a very strange 'cousin', indeed...

[crouching_sin]

Sometimes, things happen. Powers know why, but sometimes unique existences are pulled into the universe from others. Things that don't quite line up, but are there anyway.

Things like this - a man with geta and a matrix-pattern haori appearing on a street in New York, looking around at the street signs. His lips press together in confusion - he'd used his demons to teleport away, but this? This was far too different to be Tokyo.

He moves himself from the street to the sidewalk, walking down to try to figure out where he is. At least he's out of the Lockdown, and doesn't have to deal with... well. The mess that Kazuya is about to make...

Comments

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita's face scrunches. It sure sounds like the Lone Power's machinations, and that can only lead to trouble...

Magic working with/through technology isn't exactly new, but-

/What's the program for, then, exactly?/

Wizards slow down entropy, but what's this magic's deal?

[crouching_sin]

Ah. Well. This part. /It draws summoning circles and manages spell acquisition and contracts for the person registered to it. In short, it lets you summon demons. And before you even get jumpy - this was something that someone commissioned me for./

Contracts, indeed.

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita's next response comes slow, as she turns and walks back to the table Naoya's standing by.

/Were you commissioned by one of those demons? Another human? Or just... someone else?/

/Are you implying nested contracting/ the peridexis asks, and Nita has to smother her reaction to that or else give Naoya the wrong idea.

/Because I can think of one demon who'd try that sort of thing - but calling Him a demon doesn't really do Him justice./

And of course, morality was relative - but if this was a world where demons acted more like "angels", she'd eat her bag.

[crouching_sin]

/No, no. It was by a human group. ... Well, they worshiped a demon and intended to help it become king of demons, but I had my own plans. There's a... war, you see. For certain types of demons to fight each other and claim the title of King of Bel - that is, king of demons./

His tone is conversational, as if he's discussing the weather, though there's a definite tension in his stance that wasn't there before.

/There's a human with the qualifications to fight, and he did. And he won, though he chose a path that... well. It's not a good one.'

[unfavorableinstigation]

/Sounds like more than just a power squabble for them, then./

Though humans being casualties was nothing new. Sad, anger-inducing perhaps, but not new. Nita didn't get to find herself shocked or anything as she pulls out her Manual and began flipping through it to the 'marked for notice' pages.

There were a lot of them.

/And that last part definitely sounds familiar./ Peoples' choices were their own - that didn't mean they were nice ones.

[crouching_sin]

/It’s an old pattern... people choosing the wrong path.../ As for highlighted sections, there are a lot of them, indeed. ‘Parallel universe travel’ is there, as is ‘human power acquisition and retention’. But one that’s flashing more than any of the others is ‘curses’.

Naoya looks over at her Manual with interest. /Interesting. It changes with your need?/ That seems incredibly useful.

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita's eyebrows start going up - did they ever come down? she wonders - as she reads through the 'curses' section.

/Sometimes, yes; there's a lot more in this than it looks like, but it's never not looked like a book./ Not in her experience, anyway; Instrumentalities could get highly personal.

She looks back up at him properly, feeling sheepish for reading about him while he's in the room.

/Do you have anything like it back home, for your spells?/

[crouching_sin]

There’s a lot of basic information - essentially talking about linking effects triggered by an event or place or any other sort of wizardry. There’s no instructions - it’s all very Lone Power. All of the effects are malicious. There’s a section on generational curses, noting that there are some that stick to a family line.

There’s also a highlighted section labeled ‘Extreme Cases’, but it only says that there are some cases of curses that are much worse than others. It has the look of a section that might either get more information later or might be Senior-restricted.

Naoya frowns. How does it... he’s not sure he likes that. In answer to her question, he pulls out something that looks like a portable game system and turns it on, revealing a menu. /This is a Communication Player, or COMP, equipped with a custom version of my Demon Summoning Program./

/Am suddenly reminded of the Molly Moon book series/

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita fights the urge to whistle out loud at some of this information - how deep does this rabbithole go?

Nita glances back and forth between the COMP and Naoya.

/It wouldn't be able to work when you're out of ambit- I mean, in this universe, would it?/

Maybe an alternative power source is what it needs, though really, Dairine would be the wizard to ask in this house...

/I'm not sure the direction this conversation is heading is a wise one,/ the peridexis chimes in, sounding wary.

How so?

[crouching_sin]

It’s the Manual - that’s a dangerous question.

/Possibly. The issue is connecting to the server. At least for summoning - locally-stored skills should still work. I assume I can still connect to wifi, unless the software is wildly different./

He sighs and thinks for a moment. /What causes your book to change, specifically?/

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita taps on her Manual, more to help her think than anything else. There's another slam upstairs.

/I'm not going to ask for a demonstration or anything, but - what coding language is the norm for you back home?/

Since if there really is that fundamental of a difference, it'd sure be useful to know.

/It's context-driven,/ Nita summarizes. /Interactive interface and so forth./

And, more often than sometimes, the Powers dropping a hint or two.

[crouching_sin]

/All of them./ There's a definite smug air to his tone. /But this program required some unusual mixing of languages. Which normally you can't do, but I made it work. I was under somewhat of a tight schedule, and I had to put things together in order to get it to play nice with the magical parts./

Interactive interface... that'd be perfect. Still...

/And it just appears. ... I can't say I'm entirely pleased with the section that I saw you flip to, but it's not as if I'm in control of that thing./

[unfavorableinstigation]

/Think my sister would be able to commiserate with you on that,/ Nita mentions.

She's starting to feel oddly protective of her Manual now, and she's not sure what her gut instinct is trying to say here.

/You think establishing a communications link would be too far out of line?/

If the peridexis could make expressions, its current one would likely be hilarious.

Nita, however, just makes a face.

/A book's not the best idea for that, though.../

[crouching_sin]

/Probably not. It's possible, but it would take a while, and I don't know if it would be compatible./

He shakes his head, looking around. /Are you able to be open about your magic with your parents, or is it something you have to hide from them, too?/

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita's next thought on the matter comes with a wry smile.

"That, and it might land on or both of our devices a virus or something."

/Don't even joke about that!/ the peridexis chides.

/Even if it's not in the Speech./

Naoya's next question does a great deal to relieve the tension, and Nita switches back to the Speech to answer it.

/No; my partner and I had to give up hiding wizardry about a month in. There was-/

Nita pauses, steadying herself, deciding how much to say...

/An assignment we weren't sure either of us would come back from. We've been a lot better with our families' support, though; if anything, that level of honesty is encouraged among wizards./

[crouching_sin]

"Possibly." He snickers a bit. Giving a book a virus... that's an amusing thought.

But he sobers a bit, looking her over.

/You can't be more than fifteen. And yet you were on an assignment like that? That seems a bit unfair to put someone so young on something like that. You haven't had a chance to live, at least given modern lifespans.../

/attempts to put a timestamp on this

[unfavorableinstigation]

/Sixteen,/ Nita corrects.

Though she'd been younger for the Song of the Twelve.

/And that's how latency slices for humanity - younger wizards have more power at their disposal, and a better chance to win out against the Lone Power when using it./

She smiles again. It's harsher than the last one.

/Older wizards rely more on tactics. Being smart and not just powerful./

Something Dair had taken hard, despite being both.

[crouching_sin]

/I see. So you were moved into position because you had more power to back up for your lack of experience./

It makes sense, even if it's cruel.

/What is the Lone Power?/

[unfavorableinstigation]

And because she didn't read the fine print, but she's not admitting that to a stranger...

Nita sighs, since this is probably the start of a very long series of difficult questions.

/The creator of entropy, death. And a rather spiteful Power, given how It handled rejection to Its 'gift'./

When you bind painful endings into the very nature of the universe, you don't exactly make friends.

[crouching_sin]

That happens a lot.

He's quiet for a few moments. Well, then. /People don't like death. People don't like entropy. And yet... death is a necessary process, as part of life./

He runs a hand through his hair, sighing. /As awful as it might seem, humans aren't meant to live forever./

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita nods, after a poignant pause. To mention her mother, and her choice, or not...

/The Lone Power's still fond of playing with people's selfish natures, though. To use that want to keep on living, to hurt other people./

[crouching_sin]

/People hurt each other plenty without that kind of help./

To let her know, or not...

He reaches over and taps at her book, shaking his head.

/The 'curse' chapter is relevant. I... can't die. Not permanently. Physically, I can, but my soul is reborn in a new body with all of my memories./

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita gives a rueful smile; she's been on that sort of receiving end as well.

Nita expects Naoya's touch to do something, but it doesn't; her Manual continues looking like a book.

/Eternal reincarnation?/

That sounded... both new and familiar, strangely. Like a Power's Avatar, but the memories were just your own.

Nita looks at him, searching.

/No one's tried experimenting on you to see how far it goes, have they?/

Despite how the conversation's been going, she actually does sound worried for him.

[crouching_sin]

/Experimenting? No. This was a curse from God Himself./

He'll just... let that sit in the air for a moment.

/Though I suppose it could be considered an experiment for Him./

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita goes very, very still.

A version of the One that would do THAT? No afterlife was one thing, but not ever getting to Timeheart?

/That's... not the Powers' shtick. Not based on how I've seen Them. They value free will and consent from Life too much to just- impinge like that. Or trap./

Separate universes - no, MULTIverses - indeed.

/You haven't been holding out on any of that analysis, have you Bobo?/ Nita asked in the back of her mind.