Fate Bubble,
Somewhere near the Seven Pillars of Realities, a multicolored bubble hovered in the Void.
From outside, it seemed as large as a grand, round sphere. However, if one were to explore it, they would find it was much larger than the actual world.
This sphere of multicolored boundary was called — The Observatory.
From the inside, though, the Observatory was jet black in color, with points of light scattered everywhere, as if one were hovering in space.
Within the center of the Observatory floated a high-backed, wooden chair.
An old man with red eyes, a thick white beard, and wearing purple robes, was seated on the chair, humming casually to himself.
Despite this casualness, his mere presence imbued the surrounding space with a conspicuous gravity.
In front of him, hovering midair, was a thick encyclopedia-like book.
With each hum, several hundred pages shifted on the opened book.
This old man was the Master of the Observatory, and one of the Unique Existences of the Fate Random World —
— Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg — The Deep One!
Also known as Zelretch the Wizard, he was one of the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors and a Magician of the Second Magic — Kaleidoscope, having complete mastery over the Parallel Worlds.
"… This Key is gone…" Zelretch commented as words vanished from the book's page.
With one blink, pages flipped, as if the book in front of him held an infinite number of them.
These pages were filled with information on different worlds and the specifications, down to the very individual characteristics of a person within a timeline.
"… Oh… That's an interesting way to use Chakra…"
The pages flapped again, Zelretch shifting his body posture.
"… Hmm? And that's why you are not supposed to rely on Infinity Stones… Tch-Tch…"
The Father of Jewel Magecraft lifted his hand, and thousands of pages shuffled in the book in an instant.
"Oops… Awakening a Deep One for Blessing?! Haha... This is Fate Bubble, not Cardcaptor Sakura…"
Suddenly, just as Zelretch finished commenting on the current timeline he was looking at, a phone rang behind him.
It was an antique rotary phone, black in color, and seated on a wooden table.
In the truest sense, it wasn't a phone, but a concept taking shape as a phone, becoming a channel between a point in the Fate Bubble and the Observatory, where traveling was almost impossible.
As the phone rang, an old voice echoed out of it as if it were in a hurry.
"… There's no Deep One in Cardcaptor Sakura Bubble…" the voice said, correcting Zelretch.
The Master of Second Magic let out a small smile. "Of course, I know that," he said. "Was just checking how long you will keep your silence… Caubac."
Caubac Alcatraz, also known as Dead Apostle of the Millennium Lock, was the twenty-seventh of The Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors and one of the many Deep Ones of the Fate Random World.
The fact that his place among the Deep Ones was a bit — unrefined — was a different matter altogether.
After becoming a Dead Apostle, he had taken the form of a padlock, becoming an elusive concept.
He also had a Mystic Code — Mr. Cellphone. Using it, he communicated with the outside world, going as far as to the Observatory and conversing with Zelretch himself.
"You knew I was here?" Caubac asked, sounding surprised.
Zelretch's gaze returned to the book. "Did you really think I gained a habit of talking to myself? Haha… Anyway, what do you want? Unfortunately, I have quite a troublesome piece of work at the moment."
"That's the reason I came here, too," Caubac replied.
"… Hmm?"
"If you are in need to observe an interesting timeline, dare I propose — this one?"
The dialer of the rotary phone suddenly began rotating. With it, the entire insides of the Observatory also rotated, the stars becoming trails of light.
The book in front of Zelretch also stirred itself, hundreds of pages flapping before coming to a stop at a particular one.
The moment his eyes landed on the page, Zelretch leaned forward.
"… Oh…" he held his chin. "One of the Great Spider's Keys?!"
Type Mercury, otherwise revered as One Radian Thing, was also known as Great Spider among the Fate Bubble and was one ofthe Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors as well.
"How about not choosing a Mage to observe this time," Caubac suggested, "but an Intruder?"
As Caubac's voice rang out of the telephone, a picture appeared on the page.
It showed a white-haired man, wearing a yellow clock over a white greatcoat and pants.
"A Contestant?!" Zelretch said, amusingly. "No. Nothing related to the Great Old Contract. Have you forgotten what happened to one of the Crimson Moon Brunestud's Pillar Timelinea…"
Crimson Moon Brunestud, also known as Type Moon, was another Deep One and held the largest number of timelines under HIS authority.
"… It's not related to that," Caubac said after a brief pause, remembering the utter disaster The Banished One had caused there. "Keep reading."
Zelretch's eyes shifted, reading the info.
Suddenly, his brows rose. "He came from Harry Potter Bubble?! But he still has an Objective… Hmm… Wait. Why are you showing this to me?"
"… You know why, Zelretch," Caubac answered. "Great Spider won't be pleased after learning that the Backlash of Akasha caused by you is being faced by him…"
"Now, that's absurd," Zelretch scoffed. "All I did was steal that Ancient Magical Script for research purposes. It was quite similar to the True Magic… I did return the favor, though, letting the lifeforms there learn of Magic. Also, didn't I help that girl with the Reincarnation Spell later… How am I responsible if she botched it?"
Caubac sighed. "You did that just to see how your theory of outside lifeforms reaching TheRoot will play out. It doesn't compensate for the Akasha's Backlash."
For a moment, Zelretch looked at the strange Contestant who had traversed dimensions.
"So," he asked Caubac, tapping the chair, "you think this one should be the protagonist in this timeline?"
"Protagonist or Antagonist," Caubac said, the rotary telephone blurring out of existence, "that's for you to decide. But, I hope, you decide it soon —
"— before the Great Spider declares War on the entire Harry Potter Bubble."
*****************
AN: Up to 60 more chapters are available in advance across three Tiers. [Use the link in my webnovel profile to access all options]
You can even subscribe Trial Tier for just 1 dollar to have an experience of exclusive chapters for an entire month. I hope a few of you will consider supporting the work.
100 Power Stones: +1 Bonus Chapter