The OP Lich is a Returnee, Book 12 Epilogue (Patreon)

Epilogue – Elsewhere

Four individuals met in a darkened room. No names were shared. Those who knew about this meeting already knew who the other attendees were. There was no need for introductions.

Each individual represented a faction of power. While they were not the nominal heads of their factions, what was decided in this chamber would be carried out. One way or another.

On an unseen signal, the political representative took a breath. “What news from our asset in the field?”

The intelligence representative leaned forward. “As suspected, the Anomaly was at the center of the blast, when the failed ritual detonated in the Azores. Despite the size of the blast, and her proximity to it, that was only enough to damage her, not destroy her, and the damage done to her body repaired itself over the course of a few days.”

The military representative nodded. “So, beyond the force of her army, her own durability is unmatched. Until and unless a way to actually defeat the Anomaly is found, the military will object to any offensive military actions against the Anomaly or her people, regardless of circumstances. That is not a battle that we can win, and no commander worth their rank will throw their troops into a hopeless battle unless they are defending something precious to them. If it ever came to a defensive war with the Anomaly, the military would fight to the last, but, given what we have seen, attacking her, even with allies, is just courting annihilation.”

“Agreed,” nodded the political representative. “Such action provides no benefit without a suitable win condition.” Turning back to the intelligence representative, they said, “Continue.”

“Yes. During her recuperation, she managed to return to Japan, and gave Phantomline a means to ‘clean up’ the mana from the explosion. While there, she also weighed in on several weapons designs.”

The military representative leaned forward. “What kind of weapons?”

“Several were suggestions by the British, based on a science-fiction wargame. The Anomaly eliminated several of the designs as impractical without superhuman or power-armored capabilities. However, while examining a prototype specialized CAD designed for magical creatures, she came up with another idea. A weapon that could be wielded in one hand or two, and created a ‘blade’ of mana.”

“Like those old movies?”

“Precisely.”

“Can we—?”

“Our asset has already talked with Phantomline, and once the prototypes are tested in the field, he is confident that the JSDF will get the first chance to bid on the weapons.”

“Excellent,” the military representative said, with a childlike gleam in his eyes.

The intelligence representative continued. “Following her brief convalescence, the Anomaly ventured to France, and picked up the volunteers for the Light and Fire seals, though she added a new proscription to the requirements, that they all have some form of intense physical training, preferably something comparable to SERE training.”

The military representative nodded. “Resisting extreme pain, even torture, is part of that training. Makes sense, given what we have seen so far.”

“Which brings us to the Seal of Light, in the Kerguelen Islands. The ritual went off successfully, but, in the process, the two volunteers (one male, and one female) were merged into a single body, with two minds, taking the form of what could only be termed an angel. Unfortunately, their newly conjoined state was causing them some severe distress. Which leads to the main development, from our point of view. The Anomaly summoned her warlock patron.”

The political representative frowned. “But isn’t the Anomaly’s patron a goddess in that other world she returned from?”

“Indeed, but, apparently, the link between them was not severed by the Anomaly returning to our world. The entity, who we are referring to as Huntress, appeared to possess the Anomaly, and spoke through her, before performing some magic which effectively separated the combined ‘angel’ into two parts, one male and one female. After which, the entity left the Anomaly, and she collapsed.”

The political representative’s eyes widened. “So, actual divine intervention, and not just a spell, like we’ve seen in some of the practitioners at different shrines?”

The science representative shook their head. “We do not yet have evidence to either confirm or deny the claim that Huntress is an actual goddess, but we can still ascertain that she is a being on a higher level of power, like Sea Lord. However, the fact that Huntress, despite being located on a different world, was able to intervene in our world suggests that she now has a definite presence here. However, there are still remaining questions about the nature of these other worlds we have been exposed to.”

“What do you mean?”

The science representative sighed. “We know from their own testimony that Red Dragon went through a ‘void between worlds’ to get here, and that the Anomaly was essentially snatched from our world, and then forced her way back. However, what we don’t know is whether these other worlds were parallel universes occupying the same relative space, or whether they are different worlds in our own universe, perhaps even our own galaxy.”

“What would that make the void, then, if not the barrier between universes?”

“One hypothesis is that it is a dimension below regular space-time, which allows for transit between worlds in our universe, if you have sufficient power. Think of it like the ‘subspace’ that Star Trek uses to explain why their ships sidestep the Einstein Barrier, and can achieve faster-than-light travel. Or, considering Red Dragon’s story, it may be akin to the Warp of the Warhammer 40K games, filled with monsters that seek to feed on all life.”

“Space exploration aside, what does this do for us in the current situation?”

“It helps to quantify and clarify the extent of the power Huntress has displayed so far. First, we must make a rational assumption that Huntress did not abandon Onerth, and all her power and resources there, to reside wholly on Earth. If Onerth and Earth are on the same plane of existence, separated by light-years of space, that tells of a certain kind of power, as opposed to the situation where Onerth and Earth are worlds in parallel, and Huntress is simply bridging the gap between them.”

“Does knowing this, despite the fact that either scenario puts Huntress well out of our ability to handle, should she turn hostile, do anything for us?”

“Yes,” the science representative said, firmly. “Among other things, it offers insight into how possible it might be for us to explore, and how likely we might be to face incursions from other worlds, now that magic is in the process of being restored. We already know that travel and contact between worlds is possible outside of Hero Summoning rituals, given the aliens found imprisoned in the Seal of Wind, which the Anomaly recognized as being the same as ones found on Onerth.”

The political representative clapped his hands. “Speculation on this point gets us nowhere. Recommendations?”

The science representative sighed, and said, “This is something beyond science as we currently understand it. We recommend finding a way to build a relationship with Huntress, and learn more. Unfortunately, and the irony of my being the one to suggest this is not lost upon me, evidence suggests that the best way to do that would be to create a shrine or temple in her honor.”

The political representative nodded, and looked to the intelligence representative. “When the Anomaly recovers, have the asset inquire about what would be required, including location, size, and so on. Fortunately, there are many kami enshrined in the country, so it will not be as disruptive as in some Western or Middle Eastern nations.”