A Space Oddity

by J. J. Pavlov

  Then again, I have to admit that it didn't seem like he did it with malicious intent. He confirmed to me that Kamii is safe as if reporting the result of the last task I gave him. But why would he do what I can only interpret as a betrayal if he were still loyal to Maou-mama and me?

  Was it to deepen his cover with the humans? I doubt Maou-mama would order him to send me to the moon, though. After all, she waited for thirty years in this world to meet me again. It means he has his own agenda, separate from his orders.

  "You will learn soon enough." Karina concludes the conversation on her own with these words and turns around to float ahead once again.

  "Hey, don't just walk away!" I stomp in irritation. Glancing at Aurelia, I see that she's silently contemplating the same question. Why would the Witch of the End need me here? I don't think I'm powerful enough to help her oppose the false gods. Not yet, at least.

  Maybe it was just for me to learn the truth about the world from her. As an existence not from this world, I'm one of the only potential allies left. Maou-mama probably knows already, too.

  Now that I think about it, did Mithra know that I had the Golden Queen inside me? Maou-mama confirmed that he's been acting as her eyes and monitoring me on her behalf during my journey back. Is so, he must have seen me swallow Aurelia. If he's working with Karina, then he knows that the Golden Queen is practically indestructible. Since I never took her out after, he knew that she was still alive inside me when he launched me into space.

  I already considered the possibility that he was the one who told the academy that I used the transportation circle that time they confronted me. Furthermore, he may also have been the one who manipulated the teleportation that sent Asoko to the basement of the academy.

  When I think about it, could he have also been responsible for manipulating Thorvald's teleportation to send me to the Khurut Sultanate? After all, the world is big and the likelihood of ending up in the same nation where my other half is is incredibly low.

  But I came out in the middle of the desert, and if the stars hadn't aligned, I might have never even gone to Qusantinah, the capital of the sultanate. Even there, it was by pure chance that I ended up in the palace harem, where I met Asoko.

  No, it wasn't a coincidence. It was inevitable that I would go to the capital, as that was the most likely place for a transportation circle. But what about after? We had aimed for Busuwa on the other side of the Nagirah desert rather than the slightly farther away Kherak. But if not for Al-Majnun bringing us closer to the latter town, we wouldn't have gone there.

  Could it be that Al-Majnun is working with Mithra and Karina, too? After all, if not for his interference, we would have gone to Busuwa. There, we would have directly crossed the border toward Mineva, the Mineva Republic's capital, to find the next potential transportation circle. Instead, we ended up closer to our secondary target city of Kherak, from which we then went on to Kalava to stock up on clothes and supplies.

  If not for that, we wouldn't have met Adano and his family. That resulted in being brought to Castra Legionis, the location of a transportation circle, but also where I picked up Aurelia.

  But none of that reveals their motives. And without motives, all of this only amounts to speculation. It just seems too convenient to be a series of coincidence

  s, but finding connections where none exist is a decidedly human trait. Even if my body isn't, my mind still is human.

  But if it was all planned, maybe I'm too hasty in thinking that I'm at the center of it. Their actual goal could have been for Aurelia to reach the moon inside me without any of the false gods detecting her.

  That's not what Karina's words implied, though. She said that if I returned now, Mithra would send me back here; I never mentioned taking Aurelia with me. If this was about her, there would be no reason for me to get involved further.

  Shaking my head, I file the thoughts away for later when the floating witch decides to stop acting mysterious and tells me everything. There's no point in me creating a vast mental construct only for it to turn out false at its very foundations. It'll only invite disappointment.

  I look up and find that my swirling thoughts have occupied me for the rest of the way to the half-buried cube and that we're now only moments away from reaching its base. From down here, I can see that the structure is massive - too big for me to judge its height accurately, but the edges of the cube may be a kilometer in length each.

  Once again, I'm awed by Orthum's industrial potential. However, I'm also surprised that something this huge wasn't spotted by any humans when it still flew across Mundia. Maybe it had a cloaking mechanism or projected an illusion around itself to look like something else. But that it's from an era far beyond the technological capabilities of Mundia is undeniable now.

  We walk up a slope created from moon dust being pushed up after the cube's impact and come upon a black metallic wall. Karina finally floats down to our level and touches that wall, upon which a large hatch opens. It leads into a relatively long tunnel tilted by about forty-five degrees to the side and illuminated by intermittent red lamps in the walls switching on one after the other. Judging by the rails on the floor, this may have been a fighter launch tunnel.

  Soon after we enter, the hatch closes behind us without being given a command, and everything is doused in red light. That must be the color for when something is out of order. The end of the tunnel appears to be a dead-end, but knowing these kinds of mechanisms from fiction, I know that the planes were most likely raised here through the floor or slid in from either side like a bullet.

  And sure enough, Karina touches a specific spot on the wall which lights up from the inside; it's a touch panel, completely hidden unless one knows where exactly it's located. She touches several digital buttons, upon which air rushes into the tunnel and generates an atmosphere.

  Then the wall next to the panel slides open, revealing a large hangar filled with debris and wreckage. Either by makeshift design or by pure chance, a fallen walkway starts right at the edge of the opening. Due to the tilt, we would have slid down into the vast hall, but Karina floats ahead of us and steps onto that walkway.

  "I do not walk much anymore, so be careful where you step." She speaks, for the first time by using her mouth rather than telepathy. With this quick warning, she proceeds to take two steps on the walkway before floating a few inches off the ground again, expecting us to follow her. I exchange a flabbergasted look with Aurelia, who returns it with a neutral expression and goes after Karina.

  This place must be nostalgic for her, but seeing it in this state should also be a sad reminder of her past.

  The creaking walkway is able to sustain our weight, and we quickly cross it into a corridor on the other side. Luckily, it's hexagonal, so we can walk on the wall even when the entire structure is tilted. But the metal planks placed everywhere are evidence of Karina's efforts to make this place traversable before she decided to just float.

  I look around curiously, taking in the sights of this sci-fi construct. Pipes and cables are visible from where panels have been ripped out of the walls, and some places look welded shut in patchwork. The true extent of the damage only becomes evident on the inside, and it's a wonder that the galactic witch was able to make this place airtight after everything.

  Finally, Karina leads us into a lift illuminated by red lights. I'm fairly sure that means it's not safe to use it, but Aurelia doesn't have any apprehensions and climbs into it. Since it travels diagonally, it's reminiscent of a cable car rather than an actual lift. After touching a panel on the inside, the door slides halfway shut before we start moving. The rickety ride speaks volumes about the fact that it was fixed with little to no expertise.

  Suddenly, we're stuck, and even the red lights go out. Trapped in the darkness, I look around with my night vision to see the Witch of the End slam her fist against the wall. In the next moment, the power seems to switch back on, and we move again. Is this really alright?

  "Do not complain
." She seems to have read my mind and shoots me a starry but unmistakable glare. I act as if I don't know what she's talking about.

  Finally, we reach our destination, and the lift opens to a corridor that looks unexpectedly well-maintained. The regular white lights are functional, and the walls are clean. The fact that the earlier place wasn't like this means we've reached the vicinity of Karina's living quarters. She should have had enough time to clean up everything, so it just means she was too lazy to do so where she doesn't usually go.

  "Overmind?" Aurelia asks into the open but receives no answer.

  "That is another part that Orthum took with him." Karina replies. I assume that this Overmind is the onboard computer or even artificial intelligence. It does make sense for the Mage of the Beginning to take that away.

  "Then what have you brought us here for?" The Golden Queen crosses her arms and asks the question I've posed a few times before but never gotten an answer to.

  "To teach you." This reply is directed at me rather than the one who asked. Then she turns to Aurelia. "After all, there is nothing more for you to improve on, young queen."

  "Teach me what?" I suppress the urge to comment on Karina calling Aurelia 'young queen' even though the latter is hundreds of years old.

  "You may have heard that the so-called champions of the gods can cast magic without speaking incantations." She explains while floating ahead once again, naturally expecting us to follow. I never heard such a thing, but if she says it, it must be the truth. "That is because they are tapping into the powers of the false gods."

  "What is that?" Although I'm intrigued, I wonder about utilizing a power the false gods are more used to when fighting against them. It's the same as challenging the academy in a magic battle when they're all masters who had decades to train.

  "Think of it as belief." Karina responds in a mysterious tone. "It is the difference between offering a prayer to invoke divine intervention and believing that it will happen regardless of your actions."

  "That doesn't tell me anything." I've never been a religious person. I would visit the shrine on the first morning of the new year, and pray to an undefined higher power that what I selectively studied before the test would be called upon. But I never truly believed in anything except for my own abilities, especially when it came to things I was good at.

  "It was a simple example. There is a better one right beside you." Referring to Aurelia without turning around, Karina explains. "She has been using that power from birth."

  The golden girl doesn't seem surprised at this revelation, so she must have been aware of that already. Her incredibly precise control over gold is a manifestation of that power. A power they braved all the dangers on their way to the moon to erase. In other words, Aurelia and Karina would have died if they had succeeded, as they would have lost their powers to survive in space. It only goes to show that they had that much resolve to exact revenge and bring freedom to the world.

  "Are you saying I could learn to control gold as well?" I raise an eyebrow in a skeptical expression; I don't really see the point in doing what Aurelia can when she has hundreds of years more experience in it. And even if I did, I would most likely mess with her control.

  "That may be a good start." Shrugging, Karina gives me a vague answer in the affirmative. "But as a Crawling Chaos, you have another method of growing stronger."

  So she knows about my kind's ability to steal genetic templates and transform into shapes better suited for different situations. Is she implying that I could get her template and skip the learning process?

  "The false gods are merely using technology. All you would get from eating me is my appearance." As if having read my mind again, Karina shuts down my idea on the spot. I guess this was such an obvious thought to have that she didn't even need to look at my face to know it had entered my mind.

  Currently, my most powerful template is Kiamedras, and even that stood no chance against Aurelia. Considering he was sent by Kael, it's safe to say that he's capable of killing a dragon or two without much effort as well.

  In either case, I have too little information about the false gods. Orthum seems to be incredibly intelligent and possesses sheer limitless resources. But that doesn't tell me anything about his direct combat abilities - if he has any in the first place. The same is true for all the others, though I assume they can cast all affinities without incantations.

  "W-what are these?" Aurelia breathes in sharply and asks in a distressed voice when we step through the doorway and into the hall.

  It pulls me out of my thoughts; she hasn't sounded as disturbed even when she saw my real appearance in battle, so something to make her lose her cool must be truly terrifying. As I look around, I find misshapen and unsightly creatures, bipedal and otherwise, standing around or moving sluggishly without aim. None of them seem to have taken notice of us.

  "Leftovers from Orthum's attempts at being a creator god." Karina explains in a tone filled with pity. "Those you see here cannot die, even after centuries of torment."

  So they are unfinished creations that were left in the vats when Aurelia and the champions commandeered the sanctum. They must have been broken out when the cube impacted the moon, and some survived despite their shortcomings. I glare at the Witch of the End with an angry expression.

  "Why didn't you put them out of their misery then?" I ask in an accusing tone.

  "I tried." Is all she says with an expressionless face. But underneath it all, I glean a hint of sadness and despair.

  "Are they..." Aurelia's eyes widen in apparent realization as her gaze affixes on one particular individual with disproportionately-sized horns growing from an unshapely head. Bulbous tumors cover its entire naked body, some glowing and pulsating from within.

  That's when the same realization hits me; these must be other versions of Vanadia's kind. She had an indestructible core and an adaptable exterior that grew resistant to any sort of damage after surviving it once. Karina must have tried but been unable to kill them even with all the methods at her exposal. They adapted after every attempt, making it progressively harder until they were virtually immortal.

  If I had been shown this before everything I experienced in this world, nausea would have overwhelmed me. But now, I only feel dizzy and hold my forehead when I think what their tortured existences must feel like. I glance at Aurelia to find that she's only staring at them blankly.

  "Indeed, they are-" Karina begins, but I quickly interrupt her.

  "Don't say it." I point at her before turning away. Grabbing Aurelia's shoulders, I force her to look at me. I expected her to grow angry, but instead, tears fill the corners of her eyes. For the first time, she shows me a fragile side of her, and it breaks my heart.

  "Why?" She only asks, and I know exactly what she's referring to. Why can Orthum commit such crimes against life itself, and seemingly without any remorse? How can the false gods get away with doing all they've done to humans and demons alike?

  "You are here now." The Witch of the End speaks, and I look up to find that she's talking to me. I know immediately what she means, and I'm glad that she didn't say it out loud, but it only makes it marginally better.

  She wants me to consume them. If they're organic, the inside of my unscientific body can break them down no matter what. I haven't fully explored how it works, but it uses neither acid nor mechanical processes. Even if their bones - which may very well be some incredibly durable alloy - are left in the end, with their flesh and organs gone, they will be dead. They will have been freed of their torment.

  I look at the poor creature with the mismatched horns and see its eyes. They don't look empty and soulless, but unexpectedly intelligent, their gaze seemingly fixed on me. My breath is stuck in my throat when I notice that they seem to have understood where our conversation led us.

  For all the animals and humans that I've eaten without any remorse, why do I feel so bad about having to consume those wishing for death?

  Aurelia averts her
eyes, seemingly unable to keep calm in the presence of these reminders of Vanadia's origin and Orthum's crimes. Her body language seems to signal that she can't stand it much longer, so I pull myself together and face the beings that all seem to have realized what is about to happen.

  They're slowly gathering, scuffling or shambling toward me as best as they can. Some barely move an inch at a time even when their entire bodies undulate across the ground. Others stumble every few steps and have to pick themselves up with labored motions. Not a single one is trying to speak, all single-mindedly heading toward their deaths - salvation for their trapped souls.

  I burst out into my Crawling Chaos form and look down at them for a moment. Then I spread my tentacles out and move across the hall like a wave, swallowing every last one of the creatures. Inside my body, I can feel them break down unhindered, even their adaptability no match for the digestion system of a being not of this world.

  Finally, I reach the end of the hall and pull myself back together into human form before turning around. Karina has closed her eyes and appears to be praying for their souls. At the same time, Aurelia is looking at me with a hard to interpret expression.

  Walking back to their side, I refrain from exploring the abilities that I gained from this new template for the time being. Balling my fists so hard that my knuckles turn white, I suppress the urge to scream in rage. Learning about the false gods already gave me reason enough to hate them. Still, this experience has brought me over the boiling point. I don't care about being a hero and bringing freedom to the world. Likewise, I don't have a reason to seek revenge. But I can recognize evil when I see it.

  "It's done." I mutter when I reach Aurelia, who looks up into my eyes. She has collected herself again, and the sadness in her eyes has been blown away without a trace. Instead, her gaze is filled with seething wrath and newfound determination.

  "Let us begin then." Karina sighs to gather her feelings, then extends her hands to gesture at the empty hall.

  Chapter 91 - The Stormcrow