A Nascent Kaleidoscope

There's something to be said about the small things in life.

I sat at the table with my head propped up with my hands, simply watching silently.

A bunch of hands moving around, in and out of the kitchen, the smells wafting throughout the house.

The sight of Venelana wearing an apron and cooking was something I didn't know I needed until I saw it. It tickled me in a very specific kind of way that I would be utilizing at some point in the future.

Of course, it wasn't only us two that were here.

Jeanne was helping her, bringing things out, basically just being an extra set of hands or a taste tester. And to help cook, Izzy was also helping on that end, which was always a wonderful sight to see.

Salem was quietly sitting at the table with me; her expression was hard to discern, but I'm pretty sure she was happy with the current situation. There was a certain contentment and peacefulness in her eyes.

That reminds me, I need to hop over to Remnant. I feel like it's been a long time since I've seen everyone. Pyrrha, Roman, Neo, the twins, even Junior. Also, while Tessai did pop over there with my help before the war started to check up on the girl, he hadn't been there since. We should schedule another checkup, and I was curious to see the status of her after everything.

Though, the most surprising addition was Mozart, who was humming a tune I didn't recognize as he came over and took a seat.

"Caster, it's been a while." He had sort of disappeared to do his own thing with Venelana's blessing when he became a devil.

"It certainly has!" He smiled happily. "Time passes quickly when one finds themselves entrapped by modernity."

"Catching up on the modern world?" I hazarded a guess.

He nodded. "There is quite the difference between having the knowledge put into my head and experiencing it for myself. The food, I have nothing but good things to say about the food that developed."

I found myself chuckling. "I'm sure it's not just the food."

"Of course, of course." He chuckled too. "I seem to have lost myself in experiencing the music of the world since arriving." He fumbled through his pockets and took out what looked like a miniature music player. "This wonderful little device, it has thousands of songs on it, and I can keep adding more! Humans never cease to amaze me."

"Find any favorites yet? Genre, particular songs, or anything in that regard?" I questioned curiously.

It was always interesting to see the perspective of someone from another era experience new things that I'm used to.

"I began my adventure from when I passed. With the help of my wonderful King, I've compiled a vague outline of music to listen to in the order it was released or created. The artists of their era and such are included, of course."

"I'm glad you've found this kind of pleasure in your new life. What are you on right now, if you don't mind answering?"

He coughed a little awkwardly. "I admit, I became a tad sidetracked. I was intent on starting off getting a feeling for each new genre that emerged over the years, but I've been stuck on jazz for some time now. There's simply something so rustic and genuine that I've found myself taken with."

Hearing him say that, I can't say I'm surprised. Being quite literally an old soul, I do have memories from Zelretch in the back of my mind that recall that era.

"I even acquired this." He held his hands out, and a saxophone appeared in them, coming from his own little storage bracelet. "A scant 50 years after my death, and such a wonderful instrument was invented. I've been teaching myself how to play."

"Was it really only that long ago? I could have sworn it was created far earlier."

"It was certainly not around when I was alive, and from what my King told me, it was patented in the following century about halfway through." He nodded before letting out a sigh. "Who could have predicted such changes that only happened years after my death? Not just the invention of this instrument, but even the colonies that barely became a country for a handful of years before my death. They're now such a large entity, with so many different cultures meshing and combining that it produced such wonderful musical overtures."

Right, that should have happened right before he died.

"You know, I always hear these kinds of things like, 'Music was better in my day; the music today is bad,' or what-have-you. Do you think the same? Was music better 'in your day'?" I quirked a smile as I said that.

"Bah!" He let out a scoff. "What nonsense is that? Music... all music is good."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "All music" because I was ready to throw out some really obscure music genres or songs that I think he would have trouble defending.

"Don't be mistaken; there are plenty of musical elements I don't like." He held a hand up, stopping me from continuing so he could get a word in. "It's the prerogative of the individual to find their own musical haven. Each person, they have their own values, their own feelings, and their own emotions. Not all songs, or tunes, or performances will resonate with every person; it was a hard fact I learned in my life. But I will say without a shadow of a doubt in my heart and defend it until I'm out of breath that all music is good."

"I think a great many people will disagree with you." I wasn't one of them, but some people got really defensive in regards to their music choices.

"Give me the most obscure music in the world; if there is but a single person in all of existence who has listened to it, who has experienced the euphoria, who had their emotions invoked, or simply smiled when they heard it, then it is good music."

What a rare insight into the mind of one of the most famous musicians ever to exist.

"Alright boys and girl, dinner's done." Venelana came out with Izzy and Jeanne, all carrying plates before putting them on the table.

This was nice; I couldn't help but smile again as they all sat down.

Just a dinner with my family before I headed off.

The only thing I regret is that not everyone is here for obvious reasons. Though, speaking of people that are not here.

I turned to Izzy. "Did you send Orihime home?"

"I sent her home not long ago." Izzy nodded. "Your grandfather was kind enough to assist."

"I'll make sure to set up a more permanent fixture soon." I replied, knowing that she was building up a bond with the young girl.

Izzy simply smiled warmly.

"Oh, I just got word from my son." Venelana spoke up. Normally, I would have absolutely no care about what her 'son' has to say, but clearly it was important because he knew my opinion. "The Devils that were reporting on the war just got back today. You can expect the last bit of footage to be released either tomorrow or the day after."

"Well, that's going to be a cluster fuck and a half." I idly mused.

"Mmm, I just wanted to give you a heads up." She didn't disagree.

"I appreciate it." I smiled towards her.

I wasn't exactly keeping up with everything on that end, but I could imagine there would be a big kerfuffle when the tail end of everything that happened. There were a lot of poignant appearances there that will cause some concern among various forces.

Thankfully, I'm leaving after dinner!

"On a side note, any word for Yasaka and them about when they're going to be back?" I looked around, not sure if anyone heard any news.

"A few of her generals returned earlier as well. However, there is no real timetable on when they're going to be back. You know how messy and disorganized that kind of thing is going to be." Izzy responded.

"I figured; I guess I was just hoping to see them before I headed out." Well, not like I expected much. "Be sure to send me a message when they get back; I'll come right over." Because realistically, there wasn't much difference between me being here or in another world when it came to coming back in a hurry.

"Just enjoy your time; there's no need to rush." Venelana smiled.

"Before you leave, I have compiled some notes on the matter of those magical texts you gifted me." Salem spoke up for the first time this evening, calmly eating with a noticeable grace and elegance. "I hope they will be of some value to you."

Ah, the warm fuzzies in my chest, they have returned.

"I'll happily accept them." It would probably save me an inordinate amount of time if I just blindly meandered through them myself. "Have you considered getting a wand made? Might make some of it easier as well, at least from my experience."

It's not like it's impossible to utilize that magic foundation without a wand; it's just like trying to cut something tough with a butter knife opposed to a steak knife. Magic is magic, regardless of where it comes from; it all originates from the same source and is reverse-engineerable. There are just shortcuts to simplifying it, like using a wand in this case.

"I was never particular about magical foci." Salem said offhandedly. "But I suppose the thought is not unappealing if only to understand it better."

I took my own wand out and twirled it in my fingers. "A wand is pretty nifty. And while the magic there didn't seem particularly flamboyant or 'powerful' in the same breath, the fine control is something to be admired. Like this—"Alohomora!" I may have put a bit of oomph into the spell.

"Neh!?" Jeanne was the first to react.

The others quickly followed, chests clutched with eyes wide. Well, Venelana just looked amused.

"Wilhelm, did you just unhook my bra!?" Izzy squawked.

Salem, of course, flushed with a cute scowl while Jeanne just embarrassedly turned red.

"Ah, I love magic." I leaned back, very proud of myself.

"My friend." Mozart spoke up, despite the glares being sent my way. "I may have discovered a newfound interest in learning magic." He said with complete seriousness.

A bread roll went flying through the air and smacked him in the face.

This was nice.

 

(Line Break)

 

Getting ready to leave, I was happy. Well, happier, because the door opened and Meridia strolled in without hesitation.

Clutched in her hands was a particular wooden sword.

She wasted no time basically dropping it in my hands. "It's completed."

The main point that I wanted her help with was to change its shape without 'harming' it. If I wanted to do what she did, I would have had to do some significant alterations to the branch itself, and it would have lost a lot of its potency. But for her, I'm sure it was as easy as waving her hand.

Though the fact that it was cultivated inside her literal body made of primordial light, its existence was elevated quite high.

It was made of wood without a visible edge, yet I was fairly sure I could slash someone with it and draw blood.

But that wasn't the intended purpose. My mind was already racing with thoughts on how to properly create this Mystic Code, but I shelved it for now, putting it away.

"Love you." I made sure to give her a quick kiss as thanks.

She happily accepted even if she didn't express it very openly. "I'm pleased it will be beneficial for you."

Honestly, I'm just happy to see her before I went off, sword or not.

And of course, I made sure to say goodbye to everyone properly. It felt like I was going off on a long trip despite the fact that I would probably hop back over within the week when my other girls came back.

Regardless, no one stretched it out, and with a final goodbye, I opened the precalculated coordinates that Gramps gave me and opened up a portal, walking through.

I was greeted with the morning sun and the fresh air of the polluted and smelly city as well.

Ah, London.

First things first, I need to get my bearings.

Even if I had that new world excitement that demanded I start exploring, there are certain things to take care of first.

Luckily, this is London in the modern day. That means there was usually someone selling newspapers in the major metropolitan area around this time of day, and if I'm accurate with my time period, it's still something predominant.

I remember that physical newspaper stands were slowly starting to disappear around this time as social media took off.

"Morning!" I greeted the guy with a cigarette in his mouth at a stand of newspapers with a few other people looking through things.

He just grunted in acknowledgment.

Right, that London hospitality.

Immediately, I was drawn to the front page of a newspaper, picking it up. Originally, I was just curious about the exact date and whatnot, but now, I am intrigued.

There was a big picture of a robot on the front!

'Tony Stark refuses to hand over the Iron Man suit to the U.S. government.'

"Oi!" The stand owner slapped the newspaper nearly out of my hand. "This isn't a library, mate. No browsing; I am not a charity for no skint."

I rolled my eyes. "How much is it?"

"Three quid."

I snatched the newspaper back out of his hand and grabbed a candy bar nearby before slapping a few gold coins on the cart. I did cast a minor illusion to make them look like pounds because I was always careful about using cross-world money. And it assuaged my guilt when it eventually wears off and he finds out he has a few gold coins that are worth thousands of pounds.

"Cheers, mate." He said happily, putting them away like they were just normal coins.

I flicked the paper again, evening it out, and began to read in earnest.

'Notorious billionaire and inventor, Tony Stark was called before the US congressional committee this past week in regards to the acquisition of the Iron Man suit with allegations that the inventor was keeping a dangerous weapon. Sources say that the refusal to hand over the potentially dangerous weapon was met with

I basically started skimming the rest of it, furrowing my brow as I was clearly ignorant about a great many things that were being written.

"Crazy shit, ain't it?"

I looked up at the stand owner, who glanced my way. "Crazy indeed. What do you think?" He was much more open now that I actually paid him.

He scoffed. "Some bloke with more money than sense flying around in a suit of armor with a bunch of weapons saying he's a superhero? I say those Yanks are getting crazier every year."

…what?

"Yeah... crazy times we're living in." I have so many questions right now.

"'Least it isn't another story about a mysterious monster tearing up some part of their cities. What was it…Halem in New York…?"

"Harlem?"

"Right, some daft idiots claiming it was some monster tearing up the place, not an earthquake." He scoffed. "Them yanks, I swear, they're all bonkers."

As weird as that sounds, it doesn't really concern me.

First order of business, I need to track down some of that Vibranium Gramps told me about.

Where to start? I could always—

I paused, blinking.

The world flipped upside down; no, rather, the world's space and time warped pointedly all around me. Like another dimension descended, and the rules of reality kept changing as everything warped and twisted in a strangely reflective way.

Intriguingly, I was the only person around; everyone else disappeared, or rather, I guess I was the one who disappeared into this place.

"How did you possibly slip through?" A voice grabbed my attention, and I turned around to see a woman, bald, and in what looked like monk clothes.

"Pardon?" I said in confusion.

"Could it be because the convergence is approaching that the barriers are thinning?" She seemed to ignore me and just spoke to herself in a soft tone. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. I'm in a hurry; a much bigger mess is happening on the other side of the world, so I don't have time to properly send you off. Stay here until I come back." She waved her hand, and a portal tore through space and time, connecting to another point in the world, and she walked through, completely ignoring him.

Silently, I looked around in confusion again, not a single soul within my senses.

"...what the fuck just happened?"

 

(Line Break)

A/N

Wilhelm arrives in the new world; Wilhelm gets put in a time out. Wilhelm is confused. Obviously it's not like the mirror dimension can hold him, but he's seriously wondering what the fuck just happened.

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