The days following the arrival to the second planet of Vision Expanse were… quite a remarkable moment in the history of the four… now five worlds. The addition to a new world to what was now being called the Legion of Allied Worlds, or L.A.W. for short, was by no means less momentous than that of a successful space travel within the game provided by the Keeper.
In fact… as the information became more and more clear, it seemed obvious that the Keeper himself made this arrangement. A Fairy Gate appearing with the keys laid out, and a message for whoever finds them to take them? No matter how you look at it, that had to be the work of the Keeper, and he was simply not making as big of an announcement as he did previously.
After three days of quarantine, the elf known as K’thona Everdew was finally released. The cause of her symptoms was unable to be determined, though there were some who believed that it had similarities with the plague which had once struck the Dawn Kingdom during the Dark Ages. Given that she made a speedy recover, without the aid of any advanced medicine or magic, it was impossible to say for sure that it was the same thing.
Once she had been released, K’thona returned to her world, accompanied by three researchers and six security personnel. They wished to learn more about the strange new world that had been connected to them, a world where the Keeper was unknown.
When they arrived, the nine travelers from Earth all realized that something was strange about this world. Their magic, and any magical items that they had brought with them, refused to function. They were unable to even make their mana leave their own bodies, and the simple act of attempting to do so made them dizzy.
On the other hand, K’thona looked more relaxed than ever. As if the air of Earth had been stifling to her, her disposition improved just by being in her own world. It did not take much for the people of Earth to realize that they were not properly prepared to explore this planet, and thus they promptly returned from whence they came.
Afterwards, a more detailed study of the world began, individuals being sent through with primarily monk or warrior escorts. Their purpose was to identify the unique properties of the world known as Spica. Only through doing so would they be able to withstand its strange atmosphere long enough to make contact with the local populace.
Perhaps thankfully, it appeared that the Fairy Gate was not near any local settlements, giving them ample time to prepare their research. Days passed, weeks even, before they were able to arrive at a startling conclusion…
The laws of magic were fundamentally different between the two worlds. Admittedly, this was not the first time that different laws of magic had interacted with one another. History showed that magic itself had changed considerably when the world of Fyor had been introduced. This change was such that it shook the four worlds and made mages tremble, yet this instance seemed entirely different, for better or worse.
In the past, when the different laws conflicted, they had joined together to become one, changing aspects of each world. Here, however, there was no such event. This was, honestly, closer to the secondary worlds of Desbar. The worlds where magic held unpredictable effects due to not being under the Keeper’s rule.
This comparison began to make people question whether Spica truly was one of the Keeper’s worlds… if it was, why did magic go awry as it did in the worlds outside the Keeper’s rule? This debate proved to be a hot topic, until a certain figure personally appeared. Someone who was able to quell all conflict on this matter.
Ryone crossed her arms under her chest as she watched the world below, tapping her foot on the ground. “Is it really that hard to accept?” She muttered to herself, thinking that the direction that things were going in would lead to Spica being isolated from the other worlds.
She could understand it, to an extent. Magic had always been something her followers sought to understand, and now they were presented with a magic completely foreign to them. Not just that, but a world in which their own magic did not properly function.
Creating a storage enchantment that functioned both in Spica and Earth had not been an easy task, but she had done it for the sake of a budding peace between these worlds. She had even left the bag at the Fairy Gate along with the keys, so that they could easily be taken to Earth.
Ryone couldn’t allow this world to be isolated from the others. Spica was a world she created to represent her love for her daughter… How could she simply stand by at a time like this?
With a sigh, her body was wrapped in a golden light. She knew that Dale did not want to reveal Leowynn’s existence to the world yet, that he wanted them to learn of it through the game he had given them. Even so, there were ways for her to get this done properly.
Empress Margold looked over the papers that had been presented to her, a deep furrow in her brow. It had been nearly two months now since the discovery of Spica, and so far things were looking worse and worse. Between the Keeper not announcing his involvement in this world, and the strange laws of magic, even her own advisors were beginning to suggest against including Spica within the Legion of Allied Worlds.
This was a troublesome subject for her. On the one hand, it was entirely possible that they were right. That the Keeper truly did not create and manage Spica as he did Earth. If that was the case, then the fact that the keys to the various Fairy Gates had been found on Spica is more likely to be the prelude to some attack.
With this thought in mind, she could not help but be vigilant. However… if this truly was a world of the Keeper’s making, then shunning them would be a grave crime, would it not? Long ago, history showed that the Keeper had destroyed an entire nation for attempting to prevent others from freely using the gate. That event is what ultimately allowed the gate to be moved to elven territory.
If this truly was a world of the Keeper’s, and she made the decision to shun them… was it not possible that her empire would face the same end? No matter which decision she made, there was a possibility that she was wrong, and that in being wrong she doomed her people.
Just as the empress was biting her lip in frustration, her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes went wide as a feeling of power spread through her chambers. She was preparing to shout for her guards, but found that her voice would not come. Her lips would not move.
She was forced to simply stare ahead as golden light descended from the ceiling, condensing in the form of a beautiful elven woman with long brown hair. The empress’s face went from fear to awe, and back again as she realized the identity of this ‘intruder’. The Mother of Magic herself was visiting her.
Once her body had been fully formed, Ryone let out a long sigh. “I really didn’t want to have to do this.” She muttered to herself, before shaking her head and looking towards the empress resting on her bed with her paperwork. With a thought, the oppressive aura vanished, the restraining power on the woman’s body fading away.
“M-my Goddess…” Rarely was it said to be a good thing to have a god descend before you. Especially when they looked as annoyed as Ryone did then. Not that the gods were cruel… but if they had to descend themselves, something was usually very, very wrong.
“Lady Margold.” Ryone gave a polite nod, lowering herself as if to sit. In a flash, a wooden chair appeared beneath her, just in time for her to land in it. “I’ve come to have a little chat with you about something that has been troubling both of us.”
Something that troubled even the Mother of Magic? The empress’s eyes went wide, before a thought occurred to her. “You mean this Spica world?” Her throat was dry as she spoke, sweat beading down her face.
“That’s right.” Ryone nodded again. “And really, you don’t have to be so nervous. I’ll try to make this quick.”
Those words seemed far more menacing than anything else the empress could have heard, her face going pale before Ryone clarified. “The explanation, you daft woman!” She waved a hand in exasperation. “I’m not here for your life.”
The empress calmed down after hearing that, even if only slightly, while the goddess explained further, though her explanation began with a question. “What do you know of Deckan? Before it was connected to Earth, I mean.”
I thought we were talking about Spica? The empress thought to herself, before reviewing her own memories. “Deckan… it was originally a world composed entirely of kitsune, serving only the goddess Udona. The system of strength was not a part of their world prior to the joining, and thus civilization had flourished, with all people being on a similar level of power.”
These were commonly known facts taught to children, so it was only natural for the empress to be aware of this much. She knew that the system of strength had caused the monsters of Deckan to become more powerful, something that the world had not been prepared for. Millions of lives were reportedly lost in the rampages, before Deckan’s combatants had grown strong enough to counteract them, entire cities swept away.
“Good, good…” Ryone nodded, before speaking again. “And Desbar?”
The empress raised a brow, but did not dare to protest the questioning. Instead, she offered another answer. “The world of demons, who once only worshipped Ashley, a deity who was not yet known to us before their appearance. Not only the system of strength, even magic itself had not been part of that world before it experienced the joining.”
Of course, the next question that followed was one that the empress had almost expected. “And what about Fyor?”
At this point, the empress merely let out a sigh. “Fyor jointly worshipped both Aurivy and Bihena, a world of humans and halflings. While they possessed the system of strength, their magic was of a different nature to our own, and their world is fundamentally different. Even to this day, other gods and goddesses are treated as merely a secondary religion within Fyor, frowned upon in the lands governed by the Council.”
There was a faint twitch of annoyance in Ryone’s eye as the empress said that, which made her immediately think that she had answered wrongly. However, Ryone did not rebuke her. “Good. Now allow me to add a similar explanation for Spica…”
The goddess took a deep breath, shaking her head as she spoke. “Spica is my world. The natives of Deckan worshipped Udona, those of Desbar worshipped Ashley, and Fyor… you get my point. Make no mistake, Spica is one of the Keeper’s worlds.”
“The reason why the magic of that world is so different is because I created it. Its magic is of my own making. And, to be honest, if the magic of Spica was not contained to only that realm… this world would burn. Fyor would freeze, and both Deckan and Desbar would become a wasteland.” Her eyes were serious as she said this, causing the empress to once again go pale.
“This is not because the magic of Spica is stronger, but… the way that it functions is so fundamentally different. Here, mana resides among the people, within the very air you breathe. In Spica, magic comes from the stars themselves. This mana rests within the atmosphere, and is harnessed to perform magic.”
“Now… with that being said, the star closest to Spica provides mana attuned to fire spells. Imagine what would happen if that mana was not contained within the atmosphere, if it was instead allowed to settle upon the surface of the world, where the mana of Earth typically resides.”
The empress could imagine it. She could practically see the scene unfold before her. A world on fire, the people screaming. The oceans would boil, and there would be naught but ash left of Earth.
Suddenly, the empress was very glad that this magic had not come to Earth, as the magics of Fyor and Deckan had done.
