This was not the world of Campione. As Roy traversed the depths of that "cave," he sensed the mysterious object in his right hand activating, opening a passage to another world.
Madame Aisha's Authority, Fairy's Corridor, allows for travel into ancient times, and when adjusted, it even possesses the capability to traverse parallel worlds. However, such an authority—no more than a fairy's prank—could never truly enable passage between entirely separate worlds.
It was an ability that had once astonished even Aiwass upon first witnessing it, a true miracle beyond the reach of even Magic Gods. This was not something as simple as an Authority wielded by a mere Campione.
The enigmatic space within Roy's right hand, the "ship", carried him through the tempestuous sea of worlds, navigating across the cosmic ocean. From the island known as Campione, he had now arrived upon another shore.
This land was both familiar and unfamiliar to Roy. It was the world of Nasuverse, a realm he had once glimpsed and recognized from distant memories.
Yet the Nasuverse was vast beyond measure, and for the time being, he could not determine exactly where he had arrived.
"This desolate atmosphere… and the stench of death… Could this be the Underworld?"
Roy remained on high alert as he surveyed his surroundings. Before him stretched an endless wasteland, jagged with barren, withered rocks. The sky remained eternally cloaked in thick, pitch-black clouds. At rare intervals, faint rays of light barely managed to pierce the oppressive overcast, casting only a dim, lifeless glow upon the land.
Yet Roy was certain, that was no sun. Behind those dark clouds, no celestial body existed. The light carried no warmth, no radiance of life. If anything, it was but another facet of the suffocating darkness, a light born of shadow.
In the distance, he glimpsed ancient stone edifices rising along the cliffside, their silhouettes eerily reminiscent of the forsaken citadels of the underworld, like something torn from myths and epics. The very air was thick with the aura of death, devoid of vitality. Roy had little doubt, this was no land of light and warmth.
Amidst this dreary world, the only vibrant color was the crimson of his Cardinal's robes. That red stood out like the solitary splash of color in Schindler's List, the lone girl in red amidst a monochrome landscape. It made him appear unnervingly conspicuous, as though he stood at the very center of the world itself.
But the stark contrast unsettled Roy. He felt oddly out of place, his presence clashing against the very essence of this realm.
"Death and I have never been particularly compatible."
He murmured the words to himself before shifting his focus back to his mission of finding Athena.
By virtue of their contract, he and Athena should have been able to sense each other as long as they existed within the same era or at the very least, the same world. Yet now, Roy could no longer feel even the faintest trace of Athena's presence.
That only confirmed his worst suspicion.
They had been separated.
Not merely scattered across different locations or eras but cast into entirely different worlds.
"Good thing I had the foresight to return the Gorgoneion to her. With her full power intact, Athena should be safe, no matter where she is… That just leaves you, Aiwass."
Turning his gaze behind him, Roy's eyes landed on the celestial being hovering in the air, a faintly luminous figure clad in a simple white linen robe, her bare feet suspended above the ground.
At the sight of his ever-present Holy Guardian Angel, Roy felt a deep sense of relief.
No matter who else might be lost to the tides of fate, this enigmatic angel—who had somehow bound herself to him in ways even he could not fully comprehend—remained steadfastly by his side, unwavering, crossing even the barriers between worlds with him.
"If I ever lost sight of you, finding you again would be nearly impossible. That is something I absolutely will not allow. Even if it means exhausting my very being, I will follow you—no matter where you go."
The angel, the embodiment of the physical, spoke with a soft smile. She bore none of the detachment or lack of self-will attributed to angels of myth. Her tone was unmistakably human.
No longer did Aiwass exude an ethereal, intangible presence—she was now as real as anyone. (T/N: Hence, no brackets)
Then, with a calm gaze, she began to observe her surroundings, as though evaluating the nature of this strange new world.
"A new world… the world where King Solomon resides. But even so, Roy, the place you currently stand within this world is exceptionally unique."
There was a sense of eager anticipation in Aiwass' tone, an unrestrained curiosity toward the unknown. For an existence like her, such curiosity alone was reason enough to pursue it at any cost.
Though every world bore similarities in its broader aspects, no two were truly the same. These differences shaped distinct systems of power, and it was precisely this variance that fascinated beings like Aiwass, drawing them in ceaselessly—even driving Magic Gods to obsession and madness.
"What makes this place so special?"
Roy had always maintained the habit of asking questions when he didn't understand something. Whether the other party would answer—or whether he could even comprehend the answer—was a secondary concern.
"Simply put, this space shares no direct connection with the material world. There is no causality, no fate... yet it cannot be said to be entirely separate. The connection is faint, barely perceptible. If we were to use the Kabbalistic Four Worlds theory as an analogy, then where you currently stand, Roy, is a plane above the material world—one that exerts only the slightest influence upon it."
Aiwass carefully chose her words, deliberately simplifying her explanation to ensure Roy could grasp it—lest her language slip into a higher-dimensional discourse incomprehensible to mortal ears.
"So, it's akin to the concept of Absolute Heaven's Dividing—when the age of mystery fades, the ancient gods retreat to the heavens, severing their connection to the mortal realm. In doing so, the divine realm no longer interacts with the human world. This place, then, would be equivalent to such a divine realm… or, to be more precise, the Underworld."
Roy took another glance at his surroundings, inhaled the heavy scent of death that permeated the air, and shook his head.
"That's precisely what I mean, Roy… which is why you must be cautious. Since this place exists outside the material world, it means that the beings who dwell here have transcended the physical realm. They are like true gods, demons—entities beyond mortal comprehension. This place is extremely dangerous for you!"
For once, Aiwass' tone carried an unusual gravity. She had no desire to see Roy's life truly imperiled.
"Just as that peculiar entity said, this is the world's outer boundary. The kingdom of the dead. My kingdom. The Land of Shadows, a domain that no one may enter or leave without my consent!
"…Outsider. No, one from a foreign realm. Why have you trespassed into my kingdom? And why have you come to this world!?"
Schwing—!
A sharp, metallic whoosh tore through the air, the sound of steel cleaving space itself.
An icy chill crept along the back of Roy's head, his scalp tingling with the unmistakable presence of impending death. In that instant, he knew thatif he did nothing, the next moment would see his skull burst apart like a crushed melon.
His Campione instincts, the intuition honed through countless battles against gods, saved his life. (T/N: More like 3 💀)
At the very last second, Roy twisted his head aside, narrowly evading the incoming strike. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a streak of crimson tearing through space itself, a scarlet arc cutting past his cheek before embedding itself deep into the parched earth before him.
Roy finally saw it clearly, a spear, radiating an aura of demonic allure.
In this dim and deathly silent world, the spear's deep crimson glow was at once breathtaking and deadly. It seized the gaze, ensnared the soul, and exuded an overwhelming presence of destruction.
Lifting a hand to his face, Roy felt the shallow wound left by the near-fatal strike. Warm blood trickled slowly from the fresh cut.
With swift precision, he turned toward the source of the attack.
Perched atop a towering rock formation, a solitary queen clad in deep violet gazed down upon him.
Her crimson eyes gleamed with an icy pride, an aloof sovereignty, as if she were appraising an uninvited guest who had dared to step into her realm.
***
(T/N: This chapter should have been up yesterday but sadly when I came back from work, there was a blackout in my area so no chapter. But no worries since I am uploaded it today after work. There will most likely be another chapter tomorrow as well. )