A heavy silence filled the empty observatory. Right Direction peeked at her Master nervously. It was her oversight that she had recommended the girl as a foreign actor to flip the chessboard of Neel.
Her insights of the world and the alternative theories she crafted based on the happenings in the future were impressive. With the vessel of a supreme race, Right was convinced that the girl could make a more tasteful future for her Master if given the opportunity.
But who would have guessed her soul possessed such a mark. It truly was a pity. She felt responsible for such a blunder.
"The mark of madness…" The observer muttered as he began to ponder. This was tricky, none in Neel are born with such a mark, it is formed through corruption, and the individuals with this mark tend to be irredeemably extreme.
'Could it be a product of her world's origins?'
The girl did not seem to show the signs of madness familiar to the residents of Neel. Could the mark being innate be the cause? The observer wasn't sure, like the branch, her destiny was difficult to see. Worse still, her destiny wasn't just a foggy set of timelines, they were mashed and swirled together in a clash of realities. It was even possible every destiny he was currently peeking into was false altogether.
'Maybe she'll be fine? Maybe her world's rules supplement her soul differently?'
The observer rubbed his temples, Alternatively, this could become an even worse headache than letting the lower gods play their stupid games in Neel! A mana well severance was one thing, but what about multi-planar destruction?
'Sigh, it's too risky. Killing her would be better after all. We can always try again. What was the saying? Third times a charm, I guess.'
He was feeling a bit moody thinking that. He took another compulsory sip from his cup. With his accumulated merits he could bend the rules a few times, but there was a limit. On top of that, time was running out.
Finding or creating suitable vessels as supreme as the one before him took time, and he wasn't shameless enough to wipe out a baby soul in the womb of a mother like the other gods just to save time and resources. Cutting corners always made him feel itchy all over.
Kidnapping and training a promising champion from Neel wasn't an option either. His name is quite literally, The Observer. Taking any actions as brazen as that in his own dimension would most definitely alert the Boss and his auditors, where would his face be if he were to be exposed?
He took another sip, then an exaggerated gulp from his teacup, ugh… his head hurt. Well, at least his drink was-
'Hm?'
The observer eyed his tea cup with his empty sockets. He realized it belatedly due to the headache, but his beverage…
His heart skipped a beat.
'What a magnificent blend!'
Realization struck him. He was a fool to not recognize it instantly. The sugar he needed to bring back the spice, it was right before him. What's a bit of madness? His authorities had nothing to do with order nor chaos, his authority lied with observing and drinking it all in. And drink he shall, especially when the taste was as rich as this.
"That fool will do no such thing! Slaughtering an innocent girl!" The observer shouted righteously, as he stood up abruptly, tea cup at the ready, close to his mouth. His vigorous movements earned a jolt from Right Direction. The change in attitude had caught her off guard.
"But Master, this…" Right wanted to protest. She had seen those with their souls affected by the mark of madness, the spread of the void song all those years ago left the world in devastation.
Swaths of people rushing head first off cliff sides while laughing, others transforming into grotesque creatures feasting on the brains of their neighbors, parents sacrificing their offspring to an entity hiding in the seas depths for ironically, their children's successful future.
It was undeniably a terrifying time.
The worst part was the fact that the mark was contagious. All it needed was a person already affected to be near one that wasn't, and the soul would hear the frequency or 'song' resonating from the infected party, slowly corrupting the individual.
Had it not been for her Master telling the proper authorities about the 'noise disturbance', leading to the expulsion of the mastermind behind it all, Neel would have fallen in a matter of decades.
But now her snitch of a Master wished to send such a soul into Neel. She was baffled at the reasoning.
"Gulp Gulp… calm down Right. Gulp Gulp… I know what you're thinking, Gulp Gulp… Her soul does indeed carry the mark of madness, Gulp but she doesn't carry the song." The observer was now greedily drinking the substance in his cup as he explained, he couldn't get enough of it.
"From what we've seen so far, she seems perfectly sane, heck she seems more grounded than most young devils. Right, who are we to judge a soul based on the shape of one's mark?" He stated earnestly.
"...." They eye just stared at her Master, not saying anything. It was clear he was sweeping this issue under the rug.
"Ahem, look if it makes you feel more at ease, tell Left to give her the boon as well. Her soul is still too small for her vessel, and I understand that as she grows, her soul will adapt to her new home using her three natures to fill the empty space. With the boon, she will be aware of the changes of her body acutely. If she understands her body and mind, her susceptibility to losing herself to the instincts of the mark should diminish. A simple solution right?"
"...I understand." Right wasn't sure if her Master was trying to convince her or himself of this plan, but giving the girl the observer's boon would surely help in regulating the changes that could incur in her mind. The boon was perfect for introspection and understanding.
She relayed the message, feeling a bit more at ease at the thought. Though she thought her Masters actions were still reckless, she trusted his ability to handle any issue that may arise from this decision.
"Ah right." As she was sending the information to Left, the observer spoke once more. "Tell Left to let the girl know to hide the existence of her mark, should anyone test her again. But as usual, the fact that she does not originate from here stays between the two of us. Do not answer why she was born with such a mark. When you are done, go out and complete your next task immediately. "
"Yes sir." Right nodded. The more people that knew of her origins, the more difficult her master's plans would become, with a gossip like Left, the little devil would get put in the spotlight the second she left this domain.
Right shook her head.
'Sorry brother, but we can't have your eccentrics get in the way this time around.'
~~~
Left stared at the girl in front of him, a mix of confusion and wariness deep in his golden eye. He couldn't fathom why his sister and his Master had denied his request for elimination. They had both seen the horrors of the void song just like him, yet despite that, they seemed convinced that everything would be fine.
'Is this really ok? Someone born with a spiral? Born corrupted?' Left felt that his Master was going a bit too far with this, but he was helpless to do anything at this point. His Master had spoken.
He heaved a heavy sigh.
"Hey what's wrong? Is that mark a bad sign?"
Hannya gazed at the eye, who had been staring incredulously at her for some time now before finally sighing. She did not like that reaction. Wasn't she a transmigrater? A strong to stronger archetype?
'Don't tell me I'm the first six star devil with no talent?'
She shook her head, that was impossible. She keenly remembered an excerpt from the book.
It stated: Although the devils are outnumbered 1000 to 1 when it came to the population of the angel race to the devil race, the balancing factor were the 6 star devils. Each a genius in their own right, each a world shaking existence. Such growth speed and innate talents brought major changes to the planes of Neel without question.
She was sure it wasn't talent, the canon wouldn't allow it!
'Then, the mark is most likely a signifier of some hidden danger for me.'
Hannya concluded.
The eye just shook his head and sighed once again.
"It's nothing important…but if you were to take this test ever again outside this domain. Just tell others you see a vertical line, it would be…beneficial."
Left stated simply.
As expected. A hidden danger of some kind. She was annoyed that she could be the ticking time bomb type of character, but she wasn't discouraged. The reason she was here, besides a name, was to gather information. And one of those pieces of information would help her if she was indeed carrying a hidden danger.
"Well it doesn't matter much, let's move on to the deal you mentioned." Left continued on. If she was going to be kept around, he might as well benefit from it. A deal would at least ensure that he acquired a new bosom buddy! Left was a little excited thinking how much time he could squeeze out of the girl.
Hannya was taken aback, how did they get to the deal already?
"H-hey! What about my name? I did the tests, so now we need to finish!"
Left looked at her as if he were staring at a strange creature. He eyed the table in front of him then back at her.
"The ritual already finished, young one. You should have felt it."
Hannya followed the gaze of Left, only to realize the thick book that sat in between the two of them had already disappeared.
"!?!"
When the hell did this happen? She didn't feel any different. Shouldn't she have felt a surge of energy or something, or at least a grand display of mana whirling around, followed by a deity or something descending announcing her existence to the cosmos?
Left chuckled at her confused look, though she was a harbinger of madness, at least she was a cute one. Left coped.
"Little one, did you expect to grow powerful all of a sudden from gaining a name? The name of a devil simply assists with your paths of evolution. Having one does not determine your strength. Some devils have useless names and still become powerhouses. So work hard." He said responsibly.
While the eye assumed she was confused because she didn't get a power up like the grown ups. The reality was since she previously had a name, she had yet to notice that she referred to herself differently after the disappearance of the book.
"Now little one, what do I call you?"
Hannya paused a bit before answering. She realized something, the name she wanted to answer with felt foreign to her. She knew the name was her and she was the name, but the name itself did not exist with her all this time.
Indeed, the name she was ready to answer with was not the one she used in her previous life. The more horrifying thing was the fact she couldn't remember that previous name. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought of this.
She felt she had lost something important to her, but that feeling quickly changed to steely resolve. What's the loss of a name? She would not return anyway, and she did not wish to. The loss of that name only signified her previous, insignificant life's end and her rebirth here in the world of Neel.
As she processed her feelings of the loss of her previous name. Deep down in the core of her being, the inner world most call it, the mark of madness began to resonate. It twisted and spun, giving off an ominous light. As it did, the soul of Hannya began to slowly change color and expand with the empty void…
"Little one?" The eye inquired, he was curious about what the child was thinking.
'Does she not like the name?' Left thought
Jolted out of her thoughts, Hannya looked up at the eye and smiled. Her flower shaped irises began to slowly spin, the pink shade slightly beginning to glow. Coupled with her black sclera, it made for a hypnotic sight.
Left was a bit uncomfortable looking at her smile, it was a cute, innocent smile, but the eye of the observer could see more than most mortals and gods alike. Deep in her spinning eyes, he could see it. A slight, unsettling change.
'Her view of reality shifted slightly, but why?'
But before Left could probe further Hannya spoke.
"I apologize for the late introduction Left. My name is Hannya." The little devil smiled even wider, her irises spun a bit faster and glowed a bit deeper.
"Hannya 6th Luxuria. At your service."
For an unknown reason, Left began to feel anxious about the decision made by his Master. He didn't know why, but he felt that his job as a record keeper would become a lot more stressful from now on.
But he soon pushed those emotions down, because now was his time. Today would be the day he would get a new companion to gossip with!
'Finally a new bosom buddy!'
Why care about the possible terrors of the world if you couldn't spread the word like a weed!
"A pleasure to meet you, young Hannya." Left gave his most enthusiastic nod. Indicating his excitement for the deal ahead.
"Now miss Hannya, what is this deal you wish to propose to me?" Left asked eagerly.
Hannya's eyes finally began to settle, the spinning slowing came to a stop and the eerie glow subsided. And eyed the entity before her.
Hannya grinned. Finally, the thing she needed most. Information.
'Ironically I need his gossip, but this guy is too overbearing when he thinks he's got someone to listen to him. Thankfully I have a plan, I just need to get what I need and get out. My darling is waiting for me!'
She laughed maniacally in her mind, thinking of ways to swoop in and rescue Vainglory in his dire time of need, blissfully unaware that upon hearing her devil name, her dormant devil blood began to subtly shift, in turn, the image of Vainglory in her mind began to ascend to a much higher pedestal…
"I want to ask some questions for detailed answers."
Left nodded in understanding, she wishes to attain knowledge of something she would not normally know. A standard and harmless deal, but Left was a little disheartened at that, the cost would be low if that were the case.
"Sure…five questions for a non-negotiable year of your time-"
Mid sentence, Hannya slowly stood up and began to walk to what she assumed the exit gate was, since there was really only one gate in this entire empty expanse her assumption should be correct.
'Welp, I tried.' No use crying over spilled milk, a year here would only ruin all her plans. There were always other means of obtaining information in the wild. No way would she risk Vainglory getting mutilated because she was lazing around here.
"W-wait a second! ok..ok I was just playing hard ball alright? J-just calm down and state your terms."
Hannya paid him no mind and kept walking to the gate, albeit, a bit slower. The eye noticed this change as well, her intention was clear. Show some sincerity or I'm out of here.
The little devil might not know it, but Left was desperate. He had been locked here for hundreds of years already, he needed a buddy! Even a void creature would do at this point!
"F-fine, for trying to rip you off, I will offer one question for free! Please just hold on a second."
Hannya stopped at the word 'free', she turned around to the sulking eye and grinned.
She shook her head.
"Why even try that, when I clearly showed my understanding in the beginning?" She spoke as she briskly walked back to her seat, her mood light.
The eye looked like he had aged 40 years after that scare, indeed, he had overlooked Hannyas earlier engagement with his strong arming towards gossip. In his excitement to earn a new bosom buddy, he jumped the gun!
"Just…just ask your freebee and state your terms…" The eye laid on the table, exhausted. Hannya's little routine seemed to have taken a lot out of him.
'Damn, this guy really is a gossip addict.' Hannya wondered why the observer made him like this. Wouldn't all of the observers' deeds be exposed like this?
Hannya remembered in one of the side stories, Left was not always locked in the in-between world. Before, he was free to roam where he pleased.
But this asshole would follow people he would call his 'bosom buddies' everywhere and talked about everything he had seen. It didn't matter where a buddy went, he would be there. He even followed a newlywed couple into their bedchambers on their wedding night just to yap!
A cold light flashed in Hannya's eyes.
'Not my wedding night bastard. Not on my watch!'
She shook away those infuriating thoughts and promptly asked the question she would never get an answer to anywhere else in Neel.
"Well my first question is…"
Hannya spoke curiously.
"Would I die if I wished for a system?"
Left's eye went wide hearing such a question.