Wake up. Take a train. Work. Eat. Take a train. Sleep.
Wake up. Take a train. Work. Eat. Take a train. Sleep.
Wake up. Take a train. Work. Eat. Take a train. Sleep. Go out drinking with boss and coworkers. Pour drinks for the entire team. Pass out.
Wake up with hangover. Take a train. Work. Eat. Pass out. Work. Take a train. Sleep.
Wake up. Take a train. Work. Eat. Sleep.
Wake up. Work. Eat. Take a train. Sleep.
Wake up. Take a train. Work. Eat. Sleep.
Wake up. Work. Eat. Sleep.
Wake up. Work. Eat. Sleep.
Wake up. Work. Eat. Sleep. Go out drinking with boss and coworkers. Pour drinks for the entire team. Pass out.
Toriyama Jiro didn’t know when he last spent any time in his little apartment. It had been so long since he had been home that he was certain all the plants in his home were likely dried-up husks. A feeling, regretfully, he felt all too much kinship with. If he could just take his time or relax or simply get ahead, except every time he did the office just piled on more. Demanding more from him every day as he stayed later and later until he simply never left.
When he was younger Jiro didn’t believe he would become one a living stereotype of a Japanese salaryman. Always in the office always working. Never taking time off. Not even when he was sick. No the office was now his home. The day he came to this realization was when he realized he was slowly dying inside.
So much of his life was wasted, and for what? Making sure his company thrived. So they could make the next dollar? So that he could get promoted and lead his own team one day? No that never happened anymore. None of the upper management ever retired leaving no room for growth, unless one of them died. He caught himself excited when one of the older managers got sick. He felt excited by the thought of the man never recovering, forced to retire or die. A person he had known for years. A person who almost felt like family that was when Jiro knew he had to leave.
This was not who he wanted to be. Jiro hated who he had become, literally seeing any person older then him as a parasite, a waste of space. It didn’t matter his mind could only see them in his way. He did not like that. He needed to get away, away from all this nonsense and darkness. He had plenty of savings at this point, and no longer cared if he got a black mark for leaving the company. Maybe I’ll take up farming. Actually go on a date. Jiro was thirty five and hadn’t had a date since college. Never had time for it.
That day Jiro sat down and wrote out his letter of resignation, completely ignoring his regular work. He spent his entire day coming up with just the right wording. Trying to explain himself. Hoping that they would understand. Exhausted, and second-guessing everything written he finally clicked print.
Jiro passed out with a smile on his face, as a little letter printed, where his boss would easily find it. He wondered if his boss would find it before he gave it to him personally. I hope he will understand. Then darkness claimed him, as he collapsed at his desk.
Like the way of sleep, Jiro’s consciousness slowly came back to him, finding himself passed out in a chair leaning on what felt like an incredibly soft, yet slightly wet pillow. Did Chiyo give me her pillow again? And it looks like I drooled all over it, again.
Jiro lay there not ready to get up. Not wanting to dive back into the hell that was his job. Immediately upon thinking of having to work he remembered. Jiro remembered what he had been doing just before passing out.
His eyes snapped open as he flew out of the chair hoping he would get to the printer before his boss. He was out of the chair and moving fast when he froze tripping over himself as he saw where he was.
An infinite sky surrounded him, only clouds at his feat. Wisps of warm mist surrounded him, as streams of soft darn light suffused the entire world. “What?”
A soft giggle drew his attention; A woman larger then life lays upon a cloud in a thin white dress wet and sticking to her skin revealing bits and pieces most would prefer hidden. Jiro blushed seeing her not bothered in the least. She looked down at Jiro and smiled kindly.
Seeing all this impossibility it finally occurred to him what happened. “No.” Jiro’s voice was almost a whisper as the woman sat up on the cloud, legs dangling over the ethereal edge. The dress now fully clinging to her. Jiro was to distraught to give it more then a passing moment as he repeated.
“No!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. “Its not supposed to be like this?”
“Oh?” The woman raised an eyebrow seeming amused.
“No! I was leaving. I was going to have a good life. I was leaving that awful place. I was going to find a farm, raise chickens.” His voice filled with bitterness.
“Chickens?”
“Or rabbits. Or maybe take up a trade. I don’t know. I was supposed to have time. I was supposed to meet a woman.” Tears began to burn in Jiro’s eyes. “I was supposed to be able to start a new life.” He fell to his knees into the soft ground the cloud soaking into his pants. For what felt like forever and no time at all Jiro wept. It was messy, and gross. Snot dripping down his face, yet the entire act felt somehow cathartic.
Too soon he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to the goddess trying very hard not to look anywhere but her face. Her lips moved,“This is not the end.”
“Its not?”
“No. Lets see if we can find you a farm.”
She stood and turned. Jiro learning the back was just as see through as the front. The two sat and worked to find Jiro a new life.
#
In a place somewhere in the middle of a city, where only a few privileged are meant to be, where deals deciding the fates of countries and people are made. Here a detective sits down in a room that did not exist on any record. A place way beyond his pay grade to the point Detective Mercer should never have been anywhere near the man’s radar. He was just too small. If it wasn’t for a few random coincidences he never would have been. He had been called by the man behind the desk.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Ailill was a powerful man, who headed more than just an insurance agency. Which was the only public thing he was able to remotely learn about him despite searching for weeks. The man completely terrified him, especially after meeting him with his superior who emphasized giving the man anything he wanted. They meant anything, and if he didn’t then they didn’t know what would happen to Mercer himself.
Mercer had been at the edges of Earth’s magical world for years always trying to stay away from it, despite his Fae blood. Though his blood never gave him anything special besides his good looks, he didn’t even know he was part Fae till his mom told him when he turned eighteen. He didn’t believe her, just thinking the odd skin tones of people were normal. That was till he joined the force, even then he held a hefty dose of skepticism. That had been till he worked the odd curse, voodoo, or hex case involving those of the magic community. Which were essentially just people with a bit of ompf as his mom liked to say. Even then so much of it could have been ascribed to some logical explanation. Only the Knight case seemed inexplicable.
This though. This was a whole new level. Ailill himself was an enigma with something about the man that seemed wrong, and every time he met or spoke to him the feeling only grew. Mercer sat across from the man in a three-piece suit who looked amused at Mercer’s discomfort.
“It’s been two weeks. I’ve read the reports.” He said tossing a folder on his desk. “From what I see you’ve no idea what Nicholas is. Not to mention who the new woman is; if she is even a woman. All we have learned is he has some capabilities in magic and is only growing.” Ailill said summing up his report. “Is that all?”
Unsure of what he was asking about Mercer replied, “Yes, I put everything in the reports.”
“No, I want to hear it from you.” Ailill leaned forward a sly smile on his lips, “Let’s start simple. Is there any progress in him locating the book?”
Cautiously he answered, “We are unsure. We can see him casting spells, even following a trail or two for a while.” He paused trying to remember if there was anything significant. Ailill for his part patiently waited as he continued. “Though he seems to have given up his original spell returning to the park and doing what appears to be a different ritual.”
“Do we know what kind?”
“We do not. One of our ritual experts thinks this is a tracking spell of some sort but otherwise, it’s nothing like they’ve ever seen.” It was an interesting revelation to learn they had a ritual expert let alone an entire department of them.
“Did the spell work?”
“There was solid movement in the mana all around him, but we do not believe it manifested. He has repeated the ritual six times each time he did not react positively.” He remembered all the violent flashes of light even the blue arrow at one point that temporarily appeared. The power had called to him deep within his being that if he could just grab it he would be complete
“Hmm.” Ailill sat back seemingly interested. “What of his mysterious company Hero Inc.?”
“We don’t know. He never goes to any office and we haven’t seen him log in to anything that could be construed as a business, work site, website, email, VPN, or anything. It’s like he’s getting paid to do nothing.”
The man laughed. “Think he’s working some magic racket and the company is a front of some sort?”
“That is our current theory. That or he’s taking people to other worlds.” He added the last part as a joke.
“Oh? And why is that?” Ailill’s voice was now serious, sending chills down Mercer’s spine.
His voice now unsteady he answered carefully, “It was something one of the boys came up with as a joke. Talking about Isekai or Heroes from another world.”
“Yes, that is no possible.”
The deadpan way Ailill responded put Mercers hackles up. No he’s messing with me.
“What about Ms. Bennet. Has she confided in you yet? Or hinted at anything?”
“Nothing overt, but she seems to be reacting on and off. Like shes only just starting to see.” It was a odd experience watching someone slowly learn of the true nature of the world. How jumpy she had become over the most mundane experiences. It wasn’t like they weren’t still people.
“Any manifestations yet?”
“Not yet. Though she’s been stuck on the first page the entire time. The book appears to be literately putting her in a trance. At least according to the team assigned to watch her.” He debated whether or not to bring up her past mental history but decided against it. He did not want to give the man anything more then he requested. It felt like it was what might keep her alive.
“Facinating.”
“Sir should we pull Bennet off the surveillance team?” Get her away from whatever is going on here.
The man was silent, contemplating. “No.” He finally responded. “Let’s have her continue watching. It will be better to keep her close to Mr. Knight.”
#
Does that guy just have a briefcase full of knives or something? Nicki looked down at the strangely well-made ornate ceremonial knife he had absolutely no use for. How did he convince me to even buy this thing? It does look neat though. The blade itself was long and sharp, while the pommel held a large emerald, more likely glass, on the end and the handle carved along the edge where Celtic knots, and an image of the world tree where the guard met the handle. Inlaid with what he believed to be gold leaf. He could only shake his head and laugh at actually buying it.
Nicki had been out all day at the park trying one of the other spells, having given up on karmic threads. The new spell was designed to lead the caster to any and all items they had interacted with for a minute or so in the last year. He had hopes that being far away from his apartment would let him follow any spots that were out of place. What he did not expect was just how many things a person interacted with in a single year, or that it literally meant anything. There were too many strings pulling him in a thousand directions. What was worse was there was no difference in what he interacted with. So something he touched a full year ago was the same as something he touched the day before.
For the last two days, he was trying to adjust the spell, using his non-existent magic background and his theories on fantasy books. All the results were inconclusive, as he did not possess the knowledge to tell if the spell even remotely changed.
After making it back home, he was hoping to talk with Drystia wondering if she might have a different perspective, seeing as she was a magic doll. Nicki opened the door to the office, only to be greeted by an infinite sky. Confused he closed the door and opened it again. The same infinite sky clouds drifting all around. Did she figure out how to change the environment? Can I do that? Nicki wondered, before finding a small cloud drifting. He focused on his domain and sent a ripple of power ever so slightly shifting the cloud into the shape of a kitty. “Neat.”
His power in the office was so much simpler than the spells he was trying. It was all natural to him, almost an extension of his will. Even when he traveled it was like the office traveled with him making him more. Except for stepping outside, he was almost human again, though even that was changing.
Taking a few more steps he noticed soft wet splatter. Why’s it wet? “Drystia you in here?”
“Over here?” Nicki turned as a large cloud drifted away to reveal a giant woman in a very thin, very see-through wet white dress smiling and waving as she dripped soaked from sitting on a cloud.
Nicki dumbfounded took in the sight before shaking himself. “Uh. You know I can see—” Nicki gestured to her revealed body.
Drystia looked down at herself and laughed. “It’s not the first time. Besides I was naked for a few years, so this doesn’t bother me.”
What does that mean?
Seeing his confusion, Drystia laughed. “You do know I was a boy’s doll. So I’ve been through plenty and seen even more.”
Nicki only stared not understanding.
“A teenage boy’s doll.”
It finally clicked. “Oh. OH!” Suddenly Nicki felt incredibly worried about Drystia’s mental health.
Drystia rolled her eyes at Nicki’s reaction, “Hey don’t look at me like that. It’s weird.”
“Sorry.” With the mood of the room turning awkward. He changed the subject, “What’s with the clouds.”
She sat back in the cloud posing with her legs crossed the thing dress seemed to billow and float as the light behind her made her glisten, “I am a goddess sending a Japanese salary man to his new world.”
Nicki stared in disbelief seeing her smug look of satisfaction, “Bit cliche.” He blurted.
“Yes, but he didn’t scream or hit on me. I take it as a win.”
Nicki could only laugh.
* * *