Conscious, Conscientious

"Attention all guests: we will be crossing into the Normal Country Worldline momentarily…"

The abrupt light from the hall forced Deon to enter with squinted eyes. He attempted to reach and rub a sore spot on his back, but he bumped Skrili's forehead instead–and then felt the sting of her hand as she swatted his away.

"Ope. Sorry. Thought you were still asleep," Deon said. "I was gonna bring back something from the café for you and Lammy."

"I'm up now."

She massaged his back for him while they walked towards the end of the hall.

"Man. I thought they put me and Phillip through the ringer," Deon said. "But Mr. Truj kept you guys at it way late. Do you think we're ready for tomorrow?"

"As much as we can be," Skrili said, "considering…"

Her words fizzled, and she checked back down the hall towards Kotono's door. Thankfully, the star consciousness wasn't present.

Deon nodded. He didn't need her to elaborate.

Despite two weeks of training, it was almost like Kotono's powers were getting weaker.

And somehow, grayer.

She's not okay, he knew. I gotta find time to do my plan, and soon…

The calm alert played throughout the ship again, this time with added details.

"Attention all guests: we will be crossing into the Normal Country Worldline momentarily. You are safe to move freely about the ship, but please anticipate a brief moment of turbulence. Thank you."

Deon still could hardly grasp that two weeks had already passed. All the training had gradually blended together.

He could see the open sky through the upcoming windows, and a familiar endless forest far below. They'd crossed into No Man's Land days ago after hearing a similar notification.

"How can the ship keep doing this without falling apart and stuff?" Deon wondered. "With all its crazy features, shouldn't the magic stop working when it leaves Fantasy Country?"

"Some magic can last for a little while. Maybe it's mostly made out of that," Skrili figured.

They heard an endeared laugh.

"Actually, it's because there's no magic on this thing at all."

Otogi leaned against one of the massive round windows ahead of them, taking in the view outside. But he was in his true, 'Alan' form–his hair dirty blonde and his clothes dull.

His eyes turned to them, dark rings underneath, and he nodded a good morning.

Deon and Skrili joined him at the window and beheld the sight.

"Wait…there's no magic?" Deon repeated. "Then how did they build this thing?!"

"You of all people should be able to guess," Otogi teased. "It's all imagined."

"Someone imagined this whole thing?!"

"A team of people did, yeah," said Otogi. "Not all the great Imaginers are pro fighters."

Deon took in all the extravagant surroundings. His appreciation for this place multiplied tenfold.

"That's why all of its functions stay intact," Otogi explained, cocking his head towards the window, "when we do this."

Deon followed his gaze. His heart nearly stopped for a moment.

In the slight distance, the woods of No Man's Land came to a complete, abrupt end–as did even the sky. The cutoff spanned in a perfectly straight line for as far as he could see.

Nothing but empty whiteness followed. It was like they were flying straight towards the end of existence.

He would have panicked, but Skrili and Otogi watched on with the calm of previous visitors.

Is that all Normal Country is? Just…nothing? Deon thought.

They were only seconds from crossing now.

But first, they heard one of the suite doors slide open. They all turned to find an unusually pale Lammy spring out into the hall and, for some reason, rush his way towards Deon and Skrili's room. Noticing the group by the window, he redirected and raced their way.

"Morning, Lammy! Uh…what's wrong?"

Lammy drew close, practically gasping for air.

"Deon…I–I need advice…" he stammered. He held the gem of his necklace trapped between his palms, as if to cover its ears.

"Oh, with that magic thing you mentioned the other day?"

Lammy nodded a million rapid times. "I totally forgot to contact Layla before we left Fantasy Country, like she asked. Now she's trying to get a hold of me, but we're about to be another reality further and it probably won't work!"

Deon laughed. He'd been waiting for this fateful day to come.

"Girlfriend problems," he filled Otogi in, who matched his smirk. "Alright, don't worry, Lammy. Take it from an expert: you just have to distract her. Say you've been busy planning the best date ever and you lost track of–AGH!"

Skrili's upward slap rattled the back of his head and echoed down the hall. She crossed her arms.

"Don't lie to the poor kid," Skrili interjected. "Just be honest with her."

"Um, Noble Lammy, I can hear all of you…"

Lammy bolted upright, a jolt shooting up his spine. But judging by everyone's confusion, only he could hear the Queen's voice in his head.

Removing his hands from the glowing gem, Lammy brought it closer.

"Oh, uh–Layla? S–sorry about…"

Otogi glanced back through the window. "Ope," he uttered plainly.

Then, the floor shook. The labyrinth of walls and ceilings groaned all around.

"Are we going down?!" Deon exclaimed.

The whiteness they'd been approaching now surrounded the vessel, and it shone brighter through all the windows. Deon grabbed Lammy to secure him, and then grasped the wall to secure himself.

But Skrili and Otogi simply remained watching. Though the shaking had been much more intense than when the ship entered No Man's Land, it came and went just as swiftly.

Readily accepting that their doom wasn't upon them, Deon and Lammy evened out their balance.

"Welcome to Normal Country."

Outside had instantly become the opposite of the former white void. Now, it was an open night sky. No–even darker. Infinitely, in every direction, the ship's surroundings were black with freckles of stars.

They all felt the ship's momentum push forward much faster than before, until evening out into a steady cruise.

"Layla…? Uh, Layla?" Lammy checked. Hearing no response, he sighed and let the gem dangle in defeat around his neck, its glow now gone.

Deon patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, bud. If a girlfriend really likes you, one screw-up won't change that."

"It's–it's not like that…" Lammy insisted.

"Right. Fiancé, not girlfriend. Sorry."

Lammys face glowed almost as pink as the gem.

But Deon's teasing faded when they both noticed the changes in each other's appearances.

It wasn't just them–Skrili, Otogi, and everything around them had transformed: it was the Normal Country color palette. While most colors appeared similar, the darkest and brightest of shades had become even darker and brighter than No Man's Land.

But it was beyond the colors themselves that marked the most distinct difference. Now, oddly, distances appeared clearer. Everything, even the smallest objects, looked vaster, like Deon and Lammy's depth perception had elongated.

As a result, everything now seemed rounder than before, including them. But their movements and senses behaved just the same, so somehow, this new existence felt natural.

"Whoa," the cousins uttered simultaneously.

"Pretty interesting, right?" Otogi said.

Skrili shrugged. "This place is alright, I guess."

"Well, I'm a bit biased," laughed Otogi. "This was one of the first realities I toured to when I started out, so it's where I made a lot of my first fans. I always make sure to come back and see them. It reminds me of where I started, and how I'm the same simple guy I've always been, you know?"

"Alan, your specialty almond coffee and organic omelet breakfast."

A man in white approached them with a silver tray, lifting the lid to reveal a steamy meal. Then a second man walked over to place a portable, clothed table beside Otogi.

The star consciousness accepted the omelet, but lifted his hand to repel the coffee.

"Actually, I think I'm feeling vanilla today."

The men in white bowed. "We'll return with a new drink."

"Oh, and bring back stuff for my friends here, too!" Otogi ordered with a smile.

The three consciousnesses attempted to decline, but Otogi waved it off.

"I insist!" he beamed, a carefree laugh erupting.

Deon and Lammy exchanged glances.

Right…'simple guy…' they remarked in their heads.

Their food and coffee arrived with surprising haste, so Deon imagined benches and they all sat together to enjoy the view as they ate. Soon Lammy listened intently as the three pros passed the time reviewing Mr. Truj's strategies.

But after an hour or so, the starry sky–or 'space,' as Otogi referred to it–still didn't appear any different. The group wandered off in separate ways.

With Team Hiroko's two weeks of training complete, Lammy passed the rest of the morning, and then lunch, with Deon and Skrili before the next notification came:

"We are now approaching Earth."

But when Deon checked his TeamTrack, he did a double take.

According to its homescreen, not a single minute had passed since they'd arrived in Normal Country.

"Huh?!"

"It's the speed we're traveling," Skrili said. "It's the only way to get to human civilization in this reality, since it's so far from the Worldline. When Pang and I came here, we had to pay for a lightspeed transport."

"So…no dragons here, then," Deon figured.

"None with wings."

While Lammy scribbled rigorous notes, Deon watched time gradually resume on his TeamTrack.

"Alright, let's see what this 'Earth' place is like," he decided.

When they returned to the same window down the hall, they found Otogi had arrived just before them. He was still in his Alan form, and still just as enthused to watch the next phase of their travels.

This time, a golden glow reflected through the window. Deon and Lammy drew close and pressed their faces up against the glass.

Far behind the ship, a round, glistening orb illuminated the otherwise empty darkness all around.

"Is that this place's sun?" Lammy guessed.

"Yep," said Otogi. "Here, it's actually a star. Their world can't exist without it."

Deon chuckled at Lammy's swift note-taking.

"Then it seems only my reality lacks a sun," came a rumble from behind.

Phillip stepped closer, studying Normal Country's space.

"That kinda explains why you're so creepy," noted Deon.

Phillip chose to dismiss the jab this time and continued. "I haven't seen Earth yet. Only in pictures Pang showed me."

"Well, there it is," signaled Otogi.

Ahead of the ship's path, a perfect spear of deep blue and green floated within space. Cotton-like patches of white drifted on its outer layer, and as the ship drew closer, it became clear these were clouds.

"It's huge…" Lammy remarked. "It's a lot like the Worlds in Fantasy Country, huh?"

"It's similar, but without its own Worldline," Skrili said. "They call it a 'planet.'"

"There are others all through space, too," added Otogi, "but this is the only one with consciousnesses–or even humans, for that matter."

With eyes wide, Deon, Lammy, and Phillip anticipated their descent onto this foreign terrain.

But after yet another warning, they found it didn't work that way.

"Jumping through the atmosphere in 3…2…1…"

Deon felt like he'd blinked without closing his eyelids. Without a sound, or even a sense of motion, they found the ship in an entirely new setting.

There was a glistening sea far beneath them now, and the sky appeared almost the same as No Man's Land on a clear day.

"Welcome to Earth."

The ship glided forward, peaceful and steady like their flights through the previous two realities. Lammy gawked at a giant, metallic ship he spotted cruising below.

"We will be arriving in the United States shortly. Please expect a smooth flight for the remainder of–"

Out of nowhere, the floor beneath the group shifted, then tilted. They all tumbled to the floor and raced back to their feet–only to rock around even more.

"What's happening?!" Skrili exclaimed.

A thunderous whoosh swept by, and some sort of giant metal bird soared past the windows.

Then, the ship jolted backward all at once.

Pressing his face to the glass, Deon noticed another metal bird pass over them. It struggled to turn, clearly unable to alter directions instantaneously like the ship.

"Is–is everyone okay…?" came a timid voice from down the hall.

The group found Kotono practically tumbling out of her room in her pajamas. The floor tilted and nearly tossed her off her feet, but a gray glow illuminated around her and she hovered into the air to steady herself.

But as she drifted her way closer, the energy flickered repeatedly, until finally giving out.

Kotono slipped out of the air. But like a dark blur, Phillip dove forward and snatched her from the crash.

"Please stand by."

The floor shifted again as the ship's speed increased further. The group rocked forward, backward, and into each other.

Then, finally, their environment evened out.

Everyone hesitated for a moment. But the calm motion forward remained consistent, so they helped each other to their feet.

"We apologize for the turbulence. The proper cloaking mechanisms for Earth were not initially in place.

…Yeah, I'm looking at YOU, Bastian.

Everybody thank Bastian for that one.

Anyway, we are back on track for the United States, with no delay."

"'Cloaking mechanism?'" wondered Lammy. "Like, a disguise? Is this place like parts of Realistic Fiction Country, then?"

"Exactly," Otogi confirmed. "The existence of consciousness powers and the Multiverse are a total secret in Normal Country. Only consciousnesses are allowed to know."

"Then…did we just totally blow the secret?" Deon realized.

"We're fine," shrugged Skrili. "They're used to it."

"People have been seeing weird things in the sky forever here," elaborated Otogi. "Some of it's a mystery. But most of the time it's just consciousnesses visiting or leaving."

Now that it was safe, Team Hiroko gathered around the windows once more. Within minutes, a skyline of towering buildings appeared on the horizon, each varying in size and shade.

Even more giant metal birds soared above the city, descending and rising in set paths. Noticing windows, Deon and Lammy finally realized these were in fact machines.

"Seems like a lot more of a hassle than dragons," Deon noted.

The open ocean came to an end as they neared the city, and instead, winding concrete streets and bridges took its place. But unlike the round paths of Fantasy Country's Conscious City, or the nearly gridded layout of Fiction Country's, these roads appeared more like a jumble of ropes dropped carelessly onto each other, interwoven between buildings.

Vehicles just like the ones they'd seen in Fiction Country filled nearly every speck of most of them, hardly trudging forward on the larger streets towards the city.

If there are this many people trying so hard to get there, Lammy contemplated, it must really be a special place.

He wondered just how many of the passengers were consciousness fans, secretly on their way to the event.

"This place must be Normal Country's Conscious City, huh?" Deon assumed. "I mean, look at all these people."

"That's actually on the other side of Earth," Skrili said.

"Yeah. Their Conscious City is blended into another city called Tokyo," Otogi said. "A few of the other Special Teams are fighting there in a few days. This city is called–"

"Ladies, gentlemen, and friends: welcome to Boston. We will be landing momentarily."

"Boston, huh?" learned Deon, eyes still on the streets. "Well, I'm glad I'm a pro consciousness. Waiting around to get places down there looks impossible."

"If you h–hate just looking at it," Kotono pitched in softly, "imagine what driving in Boston would be like."

Her teammates all turned to her with intrigue. Kotono stiffened at the sudden attention.

"You've driven here?" Skrili derived.

Kotono flushed. "W–well…we had a bit of a tradition…Hiroko liked Normal Country motorcycles, so we'd sneak away and rent them…She dared me one time to race her around here…"

Everyone shook their heads with knowing smirks.

They really did cause trouble whenever they could, Lammy figured.

"The police chased us. Then I got us lost…" Kotono remembered with a giggle.

She hesitated.

"Um…anyway, I'd better g–go get ready…"

"Kotono?" Otogi called, but she was already well on her way to her room, her face suddenly hidden from them.

Deon noticed before she'd even stopped talking: her giggle had turned into a mask for what was welling underneath it.

Turning gray from the aura emerging weakly around her body, Kotono disappeared into her room.

The rest of the team exchanged wordless glances.

We need my plan…Deon reminded himself.

He sighed. "Guys–"

"Now touching down on Hynes Convention Center. The Inoue Agency is requesting that all event-required personnel be prepared to exit.

Team Hiroko fighters and coaches, please stand by for your separate landing."

The ship came to a stop, and then began gracefully descending. Deon peaked out the window once more.

"So this is the place, huh?"

Bunched between other tall buildings, the gray and gold-bricked center was neat, but certainly not as flashy as Gloat Stadium. It fit in with the rest of Boston as inconspicuously as possible.

"Makes sense that they would put it here," Deon figured, "since consciousnesses are supposed to be a secret, and all. Hey…wait a second…"

Most of the people below roamed and drove along the streets, paying no notice whatsoever to the giant egg-shaped vessel descending on the building. Evidently, the cloaking mechanism was still at work. But on one of the streets, likely where the main entrance was, there was a massive line of people forming.

And many of them featured the diverse fashion and hairstyles Deon and Lammy had seen across the Multiverse.

"Huh?!" exclaimed Deon.

While the city commuters dressed in attire very much toned down from Fantasy Country, and up from Tailpiece, this line was peppered with bright, spiky hair and otherworldly outfits. Some waved around or wore bulky accessories, from weapons to stuffed creatures.

"They're not even trying to be subtle at all," Lammy agreed. "They're all consciousnesses, right?"

"Some are, some aren't," Otogi laughed. He watched them for a moment, a sparkle appearing in his otherwise dark eyes as an idea set in. He raised his TeamTrack to his face. "Hey. Tell management some of us are going in with you guys, the old-fashioned way."

The ship eased to a halt just above the long, rectangular roof of the convention center.

Otogi smiled at his teammates.

"Follow me. I'd like to welcome you to the reason we can compete in Boston," he said. "It's a little thing…called Anime Boston."