Songs in the Void

Arifureta Universe, Tortus, True Orcus Great Labyrinth, Abode of the Liberators. 

After the discussion with Aletia about their origins, Tatsuo followed Sumire and Aletia through the mansion that was situated in the picturesque area at the end of the True Orcus Great Labyrinth. Looking through the window of the corridor they walked through, Tatsuo could see a landscape that seemed as if they were walking through the mansion of a noble in the Heiligh Kingdom's Royal Capital. 

"*Sigh* I saw all this when we first walked through those big doors, but it's still hard to believe that all of this is underground." 

As Tatsuo said, the area surrounding the mansion was lit as though they were on the surface. The skies were blue, there were clouds floating in the sky, and there was large orb that gave off light and heat like the sun. 

"Yeah, the magic.. or technology… or whatever it is, is incredible." Sumire added while walking ahead with Aletia at her side. 

Aletia, on the other hand, only nodded her head. Though, she was frowning slightly at the fact that she agreed to stay in Sumire's world after she left her own world with them. Still, deep in her heart, she was happy to find a new place to belong. Plus, Tatsuo and Sumire explained that she would be able to visit Tatsuo's world once she had enough Coins. 

While walking through the corridors of the mansion, Tatsuo noticed that there were many closed doors. However, none of these doors had doorknobs. Instead, there was a small circular impression with a cross-shaped pattern on each door. 

'That's probably where Orcus' symbol goes.' Tatsuo muttered while looking at one of the impressions as the group passed a door. 'Once we've been accepted by his magic circle, I'll gain access to the stores of minerals and materials inside those doors.' 

While Tatsuo thought about all the weapons and defensive gear he would be able to create once he got the proper permissions for this mansion, the group eventually reached the deepest room on the mansion's second floor. 

And just like Sumire and Aletia reported earlier, there was a large magic circle in the center of the room. On the other side of the room, a skeleton with its head hanging sat in an ornate wooden chair. This skeleton wore a stylish black suit that seemed to be unaffected by the passage of time. 

However, what the girls failed to mention was the fact that this seemed to be the master bedroom, as there was a large bed, a couple of nightstands, a desk, a full-length mirror, and a large floor to ceiling window decorating the room. On top of that, the softness he could feel when he stepped onto the carpet on the floor was like nothing he had ever felt before. 

"Oh, I'm definitely gonna replace all the carpets back in my apartment with stuff like this." Tatsuo muttered as he knelt down to feel the material of the carpet under his feet. 

Hearing that, Sumire's eyes lit up. She then turned back to look at Tatsuo with hopeful eyes. 

"Okay, okay." Tatsuo said with a chuckle after noticing Sumire's gaze. "I'll upgrade the apartment in your world, too." 

Sumire's anticipatory gaze softened when she heard Tatsuo's words. Then, a bright smile spread across her face. 

Meanwhile, Aletia, who had never seen either of the apartments Tatsuo was talking about, showed an expression that made it obvious that she was curious about the place where she would be living in the future. 

On a side note, both Tatsuo and Sumire had forgotten that they had pictures of the apartments in question on their smartphones. But even if they had not, they would not have shown them to Aletia. They did not want to ruin the surprise, after all. 

"Anyway, let's get back to business." Tatsuo said as he stood up to his full height once again. "Do the two of you have any idea what the magic circle is for?" 

Although Sumire knew, she shook her head along with Aletia. 

Though Sumire was aware that in the infinite omniverse, the world people live in could appear as fiction in other worlds, she did not know how to tell Aletia about it. In fact, neither did Tatsuo. Especially after they realized that the multiverse theory did not exist in this world. Because of that, they were afraid to give her an existential crisis. But they knew they would have to tell her at some point, they just did not know when that would be. 

"Then, I'll check it out first." Tatsuo said as he stepped forward, passing the girls, and stepping into the magic circle. 

Once Tatsuo stood at the center of the magic circle, he looked down, pretending that he was trying to understand the meaning of the magic sentences that composed it. But the magic circle lit up so quickly that his act was unnecessary. 

After the shine from the magic circle died down, Tatsuo saw the image of a man wearing a stylish black suit, the same as the skeleton in the chair, standing in front of him. Glancing back, he could tell that neither Sumire nor Aletia could see the same image, though. 

'I guess it will only appear to the one standing in the circle.' Tatsuo thought to himself as he turned back to the image. 

"You have arrived here after overcoming the trials I have set up." The man's image said. "And I must congratulate you on your success. Now, allow me to introduce myself. I am Oscor Orcus, the creator of the Orcus Great Labyrinth. But if you're not familiar with that name, perhaps you would understand if I said I was one of the world's greatest traitors." 

Expecting to hear something similar, Tatsuo did not react much to what he heard. Instead, he just waited for the image to finish what it had to say. 

"Oh, and please, don't' bother asking any questions, this is nothing more than a recording." The image of Oscar Orcus continued. "Meaning, I am unable to answer any of the questions you undoubtedly have. Even so, I will impart the truth of the world onto anyone who can reach this place. Now, let me start by saying, although we are recognized as traitors, in truth, we are not." 

Orcus then went on to explain everything. 

Spinning a tail of a mad god and his descendants, Orcus went on to explain how things unfolded during the period after the Age of Gods came to an end. How the world as divided. The conflicts over territory, resources, and religion. With religion being the greatest contributor to the conflicts. 

Because at that point, every nation on Tortus worshipped their own gods. So, conflicts over who was right and wrong were inevitable. 

Yet, after centuries of war, a group known as the Liberators emerged, wanting to end the unending wards for good. And these Liberators had one thing in common. They were all descendants of the gods. And the leader of these so-called Liberators stumbled across a secret. The reason why the wards persisted for so long. 

Because that's what the gods wanted. 

The gods continued to push their believers to war as a form of entertainment. A war game, if you would. 

Naturally, the Liberators found these games distasteful. So, they gathered as many like-minded people as they could to put an end to it. And after putting in years of effort, they finally found the pace where the gods resided. And planned to march upon it to put an end to the meaningless bloodshed. 

Unfortunately, the people of the world were little more than the puppets of the gods. And as the puppet masters, the gods decreed that the Liberators were traitors who planned to destroy the world and all its inhabitants. 

So, the Liberator's quest for peace ended before it could truly begin, as the people they wished to protect attacked them from all directions and avenues, eventually leading to the seven most prominent Liberators scattering to every part of the world while the rest were executed for treason. In the end, everything this group of Liberators did was twisted into something heinous while they were struck from the world's history. 

Meanwhile, the seven who survived the purge created the Seven Great Labyrinths known all around the world. However, these Labyrinths were not just meant to train soldiers or for adventures to seek excitement and glory. No, they were created with the intention of finding worthy successors to their cause. 

After finishing his story, Orcus' image smiled gently at the center of the magic circle where Tatsuo stood with a bored expression on his face. 

"I have no idea who you are or why you've come here." Orcus said, wrapping up his story. "And I have no intention of asking to you take up arms against God. All I wanted to do is let you know who we were and what we stood for. Yet, as a reward for making it here, I shall grant you the magic I was best known for, for you to do with as you will. I can only hope that you do not use it to carry out the evil desires that reside in the hearts of all men..." 

By this point, Tatsuo was starting to dose off while still standing. So, he missed the last few words of Orcus message. However, before he fell asleep, Orcus' image vanished, signaling the end of the message. At the same time, the magic circle lit up once again and Tatsuo felt his mind throb as new information was being imprinted upon it. 

About five minutes later, the throbbing in Tatsuo's mind settled and the magic circle dimmed. Tatsuo then shook his head as he turned around to face the girls. 

"Tatsuo-Kun, are you okay?" Sumire asked as she stepped to the edge of the magic circle. 

"I'm fine." Tatsuo said while waving off Sumire's concerns. "But I'm never gonna get used to that. Having information stuffed into your brain is never pleasant. But this was much better than having years of memories hit you all at once." 

"What did you learn?" Aletia asked curiously. 

"[Creation Magic]." Tatsuo replied. "[It's a type of [Age of Gods Magic]. And it seems like it's the best magic for a [Synergist] like me." 

Tatsuo then went on to tell Sumire and Aletia everything he heard from Orcus' message. He then urged the girls to step into the magic circle, as well. 

"Yeah, but I'm not a [Synergist]." Sumire said while looking at Tatsuo skeptically. 

Aletia nodded to Sumire's words. 

"I know." Tatsuo replied with a nod of his own. "But it's magic from the Age of Gods. Knowing it can't be so bad, right?" 

"*Sigh* I guess." Sumire grumbled as she lowered her head and stepped into the magic circle. She then continued at an even lower volume. "But having information crammed into your head hurts so much. I really don't wanna cry in front of Tatsuo-Kun." 

Aletia, who had stepped forward with Sumire, hesitated for an instant. She had heard about the pain Tatsuo and Sumire went through when they received the memories of their identities in this world. So, she was a little cautious about having information stuffed into her brain. But when she saw Sumire continue walking forward without hesitation, even if she complained about it, her competitive spirit flared up and she continued forward, as well. 

Since they had already heard the cliff notes version of Orcus' message from Tatsuo, the girls did not really pay attention to his image. Instead, they chatted casually with Tatsuo. Though, that conversation ended abruptly when the information on [Creation Magic] was transmitted. 

"Wow!" Sumire exclaimed after the influx of information ended. "This magic is incredible. *Sigh* Too bad I have no aptitude for stuff like this." 

"I don't seem to have any talent for this kind of magic either." Aletia added. 

"Yeah, I get it." Tatsuo said with a nod. "[Creation Magic] allows the user to imbue magic into minerals. But without being able to work those minerals and metals, it's kind of useless." 

"Yeah." Sumire said with a nod. "Anyway, what should we do next?" 

"See if there's anything useful in this room." Tatsuo replied. Then, he pointed to a ring with a circular design and a cross inlaid I the circle on one of the skeleton's finger and continued. "Like that. That pattern is on all the doors that couldn't be opened. Something tells me that it's something like a key for this place." 

Nodding in response, Sumire and Aletia joined Tatsuo, after he removed the ring from the skeleton's hand, in searching the room. And they found quite a few things. Mostly information about this mansion and the space it was in. 

For example, the orb on the ceiling of this space changed with the cycle of the sun on the surface. Also, there was a golem that was programmed to clean the mansion periodically. Lastly, and perhaps the most important thing, there was a magic circle that could teleport them to the surface on the third floor of the mansion. 

"Alright, I think we've found everything we're gonna find in here." Tatsuo said after the search in the master bedroom finished. He then pointed to the skeleton, Oscar Orcus, as he continued. "Now, what should we do with him?" 

"I think we should give him a proper burial." Sumire replied. "Although he did not succeed, he tried his best to save this world from the gods." 

"Doesn't matter to me." Aletia said, not really having an opinion on the matter. 

"Then, let's bury him." Tatsuo said with a nod. "There's a lot of open ground to dig a grave, after all. And with my [Transmutation], it shouldn't take too long. Hell, I can even make him a nice coffin, too." 

Not long after that, the trio moved out to the estate's garden. Tatsuo then used [Alchemy to dig a grave and create a coffin from a nearby tree. Then, after putting Orcus' corpse in the coffin, they buried it and erected a simple tomb stone for him. 

"Alright, now let's check out everything else that's hidden in here." Tatsuo said, excited to see what kind of materials Orcus had kept. 

Going through all the rooms that were locked, the trio found many different materials that had been stored, a workshop, research notes, and diagrams for projects that Orcus did not get to finish before his life ended. 

"Hey, I know you guys wanna get out of here, especially you, Aletia, but do you mind if we stay here for a little while longer?" Tatsuo asked after he, Sumire, and Aletia finished searching the estate. "There's a lot I could learn from these notes. Plus, I wanna make some stuff to make our time moving around easier. I can upgrade our weapons, too." 

"I don't' mind." Sumire replied with a smile. 

"*Sigh* Although I'd rather leave right away, I don't mind waiting a little longer, either." Aletia added. "I've already been here for three hundred years. So, another month or two won't make a difference." 

Smiling in response, Tatsuo pulled both Sumire and Aletia into his arms on impulse. 

"Thanks, I promise you won't regret it." Tatsuo said in an excited tone. "Oh, we should make some new clothes, too. There's some pretty high quality cloth in the store rooms." 

Nodding in response, Sumire and Aletia both snuggled into Tatsuo's embrace. Though, they did not forget to glare at each other for a moment, as well. 

Time passed quickly after that, a month and a half flying by in the blink of an eye. And during that time, Tatsuo did all he could to get familiar with [Creation Magic]. He also spent any free time circulating his [Energy], increasing his attributes in the process. 

Not only that, but Tatsuo did as he said, making new weapons for himself and Sumire, though they weren't much different from the weapons they already possessed. They did have some extra options, though. 

He also made a few accessories for Sumire and Aletia that improved defense and magic defense. And the crowning achievement of his creations were the storage rings he made by imbuing his [Spatial Energy] into metals and shaping them with [Alchemy]. 

But that was only possible after Tatsuo learned how to create pocket spaces on his own. 

The girls also designed new outfits for the group. Then, they both worked together to create said outfits, getting closer in the process. Though, they still bickered over Tatsuo quite often. 

Lastly, Tatsuo created a couple vehicles. The first, a gun metal black-colored pickup truck that resembled the GMC Hummer Ev. And second, a black and silver motorcycle modeled after the Honda CBR 1000RR. And to steal a trick from the canon Hajime, he gave each the ability to flatten and compress the ground in front of him using [Creation Magic]. That way, there would be no issues driving on any terrain. 

"Alright, are you girls ready to go?" Tatsuo asked after dressing in the black and purple noble-like attire Sumire and Aletia made for him. 

"Yes." Aletia replied while grabbing Tatsuo's left hand. 

"I'm ready to." Sumire added. "But it's too bad there are no piano's in this world. I kinda miss hearing you play." 

Hearing that, Tatsuo smiled. It had been quite a while since he played the piano. So, he missed playing, too. Though, he did not spend much time thinking about it, the [Mission] being more important. But now that Sumire brought it up he wanted to play just as much, if not more, as Sumire wanted to hear him play. 

"Piano?" Aletia asked while tilting her head in curiosity. 

"It's a musical instrument." Tatsuo replied. "If we have the time, maybe I'll try to make one. I more or less know how they are made, so it shouldn't be too hard to make one with the materials on hand. I might even be able to add some magical elements to it…" 

Reaching the last sentence, Tatsuo raised his right hand to his chin and assumed the thinker pose while mumbling to himself with ideas for a new piano. 

"*Sigh* I probably shouldn't have brought that up." Sumire grumbled after seeing Tatsuo slip into his own world. Shaking her head, she grabbed Tatsuo by his right elbow and started pulling him towards the magic circle on the third floor of the mansion. "come on, let's go. I wanna see the real sky again." 

Being dragged by Sumire, Tatsuo was snapped out of his brainstorming session. Smiling awkwardly, he allowed himself to be pulled to the magic circle. Meanwhile, because she was already holding on to Tatsuo, Aletia was pulled along, as well. 

When they were all standing in the magic circle, Tatsuo injected the circle with his [Energy]. A moment later, the magic circle flashed brightly. Then, when the flash dimmed, the three were nowhere to be seen.