Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.
Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.
"Speech"
Time*
Chapter 43: Moving Forward
I struggle to push myself up, only for a searing pain to lash through my body, as if my very insides are being consumed by fire. The agony forces me to remain on the ground, and every attempt at movement is met with unbearable resistance. Then, to my horror, I catch sight of something—my own body shifting, contorting into something unnatural, something monstrous. A sickening realization sets in: I might be losing control as a Beyonder.
Gritting my teeth, I immediately regret it. A writhing sensation slithers against my tongue, something moving—alive—inside my mouth. My stomach twists in revulsion as the dreadful thought dawns on me: my teeth have changed into something else entirely.
I force myself to slow my breathing, inhaling and exhaling with deliberate effort. If I let fear take hold, if I give in to the panic clawing at my mind, I might lose myself completely, becoming nothing more than a mindless, uncontrollable beast.
I push through the haze of pain and terror, grasping desperately for a solution. There has to be something, anything, that can help me now. I think hard, my thoughts racing, sifting through every scrap of knowledge and instinct I possess.
Without hesitation, I equip the Card of Fool, and a wave of stability washes over me, only halfway, but enough to offer a glimmer of hope. The burning agony dulls slightly, my body no longer twisting uncontrollably, yet the sensation of change lingers at the edges of my awareness, an ever-present threat.
Then, a thought pierces through the haze.
Desperate, I reach for one of the ten new Pathways I've gained access to and settle on the Eternal Edict Pathway. The moment I attempt to equip it, I brace myself for the expected loss of the Fool Pathway, but to my astonishment, that moment never comes.
I still have both.
Somehow, impossibly, I retain access to both Pathways, and in an instant, my condition fully stabilizes. The unbearable pain subsides, my monstrous transformation halts, and my body feels whole again.
Then, knowledge floods my mind.
The Eternal Edict Pathway—its innate understanding, its power, its authority—all of it unfolds within me as if it had always been mine.
Eternal Edict Pathway - Sequence 9: Dreamless
Dreamless: They lose the ability to dream and cannot receive revelations through Dreams, but also cannot be pulled forcibly into Dreams. In addition, this allows them to effectively counteract a Nightmare's abilities.
Fate Sense: They begin to sense the flow and changes of Fate.
I slowly exhale, the tension in my body easing as I process what just happened. A realization creeps into my mind—there was no need to activate the Eternal Edict Pathway like I did with the original 22 Pathways. I didn't perform any ritual, nor did I invoke its power through any formal means. It simply... happened.
I glance around me, and something else catches my attention. The Cards of Wheel of Fortune, Error, White Tower, and Visionary are clustered together, much closer to me than the others. The rest of the cards are scattered around me, distant yet still within reach. And the Card of Fool, still tethered to me, remains the closest, a clear sign that it's still equipped.
Pushing myself off the ground, I let out a sigh of relief as the pain finally fades, and my body returns to its normal state. I move to sit back in my seat, the change is so crazy that it almost feels surreal.
But then, a frown tugs at my lips as a new problem surfaces.
How do these ten new Pathways work? The realization hits me like a cold wave: I know these Pathways belong to the Boon Recipient system, but I'm damn sure I never prayed to any Outer Deity for a Boon—let alone asked for all ten of them.
The question gnaws at me, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Why did I receive them? What does this mean for my control, my powers, and the very system I've relied on through the Cards of Blasphemy?
Furthermore, a new, troubling question arises: how do I advance to the next Sequence with these ten new Pathways? Unlike the 22 Standard Pathways, where I could progress through adventuring simulations via the Cards of Blasphemy, there's no clear method here. These ten Pathways don't seem to operate in the same way.
Instead of the familiar, Cards of Blasphemy displaying their abilities, everything manifests directly in my mind. A strange sense of knowing fills me as the powers of the Pathways simply appear to me, as if they've always been there, lurking just beneath the surface. This shift is both unsettling and intriguing, especially given the absence of the usual mechanisms that helped me gauge and control my progress.
I sit for a moment, the weight of it all pressing down on me. Then, with a deep breath, I turn the laptop on, hoping that having two active Pathways might provide some new insights. The Sequence 9: Dreamless' Fate Sense should offer some advantage, right? Some extra influence, a glimpse into the unknown, or perhaps even a key to understanding how these new Pathways function.
The screen flickers to life, and I prepare myself for whatever may come next, hoping that, with these additional Pathways, I might gain more clarity than I ever had before.
15 minutes later*
Good news: Computational Divinations that previously failed are now half-accessible—not fully clear, but enough for me to glean some fragments of information. The degree of clarity seems to depend on how I word the question and the specific answers I seek. This is a breakthrough, albeit an imperfect one.
Bad news: The partial access doesn't bring full understanding; instead, it introduces even more uncertainty. The fragments I can now see raise more questions than answers, leaving me more confused than ever. Every glimpse into previously inaccessible information only deepens the mystery, forcing me to reevaluate my understanding of nearly everything I thought I had grasped.
I rub my temple, feeling the weight of this paradoxical situation. More knowledge, yet more uncertainty. My next step needs to be careful—I can't afford to make things even murkier.
Important Note: It seems that the 10 Non-Standard Pathways have granted me the ability to become a Dual-Pathway Beyonder—one Pathway from the 22 Standard Pathways and the other from the 10 Non-Standard Pathways must always be active. This fundamentally changes how I interact with my abilities, offering a level of power and versatility that was previously impossible.
However, there's a major downside.
I cannot unequip one of the Pathways without severe consequences. The moment I do, my body will rapidly transform in an uncontrollable manner, likely due to the instability of only having one active Pathway. This means I must always maintain two Pathways at all times—one from each system—otherwise, I risk complete loss of control.
This revelation raises more questions than it answers. I need further studies to determine:
What other effects might this Dual-Pathway state have—are there additional benefits or restrictions?
Whether this forced stability is truly permanent or if there's a way to circumvent the restriction.
For now, I can only push forward, experimenting carefully to uncover the deeper mechanics behind this unexpected evolution.
I feel a pull—a force dragging me out of the Sefirah Castle—and I wince as a strange sensation washes over me. My body adjusts forcibly, finalizing my transformation into a complete Dual-Pathway Beyonder. There's no turning back now.
Then, without warning, I flinch, my vision shifting violently.
At first, I see red threads—countless strands crisscrossing everything, as if the world itself is woven from fate. Before I can process it, the sight changes—replaced by a torrent of numbers, lines flowing across my vision in incomprehensible patterns. But even that doesn't last.
Swirling rainbow colors engulf my perception, moving in a chaotic yet strangely harmonious dance, shifting and twisting in ways that defy logic.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, everything snaps back to normal. The world looks ordinary once more, as if nothing had happened.
I let out a slow breath, adjusting to the lingering strangeness.
Well, it seems Fate Sense is working exceptionally well alongside the Fool Pathway.
Shaking my head, I try my best to adjust to my new state as a Dual-Pathway Beyonder. It's going to take time, more than I'd like, but I have no choice except to adapt.
With a steady breath, I tear down the wall of Spirituality and step forward, making my way back to Momoyo and Aya.
However, just as I take another step, my vision twists again.
I freeze. The world around me distorts as I begin to perceive changes that no mortal should ever witness.
My right eyebrow twitches madly as the sight of multiple future visions splits before me, all at once. Countless possibilities unravel, colliding and interweaving in chaotic patterns, making it almost impossible to figure out what the fuck is going on. It's overwhelming, disorienting, like standing at the center of a storm where time itself refuses to hold shape.
Yet, through the shifting mass of futures, there are a few specific visions that catch my attention—ones that make me frown. Something about them feels wrong, like a warning.
And I don't like what I see.
I glance over at Momoyo and Aya, taking a moment to steady myself before letting out a deep sigh.
I switch out the Card of Fool for the Card of Twilight Giant. The shift is immediate—power thrumming through me, my body subtly adjusting to the new Pathway's influence.
With that done, I step forward and crouch down, reaching out to wake up Momoyo.
"Hey, Momoyo." I shake her shoulder lightly—only for her to react instantly, her fist snapping toward my head.
I tilt my head just in time, narrowly dodging the strike. My eyebrow twitches, but I don't comment on it. I should've expected that.
"Wake up. We've got to get moving." My voice is firm but calm.
Momoyo groggily opens her eyes, grumbling something under her breath as she blinks away the last remnants of sleep. Meanwhile, Aya watches us from the side, her sharp gaze flickering with curiosity.
"What's wrong, Chikao?" Aya asks with interest. Clearly, she's noticed something is off.
"Yeah, we've got to leave this airport." I say, my frown deepening as I flick my gaze to the corner of my eye, sensing something just at the edge of my perception. "We're going to have to skip the last plane to Japan—air travel is no longer an option."
Momoyo, still groggy, rubs her eyes. "Wait, what?" She pauses, then exhales sharply. "Explain to me why? Wait, never mind. You're a Seer, so you must've seen something." Her voice shifts from confusion to acceptance as she stretches, getting up from her seat. "Alright, where to then?"
I suppress the urge to make a comment as my eyes involuntarily catch the movement of her chest bouncing. I quickly refocus, shoving that thought aside. Now's not the time for distractions.
"First thing is to notify your men." My voice is firm, keeping us on track. "Get them to arrange a car—either they follow us, or they can stay here and wait for the delayed plane to Japan. Either way, we're moving now."
The airport no longer feels safe, and whatever I saw in my future vision makes it clear—staying here is no longer an option.