Cruel Reality

"Why have you come here, Sorcerer?" Eternal Consciousness asked.

"I came here for several reasons," Ian explained. "Do you know about the Great Convergence? Can you tell me anything about it?"

"The higher truths of the universe cannot be revealed."

"Not even to someone trying to protect you and your existence?"

"That is correct." Eternal Consciousness nodded.

"Can't you be a little more flexible?" Ian suddenly found himself missing Kronai. Although she was rigid too, she was definitely more flexible than the one before him.

"Rules and regulations bind me, so I cannot—no, I absolutely must not—reveal certain truths."

"All right," Ian said, sounding slightly irritated. "Can you at least help me protect this timeline?" He explained the Dimensional Stabilizer Barrier and expressed his hope that Eternal Consciousness could help him set them up.

Eternal Consciousness did not answer immediately, seemingly deep in thought. Then, in its usual cold, mechanical tone, it said, "Your actions fall within the authorized rules. Show me the barrier."

Ian displayed a complex rune. Immediately afterward, he activated his Cosmic Awareness. He felt the entire universe tremble slightly, and then an invisible magic array surrounded it. Just as he had designed it, the barrier drew an enormous amount of energy from every dimension.

"Do you have anything else to ask me?"

"No," Ian replied. He had already deduced that this Cosmic Will would not cooperate like Kronai, so there was nothing left to discuss. "In that case, farewell."

Ian opened his eyes and sighed. "Did you collect any data?"

"Yes, but nothing particularly remarkable," Morgana replied. "Still, something is better than nothing."

"The Fusion of worlds is the best opportunity to observe and collect data on the Cosmic Will, so it doesn't matter that we didn't get much this time. Now, let's get started."

Ian