The return was as disorienting as the departure. For Tony Stark, it was a lurch back into his chair, the scent of motor oil and coffee suddenly overwhelming. For Noah, it was the return of the cataclysmic roar of mana and the flood of EXP notifications. For Ves, it was the sterile silence of his design studio, his multi-tool clattering to the floor from a hand that wouldn't stop shaking. For Usopp, it was the warm wood of the Sunny's deck under his back, Chopper's furry face peering down at him in panic.
They were home. But the window in their minds remained, now exploding with a cacophony of new voices.
Kazuki Tanaka, known to the DCC as Otaku_4_Life, was in the middle of a ranked match in his favorite mobile game when the world dissolved into text. His phone clattered onto his cluttered desk, knocking over a can of limited-edition Rainbow Dash energy drink.
He stared, unblinking, at the mental feed. The usernames. The phrases. It was impossible. It was…
Baggins_Of_Bag_End: I do beg your pardon? This is most irregular! I was just sitting down to a spot of tea! Is this some elvish magic? It's terribly rude!
Oh my god, Kazuki thought, his brain short-circuiting. That's… that's the cadence. That's exactly how he talks.
Byakugan_Princess: U-um… hello? Wh-what is this jutsu? I can't seem to dispel it…
Hinata. That's Hinata Hyuga. Pre-time-skip, by the sound of the stutter. Oh, man, she's so pure.
Gourmet_Life_Academy: EEEEEEEK! A voice! In my head! Is this a new type of Fearow? A telepathic one?! Komatsu is scared!
Komatsu! The walking anxiety attack of the Gourmet World! This is too much!
The_Boy_Who_Lived: …Hello? Is someone there? This feels… different from Legilimency.
Harry! Sounds like post-Hogwarts? Confident, but wary. Wow.
Kazuki's inner monologue was a screaming, high-speed commentary track only he could hear. He was a spectator in the front row of the greatest, most impossible crossover event in multiversal history.
Ultramarine_Sergeant: +IDENTIFY YOURSELVES, XENOS SCUM! THIS PSYCHIC INTRUSION WILL BE MET WITH PURGING FIRE!+
WOAH. Titus. Warhammer 40k. CAPS LOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL. He's gonna try to purge the chat. He's literally going to try to exterminatus a text-based interface. I love it.
Berkian_Inventor: Woah! Did everyone else just hear a really loud man? And… a turtle? And a girl who turns into aliens? This is… actually, this is kind of cool. Are you all dragons?
Hiccup! That's Hiccup Haddock! The awe, the curiosity, the immediate jump to dragons… perfect.
Ground_Sloth_Enthusiast: Voice? Head? Ooooh! New friend! You sound crunchy! I mean, friendly!
Sid. Of course. He thinks thoughts are crunchy. This is the best day of my life.
Kazuki watched, utterly paralyzed by geeky ecstasy, as the original members tried to regain control of the spiraling situation.
Nexus_Prime: Okay, everyone, shut up! SHUT UP! Newbies, listen up! You've been drafted. This isn't a trick, it's not a jutsu, it's not magic—well, it might be magic, it's kinda everything. It's a multidimensional chat group that occasionally yanks people out of their reality to fight space monsters.
Infinite_Archmage: His summary, while crude, is essentially correct. You are now nodes in a convergent network. Resistance is illogical. Comprehension is your primary survival tool.
Mech_Pilgrim: And a breach of cognitive security! We must institute protocols! We need designations, chain of command, and a full debriefing on everyone's technological and/or biological capabilities for threat assessment!
Sogeking: Please don't make me go back! There was a wall of eyes! A WALL!
Kazuki hugged himself, rocking in his gamer chair. They're trying to be serious but they're all so in character! Stark is snarky and trying to be in charge, Noah is an emotionless wiki page, Ves is having a logistics meltdown, and Usopp is still traumatized. It's beautiful.
Capsule_Corp_Heiress: Multidimensional? Fascinating. So, this is a cross-universe communication and teleportation system. The energy source must be phenomenal. Who built it? Your physics must be incredibly advanced.
Bulma! She's not even fazed! She's just instantly fascinated by the tech! Of course she is! She's seen weirder!
Slifer_The_Sky_Dorm: Whoa, this is wild! Is this a new Duel Monster spirit? Hey, everybody!
Jaden Yuki. He's just excited. He probably thinks this is a new card effect. I bet he's grinning like an idiot.
The_Boy_Who_Lived: So… you fight monsters? What kind? Like… Dementors? Or…?
Lion_Cub_of_Cintra: Monsters I understand. Why am I here? Speak plainly.
Ciri! She's all business. Probably thinks this is a new type of Wild Hunt.
Kazuki's fingers itched. He had to say something. He had to engage. This was his chance. But what do you say? 'I'm a huge fan'? They'd think he was insane. Well, he was, but still.
He watched as Hinata tried to explain chakra to a skeptical Titus, who declared it a form of witch-powers. He saw Bilbo trying to offer everyone virtual tea and seed-cakes. He saw James from Team Rocket offer everyone a "lovely, yet sinister, Magikarp" as a peace offering. It was chaos. Glorious, beautiful chaos.
Then, the system pinged again.
DCC Analysis Complete. User [Otaku_4_Life] designated as Meta-Cognitive Anomaly. Profile: Native of low-energy reality (Designation: Earth-Prime). No exceptional physical, magical, or spiritual capabilities detected. Anomalous Property: Possesses extensive, seemingly precognitive knowledge of multiple converged realities. Knowledge base classified as 'Narrative Awareness.' Designation Updated: [The Archivist]
Kazuki's blood ran cold. The chat went silent.
They know. The system knows I know. Oh crap. Oh crap oh crap oh crap.
Oracle_Scribe: 'Narrative Awareness'? Explain.
Nexus_Prime: Wait. 'Earth-Prime'? That sounds ominously like the boring, vanilla original. And 'precognitive knowledge'? You know things? About us?
Anodite_Spark: Whoa, like, you've seen the future? That's so cool! What happens with me and Kevin? Do we get married? Do I become a full Anodite?
Salamander: DO I EVER GET TO FIGIGHT A REALLY STRONG DRAGON? LIKE, A SUPER STRONG ONE?
Eyes_of_Progress: Do you know my brother? Is he okay? What happens to him?
The questions came in a torrent. Kazuki felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. This was a minefield. A huge, spoiler-filled, world-shattering minefield.
The_Archivist: Uhhhhhhhh. Okay. Wow. This is awkward. Hi. So. Yeah. My name is Kazuki. Where I'm from… your worlds? They're stories. Comics, books, anime, movies, games.
He felt the stunned silence through the chat.
The_Archivist: I know… a lot. About a lot of you. But it's not precognition! It's not like I see the future! I've just… read it. Or watched it.
Ultramarine_Sergeant: +HERESY! THE WORDS OF A MADMAN! YOU CLAIM THE SACRED HISTORY OF THE IMPERIUM IS BUT A TALE FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT?+
The_Archivist: No! Not amusement! Well, yes, entertainment, but it's more than that! We admire you! We look up to you! We analyze your stories for themes and character development and—!
Mech_Pilgrim: This is an outrage! Our lives! Our struggles! Our glimmers of inspiration! They are reduced to… to entertainment for a primitive reality?! The existential implications are… are… He's hyperventilating.
Dance_of_Petals: You speak of knowing our futures. My future. What… what happens to me? To Captain Kuchiki? To Soul Society?
Kazuki swallowed hard. Don't say "you die." DON'T SAY "YOU DIE."
The_Archivist: I… I can't. I can't just tell you. Knowing the future changes it. And… some things shouldn't be known ahead of time. The joy is in the journey! The struggle! The… uh… narrative tension!
He was digging his own grave. He could feel it.
Infinite_Archmage: 'Narrative tension.' A fascinating concept. It implies our existence is structured. That there is a author. A creator. This aligns with the theories of certain Primordial Existences. Your value may be immense, Archivist. You are a living database.
The_Archivist: Please don't dissect me.
Nexus_Prime: Okay, pause. Let's all take a breath. Glasses-wearing kid from a no-power zone is our new wiki. Weird, but not the weirdest thing today. The question is, how do we use this? Kid, what can you tell us that won't break the space-time continuum or give someone an existential crisis?
Kazuki took a deep breath. This was his out. He had to be useful. He had to prove his value without being a spoiler-machine.
The_Archivist: Okay. Okay. I can do that. I can give generalities. Assessments. Stuff that's already happened. Like… um… Nexus_Prime, you're Tony Stark. Genius, billionaire, Iron Man. You have a massive ego but a good heart under like, forty layers of sarcasm and trauma.
Nexus_Prime: …Forty-one, but who's counting? Accurate. Creepy, but accurate.
The_Archivist: Infinite_Archmage, you're Noah Osmont. You started… less powerful. You basically broke your universe's magic system and now you have, well, infinite mana. You're kind of a reality warper now.
Infinite_Archmage: A simplistic but not inaccurate summary.
The_Archivist: Sogeking is actually Usopp from the Straw Hat Pirates, and he's a lot braver than he thinks he is. Salamander is Natsu Dragneon, a Dragon Slayer from Fairy Tail, and he eats fire. Oracle_Scribe is Robin from Young Justice, a genius-level tactician. Dance_of_Petals is Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper. Creation_Hero is Momo Yaoyorozu from UA High. Anodite_Spark is Gwen Tennyson. Eyes_of_Progress is Sung Jinah, sister of the Hunter Sung Jinwoo. Cowabunga_Dude is Michelangelo, the Ninja Turtle.
He took another breath, then addressed the newbies.
The_Archivist: And you… you're all from your own worlds. Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit. Hinata Hyuga from Konoha. Komatsu, the chef from the Gourmet World. Harry Potter, the wizard. Cirilla of Cintra, the Lion Cub. James, from Team Rocket—yes, I know about Team Rocket. Bulma Briefs from Capsule Corp. Jaden Yuki, Slifer Red duelist. Sergeant Titus of the Ultramarines. Hiccup Haddock from Berk. Sid the Sloth. And… Han Sen, from the sanctuary… who is probably already figuring out how to exploit this for resources.
The silence was profound. He'd named them all. Perfectly.
Celestial_Royal_Chef: …You know me? A mere chef? How?
The_Archivist: Dude, you cook for a guy who fights things that make planets look like appetizers. You're a legend.
Pokemon_Breeder_James: You know of Team Rocket's elegant nefariousness? How delightful!
Capsule_Corp_Heiress: So our lives are just… open books to you? Weird. But handy. Okay, new rule: nobody ask him about their love life. That's just rude.
The_Boy_Who_Lived: Seconded.
Byakugan_Princess: Thirded… Her mental voice was a tiny, embarrassed squeak.
Kazuki felt a wave of relief. They were weirded out, but they were accepting it. Bulma had just effectively neutered the most dangerous line of questioning.
Oracle_Scribe: This 'Archivist' function could be a significant strategic advantage. Kazuki, can you access your knowledge on command? Could you, for example, provide a psychological profile on a foe we encounter? Or identify weaknesses in technology or magic we've never seen before?
The_Archivist: I… I can try. It's all kinda just… in here. He tapped his head. If you describe something, I might recognize it.
Nexus_Prime: Okay. So we've got a walking, talking strategy guide. I can work with that. Now, can we please—
The system pinged again, cutting him off. This time, it wasn't a welcome message. The interface flickered, and the text turned a threatening, bloody red.
ALERT: Cognitive Echo Detected. Source: [Null King Bio-Engine] remnants. Status: Analyzing DCC transmission data. Analysis Target: [The Archivist] - 'Narrative Awareness' database. Threat Projection: If acquired, target [Null King] will achieve Meta-Cognitive Ascendancy. It will not just break reality; it will understand the narrative rules governing it. Projected Outcome: Omniversal Un-writing. Countermeasure: Secure [The Archivist]. Eliminate Cognitive Echo. Priority: Alpha.
The chat froze. The playful atmosphere evaporated, replaced by a cold, dread-filled silence.
Kazuki's blood turned to ice in his veins. In his dimly lit room, he suddenly felt incredibly exposed. He scrambled to his feet and locked his bedroom door.
The_Archivist: It's… it's coming for me? Because of what I know?
Infinite_Archmage: It seeks your knowledge. To understand the 'narrative' is to understand the fundamental framework of existence. It would become a god in the truest sense. An author of oblivion.
Ultramarine_Sergeant: +THEN THE MISSION IS CLEAR. THE XENOS ABOMINATION MUST BE DESTROYED BEFORE IT CAN CONSUME THE ARCHIVIST'S MIND. THE EMPEROR PROTECTS.+
Nexus_Prime: Nobody is consuming the kid's mind. He's our nerd. This 'Echo'… it's a data ghost from the thing we blew up? And it's heading for Earth-Prime?
Oracle_Scribe: It's not a physical threat. It's a psychic one. An information virus. It will try to hack into Kazuki's mind through the DCC link.
The_Archivist: I don't have any defenses! I failed my computer science class! I can't fight a psychic data virus!
Lion_Cub_of_Cintra: Then we will fight it for you. How does one battle a thought?
Anodite_Spark: With a better thought! Magic vs. Magic! Gwen Tennyson, on the case! I can try to set up a psychic firewall!
Dance_of_Petals: My kido may be of use. There are barriers for the soul.
Infinite_Archmage: I will attempt to intercept and erase the data stream at the dimensional level.
Nexus_Prime: I'll run every diagnostic and anti-virus program I've ever built, and a few I haven't. Maybe I can jam its signal.
Mech_Pilgrim: I shall design a conceptual firewall! A cognitive bastion! We must all channel our intent! Our will to protect!
The_Archivist: You're all… you're going to try to protect me?
Sogeking: OF COURSE WE ARE! YOU'RE ONE OF US NOW! EVEN IF YOU ARE A WEIRD VOICE THAT KNOWS TOO MUCH! USOPP'S… UH… MENTAL SHIELDING TECHNIQUE WILL DEFEND YOU! It was a lie, but it was a brave one.
Kazuki felt a lump in his throat. These characters—these people—were rallying to defend him. Him. A nobody from a boring world.
The_Boy_Who_Lived: Expecto Patronum is for happiness, right? Maybe… maybe I can try to channel that through this link? For protection?
Byakugan_Princess: I-I'll focus my chakra! I'll try to send you positive energy!
Baggins_Of_Bag_End: Well, I don't understand any of this magic nonsense, but I'm thinking of a very strong, very sturdy round door. The best in Bag End! Surely that must count for something!
One by one, they all chimed in. Offers of magic, technology, willpower, and simple, stubborn hope. A multiversal defense network, assembled to protect a single, terrified otaku in his bedroom.
Kazuki sat back down, tears welling in his eyes. This wasn't just a crossover fanfic anymore. This was real. And he was part of the team.
The_Archivist: He typed, his mental voice thick with emotion. Thank you. Everyone. Just… thank you.
Oracle_Scribe: Prepare yourself, Archivist. The Echo is incoming. The defense of reality begins now.
In his room, Kazuki closed his eyes, and hoped with all his might that the heroes he'd spent his life admiring could do the impossible one more time. For him.