Gah, why is it still so disorienting… I finally started to get use to sitting with the change in perspective but moving around is still difficult. I can turn it off, but I need to adjust to this if I want it to be useful. If my perspective was purely circular around me, it may not be as bad, but I have overlapped vision of multiple perspectives from different parts of my body. These overlapped images create a three-dimensional image of everything around me from the massive collection of different images composited. Since these images are just blurs it’s like I’m surrounded by three dimensional blobs of motion blur espeshally since while moving different parts of my body are moving in such a way that the perspective of the blurs changes rapidly in it’s three dimensions.

I can at least move around a bit with it turned on. Thankfully moving around while like this has helped with some level gains but it’s going to be awhile before I can see things without feeling a bit of motion sickness. I just send out a blip of a radar occasionally, keeping my mind open in case I feel a new pair of eyes on me. I felt like that was enough to deal with any problem I’d face here.

I’d been walking for a good part of the morning waiting on someone to get near me I think either everyone else is turtling up or they are more inland. I toss a stick in the air watching its shifting shape from the different perspectives as it falls back into my hand. I’m so inraptured by the twisting forms that a quick “HEY!” Knocks me back on my ass there is a blurry shape on the shore that I thought was just a rock but opening my eyes and seeing it there is a person that is watching the sea.

“Heyo stranger! Looks like I finally found you. Figures soon after I stop looking you come and find me instead. Well come along now no need to be so weary. Here come sit with me and watch the sea.” They pat the sand next to them.

The man has short white hair slightly mess on his head and a medium length beard that I can see from the side. My knife was chipped from hitting that homing BIM so, if possible, I need to end this quickly. I pull out an impact BIM and walk up closer.

His gaze staring out over the shore turns to me. His face looks like… “There’s no need for that little anomaly. I just want to talk then you can take the chip if you want.” He turns back to the sea patting the shore next to him. I wearily approach with the BIM in hand this might be a trap. “Oh, don’t worry about that, it’s not a trick I don’t have any BIM on me.” He gestures out in the water where I see the BIM strap floating. “I tossed it on the first day and searched for you. Weaselly little fellow, aren’t you? Every time I thought I’d get near you, I sensed you’re form farther away again. Then by the time I get there you were even further away.” My stealth was working on him this whole time? Is that why he’s only showing up now? He’s potentially dangerous even if he doesn’t have his BIM then… I better do this carefully.

“We need to have a little chat about why you’re here and why you have so many spirits following you.” He turns back to me again his eyes… they seem to look through me and past me. His face though… He turns back to the ocean. “Also, why are you incomplete yet split into two parts? Did you lose the other fragments of your soul and that’s why you’re here?” Shrugging I take a seat next to him. He seems to know a thing or two and I might be able to get some information from him. Something is nagging at me ever since I saw him. Like the absence of something but I’m not sure what.

“So…” I don’t really know what to start with remembering the first meeting with Miho… Still not the greatest at ice breakers.

“-sigh- Well I suppose before starting with the questions I should welcome you to my world.” He gestures sadly to the seashore.

“Your world?” I think back to Takashi’s statement about being stuck with a world and trying to have some fun with it from Haru’s memory.

“Yes, it’s a nice little place isn’t it? I don’t do much with it anymore. Used to be there was so much magic in the air! The lands filled with wymsy and wonder… but it’s just… boring now. The people cut their connections to the spirits, placing rules where they wanted them solifying that there would be no more wonder. The humans started killing each other for greed or whatever have you.” He waves his hands dismissively at the land around us. “But the ocean is still my favorite part. Watching the sunset of the vastness of it all. Like looking at the stars and seeing them go on forever it makes the world feel so large yet so small…” He stares out over the sea a slight smile tugging at his…

“Ah right you might want this.” I’m drawn to his hand as he casually removes his chip without a thought and tosses it to me. I nearly drop it as he so casually hands it to me.

“Don’t you need this to leave?” Also wasn’t it supposed to require surgery to remove safely? Why did it just fall out?

“Ha! Not really child… I just wanted to have a little chat with you. This world isn’t all that fun anymore. I might just restart this life soon maybe see if technology will progress enough for me to have some fun again with my guidance. When I noticed you’re name on the list of nominations I knew I needed to meet you in person. A tweek here a small adjustment there and now we are here together watching the shores. Ha even this island was meant to be some form of entertainment for some of the other gods. You came right out of nowhere though. I’ve ran this world a couple of times for their entertainment, but this is the first time I’ve seen you, so I just knew you’d be interesting.” He looks over at me with a smile… His eyes seem to sparkle. “What do you mean entertainment?”

“Well just like how this island is made to entertain the masses of this world. This world was made to entertain other gods that own their own worlds. A bit of a joke of a stage on a stage. Everyone thinks they are the center when really there is an even larger picture. Ha perhaps there is even another layer up and they just watch the gods having fun as their own entertainment.” He seems to chuckle at this. “This world was based on some old stories found about in one of the worlds. I feel like I adjusted it to make most of the things right.” So, all these worlds are just entertainment? Is that why the last world seemed to operate on rules like an anime world?

“Okay so whats well your job? Like why you are here?” I gesture to the island.

“Well, that’s the thing. You got here without permission. Whoever sent you here also seems to have a much higher clearance than even me with the system HA. But it all looks so bungled up.” He stares at me for a moment.

“Hmm someone even turned-on wipe memory. I can’t really do anything about anything said from here. But I can at least read what is happening. When you pass on, I’ll be able to interact with things much more directly.” I feel something press against me but not on my skin. Inside it feels like the- Inisde me looks over and sees the old man perusing the books within my library.

“HEY! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!”

“Ah sorry sorry, didn’t realize you’d notice that. Good ability you have there. I was just seeking some answers.”

He looks back over with a more serious expre- “Have you deciphered what these administrative notes mean? Are they perhaps in your native tongue?”

I think about it looking up at the sky. “No sir… I didn’t understand what it meant either.”

His eyes sparkle again, and I briefly see him inside my library again reading that book of the admin message. “Just as well, I was concerned my translator ability wasn’t functioning correctly. This is still concerning. Not much I can do about it though… haaa you definitely changed this world a bunch though.” He turns to me again and I see the start of a smi- “Thank you for helping little Miho around. You also helped Himiko too. Though I don’t agree with your methods you have helped people so for that you have my thanks… I only hope that when you return you are able to accept what has happened even if you may not like it.” I just stare at him, I’m sure everything will be fine when I return so there is no reason to ask. I don’t really know what to ask a god… Before I can even ask a question, he starts again. “But you also did a lot of cruelty… a lot of senseless killing… Though I suppose there was little malice involved and merely these spirits getting to make you feel their hatred and anger.” He waves his hand and I feel a large relief hit me. Like an ever-present pain needling its way into my heart was plucked.

I look at him hopefully. I know it’s not really for me… but he deserves it. “Um sir… I can you uh… There are two things I want to ask.”

“Go ahead child.” He looks at me with his bright sm-.

“First… why is it every time you look away, I can’t recall anything about you except your eyes and your hair?” He laughs a deep laugh nearly falling over on his… what is his body shape?

“Haha! Yes yes that is a very good question. One you should think about later but for now just think of it like a small trick. It doesn’t mean much I merely don’t want to be recognized as for my eyes it’s a bit harder to cover the gateway to the soul.” I see the smile in his eyes.

“Your second question child?” That wasn’t much of an answer for my first but oh well. It doesn’t seem that important.

“Would it be possible… to connect another soul to me?”

“Hmmm who and why should I do this child?” He puts on a much more tense tone with this.

“I… I know I have hurt people. But Haru… he’s still inside me. No matter how grumpy and mean he can be, he still deserves happiness too. I… can you let him say goodbye to his mother’s soul and maybe let Saekos stay with him in my mindscape?” The old man lets out a long sigh.

“I can help with the first part… as for the second, I don’t have that ability here. At least not while you are alive. Perhaps if we met outside once you’ve died, I can help you there but that depends on if she decides to stick around until then. For now, come here and rest your head. I’ll let his mother say her goodbyes…” This is the most trust I’ve shown someone here besides Miho… I gently lay down. Feeling the shore wash up and soak my shoes as my eyes roll back. Haru had already stormed off to the white space earlier done with talking to me…

The inside me that never sleeps suddenly wakes up on the desk. by the time I go out to the white space to call for Haru he is crying… and the old man no… a child with short green hair is holding his mother one last time. His form twitching from the memory of his goodbye. Her frayed hair mangled and nested seeming to relax as he holds her and a gentle smile spread across her face.

He looks up at me with tears running down his face and mouths his thanks. I leave him to his goodbyes. I wait around in the library for a moment as I wait for him to finish. It’s an odd feeling this must be what it feels like for Haru to not be the in two places at once memories aren’t written in the books from those made here unless done so manually. Perhaps it’s not that ba-

My body surges back to itself as I wake up.

Gasping for breath I sit up quickly. “Ha, that was a good thing child… I’m happy that is what you asked for. That Haru in you… that’s a very pure soul you had. Full of love, sorrow and pain. I understand you feared your upbringing felt afraid of the connections but I’m also sure you’ve learned to look past it.” He slowly stands up from the beach.

“Well… I best be going now. I spent a bit too much energy on helping your friend in there say his farewells… don’t worry you’ll see me at least one more time.” With that he gives me a wink before slowly walking into the ocean. The water doesn’t even seem to ripple from his movements as he sinks below.

It takes me a moment to really process what’s happened as I look around the shore. Where he had sat there was no disturbed sand. My only reminder of the even are my soggy shoes and ruined pants as sand got everywhere again.

“Did I imagine that or did that really happen?” I stare down at the chip I got and it’s real. Haru still isn’t back so I’m unsure if that really happened for him either.

I take a moment and just… relax on the beach staring out at the sea.

I’m interrupted by a loud tone from my chip before a voice begins to speak into it.

“Contestant Shimada Hitomi! Congratulations on collecting 7 chips. We would also like to ask what occurred within the last two hours as we had lost contact with your chip and coverage during that time.” That’s right! I didn’t feel any eyes on me in that time. I didn’t even feel his despite seeing them watch me several times. Was he not really looking at me through eyes but some other sense and that’s why?

“Um yes, I uh think my chip is busted? Can I leave now please?” I look down at my chips.

“Sure thing, just stay where you are, a chopper will be down there within three hours.” Oh it’s a different voice then the last time there was an announcement too.

I’m finally going to go home! I’m finally going to be free from the fear of death! Haru’s life isn’t so bad I just need to have some good memories to play for myself and I’ll have the rest of my life to make them.