A Nascent Kaleidoscope

I looked up at the sky with a frown on my face.

My Divine Sword was stabbed into the ground, a faint crackle and arcing of lightning that lightly danced down its edge and into the earth. My hand lightly caressed the hilt as I watched above, the booming of thunder and the thunderous crackle of lightning drowning out most sounds around me.

My storm was currently propagating overhead, ever so slowly spreading outward with resistance.

The Sky wasn't connected to the Earth, I warned everyone as soon as we came in. I could feel it from my Authorities over the Storm.

Flying up might not end with someone continuously going upwards. They may be lucky to not end up in some misbegotten corner of this strange realm.

And not only that, but I was currently contesting the skies above our little foothold against the true owners.

I could feel them, there were more than two, more than just the Queens of their courts.

But I didn't back down, I couldn't see them properly, but through my Authority, I looked back at all of them and I could feel the emotions rolling across the metaphysical realm above.

At the very least, I didn't want them to be able to just hover over our breech and have that kind of top-down superiority.

Admittedly, I could feel the edges of my storm flaying as they ate away at its unnaturalness with their own control.

The Sun thing.

Presumably, that was the Summer Queen of the Summer Court, one of the major factions of this place. She basically created a miniature sun and threw it at us.

She had a hint of disdain in her tone over the air as she threw it, telling us to 'survive' as if it were something casual. But after experiencing it, I could vaguely understand the sentiment.

Did it piss me off? Completely.

But what she did was basically the same as me making my storm above, perhaps on a slightly grander scale, but no less destructive and overbearing in application.

I took her by surprise when I took it and threw it back at her using my newfound Authority.

I couldn't blame her, I could be taken off guard if someone I barely acknowledged took control of my Storm and basically hurled it back at me with such fervor out of nowhere.

Still, in that small exchange, I learned quite a bit.

It wasn't an Authority in the normal way when one spoke of Gods. No, it was much closer to something I experienced rather recently when fighting my cousin – Arcueid.

That was frighteningly close to a Marble Phantasm.

Realistically, there wasn't much a difference when looking at the outcome, but it did produce some manner of hesitation on my part that needed further consideration.

The same when the presumed Winter Queen basically sent a sea of Ice and Frost at us rather casually.

It wasn't Magic or spellcasting, it was the forceful application of natural phenomena on a grand scale overriding the current world.

So far, these Fae were the closest approximation to Elementals and Nature Spirits compared to my home that I've ever come across.

And those were just probing actions at the end of the day.

Just as they were doing right now bearing down on my storm while I continued to fend them off.

Regardless, I let go of my sword, letting it stay impaled in the center of our camp as it could shoulder the storm on its own.

My storm expanded a bit over a kilometer at this point which was good enough for now.

And there hadn't been another half-hearted attack, so at the moment I felt fine letting things progress on this end by themselves while I checked on other things.

I was able to pull my focus away from my storms above to properly look around at what was being set up down below.

I noticed Artoria with probably about a hundred Knights at her beck and call, they were situated around a table plopped in the dirt with some parchments spread out as she was throwing out orders.

Mordred moved her lips and grabbed a few people and ran off in one direction.

At the edges of our proverbial domain, the Druids that had cropped up among the Youkai were accelerating the growth of Earth-sourced trees.

That was an interesting concept I hadn't thought of until it was brought up among the older Celtic Druids that taught many of the Youkai in the months leading up to this invasion.

It was something passed down mostly in stories about the Fae coming to the Old Countries and bringing with them plants and such from the Fae Lands that acted as sort of an anchor that allowed them to come and go from a specific spot.

It was the same logic here.

In other terms, we were forcing the common sense of our home as much as possible onto this small part of this world.

It wasn't Alien technically. This place, these Fae realms were wild and untamed, which sounded odd considering there were living beings here that developed into some sort of society.

But by their nature, the beings here were Chaotic. If Earth was that of an established Order, Gods and Humans creating civilization, then this was the reflection. But just as there are Chaotic elements on Earth, this place too had Order within its established laws.

Chaos cannot exist without Order. If there was only Chaos within this realm, then Chaos would no longer exist because it would be the only order of existence.

What we were doing was essentially bringing the idea of Order to this small area and emphasizing it.

And despite Youkai being born from Human fears and imaginations, they were heavily tied to humanity thus existed on the other side of the fence in comparison to the Fae.

Besides the people specifically important to me, there were plenty of others running around setting things up.

Thousands of Youkai poured in, walls were being erected, tents were set up, a whole outpost was quickly being assembled as orders barked from the higher ups.

This had been meticulously planned for months and things were looking good.

"Student, are you finished?" Scáthach approached me.

I glanced up one more time. "It should be enough, I don't think they can spy downward now that my storm is blocking their 'view'." It didn't need to be mentioned that my Storm would contend against any other weather based phenomenon they attempted to throw at us.

Again, this was only really necessary because the Sky was so detached from the Earth that made it difficult to manually contend against such effects.

"How's the setup going?" I asked, knowing she was one of the first to claim a kill as soon as we entered. I was more focused on setting up the perimeter while she joined others in clearing out bodies.

"The Boundary has been erected, and Bounded Fields will be properly established momentarily." She replied, standing next to me as we watched the scene unfold. "I believe I need not go into detail how an established boundary can increase the effectiveness of a Boundary Field." She held a small smile, taking a light teasing tone.

I rolled my eyes, Magecraft 101 there.

The initial barriers and defenses were temporary, with a proper boundary set, we could turn this foothold into an actual camp. When land is claimed through certain means, defenses generally are more powerful when erected as the 'owner'.

"Young Lord." Soma appeared out of the corner of my eye, kneeling politely at my side.

"Soma, I've said it before, you don't have to do that." I let out a small sigh. Soma was perhaps Yasaka's most loyal retainer and Guard. I knew he wouldn't stop. "Weren't you supposed to be watching over those….reporters?"

Yasaka let in a Devil Reporter which….wasn't the worst idea. Honestly, whatever they recorded wouldn't be a secret and we could control the narrative to an extent. Hell, the purpose of this invasion was to send a message, so this did benefit them rather well.

"They are in good hands, Young Lord. I bring a missive from Lady Yasaka. She ordered me to perform my secondary duties now that the Holy Power within the lands has eased."

Right, the sanctification that the Church people did. Honestly, without that, the whole idea of claiming Fae Land would have been….a fool's errand at best.

Religion was an antithesis to Fae's beliefs. The Church as a doctrine was not only the most prevalent, but perhaps the most contrary to their existence by relation to the fact that there is only One God they worship and thus belief is more centralized.

"What did Yasaka ask you to do?" I wasn't familiar with his 'role' in this context.

"After noticing that some of the foliage responded with hostility, she requested that I use my Sacred Gear to seep into the ground beneath us and create a space so nothing can approach from below." He responded.

"Ah, I see. She came for you to ask if it would disrupt the portal. You're good, go ahead." I waved him off.

"At your leave." Soma bowed and disappeared through the use of his Sacred Gear.

"I swear, some Sacred Gears are just cheats." I pursed my lips.

"My student, that sounds like jealousy." Scáthach had a grin as she nudged me.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't a tad envious of how some things are so easy with it even if I can overcome it with my Magic." How easily it can create Dimensions, hence its name, was commendable and worthy of respect.

Not to mention he had another role, which was coming up soon, to disrupt the space in the camp once everything was set up.

Obviously, we couldn't have people just teleporting on top of our heads.

"What are the others doing?" I didn't want to make a nuisance of myself. I went to find everyone as I didn't have anything I specifically needed to do at the moment other than stay on guard.

"Your Servant is acting with the Youkai of the East – Nurarihyon, to scout the surroundings. The young lass is fortifying the area with her Knights, and your Youkai Lover is currently handling the logistics of moving her soldiers into this realm." Scáthach listed off. "Are you anxious?"

"Perhaps." I admitted. "I'm not one for wars, so I'm a bit out of my depth here." I wouldn't really compare the week I spent in the Norse realms the same. Sure, that was a war, short as it was, but this was a whole other beast to tackle and I was not involved in the field battles. "Tell me about the things you killed when you first arrived."

"Mindless beasts." She said simply. "A reflection of what you would expect in a forest, but magical in nature with a hint more intelligence. However, they are distinctly native to this realm thus are the same as its inhabitants."

"Right, Fae is a rather large umbrella term. It would be like calling both Yasaka and I Earthlings." I tapped my chin. "Anything worth noting?"

"A large type of cat I slayed had its tail turned into a tentacle-like whip and tried to stab me with it. That was the oddest one I encountered thus far. Most Fae I have met in my life were Changelings, Earthen Clan, or those powerful enough to take on human-like appearances."

"I admit my knowledge of Fae back home is…lacking. But from what I recall, the difference between the top of the Fae ladder and Divine Spirits is a very thin line."

"That is correct. In my homeland, there were many Gods that were also Fae." Scáthach nodded. "Be wary, but do not waver. There is a fine line between hesitation and consideration, my student." She lightly cupped my cheek and sneaked in a kiss on it. "War is different than fighting."

A strange commotion arose from the north side of the camp. It was enough that everyone shifted their attention that way even if they didn't stop what they were supposed to be doing.

Both Scáthach and I shared a look before we went over to check it out.

There was a person….well, a Fae.

Why did we know it was a Fae? Well, it looked like a caricature of a Pimp and a caricature of a Leprechaun had a child, and it wore all navy blue with the flamboyant clothing and adornments.

He was also about three feet tall waving around a piece of white cloth, the universal sign of surrender or to basically say 'don't shoot me I'm a messenger'.

He also had a bit of a belly too that strained against the buttons on his shirt. He wheezed as he came to a stop right at the northernmost boundary of the camp.

It wasn't only Scáthach and I watching from a distance, but none of us made an immediate move. I think we all wanted to see what this random and intelligent Fairy was doing, or wanted to do.

Not to mention attacking someone carrying a 'white flag' was a bad precedent to set.

"I come bearing great tidings!" He sprung to his feet, catching his breath, he pulled out a large, rolled parchment that unfurled and hit the ground. He cleared his throat and started reading. "Hark, tidings to thee trespassers from yonder realms, we –"

The Youkai, the Tengu in front of him, held the spear up in his hands, pointing at the Fae. "If you have a message, I will deliver it to our Lady."

The Fae's smile, bright, seemed….odd. He began to roll back up the parchment. "Of course, of course my good sir. My name is Bubitybitybebupitty. If I may, could I perhaps have your name?"

….that name was made up.

"Umeda Taro, and I – "

I realized a moment too late. "Shit!" I cursed out loud moving quickly.

The Fairy smirked and rolled his hand as the Tengu clutched his check. "Ah, a wonderful addition to my collection. Now, my rude fellow, be so kind as to fetch me your Queen, I bring tidings from my Lord."

I quickly slapped a Talisman onto the Tengu's head, paralyzing him, and catching him before he could hit the ground.

The Fairies' eyes widened, and he took a step back, only to smack into Scáthach looking down on him.

"A most discourteous reception!" He harrumphed, fixing his collar.

"What is going on here!?" Yasaka rolled up, several of her Generals in tow.

"He got his name stolen." I gave a brief explanation.

"Ah, you must be the Queen from beyond the realm." His scroll unfurled again. "Hark, tidings to – "

"Execute him." Yasaka said expressionlessly.

Was I a little shocked by the suddenness? Perhaps. But I also agreed with her words.

The Fae blinked, looking admittedly confused. "I'm just a messenger!"

"You attacked my Guard, that makes you an enemy combatant." Yasaka looked at him.

"But…..I didn't break any rules! You can't attack me, it's against the rules!"

"Execute." Yasaka said again.

Very quickly, half a dozen spears pierced through the Fae's body, the first meaningful Fae blood split in this campaign.

Several other Tengu had appeared quickly to dispatch him with very pleased expressions on their faces as one of their own was harmed directly by him.

The spears pulled free; the Fae fell to the ground lifeless.

I retracted the talisman I put on the Youkai in my arms as he seemed to regain his bearing. "One way to cancel the effects is to kill the Fae in question." I snorted.

Of course there were other ways to counteract having your 'name' stolen.

"Clean up here please, search the body for anything worthwhile, then burn it. And bring that scroll, I'll read it in a moment." She said coldly, sweeping her gaze. "Wilhelm, Scáthach, with me I'm calling everyone together." She gestured as we followed her.

Yasaka in leader mode was hot.

I noticed Raikou was back and Nurarihyon was with her as was Artoria and Mordred with a bunch of older Youkai all surrounding a table.

Hastily drawn maps laid across it.

"I heard a commotion." Artoria looked at me.

"Our first visitor." Yasaka said dryly. "A messenger. He was executed." Artoria looked like she was about to raise a complaint. "He attacked one of my men."

Artoria seemed content and nodded in understanding.

"We should reiterate to everyone that Fae have the ability to steal names. It sounds rather flippant and whimsical out loud, but it's genuinely a terrifying thing if you can't defend against it. It's basically a forced Geass – a contract of servitude that you can't disobey." I spoke.

"I'll make sure my boys know to keep their mouths shut." Nurarihyon grunted. "We have a general idea of the surroundings." He smacked the bottom of his cane on the drawn maps sitting on the table. "We found a castle in the distance here." He said, gesturing to the end of his cane.

"A castle?' I asked.

"Reminiscent of architecture from our homeland." Artoria clarified.

I suppose that fits considering that the Fae were active during her time.

"That'll be our first target." Yasaka declared.

"Are you being hasty?" Artoria furrowed her brow. "We do not know if they are friend or foe."

"Unlikely to be friends, but more enemies may be unwise." Scáthach nodded. "However, it is likely they are our enemies."

"Can you be sure?' Nurarihyon looked at her.

"The sun that was thrown our way came from the East. The Deathly cold came from the North. The messenger who initiated hostilities also arrived from the northern border. The Sun rises in the East, the Colds of our home are thought of as coming from the North. It stands to reason this is where those two entities have made their domains if it was a reflection of our world." She spoke.

Her reasoning was sound and I had no arguments against it.

To be honest, I hadn't considered that.

The Winter Queen was most likely situated to the far North, and the Summer Queen is most likely situated to the Far East.

"If that castle is our closest neighbor, it stands to reason this messenger came from there." Yasaka slapped her hand on the table. "We're not here to play nice, any attack on our people makes them an enemy. Clearly, they aren't treating us like a threat, so let's make a proper statement. Medea was kind enough to make us some rather interesting weapons. I believe it's time to unveil them."

 

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A/N 

For those of you that don't know, I have a snippet thread over on Questionable Questing with several different story idea snippets. I also have one snippet in particular that's reached 5 chapters at this point, and I felt like if I'm dedicating that amount of time to it, I may as well give a chapter ahead to the people over on my p.a.t.r.e.o.n. 

Also, two chapters of Looking Glass Omake are up over there as well.

If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone

I also have a boosty if you can't use the above under the same name.

 

 

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