Beyond the Old Ones

Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.

Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.

The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.

"Speech"

Time*

Chapter 40: Moving Forward

An hour later*

"Fuck your mother!" A random person shouted at the top of their lungs—only to have their face brutally kicked in by Momoyo, whose expression was twisted in sheer irritation.

"Hey, Chikao. We got the last one." Momoyo grumbled, scowling in frustration. "I can't believe the final one just had to be outside of Disneyland. I didn't even get to enjoy the place that long…!" She raised her foot, nearly stomping on the guy's head again before hesitating, as if deciding whether the person was worth the effort of murder. "My first date with a guy, and it's cut short because of these bastards…!"

"A date?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

Momoyo stopped glaring at the man beneath her sandal just to turn her glare on me instead.

"Yes, a date. Do you really think it's normal for a guy and a girl to go to Disneyland alone together?" Momoyo shot back. Then, after a brief pause, she added. "No offense, Aya, but technically you don't count since you can't speak without giving yourself away in public."

She briefly shifted her attention toward the covered cage before returning it to me.

"None taken." Aya replied from behind the cover, her tone neutral.

"Right..." I slowly nodded, giving Momoyo a sidelong glance.

I had anticipated a few possible future routes where Momoyo might do something like this, but I hadn't expected it to happen in the middle of a hunt for clues about Aya's missing body. Then again, this could be one of the new routes—one altered by the influence of the Sefirot.

My gaze shifted to the Card of Justiciar floating near me.

Then again, it could also be that my Authority, enhanced through the Nation of Disorder, was what triggered Momoyo.

Although it was odd that she wasn't intimidated by me, what was even stranger was how she seemed to be drawn to me instead. Quite odd, indeed.

"Alright, I'll keep watch while you do your thing." Momoyo said as she picked up Aya's cage and walked away, leaving me alone with the unconscious man she had knocked out cold.

I hoisted the man onto a chair before stepping away to gather a few necessary items. By the time I returned, the room's light was off, and only the dim glow of candlelight flickered in my hand. Shadows stretched and wavered like silent specters, watching in eerie expectation.

Lowering myself onto the floor, I arranged the ritual materials in a precise geometric formation. A ring of crushed materials, painstakingly converted to contain Spirituality, encircled the ritual space—though it wouldn't last long. Intertwined within it were symbols drawn in my own blood, their intricate patterns reinforcing the bridge I intended to construct. The chalk lines were immaculate, the symbols exact, each one strengthening the ritual's foundation.

Picking up a silver ritual knife, I began building a wall of Spirituality, ensuring that external forces wouldn't interfere. Once that was done, I lifted the candle with one hand while placing the other against the unconscious man's forehead.

I silently shifted to the Card of Fool, then entered Cogitation, allowing the Card of Door to manifest above me. Wisps of gray fog seeped forth, forming an ethereal bridge that stretched toward the Sefirah Castle.

"I pray for the Lord of Mysteries to grant me knowledge from this soul, that I may discover the whereabouts of Aya's missing body." I spoke in Ancient Hermes.

I commenced the Mediumship Ritual, forging a connection with the man's soul to extract answers unhindered.

Seven times, I repeated the question. Seven times, I memorized the details.

Then, harnessing the power of a Seer, I invoked Dream Divination through the Mediumship Ritual, letting the flow of mystic insight guide me toward the truth.

Immediately, my vision shifted.

I found myself observing from a third-person perspective, watching as the unconscious person's memories unraveled before me. The past played out like a scene from a distant dream—faint yet vivid, intangible yet unmistakably real.

The person moved through the fragments of their past, unaware of my presence as I bore witness to the events that had already transpired.

A few minutes later*

Without hesitation, I reached out and snapped the person's neck with a swift, precise motion. A dull crack echoed in the dimly lit room, followed by silence.

Rubbing my fingertips together, I conjured a small spark of flame infused with Spirituality. The fire caught instantly, consuming the lifeless body with an eerie, unnatural speed. The flames burned without smoke, leaving behind nothing but fine gray ash.

Once the fire had done its work, I carefully gathered the remains, ensuring not a single particle was wasted. Taking a small container filled with the ashes of previous targets, I poured the new remnants inside, adding another soul to the growing collection—each one a step closer to uncovering the truth about Aya's missing body.

I methodically ended both rituals—one for Mediumship and the other to accelerate the disposal of corpses through combustion. Without the latter, a mere spark of flame imbued with the Spirituality of a Sequence 9: Seer wouldn't have been nearly enough, nor fast enough, to reduce a body to ashes.

With a flick of my fingers, I conjured another spark of flame, using its dim glow to illuminate the darkened room. Once I found the light switch, I turned it back on, dispelling the lingering shadows.

Moving swiftly, I gathered everything—the ritual tools, the container of ashes, and any remaining materials—carefully packing them into my backpack. After double-checking that nothing was left behind, I stepped out and flipped the light off on my way out.

"Done?" Momoyo arched an eyebrow at me, her arms crossed as she leaned casually against the doorframe.

"Yup. That's the last one. I've collected all the clues needed to get a rough estimate of where Aya's missing body should be." I answered calmly. "Although, I'll have to perform a few more rituals to check if anything has changed in the future. As you know, the future is ever-changing."

"Must be nice to be a Seer." Momoyo let out a sigh before pushing off the wall and picking up Aya's cage. "Anyway, other than you needing to perform that ritual to predict the future, something I hope you can delay a bit, I'd rather spend the rest of the day at Disneyland before we leave. It's not like I come here often, for many obvious reasons."

"...So resume... our date?" I narrowed my eyes at Momoyo, still baffled by how her mind worked.

"Yup."

Before I could react, she reached out with her free hand, grabbing mine and dragging me along without hesitation. Her grip was firm, unwavering. But, of course, I could easily switch over to the Card of Twilight Giant to break free.

"Just take this moment to enjoy going on a date with a beautiful girl such as myself." Momoyo tilted her head slightly, flashing me a confident smirk.

"Right..." I muttered, my mind briefly flashing back to all the beautiful girls I could go on a date with. And boy, was that a short list. Especially if I only counted those I'd actually met at least once.

Despite the odd circumstances, I found myself being dragged along by Momoyo as she led the way with unwavering enthusiasm.

Our first stop turned out to be Big Thunder Mountain.

30 minutes later*

"Let's go again!" Momoyo grinned happily as we exited Big Thunder Mountain, her excitement showing no signs of fading.

"That's like the tenth time now..." I sighed, feeling more mentally exhausted than physically. "Also, I'm pretty sure we could go faster than the ride itself."

"Hey, it's the experience that makes it fun." Momoyo bumped her shoulder against mine with a teasing smirk. "Besides, don't think I haven't noticed how much more relaxed you've gotten after each ride."

I exhaled through my nose, refusing to confirm or deny her observation. Instead, my gaze shifted toward the covered cage in Momoyo's grip.

"I'm still baffled by the fact that you paid off a staff member just so you could bring Aya's cage onto the ride." I muttered. I peered at the cage, curiosity gnawing at me. "At this point, I'm pretty sure she's knocked out. Even if we didn't hear a single sound from her."

"Oh, crap. I forgot about Aya." Momoyo paled slightly before quickly dragging me away from the crowd.

Most people were too busy enjoying themselves to pay us much attention, but a few onlookers pointed in our direction—probably due to our attire, which stood out compared to everyone else. That, and the fact that there weren't many Japanese people among the crowd to begin with.

Once we found a less crowded spot, Momoyo lifted the curtain of the cage slightly to check on Aya's condition—only for both of us to be met with her blank, unimpressed stare.

"Are you two done with your date?" Aya asked, boredom thick in her voice. "If it weren't for the fact that you secured a spot to keep me in place, I'd have been sent flying around this cage more times than I care to count."

"Now you're just making me feel bad." Momoyo frowned before letting out a sigh. "I guess we'll have to cut our date short, Chikao."

"Yup." I responded dully.

I suppressed the urge to say that this whole date didn't really feel like much of a date at all. Or maybe it was just because my idea of a date involved something different—something more along the lines of a dancy diner after a movie, followed by a walk through a park or something similar.

"By the way, Chikao, when do you plan to perform the ritual to double-check the clues you've gathered today? And how soon can you and Momoyo start searching for my body?" Aya asked, a hint of excitement creeping into her voice.

"Should be soon." I glanced at Momoyo from the corner of my eye. "Unless Momoyo here wants us to do something first before that?"

"Hm..." Momoyo put on a thoughtful expression before speaking again. "I am hungry."

"Looks like I'll have to wait until nightfall…" Aya murmured, staring blankly into the distance.

"Hey, it shouldn't take that long." Momoyo scoffed, rolling her eyes at Aya. "Besides, we can just order takeout while we're waiting for Chikao to perform his ritual. We can let the order be prepared in the meantime."

"Quick question—where are you planning on ordering food from?" I raised an eyebrow at Momoyo, noticing Aya still staring off into the distance, lost in thought.

"Whatever place I come across first that catches my fancy." Momoyo shrugged, her casual tone misrepresenting the eagerness in her voice. Then, she glanced at Aya. "How about you, Aya? Craving anything in particular? I'm buying."

Aya blinked, finally shifting her gaze back to Momoyo. "I'm a severed head in a cage. My options are kinda limited."

Momoyo waved a hand dismissively. "C'mon, there's gotta be something. I can feed you, you know."

Aya sighed heavily, clearly not in the mood to entertain much. "Something easy to eat, I guess. Maybe soup? Or something soft."

"Got it. Something soft and easy for Aya. As for me? I'll just see whatever looks good." Momoyo nodded in satisfaction, then turned her attention back to me. "And you, Chikao?"

I exhaled slowly, trying to keep my focus. "Just get me something simple. Nothing too heavy before the ritual."

"Gotcha!" Momoyo grinned mischievously. "Alright, let's get moving before Aya decides to guilt-trip us into making this a proper dinner date instead."

Aya smirked slightly, clearly amused. "Oh? Now that you mention it, a nice, candlelit dinner doesn't sound so bad…"

I seriously wonder if Aya will continue to act like this after she regains her body instead of focusing on her original goal.