Arata's consciousness called out the name of Aiwass. He felt as if his brain was about to explode. Countless emotions, sensations, noises, and fragments of information were crashing into his mind, constantly altering his consciousness.
Aiwass's spirit was stirred, and Arata's awareness was pulled into his own mental space.
The moment Arata arrived, he was shocked by what he saw.
The space remained in a chaotic state within the cosmic model of the Void Star: Tai suu.
Countless books floated throughout the space. Each one emitted a different aura. Some felt sacred, others demonic, bizarre, sinister, profound, ancient, or twisted.
The atmosphere was so overwhelming it felt as if the entire space might tear apart.
The light and shadow that formed Aiwass looked at the chaotic scene. He raised one hand.
Immediately all the books were guided by an invisible force. They flew toward the blood red star at the center and formed a vast rotating vortex that slowly turned in perfect order.
"This is a total of 103,000 grimoires containing knowledge of magical arts. All of them were obtained by you in an instant. '707'."
The voice emerging from Aiwass sounded like an old phonograph recording. Although calm and flat, a trace of surprise could still be heard within it.
"It is a long story. Luckily you intervened in time, otherwise my head might really have exploded. This amount of knowledge is simply too vast." Arata wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with relief.
"By the way, Aiwass. Since you can intervene here, can you now interfere with the material world?"
"No. I cannot."
"My actions here are merely borrowing your power. Since you have acknowledged my existence, I can also utilize the laws derived from the Void Star: Tai suu."
"If I appear in the material world, that also means I am borrowing your power. In other words, my manifestation in reality is still the use of your own strength."
"I see." Arata looked at the enormous vortex of 103,000 grimoires circling around the Tai suu star and slowly smiled.
With a single thought, several of the books drifted toward him.
This was perhaps the greatest treasure in the world.
Within them was ninety percent of humanity's accumulated magical knowledge.
"Aiwass, I need you to teach me how to use magic next. Is that acceptable?" Arata asked.
Normally, even reading a few lines from certain grimoires would drive a magician mad.
Yet with the protection of the Void Star: Tai suu and the guidance of a being on the level of a secret chief like Aiwass, there was probably no magician in the world enjoying a more extravagant situation than him.
"Although this magical knowledge is technically outside my direct authority, I can understand it thoroughly through comparative reasoning."
"So, Arata. Which part would you like to begin learning?"
Aiwass and Arata looked toward the vortex together.
"Considering my current situation, do you have any recommendations?" Arata asked honestly.
He was a complete novice when it came to magic. He barely understood the fundamentals.
The 103,000 grimoires contained magical knowledge from almost every civilization in human history.
It was safer to ask Aiwass.
"The 103,000 grimoires include nearly ninety percent of the magical systems developed by humanity from the dawn of civilization until today."
"The best choice is to begin with a single system."
As Aiwass spoke, the countless grimoires surrounding Arata returned to orbit around the Tai suu star.
Then more than a dozen books drifted forward.
"These are the foundational texts representing the core magical systems of this world."
The Taoist Tao Te Ching.
Christianity's Bible.
The Aztec Venus Serpent Sacrifice.
Buddhism's Amitabha Sutra.
Brahmanism's Rigveda.
Egypt's Book of the Dead.
The Norse mythological epic Nibelungenlied.
Zoroastrianism's Avesta.
"I recommend that you study these three magical systems simultaneously."
Arata looked at the original texts representing several mythological traditions and felt a headache forming.
Before obtaining these grimoires he had longed for magic.
Now that he possessed 103,000 of them he had no idea which one to begin with.
Seeing Arata's indecisive expression, Aiwass allowed only three books to remain while the others returned to the swirling vortex.
"Since choosing is difficult, studying these three systems together will be the most efficient path for you."
"Your Void Star: Tai suu cosmology aligns closely with the Tao Te Ching."
"The Bible clearly describes the path of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. It will guide your path toward godhood and provide a framework of rules to regulate your power."
"The Nibelungen text contains extensive knowledge of rune magic. Through it you will be able to design and arrange runic structures according to your own needs."
Arata smiled after hearing Aiwass's explanation.
"Having a professional teacher is definitely better than hesitating on my own."
"In that case I will begin studying the magical knowledge of these three systems."
Aside from the Tao Te Ching and the Bible, Arata could not help wondering whether the knowledge contained in the Nibelungen tradition might have some connection to the Magic God Othinus.
Inside his consciousness there was effectively unlimited time.
Yet in the real world only a moment passed.
---
At the apartment.
Index was happily stuffing fried rice into her mouth, seemingly having forgotten Arata's exaggerated story from earlier.
"Fried rice today?" said Misaka Mikoto in mild surprise.
"Arata's cooking skills improved a lot today."
Nearby, Misaka 8913 stared blankly at the spoonful of fried rice glistening in her hand.
"Idiot. Did you forget that we finished all the bread last night?" Arata laughed.
"So delicious!" Index's cheeks puffed out like a small squirrel. Rice grains clung to her face.
"How can Arata make fried rice this good? Do you have some special recipe?"
"I suppose you could say it is a secret recipe. If I get a few more kitchen tools I could even make the dishes glow," Arata said seriously.
"Food that glows? Science is incredible." Index tilted her head.
Whenever magic could not explain something she attributed it to science. Just like ordinary people blamed unexplained things on God.
"It is almost nine o'clock. I need to go to school."
"Index, stay home and do not wander outside. No matter where you go I will still find you."
"If there is something you do not understand, you can ask Misaka."
Arata glanced at the alarm clock while tidying the dishes.
Index smiled faintly and lowered her head.
"I will not leave, Arata. But I still hope I will not drag you into danger."
"Do not underestimate me." Arata grinned.
"I am stronger than you think. I might even defeat a Magic God one day."
He handed her the room key and walked out of the apartment.
The sun was already high in the sky and the temperature was slowly rising.
Although telekinesis could insulate against temperature changes, harsh sunlight could still affect one's mood.
"Words truly are a frightening weapon." Arata muttered while smiling slightly.
"When used correctly they can become completely invincible."
The spell Kotoba Infinite Deception was a Word Magic technique that had already reached the threshold of the divine domain.
However its limitations were obvious.
For the lie to become reality, someone else had to deny it.
And the scale of the effect depended on how many people rejected the lie.
For example, declaring that the world would flood would not become reality if only one person denied it.
A large population would need to reject the statement for the distortion of reality to occur.
However if the spell targeted a single individual, its power was nearly absolute.
Against beings such as angels or Magic Gods its effect would probably be limited.
Even so the ability itself was already terrifying.
It could distort reality, reverse cause and effect, and blur the boundary between truth and lies.
---
Meanwhile in London.
Inside St. George's Cathedral.
"My protective mechanisms were bypassed?"
Laura Stuart narrowed her blue glass like eyes slightly, half lost in thought.
"What kind of power could accomplish this?"
"Aleister. Was this your doing?"
...
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