Meddling The Omniverse

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! Buggy, now haki trained, screamed in his mind with a feverish face.

"Ai… Gott to fahing goh…" He said weakly.

"BUGGY! I know you want to go so badly, but look at you! you can't even talk to me straight!" Shanks the red-haired boy reprimanded.

"But theh last islan…"

"Buggy, you can't even move your fingers, how would you be able to walk? Honestly, it is better this way."

HECK IT ISN'T! THAT ISLAND IS THE GREATEST TREASURE IN THE WHOLE WORLD! YOU SAY YOU WANT TO MISS IT!?

"Dhon't youu want… to findd out!?" Buggy continued.

"Who doesn't want to? hahaha!" Shanks laughed, "But we're just small apprentices who just tagged along everyone's tailcoat to this place, i feel like we don't deserve it yet." Shanks said his piece, only for Buggy to stare back at him with veins in his eyes.

Buggy wanted to refute it so hard but his fever caught on his throat, and he couldn't speak more.

"Don't worry buggy. It wouldn't be satisfying if we just barged into the final island as we are now. Only when we reached that place with a mighty crew of our own could we be worthy of it."

Buggy wanted to tell Shanks that all of those were just a bunch of crap. But as his sickness encroached further, everything began to become blurry.

With the last of his strength, he fell into slumber.

—

"So this clown-nosed kid Seth's first isekai?" Ristarte asked.

"Mhm." Eris hummed and nodded.

Both goddesses were hanging out in a dark space with numerous screens.

This dark space was a surveillance room for what Seth deemed significant, such as everything in Seth's realm, the ones that Seth had met, and more.

"This place's cool, but that's too weird." Ristarte pointed at Seth's tiny finger (still in his jar), sitting on a throne just like an enshrined statue.

"It is a bit eerie, but at least we know for sure that is still him."

Seth made this room using his right to modify his realm to his intent. It was shaped like a snow globe, but the globe was pitch black, allowing no one outside to see through what was inside.

The same couldn't be said from the inside; Ristarte, Eris, and Seth (finger) could see what was outside. 

Outside the globe was a decently sized hall filled with CCTVs showing everything across his realm, and many security officers were focused on their jobs.

The three of them could just admire these officers doing their best to monitor the safety of Seth's realm. Technically, Seth could watch over his whole realm 24/7, but this surveillance room was made so others could surveil the realm with him.

Eris commented, "Well, it is understandable. The organization couldn't leave the surveillance in Seth's hands alone."

Remembering something else, Ristarte inquired, "Hmm… Where's the crybaby samurai's screen? I'm curious about what kind of world you send him to. "

The finger tapped a side of its jar. A small change in the air happened as one of the screens moved closer to the two goddesses.

From that screen, they saw him.

—

"Thunder breathing! fifth form: Heat Lightning (Itsumo no Ikazuchi)!" Like a cannon, Zenitsu's blade streaked through the air with the last of his strength, crumbling the armor of the final undead knight and severing its head. 

Zenitsu's legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed. Around him lay the broken bodies of the undead, their lifeless forms a testament to the battle that had drained every ounce of his energy.

His heart pounded in his chest, but it wasn't just from the exertion. Fear still gripped him, a cold, unyielding terror that had been his constant companion since arriving in this accursed world. 

He wanted to cry, to scream it all. But he couldn't afford to, fear that it might attract more of these horrors.

Just as his vision began to blur, the shuffling of footsteps was heard. 

Panic surged through him as he forced his eyes open, only to see another horde of undead, limping toward him with rusted weaponries in hand. 

Zenitsu's heart hammered as he tried to move, but his body refused to obey.

No—NO—NOOOO!!! I CAN'T DIE LIKE THIS! Zenitsu's mind went frantic as he raised his hand desperately trying to defend himself. KAMISAMA ALREADY GAVE ME A CHANCE, I CAN'T BE DEMON LUNCH!

A faint warmth flowed from his chest to his palm. Whitish-yellow runes began to materialize, glowing faintly as he aimed his hand at the approaching undead. 

But before the undead could reach him, there was a flash of steel, and they toppled before him. 

Zenitsu blinked in disbelief as the figure of a knight emerged from the shadows, the familiar sun emblem on his armor glowing softly in the dim light.

"Greetings again, traveler," The knight said, his voice warm and reassuring. "You've come far since we last met. The light within you has grown, and it warms my soul to see it."

Zenitsu stared up at the knight, his eyes wide with relief and awe. The knight's presence was a beacon in the darkness, a soothing reminder in this world of despair. 

That knight was Solaire. A knight who he had met and helped him when Zenitsu started his journey in this forsaken world. It was because of him alone that Zenitsu could come this far.

More than that, Solaire was the only one who had ever truly understood Zenitsu's fear. He didn't mock him or dismiss him—he acknowledged it, accepted it, and showed him a path forward.

"I-I'm still scared," Zenitsu admitted, his voice trembling. "Every moment here… it's like I'm going to die. But… I don't want to be scared anymore. I want to be strong."

Solaire knelt beside him, his armor clinking softly as he rested a hand on Zenitsu's shoulder. "Fear is natural, Zenitsu. But it doesn't have to control you. You've already shown incredible strength by surviving here. Your light, your desire to return home, to become the 'Demon Slayer' for your master's sake—that is your sun. Hold onto that, and let it guide you through the darkness."

Zenitsu looked at Solaire, his heart swelling with a mix of emotions. "But how… how do you keep going? How do you stay so strong?"

Solaire's joy laced his voice as he replied, "I believe in the sun, Zenitsu. Not just the sun in the sky, but the light within us all. It's what gives me strength, and I see that same light in you. You have a purpose, a reason to fight. Let that be your sun, nurture it, and know that I'll be here to help you nurture it."

Zenitsu swallowed hard, feeling the weight of Solaire's words. His light, his sun, was the desire to return home, to become the man he was meant to be. To make his master proud and the hope that he would see him again. 

Thanks to Solaire's guidance, he could learn to stand tall in the face of his fears and to fight even when terror overwhelms him.

"I'll keep going," Zenitsu whispered, his voice shaky but filled with determination. "I'll keep fighting, no matter how scared I am."

Solaire helped him to his feet, his grip firm and reassuring. "And I'll be with you, every step of the way. Together, we'll shine our light in this dark world. Remember, even the faintest light can push back the shadows."

—

"Ain't that place too much for him?" Ristarte questioned.

"I believe so…" Eris agreed with Ristarte's sentiment.

The finger tapped on a different side and a new screen manifested before them.

It listed the three main gifts Zenitsu received: mastery over his master's thunder breathing, a fateful encounter with Solaire to fight his fear, and one more.

"Three gifts does seem a lot, but the world you sent him to was still too brutal for a wimp like him."

The finger tapped his jar, and new words emerged from the screen. [I need to whip and break him to shape, or else he won't make it.]

The two noticed that the finger was harsher than Seth typically was, yet it still had his usual attentiveness.

"Now that I think of it, who are those two on that screen?" Ristarte pointed.

New words emerged on the notes again, "Ninja Orochimaru and wizard Yajima?" Ristarte read them.

"Are they the two you visited while stuck in between worlds?" Eris asked, and the finger nodded to her inquiry. 

A report on who Orochimaru and Yajima are and what they could be (from Seth's clairvoyance) emerged from the screen.

Both goddesses read them and Ristarte was the first one to react. "Seth! Aren't these two grandmasters who usually teach heroes cheat skills!?"

On Orochiamru's screen, he and two others were having a life-or-death duel against a single opponent. On Yajima's screen, he leads a group of powerful mages through a perilous track.

"Orochimaru and his two teammates are now in a grueling battle against one of the most dangerous people in that world, known as Hanzo." Eris read the information Seth had provided.

Ristarte grimaced, "Ooh… that explains the many bodies across the field."

She looked to the other one, "Yajima had successfully entered a government-like magic organization called the magic council. Now due to Seth's gift, he rose in rank quickly and was tasked with-"

"HOLD IT! These two! They're not isekaid!?" Ristarte exclaimed as she read more of the finer parts of the information

Eris giggled at her reaction, forgetting that Ristarte was new and had no clue about what Seth had gone through.

As the senior goddess in the room, Eris took it as her responsibility to ensure she was up to date on Seth's situation. So she narrated Seth's whole journey, from his first revival to this moment in this surveillance room.

—

"I see…? To escape from his current predicament, Seth meddled with these two enough for you the organize to locate and save him. Did I get this right…?"

Eris gracefully nodded, but Ristarte's mind spun as she tried to process the flood of revelations. It was too much for her.

Seth, my partner, had gone through some seriously intense stuff—rigorous training, being stranded in a fantasy world for a month, and more.

Then around a week ago, he got shredded to a pulp, and yet it only landed him in the hospital for a week?! All of this in just two months since he became a god!

"To think you have gone through that much in around… eh… two months. That was borderline…" Her voice trailed off, unable to find the right words to describe the chaotic history she'd just learned.

Borderline insane, she thought, her mind racing. Here she was, thinking she knew enough about him, but clearly, she had barely scratched the surface. 

I never thought of him like that. I couldn't see that how should I say, unlucky side of him… Because here he was, standing strong and composed, as a finger—OK, MAYBE IT IS QUITE OBVIOUS! She shook her head, trying to snap out of it.

"So… was the 28-year-old thing a lie?" Without thinking, she blurted out.

New words appeared on the screen.

[28 years as a human + 2 months as a god = 28 years old.]

Another line appeared:

[If you mean my two months as a god alone, then yes, you'd be correct.]

Smooth, Ristarte, real smooth. She scanned around for an escape from the awkwardness.

"Oh right! Where's Aqua?" She latched onto the question, hoping it would divert the conversation. It was a clumsy attempt, but better than letting the awkward silence linger. 

Besides, she didn't see Aqua on any of the screens, and it gave her a moment to compose herself.

—

Okay, back to Seth. She caught herself mid-thought, as her brain started spinning off in a certain direction. Seth is quite a catch, but he's got this 'Goddess Aqua' thing going on… luckily, they were forced into it! If I play my cards right, I could swoop in—

WAIT! NO, RISTARTE, STOP! Her internal panic hit hard. 

Even though it's accidental, this guy has almost DIED in just two months of being a god! TWO MONTHS!! Seriously, who manages to blow themselves up that soon after becoming a divine being?! 

Her mind reeled as she replayed everything Eris had just told her. Don't get the wrong idea Ristarte, he didn't ask for this, but feels like reality itself made him go through them, not of his OWN intentions!

Ristarte sighed inwardly, trying to calm her racing thoughts. Okay, deep breath. She exhaled slowly. 

On the bright side, he has not harmed anyone but himself. Wait, nope, there are those multiple universes he 'sort of' broke when he 'visited' that ninja and mage...

With her now knowing the events Seth had gone through, she concluded. He's a good guy, sure, but seems like he has the potency to screw him over. A HOT POTATO!!! I don't think I'll end up as his collateral damage, though healing his daredevil butt every other week might become real! (If he wants to)

She placed her hands on her head, collecting herself. Friendship, Ristarte. Friendship is the smart, safe place to be with this guy, for now... She smiled, satisfied with her decision. Besides, it's much safer on his good side than glued to his thigh (as a potential lover) as he gets into any shenanigans that stumble into him!

With a firm nod, she sealed the deal in her heart. We'll see what the future holds but for now? I'm staying as a good friend of him.

Resolved, Ristarte straightened her posture and put on her brightest smile, determined to get through the rest of this conversation without any more embarrassing slip-ups.

—

In response to Ristarte's demand, a screen on the far back was brought closer to them. The screen showed a man looking stressed on his sofa, looking as if he went through crippling debt or something. 

"Seth, Eris, are you sure he is fine?" Ristarte observed the scummy-looking person.

"That's odd," Eris looked confused too. "I'm sure Seth had given him enough income to live peacefully for years."

Eris went closer "For him to be like this, it should have been something else…"

Without warning a small gem floated in the air. It was the gem Seth used to contact and teleport to Satou Kazuma if needed.

[let's just hear his side of the story] The gem merged with that screen and a connection was established.