It was there the whole time.

Evidence had been piling up for all too long.

The reason for things happening weirdly for me, how some of my powers wouldn't make sense.

But I chose to look away.

Why didn't I notice earlier?

How could I ignore this?

Knowing me, by putting all my heart into this task of blending everything out.

Yet it's just so obvious and by now undeniable.

Iori, that young, teenage girl in human form, or even just the demonic version with all the claws and black darkness, they do not really exist!

I'm so fucking stupid.

Of course!

How would I be able to create things where my body isn't?

How could I control everything inside my dream and manipulate it like an extension of my body?

The answer is simply, because it IS MY FRICKIN BODY!!!

I just understood how it truly works.

Ever looked at your hand, then with the index and middle finger, made it walk on them as if it were legs?

That's kinda the principle here, only in a far more sophisticated form.

This metaphorical "hand" is basically my body.

Because I focus on it, it's basically what I recognize as myself.

I thought it's all there is to it.

A humanoid body with some eldritch quirks, but no such luck.

No, in reality, I'm some unformed vague mass of drifting dream reality, flesh growth, miasma, tentacles, and what else that as its own dimension drifts through the multiverse or whatever.

I am my dream.

Every bit of it.

There is no distinction, no difference.

My body is simply some kind of avatar I decide to manipulate as my perceived state of being.

For how that works in other dimensions that are decisively not my dream world: You see, when I "teleport", a terminology that doesn't really work anymore, it's like I put a tentacle through the rift between dimensions.

I somehow am capable of doing that.

So once this tentacle pierces through the other side, I form my body on the other side.

However, the poking through dimensions never stops.

This kind of dimensional rift isn't exactly spatial.

It's simply a form of connection to my main body in the dreamworld, whose tip ends up looking like my body.

Would one sever that connection, my body would likely (and hopefully, as I don't want to deal with that clone shit) just drop dead.

Just as it just happened when I got completely obliterated.

So yeah, my body is basically only an antennae I probe through dimensions that maintains an inner dimensional connection.

Thus, after I overcome an initial set of severe existential dread, followed by a series of glimpses of my true, almost indefinite vastness, which I decided to put on hold after it got too much, I get back to reforming my body as my center point.

Knowing that it's fake might be one thing, but I just need a certain kind of self-perception that doesn't involve counting the countless tentacles to my infinite edges to remain productive.

Or just in any way operational.

So, okay, existential dread is put on hold for now.

In particular, there's a certain instance.

I have here access to everything of mine.

Well, I had before as well but couldn't really do anything with it, as access to Soralia was restricted.

So I basically ignored it so I could focus all of my processing ability on handling everything within that world.

Which makes me now discover that the paths I created in there are still open.

Which means I can just enter again.

So I do.

I mean, what is the worst that could happen?

That they cut off my fake body tendril a second time?

I have literally infinite numbers of them!

As there's no particular downside, I push through.

"Where is she?! You said she would be fine!" (C)

"As she is. And entering right this instant." (P2)

Chiaki?

Chiaki!!!

Without wasting even a fraction of a second, I rush at her, feeling the sound barrier crack ever so slightly, and wrap my arms around her, slowing down just enough to make sure I don't wreck her body.

"Whoah! Princess carry? Not like I disagree. Just seems unusually bold of you, Iori." (C)

This is her!

This is truly her!

Despite her altered appearance, I can feel her soul.

That shine is unmistakable!

"No time to talk! I'll bring us out of here and then we can fix you! Fix this all!" (I)

I prepare my growth to envelope us and pull what I now realized to be a tendril of my true self back to my dream, where I'll hopefully be able to take care of whatever was done to Chiaki.

Yet before it can grow over her, all around Chiaki's body a golden shine bursts out, making my black growths retreat or otherwise they burn away.

I feel the same on my arms and chest but force myself to hold on.

"Woah, woah! Calm down Iori. There's no reason to rush things." (C)

"I won't let go! Not until I'm sure that you're fine" (I)

"But I am fine! There's no need to worry!" (C)

"No, no! You are not! We need to get out of here!" (I)

"If you don't calm down I'll kiss you again! This time on the mouth!" (C)

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Plomp"

"Ugh, no reason to drop me." (C)

Sorry, but my mind short-circuited.

That was just a bit too much.

However, as I was forced to stay still for a moment, I glance now at this strange being in this empty space we're currently occupying.

They didn't move the entire time, despite me being full of openings while Chiaki denied my attempts to save her.

"I-isn't that... entity going to attack us?" (I)

"Nah! It's over!" (C)

Over?

With silent questions raised, I stare at this strange being. Instead of clearly speaking out, I hear a many-voiced chorus, which reaches my ear as one.

"The game was won, fair and square.

Demons defeated by light's heir.

The peace restored, justice served,

The issue settled, as deserved.

Conclusion draws nigh, worlds come to end.

It was a great way time was spent

So talk you may now to your host,

As I have won and you have lost!"

They had to rub it in, huh?

"Nobody likes a bad winner, Switchy!" (C)

For real.

Wait, winning?

Is that all?

My opponent said from the start that this would be a game.

Could it, could it be?

Could this war seriously just boil down to the fact that they intended to play a game and now that it's concluded we just stand up from our metaphorical table and go our way?!

Was that simply all there was to this clash of beings beyond measure?!

I just lost a game, but there's nothing to it?

Was this really, truly, just a fun pastime to this...

Wait a moment!

"What did you just call him?" (I)

"Switchy! Because he's always switching around. Was kinda hard to get used to this at first, But me and Switchy, we kinda managed to work this out." (C)

Uh, Switchy...

Can this truly be?

Of course, it can.

I basically told myself how it can be!

"You seem sidetracked, Iori Nomia." (P2)

No shit, for real?!

"Well, I just realized that my future self told me to greet you." (I)

She mentioned them.

That being.

The exact same name!

I should've known that I wouldn't have a few millennia before that becomes relevant!

But a few days?!

What happened to cosmic scales?!!

"Fascinating. Future pasts. Developments without concept. Fixed change turning unchanged." (P2)

Urgh.

I don't actually want to think about this.

The way it sounded, my future self wasn't even at odds with this abductor.

Not like my current self would in any way be capable of understanding what she finds positive about this being.

I for once have but one thought.

"So, if I understood that right, we are done here, are we? Can we leave now?" (I)

"Almost. As the last, crucial instance has still to happen." (P2)

Shit!

I had hope we could just pull out here.

"What is it? Just so you know, I'm still seriously pissed about what happened and not really in the mood for whatever you have in mind." (I)

"This is just right. As the best part is simply the after-processing of the transpired events." (P2)

"You seriously are telling me that you want to do an after-talk to your game?" (I)

"What purpose would an experience have if it wouldn't be recognized? So convey your thoughts. Was this game good? Should I add anything? How about a more restrictive resource-gathering system that limits the expansion and forces a deeper focus on micromanagement? What about a harsher soul restriction, so the events will be up to the player? Or rather less so?" (P2)

I'm quite certain that this thing, rather than possessing a mind that goes beyond human understanding, is simply batshit crazy.

A complete lunatic of a game developer.

"When you brought your generals into the equation I was surprised. Everything I knew about you was contradicting this step. Which made your tactic all the more interesting." (P2)

Oh, right.

I shouldn't forget about them.

They did their best for my sake after all.

"You know, I like them!" (C)

Right.

That reminds me of the greatest issue that still has to be addressed.

"I won't say a thing before you fix Chiaki!" (I)

"Fix? Oh right!" (P2)

Promptly, something shifts about Chiaki.

It’s not quite obvious, but her features realign this bit to the face I remember.

Also, her upper and lower body are adjusting their proportions to become more feminine.

"Oh damn. It's all back! Oh my god, finally this is over. Seriously. Walking around without my lady bits, or rather bits in general, felt so weird. Thank you, Iori!" (C)

At this, I realize that I barely minded that she was in a male body the whole time.

And she wanted to kiss me in that to top it all off!

I probably could've fixed that as well, but I'm rather glad that I didn't have to actively redesign the chest area and nether regions of my best friend.

Which doesn't mean I'm fine with this eldritch being doing so.

Which reminds me...

"I didn't mean that! I mean to fix whatever you have done to her mind, or personality, or whatever!" (I)

"To her mind? What would be the issue?" (P2)

"Uh..." (C)

"Yes! Take it back! Restore it to how she was before!" (I)

"There was no alteration to speak of, aside from a stabilizing spell to prevent damage to said mind." (P2)

No alteration?!

Are they kidding me?!

"As if! The usual Chiaki would never have fought me! We are friends, goddamnit!" (I)

"Ehm, Iori. I, I think I need to confess something here." (C)

Chiaki?

"You see, I kinda made a deal with Switchy to play the role they wanted me to." (C)

"And you did!?!" (I)

"Well, I was under some kind of cosmic contract to do so." (C)

"And you signed this?!" (I)

I can't believe this!

Is she seriously telling me here that she stabbed me with a godslayer weapon on purpose?!

With her unaltered free mind?!

"I had to! Switchy intended to continue the game indefinitely if it wouldn't be concluded. In exchange, I got them to agree to leave us and Earth alone for the foreseeable future." (C)

"You stabbed me!" (I)

"It's what's getting us out of here now!" (C)

"But you stabbed me!" (I)

"I know this wasn't great on you, Iori, but isn't this the best possible end result if we can go freely now?" (C)

"Actually, we agreed on a finite time. Also, the contract doesn't prevent me from visiting "Earth". Only from, to quote: Interfering with your lives." (P2)

"Not helpful, Switchy!" (C)

"As Earth is already protected by the accord, I wouldn't have been able to interfere in the first place. So it wasn't much of a commitment." (P2)

Is Switchy just telling us that they screwed Chiaki over?

"Seriously?! But still, Iori. You don't think that battling them in an all-out cosmic war would've been the better way to deal with this, do you?" (C)

"We will be talking about this, Chiaki. Later. Grmbl." (I)

For now, we need to concentrate on getting away from here.

I don't even know how much time passed in our world.

But foremost, I want to get away from that thing.

"Okay, Switchy. As fun as that was, we'll now be on our way, I guess." (I)

"So you may. Yet there's one last thing to settle." (P2)

It would've been too nice, wouldn't it?

"That would be?" (I)

"Your punishment!" (P2)