NOVEL NEXT Ch14: A Strange Visitor, P2
Chapter 14: A Strange Visitor, P2
~14.2~
*****
“You saved Aisha from The Black Sword?” Aisha’s friend was equally thankful and shocked. “How in the world?”
“I uh…”
“Yeah, she just appeared out of nowhere, chastised him, claimed to be Goddess Elysia, pissed off The Black Sword, then kicked him down the street! Far enough that we got away before he came back.”
“W-what?” He looked at Kye. “You claimed to be the goddess?”
“Oh, uh… I’m not a god… but, yes.”
“Ah. Well… That would piss off just about any religious fanatic and surprise anyone else.”
“I suppose so.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aisha flicking her fingers around in the air. She was accessing a system screen. Perhaps I should act surprised about the religion, but if I let on that I was already aware of it from prayers, then they might believe me more easily. I shouldn’t expect to be believed either way. I really should have kept my cool and not let on that I’m Elysia.
Kye peered at Aisha’s screen and saw a stat display. “Hmm… which realm is this…?” Kye accessed the system menu herself and began looking through it. “Let’s see… Elysium Realm #7. System status… enabled. System mode… RPG. Okay. So…”
“The hell?” Aisha said as she peeked at Kye’s screen. “What even is this menu?”
Kye looked up at her, having figured out the answers she wanted. “This is your first time seeing this screen? This is the administrator menu.”
““Who are you?””
I suppose I can prove my identity with the system.
She swiped back to the main menu and went to her profile screen.
“It really says, ‘Elysia’. But I don’t know about ‘Athas’,” Aisha said.
“Maybe your parents do?” Aisha’s friend asked.
“Not sure.”
“Well, either way…” Kye said. “Rather than speaking further on this roof, is there somewhere more private we can talk?”
Aisha glanced at her friend, who merely nodded in return. “We’ll go to our home. Considering everything, you have my trust and I’d like to introduce you to my parents, if that’s okay.”
Kye nodded. “Sure.”
“Before we go,” Aisha said. “Do you have another name, a nickname perhaps, we can call you by? Using your real name openly might be problematic.”
“Oh, yes. My current mortal name should suffice.”
“Uhh…”
Kye smiled and curtsied. “Greetings, I am Kye Akari of Nippon Sekai in Realm 4. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, citizens of Realm 7.”
Aisha smiled apologetically. “Thanks. We’ll just call you by that for now.”
Kye nodded and followed the two as they began leaping across the rooftops. I bet everyone back home is in a frenzy with my sudden disappearance. To think I’d transmigrate to Realm 7… 6 through 10 are closed off… Clearly the silver aether. Hmm… Wait… O-M-G my students! If I’m here, I can’t teach them! NOOOOO!
*****
Back in Arslade, Alethea, Adele, and Michelle were wide awake and staring blankly at the lingering aura of silver left behind in their room. “““What the hell?”””
Alethea fell to her knees. “Where’s Shi-chan?!!!”
*****
“Father, Mother, this is Lady Kye. She saved my life during an altercation with The Black Sword.” Aisha introduced Kye to her parents right away when they arrived at the Akaishi compound. “She is quite strong.”
“Is that so?” her redheaded father asked. Aisha nodded. “I see. Thank you, Lady Kye, for your assistance. The life of my daughter is my top priority.”
“Indeed,” her pink-haired mother added. “Is there anything you desire? If it is within my power, I shall grant it.”
“I desire information. If you would be so kind as to grant me a conversation with the three of you, I’d like to get some answers.”
Her mother nodded and the four of them left the throne room for a nearby meeting room.
“Before we begin, proper introductions are in order,” her mother said. “I am Akasha, Queen Regnant of the Akaisha Clan. My husband is Azuma, King Consort.”
“I shall introduce myself with your custom, if that is okay.” Akasha nodded and Kye continued. “I am Kye Akari, Crown Princess of Nippon Sekai.”
“I’m afraid I’ve never heard of Nippon Sekai,” Azuma said. “Aisha? Akasha?”
Aisha shook her head, but Akasha nodded. “I see you are from Realm 4. Are you aquatinted with Lady Allison?”
“She’s my maternal aunt.”
“I see. In that case, you have my trust. We shall answer any questions you have to the best of our ability.”
“What do you know of Elysia?”
“Goddess Elysia is the creator of our world, Elysium. She is said to have created our world and the ten universes within as well as the system that governs our daily lives. We owe her everything.”
“What do you know of the religion revolving around her?”
“The Church of Elysium. They are zealots. To them, we vampires are a blight upon humanity.”
“Are you?”
“Some of our kind can be, however, we of the Akaisha clan do not believe in killing humans for food. We prefer to coexist.”
“But your diet is blood?”
“Yes. We buy blood from humans that are willing to donate as well as from blood banks. When we are in a shortage, like now, we use other methods, including what my daughter and her friend were doing tonight when you saved her.”
“I believe she was attempting to befriend a human and covertly drink without killing in such a way to get the food she needs while maintaining a low profile.”
Akasha nodded. “Correct.”
“However, this person known as The Black Sword, was on the hunt and we know what happened.”
“Yes, thank you for saving Aisha, Lady Kye.”
“Lady Akasha, have you met with Allison in the past nineteen years?”
“Very briefly. I met with her a few years ago. She informed me of several things… the goings on of the first five realms. She even mentioned you, though not by name.”
“I see. Earlier, I noticed Lady Aisha accessing a system menu. How involved is this realm with the system?”
Akasha explained, “It governs everything. Our strength, health, magic, mana, aether, skills… and more. I understand that in the first five realms, you have the NeuraPhone. That is a construct of the system that incorporates several system functions. We have access to the NeuraPhone interface as well.”
“Are you capable of contacting Allison?”
“Yes. I am able to send her messages via the NeuraPhone. The system delivers messages and other communications to and from administrators across the boundary.”
“Oh, hmm. I wondered if that function was enabled. Alright. Before we continue any further… I’d like to re-introduce myself, this time with my soul name, rather than my current name.”
“Soul name?”
“I am a transmigrator. I have reincarnated… millions of times. I work in the service of Eve the Primordial. My latest mission has brought me here to the ten realms to eliminate a certain entity. I know not what that entity is, but I have my suspicions. Anyway, it may be difficult to believe…”
“You not only know a System Administrator personally, but you are family to one. You have my trust.”
“Several actually.” Kye quickly cleared her throat before her re-introduction. “I am Elysia Athas, creator of Elysium.”
*****
Revision: 2024-4-29