I donned my armor, and Mrs. Chiba plotted the route to the meeting location on her phone, then told us, “It’s a fifteen-minute walk.”

Mrs. Chiba, holding the knife by the blade, handed Sakurai a knife and said, “If you’re coming with us, then you need to take this so you can defend yourself if necessary.”

Sakurai was clearly uncomfortable receiving the weapon. I doubted she had ever experienced getting punched in the mouth, let alone knew how to box.

The way she held the weapon told me she knew nothing of knifefighting. Mrs. Chiba seemed to notice as well. I could tell that she contemplated giving Sakurai her pistol, but then realized that the girl certainly had no experience with a firearm and therefore kept it.

I politely informed her, “If anything happens, you two need to run. I will handle it.”

Mrs. Chiba suggested, “As far as we know, it could be a trap.”

I stoically said, “I know, but even if it is, I’ll ensure both of you will remain safe.”

Sakurai inquired, “Do you have a plan, if it is?”

I told them, “Precise and overwhelming force. Same way I killed the gashadokuro yesterday.”

Sakurai asked me, “You killed a gashadokuro?”

I confirmed, “Fairly easily, actually.”

To my surprise, I kept my armaments throughout the panic yesterday. Instinctively holstering them in my armor before heading out to help with rescue.

As I holstered Ryūseiseki and Hiraiha and rested Kyūdōmujun on my back with a sash, Mrs. Chiba sighed. She removed a New Nambu M60 from her purse, then holstered it at her side.

She told me, “If you’re going to protect the people from devils. Melee weapons will not cut it. You need to keep a distance between yourself and the enemy.”

As I finished preparations, I informed her, “Advice assessed, but I have some mighty projectile weapons of my own.”

I stood up and Sakurai asked, “You can’t seriously intend to walk out like that?”

I smiled and said, “Just watch.”

Every aspect of my body gently, but rapidly reconfigured. My skin, hair, and eye colors changed, as my height, hair length, bust, hips, waste, relative trunk length, body type, nose breadth, face breadth, head breadth, and head height all changed. Some changes being barely noticeable and others being radical.

All the while, my horns receded into apparent non-existence, my fangs reducing to human proportions, and the claws on my fingers became like well-maintained nails.

I, in my altered, higher-pitched voice, asked, “What do you think?”

Young Sakurai simply said, “That’s amazing!”

The silent horror on Mrs. Chiba’s face told the truth of what she thought of my transformation.

I responded, “Thank you, and here’s another trick I’ve got.”

I snapped my fingers for showmanship, as opposed to necessity, and I cast an illusion that switched out the appearance of my armor and weapons with the appearance of Ms. Sakurai’s school uniform.

They were speechless at my glamouring powers, and as I opened the door, I simply said, “Now, please lead the way, Mrs. Chiba.”

In only a few seconds, I looked like a totally different person. I looked as if I could have been one of Ms. Sakurai’s younger classmates.

Ms. Chiba led the way as Sakurai asked me, “How did you do that?”

I confessed, “Your myths of oni, djinn, succubi, and vampires tell of their fantastical powers, among them shapeshifting and illusion casting. My adoptive metahuman parents give me the power to inherit all of my parents’ fantastical powers.”

Sakurai reached out to touch me and was startled when she pressed into fabric and soft flesh.

“It’s real!” she whispered.

I corrected her, “Not quite. My mythical heritage allows me the powers to interfere with your human sense perceptions, such as vision, mechanoreception, and proprioception, but these illusions are imperfect, and a sharp mind can tell when they are being deceived.”

I had the sense that Mrs. Chiba had already deduced this, though she kept such realizations to herself.

We made our way to an elevator, at which point I realized we were on the fifth, really fourth, floor.

Making our way to the lobby, we signed out and began walking.

I could tell that Sakurai felt yesterday in her legs, now that the adrenaline of today’s encounter was wearing off, so I offered, “If you’re tired, I can carry you on my back.”

She was adamant. “Absolutely not! Save your strength just in case you need it to beat some sense into those yōkai!”

I gave an uncomfortable smirk and continued. The unnatural silence was awful. It was as if the city had been largely abandoned, though there were a few stragglers in terms of small businesses operating.

Walking through empty sidewalks, across vacant streets, and in between uninhabited businesses gave a feeling as if we were moving through a pristine necropolis. Of course, it wasn’t hard to understand why these streets were so vacant. I would come to learn that most of the world entered a similar period of economic and social inactivity during the first few weeks of kaijū activities.

During our venture, Sakurai asked several questions ranging from small talk to poignant, but Mrs. Chiba remained relatively silent on all except one.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Chiba... I remember an American classmate explaining the Pentagon’s history of outlandish military simulations: for alien invasion, zombie apocalypses, and even kaijū. So, I was wondering, since you are ex-JSSDF, do you think the United States or Japan knew about the existence of these things?”

Mrs. Chiba admitted, “I do not think so, and even if they did, I was in the wrong part of the JSSDF to ask those kinds of questions. When the various alphabet agencies of America were dissolved, the heads of those organizations destroyed countless classified documents, for which they were rightly arrested, tried, and convicted. So, it’s possible that this information was lost.”

I asked her, “What are the alphabet agencies?”

Mrs. Chiba rattled on, “The agencies which were ruled to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States a few decades ago, when the tenth amendment was finally upheld as it should have always been. They were the CIA, FBI, NSA, ATF, IRS, BLM, DEA, etc.”

She spoke with authority on the topic, as if she were someone well-versed through instruction and study.

So I asked her, “How do you know so much about America?”

She confessed, “My grandfather was a general of the United States Marine Corps with a master’s degree in both American and Japanese history.”

Sakurai asked her, “So you’re of mixed race like us?”

She told me, “No. My grandfather is White, but I am fully Japanese.”

I asked a followup question. “Were you adopted, like me?”

She explained, “Kind of. My mother was conceived through rape, but my grandfather loved my mother as if she were his own daughter, and he adored me as if I were his own granddaughter. My grandmother wanted to abort her, but my grandfather wouldn’t stand for it. They argued day in and out, and eventually he convinced her to keep the baby. Which is why I am here.”

She couldn’t see the smile that her words put on my face due to being ahead of us.

I told her, “I’m glad your grandfather changed your grandmother’s mind.”

She did not respond to the comment, but I had a sense that she understood and received my intention.

Sakurai said, “I’d like to meet this grandfather of yours. He sounds like a good man.”

Mrs. Chiba told her, “Best I can do is take you to his grave.”

Sakurai apologized, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Mrs. Chiba kindly explained, “Not everything is as it first appears. He took his own life after my grandmother passed away in a traffic accident. A combat related TBI inhibited his ability to cope with the loss, and it destroyed my family. It’s not your fault for bringing it up. There’s no way you could have known, so don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong.”

There was a great tragedy implicit in the idea that a man who saved a child’s life would take his own and steal himself from that same child’s adult life. I didn’t believe that Mrs. Chiba really came to terms with it, given the change in heart rate, which would have been inaudible to human ears but were perfectly audible to my owl-like audition. However, I didn’t pry about it.

I was a demon slayer, after all. Neither psychotherapy nor spiritual counseling were skillsets I possessed.

Long before we got there, since the restaurant where we were supposed to meet was downwind, I experienced the luscious sanguine smell of a large bowl of blood curd. It made me salivate as I anticipated its lovely flavor. It was nectarous—the metallic tang accompanied by sizzling scents of beef, onions, rice, and other foodstuffs. Though the scent of blood was the thing which was foremost in my olfactory focus.

I was part-vampire, so a fixation on these tastes, smells, textures, and sights were hardwired into my biology.

As we approached our destination, we saw Hakutenga standing outside the restaurant. She flagged us down with a standing wave and a smile. Inviting us into the establishment and showing us to the table where her associate sat alone.

“Come, friends. Let us dine together as we negotiate our terms.” She requested.

We sat on the opposite side of Hakutenga and the Shinigami, who needed to be reminded by a gentle but forceful elbow to introduce herself. “My friend has reminded me I forgot to introduce myself yesterday. I apologize for the rude behavior. My name is Fukushi (福死). I am a Shinigami.”

Much to Fukushi’s apparent, though subtle, delight, that admission gave her both Mrs. Chiba and Sakurai’s full attentions. Although I could not perceive it, I knew she had Nenia trained on the Shinigami specifically. Ready to immobilize her at the drop of a pin.

Hakutenga snidely remarked, “You were more than rude, Fukushi.”

Fukushi rolled her eyes and was forcefully nudged again.

A waiter came by to take our orders and, and just as promised, Fukushi offered to pay the tab for everyone there. Hakutenga requested sukhoe (숙회) and tea. Fukushi ordered bulgogi (불고기) with water. Sakurai asked for kimchi pancakes and orange juice, and Mrs. Chiba chose egg dumplings with water.

I, of course, requested the sŏnji-guk, which I suspect our hosts preordered for me. The waitress took the order, and Fukushi paid up front in gold coins without rising from her seat. She then pressed her index finger to her lips as if to request the waiter’s silence. The waiter, who was the owner of the business, left without protestation to prepare the food, clearly enthused and intimidated by the sheer degree that our host clearly overpaid.

Hakutenga then introduced herself. “Hello, as you know, my name is Hakutenga. I am a Swan-maid, most recently born in the 1970s.”

I thought to myself, “most recently born?” What the hell does that mean?

Hakutenga asked, “So tell us a bit about yourselves.”

Mrs. Chiba took charge and answered before either I or Sakurai had the opportunity, “My name is Chiba, I am a former officer of the Japan Self-Defense Force.”

She then glanced at Sakurai, who introduced herself. “My name is Sakurai. I am a student studying to one day become a nurse.”

It was now my turn. “I am Setagaya. I am a devil hunter and protector of the people who raised me.”

Fukushi lit a cigarette as she derisively said, “Your commitment to the defense of these mortals is admirable, if somewhat misguided. I am certain that mankind can defend itself…”

Then a thought crossed her mind, and she asked, “Wait, you’re mortal-raised?”

I defensively deflected, “What of it?”

Fukushi observed, “You do not seem to be a hanyō.”

I corrected her, “That’s because I’m not. I am a full-blooded yōkai.”

Hakutenga asked, “Wait. Then, do you know anything about Otherworld?”

I admitted, “Not much more than what I can gleam from human mythologies and extremely rare conversations with lost and weary travelers.”

Hakutenga asked me, “How far back can you remember? Do you remember the Xenotheomachia?”

I asked her, completely confounded, “The what?”

The question seemed to catch Mrs. Chiba’s attention, though it was so subtly telegraphed that only I seemed to have noticed.

Hakutenga explained, “The war between the devas (天人) known to Earth and asuras (阿修羅) known to another world.”

I asked her, “Known to another world? Do you mean a pantheon of an alien planet or another universe?”

Then Fukushi explained, “That, or another Human World (人間界) entirely. There are countless planets in the Human World inhabited by their own autochthonic human populations, with their own distinct pantheons.

“Otherworld is a trichiliocosm: a network of three thousand million lokas interconnected through a network commonly analogized as an all-pervading world tree atop a cosmic mountain and separated by a veil. Celestial world (天界), Spirit World (霊界), Demon World (魔界), Beast-Man World (獣人界), and Talking Beast World (能言獸界) are but the tip of this cosmology.”

If the Earth felt small before—a blue pixel encircling but one insignificant speck of light itself drifting alongside hundreds of millions of other stars in one galaxy out of more than one hundred billion galaxies within the observable universe, which was, itself, only a fragment of the universe in reality—then it certainly felt smaller now.

As far as I knew, the universe could be incomprehensibly vast but bounded in a manner like the classic asteroids game, where traversing the edge leads to one reentering from another part of the boundary. Or it could be infinite in spatial extent. Certainly, the world of devas and asuras, the ancient gods and devils, was more expansive than the Human World. And knowing that there were at least four other lokas alongside these two, this universe of interconnecting lokas suddenly became much larger.

Chiba interjected, “Pardon the intrusion, but it sounds as if you are describing the universe as a 3-sphere. Are these worlds nested alongside each other in a higher spatial medium? Separated from each other at right angles to the three degrees of freedom we are currently moving through in our ‘Manuṣyaloka’ (人間界)?”

Fukushi rudely dismissed the soldier. “Alright, Alighieri.”

This response confused both me and Sakurai, so I asked, “Alighieri? As in Dante Alighieri?”

Chiba explained, “The geometry of Dante Alighieri’s universe in his Divine Comedy is highly reminiscent of a sphere with four spatial dimensions and one time dimension—a 3-sphere. I guess that means you have some familiarity with Western literature?”

I looked at her, astonished, and she admitted, “What? I’m a math major.”

Fukushi annoyed, but amused, said with a condescending tone, “Cute, but clever child.”

Chiba took this comment on the chin. It was clear that she had questions, and we three earthlings understood that, as far as we knew, she could be thousands of years older than any of us.

Hakutenga asked me, “Then, does that mean you’ve never heard of the antigod (祅)?”

This question took me aback, so I asked, “Please elaborate.”

She obliged, “Thousands of years ago, the veil between the Human World, Otherworld, Beast-Man World, and Talking Beast World was fortified by an unknown and alien antigod calling themselves the ‘author of tragedies-turned-comedy’. This unidentified being possessed the deva the Romans called Iānus and compelled him to foretell the birth of a human supergod (超神).

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“According to prophecy, this supergod and their descendants would be immune to the powers of angels (天使), buddhas (仏), immortals (仙), gods (神), yāo (妖), devils (魔), and ghosts (鬼).”

I asked her, “Do you know the identity of this supergod?”

Fukushi took a puff of her cigarette and admitted, “No. There has been no successful attempt at divining the identity of this alleged supergod. Moreover, we are entering an era where even the precognition of the Fates is failing them. The Sky Striker is adamant that this is because of the passive interference of this being.”

Sakurai asked, “Is that because this supergod will be active in our future history, and knowing the effects of their activities would allow the Fates to divine the identity of this supergod?”

Hakutenga was enthusiastic about how quickly we seemed to catch on. “That is spot on regarding what the oracles and sages think is fated to happen, I…”

I interrupted her. “I do not believe in fate.”

There was a beat of silence.

Chiba asked, “Does this alien antigod have something to do with the hitherto unelaborated Xenotheomachia mentioned earlier?”

Fukushi revealed to us, “I do not think so. Almost two and a half thousand years ago, Otherworld was invaded by alien gods (星人の神々). Their most terrifying warrior was a god of strength; a deva of power seemingly unbounded. History tells of his prodigious strength in the xenotheomachia (外空神之戦). At the battle of Sakura Archipelago, an immortal (仙), knowing how to summon mountains, dropped Mount Sumeru (須弥山) upon the shoulders of that alien asura. That did not work, so he then dropped mount Éméi (峨眉山). But even these two cosmic mountains proved insufficient to stop this monster, and the divergent daemon continued to move with the speed of a meteor. As the foreign god mocked them for their efforts, Mount Tai (泰山) was employed, but this too could not stop his strength beyond strength, which allowed him to overcome devas of war while bearing the weight of the three mountains. At the battle of Hell Valley, a bodhisattva dropped the Five Phase Mountain (五行山) atop him, and it still proved impossible to slow him down.”

Fukushi shuddered. “Nothing seemed to stop him. Kailash (岡仁波齐峰), Fuji (富士山), and Olympus (オリンポス山) all failed to slow him down, and his strength threatened to shatter the world tree.”

My older escort chuckled, “So the powers of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism did not stop him… So, the devas turned to Jainism, Shintō, and Platonism?”

The swan maiden explained, “He matched Heracles in strength, and could even hold his own against the Striker. Our best magical bindings, such as Gleipnir and the Golden Headband (金箍圈), were impotent to ensnare him.”

The Striker, being the deva interpreted as Zeus (Ζεύς) by the Greeks, Thor (Þórr) by the Norse, and Indra (帝釈天) by the Indians.

She continued, “While the invaders had many powerful avatars embodying strength, courage, wisdom, wit, light, death, and heart, among other realities, armed with terrifying astras… the terror of his power helped them wage psychological warfare against the Otherworld. It was a battle unlike anything ever seen before, more devastating than the Aesir-Vanir war, Titanomachy, Gigantomachy, Theomachy, and all the conquests that the Striker undertook to conquer Otherworld.”

I asked her, “Then how did Otherworld survive?”

She explained, “An unknown intelligence, neither deva, buddha, nor immortal (仙), in the guise of a queen of light, commanded that a mountain, which was only 765 meters tall, be dropped on him, and he ground to a halt. Not in the sense of collapsing from exceeding his physical strength, but in the sense that he had a revelation. With that, both sides stopped fighting, and the alien asuras agreed to leave Otherworld.

I asked her, “So, one small mountain did this? Do you know the identity of the mountain? Or perhaps the person who did this?”

Fukushi seemed to not want to admit an answer, so Hakutenga (白天鵞) explained, “Hallvarðr is adamant that the being who dropped the mountain was an angel (天使) acting on behalf of the queen of Heaven (天后), and that the mountain was Zion (シオン).”

I raised my eyebrow and asked incredulously, “You’re serious?”

Me and Chiba understood what that would mean if true, but Sakurai seemed to not understand the implications thereof.

The Shinigami admitted with a smirk, “Then you and me are on the same wavelength regarding that. I’ll grant him the bit about the angel. Those are way more terrifying than any deva or asura I’ve ever seen, but I do not believe that his assessment of the mountain’s identity is plausible.”

I asked, genuinely confused, “Have you ever met an ‘angel’?”

The Shinigami took a deep puff of the smoke and, after exhaling the noxious fumes, revealed, “No, but Hallvarðr has. As have some of the most powerful devas and immortals, and let’s just say that I have no interest in ever meeting anything like that.”

Hallvarðr, in the guise of a sharply dressed Germanic strongman entered the restaurant and spoke from behind us, “In Otherworld, the devas live in Devaloka (天界) and we Yāo live in Māraloka (魔界), as humans live in Manuṣyaloka. Though there are magicians so powerful that they can generate their own lokas.”

Fukushi, as Hallvarðr made his way to our table and took an empty seat from the adjacent table to sit down with us, elaborated, “That is how Brahmāloka (梵天界) and Viṣṇuloka (毘紐天界) came to be, through the mastery of 3,000 Great Paths (三千大道).”

I couldn’t help but think to myself, “The hell is this, a Xiānxiá (仙俠) novel?”

Hallvarðr, stoically courteous towards the interruption, continued, “Although, this is not where angels live. You see, these lokas where the gods and monsters of your human mythologies live are still limited within space and time. But angels exist in Aloka (無界): a state of being transcending space and time.”

He introduced himself. “Hello, my name is Hallvarðr. I see you have met my associates.”

Chiba and Sakurai introduced themselves before Sakurai asked, “So, angels are nowhere?”

Hallvarðr pulled out what appeared to be a folded piece of cloth from his shirt pocket, which he then unfolded into a full-sized cloth chessboard, with all the pieces placed in their appropriate starting positions.

He explained, “We are the pieces on the board. We move about the board through the spaces or intersections. Angels are not like that. Their relation to lokas is not analogous to our relationship to this board. Rather…”

He flipped the board over, the pieces keeping their placement relative to the board and effortlessly flattening as they are gently pressed against the table.

He continued, “the relationship between *where* the angels are is analogous to the back of the board. While not within the zone of gameplay, it is simultaneously equidistant and intimate to every square and intersection on the board’s face.”

Chiba asked him, “Would that mean that they can interact with all lokas, even the artificial ones?”

Hallvarðr told her, “Correct. Even devas, immortals, and buddhas who have manifested their own lokas have had no success barring them from interfering with their work.”

Fukushi chastised him, “You’re late. Where have you been?”

Hallvarðr confessed, “I apologize for my lack of punctuality. I have been exploring the local library. It’s not every day I get to see such a sight as this.”

Hakutenga explained, “Hallvarðr is a bit of an anthropophile. He is endlessly fascinated with human cultures and has obtained several books from human philosophers and theologians, with a particular bend towards the Catholic dharma. Books from the Human World are scarce in Otherworld because of the aforementioned fortification of the veil, so his relatively modest collection of texts is quite impressive.”

Hallvarðr admitted, “Very true. My father passed on to me a copy of the Proslogion, and I have been forever fascinated with theology. I traveled across Otherworld, looking for human books which made their way through the veil. During those excursions, I have obtained a copy of the Incoherence of the Philosophers from a tribe of djinn (幽精), as well as a copy of the Summa Theologiæ from a hippocentauress (女性のケンタウルス), the Summa contrā Gentīlēs from a phoenix-maid (不死鳥処女), the Kuzari from a flesh golem, and even received the N’yāyakusumāñjali from a deva.”

Hakutenga asked, “Did you find anything to your liking?”

Hallvarðr confessed, “Yes! I bought quite a few books. The two that have caught my eye specifically are the historical evaluations titled ‘On the Reliability of the Old Testament’ by Kenneth Kitchen and ‘The Historical Reliability of the Gospels’ by Craig L. Bloomberg.”

Sakurai made an opportunity to ask Fukushi, “What makes you doubt Hallvarðr’s claim regarding the identity of the mountain?”

The Shinigami explained, “I simply do not believe in a God (上帝). So I have no reason to believe such an entity causally relates to the event.”

Sakurai asked her, “So you believe in angels, but not God the parent (親神様)?”

Fukushi insisted, “Unlike Hallvarðr, who must refer to God (自在) in order to make sense of the world, my worldview possesses no such deficiency. And even if such a being as this exists, I see no soteriological or magical relevance which would give his mountain relevance to my goal of obtaining the Dharmakāya (法身).”

Hallvarðr critiqued, “On the contrary, your worldview is explanatorily deficient in many areas of metaphysics and history.”

The look on Fukushi’s face was one of unyielding resolve and competitive respect. Such as someone who has struggled in debate against an unyielding and squirrely but cunning and honest opponent.

Hallvarðr asked her, “You were there in a previous life. What mountain do you believe it could have been? Surely, the mountain of the man who demonstrated his total mastery over life and death by not only being born of a virgin who was preserved from all ancestral and personal sin, died then came back to life in his original body transfigured into immortality, then raised all his saintly dead from their graves in their original reconstituted bodies, all under his own power, would be a reasonable candidate?”

Fukushi responded, “Poppycock.”

Hallvarðr reminded her, “There is a small population of humans that has lived in Otherworld for thousands of years, and among them are validly ordained priests whose lineages predate the East-West Schism. How do you explain the priests’ powers to obliterate harmatiological karmas that condemn the soul of a Faerie (妖精) to punishments in their next life?”

I assumed that the word yōsei (妖精) was being used in place of the English “faerie”, which seemed to refer to all mythical intelligences that were neither human, nor angel, nor God in Celtic mythology.

Fukushi asked, “Simple, Jesus was a Buddha. How does this differ from the powers of Amitābha?”

Hallvarðr explained, “Anyone who honestly claims that Jesus was a Buddha is either ignorant of the teachings of Christ or ignorant of the teachings of Buddha. Jesus made no claim to Buddhahood, nor do the historical documents show that he was one. The power to forgive sins represents total mastery over karma, where all harmatiological consequences are invisibly resolved. The power to grant this hamartiologically absolvent power, such as the power to release and bind punitive karmas, was given to his apostles by virtue of his word alone, as well as to the holy orders by virtue of their inheritance. This demonstrates an ability to communicate his power to men. What Buddha has the power to communicate their grace to another, such that the power granted to them is efficacious despite the deficiency of the apostle’s character, knowledge, enlightenment, or works?”

Fukushi batted back with, “You are really going to ignore the fact that reincarnation clearly happens? That is not compatible with the teachings of Christ, but is with those of the Buddha.”

Hallvarðr told her, “The Church teaches that ‘it is appointed for men to die once’. This does not hold true for other rational souls. Angels, for example, cannot ever die, as they have no body to slay, and cannot subject themselves to time. Thus, they cannot change. Rather, their ultimate fate is determined by a single immutable choice.

“Whereas the ultimate fate of man is determined by a lifetime of decisions wherein they willingly move within and without the Logos (道). We faeries are not men, nor are we angels. We are appointed to be born and to die in a multiplicity of lifetimes, with our ultimate fate decided at the end of our last life.

“We know this because we see in ourselves precisely what we do not see in men and angels but would expect to see if reincarnation were their fate, and this is because we have bodies which are malleable and polymorphous. Given our the soul is the form of our body, our vital principle can be transmitted from one host to another because the principle of our identity has different potentialities to actualize than a human being or an angel.

“Since it is the soul of man which is the essence of man, and the soul of a cat the essence of a cat, it cannot be that ‘the soul which rules man should take on itself the nature of a beast’ or angel ‘so opposed to that of man’. Nor can our souls take upon themselves the nature of a human, beast, or angel so opposed to ours. This is because the soul contains within it the organizing principle which animates the body.

“While our bodies are malleable, the bodies of the sensible and rational animals are fixed, and thus can only ever bond with their own singular lifespan under natural means.

“We see this evidenced in our past life recollections. It is not uncommon among us to see that the souls of our children vary at their conception. We find that, as they mature, through the recollection of past life memories, some souls are clearly newborn while others are ancient.

“‘If souls depart at different ages of human life, how is it they come back again at one uniform age? For all men are imbued with an infant soul at birth.’ I can think of no example where a faerie can recall ever being human in a past life, or an animal or an angel, in a manner that our psychic powers cannot adequately explain.

“Similarly, we find that there is no human that can reliably recall ever having been a faerie, an animal, or an angel.”

At first, Chiba and I were getting progressively more annoyed as this tangential conversation continued, while Sakurai just seemed lost. But we both realized that this sidetracked conversation was freely giving us a lot of information that would be desperately necessary to make a wise decision. So, we paid as close attention as we could, without this specialized knowledge.

The waiter came back with our food, and, though we continued to talk, we all ate. I finally got my ambrosia, and it was more satisfying than I expected. Because of the conversation, I had forgotten how hungry I was. The waiter asked Hallvarðr if he wanted something to eat, and Hallvarðr politely declined, so the waiter left.

Sakurai, a Tenrikyōist, and therefore someone who believes in both God and reincarnation, chimed in. “You said that the bodies of faeries could keep cross life memories because of the malleability of their bodies… Doesn’t that explain why humans don’t keep these memories?”

Hallvarðr said, “My dear, even if I grant your suggestion, human reincarnation still does not stand. This is because the act of transforming the essential form of Saoirse into that of Sakura still destroys the form of Saoirse in the same manner that transforming the essential form of man into that of a cat destroys the form of man. There can be no continuity within such transmigration.”

Fukushi defended, “This assumes Hylomorphic metaphysics. I would challenge the idea that those substantial forms, as you have described, even exist.”

Sakurai, flustered, pulled away. I was so caught up in the conversation that I did not realize the girl’s obvious attraction to the guise this troll had adopted. Though, I highly doubt that she would be as interested in his monstrous true form.

She simply said, “I agree with you that God the Parent (親神様) exists and is the master of karmas (いんねん), but I also think that Ms. Fukushi has a point. That it is part of God’s design and wisdom that humans may have a fresh start (出直し) through saṃsāra (輪廻), and that the soul preserves some form of continuity as it passes between lives.”

Hallvarðr asked her, “My dear, might I ask what is your religion is?”

Sakurai told him, “I am a Tenrikyōist (天理教家).”

Hakutenga remarked, “I assumed you were a Hindu, honestly.”

Hallvarðr apologized, “Pardon my ignorance, but I am unfamiliar with this religion. Would you have any suggested reading?”

The girl fumbled through her bag and presented him with a copy of the Ofudesaki. He placed a scroll atop it, and we saw as the text automatically copied from the book onto the parchment.

With no need for the original text, he gave the book back to Sakurai and thanked her, “I appreciate your gesture, but I do not mean to deprive you of your property. I will gladly get back to you when I’ve finished reading this book.”

The girl, beat red, deigned to accept the offer, “Of course. I’d love to talk to you when you’re done with it.”

Having seen what he looked like without the guise and realizing that he was, in fact, not flirting with her and was oblivious to her attraction to him, I felt bad for the poor girl. And as interesting as it might be to get a better understanding of fey metaphysical biology, I felt it necessary to redirect the conversation to what was of the essence.

“I do not mean to disrupt your riveting conversation, but I need to know what it is you’ve called me here for.” I reminded them.

Fukushi recited a spell, in some unintelligible though human language, which Hallvarðr translated as, “If you do not open the gate to let me in, I shall smash the door and shatter the bolt. I shall smash the doorpost and overturn the doors. I shall raise up the dead and they shall devour the living: and the dead shall outnumber the living.”

Chiba and I both recognized this as a translation of the threat Ishtar (𒌋𒁯) makes in the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Hallvarðr revealed, “I’m sorry for the delay, so I’ll cut to the chase. We would like to petition for your help, should the time come that we find the Lich-Czar.”

I remember him calling this villain a necromancer of the devil path, but to learn that they had succeeded in the greatest act of necromancy—turning themselves into an undead magician—was new.

He continued, “The antigod seems to have eroded the veil between Otherworld and Earth, resulting in naturally and supernaturally formed doorways where yāo, devils, asuras, gods, and immortals alike are likely to enter the Human World. Men may also venture into Otherworld, and possibly even Beastman World and Talking Beast World. From what little we know, this necromancer has obtained siddhis unknown to Otherworld from their human lineage. So, we suspect they will make their way to this side of the veil to study this power.”

Fukushi explained, “We are offering you our help in defending your adoptive people. So, will you alert us if you should find evidence he has crossed the veil?”

Hakutenga chimed in, “They will provide training from experienced martial magicians, to teach you what your human teachers may not have been able to about your fey powers.”

I told them, “These terms are acceptable. I would never leave my homeland undefended, but when the time comes, I will deign to help you slay, or at least contain, this devil.”

I was still wildly uncomfortable with the potential killing of a half-human, something which Hallvarðr seemed to sense.

He promised, “You do not have to be the one to deal the killing blow. If you can help us capture him alive, we can put him on trial as per the custom of the Phoenix-folk, so they can decide his fate.”

I admitted, “I find such a proposition agreeable.”

Seeing that we had fulfilled the point of this meeting, Sakurai asked him, “By human siddhis, did you mean superpowers?”

They seemed unfamiliar with this term, and Hallvarðr admitted, “I do not know.”

Sakurai explained, “Some humans have siddhis which they can pass down to their children through descent, adoption, or fostering. Each one is unique, with no two metahumans having the same powers.”

She pulled out an omnibus reprint of ‘Darker Than Black’ containing volumes one through three and handed it to Hallvarðr.

“It’s not exactly like this, from what I understand, but the Earth’s native magic is very similar to the superpowers found in comics dating all the way back to the 1930s and the literary traditions stemming from them.”

He looked at the strange codex and copied it in the same manner he copied the original and gave it back with, “I will be certain to read this. Thank you, lovely miss.”

She blushed and I, sporting a shit-eating grin, nudged her with my elbow, then said, “Wanna show him?”

She asked, in a confused stupor, “What?”

I stood up and said, “I’ve agreed to help you, but I still need to smash in your smug Shinigami snout for how she treated my hosts?”

Fukushi stood up and said, “You are…”

Suddenly, before she could complete standing up, the Shinigami went catatonic despite being fully conscious of her situation.

I mocked her. “That’s what you get for being rude to my ward.”

Hakutenga worriedly attended to her, “Fukushi, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you moving?”

Hallvarðr, likewise on his feet, attended to her. A composed but worried curiosity inscribed on his face, as he nudged her with his hand and snapped his fingers in front of her face to illicit a response.

He turned to us and calmly interrogated, “What did you do to her?”

I told them, “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

Turning to Sakurai, I requested, “Release her, please.”

Sakurai, without moving, did as I requested, and you could see the panicked gasping of the Shinigami as she leaped to her feet and almost fell.

I told him, “Humans with innate siddhis, obtained through descent, adoption, or fostering, are called metahumans. Every metahuman’s powers are different, even if they, at first, appear to be the same.”

Hakutenga, attending to Fukushi’s panicked state, commented, “So this is the power of ‘metahumans‘?”

I told them, “Oh, you have no idea.”

Hakutenga asked, “Would you be able or willing to find other such ‘metahuman’ magicians? Abilities such as these may be quite useful in controlling and combating devils.”

I confessed that, “I am reluctant to solicit human help in dispatching devils. Metahumans have one or two abilities, and not all of them suited for battle. Even if they have a siddhi which could prove useful for such, metahumans are still human. In contrast, our kind have a myriad of abilities to draw from.”

Hakutenga asked, “So that is a ‘no’?”

I confessed, “Correct.”

Mrs. Chiba stepped in. “I would advise you to investigate these claims further. While I have detected no lies, it may be prudent to verify this information yourself. Regardless, it would also be a good idea to find humans who can contend with faeries and prepare them to protect their country from this new devilish threat. In fact, I might be able to help with that second issue. I still have connections within the JSSDF, and I know a real military otaku who loves isekai. He would almost certainly dive into such an opportunity as this.”

She continued with a request, “If these claims prove true, could we count on you to present this information to our government? So they could prepare, as best they can, for these villains?”

Without skipping a beat, Hallvarðr said, “To defend my brother-race, and the species of my Lord, you have my word that, should you trust us enough, I can present this information to your leaders.”

This statement perplexed Mrs. Chiba, as she did not know that Hallvarðr was a Christian.

Mrs. Chiba looked at me and asked, “What about you, Ms. Setagaya?”

I answered with an affirmation, “Yes. I will gladly evidence the existence of devils if requested, but under no circumstances will I reveal my name. I have a family to safeguard, and a life to live.”

Hallvarðr commented, “That sounds reasonable.”

Mrs. Chiba did not look as if my answer was reassuring, but she did not pursue the issue.

I requested, “And please do not reveal my identity when you come out with this information.”

Mrs. Chiba simply said, “Of course.”

Her heart betrayed an indifference to my worries, but I understood that with both Sakurai and Hallvarðr here, I could not press this issue, so I let it slide for the time being.

After a long conversation over dinner, we parted ways on peaceful terms. Though before leaving, Sakurai petitioned Hallvarðr to meet up with her in the future so that they could discuss metaphysics, to which he agreed.

This was the first foreshadowing to me I now lived in a world where C. S. Lewis, Wú Chéng’ēn (吳承恩), H. P. Lovecraft, and Grant Morrison would collide with horrific effects: a world of angels, buddhas, outer gods, and supergods.