Knocking on Heaven's Door [MtG/Multicross/SI]

[shadenight123]

Prologue - (Fuuka)

People change. People change all the time. The man you knew a month ago might, in the month that follows, become a completely different person. When the laws of time and space are slippery as lube and as easy to twist as the act of twitching your fingertips, then it might not be that difficult to see how it all began, how it continued, and how it ended. From great power comes great responsibility, but that's only if you're limited to a single world and trapped in a single dimension.

Which isn't really my case, but still, the first rule should always be something like a medic's one. Before all else, do no harm. It's easier said than done when you come across a dimension where Harry Potter is the Dark Lord, and Lord Voldemort's the good guy, or you stare into the eyes of a raving mad lunatic who is using his powers to get himself a kingdom on a world filled with humanoid monsters scantily clad.

Most of the time, I merely walk through and leave them to their own devices. I'm a stranger, so who am I to decide what is right and what is wrong? If a world venerates the god of murder and brutality, why should I make them change their religion? If someone's idea of a happy holiday is to bath in the blood of his enemies, why should I stop him? Why should I concern myself with things that aren't worth it?

When you see half a dozen of different yet eerily similar Harry Dresdens doing five dozens variation of the same thing, you stop worrying about the lonely one that actually crosses your path.

Eternal youth and traveling is all fun and games, until you grow bored of it. You then wait a few hundred years sitting tight in a world that is pleasant enough to ignore most of what is going on in the background, and then after you grow bored of a sedentary lifestyle, you resume your travelling. You make friends, you watch them die, you fall in love, you watch them die, you move on because it's not the first time that it happens, and raging won't bring them back. Even if it does bring them back, even if you do have powers of life and death over them, why would you condemn them to living a new life away from the others? Do you bring everyone back to life?

Do you halt Death on a world scale just to satisfy your egoistic needs? And then what? Do you halt Births too, because otherwise the planet overpopulates?

People come and go, but Planeswalkers travel.

Phyrexia is a realm best left undiscovered. Innstrad is a place no one sane of his mind would you bother. Countless others might be fine, but why risk it? Why risk going to places where rather than being a God on earth, you're just one of the many hundreds others? Why risk annihilation, or worse, when you can just as easily spend your eternity on a sandy beach somewhere in a world where magic doesn't exist?

One day though, even the sand of the beach grows boring to feel under one's feet.

Yet a quick jump away, and the beach's sand is blue, the sun is green, the water is caustic acid and there's purple-skinned aliens screaming at the top of their lungs because a pink-skinned alien just materialized in front of them.

It's...well, interesting. Sometimes, one even grows used to being treated like something different, just to break the monotony of being just a face in the crowd. Some make themselves Gods, get venerated, form cults and then, when it's all done with and everything seems to be going fine, splinter factions rise and the world baths in the blood of the innocents.

Other times, multi-planetary theologies survive and grow stronger and peaceful in their faith, spreading throughout the countless expanses of the galaxy until you decide to leave them alone for a while.

You return two centuries later, and everything's on fire and there are concentration camps spread throughout worlds, or you find yourself giving heart attacks to people who gaze upon you and are overcome with emotions.

There aren't just bad things, of course. Good things happen too, peace is brokered, enemy nations stop fighting each others, problems are solved and much more, but where there is good there is bad and yadda yadda, you can't control everything and everyone.

So you just shrug and let it go.

Ugin the Spirit Dragon might have something to say about it, but that's because he's limited in his views to what he wishes to seek out. Perhaps Nihilism truly is the answer to an eternity of travel, and in order to avoid it, Planeswalker keep their sanity by fighting each others, protecting their worlds, letting their battles wage across the Multiverse that is boundless and infinite, and yet should have finite content? Ah, that's a contradiction, a big one at it too, but who am I to argue against someone capable of facing Nicol Bolas by himself, and perhaps even win against him?

No, let us not ponder on them any longer, for they're meaningless to me. Never enter a fight you can't win, never step into a world where someone might win against you, just...just travel, and find new, exotic sights that you've never seen before. Leave behind the known for the unknown, watch non-Euclid geometry come to life as you drink tea with Cthulhu while pondering on the mysteries of Azatoth's blasphemies.

Honestly, if I had to pin the blame on the events that came soon after in rapid succession, then there was but one person that needed to bow his head and beg forgiveness.

Myself and my big mouth.

"So," I muttered as I looked at the girl that had pulverized the truck away from her body with a blast of raw energy, melting most of the vehicle in the process, and probably killing the driver without fault, as well as the turning the street into molten slag, killing countless hundreds and shattering the windows of the skyscrapers nearby as their steel frames melted and creaked, "Congratulations, Miss," I inclined my head to the side. "You're a Planeswalker now." A nearby skyscraper took that as the cue to bend and fall down to the side, shattering against another building as the sound of sirens began to blare, mixed with the far-away screams that the wind carried towards us.

The short-haired blue-eyed girl looked at me as if lost in a trance, her eyes so wide she looked like a puffing fish, her hair of the same color as her eyes and perhaps even the sky. Considering the amount of molten stuff around us, the death and the devastation, I reckoned that the blue color of her hair wasn't going to last for much longer.

Most aptly, she proceeded to run away as fast as her legs could carry her on the molten asphalt, not even bothering to wonder how she could so flawlessly run away from the mess she had caused. I watched her go, not bothering to try to stop her. I could feel her Spark bud and spread, the energy of it simmering through the air as twitches and whispers echoed across my mind.

"You be quiet," I grumbled as I glanced to the walls and the streets nearby. There were probably no survivors that had seen the explosion's point of origin, but a busy intersection like this one must have held cameras without a doubt.

The girl's time in this dimension, unless she changed her whole appearance, would be dramatically brief.

It doesn't concern us.

The nagging voice in the back of my head was flawlessly right. I knew it was, I knew that it was going to be an annoyingly long process if I actually went through with it, but at the same time, it was something new.

So I made a mistake, a really big mistake.

I decided to follow her.

AN:

We're going on yet another merry adventure ladies and gentlemen.

We'll be visiting a *lot* of places, usually those that are left to their own devices. Also, I'm going to try for a more sedated style. Let's see how it works out~

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter One (Shokugeki no Soma)

The delicious smell of boar waffled its way through my nostrils as I exhaled, letting the pleasant smell water my mouth. Takumi Aldini's father must have been an excellent chef, judging by the pleased expressions of everyone seated inside the Trattoria. I patiently waited for my order while sipping water from the bottle. A Planeswalker didn't need to eat and drink, but it didn't mean that food would all taste the same.

Hunger was a thing of the past, but good food? Good food was always good food.

Tagliatelle alla Cacciatora was the current Trattoria's First Course. The main difference between a restaurant and a Trattoria was that the menu was whatever the cook decided, and you just had to suck it up and eat it. Since it was done by more down to earth people, there wasn't a strict portion-level, and you could luckily end up with enough food to feed a whole family in your plate, or enough to feed a tiny bird.

The wine-braised boar meat was coming soon after as the main dish, served with Chianti Wine inside wicker wine bottles, and beans in tomato sauce as a side dish. The dessert was a chestnut cake, with chocolate syrup poured generously upon it.

"Here you go," the waitress was an old matron, with wrinkles on her face and salt and pepper long hair that ended in a ponytail behind her back. She had the stocky build of grandmothers, and as she smiled warmly, I grinned back.

"Thank you," I said with a smile of my own.

"Think nothing of it," she replied just as quickly before moving to serve the other customers. Being polite to waiters and waitresses was how you avoided spit in your food, and thanking the chefs and being regulars was how you earned yourself bigger portions. Admittedly, whenever I wanted to eat something good, I usually ended up going into a dimension where cooking was important, just to taste the deliciousness of food too good to be true.

My eyes widened as the first mouthful of pasta entered my mouth with the deliciousness of a thundering boar stampede, and as my eyes watered from the sheer nostalgia of handmade pasta, I swallowed and kept on eating until the plate was so clean I could see my reflection into it. The arrival of the wine-braised boar was accompanied with a chorus of awing from those who were served it first, and the moans of pleasure from the tender meat and the delicious sauce that I scooped up with the freshly baked bread.

By the time I was done, I rested my back against the chair and sighed in bliss, awaiting the dessert.

The chestnut cake arrived with sprinkled sugar atop it, and as I licked my lips and twitched my fingers in anticipation, two hot slices were left by my table. I ate them with a bit of whipper cream on the side, and felt myself like Oberon, running naked in the forest of chestnut oaks. Though the pleasant feeling that burst into my stomach made it all worthwhile, I was soon brought away from that glade of fae-like desires by the gentle querying of coffee from the kind old matron, which I accepted without fault.

The coffee was delicious too, the finest grains poured into a most delicious espresso, and after that, the Ammazzacaffé came next, a Limoncello liquor that hit the spot with the gentleness and firmness that would have cleared the heaviest of stomachs.

I exhaled in bliss, at peace with myself as I stood up and moved to pay, money a trifling thing as I left a good tip for the waitress, and grinned as I pocketed the receipt. Honestly, whereas perhaps Toriko might have more exotic and tasty culinary wonders, it was slightly more complicated to get to taste those delights.

The line of people waiting to be served outside the Trattoria moved up by a few numbers, as people left satisfied and hungry ones instead rushed in. One couldn't get a table reserved for them, one had to do the line, and if they were lucky, they'd get to eat before the kitchen closed. It was the way of Italy, of its Trattorie, and it suited me just fine since I could simply plop myself into whatever spot in line I decided was worthy, without having the rest bothered by my sudden appearance.

I was a quick eater anyway, and didn't dally in chatting.

I felt the Spark before I even saw the figure appear. There was a soft thud, a hiss of fire and steam, and a figure belatedly materialized out of thin air to land face first on the ground by my side. The street wasn't deserted, but as nobody seemed to bother about the human, I simply outstretched a hand to recall the creature that was coiled around her petite frame. The young woman carefully stood up, her arms embracing herself as she shivered and hiccuped, tears rolling down her cheeks copiously.

The people kept ignoring us, and began to move around, as if we had suddenly become invisible to them -and we were, in fact, utterly invisible to them. "He died?" I asked.

She nodded, her teeth biting down on her lips. "Did you have children?" I asked next, and she nodded again, her entire frame shuddering. "They died too?" she closed her eyes, the tears rolling out of the corner of her eyes an answer enough.

Sparks weren't something you could just gift, or could be transmitted through genetics. I extended a hand in her direction. "Then, Fuuka Akitsuki, what do you want to do now?"

"Bring them back," she whispered. "Please bring them back."

I raised an eyebrow, and closed my offered hand, bringing it behind my back. "I could do that," I acquiesced. "But we would once more stand at this crossroad, perhaps eighty, or ninety years from now. You asked to be left alone, and I did so," I extended my hand and gingerly began to rub the tiny slithering creature that rested upon my other arm, brought in front of my chest once more. The creature's sleek appearance was midway between inky darkness and normal, dark brownish skin. "You could go experiment on your powers, travel the whole Multiverse and see Supernovas be born, witness suns expand, the hearts of volcanoes erupt-"

"I want Yuu," she said, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "I-I made so many mistakes, I forgot an anniversary once, bought the wrong size of clothes-I-" she was trembling vividly, her fingers moving to grasp my elbows. "J-Just please bring them back!"

I took a deep breath, and then calmly freed myself from her grip. "If you want them, just go get them. Close your eyes and jump, go to where they are, but one day, you'll regret it. You're still young." I sighed, shaking my head. "But they won't be yours," I continued. "They will be those of another Fuuka, who will cry just as you are doing right now," I let the creature in my arms disappear in my shadow. "What you need is something good to drink, and some quiet time." I extended my hand again. "Come on, I know of a place that makes a really divine coffee."

She turned her back to me, and disappeared.

I blinked once, and then took a deep breath. This time, I wasn't going to follow her. She'd come around. By the fifth time she stole the place that belonged to another Fuuka, she would realize just how much of a folly it was to continuously hurt oneself in such ways. If not the fifth, then the tenth, or perhaps the one hundredth. Perhaps when the child born would not be the same as the one before, or perhaps when a slight difference would lead down a different path, then she would understand.

I was tempted to just leave her to herself, but if the burst of power of her awakening was of any indication, leaving her alone would mean seeing a world charred to death.

It really is none of your business. The voice of wisdom inside my head spoke quite clearly and wisely. I knew the voice was right. At the same time, I couldn't just leave her be.

If push came to shove, I could perhaps forcefully relocate her into a lifeless plane to let her get her kicks out of her system.

Or just make her sleep for a few days, and wake her up in a completely foreign plane with no possibility of returning home.

Yet...it really wasn't my problem, or my business. If she wanted to rage against the injustice of the circle of life, she was free to burn to cinders and crispy bacon every single living being of her hometown, her nation and perhaps even her world. It didn't concern me.

It shouldn't concern me.

...

I jumped all the same.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Two (Fuuka)

Cemeteries were never happy places, unless you somehow ended up in a plane where necromancy was a legalized concept. Even then, it simply swapped sadness and sobs with tired resignation and grumbling. Nothing was on fire just yet, but even as around us the cemetery seemed a flawless replica of an old town's one, it was pretty clear that the temple itself had been repaired recently, what with the tiled rooftop being a sparkling shiny red.

Perhaps a new material that didn't require being cleaned had been invented somewhere down the line? It could just as well be, since this was the future, wasn't it?

My steps crunched the gravel beneath my feet as I drew near to the source of the sobbing, finding the form of Fuuka down on her knees with her hands clutching the dirt, her head shaking lightly in front of a grave. It was an eerie reminiscence, but it lost most of its flavor after the umpteenth repetition. One can only tolerate centuries of grief before it eventually boils down to merely not caring.

I stopped slightly behind her, and as she turned her red tear-filled eyes in my direction, she snarled, "J-Just go away!"

"The first woman I ever made the mistake of falling in love with," I spoke gently, "Was...a thousand, perhaps two thousand years ago," I walked closer, stopping by her side, my hands in the pockets of my jacket. "The first time always hurts the most," I acquiesced. "And then I was dumb enough to try again," I continued. "And again, and again, and again," I clicked my tongue against the back of my teeth, shaking my head. "Each time, there was something different, but I didn't care. Once, I decided to try to make her immortal, and I succeeded. She left me four centuries later to be with a kid that somehow connected with her more than me," I shrugged. "She begged me for years to let her go," I glanced at her. "Immortality isn't for everyone." I hummed as I glanced at the grave.

"Yuu-He wouldn't leave me-" Fuuka whispered, "We were in love, since the day we shared straps, we've never loved anyone else-"

"It doesn't really matter," I shrugged, "This isn't a true love conquers all thing. You want him back to life? It's a matter of perhaps snapping your fingers. You want to gift him immortality? Go right ahead, nobody's going to bother. You want him utterly subservient and in love with you as if you were an Egyptian Queen? Again, snap your fingers, take away his free will, enjoy him until he utterly bores you beyond belief, and you start to think you should see new people," I sighed. "Or maybe who knows, your love will last for thousands of years until the sun of this universe goes out and explodes, leaving you stranded in another plane, and him burned to a charcoal crisp."

I glanced back at her. "You aren't just immortal. You're a Planeswalker. Even if this universe dies, another awaits you. The same cannot be said for the rest. So, if you want to live million of years sealed in this plane with your beloved ones immortal and never-changing, just do it. It's happened before and it will happen again, and I've seen it with my own eyes more than once. Even thought about it myself for a few decades, but one thing that times gives you...it's the ability to think long term," I passed a hand through my hair. "And in the end, I decided that it wasn't worth the bother. One should stop hunting ghosts, or bringing people back to life, and just let them be in their great beyond...whatever it is, and wherever it goes."

"How do I bring them back?" Fuuka asked, her voice firm.

"You travel," I replied. "You travel through Planes the likes of which you've never seen, and you collect the powerful Mana shaped by the colors of the Plane," I twitched my right finger, small white energies fluttering around my fingers, "And when you've got enough, even Death bows to your will," I let the mana harmlessly disperse. "Though I must warn you," I continued. "Not all Planes are kind to its foreigners."

Fuuka steeled her gaze as she stood up, dusting her knees from the gravel, "I'll be back," she said to the grave. "W-Where should I go first?" she asked next, looking at me.

I gave her a one over, and then hummed. "You've got blue hair, and you're turning out white-red," I chuckled. "Speak about color arrangements," I shrugged and extended my right hand. "Let's go, and I'll show you."

She furrowed her brows, looking at my outstretched hand with a mixture of distrust and worry. "Why are you helping me?"

"You are mistaken if you think I care either way," I answered quite plainly. "I merely find this interesting, so I follow," I said. "Though if you prefer to stumble for countless Planes in order to find the right ones to draw energies from, be my guest." I lowered my hand. "The Planes are vast and infinite, boundless and without end. Eventually you'll find what you seek," I looked her straight in the eyes, and waited.

She fidgeted only slightly, and then nodded, clapping her hands against her cheeks. "What are we waiting for?"

I extended my hand once more, and this time, she clasped it.

Tunneling through the Aether and the Blind Eternity was a harrowing experience for the Gods, but for Planeswalkers, it was like crossing a street in a sleepy town. Fuuka hadn't actually experienced a full jump, perhaps going at it with sheer instincts, or with her eyes closed. This was different, though, because I was looking for a prime world of White Mana, perhaps with Red in it.

This meant war. This meant fire and explosions.

I landed near a windmill, my feet on tall, wet grass. The wind was blowing the sails of the mill gently around, the noise of the grinding wheel within audible to my senses. The village in front of us looked like a picturesque postcard, with white walls and potted plants outside windows. The main road crossed through the entire village, a small inner wall separating the old town from the new one.

"W-Where are we? In Europe?" Fuuka asked, her eyes taking in the sights.

"We are Planeswalkers," I replied. "We don't travel through the world. We travel through universes," I gestured in front of us. "Welcome to Europa."

"So...Europe," Fuuka said. I shook my head.

"This is the country of Gallia, a neutral, independent kingdom rich in Ragnite ore. The East Europan Imperial Alliance is currently fighting the Atlantic Federation, and the battle is at a stalemate," I began to walk down the hill. "Follow me, we need to head for the center of the city."

Fuuka followed quietly, but I was sure she wouldn't keep quiet long enough.

On the plus side, I got myself a nice local packet filled with crunchy bread stick, which was honestly the most fragrant thing I had ever eaten. "Want one?" I asked as I held on to a bread stick.

"I'm not hungry," Fuuka said flatly.

"You will never be hungry," I replied. "So eat whenever you feel like it." I shrugged, and munched down on the second stick. I stopped in the city square, and sat down on a nearby bench. Fuuka remained standing, looking around as if lost.

"Now what?" Fuuka asked.

"Now you kill everyone and drink their blood," I answered quite calmly, inclining my head in the direction of a group of children that were playing with one another.

"U-Uh!?" Fuuka's choked exclamation made me chuckle, and I shook my head.

"I'm joking, you just need to sit down, close your eyes, and breathe. You'll know what to do then," I said as I began to munch on another stick. I glanced to a stall nearby, and then stood up. "See you later," and with that said, I walked towards the stall and smiled as I bought myself a jar of peach jam.

Thus, I quietly began to munch down with the typical crunching sound of an annoying person near someone who wished to concentrate.

Fuuka, most admirably, said nothing for the first ten minutes circa of this situation.

"Can't you go elsewhere?" she gritted her teeth, glaring at me.

"I could," I answered, licking my fingers from the jam remains. I didn't move, though I did stop eating on the crunchy, delicious bread sticks.

Fuuka took a deep breath, and then closed her eyes again.

Half an hour later, she opened her eyes and looked down at her hands. She closed and opened them, but no Mana gathered.

"Why isn't it working?" she mumbled.

I closed my eyes, and then I blinked. "Oh," I said suddenly. She looked at me, and I looked back at her.

"It's being used by someone else," I said plainly. "There's a planeswalker on this world." I clutched my knees with my fingers. "Oh well," I sighed and stood up, "Let's go elsewhere."

Fuuka stood up in turn, "What? Aren't we going to meet him?"

I stared at the Summer child in front of me.

My patronizing gaze must have been enough to tick her off, because she glared at me in turn.

Oh, very well, Summer Child. Very well.

Allow this old Winter Oak to show you the truth of this multiverse.

Power Corrupts.

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Three (Valkyria Chronicles)

We didn't need to go far to meet the Planeswalker. It was a simple matter of waiting, considering how he was coming to meet us at quite the incredible speed. He had probably sensed us, or perhaps he was leading the Imperial army in the conquest of Gallia. It was a trifling matter for a Planeswalker to kill an emperor, take his place, and have everyone else believe him the righteous heir with the right dose of magic added to the mix.

Whoever he was, he wasn't old. An Old Planeswalker would simply appear out of thin air in front of us, afraid of nothing and no one. A Planeswalker had to be forced to stay and fight in order to be killed, otherwise they'd simply slip away in another dimension, again and again if the need arose, effectively making it a game of cat and mouse without end.

The outskirts of the village were a set of dirt roads and small stone walls that barely reached my midriff, every now and then wooden gates breaking the monotony of the rocks. Windmills stood upon hills that were verdant green, and puffy white clouds flew by gently.

"It's beautiful," Fuuka said, even as I simply walked on the dirt road. "It doesn't seem real." She glanced at a passing butterfly. "I can't wait to show this to Yuu."

"Travelling the planes is deadly to non-Planeswalkers," I pointed out. "No matter what you gift him, what powers or skills or abilities, he'll die if you bring him along while jumping. You need specific rituals and things..." I glanced at the horizon, the Spark of the foreign Planeswalker nearing at a fixed speed. It meant he was on a vehicle.

Slithering tiny creatures hid in the tall grass as they moved quickly ahead, my hands in my pockets as Fuuka simply kept walking behind me. "Then I'll get them," Fuuka replied.

"Before you work on connecting two planes together, try to work on bringing someone back to life," I replied. "That is, by itself, a rite of passage."

A comfortable silence grew between us, at least for me. I stopped walking as I felt the first of my forward scout halt his movements to grow still, letting the color of his skin change to better hide him from the enemies.

A rumbling, giant and iron-forged construct was roaring forward, the size so massive it easily dwarfed everything else. It was Juggernaut. With all probability, the Planeswalker was above it, or inside it. He had claimed it from the Empire's own giant tank, and as smaller tanks rolled around it, it was pretty clear that whoever was in charge didn't want to conquer.

They simply wanted to destroy.

This was kilometers away, but my scouts were fast, and nimble, and as they hastily returned back, I calmly glanced at Fuuka's determined face, and then looked away.

When the Juggernaut finally came into our sights, she stopped to stare at it. The fields were quashed under the passage of such a monster, and the nearby smaller tanks protected its flanks. Behind them, red armored soldiers rushed forward in their full armors, the pace still sedated, but yet increasing ever so slightly as they were nearing the village.

"W-What are they doing!?" Fuuka asked as the sudden noise of artillery echoed in the air, large flaming spheres pouring down from the sky as they impacted against the peaceful village, shattering houses and destroying roads as tall flames began to spread.

"Attacking," I answered. "What did you think they were going to do?"

Fuuka looked at me, and I stared back utterly uncaring. "Do something!" she yelled, gazing in fright at the advancing army.

"Didn't you want to meet another Planeswalker?" I said dryly, gesturing at the Juggernaut. "He or She is in there, leading the assault." I clicked my tongue against my teeth. "Youths these days, thinking anything they do matters in the long run." I shrugged. "Even if you conquer a world, it's just a waste of sweat and effort."

A few tanks opened fire, the ground near us exploding violently as Fuuka screamed louder, crouching down and putting her arms over her head to protect herself, while I simply waited, hands in my jacket, for the army to draw nearer still.

The Juggernaut didn't seem inclined to stop. It simply crushed through a windmill without slowing down, and as it became abundantly clear that Fuuka wasn't going to do much more than stay down and cry, I sighed and shook my head.

The massive metallic monster crumbled down into a mass of rust and torn molten steel as a mournful song rose in the air, the vibrations that accompanied it shattering the delicate components and causing catastrophic failures across all of the mechanical systems.

The pilots, the soldiers, the men and perhaps women that were clad in heavy armor had barely the time to lift their rifles before quiet and silent claws sliced their necks, emerging from the tall grass as quills shot out to pierce throats and eyes, dull thuds following as corpses fell on the ground. I remained silent as what had been an invasion force soon became a bunch of corpses, unable to as much as twitch.

The Planeswalker inside the Juggernaut hadn't died, but by the time a large column of fire burned to a crisp the metal plating that held him down, the roars of rage that his throat emitted were second only to his terrifying appearance.

He was tall, his hair short and mean scars over his bare chest. He wore a loose crimson tunic with a white belt around his midriff.

"Who dares to stop the Great Scourge of the Universe!" an ax made of lava formed in his right hand, and as he gripped it without a qualm, his eyes centered on me. "I, The Ravager, shall-"

"Just shut up," I mumbled to myself. "You're such a child," I grumbled again, shaking my head as the lava ax sailed in my direction, the pulsing crimson heat came awfully close to my face, but the moment it impacted it dissipated harmlessly, leaving behind only tiny wisps of white haze.

"Ah! You have stopped my ax! I see!" the man nodded, and then raised a fist as a large golem formed near him. The next second, it crumbled back to dust. In answer, tiny scurrying goblins began to rush forward with screams from the side of the hills, the man laughing at what he thought a flanking maneuver, only for an unseen wind to move through the hill's lush grass, and silence to take the place of the goblins' war cries.

"The fuck?" the Ravager muttered, looking around as the crackling of flames slowly began to die out, only the breeze and the rustling of grass making noise around us.

"You from around here?" I asked offhandedly, even as I patted Fuuka's back to make her look up, long enough to realize that the battle was over, everyone was gone, and things were back to normal.

"W-Where did they go?" she mumbled as she stood up shaking lightly. "T-there were tanks, and soldiers-"

I didn't answer her, and returned to gaze at the Ravager, who was probably nothing more than an average man who had somehow decided that his Persona would be some form of mean and buff destroyer of worlds. Perhaps he had already had a midlife crisis? Or was he a young teenager? Was he in a neurosis, or was he currently experiencing a psychotic break?

Or maybe he just wanted to watch the world burn?

There could be any kind of reasoning, any kind of excuse, and the person in front of us could be anyone and anything, since a Planeswalker could alter his appearance at will. What if he was an eight year old who had no idea of what he was doing?

"Man, you a fucking stick in the mud," the Ravager growled, lifting both arms in the air. "I'm trying to get myself some cool Cards, you catch my drift? And you're here, blocking my path! I need to get me that sweet Valkyrie and the tank-"

I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose. "A Planeswalker does not only have access to the great powers of magic, capable of channeling the energies of the Planes," I looked at Fuuka, who in turn looked at me as if I was a very boring teacher, "But they can also summon forth creatures to serve them in battle. Just as long as they first either copy them, or...in his case, I guess enslave them?"

"I just don't wanna waste time going gentle," the Ravager said with a smirk of pride. "My touch's not delicate, so they burn when I get to it, if you catch my drift." He twitched his fingers, fire spreading across them. "Getting a copy from the Aether is not the real stuff. They're just puppets, so I go for the summon! What better way than a nice brand of slavery to get them to work for me?"

He smiled as he widened his arms. "Come on then, you wuss, you ain't gonna stop me once I get the ball rolling!"

I shrugged. "I didn't want to stop you," I replied quite calmly, before pointing my thumb at Fuuka. "She wanted to meet you."

Fuuka looked sharply in my direction, her mouth slightly open in shock, before she snapped it shut and shook her head. "What is wrong with him?! Is that-"

"That's a Planeswalker. He doesn't represent the category, but he's not a single case," I shrugged once more. "Power does that to people, you know-"

Selvaria herself materialized, her Valkyrie's beauty marred by a burning brand on the side of her face, which had taken one of her eyes with it. Her silver hair was cut short, and it was clear she was desperately trying to fight off whatever enslavement the brand had on her will, but to no effect. She didn't look pleased, but she did not disobey the unspoken order of The Ravager, who had her charge forward at full speed.

Her body was awash in the pale blue energies of the legendary Valkyria, but as powerful of a summon as it was, it meant nothing to a Planeswalker.

She was sent flying as a large skittering mass of talons and crustacean-like reinforced head-plates hit her on the side, the harmonious song that left the creature's mouth rupturing and tearing apart the spear and shield. The brand itself burned brightly as it suddenly exploded, making Selvaria scream before she disappeared, back to wherever she had been before the summoning, and free to enact whatever form of revenge she wished upon her captors, if there were any.

"That's-" the Ravager's eyes widened. "That's a-" he took a step back, and I exhaled loudly. Whip-like limbs twitched as quills pierced through the man's back, his eyes widening as blood dribbled down his open mouth, before his body disappeared abruptly from existence. Slithering, orange and black spotted creatures spread out from the grass, their limbs dripping with caustic, greenish ooze.

Even if he did survive, the poisoning would keep him out of commission for a few months at least. Planeswalker were difficult to kill, especially if they had White mana at their disposal.

"You were lucky," I said offhandedly, turning to look at Fuuka's shell-shocked expression. Does she feel like a hero yet? "Normally, Planeswalkers' battles last for days, and take away chunks of entire worlds. He was relatively new to his Spark, perhaps a few decades at most, and self-taught." I stretched my limbs a bit, cracked my neck lightly, and then extended her a hand. "Let's go," I said as the creature coiling around the frame of the dead Planeswalker began to messily devour its corpse, shrieking in pleasure all the while as his cries were met by those who hid among the tall grass, who returned it as they too feasted upon the corpses.

By the time the local militia got the place, and the Edelweiss rolled upon its hastily repaired frame, only silence rested on the hills and the roads.

The moment Fuuka let go of my hand, she looked around wildly, as if lost. We stood by the side of a windmill, the sails moving graciously under the wind's breeze. The border town of Bruhl stood intact and unscathed in front of us, the citizens going about their everyday life as if nothing had happened.

"This is why I find conflict between Planeswalkers meaningless," I said softly, gesturing in front of us. "Let's get going."

"What were those things?" Fuuka asked warily. "Those...insects."

I blinked, and shrugged. "The creatures I summon," I answered. "I'll explain it to you after I get myself some more bread sticks, the local bakery really is excellent." I began to walk down towards the village, and as I did, Fuuka followed, if with a wary expression that made me think that she'd bolt as soon as I made her some form of funny face.

"The village is...intact," Fuuka said as she watched a building she had definitely seen crumple in the other plane.

"Infinite in content," I said offhandedly, shrugging as I opened the door of the bakery, "Ah, but some things never change," I grinned as I stepped into the simple, but clean and neat bakery filled with freshly baked bread of different shapes and sizes. Behind me, Fuuka followed hesitantly at first, but the setting was nice enough that her wariness soon left the place to mild preoccupation. The man behind the counter was a master baker of sorts, and as he smiled at the prospective clients, I simply pointed my finger at the bread sticks. "Two dozens, please."

"Coming right up," the man answered, and as he bagged them for me, I produced from my hand a small amount of coins which I left on the counter. The transaction done with, I turned to leave, a pleasant humming in my throat as I began to chew on the first one.

"Do you want one?" I asked as I extended a bread stick in her direction.

She cautiously grabbed it, and as I sat down at the bench on the square once more, I began to munch on another without worries.

"Now close your eyes," I said, "And breathe."

She did so, and as tiny wisps of white light began to gather near her fingertips, I chuckled softly as she allowed them to dissipate the moment she opened her eyes to admire her handiwork, groaning and shaking her head before trying again. The questions about the destroyed village now being fully intact and with no one none the wiser didn't even pass through her mind once as she kept on practicing.

Keep on repressing, Fuuka.

Sometimes, it's the only way to keep one's sanity.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Four (Valkyria Chronicles)

The plains outside Bruhl were peaceful, and would keep being so for a few more days at least. I quietly crossed my arms behind my back as I watched Fuuka try to conjure forth a very simple creature from the Aether. "You must concentrate on a concept," I spoke. "A faithful soldier, a loyal man, a warrior with a blade-" as I spoke, Fuuka's eyebrows tensed in concentration, her eyes half-narrowing as she watched the energies in her hands twirl and then spark, as if going haywire. "Once you've got that part down, you should keep a clear head and be ready to-"

There was a fizzle, a pop, and then an explosion. I watched quite calmly as the dust cleared and a nice fluffy bunny hopped out into the field in front of us. I stared at it, and it stared back at me, twitched its muzzle, and then began to hop away.

"What part of that is an armor, a shield, or a warrior?" I asked quite calmly as Fuuka looked at the running bunny with a mixture of excitement and joy as she began to run after it. I simply looked at that childlike behavior, and while I had half the inclination to incinerate the furry critter on the spot, I held back. I simply sat down on the grass, and waited until the rabbit allowed itself to be caught and held in the woman's arms.

"It's a Wabbit," Fuuka said with a bright grin, using her fingers to move the rabbit's paws up and down, "A Wuffle-Truffle-Huffle-Puffle-Wabbit!" she smiled as she gave the critter a kiss on the back of the head, before letting it go on the grass where it remained vigilant and at the ready, breathing quickly with its furry chest.

"Well," I looked at the creature. "Can you now summon a warrior of sorts?"

Fuuka took a deep breath, and then concentrated as the white mana began to once more seep into her arms, then in her hands, and finally left her through the tip of her fingers as a form began to coalesce from the vast infinity of the Aether, crafting into existence a simple looking soldier with a youthful expression and dark hair and eyes, holding on to a katana of all things.

"Yuu?" Fuuka whispered, but the warrior simply turned to look at her with empty, lifeless eyes. He awaited orders, but even so-

"He's a summon," I drawled as I neared her, "He'll do anything you ask of him, but inside he's empty," I tapped at his shoulder plate, which was reminiscent of ancient Japan, and then smiled. "He's a simple summon, but if you want, you can have all of your warriors be with his face."

Fuuka shook her head, and twitched her fingers, instinctively knowing what to do as the summoned creature's face changed to that of a blond haired gruff man with blue eyes and a thick beard. "There," she said in the end, "This is...better." She bent down to pick her rabbit, and as she held it in her arms, she looked at me. "What's next?"

I shrugged. "Technically, you can't claim more mana from a world like this. Imagine a source of light that casts through a hole infinite shadows. You just primed into the source of that light through this plane, and so you need to change your light source." I looked at the village of Bruhl. "We can leave whenever you want. Though I would suggest you practice your summoning skills. A few decades-"

"Decades?" Fuuka mouthed.

I shrugged. "Planeswalker have time," I spoke calmly. "What a mortal may learn in ten years and then stop due to failing health, we can learn for centuries without ever growing tired, or too weak to continue," I began to walk back towards the village. "I want you to keep on summoning and sending back your summons. One who has trained for a hundred years will find ways of beating those that trained only for ten," I stretched slightly, "Also, I'll go eat more bread sticks."

I began to walk back down to the village square, enjoying the pleasant breeze as I stepped into the baker's shop with a smile on my face. "Good day," I said as I neared the counter, the master baker behind it watching me with a smile since I was just like any other customers of his. "I'll have your bread sticks," I said with a smile, "All of them." Then I deposited a good amount of money on the counter, and watched as the baker stared at the amount, and then began to count his share, while he hastily yelled for his helper to come out of the back of the shop and help bag my purchase.

Alicia Melchiott stepped out in a hurry from the back, smiling gently in acknowledgment of my presence as she helped the master baker, and as I walked out with two heavy bags of bread sticks, I simply sat down by the town square and bought ten glass jars of different colored jams. I quietly began to munch on them, not bothered in the slightest about the odd looks I was receiving from everyone else who wandered the square.

After I finished the first jar, I proceeded to fill it with the water of the local fountain, and then resumed my position to drink and eat without a care in the world.

People's reactions were as interesting as they were varied, though many of those were repetitions of things I had already seen. Admittedly, one can only watch so many facial expressions and cues before getting bored of seeing always the same stuff like surprise, desire -for the jam and the bread sticks- or envy at the displayed freedom I seemed to possess. There wasn't suspicion, and amusement seemed to be the prime feeling snaking around them.

Would they think back about this funny moment of their lives after the evacuation due to the Empire's arrival?

As the last of the bread sticks was eaten, I stood up and stretched, grabbing the remaining jars of jam and heading back to the hill where I had left Fuuka to train. I heard her before I even got around to climb the top of the hill, her voice resounding clearly in the air as she sang beautifully, a neat score of rabbits watching her with amazement in their eyes. I stared at the amount of furry white critters, who actually had some variety among them in the form of brown blotches or black furs, or reddish hues, and then sighed.

Summoning a warrior and summoning a rabbit were perhaps the same in principle, but they also were two completely different things. The amount of mass one had to conjure forth from the Aether was different, for example. Also, giving orders to a rabbit impeded the complex set of commands a fake human could instead do. This was the lazy way of doing something, and not even doing it correctly, especially because she hadn't sent them back yet.

"They are nothing more than glorified balloons," I muttered and shook my head, before plopping down in wait for the song to finish. Whatever she was singing didn't interest me, and while I understood the words intrinsically well, I couldn't really understand and appreciate the song itself if I did that. I closed my eyes and waited, patiently.

Those who have time shouldn't waste it.

"Rabbit army, attack!" Fuuka's voice snapped my eyes open as the dozen or so of rabbits executed a flawless rapid charge in my direction, only to suddenly be shredded into mincemeat as twin blades stopped an inch away from Fuuka's neck, glaring golden eyes upon a humanoid frame firmly fixing those of the young woman herself. Twisting, twirling and coiling tendrils left the back of the humanoid creature that had thick plates similar to armor covering most of his body. He growled, hisses and clicks leaving his throat before slowly slinking back into the grass, disappearing into the shadows.

"That is what centuries of training in summoning can do," I said with a yawn, even as Fuuka swallowed nervously, glancing at the disappearing remains on the rabbits. "Now, train properly."

Upon that verdant hill, with the breeze gently passing us by and turning the windmills' mills, I waited patiently for Fuuka to actually manage the feat of summoning warriors fast enough to be of use.

Considering how her first summon turned out to be another rabbit...

...it was going to be a long eternity.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Five (Valkyria Chronicles)

Bruhl had no restaurants, but an inn. It was a nice inn, and there were comfortable beds, and the food was good. Fuuka had a rabbit on her head, but I did my hardest to ignore that tiny element. Thankfully, it wasn't a real rabbit, or it would have needed to do things like going to the loo, or stuff like that. Also, it didn't hop around unless Fuuka wished for it to do so, so the simple fact it was staying atop the young woman's head was enough of a sign that she had some degree of control over it.

Although calling Fuuka a young woman was a stretch. Planeswalker didn't age, but it didn't mean they didn't learn from their life experiences and change the way they acted across the decades. Apart from some very determined Planeswalker who had singular objectives that drove their entire being, the vast majority of people changed throughout the centuries from one thing to another, then bounced back, then rebounded off, and so forth. What you may one day claim to never do, you'll do the next and so forth.

It was to those thoughts that I looked at the eighty, perhaps ninety year old Fuuka who still had her youthful appearance. How had she dealt with it? Had she subconsciously added wrinkles to her face? Had she turned her hair white when the right time came? Had people began to ponder on her eternal youth, and had she unwillingly altered their perceptions of her until it was the norm?

"That's a cute rabbit, well behaved too," the matron of the inn said with a smile as she watched the rabbit twitch its muzzle and rub its face, blinking with its beautiful red eyes at the old woman. She had neared with our dinner made of stew and bread, and as I thanked her, I began to eat without bother."What's his name?"

"He's Shiro," Fuuka said with a bright smile, grabbing hold of the rabbit and plopping him on her lap. The rabbit twitched his ears back and forth, looking around. I simply stared quietly at the small talk the two women were doing, and finished my dinner without fault. "He's a cute thing, isn't he?"

"That he is," the matron laughed gingerly. "Are you travelers headed past the border?" she asked next.

"No," I answered. "We're taking a break from work. We're from the capital," I added. "She's a singer, and I'm simply her bodyguard," I hummed softly, and the matron blinked, before grinning and nodding.

"Well then, I'll leave you to it," and with that said, she walked off back behind the counter. Fuuka furrowed her brows, and then turned to look at me.

"What just happened?" she whispered, "I felt...something."

I inclined my head to the side, and then shrugged lightly. "Planeswalker have a modicum of control over reality. Technically, we can create our own planes of existence, with our own living subjects, and whatnot. I did mention you the metaphor of the source of light, right? It casts infinite shadows, but our hands can impose themselves before it reaches the hole, crafting shadow birds, shadow giraffes, and so forth..." I moved my hands to form a rabbit shadow on the table's surface. "We decide how the world works, at least, some parts of it."

"That's..." Fuuka mumbled, "That's like being a God, isn't it?"

"Planeswalker are above them," I answered with a shrug. "We topple," I pointed out, "And summon them too." I glanced at my empty plate, and then at Fuuka's filled one. "Are you going to eat that or not?"

Fuuka hastily began to eat, and as she did that, I looked around with a half-bored look. People were enjoying themselves. The militia would soon be mobilized though, and then the chain of events would slowly begin to unwind. I had seen it happen countless times, but there was something new to discover every day. For example, the day before the Imperial assault, the miller's wife had an argument with her husband, and fled in the bulky arms of the blacksmith. If the invasion didn't happen, she'd return to her husband claiming she spent the night by her mother's side.

One of the orphans in the local orphanage was, right now, asking for a wooden pony to play with together with a girl he fancied, and if he actually did receive said toy, he'd be too shy to go play with her unless pushed by a random stranger. My manipulative streak had lasted a few hundred years, admittedly my most successful act of manipulation was moving a pebble to let a man fall down and get helped up by his future wife, setting off a chain of events that culminated in the shattering of four empires, and a massive world war that spanned throughout the entire world, ending in the death of untold billions.

That then brought forth a long period of peace that lasted for three thousand years, before a smart ass decided to murder the local prince of a small kingdom, and people took up arms once more.

Manipulative me was a bit of a bastard, admittedly. Yet in perspective, it was nothing. Planeswalkers had nothing but power and time, and misplacing it caused unforeseen grief and death. The Ravager, for example, had spent decades enslaving and branding people without a doubt, so how many countless millions had he ruined? Yet, perhaps one day he might wake up and realize that enslaving people isn't the answer, and free everyone before departing for yet unknown planes to make amend for his mistakes.

I saw it happen more than once, sometimes even made it happen.

"What are you thinking?" Fuuka asked, her plate empty in front of her as her right hand gently caressed the rabbit's soft fur.

"Nothing in particular," I answered. "It's what we do," I continued gently. "The older you get, the more time you'll waste thinking about every random bit of life experience you've already experienced, and every bit you still have to experience."

Fuuka half-closed her eyes trying to think my words through, and then shrugged. "You're never going to do anything if you waste hours thinking about stuff," she pointed out. She looked down at her empty plate, and then back up at me. "It's silly, but I never asked. What's your name?"

I sighed. "Call me whatever you want."

"Uh?" Fuuka mumbled, "You have a name, don't you?"

"I did, perhaps, once," I replied with a knowing nod. "I guess you can call me Shade," I shrugged.

"What kind of name is Shade?" Fuuka asked.

"The name I use when I don't want to have a curse cast on my back," I drawled back. "Keep your real name to yourself," I added. "I'll call you Blue."

"What!?" Fuuka exclaimed, shocked. "No! That-That name sucks!"

I tapped my chin in thought, looked away, and then smiled. "You're blue da-ba-dee-da-ba-du," I hummed, nodding and chuckling.

"What are you even saying now..." Fuuka whispered, dropping her shoulders and then gazing at the rabbit on her lap. "Call me..."

"Usagi is out," I drawled. "Wabbit, Rabbit, Wuffle, Truffle and likewise are out. You'll be Blue."

Fuuka huffed, and then preened up as she smirked. "I'm the White Rabbit!" and with that said, her hair changed color to become a stark snow white. I looked at her hair, and then exhaled loudly. Having to change the memories of a good chunk of the village wasn't difficult, it was just a chore.

Thus, I didn't.

"Oh my, what happened to your hair dearie?" the matron asked as she neared, surprised at the sight as murmurs began to spread across the tables.

I looked at my nails as Fuuka's eyes widened, before she hastily brought her hair back to the natural light blue she had been born with.

"I'm a magician!" she said quickly, "It's all just a trick."

I yawned. "She sings and does magic," I drawled, shaking my head. "Truly a one of a kind artist."

The excuse was accepted, but more than one glance now looked on with suspicion, if not really bothered much by it since it was nothing dangerous.

It was the next morning that the consequences of such thoughtless action became known.

Alicia Melchiott smiled as she looked at us come down in the morning for breakfast.

A traveling magician was truly a one of a kind prospect and sight for the children of the local Bruhl orphanage.

Well then, my dear White Rabbit, you dug your hole.

Now, try not to get roasted, will ya?

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Six (Valkyria Chronicles)

Alice Melchiott had a most terrifying way of getting you to do what she wanted. Mostly, it was a mixture of asking nicely, showing a sort of wounded puppy look, and then going for the hard and fast method of locking you into jail if the need arose. It didn't need to come to that, especially because Fuuka nodded excitedly, happy to be of service to orphaned children. The local orphanage wasn't a caricature of an evil place of death and hunger, but it had its somber tone. There was a courtyard of dirt with a few wild flowers, and while the insides were clean and spacious, it was nothing more than a big house remodeled for the orphans of the countryside nearby.

There were quite a few orphans, though.

The orphanage dining hall was the place where Fuuka would be doing her magic tricks, and as she nervously looked at me for suggestions, I simply shrugged. She could impose her will on reality. It wasn't a matter of skill as much as of presentation. The orphanage didn't have much in the way of tools, but as Fuuka got a large hat and a deck of cards, I knew she'd put up some form of show that was age appropriate.

It wouldn't be a flashy performance, but perhaps it was for the best.

"Now children!" Fuuka said while clapping her hands, catching everyone's attentions, and even Alicia's own, since she had apparently decided to stay and watch the show. "I am going to need a volunteer!" she looked through the crowd, "Someone who's not scared of magic!" she twitched her fingers, summoning forth the White Mana to sparkle and glitter. So she had managed to gain some basic control over it. "Anyone?"

"Pick me! Pick me!" a few children raised their hands, and one was chosen among them to near the stage of the magic show, much to the dismay of others. Fuuka grabbed a towel that the matron of the orphanage offered her, and then handed it over to the boy, who took it with a puzzled look on his face.

"Now," she said with a smile, "I want you to show the towel to your friends, see how it's just a normal towel?" she continued, "Or so it seems! For it is a towel capable of summoning Rabbits!"

I had no words, so I simply remained quiet as I watched the show unfold from Rabbit summoning to hair changing color and ending with a card show that had the cards fly in the air and then land back in order in her hands. The children were happily clapping away, and as I crossed my arms over my chest in wait for the end, Alicia neared with a look that I knew promised to be troublesome.

"Thank you for doing this," she whispered as she stopped by my side with a smile on her face. "It means a lot for the children here."

"You should thank her," I pointed at Fuuka, "She's the one who accepted."

"But you're the one who allowed it, right?" Alicia grinned. Her eyes moved on back to the stage, where Fuuka was now using the towel to make the Rabbits disappear one after the other, making it seem as if the towel was eating them. "What's the capital like?" she asked next, nonchalantly fishing for information.

"Noisy and filled with people," I said with a sigh. "Days go by too quickly, everyone's in a hurry to get somewhere fast," I chuckled. "This place's pace is just what is needed to catch a breath." I glanced at her. "You took a day off the bakery?"

"Ah," Alicia smiled, "Not really. It's my free day," she smiled, "Which is why I'm lucky twice."

"Good for you," I said with a small smile, pulling myself off the wall. "Hope you enjoyed the show." I placed my hands in my pockets as Fuuka joined us, smiling brightly as the kids seemed to be following her ecstatically like little ducklings. "We've dallied around here long enough, so it's time we leave."

"All right," Fuuka grinned, much to the dismay of the children around her. "One last trick though," she gestured for the large towel, "now you see us-" I watched the towel fall flatly on the ground, much to Fuuka's dismay as I simply looked at her with a flat, nonsensical look. "Now you don't...or you wouldn't, if Shade actually did his trick." She looked at me with the affronted look of a child who had just been told her joke was pathetic.

I simply snapped my fingers, the towel rising and twisting into a satin piece of cloth with golden embroideries, which snaked like a thundering dragon of smoke and lightning around us. The moment we were out of view it spun on itself, as if coming down to devour us, and the next instant we were gone from that plane, and stood in the deep murky darkness of outer space.

Fuuka looked at me, rather than around, "That was mean," she said. "You could have played along rather than upstage me-" and that was when she finally deigned to look around, and aptly proceed to grab hold of my arm like a cat scared of falling in the water. "W-We're in space!" she yelled, eyes wide. "We're in space!" she yelled again, as if I hadn't heard her properly the first time around.

"Yes," I replied flatly, pointing my finger ahead of us. "Now be quiet, or you'll miss the show." I turned my sight ahead, and so too did Fuuka, her eyes narrowing trying to make out the far off stars in the distance, tiny dots of white light that blinked with beauty and poise.

"What is that?" she whispered, her voice barely containing her awe.

"Billions of years from your time, the crash of the Milky way and the Andromeda Galaxies," I said in a whisper in turn. "We stand in a plane where all events happen at a thousand times the normal time, so you can view something like that," I gestured at the light show of suns impacting one another, of planets losing orbit, of supernovas going critical and asteroids rupturing planets, "And get a grip of what I'm talking of when I say Time."

I looked at the entirety of the firmament burn brighter than ever, change in color, and then explode in unyielding grace. It had been a harrowing experience the first time, but now it was merely just another light show. I stared as the biggest black hole of the whole universe moved and sucked into its gaping maws whole arms belonging to spirals that spanned millions of light years. Darkness encroached as entropy rose to the point where planets no longer could cool down, and instead became burning molten balls that sailed closer and closer to their end.

The universe in its entirety turned a brilliant white, and then an explosion rocked it once more.

A new Big Bang, a new beginning, just happened in front of us.

"There are planes where this doesn't happen," I said in the end, "Where paradoxes, or where other theories of Thermodynamics go and become real. I like to think this is the true ending of the universe, in its eternal rebirth, growth, life and death. But I am a single voice out of a chorus that is made of thousand of different opinions and beliefs," Fuuka didn't let go of my arm, even as she watched the entire universe expand once more. "There is no right or wrong, Rabbit, only what you decide is right or wrong," I chuckled. "Now let's get going, another world awaits us."

"Can...can I look at it for a while?" Fuuka asked, her voice filled with wonder.

I remained silent.

To me this was an old movie, to her a first. The sense of wonder in her eyes and the surprise in her face, had they once been on my face too when I stumbled upon this plane in search of an answer to the question what happens when the universe dies?

The answer, of course, was obvious in hindsight.

Whatever you wish, Planeswalker.

Whatever. You. Wish.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Seven (Warcraft)

The sweltering heat mixed with the forges' eternal clangor to craft weapons and armors for the mighty dwarfs of yore. Our passage was met with indifference, even as stocky and well-built warriors rushed through the large stone paths of the city, rumbling like earthquakes in motion. The noise of steel clanking against steel, of water hissing and of the curses grumbled loudly as this or that piece came out wrong from an apprentice's hands. There were a variety of people standing by the forges, some asking for help from master armor smiths, others buying permission to work on the anvils themselves.

"Welcome to Ironforge," I said as I looked at Fuuka, who was lost in awe of the small stocky dwarfs rushing by. "Don't call any of them tin cans, or they'll probably throw you in the gallows," I continued with a shrug, "Let's find a bench to sit so you can concentrate."

Fuuka's gait by my side was hesitant at first, but then grew bolder as she realized nobody was really bothering with us. Everyone had things to do, and people walking by in the edge of their vision didn't matter one bit. Unless you actually appeared in a new plane with thunder and lightning to announce your arrival, it didn't register in the eyes of others that someone had just appeared out of thin air, especially if they began walking the moment they appeared.

A nearby stone bench was where we took our seat, the thundering of hammers second only to the simmering of the volcanic magma deep beneath Ironforge's greatest forges. Fuuka breathed in and out deeply, her eyes closed in concentration as she seemed to tense every now and then at the clanking of steel, or at the passage of a particularly loud dwarf. There was a sizzling pop, a small thump, and a large dose of soot ended up covering Fuuka's face as she began to cough, dark dust leaving her lungs as she wheezed.

"Differently from White Mana," I remarked, "Red Mana has passion," I chuckled. "It seeks adventure and freedom, so it has to be contained differently from White Mana." I twitched my fingers, letting the crimson energies flow and burn brightly as it flew right and left, and yet always returned to my knuckles, or my palm. "You can't control it. You just call it and then send it off," I twirled my fingers, and the red light show ended abruptly. "Don't worry about trying again. This world has mages, so they'll simply think you're experimenting."

Fuuka nodded, and then opened her hands wide as she closed her eyes again. This time, the crimson energies of mana flowed through her fingertips and twirled freely in the air. "You can't control, so you need to direct," I said. "You need to entice, and you can but suggest, if you do that, or if you just holler, Red mana is going to obey...for a certain definition of obeying," I sighed. "It usually ends in fire and explosions."

There was a spark, and then the fire leaped out to strike at the cobblestone road, melting a few cobblestones into a single block. "On the plus side," I said as I watched more sparks fly out of her fingertips, "You can't set anything on fire right here."

As if to prove me wrong, a single spark shot out and hit right on the beard a patrolling dwarf, making him blink and turn his eyes on us as Fuuka winced. "You just thought about how their beards were flammable, didn't you?" I said nonchalantly, even as the dwarf neared with an angry glare, patting his beard to snuff off the flames. I stood up, and Fuuka mimicked my move.

"Ye morons!" he snarled as he came to a halt in front of us, jabbing his index finger right in Fuuka's midriff, making her cough since it was an armored gauntlet, and there had been some strength behind the blow anyway. "The fuck are ye trying to pull practicing magic right here? Fucking go outside! Hitting mah beard like that! Ye should know better, master wizard!" he glared at me, and I simply smiled.

"She's an overtly excited apprentice," I acquiesced. "I apologize for her," I bowed deeply, "Let me pay the fine and offer you something cold to drink," I twitched my fingers, and as I brought out from thin air a large pitcher of cold brew, the guard blinked. I also brought out a pouch filled with gold coins. "The fine for burning a dwarf's beard is four hundred gold coins, am I right?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Ah, ye had me at the cold beer," the dwarf grumbled, "But I ain't complaining about the gold. Just go elsewhere," he added as he pocketed the pouch and grabbed the pitcher, taking a deep gulp of the thing and exhaling in bliss. "That hit the spot," he said, rasping his throat and spitting out to the side a bolus of soot and spit the size of a small tennis ball. "Really did," he added, his voice slightly less coarse than before. "Even fixed my throat!" he chuckled, patting with his right hand my sides. "Ye'r all right! Ye here to admire the view of the great forges?"

"In part," I acquiesced. "And also to help in the reconquest of Gnomeregan," I continued smoothly. "My apprentice and I will head there later today," I smiled. "Hopefully, rather than beards she'll be burning Troggs."

Fuuka blinked, and then opened her mouth as if to say something, only to hold herself at the last instant.

"Ah, well, good luck," the guard said, finishing the pitcher with a few more deep gulps, and just as he did, the pitcher disappeared in thin air. "If ye see any of those mad gnomes...they deserve a quick death." He shook his head, muttered a short prayer of sorts, and then waved us goodbye as he went his way.

"What's this Gnomeregan?" Fuuka asked. "And...what's a Trogg?"

I smiled.

"Why tell you, when I can show you?"

Don't worry Fuuka, by the time I'll be done...

...you will feel like a hero.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Eight (Warcraft)

Gnomeregan was a place not for the faint of hearts, but getting there also proved to require a bit of patience and courage. More patience than courage in my case, especially with how Fuuka seemed busy trying to beat the new records for slippery falls and head-first rushes into mounds of snow. I was sure she was doing it on purpose, but either I changed the weather to become a hot summer, which I was half-tempted to do, or I just patiently waited for the novelty of sliding down thick icy road into snow hills to pass.

"I don't even feel the cold," Fuuka said as she grinned brightly, a small pile of snow on her head as her summoned pet rabbit seemed to stand by her side, twitching its nose and hopping alongside her. "It's great!" she slowly stood up from the umpteenth pile of snow, the red mana swirling around her gingerly. Her cheeks flushed with heat, and tiny wisps of haze left her form.

"Concentrate," I said as my feet passed over the snow-covered path without leaving traces, the icy roads that led through the forests to Gnomeregan a treacherous death traps for those who did not have the agility to avoid slipping. I did have that agility, but I didn't want to give Fuuka any more excuses for jumping into mounds of snow and waste time doing snow angels along the path. "Try to push the mana towards crafting itself into a dart, or into a whip at least." I twitched my fingers, a snake of fire leaving my hand and coiling around my wrist and into my palm as I threw the other half across the ground, melting the snow in a straight line in an instant.

"Can't I practice once we get there?" Fuuka asked, pivoting on the spot to dust the snow off her head and shoulders, grinning brightly. "It's the first time I see so much snow! It never snowed so much back in..." she faltered, "Anyway," she grinned, "You think if I sing, it will reverberate?"

"I think you'll attract the wolves," I acquiesced. "The hungry wolves of Dun Morogh, who never have enough," I hummed. "They'll chew and chew, your bones they'll spew." I allowed the fire whip to disappear, "With your luck, though it isn't nice, it's the snow leopards you'll entice."

The snowy depths of the forest beyond the roads suddenly grew silent, and Fuuka's eyes took on a really sad look. I stared at her flatly. She coughed awkwardly in her right hand, closed into a fist. Her cough had the subtle undertone of laughter, though I couldn't really place it. "Completely flat," she said in the end. "I've never heard anything so flat," she brought her arms behind her back as she slid on the surface of the snow to pirouette in mid-air lightly in front of me. "I think you scared away all the poor animals of the forest."

I raised an eyebrow, and then pointed with my thumb at a white as snow wolf pack that had slowly been nearing us in the meantime. "There your poor animals are. Cuddle up to them while I watch," I crossed my arms and slid quickly away, tapping my right foot against the ground as walls of thick ice rose to suddenly block the wolves escapes, and at the same time hold Fuuka inside.

"H-Hey!" Fuuka yelled, even as I stood atop the edge of the wall, "What's this about?!"

"It's just a pack of wolves," I drawled, "They're all yours to deal with, White Rabbit," I continued with a mocking tone, staring at my nails.

"A-Are you angry I said you had a flat tone?" Fuuka hazarded, "You can't be angry for something like that!" she moved her fingers together, and as White Mana gathered at her fingertips, a warrior emerged from thin air to impose himself between his summoner and the charging Alpha of the pack, who had the privilege of going first. The rest of the wolves began to run by Fuuka's sides, even as she summoned yet another warrior, the maws of the wolves snapping shut on the man's neck.

These wolves knew hunger. They knew to prey on what they felt were the weak and the unarmed. As I dangled my legs from the top of the ice wall, I watched as the warriors found themselves pinned to the ground, Fuuka backpedaling away from the fight as suddenly, the creatures realized that they were eating the equivalent of chalkboard. "Use fire," I said from the top of the ice wall, "Use what you feel is best."

Reddish mana formed at Fuuka's fingers as she suddenly thrust both hands forth, a dart of lava snapping straight through the nearest wolf, melting his face off in one quick swoop. The smell of burnt flesh and fur rose in the air as the rest of the pack began to growl, warily widening their formation. "A warrior and a bolt of fire, White Rabbit, you can do both at once if you put yourself into it," I spoke from above. "Keep your eyes on the enemy! Even if you get munched on, keep it up!"

"What do you mean-" Fuuka's next words died in her throat as a wolf rushed at her from the side, tackling and sending her to roll on the ground. The blue-haired girl screamed as she tried to fend off the gaping maws of the wolf, fizzling red energies slamming home from her fingers into a geyser of fire, making the wolf yip in pain and jump back, rolling itself on the ground before it suddenly stopped, having gone limp from the shock.

"Two down, three more to go," I said, even as Fuuka's harrowed expression told me the girl was at the verge of having a breakdown. I simply watched on, a hand used to hold my chin up, my elbow on my leg. It wasn't like watching the fights of two barbarians in an arena, but it was kind of similar. Wanting to survive made humans all the more feral when they came down to the act itself.

Perhaps it was a recollection to their times as beasts, but when a scuffle seemed to drag on, and the victor was undecided, humans bared their teeth, crouched slightly and clenched their fists. They tried to fight and win, forgetting a lot of stuff just so they could get one more punch into the mix. Course, there were also those who unsheathed a dagger, and those who simply fell on the ground weeping and crying that everything was meaningless.

Fuuka was a fighter though, and as the trio of wolves rushed at her, she decided to most aptly scream as reddish energies surrounded her form. This made the wolves pause, but Fuuka was pretty much done by that point. I had admittedly slipped with my elbow for the uncharacteristically high-pitched screaming, but I was now staring at the scene in disbelief. She probably had enough energy inside her to easily defeat the wolves, but instead she didn't.

She just huffed and puffed and lifted her arms up high and waved them around, and the wolves began to slowly cower backwards, their tails tucked between their legs as they tried to leave, only to end up hitting the ice wall behind them. With a twitch of her fingers, a stream of fire melted the wall to craft a big enough hole for them to scurry through, and run away into the wilderness.

"You should have gone for the kill," I quipped as the wall slowly disappeared, my feet landing on the snow that crunched under my weight. "Though you did reduce the population of man-eating wolves from five to three." I shrugged as I began to move once more, glancing back to look at her with a barely concerned look, "Come on, patch yourself up and let's move."

Fuuka took heavy breaths, the red hue dispersing in the air in haze and simmering waves of heat. She pushed her hands against the sides of her face, her fingers passing through her hair as she looked at the two dead wolves. "I...I did that."

"That you did, young Planeswalker," I answered. "But long is the road, and wolves? They're the easy part. Pray you never encounter Phyrexians," I shuddered, the cold wind of Dun Morogh obviously the reason for it, though. "Let's move," I continued, spitting to the side. "And let's not dally. Long is the road, White Rabbit."

"You're really going to keep calling me White Rabbit, aren't you?" Fuuka remarked, even as she hugged herself and tiptoed past the two corpses by her side, reaching me as I began to trek forth once more.

"Yes, young whippersnapper," I said. "Summer Child, Young One, Meowing Babe, Sonny, Cadet-"

"White Rabbit's fine," Fuuka muttered, glancing behind her to look at the corpse, and slipping on her next step upon a small sheet of ice that had formed over the snow. She fell on her back, yelping and then sliding downwards across the snow slope until she hit yet another snow mound.

I stared at the sight and then exhaled, loud enough that the very forests of Dun Morogh echoed my sigh.

I guessed this was what passed for Mountainwalk...

Or should I call it Mountainfall?

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Nine (Warcraft)

Gnomeregan, the once capital of the Gnomes, was now a large, half-broken mess of toxic green fumes and radiations strong enough that a Geiger counter would probably be singing the latest disco tune if it actually was brought inside. It was no Chernobyl, but it pretty much got close to it. We stopped a short distance away from the broken doors of the main entrance, and as I sat down on a small rock outcrop, I gestured at the place itself.

"That is the once prosperous capital of Gnomish race, or what remains of it. Your task is to cleanse it," I stretched slightly. "You may do as you wish."

Fuuka stared at me, and then at the broken doors, "What happened in there?" she asked, clutching into her arms her summoned rabbit. "A bomb exploded or something?"

"There was an invasion by an underground race known as the Troggs, the Gnomes fought them and when they realized they were about to lose, they unleashed a Radiation Bomb of sorts hoping to kill them all. It made the remaining Gnomes sick and mad, and turned the Troggs into raging murderous beasts." I yawned, my hands crossed behind my head. "Your task is to reclaim the whole capital of the Gnomes. How you go about it is entirely your choice," I said as I conjured a book, and opened it at the first page.

"That's..." Fuuka mumbled, "I'm supposed to do it alone?" she asked, only for me to bring my eyes away from the words that I had read a thousand times, scoffing at the same time. I simply looked at her, even as she huffed and began to look back at me with her arms crossed over her summoned rabbit.

"You can have a rabbit army if you want to," I quipped, "Or just summon creatures. Do whatever you want. Make the mountain fall over their heads, asphyxiate all of them by closing the vents and letting them die-whatever, really." I flipped a page of the book. "Remember to trust your instincts. Also, I'll be following you, so you won't be doing it alone, per se, but I won't be helping unless strictly necessary."

"How does this help me bring my husband back from the dead?" Fuuka asked, huffing. "I don't even know where to start, or what I'm supposed to do first," she continued.

I glanced back at her, and then shrugged. "Controlling the incredible quantities of mana required to resurrect someone is no easy task. By comparison, freeing a city such as this is a trifling thing. Also, just because you do not seek to continue on your travels, it does not mean others won't one day come to you, attracted by your Spark, or by the powers you wield." I pointed my index finger at her, using my other hand to keep the book steady. "You are a Planeswalker, even if it's a whole world, you can conquer it. You can enslave it. You can destroy it. You can nurture it, guide it, corrupt it-there is nothing you cannot do the moment you acknowledge your power, and let go of the mortal shackles that your mind calls limits."

"But how is that supposed to help?" Fuuka asked, "How does bringing someone back to life have anything to do with going inside that place?"

"And what makes you think it doesn't?" I replied. "You haven't gone in there yet. For all you know, there is a lot past those doors that can help you."

Fuuka narrowed her eyes, clearly looking annoyed. "Then why aren't you helping me?"

"Because I have no obligation to do so," I replied. "I am following you to avoid my eternal boredom, not out of the kindness of my decrepit non-existing heart," I continued quite flat in tone, "If I solved your problems, then why not just bring your husband back to life myself and then leave it at that? Please," I scoffed, "You're the one who has to do the work, not me."

Fuuka turned her sight from me to the doors, and finally began to take the first few steps towards them. I followed, my face dutifully covered by my book as we went past the large hole that swiftly began to descend in the depths of the mountain, the temperature rapidly rising as we left the sun behind us, replaced with electrical tiny lights that flickered on an off at random intervals.

As Fuuka cautiously began to summon forth her warriors, their numbers began to grow by the score. Stopping to catch her breath, and wipe her forehead slick with sweat at the far end of the corridor, she realized that the neat lines of warriors easily reached two to three dozens. If only there weren't also hundreds of rabbits hopping by-I blinked as I looked at the rabbits seemingly multiply. Uh, who would have guessed. Fuuka was expending a lot of energies summoning the warriors, and the bits and pieces she wasted were instead eaten by the rabbit constructs to craft more of themselves.

Nifty little buggers.

Fuuka wouldn't miss a dozen of those, would she now?

Even so, it could wait. The glory of the G-Team upon their mechano-striders was enough to make Fuuka rub her eyes repeatedly, as if afraid she was hallucinating.

"How did you get in here?" the leader of the G-Team spoke as he turned his mechano-strider around, the one-eyed ostrich-like creatures of steel rumbling as the gnomes that hadn't been on their steeds climbed back up. "And since when does the Alliance have men to spare? If ye'r mercenaries trying to make a quick loot, you'll have to pass on our bodies!" his eyes were hidden by his glowing green visor, but it was probably the green and white spandex suit that made him an eye-searing experience to behold.

"We're here to help," Fuuka said quickly, bringing both of her hands up. "I promise."

"Uhm, well, you ain't orcs," the gnome said, "Guess it's enough. I'm Murd Doc, member of the G-Team, and our task is to recapture Gnomeregan, or we would, if there weren't so many of the damn buggers going around. The more the merrier, but I don't think we have enough parachutes for all of you." He looked at the army, and then furrowed his brows. "Why the rabbits? Good luck charms?"

Fuuka turned, and realized that she did, indeed, have a veritable army of furry white critters hopping by. This gave an all new meaning to a God's words of Be free and proliferate or whatever it actually was that God said.

"Yeah," Fuuka said with a smile.

"Hey boss, I know it sounds racist," a gnome nearby said, "But the warriors all have the same face."

"Listen here you," Murd said with a snap, turning towards the gnome in question. "Just because they're humans doesn't mean they're all identical to us gnomes! Now apologize to this man here-"

"But I'm a woman..." Fuuka whispered awkwardly, only for the Gnome to cough and then actually remove his visor, squinting his eyes.

"That you are!" he said with a smile. "Apologies! The visor, really, it's useful for some things, can't see shit for others," he glanced at the warriors, who had somehow altered their appearances on the fly. "And they're all perfectly normal chaps," he glared at the Gnome by his side.

"T-They changed their faces!" another gnome howled, "They changed their faces!" more than one agreed on the general sentiment of unease and fear.

"Enough dallying around!" Murd roared, quieting them down, saving Fuuka from committing another faux-pas of sorts. "Get all the parachutes you've got out! We'll need them, and some more."

I was glad I had my face hidden behind my book. This was amusing, admittedly. I had never elicited such a reaction, mostly because when a horde of Slivers go by, you don't stop to wonder why they all have the same appearance one to the other, and simply run for the hills faster than if hell itself was hot on your tail.

As the gnomes began to hand them out, Fuuka took one in her hands, and then breathed as tiny wisps of mana left her fingers. "We have ours," a few warriors at the back said, pulling out replicas of the one Fuuka had in her hands.

"You not taking one?" a gnome asked me. I glanced at him, and then smiled gently.

"Thank you for the offer, but I can get down on my own with magic," I closed my book, and stretched my fingers.

"Careful further down the corridor," Murd said to Fuuka, who was in his eyes the leader of the ragtag bunch. "There are Troggs and those poor radiated bastards," he huffed, "But our boss is at the deepest level, so if you'll open a way, we'll link up and keep the stragglers from hitting you on the back. Damn Troggs pop out of the frigging walls like you wouldn't know."

"Thanks," Fuuka said with a smile, and then awkwardly raised a hand as she looked at her cohort. "Ahem..." she coughed, clearing her voice, "Let's go!" as she yelled that with her powerful voice, the poor Murd held his ears with his hands and winced, as did most of the gnomes nearby. The rabbits hopped ahead in a rush of furry little legs, and the warriors themselves marched at a jogging pace with their swords and shields at the ready.

The noise of their boots against the metallic corridors of Gnomeregan would make them anything but stealthy.

Then again, I couldn't expect a triple-S rank performance from filthy casuals.

Not everyone deserved a Supremely Slithering Slivers achievement, after all.