"Well, the implants are already in place, and I've already made a rough draft of the future plans." Now that we have Nexus-3 as a supporting branch as the things that will be making all the decisions for my cause, all that is left is to rebuild Crusch, and study her further."
"Hopefully, I won't have to use the mind chip for anything other than steering weak and unnecessary emotions within Crusch and providing assistance if the time ever arises." Crusch is not mentally weak, but the world that I live in extends beyond the mental fortitude of a high-class nobleman with political duties. Yes, these mental chips were a backup plan, but I do not intend to control Crusch's entire life. Instead, only her behaviors and faulty beliefs needed to be corrected and rewritten to my satisfaction."
"In a way, I'm doing this to protect her; of course, my satisfaction comes first above all else." But, from a more mature perspective, as well as from my own personal experience, I can tell you without a doubt that the slightest hesitancy can throw us off track, which is the last thing I need right now."
Pleiades murmured to himself as he began to take the paper on which he had written, his back straight on the office chair he had conjured up in his mind. He then opened a lower drawer and took out a big journal the size of an encyclopedia. The book had a black cover with no titles on it because they were of no use.
In some ways, this book was another of his creations. The irony was that it only existed as a backup plan in case Pleiades himself lost who he was, what he did, and what the larger goal was.
Of course, the book has been secured and built with old magic and can only be opened by him and his variants; the words are also impossible to decipher. After all, Pleiades created his own language and numeric system for the sole purpose of protecting his secrets, which no one but him is authorized to know. No one else could know, even if he tried to describe the jumble that was his existence from the past to the present. And this language was known as "Pleiadian."
What is the purpose of this book without a title? You must be wondering; well, that is a simple question to answer. And it was to record his entire life and everything he had done. It was the narrative of many lost identities, from the tale of the naive and lost boy that was Natsuki Subaru to the immensely clever, manipulative, and equally mistrusting Pleiades the Wonder.
It is essentially a biography of his existence; as such, possessing it is equivalent to having all of his wisdom, knowledge, encounters, memories, words, sentiments, or what remained of it—his actual day-to-day life. A book with infinite pages, but here's the thing about it: another contingency designed to prevent everyone but him from reading it. Assume you can grasp the language properly after getting your hands on the Nameless book. The book will make limitless permutations of truth and falsehoods and dupe the reader into reading a fanfic of his words that contains no truth at all. That and the fact that it will not open up to begin with unless you have the greed and sloth factor, specifically, along with the power of return by death. Those conditions alone make it impossible for anyone else but a Natsuki Subaru or a Pleiades to read.
As a result, Pleiades opened the book and went to the center of it, and the top of the pages was titled "Plans to Consider," and this section of the book comprises all of his documented plans from his past to the present. Normally, he does not return to read any of them because he recalls them all through the authority of greed. But he still needs to document his writing, so the paper gets fused with pages from the book.
And the minute it happened, his words were now in the book, but another thing to consider was that the book would appear empty to other if they look at it when he is documenting, Why? Well, it is because he turned the material from his invisible providence and made it into ink, making the words he wrote within the book to also be invisible as well.
Pleiades made it a habit to chronicle his thoughts, discoveries, experiences, desires, or whatever occurrences he had delved into or took notice of on a daily basis. And because he's already detailed his ambitions for the still-unnamed Crusch Project. He was now going to document the entire day, from the moment he felt like he was being followed, to meeting Crusch, to the excitement he felt when he realized she was the key, to his conversation with her, to the time when he was being followed, to the time he almost destroyed the world to escape his stalkers, to meeting the sword saint, to bringing her to the shadow garden, to the time of helping her get her memories back, to implanting the mind chip in her brains, and to the now where he was documenting his findings."
And with those words, Pleiades began to quietly document everything, with nothing to bother him humming to himself in the endless silent expanse that was the shadow garden, as he waited for Crusch to awaken from her slumber. And when she does, it will be the first time in ages since he had last spoken to her.
In some ways, the Sage of Sin's pastime was similar to the likes of an unconscious atonement and sorrow of Pleiades past and present; one second at a time, he leaves behind his experience and insights. Nonetheless, if anyone could read his anonymous book, they would conclude that this was a clear cry for help. This was not just a sad story, nor a book of vast knowledge, but a book full of regrets and loneliness, a book that can easily be called Natsuki Subaru's embodiment of itself and what it means to be Natsuki Subaru, a curse or blessing, an artificial book of the dead, many identities he had upheld and concluded, and many more identities that were to come. Just as Natsuki Subaru died, so will Pleiades, and a new identity yearning for even more meaningful experiences will be born, and the prior identity will be forgotten, truly a lonely existence when you think about it.
But such was the complexity of the witches and sages, each one unique in their own way and impossible to completely comprehend. So much so that they even they themselves are unable to understand and truly realize themselves. These sin-bearers are such purposeful beings that they live in a world that no one else but them can fathom, even if only a little that is. In some ways, they are a prisoner of their desires.
There words, actions, and even thoughts tell a tale, akin to the like of a greek tragedy.
"First! To strike all that defies reason! Second! Who cares about committing every heinous evildoing?! Third! Whether things are ugly or beautiful, if you're here in this fleeting world, don't ever expect to make it back unscaaaathed!! The strike of my fists will restore the world! My anger will follow behind and cleanse it! The fury of my two fists, the frenzy of my rage, they are the answers to it all!" - Minerva The Witch of Wrath
"Sin is a dividing wedge that nobody can escape." - Typon The Witch of Pride
"Don't you think it's a bit selfish, to try to eat another without considering the possibility of being eaten yourself?" - Daphne The Witch of Gluttony
"I don't… don't like that, so every...one… just die." - Carmilla The Witch of Lust
"It's not my concern, I've only come to serve as a watchdog and to make certain that everything stays fair, sigh. But still, I'll fulfil my obligation to her, sigh." - Sekhmet The Witch of Sloth
"I know. I know every single step you've taken on your path here. I was watching you... but watching is all I was doing. So if you don't mind, I'd like you to tell me yourself. What you've been thinking, and how you felt. The good and bad. How much weight you've carried to. I want to know everything. That's what truly drives me, omniscience is what I desire most. After all, I am the Witch of Greed Echidna." - Echidna The Witch of Greed
"None of this was your fault. You were in a blind rage, you mistook what you saw. It was all for love, you offered up your very soul for a chance to save the one you cared about more than anybody. All that you've done is the result of that emotion. A beautiful, wonderful symbol of love. Yes, there's nothing for you to fear. And nothing to regret. This inevitable path was the one you've chosen. This is what it was leading to, and all the love that you're feeling is not wrong." - Pandora The Witch of Vainglory
"Enough, just stay down. Shut up, you're too noisy. You're annoying me, you pain in the ass. I'm tired, I'm bored... I really hate all this, it brings me down so much. I'm so sad, so distraught. This is easily the worst of the worst of the worst. Quite depressing." - Hector The Warlock of Melancholy
"I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you... I love you." - Satella The Witch of Envy
"This world is full of sin, disorder, evil, and every heinous platonic atrocity you can think of, but it also has light, happiness, and goodness that lurks among the shadows that crawl behind the light." But, in the end, these conceptions of good and bad are meaningless. They are simply useless concepts that offer balance to the meaning of anything that is equally good and evil. In the end, though, it is a matter of perspective; no one shares the same point of view, even if their ideas are similar. And yet, this invisible meaninglessness is the only thing that can genuinely give meaning to life, to purpose, and to drive. It is an invisible force that makes up the collective unconscious, which is the sea of ideas itself. As such, I want to experience it all, devour it all, take it all, and, most importantly, see it all. As a result, I will not starve my insatiable curiosity, beliefs, or my desires for anyone or anything, even if it is the OD itself who commands it; I will go beyond those human concepts, beyond the Od, and reach the greater truth, which is my greatest desire, the rawest form of meaningfulness, and where my happy end lies, and see for myself if life itself truly has any meaning." - Natsuki Subaru The Sage of Sin.
Each authority bearer is distinct, just as they are equally customary, but it is their ambitions that bind them together in madness, just as it is this madness that lets them exist in their own world. Some are as simple as Minerva, who wants to halt war and bloodshed and cure everything with her wrath, while others are as sophisticated as Pleiades, who wants to know the purpose of life. In a manner, these authority holders are united in their undoing. And as time passes, that madness just grows more profound; getting darker, and darker as time goes along. After all, if you stare into the abyss, the abyss will stare back at you, darker than ever before.
Wrath: 'The sin that seeks destruction.'
Pride: 'The sin that seeks pleasure in attention.'
Gluttony: 'The sin that seeks the taste of pleasure in all things good or bad.'
Greed: 'The sin that seeks everything without leaving anything.'
Lust: 'The sin that seeks love and passion without the hate that follows behind it.'
Sloth: 'The sin that seeks only rest, nothing more nothing less.'
Envy: 'The sin that seeks its all wants it all, even though it is well aware it cant have it all.'
Vainglory: 'The sin that seeks only perfection, as perfection is all it knows.'
Melancholy: 'The sin that seeks pity, and wallows in its own pity forever alone.'
And these sins take various forms and shapes while retaining their meaning. And now the cycle was about to start all over again. Because, as Pleiades wrote away in his unnamed book, you could see the lovely lioness that was sitting on the throne of the shadow garden's monarch, crying silently in her unconscious state, as tears of blood began to trickle down from her eyes and go down her cheeks.
A new archbishop was about to be born, along with the revival of a long-forgotten warrior queen. What does this signify for a world that has gone so long without them?
In truth, only time will tell, but this also marked the beginning of a new age. History was repeating itself, and all the characters, old and new, were gradually coming together. Or, at the very least, some kind of portrayal of them.
As Pleiades comes closer to his goal, everyone around him goes with him, evidently not wanting to be left in the shadow that could swallow it.
In some ways, Crusch's brutal inheritance is fated to bring her many disasters along the way. He left her a fang—a fang that would bite into anything and aid the wounded lion, who was ready to re-enter the world. You may be wondering what the inheritance was. If it isn't evident, that fang is an authority, just as Satella provided Subaru with the ability to survive in an unknown world full of wonders, both good and bad. Pleiades also gave Crusch a fang; you can call it a passing on the torch of sorts. And because he could simply mass-create the authorities, he gave Crusch the Pride witch factor, or better yet, a sage factor.
This was not an order from Nexus-3; it was a spontaneous act of love on Pleiades' side. He wants to shape her to his liking while also loving her—or, better yet, the notion of her—the thought that a living relic of his past was ironically in the same circumstance he was in the first time he came to this world with no one to rely on. Surviving only on a whim, now and then, his contact with the half-elf Emilia was not one of his options; that was decided from the moment he arrived in the kingdom once known as Lugnica.
But it invites the question: What if Roswal wasn't in charge of events? How different things would have been for the sage who was fated to one day eat all authority and become the sage he is now.
Desire begets sin, and sin gives meaning to desires. So, exactly like the hero Natsuki Subaru who sinned to reach his desire, and still sinning even now, how will Crusch Karsten construct this new world she left behind after death takes her? Crusch was the primary character in this novel in a way, and she had her own story to tell, as each character has. But now, burdened with pride, that is that of a sage variation, considerably superior to a witch variant. Can she adjust to her new surroundings? Can she accept the present and let go of the past? All of these and other questions can only be answered as you travel alongside her...NOOOO! all of them.
...
..
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
"Hehehe. A question that is well worth considering indeed. Honestly, the Overlord of this story, Pleiades, is extremely fascinating and entertaining to observe; for so long I watched him, for so long I unknowingly walked alongside him, and not a single second passed when I was bored being near him. That is a miracle in and of itself, but there is so much more potential in this story, in him, and those who walk alongside him. And I want to see it, I need to see it all, isn't that right my Miko, do you not want to see how this all unfolds, after all, this world is the world you left behind in the end of your story after you became The Witch of Obsession, and became a true witch nearing the rank of a creator like myself?"
Said a beautiful mature woman floating in a big space far greater than even the Hall of Stories, except that the library in this location was so enormous and unending that it was impossible to know where it all began or ended.
The woman who posed the query to the Witch of Obsession is dressed in a sweeping strapless light pink ball gown that resembles a Juunihitoe kimono, although the layers appear to be plain green, blue, and red stripes. Then there's a yellow sash-like commodity hanging over the skirt. A formal magenta obi with red padding holds the dress in place, and it is embellished with a red and white obijime.
Matching light pink gloves and a light green fringed scarf thrown over her left shoulder complete the look. A brooch, resembling a military medal, is pinned to her scarf. It consists of a striped flag matching her dress layers fastened to a star-shaped pendant. She also has a cane with her.
Her most noticeable adornment, however, is the metallic horseshoe-shaped contraption that appears to levitate about her head.
She has a mature appearance, with dark violet hair done in a classic hime cut, purple eyes, and a well-proportioned physique. She emanates wisdom and strength despite her always collected and carefree demeanor. Nonetheless, her look seems mischievous, as if she is amused by something at the moment.
This woman was none other than the Great Witch with the highest rank of a creator, Featherine Augustus Aurora, The Witch of Theatergoing.
A figure who represents not only the readers, but also the authors, as she read away at the current chapter, bringing it to a conclusion herself, with the title Rebirth Of The Warrior Queen [Part V].
On the other hand, she has someone beside her, the person she designated as her most recent Miko, She was a woman with the title of an Overlord similar to Pleiades. But not in the guise of a cat; this overload was unique in that she was given the distinction of dictating and theorizing alongside her close friend Lady Featherine, of a much interested and most recent tale, a story about the future of a certain boy dearly loved by the witch of Obsession.
The Witch of Obsession is a tremendously powerful entity, approaching the level of a creator, with a realm only one hierarchy lower than that of The Witch of Theatergoing. She represents the conclusion and continuation of all tales, as if never wanting to see something end, her power indefinitely continues the story she cares about the most, and evolves all of them endlessly to the point where the stories she governs are in a constant state of uncertainty, with events after events playing out, leaving the story to never truly end. Even omniscient beings like Aurora were unable to see past the strength she possessed in that sense of unending continuation of absolute unpredictability. A preoccupation that was so vast that no one, not even Featherine, much less The Witch of Obsession herself; ironically the very cause of the uncertainty knows how any story will ultimately finish, as long as it was under her jurisdiction.
The witch of obsession powers is best described by comparing it to an open door that can lead anywhere. Because anything can be good or terrible, her authority causes unpredictability in everything she regulates.
But her true identity is The Witch of Obsession Satella Alterna Anemada, the former Witch of Envy, but she is vastly known as either Lady Alterna or The Great Witch Anemada, mostly by Featherine of course although she prefers to call her by the title of Miko.
In some ways, these two are very close, given that Featherine, like the Golden Witch Beatrice, died of boredom for a long period. But because of Lady Alterna's power of uncertainty, Featherine can no longer be bored as long as Lady Alterna exists because of the nature of her powers. Despite being less powerful than Featherine, she has an impact on her own domain as well and the narrative stacks below and above her are being affected by Satella's presence alone, which is so potent that induces absolute uncertainty upon all things.
How unpredictable is Satella's power? Well, there's nothing to say that a giant fish with laser eyes and bunny ears cannot spawn right in front of them and kill the two of them. That's the power of uncertainty. That is the power of The Witch of Obsession.
If you don't want to say their names, as a reader who knows featherine as FAA, you might refer to Satella as SAA.
All in all though Satella was sitting around a giant floating table as an event known as the endless tea party between two of the strongest witches in existecne was currently underway. The event Featherine was greatly amuse and entertain by, The two of them were watching the story of Satella one true love playing before their very eyes.
Satella was dressed in her typical all-black outfit with of course minor modifications, but you couldn't see her face since the dress had turned into a full black ball gown that went all the way down her leg, passing it even. And the veil was so thick and lengthy that she may as well have been featherless, a lady dressed entirely in black was the best way to describe her from any angle. And, like Featherine, she was over 2-3 meters tall in comparison to her previous stature; yet, her true size is big enough to be incomprehensible.
At that moment, Featherine, who was sipping at her cup of tea, heard Satella's voice, who was still looking down on the orb that depicted Pleiades' story thus far, after all, Satella eyes stretched as far as darkness, and she was using the dark space of Pleiades universe and shadow garden to constantly watch above and below him quite literally.
"Yes... Lady Aurora, we are truly proud to watch him even from here, although we wish... we wish we could have done more for him we can both agree on that sentiment at least. But we also fear at the rate he is going, he might end up dead due to uncertain factors that can randomly happen; I or her do not want that for him, my plans to help him differ from her plans to help him. I say to let our love grow and let him reach the deeper truth as she and I once did on the verge of death. However she protested against me and said I should stop being so foolish, love does not need a purpose to act, but spoiling him too much does not help him grow either. I personally don't know what to do, and as far as our contract goes we can't do something if neither of us agrees to each other proposal, so Lady Aurora, if I may be so brave to ask of you, do you have a way that you can help our love, even if it is only a little?"
Satella begged Faetherine, who was only listening intently.
"Hmmm... well... there are a variety of ways I can help him, but the struggle is what makes this fun to watch. But given that you asked me personally, I don't mind twisting the story a little, but be warned my Miko even I can't see what these changes might lead to given your powers influencing the narrative stack." As a result, the alterations I can make may be hazardous; are you sure about this, my Miko?"
Satella nodded her head, assuring Featherine that everything was well.
Featherine smiled as if amused with an idea of hers, as she began to modify the scene roughly 10,000 years before the present day. She was about to make a minor alteration in the history of the world where Pleiades was. The sight in front of her was of a familiar woman cuddling a mentally ill Subaru Natsuki. It was none other than Echidna's The Witch of Greed, the person who she was about change sligthly for the sake of Pleiades in the future.
"Hehehe... as we progress through the story of Pleiades and his rise to power, this will become even more entertaining." I can't wait to see how things play out as a result of this small shift in the path of history; don't worry though everything will play out as it is, with the exception of one minor detail that can aid Pleiades, but it will be even more interesting to see the effects of which your uncertainty will cause because of this shift... will it be good, or will it be bad I wonder?"
Featherine stated as she continued speaking.
"Really and truly, I can't wait to see everything unfold."