Kaito—or Silas, as he was now apparently known in this terrifyingly real new world—could only stare. The forest, moments before a stage for violence and fear, had become a hushed cathedral of misplaced adoration. Elara remained bowed before him, her shoulders trembling, the ancient scroll clutched like a holy relic. The faint, ethereal glow from its parchment cast an almost saintly luminescence on her earnest, upturned face. Shadow Emperor? Gospel? Aspirin kingdom? The words echoed in his skull, a cacophony of utter bewilderment, temporarily eclipsing even the lingering throb of his headache.
His silence, born of pure, unadulterated shock, stretched. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. What could he possibly say? "Sorry, miss, I think you've got the wrong guy. I'm just an IT technician with a penchant for dramatic quotes and a really bad concussion, possibly post-mortem"? It sounded insane even to him.
Elara, however, saw not confusion, but profundity in his stillness. Her eyes, shining with an almost unbearable fervour, welled with fresh tears. "Oh, my Emperor," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "Even now, you gather your divine will, contemplating the immensity of the task before us! The ancient texts spoke of your solemn introspection, your quiet communion with the very fabric of fate before unveiling the next stanza of your glorious Gospel!" She bowed her head even lower, pressing her forehead to the damp earth. "We are not worthy, yet we are blessed to witness it!"
Solemn introspection? Kaito thought, a fresh wave of panic cresting within him. I'm trying to remember if I left my virtual pet alien fed in that MMO! Fabric of fate? I can barely figure out how to tie my own shoelaces in this… this new body! He took a shaky breath, the air surprisingly cool and crisp in his lungs. This was too much. He had to say something, anything, to dispel this monumental misunderstanding.
"Look, uh," he began, his voice cracking slightly. He cleared his throat, trying for a tone of gentle reason. "Miss Elara, I appreciate the… the sentiment, truly. But I think there's been a terrible mistake. I'm not… I'm not who you think I am."
Elara lifted her head, her expression one of beatific understanding mixed with a touch of gentle pity – for him. "Of course, my Lord Silas," she said softly, as if soothing a child. "The burden of divinity is a heavy one, and humility is the mark of all true sovereigns. The prophecies foretold even this: 'He shall walk among them, cloaked in the guise of the ordinary, His true radiance veiled until the appointed hour, lest mortals be blinded by His glory.' Your reluctance to claim your station only further proves your magnificence!"
Kaito felt a desperate laugh bubble up, but he choked it down. It would probably be misinterpreted as a divine chuckle heralding a new cosmic joke. Every attempt to deny, to inject sanity, was being twisted, reframed, and absorbed into this… this narrative she had constructed around him from a dusty old scroll and his accidental acts of overpowered clumsiness.
He gestured vaguely towards the direction where the cultists had been unceremoniously yeeted into the foliage. "But… that… what happened to them… I didn't mean to do that! It just… happened!"
Elara's eyes widened with renewed awe. "Effortless, my Emperor! You wield the very energies of creation and unmaking as easily as another might draw breath! 'His will alone shall be His weapon, His quiet word the thunder that shatters the citadels of despair.' It is written! You simply willed them to silence, and the universe obeyed! Oh, what sublime power!" She practically vibrated with devotional energy.
Kaito ran a hand through his unfamiliar hair, feeling the surprisingly soft strands. He glanced towards the incapacitated cultists. A shiver, not entirely of fear, traced its way down his spine. He had done that. As much as he wanted to deny it, a part of him, a new, instinctual part, knew that the power had come from him. The thought was both exhilarating and terrifying.
Elara, sensing his gaze, carefully rose to her feet, though she kept her head slightly bowed in deference. "They are merely tools of the Discordant Choir, my Lord," she said, her voice firming with resolve. "Pawns of the Eternal Oblivion you are destined to unravel. This region has long suffered under the creeping shadow of their influence, with corrupt local officials like Baron Volkov acting as their willing instruments. He is the one who ordered my capture, seeking the knowledge within this very scroll – the Prophecy of the Shadowed Word." She held up the scroll, its faint glow seeming to pulse in time with her words. "It speaks of your coming, the locations of sacred relics vital to your ascension, and the signs that would herald the dawn of your Imperium."
Imperium? Kaito's stomach did a nervous flip. This was escalating far too quickly. "So, this scroll," he said, trying to steer the conversation towards something tangible, "it's important?"
"It is a fragment of the First Gospel, my Emperor!" Elara declared, her eyes blazing. "Passed down through generations of my family, the Keepers of the Whispered Truth. Baron Volkov sought to silence its message, to prevent your fated arrival. But your light," she gestured towards him, "has pierced his darkness."
Kaito looked around the oppressive forest. "Right. Light. So… what now? We can't just stay here, can we?" He was thinking practically: Elara was injured, albeit seemingly less so than before (had his accidental healing touch been more effective than he realized?), and this forest was clearly not safe. Plus, he was starving. And confused. Very, very confused. His primary goal was to find a town, some form of civilization, maybe a library with a section on "What to Do When You Accidentally Become a Prophesied Shadow Emperor in Another World."
"Your wisdom is profound, Lord Silas!" Elara exclaimed, seizing his words. "Indeed, we cannot linger where the shadows of doubt and the remnants of the enemy's taint still cling! The prophecy speaks of the First Proclamation, the act that will solidify your divine mandate in this realm! You spoke of seeking 'clarity' when you first graced me with your presence."
Kaito blinked. He vaguely remembered saying something like that. He'd meant he wanted clarity on whether he was dreaming or certifiably insane.
Elara continued, her voice ringing with purpose. "The 'clarity' you seek, oh Emperor, must be the cleansing of this immediate blight! Baron Volkov's fortress lies but half a day's journey to the north. It is there his ill-gotten gains are hoarded, there his dark compacts are forged! We must march upon his den of inequity, retrieve what he has stolen from the common folk, and expose his servitude to the Void! Your first act of imperial justice will send a clear message: the Shadow Emperor has arrived, and His reign of righteous judgment has begun!" She struck a pose, one hand on the scroll, the other pointing dramatically northwards.
Kaito stared at her, then in the direction she indicated. March upon a fortress? Expose a baron? Imperial justice? He'd been hoping for directions to the nearest inn, maybe one that served a decent breakfast platter. "Uh," he began, "isn't that a bit… ambitious? For two people? One of whom is, you know," he gestured to himself, "new in town?"
Elara smiled, a radiant expression of unshakeable faith. "My Lord, you are an army unto yourself. And I am but your humble herald. Besides," her smile became a little fiercer, "the prophecy states, 'Where His shadow falls, the legions of the faithful shall gather.' Your very presence will inspire others. But first, we must take the initial step. We must embody the change you wish to see."
Kaito felt a headache returning. He was out of his depth, drowning in a sea of prophetic misinterpretations. But Elara seemed so… certain. And honestly, the idea of getting out of this creepy forest, even if it was towards a potentially hostile baron, was appealing. Maybe at this baron's place, there'd be actual aspirin. Or a map. Or someone who spoke sense.
"Alright," he sighed, a sound of weary resignation. "North, you said?" He just wanted to get moving. Anywhere but here.
Elara's face lit up as if he'd just handed her the keys to the aforementioned Imperium. "Yes, my Emperor! North! Your word is law!" She carefully re-rolled the scroll and tucked it into a hidden pocket in her tattered gown. Then, with a surprisingly steady gait for someone who had been injured moments before, she began to lead the way, pushing aside branches with a newfound energy.
The journey began. Kaito, feeling like a reluctant participant in a very intense LARP he hadn't signed up for, followed Elara through the dense undergrowth. The forest was a labyrinth of towering trees, their canopy so thick that only slivers of an unfamiliar, faintly violet sky were visible. Strange birds with iridescent plumage flitted between branches, their calls echoing eerily.
Every few steps, Kaito's unfamiliarity with the terrain, or perhaps just his general state of bewilderment, would cause him to stumble over a root or misjudge the slickness of moss-covered stones. Each time, Elara would pause, a look of profound understanding on her face.
"Ah, my Lord!" she'd exclaim after one particularly awkward trip that nearly sent him sprawling. "You demonstrate the perils that lie hidden even on the clearest path! A lesson in vigilance for your humble servant! We must always be aware of the unseen dangers, just as you are ever watchful!"
Kaito just grunted, rubbing his bruised knee. He'd been distracted by a particularly large, multi-legged insect he was fairly certain was venomous.
A while later, his stomach let out an embarrassingly loud rumble. He hadn't eaten since… well, since his instant ramen in his previous life. "Is there, um, anything edible around here?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
Elara stopped and turned, her expression solemn. "Your Majesty is testing my resourcefulness, and reminding me that even the most spiritual journey requires sustenance for the mortal coil! Of course!" She then proceeded to identify three different types of berries (declaring one "too bitter, like the taste of betrayal, best avoided," another "sweet, like the coming victory," and a third "nourishing, like the strength of your divine word") and even managed to unearth some edible roots with a sharpened stick she produced from somewhere.
Kaito ate the "sweet victory" berries. They were tart, but better than nothing. He watched Elara, her earlier fear replaced by a fervent, almost joyful dedication. She moved with a purpose he found both admirable and deeply unsettling, given that he was the supposed source of it.
As they neared the edge of the forest, they passed by the area where the cultists had landed. Kaito couldn't help but glance at them. They were slumped in unnatural positions, their limbs bent at odd angles. They weren't moving. A wave of nausea hit him. He'd… he'd done that. To living beings. Accident or not, the finality of it was a cold weight in his gut.
Elara noticed his gaze. "Do not let their fate trouble your noble heart, Emperor Silas," she said gently, her voice soft but firm. "They chose the path of darkness and reaped its bitter fruit at your just hand. Your power is a cleansing fire, consuming the rot to allow new growth. It is harsh, yes, but necessary for the dawn you herald."
Kaito didn't answer. He just wanted to get away from there.
A few minutes later, they came to a small, almost completely overgrown path. A massive, ancient tree had fallen across it, its trunk easily five feet in diameter, completely blocking the way. Elara frowned. "This will delay us, my Lord. We will have to find a way around."
Kaito looked at the tree. He was tired. He was confused. He was emotionally drained. And now this. A surge of irrational frustration welled up within him. He just wanted this obstacle gone. Without thinking, without any conscious intent beyond a strong desire for the tree to not be there, he kicked its massive trunk.
It wasn't a powerful kick, more a petulant nudge born of annoyance. He expected to stub his toe, maybe elicit a dull thud from the ancient wood.
Instead, there was a sound like a thunderclap ripping through the quiet forest. The section of the colossal trunk he'd kicked didn't just splinter; it exploded outwards in a shower of wooden shrapnel and dust, as if hit by a cannonball. A perfectly round, five-foot-diameter hole appeared in the tree, clear through to the other side. The air reeked of ozone and freshly pulverized wood. The rest of the tree groaned ominously but remained standing, now with a bizarrely neat tunnel through its midsection.
Kaito stared at his foot, then at the hole, then back at his foot. He wiggled his toes. They felt fine. He hadn't felt a thing.
Elara, who had taken a startled step back, was gazing at the perfectly carved tunnel with an expression of pure, unadulterated rapture. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps.
"By the First Shadow!" she finally breathed, her voice trembling with awe. "You… you did not merely break it, my Emperor… you unmade its defiance! You carved a path where none existed, with but a single, symbolic gesture of your imperial will! This… this is not mere strength, this is a statement! A sign! The Way Forward Is Clear, Forged by the Emperor's Own Hand!"
She looked at Kaito, her eyes blazing with an almost terrifying intensity. "The path you have just opened… it leads directly towards the foothills where Baron Volkov's fortress, the 'Cragstone Hold,' stands! This is no mere coincidence, Lord Silas! This is a divine directive! You have literally paved the way!"
Kaito looked at the tunnel, then at Elara, then back at the tunnel. He was too stunned to even formulate an internal monologue of panic. He just felt numb.
Elara, however, was galvanized. "We must not delay! Your will has been made manifest!" She gestured dramatically towards the newly formed tree-tunnel. "Onward, my Emperor! To Cragstone Hold! To deliver your first Imperial Edict upon the wicked!"
Without waiting for a reply, she squared her shoulders and marched purposefully towards the hole in the tree, ready to step onto the "divinely paved" path.
Kaito sighed, a long, weary exhalation that seemed to carry the weight of several impending misunderstandings. All he'd wanted was to find some aspirin. Now, apparently, he was about to lay siege to a fortress.
This, he thought with a grim certainty as he reluctantly followed Elara towards the tree-tunnel, is going to be a very, very long day.