Chapter Text
Inside of a small graveyard was a young man crouching in front of a grave. This man had light-ish brown hair in the style of a middle part with a ponytail tied behind his head. He had eyes that shone an emerald hue with a mole under his left eye. The tomb which he was ranting his stories to belonged to someone he held very closely to his heart.
“I’ve come to terms when it comes to working with Orsted. Apparently, the guy’s working conditions aren’t even that bad.”
A small chuckle could be heard from the man as he closed his eyes to think about what to say next.
“The boss told me to meet him back in his hut tomorrow after he finishes reading the future diary. He even gave me this dagger and bag of crystals I can’t even begin to put a price on.”
As he was talking to the ground below him, the man displayed the dagger and sack he had mentioned. A soft sigh could be heard escaping his lips as he stored the items and slowly stood up. As he got to his feet, the man made a simple “oh!” as if he realized he forgot to say something important.
“I’ve got a third wife now, Father. Although she’s a bit of a handful, I’m sure Eris will be getting along well with Sylphie and Roxy in due time.”
After finishing his words, Rudeus Greyrat said his salutations to his father and exited the cemetery.
However…
Rudeus woke up in an unfamiliar room with an unfamiliar ceiling. As soon as his mind could process this, he jumped out of his cushioned seat and started feeding mana into his Demon Eye of Foresight.
Huh?
He didn’t feel his mana starting to drain. Worse. Upon further inspection, he couldn’t feel any mana at all. His abnormally large mana pool was nowhere to be found. Rudeus was sure that this wasn’t another visit from the Man-God since he remembered being awake when walking away from his father’s grave. Besides, the Man-God was basically starting to hunt him at this point. Furthermore, his surroundings were dark and dimly lit by a nearby screen, unlike the blinding white light he saw when being visited by that bastard. He remembered storing the dagger Orsted had given him inside of his coat. As quick as he could, Rudeus pulled out the blade from where he remembered storing it and assumed a stance.
I may not be able to use Touki, but I’ve trained my body to its limits for a situation like this. Can Touki even function in a mana-dry environment? Focus! Now’s not the time to ponder such meaningless thoughts. Your family could be in danger for all you know. All you have to do is get some information about where you are and- Wait… is that a cinema screen…?
“Rudeus!! Please calm down!”
Hearing the desperate, high-pitched voice followed by the sight of white hair, Rudeus slowly softened his stance and turned towards the source of the sound, his thoughts calming down as quickly as they arose.
“Sylphie? Do you know where we are? Where’s Lucy?!”
“Please, calm down! I’m trying to figure all of this out too!”
“Your child is safe. Don’t worry. I’m currently taking care of her as we speak.”
At the sound of the voice projecting itself into their heads, Rudeus and Sylphie both reacted in unison. Sylphie held out her hand and prepared to use her silent spellcasting. However, much to her dismay, she couldn’t feel any mana whatsoever. Meanwhile, Rudeus hardened his stance and held his dagger in his right hand, gripping it tightly.
I’ve had multiple encounters with higher beings before. I can definitely handle something as simple as this.
“Who are you and why are you holding my daughter captive?!”
“Like I said, she’s safe. I just found it a bit inconvenient to have Lucy present when considering what you all will be witnessing.”
Witnessing? Is that why there’s a giant screen to my side?
“How did you get access to this technology?! I know for a fact that no one in this world can even begin to comprehend electricity! Who are you really ?!”
Shit. Did I just give myself away as being an isekai victim?
“All this yelling is hurting my head, Rudeus.”
Hearing the voice from behind him, the mage turned around and saw a girl with long, black hair and Asian features that weren’t present anywhere in his current world. She didn’t have her usual mask on and was wearing plain clothes that were more accustomed to… Earth?!
“Your clothes…”
“This place has a nice wardrobe. That’s all.”
Breathing out in order to calm himself, Rudeus looked around and saw a variety of figures and faces that he knew very well. Roxy, Eris, Norn, and Aisha weren’t in the room, but Sylphie told him that they were cleaning themselves up.
Eris… taking a shower?
The thought made him shudder.
“I see you are in good health, Master. Me and Julie are overjoyed to be in your presence once again.”
Rudeus nodded towards the Blessed Child and the dwarf sitting on his lap.
“Likewise, Zanoba.”
Rudeus could see in the corner of his eye Cliff and Elinalise quietly bantering about something so he decided not to bother them. Rudeus put his dagger back where it belonged on his belt and relaxed. He was still wary of the voice he heard booming in his head, but seeing as all of his friends and family were in wondrous condition, he decided not to think about it.
“I’m glad to see you’re doing well, Rudeus. You’re certainly much quicker on your feet.”
“I can agree with that.”
Turning his head and body around once again, he was met with the approving faces of Ruijerd and Ghislaine. The two of them were sitting in their seats next to each other. Apparently, the two warriors recognized each other’s “aura” (not Touki) and decided to accompany each other.
“Ruijerd!”
“That’s me.”
The young mage ran up to his old mentor and hugged him. By now, Ruijerd had already stood up and welcomed Rudeus’s inviting presence. He was still wearing the same outfit Rudeus remembered seeing him in when they left each other. After the tight embrace, Rudeus turned towards Ghislaine and bowed his head slightly.
“I hope you’re doing well too, Ghislaine.”
Seeing her old student bow in front of her, Ghislaine couldn’t help but curl her lips upwards a bit. She had certainly missed the young boy’s personality during her time away from him.
“You should rejoin your family first. After all, I’m sure what has happened here could only be considered a miracle.”
Ghislaine pointed her finger towards the front of the theatre. Rudeus turned his head in the direction her finger was pointing towards and couldn’t help but feel his eyes watering. His mouth was slightly ajar, his breathing seemed to stop, and his body appeared to be frozen solid. In the front of the theatre, sitting comfortably in the cushioned seats, was a red-haired woman, a blond woman, and a brown-haired man. All three of them were looking back at him, making it impossible to deny who they were.
I’m glad Lilia is safe, but…
Rudeus took a slow, cautious step forward, placing his right foot in front of his left. His parents watched. Before he knew it, he broke into a run towards the front of the theatre and dove into his father’s arms, sobbing as he did so.
“That’s not how a man like you, someone who fought against Orsted, the Dragon God, should act.”
As his father comforted him, Rudeus gripped the cloth he felt against his skin as tightly as he could, refusing to let go. He didn’t want to lose his father again. The warmth he felt underneath his father’s clothes told him that he was still alive. By now, most of the theatre had turned their gaze away from the Greyrat family to give them some privacy and respect. As he continued crying his heart out, Rudeus felt a woman’s hand on his shoulder.
I don’t deserve this… Even Lilia is comforting me like I’m her-
“Rudy…”
The voice he heard wasn’t Lilia’s voice. No. This voice belonged to someone he knew much more personally. Although Lilia was like a mother to him, he knew it wasn’t her. He recognized this voice. It was a voice he had forgotten after spending so many years without hearing it. Although he would sometimes imagine his mother’s voice in his head, nothing could compare to the real thing.
Zenith…
“M-Mom…?”
His mother was awake and aware. His mother was awake and aware . Fresh tears flowed from Rudeus’s eyes as he stared at his mother’s gaze. The last time he saw her was only the day before. Although he had spent a large majority of his life searching for her after the Displacement Incident, when he finally found her, she had been reduced to a shell of her former self. Although she was, by definition, conscious, her mind was like that of a newborn baby.
“I’m here for you…”
That was enough for Rudeus. He continued weeping as his parents did their best to comfort him.
“Alright. So, where are we?”
Right now, Rudeus was standing up in the front of the theatre with his eyes still red from all the emotional turmoil he experienced. Roxy, Eris, Norn, and Aisha had returned to the theatre by now and were sitting in the second row. After Rudeus caught up with both of them, he concluded that what happened was similar to the Displacement Incident. However, instead of teleporting people in one place across the six-faced world, what happened was a mass-teleportation of people across the six-faced world into one place. The theatre.
Behind Rudeus, the screen was still illuminated in a white light and didn’t appear to be showing anything. In front of Rudeus were the people present inside of the theatre. Rudeus looked at the faces in front of him and counted.
There are three rows of seats. The people present are me, Sylphie, Roxy, Eris, Norn, Aisha, Paul, Zenith, Lilia, Ghislaine, Ruijerd, Zanoba, Julie, Cliff, Elinalise, Nanahoshi, Orsted, Linia, Pursena, and the Sacred Beast. God, I love that fur. Wait… What is the Sacred Beast doing here?
“This is quite the cast…”
Rudeus began muttering to himself as he thought about what his next course of action should be. If this were a complex labyrinth, he was sure that they would’ve noticed, especially those who have experience with exploring labyrinths such as his father and other members of their old adventuring party.
Rudeus looked around at the faces in front of him once again before plunging into deep thought.
Even Orsted can’t seem to find a way to escape this place. Ughhh. This is really starting to get to me. I’m grateful for Paul’s miraculous revival and Zenith’s conscious mind, but why would our captor do something like that? Furthermore, why can’t any of us recall any mana?!
“Alright, here’s the plan. We’re going to-”
Before he could continue speaking, an invisible force threw Rudeus into a seat in the second row, surrounded by his family. The rest of the cast’s attention shifts from the young mage and to the giant screen residing in front of them. Images began flashing on the white screen before a coherent video began playing, the light hum of the projector playing in the background. When the scene was shown, Rudeus could only curse under his breath.
“Fuck.”