Working With Phantoms

Illusory Politician

Madran and Chicory left the Cathedral of Shadows with Naoki as he took them out of the city through a space of half an hour and looked over the skyline.

"Hmm. Over in Chiyoda, there's the old Diet Building."

"Oh, that place? Uh, isn't it kinda small? I don't remember it being so far away..."

Puck shook his head.

"Madran, think of that big place where the lawmakers of Japan meet, or, in this world's context, met."

"Wow, the dog knows more than the human. Yes, Puck is right. I've heard rumors of this old nemesis of mine gathering supporters there. From what I can remember, he, well, is trying to summon his Reason."

"Reason?"

"Let's get moving. I'll tell you some more along the way."

The trio then began to move along an open and dusty plain as Naoki began to speak."

"So, you see that big blue ball in the sky?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"That's Kagatsuchi. He's what caused this whole debacle in the first place."

"Oh, really? Are we going to him?"

"No, not really at all. You see, from what I've been told, all humans that are alive in this world are able to conceive a Reason."

Madran then remembered what Stephen had said earlier.

"Hey, this is what my guide talked about, uh, about humans being able to reshape the world."

"Yep, you got it. Basically, a Reason is what you want the world to be. One of the humans wants this crazy world where only the strong survive."

"That sounds unpleasant."

"It'd be easy for me, but, well, I'd feel sorry for everyone else. Next, this other human wants a world where each human gets their own solitary world where they can create whatever they want."

"Ooh, now that one's speaking my language."

"Hey. S-O-L-I-T-A-R-Y."

"Wait... oh."

"Exactly. Now, this last human, well, he wants a world of silence. Nothing happens there, aside from humans silently and peacefully serving the world without anything going on but that."

"Yikes. Do you know the names of the humans?"

"The violent one is Chiaki. She, well, was my friend, until she killed an entire race of weak demons to get closer to her Reason. Next, the lonely one is Isamu. He... uh... kinda was my friend, but I broke things off after he sacrificed a fourth human I didn't mention to get to his Reason."

"Wait, why didn't you tell me about the fourth one?"

"Because, he's dead. There's no use talking about someone who's now a buncha Magatsuhi."

"Uh... after you tell me about the silence fanatic, can you tell me about Magatsuhi?"

"Sure. The guy who started the Vortex World's formation is Hikawa."

"Hey, didn't you say Kagatsuchi did it-"

"No, he began the process, and Kagatsuchi took over from there."

"Uh... ok."

"Now, since you asked about Magatsuhi, here's what I got: basically, you need Magatsuhi in order to sustain a Reason."

"What does one do with this Magatsuhi?"

"They summon an incredibly powerful demon."

"Uh... that's a bit anticlimactic."