Chapter 40 – The Universes
A young boy could be seen running for his life.
Behind him were tens of people chasing him with cheap wooden swords and very simple armour, but they were definitely stronger nonetheless.
The boy did not have any parents, he couldn't even remember their faces. Growing up, he faced countless difficulties such as dehydration, starvation, discrimination etc. Just then, after going 2 days without any food, he finally gave in and stole a batch of bread from a nearby village, which angered the locals.
They then informed the patrolling rank 1 knights who started to chase him, most likely because they had nothing better to do, but that was only what the boy thought.
A mere 13 year old boy trying to survive in this harsh environment with no other help.
However, despite being uneducated and poor, he still knew some crucial information, which was why he was running away.
He possessed above average agility and stamina, but he knew that he was still no match for a knight.
They can be split into 8 ranks, with 1 being the weakest and 8 being absolute legends to look up to. But even a rank 1 knight would be able to trump him, nevermind 10s.
He still did not give up though and carried on running into a forest, which after a couple hours, he finally lost them.
He hated them. His mind was very quick and calculative, unbefitting of a 13 year old but no one knew that.
Panting but smiling, he unloaded his small rucksack over his shoulders and chomped on a piece of bread. Running all that way had completely exhausted him of his remaining energy.
Just as he was about to move on to the second piece, he heard a rustle in the bushes, and as the seconds passed he was able to make out the figure.
She had blonde hair, and wore complete black with red patterns on her dress.
The most noticeable detail were the black marks on her skin, but he didn't have a chance to question it.
"Hey kid."
"Mphh" She waited for him to finish chewing.
"Do you hate this world?"
"What?"
"Do you hate this world?"
"Uh, why?"
"Just answer the question. Do you hate this world? Do you hate everything about this world? How the knights treat commoners and civilians unkindly and arrogantly? Do you wish to oppose them?"
"...Yes" No matter how innocent and young he seemed on the outside, truth is he had been through a lot, and his thoughts were quick to respond.
"Good. I will offer you a deal. I will give you power."
"Power? Like the abilities that high rank knights have?"
A smile crept on her face, "yes, even stronger than 8th rank knights. A power that truly stands pinnacle in this world. I will give it to you. In exchange, I want you to build your own nation, your own kingdom and your own knights. I want you to oppose the Kingdom of Knights as much as you can."
"But..."
"You hate them right? Use everything you have to oppose them."
"... Okay? I accept." A resolute glint shined in his eyes as he continued to eat the bread.
"Oh, you won't be needing to eat that."
Before he had the chance to respond, a dark mist flew out under her dress and glided into the boy's mouth. He dropped whatever he was holding and started to squirm in the ground.
After a minute of this, he regained composure, and stood up. It turns out he grew a couple inches taller. His muscles also grew but not too much, enough to see his build.
Strangely enough, he no longer felt hungry or thirsty – or powerless for that matter.
He looked at his own two hands, then he stared at the sword stabbed in the ground with a note on top. The girl had long left.
"This sword's name is Excalibur Morgan, the arch nemesis of the King of the Kingdom of Knight's sword Excalibur. It's strength is on par with it, depending on it's use. From now on your name shall be Merlin." He read aloud.
"This was really unexpected... who really are you?" Leaving with this tone of confusion, he grabbed the sword with one hand and pulled it out to reveal its darkness in all its glory.
"From now on I am known as Merlin, and I will be the nemesis of the Kingdom of Knights."
That was the day recorded in history as the birth of the corrupted knight.
He first went and destroyed the villages that oppressed people. From the innocents he saved, they decided to follow him after a round of brainwashing and he continued to repeat this process.
Weeks later, he took the over a thousand people to a new terrain.
Even though he encountered high ranking knights along the way, they were truly no match for him who has overwhelming strength.
10 years later, he ruled the new Kingdom of Darkness as the first king Merlin. The size of the capital was on par with that of the Kingdom of Knights, and from there on, they constantly clashed swords.
5 years later, both kings King Lancelot and King Merlin clashed blades, resulting in the death of Lancelot, but a seriously injured Merlin.
On his death bed, he appointed his strongest son as his successor, known as Merlin II, and the same could be said for the other kingdom.
When their king died, his child inherited the throne and his power.
Both rulers obtained the divine power that was bestowed upon them by their father and firmly took their respective weapons.
Throughout history, hundreds of kings would pass, and each one died due to a clash with another. There was no definite winner. Each generation, it would either be one or the other dead, and this cycle would repeat for god knows how long...
But that was for the future. For now, Artoria Alter left the now named Merlin who picked up a fake version of Excalibur Morgan, and returned to the spectator's area.
...
There existed two major forces in this world, the humans and demons. Both have been at war for as long as they can remember. There were others, but they lived on a separate continent.
At the very start, it was just demons hunting humans for food and humans hunting demons for entertainment and sometimes food as well, but it was until recently that a major change came about.
A human child, on the brink of death, saw a goddess descend before his eyes. The goddess smiled and her voice resonated in his mind. Somehow, it sounded faint but clear, and her intentions were obvious.
In the physical world, the boy stood up and looked into the sky. A beam of sunlight penetrated through the clouds and a golden sword flew down and jabbed itself into the earth. Surprisingly, no one was harmed from this. The boy then picked up the sword and vowed to kill the demons. The sheer intensity of the light was enough to scare of the demons in pursuit.
Meanwhile, on the other side deep in the mountains, a girl with horns was split up from her pack. She looked quite small and underfed.
Cuddling with herself in a cave, she closed her eyes and hoped that the humans outside would pass without noticing her.
She hated how they would come kill them for their own amusement. They even had roles and a schedule for when they hunt.
Every time, she would have to hide in the hope of not being found, but this time was different.
She heard footsteps approaching, and terror began to take over.
But then, a warm hand touched her shoulder, and she regained composure.
The figure then smiled and gave her food.
The figure then accompanied her until the next day, always talking about random things.
The demon girl lowered her guard around Rimuru and happily chatted away.
Until the morning came, and no more humans are hunting, that was when he decided to leave.
The girl, inspired by their conversations, vowed to take revenge against the humans. She did not question who or why the figure came to her, but when morning arrived her mind and goal was clear.
Leaving the cave with a newly found determination, she found her pack and began to talk to them about her ambitions.
They fully supported her, and 10 years later she would be known as the demon queen, the strongest and true leader of the demon kind.
The hero and demon queen would then fight for generations to come. When they died, they would pass on their ideas and ambitions to their descendants, and they would take on their role to fight.
In the future, the 99th generation of hero and the 9th generation of the demon queen would clichély fall in love, and the war would end.
After, they would then decide to make peace with all the races in the world.
Then, due to passed down legends, they believed a higher entity existed.
After making use of everything they had, they would then set their sights on the stars. They would develop technology using the unique powers they had and explore the cosmos.
...
"I'm going now!"
"Be careful out there!"
"Don't worry!"
A very cheerful and young looking girl hurried out of a door and rushed towards a dense forest.
In the sky, she could see a couple mages flying with the power of mana that they possessed.
Ever since she was born, her curiosity towards the phenomena known as mana was insatiable. Every day she would venture out into nature and take notes on what it is.
Although she also possessed it herself, her core was still undeveloped and therefore could only use the simplest of spells at the lowest intensity.
Her name was Pensia, and the place she was currently in is called the Kingdom of Lorencia.
The world had 6 major kingdoms, and she was in the outskirts of one of them. The world was full of mana, and humans could use it to do miraculous things such as flying and shooting fireballs.
They developed a system to determine the rank of mages. A stage 1 mage is the weakest, followed by stage 2 and 3, until stage 10. Although no stage 10s ever existed, the very few stage 9s have mentioned that such a threshold existed, and that reaching it would be on par with god.
Moreover, passing a stage meant getting a small boost to lifespan. A stage 1 can at most live up to 80 years but a stage 9 could live up to 800 years. That is, not considering external threats.
Pensia took out her wooden note book and looked around curiously at the different vegetation growing on trees.
It was then that she noticed something different from usual. The flowers and even the branches all seemed to point in one particular direction. Her keen gaze and intelligence noticed this.
Feeling strange about this, she followed their guide, until she passed through a barrier which did not exist before, and was unnoticeable to anyone.
She then saw a beautiful and tranquil field of grass. In the middle stood a stunning woman, who beckoned for her to come.
With no hesitation, she walked up to her, and sat down, doing as she was silently told by her hand.
"Hello?"
"Hello little girl."
"Do... you want me for something? Did you make this place? It's so cool." Forgetting what's happening around her, stars shone in her eyes.
"Quite the eager one then, perhaps introductions are in place. My name is M."
"M?"
"Yes, just M. You can address me as that."
"Okay M! My name's Pensia! What did you want me for then?"
"I will get straight to the point. Don't you feel curious of what is happening around you?"
She looked around, "yes I do actually. It seems like an endless grass plain but I knew that I was in a forest moments ago. How did you do this? Through magic? But not even the stage 9s can do this, are you a stage 10?"
"As expected, you are very smart. This is indeed through magic, but I am not what they call a stage 10."
"Then what are you then?"
"You don't need to know that. Just know that I have appeared before you for a reason."
"And that is?"
"To teach you. Carrying from my question before, have you wondered why mana exists? Why people can fly in the air and shoot fire from their hands. Seems incredible doesn't it?"
"Hmm." She listened intently.
"Well, that is what I'm here for now. I want to teach you knowledge that I know."
"...But why me?"
"Because you are the one who fits the criteria. There is a saying, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I needed to give my knowledge to someone, but they can't be old and unmoving in their ways. They have to be smart and quick thinking. They have to be young and inexperienced, and one who is also always curious and thinks outside the box. Guess who fits that criteria?"
She pointed to herself confused whilst tilting her head.
"Yes, you. So are you up to it?"
"Of course!"
"Good, then out first lesson starts now."
"...But, I promised my mother to go home in 20 minutes."
"There is no need to worry about that. In here, time is slower. One hour here is one minute outside. You want to know how I do it?"
She then completely gave all her concentration.
The first month, she learned many things about mana, how different types of elements interact with each other. The best ways to utilise it efficiently.
The first year she began experimenting on her own, using theories she learnt from 'M', such as channelling mana into inanimate objects with fixed roles, and see if it carries them out, and after many fails, it succeeded.
She brought it to M who warmly smiled and continued to teach her about other things.
"Wait," she looked quite down today, "if I figure out the secrets of mana, then won't I have no goals to look up to? What would I strive for next?"
"Calm down here, you haven't even began to touch the true potential of mana yet and you are already thinking about the next step? Quite a greedy one then, but that aspect of personality is also needed.
Think, when you look up at the night sky, what do you see?"
"Massive fireballs in space known as stars of course."
"Indeed, but have you thought about why you are here? And what the stars mean?"
"!!!"
"If this place exists and contains mana, have you ever thought if people like you existed elsewhere out there, beyond the stars? Don't you feel excitement at such unknown variables?"
"I see now... what's beyond the stars! Do you know!"
"Not even I know" Which wasn't a lie, "but it sure is interesting isn't it?
"Yes."
"Heh heh we are getting sidetracked. Don't let that disturb you too much for now and just focus on mastering what is before you."
"YES!" Full of vigour again, the next year was the turning point for her.
At the age of 11, she invented many things that were deemed very useful to the public.
She invented new strands of magic. Not just the basic elements like earth and fire, but branches, or variants of them such as space and sound. This revolutionised the entire magic world.
Not only that, she found a way to implement knowledge of spells into books, and called them grimoires. They soon began to become popular and valuable, as upon opening the book, one would gain all the basic information needed to successfully cast the spell, and considering that there were new branches of magic, everyone couldn't wait to test it out.
All the kings titled her as a magical prodigy. Even stage 9 mages had to look at her with respect. Even though they were stronger, they were definitely not this versatile in their imagination and creativity.
At the age of 12, she invented locomotives that ran on mana which can be channelled through people into an engine, which she also invented. She also broke through to stage 2.
At the age of 13, she graduated from the most prestigious school there was. However, an unfortunate accident happened, and her parents were killed. She mourned for 3 nights before waking up and promising herself to not only become smarter, but stronger.
At the age of 17, she became a stage 7, on the threshold of stage 8. It was during this year that M finally thought the time was right. After the last lesson, she bid her farewell and disappeared into petals that flew into the sky.
Pensia, at the age of 19, became the youngest ever known stage 9, and her magic technology had completely taken over the world. She was unparalleled with all the magic she knew, and the amount of mana she had.
Later in the future, she would have a chance encounter, which was enough to break through to stage 10, and she would then start aiming for the stars.
200 years later, she would be the ruler of a true cosmic civilisation, but that was still for the future.
...
"I've been reincarnated?" A young man dressed in a robe suddenly woke up on a bed in a rural village. He was an avid fan of reading fiction and anime in his past life, but a truck decided to run him over when he was crossing the road.
"System generating... 1%"
"And I've got a system?!" He was visibly excited. It was then that the local landlord shut him up.
After walking around and familiarising himself with the world and history, he consolidated his new knowledge.
This was a massive continent called the Northern continent. There are 4 of them and there was a mysterious fifth one in the centre of the world, but that was just a rumour. There are people in this world called cultivators, and by absorbing the natural essence of the world one is able to cultivate and become stronger. There are sects in this world and other cliché stuff about a cultivation novel.
"Welcome to the Ultimate Divine System!"
Although this was like a dream come true for him, it was because Ciel was lazy and didn't want to interact too much. She just found a soul who just died and was a fanfiction reader and reincarnated him into her world with a cliché system.
After giving him the protagonist's halo, she expected good things from him.
...
"You guys all done?"
"Yeah."
"It was more exhausting than I thought it would be."
"I know right... what did you do then?"
"Oh, I taught this talented girl magic and stuff and they became very strong. Currently, she is probably busy developing new technologies in order to explore the stars, or breaking through to the next level of mages I made."
"Hm. I basically made a hero and a demon king and made them fight. It's a classic hero and demon king story. Judging by how things should go, in the future they should make peace and want to find me. So they probably would also start exploring the stars in the future."
"I just gave my protagonist a system and let them be. The system is pretty strong though, so they should be also exploring the cosmos in no time."
Wait... I forgot about space and the universe! It's not 'world' but 'universe'! I forgot to set them on that path. They are still probably fighting. Urghh, why did I let my other self also make a kingdom. This would just destroy the development of their civilisation.
"Artoria, what did you do?"
"Ummm, I made one kingdom, but then my alter made another and wanted them to always oppose the kingdom I made, so they are probably forever at war."
"I see, no need to look so down. Worst case scenario you descend again and guide them."
"I most likely have to do that, but not now though."
"Good, so Ciel what now?"
"We leave them to develop for a bit. Every time we sleep we can enter our universes and see what's going on. I would set the time to be 1:1 so we don't miss out on anything. Other than that, nothing really."
"Okay."
"When do others start invading then? We have so many lines of defence."
"Oh. There's no need to worry about that for now. Only level 3s and above can invade others of the same level, so we have some time."
"Oh, okay."
...
(A/N right all my ideas about this is finally written. I'm not going to go into too much detail next, and will focus on the Tempest Café plot instead.
thanks for reading!)