Part 1: The Silent Player - Ashmal's Game
Genre: Mystery, Supernatural, Comedy, Thriller Setting: Rokkenjima, October 4-5, 1986. Protagonist: Ashmal (Human Form, Sealed Powers).
Target: Beatrice (The Golden Witch).
Chapter 1: The Unnoticed Guest
The private island of Rokkenjima looked grayer than usual today. Raindrops fell from the sky as if the heavens themselves were weeping. The boat docked at the port, and the Ushiromiya family began to disembark. Krauss, Eva, Rudolf, and Rosa-everyone was busy arguing about their inheritance. The cousins-Battler, George, Jessica, and Maria-followed behind. But amongst them was one more person.
A young man, perhaps 20 or 21 years old. Messy hair, a loose-fitting shirt, and holding a cheap suitcase. He was so "normal" that if you blinked, you would forget he was even standing there. This was Ashmal. One of the universe's most powerful entities, who had come here today simply to take a vacation and be bored. "Excuse me," Rudolf shoved past Ashmal without even looking at him. "Out of the way." Ashmal didn't take offense. Instead, he smiled. "Perfect. Just according to plan. I am invisible."
Upon reaching the mansion, Genji welcomed everyone. When it was Ashmal's turn, Genji looked slightly confused. "Apologies, you are...?"
"Ashmal," he flashed an old letter. "Kinzo-san invited me. Not to play chess, but he thinks I'm some sort of 'lucky charm'."
Battler chimed in from behind, "Lucky charm? Bro, you were puking your guts out on the boat." Ashmal shrugged. "Sea-sickness, my friend. Part of the human experience. By the way, when is dinner? I'm starving."
The family ignored him. They assumed he was some distant relative or another one of Kinzo's eccentric whims. No one had any idea that this 'hungry boy' was about to become the biggest player in this game.
Chapter 2: The Letter and the "Fake" Scorpion
Dinner time was tense. Maria read Beatrice's letter aloud. Everyone was terrified; people started screaming, "Witch! Witch!"
Ashmal was quietly dipping bread into his soup and eating.
Eva was furious. "Who is playing this prank?! Is it Kinzo?!" At that moment, Maria pulled a scorpion charm out of her pocket. "Beatrice gave it to me!"
The atmosphere turned icy. Magic? Here? Ashmal wiped his mouth with a napkin and spoke softly, "Oh, isn't that the plastic toy sold at the gift shop?"
Everyone went silent. Maria said angrily, "No! This is a magic charm!" Ashmal took the charm in his hand and read the tiny text stamped on the back. "Made in China. Batch number 402."
Silence fell over the room. Beatrice, watching from the Meta-World, held her head in her hands. "Is... Is this guy here to ruin the mood?! I materialized that myself! How did he turn it into 'Made in China'?!"
In reality, Ashmal hadn't used his reality-warping powers. He just lied with so much confidence that everyone's fear turned into confusion. "The greatest weapon to break fear isn't logic; sometimes, it's stupidity," Ashmal thought to himself, moving on to dessert.
Chapter 3: First Twilight - The Locked Room Glitch
Morning came, and the dreaded event occurred. Six bodies in the Garden Shed. Krauss, Rudolf, Kyrie, Rosa, Gohda, and Shannon. All dead. Faces smashed. A magic circle painted in blood on the wall. Doors and windows locked from the inside. Battler was pounding the wall. "How is this possible?! It's locked from the inside! This is magic!"
Ashmal stood behind the crowd, yawning. He took out his phone and started playing Snake (with the sound off). "Beatrice, your imagination is so boring," he thought.
When Battler cried, "No human could do this!", Ashmal suddenly stumbled forward, as if pushed by mistake. He crashed straight into the door.
Thud.
A small ventilation grill above the door fell off. "Oops," Ashmal said. "Sorry, slipped."
Battler looked at the grill. It was large enough for a slender person (like Shannon or Kanon) to reach in and turn the lock. "Wait..." Battler's eyes lit up. "The ventilation grill! If the killer inserted a wire through here and dropped the latch?!"
Ashmal stepped back into the background. "Good job, tiger. You got the point."
In the Meta-World, Beatrice turned red with rage. "That grill wasn't supposed to be there! I made a perfect locked room! How did it become loose just because this guy bumped into it?!"
Chapter 4: The "Invisible" Snakes
Beatrice was furious now. She decided she would terrify Ashmal. Scene: The Drawing Room. A storm raged outside. Suddenly, the lights went out. Beatrice filled the room with illusions. Thousands of venomous snakes began slithering on the floor.
Jessica and George started screaming. "Snakes! Snakes everywhere!" Ashmal was sitting on the sofa. His eyes were closed. A large cobra climbed onto his leg, spread its hood, and hissed. Ashmal opened his eyes, looked down, and shook his leg as if a mosquito had landed on it. "Man, this floor is so dirty. Nothing but mud everywhere."
Beatrice was in shock. "Mud?! That is a King Cobra, you idiot!!"
For Ashmal, magic did not exist. Therefore, his brain rejected the "snakes" and processed them as "wet shoe prints" or "mud." Absolute Denial.
Ashmal looked at George, who was standing on top of a table. "George, come down. The carpet is just a bit wet, there are no snakes. Stop watching so many horror movies." He stood up, stepped right on top of the "snake" (which was an illusion), and walked toward the kitchen. "Where can I get some coffee?"
Beatrice's illusion shattered. When a man refuses to even acknowledge fear, what can a ghost do?
Chapter 5: Kanon's Disappearance & Schrodinger's Cat
Kanon had disappeared. No body was found. Battler argued: "If there is no body, he isn't dead! He must be hiding!"
Beatrice (Gold Text): "Kanon is dead. He does not exist in this room."
Battler was stuck. If he isn't in the room and the exit is blocked, where did he go?
Ashmal whispered in Battler's ear. "Hey, Battler. Have you heard that cat theory? The Schrodinger one?"
Battler looked at him. "This isn't the time for physics!"
"Just listen," Ashmal said, polishing an apple. "Until we open the box, the cat is both alive and dead. Kanon is 'furniture', right? If he isn't human, maybe he can be folded up like an object in a cupboard."
The idea clicked for Battler. "Beatrice! If Kanon is 'furniture', maybe the killer hid him like an object? In the closet? Or under the bed?"
Beatrice: "Gah! Stop taking hints from that boring guy!"
Ashmal took a bite of the apple. "Crunch."
Chapter 6: The Boiler Room Mistake
The story progressed. The secret of Kinzo's study was about to be revealed. Ashmal was wandering the mansion. "Where is the bathroom, man? These rich people don't even put up signs."
By mistake, he ended up in the Boiler Room. There was a hidden door. Ashmal thought it was the bathroom door. He turned the handle. (It should have been locked, but Ashmal's 'Human' luck found it open because the mechanism was jammed).
Inside... Gold. Mountains of Gold.
"Oh crap..." Ashmal widened his eyes. "This doesn't look like a bathroom." He picked up a gold bar lying there. It was heavy. "Hmm. Looks real." He put the gold bar back and closed the door. "Never mind, I really need to pee. I'll look at the gold later."
He walked away. In the Meta-World, Beatrice began to cry. "He... He found the Gold?! And he just walked away?! Without telling anyone?! Why?!! Just to find a bathroom?!" Ashmal had solved the game's biggest mystery simply because nature called. And he ignored it because he wasn't interested in the game.
Chapter 7: The Direct Attack
Beatrice was fed up. She manifested in physical form (via hallucination). She appeared right in front of Ashmal in the corridor.
"You!" Beatrice screamed in her demon form. "You are ruining my script! Who are you?!"
Ashmal put a finger in his ear and wiggled it. "Can't hear you... I think I have water in my ear."
"Do not ignore me!" Beatrice threw a fireball. Ashmal bent down to tie his shoelace. The fireball flew over his head and incinerated a painting on the wall behind him. Ashmal stood up and looked back. "Oh, short circuit? The wiring must be old." Then he looked at Beatrice's floating figure. "And excuse me, ma'am, could you move aside? Your hologram is blocking the way."
"Hologram?!" Beatrice's ego was shattered. "Yeah, like the ones in concerts. Nice setup, but a bit transparent. You need to improve the graphics."
Ashmal squeezed past her, leaving Beatrice alone, confused, and insulted.
Chapter 8: Battler's Despair
The game was nearing its end. Battler was giving up. "I can't do it... Magic is real... I lost..."
Ashmal sat down next to Battler. "Battler bro, want a cigarette?"
"I don't smoke," Battler said through tears. "Good, neither do I. I just keep them to look cool," Ashmal snapped the cigarette in half and threw it away. "Look," Ashmal said in a serious tone, for the first time. "Magic is only magic as long as you don't know the trick. A magician cuts a girl in half on stage. The public claps, they don't cry. Why? Because they know the girl is alive." "It's the same here. The stage is just bigger, and the magician is a bit of a psycho."
Ashmal punched Battler lightly on the chest. "Get up. And show that witch that Ushiromiya Battler isn't easy to fool." Battler wiped his tears. Ashmal's simple words gave him the courage that no divine power could have provided.
Chapter 9: The Final Logic Battle
Battler was back in form. Beatrice played her final move. The Red Truth. "Natsuhi's room key was only with Natsuhi. The door was locked. Natsuhi is dead. Suicide is impossible. For homicide, the killer had to be inside."
Battler was stuck. Ashmal stood behind him and started coughing loudly. "Ahem! Ahem! Master Key! Ahem! Servants! Ahem!"
Beatrice: "SILENCE YOU INSOLENT HUMAN!"
Ashmal: "Sorry, sore throat. Do you have a cough drop?"
Battler caught the hint. "Beatrice! Master Key! Even if Natsuhi had her key, the servants have Master Keys! What if the killer stole a Master Key?!"
Beatrice's Red Truth shield shattered. Ashmal stood in the back, giving a thumbs up.
Chapter 10: Checkmate & The Departure
The game ended. Time limit over. Battler had tied Beatrice's theory. The game was a draw. The mansion clock struck 12. October 6th arrived. (The loop was about to reset).
Ashmal picked up his suitcase. "Alright, weekend's over. It was fun, but the food was a bit average."
Beatrice (in Human form, defeated) watched Ashmal leave. "You... you didn't use any power. You didn't use magic. You just... existed. Who are you?"
Ashmal paused at the door. He looked back. For a split second, his eyes were not normal-they were an infinite abyss. But in the next moment, he was back to being that goofy human.
"Me?" Ashmal smiled. "I'm just a... Human. And underestimating humans was your biggest mistake."
He walked out into the rain. As soon as he stepped out of the mansion, he vanished into thin air, as if he had never been there. The Rokkenjima game reset. Beatrice returned to her chair. She was trembling. In the next game, she ensured that there was no guest named "Ashmal" on the list. Never again.
Part 2: The Unbound - Ashmal's First Seal
Genre: Meta-Fantasy, Action, Comedy, Overpowered Protagonist Setting: The Meta-World (Witches' Tea Room) & The Game Board. Characters: Ashmal, Beatrice, Bernkastel, Lambdadelta. Status: Seal 1 Unlocked
Chapter 1: The Witches' Tea Party
The game on Rokkenjima had reset. Ashmal had vanished, and Beatrice breathed a sigh of relief.
We are now in the Meta-World. A place beyond time and space. Here, Beatrice was enjoying a tea party with her fellow witches-Bernkastel (Witch of Miracles) and Lambdadelta (Witch of Certainty).
Beatrice: "You guys won't believe it! That human... that Ashmal! He tore my entire game apart! Without using a single drop of magic!"
Lambdadelta took a bite of cake and laughed. "Ohoho! Beato, it seems your skills have rusted. Losing to a human? Shameful!"
Bernkastel's eyes were serious. "He wasn't 'normal', Beato. I tried to trace his existence... but I found nothing. It was as if he wasn't part of the Universe at all. He was... a Glitch."
Beatrice slammed her cup down. "I won't let him enter the next game! I've banned him! Blocked!"
Suddenly, the heavy door of their tea room-which only witches could open-slowly creaked open. Creakkkkk...
There stood Ashmal. Same loose shirt, same messy hair, and holding a... Pizza Box?
Ashmal: "Man, is your doorbell broken? I've been ringing it forever. Also, listen, the delivery was late so I got this extra cheese for free."
The three witches stared at him, eyes wide with shock.
Lambdadelta: "HOW DID HE GET IN HERE?! This is the Meta-World! Humans can't even breathe here!"
Ashmal walked in, hijacked the chair next to Bernkastel, and placed the pizza box on the table. Ashmal: "Breathe? Yeah, it is a bit suffocating in here. Don't you guys use AC?"
Chapter 2: The Witches' Wrath
Bernkastel immediately raised her finger. Bernkastel: "Your joke ends now, Human. You have broken the Rules of Reality. The punishment for this... is Death."
Thousands of blue crystals materialized in the air, capable of destroying any human at the atomic level. Beatrice stood up too, summoning her Golden Snakes. "Today I will give you the death you missed last time!" Lambdadelta readied her candy bombs.
The entire room was filled with killing intent. A normal human would have had a heart attack instantly.
Ashmal picked up a slice of pizza, stretching the cheese. Ashmal: "Hey, chill out sisters. I just came to tell you that I dropped my wallet in the last game. Did you find it?"
Bernkastel: "DIE!"
The crystals shot toward Ashmal. The snakes attacked. The bombs exploded. BOOOOM! After the smoke cleared, the witches began to laugh. Beatrice: "Hah! Gone! Trying to act all high and mighty as a 'Human'!"
But when the smoke faded... Ashmal was still sitting there. The pizza slice was still in his hand. There wasn't even a scratch on his clothes.
Ashmal: "Dude, don't you guys have table manners? You got dust in my tea."
The witches' minds went blank. Bernkastel: "Impossible... I erased you from reality! How did you come back?!"
Ashmal chewed on the pizza crust. Ashmal: "Erase? Oh, those little beams? Sorry, my 'Plot Armor' is a bit thick these days."
Chapter 3: Breaking the Patience
Lambdadelta went crazy with rage. "I am the Witch of Certainty! If I want you to die, you die! I defy logic!" She summoned a massive Black Hole right in the middle of the tea room. Everything in the room started getting sucked in. Chairs, tables, cups... everything was flying into the void.
Ashmal was holding onto his chair. Ashmal: "Oi! Oi! The pizza is gonna fall! Are you crazy?!"
The witches wouldn't stop. They were twisting reality, looping time, rewriting concepts just to kill Ashmal.
Finally, Ashmal's pizza fell onto the floor. Upside down. (Toppings side down).
Silence fell over the room. Ashmal looked at the fallen pizza. Then he looked at the witches. His "Bored" expression vanished. His eyes... changed. They were no longer human eyes. They were the Void.
Ashmal: "You... dropped my extra cheese pizza."
Beatrice: "So what?! We are trying to kill you and you care about a pizza?!"
Ashmal stood up. Ashmal: "Enough joking. I thought I'd stay a Human, live peacefully. But you guys act like 'Gods' yet behave like children." He raised his hand in the air. Seven invisible chains (seals) were bound around his wrist. Ashmal: "Beatrice, you asked who I was, right? Come, let me give you a proper introduction."
"Restriction Level 7... Release." KACHAAAAK! (The sound of heavy chains breaking).
Chapter 4: Seal 1 - The Authority of "NO"
As soon as the first seal broke, the Meta-World shook. No, it didn't shake... it Froze. Lambdadelta's Black Hole vanished, as if someone switched off a TV. Bernkastel's crystals turned into water and dripped away. Beatrice's snakes... turned into rubber toys.
The witches tried to use their powers, but nothing happened. Lambdadelta: "My powers... why aren't they working?! What did you do?!"
Ashmal was now floating in the air. A faint Grey Aura surrounded him. It wasn't divine light; it was the color of "Nothingness". Ashmal: "My First Seal: 'Absolute Denial'. As long as this is active, no concept exists here without my permission. No magic, no miracle, no certainty."
He floated towards Beatrice. Beatrice, who called herself the Game Master, was now backing away in fear. Ashmal: "You guys like playing with 'Truth', right? Red Truth, Blue Truth? Boring." Ashmal snapped his fingers.
GREY TRUTH: "Whatever Ashmal says is the truth. Everything else is nonsense."
Beatrice: "That... that's cheating! There is no such Truth color!"
Ashmal: "There is now. Check the rulebook." Beatrice summoned the rulebook... and there was actually a new rule written in it! Rule #1: Don't drop Ashmal's pizza.
Chapter 5: The Humiliation Game
Ashmal created a new game table. Ashmal: "You use humans like pieces, don't you? Come, let's reverse the roles."
Ashmal: "With the power of Seal 1, I grant you the greatest suffering of the Human World."
Bernkastel: "Eternal torture?"
Lambdadelta: "Hellfire?"
Ashmal: "No. A 9-to-5 Corporate Job with Low Salary and No Weekend Off."
SNAP!
In the next instant, the witches' outfits changed. Beatrice was now in a cheap office suit, holding stacks of files. Bernkastel was in a receptionist's dress, and the phone was ringing off the hook. Lambdadelta was wearing an IT support guy's t-shirt.
Beatrice: "What is this?! These clothes are so itchy! Where did my magic go?!"
Ashmal (sitting on the Boss's chair, wearing sunglasses): "Beatrice, your presentation is late. If I don't get the file in 5 minutes, salary cut."
Lambdadelta: "My computer isn't turning on! How do I put magic in it?!"
Ashmal: "Not magic, 'Restart' it. And Bernkastel, pick up that phone, the customer is angry."
This lasted for 1 hour (which felt like 100 years in the Meta-World). The witches were crying. They were experiencing deadlines, angry customers, and traffic jams. This was worse than any magical torture for them. Bernkastel (crying): "Please... send me back to the crystals... I can't do this Excel sheet!"
Chapter 6: The Lesson & Re-Sealing
Ashmal saw that they were broken. Ashmal: "Understood? To understand human pain, you have to become like them. Sitting up here having tea parties doesn't make you a 'Game Master'." He snapped his fingers again.
Everything went back to normal. The office vanished, suits vanished. The witches were back in their dresses, panting on the floor.
Ashmal landed on the ground. The chain on his wrist reformed. "Seal 1... Resealed."
Ashmal reverted to being that normal, bored guy. He picked up his pizza from the floor (which was now fixed, because... logic). Ashmal: "Alright, that was fun. Next time if you summon me, or mess with my pizza, I will open Seal 2. And in Seal 2... I cut the internet connection."
The three witches screamed in unison: "NO!!! WE ARE SORRY!! FORGIVE US!!"
Ashmal smiled, grabbed the pizza box, and walked toward the door. Before leaving, he paused. Ashmal: "And yes, Beatrice... focus a bit more on logic in your next game. Magic has become boring." He walked out the door.
Silence filled the Tea Room. Lambdadelta: "He... he left?" Bernkastel: "... I will never bother a human again. Excel sheets... nightmares... "
Beatrice added a new note to her rulebook: Note to self: Do not mess with Ashmal. Ever.
Part 3
Chapter 1: The Trap Update
After the humiliation at the tea party, the witches were far from quiet. They realized that Ashmal could not be defeated in the physical world or through standard logic.
Bernkastel devised a new plan. Bernkastel: "Physical attacks won't work. He doesn't get bored of corporate jobs. This time we will trap him in a place where his 'Human' logic crashes."
They created Game Board 2.0. This wasn't the old Rokkenjima. It was a Digital Dimension-a world built entirely of codes and logic errors. Here, reality could be 'edited'. Beatrice: "Send him an invite! This time I will turn him into a '404 Error'!" Ashmal, who was peacefully eating cup noodles at home, was suddenly sucked into a pixelated portal. Ashmal: "Oh come on! The noodles were still hot! At least let me slurp!"
Chapter 2: The Glitch City
Ashmal landed in a neon-colored Rokkenjima. 'Binary Codes' streamed across the sky. The trees were glitching in and out of existence. The air was filled with static noise. On a massive screen in front of him, the three witches appeared (sporting a Streamer setup).
Lambdadelta: "Welcome to the Digital Hell, Ashmal! Here we are Admins, and you are just a... Virus!"
Ashmal looked at his hands. They looked slightly pixelated. Ashmal: "Graphics are a bit low on your server. Didn't turn on RTX?"
Bernkastel: "Stop joking! In this world, we can rewrite your 'Concept'. Delete command: Ashmal's Confidence." Bernkastel typed furiously on her keyboard. Command Executed. Ashmal should have felt fear. But he just stood there, scratching his nose. Ashmal: "Hmm... did something happen? I thought a mosquito bit me."
Bernkastel: "What?! I deleted your confidence file!"
Ashmal: "Bro, my files are 'Read-Only'. Your Admin privileges are equal to 'Guest User' in front of me."
Chapter 3: The Spam Attack
Beatrice flew into a rage. Beatrice: "If he won't delete, then HANG his system! Infinite Spam Attack!"
Suddenly, thousands of pop-up windows began opening all around Ashmal. "YOU WON A IPHONE!" "HOT WITCHES IN YOUR AREA!" "DOWNLOAD RAM NOW!" "UPDATE YOUR ANTIVIRUS!"
They were infinite. Thousands of pop-ups appeared every second. A normal brain would have fried instantly.
Ashmal (swiping the pop-ups away with his hands): "Ugh, move it! What are these cheap ads? Don't you have Adblock in this universe?"
Lambdadelta: "Hahahaha! Keep suffering! Until your CPU overheats!"
Ashmal was starting to get annoyed. His noodles had gone cold, and now these ads. Ashmal: "You guys won't settle down peacefully, will you? I told you... don't make me open Seal 2."
Beatrice: "Open it! Here in the digital world, your chains are also code! We will delete them!" Ashmal took a deep breath. Ashmal: "Delete? Kid, now I'll show you what a real 'Disconnect' is." He raised his hand. On his wrist, the Second Chain (Seal) began to glow. This chain wasn't solid; it looked like data cables entangled together.
"Restriction Level 6... Connectivity Severance... Release."
Chapter 4: Seal 2 - The Authority of "LAG" (Ping 999ms)
BZZZZZT! A sharp sound pierced the entire digital world, like dial-up internet trying to connect. Tee-too-tee-too-krrrsshhhh...
Then... everything went silent. Bernkastel raised her hand to launch an attack. Bernkastel: "Now I will finish y... y... y... у..." She was stuck. Beatrice: "Bern? What happened? Why aren't you attack... k... k... k..."
Ashmal stood there calmly. The pop-ups had vanished. Ashmal: "Welcome to 999ms Ping World."
Ashmal took a step forward. 3 seconds later, the witches finally saw him move. A massive Lag had been inserted between Reality and Perception.
Ashmal: "My Second Seal: 'Absolute Disconnect'. I have slowed down the server connection between you and reality. What you think will take 10 years to reach your body."
(Loading) 1 minute later
Lambdadelta tried to run. She lifted her foot... touched the ground.
Lambdadelta: "YEEEEEH.... KYYYYAAAA.... HOOOO.... RAAAHHAAAA.... HAAAIIIII???" (Her voice had become slow-motion and glitchy).
Chapter 5: The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)
Ashmal walked up to the witches, who now looked like statues because they were 'buffering'. Ashmal: "You made my noodles cold. The punishment for this isn't ads... it's a System Crash." He pressed an invisible button in the air. Click.
Everything in the witches' vision turned blue. :(YOUR REALITY RAN INTO A PROBLEM AND NEEDS TO RESTART. Error Code: ASHMAL_IS_ANNOYED
Beatrice (Screaming inside her mind): "No! This is the Blue Screen of Death! We don't want to restart! The save file will be corrupted!!"
Ashmal pulled up a chair in front of them and sat down. Ashmal: "Now you guys sit here and watch the loading circle. I'm leaving."
The witches could do nothing. They were trapped in a frozen loop where all they could see was a spinning white circle. 0% Complete... 0% Complete... 0% Complete...
It was torture. The torture of pure boredom.
Chapter 6: Featherine's Interference
Suddenly, the glitchy sky tore open. A new entity arrived. Featherine Augustus Aurora (The Witch of Theatergoing, Goddess of Drama).
Featherine: "Interesting. A Human who is buffering my script?"
Ashmal looked up. Ashmal: "Oh, the big Boss has arrived. Namaste Aunty ji."
Featherine's eyebrow twitched. "Aunty?! I am the Creator!" Ashmal: "Maybe in your own house. On my server, I am the 'Admin'." Featherine flashed her memory device (halo). "I will rewrite you!"
Ashmal simply wagged his finger. Ashmal: "Aunty, check your Wi-Fi."
Featherine noticed... her halo was showing "Connecting...". Featherine: "My script isn't syncing with the cloud?! Offline mode?!"
Ashmal: "I told you, Disconnect. Until I want it to, no data will upload here." Featherine, one of the most powerful witches in the universe, felt helpless for the first time because her "Plot" wasn't saving. Featherine: "Okay! Okay! Stop! We surrender! Give back the Wi-Fi! I want to watch Netflix!"
Chapter 7: Re-Sealing
Ashmal saw that everyone was back in line. Ashmal: "Fine. But next time don't disturb me while I'm eating. And yes, Bernkastel..." He looked at the frozen Bernkastel. Ashmal: "Upgrade your PC. Reality doesn't run on 2GB RAM."
Ashmal snapped his fingers. "Seal 2... Resealed." The ping returned to normal. (Green light). The blue screen vanished. Featherine's Wi-Fi came back. The witches collapsed on the ground, panting. Their brains were still recovering from "Loading" mode.
Ashmal walked back toward the portal. Ashmal: "Bye guys. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to 'Don't Mess With Ashmal'." He disappeared.
Silence reigned in the Digital World. Beatrice: "I feel... dizzy. I'm seeing everything in frames." Lambdadelta: "I will never use the internet again. I'll send letters via pigeon from today." Featherine closed her script. "This boy's chapter... let's skip it for now. He is 'Out of Syllabus'."
Part 4
Chapter 1: The Creator's Fury
After the "Connection Error" debacle in the Digital World, Featherine Augustus Aurora (The Writer Witch) was seething. She could not tolerate such an insult to her authority. She called an emergency meeting in her most powerful domain-The City of Books.
Featherine: "That boy challenged my Wi-Fi! Now I will show him my Full Production Value!"
Bernkastel: "Meaning?"
Featherine: "Meaning, I am increasing the budget of my script! Unlimited CGI! Hans Zimmer Music! 4K Resolution! We will throw so much High-Quality Content at Ashmal that he won't be able to handle it!"
They summoned Ashmal back. This time, Ashmal landed in the middle of a grand library. Golden light bathed the area, a heavenly chorus sang "Aaaaaaahhhh~" in the background, and the graphics were so sharp that Ashmal could see the individual threads of his jeans in 8K resolution.
Ashmal looked around, impressed but amused. Ashmal: "Wow! So much expense? Is someone getting married?"
Chapter 2: The Blockbuster Attack
Featherine sat upon her majestic throne, looking down at him. Featherine: "Welcome to my Masterpiece, Ashmal! I burned the energy of 500 universes to write this scene!" She raised her hand dramatically.
"SUMMON: THE ETERNAL DRAGON OF ENDLESS BUDGET!"
The sky tore open, and a massive dragon emerged. Every single scale on its body was made of diamonds. When it roared, the sound system felt like Dolby Atmos theater quality. Epic orchestral music began to swell in the background. Dum! Dum! DAAAA!
Lambdadelta: "Look at those graphics?! Ray Tracing is on baby!"
The Dragon prepared to shoot a 'Golden Breath' at Ashmal, an attack capable of incinerating a galaxy. Bernkastel: "He won't survive this! This is High-Definition Death!"
Ashmal stood there, hands in his pockets, looking unimpressed. Ashmal: "Man, you guys show off too much. Wasting so much money when the economy is down?" The Dragon's fire was about to hit him.
Ashmal: "I don't like unnecessary expenses. Come on, let's do some Cost Cutting." He raised his hand. On his wrist, the Third Chain (Seal) began to glow. This chain looked rusty and cheap. "Restriction Level 5... Fiscal Deficit... Release."
Chapter 3: Seal 3 - The Authority of "BUDGET CUTS"
SQUIIIIIIEEK...
Suddenly, the epic orchestral music cut out completely. In its place, the sound of a cheap flute played badly by a child filled the air. Pee-poo-peee-poo00... And that Legendary Dragon? It didn't disappear. It changed. Instead of a diamond-scaled beast, there stood a Stray Dog with Cardboard wings taped to its back. It didn't roar; it just went "Bhow".
Featherine: "WHAT?! My Dragon?! Where did this stray dog come from?!"
Ashmal: "My Third Seal: 'Absolute Budget Cut'. I have slashed the production budget of this entire dimension by 99.99%. Now your attacks are just 'Low Effort' props."
Chapter 4: The 144p Nightmare
Bernkastel tried to launch an attack.
Bernkastel: "I will kill you with Blue Crystals!"She summoned her crystals. But instead of high-quality shards, Blue Confetti (Paper) fluttered in the air. It fell harmlessly onto Ashmal.
Ashmal: "Oh wow, party popper? Thanks."
Lambdadelta: "My Candy Bomb!"
She threw her bomb. It landed next to Ashmal and... Phuss. A little flag popped out that just said 'Bang' written in crayon.
The worst part came when they looked at each other. Their graphics were deteriorating rapidly. Beatrice no longer looked like an Anime Character. She looked like a drawing made in Microsoft Paint. Featherine's face had blurred completely, as if she were a 144p YouTube Video buffering on bad internet. Featherine (Her voice was muffled because the microphone budget had been cut): "My vc s ctng... hlllo? Mic tsting?"
Ashmal (Standing in Full HD): "Sorry, the voice actors' contract ended. Now you only get Subtitles."
Chapter 5: The Stick Figure Finale
Slowly, the budget dropped even lower. Colors vanished. The world turned Black and White. 3D models disappeared. Now, they were all just Stick Figures. (A circle for a head, sticks for a body).
Featherine (Stick Figure): "I am the Creator! I can't live like this! I am a line!"
Ashmal picked up a giant eraser (The Meta-Eraser). Ashmal: "Look, if you don't surrender, I will erase whatever sketch is left of you."
Lambdadelta (Stick Figure): "No! We still have... umm... Emotions!"
Ashmal: "To show emotions you need a face, which you don't have. You just have : (this."
Ashmal erased the background behind them. Now they were standing on a blank White Page. Ashmal: "This is 'Indie Project' hell. No music, no graphics, no story. Just you and me."
Featherine started crying (but no tears came out, because there was no animation budget for fluids).
Featherine: "Please! Give it back! We will pay extra for the Dragon! We want HD back!"
Chapter 6: The Sponsorship Deal
Ashmal put the eraser down.
Ashmal: "Fine. I can restore the budget. But I have one condition."
Featherine: "Anything! We will do anything!"
Ashmal set up a billboard.
Ashmal: "You have to watch a 30-Second Unskippable Ad."
Witches: "ΝΟ!!!! ΑΝΥΤHING BUT THAT!"
Ashmal pressed the play button.
"KYA AAPKE TOOTHPASTE MEIN NAMAK HAI?" "KESH KING OIL LAGAIYE... BAAL UGAYIE..."
The witches were forced to watch the entire 30-second ad. They couldn't close their eyes (because they didn't have eyelids anymore) and couldn't cover their ears.
Chapter 7: Re-Sealing
The ad finished. Ashmal snapped his fingers.
"Seal 3... Resealed."
The world instantly snapped back to HD. Colors returned. The Dragon (which had become a dog) vanished. Featherine returned to her majestic form. She lay on the floor, taking deep breaths.
Featherine: "I can feel my pixels... they are back... thank god."
Ashmal stood at the exit gate of the library. Ashmal: "Remember, next time if you plan a big attack, check the 'Funding' first. I don't entertain for free." He walked through the portal.
Bernkastel asked Featherine: "Aunty... what's the next plan?"
Featherine stared at Bernkastel with dead eyes. Featherine: "Next plan? The next plan is that we will build a Temple in Ashmal's name and offer prasad daily so that he never comes back."
Beatrice: "True. I'm going to become a monk."
THE END.