Chapter Seven: The Yumehara Mountain

In the mountains, far from the city. There was a village in the mountains, but there was a small shrine on the tallest mountain seen, where the waterfall began. If people entered the shrine, they'd hear the calm waters streaming down, the gentle breeze that can easily calm everyone who approaches the shrine, and the sound of a music box always playing. Some people's curiosity increased as they tried looking for the music box, but they never found it. As people could never find the music box, it would just continue to play its quiet melody.

The truth is, the music box will always play its quiet melody. If people weren't able to find it, they weren't worthy to enter the shrine. If they did find the music box, they were worthy. It seemed impossible for every human being to try and find the music box, so they mostly gave up.

As the music box continued to play, a tall slim woman walked out of the shrine with her clothing. Although, her clothes were different from the people in the village. The people in the village wore whatever color and clothing they wanted, but the woman's clothes were very detailed, elegant, and traditional. The colors represented her personality, white and teal. Her long sleeves only made herself look more elegant, even though she wasn't an empress. But most people could recognize her from her 3 foot long black hair.

The woman would lift her finger up as a butterfly would land onto her finger. She was kind to everyone, including animals and nature. The woman used her other finger to gently pet the butterfly, before letting it fly away from her hand without using force. The woman then picked up her umbrella and would turn away from the sun that was rising.

"Reiko!" a young voice shouted. 

The woman turned her head to her left as she could hear a bunch of footsteps approaching her shrine. It turns out, it was just a bunch of young children who were looking for the music box.

"Hm?" Reiko responded.

"We're ready to look for the music box!" One of the children shouted, before all of the children agreed.

Reiko gave out a soft smile. She didn't mind visitors or people in her village coming and visiting her or look for the music box. It only felt slightly entertaining to her. After all, she had lived alone her entire life. Her parents had died during war, she was an only child, and had no other relatives.

Reiko would watch the children run around, looking as hard as they could for the music box. It was like they had an infinite amount of energy and kept running around to try and find the music box that continuously played. It sounded like the music box was everywhere, when it wasn't.

As a few minutes pass by, one of the children runs to Reiko with a surprised but worried expression. Reiko noticed the child's expression as she fully gave her attention to the child.

"Reiko!" The child screamed, "There's someone laying in the river!"

Reiko's expression changed as she looked confused. Not many people would visit the river that leads to the waterfall. Most people in the village were scared to approach the river, knowing that they could possibly be swept away. But the people in the village were most likely to head to the waterfall to gather water to hydrate or cook.

But as Reiko gave the child her full attention to her, Reiko's expression changed.

"Lead me to them."

The child led Reiko to the shallow parts of the river. As the two continued to approach, a young silvered hair girl was lying unconscious in the river. Her clothes were wet, it seemed like she came from somewhere else, knowing that her clothes and appearance were different. Reiko would approach the girl before she realized the girl was harmed and estimated she was left in the river to die.

Reiko carried the girl on her back, not caring that the water could make her clothes cold and wet too.

"Head to the other children, little one. I'll speak with you soon."

The child nodded before running off to find the other children that were still trying to find the music box. Meanwhile, Reiko returned to the shrine and entered in. The shrine looked empty at first. But as Reiko snapped her finger, the entire inside of the shrine suddenly transformed into a normal house filled with furniture and resources to survive. The shrine was no longer empty. Although, Reiko had used her own void manipulation to create the home inside. 

She headed to one of the bedrooms before setting the girl down on the bed. Reiko didn't waste anymore time as she rushed to the kitchen and proceeded to make soup. As the girl was resting, she dreamt of a weird memory…

The woman soon looked at the stars, before soon.. A star had caught her eye. It standed out, but not because it was bright. It had standed out because of its different color. The woman's smile went upside down as she had noticed how corrupted the star was. But looking at her creation, she knew she was able to send her creation to save that star. Without any hesitation, she floated towards the corrupted star and slightly swinged her arms as she dropped her creation to the star. Letting her creation enter the world.

"Goodbye, my creation. Your journey now starts here. May the gods protect you, as you erase the corruption that has spread."

The girl had woken up from her sleep. But it was already midnight and Reiko had healed all of the girl's wounds. The girl turned to her left, only to see Reiko sitting on the floor with her eyes closed.

"Hello…?"

"Hm?"

Reiko would look at the girl, realizing she was awake and spoke. Although, due to Reiko's surprise, it seemed like the girl was alright. Reiko only needed answers now.

"Where am I-?" The girl asked.

"Yumehara mountain." Reiko answered. "Do you have a name?"

The girl looked at herself before looking at Reiko again. The girl wasn't so confident in her own identity and even sharing it to someone she didn't know, but realizing she wasn't where she used to be, she had no choice but to answer Reiko's question.

"... Seven."

"Seven? Isn't that a number?"

"Yes. But my name is Seven."

"Alright… I see."

Reiko would begin to float up as she crossed her legs. A bright aura would appear, it wasn't menacing or harmless. It could be both. But Reiko didn't want to push pressure into Seven, knowing that Seven may freak out but also knowing that Seven's thoughts were slightly blurred.

As Seven began to think, she tried to think of how she got here. Only for her thoughts to be clear, realizing why she was here.

I harmed people, all because of Kotohina. But Yen stopped me, now I don't know where I am. Should I forgive myself?

Seven's expressions were slowly turning dull. Knowing how much damage she could've caused if Yen hadn't stopped her, the entire city would shatter.

Soon Seven was stopped, as she felt a very connecting aura. Something similar, but she had never known or seen. She looked up at Reiko as the two of them were slowly connecting an aura. But not just a normal aura, RTO aura. 

"Who are you?" Seven asked.

"Reiko. The Shrine Maiden of Yumehara, but the oldest RTO." She answered back with confidence.

"RTO? What's RTO?"

Reiko would float down as she leaned on the bed near Seven. She paused her thoughts for a moment, only to have the confidence to tell her what it was.

"You're the first creation of RTO. You've just been asleep for a very long time. But, RTO stands for Resistance to Omnipotence. People with RTO are powerful and beyond a god. There are few of us, but it's easy to find a person with RTO."

"What? How?"

"People with RTO are able to see and immediately know about a power, either a power that's mentally or physically. But people with RTO are resistant to every hit that they take as they hit back harder."

Seven would turn her head, thinking. Soon, she remembered when she was able to identify Owen's tracking ability within seconds, and the meteorite accident as she didn't realize she broke the meteorite.

"I have realized you were the one who entered the Mirror realm. Which was strange for me because the only people who were able to enter the mirror realm were the reflections of shadows. But you don't have a shadow, and you never had a shadow that existed." Reiko continued.

Seven would look at Reiko in confusion, but as she realized how serious Reiko was being, she stood up and headed towards the candle that was lit up to slightly overpower the darkness. As she approached the candle, she kept track of her movements. And soon, Seven looked at the wall that was the closest to the candle. She didn't see her own shadow. Seven proceeded to move, but no shadow showed up.

"... You're right."

"I always was… I am older than 13 multiverses."

"Older than 13 multiverses? How old are you?"

"I'm 27 physically, but I am chronologically older than 13 multiverses old."

"... Isn't that like…"

"No need to do the math, Seven."

Seven would comedically count her fingers trying to do the math anyway. But knowing she was so confused, she gave up.

Reiko would pick up a bowl of soup as she handed the bowl of soup to Seven.

"Here, you should have something to eat." Reiko added.

Seven would carefully grab the bowl of soup, it was warm but not too hot. It seemed like Reiko knew she'd wake up at this time. But knowing that Seven may lose her chance to eat again, she began to eat the bowl of soup.

Reiko would softly smile, but it soon faded away as she stood up and proceeded to exit the room.

"Where are you going?" Seven asked.

"When you're finished eating, come outside." Reiko immediately answered back, before leaving the room.

Seven's expression changed from confusing to curiosity. So she quickly ate the bowl of soup before placing the bowl down on the ground and getting up as she left the room. As Seven walked outside of the shrine, she realized how small the shrine was compared to the size when she was inside the shrine. She shrugged her confusion away, before continuing to walk.

As Seven continued to walk, she slowly paused. Seven could hear the gentle melody of the music box playing. She looked around her surroundings, but she didn't see the music box. All she could hear was the song it continued to play. So, she decided to stay still and listen to the song. As a few minutes had passed, the song had stopped as it went silent. All Seven could now hear was the gentle winds, flowing through the land.

"Seven."

Seven would turn around as she saw Reiko right behind her and soon jumped.

"UWAH- You scared me!" Seven shouted.

Reiko would smile again, but she placed her index finger on her lips to tell Seven to keep quiet. Seven followed her orders as she kept quiet.

"Follow me."

Reiko would turn around and walk away as Seven followed. Seven tried to pay attention to see if she could hear the song the music box was playing, but for the entire five minute walk, it was quiet.

Reiko and Seven soon arrived at the river where Reiko found Seven. Yet, Reiko jumped up a large rock, using her enhanced leaping as she landed smoothly on top of the rock. As Reiko turned her head and slightly nodded, signaling Seven to follow, Seven would climb up the rock meanwhile Reiko backed up to make more space.

"What are we here for?" Seven asked.

"I have to do something really quick, but you may want to see it." Reiko replied.

Reiko would then knee down as she picked something up. It wasn't seen, until the object Reiko picked up slowly revealed itself. It turned out to be the music box that played. Everyone who visited Reiko's shrine was there to attempt to find the music box. But because the Music Box was invisible to human beings, it proved that none were worthy.

"Can you see it?"

"The golden music box?"

"So you can see it."

Seven would blink in confusion as Reiko could already tell she was confused. Reiko would slowly spin the handle so she wouldn't break it for at least five minutes before she placed the music box back where it was. Soon, the music box began to play its melody.

"You've only spun the handle for 5 minutes, how long does the song even last for?"

"The music box creates a repeating lullaby, but it's not a normal music box. Even if I spun the handle for 5 minutes, the music box's lullaby would last for the next 30 days. Although the music box can allow people to hear the lullaby it sings, it won't allow people who aren't worthy to see it. If someone can see it and find the music box, it allows people to enter the memory realm."

"Memory Realm?"

"Yes. But it might hurt a little, so stand still."

"Wait, what do you mean by standing still-?"

The lullaby's sound would become louder as it soon was louder than the winds flowing along the sky. It seemed like everyone could hear it, but no one did. The song increased, but it stayed at the same pitch. Every note the lullaby played, Seven could see in her vision, a clock ticking uncontrollably.

As the lullaby continued, Seven's eyes turned white as her vision became pitch black. When she slowly opened her eyes, she found herself in a realm that was full of clocks and glass. 

"What the- is this the mirror realm?"

Seven looked around her surroundings. The realm was just a black void. She could hear the music box playing slower, and slower. Seven could also hear the ticking from the clocks. As each of the times were wrong, the clocks ticked at the same time. The sound she kept hearing continued to echo. But not having a choice, she began to walk. Yet, even her own footsteps created an echo throughout the realm.

As Seven kept walking, she had a slight feeling that something would happen. But she wasn't so sure. Seven wanted to be careful, so she wouldn't break the realm by accident. So she kept walking, and walking, and walking. It felt endless as the lullaby only slowed down every step she took, and the ticking of the clock only echoed louder.

"Hey! Watch out!"

Seven turned to her left, only to be tackled to the ground by a human figure. But as soon as she looked up, one of the clocks became sharp and attempted to attack Seven at the speed of light. Luckily, she dodged… or did someone help her?

Seven would get up right after the clock had missed, but she soon looked at the figure that tackled her to the ground. It was a young boy, at least 12 years old, with dark blue hair and bright green eyes. He wore casual clothing like Seven, but it didn't seem to fit him very well if he went outside in public.

"Who are you-?"

"No questions yet! I need to get you out of the danger zone!"

The boy grabbed Seven by the wrist and ran off, deeper into the realm. As Seven looked behind, all the clocks were heading towards them. Ready to attack them.

"Where are you taking me?"

The boy didn't answer, but he stopped running as he used his finger to draw a large rectangular shape as a green trail had followed his finger. Soon, the green trail glowed brightly before it opened up to a white void. The boy ran inside, dragging Seven along just right on time before the clocks could kill her.

As they entered a white void, the rectangular shape had closed. Not allowing any of the clocks to enter in the void. Yet, it was just silent in the void. The lullaby and the ticking weren't heard.

"That was a close one."

"Close one? What were the clocks trying to do-?"

"They were trying to kill you. But that's my fault. The entrance has a security system, and most people get killed because of it. Although, I was able to save you because Reiko gave me a call that you were coming."

"Do you think you can turn that off?"

"No, it's just how the Memory Realm was built. It keeps all memories safe because of how fragile a memory can be."

Seven stared at the boy, wondering why he was in the Memory Realm all by himself. But it seemed like the boy could casually see the confusion in her face.

"My name is Ray. Just Ray. I'm the guardian of the Memory Realm."

"But you look like a child…"

"Well, I have omniscience. I may be 12 years old, but I have the mind beyond an average genius."

"I see…"

Ray would look at Seven before he slowly swinged his arm as the white void became bright blue and revealed all memories. Seven's eyes slowly widened by surprise as she didn't expect the Memory Realm to be like this. The Memory Realm was pretty, but it had some memories Seven couldn't recognize. But shrugging it off, she looked back at Ray who was clearly staring at her with his expressionless eyes. It was confirmed Ray tried to show expression from the slight smile he showed.

"So… what do I do in this realm?" She asked.

"That depends on your choice. You can see as many memories from you or from others, you just have to ask." Ray bluntly replied.

Seven would look around, observing all the memories as she thought of something important she never knew. A few moments later, she thought about her dream. Wondering who the lady was, she turned to Ray.

"I want to see more of what happened in my dream."

Ray would stay silent as he closed his eyes. His smile slowly extended as Seven knew Ray accepted her wish. Soon, the realm shifted into the memory. Just right before the events. Ray and Seven were teleported to the black void that was full of stars. It looked like all the multiverses had merged together and created a visible beauty of the void.

As Seven looked to her right, she saw the woman float towards the beauty. The woman looked exactly like the woman she saw in her dreams. Her long bright white colored hair, and the most noticeable, her indicolite blue eyes. The more Seven looked at the woman, she realized how similar they looked.

Seven would watch the woman floating towards the core as the woman used the shattered piece to create her first RTO creation. And there it happened, Seven was created. Yet, the woman then dropped her into one of the universes. The universe Yen was in. But, getting a closer look, Seven in the memory was caught in the Solar Flare as she truly fell asleep for a very long time before Reiko was granted the RTO energy and successfully traveled the universe for billions of years.

Seven now understood why she was sent to a universe where she had no information about herself. She was sent to protect many multiverses. But as she proceeded to leave the memory, she heard a blood-curdling scream coming from the woman. Seven quickly turned to face the woman, but the woman was being corrupted. Seven proceeded to reach for the woman, but it was too late. The woman's bright and colorful appearance became the opposite. She looked like Seven's Maniacal Form, but her body just looked like space. The only thing visible was her bright white eyes.

Seven began reaching for the woman again, but the realm shifted. Returning Ray and Seven back to the Memory Realm. Seven fell from her unbalanced position, falling to her knees. She looked at Ray, wanting answers already as many questions were filling her mind.

"Who was that woman… and what happened to her?"

"That woman was the core of the Omni-verse. Her title was Selune Nyx. She was one of the most beautiful and kind people in the entire verse. After she created you, the RTO energy had spread to every single universe. Yet, it only made 1 person in each universe gain the RTO energy. Except that now… there are only 4 RTO living."

"Selune Nyx couldn't make more of you because she wasted all of her energy to create you. But because she created you, her own presence was sensed by the corruption and the corruption had the chance to take Selune down. Which was successful and now the entire multiverse is in trouble."

Seven would look at Ray with a concerned face. As much as she didn't know about herself, it seemed like Ray didn't know how to undo the corruption that had harmed Selune. As she thought, she had realized something. Seven was the key to help the Selune Nyx.

"I need to head back to the real world." She stood up with a serious face.

Ray became expressionless once again, but he stepped aside as a white portal opened. Leading back into the real world. It seemed like Ray had understood what she had to do and knew Seven would succeed in doing so. As Seven approached the portal, she looked at Ray with a gentle smile, signaling him 'thank you'. Ray smiled back, responding to her message quietly.

"You got this Seven, don't ever think you're alone. Always feel free to enter the memory realm."

Seven nodded before walking into the portal. Everything turned white before Seven opened her eyes and sat up. Realizing she was back in Reiko's shrine, she stood up and walked out of the shrine.

As she exited out of the shrine, she saw Reiko. Sitting down, playing her flute as she was playing along with the music box that played in the background. It was already day, so all the children had already ran off to look for the music box again as Seven heard all of the young voices chattering and running around.

Seven approached Reiko as Reiko stopped playing. It seemed like she knew what Seven was asking already.

"Reiko."

"Hm?"

"Please train me to control my RTO."

Reiko looked at Seven as she smiled. She stood up and slightly pulled her sleeves down as she inhaled…

"I accept your request, Seven."