy a house, find love, maybe even adopt a child?"
I sighed deeply. "But what's the point? Could I really ignore everything that's been my life up till now?"
Life had been good when I was an innocent girl on Krypton. Even though Titania had told me things about Krypton's future and my potential abilities, I hadn't fully believed her. Could I have done more to save my parents? No—they'd known… but why had they chosen to stay behind?
"Mom, Dad, I miss you. I'll do my best to honor the House of El… but it'll be on my own terms!"
Shifting, I decided to let everything go for just one night. My body relaxed, and I looked as though I had entered a deep slumber. Yet, I was actually slipping into a strange state—consciousness hovering between worlds.
"Where am I?" I wondered, feeling oddly at peace in the surrounding darkness. A strange sense of calm washed over me.
Then, in the distance, a flicker of light pierced the darkness, like a beacon drawing me closer. It pulsed with a soft, ethereal glow.
As I glided toward it, curiosity tightened in my mind. The silvery white light the crystal like object was emitting was unlike anything I'd encountered before, radiating a faint warmth that reminded me of a mother's embrace.
"What is this?" I whispered, cradling the light in my hands and examining it closely. "Did you save me before." I questioned it. It seemed...alive? Though I couldn't explain it, I sensed simple emotions emanating from the light. It pulsed comfortingly in response, seeking solace from the emptiness around it. I tried to communicate with it, to understand its origin and purpose, but the light didn't seem to have any complex sentience. With no other choice, I continued to drift through the darkness, attuned to the light's gentle emotions, I felt at ease, as if in my mother's embrace.
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