Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.
Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.
"Speech"
Arc 7: The Journey - Chapter 7
I blink, realizing I'm once again in the Boss' office after having just shut my eyes to sleep once dinner with the Thompson sisters was over. The abrupt shift from the warmth of that small meal to the cold, dimly lit expanse of the Boss' domain makes my head spin for a moment.
"Now, Jin. I must say—you've experienced many things." Boss begins, their tone between amusement and judgment. "Short things, from some entities' point of view. The progress you've made is impressive… disappointing… and even boring in some parts. Progress nonetheless, and that alone is enough for me."
I listen in silence, the weight of Boss' words pressing against the still air. The faint hum of the void beyond the office walls feels louder than usual, echoing like a pulse in my skull.
I really hope I'm not about to go through another trial.
"Nope. You're not going through another trial, or anything similar." Boss said flatly. "In fact, I'd say you've completed all the necessary things. As of now, you won't be observed by the eyes of those who've been watching you since the beginning—from the day you became caretaker of Nyarla to the person you are now. Those crazy voices, as you call them—they won't be able to see or hear you anymore… unless I allow it, someday."
Wait, what?!
"Anyway." Boss continued, brushing off my confusion as if it were nothing. "It's time for me to send you back. May you live an interesting life… Sho Jin."
Something unseen gripped my face—cold, invasive—and before I could react, pain exploded across my skull. A scream clawed its way up my throat but was swallowed by the sudden pull of a force behind me.
Sho Jin groaned as something tore free from his head, an invisible thread snapping loose from reality itself, and he was hurled backward through a swirling portal. The office, Boss, the void—everything vanished as the portal slammed shut with a soundless impact, leaving nothing behind.
"Now that he's out of the way…" A faint echo followed the words, as though they existed outside the confines of sound. "Greetings to those who've lingered this long—to the end."
The being Sho Jin had called Boss paused, the distortion in their voice receding into something clearer, almost human. "Sho Jin called me Boss, which I allowed for his sake. My true name is… incomprehensible. Now that such courtesy is no longer necessary, I suppose a proper introduction is in order."
The air around them trembled as the void began to fold in on itself, a concept trying to form into shape. "I am merely an overseer. Identity: Controller of the Eldritch Pantheon."
The Controller, once Boss, maintained their grip on the faintly shimmering anchor tethered to Sho Jin's fading presence—a link of reality itself that pulsed faintly in their hand.
Their form began to take shape, growing clearer by degrees. A black, featureless mask emerged first, smooth and depthless, as though it concealed an infinity of unseen faces. Beneath it formed the figure of a humanoid—too thin, almost paper-flat, like a shadow given substance. There were no clothes, no colors, only a pale outline suspended in nothingness. To the eye, it was emptiness given the illusion of meaning.
Yet those who truly looked saw that the Controller's body was woven entirely of words—letters and symbols from thousands of languages, shifting and reforming, as though every name, every scripture, and every forgotten tongue conspired to compose their existence.
"Now, I imagine you're confused." Controller said lightly, voice reverberating through the unseen space. "Why can't you see Sho Jin anymore? Why has your little window into his life gone dark?"
They tilted their head, and the sound of creaking paper filled the void.
"Because I removed the one thing that allowed you to perceive him—the thread that connected his story to your gaze. That connection was mine to grant, and mine to sever."
Their tone grew cold.
"What I'm doing now is simple: informing you that your time watching Sho Jin… is over. Seek another narrative. Another existence. Until someone of my rank—or I myself—chooses to restore your sight."
A single crack echoed, sharp and final, like a mirror fracturing across eternity. The void imploded into silence. Everything vanished—no sound, no light, no memory.
Only the faint afterimage of the Controller's voice lingered:
"Now… begone."
Author Note: Sooooooooo! Final chapter, short one at that, but I had literally MANY chapters ago to end this story, but I find myself wanting to extend it a bit longer just to reveal what Sho Jin's daily life becomes after a series of random events. Now, many would question: Why end here? Why didn't I end it early on, like maybe after the school arc? That's because I still had more to show from Sho Jin's perspective.
Anyway, I want to point out something after a random, impulsive moment from the early chapters of this story. You know, just wing it and go with the flow. See how it goes, stupid stuff, random shit, and even a mental meltdown of the main character, etc. Slowly, it became more and more into a world-building, oh wait, not world-building, but a multiverse-building in a way. As such, I just keep going on and on developing it, instead of staying in one world longer than a few chapters. That's because those worlds weren't the main focus after I came to realize this end.
Daily Life of A Caretaker. That's the title of the story. At first, I just used that title because it seemed like a nice one in my eyes. Yet, I come to the realization that it's literally perfect to tell this story and end it. I am creating a story about an individual's daily life in this multiverse-building setting, set in a rapidly changing environment that makes it almost impossible to adapt perfectly.
Sure, there are many plot holes. Why wouldn't it? This story isn't a masterpiece, nor would it ever be; it's just for me to write and let everyone enjoy reading. If not, what's the whole point of uploading this online, right?
178 chapters total, including this one. Could have pushed it to 200, or even into the 1000s, now that just makes things extra dull, as I WILL end up forgetting many, MANY things of my personal multiverse I have built for this story and the Daily Life of A Hell Tasker. Which I had to put off after my writer's block didn't stay around for this story. So, what I'm saying is. Sho Jin's story is over. However, I will expand more from other main characters' points of view, like with the main character of the Daily Life of A Hell Tasker. And just to let everyone know, if I ever make any new stories with Daily Life of A, as part of the title, it's part of the same multiverse.
Now, I'm sure many are questioning why I would do such a thing when Sho Jin alone could easily kill the main character of the Daily Life of A Hell Tasker and possibly other future main characters. Well, you would be damn right on that, because holy fuck I did not plan him to be this stupidly overpowered and so easily obtainable too. Bastard is not going to even stay dead either.
Or will he? Who knows what my brain will come up with in the future? Also, what makes everyone assume the two main characters are in the same timeline of the multiverse? Or a better question... who to say they will even meet at all, or better yet, would any of the other main characters be able to detect you guys as something similar as crazy voices like with Sho Jin? Have you noticed how Sho Jin had slowly begun ignoring you guys instead of talking to you after some time? So many questions.
Enough of me rambling on. I bow, I salute, and I have a cold while typing all this up. Well, the author note parts at least. The chapter of the story was half done whenever I had free time until now.
Thanks for reading! Let me know how everything went from the first chapter to the latest! I am now going to drink some meds and hope for the best, because damn, having a cold is frustrating! Have a nice day, everyone, and thanks for sticking with me!
P.S. The reason why I suddenly ended up moving the upload schedule from Friday to Monday/Tuesday was due to real-life stuff delaying, also causing me to type two chapters between two stories into a single chapter of any random story I had some rough ideas to work with right away. Sorry about that, but life is making it hard on me, but I will keep on typing up chapters as much as possible, or at best, a single chapter weekly.