V.Vizard! 20

Walking up the stairs, I reach a rather huge, metallic door.

... This must be that Renna person's room.

I hope Homei's okay downstairs, but I guess I'm too worried for her. I'm not exactly over-protective of her, but I wouldn't like her to catch on the insanity those people downstairs have.

... Maybe she'd mingle well, since she seems a little... odd herself.

There's nothing to knock this metal door with, however. It's a pity. Looks like my knuckles would have to hurt a little here.

At least, I thought it was going to, but right before I touched the door, it started melting.

... Oh my lord. A melting metal door.

The door was melting quite quickly, as if it had been shoddily made of some form of metal pudding. Ugh.

"Uhm, excuse me? Is Miss Renna inside?"

"Yes, yes, I am present! You must be Vance! Come on in!"

I am not sure what happened to the door, but I really hope it's not my fault. But, what if it is? What if I stepped on some magical trigger or tripwire on the stairs that made it melt?

"I uh, I'm sorry about the melting door..."

"Don't be, I melted it on purpose."

... Did I hear that wrong?

Did she... Did she just say she melted the door on purpose?

... Never mind. Just step inside first...

"Well then, excuse my presence."

Inside the room was a rather... reminiscent scene.

It had a huge glass panel window that seemed to be a one-sided mirror, the room was filled with these funny bead curtains and groovy lava lamps, a fur rug, some comfortable sofas and some oddly-shaped fashion chairs and a small coffee table. Sitting on the seat next to it was a rather punk-styled lady in her mid-30s wearing a tough leather jacket with a 'You ain't getting this pussy' shirt, very sexy stiletto heels and webbed stockings, and a pair of rugged shorts that really defines the meaning of the word short, and holding a book and some sort of tablet in her hands- Wait, what?

Nerd things. On her hands.

The book appears to be really old and ancient, since it was using one of the oldest covers I have ever seen a book ever use. It wasn't the kind of modern hard cover we have now. It was those kinds of very, VERY old hard covers that were comprised of leather, bamboo slits and grass strings. I've always hated reading books, so I usually spend the time examining the book's features in favour of its content. Old habits don't die easy, I suppose.

The other was a really modern HAL-D192 tablet, known for many exquisite functions. I heard that this recent one allows a high-detail scanner that can be used to snap and photograph objects, or even copy the 3D dimensions of a plot of land or an object to the finest detail so it could be reconstructed as a hologram. Sue's wife had been wanting one, so Sue has often been complaining its efficiency compared to its cost to me. Had it not been for that, I would normally have not known trivia like that.

This scantily-dressed vandal... Is the only person in the room.

I guess it's safe to say she's Renna, then.

"Uhm... What are you doing?"

"Oh, could you wait a second? I wanna try this effect next."

Effect? Next? What effect was she trying?

"Let's see... Freezing... 凝固 would be the right word for this..."

Wha-? What did she say? Did she just speak Korean?

This lady is learning Korean?...

... !! The lava lamp in front of her is frozen! And there's this... this weird thing on the lava lamp now. It looks like a yellow character of some language, carved onto the lava lamp's surface.

... I didn't notice that conspicuous engraving when I entered? What the hell is wrong with me?

Also, the temperature now is actually quite warm. I don't think it's cold enough to freeze the oils inside the lava lamp. I guess I better ask her something if I want answers.

"Why is that lava lamp frozen?"

"I froze it."

Oh, she did that. It makes sense now.

... Wait a minute... !

"So... By the door being you, you meant you you, right?"

"Yeah. I melted the door, and froze this lava lamp. Is there something wrong?"

"Uhm... No, no, nothing. I was just curious. So, Miss Renna, your magic specialty is controlling the physical state of matter?"

"No."

... Huh? If she can't do it, then how did she do it?

"Then..."

"It's this book, silly."

Oh. The book did it.

... How does a book freeze lamps and melt doors?

"How does the book freeze the lamp?"

"This book is no ordinary book, you silly. This is a magical artifact that's to be put into a museum tomorrow."

An... artifact?

She's handling an artifact with her bare hands? I think I've watched enough documentaries and the like to know that the fingers produce some sort of oil that can actually damage things like these...

"An... artifact?"

"Yeah. This wonder, is known as the Words of Power Codex. Harnessed by the Scholar Kotsuba Katachi, it contains the 292 still-existing Words of Power that can alter and force things at one's knowledge and whim. But this book isn't impressive at all."

Huh. After beautifying the artifact's history, you make a turntail and diss its actual potential. What are you pulling, Miss Renna??

"What do you mean?"

"This book is absolutely useless unless you can understand the Words of Power inside. Unfortunately, it's all in Chinese. So unless you're some Chinese linguist or you have a Chinese origin, this thing won't be useful alone. You'd need something even more powerful than this book."

"Something even more... powerful?"

Wow. There's something in existence that has more value than an artifact?

"Yeah. And it's inside my tablet right now."

"What is it?"

"A Chinese-to-English Dictionary and Thesaurus. This is where true power resides within."

... A dictionary? Seriously? I thought you were going to say something even MORE epic than an artifact, and it's just a mere dictionary?

"A dictionary? You mean to say, a dictionary that can be bought for $2.99 is even more powerful than this magical artifact?"

"HEY!!! Don't belittle this marvel. You should know, that 500 years ago, in Katachi's era, dictionaries like this didn't even exist. They had to rely on bamboo scrolls and books to hopefully chance upon one of these words, and talk about it with other people to learn its meaning. And thanks to modern science, I can completely eliminate the need to rely on other people's knowledge of these words. With this dictionary and this codex, I am completely invincible."

Whatever. I'm quite worried about Homei. I guess we should just get down to detail on why she wants to see me.

"Okay, so you are. Great invincible Renna, why have you summoned me?"

"... Yes, I suppose we should stop wasting time, shouldn't we. Well, why do you think I have called you up here, Vance?"

"Uhm... Because I brought my cousin in here?"

"... No, I won't fuss you for that. It may actually be a good thing if she grows up to be an Atheist like us."

... Wow. Everyone in here seriously thinks it's fine for me to bring Homei here, huh.

"So... Why did you call me here?"

"Because, mister Vance, there's something we'd like you to make clear."

The lady Renna puts down the old book and the tablet onto the coffee table. She then stands up, walks toward me and grabs my right hand with both of her own hands.

"We would like you to ascertain your stand."

... My stand?

"Huh?"

"You might not quite understand the severity of this entire Atheist and Priest conflict. So, while the sky is still clear, we want you to ascertain your position. Are you a Priest, or are you an Atheist?"

... Huh? A... A priest? I don't think I'm a priest who holds a bible in front of a few hundred people, uniting people in holy matrimony. At least... I don't think I'm 'saintly' enough to do that.

"I think I'm an Atheist."

"Is that really it? Are you absolutely sure?"

"What do you mean?"

"... I want you to take a seat, Vance. Go ahead, sit down, and we'll have a long talk."

I should probably follow her instructions. If whatever she said is important, I should listen just in case it affects Homei.

I sit on one of those fashionable chairs made of acrylic.

Miss Renna then proceeds to sit on my lap.

... Gah.

"Please get off my lap, lady."

"No can do. First, we need to make sure you won't walk away halfway through the story. Should you stand up or cause any form of damage to me, you will not leave this seat alive. Capiche?"

I could only nod my head in agreement.

I feel her entire body weight pressing onto my left thigh, and I feel something... obnoxious pressing against my thigh and my chest.

"Let's begin with the history of the Atheist and Priest war - The very beginning. The birth of the two figures whose ideals became who we are today. Ezorie, the Holy Knight, and Raigu Tekchi, the Enderer."