True Magician

An unknown place.

My body floated in the endless black void for an unknown amount of time, though it felt like about ten minutes. Tia trembled a little at first from anxiety and the influx of memories of being sealed in another dimension, but then relaxed quite a bit, clinging to my head and holding onto my hair as if I would disappear if she let go of it.

I assumed a thoughtful pose and pondered.

Apparently, the spirit had somehow learned how to put someone here, in the place where they were essentially born.

It's pretty funny that I don't think of him as a negative character. And he's basically kept his word, as there's no harm done to me by his actions. Except emotionally. And that's if I was alone. But he threw Tia in with me, too, so that issue is partially resolved.

I can't get out of here, though. My teleportation circle appears for a moment, then fades and crumbles like broken glass, then disappears altogether. This happens when a dimension is either blocked by a barrier or separated from the main dimension. Since there are no connections with the outside world, the teleportation circle cannot fulfill its function.

The closest analogy to this is a ventilation system somewhere. The air is the connection that runs through the building, and the hatches and vents are ducts, or portals in this case. And so, all I have to do is just wait.

Of course, I could use Ars Almadel Solomonis and blow the hell out of the dimension, but there would be certain consequences I don't like.

If this dimension is similar to the one where Tia was sealed, then by blowing it up, I could basically end up anywhere. That is, it is quite possible that I will find myself in a world outside the jurisdiction of Akasha and Root. Or where Zelretch or its analogs don't exist at all. That is, I would be completely isolated from my world.

Not a very good prospect, to say the least. I can only hope that Zelretch will appear and solve the issue, since the 2nd magic ignores connections and creates them on its own.

I sighed, rubbing my temples.

- "And where is that bastard when you need him so badly?"

- "Why so rude, colleague?"

I turned my head in the direction of the voice I heard, so sharply that I even felt my neck twist.

Seeing only the shoes of the person who appeared, I instantly created a Gae Bolg Alternative and activated it. The bright blood-red glow of the spear eclipsed the nearby darkness and snapped out of its place behind my back, aiming for the heart of the arrival.

But was there any result? Nope. None at all.

The overgrown mosquito simply opened the portal in front of him, into which the Noble Phantasm of the Godkiller flew, and smirked evidently, shaking off his palms.

- "Wow, how aggressive. What did I do to deserve such a greeting? Didn't you have fun on this adventure?"

- "Absolutely. Only the morgue and funerals are more fun," I replied with a stoic expression, and then took a deep breath, "Okay, forget it. Tell me, Zelretch, what kind of crap do you have planned with me as your entertainment? What's the point of making a god out of me?"

- "Oh, is that what you mean? Let's call it... an experiment," he began, rubbing his chin, "I wanted to confirm something, and it worked out just fine."

- "You realize you didn't really answer, right?" I said with a twitch of my eyebrow, "What was the experiment? What did you want to confirm? And why me?"

- "No need to worry, you'll find out. Later. But I can assure you it's all for your own good. And for my amusement, of course," he smiled provocatively, which made me want to smash his face in with a sledgehammer. Zelretch was too annoyed with me and used me for whatever he was doing, as if I were his guinea pig. And when I was about to create Excalibur to charge him between the eyes, he continued, "By the way, don't you want to know how long you've been here?"