Chapter 304: Visitors from outside the world
Plan.
Tap.
The crisp sound of footsteps echoed in his ears as Mahiro walked step by step.
At some point, he found himself alone, having arrived in an unknown space.
Though strictly speaking, he wasn't completely alone.
Before him stood an ethereal, indistinct figure.
Finally, the figure that had led him here came to a stop.
"What's wrong? Not going to continue?" Mahiro asked with a faint, ambiguous smile.
Though he had been following the figure all along, he had long since realized something was amiss. He knew this wasn't C.C., but unaware of the other's purpose and true identity, he had decided to play along.
But now, the woman who bore an exact resemblance to C.C. had turned to face him.
"Pleasure to meet you, Visitor from Beyond This World."
Mahiro froze instantly.
It wasn't because of her ethereal, reverberating voice, but rather that address—"Visitor from Beyond This World."
Only a handful of people should have known about this—such as C.C., or that curly-haired Charles and Marianne.
The former knew from his own admission, while the latter had guessed or pried it out through indirect inquiries.
After all, the place he had frequented most was the Aries Palace.
Yet this woman before him...
Just as numerous speculations flooded his mind, the woman spoke again:
"Visitor, I bear no ill will. There is no need to speculate with malice."
She had perfectly guessed his inner thoughts, as if she could read minds.
Or perhaps, like in some absurd novels, this woman could actually hear his thoughts?
At that moment, the corners of the woman's lips curled upward slightly, and her previously expressionless face suddenly bloomed into a smile captivating enough to enchant all who saw it.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am the administrator of this place, but I have many names—the convergence of consciousness, the collective of human hearts and memories, the end of reincarnation, the great will. Some even call me [God], but among all these, I prefer this name—
Alaya.
Alaya?
The moment he heard it, Mahiro's brow twitched unnaturally.
He couldn't possibly be unfamiliar with that name.
Alaya, originally a transliteration of the Sanskrit Alayavijnana, also translated as "Aliya Consciousness," "Alaya Consciousness," or "Laya Consciousness," meaning "the consciousness that never perishes" or "storehouse consciousness." It is also referred to as "Adana Consciousness," "fundamental consciousness," "seed consciousness," or "maturing consciousness."
It is the core concept of the "Eight Consciousnesses" theory in Indian Buddhist Yogacara philosophy.
This philosophy advocates "consciousness-only without external objects," asserting that the essence of the world is emptiness, and Alaya Consciousness is the foundation from which all phenomena in the universe arise.
However, interpretations of Alaya vary across different media works.
The most common interpretation is that it is the collective consciousness of humanity.
For instance, in a certain neighboring series, there is an Alaya, and not only that, there is also a Gaia—the two troublesome beings guarding the Root.
As he pondered, a polite yet faint smile gradually formed on Mahiro's face.
"So, Miss Alaya, what is your purpose in deliberately luring me here? Surely it isn't just to appear and introduce yourself? And I suspect this isn't the first time we've met,"
"That shadow in C.C.'s memory last time was also you, right?"
The woman who called herself Alaya didn't deny it, instead nodding frankly.
But then her tone shifted.
"However, you're asking quite a lot of questions. How about we sit down and chat?"
With a casual wave of her hand, the chaotic space instantly became orderly, piecing together like a jigsaw puzzle. The ground beneath them transformed into a vast grassland,
with blazing, dazzling sunlight pouring down from the sky, shining on both their shoulders.
With her second wave, a tea table and two chairs appeared before them. On the table sat a steaming teapot, from whose spout wafted an enticing, sweet, and rich
tea fragrance.
The woman picked up the teapot, poured tea into the cup before him, then sat opposite him, gesturing for him to take a seat.
Seeing this, Mahiro didn't hesitate and directly pulled out the chair to sit down.
Adhering to the principle of not passing up free benefits, he picked up the teacup and took a small sip.
"Quite bold, aren't you?"
The woman praised with a smile: "Aren't you afraid I might have poisoned the tea?"
"Why should I be afraid?"
Mahiro raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly: "If you wanted to kill me or drive me away, why go through all this trouble?"
"If you haven't done so, it means you simply can't, or for some reason, you're unable to harm me..."
At this point, Mahiro paused briefly before adding:
"And even if you really wanted to kill me, it wouldn't be easy."
Though his words carried some arrogance, it was a fact.
Killing him was basically impossible.
Because the magic of "Regeneration" wasn't the ordinary kind that accelerated cell division for healing or such.
It was a more marvelous power—a magic that traced back through time, essentially copying the individual from the timeline and pasting them at this point in time, making it appear as if they were healed.
To truly kill him, one would have to operate on a temporal level, erasing him beyond the historical time limit he could trace back.
"You're absolutely right."
The woman nodded, her chin resting on her interlaced fingers, her white-stockinged legs crossed under the table, still watching him with a smiling expression.
Or rather, examining him.
He didn't like that gaze, frowning slightly as he said:
"Then let's get to the main point. What's your purpose in bringing me here?"
Although he was indeed a transmigrator, an illegal immigrant of sorts, he wasn't like those agents who did certain things or stole the world's essence.
His intention was perhaps as simple as traveling and sightseeing.
So originally, he shouldn't have come into contact with such an existence.
But upon hearing his question, the woman picked up a teaspoon and gently stirred the teacup before her, responding evasively:
"Earlier you asked if this wasn't our first meeting? The answer is yes, the shadow you saw in C.C.'s memory was indeed me."
"And the purpose of attracting you here isn't just to introduce myself and have tea and chat with you—it's not that simple..."
At this point, the woman across from him suddenly placed her teaspoon on the saucer and lifted her head to meet his gaze. A serious glint appeared in her amber eyes.
"Visitor from beyond this world, Yotsuba Mahiro, I sought you out with no ill intent. I merely hope you will cease interfering with the course of history's progression... or as you would put it, the 'plot.'"
"You should be aware that Charles and Marianne are conspiring on a scheme to rewrite the world, correct?"
Mahiro nodded.
Of course he knew—wanting to kill God and create a world without lies or something like that...
But could something like that truly kill God?
"It can."
The woman saw through his thoughts, giving a definitive answer and even offering an explanation.
The Sword of Akasha, or the Void Sword, is indeed a weapon capable of killing Alaya.
That object was created by ancient people who, through Geass and CODE, sought out the root of Geass within C's World—Alaya itself—and attempted to use the Sword of Akasha to slay it and take its place.
As the collective unconscious of humanity, if they succeeded, they could indeed manipulate humanity and build an ideal world of their own design.
But Alaya did not wish to die.
And so, it sought out this visitor before it.
"Visitor from beyond this world, Yotsuba Mahiro, I imagine you wouldn't want to stand by and watch your little girlfriends become puppets under someone else's control, would you?"
"Are you threatening me?"
Mahiro's eyes narrowed slightly, a crimson light instantly flickering within his pupils as a dazzling hexagonal magic circle materialized.
A chilling killing intent immediately enveloped the person before him.
"Not at all. I am merely stating a simple fact."
As if completely oblivious to his murderous intent, the woman picked up her teacup and took a delicate sip, appearing utterly detached.
That is, unless one noticed the slight tremor in her fingertips as she lifted the cup.
After swallowing the tea, she seemed to regain her composure, setting the cup down gently and speaking in a calm tone:
"I have no intention of threatening you. There was originally no conflict of interest between you and me."
Mahiro caught one word: originally.
Before he could speak, she continued:
"That's right, originally. If you hadn't interfered with Lelouch's affairs and had simply taken C.C. away, I would have turned a blind eye, and there would be no tea party today."
"But your actions have caused Lelouch to rely on you excessively, significantly delaying his original growth process. If this continues, along with your interference in the upcoming plot, then Lelouch will never reach the level where he can bear CODE as he was meant to. When that time comes, no one will be able to stop Charles."
"And I will be pierced and killed by the Sword of Akasha."
"Your little girlfriends will also become puppets of the new world."
Hearing this, he understood.
The original plot should have been Lelouch enduring a series of trials, developing his Geass to a level capable of bearing CODE, and then, within C's World, under the gaze of Alaya...
Looking down at having to personally kill Charles and Marianne and seize the CODE...
However...
"Aren't you Alaya? If replacing you would allow control over others' consciousness, you should possess this ability too, right? Couldn't you just directly kill Charles and Marianne?"
Yet the woman shook her head and said:
"I cannot do that. My power cannot affect those who possess Geass or Code. You know this, don't you? Code possesses an un**** power, and only Charles can kill V.V., so I cannot kill him either."
"Tch, what a useless thing..."
Mahiro picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea.
In response, the woman simply smiled without denying it.
She wasn't from some mysticism-filled world - fundamentally, this was just a technological world, where could such powerful forces exist?
"Are there really no other methods? For example, could I seize the CODE?"
"Impossible."
The woman gently shook her head, "You should understand that the prerequisite for obtaining CODE is possessing Geass and reaching its endpoint - meaning the ability user will inherit the status of the one who granted them the ability."
"And you cannot obtain Geass at all."
She pointed out the essence directly.
"Speaking of which, I'm rather curious - why can't I obtain the power of Geass?" Mahiro asked again, as this had always been his concern.
He had asked C.C. this question many times, but even C.C. couldn't answer.
She only said his body was rejecting the power of Geass, to the extent that Geass couldn't even affect him.
"Very simple."
The woman said softly: "First, because you come from another world, bearing the mark of another world. And second..."
The woman suddenly reached out and pointed at his eyes.
"My eyes?"
"Correct." The woman explained: "Your eyes are special, possessing the power to analyze and replicate anything within the limits of what your body can endure - even powers contained within bloodlines."
"Although your eyes haven't been developed to their proper potential, they similarly cannot accommodate a power like Geass anymore."
The woman explained in the simplest terms she thought he could understand.
But Mahiro's expression gradually turned strange.
"I feel like you're deceiving me."
"Please don't underestimate yourself."
The woman shook her head and sighed softly: "What I'm saying is the truth. If you don't believe it now, you'll come to believe it in the future."
"Alright, alright."
Mahiro waved his hand to interrupt her.
He felt like this woman was just feeding him sweet lies, making him satisfied enough to leave quickly.
"Let's continue discussing CODE. If I remember correctly, CODE holders should be able to seize from each other, right? In that case, couldn't we have C.C. seize the CODE from Charles and V.V.?"
He remembered this being part of the plot.
Charles nearly seized C.C.'s CODE, but Lelouch, who had escaped the Thought Elevator, reacted in time and blew up the Hall of Gods, forcibly halting the Ragnarök plan.
C.C. even hid her consciousness in the Memory Corridor because of this.
"It's possible, but C.C. wouldn't do that. So far, C.C. hasn't changed her wish."
"What if I can make C.C. change her mind?"
"Impossible, and I won't take that gamble." The woman immediately refused.
"Ha, then it seems we have nothing more to discuss."
Mahiro immediately stood up to leave.
Let him do nothing and just watch the plot unfold?
How could that be acceptable?
He still had unfinished business.
The promise he made with Little Lihua during his travels remained unfulfilled.
Moreover, for Lelouch to confront Charles directly, C.C. would inevitably have to appear. To let his woman stand by someone else's side?
Sorry, he couldn't do that.
"Wait."
The woman suddenly called out to stop him.
"What else is there? If you're going to keep trying to persuade me, save your breath. If you're thinking of trapping me here, save that too."
He now understood that he was in a spirit-like state, trapped in this place.
There were ways to escape, but if she really intended to keep him confined here, he would have to seriously consider how to retaliate against this Alaya.
The woman read his thoughts, and for the first time, a look of helplessness and exhaustion appeared between her elegant brows.
"Fine, I'll allow you to try. But in return, you must not interfere with Lelouch vi Britannia's life path anymore. Is that acceptable?"
She had no choice but to compromise.
These eyes posed too great a threat, both to her and to the world.
If she truly angered the guy before her, causing him to go completely berserk, she wouldn't be able to handle the consequences.
"Sure, no problem."
Mahiro smiled slightly, knowing when to stop.
After all, what he planned to do next had nothing to do with Lelouch.
Seeing him agree, Alaya finally breathed a sigh of relief and sent him away from C's World.
But after he left, the woman couldn't help but sigh.
She didn't know if her choice was correct, and could only pray that the other party would truly keep his promise...
Cold, trembling.
"..."
Mahiro groaned softly, his heavy eyelids fluttering slightly as he slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing that came into view was an unfamiliar white ceiling.
Turning his head, he saw lush green willow trees swaying gently outside the window, warm sunlight streaming in, and a gentle breeze lightly lifting the curtains.
Faintly, he could hear the cries of seagulls and the sound of rolling waves.
The wind blowing into the room carried a slightly salty, damp scent—the smell of the sea breeze.
"Where am I?"
Mahiro sat up in confusion, holding his head as memories gradually flooded his mind with his awakening.
He still remembered the conversation with that Alaya in C's World.
However, he distinctly remembered being on the rooftop garden of the Governor's Palace before falling asleep, and it had been nighttime. How did he end up in an unfamiliar room in such a short time?
And it seemed to be near the sea?
"Awake?"
Just then, a somewhat cool female voice caught his attention.
Turning his head, he saw a girl with long emerald-green hair sitting upright on the sofa. She wore a black dress adorned with what looked like stars and moons, her pale shoulders boldly exposed. As her hair swayed, he could glimpse the bird-like CODE mark on her forehead.
It was C.C.
To be precise, it wasn't just C.C. Kaguya, Nunnally, Euphy, Alpha, and the Seven Shadows were all there as well.
And aside from C.C., without exception, they were all staring at him with red-rimmed eyes.
Perhaps because he had just regained consciousness, he hadn't even noticed there were so many people in the room!
Most importantly, why did they all look on the verge of tears?
Mahiro scratched his head awkwardly and asked:
"What's with all of you? I just took a nap, do you really have to look like you're about to cry?"
"If it were just a simple nap, of course not."
C.C. took over the conversation, still using her usual teasing tone:
"But you've been asleep for a year."