Viewing His Trials

Director's Cut Episode 3

A/N: Spoilers for LN, Webnovel and Anime content ahead. Actually, this entire story is spoilers. If you aren't sure how far, I'd say that this spoiler warning extends up to Arc 6 of the Web Novel. This is far past the current end of the anime, for anime-only watchers. Now then, let us continue on, dear guests.

Symbol Explanation:

[[ Example ]] - Words encased in the [[ ]] symbols implies information added from the light novels or web novels that have been mixed into the anime, along with me fine-tuning some details, to make added content flow properly.

Episode 3: The True Suffering Begins

Nothing but darkness...a void which had no boundaries, no sense of direction, one absolutely devoid of any life, color, and sensation. Rather than darkness, it simply held a complete and utter absence of anything.

Into this darkness, a light began to form, blipping into existence among the nothingness. Yet, even as it began to glow, emitting light and sound, the void remained formless and silent. This orb was nothing but a speck in the darkness, something like a single molecule that made up this entire dimension.

The circular orb of the Host took its' full form in the void.

Yet, as soon as it appeared, its' shape began to distort and waver even further. The orb twisted and shifted, expanding outwards into a shape that spanned upwards and downwards, creating, a vaguely humanoid silhouette.

One devoid of eyes, ears, a nose, a mouth, any features that would seemed to indicate its' human-like nature besides from the shape of its' body, itself. It floated in the formless nothingness, head craned downward as it scanned its' body.

"It has been a while since I've taken this power-gathering form." The Host's voice echoed through the once-silent chamber, as it closed a fist, seemingly testing its' motor skills. "I suppose it still works well enough. Now then."

The being moved into a meditative position, crossing its' legs over one another, and resting its' hands along its' knees. There were a few moments of silence, before a whirring sound began to fill the dimension. Wispy white strands of energy began to appear from the darkness, drawing and curling around the Host in the form of thin strings, each joining together into a large aura that whipped about the Host's form.

Suddenly, the once dark void began to slowly turn white again, as if this white energy being drawn from it was bringing the dimension back to life. Light slowly expanded through the room, as the Host continued this odd energy-gathering meditation.

'I have used up quite a bit of the power that had been allotted to me. Perhaps you foresaw this? To think you'd leave this here for me, Flugel...your wisdom never ceases to amaze me.' Despite being focused on its' mediation, the Host allowed its' thoughts to wander, allowing its' form to efficiently soak up every bit of energy.

The situation outside of the "Theater" was honestly rather worrying. While the Host had the power to temporarily stop time to interfere and draw in his guests, and to alter minds, to some extent, he did not have the ability to alter the minds of those in the world at large, and he was quite definitely not capable of keeping time stopped indefinitely.

Yet, the Host did have the power of bending one's perception of time to near infinity within the Theater. While it hadn't even been a day in the outside world, it had been almost a full day and then some for those inside of the Theater. Such was his ability.

That wasn't to say that all the problems had magically been resolved due to this. The Watergate city of Priestella was currently under-guarded. It was unprepared for the attack which was to come. And not a single candidate was currently there, moreso, they had currently disappeared off the face of the world.